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on Author Name Change After Publication Journal of Cell Biology (JCB), Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), and Journal of General Physiology (JGP) announce an editorial policy allowing swift and confidential updates to author names at any time ....

‘This IS INSANE’: Africa desperately short of COVID vaccine
apnews.com/article/uganda… "In South Africa, which has the continent’s most robust economy and its biggest coronavirus caseload, just 0.8% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to a worldwide tracker kept by Johns Hopkins University."

Angelic. Do give this a listen.
At the age of 30, Nightbirde (also known as Jane) wrote the original song “It’s Okay” about “the last year of [her] life” which has been characterized by her battle with cancer currently residing in her lungs, spine & liver
"By the end of her segment, Jane commented that though she’s only been given a 2% chance of survival that “is not 0%” and she wishes “people knew how amazing it is” that the 2% is something."

"How does one honor and protect the sanctity of one’s own Blackness while also giving so much of oneself to a health care system that in many ways continues to dismiss, ignore, and mistreat Black people?"
nejm.org/doi/full/10.10… "It was a random day just like any other when I suddenly stopped being just a Black person in America. I looked around at the sea of white faces that seemed to fill every space I entered, and I realized for the first time that I was now a Black person in medicine."

Lancet Citizens' Commission on Reimagining India's Health System
India's resurgence of COVID-19: urgent actions needed
thelancet.com/journals/lance… First, the organisation of essential health services must be decentralised. A one-size-fits-all approach is untenable since the numbers of COVID-19 cases and health services differ substantially from district to district

🙏🙏🙏

https://twitter.com/QuintFit/status/1396822986997436431

On 9 May, he became one of the youngest doctors to lose their lives to COVID-19.

Many of us who have been health activists have been crying hoarse for years about the need to strengthen our health system, focus on public health
Last summer brought policy and public focus to this dire need. One thought lessons were learnt.
Clearly not. There is INCREDIBLE stress on the health system right now in many parts of the country. Health professionals over worked, burning out, turning positive with families in droves. And sometimes cannot find beds for themselves or their family in the hospitals they are working in.

THE VACCINE DILEMMA
The government has announced an intent to go ahead with vaccination as of 16th Jan 2021 with both Covishield and Covaxin. There is going to be no choice. You will only be able to receive one of the two, whatever is allotted to you by the govt. While you have an option of opt-out, it will put potential vaccinees in a tough situation. You have to decide for yourselves based on publicly available (or the lack fo it) information-- on safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy on both vaccines.

With regards to #COVISHIELD which will be rolled out on 16th onward, the CDSCO SEC approval requires the recipient to be given a factsheet prior to the vaccination. Has this been prepared--has anyone seen it?
Was it distributed in the dry-runs? Available widely?#COVID19 #vaccine Source: cdsco.gov.in/opencms/opencm…

The #COVID19 pandemic shows the need for building capacity within the country for critically evaluating ethical issues in health research
We @SangathIndia #Bhopal hub are delighted to have been funded by @thakurfdn to to create an online/digital course on health research ethics The project is called DRISHTi (Developing capacity in health Research ethics Training) and the digital course will be targeted at health professionals as well as general public. The course is proposed to be 8-10 weeks long, completely digital in format and in the English language

The ICMR DG and some other experts have argued that phase 1 and phase 2 data is enough for restricted emergency use approvals, and that phase 3 efficacy data is not necessarily required. Dr T Jacob John also makes an argument in this regard, though also clarifying that there might have been some early safety data from those vaccinated in the phase 3 which is ongoing as well

https://twitter.com/Anurag_Dwary/status/1346134375516147713

https://twitter.com/Anurag_Dwary/status/1346134890111070209

Have been in touch with Rachna for the last few weeks as we discussed issues with one of the #Bhopal #clinicaltrials site for #Covaxin. Lots of issues with trial conduct as documented in her thread below.
Issues with informed consent, care of trial participants, recruitment.

https://twitter.com/RachnaDhingra/status/1345748641646923781

This issue needs to be highlighted more as it shows us what poor oversight could mean, especially because we are now talking about expanded use of vaccines "in clinical trials mode" (not that I am sure anyone really knows what that means)

The 1st Prof MK Bhan Memorial lecture has started live streaming
Please watch at
The Lecture will be delivered by Prof. Vinod K Paul @NITIAayog on topic 'Science & Art of Influencing Health at Transnational Scale: How Visionary Physician Scientists Do it' Dr @RenuSwarup, Secretary @DBTIndia announces the renaming of the @THSTIFaridabad- @unescorcb cluster auditorium after Prof MK Bhan

Dear @PrinSciAdvGoI @PrinSciAdvOff, the issue of recent FCRA amendments on international collaborative #science #health #research needs to be urgently taken up. Lot of uncertainty.
a) sub-agreements now not allowed which impact existing scientific collaborations b/w institutions b) Interpretations seem to indicate remittance back of FCRA funds will not be allowed. Funders have rules any unspent funds at end of project cycle have to be sent back. But it might not be possible now?

I am worried that many of us are afraid of speaking truth to power. That scientists, many of them excellent, within our national research bodies would not call out outrageous statements and lack of evidence based steps defies me. Isn't that a basic scientist quality? Are we so afraid of upsetting status quo, our bosses who might have erred, that we would be willing to let the institution and its credibility be marred? Does that not hurt us at some basic level. Does that not trouble you when you reflect on what it means for Indian Science?

This is a letter which has been sent out by the ICMR DG yesterday. Now that multiple folks have confirmed genuineness, let me raise some issues with this letter on #vaccine #trials during a pandemic, in this case #COVID19
What are the ethical issues in this letter? Read on. For a vaccine for which pre-clinical development is still ongoing, as per the letter itself, how can clinical trial recruitment be starting on 07th July?
And that the vaccine will be launched on 15th August? A vaccine trial completed in little over a month, efficacy pre-decided?

Statement issued by the Ministry of Ayush on claims of Patanjali Ayurved regarding treatment of COVID-19 Related to this, the only information available in the public domain is this CTRI registration
ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials…

How Dr Simon, who died of COVID-19 in Chennai, was denied dignity in death
"I dug a space and buried my close friend by pushing in mud with my own hands. He didn't deserve this end," says Dr Pradeep, a colleague of the deceased.
thenewsminute.com/article/how-dr… “We were hit with wooden logs and stones when we tried to bury him,” says Dr Pradeep, a friend of Dr Simon, who was the person who buried the neurosurgeon in the dead of the night after hours of frightening retaliation from people who were spurred by fear, instead of empathy.

Writing in @NewIndianXpress New Indian Express on #WorldHealthDay, @Experiential_Dr @netshrink & I raise concerns about the use of the war metaphor for the #COVID19 response. The harm this war symbolism does to health professionals is being overlooked.
newindianexpress.com/opinions/2020/… Equating the pandemic response to a war equates India’s healthcare workforce to members of the country’s Armed Forces. The same kind of stoicism and public silence that characterises our Armed Forces is now expected of physicians, nurses, CHWs and allied healthcare personnel.

Writing in @ThePrintIndia today on #WorldHealthDay @MonJunNot & I argue that the current discourse on COVID-19 response focuses overtly on ventilator availability, ICU care & not enough on the art & science of contact tracing #COVID19 #India #publichealth
theprint.in/india/more-tha… We highlight how its equally if not more important to invest in developing the art and science of, and human resources, for effective contact tracing.