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Dear Reader,
Many aspects of the pandemic are beyond our control.
Wearing a mask though, is completely in our control. For
many it has become a constant companion and hence it is
worrying to read The Wire's report of
a high probability that the ‘N95’ respirators that you and
I bought are fakes, counterfeits!
Down To Earth reports that there is a new
wave of COVID-19 hotspots waiting to be discovered, this
time in India’s rural districts, and pleads for urgent
action, before the cases explode. And,
The Print finds that uncertainty marks
India’s largest data collection exercise - the decadal
census - for fear of safety of enumerators and the
spreading of the virus.
For these stories and more from our grantees, please read
on.
Warmly,
Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
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COVID-19 Investigation: The Indian Market Is
Flooded with Fake N95 Masks
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An investigation by
The Wire finds a shocking truth –
India is flooded with fake respirators, with no
quality control and nowhere near the N95 standards
that most of them claim to meet. Given the huge
gap between supply and demand for masks, many
unscrupulous and fly-by-night operators stepped in
to exploit the situation. Almost 150 manufacturers
have come up in the past three months. Some of
them, the report finds, are “basically
counterfeiting brands”.
Read Here
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How to stall COVID’s march in rural India
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Following the return of migrants back to their
villages, the rural districts in the states are
now reporting a serious upsurge of confirmed cases
of COVID-19, even forcing WHO to raise an alarm.
What adds to the anxiety is that it is precisely
these districts that suffer from abysmal
healthcare infrastructure with chronic shortage of
medical professionals.
Down to Earth pleads for an
urgent outreach to increase rural capacities
through the National Rural Health Mission and
equipping the gram panchayats to handle the
breakout locally.
Read Here
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Safety of enumerators, risk of Covid spread
through them set to upset Census 2021 timelines
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The largest data collection carried out by India,
the decadal census, has been hit by the disruption
caused by COVID-19. The house-listing census was
to be held between April and September this year
and population enumeration in the last three weeks
of February next year. Now, there is no clarity on
the schedule. The census is crucial not only to
determine the population size but also to assess
facilities such as drinking water, sanitation,
housing and electricity, critical inputs into
policy and governance, reports
The Print.
Read Here
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Task-force scientists say Delhi’s serological
survey results delayed pending MHA approval
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The serological (test for anti-bodies)
joint-survey conducted by the Delhi government and
the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
from 27 June to 5 July, to determine the
prevalence of the novel Coronavirus in the
capital, is still to be released. The apparent
cause of the delay – because the Union Home
Ministry is still sitting on it, reports
The Caravan.
Read Here
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As Lockdown Squeezes Grey Market, Families
Struggle To Import Life-Saving Drugs
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As supply chains remain disrupted,
IndiaSpend investigates how
families are scrambling to procure Vigabatrin, a
drug used to help prevent seizures in children.
Families who were paying about Rs 700 for a strip
of 10 tablets before the lockdown are now paying
up to more than four times this amount as supply
remains constrained by a lack of licensed sellers.
Read Here
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How to do More COVID-19 Testing
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Takshashila Institute’s
podcast answers important questions about
India’s unorganised diagnostics sector. How
India failed to step up testing and how the
situation can be salvaged.
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