August 3, 2020 | Adamas University

#EnvironmentPlus: Environmental Science Offers a Career of being the Carrier of Change

The tragic Covid-19 outbreak has shaken the whole world with its superpower and life has come to a standstill. Nothing could have stopped the “superior to all the species on earth” like this before except this deadly virus. The death toll is increasing at an alarming rate, millions of people have been affected globally and new cases are emerging every day.

Undoubtedly, combating COVID-19 is the current biggest global crisis that humanity is encountering which is an annexation to the already existing global environmental crisis since decades including global warming, climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity, land management and urban sprawl, deforestation to name a few. These problems became the major focus of scientists of various disciplines as these were discerned as the paramount threats to the life-supporting environment of the earth making our survival increasingly unsafe.

What is Environmental Science?

Environmental problems are highly complex and a holistic understanding of the dynamics of the problems became crucial which demanded an interdisciplinary effort. To fill in this gap, Environmental science evolved as a new academic discipline which is an interdisciplinary subject comprised of various branch of studies including chemistry, physics, geography, geology, life science, agriculture, public health and sanitary engineering, atmospheric science and social sciences. encompassing integrated approach of studying our environmental systems and finding the solutions to the problems. It is an integrated, quantitative and interdisciplinary approach to study the environmental systems and to understand causes, effects and solutions to the environmental problems.

Types of Environmental Science Degrees

Bachelors in Environmental Science: A Bachelor’s of Environmental Science is a three-year program offered at various universities worldwide. After completion of the degree the students may go for higher education or find entry-level positions in companies or research organizations.

Masters in Environmental Science: A Master’s Degree in Environmental Science can be obtained either by those who obtained a bachelor’s in the same subject or the bachelor degree holders of other science disciplines such as, chemistry, physics, life sciences. Post graduate are considered for higher level position in industries.

PhD/Doctorate in Environmental Science: If you are interested for research in the relevant field one can also obtain a PhD in Environmental Science after M.Sc. Ph.D. degree is now mandatory to get faculty position at college/university level.

We at Adamas University, Barasat, Kolkata are offering both BSc. And MSc. in Environmental Science from this current academic session August, 2020.

Career opportunities

Multidisciplinary nature of the subject and the transferable skills that are developed create wide range of career opportunities. The applicability of the subject is revolved around three key areas- (i) resource management, (ii) Environmental protection and (iii) Environmental Sustainability

Popular Environmental science career options:

Environmental Scientist: They are employed by management, scientific, technical consulting firms or government agencies where they help the organization to meet environmental compliances by adopting clean technologies, waste management and pollution prevention. They are involved in analyzing sample of soil, water, food to collect environmental data, assessing threats to environment and developing strategies to mitigate the problems through scientific analysis.

Environmental Engineer: Environmental engineers with their problem-solving abilities and scientific skills provide technological solutions to protect, restore and preserve our planet. Typical responsibilities of an environmental engineer involve designing of processes to protect environment, collection of data from range of sources through site assessment, environmental monitoring and third party report, evaluate the environmental impact of construction project.

Nature conservation officer: If you are passionate about environmental protection and dream to work in the conservation of nature directly, then this is where you should go after studying environmental science. Nature conservation officer are involved in preparation and implementation of management plans based on ecological survey and scientific observation for sustainable land use and resource management. They also take part to raise awareness of environmental issues and promote of concept of sustainability to all sectors of local community.

Environmental consultant: Environmental consultants are hired by the governments, private sectors or NGOs for providing expert advisory and assessment services with the aim of minimizing or eliminating environmental damage.

Environmental education Officer: If teaching is your passion and environment is your concern but you do not like to take a classic job in school, college or university then this alternative may be of your choice. Environmental education officer is typically involved in making people aware of environmental issues by promoting educational programs for school children, adults, community groups or visitors to visitors to site of special environmental interest.

Sustainability consultant: One of the most lucrative green job option after studying environmental science/engineering is sustainability consultant. Many of business operations are now focusing more on going green i.e. socially and environmentally responsible business practices which demanding the skilled professional like sustainability consultant. Sustainability consultants provide a wide variety of services including development and implementation of overall strategic sustainability plans focused on low carbon footprint, reduction of resources use i.e. energy, water, oil, renewable energy, zero waste, green building design.

Waste management officer: The responsibilities of waste management officer is primarily to organize and monitor the collection, transport, handling, disposal and often recycling of waste ensuring compliance with current legislation in transportation, handling and disposal facilities.

Water quality expert: Water quality experts are acquired with the skills of collection, testing and analysis statistical data of water quality parameters and protecting all aspects of water quality through setting targets and standards in response to specific legislation based on scientific analysis.

Environmental health safety manager: This career option is developing high demand in recent days. Environmental Health and Safety Managers are employed by private or public sector organizations where they are engaged in implementation of promoting safe working practices for employees to ensure that they comply with environmental legislation regarding safety in the workplace.

Geographic information systems specialist: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a software-based method for collecting, managing, analyzing, modeling, and presenting geographic or spatial data which is used in a wide range of areas, including health, city government, transportation, urban planning and many more. Market demand of GIS specialist is noticeably high.

Academician: Environmental Science is taught almost at every level from school to university. Therefore, the requirement of subject teacher is always there in demand.

Research Scientist: After completion of Master’s degree in Environmental Science students can apply for Ph.D. fellowship in national and international research organizations. They can also join as research assistant/officer in various Government and private Laboratories.

Environmental science professionals will be in high demand due to growing focus on environment friendly practices in the public and private sectors. The realization that environment friendly practices are overall cost effective, efficient and promote good growth of the organization is the driving force for increase in the recruitment of skilled knowledgeable environmental science personnel. Employment of environmental scientists and specialists is projected to grow 11% from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations according to The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), UK.

Sources:

https://www.environmentalscience.org/careers

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/environmental-science

https://www.petersons.com/blog/environmental-science-jobs-on-the-rise/

#EnergyNext: Looking for an efficient alternative in the domain of Renewable Energy: the Solar-energy and Solar-cells

Introduction:

Discovery of electricity brought a revolution to human society. Since then the demand of electricity is escalating day by day. In 2004, the total world energy consumption was found roughly 14.5 terawatts (TW) per-day. This huge consumption of energy was first highlighted by Professor Richard E. Smalley as terawatts challenge (December 2004, Materials Research Society Fall Meeting in Boston). The Energy Information Administration (EIA) of United States regularly published survey reports on total world energy consumptions. According to EIA reports, the consumption was 104,426 TWh in 2012, increased to 113,009 TWh in 2017 (wikipedia.org/wiki/World energy consumption). The energy consumption is typically measured per year basis and it includes all possible energy harnessed from all possible energy resources; such as fossil fuels, hydrothermal power, nuclear power, and others (solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, known as renewable energy sources). To meet-up this ever-increasing energy needs, we need to develop and deploy technology to use renewable resources available to us alongwith the improvement of electrical grid and energy storage devices.

Electricity Generation:

Electricity generated from different energy resources is given in the figure here (provided by International Energy Agency, 2019). We can see even today the electricity generation mostly (~70 %) depend on fossil fuels. Nearly 20 % is coming from hydrothermal power-plant and only 7 % is coming from solar energy and wind power. Hydropower is an excellent renewable energy source but it requires reserved water in reservoirs at high altitudes, therefore not suitable for every place in earth. Another choice is off-course geothermal energy. It can provide almost what we need at present but generation and extraction of electricity from geothermal-source into usable from is very difficult. Solar energy and wind power are very promising renewable energy resources. Future of electricity generation and supply will possibly depend on these two. I highlight the importance of solar energy as a renewable source and development of solar cells in the following sections.

Why do we need solar energy?

The main concern is that we need huge amount of energy per-day (roughly 15 TW). At the moment most of the energy is coming from fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, natural-gases), non-renewable resources. These fossil fuels take millions of years to reform and if we consumed at the present rate then the available amount of reserved oil, natural gases and coal will end up soon. So, we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and look for alternatives. In addition, burning of fossil fuels generates CO₂/CO gases causing environmental pollution. We are looking for some alternatives that are more environment friendly.

The Sun is a massive source of energy. Nuclear fusion reactions always go on inside the Sun, in which hydrogen atoms fused into helium atoms, realising energy into space in the form of radiation. Our Earth receives energy from the Sun in two forms : heat and light. Direct radiation from the Sun reaches almost every corners of earth. Total energy received by earth from Sun is roughly 1.75×10¹⁷ Watts. Here we need to consider loss of radiation due to atmospheric scattering and absorption of radiation in the upper atmosphere. Almost 30% of the incoming radiation is reflected back into space and rest portion is absorbed by clouds, oceans and land-masses (wikipedia.org/wiki/solar-energy). We consider the energy absorbed by the land-mass only, termed as technical potential of direct radiation; it is P_technical = 26,000 TW. We see that P_technical is several times larger than total energy consumption per day. It is really remarkable and makes solar energy a captivating source for generation of electricity. What we need is to develop an efficient device (solar cells) to produce electricity directly from sunlight. Solar technology it is quite expensive initially but in the last 5 to 10 year development in photovoltaics is promising and prices are coming down very fast. The following sections I will focus more about solar-cells and the three generations of solar-cells.

History of Solar cells:

The photovoltaic effect was discovered in 1839, by Alexandre Edmond Becquerel and with this the journey of solar cells began. In 1983, selenium solar cell with efficiency roughly 1% (fraction of incident power converted to electricity) was developed. However next significant breakthrough in this field came in 1954, with the discovery of modern silicon solar cells in Bell Laboratory, efficiency of 6%. After that in 1959, Hoffman Electronics manufactured commercial solar cells of 10 % efficiency. Initially solar devices were quite expensive and were used in space-applications mainly. As it is not possible to carry huge batteries into space, solar cells proved to be a good alternative although it is expensive. The silicon solar module was first installed in satellite Vanguard-1, in 1958. Thereafter solar cells have been regularly used as main power source for satellites.

Figure 1: Use of solar cells in space applications; Vanguard-1, Explorer 6 and Telstar (source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard 1, Explorer 6, Telstar)

Since 1990, solar technology has been shifted slowly from silicon to gallium arsenide (GaAs) based technology. Subsequently thin film solar-cells, polymer solar-cells, multi-junction devices are developed. In this long journey, since 1839 to 2020 several milestones have been reached. Different Companies in collaboration with International Labs have participated in the race of developing solar technology; in this way efficiency and stability of the solar devices are improving day by day.

Three Generations of Solar cells:

First generation: Silicon solar-cells belong to this group, are really dominating in the market at present. Either mono-crystalline or polycrystalline silicon are used to fabricate solar cells. Generally silicon cells are thick so materials cost is huge, they are efficient and stable with reasonably high energy payback time; it means more energy/cost has been spent in manufacturing the solar-cell than electricity gained from it.

Second generation: Thin films solar cells belong to this group. Main 3 candidates are copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS), cadmium-telluride (CdTe) and amorphous silicon solar cells. Materials used here are direct band-gap semiconductors and thickness of the absorbing layer varies from few nano-meters to micro-meters. The main advantages are; much thinner than silicon cells so material cost is minimized, can be prepared on flexible substrates and have much lower energy payback time. The main drawback is they are less efficient than conventional solar cells.

Figure 2: 2^nd generation Photovoltaic solar-cells (wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin-film solar cell)

Third generation: Actually various different types belong to this third generation. It includes polymers solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, multi-junction solar cells, quantum-dot solar cells, and perovskite solar cells (wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-generation photovoltaic cell).

Polymers cells come under organic solar-cells. Polymers cells can prepared directly from solutions, they can be printed or coated over a flexible substrate. The production time is less hence they have really low energy payback time.
Multi-junction cells consist of multiple p-n They are GaAs based solar-cells, are really very efficient and expansive, mainly used for space applications.
Quantum dot cells are basically nano-crystals of semiconducting materials like; cadmium sulphide (CdS), cadmium selenide (CdSe), lead sulphide (PbS). Main advantage here is one can tune the band-gap of these semiconductors by changing the size of nano-crystals.
Perovskites solar cells are very new and fastest developing technology. In 2009 the recorded efficiency was 3.8% and it increases to 22% in 2016. They can be made like polymer solar-cells but stability is the main challenge that is to be improved.

Conclusion:

Solar cells are capable of generating electricity from Sun light. They are environment friendly as they do not emit any greenhouse gases like fossil fuels or toxic wastes like nuclear energy. The main drawback is their efficiency and high cost. Lots of research is going on in this direction and we believe that in future many efficient and cost-effective photovoltaic devices will be available for us and would resolve our energy need.

Reinforcing the “Green Tape” for better Environmental Regulation and Advocacy

Let us begin with a hypothetical situation wherein let’s say you are left to fend for yourself in a jungle and with no absolute skills to manoeuvre your survival instincts and thought process. The only company you have is solitude and fear which has overwhelmed your mind so much so that it plays only morbid ideas. The situation is so overpowering that you may not even give a chance to your mind of thinking rationally to overcome the situation. Hence, what is the solution? Do you give up or fight to the end?

The present pan world epidemic fits well with aforementioned problem. But instead we are all together in this and do not have the luxury of available vaccine for the pandemic. Nevertheless, we might ask ourselves, has this stopped us from making possible endeavours to combat the disease? In my view the answer is an absolute no. On the contrary, the world has come together like never before and has prioritised researching new vaccines for COVID-19. Having said this India too have been in the forefront of developing its own vaccine undertaken by India based Bharat Biotech International Ltd[1] and Zydas Cadila Health Care. What does this mean in the present context for India or for that matter the entire world?

This goes on to show that we have not yet given up on our common enemy and efforts are on to defeat this pandemic. We have chosen to fight this enemy with available knowledge in the field of medical science albeit we don’t have remedy for the same. A crisis is a good teacher, it teaches you to find ways explored never before with favourable results.

These difficult times among many things should teach us not to abandon the positive things in our life and be depressed. We need to adopt optimistic and holistic approach in our life like interdisciplinary education. Multiple specialised studies may be encouraged and should be the need of the hour to counter present crisis. This may also set a precedent for future endeavours and pre-empt, lest, any such crisis is encountered. All Academicians, Scholars, Industrialists, pharmacists, virologists and other stake holders should collaborate to design consolidated expertise to tackle such problem present at hand with future references. One such study that should be solicited is in the area of environmental law with robust environmental legislation biding upon all the nations to address such eventuality.

Presently with little improvement in the air and water quality even in urban areas, signifies that the pandemic has lessened the human encroachment on nature even if it is just momentarily. But the real question is what will happen after the pandemic subsides? As the global economy is facing severe challenges the best thing the Governments are expected to do is to stabilise the major setback in the economy. Now while doing so will they overlook all the necessary environmental regulation, or the “green tape” as it’s often called. The UNEP (United Nation Environment Program) is worried about achieving sustainable development goals[2] in post-pandemic era as there is a possibility of increasing threat to different sustainable development goals such as, climate action or responsible consumption or production.

Many corporations might ignore the environmental regulations and might tear off the ‘green tape’ to achieve the losses they suffered in past months. Even the governments may reduce budgets towards various environmental funds to meet the deficits. But the consequences would be severe and the future crisis might be more serious than the present pandemic.

One may think that why am I talking about this while discussing studying environmental law? well environmental law is not only studying about Climate and environment but also to scrutinize the legal issues ascending from matter involved thereto. One can choose a career as a lawyer or a policy maker, or non-profit leader and can make a change in existing policy and law, rather than enforcement. This discipline is so much more than just climate and ecology. It gives you the scope of gaining knowledge concerning advocacy skills which will help you to put the ‘green tape’ on the legal framework rather than tearing it off.

The local government machinery in collaboration with Universities, Government Institutions and other participants should play a pivotal role in developing practical solutions factoring in environmental consequences that may arise as result of any unknown pandemic. The aspiring students should not shy away from taking up environmental law as their mainstream courses and should come forward with great fervour in being responsible and valuable world citizens to address such crisis.

On a concluding note it may be said aptly that crisis comes with opportunities and open up avenues never treaded before. However, it depends on whether or not we want to move out of our comfort zone. Time is synonymous to change, a change we shall all be ready to adapt to cater to our present while looking forward for building a better future for the world. This is the time where we should focus more on returning back to the mother earth and think of maintaining the balance by fulfilling the goals of sustainable development.

It is the time where we should explore the route of environmental lawyering as a career and help the world with better environmental regulations and policies which never leads to tear the ‘green tape’ off.

[1] Available at https://thelogicalindian.com/fact-check/covaxin-bharat-biotech-vice-president-vk-srinivas-human-trial-22117, last visited on 27.07.2020

[2] Available at https://www.iucn.org/news/world-commission-environmental-law/202004/environmental-rule-law-pandemics-now-and-next-time-americas, last visited on 31.07.2020

#PositiveCorona: Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on the Air Quality of Three Megacities in India

Introduction: The megacities all over the world are vulnerable to air pollution with the rapidly increasing population and economic developmental activities. Uncontrolled urban growth and unplanned industrialization and automation play a key role to deteriorate the quality of air in the megacities of developing countries. Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata are three populous megacities in India which face the serious problem of air pollution. Air pollution can broadly be classified into two categories, i.e. (i) Visible air pollution and (2) Invisible air pollution. The smog is an example of visible pollution whereas the good examples of invisible air pollutant are Sulfur dioxide (SO₂), Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂₎, Volatile Organic Compound (VOCs), Ozone (O₃), Particulates (PM 2.5, PM 10), Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Lead and heavy metals, Unburned hydrogen carbon, Gaseous ammonia (NH₃) etc. While all pollutants in the atmosphere cause harm to the planet there are some that are more dangerous than others. These dangerous air pollutants are PM 2.5, PM 10, NO₂, NH₃, SO₂, CO, O_3.The concentration of these pollutants is regularly monitored by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to assess air quality in different locations in India.

A nationwide lockdown was imposed in India from 24th March to 31st May 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Due to this lockdown, all industrial activities, public transport, and other economic and developmental activities were stopped, which played an important role to reduce the pollution level in the cities across the country. The air quality of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata also changed considerably from the pre-lockdown condition to the lockdown period. In the present study, the air quality parameters of these megacities in January (Pre-Lockdown) and April (During-Lockdown) have been studied from the CPCB data to understand the role of COVID-19 Lockdown on the air quality of these cities. Changing the concentration of the major pollutants have been discussed in the following section.

Particulates: Particle pollution -also called particulates matter (PM)-is made up of particles (tiny pieces) of liquid or solid that are in the air. Particulate matter can be released from different types of human activities such as vehicle emissions, smoke particles, dust particles, and ash from industries. The PM 10 is particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter whereas, the PM 2.5 is particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter. PM 2.5 is generally described as fine particles. During the Pre-Lockdown normal condition, the PM 2.5 concentration in air in Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata were 436 µg/m³, 236 µg/m³ and 246 µg/m³ respectively. Whereas, during the lockdown, the concentration of PM 2.5 in these three megacities became 89 µg/m³, 31 µg/m³ and 78 µg/m³. Similarly, PM 10 concentration during the pre-lockdown period were 334 µg/m³, 220 µg/m³ and 225 µg/m³, which dropped below 56 µg/m³, 70 µg/m³ and 81 µg/m³during the lockdown.

Nitrogen dioxide and Ammonia: Combustion of fossil fuels (coal, gas, and oil) especially fuel used in cars is the main source of nitrogen dioxide resulting from human activities. The Ammonia (NH₃) is a colourless gas which combines in the atmosphere with sulphate and nitrates to form secondary fine particulate matter (PM 2.5). During the Pre-Lockdown normal condition, the NO₂ concentration in air in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata were 77 µg/m³, 92 µg/m³ and 76 µg/m³ respectively. Whereas, during the lockdown, the concentration of NO₂ in these three megacities became 22 µg/m³, 14 µg/m³ and 31 µg/m³. Similarly, NH₃ concentration during the pre-lockdown period Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata were 7 µg/m³, 4 µg/m³ and 13 µg/m³, which dropped below 3 µg/m³, 3 µg/m³ and 8 µg/m³during the lockdown.

Sulfur dioxide and Carbon monoxide: Fossil fuel combustion at power plants, other industries, and in mobile sources like locomotives, ships are the mail sources of Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission. Harmful compounds, such as sulfuric acid, sulfurous acid and sulfate particles are formed from the reaction of SO₂with other substances. During the Pre-Lockdown normal condition, the SO₂ concentration in air in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata were 11 µg/m³, 21 µg/m³ and 22 µg/m³ respectively, which became below 13 µg/m³, 4 µg/m³ and 18 µg/m³during the lockdown. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odorless gas that can be harmful when inhaled in large amounts. CO is released when something is burned. The greatest sources of CO in outdoor air are cars, trucks and other vehicles or machinery that burn fossil fuels. During the Pre-Lockdown normal condition, the CO concentration in air in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata were 121 mg/m³, 91 mg/m³ and 30 mg/m³ respectively, which became below 47 mg/m³, 17 mg/m³ and 14 mg/m³during the lockdown.

Not Only air pollution, the water of the rivers is less polluted now than what they were for decades. This lockdown has reduced pollution and an improvement in all environmental indicators across these cities. The CPCB calculates Air Quality Index (AQI) to assess the air quality of any location-based on some air quality parameters (PM 2.5, PM 10, NO₂, NH₃, SO₂, CO, O₃). AQI values are broadly classified into six categories, i.e. good (0 to 50), satisfactory (51 to 100), moderate (101 to 200), poor (201 to 300), very poor (301 to 400) and severe (401 to 500). According to CPCB, the AQI value in Delhi was 436 (severe) in January and became 89 (satisfactory) in April. During the Pre-Lockdown normal condition (January), the AQI values in Mumbai and Kolkata were 236 (poor) and 246 (poor) respectively, which changed to 70 (satisfactory) and 81 (satisfactory) during the Lockdown in April. The AQI values show, how the lockdown played a crucial role to purify the air of these megacities. Among the selected pollutants, the maximum reduction of concentration was observed for PM10 and PM2.5 have reduced followed by NO₂, CO. A negative trend was observed for SO₂ in Delhi.

The environmental benefits of this lockdown are exactly what were required in these cities without any proactive mitigation measure. But stopping or slowing down the industrial activities impose a big question on the growth of economy. However we hope for a better dealing with pollution in post lockdown period.

#LitPlus: The Superhero and A Society in Fear – Films, Literature and Pandemic

The underbellies of the internet are frequently visited by anonymous users. Faceless hands slide over the glowing screen looking for leftover movies in the torrent sites. The site reports that its algorithm has witnessed a steady rise in search of movies dealing with virus outbreaks, disasters, and apocalypse. Like a stoic wanderer, the heartless machine language tempts the faceless man with a form of entertainment that can momentarily arrest his imagination. His fear finds resonance within the limited product that is the film. Only, this time it promises something elusive.

Why A Sudden Popularity of Disaster Movies?

The anxious inert existence within the four walls of our quarantined pockets breeds monotony. Any presence of hope threatens to give way to resignation. The movie intervenes to put an end to such a process. It transforms the paranoia of an endless pandemic within a 2.5 hours timespan. It is hardly surprising that people are drawn towards these types of films during these times.

Moreover, these movies transform the audience into passive observers, outside the scope of the disaster. He can witness it, feel the moist breath of immanent death over his shoulders, yet he remains beyond the grasp of such an apocalyptic event. He reclines back on his chair, lets out a sigh of relief, and declares – “thank god! My situation is better than this”.

How does Art do then?

Over the years, while writing an essay for college, or school, everyone has expressed this notion that art reflects life. However, literature dealing with disaster is the opposite. It preserves life, by capturing the inevitability of death. Literature becomes the candle that consumes itself, to offer a ray of light to its perceiver. He feels after going through it – “Phew! I am certainly doing better . . .”

It is infinitely mysterious to ever wonder how a despairing thought that germinates from the mind, is essentially an effort to preserve life. Perhaps, ‘disaster literature’ then symbolizes the life force that man always struggles to find.

Fig. 1

Then, who is the Artist?

The artist then becomes the trickster, a suave conman, hell bent on deceiving his readers. He tries his best to delay the threat of reality. He is the superhero who tries to save his city, even though he is aware that everything is destined to end at some point in time. Unsurprisingly, Henri Matisse had said, “Creativity takes courage”.

It requires immense bravery to lie in order to comfort others, even in the face of certain doom. Artists working on themes such as apocalypse are, therefore, guardians of the societies in fear. They are aware that perhaps they cannot do anything to change the actual societal problems. They cannot go from door to door to provide everyday necessities to families in need. But what they can do, they do – they manufacture hope. As Rancho says in “Three Idiots” – “All is well” – saying such a slogan does not delay or reduce the problem, but it supplies the strength needed to face it, and perhaps overcome it.

Fig. 2

An Artists’ Rendition of Doctors as Superheroes

Doctors are being hailed as the contemporary superheroes in this battle against Covid 19 and quite rightly so. But my point is, Artists (not everyone who writes is an artist by the way) being the prophetic beings that they are has commented on this issue much earlier. It did not take the pandemic to arrive at our doorstep, for the artists, to appreciate the superpowers of the ‘healers’. Let me give you an example! I am a member of the ‘www’ generation – in other words, we are a generation thriving on webinars, web series and worry.

Fig. 3

Some years back, I was an ardent follower of the “House M.D.” series created by David Shore. Dr. Gregory House is a genius investigator of unique ailments of the human body – in other words, as he is popularly known across the internet, he is the medical equivalent of Sherlock Holmes. In one episode, titled, “A Pox in our House”, a seemingly unknown pox infects human beings after a jar obtained from a shipwreck is accidentally broken. People fear that some unknown medieval disease is running rampant across the American soil. However, Doctor House wears his superhero costume, jumps right into the heart of a deadly quarantined chamber, and identifies the disease-causing bacteria to save the day.

Fig. 4

Summing Up

The ‘apocalyptic and disaster’ genre serves a purpose that can be called cathartic in the Aristotelian terms. Artists are the healers of the soul; they construct an alternate reality that sucks us out of our despairing present reality. Momentarily, we come out quite willingly of the self-imposed quarantine of fear and hopelessness. We start to believe, that someday our reality too shall reach a resolution, a happy ending. Death is not the end, because as the saying goes –

Fig. 5

#JournalismPlus: Journalism Education Needs A Paradigm Shift In Approach And Strategy

When the first Covid-19 case emerged in the Hubei province in China in the later part of November 2013, very people could imagine that it had the potential to redraw the history of the world. Almost 10 months down the line, scientists are still grappling to contain the deadly disease that has affected more than 17.5 million people and terminated the lives of nearly 7 lakh people.

While governments the world over continue to adopt lockdown as the only viable means to contain the surge of the virus, our lives have drastically changed. Almost all the areas of human activities are being done online barring the essential services. In the given scenario, education has also witnessed a radical change in its delivery structure. From offline classroom delivery to online virtual interactions and from a pen-and-paper evaluation structure to online examinations; education isn’t the same anymore.

The larger trends have been the same across specializations and domains. However, like everything else, the approach and strategy to deal with different domains are evidently different. Journalism, as a field and as an academic discipline, needs a certain rigour that can be delivered online only if certain checks and balances are religiously followed.

