Coronavirus News Highlights: India recorded 30,093 new coronavirus infections, the lowest in 125 days, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,11,74,322, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The death toll climbed to 4,14,482 with 374 daily fatalities, the lowest in 111 days, while the active cases have declined to 4,06,130, the lowest in 117 days. The active caseload comprises 1.30 percent of the total infections and the national COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 97.37 percent, the data updated at 8 am showed. A decrease of 15,535 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. As many as 17,92,336 tests were conducted on Monday taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 44,73,41,133. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,03,53,710, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.33 percent, the data stated. Cumulative vaccine doses administered so far has reached 41.18 crore under the nationwide vaccination drive. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. it went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
No COVID vaccine doses were administered in 42 out of 51 districts of Madhya Pradesh today; highest 1737 doses were administered in Sagar, whereas only one dose was given in Satna: State Health Department
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |Tamil Nadu reports 1,904 new COVID19 cases, 2,439 recoveries and 30 deaths in the last 24 hours
Active cases: 26,717
Total cases: 25,39,277
Total recoveries: 24,78,778
Death toll: 33,782
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Mandaviya's speech on COVID-19 insightful: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya's speech in Parliament Tuesday on the COVID-19 issue and urged everyone to hear it.Mandaviya put up a staunch defence of the Modi government's handling of the pandemic, and said vaccine production in the country is increasing and the effort is to inoculate all adults at the earliest. In a tweet Modi said, "This extensive speech by Shri @mansukhmandviya covers several aspects relating to COVID-19 in an insightful and sensitive manner. I would request you all to hear his remarks."Replying to a short duration discussion in Rajya Sabha on the health crisis and the vaccination policy, the minister said a package of over Rs 23,000 crore has been approved for strengthening the health infrastructure, including setting up 2.4 lakh medical beds and 20,000 ICU beds, with a special focus on paediatric care to handle any possible third wave of the pandemic.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | PM Narendra Modi interacted with floor leaders of all parties of both houses of the Parliament to keep them informed of the trajectory of COVID-19 in India
PM Narendra Modi interacted with floor leaders of all parties of both houses of the Parliament to keep them informed of the trajectory of COVID-19 in India & Public Health Response to pandemic.PM thanked all leaders for participating in meeting & giving very practical inputs & suggestions & added that inputs from different parts of country help immensely in policy design. PM said that the pandemic shouldn't be a matter of politics. At the meeting of all floor leaders, PM Modi stressed the need to properly plan the vaccination drives at the district level based on the advance availability indicated by the Central Govt to ensure no inconvenience to the people. At the floor leaders meeting, PM Modi informed leaders about the rising speed of India’s vaccination program & how the first 10 crore doses took around 85 days while the last 10 crore doses have taken 24 days. At the floor leaders meet, PM said that it's a matter of concern that a significant number of Healthcare workers & Frontline workers are yet to get the vaccine even after 6 months since the drive commenced & added that states need to be more proactive towards this.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | West Bengal reports 752 COVID cases, 992 patient discharges, and 10 deaths today
Active cases: 12,509
Total discharges: 14,89,069
Total deaths: 18,021
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Manipur reports 1127 new positive cases, 17 deaths and 736 recoveries in the last 24 hours
Active cases at 10,067, Total cases: 86,723, Death toll: 1409
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
India administered more than 31.79 lakh COVID vaccine doses, taking cumulative vaccine coverage to over 41.52 crore: Union Health Ministry
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
Maharashtra: No vaccination session will be held in Mumbai tomorrow, due to the non-availability of COVID vaccines: Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Maharashtra reports 6,910 new COVID cases, 7,510 patient discharges, and 147 deaths in the past 24 hours
Active cases: 94,593
Total discharges: 60,00,911
Death toll: 1,30,753
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Rajasthan reports 22 new virus cases, total count 9,53,415
Rajasthan on Tuesday reported 22 coronavirus cases, taking the number of infection cases in the state to 9,53,415, according to an official report. Meanwhile, no fresh fatality was reported in the state, which has so far reported 8,951 deaths.Of the fresh cases, seven were reported from Jaipur and six from Udaipur. A total of 9,44,073 people have recovered from the infection and the number of active cases at present is 391.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Strategy to prevent resurgence of Covid cases deliberated upon in expert panels: Govt
The strategy to prevent resurgence of COVID-19 cases through various public health measures has been deliberated upon in different technical committees and the Centre continues to advise states to strictly follow the strategy of "test-track-treat-vaccination and adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour", Rajya Sabha was told on Tuesday.Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said this in response to a question on whether the government has undertaken any detailed study with experts on how to minimise the threat and likelihood of a third wave of the pandemic, if not prevention.In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Pawar said the strategy and interventions required to prevent resurgence of COVID-19 cases through instituting various public health measures has been deliberated upon in various technical committees under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Directorate General of Health Services. (PTI)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Kerala reports 16,848 new COVID cases, 12,052 recoveries, and 104 deaths today
Active cases: 1,26,398
Total recoveries: 30,45,310
Death toll: 15,512
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Bhutan restarts Covid vaccinations after flood of donations
Bhutan rolled out second doses of its vaccine programme Tuesday following a lightning-fast first phase that saw most of its eligible adult population inoculated in two weeks.The tiny Himalayan kingdom, which has a population of 770,000, was forced to wait more than three months to revive itsmass vaccination drive after neighbouring India halted exports to meet local demand during a massive surge in infections.Bhutan had pleaded for more shots after using up most of the 550,000 AstraZeneca doses donated by India when it inoculated 60 percent of the population -- most of the country's adults -- with first doses in late March and early April. (AFP)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
Chandigarh administration allows reopening of institutes of higher education for next academic session from August, subject to the condition that all staff & students must have received at least one dose of vaccine at least two weeks ago.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Kerala Health Minister Veena George:
One more case of Zika virus has been confirmed in Kerala, taking the total number of cases in the state to 38. Out of this, eight patients are undergoing treatment:
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Covishield monthly supply 11-12 crore, will receive 3.5 crore Covaxin doses in Aug: Mansukh Mandaviya tells Rajya Sabha
Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) has increased its monthly supply of Covishield to 11-12 crore doses, whereas, the other major vaccine producer, Bharat Biotech, will raise the supply of Covaxin to 3.5 crore doses in August, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on July 20.Covishield and Covaxin are the two major vaccines being used by the government and private hospitals as part of the immunisation drive against COVID-19. Russia's Sputnik V, which has been released in the market, is yet to complete its commercial rollout in all parts of the country.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
The Union of India (UOI) knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court, stating that the NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) needs time till mid-September to frame a robust policy on the ex-gratia payment scheme for the family members of the COVID-19deceased.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Govt expects Covaxin to get emergency use approval from WHO in next 2-3 months
The government expects the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide approval for emergency use to Covaxin in the next 2-3 months, the Health Ministry has told Parliament.In a written response to the Rajya Sabha on July 20,Minister of StateforHealth and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar said Covaxin manufacturerBharat Biotech International Limited submitted the data required for approval to the WHO on July 9.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Punjab demands 40 lakh more COVID-19 vaccine doses
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday demanded 40 lakh more COVID-19 vaccine doses from the Centre on an urgent basis to inoculate the state's eligible population.Singh said the state was expecting 2.46 lakh doses to arrive Tuesday but noted that vaccines remain in short supply as it has run out of Covishield and was left with a mere 3,500 Covaxin doses as of Monday.Punjab has already vaccinated more than 90 lakh eligible people (nearly 37 per cent of the eligible population) and has been utilising the stock without any wastage, the CM said in an official statement after a review meeting.The Centre needs to arrange for immediate delivery of vaccines to the state to meet the shortfall and enable inoculation of all those needing the second dose, while continuing with the vaccination of other eligible persons, he said.Pointing out that doses being supplied to private hospitals are getting wasted as people prefer government hospitals for free inoculation, Health Secretary Hussan Lal informed the meeting that the state has sought diversion of the stocks from the private hospitals but had not received any response so far from the Centre.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya:
Bharat Biotech to supply 3.5 crore doses of its Covid vaccine in August.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in RS:
Registration of Covid deaths done by states; central govt never asked any state to record less deaths or cases.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in RS:
Before being a minister, I'm a father. My daughter worked as an intern doctor in COVID ward. She told me that she would work in that ward itself and she continued. At that time I realised the importance of 'thaali-taali', it gave us courage.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in RS:
They say why did we do 'thaali-taali'? We did it to encourage Corona warriors. We did it for the Policemen standing on the roads for our protection, we did it in honour of the healthcare staff - from the lowest to the highest level - who worked during Corona pandemic.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in RS:
When there's need to work together & implementation has to be done by the states, at that time we never said that this state failed or that state didn't do this. I don't want to do politics but many states have 10-15 lakh doses of vaccines with them, I have data.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in RS:
Our govt has always said that this crisis shouldn't become a reason for politics. There shouldn't be politics in this crisis...PM Modi has said that when 130 cr people of India take one step forward, the country can move forward by 130 cr steps.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in RS:
When we speak of the third wave, the 130 crore people - the common people, all state govts - should make a collective decision that we won't let a 3rd wave hit our country. Our resolution & PM Modi's guidance can save us from a third wave.
Coronavirus LIVE Update | Negative Covid report must for people entering UP from states with high positivity rate
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday made a negative coronavirus report or vaccination certificate mandatory for those entering the state from areas having more than 3 per cent weekly positivity rate.Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters said it would be applicable for all those coming by air, rail or road routes from such states.All those coming from other states having weekly positivity rate more than three per cent will have to produce a negative RTPCR report not older than four days or vaccination certificate of both doses, Prasad said."The restriction is only for the states having high weekly positivity rate of over 3 percent. There is no restriction for other states," he said, adding that the number of active cases in the state has come down to 1,093 in Uttar Pradesh.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | ICMR DG:
Social, public, religious & political congregations should be avoided, non-essential travel be discouraged & travel only if fully vaccinated. We need to ensure full vaccination of all healthcare workers at the earliest &need to accelerate vaccination in vulnerable groups.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Japan becomes first country to approve Roche's Ronapreve COVID-19 treatment
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche said Tuesday thatJapanhad become the first country to fully approve its Ronapreve antibody treatment for patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.The approval was based on phase 3 trials finding that the antibody cocktail dramatically reduced the likelihood that mild or moderate COVID patients would develop into serious illness causing hospitalisation or death.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Czech coach tests positive for Covid in Olympic Village
Czech beach volleyball coach Simon Nausch has tested positive for Covid-19 in the Tokyo Olympic Village, officials said on Tuesday, a day after one of the players also tested positive."At least we know that regular testing works and catches positive cases right from the start. It's unpleasant for us but we'll deal with it," Czech Olympic team head Martin Doktor said in a statement.The team said Nausch had left the Olympic Village for isolation and that any close contacts would self-isolate.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava on the opening of schools:
Once India starts considering, it'll be wise to open primary schools first before opening secondary schools. All the support staff whether it be school bus drivers, teachers & other staff in the school need to be vaccinated.We know clearly that children can handle viral infections much better than adults. Antibody exposure is also similar in children as adults. Some Scandinavian countries didn't shut their primary schools in any COVID waves.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | About two-thirds of the general population have COVID-19 antibodies, says study
About two-thirds of the general population have COVID-19 antibodies and 67.6% of India's population were exposed to the disease, the fourth serosurvey conducted by ICMR during the June-July 2021 period found.According to this survey, a third of the population still did not have antibodies. It is also estimated that about 40 crore Indians are still vulnerable to COVID-19.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
Zydus Cadila is expected to provide additional data related to immunogenicity and safety to DCGI this week, says Sources
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | India's COVID-19 deaths 10 times higher than reported: Study
India's coronavirus death toll is up to 10 times higher than the nearly 415,000 fatalities reported by authorities, likely making it the country's worst humanitarian disaster since independence, a US research group said Tuesday.The Center for Global Development study's estimate is the highest yet for the carnage in the South Asian nation of 1.3 billion people, which is emerging from a devastating surge partly fuelled by the Delta variant in April and May.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava:
We studied 7252 healthcare workers & 10% had not taken the vaccine, the overall seroprevalence in them was 85.2%. In conclusion, 2/3rd of general population i.e above the age of 6 yrs had SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava:
More importantly, a third of the population did not have antibodies i.e 40 crore of the population of the country is still vulnerable.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava:
There was no difference in seroprevalence in male and female and rural and urban areas. In unvaccinated, the seroprevalence was 62.3% & with one dose of vaccine, it was 81%. In those who receive both doses, it was 89.8%.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Coronavirus cases around the world
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,100,352 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Tuesday.At least 190,824,510 cases of coronavirus have been registered.The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.They exclude revisions made by other statistical organisations, which show that the number of deaths is much higher.
