Soumya Pillai

Soumya Pillai covers environment and traffic in Delhi. A journalist for three years, she has grown up in and with Delhi, which is often reflected in the stories she does about life in the city. She also enjoys writing on social innovations.

Articles by Soumya Pillai

Delhi now has full MR vaccine coverage, say officials

According to officials, the month-long drive started with the aim to eliminate the two diseases from Delhi by the end of 2023. However, officials added that the government will continue the sweeping drives till March 29 to ensure that children who were left out are vaccinated

The Delhi government started a month-long MR vaccination drive for children on February 6. Looking at the high turnout, the government decided to extend the drive beyond March 6 across all 11 districts. (HT Archive)
Published on Mar 24, 2023 10:51 PM IST

AIIMS panel for intestinal transplants in Delhi

Senior AIIMS officials said while the programme is still at a nascent stage, the facility will be provided to recipients at a much cheaper rate as compared to their private counterparts

The facility will initially be for children and will later be extended to adults. (PTI)
Published on Mar 21, 2023 11:44 PM IST
By, New Delhi

Delhi hospitals directed to ramp up testing as Covid, flu see uptick

Health experts, however, said there was no reason to panic as the uptick remained insignificant in terms of the city’s population and majority of patients were not reporting severe symptoms

Experts said that over the last month, only two patients were admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital with Covid and no admissions were made for complications from H3N2. (Representative Image/ HT Archive)
Updated on Mar 19, 2023 04:06 AM IST
By, New Delhi:

Isro plans ‘space tourism’ by 2030 at 6 crore per passenger

“Work is in progress around India’s very own space tourism module, which is both safe and reusable," said S Somnath, Isro chairman.

Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) (File Photo)
Updated on Mar 16, 2023 11:55 AM IST
By, New Delhi

NEET-PG topper says she became doctor as she loved studying bio in school

On Tuesday, Dr Aarushi Narwani, 23, became only the second woman ever to top the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) or NEET-PG examination, scoring 725 out of 800

Dr Aarushi Narwani is as student at Delhi’s Vardhman Mahavir Medical College. (HT Photo)
Published on Mar 15, 2023 11:39 PM IST

Govt eyes early alert system to check impact of heatwave

The ministry of earth sciences is working on issuing location-based heatwave warnings with five days lead time this summer through the common alerting protocol of the National Disaster Management Authority, which will provide the alerts to various state and centre level disaster alert disseminating authorities.

Under the common alerting protocol, agencies such as the Met department, Central Water Commission and Forest Survey of India, among others, issue warnings to disseminating agencies like cellular networks, radio and television stations and other mass dissemination channels. The workflow is monitored by the disaster management authorities. (HT)
Published on Mar 13, 2023 01:57 AM IST
ByJayashree Nandi, , New Delhi

Isro carries out controlled re-entry of an aged satellite

MT-1 was launched on October 12, 2011, as a joint venture of Isro and the French space agency, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), to study tropical weather and climate.

HT Image
Published on Mar 08, 2023 01:39 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Delhi: 0.9 million children get MR jabs, drive extended by two weeks

Data from the Delhi government shows that till March 4, a total of 993,332 eligible children were administered the MR vaccine. This is nearly 90% of the eligible 1,110,000 children from the target group

Officials added that to ensure all eligible children are covered under the campaign, the department has decided to extend the drive by two weeks. (ANI)
Published on Mar 05, 2023 12:13 AM IST

AIIMS to take over two Delhi govt hospitals to resolve bed shortage problem

Internal data from AIIMS shows that the hospital receives an average of 866 emergency patients daily. However, only 50 (5.7%) are admitted to AIIMS every day

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (File Photo)
Updated on Mar 04, 2023 10:51 AM IST

Warmest February in 122 years: What it means for summers in North India

Even in terms of minimum temperatures, the month was the fifth warmest since 1901 (the warmest was February 2016)

Girls cover their faces with scarf on a hot day in Gurugram on February 27. (Parveen Kumar/HT)
Updated on Mar 01, 2023 07:08 AM IST
BySoumya Pillai & Jayashree Nandi

Spring influenza outbreak: Severe symptoms, longer infections this time

The surge in flu cases in the country comes in the context of a similar surge in the West between September and January, according to the World Health Organization, with many regions seeing such infections returning to levels typically seen in pre-pandemic years

In India, influenza vaccines, or flu shots that need to be taken every year, never really became popular. (Bloomberg)
Updated on Mar 01, 2023 07:09 AM IST

AIIMS Delhi plans 800-bed extension at NDMC’s Shanti Path hospital

Officials said that this facility will act as an extended campus for AIIMS, where patients who are not critically ill, will be admitted. The terms of staffing and resources are yet to be finalised between AIIMS and NDMC.

AIIMS, despite being a premier government medical facility in the country, faces a major shortage of beds. (PTI)
Updated on Feb 23, 2023 01:57 AM IST

Pre-term baby declared dead at Delhi hospital, found alive by kin pre-burial

The family said the doctors told them that the baby was still-born, and the body was wrapped in cloth, and placed in a cardboard box before being handed over for final rituals.

Lok Nayak medical director Dr Suresh Kumar said the newborn was an “aborted foetus”, which means that the mother could not carry the pregnancy to over 24 weeks due to medical complications. (HT Archive)
Updated on Feb 21, 2023 05:30 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Second batch of OneWeb satellites reaches India; ISRO set for March launch

The communications satellites will be launched by Isro’s Launch Vehicle Mark-III. In October last year, the Indian space agency successfully launched the first batch of 36 satellites by OneWeb from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

The communications satellites will be launched by Isro’s Launch Vehicle Mark-III.
Published on Feb 19, 2023 12:30 AM IST

Shifting winters? IMD records show warmer December, colder January

The winter chill has reached Delhi and its surrounding areas late for the last few seasons, even as January has become colder than usual, showed the data.

The number of cold wave days has also been on the wane over the past few years. Delhi had only two cold days last December. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)
Updated on Feb 17, 2023 04:27 AM IST

50% of Delhi kids given MR vaccine

Data from the department shows that between February 6—when the MR vaccination drive was started in Delhi—and February 15, 531,828 doses were administered

A health worker fills a syringe with measles and rubella (MR) vaccine. (ANI)
Published on Feb 17, 2023 12:24 AM IST

New haemodialysis centre launched at Safdarjung Hospital

The new haemodialysis unit was running on pilot for the last few months to test the effectiveness of the machines

Dr BL Sherwal, medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital, said that the OPD (outpatient department) timings have also been increased to 8pm everyday so that maximum patients can benefit from the new facility. (ANI)
Published on Feb 16, 2023 02:08 AM IST

Woman’s death sparks probe by AIIMS after family claims delay

AIIMS medical superintendent Dr Sanjeev Lalwani said the hospital has already launched a probe into the matter

AIIMS said action will be taken based on its investigation. (PTI)
Published on Feb 10, 2023 11:34 PM IST

AIIMS to increase number of ICU beds

AIIMS director Dr M Sriniwas, in an order issued on Wednesday, directed all clinical departments to create small ICUs and HDUs within their wards by February 28

Currently, the percentage of ICU and HDU beds at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is less than 10% of the overall bed strength, officials said. (HT Photo)
Updated on Feb 09, 2023 12:08 AM IST

Chandrayaan-3’s likely landing sites finalised

The Chandrayaan programme, also known as the Indian lunar exploration programme, is an ongoing series of outer space mission by Isro.

Chandrayaan-2 was successfully launched and inserted into lunar orbit in 2019, but its lander crash-landed on the moon’s surface when it deviated from its trajectory while attempting to land on September 6, 2019, due to a software glitch. (PTI)
Updated on Feb 08, 2023 04:56 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Fossils a way of life for Narmada’s ‘Dinosaur Man’

Sixteen years have passed since he found a set of 25 soropaud dinosaureggs, and in that time, Vishal Verma has built for himself a unique identity.

