<p>While doctors and health professionals continue to combat the virus, Hitesh Dharmdasani, a young IT professional from Belagavi, has been waging a battle on another front: Misinformation and lack of information.</p>.<p>Initially, Hitesh and some volunteers collaborated with a local news portal to develop an exhaustive database, which has come to the rescue of Covid patients. Now, it has been deemed the official portal of the district administration on Covid-19.</p>.<p>This data portal, which contains updates from Covid care hospitals, government departments and citizen groups, has been shared with the local news organisations to disseminate accurate information.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_blank"><strong>CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH</strong></a></p>.<p>"Belagavi has a young tech-savvy population but any piece of misinformation on social media can easily create panic among the people. Some local news websites carried unverified details about the disease and hardly had any information that practically helps people in the time of crisis. Also, there wasn’t much information about other motivating factors, like people cured and the total population vaccinated. So, we came up with this idea of real-time database," says Hitesh who specialises in cyber security.</p>.<p>Apart from information on availability of beds, oxygen, medicine, testing, ambulance, food and other services needed by Covid patients and their attendants, the portal has a provision to address distress. People in need have to submit their details and query (requirement) which is verified and then forwarded to the authority (government officer or doctor) concerned for quick redressal.</p>.<p>"In the last two to three days, the most enquiries we received are for antiviral drug Remdesivir and other medicines, and we have directed people to the right authority. There is a need for proper distribution and we are helping bridge this gap between the people and officials," said Hitesh.</p>.<p>"Recently, my 40-year-old brother was down with Covid and needed Remdesivir which was not available at the private hospital where he was admitted. Thankfully, I sent a request through the portal and we could get it immediately," said Ravi (name changed).</p>
<p>While doctors and health professionals continue to combat the virus, Hitesh Dharmdasani, a young IT professional from Belagavi, has been waging a battle on another front: Misinformation and lack of information.</p>.<p>Initially, Hitesh and some volunteers collaborated with a local news portal to develop an exhaustive database, which has come to the rescue of Covid patients. Now, it has been deemed the official portal of the district administration on Covid-19.</p>.<p>This data portal, which contains updates from Covid care hospitals, government departments and citizen groups, has been shared with the local news organisations to disseminate accurate information.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_blank"><strong>CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH</strong></a></p>.<p>"Belagavi has a young tech-savvy population but any piece of misinformation on social media can easily create panic among the people. Some local news websites carried unverified details about the disease and hardly had any information that practically helps people in the time of crisis. Also, there wasn’t much information about other motivating factors, like people cured and the total population vaccinated. So, we came up with this idea of real-time database," says Hitesh who specialises in cyber security.</p>.<p>Apart from information on availability of beds, oxygen, medicine, testing, ambulance, food and other services needed by Covid patients and their attendants, the portal has a provision to address distress. People in need have to submit their details and query (requirement) which is verified and then forwarded to the authority (government officer or doctor) concerned for quick redressal.</p>.<p>"In the last two to three days, the most enquiries we received are for antiviral drug Remdesivir and other medicines, and we have directed people to the right authority. There is a need for proper distribution and we are helping bridge this gap between the people and officials," said Hitesh.</p>.<p>"Recently, my 40-year-old brother was down with Covid and needed Remdesivir which was not available at the private hospital where he was admitted. Thankfully, I sent a request through the portal and we could get it immediately," said Ravi (name changed).</p>