ZORAM MEDICAL COLLEGE LIBRARY RULES

 1.     Eligibility for Library Membership:

     The following shall be eligible to become members of Library.

A)    All Faculty, Residence and MBBS Students.

B)    Paramedical Institute Employees and Non- Teaching Staff.

 

2.     Procedure for enrolment:

Members of all categories shall fill in the prescribed forms to become members of the Library. Members will be given Library Unique Identification for borrowing books.

 3.  Responsibility of a borrower:

Each borrower will be responsible for the books borrowed and for the return of the books to the Library without damage.

 4.  Conditions regarding issue of Books: 

SL.NO	CATEGORIES OF MEMBERS	NO. OF VOLUMES	LOAN PERIOD
1	FACULTY	3	14
2	RESIDENCE (SR/JR)	3	14
3	STUDENT (MBBS)	3	14
4	PARAMEDICAL STAFF	2	14
5	NON- TEACHING	2	7

 

 5. Renewal of Books:

Books can be renewed once to the borrower provided those books have not been requisitioned by any other member. However, renewal will be done only when the book is physically brought to the library.

 6.  Fine for late Return:

            A fine of Rs. 2/- per day will be incurred for the delay in return of Books. The defaulter will be suspended from Library Membership after  two  months  of  the  due  date  until  the  outstanding book  is returned.

 7.  Special powers:

 A)  The Librarian shall have the power to refuse issue of a book with the approval of the Director.

B)  Librarian shall have the power to recall any book from a borrower, if it is considered necessary in the interest of the institution.

 C) Librarian shall have the power to punish the defaulter in appropriate measures if it is considered necessary in the interest of the institution, with the approval of the College authority.

 8.  Damage of books:

 A) No marking or underlining shall be permitted on any portion of the books. In case this is detected, full cost of the Books (latest edition) shall be recovered and the membership shall remain suspended until the book is replaced .

B) The document should be properly checked for torn, missing pages or other damage before borrowing.

C) Do not tamper, tear, deface, underlining or cause any kind of damage to any part of the document           

9.  Loss of Books:

If a member loses any books borrowed, he/she should report immediately to the Librarian and he/she have to replace the same. In the event of the books/journal not being available in the market, the cost at the rate of 10% escalation per year from the date of purchase will be charged         

 10.  Suspension of membership:

In the event of stealing, misuse or damage of books borrowed by a member, the Librarian will have the power to suspend the member, reporting each matter to the Director for appropriate action.

 11.  Termination of Membership:

            A)  All members should return their books to the Library before leaving the Institute. In event of outstanding Library Dues the Clearance Certificate will not be issued.

B)  Any misconduct which the Librarian feels appropriate for termination of membership may be terminated from membership on the approval of the Director.

 12.  With-holding of results:

The out-going students are required to produce a Library Clearance Certificate from the Librarian, in the absence of which the results of their University examination are to be withheld.

 13.  Library Clearance Certificate for Library members:

 ‘Library Clearance Certificate’ will be insisted for every Library members before releasing him/her from Institution.

 14.  Stock Verification:

            All materials on loan irrespective of the normal due date shall be returned in the event of stock verification.

 15.  General Rules and Code of Conduct:

A)  Personal belonging such as handbags, files, umbrella, etc. should be left at the entrance of the Library.

B)  Improper behaviour like Smoking, chewing betel nut, spitting, eating, drinking, making noise and using Mobile phones, etc.  are not allowed inside the Library.

C)  Pet like dogs, cats etc. shall not be brought inside the Library.

D)  Library Members must not cause any disturbance or engage in any behaviour which interferes with library activities.

F)  Stern action will be initiated against library members/visitors found vandalizing or defacing library reading materials, furniture, equipment, library building, etc.

Kindly Note:  Library will not be responsible for any loss of belongings i.e. Mobile Phone, Money, Wallet, Purse or any other valuable items.

HHS Announces $22 Billion in Funding to Support Expanded Testing, Vaccination Distribution

 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced two upcoming actions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide more than $22 billion in funding to states, localities, and territories in support of the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as directed by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.

Funding will provide critical support for testing and vaccination-related activities to jurisdictions before January 19, 2021:

• More than $19 billion will be allocated to jurisdictions through the existing CDC Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) cooperative agreement. These awards will support testing, contract tracing, surveillance, containment, and mitigation to monitor and suppress the spread of COVID-19. Award recipients will include 64 jurisdictions including all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five major cities, and U.S. territories/islands. Consistent with Congressional direction, funds will be allocated by a population-based formula.
• Over $3 billion will be made available in an initial award to jurisdictions through the existing CDC Immunization and Vaccines for Children cooperative agreement. These awards will support a range of COVID-19 vaccination activities across jurisdictions. Award recipients will include 64 jurisdictions including all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five major cities, and U.S. territories/islands. Consistent with Congressional direction, funds will be allocated by a  population-based formula.