In consonance with the spirit, journalism academics globally are resorting to some innovative means. This has resulted in some distinct changes in the structure and mode of educational delivery. Unless we are in denial, these changes that have cropped up due to the sudden onset of Covid-19 are here to stay even when the Coronavirus scare becomes history. Let us look at how academics are coping up to keep the flag of journalism education fluttering high:

The Purpose of Journalism Education Has Changed: Before the pandemic, teaching journalism was all about instilling the right skills. Now, it is not just about skills, it is about adaptability as well. From “how and what to cover the story”, it is now “what are the other means if a certain story can’t be covered according to the rules given in the book”. Covid-19 has taught journalists that skills and knowledge alone don’t suffice. Flexibility and alternative ideas are required when the going gets tough. Covid-19 has also shown the ugly side of the industry that has been brutal in evicting even good journalists from the system.
Technology Will be the Key Differentiator: From a domain that was largely content-driven, journalism has metamorphosed into a technology-driven field. This change that was setting in since the last two decades has been suddenly given a major push by the onset of the pandemic. Journalism academics are now increasingly focusing on building the technological skills of the students. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to note that a technology-deficient but content-proficient professional would be able to go nowhere. Not only now but even after the pandemic, academics would do well to keep this reality in mind and train the students accordingly.
A Deep Dive into the Field Has Become a Sine-Qua-Non: Today, more than ever, a deeper knowledge about the governing dynamics of the profession has become critically important. The fact that the industry is chucking out people by the hordes and slashing salaries are necessitating a deep introspection into what might have gone wrong. Covid-19 couldn’t have caused this big a jerk. The churning in the industry only illustrates the pre-existing maladies, which have only been intensified by the onset of the pandemic. This is exactly where the journalism academics should come in. They should reflect on what is wrong and how the same could be rectified. The resultant knowledge should be passed on to the students so that they become resilient professionals, who could change the rules of the game.
Journalism Students Need to Understand that News Is also a Business: All these while, the students of journalism were blissfully ignorant of the revenue structure followed by the news industry. The academics were partly responsible for this trend. However, Covid-19 and its impact on the industry have established the primordial nature of revenue in the news industry. The students need to understand that it is important to generate revenue in addition to churning out fantastic stories. One of the reasons the news organizations are shutting down the world over is falling profitability and lessened advertising revenues. The students need to be mindful of these shortfalls.
Journalism Education Needs to Adopt a More Humane Approach: With the Coronavirus having shown the rather hapless condition of humanity when confronted with nature, it is primordially important for journalism students to have a humane approach towards the profession. Even in terms of business, consumers are increasingly turning to human interest stories. In fact news organizations such as BBC News are churning out an increased number of human interest stories to keep in tune with the demands of time.
Industry Collaboration Holds the Future Key: Journalism education can’t happen in a vacuum. All these while, multiple institutions were conducting journalism courses sans any effective industry collaboration. Today, it is critically important for the students to learn from the key figures in the industry. Therefore, academic institutions need to forge meaningful ties with news organizations and reduce the gap between the industry and the academia.
Convergence and Mobile Journalism Will be the Twin Keywords in Journalism: Journalism academics need to increasingly teach the students about the importance of convergence in journalism. No longer will content be unidimensional. The industry will demand content that is multifaceted and multimedia. The sooner the students understand this, the better it is. Mobile Journalism or MoJo will continue to grow in significance. The Covid-19 tragedy will only quicken this process. Academics need to take stock of their own knowledge base and update it so that students are prepared for the post pandemic scenario.
The Importance of Skill-Based Education Will Only Grow: With Covid-19 having shown us the mirror, journalism academics should uncompromisingly emphasize on the importance of skill-based education. The intent is to create industry-ready professionals, who can take journalism to the next logical level.

The Kolkata-based Adamas University has more or less dabbled with all the above-mentioned points. The online educational structure adopted by the university after the pandemic set in has left an indelible mark on the students of journalism. These students are now only growing with each passing day and the day is not too far away when they can safely graduate into the industry ready to make a difference.

COVID-19 Overhauls Legal Education Breaching its Long-Fortified Walls!

Coronavirus pandemic or COVID-19 is the era’s most transformational event that has left unpredictable impact globally. While numerous sectors are undergoing drastic changes, legal education is no exception. Law schools, students, professors and the entire process have been impacted both ways.

The broader concept of legal education involves national and international laws, comprehensive research, intellectual learning, administration skills in diverse fields, etc. As we consider the positive effect of COVID-19 on legal education, it has compelled the Indian academia to go through some serious reckoning and re-imagination now. With people restricted to their homes, e-learning emerges as the best resort to continue law education.

BCI’s Directive to All Law Education Institutes

In this country, legal education is regulated by the Bar Council of India or BCI. During complete nationwide lockdown in April 2020, it appealed to all law schools for resuming their classes but online. They have been asked to cover their syllabuses as much as feasible practically. Once the lockdown is withdrawn, the Bar Council of India has proposed institutions to conduct extra classes, clinical education and allied activities for comprehensive learning. They have also asked for detailed reports highlighting the actions taken according to their directive.

The BCI General Council considered legal education and its student’s overall interest when taking this decision in due consultation with the organisation’s Legal Education Committee. The apex body has also appreciated the commencement of online classes by National Law Universities and various Centres for Legal Education.

In early June, BCI released promotion guidelines of law students to the succeeding year. However, those in their final year were permitted to appear in online examinations or avail alternate methods as the concerned University deems appropriate.

Nevertheless, what was long an illusionary concept got implemented in breath-taking speed during an unanticipated occurrence like COVID-19. It has incited to reconsider the conventional mode of education and adopt innovative approaches, bringing digital learning to the centre-stage.

Need to Create Lucrative Opportunities within India

Another positive impact of coronavirus on legal education is that it compelled us to rethink more about our home country now. Till a few months back, most students preferred either a world-class legal degree from an international law institute or made it big with law firms outside India. Certainly, Indian lawyers’ accomplishments on global platforms are a matter of pride, but now is the time to consider their contributions in the domestic legal system’s development.

Indian law schools not only need to create lucrative opportunities but also provide pioneering contemporary education to future legal professionals. They can attain global standards by:

introducing more of digital learning
leveraging technology benefits
creating a top-notch curriculum
providing more of e-resources
adding niche specializations and emerging courses

After all, COVID-19 is driving law into the digital arena, reshaping its long-drawn landscape.

Addressing the Shifting Trends – Reorienting Ourselves

If we look back, law schools have always maintained rigidity regarding innovation and technology within the classroom. However, the trends of legal education are already shifting ever since the pandemic scourged. Today, it is every law education institution’s responsibility to not just emphasise on e-learning but also take the entire experience online. Schools can run students’ societies, various events and competitions, debating clubs and even skill imparting activities which are significant to legal education, online.

Virtually teaching all that we think physically is largely possible. What matter here are robust e-learning approaches and mode of technology. Law schools adapting to and implementing these at a quicker speed can emerge as game changers and successfully provide out-of-the-box experiences. Amidst these, some schools have already taken proactive steps to make the e-learning experience smooth and hassle-free.

On the practical front, note that

The Supreme Court of India is hearing some of its vital cases through the virtual medium.
A few High Courts are also undergoing experiments to introduce technology for more accessibility of litigants to the judicial system.

