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<ul><li>Covid-19 forced companies to redraw the strategy roadmap, strengthen balance sheets, stress-test processes and place fresh bets on <keyword id="6355118" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="technology" source="Orion">technology</keyword> over the last two years.</li><li>In 2022, geopolitics forced companies to reassess options as supply chain disruptions and economic shifts led to increased prices of commodities and high inflation.</li><li>As we move ahead, geopolitical fractures will enlarge and nationalistic sentiments will continue to grow across the world.</li></ul> <keyword id="6373686" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="business-disruptions" source="Orion">Business disruptions</keyword> are escalating in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world. It was Covid-19 which forced companies to redraw the strategy roadmap, strengthen balance sheets, stress-test processes and place fresh bets on technology over the last two years. In 2022, it was geopolitics that forced companies to reassess options as supply chain disruptions and economic shifts led to increased prices of commodities and high inflation. The two disruptions in quick succession come at a time when businesses have already been coping with the impact of technology, its impact on consumer behaviour, the rise in competition from insurgents, and the resultant obsolescence. As we move ahead, geopolitical fractures will enlarge and nationalistic sentiments will continue to grow across the world. It may not lead to another World War but countries across the world could take sides in some of those events. It will lead to redrawing trade blocks and also the emergence of new geographical frameworks of bilateral cooperation, based on mutual interest. This presents huge challenges and risks for global companies, as they seek to balance interests with the countries they operate in, the countries where they are headquartered and the stakeholders they represent. As trade blocks and new alliances are getting stitched at state levels, companies too are rethinking markets and partnerships from a strategic lens. Since geopolitics could have potential ramifications on the lives and livelihoods of a large community, companies will now have the additional responsibility to look beyond just their stakeholders and overall, become the force of good. The world has changed dramatically since the pandemic and companies have to align their efforts on the ground with their larger purpose, which needs to be values-driven. Any misalignment may potentially result in a hit on reputation. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Rise of reputation in managing businesses" comment="subhead2" text="Rise of reputation in managing businesses">Rise of reputation in managing businesses</cmsannotation> Recent geopolitical issues mark a very different trend in how companies approach their business. While shareholder capitalism defined the approach of businesses earlier, it was stakeholder capitalism which firmly entrenched itself in 2022. It’s a development that breaks away from short-termism and aligns with long-term sustainable value creation that places significantly more emphasis on brand reputation. It would be good to understand why. A consumer is now more informed and takes a decision on buying a product based on its core narrative and sustainability record. Similarly, an employee also chooses to work in a company that is aligned with his own image of what a responsible company should be doing. Given that employees are the biggest brand ambassadors of a company, CEOs will ignore that at their own peril. And, this consideration, extends to all stakeholders alike. The result - reputation and communication as fundamental pillars of building resilience in disruptive times – will continue to take centre stage. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Building and communicating a value-driven brand narrative crucial during disruption" comment="subhead2" text="Building and communicating a value-driven brand narrative crucial during disruption">Building and communicating a value-driven brand narrative crucial during disruption</cmsannotation> Outlining the company’s vision and ensuring it aligns with the way it does business on the ground is crucial. With geopolitics emerging as one of the biggest risks for global corporations, businesses have the responsibility of being more engaged with stakeholders on the ground and also build deeper relationships with governments. The goodwill it generates will thwart unexpected geopolitical developments in a VUCA world, which is potentially damaging. The power of envisioning some of these issues is invaluable. It’s therefore important for companies to stress test the reputation risk plan on emerging issues. Global companies may also have to take a stand at times. Not just on social and sustainability issues - but around geopolitics – where lives and livelihoods are at stake. To build a resilient reputation it is now imperative for companies to have a clear value-driven narrative, which is effectively communicated to all its stakeholders. Shubham Mukherjee is a Communication strategist and a Reputation architect.

Companies align with purpose to prioritize reputation over profits as geopolitics disrupt businesses

