How COVID-19 Impacted on Blood Lancet in Healthcare Industry ?

Impact of COVID-19 on Blood Lancet in Healthcare Industry

The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic was found in Wuhan, China. This pandemic has influenced the whole planet with its significant impacts on the economy and businesses worldwide. The COVID-19 spread worldwide in unprecedented ways due to its high infectious and contagious nature. As a result, the most outstanding medical challenge in the 21st century is yet to face physicians worldwide. Though the emergence of the virus can be tracked back to Asia, many European countries and the U.S. have been struck massively by the pandemic. The virus has spread across all regions ranging from North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa up to South America. The COVID- 19 has been declared a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) due to its increased spread globally. After the pandemic declaration, various countries announced the complete lockdown such as the Russia, Europe and Asian countries, to decrease its spread. Regardless of the pandemic of COVID-19, the demand for blood lancets has increased in healthcare applications. Blood lancets are scalpel-type medical instruments with a double-edged blade used for various diseases for blood diagnosis procedures in hospitals, clinics and the home healthcare arena.  According to the situation report of 11th May 2021 by World Health Organization (WHO) stated 157 million cases of coronavirus patients had been reported globally and 3.3 million patients are dead due to the coronavirus. America is leading in cumulative cases with a record of 64 million and 1.5 million death rates. At the same time, nearly 1.45 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered globally. The outbreak of COVID-19 has a significant impact on the healthcare and supply chain of various medical devices and kits, including blood lancets.

IMPACT ON DEMAND

The COVID-19 pandemic has lifted the blood lancet market from its niche pedestal to the mainstream sector. However, even before the pandemic, blood lancets' demand was highly interested in rising chronic diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia and more.

For instance,

·         As per World Health Organization's (WHO) report released on 13th April 2021, the diabetes cases raised from 108 million to 422 million from 1980 to 2014, specifically higher in middle and low-income countries.

·         In 2019, 1.5 million death rates were directly estimated for diabetes.

The rising research and technologies in the medical sector have made various types of blood lancets invade specific applications. These lancets are disposable, which surges its application for pain-free and safe blood diagnosis. This also minimizes the risk of blood transfusion and infection transmissions. The coronavirus pandemic has further increased the demand for blood lancets since COVID-19 can also be diagnosed using a blood test.

For instance,

·         As per the 14th September 2020 published report of the U.K. Government, their coronavirus antibody test kits are delivered home for simple blood sample tests. The limited amount of blood can be drawn using finger-prick disposable blood lancets and provided to labs for 3-7 days results.

In the current scenario, coronavirus's rising transmission rate has made homecare and self-diagnosis kits and procedures highly prevailing in the market. Due to its disposable nature, painless and easy usability blood lancets are highly preferred by healthcare professionals in chronic infection diagnosis. Several companies operating in other domains are eager to enter. Some have already entered the landscape of the blood lancet market to increase their revenue by meeting the emergent need of diagnosis kits and blood tests for the virus infection. The demand is further rising in local clinics and small laboratories for blood sugar and lipid testing. Furthermore, the coronavirus lockdown and lack of hospital admissions for other chronic diseases as diabetes have boosted self-monitoring diagnostic procedures among patients. Since blood lancets an ideal device for self-diagnosis, this has increased the market demand to a greater extend.

The rising geriatric population and obese individuals, because of unsanitary food habits and lack of physical exercise, have increased chronic illness cases as diabetes on hype. The life-threatening diseases are compelled to be maintained and treated often, which raises the diagnosis requirements globally. Therefore, the affirmative factors boost the demand for blood lancets among patients.

PRICE IMPACT

The COVID-19 had a devastating impact on the global economy. The several establishments have to remain shut while others scale down the operations or put on hold expansion plans as they tried to survive the unprecedented crisis. However, the demand for blood lancets has been rising because of the increasing prevalence of diabetes patients and their routine self-care diagnostic management. Despite lockdowns and supply disruption crises during this pandemic, the companies manage online sales and delivery of blood lancets without the mandatory requirement of prescriptions. They are also maintaining fair prices owing to the high demand for blood lancets in the market. 

