Coronavirus: Traditional Chinese medicines and the Ayurveda connection

With life-threatening side-effects of conventional drugs, doctors in China used traditional medicines on patients.

Business Standard had earlier reported how the Chinese tackled the first wave of coronavirus pandemic in the country through hospital isolation techniques, patient management and regulating professional and personal behaviour of medical personnel. But little is known about the drugs the Chinese deployed on patients which led to recoveries in many cases and extensive organ damage in others.

A report prepared by the Jack Ma Foundation based on notes prepared by frontline Chinese medical personnel throws light on the medication used on coronavirus patients and their consequences. The report also has extensive details of traditional Chinese medicine prescribed for various stages of the disease in an infected person.

The Chinese found that more than half the coronavirus-infected patients who were given a dose of the HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir combined with the flu drug arbidol displayed signs of “abnormal liver function”. The HIV drug was one of the first drugs touted for treatment in the initial phase of the pandemic in India by the country’s health ministry. Administering lopanivir/ritonavir was also tied to diarrhoea, jaundice and abnormal rise of cholesterol levels in the blood among other consequences in coronavirus patients.

Combined with lopanivir, arbidol was found to further enhance the chances of jaundice. Chinese doctors stopped the use of this drug combination whenever the heart rate dropped below normal levels of 60 beats per minute. They recommended that using lopanivir/ritonavir with heart attack prevention drugs like statins, organ transplant facilitating drugs like immunosuppressants, schizophrenia drugs and other medications could lead to sudden cardiac death, severe coma and the death of muscle fibres which release a chemical into the blood, causing kidney failure. Such combinations were prohibited.

India coronavirus dispatch: Why we must prepare for the long haul

From a proposal for future lockdowns, to mapping of coronavirus hotspots, and how the civil society can aid government response to Covid-19 - read these and more in today's India dispatch.

Here is a roundup of articles from news publications in India on how the country is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic — from a proposal for future lockdowns, to mapping of coronavirus hotspots, and how the civil society could aid government response to Covid-19.

Expert Speak

How Covid-19 will hit India: Why is India at such a grave risk from the coronavirus? What are the different ways in which the rural and urban India are likely to be affected? And what has the disease laid bare about the long-term consequences of insufficient health systems? Read this interview with epidemiologist and economist Ramanan Laxminarayan, who directs the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy in Washington, DC.

Citizens Under Lockdown

Lockdown causing further shortage at blood banks: The situation at blood banks has worsened during the lockdown, with hospitals making do with fewer employees, and fewer donors coming forward due to restrictions on people’s movement and the fear of contracting Covid-19 at a hospital or clinic. Read more on how hospitals and patients are managing this crisis.

Exodus shows essential role migrants play in functioning of Indian cities: Most migrant workers live in cramped rented rooms or must sleep on the footpath, lack documents to access benefits such as rations in the city, do not have family members in the city, and have little savings to draw upon. Read this interview with Tariq Thachil, associate professor at Vanderbilt University, on India’s migrant labourer during a lockdown.

Long Reads

Covid-19 – Are we ready for the long haul? Policymakers must be prepared to provide relief to adversely affected individuals. Read this proposal, which details a comprehensive approach for a combination of in-kind transfers and cash support to be provided to all households with ration cards, during any lockdown that takes place over the next 24 months.

IndiGo gives profit warning following dip in bookings over Coronavirus

Flight occupancy dropped on domestic routes as individuals and companies canceled events and postponed travel.

IndiGo expects the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and depreciation of the rupee to hit profit in the fourth quarter. IndiGo, the largest domestic airline by market share, has issued the profit warning following a dip in bookings because of the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

“We cancelled our flights to China and Hong Kong and reduced frequency to certain other Southeast Asian markets. This capacity was redeployed in other markets without having a material impact on our revenues. Over the past few days, however, week-on-week, we have seen a 15-20 per cent decline in our daily bookings. We expect our quarterly earnings to be materially impacted because of these factors,” the airline said in a stock exchange notification on Wednesday.

It added that sharp depreciation in rupee, too, would have an adverse impact on its dollar-denominated liabilities, primarily on account of capitalised operating leases.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus outbreak: It's safe to travel, SpiceJet, GoAir tell customers

Flight occupancy dropped on domestic routes as individuals and companies canceled events and postponed travel. Last-minute fares, too, have declined 20-25 per cent on key metro routes over a dip in demand. While the plunge in crude oil price benefits the airline, the relief could be limited thanks to sluggish demand.

InterGlobe Aviation, which runs IndiGo, had reported a threefold increase in its pre-tax profit to Rs 556 crore in the third quarter of financial year 2019-20 (FY20) on strong revenue growth. In an investor conference call after the results, it had said modification of its Airbus A320neo engines would be completed by May, but indicated a challenging fourth quarter because of lean season and COVID-19 threat.

China moves to limit short selling to ease market panic over coronavirus

China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has issued a verbal directive to brokerages to bar their clients from selling borrowed stocks on February 3.

China has taken steps to limit short-selling activities as the country's financial markets prepare to reopen on Monday amid an outbreak of a new coronavirus, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The sources said China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) had issued a verbal directive to brokerages including Citic Securities Co. and China International Capital Corp. to bar their clients from selling borrowed stocks on February 3.

It was not clear if the suspension -- which was first reported on Sunday by Chinese media outlet 21st Century Business Herald -- would be extended beyond Monday, one of the sources said.

In an internal memo sent to its branches, Citic called the move a "political task" aimed at helping stabilize the market on the first trading day of the stock market in the Lunar New Year of Rat as the coronavirus outbreak unsettles global markets.

Investors are bracing for a volatile session in Chinese markets when onshore trades resume on Monday after a break for the Lunar New Year which was extended by the government.

China's policy makers have taken various of measures to protect the financial system from the fallout due to the outbreak. The central bank said it will inject 1.2 trillion yuan ($174 billion) worth of liquidity into the markets via reverse repo operations on Monday.

The CSRC is also considering launching hedging tools for the A-share market to help alleviate market panic and will suspend evening sessions of futures trading starting from Monday, it said.

Business Standard