Instagram is launching “Co-Watching” for browsing remotely with friends

To keep you informed and entertained during this quarantine, Instagram has announced a number of new features.one of the most noticeable new features is “Co-Watching”, a new feature to keep you and your friends entertained together.The premise is simple: You fire up a video chat with some friends and, by tapping the photo icon on the bottom left corner of the video chat, you can share some photos and videos you’ve previously liked or view suggested ones so you can watch them together with your friends. This is meant to replace the experience of scrolling through Instagram with friends while you and your friends are staying home.
Other measures adopted by Instagram include the introduction of educational resources to parts of the UI, supporting donations in more countries, a “Stay Home” sticker for stories, and an option to check out stories with that sticker in your feed so you can see how others are practicing social distancing. This and more measures should make your self-quarantine time a little less monotonous.
Source: Instagram

NASA suspending operation

NASA and Northrop Grumman are “suspending integration and testing operations” on the James Webb Space Telescope in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a decision that officials said is likely to delay the mission’s scheduled launch date in March 2021. check here

Nice Initiative From MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

FREE RESOURCES FROM #DIGITALINDIA SO ALL LEARNERS CAN STUDY FROM HOME:

Register at: https://www.ndl.gov.in to access 4.6CR resources in ALL subjects for ALL learning levels in 60+ formats.

You can alternatively download the National Digital Library of India app from Playstore or Appstore

#LearnShareGrow #FreeLearningResources #SpreadTheWord #AnytimeLearning #StudyFromHome #EducationForAll

Experiencing Slow Internet Under Quarantine? Here's What You Can Do

If you noticed a significant speed drop on your home Wi-Fi, here are some steps that you can take to ensure that you get a smooth Internet experience.

• Perform a speed test to check the download and upload speeds.

      If your Internet speed is on par with the subscribed plan, the server is at fault and you can expect the issue to be fixed shortly. 

• Reboot your Router

  If you are getting very low Internet speed, the first step is to reboot your router. Rebooting your router often fixes several operational issues. If you are still facing the problem, raise a connectivity issue with your ISP.

In case your service provider fails to resolve your issue, you can reduce the number of connected devices and turn off the auto-update feature on all the connected devices. This will give your Internet speed a significant boost.

Instead of streaming the content, you can download it and later enjoy uninterrupted service. On the other hand, while playing online games, make sure none of your connected devices are downloading heavy files.

By using your Internet for only one purpose at a time, you could tackle the slow Internet speed issue and enjoy uninterrupted entertainment at your home.

Coronavirus: 27 Bangladesh Cricketers Donate Half Month’s Salary

With the COVID-19 pandemic creating a global health crisis, Bangladesh's cricketers have decided to donate half of their monthly salaries to the government to fight the disease, which has so far claimed over 19000 lives worldwide.

According to a report in Dhaka Tribune, a total of 27 cricketers, including 17 players contracted with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), have decided to make the donation. The other 10 players have also represented the national team.

also read COVID-19: CAB donates Rs 25 lakh to Bengal's Emergency Relief Fund

"The whole world is fighting against coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak of coronavirus is also increasing in Bangladesh. We, the cricketers, are trying to tell people to take necessary steps to prevent this pandemic,may be this fund is not that much compared to the fight against coronavirus. But if we all together can contribute from our own positions, then in combined, it might be a bigger step to fight against coronavirus."  the players said in a joint statement.

COVID-19: CAB donates Rs 25 lakh to Bengal's Emergency Relief Fund

With India under lockdown for the next three weeks to combat the pandemic COVID-19 virus, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has come forward by donating Rs 25 lakh towards the state's Emergency Relief Fund.

"We are perhaps going through the darkest phase of human civilization. Cricket stands for unity. It also stands for humanity. Therefore, on behalf of CAB, we have decided to donate Rs 25 lakh for now to the Emergency Relief Fund to be used in combating this disease.

"As a responsible institution, it is our duty to stand by the administration and help them eradicate this disease," CAB president Avishek Dalmiya said.

The secretary of CAB, Snehashis Ganguly said: "Thanks to the proactiveness of our government both at the state and centre; we have been successful in implementing a countrywide lockdown but a lot more needs to be done. Hence, we have come forward for the sake of the people in this time of crisis."

Remdesivir Works Against Coronaviruses in the Lab

Targeted drug development takes years, but when time is short in a pandemic, scientists and clinicians turn to pharmaceuticals that have been used to treat other diseases. In rapid fashion, doctors have already deployed a number of antivirals in attempts to fight back against COVID-19 and data from their studies are now coming in. So far, trials of existing antivirals have largely focused on the drug combination lopinavir-ritonavir, which are two Food and Drug Administration­–approved HIV protease inhibitors, and remdesivir, which was originally developed to treat the Ebola virus and is not yet FDA approved.