The World Health Organization estimates that the pandemic's overall toll could be two to three times higher than official records, due to the excess mortality that is directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19.A large number of the less severe or asymptomatic cases also remain undetected, despite intensified testing in many countries.On Monday, 7,133 new deaths and 488,811 new cases were recorded worldwide.
Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were Indonesia with 1,280, followed by Russia with 784 and Brazil with 542.The United States is the worst-affected country with 609,231 deaths from 34,132,079 cases.After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 542,756 deaths from 19,391,845 cases, India with 414,482 deaths from 31,174,322 cases, Mexico with 236,469 deaths from 2,664,444 cases, and Peru with 195,243 deaths from 2,094,445 cases.The country with the highest number of deaths compared to its population is Peru with 592 fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Hungary with 311, Bosnia-Herzegovina with 295, the Czech Republic with 283, and the Republic of North Macedonia with 263.
Latin America and the Caribbean overall has 1,332,956 deaths from 39,579,076 cases, Europe 1,188,830 deaths from 56,604,174 infections, and the United States and Canada 635,731 deaths from 35,555,665 cases.Asia has reported 627,408 deaths from 42,797,928 cases, Africa 158,642 deaths from 6,266,082 cases, Middle East 155,553 deaths from 9,951,445 cases, and Oceania 1,232 deaths from 70,149 cases.As a result of corrections by national authorities or late publication of data, the figures updated over the past 24 hours may not correspond exactly to the previous day's tallies.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Iran registers record daily Covid caseload: Ministry
Iran on Tuesday registered a new daily Covid caseload record, the health ministry announced, as strict limitations to curb its spread went into effect in the capital Tehran.In the past 24 hours, the country registered a record 27,444 new infections to bring its total number of positive cases to 3,576,148.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava:
The 4th round of national serosurvey was conducted in 70 districts in June-July and included children of 6-17 years of age.Overall seroprevalence is 67.6% in the entire population. In people of 6-9 years age group, it was 57.2%; in 10-17 years, it was 61.6%; in 18-44 years, it was 66.7%; in 45-60 years, it was 77.6%.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Indonesians gather to pray for Eid al-Adha despite virus surge
Indonesians prayed outside mosques and slaughtered goats to commemorate a sombre Eid al-Adha festival on Tuesday despite efforts to stop mass gatherings as coronavirus deaths skyrocket in one of the world's worst-hit countries.This is the second year that the biggest Muslim-majority nation has celebrated the Feast of Sacrifice, which signals the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, during the pandemic.Much of Southeast Asia is currently reeling under a coronavirus surge, as the highly contagious Delta variant wreaks havoc on nations struggling with vaccine rollout capabilities.Indonesia has recently been overtaking India and Brazil as a global Covid-19 hotspot and its daily death toll hit a record of 1,338 on Monday.Authorities have banned large crowds, including at traditional events that feature the sacrifice of livestock, and urged the public not to gather for acts of religious worship. (AFP)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Punjab relaxes COVID-19 curbs; schools for class 10-12 from July 26, cap on indoor gatherings raised to 150
Punjab government haseased COVID-19-related curbs in view of the dwindling caseload and infection rate in the state. As part of the relaxations, the state has decided to allow schools to operate for students in higher grades from next week, an official order said on July 20.The schoolscan resume for classes 10-12 from July 26, the order noted. The administration would be required to adhere to the COVID-related safety norms.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | 4 Covid vaccine candidates in human trial stage, 1 in pre-clinical stage, govt tells Rajya Sabha
Four COVID-19 vaccine candidates are at different stages of human trials while one, developed by Genique Life Sciences, is in the advanced pre-clinical stage, Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday.In a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Singh said Cadila Healthcare Ltd's DNA-based vaccine candidate is in phase three clinical trial. It has also submitted the interim data for emergency use authorisation.Biological E Ltd's vaccine candidate is also in phase three clinical trial.Bharat Biotech International Ltd's Adeno intranasal vaccine candidate is in phase three clinical trial, while Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd's mRNA-vaccine candidate is in Phase one clinical trial.The Gurgaon-based Genique Life Sciences Pvt Ltd's vaccine candidate is in the advanced pre-clinical stage, Singh said.Currently, three vaccines --- Serum Institute of India's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Russian vaccine Sputnik V --- are being administered in India.Singh said'Mission COVID Suraksha -- the Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Development Mission' was announced as part of the third stimulus package'Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0' for promoting research and development of Indian COVID-19 vaccines.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | WHO chief says all must play part to beat COVID in Olympics message
