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COVID-19, Testing In India

Testing done per day in India and The number of tests done to find 1 COVID-19 positive case. Note – Daily tests data for certain days is missing, and hence the drop in the orange and blue line. Consider these as gaps in daily data and hence outliers.

Without a doubt, the number of tests done in India in March was just not enough. However, the data clearly shows the number of tests increased in April. In the beginning of May the number of daily tests done is a little less than 90,000 tests per day. The goal of the Indian government is to do at least 100,000 tests daily.

While the number of tests done on a daily basis has steadily increased throughout April, the number of tests done to identify one COVID-19 positive cases has not been very consistent. In the chart above, ignoring the outliers in the Orange line, you will notice the line has too many peaks and valleys. This usually indicates a not so focused approach, more like a hit or miss practice. In a COVID-19 situation, this could also indicate to the type of spread of the COVID-19 virus in the country.

What maybe concerning to some of us is the number of tests done to identify one positive COVID-19 cases has started to reduce sharply in the month of May. This may also indicate a more focused approach towards testing.

Testing done per day in USA and The number of tests done to find 1 COVID-19 positive case.

How Does COVID-19 Testing In India Compare to USA?

USA, who has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world, did about 2 times the number of tests than India throughout April. In May, that number was nearly 3 times more. However, the number of tests done to identify one positive COVID-19 case was and is currently half of that in India. Ignoring the number of cases in USA as compared to India, this metrics could indicate that the spread of the COVID-19 virus in USA is a lot more severe than in India.

This could also mean that there is a large number of undetected cases in India, but we have to also take into account that the number of tests done to identify one positive case in India is nearly double of that in USA. So while we might have many undetected positive cases in India, it might not be as bad as we might think at first when comparing the number of tests being done in USA vs India.

Note – you can download my analysis file by clicking on “add to cart”. It is free but you will be required to register with the blog.

Citation –

Analysis – Done by Anant Agnihotri, published on ‘https://mymixedthoughtsblog.com/covid-19-testing-in-india/’

Raw data – Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Joe Hasell (2020) – “Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)”. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: ‘https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus’ [Online Resource]

-Anant Agnihotri

COVID-19 Fatality Rate in India

Case Fatality Rate In Relation to Total COVID-19 Cases in India

The number of cases in India has been going up since the end of March. On 5th April, 11 days post India Lock Down, the number of cases was 3,374 and now, a little over a month, the number of cases is 18 times that, 62,939.

From the analysis that I have been doing, the good news is that the Case Fatality Rate is not increasing at a faster proportion than the number of new cases on a daily basis. You can clearly see that in the chart above.

Throughout the month of April, The Case Fatality Rate for COVID-19 has been consistently staying at about 3.5% and it seems to continue staying there even in the beginning of May.

A positive conclusion from this is that while their is a constant increase in the number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the country; it is not directly proportional to the increasing number of new cases in India. This is good news!

Comparing India COVID-19 Fatality Rate to Global Rate

To be noted, the Global Fatality Rate as of today is just below 7.00%. India has been maintaining a Fatality Rate half of that for over a month and a half now.

There can be numorous factors to this, and since I am not an expert I am not going to write anything about it! But hey, researchers are understanding this virus better and I am sure we will hear something soon.

Note – you can download my analysis file by clicking on “add to cart”. It is free but you will be required to register with the blog.

Citation –

Analysis – Done by Anant Agnihotri, published on https://mymixedthoughtsblog.com/case-fatality-rate-covid-19/

Raw data – Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Joe Hasell (2020) – “Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)”. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: ‘https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus’ [Online Resource]

-Anant Agnihotri

Corporate Lingo is Important For Good Communication

Tq fr oping ma pst. Crop lingo is smthing imp fr all to knw. If u dnt understand ma lingo, u nd I fl to comm tgther.

Well, after reading the above you should obviously have understood the purpose of this post. Oh wait, you did not? Perhaps my corporate lingo is a little alien for you. Remember, your success as a leader in the corporate world is greatly influenced by your lingo.

Nearly 5 years in my current job, right after my under-grad, I have come to realize one thing: your ability to communicate what you are thinking is without a doubt the most important ability required if you are to succeed in the corporate world. Do not believe me? Read on…

Think about it, a company is not a one man show – if you believe otherwise, stop reading and get out of my blog! peace –  its a dozen, hundred or, in my case, thousands of people that come together to achieve a common goal. A goal that is established by the top leaders and ‘communicated’ to 99% of the company below them. It is these 99% of the people who are the ‘engine’ of this ‘corporate car’. The top 1% is not directly doing the job, its the 99% below them who really put things into action. I am not saying you do not need that 1%, but you definitely need the 99% to effectively do what that 1% has planned for.

In my career till date, I have been a part of some instances where communication was not a 100%. Blame the corporate lingo? In some cases it was my fault, and I learned from them, and in some other cases it was an issue with folks not paying attention. Lets not get into a blame games here, we are beyond that, but the point here is that in the cases where communication, understandable corporate lingo, was not a 100%, the experience of working in a group was pretty bad. Surprise Surprise!

Guidelines for a Good Corporate Lingo, Communication

So the question arises, how do we ensure our communication is 100%. From my years of experience and from all the feedback I have received at work, here is what I think matters the most to have a strong communication.