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> reported a record high of 401,993 new cases of <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> on Saturday.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-coronavirus-cases-deaths-lesson-stay-alert-2021-4">India's coronavirus surge</a> is overwhelming hospitals and crematoriums, with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-covid-19-death-toll-could-be-10-times-higher-2021-5">deaths possibly underreported</a>.</li><li>The surge "will get worse before it gets better," according to one public-health expert.</li></ul>India's <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> surge is getting worse by the day, and it just hit a grim new record.The nation reported a record high of 401,993 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. No other country has breached 400,000 daily cases.Crematoriums across India are overwhelmed with bodies. Patients are gasping for breath and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-05-01-21/h_3485a084f1fa06acfc2aa0d1cd2046fd?tab=India">dying</a> as hospitals run out of oxygen. The country had reported more than 300,000 new cases each day for nine consecutive days before hitting the 400,000 mark.India also reported more than 3,500 deaths on Saturday - the fourth day in a row that death counts have surpassed 3,000. Those numbers are likely an undercount. A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/world/asia/india-coronavirus-deaths.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times</a> investigation published this week found "mounting evidence" that suggested fatalities are being "overlooked or downplayed" by the government. "From all the modeling we've done, we believe the true number of deaths is two to five times what is being reported," Bhramar Mukherjee, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, told the Times.Experts interviewed by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-coronavirus-infections-cross-18-million-2021-04-29/">Reuters</a> have suggested the death toll could even be between five to 10 times higher than what is being reported. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not responded to the allegations."It will get worse before it gets better," Ashish Jha, a physician and Dean of Brown University's School of Public Health, <a href="https://twitter.com/ashishkjha/status/1388515141898182657">said</a> of India's outbreak on Twitter on Saturday.<div type="image" title="india coronavirus pandemic" height="3533" width="5153" msid="82347961" hostid="261"></div>Rapidly spreading coronavirus <keyword id="112799" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="variants">variants</keyword> are perhaps the biggest culprit for India's horrific new surge. But <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-coronavirus-cases-deaths-lesson-stay-alert-2021-4">a number of other factors</a> also contributed to their spread: massive social gatherings, a slow vaccine rollout, and a healthcare system that was woefully unprepared for the influx of patients."This was a collective and shocking policy failure," Jha wrote in <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/covidit-will-get-worse-before-it-gets-better-101619880773941.html">an op-ed in the Hindustan Times</a> on Saturday, where he outlined steps he believes India must take "urgently and effectively."Jha said Indian authorities should move quickly to stop indoor gatherings, implement a nationwide mask mandate, scale up testing, increase supplies of medicines and oxygen, ramp up vaccination efforts, and do more genome sequencing to track COVID-19 variants."May is going to be horrible in India. June is going to be hard. If we take the steps outlined here, we are going to see real progress in June, and, by July, things may be meaningfully better," he said. "But if we do these things in a half-hearted manner now, the nightmare that India is living through now will last longer."The US, which earlier this week <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-to-help-india-with-covid-19-crisis-through-vaccine-production-supplies-2021-4">pledged to help India produce more vaccines,</a> imposed new travel restrictions on the country because of the coronavirus surge. Friday's move temporarily bars most non-US citizens from entering the United States.Sophia Ankel and Aria Bendix contributed reporting.

India is the first country to record 400,000 coronavirus cases in a single day

<ul><li>The daily <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> cases count is reducing in India. Over the past 14 days, they have been significantly lower than the reported high of 90,000 cases/day in September. </li><li>Experts <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-54419959">believe</a> India may have witnessed COVID-19 peak in mid-September. </li><li>However, the onset of the festival season may <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-54419959">reverse </a>the recovery seen over the past few weeks in India. </li></ul>Eight months into the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, India has witnessed a steep decline in daily average COVID-19 cases from 86,000 in late September to 64,000 in early October. New cases reported in the last 14 days are below the previous high of 90,000 per day. <div type="image" title="India covid-19 case daily" msid="78528169" hostid="261"></div> There has been no reduction in the number of tests conducted in a day. India is performing 828 tests per day per million population. According to the Health Ministry, new recoveries have been more than the new cases over the last two weeks. Since daily COVID-19 cases are increasing at a diminishing rate, the growth rate has dropped to 1.28% per day. Many states in the country, including Bihar and Tamil Nadu, have less than 1% growth rate. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">COVID-19 timeline </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Average daily cases </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September 2 to September 8 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">84,179 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September 30 to October 6 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">77,113 </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: <a href="https://www.mohfw.gov.in/">Health Ministry</a> The worst is not behind us yet Experts <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-54419959">believe </a>India may have witnessed COVID-19 peak in mid-September when it recorded around 93,000 average daily cases. COVID-19 deaths have also declined significantly in most states in the country. However, the festival season is around the corner in India, which may <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-54419959">reverse </a>all the recovery seen in the country over the last two weeks. "There is still a lot of forest left for the virus to spread like wildfire. Let us try to keep it as a slow-burning coil. We also want to give our health care system time to replenish, recharge, restock,” Dr Bhramar Mukherjee, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Michigan, told BBC. Moreover, a higher number of tests and lower cases may not be substantial bases to conclude — especially since India has been using rapid antigen tests that have 50% accuracy. "How much of India's declining case numbers have been contributed by these rapid tests, and how much of it is a real slowdown is difficult to say," Dr Shahid Jameel, a leading virologist, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-54419959">told BBC. </a> India’s COVID-19 tally is rising So far, India has recorded over 6.5 million cases and over a million deaths due to COVID-19 pandemic. It remains the second-worst hit COVID-19 affected nation after the US. However, India has the lowest mortality rate among the 20 worst coronavirus-hit nations. According to Johns Hopkins University, Mexico has the highest mortality rate of 10.4%, followed by Ecuador at 8.3% and the UK at 8.2%. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Worst hit nations </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">COVID-19 mortality rate </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">USA </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2.8% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">India </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1.6% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Brazil </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Russia </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1.8% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Colombia </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3.1% </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: John Hopkins University Maharashtra <a href="https://www.mohfw.gov.in/">continues </a>to be the worst-hit with 2,47,468 active cases followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Ten states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, account for 77% of the active coronavirus cases in the country. About 48% of the country’s COVID-19 fatalities have been reported from 25 districts in eight states. "Of these 25 districts, 15 are in Maharashtra alone, two each in Karnataka, West Bengal and Gujarat and one each in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh," Rajesh Bhushan, secretary in the Ministry of Health, told the media. The World Health Organisation <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/who-coronavirus-covid19-1-in-10-people-infected-worldwide-1728667-2020-10-05">warned </a>of a “difficult period” ahead after stating that every one in ten people in the world has COVID-19 infection. According to Dr. Michael Ryan, the vast majority of the world remains at risk. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/no-coercive-action-against-facebook-india-vp-delhi-assembly-tells-supreme-court/articleshow/78526524.cms">No coercive action against Facebook India VP, Delhi Assembly tells Supreme Court</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/schitts-creek-star-dan-levy-lashes-out-at-an-indian-channel-for-censorship-on-the-show/articleshow/78526614.cms">Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy lashes out at an Indian channel for censorship on the show</a>

India’s COVID-19 infections seem to have peaked — but it is not the time to lower the guard

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This week, <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>'s official COVID-19 death toll passed 200,000, according to government figures. </li><li>However experts worry the death toll could be five to 10 times higher, multiple reports say.</li><li>Morgues are so overwhelmed that bodies have had to be cremated in makeshift pyres in parking lots.</li></ul>Medical experts and frontline workers are casting doubt over <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-coronavirus-pm-modis-aunt-dead-after-infection-family-says-2021-4">India's official COVID-19 death toll</a> as the country passed its 200,000 mark on Thursday, according to multiple reports. India, which is in the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-coronavirus-crisis-who-europe-head-warns-could-happen-anywhere-2021-4">midst of a devastating second coronavirus wave</a>, reported 3,498 deaths on Thursday, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-adds-386452-new-covid-19-cases-and-3498-fatalities-in-last-24-hours-highest-single-day-spike-ever/articleshow/82323651.cms">according to health ministry data</a>. It was the third day in a row the country recorded more than 3,000 deaths a day. But medical experts and frontline workers worry the actual death toll may actually be much higher.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-19-modi-india-failed-in-critical-hour-of-need-2021-4">Hospitals in India are turning patients away and COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing. But Prime Minister Modi is on the campaign trail and ignoring the crisis.</a>A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/world/asia/india-coronavirus-deaths.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times</a> investigation published this week found "mounting evidence" that suggested fatalities are being "overlooked or downplayed" by the government. "It's a complete massacre of data," Bhramar Mukherjee, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, told the Times. "From all the modeling we've done, we believe the true number of deaths is two to five times what is being reported."Experts interviewed by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-coronavirus-infections-cross-18-million-2021-04-29/">Reuters</a> have suggested the death toll could even be between five to 10 times higher than what is being reported.A <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/india-crematoriums-underreporting-bodies-as-suspicion-grows-over-true-number-of-coronavirus-deaths-12288828">Sky News investigation</a> found that deaths were being underreported in several crematoriums across the capital, New Dehli. Funeral workers told Sky <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">News</keyword> that they've "been told to give [lower] numbers by higher authorities."Dr Manas Gumta, the general secretary of the Association of Health Service Doctors, West Bengal, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/24/indias-covid-death-toll-hides-stark-truth-for-the-poor-its-even-worse">told the Observer this week</a>: "A huge suspected COVID-positive population is certainly staying away from the tests. I believe the actual number of people dying of COVID is two to three times higher than what the government is reporting."As COVID-19 deaths surge in the country, crematory workers say they have become<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-coronavirus-dead-cremation-parking-lots-overflow-2021-4"> overburdened</a>.Some cities have turned parks and parking lots into makeshift crematoriums to keep up with the abundance of bodies.In the Seemapuri crematorium in New Dehli, the staff has been so overwhelmed they've launched a ticketing system, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/29/india/india-covid-deaths-crematoriums-intl-hnk-dst/index.html">CNN reported</a>.Jitender Signh Shunty, who runs a service in New Dehli, <a href="https://www.insider.com/india-coronavirus-covid-crematorium-funeral-burial-delhi-2021-4">told Insider</a> he's getting only two hours of sleep a night. "These days I don't even get two hours of sleep," he said. "At 7 a.m. I come here, I start dispatching ambulances, or I arrange for a dead body to be picked up, then get it cremated."Shunty, who says he used to only cremate 10 bodies a day, now estimates that number to be around 90."I can work 21 out of 24 hours a day - I am not the kind of person who breaks down easily," Shunty added. "But in this wave of the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>, I've seen the dead bodies of small children and women who have become widows at a young age. They all have died for no good reason."At the time of writing, India has reported more than 19 million cases and more than 211,000 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to a <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/india">tracker by Johns Hopkins University.</a>

The COVID-19 death toll in India could be up to 10 times higher than the official 200,000 figure, experts say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>All adults in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> can get vaccines starting May 1, but the shots may not be widely accessible.</li><li>India's government allows vaccine manufacturers to charge fees at private hospitals.</li><li>The cost could amount to $10 to $32 per vaccine - well above India's average daily income.</li></ul>The Indian government announced last week that all adults will be eligible to receive <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> vaccines starting May 1. But there's a catch: The shots won't be free everywhere.Healthcare workers, frontline workers, and Indians older than 45 can already get their shots through government vaccination centers at no cost. But under the nation's plan, the rest of India's adult population could be charged a fee at those same locations. Most Indian states have promised to waive costs for all adults at the sites, but that's not the case at private hospitals, which will continue to charge for vaccines. India's government has also given vaccine manufacturers permission to raise their prices in the open market.The nation's two main coronavirus vaccines, known as Covaxin and Covishield, are each offered to the federal government at 150 rupees ($2) per dose - or 300 rupees ($4) to fully vaccinate one person. (Covishield is India's locally produced version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while Covaxin is similar to China's Sinovac vaccine.)But Covishield's manufacturer, the Serum Institute of India, said last week that the price would be different for state governments and private hospitals: The former will be charged 400 rupees ($5.35) per dose, and the latter 600 rupees ($8) per dose. And the maker of Covaxin, Bharat Biotech, <a href="https://twitter.com/BharatBiotech/status/1385994219475456000/photo/1">announced Saturday</a> that it plans to charge India's state governments 600 rupees ($8) per dose, and private hospitals 1,200 rupees ($16) per dose. That's between $10 and $32 per vaccine at wholesale prices - well above the average daily income in India. Private hospitals could ultimately ask consumers to pay even more.Charging for shots could prevent many Indians, particularly poorer residents, from getting vaccinated right away. That's especially detrimental given the country's devastating surge in coronavirus infections. India reported more than 350,000 new cases on Monday - the world's highest-ever daily total. The four daily caseloads before that shattered world records as well. Deaths in India have skyrocketed to more than 2,300 per day on average - the highest of any country, aside from Brazil.Even these unprecedented tallies likely underestimate the real number of cases and deaths, epidemiologist wager. Widespread testing shortages prevent India from quantifying the full scale of its outbreak - and a handful of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/world/asia/india-coronavirus-deaths.html">doctors</a>, local journalists, and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-22/even-record-death-toll-may-hide-extent-of-india-s-covid-crisis">relatives of the deceased</a> have reported that the official counts don't align with the long lines outside of hospitals, nor the bodies piling up at crematoriums. "If you ask me how many people are actually getting infected in India every day, I would say it's a least 1 million," Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown School of Public Health, said in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAs40QV1gp0&amp;utm_source=Dean+Jha&amp;utm_campaign=f4ec7bfc08-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_10_03_12_18_COPY_01&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_e4fcd685bb-f4ec7bfc08-2244757667bfc08-224475766">a Monday webinar</a>.<h2>A slow vaccine rollout could mean even more death</h2><div type="image" title="COVID women vaccine line" height="2400" width="4305" msid="82281740" hostid="261"></div>More than any other country, India is in a race against the clock to get shots into arms. A <a href="https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america?view=total-deaths&amp;tab=trendrend">model</a> from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts that India could see another 572,000 deaths between now and August 1. According to the model, India's daily cases have likely reached their peak already - but daily deaths won't peak until next month. The nation has thus far immunized less than 9% of its population since. Prabhat Jha, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, told Insider that the current rate, he estimates just 20% of Indians will receive their first dose by mid-June.Rahul Gandhi, a member of the Indian National Congress, <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1384733889009229824">said last week</a> that because private hospitals are charging for shots, long lines are likely at the vaccine sites where residents don't have to pay."Enough of discussion. Countrymen should get the vaccine free. Do not make India the victim of the BJP system," Gandhi <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1386539389887541249">tweeted on Sunday</a>, referring to India's opposing political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party.The BJP is the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been accused of downplaying India's crisis. Modi held large election rallies and discouraged the implementation of more lockdowns as coronavirus cases surged this spring. <div type="image" title="lndia vaccine line " height="3287" width="4748" msid="82281742" hostid="261"></div>In <a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1712710">a recent press release</a>, India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare suggested that charging for vaccines could give manufacturers more money to scale up production, or perhaps encourage new vaccine manufacturers to bring their shots to India.But Bramer Mukherjee, an epidemiology professor at the University of Michigan, told Insider that India already has the resources to ramp up its own vaccine supply."India is the vaccination production magnet in the world," Mukherjee said. "They should be able to scale up and be able to do much better job at this."<h2>A black market for vaccines?</h2><div type="image" title="India vaccine elderly" height="3728" width="5776" msid="82281746" hostid="261"></div>Many of India's low-income residents have already had trouble getting vaccines: A lack of internet access can make it difficult to sign up for appointments, and government-run vaccination centers aren't always easily accessible to those living in urban slums. Wealthy Indians, however, can purchase vaccines at private hospitals fairly easily. As of March, twice as many private hospitals were doubling as vaccination centers than government hospitals, <a href="https://qz.com/india/1983300/indias-poor-are-being-left-behind-in-coronavirus-vaccine-drive/">Quartz reported</a>. "Vaccinating just the affluent and urban elites will not be as effective or equitable as more targeted distribution to social and geographic hotspots," Prabhat Jha said.Already, Indian hospitals have price gouged medications like remdesivir, an antiviral drug that showed early promise as a COVID-19 treatment but appears less effective in recent studies. Although the government capped the price of remdesivir at 1,100 to 1,400 rupees (around $15 to $19) per unit, Indian police have arrested at least 14 people for selling remdesivir at higher prices on the black market, <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/three-held-for-black-marketing-of-remdesivir-selling-vials-for-rs-32000-to-45000-per-unit-7288971/">according to The Indian Express</a>. In at least two of those cases, the drugs were being sold for 32,000 to 45,000 rupees (around $429 to $603) per unit. "There's a huge black market for remdesivir, and I'm worried that might happen for vaccines now as well," Krutika Kuppalli, an assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, told Insider. "If there's not enough supply and the demand keeps going up, then people start getting desperate."

India's vaccine providers can charge $10 to $32 for coronavirus shots amid the country's unprecedented surge

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> is in crisis: <keyword id="6365858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hospitals">Hospitals</keyword> are overloaded with patients amid a surge in <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> cases.</li><li>Rapidly spreading <keyword id="112799" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="variants">variants</keyword> and social gatherings are fueling this outbreak, experts say.</li><li>A slow vaccine rollout and ill-prepared healthcare system have made matters worse.</li></ul>Just two months ago, India's coronavirus outbreak seemed to have turned a corner. Cases had plummeted to their lowest point since the beginning of the pandemic and vaccines were starting to be rolled out.But Bramer Mukherjee, an epidemiology professor at the University of Michigan, wasn't convinced the progress would last. By mid-February, she spotted an uptick in cases amid an increase in weddings, family gatherings, festivals, and sporting events.She called up her 81-year-old father and 79-year-other mother, who live in Calcutta, to see if they'd be getting vaccinated soon."They said, 'There's no virus right now. There is no rush,'" Mukherjee told Insider. "I think this actually tells you what happened: that in the valley of the virus, that was the right time for India to accelerate vaccination, but that did not happen."Now, average daily cases in India have risen more than 20-fold in the last two months. The country reported more than 350,000 new cases on Monday - the world's highest-ever daily total. <keyword id="6419711" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Deaths">Deaths</keyword> have risen nearly 25-fold in the last two months. Indian hospitals are now plagued by long lines and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-hospitals-run-out-of-oxygen-amid-covid-19-surge-2021-4">ventilator and oxygen shortages</a>, while bodies pile up at crematoriums. Public-health experts point to four factors that have caused the outbreak to spiral out of control: rapidly spreading variants, an increase in social gatherings, a slow vaccine rollout, and an ill-prepared healthcare system. Had India used its respite over the winter to ramp up testing, genomic surveillance, and the supply of critical medications, they said, the nation would have been better prepared to handle a new surge."Unfortunately, the narrative that played out about how well India did caused a false sense of security," Krutika Kuppalli, an assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, told Insider. "I always felt and believed that India would become the epicenter of this pandemic."Mukherjee said India's "premature celebration of victory" could serve as a warning to other countries."The treacherous thing about this virus is that you cannot wait to see its action," she said. "You have to really track its silent footsteps."<h2>Variants are likely the main culprit behind the surge</h2><div type="image" title="india coronavirus" height="973" width="1500" msid="82222926" hostid="261"></div>Rapidly spreading coronavirus variants are perhaps the biggest culprit behind India's harrowing outbreak. One in particular, B.1.617, has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/double-mutant-coronavirus-variant-california-india-2021-4">a "double mutation"</a> that may help it evade antibodies generated in response to vaccines or previous <keyword id="6418348" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="infections">infections</keyword>. Scientists say the variant shows early hallmarks of being more transmissible than the original strain."This new variant seems more infectious, seems to grab younger people, and seems to have really driven the numbers up," Prabhat Jha, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, told Insider.Scientists in the state of Maharashtra first identified the B.1.617 strain in March. At the time, they said the variant was linked to between <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1707177">15% and 20% of cases</a> there. By April, the variant had come to represent more than half of India's new coronavirus cases, according to <a href="https://outbreak.info/situation-reports?pango=B.1.617&amp;selected=IND&amp;loc=USA&amp;loc=USA_US-CA&amp;loc=INDS-CA&amp;loc=IND">GISAID</a>, a global database that collects coronavirus genomes."The double mutant is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/double-mutant-coronavirus-variant-california-india-2021-4">now in California</a>, it is in the UK, and similar variants are going to circulate all over the world," Mukherjee said. "It's really a global problem."Other coronavirus strains could be fueling the virus' spread as well. Scientists recently identified <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-triple-mutant-in-india-could-be-much-more-deadly-2021-4">a variant with three key mutations</a>, B.1.618, in West Bengal. And a variant in Bangalore, B.1.36, carries a mutation that has been associated with coronavirus reinfections. Experts said India would benefit from regional lockdowns in areas where variants are spreading widely."If India doesn't get their pandemic under control, it affects the entire world," Kuppalli said. "We can put all the travel restrictions we want, but that's not going to prevent these mutations from getting to other places."<h2>Social gatherings gave variants more opportunities to spread</h2><div type="image" title="Holi Festival 2021" height="4285" width="6428" msid="82222928" hostid="261"></div>Variants had plenty of opportunities to spread in India this spring.Earlier this month, at least 50 million people crowded along the Ganga river for a Hindu religious festival that has since been <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/50-million-people-allowed-at-superspreader-festival-so-modi-can-secure-the-hindu-vote">linked to at least 2,000 coronavirus cases</a>. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also held large election rallies, including one in March that attracted 800,000 people.On top of that, experts said, many Indians felt it was no longer vital to continue social distancing or wearing masks. A <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news">January survey</a> found that 56% out 28,000 people sampled in Delhi tested positive for coronavirus antibodies - leading many locals to believe that large cities had already reached herd immunity, according to Mukherjee."Many people were thinking by December, January, 'Oh, we've got this under control,'" Jha said. "That turned out to be just hubris and I, among others, had warned that it could really bite back."Even countries like the US, UK, and Israel - which have vaccinated between 40% and 65% of their populations - need to be mindful that the virus hasn't disappeared, experts said."The real lesson here is: respect the virus, respect <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword>," Jha said. "There's no other way out."<h2>A slow vaccine rollout meant India couldn't get ahead of its outbreak</h2><div type="image" title="india vaccine line" height="3648" width="5472" msid="82299179" hostid="261"></div>India has immunized less than 9% of its population since its national vaccine program started three months ago. That isn't particularly surprising, given the country's size."The challenges there of vaccinating a billion people are just extraordinary," Jha said. But India's vaccine rollout also suffered from a lack of urgency, experts said: Some residents didn't feel the need to get vaccinated right away. Others were skeptical of the shots.India approved its own vaccine, Covaxin, before human trials were finished. It's similar to China's Sinovac vaccine. The shot's makers, Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research, have said it is <a href="https://www.bharatbiotech.com/images/press/covaxin-phase3-clinical-trials-interim-results.pdf">at least 78% effective</a>. But Jha there's still uncertainty about how well the vaccine is working."We know that a similarly designed Chinese vaccine is underperforming in Latin America, and there might well be the same phenomenon occurring in India," he said. The vaccination effort also took a hit when cases began to rise, according to Kuppalli, because that forced healthcare workers to shift their focus away from administering shots."Vaccines are great, and we need to be rolling them out and ramping them up, but you can't vaccinate your way out of a surge," Kuppalli said.<h2>India's healthcare system wasn't prepared for another surge</h2><div type="image" title="A Covid-19 patient gets admitted to a government hospital in Kolkata, India, 22 April, 2021. India reported 314,835 fresh coronavirus infections on Thursday according to an Indian media report." height="1669" width="2500" msid="82222932" hostid="261"></div>Jha said the Indian healthcare system wasn't equipped to handle another outbreak on top of its vaccine rollout."You have to remember the background here is there's been chronic underinvestment in Indian health for quite some time," he said. "India, like many countries, sadly does not have an adult immunization program." The country had a brief window when cases were low in which it would have been easier to scale up testing and the supply of critical medications, Jha added, but many government officials falsely assumed that the threat was over.Now, the situation on the ground in India is likely even more harrowing than the official numbers indicate. Testing shortages prevent the nation from quantifying the scale of its outbreak, and a handful of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/world/asia/india-coronavirus-deaths.html">doctors</a>, local journalists, and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-22/even-record-death-toll-may-hide-extent-of-india-s-covid-crisis">relatives of the deceased</a> have reported that official tallies <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-22/even-record-death-toll-may-hide-extent-of-india-s-covid-crisis">don't reflect the number of bodies arriving at crematoriums</a>. India's healthcare providers also lack the resources, including beds and medications, to treat patients."If you under-report and suppress data and number of deaths, then you cannot really estimate how many people are going to show up at the hospital the next day," Mukherjee said. "And that really harms your ability to provide oxygen and to provide healthcare resources to people."Experts said some doctors in India have - whether due to a lack of training or sheer desperation - tried administering medications that don't work against the virus, like ivermectin, a prescription used to treat parasitic infections."I've heard stories of people getting three, four, five, six meds prescribed to them, medications that have not been shown to be effective at all," Kuppalli said. "I think people are just grasping for straws and that just adds to the chaos and the anxiety." There can also be a financial incentive to offer drugs to patients in critical condition, Jha said."When you have a scenario like this, you'll get really desperate people," he said. "And then you also have very unsavory private providers that'll take advantage of that and offer all sorts of treatment, whether they work or not."Drugs that can work, meanwhile, like the antiviral drug remdesivir, are now in high demand, Kuppalli said."There's a huge black market for remdesivir," she said, "and I'm worried that might happen for vaccines now as well."

A perfect storm of 4 factors has fueled India's harrowing coronavirus surge. Other countries could be next.

The country's largest commercial shipbuilder <keyword id="197989" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cochin-Shipyard">Cochin Shipyard</keyword> Limited (CSL) on Monday reported a 64.54 per cent dip in standalone profit at Rs 42.64 crore in three months ended June, adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and subsequent lockdown. The company had posted a profit of Rs 120.25 crore in Q1FY20, as per a regulatory filing. Income from operations declined 54.87 per cent to Rs 332.47 crore in June quarter of the current fiscal from Rs 736.85 crore in the same period last year. "The company's operations and financial results for the quarter ended June 30, have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic had prompted a lockdown resulting in a temporary disruption of operations from March 23 to May 5," CSL said in the regulatory filing. The company continued to work on a reduced time scale for a "significant" period of the quarter which further affected the financials for the current quarter, it added. The company has looked at the possible future uncertainties in economic conditions because of the pandemic from internal and external information such as current contracts, financial strength of supply chains and customers, among others, it said, adding, that it "expects the carrying amount of these assets will be recovered and there is no significant impact on liabilities accrued." CSL has bid and submitted a Resolution Plan for Tebma Shipyard Limited (TSL) under the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP), which has been accepted by the Committee of Creditors (CoC) and NCLT has approved the same, the company said. CSL is engaged in construction and repair of ships for domestic and international clients, and has its facility in Malpe, Karnataka. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/former-president-of-india-pranab-mukherjee-tests-positive-for-covid-19/articleshow/77459256.cms">Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee tests positive for COVID-19</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/list-of-weapons-that-india-can-make-at-home-and-the-ones-it-cannot/slidelist/77459796.cms">List of weapons that India can make at home — and the ones it cannot</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/markets/news/share-prices-of-bhel-lt-hal-bharat-forge-bharat-dynamic-and-others-are-rallying-in-the-stock-market-today/articleshow/77455503.cms">HAL’s share price jumps by over 8% as defence stocks rally after India announces import ban</a>

