India's first Covid-19 patient on ECMO support for 12 days defeats virus

Although she did not have any co-morbidity, doctors feel her obesity could be a reason behind her severe condition.

A 24-year-old highly obese woman claimed to have become the first coronavirus patient in the country to defeat Covid-19 and survive after being put on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support for the past 12 days, sources in the private hospital that treated her said on Monday.

It is not always possible to clinically manage respiratory distress in Covid-19 patients with ventilator support and ECMO is the last option for them, an official of the hospital said adding that three coronavirus infected persons in New Delhi and Chennai, who were put on ECMO, did not survive.

The woman, who is from Kolkata's Kalighat area and weighs around 100 kilogram, got admitted to the hospital on May 17 with high fever and severe breathing distress, a senior official of the facility said.

"When she was first brought to the emergency department at the AMRI, Dhakuria, doctors noted that her oxygen saturation had gone down to 34 per cent, causing serious concern," he said.

Although she did not have any co-morbidity, doctors feel her obesity could be a reason behind her severe condition.

"She was suffering from high fever and sore throat since May 10. Though her fever subsided but it again shot up and she started having severe respiratory distress. She was put on ventilation, and the next day she was put on ECMO support after her condition started deteriorating," the official said.

"She came out of both ECMO and ventilator and her survival is an important step in clinical management of COVID-19," ECMO specialist at AMRI Hospital Dr Soham Majumdar said, pointing out that two patients at the AIIMS, New Delhi, and another patient at a private hospital in Chennai, who were put on ECMO support, succumbed to the virus within a few days.

Kolkata: A veritable wonderland of flavour, literature and, mostly sweets

This city is more relaxed than some of its modern Indian counterparts, and residents claim a strong relationship to its colonial past.

India’s rivers are central to the life of its people and the Hooghly River, a 160-mile branch of the Ganges that runs through the city of Kolkata in West Bengal, is no different. In the late afternoon, I walked to Babu Ghat, and onto the broad concrete slipway that descended into the water, where a few moored boats bobbed slowly and men and children bathed in underclothes.

The sticky heat had finally begun to break and people were out sitting on the banks of the Hooghly, chatting, eating, or just watching the sun glitter on the water as it began its descent. A young man approached me and, apropos of nothing, asked if I liked Kolkata. When I replied yes, he nodded and said, “Kolkata is the heart of India.”

After four days in Kolkata (or the Anglicized “Calcutta”), the capital of West Bengal and known by the nickname, City of Joy, it was difficult to argue. Kolkata, a city strongly associated with British rule and the East India Company, has a fascinating relationship with its colonial history. With a rich literary tradition and strong educational institutions, Kolkata also has a more relaxed and peaceful feel than some of India’s other modern metropolises. Combined with spicy Bengali cuisine and a love of fried street food, it proved a rewarding place to explore — and naturally, I managed to keep my budget in check. (Business Standard)

My comfortable room ($27 per night) in the Ballygunge area of the city was centrally located and ideal for exploring the rest of the city. I rented the room through Airbnb, which I use judiciously. When traveling solo, I’ll typically rent a room in a family’s home: In many instances, hosts have happily clued me in on things to see and do. One tip: Click on the host’s profile picture to see how many properties they have listed. If I see that a host is managing a large number of places, I may choose to stay elsewhere — I’m more interested in using Airbnb as a cultural exchange than as a hotel.

My hosts, Saroj and her daughter, Mrinalini, knew their city well and were happy to offer insight. They both loved the intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness of the city. “Calcutta is laid back, old world, colonial. People have time; it’s a little easier,” said Mrinalini. “In Bengali culture, women are generally considered equal,” she added, compared to places like Delhi. “In some cases they’re actually considered superior: It’s very progressive. I didn’t even think about being feminist because I never needed to be.”... Read More

Fuel prices rise again: Diesel crosses 78-mark in Mumbai, petrol at Rs 87.8

In Delhi, petrol is being retailed at Rs 82.36 per litre, up from Rs 82.26 on Wednesday.

Fuel prices were raised across the country on Thursday. While petrol prices were increased by around 10 paise, diesel prices were hiked by around 28 paise in the four metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

In Delhi, petrol is being retailed at Rs 82.36 per litre, up from Rs 82.26 on Wednesday. With a 27 paise hike, diesel is priced at Rs 74.62 per litre.

After the revision, petrol is being sold at Rs 87.82 in Mumbai, Rs 85.61 in Chennai and Rs 84.19 in Kolkata.

Cost of diesel in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai is at Rs 78.22, Rs 76.47 and Rs 78.90 per litre, respectively.

Last week, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced a cut of Rs 2.50 per litre on both petrol and diesel prices.

Most states, including Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Jharkhand, had also announced a cut in taxes.

On Thursday, Meghalaya became the latest state to announce a reduction in petrol and diesel prices. The state government has reduced fuel prices by Rs 2.50 per litre.

However, the relief may be short-lived as fuel prices are slowly going back to the previous levels. Since the Centre announced the cut, petrol and diesel prices have gone up everyday, except for Wednesday when petrol prices were kept unchanged.

Business Standard