Who are you talking to?

before you start typing or talking, ask yourself who your audience really is. If its your project partner, go in full detail mod, but if it is someone from another team, you got to ease it out for them. They have no idea what you have been working on. So walk them through it in a very strategic manner. In short, if you want to take this person from point A to point D, then you have got to walk them through point B and C also! Do not be lazy, make an effort.

Story Telling

People love stories, so tell them one! Start with the simple stuff like, why are you doing what you are doing? Why is it important to the company? What is do you need from them in this? The goal here is to take it easy, and have a good story to tell.

Cut the jargon

One line, if you use words that they do not understand, then how do you expect a 100% communication. Very similar to my beginning quot!

Presentation – Make it Beautiful

Make stuff look cool, smart and meaningful. I cannot emphasize how important this really is. The easier stuff is to the eye, the better it is for your communication. I am telling you through experience, this is that magic wand. If you get it right, you stand to gain a lot of praises.

Enough of these points, go practice them a little. Write them down on your white board and keep them in front of you while writing the next email to someone, making a power point presentation or even just preparing a little talk for a small group.

Remember, intellectual laziness is the worst kind of laziness!

You should check out my article on the Art of Laziness!

– Anant Agnihotri

Find The Strength

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Fall Down Seven Times Get Up Eight – Naoki Higashid

The high that you get from the consumption of substances is an illusion of success. It is an illusion that you not only have the capability to dream but also the ability to achieve what you dream. It is a promise made by the substance with an expiry date that is only a few hrs. away.

Would you want to take on a little dare from me? Do you have it in you to get this high without the use of these substances? Rather, would you have the courage to take on the challenge of achieving this high from your own mind and from your own hard work? I am talking about something bigger with a more reliable supply than from someones illegal trade. I am talking about you being the source of your eternal high. After all, what is better than your own control on the thing that makes you feel so great.

Stand in front of the mirror and take a good look. What do you think others see in you? Whatever that is pick it out of your brain and flush it down the nearest toilet. Now take another good look at the mirror and imagine an empty canvas, one that is yours and yours only to draw and erase and draw again until you like what you see. Keep drawing and keep erasing, until you see what inspires you to work hard to achieve.

Make the journey of your life in achieving this artwork and let this journey be your eternal high.

Find the strength within you that you have not been taught how to harvest. For the best teacher is non other than your own honest analysis of yourself. Once you have found your strength, help others in finding it.

Be the leader that many need you to be.

– Anant Agnihotri

Peace, Health, Wealth and Everything Else

This article was 6 years in the making and is probably still a work in progress.

Life, as we all know it, can get rather tricky and at times really messy. Situations present them self without any prior notice and this makes impromptu decisions for how to react to these situations rather cumbersome. With so many wheels moving at the same time we need to have a core, a set of principles, a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior. This principle will help navigate us out of these tricky situations and stay true to our own course. We need a set of priorities that will guide us through any situation.

If you have no peace, you have no health. If you have no health, what is the point of your wealth? If you have no wealth, forget everything else.
– Anant Agnihotri

The above quote is what sets my priority. When I am lost I read those lines to myself and sooner than never, I know what to do.

Yes, this indeed has been 6 years in the making.

What is your truth?

– Anant Agnihotri

The Family at Work – Leadership

Leadership at work can sometimes become a really personal affair! In someways similar to what a family is at home. What leaders need to realize is that leadership is beyond you! No, I do not literally mean that the skill and art of leadership is beyond your abilities. That would be just rude, if not completely wrong of me to be so judgmental of you without even knowing you! Instead, I mean that if you want to be successful at leading, not bossing, then you need to start thinking beyond yourself.

My father worked for an Indian company. Being founded in a country that is rich in culture and values, it was only natural for the leadership to decide take the concept of “parivar” and make it the corporate culture. Parivar in English means family.

The culture of Parivar gave me a strong feeling of to belong. In my Utopian world that feeling just felt right. I imagined the culture to be a place where laughter was viral and still people maintained a really productive environment. I imagined a culture where everyone was looking out for one another and spreading the feeling of a safe haven; an environment where you can get creative and not worry too much about the consequence of failure. An environment where you can challenge the status quo and bring about a change with little red tape.

A corporate parivar is a tightly knit group of people who have come together to achieve a common purpose while maintaining a strong bond. In a parivar we do not rush to the conclusion of discarding our own because of a few faults that got highlighted in one or two instances. Instead, we communicate these so called faults as opportunities to our members and coach them to success. In a parivar, we help each other in our developmental journey as the success of the parivar depends on the success of every member.

A leader has to be an artist of developmental innovation within others.

What Leadership Practice Makes A Strong Parivar?

A strong family is not the place where each individual works for himself or herself, rather, for each other. The leadership style that promotes the Parivar Work Culture is not found in a company that hires the most expensive talent and hopes to get the work done, instead it is found in a company where the culture demands the leaders to take on the challenge of mentoring and coaching their team members.

Much like a family, leaders need to try and get to know their team members so well that they are able to help the team members self discover their strengths. A leadership practice that helps team members to self discover their true potential is the way to foster a culture of parivar at work.

– Anant Agnihotri