Mom Confessions

Chasing the Virus:

How India's largest slum beat back a pandemic

When coronavirus claimed its first victim in India's largest slum in April, many feared the disease would turn its narrow, congested streets into a graveyard, with social distancing or contact tracing all but impossible.

But three months on, Mumbai's Dharavi offers a rare glimmer of hope with new infections shrinking, thanks to an aggressive strategy that focused on "chasing the virus, instead of waiting for disaster", according to city official Kiran Dighavkar.

. . .

"Social distancing was never a possibility, home isolation was never an option, and contact tracing was a huge problem with so many people using the same toilet," Dighavkar told AFP.

. . .

But, with infections rising fast and fewer than 50,000 people checked for symptoms, officials needed to move quickly and get creative.

Each day, medical workers set up a "fever camp" in a different part of the slum, so residents could be screened for symptoms and tested for coronavirus if needed.

Schools, wedding halls and sports complexes were repurposed as quarantine facilities that offered free meals, vitamins and "laughter yoga" sessions.

Strict containment measures were deployed in virus hotspots that were home to 125,000 people, including the use of drones to monitor their movements and alert police, while a huge army of volunteers swung into action, distributing rations so they didn't go hungry.

. . .

By late June, more than half the slum's population had been screened for symptoms and around 12,000 tested for coronavirus.

So far Dharavi has reported just 82 deaths—a fraction of Mumbai's more than 4,500 fatalities.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07- ... demic.html

Conweis wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 3:31 pm China has an app that can trace for Covid. It has a badge. Green, yellow and red.
If your badge turns yellow, it means you had been in close proximity to someone who tested positive and you should get tested. Red means isolation. Restaurants and stores would check your phone and only those with green badges could enter.

Valentina327 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 9:33 pm I was just looking at the death count in India over the last weekend and was wondering why it was so low. I would have thought it would have been massive with that amount of people crowded into such a tiny amount of space.

I came across this:

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/th ... hloroquine

Conweis wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 3:31 pm China has an app that can trace for Covid. It has a badge. Green, yellow and red.
If your badge turns yellow, it means you had been in close proximity to someone who tested positive and you should get tested. Red means isolation. Restaurants and stores would check your phone and only those with green badges could enter.

Mommamia wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2020 12:51 am

Valentina327 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 9:33 pm I was just looking at the death count in India over the last weekend and was wondering why it was so low. I would have thought it would have been massive with that amount of people crowded into such a tiny amount of space.

I came across this:

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/th ... hloroquine

OMG.....Don't burst their ignorant bubble. Since I'm sure none of them will bother to read your article, I'll post some of it for their edification.

Reports credit the huge turnaround to various factors. Most focused on Dharavi's use of widespread testing and contact tracing. One is the use of an anti-malarial drug. But they ignored the policy most responsible. Indian doctors used hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for prophylaxis (preventive) treatment — the same drug the American media have politicized.

Dharavi's COVID-19 infection rate dropped drastically from April through June. In July, new infections were very low, almost reaching zero on July 9.

Officials have credited this turnaround to "[a] combination of hydroxychloroquine, vitamin D, and zinc tablets along with homeopathic medicines."

India has exported tons of HCQ to the U.S, Canada, and dozens of other countries in the past few months. Despite having stockpiles, these nations have resisted its use. The American media and bureaucracies should move beyond their obsession with politics and honestly consider HCQ's efficacy.

Thelma Harper wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2020 2:15 pm

Mommamia wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2020 12:51 am

Valentina327 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 9:33 pm I was just looking at the death count in India over the last weekend and was wondering why it was so low. I would have thought it would have been massive with that amount of people crowded into such a tiny amount of space.

I came across this:

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/th ... hloroquine

OMG.....Don't burst their ignorant bubble. Since I'm sure none of them will bother to read your article, I'll post some of it for their edification.

Reports credit the huge turnaround to various factors. Most focused on Dharavi's use of widespread testing and contact tracing. One is the use of an anti-malarial drug. But they ignored the policy most responsible. Indian doctors used hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for prophylaxis (preventive) treatment — the same drug the American media have politicized.

Dharavi's COVID-19 infection rate dropped drastically from April through June. In July, new infections were very low, almost reaching zero on July 9.

Officials have credited this turnaround to "[a] combination of hydroxychloroquine, vitamin D, and zinc tablets along with homeopathic medicines."

India has exported tons of HCQ to the U.S, Canada, and dozens of other countries in the past few months. Despite having stockpiles, these nations have resisted its use. The American media and bureaucracies should move beyond their obsession with politics and honestly consider HCQ's efficacy.

Was Mr. Cain on the medications recommended by the doctor from Texas?

Mommamia wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 12:36 am

Thelma Harper wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2020 2:15 pm

Mommamia wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2020 12:51 am

OMG.....Don't burst their ignorant bubble. Since I'm sure none of them will bother to read your article, I'll post some of it for their edification.

Reports credit the huge turnaround to various factors. Most focused on Dharavi's use of widespread testing and contact tracing. One is the use of an anti-malarial drug. But they ignored the policy most responsible. Indian doctors used hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for prophylaxis (preventive) treatment — the same drug the American media have politicized.

Dharavi's COVID-19 infection rate dropped drastically from April through June. In July, new infections were very low, almost reaching zero on July 9.

Officials have credited this turnaround to "[a] combination of hydroxychloroquine, vitamin D, and zinc tablets along with homeopathic medicines."

India has exported tons of HCQ to the U.S, Canada, and dozens of other countries in the past few months. Despite having stockpiles, these nations have resisted its use. The American media and bureaucracies should move beyond their obsession with politics and honestly consider HCQ's efficacy.

Was Mr. Cain on the medications recommended by the doctor from Texas?

Just another empty contribution to the discussion from you.

Thelma Harper wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 5:54 am

Mommamia wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 12:36 am

Thelma Harper wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2020 2:15 pm

Was Mr. Cain on the medications recommended by the doctor from Texas?

Just another empty contribution to the discussion from you.

Why so defensive?