The central government wants people to share their innovative ideas and suggestions. The last date for submission is March 31, 2020. The First Prize is Rs 1,00,000, second Prize is Rs 50,000, and third prize is Rs 25,000.
Applicants can be individuals or Startups. The central government has set eligibility criteria. “For the product to be developed as part of COVID 19 Solution Challenge, if any IPR/Patent is being used, contesting entity must possess the legitimate rights to use the IPR/Patents,” the centre said.
Share your Ideas and Suggestions to help fight Coronavirus
The central government has said that with the “active” assistance of people of India, the spread of the Coronavirus in India has been contained so far. The central government has said that it wants the community to participate in the fight against Coronavirus. It wants to hear ideas and suggestions from the citizens of the country in fighting the Coronavirus. “These can include innovative and best practices regarding hygiene, Hand washing, social distancing and preventing the spread of rumours and being prepared rather than panicking. Keep Calm and Stay Vigilant. Be a part of the mission against Coronavirus!” the central government has said.
Citizens, who want to share ideas, can go to https://www.mygov.in/group-issue/share-your-ideas-suggestions-help-fight-coronavirus/?utm_source=webcampaign&group_issue&285571 .
The last date for submission of ideas is April 30.
Genome analysis suggests two viruses may have combined.
Scientists have been trying to understand the origin of COVID-19 and the virus that causes it: SARS-CoV-2.
Originally, scientists believed the virus may have developed in bats, and later pangolins.
However, genomic comparisons suggest that the SARS-Cov-2 virus is the result of a recombination between two different viruses, meaning the exact origin of the virus is still unclear.
In the space of a few weeks, we have all learned a lot about COVID-19 and the virus that causes it: SARS-CoV-2. But there have also been a lot of rumours. And while the number of scientific articles on this virus is increasing, there are still many grey areas as to its origins.
In which animal species did it occur? A bat, a pangolin or another wild species? Where does it come from? From a cave or a forest in the Chinese province of Hubei, or elsewhere?
In December 2019, 27 of the first 41 people hospitalised (66%) passed through a market located in the heart of Wuhan city in Hubei province. But, according to a study conducted at Wuhan Hospital, the very first human case identified did not frequent this market. Instead, a molecular dating estimate based on the SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences indicates an origin in November. This raises questions about the link between this COVID-19 epidemic and wildlife.
Genomic data
The SARS-CoV-2 genome was rapidly sequenced by Chinese researchers. It is an RNA molecule of about 30,000 bases containing 15 genes, including the S gene which codes for a protein located on the surface of the viral envelope (for comparison, our genome is in the form of a double helix of DNA about 3 billion bases in size and contains about 30,000 genes).
Comparative genomic analyses have shown that SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the group of Betacoronaviruses and that it is very close to SARS-CoV, responsible for an epidemic of acute pneumonia which appeared in November 2002 in the Chinese province of Guangdong and then spread to 29 countries in 2003. A total of 8,098 cases were recorded, including 774 deaths. It is known that bats of the genus Rhinolophus (potentially several cave species) were the reservoir of this virus and that a small carnivore, the palm civet (Paguma larvata), may have served as an intermediate host between bats and the first human cases.
Since then, many Betacoronaviruses have been discovered, mainly in bats, but also in humans. For example, RaTG13, isolated from a bat of the species Rhinolophus affinis collected in China’s Yunan Province, has recently been described as very similar to SARS-CoV-2, with genome sequences identical to 96%. These results indicate that bats, and in particular species of the genus Rhinolophus, constitute the reservoir of the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses.
But how do you define a reservoir? A reservoir is one or several animal species that are not or not very sensitive to the virus, which will naturally host one or several viruses. The absence of symptoms of the disease is explained by the effectiveness of their immune system, which allows them to fight against too much viral proliferation.
Recombination mechanism
On February 7, 2020, we learned that a virus even closer to SARS-CoV-2 had been discovered in pangolin. With 99% of genomic concordance reported, this suggested a more likely reservoir than bats. However, a recent study under review shows that the genome of the coronavirus isolated from the Malaysian pangolin (Manis javanica) is less similar to SARS-Cov-2, with only 90% of genomic concordance. This would indicate that the virus isolated in the pangolin is not responsible for the COVID-19 epidemic currently raging.
However, the coronavirus isolated from pangolin is similar at 99% in a specific region of the S protein, which corresponds to the 74 amino acids involved in the ACE (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2) receptor binding domain, the one that allows the virus to enter human cells to infect them. By contrast, the virus RaTG13 isolated from bat R. affinis is highly divergent in this specific region (only 77 % of similarity). This means that the coronavirus isolated from pangolin is capable of entering human cells whereas the one isolated from bat R. affinis is not.
