Safer option than N-95 masks
In an attempt to provide a much safer alternative to N-95 masks during the times of corona spread, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) and Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow, have jointly developed a working prototype of a positive pressure respirator system (PPRS). Professor Nachiketa Tiwari (IIT-K), and Prof Devendra Gupta, in-charge in Lucknow have led the innovation. The PPRS provides uncontaminated air because it uses positive pressures.
Drones to sanitise hotspots
The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has decided to use drones to spray disinfectants in Covid-19 hotspots to reduce the deployment of number of sanitation workers in these areas and use the manpower in other areas. As per LMC officials, at least 1,000 sanitation workers were deployed across 21 hotspots, leading to manpower shortage. The LMC has a gargantuan task at hand to sanitise 110 wards of the city. Drones can cover around 10km in about half-an-hour and each drone can store up to 40 litres of sodium hypochlorite. Meanwhile. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath directed officials to encourage use of plasma therapy for the treatment of coronavirus infected people and to increase testing capacity. Holding a review meeting with senior officials of the state, the CM asked them to make pool testing arrangements in all the labs.
Alert citizens honoured
The Lucknow Police has decided to honour a few alert citizens who have stepped forward to volunteer for medical examination and get themselves quarantined so that others don’t get infected by the coronavirus. Mohd Hamid, a preacher from Deoria, or Lucknow’s Yash from London have set an example for others by approaching the cops and sharing their travel details, followed by a undergoing a test and getting quarantine for two weeks. The responsible citizens will be awarded with Alert Citizen Award. Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday crossed the 2,000-mark, with 57 fresh cases reported in the state, officials said. The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the state stands at 31.
Defeating corona at 85
Kumud Bajpai, 85, is no less than an inspiration during these difficult times. She has been stitching masks herself daily to help those who can’t afford to buy a mask for protection. She may be having weak eyesight, but her conviction to help the poor makes her stand out as a corona warrior by contributing her bit in containing the spread of deadly virus. She was forced to take up the task herself when she found her maid and vendors going out for work without a mask. “It was then I decided to stitch masks at home and distribute them for free,” she says. The family also arranges for 50-70 food packets daily. With her savings and the her husband’s, she stitches 100-150 triple-layered masks daily.
namita bajpai
Our correspondent in Uttar Pradesh
namita.bajpai@newindianexpress