Cochin Shipyard's profit plummets by 65% under pressure from COVID-19 impact

<ul><li><keyword id="6363556" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="indiabulls">Indiabulls</keyword> Housing Finance is said to have sacked around 2,000 employees amid a roaring social media controversy.</li><li>It is said that these employees were being sacked over WhatsApp calls which cannot be recorded.</li><li>Some Twitter users have criticized that Indiabulls could donate in the PM Cares Fund but cant pay salaries.</li></ul>Indiabulls Housing Finance is said to have sacked around 2,000 employees amid a roaring social media controversy. The social media outpouring by the employees is streaming on Twitter with the hashtag #IndiabullsResign and one employee posted, "Even after knowing current Pendamic situation #Indiabulls is firing around 2000+ staff without any notice. Firstly they deducted our salary after that they are pressurized to self resignation. How will people get new job in these tough days (sic)." It is said that these employees were being sacked over WhatsApp calls which cannot be recorded. "Before virus, tension and depression will kills emp's who's getting fired by their companies thru WhatsApp call without any clarification or any notice period in this <keyword id="224944" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Corona">corona</keyword> crisis and creating panic so that they will return to Hometown," said one netizen, with the hashtag Indiabulls_Forcing__For_Resign. "#indiabulls Harashing its too much mentally harashment, today indiabulls doing with us .without any proper intimation company saying that my economic condition is too bad m unable to give u salary from next month..They all r mentally harashing us (sic.)," posted another. Some have criticized that Indiabulls could donate in the PM Cares Fund but cant pay salaries. Amar Thakur posted, "I don't understand this. #Indiabulls which donated 21 crores to #PMCARES fund has #laidoff 2000+ #employees with no severance package. These guys had the money to donate to PM CARES fund but don't have money to pay salaries for their employees. Why would a company do this??". Antara Mukherjee posted on Twitter, "Indiabulls contributes 21cr in the PM-covid fund and then take oneday salary from the employees as covid fund, cut out salary 20-40% from the employees and then finally asking to leave the company. But in system all will be found as voluntarily (sic.)." Many of these posts are being marked to the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Labour Minister among others. "Indiabulls firing forcefully to thousands of employees without any notice with a reason of lockdown. Forced salary deduction to 30% also done. Need ur help for full compensation. Thanks..!!", says another post. Indiabulls did not respond a query seeking its response on the matter till the time of publication. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/hike-is-hiring-engineers-laid-off-by-other-companies-but-there-is-a-test/articleshow/75862521.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Hike is looking for engineers who lost their jobs during lockdown ⁠— here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the test candidates have to go through</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/swiggy-zomato-start-home-delivery-of-alcohol-in-jharkhand/articleshow/75863251.cms">Swiggy starts home delivery of alcohol in Jharkhand – and it’s a lot easier than getting liquor in Maharashtra</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/air-conditioner-prices-may-fall-further-by-festive-season-blue-star-has-already-cut-employee-costs-as-demand-slumped/articleshow/75862095.cms">Air conditioner prices may fall further by festive season⁠— Blue Star has already cut employee costs as demand slumped</a>

You Searched For "pranab mukherjee covid 19 test" and got 8 results

Companies align with purpose to prioritize reputation over profits as geopolitics disrupt businesses

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India is the first country to record 400,000 coronavirus cases in a single day

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India’s COVID-19 infections seem to have peaked — but it is not the time to lower the guard

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The COVID-19 death toll in India could be up to 10 times higher than the official 200,000 figure, experts say

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India's vaccine providers can charge $10 to $32 for coronavirus shots amid the country's unprecedented surge

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A perfect storm of 4 factors has fueled India's harrowing coronavirus surge. Other countries could be next.

Aria Bendix

Cochin Shipyard's profit plummets by 65% under pressure from COVID-19 impact

PTI

Indiabulls reportedly sacked over 2,000 employees without notice — social media outrage follows

IANS

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