For instance,

·         Ever Ready First aid twist cap blood lancets of 500 counts per package costs USD 10.00, which is delivered home with high safety precautions.

·         Apollo Pharmacy provides home delivery for blood lancets conveniently considering the product under the counter category.

The COVID-19 impact has not affected the price of blood lancets at a high level because of advanced online sales and innovative delivery options available with the utmost safety concerns.

IMPACT ON SUPPLY CHAIN 

The COVID-19 has created a significant impact on the supply chain of the blood lancet market. The sudden attack of COVID-19 and its subsequent implications for restrictions on trade and movement of goods has resulted in a shutdown of vast countries globally, resulting in disrupted supply chains due to limited materials and workforce and slow down or stopping of manufacturing. Moreover, several manufacturing companies are retooling priority manufacturing to produce other essential medical supplies and equipment such as ventilators. But since the blood lancets are in high demand by various healthcare sectors, the supply chain is again gaining speed due to an increase in order from the consumers. The government allows the moments of transport vehicles to import and export the raw materials to produce lancets. Additionally, the manufacturers are also taking crucial steps to ensure the availability of raw materials by and also they have to look into the quality of products. Therefore, manufacturers need to take necessary steps about production processes, shifting to other facilities if required, changes in quality assurance, costs and procedures related to screening workforce and offering of care if needed, changes in working hours and others to maintain their supply chain.

To minimize supply chain crises, the government has been firmly monitoring the supply chain to assume that the COVID-19 outbreak may adversely impact the supply chain of a medical product, including shortages of blood lancets for various healthcare sectors countries globally or potential disruptions in supply chains.

To manage such a crucial situation, many organizations are looking forward to improving and diversifying the supply chain model in all aspects.

For instance,

·         Roche Diabetes Care has taken initiatives for uninterrupted Accu-Chek diabetes test kits and lancet products supply during this health crisis of COVID-19 lockdowns. They are supplying homes with their diabetes self-management lancets and lancing devices with online booking and free delivery without the requirement of prescriptions.

·         They have also reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has not impacted their supply because of the robust manufacturing facility and evolving solutions.

The resulting COVID-19 pandemic has shown the various ways for supply chain management, which may be effective by innovative solutions initiated by the market players.  

CONCLUSION

The impact of the novel COVID-19 virus is expected to leave a long-lasting effect on each healthcare sector. The outbreak of COVID-19 prompted citizens to deal with confusion regarding the virus and its management. The virus poses a risk to human life and has caused economic distress and severe emotional strain. In addition, it produced a ripple effect that gave rise to a new collection of requirements and needs that were not much needed earlier and the essential one being the blood lancets which is highly required in hospitals, clinics, labs and home healthcare setups.

It is estimated that the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak was having a positive impact on the growth of the blood lancet market owing to the requirement of self-diagnosis and management by numerous diabetic patients worldwide. Moreover, many international governments, including the U.S, Europe and Asia's healthcare organizations, have supported the supply of blood lancets and other diagnostic kits in the medical and home healthcare arena due to high priority and essential requirements for a crucial health crisis period. Many government bodies and significant market players are closely associated with chronic patients and healthcare professionals for better home care and self-diagnosis, considering the contagious nature of the virus and improvement of future economics with disposable blood lancets.

Sanitizing then Upcycling Used Chopsticks Into Furniture, as a Business

submitted by /u/kelpingkelp [link] [comments]

source https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/qcuhw4/sanitizing_then_upcycling_used_chopsticks_into/

It’s y’a boy, Marty

”In the Holy Writings, you will find words of wisdom that can lead you to a secure future.”

https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-no3-2021-sep-oct/the-way-to-a-secure-future/

Thru the cloudy sky of Tokyo three constructs moved slowly, no wings nor engine attached to them, there were much like big metal orbs with multiple camera like eyes build into them, the small cameras zooming in and out as they lowered themselves to be closer to the roofs, as that's where their target has been last spotted before they have lost contact with the other Brigade sent after her.

