All stories by VAIHAYASI PANDE DANIEL
COVID-19: 'We are lucky it came later to India'
Rediff.com29 Jun 2020'People are getting admitted to hospital two to three days before their death in a very serious respiratory compromise state and they are passing away within 48 hours.' 'Those who are coming early in the disease, the minute they are suspicious that they have COVID-19, the recovery rate has been much, much, higher.' 'The moral of the story is: We must destigmatise COVID-19.' 'People should be told: 'Look, if you have anything like this, please come immediately'.'
'Maximum number of cases per day around mid-July'
Rediff.com25 Jun 2020'It will only get worse, definitely, for the next month and one-and-a-half months.'
'The virus can't survive infinitely'
Rediff.com19 Jun 2020'When the virus, in a way, tires itself out, because it is not finding any more people to attack or keep itself viable, that is when the peak actually has been reached and you are on the downward limb (of the curve).'
India's COVID-19 Crisis May Get Worse
Rediff.com15 Jun 2020'As people have moved from cities to small towns and villages, they have carried the infection into new territories.' 'Poor healthcare infrastructure in these places should be a big worry in the days to come.'
Worried about the virus coming home?
Rediff.com15 Jun 2020Wonder how you sanitise your groceries and deliveries and keep yourself and your family safe from the coronavirus?
'COVID-19 vaccine will be made in India'
Rediff.com12 Jun 2020'I can say with confidence that any future SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, developed anywhere in the world, would have to be manufactured in India, if it is to be affordable and of high quality.'
'My biggest worry is electricity'
Rediff.com6 Jun 2020'The worst affected is the electricity supply. A huge number of poles, some 6,000 to 8,000 poles have been damaged completely. That will take a lot of time for restoration.'
Mumbai's Tireless COVID-19 Warrior
Rediff.com3 Jun 2020'These are challenging times and we get energised by that.' 'I don't feel that 'I am tired now and I should relax', because even if someone calls us at 12 o'clock I have to answer his call.'
'Sab bhagwan ke haath mein hai'
Rediff.com2 Jun 2020'Our Lockdown Life has a sort of schizophrenic, Dr-Jekyll-and-Mr-Hyde personality about it,' says Vaihayasi Pande Daniel.
Smoking increases your coronavirus risk
Rediff.com30 May 2020'Smokers are a highly susceptible population during this pandemic.' 'Health benefits from quitting smoking can start as early as within an hour.'
Revealed: What Uddhav told Mumbai doctors
Rediff.com26 May 2020'Cases are increasing, day by day, because testing has increased.'
'We are very close to the peak in Mumbai'
Rediff.com25 May 2020'There is just one silver lining: The fatality rate has gone down.'
'Don't get worried if you have tested positive'
Rediff.com25 May 2020'It is not the test, but the symptomatic phase in this disease that really matters.'
Miss England Dr Bhasha Mukherjee is a COVID-19 warrior
Rediff.com23 May 2020'All of our lives are going to be changed in a permanent way...' 'We just have to ride out the tide right now and we will see a rainbow at the end of this.'
'COVID-19 will be a year-long struggle'
Rediff.com18 May 2020'Predictions are that numbers will continue to rise till May end and maybe in the first half of June will be our peak.'
COVID-19: The threat from people with no symptoms
Rediff.com14 May 2020'Testing is a very good strategy if only symptomatic people are transmitting the disease.' 'Here asymptomatic people, with minimum, trivial symptoms, are transmitting too.' 'Testing, treating, tracing contacts and quarantining them -- yes, it will work up to a certain extent.' 'But more important is physical distancing, hand hygiene, cough etiquette and cocooning, protecting with reverse quarantining the most vulnerable people, senior citizens, people with other major medical problems.' 'To me, that makes much more sense.'
'We should get our hospitals ready for the second wave'
Rediff.com14 May 2020'Strengthen hospital capacity, look after patients who need care, primarily ICU care...' 'Train doctors, get PPE, get ventilators, have treatment protocols in place.'
What you must know about Mumbai's COVID-19 deaths
Rediff.com13 May 2020'65 per cent were males.' 'Age group of deaths: More were seen from age 51 to 70.' 'Saw some deaths from age 21 to the 40s.' 'About 76 to 77 per cent of patient deaths had some kind of a comorbidity.' 'The main comorbidities were the presence of diabetes, hypertension, some kind of heart diseases.'
'Numbers will continue to rise in Mumbai till May end'
Rediff.com8 May 2020'In Mumbai the mortality rate was reaching a percentage of almost 8 plus in about April.' 'But now over last one month, we have come down.' 'We have drastically controlled mortality.' 'We are now about 3.9.'