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Category: Brands

  • Tata Starbucks virtually replicates most cherished in-store experience

    Tata Starbucks virtually replicates most cherished in-store experience

    MUMBAI: With WFH and video calls becoming the new normal, TATA Starbucks, has launched seven backdrops to brighten up your virtual meetings.

    Replicating the in-store ambience through the picturesque backdrops of the store interiors, Starbucks fans can now download the free backdrops and reminisce their favourite moments spent at the store within the comfort of their homes.

    Starbucks is known for its unique third place experience where consumers come for the coffee, stay for the warmth and return for human connection. The multifunctional backdrops inspire varied facets of the day and can be used for conference calls with colleagues, hanging out with friends, game nights with family, coffee dates with your loved ones etc.

    Tata Starbucks, head of marketing, digital loyalty and PR- Deepa Krishnan said, “Reinforcing our efforts towards making the Starbucks experience ubiquitous, personalised and engaging, the virtual backdrops will aid in replicating the offline experience online. Our aim is to stay connected with our customers through creative avenues and bring hope, joy and love in their lives to navigate through these unprecedented times.

  • Tata Communications appoints iSportconnect as strategic partner

    Tata Communications appoints iSportconnect as strategic partner

    MUMBAI: Tata Communications is a digital ecosystem enabler that powers today’s fast-growing digital economy, the company enables the digital transformation of enterprises globally, including 300 of the Fortune 500.

    This partnership comes at a time when Tata Communications is focusing on the digital transformation of sports broadcasting and live streaming to aid Sports Federations and Rights Holders.

    Tata Communications currently delivers over 5,000 live sporting events globally, including majority of motorsports in Europe, cricket, football, and most major global sports federations.

    Low latency streaming is another key focus for Tata Communications who help their clients to build a greater audience share. With nearly 30 percent of the world’s Internet routes travelling over its network, Tata Communications has established itself as a leader in the increasingly digital, cloud-powered, and IP-enabled media and entertainment industry.

    Tata Communications, global head and general manager of media and entertainment Dhaval Ponda said: “We are very happy to have appointed iSportconnect as a strategic partner.  This is another step for us as we look to continue and expand our work within the industry.  

    iSportconnect Founder and CEO Sree Varma commented: “At iSportconnect, we are thrilled to now be working alongside a company such as Tata Communications. This partnership with Tata Communications is a statement from us here at iSportconnect and how we hope to play a key role in their market growth and look forward to a successful partnership.”

    iSportconnect’s Consultancy division works to help our clients with commercial development, marketing and communications and business strategy surrounding the world of sport. We help to provide business intelligence, global sports market entry strategy and support and are constantly on hand as advisors 24/7 for our clients. Some of our consultancy clients include the likes of LaLiga, Sodexo, Sportradar, Hookit and ATPI.

  • Value and innovation are essential for brands in the post-pandemic recession

    Value and innovation are essential for brands in the post-pandemic recession

    MUMBAI: Persistent safety concerns, financial pressures and sticky new behaviours mean consumers will not return to pre-pandemic behaviour any time soon. Marketers will need to pivot to finding growth in recession, delivering increasing value in the short-term to address growing economic concerns while innovating their way to sustained relevancy as behaviours and priorities change long-term. These are the findings from the fifth wave of Kantar’s COVID-19 Barometer,  global study tracking people’s attitudes, behaviours and expectations across more than 50 markets.  

    Post-pandemic recovery delayed

    Only one-third of people (37 per cent) expect to return to non-essential consumer behaviour before two to three months. Even as many countries relax lockdown laws and commercial businesses reopen, across the world, 66 per cent of people say they will continue to avoid busy places, meaning a drag on physical retail environments. 

    Beyond mandated hygiene and social distancing measures, 50 per cent of people want regular testing for all and 43per cent want mandatory facemasks, led by demand in Asia, but more reluctance in western markets. 

    Nearly everyone is experiencing increased anxiety over money. 56 per cent of households across the world have now experienced a loss of income due to Covid2019. In India, the impact is even more acute, with 74 per cent of households have experienced a loss of income due to Covid2019. This rises to 68 per cent of the millennial generation and 65 per cent of GenZ. A further 19 per cent expect an impact on their income in the future. 

    Brands and retailers need to prove their value

    As the financial impact of the crisis becomes increasingly apparent, across the world consumers consistently speak of a sense of pride in finding value, making smart decisions, and quietly enabling their own long-term success. 53 per cent of consumers are paying more attention to products on sale (vs 36 per cent in wave1). Offering discounts and promotions is now the third-highest expectation of brands, (vs 5th in wave 2). 69 per cent of consumers say a shopping list is more important now globally as well as in India. 

    Beyond pricing strategies, consumers expect brands to keep advertising and acknowledge the crisis; three in four (74 per cent) are happy with the volume of advertising, and only 14 per cent want to see pre-pandemic ‘normal’ advertising. Two-thirds of consumers are looking for help and advice – for themselves (64 per cent) and their communities (65 per cent) in the adverts they see and in actual brand behaviour. In India too, more than half of consumers would like to see a lot more of advertising which shows what brands are doing to help the community (57 per cent) and the people themselves (54 per cent).

    Grocery stores are recognised as delivering value in the short term. 40 per cent of consumers globally and 60 per cent in India perceive their grocery store experience to be more positive while 69 per cent perceive employees to be friendly and helpful and grocery stores to be acting on their promises; both metrics significantly outperforming CX benchmarks. 

    Ecommerce usage continues to soar. 40 per cent (vs 33 per cent in wave 3) of consumers now say they have increased or significantly increased their online purchasing, rising to 48 per cent for households with children and millennial households. India too shows a positive trend for Ecommerce usage (45 per cent vs 40 per cent in Wave 3). Low pricing and promotions rank as the biggest reasons.

    Innovate to align with the new rhythms of life

    People have started to like their lockdown habits. More than half believe they will maintain lockdown behaviours post-pandemic. In India too, people are likely to maintain behaviours adopted during the pandemic. Increased hygiene, healthier eating, spending time with the family and personal development are most likely to be maintained. More than half the world now claim to be trying to exercise more. 

    These changes all lead to different needs and spending patterns, and with more than half the world also feeling financial pressure, brands need to ensure their products make the cut in being considered vital in the new rhythms of life. This is amplified by the increase in willingness to switch. 45 per cent (rising to 50 per cent+ of households with kids,) of consumers say they are prepared to keep using products and online stores they found while in lockdown.  

    Kantar chief client officer South Asia insights division- Soumya Mohanty said, “Indians are still in the phase between a lockdown and unlock. Some habits are starting to stick – eating healthy, hygiene while new ones around social distancing are emerging. The way we shop and interact will change but in an emerging, aspirational market the meaning of sustainability and responsible consumption differs. Brands will need to move from emotional succour and social solidarity to fundamentals of value, functionality, innovative delivery and simple mental availability. Simplicity could well be the new mantra as we navigate an uncertain world.”

    Kantar chief innovation officer – Rosie Hawkins, observed, “Adapting to life post-pandemic, we’ve started to appreciate, and want to maintain our newly formed healthy behaviours, our more considered and purposeful personal connections and our online shopping habits. Brands and companies first and foremost need to ensure that their goods and services are safe to use and that precautions have been taken to guarantee this. As lock down restrictions lift, consumers' lives will continue to change and so brands will need to reassert their relevance in these new environments.”

  • Paytm Insider launches Private Parties, an initiative to organise private online events with artist performances

    Paytm Insider launches Private Parties, an initiative to organise private online events with artist performances

    NEW DELHI: Taking digital events a notch higher, Paytm Insider has launched a new initiative “Privates Parties”. The newly added feature enables individuals to book exclusive performances with a range of artists on the platform, delivered virtually in a personal setting for friends and family.

    Private Parties is currently focused on birthdays for kids, with curated artists for storytelling, magic, puppetry and craft activities, and content specially designed for kids under the age of six. Featured talent includes Aparna Athreya – TEDx speaker and founder of the Kid and Parent Foundation, Amit Kalantri – illusionist, and Usha Chhabra – author and performance storyteller, to name a few.

    Paytm Insider CEO Shreyas Srinivasan says, “Families and friends have adapted to stay safe by staying connected online but when it comes to special occasions, the digital environment felt limiting. Private Parties aims to bring some of the fun back, create new memories for children celebrating their birthday in lockdown.”

