Coronavirus infection rates among adults in India have risen sharply, a survey showed, although a large percentage of the population has not yet been exposed, suggesting there is scope for cases to rise much further. In the serological survey conducted in August and September, blood samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. If a person tests positive for the antibodies, it means they were infected with the virus at some point.
Blood samples collected from more than 29,000 adults between August 17 and September 22 showed that the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies increased to 7.1% compared to 0.73% in a previous survey between May 11 and June 4, the director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, Balram Bhargava, told a press briefing. "However, a large percentage of the population is still unexposed, and the susceptibility of a considerable section of people getting infected exists," he added.
Here are all the latest updates on coronavirus:
* India's Covid-19 tally crosses 62-lakh mark with a spike of 80,472 new cases & 1,179 deaths reported in last 24 hours. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare says total case tally stands at 62,25,764 including 9,40,441 active cases, 51,87,826 cured/discharged/migrated & 97,497 deaths.
* Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who underwent a routine Covid-19 test on Tuesday morning, has tested positive for the coronavirus infection. He has been advised home quarantine since he is asymptomatic and in good health, his office said in a statement.
* The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus eclipsed 1 million on Tuesday, nine months into a crisis that has devastated the global economy, tested world leaders resolve, pitted science against politics and forced multitudes to change the way they live, learn and work. Its not just a number. Its human beings. Its people we love, said Dr. Howard Markel, a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan who has advised government officials on containing pandemics and lost his 84-year-old mother to COVID-19 in February.
* Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden did not shake hands or wear masks as they entered their first White House debate on Tuesday, adhering to protocols on social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. The two candidates entered the stage at the same time and smiled as moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News explained they would not shake hands. The 90-minute debate, with a limited and socially distanced in-person audience due to the pandemic, was held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.