Medical staff conduct rapid tests at Nehru Hospital in New Delhi on Monday, July 13, 2020. (Express Photo: Abhinav Saha)
Coronavirus India News Live Updates: The Health Ministry on Tuesday assured that there has been progressive decline in daily growth rate of new Covid-19 cases and that the total recovered cases are about 1.8 times the number of active cases. It also said that the fatality rate is 2.6 per cent and it is rapidly coming down.
Meanwhile, the ICMR chief acknowledged that there may be some airborne transmission with micro-droplets (less than 5 microns in size)
“There has been hypothesis & suggestions by several scientists that there may be some airborne transmission with micro-droplets (less than 5 microns in size), he said adding that adding that physical distancing & use of masks remains important.
India, with over 9 lakh infections, is the third worst-hit country in the world after the United States (3,363,056) and Brazil (1,884,967). At least 23,727 people have succumbed to the disease in India, while 3,11,565 patients are undergoing treatment and 5,71,460 have recovered. In the last two months, the two trends that have remain nearly unchanged in India are an increasing positivity rate and a declining death rate. However, Delhi has seen a remarkable turnaround; the city reported less than 1,000 new infections Monday for the first time since June 1.
As global cases of the novel coronavirus crossed the 13 million mark Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned the pandemic would get “worse and worse and worse” if the basics weren’t followed. Over 572,000 people have died from the virus worldwide.
A health workers takes the temperatures of policemen in Gujarat. (Express Photo: Jaipal Singh)
The number of COVID positive cases among the Maharashtra police force reached 6393 on Tuesday, of whom 82 cops have till now succumbed to the disease. Of the 6393, 5099 have till now recovered and 1212 remain active cases. The number of cases among the two-lakh strong force has risen by 680 over the last one week and 11 more deaths have been reported in the same period. With lockdown being imposed in many jurisdictions across the state, a major chunk of police force will be deployed on the ground for its enforcement.
Jammu and Kashmir BJP president and former Nowshera MLA, Ravinder Raina was on Tuesday tested Covid positive. Party sources said that his sample for COVID test was taken at the airport here on Monday after he returned to Jammu by air from Srinagar. Raina had gone to Kashmir following the killing of a senior BJP leader Wasim Bari, his father and younger brother by militants last week. Sources said that he had stayed in the Valley for nearly a week attending the deceased’s nimaz-e-Janaza. On Sunday also, he accompanied Union Minister Jitendra Singh and BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav with party’s J&K incharge and sitting MP Avinash Rai Khanna to the residence of deceased party leader to offer their condolences.
In his briefing,ICMR DG Balram Bhargava confirmed that COVID-19 is a droplet infection and said, "there has been hypothesis & suggestions by several scientists that there may be some airborne transmission with microdroplets (less than 5 microns in size," he said adding that physical distancing & use of masks remains important.
The Health Ministry on Tuesday assured that there has been progressive decline in daily growth rate of new COVID-19 cases and that the total recovered cases of COVID-19 are about 1.8 times the number of active cases. It also said that eighty-six per cent of total active cases of COVID-19 are in 10 states, right now.
Addressing a presser, The ICMR Chief Balram Bhargava said that there are 2 Indian indigenous candidate vaccines. 'They have undergone successful toxicity studies in rats, mice and rabbits. Data was submitted to DCGI gollowing which both these got clearance to start early phase human trials early this month,' he said adding that these candidate have got their sites ready and they are doing their clinical study on approximately a 1000 human volunteers each at different sites.
Health ministry begin press briefing.
The Bihar government on Tuesday announced complete lockdown in Bihar from July 16-31. The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi. The state on Tuesday recorded the worst single-day spike of 1,432 Covid-19 cases pushing the tally to 18,853, said the state health department.
During a hearing on regulation of Covid-19 treatments at private hospitals, advocate Harish Salve claimed insurance companies were driving the paranoia as they didn't want to pay in full.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said Tuesday that people visiting the state for less than 72 hours would be exempt from mandatory home quarantine, and would only need to submit a formal undertaking at the border check post. Singh said the decision was taken keeping in mind students wishing to come for examinations or business travelers etc, whose stay in the state is less than 72 hours from the time of their arrival.
Hyderabad-based Biophore India Pharmaceuticals has been granted license from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to manufacture and export Favipiravir to treat Covid-19 cases. The company is already in talks to commercially sell the drug in India, reports news agency PTI.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for pharmaceutical companies to step up and develop effective solutions quickly, without compromising on safety. We have ensured that our favipiravir meets the highest standards of quality," Founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Biophore, Manik Reddy Pullagurla was quoted as saying by PTI. "Our manufacturing facilities comply with US and EU regulations and we have stringent internal impurity controls and quality checks to ensure that. Meeting favipiravir needs in India is our priority, and we have the capacity to scale up production to meet local requirements, without compromising on our export commitments," he added.