In addition, these genomic comparisons suggest that the SARS-Cov-2 virus is the result of a recombination between two different viruses, one close to RaTG13 and the other closer to the pangolin virus. In other words, it is a chimera between two pre-existing viruses.
his recombination mechanism had already been described in coronaviruses, in particular to explain the origin of SARS-CoV. It is important to know that recombination results in a new virus potentially capable of infecting a new host species. For recombination to occur, the two divergent viruses must have infected the same organism simultaneously.
Bhavninder Singh took to Instagram to share pictures of their intimate wedding and captioned it, “Wedding pics #throwback (sic).” As soon as their wedding pictures went viral, Bhavnider immediately deleted them on his Instagram page.
The four men convicted in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case were executed this morning. The Supreme Court, after a midnight hearing, rejected a last-minute plea filed by one of the convicts seeking a review of the death penalty. The four men — Akshay Kumar Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh — were hanged at 5:30 am at Delhi’s Tihar Jail. The four were convicted for gang-raping and murdering a 23-year-old medical student, who came to be called Nirbhaya, in a moving bus in Delhi in December 2012. Nirbhaya subsequently died of her injuries. Here’s what happened in the last 24 hours.
At 11.23 AM on 20-03-2020
Justice has prevailed, tweets PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said justice has prevailed after four men convicted of the gang rape and murder of a Delhi woman were hanged on Friday.
At 10.55 AM on 20-03-2020
They were quiet: Tihar DG reveals last moments of Nirbhaya convicts
At 8.53 AM on 20-03-2020
Nirbhaya convicts hanged in pre-dawn execution
The four men convicted of the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder were hanged early this morning at Delhi’s Tihar Jail. The four were hanged simultaneously at 5:30 am, more than seven years after the brutal gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old student that promoted nationwide protests. After the hangings, the convicts’ bodies were sent for post-morterm examinations following which the remains will be handed over to the respective families.
At 8.31 AM on 20-03-2020
Visuals: Ambulance carrying bodies of Nirbhaya case convicts leaves Tihar Jail
Captured in these photos below are ambulances carrying the bodies of the four Nirbhaya convicts who were executed this morning. The bodies have been taken to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where a team of doctors will conduct post-mortem examinations.
At 8.21 AM on 20-03-2020
Bodies will be handed over to families after post-mortem: Tihar Jail DG
Giving an update on the current sitaution, the director general of Tihar Jail has said that the bodies of all the four Nirbhaya case convicts will be handed over to their families after post-mortem examinations are completed. The four were executed earlier this morning.
At 7.56 AM on 20-03-2020
Hope Nirbhaya will rest in peace: NCW chief Rekha Sharma
Reacting to the hangings of the four Nirbhaya convicts, National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma said, “Doubts on justice system that have been lingering in our minds got cleared… Hopefully Nirbhaya will finally rest in peace as she got justice after a long legal battle.” Sharma added that the Nirbhaya case has also shown us loopholes in the legal system.
At 7.34 AM on 20-03-2020
Lockdown lifted at Tihar Jail
The mandatory lockdown, imposed during an execution, has been lifted at the Tihar Jail. The Tamil Nadu Special Police, which is in-charge of security at the Tihar Jail, is conducting a flag march within the prison in order to ensure order. The lockdown was imposed around an hour before the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder convicts were hanged at 5:30 am.
At 6.08 AM on 20-03-2020
All four convicts declared dead
A few minutes ago, the bodies of the four Nirbhaya convicts were lowered and checked by a doctor. As per protocol, bodies of convicts who are executed are kept hanging for 30 minutes before being lowered. The bodies of the four Nirbhaya convicts have been lowered and checked by a doctor who has declared all the four dead. The bodies will now be sent for post-mortem.
At 5.43AM on 20-03-2020
Justice delivered: Nirbhaya’s mother
Speaking to media shortly after the four Nirbhaya convicts were hanged, the victim’s mother, Asha Devi, thanked the judiciary and the government for ensuring that the rapists of her daughter were executed. “It may have taken time, but justice was finally delivered,” she said.
#WATCH Asha Devi, mother of 2012 Delhi gang rape victim says, "As soon as I returned from Supreme Court, I hugged the picture of my daughter and said today you got justice". pic.twitter.com/OKXnS3iwLr
Minutes before they were hanged in the Nirbhaya case, Mukesh Singh said he would like to donate his organs while Vinay Sharma wanted his paintings to be given to the jail superintendent and his ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ to his family. However, none of the four convicts — Mukesh, Vinay, Pawan Gupta and Akshay Kumar Singh — recorded any will, the official said.
At 5.31 AM on 20-03-2020
All four Nirbhaya convicts hanged at Tihar Jail
The four men convicted for the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman who came to be called Nirbhaya have been executed. The four were hanged this morning at Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