All three of them stuck close together, while separating would allow them to search wider areas it would also put them at greater risk, allowing their target to easily take them out one by one. As such together they flew between the buildings, slowly scanning the area for a trace of project soul bound, what they found instead caused them to pause,it was none other than one of the tracker drones they lost contact with… laying on a roof completely massacred.

The two drones approached slowly while the third hanged back, observing the area carefully, upon closer inspection the extent of the damage done upon their comrade became far more clear, the drone had a big stab wound that went straight through it, allowing for the two to see that some pieces of its inner workings were gone, the most noticeable one being its energy core. tho those weren't the only wounds on its form, it's body was adorning multiple deep scratch marks with some bits of its outer shell seeming to be ripped out, the cameras Especially suffered a lot of damage as they were shattered, covered in scratches and some even missing.

While others inspected what remains of the other Brigade member the third drone watched carefully its surroundings, noticing few things that have been off, first of all was the fact they only found one Brigade member, something that was strange because exactly five drones have been sent after the target and they were given orders not to separate under any circumstances, in such case there should be four more destroyed drones on the roof… yet there was only one, not to mention despite its wounds having stains of cooling fluid flowing out there was no liquid under them, as if they were recently …. Moved.

Upon that realization it's cameras started to move around frantically, each looking in different directions as they tried to find where the runway project was hiding, understanding that this no doubt was a trap. it didn't take to long before it spotted her, cameras moving to they sky as it saw the woman floating above them, her white hair moving in the wind as her silver eyes gazed upon them, before it got a chance to react or even alert its teammates Eve Grabbed her sword with both hands and surged downward, charging sword first as she impaled the drone under her, pinning it to the ground, creating a small crater from the kinetic force of the attack.

The two drones hearing the commotion turned around, their gaze falling upon their Brigade member who was stabbed clean thru by the silver haired warrior "... I must say, it's quite satisfying to see my bait has worked" Eve says as she pulls out her blade from the machine she slayed, now stained with cooling liquid that slowly dripped from the tip of her sword. The two remaining drones don't waste a moment, some of their armor plates pulling back as two plasma guns emerge, one on each sides of them, without a second of hesitation they start fire bolts hot plasma in direction of the woman, eve doesn't even flinch as she moved her head to the side, avoiding first bolt directed at her face before using her blade to block the rest, proving her dexterity as she moves her hands with enough speed to insure each of the bolts collides against the side of the blade.

It takes only few minutes of blocking before eve retaliated with her own attack, her blade glowing as she uses Yoshitsune's power to cut thro distance, disappearing from their sight temporarily before reappearing behind one of the drones, it tries to turn around, it's weapon ready to fire, but before it gets the chance to turn fully Eve brings her blade down upon the machine, cutting straight thru it. The remaining drone seeing the opening in Eve's defense surges forward, quickly switching one of its guns for a high voltage taser, it goal being to subdue her… but it underestimates the reflexes of the opponent before it, Eve seeing the attack from the corner of her eye moves her blade swiftly, blocking the attack in last possible second, the taser connects, causing a strong electric surge to coarse thru the entire blade… except the handle in Eve's hand "... you'd be surprised how useful Electrical isolation can be in combat" she says before pushing her opponent back, quickly following by swinging her arm, her claws elongating as she slashes thru it's cameras, fully blinding her target.

Now blinded and being the only one remaining, the drone does what it believes to be the best course of action "code:silver, requesting back up, sending the coordin-" Before it gets to finish Aid who's been in hiding till now surges onward, phasing thru the Drone before coming out on the other side… with its energy core whinn his paws.

After this the drones falls to the ground, only half of the message sent, a request with no coordinates to find them" impressive maneuver" Eve says as she approaches her companion, one hand starting to pet his head while the other takes the offered core "what's more you managed to get it out without damaging it. Good job" Aid smiles brightly at the praise, leaning into Eve's surprisingly gentle touch " what do you plan on doing with them?"he asks her as his gaze moves to the destroyed machines scattered around them" hmm first looking thru and erasing whatever data was on them, then taking them apart. The good parts I'll sell on black market, and the rest I'll sell for scrap metal. Perhaps well gathered enough funds to acquire our own safe house " Aid greatly enjoyed the idea, his eyes brightening" finally our own place! I was starting to get tired of sleeping on the roofs and in abandoned buildings" he says as Eve moves to collect the fallen drones "well if you want that racing car bed we saw you better help me with this" hearing this Aid immediately started to work, helping eve in whatever way he could

The Chip Shortage Is So Bad Even the Raspberry Pi Is More Expensive Now https://ift.tt/3aSXcQf

The only way to fix Facebook is to purge the company of its original sin: the algorithm that gets users addicted https://ift.tt/2ZcKtoZ

service station

Germany (1958).

Embarrassingly based on a otome game’s CG, I put way more effort into this than I originally intended to... this was fun :D

Gokutober tag

True me.. Tap-829..

We already know that no one is perfect.But knowing that doesn’t keep us from doing things we might feel badly about later. Your mistakes & understanding to own them makes you unique.But when the same mistake is repeated often; that’s a sign of inconsistency in your character, which can later birth numerous bad habits & a peculiar tendency to become a systematic liar.Start from owning your…

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Singapore tribunal rejects Future Retail’s plea to lift interim stay on its asset sale to Reliance Retail - Times of India

Singapore tribunal rejects Future Retail’s plea to lift interim stay on its asset sale to Reliance Retail – Times of India

NEW DELHI: In a double win for Amazon, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) has rejected Future Retail’s plea to lift the interim stay on its Rs 24,700-crore asset sale to Reliance Retail, the retail arm of the Mukesh Ambani-led conglomerate Reliance Industries, said a person familiar with the development. This follows the Singapore tribunal’s ruling to make Future Retail (FRL)…

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Sometimes I think about how my terrible social skills saved me from being groomed.

The Once and Future Queen (2: except my life, except my life, except my life)

Chapter 2: except my life, except my life, except my life ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34581256/chapters/86132266

Alina learns the consequences of running away from Aleksander.

Chapter Preview

Suddenly, the game becomes clear to Alina. David’s reluctance. Aleksander’s arrogance. She was naive to think that the only punishment Aleksander would dole out was reminding her of her place, of his marriage to Svetlana. 

Foolish girl.

“You can’t do this,” Alina says. She takes a step back and feels the wooden frame of the bed hit the back of her knees. Aleksander smiles, but it’s cold and devoid of any emotion. 

“Was it not just hours ago that you told me you serve at the pleasure of the queen? This is your service.”

Author’s Note: Please note that this chapter, unlike the first, is tagged with dead dove: do not eat. This work deals with the topic of highly unethical medical experimentation. Please take care of yourself while you read.

Chapter 2: except my life, except my life, except my life

“You cannot, sir, take from me any thing that I will more willingly part withal: except my life, except my life, except my life.” - Hamlet, Act II, Scene 2

It’s the illustration of Queen Svetlana at her coronation, fair and regal, adorned in a collar of antlers that has her dry heaving into the gutter. 

The stag. Her stag. The one she always dreamt about, the one that always peered into her soul with its black, glassy eyes, and knew her. Unfairly butchered and mounted around the queen’s graceful neck. 

///

The next time Alina wakes up, she’s somewhere cold, dank, and dark. The only light comes from a set of lanterns above her, made of the same blue light that she’d seen in the lanterns on her single, disastrous crossing of the Fold. 

She’s alone in the room, and the walls are made of solid stone. There’s no sunlight, or windows. A cloth stretcher, like the ones she saw in First Army medic tents, is propped up beside the only door in the room. A set of cupboards line the walls opposing her bed, both top and bottom. Each cupboard is locked, more likely than not one which requires the talents of a Fabrikator like the doors she’d seen surrounding the Vezda suite in those last few days before the Winter Fete. 

