In Focus by The Hindu

As we complete one month of the national lockdown, we look ahead to probable changes in labour market dynamics. Will there be an imbalance between rural and urban economies in the short run? Will the scars of the COVID-19 crisis deter labourers who have returned to their villages from migrating long distances in search of employment? And what can be done by government and private sector do provide more security for labour.Guest: K.R. Shyam Sundar, labour economist, professor at XLRI, Jamshedpur.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’ll get an update from The Hindu's United States Correspondent Sriram Lakshman on the overall situation with regard to the Coronavirus in the U.S. and the reasoning behind President Donald Trump’s temporary ban on immigration, on which he signed an executive order on April 22.We’ll then move on to Ministry briefings — from the External Affairs Ministry, National Affairs Editor Suhasini Haidar will give us an update on medical supplies coming into India from other countries and particularly on whether there has been any response to rapid testing kits imported from China being largely inaccurate. Deputy Science Editor Jacob Koshy has an update from the Health Ministry on some rather detailed numbers put out by the government to show that the growth in the number of cases in India has been linear and not exponential.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a five-member Central team projected that the number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai would touch an estimated 42,604 by April 30 and spiral to 6,56,407 by May 15, the Maharashtra government has contested the methodology and tools used for the projection. We will discuss that story and also take a detailed look at the various problems the ICMR and state governments are facing with the rapid antibody test kits that have come in from China.Guests: Sharad Vyas, Deputy Editor, Mumbai, The Hindu; Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor, The Hindu.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s rather diverse episode covers issues ranging from the BMC in Mumbai revealing that several journalists in the city have tested positive for COVID-19, blood banks across the country running short as thalassemia and dialysis patients are the worst hit, and a developing situation in the Gulf countries where thousands of Indian immigrant workers could find themselves without jobs as the economic effects of the pandemic grow more acute. We also have an update from the Health Ministry briefings.(Recorded on April 21, 2020)Guests: Suhasini Haidar, National Editor, The Hindu; Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor, The Hindu.Regional despatches from Health reporters Jyoti Shelar and Bindu Shajan PerappadanWrite to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The WHO is facing arguably its biggest-ever crisis, with questions being raised over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States has said it will cut its funding to the WHO while many other nations are calling for reforms. Is the criticism being mounted against the WHO justified and where does the world body go from here?Interview by Ananth Krishnan, The HinduGuest: Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP, former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite its large population, the South Asia region has recorded low figures of the virus. The eight SAARC nations, for instance, account for approximately 1.1% of the world total of nearly 23,00,000 coronavirus cases. In this episode, we pause to look at these numbers, the initial projections for the region and ask thr question — does a separate study need on COVID-19 impact in South Asia? if a separate study needs to be carried out for the region and ask if this variance needs to be studied more closely. We also have a discussion on India revising FDI policy to shield firms from takeovers during the pandemic — a move that seems to be pointed toward China, and updates from the Health Ministry briefings.(Recorded on April 18, 2020)Guests: Suhasini Haidar, National Editor, The Hindu; Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor, The HinduWrite to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is becoming increasingly crucial for people to have awareness and knowledge about COVID-19, how the virus spreads, and the reasoning behind measures like social distancing. Especially in times of great anxiety, various conspiracies theories tend to sprout up and, in response to health emergencies, several dubious ideas on medicine and treatment also come up.In conversation with one of India’s foremost science educators, we talk about the current level of scientific awareness in India, the communication to the public about the disease, and the opportunity this sort of a situation offers for informing and educating people about virology, health and safety.Guest: T.V. Venkateshwaran, Science Educator, Senior Scientist at Vigyan Prasar, New Delhi.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The RBI introduced additional measures on Friday to infuse liquidity into the market and ease the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Health Ministry, meanwhile, has some figures about how the lockdown has slowed down the rate at which the number of cases has doubled in India. We also have a quick update on a new RT-PCR test kit for COVID-19 that has been developed by a lab in Kerala that could be a much cheaper and faster alternative to the diagnostic test kits currently available to us.(Recorded on April 18, 2020)Guests: Suresh Seshadri, Associate Editor, The Hindu; Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor, The HinduWrite to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Solidarity is an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19, launched by the World Health Organization and partners. The treatment options on the table are the drugs Remdesivir; Lopinavir/Ritonavir; Lopinavir/Ritonavir with Interferon beta-1a; and Chloroquine or Hydroxychloroquine.The latter, of course, has been the subject of much debate in India but in this episode we will look at the other options and the rationale for testing them as possible treatment options. We will also briefly look at the protocol for plasma therapy treatment started now in Kerala.Guest: T.V. Venkateshwaran, Science Communicator, Senior Scientist at Vigyan Prasar, New Delhi.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the time of COVID-19 and mass lockdowns and social isolation, the video conference app Zoom has come to be all the rage as a way for people to connect with each other across the world. The Indian Home Ministry on Thursday issued an advisory saying the platform wasn’t secure, especially for government communication.In other news, a huge consignment of rapid testing kits arrived from China on Thursday, but is the Indian Council of Medical Research actually betting big on the use of these tests as a strategy?(Recorded on April 16, 2020)Guests: Suhasini Haidar, National Editor, The Hindui; Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor, The HinduWrite to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices