Posts

21) Republic Day 2020 Parade ILLUSTRATES: Colourful tableaux, daredevilry, military might on display

India Republic Day -- The indian subcontinent Republic Day 2020 Parade, Flag Hosting HIGHLIGHTS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tributes to martyrs by laying a wreath at the National War Funeral in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the 3 service chiefs and Main of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat. India Republic Day time Parade 2020, Flag Web hosting service HIGHLIGHTS: India is celebrating its 70th Republic Day time Today. The celebration on Rajpath started with Prime Minister Narendra Modi spending homage to the fallen troopers at the newly-built National War Memorial on the Republic Day time for the first time instead of the Amar Jawan Jyoti beneath the India Gate arch. This was followed by Chief executive Ram Nath Kovind unfurling the tricolour. The event marks the day when India’s Constitution came into effect, and also the country became a republic. Heavylift helicopter Chinook and also attack helicopter Apache, each recently inducted in the Indian Air Force, to
Post a Comment
Read more

COVID-19 testing

Image
COVID-19 testing involves analyzing samples to assess the current or past presence of SARS-CoV-2. The two main branches detect either the presence of the virus or of antibodies produced in response to infection. Tests for viral presence are used to diagnose individual cases and to allow public health authorities to trace and contain outbreaks. Antibody tests instead show whether someone once had the disease. They are less useful for diagnosing current infections because antibodies may not develop for weeks after infection. It is used to assess disease prevalence, which aids the estimation of the infection fatality rate. Individual jurisdictions have adopted varied testing protocols, including whom to test, how often to test, analysis protocols, sample collection and the uses of test results. This variation has likely significantly impacted reported statistics, including case and test numbers, case fatality rates and case demographics. Because SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs days afte
Post a Comment
Read more

Methods

Image
Positive viral tests indicate a current infection, while positive antibody tests indicate a prior infection. Other techniques include a CT scan, checking for elevated body temperature, checking for low blood oxygen level, and the deployment of detection dogs at airports. Detection of the virus Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a process that amplifies (replicates) a small, well-defined segment of DNA many hundreds of thousands of times, creating enough of it for analysis. Test samples are treated with certain chemicals that allow DNA to be extracted. Reverse transcription converts RNA into DNA. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) first uses reverse transcription to obtain DNA, followed by PCR to amplify that DNA, creating enough to be analyzed. RT-PCR can thereby detect SARS-CoV-2, which contains only RNA. The RT-PCR process generally requires a few hours. Real-time PCR (qPCR) provides advantages including automatio
Post a Comment
Read more

Infectivity

Image
Infectivity is indicated by the basic reproduction number ( R 0 , pronounced "R naught") of the disease. SARS-CoV-2 is estimated to have an R 0 of 2.2 to 2.5. This means that in a population where all individuals are susceptible to infection, each infected person is expected to infect 2.2 to 2.5 others in the absence of interventions. R 0 can vary according factors such as geography, population demographics and density. In New York state R 0 was estimated to be 3.4 to 3.8. On average, an infected person begins showing symptoms five days after infection (the "incubation period") and can infect others beginning two to three days before that. One study reported that 44% of viral transmissions occur within this period. According to the CDC, a significant number of infected people who never show symptoms are nevertheless contagious. In vitro studies have not found replication-competent virus after 9 days from infection. The statistically estimated likelihood of reco
Post a Comment
Read more

History

Image
January Public Health England announced a test on the 10th, using a real-time RT-PCR (RdRp gene) assay based on oral swabs. The test detected the presence of any type of coronavirus, including specifically identifying SARS-CoV-2. It was rolled out to twelve laboratories across the United Kingdom on 10 February. Scientists from China first released information on the viral genome on 11 January 2020, sending multiple genomic sequences to GISAID, an indispensable mechanism for sharing influenza genetic sequence data. That day the Malaysian Institute for Medical Research (IMR) produced "primers and probes" specific to a SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test. The IMR's materials were used to diagnose Malaysia's first patient on 24 January. BGI Group was one of the first companies to receive emergency use approval from China's National Medical Products Administration for a nucleic acid test. The German nucleic acid testing protocol was published on the 17th. Another early PCR test wa
Post a Comment
Read more

Testing protocols

Image
Drive-through testing In drive-through testing, the person undergoing testing remains in a vehicle while a healthcare professional approaches the vehicle and obtains a sample, all while taking appropriate precautions such as wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Drive-through centers helped South Korea accelerate its testing program. Home collection In Hong Kong test subjects can stay home and receive a specimen tube. They spit into it, return it and later get the result. Pooled testing In Israel, researchers at Technion and Rambam Hospital developed a method for testing samples from 64 patients simultaneously, by pooling the samples and only testing further if the combined sample was positive. Pool testing was then adopted in Israel, Germany, Ghana South Korea, Nebraska, China and the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Open source, multiplexed designs released by Origami Assays can test as many as 1122 patient samples using only 9
Post a Comment
Read more

Available tests

Image
Countries around the world developed tests independently and in partnership with others. Nucleic acid tests Tests developed in China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the US targeted different parts of the viral genome. WHO adopted the German system for manufacturing kits sent to low-income countries without the resources to develop their own. PowerChek Coronavirus looks for the "E" gene shared by all beta coronaviruses, and the RdRp gene specific to SARS-CoV-2. Abbott Laboratories' ID Now nucleic acid test uses isothermal amplification technology. The assay amplifies a unique region of the virus's RdRp gene; the resulting copies are then detected with "fluorescently-labeled molecular beacons". The test kit uses the company's "toaster-size" ID Now device, which is widely deployed in the US. The device can be used in laboratories or in point of care settings, and provides results in 13 minutes or less. Primerdesign offe
Post a Comment
Read more