Beyond that, there’s enough space for her to walk about five paces before she has to turn around, and she’s been provided with a cot that is utilitarian by the standards of the Little Palace, but a step up from the cot she used in the cartography unit. 

If this is to be the prison Aleksander keeps her in for the rest of her days, so be it. He can lock the door and throw out the key, forget all about her and let her rot. She’s had the wasting sickness. She’s felt the judgmental stares of orphans, First Army, and Grisha. This is nothing.

The lock on the door rattles and clicks open, revealing Aleksander, Ivan, and David. David looks like he’s eaten something rotten, but Aleksander looks impeccable as always. 

Alina stands at the head of her bed, leaving a few steps between herself and Aleksander.

“Do you treat all your prisoners with such grace, moi tsar?” Alina asks.

“Is that what you think you are, Miss Starkov?” Aleksander replies, amused. “A prisoner? No, milaya, you’re not my prisoner. This is not a cell.”

“The lack of windows and locked door make me think otherwise.” 

“These are the lower levels of the Fabrikator laboratories, Miss Starkov. You’re standing deep below the Little Palace right now, far away from the queen.” Far away from the sun, Alina hears instead.

“You’re going to help David look into the theory you proposed to me. David’s always had an interest in amplifiers, you see,” he says. David swallows. Alina can see that he’d rather be anywhere than in this cell with her right now. “He was the one who designed Morozova’s collar for the queen, grafting it together for her.” 

And your ring, Alina thinks. 

“Of course, it would make sense that he would lead this research. You’ll comply with all his requests as if they were mine, Miss Starkov. Everything he does, he does in the name of the king.” 

“I’m hardly a scholar of Grisha theory, moi tsar,” Alina says. “I’m sure there must be some other Grisha who could better assist David.” 

She looks to David for confirmation, but he won’t meet her eyes.

“You misunderstand me, Miss Starkov,” Aleksander says. “David will be conducting the research, not you.” 

Suddenly, the game becomes clear to Alina. David’s reluctance. Aleksander’s arrogance. She was naive to think that the only punishment Aleksander would dole out was reminding her of her place, of his marriage to Svetlana. 

Foolish girl.

“You can’t do this,” Alina says. She takes a step back and feels the wooden frame of the bed hit the back of her knees. Aleksander smiles, but it’s cold and devoid of any emotion. 

“Was it not just hours ago that you told me you serve at the pleasure of the queen? This is your service.”

“You’re no better than the monsters you say you save the Grisha from!” Alina cries. “You say that the Shu and the Fjerdans are the enemy, but it’s just you! How are you any different from the men who experiment on Grisha? The men who burn Grisha at the stake? You’re just like them!” Aleksander doesn’t react to her accusations. He examines her like she’s a particularly stubborn speck of dust on his kefta. 

“Sedate her,” he orders. Ivan raises his hands and Alina scrambles back, but it’s all in vain. Before she can do anything, she feels her heart slowing down and her eyes closing as she drifts into an inky blackness, dead to the world.

///

Alina opens her eyes to the sun shining on her face. She’s back in the meadow, lying in the swaying grasses. She reaches a hand out for Mal — she knows he must be beside her, as he always is — but grasps at nothing. Alina turns her head, and Mal isn’t there. The grass is untouched, devoid of any sign of him. 

Alina sits up, searching for him. Something moves on the far end of the field, a dark figure she can’t make out against the afternoon sun. She pushes herself to her feet and walks towards it, but each step she takes doesn’t seem to close the distance between her and the woods. Alina starts running, but the figure remains just as far away as it was before. 

“Wait!” she calls out. Her voice echoes around the empty meadow. “Wait for me!”

The woods rush towards her. Alina closes her eyes, the wind storming around her as if directed by a particularly irate Squaller. When she opens her eyes again, she’s standing at the tree line.

The stag is in front of her. 