“On top of the substantial support we’ve already provided, the funding bill signed by President Trump in December has billions of dollars in new funding for COVID-19 testing and vaccinations,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “We’re making these billions in new funds available to states as quickly as possible to support our combined efforts to end the pandemic.”

“This funding is another timely investment that will strengthen our nation’s efforts to stop the COVID-19 pandemic in America,” said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, MD. “Particularly now, it is crucial that states and communities have the resources they need to conduct testing, and to distribute and administer safe, high-quality COVID-19 vaccines safely and equitably.”

Source: https://www.cdc.gov

Recently Arrived New Medical Books

 

Jan 04, 2021 , 8:20AM Medical experts welcome govt's decision to approve two Corona vaccines for emergency use in country

Medical experts have welcomed the government's decision to approve two Corona virus vaccines for emergency use in the country.  

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Singh Guleria has lauded the work done by Indian laboratories in making indigenous vaccines. He said, the research has been done in the country and it's truly an Indian vaccine. Dr Guleria said, these vaccines are cost-effective and easy to administer as they can be stored at temperatures between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.
 
Lieutenant General Ved Chaturvedi of Sir Gangaram Hospital, Delhi has said that the Corona vaccines approved by government are fully safe.
 
Dr. Naresh Trehan of Medanta Medicity has said that the vaccine will be fully effective after its two dosages.
 
World Health Organisation has welcomed India’s decision to allow the use of two COVID-19 vaccines. Its Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said, WHO welcomes the first emergency use authorization given to COVID-19 vaccine in the WHO South-East Asia Region. It will help intensify and strengthen the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the Region.

Covishield and Covaxin

Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given its approval for restricted use of two Covid-19 vaccines - Serum Institute of India's, Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin in emergency situation. The announcement for granting permission to these two vaccines was made by the Drug Controller General of India VG Somani during a press conference yesterday.

Source: Newsonair.com 

COVID-19: Over 80% of young people may show no symptoms

A preliminary study suggests that more than 80% of people aged 20 and under may show no symptoms after contracting SARS-CoV-2. This may have important implications for virus transmission.

Experts from the Bruno Kessler Foundation in Trento, Italy, in collaboration with colleagues affiliated to the ATS Lombardy COVID-19 Task Force and various research institutions, conducted a study assessing what percentage of people who have contracted SARS-CoV-2 are likely to experience any symptoms.

This preliminary study does not yet appear in a peer-reviewed journal, but its authors have made their findings available online, on the preprint platform arXiv.

The rate of likely asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus could have important implications for viral transmission, the study authors point out.

Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.

“This work allows us to clearly show the difficulties in identifying infections with surveillance since the majority of these are not associated with respiratory symptoms or fever,” says study co-author Stefano Merler, who specializes in mathematical modeling of infectious disease transmission.

The researchers analyzed data on 5,484 individuals from the Lombardy region of Italy who had been in contact with people with a new coronavirus infection. Of these, 2,824 individuals had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Looking at the data, the investigators found that, of the 2,824 individuals with known coronavirus infections, only 876 (31%) had presented any symptoms.

Looking at data on age, the researchers calculated that, among people aged 20 years and under, a probable 81.9% would present no symptoms following infection with the coronavirus.

Among those 80 years of age or over, the investigators estimate that only 35.4% are likely to show no symptoms following infection with the new coronavirus.

Among individuals with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were 60 years old and under, 73.9% were likely not to experience fever — body temperature of at least 37.5oC — or respiratory symptoms, the study authors noted.

In terms of general trends, the researchers concluded that the likelihood of experiencing SARS-CoV-2 infection symptoms increased with age.

They also noted that 6.6% of people aged 60 years and older had a severe form of COVID-19 as a result of contracting the new coronavirus, and males had a “significantly higher risk” than females of experiencing a critical state.

Part of what makes the current study important, according to Merler, is that it “also represents a useful piece of information to better understand the role of children in the epidemiology of COVID-19, which we still know very little about.”

“Everyone knows that few positive children were identified during the pandemic,” he says, “but this study allows us to determine the contribution of a possible lower susceptibility to infection in children, which we had identified in a previous study conducted in China, compared to the probability of developing clinical symptoms once infected.”

Source: MedicalNews Today

35% of excess deaths from pandemic not caused by COVID-19

New research suggests that in the United States, around 35% of excess deaths during the early phase of the pandemic were not directly caused by COVID-19.

A new study has found that in the U.S., up to 35% of excess deaths during the early phase of the pandemic may not have been directly due to COVID-19.

