Category: Covid-19

** Trials for India’s first medical drone delivery service begins in Karnataka

India’s first drone delivery service, that specialises in medical supplies, will begin operating in Karnataka soon. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s green signal is awaited, Throttle Aerospace Systems (TAS) CEO Nagendran Kandasamy said.

The trial, which started on Monday and continued till Tuesday, was successful, Kandasamy said. He said India’s first official beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) medical drone delivery experiment started in Sembhukha Nagar of Gowribidanur taluk in Chikballapur and the trial will continue for 30 to 40 days.

** European awards for Mumbai scientist’s ‘stem-cell’ remedy to kill Covid-19

Mumbai scientist-cum-researcher Pradeep Mahajan – who recently developed a unique stem-cell/platelet-based remedy to kill the coronavirus naturally – has bagged two top Global Health & Pharma, UK, awards for his therapy, here on Tuesday.

Mahajan has been conferred the award for the “Best Regenerative Medicine & Cell-Based Therapies Development Company 2021” and the “GHP Innovation Excellence Award for Mesenchymal Stem Cells and LPRP Manufacturing Services 2021”, in a virtual ceremony from London.

** IIT-B scientist gets DCGI nod to launch algo-based Covid-19 testing tool

Called Tapestry, the new testing tool is developed by the startup launched by IIT-Bombay professor Manoj Gopalkrishnan.

Bengaluru-based tech startup Algorithmic Biologics has received regulatory approvals to launch its Covid-19 testing method that can help scale up testing for the deadly virus infection at half the prevailing cost and one-tenth of the time.

** Pinarayi Vijayan, KK Shailaja to attend from India as global meet on vaccine internationalism begins on June 18

A four-day summit by Progressive International for Covid-19 vaccine internationalism begins on Friday. It aims at ending “the pandemic as quickly as possible by securing vaccines for all”. The summit will bring together Global South governments, politicians, healthcare workers and vaccine manufacturers from over 20 countries, following criticism of the G7’s plan by the United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock as “not serious” and lacking “necessary urgency.”

** GST Council cuts tax rate on COVID-19 essentials

Council largely agrees to go ahead with GoM’s recommendations

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been waived for two critical drugs against COVID-19 and black fungus, Tocilizumab and Amphotericin B, while tax rates have been reduced to 5% on 14 major pandemic relief goods, including testing kits and hand sanitisers, from prevailing rates in the range of 12% and 18%.   

Ambulances, which are currently taxed at 28%, will now attract a GST levy of 12%, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday, announcing these concessional rates following a meeting of the GST Council to discuss the indirect taxes levied on COVID-19 supplies.   

** HUL and Ola contribute medical equipment

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and Ola donated medical equipment to the district administration here on Friday.

The HUL donated four oxygen concentrators of 10 ltr capacity each at ₹ 5 lakh; 25 oxygen concentrators of 5 ltr capacity at ₹ 16.25 lakh; 5 multi parameter CMS at ₹ 1.75 lakh; 3 Pirsma Vent 40 Bipap machins at ₹6.75 lakh and 180 hand sanitizers at ₹ 13,500. HUL factory Manager M.V. Anil Kumar handed over the equipment to Collector Jaya Chandra Bhanu Reddy.

Ola group contributed 30 oxygen concentrators of 5 ltr capacity at ₹12 lakh. Medical equipment to the tune of ₹41,88,500 was handed over to the district administration for use by the government hospitals here. Jose Pinheiro, Head of Global Manufacturing and Operations, Ola Electric vehicle, N.Sneha, Programme Manager, Ola Foundation, handed over the equipment to the Collector.

** Udupi: Former Indian football team captain Shekhar Bangera succumbs to coronavirus

Shekhar Paddu Bangera (74), former captain of the Indian football team, fell victim to coronavirus infection on Thursday June 10.

Shekhar, who hails from Badanidiyoor here, was the Indian football team’s goalkeeper cum captain.