World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a Tokyo Olympics Twitter message on Tuesday that COVID-19 can be defeated if all play their part."Glad to be in Japan to address the International Olympics Committee," Tedros said in his tweet. "I've come with a simple but urgent message: we can defeat COVID-19, but only if everyone plays their part.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Delhi reports 44 new COVID-19 cases, 37 recoveries and 5 deaths in the last 24 hours
Coronavirus LIVE updates | 188 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses required to inoculate 18-plus population: Govt
The projected 18-plus population in the country is 94 crore and therefore, the total requirement of COVID-19 vaccine doses for the beneficiaries in this age group is 188 crore, but the number may reduce if in the future, single-dose vaccines are approved and used, the government told Parliament on Tuesday. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on whether the present Covid vaccine manufacturing firms have the capacity to produce the required quantity, Minister of State for Health Bharati Praveen Pawar said it is estimated that around 1.87 billion (187 crore) doses will be available between January and December 2021.
In addition, a few vaccines under development may also receive approval and may be available for use to inoculate the eligible population, she added. In a separate written reply, Pawar said the price of the Covid vaccines declared by the two domestic manufacturers for procurement by private hospitals is Rs 600 for Covishield and Rs 1,200 for Covaxin. In addition, Rs 948 is the price declared for Sputnik V, which is presently imported in the country.
The government has fixed a maximum service charge of Rs 150 per dose over and above the price of the vaccines for administration at private COVID-19 vaccination centres (CVCs). However, the vaccines continue to be provided for free to all eligible beneficiaries at the government CVCs. The manufacturers are free to fix the price of the vaccines for procurement by private hospitals. However, the same has to be declared in a transparent manner, which has been done by the firms, the minister said.
Replying to another question, Pawar informed that the Covid vaccines presently available in the country do not have VVMs (Vaccine Vial Monitors). The storage and transportation of the vaccines from the manufacturer to the site of administration is ensured in a temperature-controlled environment at 2-8 degrees Celsius. The VVM is manufactured by a single offshore manufacturer and requires end-point studies at various duration to finalise the type to be used on each vaccine.
In view of the global urgency to use Covid vaccines upon development, the requirement of a very high quantity of VVMs and the limited production capacity, the vaccines are being used without VVMs across the world, the minister said. A robust cold chain network of around 29,000 cold-chain points, along with insulated or refrigerated vaccine vans, is used to ensure the storage and transport of the vaccines in a temperature-controlled environment. The storage temperature is also being monitored on a real-time basis to ensure that the vaccines are not exposed beyond the recommended storage temperature, the reply stated.
Coronavirus LIVE updates | Over 45,000 cases of mucormycosis reported in country
A total of 45,432 cases of mucormycosis have been reported by states and UTs till July 15 of which 21,085 affected people are receiving treatment and 4,252 have died, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday. A large majority of mucormycosis patients (84.4 per cent) had reported a history of COVID-19, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a written reply. Most common presentations of mucormycosis include Rhinocerebral (77.6 per cent), Cutaneous (4.3 per cent) and Pulmonary (3.0 per cent).
In the wake of second wave of COVID-19, an increased number of mucormycosis cases were reported and the Ministry of Health after thorough gap analysis and consultations took a number of steps to address the problem. Mucormycosis and other fungal infections are most commonly seen as an opportunistic infection.They are found in those with low underlying immunity either due to a diabetes, cancers particularly hematological malignancies, etc. or as a side effect of prolonged/irrational use of certain drugs like steroids, immunosuppressive drugs for management of other disorders including COVID-19, the minister explained.