Alina feels tears spring to her eyes, and she reaches a hand out to her old friend. The stag nuzzles into her palm, and she sobs. 

“I’m sorry,” she says, weeping. “I didn’t know they would do that if I left.”

The stag pushes forward, its nose coming in contact with her forehead. The stag’s antlers surround her like a cage, keeping her safe from all the perils of the world. It closes its eyes, and she follows suit. They breathe as one for a moment, and Alina would bask in the feeling of belonging and rightness for the rest of her life if she could. 

“I knew you were meant for me,” she whispers. “But I don’t know how to fix this.”

When she opens her eyes, the stag is far away, standing deep in the forest. It paws at the ground, then charges toward her. Its antlers are directed straight at her chest. Alina tries to run away, but she’s rooted to the ground. She can’t move. 

Just as it makes contact, everything falls away. 

///

Alina shoots awake, breathing heavily. It’s as if the stag did pierce through her. She can feel a sharp pain running straight through her, in through her breastbone and out through her back. 

When her heart rate finally slows down, she realizes she’s not in the cell that Aleksander had placed her in originally. The room is far bigger and not as dank. It’s well lit by actual lanterns with real flames, not the blue light in her cell. There’s a drain in a corner of the room and more locked cupboards. 

She’s on a cot in the center of the room, and David is standing just off of her bedside, holding a scalpel and a small metal dish. Worst of all, her wrists and ankles are strapped to the sides of the bed. She tries to wrench herself free, but the cuffs are Fabrikator-made. It’s a useless endeavor. 

“N-now, Miss Starkov,” David begins, taking a nervous step towards her. “I’m just going t-to collect s-some samples.” 

Alina rattles her cuffs again, and David takes a step back. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath to steel himself, and steps in again. “It will be much b-better if you just l-lie back, M-miss Starkov,” he says. “P-please.”

“Please don’t do this!” Alina says, fighting against the cuffs. David steps closer again. 

“I have to do it,” he whispers to himself. “For the General, for Ravka.”

“I’m like you, David!” Alina cries. “I’m Grisha!” 

David stands at her bedside. She looks up at him in horror. “I’m s-sorry, M-miss Starkov,” he stutters. 

He takes the scalpel and presses it into the skin just below her collarbone. 

Alina screams.

Author’s Note: Going off the fact that the Shadow and Bone books are set in Fantasy Russia during the Napoleonic era, a lot of surgical practices that we use today hadn't been developed. At this point in time, the general scientific consensus was that disease was caused by "bad air." The idea that germs were the cause of disease is about thirty years off in the future. Antiseptic practices (washing your hands, cleaning the area of surgery with alcohol wipes) is about fifty years away. David wouldn't know that what he's about to do to Alina is opening her up to a bunch of nasty little bacteria since this is Napoleonic Fantasy Russia. This entire scenario is extremely unethical and I would absolutely NOT endorse it in real life, of course. David's experiments (at Aleksander's request) would never pass the current standards we have for human trials. Alina did not have informed consent (nor did she consent at all), she isn't respected by the researcher/sponsor (looking at you, Aleksander), and the risk/benefit analysis ranks so low that no review panel would ever allow it to proceed in our world. However, this is fiction, and I need to make use of my degree somehow, so this is where we've landed.

Actionable Tips for a Healthier Financial Future

Photo Credit: Pexels.com If you struggle with money, the thought of your financial future may be daunting. How can you build better finances for tomorrow when you’re cash-strapped today? The fact is that even small actions now can make a big difference later. Plus, the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be on track to getting where you want to be money-wise. 561Levon-Finance provides actionable…

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I do like naming my town/farm in animal crossing/stardew valley/videogames "Innsmouth" tho

how do you go off at a business without being seen as a karen

I’m pretty sure I managed to pull a muscle in my left shoulder today at work. I’m on the verge of another breakdown because I just end up in more pain after every shift. My arthritis is getting so bad that no matter what I do I hurt and it sucks because I love my job and could be so much better at it if it wasn’t for my illness.