Analysis of Facility and Home Isolation Strategies in COVID 19 Pandemic: Evidences from Jodhpur, India

Purpose

Jodhpur administration directed its efforts to control and mitigate COVID 19 infection by implementing and monitoring facility isolation (FI) and home isolation (HI) measures. This study is conducted with a hypothesis that there is no difference in the quality of life and cost-effectiveness of mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic patients in HI and FI.

Patients and Methods

A mixed-method study was conducted in Jodhpur in September 2020. The purposive sampling technique was used and data from 120 individuals admitted in HI and FI were collected. The information about the status and functioning of isolation facilities was collected from various sources. Multi-stakeholder interactions with 15 personnel engaged in managing isolation facilities were done. EQ-5D version (EQ-5D-5L) which consists of the EQ-5D descriptive system and the EQ visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) was used to assess health-related quality of life.

Results

The strength of HI strategy is demonstrated by its ability to provide psychological and social support with minimal logistic requirements but the issue of sufficient household infrastructure, adequate family and societal support for implementing this strategy is of concern. The strength of FI strategy includes its ability to provide support to patients who have issues of sufficient household infrastructure, adequate family and societal support, but this strategy poses a threat of increasing human resource constraints and financial load on the health system. The respondents from HI obtained a mean EQ-5D index score of 0.90 and a mean VAS score of 85, whereas it was 0.80 and 78.5, respectively, for FI. The cost estimated for home isolation was Rs 549 (7.43 US $) per person, whereas it was Rs 2440 (33.02 US $) for facility Isolation.

Conclusion

Though HI seems advantageous in terms of a better quality of life and cost-saving over FI, both the strategies are context-specific having their own trade-offs.

Preparing for a COVID-19 pandemic: Redefining roles of multidisciplinary team in a large tertiary hospital in Rajasthan

Through this manuscript, we would like to share our experience with building a COVID hospital, allocating duties, planning and managing supplies during COVID-19 pandemic. This manuscript is prepared by the Doctors of various specialties with vast experience involved in actual planning of the infrastructure and resources. This comprehensive manuscript will help teams to prepare and train, stockpile necessary equipment and prepare their staff to deal with current crisis if there is a surge in infected cases.

Customized personal protective equipment (PPE): Solution to conservation and management of supplies during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

In the COVID-19 pandemic, global health care systems have become overwhelmed with potentially infectious patients seeking testing and care. Preventing spread of infection to and from health care workers (HCWs) and patients relies on effective use of personal protective equipment(PPE). The most critical part in due course of managing this pandemic is adequate supply of PPEs. We have customized a PPE which is economical and reusable after proper disinfection. This customized PPE can be a solution to conservation of supply during this pandemic.

Adsorption of chromium from aqueous solution by activated alumina and activated charcoal

Cr(VI) is considered to be potentially carcinogenic to humans. Removal of Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solution under different conditions was investigated using activated alumina (AA) and activated charcoal (AC) as adsorbents. Batch mode experiments were conducted to study the effects of adsorbent dose, contact time, pH, temperature and initial concentration of Cr(VI). Results showed that the adsorption of Cr(VI) depended significantly on pH and temperature. Equilibrium studies showed that Cr(VI) had a high affinity for AA at pH 4 and AC at pH 2. For AA, maximum adsorption was found at 25 degrees C, indicating exothermic adsorption, while for AC, maximum adsorption was at 40 degrees C. Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms were also applied and they showed good fits to the experimental data. The results suggest that both AA and AC could be used as effective adsorbents for the removal of Cr(VI) ions.

Adsorption of Cr(VI) from aqueous and electroplating wastewater

The aim of this work was to investigate the use of activated rice husk carbon prepared by thermal activation and activated alumina in the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution and electroplating wastewater through column studies. The optimum solution pH was found to be 2 for activated rice husk carbon and 4 for activated alumina in the batch process. This was further applied to the aqueous solution to optimise the column bed height, diameter and flow rate of solute. These optimised conditions were applied to the electroplating wastewater. It was observed that activated rice husk is an efficient adsorbent and comparable to commercially available activated alumina. The percent Cr(VI) removal from wastewater was 73.3% with activated rice husk and 75.3% with activated alumina after 1 h continuous flow at the rate of 5 ml min(-1) from 7.5 cm bed height of adsorbent in a column having diameter 2.5 cm. A long contact time of the samples with adsorbents resulted in desorption of Cr(VI) from the adsorbent surfaces. However, the adsorption rate increased with the more available adsorbent surface sites when column bed height and diameter were greater. There was a decrease in Cr(VI) removal compared to aqueous sample due to the presence of other metal ions in the wastewater sample.

Effect of salt stress on nodulation and nitrogen fixation in legumes

It is now well established that almost all phases of root nodule development in legumes are adversely affected by saline conditions in the rooting medium. There is also a general agreement that the rhizobia are more tolerant to salt stress than the host plant, but they show considerable strain variability in growth and survival under saline conditions. Inhibitory effect of salinity on nodulation has been attributed to decrease in rhizobial colonisation and shrinkage and lack of root hair formation. Salt stress also induces premature senescence of already formed nodules. Both N2-fixation activity and nodule respiration are inhibited sharply on exposure of plants to saline conditions. The decrease in N2-fixation has been ascribed to direct effect on nitrogenase activity or an indirect effect through decrease in leghemoglobin content, respiratory rate, malate concentrations in nodules and photosynthate availability. Salinity increases oxygen diffusion resistance in the nodules and alters their ultrastructure. Decrease in N2-fixation in nodules under salinity is also accompanied by parallel decrease in the activity of H2O2-scavenging enzymes like catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and the level of antioxidants like ascorbic acid. Nodules appear to undergo osmoregulation under saline conditions by accumulating physiologically compatible solutes like proline, sugars (pinnitol) and lactic acid. The intensity of the adverse effects of salinity on nodule functioning depends on plant species, rhizobial strain, duration of exposure to saline conditions, nature, concentration and mode of salt application.