Coronavirus updates for April 7
Here's a roundup of YourStory's coverage today of how India and the world are dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.
The coronavirus outbreak has shown that even world leaders are not safe from this health crisis. UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson was placed in intensive care after his health worsened. He was tested positive for the novel coronavirus a few days ago and had been self-isolating.
India reported 13 deaths and 508 more positive cases in the last 24 hours. According to Worldometers, the number of positive cases jumped to over 5,000 across India, with around 150 deaths reported.
India approved the export of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug touted as being a potential means of treatment for coronavirus patients. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened of "retaliation" if India did not lift the ban on the export of the drugs. On the other hand, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending medicines on a special chartered flight.
Across the world, leaders signalled a possible flattening of the curve. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the number of people being admitted to hospitals was decreasing. Meanwhile, China lifted the lockdown off the city of Wuhan — where the coronavirus originated — after the country reported zero deaths for the first time since January.
Here's a roundup of YourStory's coverage today of how India and the world are dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.
Coronavirus: What are the challenges around COVID-19 testing in India?
In a conversation with Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO, YourStory, Anu Acharya, Founder and CEO of Mapmygenome, and Rajat Garg, Co-founder of My Upchar, discuss the bottlenecks around the coronavirus testing process in India.
In a video interview with Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO, YourStory, Yashish Dahiya, Founder and Group CEO of fintech giant PolicyBazaar, talks about what startups need to focus on to survive the coronavirus-led downturn, and why they need strong cash reserves.
Bengaluru-based ride-hailing unicorn Ola's policy research and social innovation think-tank, Ola Mobility Institute, has released a report that says gig workers and platforms must be leveraged to manage the crisis, fast-track recovery, and build resilience.
Ola partners with Karnataka govt, launches medical transport for non-coronavirus patients
Ola has enabled over 200+ hospitals in Bengaluru. The service is to enable medical trips that are non-coronavirus and do not require an ambulance.
Coronavirus: Rapido ties up with Big Basket, Big Bazaar, and Spencer’s Retail to deliver essentials
Rapido is also in talks with Grofers, Dunzo, and FreshtoHome for a similar association.
Travel startup Treebo Hotels asks employees to voluntarily resign, founders take 60 pc pay cut
As the online travel bookings startup looks for ways to improve its financial condition, it is putting together a group of senior leaders to find alternate employment opportunities for its staff opting for PVRS.
WhatsApp renews measures to stop misinformation going viral during COVID-19 pandemic
To constrain virality and place limits on how people can send messages amid the coronavirus pandemic, WhatsApp is allowing users to get more information about such messages.
Indian two-wheeler industry to shrink by around 13 percent in FY 2020-21: ICRA
ICRA says operating margins of two-wheeler manufacturers in India are set to drop from 14 percent last year (FY 2019-20) to 11.5 to 12 percent.
Are you trying to stay healthy during the 21-day lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic? On World Health Day, here are a few tips on how to stay fit during these unprecedented times and some advice from celebrities too.
Coronavirus: This Hyderabad startup provides end-to-end transport for COVID-19 patients to hospitals
StanPlus focusses on supporting the patients in emergency and non-emergency situations by helping them reach the hospital in time.
How these women are doing their bit in the battle against coronavirus
From making face masks to rescuing stranded Indians abroad, these women’s efforts are helping people during this coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus: TVS donates 6.5 lakh masks, Eicher Group announces Rs 50 Cr for fighting COVID-19
Indian auto majors pool in to help fight the coronavirus pandemic by making ventilators, face shields, and masks, while also donating money to PM and CM relief funds.
Coronavirus: Myntra partners with Wildcraft to offer personal protective face masks on its platform
In the light of the coronavirus epidemic, the two companies said the face masks offer a three-layer particle filtration system as a shield against particulates and microbes.
Love of learning in the time of coronavirus: India’s No.1 math programme is now free for all grades
To help children achieve their academic goals with as little disruption as possible, Cuemath, an after-school maths excellence programme, has made its entire course material for Grades I to X free to access online.
Jain communities in Gujarat, Karnataka feed the hungry during coronavirus crisis
In Bengaluru, the Jain community distributed 51,000 food packets on Mahaveer Jayanti. While in Rajkot, volunteers of AYSG served over four lakh rotis.
NCERT will develop alternative academic calendar for up to CBSE Class XII students
The new curriculum will focus on e-learning and school-home collaboration.
Due to political tensions with China, Taiwan’s progress in tackling the coronavirus outbreak does not get much media mention. Here are insider perspectives on Taiwan’s successful approach, and personal takes on coping with the crisis.
Coronavirus: Hiring activity declines by 18 pc in March, reveals Naukri JobSpeak
Hiring activity during March declined by 18 percent compared to the same month in 2019, following the nationwide lockdown to tackle the coronavirus crisis.
Amitabh Bachchan to provide monthly ration to 1 lakh daily wage workers
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has pledged monthly ration to support one lakh households of daily wage workers belonging to the All India Film Employees Confederation amid the coronavirus pandemic.
IIT Guwahati has developed a low-cost LED-based machine for disinfecting the floors at hospitals, buses, and trains to aid the fight against coronavirus, and will be available for Rs 1,000.
Coronavirus: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announces 5-point action plan to fight COVID-19
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a five-point action plan to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the national capital.
PM Modi has indicated a phased emergence from the lockdown and said that "a graded plan to slowly open departments where hotspots aren't existing should be made".
Britannia partners with Dunzo for home delivery of food essentials
Dunzo's no-contact delivery will ensure that Britannia essentials are delivered safely and securely to users across Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Gurugram, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai.
Haptik-powered corona chatbot sees over 2 crore users
According to Haptik, more than 55 million messages have been sent by over 20 million users since the chatbot was launched by the government on March 20.
Railways addresses 1.25 lakh queries on its helplines in 10 days of lockdown
The Railways control office has been doing 24x7 monitoring of four communication platforms: helplines 139, 138, social media (Twitter, ) and email ([email protected]).
Facebook draws on user data to help battle coronavirus
Facebook on Monday said it is providing anonymous data about users' movements and relationships to help researchers better anticipate where the coronavirus might spread.
Next 2-3 weeks challenging for FMCG companies amid supply chain disruption: KPMG
Sales of FMCG companies went up due to uptick in demand by panicked consumers, who over-stocked essential products and commodities in view of coronavirus threat, but this may be neutralised by a drop in levels in stock-in-trade due to potential supply chain disruptions, said KPMG in a report.
India's growth may slip below 3 pc in FY21 if COVID-19 proliferates: KPMG
India's growth could slip below three percent in the current fiscal if coronavirus proliferates within India, lockdown extended, and the global economy slips into recession, a KPMG report said.
Airbnb gets $1B investment for coronavirus recovery
The fresh resources will enable San Francisco-based Airbnb to invest in its community of hosts and local experiences along with stays in homes, says Airbnb Co-founder and Chief Brian Chesky.
World Health Day an opportunity to express gratitude towards doctors fighting COVID-19
Vice President M, Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the World Health Day is an opportunity to reaffirm our gratitude towards all doctors, nurses, medical staff, and healthcare workers leading the battle against COVID-19.