    Booking private events on Paytm Insider is simple and convenient. One can choose from a handpicked list of artists and shows across various genres suited for the occasion, pick a convenient date and time slot, make the payment, and then wait for the D-Day. The event link is mailed along with the rest of the booking details to the host, which they can share with invited guests.

    Paytm Insider further plans to extend this initiative to provide experiences suitable for teenagers and adults, and for occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and more – online for now and at home later, as the country recovers from the pandemic. With exciting additions in the pipeline – DJs, comedy acts, musicians, and features such as personalised invitations and lots more, the platform is focused on taking online celebrations up several notches.  

    Take a look at the “Private Parties” experience on Paytm Insider here – https://insider.in/celebrations/kids-under-six/birthdays/

     

  • Mother Dairy begins home delivery with Zomato

    Mother Dairy begins home delivery with Zomato

    MUMBAI: To make life easier for consumers in the post Covid2019 world, Safal, the fruits and vegetables arm of Mother Dairy has partnered with restaurant aggregator and food delivery company Zomato for offering the convenience of home delivery of fresh farm produce to the door steps of consumers in select locations of Delhi NCR.

    In the first phase, Safal has initiated delivery from 11 booths in select locations of Delhi-NCR. Safal booths located in these areas will ensure stock availability while Zomato will deliver fruits and vegetables at the doorsteps of consumers. Each of the 11 Safal outlets will cater to a radius of 10 km around them. Consumers can avail the facility of home delivery by ordering the products through Zomato application.

    Safal, Mother Dairy Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd business head – Pradipta Sahoo said, “To catalyse the ease of living and convenience for our consumers, Safal has initiated the home delivery option in partnership with Zomato. As a consumer centric organisation, we are taking requisite precautions to offer safe and quality produce to our consumers. In the initial phase, key locations of Delhi-NCR like Saket, Vasant Kunj, Dwarka, Janakpuri and Panchsheel Enclave in Delhi and Sector 50 and sector 29 in Noida will be covered. Going forward, the service will gradually be expanded to other outlets to ensure coverage to the entire Delhi-NCR region.”

    Safal currently has more than 300 F&V booths across Delhi-NCR selling an average volume of 270 ton of fruits and vegetables per day.

    Since the lockdown, Safal has been making all efforts to maintain an uninterrupted supply chain to ensure adequate supply of its products to its network across Delhi NCR including the containment zones. Apart from the fresh F&V, the brand has been a one stop shop for

  • Myntra announces 12th edition of EORS; geared up to handle 20,000 orders per minute

    Myntra announces 12th edition of EORS; geared up to handle 20,000 orders per minute

    MUMBAI: Touted to be nation’s biggest fashion event, Myntra’s End of Reason Sale (EORS) will kick off on 19 June. Shoppers across the country will have access to over seven lakh styles from 3,000+ fashion and lifestyle brands. The 12th edition of EORS will be held from 19-22 June with Myntra expecting three million people to shop from the safety of their homes.

    The present edition of the biannual EORS is set to offer over seven lakh styles, almost all of which will be available on unique offers, including special offers for first-time shoppers, such as a flat Rs 500 off on the first transaction and free delivery for the first month. Shoppers can also avail 10 per cent off on HDFC debit and credit cards and a 10 per cent cashback on EMIs availed through HDFC cards.  

    Wide range of brands

    Customers can pick their favourite fashion wear, accessories, beauty products, home decor and more at the best possible price points from brands such as Allen Solly, Louis Philippe, Lacoste, Calvin Klein, H&M, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Roadster, HRX, Mango, Forever 21, Rowdy, Tommy Hilfiger, Wrogn, Jack & Jones, Flying Machine, The Humbl Co., Marks & Spencer, All About You, House of Pataudi, Mast and Harbour, Dorothy Perkins, W, Biba and Global Desi, among others.

    Myntra has scaled up the collection for Myntra Fashion Brands (MFB), with 100,000 products and styles across apparel, accessories and footwear. Some of the leading brands from MFB include, Dressberry, Anouk, Sangria, Ether, Taavi and Kook N Keech, among others. Myntra also launched 50 new brands on its platform ahead of the event, including prominent names such as Chicco, Khadims, Charles & Keith, La Senza, Globus, GANT and Budweiser. 