Mandaviya said although it is not a new disease, its true incidence during the beginning of second wave was unknown as it was not a notifiable disease. The Ministry of Health in May requested states to declare Mucormycosis a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Disease Act to get an objective assessment of the disease. Taking cognizance of association between elevated blood sugar levels (whether in patients with pre-existing diabetes mellitus, or hyperglycemia due to steroid therapy), an updated “Clinical Guidance on Diagnosis and Management of Diabetes at COVID-19 Patient Management facility” was issued by the ministry on June 1.
After expert deliberations in the National Task Force on COVID-19, a detailed advisory on treatment and management of COVID-19 associated Mucormycosis (CAM) was formalized and disseminated on June 7. Amphotericin-B has been prescribed and it is available in two formulations, Liposomal Amphotericin B and Amphotericin B Deoxycholate, which are similar in efficacy.
However, the latter needs to be used with greater caution with respect to its effects on kidney function test and electrolyte imbalance, the minister explained. The second drug of choice is Posaconazole which may be used in cases with compromised renal function, drug reaction to Amphotericin B, electrolyte imbalance or in non-availability of Amphotericin B. A checklist for managing mucormycosis and other fungal infections was also circulated to all states and UTs on June 11.
Coronavirus LIVE updates | Expected to vaccinate 60% population within two-three months: Kerala to SC
Kerala government has told the Supreme Court that it is “vigorously vaccinating” people against COVID-19 and is expected to inoculate at least 60 percent of its population within two or three months. In an affidavit filed in the apex court in response to an application raising issue of relaxations granted by Kerala in view of Bakrid festival, the state said it has vaccinated 45 percent of its 18+ population with at least one dose and 18 percent have been vaccinated with two doses.
It said state has taken a “scientific and pragmatic approach” for conceiving and implementing various measures for curbing the spread of pandemic and the strategy is based on a rational balance of life and livelihood. The affidavit said chairman of expert group of medical officers had informed the crisis management group meeting that more relaxations can be extended to lockdown as the state is "unlikely to face a strong third wave of the pandemic due to the fast and systematic vaccination in the state."
However, a bench of Justices R F Nariman and B R Gavai on Tuesday termed “wholly uncalled for” the state’s relaxations for Bakrid in areas with a high Covid positivity rate and said giving in to pressure from traders discloses a “sorry state of affairs”. The bench referred to a paragraph in the affidavit and said it disclosed that the state has given in to associations of traders, which represented that they have stocked up goods for the purpose of Bakrid.
Coronavirus LIVE updates | Singapore tightens COVID-19 curbs to buy time to boost vaccinations
Singapore will halt restaurant dining and ban gatherings of more than two people for one month from Thursday, the health ministry said, as a further rise in coronavirus cases deals a blow to the country's reopening plans. The restrictions will be reviewed in two weeks as the country nears its milestone of vaccinating two-thirds of its population by August 9.
New coronavirus cases almost doubled on Monday from the previous day and Ong Ye Kung, the health minister, said 184 new infections were expected to be confirmed on Tuesday. He said vaccinations had been completed for half the city-state's population. The government is pushing to boost take-up rates among the elderly, where 30% remain unvaccinated.
Singapore's daily new case numbers are only a fraction of those reported elsewhere in Southeast Asian, but the tightening of measures just days after easing them is a setback for an Asian business hub eager to move on from the pandemic. "We have to make this pre-emptive tightening so that we can cut back on our overall activity levels and slow down the transmission," said Lawrence Wong, co-chair of the coronavirus taskforce.
"The objective now is to buy us time so that we can vaccinate more people, especially our seniors." Once the situation stabilises, Singapore will have more lenient measures for those vaccinated, Wong said. Singapore has ramped up testing after clusters of infections at karaoke KTV bars and a fishery port. The KTV cluster has caused public anger and questions over policing of the lounges notorious for facilitating prostitution and gambling. They were temporarily allowed to operate as restaurants. The government has said enforcement agencies were stretched. Singapore has reported more than 63,000 coronavirus infections overall, the bulk of those linked to outbreaks in migrant workers dormitories last year.
