Covid 19

Around one in five of workers who were infected were asymptomatic and unaware they had Covid-19. The study, published in ERJ Open Research, included a total of 2,063 health care staff, who were tested for antibodies against Covid-19, between May and September 2020. The presence of these antibodies is a very accurate indication that someone has been infected with Covid-19.

While 87 per cent of respondents in India said they want to work from a "third space" -- a location other than their home or workplace (highlighting a potential opportunity to grow revenue for the hospitality and retail industries), 57 per cent of respondents have no business travel plans post-pandemic or they intend to cut it by half.

The personal care industry has been very vocal about men's intimate hygiene in the recent past, says Sarthak Taneja, Co-Founder, Skin Elements, adding that maintaining body hygiene is equally important for both the sexes, especially the genitals.

According to the ICMR, individuals who test positive using the home testing kit may be considered as true positives, and no-repeat testing is required. All symptomatic individuals who test negative must get tested by RT-PCR, as RATs are likely to miss few positive cases. Md. Shakeel Ahmed, Head-Emergency Medicine, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, answers to IANSlife the commonly asked questions about home testing kits

"For the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, we find that usually just a minor fraction of exhaled respiratory particles contains viruses. Most environments and contacts are under virus-limited conditions, where face masks, including simple surgical masks, have a high efficacy in preventing the spread of Covid-19

Each kit provides all testing materials, instructions to use (IFU) leaflet and a biohazard bag to be safely disposed of after testing. The test is designed to be done using a nasal swab (not the deep nasopharyngeal swab) to reduce the discomfort. The kit is supposed to provide results in 15 minutes and people who test positive should immediately isolate so that they do not infect others

A healthy diet, regular exercise, good sleep, keeping stress at bay are the four pillars for a healthy digestive system. Over the last one year, people all over the country have been confined to their homes. As the lockdown has progressed, there has been an outpouring of food and cooking-related posts on social media reflecting on an increased interest in cooking.

"Those who engaged in such activity were able to prevent high levels of loneliness, therefore, helping older adults to increase their digital literacy and use of remote social interactions could be a really important tool for addressing loneliness," said researcher Anna Whittaker from the University of Stirling.

Cancer care has greatly suffered this last one year due to restrictions put on travel, preventing patients from seeking scheduled treatments. In addition, there have been delays in regular follow ups, postponement of scheduled surgeries following neo-adjuvant chemotherapies, unavailability of palliative care facilities, and an absence of cancer screening programs.

Nurses are at the cutting edge of battling the ongoing pandemic, making the most of their calibre and providing selfless care, said Madhumita Dhall, Director of Nursing at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute And Research Centre (RGCIRC). She added: "Serving humanity is one of the extraordinary callings that nurses are undertaking and thereby play an important role in the society."