    Investments in safety

    Myntra is prioritizing safety above all aspects. From warehouses and fulfilment centres to the customers’ doorsteps, there are numerous protocols on safety, which are strictly being adhered to by employees, delivery personnel, MENSA partners, brand partners, and even customers. These include, following strict social distancing norms, regular temperature checks, frequent sanitization of facilities and delivery bags, ensuring use of PPE’s at all times, frequent hand sanitization and more. Customers on the other hand, are encouraged to undertake contactless deliveries and use digital modes of payment.

    Accelerating growth for SMEs

    Over 3,500 Indian handloom products from 400+ brands are live on the platform, giving impetus to SMEs. The marquee fashion event will also host over 1,000 brands in the Western and Sports apparel categories, with a focus on top-wear and dresses.

    Myntra registered strong demand for categories such as Personal care, Lounge-wear, Lingerie and Kids’ wear over the last two months and expects this trend to continue alongside others such as Fashion Essentials, Women’s Ethnic, Beauty, Active and Sportswear. 

    Myntra CEO Amar Nagaram said, “This edition of EORS will be an important one in the present context where customers will have the opportunity to access the best of fashion and lifestyle brands from the safety of their homes, as they look forward to embracing normalcy after a hiatus of over two months. There is significant pent up demand on the consumer side, as well as keenness on the brands’ side to return to business.  We are offering a strong value proposition to our customers in the form of brands, styles and designs at the best prices and are expanding reach to over 27,000 pin codes with a million shipments every day. In these times, the safety of our customers and delivery partners is high on priority for us. We are taking several precautionary measures across the supply chain, from the warehouse to the point of delivery, in accordance with guidelines issued by the government.”   

    Partnering with Kiranas and brands for unique delivery models

    Myntra’s highly successful Kirana model, under MENSA (Myntra Extended Network for Service Augmentation), will play a major role in last mile delivery in the upcoming EORS. 15,000 kirana partners will cater to 75 per cent of the overall deliveries spanning 300 cities. This will give an impetus to the earnings of delivery partners that are directly linked to the number of deliveries.

    The company has tied up with 50+ brands to enable direct delivery of merchandise from the stores to the consumers’ doorstep, enabling brands to reach a wide base of customers, in a safe way.

    Expected scale

    On the technology front, Myntra is geared to handle 7.5 lakh concurrent users, and process 20,000 orders per minute at peak.

    Unique offers and early access

    Myntra is known for its innovative concepts and attractive customer engagement initiatives, ahead of the biannual fashion event, such as ‘price reveal’ and ‘early access’ that have highly enhanced shopper experience over the years. The Elite and Icon base of ‘Insiders’ (Members of Myntra’s Loyalty Program) will enjoy exclusive early access to the sale from 7 pm on 16 June, while others seeking this option may do so by paying a fee of Rs 199. The next option is to access Slots that open up at 7 pm on 18 June and can be tapped into by earning points through games. Users also have the added option of visiting the platform prior to the sale period and securing a Gold Slot for free, which will entitle them to shop during a one-hour slot between 7-11 pm on 18 June.

    Marketing initiatives

    The company expects Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and town to contribute significantly to its growth and will be focusing on these markets. Myntra is undertaking a first-of-its-kind influencer activation with 60+ diverse influencers, both at a regional and local level, for deeper penetration and wider reach. The company has partnered with Bollywood actors, Hrithik Roshan and Sonakshi Sinha and Tollywood actress Samantha Akkineni for its marketing campaign and the TVCs will be aired across all leading national and regional channels, including digital and social media platforms.  

    Preparations at Myntra

    For the first time, the entire EORS event is being managed remotely and digitally by the employees connecting with each other through live video conferencing. There will be a dedicated central virtual war-room for tactical problem solving across all phases of the event. 

  • HealthifyMe launches studio-quality home workouts with leading trainers from across the world

    HealthifyMe launches studio-quality home workouts with leading trainers from across the world

    MUMBAI:  HealthifyMe, India’s leading AI-led health and fitness app today announced the launch of HealthifyStudio – both in app and on HealthifyStudio.com. The platform brings together leading national and international trainers to offer live, interactive workout experience to people in the safety and comfort of their homes. With the country under an extended lockdown, and consumer hesitation in visiting gyms and public places, HealthifyStudio will enable users to experience immersive studio-style workouts digitally, from the safety and comfort of their homes.