The research, which now appears in the journal JAMA, suggests that experts may have underestimated the pandemic’s death toll in publicly reported deaths.

COVID-19 and mortality

In severe cases, COVID-19 can cause pneumonia: The body’s inflammatory response overcompensates for the presence of the virus in the lungs, reducing the lungs’ ability to get oxygen into the blood.

This can, in turn, lead to organ failure or serious cardiovascular events and, ultimately, death.

However, as well as the direct effects of COVID-19 on a person’s body, the virus can also cause death by exacerbating underlying health issues; the body’s immune system is weakened while fighting off the illness.

Furthermore, the sudden emergence and rapid spread of the disease overwhelmed critical care units when the virus was at its peak, reducing the amount of care any individual patient could receive. This affected not only COVID-19 patients but all those who may have needed critical care.

Consequently, the effect of the pandemic on excess deaths — that is, the number of additional deaths beyond what experts expect of a country during a given time — may be greater than what experts have typically reported, particularly if those reports relied on deaths directly attributed to COVID-19.

Excess deaths

This was the finding of a new study that explored the attribution of cause of death for the excess deaths in the U.S. during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study found that death toll reports attributed only 65% of the excess deaths in the U.S. to COVID-19.

Furthermore, in 14 states — including California and Texas, which have large populations — reports linked less than 50% of excess deaths directly to COVID-19.

For lead study author Prof. Steven Woolf, director emeritus of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center on Society and Health in Richmond, this may mean that experts have underestimated the death toll of the pandemic.

According to Prof. Woolf: “There are several potential reasons for this under-count. Some of it may reflect under-reporting; it takes a while for some of these data to come in. Some cases might involve patients with COVID-19 who died from related complications, such as heart disease, and those complications may have been listed as the cause of death rather than COVID-19.”

“But a third possibility, the one we’re quite concerned about, is indirect mortality — deaths caused by the response to the pandemic. People who never had the virus may have died from other causes because of the spillover effects of the pandemic, such as delayed medical care, economic hardship, or emotional distress.”

– Prof. Steven Woolf

The study also found that excess deaths not linked to COVID-19 rose significantly in states that had the largest outbreaks of the disease during the virus’s peak in early April. These included Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

For example, in these states, there were 96% more diabetes-related deaths than experts predicted. For heart disease, the figure was 89%; for Alzheimer’s disease, it was 64%; and for stroke, it was 35%.

As well as people not being able to get the necessary treatment due to hospitals being overloaded, the study authors also speculate that people may have stayed at home due to the virus despite experiencing worsening symptoms of another condition they may have had.

They also believe that the pandemic’s effects on people’s mental health may have played a part.

As Prof. Woolf notes: “We can’t forget about mental health. A number of people struggling with depression, addiction, and very difficult economic conditions caused by lockdowns may have become increasingly desperate, and some may have died by suicide. People addicted to opioids and other drugs may have overdosed.”

“All told, what we’re seeing is a death count well beyond what we would normally expect for this time of year, and it’s only partially explained by COVID-19.”

These findings are particularly important, as new cases of the virus are beginning to surge after the relaxation of physical distancing rules in various states across the U.S.

For Prof. Woolf, “[p]ublic officials need to be thinking about behavioral healthcare and ramping up their services for those patients in need. The absence of systems to deal with these kinds of other health issues will only increase this number of excess deaths.”

Source: MedicalNews Today

How to Wear Cloth Face Coverings

Cloth face coverings are an additional step to help slow the spread of COVID-19 when combined with every day preventive actions and social distancing in public settings.

• Who should NOT use cloth face coverings: children under age 2, or anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
• Cloth face coverings are NOT surgical masks or N95 respirators. Currently, surgical masks and N95 respirators are critical supplies that should be reserved for healthcare workers and other first responders.

Wear your Face Covering Correctly

• Wash your hands before putting on your face covering
• Put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin
• Try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face
• Make sure you can breathe easily

Use the Face Covering to Protect Others

• Wear a face covering to help protect others in case you’re infected but don’t have symptoms
• Wear the covering in public settings when around people outside of your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain
• Don’t put the covering around your neck or up on your forehead
• Don’t touch the face covering, and, if you do, wash your hands

Follow Everyday Health Habits

• Stay at least 6 feet away from others
• Avoid contact with people who are sick
• Wash your hands often, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds each time
• Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available

Take Off Your Cloth Face Covering Carefully, When You’re Home

• Untie the strings behind your head or stretch the ear loops
• Handle only by the ear loops or ties
• Fold outside corners together
• Place covering in the washing machine (learn more about how to wash cloth face coverings)
• Be careful not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth when removing and wash hands immediately after removing.

Source: cdc.gov.