As a positive, the coronavirus pandemic, hence, prompted India’s legal system for increased usage of technology. This can be further intensified if the following are implemented:

Every court is equipped with the appropriate technology to facilitate the legal processing.
More investment is allocated for technology up gradation to clear the pending cases faster.
The entire legal system undergoes an overhaul, and the Indian Criminal and Civil Procedure Acts get major changes. The purpose is to empower the legal fraternity and judiciary with the knowledge of using technology and virtual medium.
The litigant, without being physically present, actively participates in the court proceedings, views everything via virtual media and gets notified about daily ruling, date of hearing, etc.
Introduction of technology calls for robust cyber security systems, preventing cyber threats.

Needlessly to say, adopting the shifting trends shall not only sail legal education through the coronavirus situation but also pave for a brighter future.

Increased Scope for Legal Professionals Today

The society has already experienced exponential growth since the 21^st century beginning. It has opened immense opportunities, thus, amplifying the demand for legal professionals manifold. They play a crucial role in filling the exposed gaps in technology, economy, politics, trade, society and other fields. In addition, emerging branches such as cyber law, environmental law, intellectual property law, health care law, family law, sports law, etc. have developed global law practice in capability and number.

In addition, India has undergone comprehensive and rapid change in the practice of law over the previous 2 decades. Besides academic knowledge, globalisation and technological advancements today largely impact a lawyer’s success. They need to be prompt, specialised, tech-savvy and geographically diverse. To survive in a highly demanding and dynamic environment, several law colleges in India have introduced a host of skill development measures, including mediation, client counselling, client handling and conciliation courses.

Therefore, it’s high time that the education world taps into this scope through modified and strategic approaches.

Adamas University (AU) in Kolkata Accomplished the 1^st Milestone!

In the context above, Adamas University’s endeavours and accomplishments are worth mentioning. The institution recently released a special manual report digitally on how AU combatted COVID-19. The report details how they have taken the prompt decision of suspending classes prioritising students’ safety in early March 2020. It also highlights their approach of changing learning, teaching and assessment rapidly during COVID-19. Adamas University is one of the prominent institutes, which remains uncompromised with the present situation. The authorities have created an Academic Plan abiding by all guidelines and protocols.

3500 students and 250 faculty members have positively responded to e-learning.
The University has provided several webinars, e-journals or e-books to students.
AU has also introduced digital internships and online training programmes for placed learners.
The most noteworthy is their ‘Each One Reach One’ approach, where technology usage will be rampant.

Today, legal education stands on a highly transitional phase where law institutions can either embrace the change or tenaciously cling to traditional practices which are soon-to-be unfit for the evolving Indian market. With the appropriate choice made, law schools can unleash a world of opportunities for lawyers of the post-coronavirus era.

nCOVID-19 Pandemic : Opportunities and Challenges

Swarnava Biswas¹, Dr. Moumita Mukherjee²

D. Research Scholar, Department of Physics, School of Science, Adamas University
Associate Professor and Dean (R&D), Adamas University

COVID-19, an extraordinary worldwide pandemic and its aftermath need no initiation. With each and every passing second, the Coronavirus is presenting more prominent harm to the life of an ever-increasing number of individuals as infection contamination, stress the board, weakness, nervousness, dread, vulnerability and sadness. This World Health Organization (WHO) proclaimed “once in a lifetime crisis” has created the drastic impacts on the economy, governments, businesses, and of course, people health – leaving us with a million-dollar question i.e. “Is this the new normal?”.

Different changes are obviously disturbing the society. Doctors have communicated caution over a plunge in patients introducing to crisis divisions with respiratory failures, strokes, and different conditions, prompting fears that patients are excessively terrified of contracting covid-19 to look for fundamental clinical care. Calls to self-destruction counteraction lines are soaring, while health specialists are worrying about indications of rising alcohols and medication use, less fortunate eating regimens, and an absence of activity among those cooped-up at home. Millions of individuals are eager and jobless.

In this case, specialists, analysts, and general wellbeing authorities state that, the pandemic is additionally giving an extraordinary window through which to see some positive wellbeing impacts from significant changes in human conduct. Furthermore, the pandemic may prompt an open even more ready to acknowledge and follow up on general wellbeing messages. Specialists and scientists are seeing some inquisitive and out of the blue positive symptoms of the sudden movements in human conduct considering the covid-19 pandemic. Skies are bluer, less vehicles are slamming, offence is falling, and some different irresistible maladies are blurring from medical clinic crisis divisions.

Without a doubt, this quick spreading Coronavirus has made our reality topsy-turvy and upset our routine severely. However, I might want to accept an open door to drive your consideration towards the more brilliant side of remaining at home to rehearse social distancing and Working from Home (WFH) as a vital safety measure to limit the danger of spreading COVID-19 disease. We should discuss a couple of positive effects of the coronavirus in our life:

The primary positive part of COVID-19 is the impact on the earth. Carbon emanations are down all around and with assembling and air head out coming to a standstill, the planet has gotten an opportunity to revive. We have brilliant clear blue sky, streams are more perfect, delightful rainbow are spotted all over the place, and obviously, there have been sensational falls in pollution levels. Satisfying hints of feathered creatures have totally supplanted vehicle horns during the lockdown. The locating of winged animal species like the yellow-footed green pigeon, purple sunbird, the coppersmith barbet, regular tailorbird, normal kingfisher, the woodpecker, and a few others — is presently basic from our overhangs and rooftops. China recorded an 85 percent expansion in days with great air quality in 337 urban areas among January and March. With travellers gone from Italy, the since quite a while ago contaminated waterways of Venice presently show up clear as fish and other untamed life begin returning. Somewhere else, natural life is likewise returning in other significant urban areas and the biodiversity is gradually beginning to return in different pieces of the world.
Despite the progressing fatalities because of the ailment brought about by the new coronavirus, decrease in death rates emerging from different reasons is sure to go down. For example, more than 12,000 lives are lost to street mishaps every month in India, and this number will undoubtedly descend radically during the all-inclusive lockdown. An a lot further and enduring effect can be normal with regards to some different mass executioners, for instance, the runs and pneumonia that murder 300,000 kids every year. Improved cleanliness levels, social removing and overhauling of wellbeing administrations over all pieces of the nation will undoubtedly diminish the weight of these illnesses, prompting continued decrease in death rates in the occasions to come. Spitting out in the open has been at last proclaimed a wrongdoing, hitting at the core of a social sick we have battled fruitlessly for long to address. Care for the old dependent on a comprehension of their high weakness, assurance of untamed life living spaces knowing their significance as supports in our biological system, and checks on exchange and utilization of natural life are some other positive effects that we can hope to ascend from exercises gained from the COVID-19 experience. The case study said that the emergency clinic has seen a sharp decrease in paediatric admissions for respiratory diseases. These incorporate sicknesses, for example, flu, parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial infection, and human metapneumovirus.
A third positive result is a revived feeling of network and social union. Self-disengagement challenges us as social creatures who want connections, contact and collaboration with different people. Be that as it may, individuals all around the globe are finding better approaches to address the requirement for interconnectedness. Individuals are utilizing online networking stages to associate, for example, the Facebook groups, with many day by day posts. There is a tremendous rush of formal and casual chipping in where individuals utilize their aptitudes and capacities to help. We are increasingly worried about well creatures of our kin and taking each conceivable activity to be together even we are isolated and keeping up social distancing. Human associations are getting more grounded and we build up a feeling of belongingness. Coronavirus pandemic connected us as a HAPPY SOCIETY TOGETHER and now we regard one another. Covid-19 In India has pushed social orders to change perspectives towards specialists, attendants, paramedics staff, officers, police, conveyance individual, cleaning staff, truck drivers, milkman, and all crown warriors for their commitment and sacrificial administrations, notwithstanding gigantic hazard.
Circumstances are different, and individuals are presently mindful of the fact that it is so imperative to keep yourself clean. As social creatures, the very building of people is the capacity to act out and interface with individual creatures. That will not change, and that is something we cannot change. Yet, these ongoing occasions have made every one of us mindful of how to do that even more cleanly. From shaking hands to namaste, we have had a way of life change for the great. We will make sure to cover your mouths when we hack, to sterilize our hands in the wake of contacting whatever else in light of the fact that we comprehend what can occur on the off chance that we don’t.
COVID-19 is a significant market disruptor that has prompted unprecedent levels of development. Because of the lockdown, such a large number of organizations have needed to re-examine themselves with another ‘business as uncommon’ theory. This incorporates bistros transforming into takeaway scenes (some of which additionally now sell milk or face veils) and gin refineries presently making hand sanitisers. Numerous organizations have needed to experience quick digitalisation and offer their administrations on the web. Some could utilize this rush of advancement to reconsider their plan of action and change or develop their market.
Numerous organizations, presently, work distantly, with 100% of the workforce working for all intents and purposes with little to zero physical workplaces by any stretch of the imagination. With urban communities secured, associations over the globe needed to make this mandatory move towards this domain of working distantly. An in part far off condition here and there prevents you from receiving all the rewards of distant working. The isolates have made all organizations go 100% distant. This has likewise helped the groups to confide in one another. Organizations are getting into the way of life where they trust the trustworthiness of their representatives and that they will reliably work in any event, when there is nobody to investigate their shoulders sometimes. All things considered, at that point, the eventual fate of work after COVID-19 certainly looks great!
Coronavirus is driving another influx of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The worldwide pandemic has become a litmus test for how genuinely organizations are taking their CSR and their work with key partners: the network, representatives, customers, and the environment. Companies are giving cash, food, and clinical hardware to help individuals influenced by the coronavirus. Many are supporting their clients; they are presenting an elite shopping hour for seniors and individuals with inabilities to Optus giving free versatile information so its endorsers can keep on interfacing.
Organizations are needing on the web instruments and software that can assist them with making this move to computerized study halls and virtual office spaces consistent, associations are approaching with new/refreshed item goes. From self-determination bots to mechanized crisis conventions, this pattern has likewise prepared to touchless biometric participation frameworks, time following, or other collective apparatuses that can basically step in and be an option in contrast to your current work process to maintain your business essentially. Workaround apparatuses are no longer remain just upgrades; they are going standard! A significant line of devices and software that can assist you with enduring another pandemic or one that can assist you with working around them, set up work processes will be invited. These significant lockdowns have guided associations and plants to make a stride towards the mechanical time as an insightful move to shield such a pandemic stopping the assembling enterprises a subsequent time.
The pandemic had represented a danger to the entire instruction framework. Schools, colleges, and universities have been closed. Truly, it is disheartening yet have you taken a gander at the more brilliant side yet? The best result is monstrous change in education. Its majority was not by choice. With schools shutting down all around the globe, numerous educators are digitalising the classroom, offering on the web training, instructive games and errands and self-drove learning. We are universally associated with one of the biggest scale tests in changing instruction at all levels. Self-teaching is turning into the better approach for getting the hang of, presenting numerous guardians to what their youngsters know and do. Thus, colleges are driving far off learning and use cutting edge answers for keep understudies locked in. A few colleges are utilizing expanded and computer-generated reality to give close to genuine encounters to stirring understudies’ interest, commitment, and duty and for getting ready understudies for the work environment. Instructive Institutions have figured out how to defeat this gigantically testing arrangement of occasions. Classes have started once more, on account of innovation. Online classes have become the new standard for instructive establishments, and it has accompanied a couple of advantages as well. Organizations would now be able to save money on the infrastructural costs and therefore, the understudies need not endure the worst part of the costs, making it increasingly reasonable. In addition, guardians will get direct information about how classes are instructed and can straightforwardly see how their kid sees ideas. As the online training framework develops, we can anticipate an expansion in the compass and openness of instruction inside each segment of the public.
A little virus has pushed the world’s driving economies to the brink of collapse. An incredible downturn is being gauge. Various nations will recuperate at various paces, some rising champs in the race and a few washouts. Delicate social orders and economies will take more time to come out of the pandemic’s effects and will lose on various fronts. For some, obligations will mount past sensible levels, and help will be hard to get in a whole world reeling from the optional effects of the pandemic, the lockdowns and the contracted interest for products and enterprises. Bolster that may come might be vile and may trigger another age imperialism. Aggressive forces may attempt to exploit while the world is in emergency. Force games at numerous levels are sure to rise out of this worldwide emergency.

Each coin has two countenances. With terrible comes the great, and these are a portion of the forecasts that We think would stick and become the standard. Nations wherever are yet battling this pandemic, and we sure will conquer this. We are a race of survivors, and we are going to win this as well. We concur the fight is hard and long. However, how about we look forward and center around the more brilliant side for all we have through these troublesome occasions are these and that is it. We could not imagine anything better than to hear your interpretation of this and please share the patterns that you believe will develop to invite this new world?

Remain truly far off yet socially associated. It would be ideal if you take care and be sheltered.

Pharmacovigilance in the pandemic era

The virus versus the mankind: A scenario that we have never assumed would ever come in our lives. The whole world is strangling with the unforeseen pause brought by a species which we cannot even visualize with our naked eyes. The governments of all the nation are struggling day in day out to protect the people from the infections while these challenges are also impacting the global economy. The present scenario of COVID-19 poses an unprecedented challenge to the healthcare sector around the world. While there is a ripple of clinical trials worldwide to find the most suitable vaccine for combatting the virus, we cannot ignore the significant role played by the pharmacovigilance sector in this context.

Before dealing in depth with the significance of pharmacovigilance, I would like to give a brief of the concept.

