MicroMax is back with a new feature

TECHNOPEDIA                                                                Tech Updates: 9 November  2020 (Monday)                                                               ~ By Gaurav 1.iPhone12 pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max Not a under budget   Display Front camera Rear camera storage os iPhone12 Pro 6.10-inch (1170x2532) 12MP 12MP+12MP +12MP 64GB iOS 14 iPhone 12 pro Max 6.10-inch (1284x2778) 12MP 12MP+12MP   512GB iOS 14   Price of iPhone 12 and 12 pro iPhone12 Pro = 129,900 iPhone 12Pro Max =159,900   iPhone 12 Pro Max vs iPhone 12 Pro specifications compared Both the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro run on iOS 14. The iPhone 12 Pro features a 6.1-inch (1,170x2,532 pixels) Super Retina XDR OLED display with 460ppi pixel density. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a larger 6.7-inch (1,284x2,778 pixels) Super Retina XDR OLED display with 458ppi pixel density. Both the phones have a wide notch to house front camera, earpiece, and other sensors. The iPhone models are powered by the A14 Bionic chip with next-gen neural engine. The exact RAM details are not known but the storage options are at 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. Both the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro have triple rear cameras with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor that comes with f/2.4 aperture and 120-degree field of view. There is a secondary 12-megapixel wide-angle shooter with f/1.6 aperture as well. The iPhone 12 Pro has a third 12-megapixel telephoto camera with f/2.0 aperture and 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 4x optical zoom range, and up to 10x digital zoom. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a third 12-megapixel telephoto shooter with f/2.2 aperture and 2.5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 5x optical zoom range, and up to 12x digital zoom. During video recording, the iPhone 12 Pro offers 6x digital zoom, whereas the iPhone 12 Pro Max offers 7x digital zoom. Both the phones are equipped with a LiDAR sensor on board. Up front, both the phones come with a 12-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.2 aperture and retina flash support. There's Face ID support on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is touted to offer up to 20 hours of video playback, 12 hours of video streaming, and up to 80 hours of audio playback. The iPhone 12 Pro, on the other hand, offers up to 17 hours of video playback, 11 hours of video streaming, and up to 65 hours of audio playback. Both the phones support MagSafe wireless charging of up to 15W, Qi wireless charging of up to 7.5W. The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max have a Lightning connector for charging and it is touted to charge up to 50 percent in around 30 minutes if the 20W adapter is used (sold separately). There are two stereo speakers, one up front inside the notch and one at the bottom right next to the Lightning connector. Both the iPhones support 5G, VoLTE, Wi-Fi calling with compatible networks, GPS, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, NFC, and more. The iPhone 12 Pro Max measures at 160.8x78.1x7.4mm and weighs 226 grams. The lower priced iPhone 12 Pro measures at 146.7x71.5x7.4mm and weighs 187 grams. 2.MicroMax is back with a new feature Micromax in 1b and note 1   Display processor Front camera Rear camera RAM storage Micromax In 1b 6.52-inch (720x1600) Media tek Helio G35 8MP 13MP+ 2MP 2GB 32 GB Micromax Note 1 6.67-inch 1080x2400 Media tek Helio G85 16MP 48MP+5MP+2MP+2MP 4GB 64GB   Micromax note 1 Specification Micromax In Note 1 and In 1b have been launched in India as the two initial phones under the Micromax In series. Both new phones come with a “complete stock experience” and are powered by MediaTek SoCs. Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma during the virtual launch showcased its facility in Bhiwandi and detailed the production process of the new smartphones.   Micromax In Note 1 smartphone was launched on 3rd November 2020. The phone comes with a 6.67-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. Micromax In Note 1 is powered by a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 processor. It comes with 4GB of RAM. The Micromax In Note 1 runs Android 10 and is powered by a 5000mAh battery. The Micromax In Note 1 supports proprietary fast charging. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Micromax In Note 1 on the rear packs a 48-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.79 aperture and a pixel size of 0.8-micron; a second 5-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a pixel size of 1.12-micron; a third 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture and a pixel size of 1.75-micron and a fourth 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture and a pixel size of 1.75-micron. The rear camera setup has autofocused. It sports a 16-megapixel camera on the front for selfies, with an f/2.0 aperture and a pixel size of 1.0-micron. Micromax In Note 1 based on Android 10 and packs 64GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded via microSD card (up to 256GB) with a dedicated slot. The Micromax In Note 1 is a dual-SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that accepts Nano-SIM and Nano-SIM cards. The Micromax In Note 1 measures 165.24 x 76.95 x 8.99mm (height x width x thickness) and weighs 196.00 grams. It was launched in Green and White colors. Connectivity options on the Micromax In Note 1 include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Bluetooth v5.00, USB Type-C, 3G, and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India). Sensors on the phone include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass/ magnetometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and fingerprint sensor. As of 8th November 2020, Micromax In Note 1 price in India starts at Rs. 10,999. Micromax 1b specification Micromax In 1b smartphone was launched on 3rd November 2020. The phone comes with a 6.52-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 720x1600 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. Micromax In 1b is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 processor. It comes with 2GB of RAM. The Micromax In 1b runs Android 10 and is powered by a 5000mAh non-removable battery. The Micromax In 1b supports proprietary fast charging. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Micromax In 1b on the rear packs a 13-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture and a second 2-megapixel camera. The rear camera setup has autofocused. It sports an 8-megapixel camera on the front for selfies. Micromax In 1b based on Android 10 and packs 32GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded via microSD card (up to 128GB) with a dedicated slot. The Micromax In 1b is a dual-SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that accepts Nano-SIM and Nano-SIM cards. The Micromax In 1b measures 164.50 x 75.80 x 8.90mm (height x width x thickness) and weighs 188.00 grams. It was launched in Blue, Green, and Purple colors. Connectivity options on the Micromax In 1b include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth v5.00, USB Type-C, 3G, and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India). Sensors on the phone include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and fingerprint sensor. As of 8th November 2020, Micromax In 1b price in India starts at Rs. 6,999. 3.Oppo F17 pro Diwali edition Display RAM Rear Camera Front camera Processor Battery 6.43-inch 8GB 48MP+8MP+2MP +2MP 16MP+2MP MediaTek Helio p95 4015mAh Oppo F17 Pro specification Oppo has delivered yet another slim and light smartphone, the F17 Pro. It measures 7.48mm in thickness and weighs just 164g, which makes it incredibly comfortable to use for long periods, be it gaming or texting.  In the front, the Oppo F17 Pro has a 6.43-inch Super AMOLED display with a full-HD+ resolution and a maximum brightness of 800nits.  Performance was been pretty good in my experience. With daily usage, the Oppo F17 Pro felt snappy and responsive when loading apps or simply navigating through Android's menu system.  The Oppo F17 Pro uses the MediaTek Helio P95 SoC and comes in just one configuration, which is 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage. The 4,015mAh battery lasted for a day and half of medium to light usage, on average. The Oppo F17 Pro has a total of six cameras, which Oppo is marketing as “AI portrait cameras”. In daylight, the primary Samsung GM1 sensor captures sharp and well-detailed 12-megapixel binned images.  Low-light images were not bad but details were visibly weaker once I magnified them. Dark patches like the sky also had a bit of grain. You can shoot videos at up to 4K on the Oppo F17 Pro, but sadly, without stabilization.