    The platform offers a wide variety of workout genres, including strength and conditioning, dance fitness, ashtanga yoga and zumba. Some of the leading global trainers on the platform are from Southeast Asia, UK and Europe besides India. To replicate a fitness studio environment and ensure meaningful interactions between the coach and all the participants, each session is limited to a maximum of 30 participants.

    Users can also opt for a variety of workout regimes, some of which are dedicated to the management of lifestyle conditions like obesity and hypertension and others that are focused on rehab. HealthifyStudio also has offerings for the entire family with special sessions for children, senior citizens besides live healthy cooking sessions. The sessions conducted on HealthifyStudio will not require any equipment as they have been designed keeping in mind the home setup.

    “HealthifyStudio’s value proposition is limited admissions per session and the personal feedback that a customer receives from his/her coach during the workout. As pioneers of the remote coaching phenomenon in India, we want to give our users an elevated experience of being able to work out live with top coaches and like-minded people from the safety & convenience of their homes at an affordable price. We also intend to provide employment opportunities to trainers during these times and have already hired nearly 100 coaches in April and May and intend to hire another 100 in June”, said HealthifyMe founder and CEO Tushar Vashishth. 

    The introductory price for HealthifyStudio starts at Rs. 3000 for 20 sessions in a month and goes up to Rs. 12,500 for 360 sessions per year. The company has also launched an introductory offer on their website that allows anyone with an active gym or fitness membership to join HealthifyStudio for 7 top-quality classes for just Re. 1.

    Rise of inactivity amongst Indians during the lockdown

    As per data by HealthifyMe, basis its userbase of 17 million people, the months of March, April and May, when the country was under lockdown, have seen the inactivity levels rise sharply among Indians. While in February, before the lockdown, 52% of Indian women and 44% of Indian men were inactive (burnt less than 50% of their calorie budget), the inactivity levels rose to their peak in the month of April with close to 70% women and 65% men being inactive. The situation has improved slightly in the month of May, yet there exists a yawning gap between the pre-lockdown activity levels and now. This can be largely attributed to unavailability of gyms and consumer hesitation to visit public places due to fear of contracting infections. With HealthifyStudio, HealthifyMe aims to help people work out from the comfort and safety of their homes and improve their activity levels.

  • Shoppers Stop lays off 1100 employees

    Shoppers Stop lays off 1100 employees

    MUMBAI: India's oldest department store chain Shoppers Stop is planning to lay off over 1100 employees as well as shutting some of its lower-performing stores owing to the drop in sales. 

    A company spokesperson shared with Economic Times that the declining business has resulted in employee layoffs, further mentioning that considering the limitation on adding new stores in the current situation, the size of the brand’s business is effectively reduced, leaving them with no other option but to let go of employees in order to adjust the company’s cost base.

    It has been reported that around 15 percent of the 7500 staff strength, mostly comprising junior and mid-level workers, have been asked to resign by 15 June. 

    Apparently, these include over 1000 employees from the front-end operations and nearly 160 belonging to the back-end processes.

    All the affected employees will be given their salaries for two months on an immediate basis.

    While Shoppers Stop confirmed its layoff plans, it also maintained that it will re-hire from the same set of people as soon as there’s an improvement in the situation.

    Soon after the Government’s Unlock, 1.0 plan came into being, Shoppers Stop reopened 55 of its 90 department stores.

  • Covid2019 uplifts health insurance sector, but premium segment sees decline

    Covid2019 uplifts health insurance sector, but premium segment sees decline

    NEW DELHI: With the Covid2019 health crisis surging, the concern for health and wellbeing is at an all-time high. While other sectors saw revenues spiral downward, the health insurance sector saw the highest collection during the pandemic when compared to even FY18 and FY19.

    However, the surge in the sector only caters to health and lifeline products. The spark in the Covid2019 cases has led to the demand for health and insurance policies. The premium collection of various brands have suffered heavy losses, which can also see another phase of decline, as with fewer chances of travelling this year, customers will be cautious about spending a hefty amount.

    Industry officials believe that there will be a surge in life claims in the coming months and customers will be inclined more towards the health insurance segment.