Vishal Verma (2nd from left) with his team during the excavation of a 100 soropaud dinosaur eggs in Madhya Pradesh in 2007. (HT PHOTO)
Updated on Feb 07, 2023 06:43 PM IST
By, Bhopal:

59,000 doses of measles vaccine given on day 1 of campaign in Delhi

The government, through this drive, plans to eliminate measles and rubella from Delhi by December this year. Over 1 million children have been identified as eligible for this vaccine in the city

Delhi government officials said that while the city’s routine vaccination drive was derailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak 2020, the state government was also caught in a legal battle since 2019, which had put the brakes on the MR vaccination campaign. (Representative Image/HT Archive)
Published on Feb 06, 2023 11:20 PM IST

Patients say facing years-long wait at Delhi govt hospitals for routine tests

Such is the patient load at government hospitals in the Capital that the average waiting time for certain tests can be three to four years

A queue at G B Pant Hospital in New Delhi. (HT Archive)
Published on Feb 06, 2023 05:00 PM IST

Tamil Nadu firm told to suspend eye drops’ manufacturing

The manufacturers were directed to “stop the manufacturing activities of all the products under the category of ophthalmic preparations till the completion of investigation”, the report added.

Tamil Nadu’s Drug Controller and members from the CDSCO carried out an inspection of the Chennai-based Global Pharma Healthcare from 7pm on Friday to 2am on Saturday. (ANI)
Updated on Feb 05, 2023 09:28 AM IST
BySoumya Pillai and Divya Chandrababu, New Delhi/chennai

Delhi to launch MR vaccination drive from Monday

The month-long MR vaccination campaign will commence from February 6, during which an additional dose of the vaccine will be administered to children irrespective of their previous vaccination history

Officials from Delhi government said that 12 localities have been recognised by the administration as vulnerable areas for MR vaccination. (HT photo)
Updated on Feb 04, 2023 02:24 AM IST

Chennai-based firm’s eye drops linked to vision loss and death in US

India’s drugs regulator has opened an inquiry into the products of a Chennai-based pharmaceuticals manufacturer after an eye drop made by it ostensibly led to drug-resistant bacterial infections in the US, where at least one person died and five others developed permanent vision loss.

HT Image
Published on Feb 03, 2023 11:58 PM IST
By, New Delhi

Nasal vaccine at govt centres in Delhi from Feb 15

Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya and science and technology minister Jitendra Singh launched Bharat Biotech’s nasal Covid vaccine, iNCOVACC, on the occasion of Republic Day on Thursday

In a statement issued on Thursday, the manufacturers said that for large procurement by the Centre and state governments, iNCOVACC will be priced at <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>325 per dose, and for private vaccination centres, it will be priced at <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>800 per dose. (REUTERS)
Updated on Jan 28, 2023 04:52 AM IST

Key payload for mission to sun ready, says Isro

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) on Thursday handed over the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) -- the largest payload to be carried on board the Aditya-L1 -- the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)

The VELC payload on-board Aditya-L1 is an internally occulted solar coronagraph with simultaneous imaging, spectroscopy and spectro-polarimetry channels close to the solar limb. (ANI)
Published on Jan 27, 2023 12:14 AM IST
By, New Delhi

Big plans for 2023 after a mixed 2022: Isro chief

Bhopal The landing demonstration of the Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), one of the most challenging endeavors of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) towards developing essential technologies for a fully reusable launch vehicle to enable low-cost access to space, is scheduled for Saturday, chairman S Somnath told HT in an interview, adding that several major missions are lined up for 2023

Big plans for 2023 after a mixed 2022: Isro chief
Updated on Jan 25, 2023 12:59 PM IST

Bharat Biotech’s nasal vaccine likely to be launched on Jan 26

iNCOVACC will be priced at ₹325 per dose for large procurement by the Centre and state governments, and at ₹800 in private vaccination centres, the company has said.

iNCOVACC, has received approval for a primary two-dose schedule and as a heterologous booster dose. (Shanky Rathore)
Updated on Jan 22, 2023 04:47 AM IST
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