The  latest study to report back from the frontlines of the pandemic has been disappointing. The results of a randomized trial of lopinavir-ritonavir in 199 adults hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, that were published this week (March 18) revealed no benefit in terms of time to clinical improvement in the patients who received the drug combo versus a placebo. The findings are consistent with a study published in January this year that showed a combination of lopinavir-ritonavir and interferon beta did not reduce lung injury a mouse model of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and only reduced virus levels in the lungs modestly in one of two experiments.

In that same study, remdesivir was much better at inhibiting the coronavirus that causes MERS in cell culture and improving respiratory symptoms in the animals, indicating that it may be a better option for treating SARS-CoV-2.
Lopinavir and ritonavir are both protease inhibitors developed specifically to treat HIV. Remdesivir, on the other hand, is a broad-spectrum antiviral. It was initially developed to treat Ebola, but it is a nucleotide analog that mimics adenosine, one of the building blocks of any RNA virus’s genome. Drugs that act as nucleotide analogs interfere with the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, the enzyme that viruses use to copy their genomes, says Matthias Götte, a biochemist at the University of Alberta. “If you target this enzyme the virus cannot replicate anymore, so it’s a very logical target to begin with.”

We’ve done a lot of work in coronaviruses with remdesivir, but the big question is: does all of that data that we’ve generated in SARS and in MERS and in MHV, our model coronavirus, does that translate to this new virus?

—Maria Agostini, Vanderbilt University

There are three ongoing COVID-19 clinical trials at locations across China and the United States for remdesivir, which is manufactured by pharmaceutical company Gilead. Doctors in the US have also treated patients with the drug under the Food and Drug Administration’s compassionate use policy, and—while it’s not clear that it was because of remdesivir treatment—at least one patient recovered.

Remdesivir has shown promise disabling coronaviruses in the lab, too. Researchers led by Vanderbilt University’s Mark Denison and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Ralph Baric showed in 2017 that remdesivir (then known as GS-5734) could inhibit replication of the coronaviruses that cause both severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and MERS in human lung cells. The authors also found that the drug reduced viral load and improved respiratory function in a mouse model of SARS. A year later, members of the same research team published another study showing that remdesivir’s effectiveness relies on coronaviruses having an intact RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.
“We were looking for compounds that could broadly inhibit coronaviruses and the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is, if not the most conserved protein in coronaviruses, definitely within the top two, so that makes it a good target for broad-spectrum antivirals,” says Maria Agostini, a postdoc in the Denison lab.
New work Götte and colleagues published on February 24 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry indicates that the drug, which they refer to an as an analog inhibitor, exerts these effects on the MERS coronavirus polymerase via delayed RNA chain termination. This means that when the viral polymerase incorporates the analog instead of the natural nucleotide, it adds three more nucleotides and then stops. When it can’t copy its genome, the virus can’t reproduce and make its host sick. They hypothesize that the extra three nucleotides may protect the drug from being removed by the coronavirus’s exonuclease enzyme.
In the same study, the researchers found that the MERS polymerase incorporated the mimic at a greater frequency than the natural nucleotide. This is in contrast to the Ebola polymerase, which they showed in 2019 selects adenosine triphosphate about four times as often as remdesivir.
“The more often the inhibitor is utilized instead of the natural counterpart, the more chances you have for effective inhibition. A prerequisite for inhibition is that the inhibitor needs to get into the newly synthesized RNA, and the fact that these MERS polymerases are sloppy and cannot really distinguish very well between the natural counterpart and the inhibitor, that’s an advantage,” explains Götte.
His team has already started looking into how the SARS-CoV-2 polymerase interacts with the drug. This work and animal and cell culture studies from other groups that show potent inhibition of MERS with remdesivir have Götte feeling “cautiously optimistic” that remdesivir might work for SARS-CoV-2, but there are still plenty of open questions. And other scientists have also begun to investigate the effects of remdesivir on SARS-CoV-2. In a letter published in Cell Research on February 4, remdesivir blocked coronavirus infection in monkey and human cells.
“We’ve done a lot of work in coronaviruses with remdesivir, but the big question is: does all of that data that we’ve generated in SARS and in MERS and in MHV, our model coronavirus, does that translate to this new virus?” asks Agostini. She points to the positive results of the Cell Research study, “but whether that holds true in animals and ultimately whether that holds true in people, we still have to do the experiments.”
Abby Olena is a freelance journalist based in Alabama. Find her on Twitter @abbyolena.

Coronavirus update: State-wise breakup of Covid-19 cases in India

Among the 258 people are 39 foreign nationals and also includes the four deaths reported from Delhi, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra so far.Here’s a look at the state-wise breakup of Covid-19 cases in India on Saturday

Follow the link for upcoming updates : Corona Virus India

Maharashtra

The number of infected people rose to 63 in Maharashtra, which continued to report the highest number of Covid-19 cases.

“Ten more from Mumbai and one from Pune have tested positive as per the reports we received yesterday (Friday) night. Eight of them have a history of international travel, while three are infected from them,” state’s health minister said.

Tope said, out of 63 patients, about 14 were infected from those who tested positive for coronavirus. Maharashtra has reported one death, according to government data.