    Policybazaar.com head – product and innovations Vaidyanathan Ramani says, “This year we expect motor and other general insurance lines to be impacted while health and life insurance should see an uptick as is evident from trends so far. The extent of outcome deviant from past years will depend on how long the Covid2019 shadow hangs over us. The growth in medium-term should, however, return back to reflect the economic growth with health running above this average as our penetration still remains below par despite the recent upswings.”

    In March when the lockdown was initiated across the country, insurance companies changed their strategies and moved towards the online distribution model. Many companies took proactive steps on the product innovation front. Past trends indicate that the industry heavily depends on the offline market and the digital medium only contributes single-digit additions. However, companies at the earliest shifted their business online, which has helped them grow.

    Policybazaar has also adopted a revamped messaging strategy. “We are communicating a very clear messaging that informs customers that they can secure the future, by ensuring their health and life for a very reasonable sum. Insurance is becoming a more pull product than push owing to the current situation,” says Ramani. 

    He adds that telemedical check-ups are the new normal, which is here to stay even post the lockdown. “A large proportion of health and life policies have already been sold on our platform via telemedical,” he shares.

    Insurance companies have been advertising heavily during the pandemic. Recently HDFC launched a safety grid campaign to adhere to social distancing even after the lockdown is lifted. On the contrary, DSP Mutual Funds released an OHH campaign ‘Avoid’ in Mumbai, highlighting the preventive measures for SarsCoV2.

    However, as India’s financial system is restricted, that will also mean expensive policies. A mid-size private insurer CEO, who chose not to be named, explains, “People are in a hurry to protect their lives, thus, investing in health insurance will see a hike in health claims globally. Reinsurers who are bearing the brunt of higher claims by insurers are planning to hike rates. This will be passed on to customers.”                    

    Recently, the government also allowed FDI in insurance distribution, which is being seen as a welcome move. Ramani elaborates, “It’s a great move as it will bring in additional capital to support innovation and distribution for insurance in the country. India has always retained a fair interest in the insurance markets of the world and among its participants. The additional capital will be welcome and can add to some of the interesting innovations being built around us.”

     While the Covid2019 graph is on the rise, insurance companies have seen a rapid increase in queries for pandemic cover by businesses. The fear among people has pushed them to realise the importance of adequate health insurance.

    Religare Health Insurance head – products and business process Ashutosh Shrotriya says, “The present situation has made us realise that health insurance is no more optional but a basic necessity. With the shift from physical distribution and servicing to a completely digital process, we have seen an increase of about 30 per cent in our digital business during this period, as compared to the previous financial year. In the coming months, we foresee a further increase in inquiries for comprehensive health insurance covers.”

    The government has also mandated that all employers, which have resumed functioning, to provide medical insurance to their employees. The insurance regulator body has advised insurers to offer comprehensive health insurance policies to individuals or as per the government's directions. This has led to a surge in group insurance packages.

    “Each company either will opt for individual or group claims. As companies resume operations in the coming months, many will invest in group packages, as the premium is much better compared to the individual policy,” says KM Dastur Reinsurance Brokers general manager Maneck Dastur.

    He also mentions, “There would be a rise in the medical premium of around five to six per cent. Despite the rise, today, except for a few medical policies, the market is still slumping. It will take time for the premium market to grow up."

  • Lung health in the times of Covid2019

    Lung health in the times of Covid2019

    Covid2019 has been majorly classified as a virus that harms the respiratory system, and like other respiratory syndromes, places moderate strain on the lungs. Our lungs processes and helps in the distribution of oxygen in the body which is essential to sustain life. It is therefore extremely important to ensure lung health, especially during these times, in order to be able to put up a fight against the infection that mostly takes the respiratory route to enter the person. Recovery from any infectious disease relies a lot on an individual’s immunity system and by far, Covid2019 has certainly put our abilities to test.

    Covid2019, the disease caused by coronavirus can cause lung complications like pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, and in some fatal cases, total collapse of the lungs. In case of pneumonia caused by this virus, the air sacs in the lungs are filled with fluid and the valves of the lungs get inflamed, leading to breathing difficulties accompanied by coughing. While most people recover from pneumonia without any lasting lung damage, this particular virus may cause breathing difficulties that take longer to withdraw completely.