5G is seen as a game-changer for India

Sudharma Times

                     {13 September 2020 ~ 19 September 2020}

Tech News

 

~by Gaurave

5G is seen as a game-changer for India

The launch of 5G-enabled technologies is expected to be transformative in the telco and other industries by unlocking various disruptive new technologies. Global investment in the 5G industrial chain over 2020-2035 is likely to reach US$ 3.5 trillion

5G is around the corner...and there is an ever-increasing euphoria amongst the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), the TMT ecosystem and the consumer community at large at the vast opportunities 5G will bring. Simply put, 5G is expected to be significantly smarter, faster and efficient compared to its legacy 3G and 4G predecessors. For instance, it holds a promise of 100 times more speed relative to 4G networks. The possibilities, with a network like this, are unfathomable.

The launch of 5G-enabled technologies is expected to be transformative in the telco and other industries by unlocking various disruptive new technologies. Global investment in the 5G industrial chain over 2020-2035 is likely to reach US$ 3.5 trillion. More than US$12 trillion sales are expected to be generated by global industry applications driven by 5G technology.

5G has the potential to become the world's predominant LAN and WAN technology over the couple of decades, especially in green-field rollouts. Organisations building new factories, ports, or campuses can significantly reduce their usage of wired connections. The next five years will likely see a boom in private 5G implementations at locations that would greatly benefit from better wireless technology-in terms of speed, capacity, latency, and more. Application and installation of the Private Networks could vary from a manufacturing facility, buildings, large campuses, notified or designated locations within geographies, healthcare and in mining sectors for autonomous mobility in areas where it is dangerous for humans to enter.

Closer to home, we expect significant application in 5G enabled internet of things - across smart cities and industry 4.0 use cases. Globally, these two areas account for nearly 44 per cent of 5G applications. Other applications likely to gain scale in India at a later date with enhancement in the coverage and technology are sensor based crop monitoring, remote machinery control, surveillance, energy management and smart transport.

1.Paytm returns to Google Play Store hours after takedown
September 19,2020

Shortly before the Paytm Android app was reinstated on the Play Store, Paytm tried to allay users' concerns in a blog post, assuring them that their money is completely safe

Paytm has returned to Google Play Store hours after being taken down on account of violating the app store's policies on gambling. At the time of filing this report, the app was available for download and update on Play Store.

Shortly before the Paytm Android app was reinstated on the Play Store, Paytm tried to allay users' concerns in a blog post, assuring them that their money is completely safe. The popular digital payment platform said that it is talking to Google and the app will be back shortly. The company clarified that users can continue to use the Paytm app like before.

"We assure all our users that their balances and linked accounts are 100 per cent safe. Our services are fully functional on all existing apps and you can continue enjoying Paytm like before," Paytm said in the blog post.

Earlier today, Google had removed Paytm app from the its Play Store over alllegations of running online casinos and allowing unregulated gambling. It was in reference to the 'Paytm Cricket League' game in Paytm First Games section on the consumer app that allows users to get player stickers after each transaction, collect them and get cashback in exchange. Other apps by Paytm - Paytm for Business, Paytm Mall, Paytm Money, Paytm Mall Store Manager and Paytm Instore Orders - were available on the Play Store.

2.Financial frauds up due to digital dependence; Centre to come up with Cyber Security Strategy: NSA
September 18,2020

Doval was delivering a virtual lecture at the COCONXIII, a hacking and data privacy conference hosted by the Kerala Police and Society for Policing of Cyberspace and Information Security Research Association.

Urging citizens to be vigilant when online, National Security Advisor (NSA) AjitDoval said financial frauds have surged drastically during COVID-19 pandemic due to greater dependence on digital payment platforms. He added the Centre was coming up with the National Cyber Security Strategy-2020, which proposes a safe, secure, trustworthy, reliant and vibrant cyberspace for India's prosperity.

"There is a greater dependence on digital payment platforms due to reduced cash handling and greater data sharing is happening online and presence on social media has also increased. While we are able to manage our affairs online to a certain extent, malicious actors also found in it a new opportunity," AjitDoval said.

Doval was delivering a virtual lecture at the COCONXIII, a hacking and data privacy conference hosted by the Kerala Police and Society for Policing of Cyberspace and Information Security Research Association. According to the NSA, the work environment has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said there was a 500% uptick in cyber crimes due to limited awareness and cyber hygiene.

"Financial frauds have seen exponential increase due to greater dependence on digital payment platforms. The adversaries are tempted to exploit the crisis situation due to various misinformation, fake news, etc. The huge cyber data floating in the cyber space is a gold mine for extracting information that can undermine the privacy of our citizens," Doval said.

3.Apple set to release iOS 14 today, iPadOS14, watchOS 7, tvOS 14 to debut as well
September 17,2020

Apple is set to launch its latest iOS 14 software on Wednesday, September 16, company's CEO Tim Cook revealed at Apple's virtual event held on Tuesday (September 15).

The cult iPhone maker will also release its upcoming iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14 alongside iOS 14 for all compatible devices on Wednesday. The iPadOS will come packed with features such as an enhanced search experience, pull-down menus, and redesigned sidebars.

Although Cook did not divulge the release time of the software, the iOS 14 is likely to reach compatible iPhone models and seventh-generation iPod touch at around 10:30 pm, India time, on Wednesday.

iOS 14 update will be available for download on all iPhone models in compatibility list of iOS 13.

This means the software will be supported on iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and the iPhone SE (2020).

Besides all these iPhone models, iOS 14 will also be compatible with the seventh-generation iPod touch.

You can download iOS 14 on your iPhone or iPod touch once it reaches your device by going to Settings>General>Software Update.

The software will also be downloaded automatically if you have already chosen that option on your device.

Apple unveiled iOS 14 software as the next iteration in the iOS family at WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) 2020 which was virtually held in June this year.

The software comes with new Maps features, comprising adding cycling as a transportation option, and routing for electric vehicle owners to help them find charging points along the way. iOS14 also has an in-built translator, improved security and privacy features in the Safari browser, and an enhanced and redesigned Siri.

However, the privacy feature that allows iPhone users to opt-out of in-app tracking will be delayed. Apple said the feature would not be immediately enforced when iOS 14 software is released following a hullabaloo by ad giants including Facebook, which lobbied against the proposal.

The Cupertino giant said it would give developers time until next year to adjust to the changes.

4.FAU-G not Sushant Singh Rajput's idea: Mumbai court passes order against rumours
September 15,2020

The restraining order was passed by the court after it was approached by private companies GOQii Technologies Private Limited and SudionCore Private Limited.

The Bombay City Civil Court has passed an interim order against unknown persons, restraining them from posting and reposting social media messages asserting that the online game FAU-G was the brainchild of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The court, in its order passed on Thursday, September 17 said that the "miscreants/anti-social elements" disseminating "false and defamatory tweets, videos, and messages" on several social media platforms will be prosecuted "in furtherance of the criminal complaint already filed before the law enforcement authorities."

The restraining order was passed by the court after it was approached by private companies GOQii Technologies Private Limited and SudionCore Private Limited.

The firms had claimed that they and others associated with them, including ambassador actor Akshay Kumar, were being "caused great hardship" by the alleged libelous messages, videos, etc being circulated on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, and YouTube.

The companies also issued a press statement stating that if any "miscreant or anti-social element disseminates any false tweets, videos, and/or messages on any social media platforms" against them or those associated with them shall be liable for contempt of court.

Health Related News

~by Nikhil

1. Jaipur Foot USA announces free artificial limb fitment camp in Gujarat on PM Modi’s birthday
18,sep,2020

Jaipur Foot USA has said it will organise a state-level free artificial limb fitment camp in Gujarat that will provide limbs, hearing aids, clutches and wheelchairs to differently-abled persons.

Making the announcement on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 70th birthday, Jaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari said the camp will be organised as soon as it is safe amid the pandemic. He said an inaugural function will take place in Vadnagar, Modi’s birthplace, and the camp is likely to come up in Mehsana or Ahmedabad.

The camp will provide Jaipur Foot limbs, hearing aids, clutches and wheelchairs.

Bhandari said Jaipur Foot USA has communicated to the Prime Minister’s Office about the planned camp.

As part of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi, the Ministry of External Affairs had launched the ‘India for Humanity’ initiative in October 2018, under which 13 artificial limb fitment camps were organised in 12 countries and more than 6,500 artificial limbs were fitted.

The MEA had said the artificial limb fitment camps generated a lot of goodwill for India in countries where these were organised such as in Malawi, Iraq, Nepal, Egypt, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Syria. India has been extending humanitarian assistance under its Development Partnership which is derived by its core value of Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam.

2. Coronavirus is driving discrimination against migrants, foreigners in Asia, warns Red Cross
17,sep,2020

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned on Thursday that the novel coronavirus is driving discrimination towards vulnerable communities in Asia, including migrants and foreigners. The humanitarian agency surveyed 5,000 people in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Pakistan and found about half blamed a specific group for spreading the coronavirus, with many mentioning Chinese people, immigrants and foreigners. “It is particularly concerning that both national migrant and foreign workers are blamed for the spread of COVID-19 as they are quite vulnerable already,” Dr Viviane Fluck, one of the lead researchers and the agency’s Asia Pacific community engagement and accountability coordinator, told Reuters.

She said there should be more focus on combating “rumors that are linked to underlying power dynamics and structural issues of inequality”. More than half of the Indonesians surveyed blamed “foreigners and rule-breakers” while in Myanmar, the groups most often thought to be responsible were people from China and other foreigners. In Malaysia, two-thirds blamed a “specific group”, most frequently mentioning migrants, foreign tourists and “illegal foreigners”, the researchers said. Malaysian authorities arrested hundreds of undocumented migrants and refugees in May in a crackdown the United Nations said could push vulnerable groups into hiding and prevent them from seeking treatment.

Police said at the time the operation was aimed at preventing people from travelling amid movement curbs. In Pakistan, most people surveyed blamed inadequate government controls on the Iranian border, followed by nationals including pilgrims coming back from Iran and then people from China. In all four countries, higher education had a small impact on whether respondents blamed a specific group, with university graduates slightly less likely to hold certain people responsible, the researchers said.

3. Coronavirus pandemic: One in 10 Covid-19 patients return to hospital after being sent home from ER
16,Sep,2020

Nearly one in 10 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 needed to return to the hospital within a week of discharge from an emergency department visit, according to a new study which assessed data from more than 1,400 patients who were admitted during the first three months of the pandemic. The study, published in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine, assessed data of COVID-19 patients from the Philadelphia region in the US between March and May 2020. It found that factors like lower pulse oximetry levels, and fever were some of the most telling symptoms that resulted in return trips that resulted in admission. “We hope this study helps emergency clinicians have more informed conversations with patients suspected to have COVID-19,” said the study’s lead author Austin Kilaru from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in the US. “It can be difficult to make this diagnosis and send patients home without knowing if they will get sick in the coming days. This study gives clinicians a few signposts to know how often and when patients may need to return, and what risk factors to pay attention to,” Kilaru said.

In the research, the scientists looked at 1,419 patients who went to an emergency department (ED) between March 1 and May 28, 2020, were discharged, and tested positive for COVID-19 in the seven days surrounding that visit. According to the study, 4.7 per cent of the patients returned to the hospital and were admitted within just three days for their initial ED visit, and an additional 3.9 per cent were hospitalised within a week. In total, the researchers said 8.6 percent of patients were coming back to the hospital after their first ED visit due to COVID-19.

“We were surprised with the overall rate that patients return and need admission, which is twice that of other illnesses,” Kilaru explained. “The concern is not that emergency physicians are making wrong decisions, but rather that COVID-19 can be unpredictable and turn severe rather quickly,” he added.

Compared to patients in the 18 to 39 years of age range, the researchers said those over 60 were more than five times as likely to require hospitalisation after being discharged from their initial emergency department visit. The study noted that people in the 40 to 59 age range were three times as likely to require hospitalisation than the younger group.

When it came to individual symptoms, the researchers said patients of any age with low pulse oximetry readings were about four times as likely to require hospitalisation upon return as compared to those with higher readings. They said patients with fevers were more than three times as likely as compared to those without.

“If the patient had other factors such as an abnormal chest X-ray, the likelihood of needing to come back to be hospitalised goes up even more,” said the study’s senior author, M. Kit Delgado from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

However the researchers said there were no signs of differences along racial or gender lines.

“This further contributes to the evidence that the known racial disparities in COVID mortality are not related to differences in care and outcomes among patients once treated in the same hospital system,” Delgado said. Rather, the disparities are structural related to the higher rates of infection and access to care in low-income communities, which are disproportionately Black and Hispanic,” he added.

The scientists believe the findings can better inform doctors on who is most appropriate for home recovery, and underscored the need for remote monitoring as a useful tool for looking after COVID-19 patients.

4.Covid-19 pandemic: Tiny antibody completely neutralises novel coronavirus
15,Sep,2020

Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have isolated the smallest biological molecule to date that they say completely and specifically neutralises the SARS-CoV-2 virus which cause Covid-19. Ten times smaller than a full-sized antibody, the molecule has been used to construct a drug -- known as Ab8 -- for potential use as a therapeutic and prophylactic against SARS-CoV-2, according to the study published in the journal Cell.

The researchers, including Sriram Subramaniam from the University of British Columbia in Canada, found that Ab8 is highly effective in preventing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice and hamsters. Its tiny size not only increases its potential for diffusion in tissues to better neutralise the virus, but also makes it possible to administer the drug by alternative routes, including inhalation, the researchers said. The drug does not bind to human cells, which is a good sign that it won’t have negative side-effects in people, they said. “Ab8 not only has potential as therapy for COVID-19, but it also could be used to keep people from getting SARS-CoV-2 infections,” said study co-author John Mellors, from the University of Pittsburgh in the US.

“Antibodies of larger size have worked against other infectious diseases and have been well tolerated, giving us hope that it could be an effective treatment for patients with COVID-19 and for protection of those who have never had the infection and are not immune,” Mellors said. The tiny antibody component is the variable, heavy chain (VH) domain of an immunoglobulin, which is a type of antibody found in the blood. It was found by “fishing” in a pool of more than 100 billion potential candidates using the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as bait, the researchers said.

Ab8 is created when the VH domain is fused to part of the immunoglobulin tail region, adding the immune functions of a full-size antibody without the bulk, they said. Clinical trials are testing convalescent plasma -- which contains antibodies from people who already had COVID-19 -- as a treatment for those battling the infection, but there isn’t enough plasma for those who might need it, and it isn’t proven to work. The researchers set out to isolate the gene for one or more antibodies that block the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which would allow for mass production.

5. Startup soars, providing in-house health care in the time of the coronavirus pandemic
14,Sep,2020

The U.S. emergency department, long an imperfect shelter for those with non-urgent medical needs, is perhaps the last place you want to be amid a pandemic.

Covid-19 has aggravated an already-broken U.S. health-care system in which at least 30% of emergency department visits were deemed unneeded before the virus’s arrival. Patients with less urgent conditions often wait hours for care, and they’re usually left with a hefty bill. Now, a new heath-care model is seeking to bridge the gap between clinical care and telemedicine, offering hands-on medical aid inside people’s homes.

In a time of Covid, a company known simply as Ready is logging more than 15,000 visits and 10,000 Covid-19 tests a month to patients in New York City, Los Angeles, the District of Columbia, Reno, Miami, and even the marshy bayous outside New Orleans. When called, Ready quickly dispatches an EMT or paramedic to a patient’s home. There, its so-called Responders work with doctors linked through iPads to take vitals, diagnose problems, prescribe therapies or, if needed, escalate cases to the closest ER.

While this may sound like a concierge service for the rich, Ready’s target market is Medicaid, the insurance program for low-income Americans that’s accounted for about half of its patient visits.

“Covid accelerated a trend that had already begun, which is a shift from institutional brick-and-mortar urgent care to the home setting,” according to Julian Harris, a Ready board member. “It’s impressive to see the organization rise to the challenge of providing care in the most difficult of times, in places and to populations that other companies have not focused on.” That’s “compelling for an investor,” he said.

In Ready’s latest Series C fundraiser, to be announced this week, investors including GV, the venture-capital arm of Google parent Alphabet Inc., pumped in another $54 million to help boost Ready’s valuation to $354 million. Other repeat investors included Deerfield Management Co. and Town Hall Ventures, the fund launched by Andy Slavitt, the former acting administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Obama administration.

The idea for Ready came during a trip to Israel by serial entrepreneur Justin Dangel, 46, now the company’s chief executive officer. Dangel was galvanized by a nonprofit that equipped Israeli EMTs with motorcycles and defibrillators, with the objective of beating ambulances to patients and victims of trauma.

A health-care outsider, Dangel later spoke with EMTs in the U.S. about the service. That sparked talks about ways to utilize EMTs to relieve pressure on the U.S. system and, eventually, to the birth of Ready, which treated its first patient in 2018.

But it’s been the pandemic that’s validated the business model, drawn new capital and talent, and fueled the company’s growth. With Covid-19, telemedicine use has reached record highs. Ready, meanwhile, has seen a five-fold surge in demand for its services since March. “This is a social impact project that’s gotten out of control,” Dangel said.

On the last Monday of March, as a flood of virus cases pushed New York to a breaking point, Governor Andrew Cuomo pleaded during a news briefing for health-care workers to come to the city to help.

Ready had planned to begin services in New York in 2021. But hearing that call spurred the company to reach out to Cuomo’s office with an idea: Ready could conduct Covid-19 tests within the city’s public housing complexes.

“It was the perfect fit,” said Gareth Rhodes, deputy superintendent to the New York State Department of Financial Services. “It wasn’t just about bringing a test, it was about providing an opening to a whole plethora of health-care services.”

Abel Collado, 25, is a paramedic and firefighter from the Bronx. He was just weeks into his new job at Ready when the partnership launched. The company had fewer than 15 Responders in the city at the time, and Collado was tasked with conducting testing in the communities he grew up in.

“Words can’t describe what it’s like to be a young adult who is born and raised, and grew up on these streets, and is still living in them, to serve these people,” Collado said. Treating patients from within their homes has allowed Collado to better address the socio-economic factors that influence health outcomes. Some have little means of transportation, while others lacking a primary care physician aren’t able to easily get their medications. Many can’t speak English.

Collado has since become a supervisor, and has been pivotal to the recruitment of 150 full and part-time Responders employed by the company that have conducted more than 5,500 visits and 3,600 Covid-19 tests for New York City Housing Authority residents. Now, Ready is seeing New Yorkers outside of the partnership with the state as well.

More than 1,300 miles away in Louisiana, Ochsner Health System Inc. has also turned to Ready to conduct Covid-19 tests. In this case, they’re not just for symptomatic patients, but for the immuno-compromised preparing for surgery or chemotherapy. Ready also handles follow-up when patients are discharged.

Well before the virus swept the nation, Louisiana’s largest health system decided to take a chance on a startup headquartered in New Orleans after struggling for years to reduce unneeded ER visits. Ready was integrated into Ochsner’s medical triage platform in 2018, creating a pathway for Responders to beeline directly to some of their first patients’ homes. It also created an appointment-based community health-care program for Ochsner’s “Medicaid frequent-fliers”—underserved patients who often seek care in the ER.

Alexi Deville is a 26-year-old EMT from Metairie, Louisiana. She meets with Medicaid patients identified by Ochsner once a week for as long as three months. Working with doctors online, she treats their allergies, coughs, and rashes. She also finds them in-network primary care doctors, schedules appointments and gets prescriptions refilled, she said. “I’ve been here all my life,” Deville said. “I know these faces.”

Ochsner saw a 70% reduction in non-emergency ER visits between June 2018 and Dec. 2019 as a result of this service, said Harry Reese, Jr., the system’s vice president of post-acute and home care. “We saw it as a cost-effective model that could be scaled quickly,” Reese said.

New York and Ochsner don’t pay Ready directly for these services. Instead, the company gets reimbursed by insurers. Its pitch to health-systems: Give us access to your patients and we’ll take care of the rest. Its pitch to payers: We’re cheaper than the ER.

The average ER bill is $2,000 per visit, according Premier Inc., which helps thousands of hospitals and health systems manage costs. Premier estimates that if those 3 in 10 “unnecessary” visits could be prevented or managed in lower-cost settings, $2.5 billion could be saved yearly.

Ready’s services cost payers $150 to $200. For patients seeking Covid-19 tests who don’t have insurance, Ready is reimbursed by the U.S. government under a series of recent economic stimulus packages.

It’s cheap in comparison because Ready has little overhead, employing around 70 physicians, clinicians and nurse practitioners who squeeze plenty of 20-minute stops into the workday, a time frame Dangel said is more than two-times longer than the average ER or urgent-care visit. Ready contracts with Teledoc Health Inc. when it needs additional licensed medical officials.

Meanwhile, its 450 full and part-time EMTs and paramedics—a cheaper form of medical labor—are able to deliver the care in person. That gives the company a “structural advantage” over an emerging field of rivals, Dangel said.

“It’s not like the hospital, where brick-and-mortar business is such that it loses money on Medicaid, but makes it on commercial patients,” said Harris, the board member who is also a partner at Deerfield, and who was the federal government’s chief health-care financial officer from 2013 to 2015.In 2021, Ready plans to launch a pilot program that will allow more than 100 doctors to dispatch responders into their patients’ homes. “We’re building a technology platform that can be sold separately,” and scaled nationally, Harris said. “You can expect that ultimately people will have access to Ready Responders in every city in America.”

6. Obesity, diabetes raise Covid-19 death risk
13,sep,2020

Young adults with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) usually get mild symptoms, but risks of complications and death rise significantly for people under 35 with obesity, hypertension and diabetes, according to a new research.

An analysis of clinical profiles of 3,222 young adults (aged 18-34 years; mean age of 28.3 years) hospitalised for Covid-19 between April 1 and June 30 in 419 hospitals in the US revealed that 21% of them needed intensive care, 10% required mechanical ventilation, and 2.7% died.

Morbid obesity, diabetes and hypertension were the most common risk factors in young adults, with those having more than one of these conditions facing risks comparable to older adults having no pre-existing illnesses, reported a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, which is the journal of the American Medical Association.

The study found that 36.8% of hospitalised young adults were obese, 24.5% were morbidly obese, 18.2% had diabetes, and 16.1% had hypertension (morbid obesity, hypertension and being male are associated with greater risk of mechanical ventilation and death).

In India too, men with Covid-19 are twice more likely to die than women, with men accounting for 69% of all deaths, reveals health ministry data. People under 40 with Covid-19 account for fewer than 10% of total Covid-19 deaths in India, with deaths being the highest in the 61-70 years age group in both genders.

“People under 40 usually have mild disease and most cases can be managed at home or in Covid Care Homes. Those who are hospitalised almost always have co-morbidities like obesity, diabetes and hypertension, and less than 5% need ICU admission. But if they do and are put on ventilator, their vascular risk increases and their chances of getting a heart attack or stroke becomes the same as older adults,” said Dr Yatin Mehta, chairman Institute of Critical Care and Anaesthesiology, Medanta The Medicity, Gurugram.

Covid-19 has also been called a vascular disease as it leads to the formation of blood clots in arteries and veins, which can block blood supply to the heart, brain and lungs and lead to stroke, heart attack and respiratory failure.

“If you are obese, you are likely to be diabetic or have hypertension, and vice versa, so the risk is compounded,” said Dr Mehta.

The progression of Covid-19-induced thrombosis is very rapid in young adults, with deaths often occurring within 24 hours of hospitalisation. “Older adults die of pneumonia and other Covid-19-related complications, but sudden, unexpected death is more common in young adults in their 20s and 30s, whose condition dips very rapidly. In such cases, the cause of death is usually cardiovascular, with abnormal clotting in brain, lungs and heart leading to cardiac arrest,” said Dr Shiv K Sarin, director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi.

At Max SuperSpecialty in New Delhi’s Saket, people under 40 account for less than 4.5% deaths, with 29% deaths occurring in those between 40 and 59 years old, and 47% deaths in the 60-74 age group.

Those over 75 years account for 18% deaths at the hospital. “Young people have mild disease and rarely need hospitalsiation, but they need to be isolated to break the chain of infection, which makes testing, tracking and treating important, as does social distancing and wearing masks,” said Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, clinical director, Max Healthcare.

“We should not look at the absolute number of cases and deaths; those will always be high, given India’s large population. What we must look at is deaths per million, and India has 56 deaths per million compared to 596 for the US and 61 for Brazil, which remain far lower than other countries even if you factor in some amount of under-reporting...,” said Dr Budhiraja.

Four young adults, the takeaway is that those with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension share the same risks as older adults. So they must seek Covid-19 treatment under supervision from the moment they get their test results.