New Delhi (TIP): India recorded 186,364 fresh cases of Covid-19 on Friday May 28, lowest in last 44 days since the March last year. The death toll was increased to 315,235 as 3,660 people succumbed to the viral disease over the last 24 hours, according to the Union health ministry’s dashboard on Friday, May 28. After Friday’s additions, the overall nationwide tally now stands at 27,555,457. For the fifteenth consecutive day, recoveries continued to outnumber the daily new cases as 259,459 people were recuperated from Covid-19 over the last 24 hours, it also showed. The recovery rate has increased to 90.34 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate currently at 10.42 per cent, as per the health ministry figures. The number of active cases has dropped to 2,343,152. On August 7 last year, India’s Covid-19 tally crossed the 20 lakh mark. It breached the 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 last year. India crossed the grim milestone of 20 million infections on May 4 this year. The second Covid-19 wave in India is now on the “downswing,” the Centre said on Thursday, highlighting that the current number of active cases is still “very high” and advised states and Union territories (UTs) to not let down their guards.The Centre also stressed that any relaxation of curbs by the states and the union territories(UTs) may be considered at an appropriate time in a graded manner. In a fresh directive from the Union ministry of home affairs, the Centre directed the states and UTs to continue the ongoing Covid-19 guidelines till June 30. It also asked them to go for intensive and local containment measures in districts with a high number of cases to check the spread of disease. Meanwhile, India is considering Pfizer’s request to grant it indemnity from costs relating to severe vaccine side-effects, adding that the company had signalled the availability of its Covid-19 shot, possibly from July. “We are engaged with Pfizer because they have indicated availability of … certain volume of vaccines, in the coming months, possibly starting in July,” V K Paul said in a press briefing. The government is also in discussions with Johnson & Johnson and Moderna. Centre scrapped local trials for “well-established” foreign vaccines on to fast-track imports after the country faced a severe shortage of vaccines leading to many states halting vaccination drive for people in the age group of 18-44. The cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses is 205,451,902, according to the provisional report by the health ministry on Thursday. Source: HT
Tag: V K Paul
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Black fungus found in Covid-19 patients but ‘no big outbreak’: NITI Aayog member
New Delhi (TIP): Mucormycosis, a fungal infection, is being found in COVID-19 patients and largely in cases of those who are diabetic but there is “no big outbreak”, Niti Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul said on Frida, May 7. The situation is being monitored and the treatment for mucormycosis is available, he said. This comes a day after a leading private hospital in Delhi flagged the rising number of COVID-triggered mucormycosis or black fungus cases. Addressing a press conference here, Paul said, “The fungal infection called mucormycosis is being found in patients of COVID-19 disease. It is caused by a fungus named mucor, which is found on wet surfaces. It, to a large extent, is happening to people who have diabetes. It is very uncommon in those who are not diabetic. There is no big outbreak and we are monitoring it.” “Mucor attacks people with uncontrolled sugar. Other than that, if the diabetes patient is taking immune suppressive medicines, steroids, or has cancer, then the impact of mucormycosis is more on that person. If these patients are exposed to wet surfaces, then the chances of getting this disease increases,” he said. Paul said drugs that suppress the immune system but are life-saving like dexamethasone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone, dexona etc., are already being used to treat COVID-19 patients. “All these are related compounds. When these are used, the immune system gets suppressed, even in persons who are diabetic, and this fungus attacks,” he said.