    In cases of acute respiratory diseases, as the pneumonia progresses, more of the air sacs fill up with fluid, leaking from the blood vessels in the lungs. This eventually results in severe shortness of breath that may lead to acute respiratory problems.

    Such levels of infection happen, in most cases, to people with pre-existing co-morbid conditions. These conditions could be uncontrolled blood sugar in a diabetic patient, uncontrolled blood pressure in a hypertensive patient, uncontrolled cholesterol in a cholesterol patient and uncontrolled thyroid in a thyroid patient. While these four conditions may not be related directly to lung damage, they play a huge role in reducing the overall immunity of a patient.

    People with pre-existing lung ailments like breathing irregularities, wheezing, asthma or bronchitis are also at a risk for Covid2019 because there are underlying causes to it. People are allergic to pollen, fine dust particles, and even some proteins that cause such difficulties. The simple solution is for such people to stay away from these to maintain their lung health. Such people are also prescribed inhalers and medicines to be taken regularly, irrespective of a virus attack. As long as they keep their immunity strong, they are at no higher risk of contracting the coronavirus.

    Measures to keep lungs healthy

    Two functions determine over all lung health – Lung capacity, which is the extent to which lungs can expand. This comes from genetics. The second is, Lung function, which is the processing of oxygen and distribution to the body. This function grows till the age of 25, after which it gradually reduces. Improving lung function should be the primary aim and this can be achieved by exercises.

    Physical Exercise

    A minimum of 30 minutes for adults and 60 minutes for children every day is imperative to keep any lung distress at bay. Physical exercise allows us to take deeper breaths than usual, expand and contract the lung inner valves and ensures optimum oxygen saturation levels, to ensure healthy lung functions. It also keeps a check on the haemoglobin and RBC level in the blood to ensure unrestricted flow to and from the lungs.

    Running, brisk walking, cycling, swimming are all good examples of suggested physical exercises. Aerobics help in removing carbon dioxide from the blood while strength training helps strengthen the thoracic muscles and core strength, which are important for breathing. Strengthening these muscles can greatly help a person affected by Covid2019. Substituting these with gentler forms of exercise like Yoga is not advisable. These exercises must be performed out in the open air, as opposed to a confined room with air-conditioning.

    For older people or for individuals with physical limitations, deep breathing exercises are recommended. They must take deep breaths every hour. This helps in mobilising unused parts of the lungs.

    Eating right

    It has been ascertained that people with underlying conditions like diabetes and obesity seem to fair worse when faced with Covid2019 infection. This could be due to chronic inflammation which influences the body on releasing inflammatory proteins called cytokines. These cause short term inflammation which can help heal the body. However, chronic inflammation throughout the body can trigger a reverse, overreactive immune response that can cause organ damage. These are also responsible for severe lung damage and death in Covid2019 patients.

    The best way to reduce chronic inflammation is to ensure proper nutrition, particularly with foods high in antioxidants like fruits and vegetables. Bananas, apples, tomatoes and grapes are all rich in natural antioxidants and can reduce inflammation over time. Foods rich in Vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon help in boosting the immune system to prepare for any virus attacks.

    Kicking the butt

    Over the last few years, lifestyle has not just changed for good, it has also changed for the worse. One of the worst ‘lifestyle change’ is smoking. Smokers are more at risk from developing Covid2019 complications and there cannot be a more opportune time to get rid of this habit. Smoking is linked to inflammation and lowering of the immune function in the lung’s airways. This can increase the likelihood of complications if exposed to Covid2019. It destroys lung tissue, narrows air passages, and is a major cause of cancer, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema, among other intense ailments.

    Medical experts can see remarkable difference in the lungs as early as 12 hours from the time of quitting, when the blood pressure returns to normal. In a week to ten days after quitting, lung function returns to normal when the individual can take deep breaths without coughing. In five years, the risk of heart attacks becomes equivalent to that of a non-smoker.

    For patients with lung damage, treatment is a factor that plays an important role and recovery depends on how quickly they are diagnosed and treated, which can also reduce lung damage considerably. While timely treatment is important, one must practice good habits to ensure healthy lungs in the first place. Proper nutrition, good exercise, and hydration can go a long way in helping people avoid complications.

    (The author is Medlife e-pharmacy director. The views expressed are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them)