According to WHO [1], pharmacovigilance is another term used for “drug safety”, and is defined as the science of collecting, detecting, assessing, monitoring and prevention of adverse drug reactions due to any pharmaceutical products. Information of this received from the patients or the healthcare providers to the pharmacovigilance centers who assess the necessary data and submit the report to the local drug regulatory bodies. For any company to market its drug, the adverse drug reactions report need to be submitted to the drug regulatory authority, who will finally judge whether that particular drug has to be restored or withheld from the market. Basically, the pharmacovigilance is concerned with minimizing the hazardous effect of any pharmaceutical product towards mankind. The sole motto of the pharmacovigilance is “patient safety”. The government of every nation has authorized pharmacovigilance centers apart from the contract research organizations which also conduct pharmacovigilance on behalf of the drug companies. However, there still lies a huge gap in the knowledge of pharmacovigilance and its importance amongst the patients who fail to report the adverse events that they experience, to the proper pharmacovigilance centers. Thus, governments are taking an extra urge to educate the community more about reporting the adverse drug reactions due to any pharmaceutical products to the pharmacovigilance centers.

Now the question arises, as what is the role of the pharmacovigilance in this pandemic atmosphere?

Ensuring patient safety by monitoring the effects of medicines has always been the top priority for the pharmacovigilance domain. Apart from the innumerable ongoing trials to develop the anti-COVID-19 vaccines, many drugs have been identified of having potential to fight back the coronavirus infections. Novel drugs such as remdesivir, and many conventional drugs namely hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ ritonavir are now being used as a prospective drug against COVID-19 and its symptoms. According to the individual case safety reports presented by the Uppsala Monitoring Centre, there are several adverse drug reactions reported on those drugs. Moreover, as the ongoing clinical trials have already stepped into the Phase 2 and phase 3 and therefore the subjects of the clinical trials have already received the injections [2]. Hence, it is the utmost necessity to monitor and report about any adverse reactions so that the best vaccine can emerge into the market while restoring patient safety.Amidst this complex situation, it is the golden opportunity for the healthcare system to come proximity to the pharmacovigilance process. Timely monitoring and collection of data from the ongoing clinical trials as well as from any patients receiving the prospective medicines, can provide vital information to the healthcare providers on a daily basis. Sharing the information and knowledge about the adverse drug reactions pertaining to those pharmaceutical product to the regulatory bodies worldwide, as well as communicating through social media, can reduce the task of drug safety officers of smaller pharmacovigilance centers on around the world. In this way the pharmacovigilance experts can team up with other drug companies or scientific organizations to demonstrate the significance of spontaneous reports as a form of real world data. In this way, a chain of signal detection around the world would be generated which would highlight the most efficient drug against the corona virus, to be used by the community without any hazardous effect. Thus, it is the high-time, that we support the process of timely reporting of any adverse event to the healthcare officials and be a part of the worldwide pharmacovigilance system.

The pandemic has generated an unparalleled global crisis. However, in this urgent crisis period, the governments and healthcare sectors have taken the utmost responsibility to tackle these challenge period without compromising the importance of the patient safety. The drug companies and scientific organizations are carrying out the clinical trials in a roller-costar speed, but they cannot afford to miss the sight of patient safety. Therefore, at this crucial time, the pharmacovigilance experts showcase their vital task of monitoring and ensuring patient safety worldwide. The near future awaits a vast scale vaccination program. The monitoring and reporting every minute details of the adverse reactions is very much needed. As health care professional we have to be the torch bearer to educate our society about the prominence of pharmacovigilance in this era.

Referances:

The Importance of Pharmacovigilance, WHO 2002
Chandler, R.E., McCarthy, D., Delumeau, J.C., Woolrych, M.H., The Role of Pharmacovigilance and ISoP During the Global COVID‑19 Pandemic,Drug Safety (2020) 43:511–512, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40264-020-00941-4.

Long-term Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthcare in India

Spreading of deadly infectious disease has increased globally due to the human act. There are many pandemic situations due to infectious diseases that have already happened in the world since a long period. But this COVID- 19 outbreak has some different story. It originated in China, Wuhan and after that it affected almost every country. This novel corona or COVID – 19 outbreak already reached a supreme level till now and no one can touch it. All over the world till date 16,733,760 people have been affected due to this COVID – 19 pandemic with a mortality rate nearly 6 % [1]. India is also badly affected by COVID – 19 more than 15, 50, 000 people affected in India with a mortality rate of nearly 4% [2]. Till now there is no treatment for this disease. Some countries are in the 1^st stage trial for the invention of vaccine. India is also in this race. A recent molecule Flavipiravir is accepted by DCGI for the treatment of COVID- 19 in mild and moderate cases. It can come to the market with in AUG- SEP 2020 [3].

The COVID- 19 pandemic has actually displayed the total health care system all over the world as well as India. Due to this pandemic the demand of health care activities and health care personnel has increased in a supreme level all over the world. In India specially a large amount of health care professionals as well as the health care activity is required on urgent basis. Due to lack of the healthcare professionals and facilities a large number of activities are still untouched in our country [4]. So, that patient care management system failed. In India till date a huge number of people reported death due to no treatment in hospital/ nursing home in different types of disease except COVID -19. So, the scenario became tough day by day. During the outbreak of EBOLA also a huge number of people recorded death due to other disease like tuberculosis, cancer, diabetes, cardiac problem etc. 1.6 million people has affected due to COVID – 19 which is the largest till date. But the only way to tackle any pandemic situation is a good health care system. In India COVID already displayed a fragile health care system and this situation forced India to make difficult choices on how to best meet the needs of their people. Government of India also followed the guideline advised by W.H.O that is to maintain social distancing, using sanitizer with 70 % alcohol, washing hand with soap, etc.

But the scenario is changing and nowadays Government has allowed the telemedicine practice with the help of registered medical practitioners. It is already applied in different regions of our countries. This will be beneficial for a lot of patients for a proper guideline of treatment. Most of the non – COVID cases are neglected so that this may be a good platform. There have also been frequent online training sessions for nurses, paramedic staff and primary healthcare workers for protocol to be followed for detection, isolation and communication regarding suspected infections. This technology can open a new way to reach the treatment with the telemedicine to the remote location in India. So, there is a possibility of carving out some further roles as paramedic functions that may not require a full MBBS degree. So, Pharmacist may play a major role in telemedicine now. This could be an innovative way to augment trained healthcare manpower, although practicality of such a decision will emerge with time [5].

But additionally, we need a lot of hospitals and medics also for the treatment of this like pandemics. Presently Government has allowed thousands of train coaches to be used for treatment of COVID. But this is not sufficient still. Although mobile hospitals were a target in the NDMP 2019, such an innovative approach arose out of necessity and has benefits of moving as much capacity as required to various locations and is much faster and more efficient than road transport. If retained and built upon, this flexible concept has the capability of supplementing the healthcare infrastructure substantially.

So, if we make this facility on an urgent basis, we can save lots and lots of human life. Health care system should be upgraded but it would involve huge investment in the health care system.

References:

[1]https://covid19.who.int/

[2] https://www.mygov.in/covid-19

[3]https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/pharma/cipla-all-set-to-launch-favipiravir-drug-for-treatment-of-covid-patients-csir/77134749.

[4] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/covid-19-is-indian-healthcare-system-heading-for-collapse/1871871

[5] https://www.eurotimes.org/success-of-telemedicine-in-india/