Kerala

Following Maharashtra, Kerala has reported 40 cases, including two foreigners, of novel coronavirus so far. Kerala reported the highest increase with 12 new cases. Of these, seven cases involved Indians and five foreign nationals, according to the health ministry data. Three people from the state have recovered and no deaths have been reported as of Saturday.

Uttar Pradesh

The most populous state in the country has reported that 24 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus as of Friday and one of them is a foreigner. Nine people have recovered from the virus in Uttar Pradesh so far.

Delhi

There are 26 people with the respiratory illness, including one foreigner, in Delhi. The Capital has reported one Covid-19 death and five people have recovered from the infection.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan has 23 people, including two foreigners, who have been infected from the novel coronavirus. Three people have recovered from Covid-19 and sent home.

Haryana

Twenty people, including 14 foreigners, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Haryana. There have been no recovery or death in the state.

Telangana

In Telangana, 19 people have Covid-19 so far and 11 of them are foreigners. One patient has been cured and sent home.

Karnataka

There are 15 confirmed cases, all Indians, of the novel coronavirus so far in the southern state. One person has died of Covid-19 in Karnataka so far and there is no report of anyone being cured.

Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir

The number of Covid-19 cases in the Union Territory of Ladakh rose to 13 and Jammu and Kashmir has confirmed four people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection.

Gujarat reported a rise in Covid-19 cases with eight patients and in Madhya Pradesh, there are four people who were found to be infected with Sars-Cov-2.

In Tamil Nadu, three people have tested positive for coronavirus and one has been cured. Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand have also reported three coronavirus cases each. West Bengal has also reported three cases of Covid-19.

Punjab has reported two Covid-19 patients and one death. Odisha also has two patients infected with the virus as well as Himachal Pradesh.

Chhattisgarh and Union territories of Chandigarh and Puducherry have one case of Covid-19 each so far.

Basic protective measures against the new coronavirus

Wash your hands frequently

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.(soap and water is more effective than sanitizer so don't get carried away with the hype)

Maintain social distancing rather Physical distancing (don't misinterpret) 

Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing and try to be at your home when your nation hits the stage 2 for early prevention.
Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.

Practice respiratory hygiene

Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.(like in a dab position )
Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.

If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early

Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance to check it earlier so that it can't get spred further. Follow the directions of your local health authority.
Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.
For more information visit the WHO website.

New Website Aims to Help People Access COVID-19 Testing

                         
Project Baseline, a new website to facilitate screening and testing of people potentially infected with the COVID-19 virus, became available on Sunday. Verily, a company owned by Google parent Alphabet, launched the site.

Access requires a Google login, and assistance currently is limited to residents in two counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In addition to administering the website, Verily, which focuses on health and life sciences, is working with state, local and federal authorities to establish testing sites in the Bay Area.

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai also announced the companies are partnering with the federal government on a COVID-19 education and prevention, and a local resources website, expected to go live late Monday.

The site's focus is on best practices for prevention, with links to authoritative information from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as well as helpful tips and tools for individuals, teachers and businesses.

Privacy Concerns

Before Verily's testing site was 24 hours old, there were signs it already might be having traffic problems.

"When I tested it [(Monday], after answering questions in a way that would qualify me in terms of geography and lack of initial symptoms, it said it's not accepting any more applicants," said Michael Arrigo, an expert witness in healthcare who lives in the Bay Area.

"It seems like it's not allowing people to be screened in the counties where they could be screened," he told TechNewsWorld.

Google did not respond to our request to comment for this story.

The Verily website raises privacy concerns, Arrigo noted.

"It's not clear to consumers that the information Verily is gathering is being given to entities not covered by HIPAA," he explained.

HIPAA, the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, protects the privacy of healthcare information collected in the United States.

"Verily is interested in capturing a lot of information," Arrigo continued, "but there should be more information up front for the consumer."

At this point, the benefits of the site are unclear, he said, "but one thing that's clear is there's tremendous benefit for Google in collecting data."

Google Responds to COVID-19

The new website launches were among a number of things Pichai said the Alphabet companies were doing in response to the spreading coronavirus, including the following:

• Taking down thousands of dangerous or misleading videos about the virus on YouTube and removing false and harmful information on Google Maps, such as false reviews and bogus information about healthcare locations.
• Blocking hundreds of thousands of ads attempting to exploit the pandemic, including a temporary ban on ads for medical masks and respirators.
• Making a commitment of US$50 million through Google.org to the global COVID-19 response.
• Matching up to $5 million in donations to the WHO's new COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
• Awarding a $500,000 grant to a team of researchers, epidemiologists and software developers at Boston Children's Hospital working on HealthMap, a website that provides up-to-date trends of emerging public health threats and outbreaks.
• Creating COVID-19 public service announcements through the $25 million Google Ad Grants crisis relief program.
• Establishing a COVID-19 fund to provide paid sick leave to temporary staff and vendors who miss work because they have potential symptoms of the virus or are quarantined.

"In this unprecedented moment, we feel a great responsibility to help," said Pichai. "We'll keep doing everything we can to deliver on our mission, and help people take care of themselves and their communities."