In Focus by The Hindu

While most other countries around the world ave opted for some form of aggressive lockdown strategy Sweden adopted a more relaxed approach, keeping many establishments open. The strategy seemed to aim at defeating the disease by achieving 'herd immunity' an idea that seems to have gained some currency in India recently. How have they fared in this approach and what are the problems associated with this strategy.Interview by G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The HinduGuest: Carina King, Infectious Diseases Epidemiologist with the Department of Global Public Health, at Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A day after Prime Minister Modi extended the national lockdown till May 3, the Ministry of Home affairs on Wednesday issued detailed guidelines for relaxations in certain sectors that may come into effect in some parts of the country from April 20. We discuss those guidelines and also get the latest from the Health Ministry briefings.(Recorded on April 15, 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

In the 24th episode of our analysis of COVID-19-related developments, we discuss the extension of the national lockdown till May 3, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning. The Prime Minister had added that some relaxations, for some types of workers, could gradually be introduced after April 20. Those guidelines, set to be released on Wednesday (April 15) are said to be ‘like a book’.(Recorded late on April 14, 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

As we recorded this episode, the suspense of the Prime Minister's 10 a.m. address on April 14 loomed over us, because we were largely unsure still of the specifics of any kind of announcement regarding an extension of the national lockdown. In this episode, we bring to you update about a new pilot project in Mumbai’s Dharavi area where hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) will be administered at a community level as a prophylaxis or preventive. We also get an update on the HCQ export situation (as questions continue to be asked about availability) and we get the latest from the Health Ministry briefings and questions now about the shortage of COVID-19 testing kits. (Recorded late on April 13, 2020) Guests: Jyoti Shelar, Health Reporter, The Hindu; Suhasini Haidar, National Editor, The Hindu; Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode comes at a critical juncture when we are still pondering ways in which the lockdown can be lifted in a calibrated manner in some areas while being extended in others as the battle to contain the spread of COVID-19 in India continues. There are crucial questions to be asked about how to contain the virus if the lockdown is lifted, what kind of data we may need to determine the spread of the virus in the population and how to balance the costs of an extended lockdown with the economic fallout.Mathematical modelling is essential to chart a course forward and frame policy around these questions and we try and break down some of these concepts in this conversation.Guest: Dr. Gautam Menon, Professor of physics and biology, Ashoka University. Researcher on the modelling of infectious diseases and its implications for public policy(Recorded on April 11, 2020)Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looming over this 22nd episode of our daily coverage of COVID-19 is the question of whether the lockdown will be extended nationally and what strategy may be followed for a calibrated exit in some sectors.Some States have gone ahead and announced an extension (as we publish, Telangana is the latest to do so, joining Odisha and Punjab). We discuss that as well as the mathematical graph put out by the Health Ministry which claims that India would have had over 8 lakh infections without the lockdown. We also get an update on India’s exports of hydroxychloroquine to the world — a story that seems to take on larger dimensions by the day.(Recorded on April 11, 2020)Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 21st episode of our daily COVID-19 updates, The Hindu's political editor Nistula Hebbar talks to us about some reporting that suggests that the lockdown may ease up in rural areas as the government keeps an eye on the supply of food grains in the country while urban areas are likely to remain shut. Deputy Science Editor Jacob Koshy also joins in to give us the latest from the Health Ministry briefings.(Recorded on April 10, 2020)Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While questions over the possible extension of the lockdown loom large, there are several points to ponder over about the strategy to contain the spread of COVID-19 going forward. In this episode we get an in-depth analysis on ‘hotspot’ cluster containment, the types of testing we need to be doing to gain more data about community spread and some sound advice about the types of masks we should be using and when.“If you’re going out in the public domain, wearing a mask or some piece of cloth is a good idea. How do you know if a cloth mask is good enough or not? If you hold it out to the light you should not be able to see the light coming through. If the cloth is too thin it really can’t help you. Second, if it becomes wet or moist, take it off and put on another one. If you don’t have a replacement you are better off without any mask than having a wet mask.”Interview by Zubeda Hamid, Reporter, The Hindu. Recorded on April 9, 2020Guest: Dr. Subramanian Swaminathan, Senior Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Gleneagles Global Hospital, Chennai and BangaloreWrite to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There have been instances of coronavirus in patients who had no established contact with someone who had picked up the disease from abroad — from as early as March 22, according to a research study in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, authored by several ICMR scientists — including its head Balram Bhargava — and made public late on April 10. Notably, the national lockdown was announced two days after this evidence came to light. We discuss the report in this episode as well as an interesting data point about gender imbalance in COVID-19 cases in India.Joining us is Deputy Science Editor Jacob Koshy.(Recorded on April 9, 2020)Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While sections of our news media have been dominated by reporting on the Tablighi Jamaat convention and how it has turned into a major nodal point for spreading infections across the country it’s worth noting that this is not the first ‘super spreader’ event traceable to a religious group.In this episode we look at the Shincheonji church incident in South Korea, how it was reported and how numbers relating to it were shared in the public domain. We also explore other lessons that India can take from South Korea’s handling of the pandemic so far.Interview by G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The HinduGuest: Rishikesh Ramachandran, former journalist and Seoul-based marketing consultant.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices