MOLLEM SAVED?
THE 400 KV power transmission sub-station planned at Sangod in the middle of the Mollem wildlife sanctuary has been stalled by the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court. The High Court on Monday, December 7 quashed the construction license on the ground that the Sarpanch did not have the authority to issue it. Goans opposing the environmentally unfriendly project were represented by senior advocate Nigel Costa de Ferria.
GMC TRANSPLANT
IN a rare case of cadaveric organ harvesting the GMC removed the heart, liver, lungs and two kidneys of a 21-year-old fatal accident victim. The victim was declared brain dead and with the consent of his family various organs were used for transplanting in patients desperately awaiting a matching transplant. What is unique is that the heart was sent to Mumbai, the liver flown to Nagpur. The kidney transplants will benefit Goans on the official wait list and will be done in Goa.
INHALATION CAN HARM!
DOCTORS in the GMC have revealed that Covid-19 patients get no relief from inhalation. On the contrary inhalation is reported to caused severe burns, especially in the nasal, mouth and throat of children.
COVID FIBROSIS
EVEM after recovery it comes to light that several patients have developed acute fibrosis, that is growth in the lungs which handicap breathing in and out. Patients who have suffered from severe Covid-19 pneumonia many need up to three months to recover completely.
VOTERS IN PPE
VOTERS who are Covid-19 positive patients will be given personal protection equipment kits if they want to exercise their vote. It is estimated that there may be more than a thousand Covid-19 positive case patients entitled to vote in the upcoming Zila Parishad elections. However, those conducting the elections, like those in charge of the polling booths, may not be given the PPEs. The voting itself is expected to take much longer as markings have been made to ensure that voters maintain social distancing of one meter.
SCHOOL SHUTS DOWN
THE Mustifund High School and Higher Secondary School in the Cujira education complex and a school in Usgao has shut down because a teacher tested positive for Covid-19. The school will remain close till Saturday, December 12 and will be re-open on Monday, December 14. Similarly, the Sarvodaya High School and Secondary High School have also been shut down as one of the teachers tested positive.
FARMERS SAY NO!
FARMERS have decided to intensify the agitation for the cancellation of the three new bills introduced by the Modi government. They rejected the assurance given by Amit Shah that the Minimum Support Price will continue. The farmers are against the scrapping of government-run mandi in favour of private mandi. Farmers are also fear that under the provision for contract farming big companies will capture their agricultural lands.
LIBERATION DAY
FREEDOM fighters and NGOs have raised strong objections to the Goa government seeking Rs100 crore from the Central government for celebrating the upcoming 60th anniversary of Goa’s Liberation. It may be recalled that unlike the rest of the country Goa was liberated and got independence from Portuguese rule on December 19, 1961. The Opposition as well as the freedom fighters are demanding that the money should be used for providing free Covid-19 vaccines to Goans.
VACCINE SIDE EFFECTS
ALL the vaccines including the most favoured one developed by Pfizer have reported side effects. Pfizer has admitted to headache and tiredness. It closest competitor Astra Zeneca/Oxford has also reported fever muscle pain and tenderness at the point of injection. Moderna which is being considered by the Indian government may also trigger muscle and joint pains at the site of the injection. So the old adage of there can be no gain without pin holds true here too when it comes to Covid-19 vaccines. Anyone interested?