CEO of Biophore, Jagadeesh Babu Rangisetty said, "We are confident that this API will help our country move several steps forward in our united fight against Covid-19," reported PTI.
Days after a photo of a body of a Covid-19 patient being carried in an autorickshaw with the head and legs protruding from the vehicle drew criticism on social media, the medical superintendent of the Nizamabad Government Hospital in Telangana resigned from his post on Monday. Dr Nageshwara Rao told The Indian Express he felt morally responsible for the incident. “It weighed on conscience and I was feeling guilty. I cannot continue as the Superintendent in that frame of mind. I will continue to work as a Professor in the Orthopaedic Department,” he said.
A government doctor in Singrauli district has been booked for impersonation, after he sent the sample of his wife for a Covid test in the name of their domestic help, in the hope that it will help him conceal his unauthorised absence from work. Posted at Khutar health centre, the doctor had gone to Ballia in Uttar Pradesh to attend a wedding in the last week of June. When he returned, his wife developed Covid symptoms and he sent her sample for testing but used the identity of a woman who worked at the health centre as well as his home. Read more here
Vadodara BJP leader and former chairman of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, Yogendra Sukhadia passed away earlier this morning at the age of 65. He had tested positive for Covid-19 and was treated and discharged from a private hospital last week. However, health officials told The Indian Express Sukhadia developed symptoms again last night and was rushed to a hospital where he passed away.
"We think he was still positive although he had turned asymptomatic and was discharged as per policy. He showed symptoms again and passed away last night. We are ascertaining details of his comorbidities," Vadodara Health Officer Devesh Patel said.
Outsourced employees of Gandhi General Hospital including sanitation workers, security guards, and those in patient care, have boycotted their duties to stage a day-long protest at the hospital. Gandhi hospital is Telangana’s nodal center for treatment of COVID-19 cases. Under the banner of Telangana United Medical and Health Employees Union, the workers affiliated to different unions, like CITU, AITUC, INTUC, and BMS etc, have called for a day-long protest to gain attention of the state government in addressing their long pending demands. Around 700 workers are part of the strike. Read Rahul V Pisharody's report
The usefulness of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in Covid-19 has been controversial, without clarity or clear evidence one way or the other, until very recently. A study on more than 2,500 patients in six units under the Henry Ford Hospitals group in Detroit, Michigan, USA, peer-reviewed, accepted and ready for publication in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, has found good evidence that HCQ reduces Covid-19 mortality significantly. It should be noted that conditions apply.
HCQ is obviously not a panacea for severe cases of Covid-19. Given early, it helps reduce mortality by about half, compared to those not given HCQ. In India the drug is widely available and not expensive. A number of Indian states have already incorporated a short course of HCQ in their Covid-19 treatment protocol, and states that have not done so will do well to implement this quickly. Read more here
The Chandigarh Administration may impose fresh restrictions in the Union Territory due to rise in Covid-19 cases. Sources told The Indian Express a curfew may be imposed on Saturdays and Sundays. In a meeting Monday, UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore sought the views of doctors on the same. Read Hina Rohtaki's report
Continuing its remarkable turnaround in the progression of novel Coronavirus epidemic, Delhi, on Monday, reported less than 1,000 new infections, the first time this has happened since June 1. There has been an impressive improvement in the Coronavirus situation in Delhi in the last two weeks. Ever since June 23, when Delhi reported as many as 3,947 new cases in a single day, the daily numbers have been steadily going down. At that time, Delhi was one of the fastest growing states, growing at nearly six per cent every day. That growth rate has come down to 1.7 now. Read Amitabh Sinha's report on the Coronavirus numbers
A look at the states with the highest Covid-19 numbers in India:
Sensex opened 300 points lower on Tuesday, tracking global cues. Global markets are in the red amid escalating US-China tension and rising Covid-19 cases. The Sensex at 10 am was trading 277 points lower at 36,416.07 while the broader Nifty was 79 points lower at 10,723.35. In India, Covid-19 cases have breached the 9 lakh mark.
India now has 9,06,752 cases of the novel coronavirus. This includes 3,11,565 patients being treated for the disease, 5,71,460 who have been cured and 23,727 fatalities. In the last 24 hours, 28,498 new cases and 553 deaths were reported from across the country, the Union Health Ministry has stated.