More than 100% increase in Recovered Cases in last 25 days

India has registered the highest recoveries in a single day. 66,550 COVID-19 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours. The total number of recoveries has crossed 24 lakh (24, 04,585). With this, India's Recovery Rate amongst the COVID-19 patients has reached 76% (75.92%). The number of recovered patients has outpaced the active cases (7, 04,348) by more than 17 lakh. The recovered patients are 3.41 times the active cases, as on date. There has been more than 100% hike in the recoveries in the last 25 days. The record high recoveries have ensured that the actual caseload of the country viz. the active cases, has reduced and currently comprises only 22.24% of the total positive cases. The steadily falling Case Fatality Rates stands at 1.84% today.

Following “TEST, TRACK, TREAT” strategy, India tests nearly 3.7 crore

Keeping the focus on “Test, Track and Treat” strategy, India has tested nearly 3.7 crore cumulative COVID-19 samples so far. With India’s strong resolve to rapidly increase the number of daily tests, the cumulative testing as on date has reached 3, 68, 27,520. With 9,25,383 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the Tests Per Million have seen a sharp rise to 26,685.Starting from a single lab at Pune, India’s testing lab network has seen a substantial widening with total of 1524 labs today. The 986 labs in the government sector and 538 private labs.

Inauguration of DRDO’s 500 Bed COVID Hospital in Patna

A 500 bed Covid Hospital with 125 ICU beds, set up by Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) in Patna was inaugurated yesterday by Shri NityanandRai, Minister of State for Home Affairs. The hospital located in the newly constructed ESIC Hospital at Bihta, has been built on the lines of the 1000 Bed Sardar Vallabh bhai Patel Hospital at Delhi Cantt by DRDO. Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Trust have allocated funds for the hospital. Another such hospital will be set up in Muzaffarpur. The infrastructure facilities for the hospital include the already existing seven storied ESIC hospital with Power, air conditioning, Water supply, Fire Fighting and Diesel Generator Backup, Oxygen piping to each bed, Lifts and Morgue. Doctors, nurses, and other supporting medical staff etc for the hospital have been provided by the Directorate General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS).

 

Centre Advisories / Policies / Updates

Positive rate of Covid-19 reduced due to increase in tests: Health Ministry

Due to the increase in the number of tests in the country, the positive rate of the virus has reduced, Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference he said, "The positive rate of Covid-19 has decreased due to the increase in the number of tests. In the last 24 hours, 60 thousand 975 new cases of the corona were reported in the country. 848 people died. 66 thousand 550 patients recovered." Divulging further Bhushan said that only less than 3 per cent of the total active cases are on oxygen support and active cases are decreasing day by day in the country.

'Irresponsible' people not wearing masks are driving COVID-19 pandemic’ 

The total number of active cases of corona virus in India is only 22.2 per cent of the total cases while the recovery rate has reached over 75 per cent in the country, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday. While briefing media about the corona virus situation in the country, Union Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan confirmed that the recovered COVID-19 cases are 3.4 times more than the active cases in the country. Talking about the condition of corona virus patients in the country, Bhushan said, "Out of the total COVID-19 cases, only 2.7 per cent patients are on oxygen support, 1.92 per cent patients are in ICU and 0.29 per cent patients are on ventilator support." Meanwhile, Balram Bhargava, Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), announced that the second national serosurvey should be completed in the first week of September. Lashing out at people not paying heed to coronavirus guidelines, Bhargava said, "Irresponsible, less cautious people who are not wearing masks are driving the pandemic in India."

IIT-Madras researchers find way to safely dispose pharma waste

Management of waste containing chemicals from personal care products and medicines has been a challenge for long — they barely decompose and their remains affect both the environment and humans. Now, a team of researchers from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) and Stuttgart University, Germany have developed a co-composting method, where they mix low concentrations of chemical compounds with dry sewer waste and organic waste, for safe disposal of toxic pharmaceutical wastewater sludge.

Global Advisories/Policies/Updates

Singapore warns of further waves of Covid-19 until vaccine found

Further waves of the deadly COVID-19 are possible as long as a vaccine remains out of reach, Singapore's Health Minister Gan Kim Yong warned on Tuesday, as the city-state recorded 31 new corona virus cases, its lowest single-day figure since March. He, however, assured that the Ministry of Health (MOH) will make sure Singapore has the resources to care for all COVID-19 patients and support all healthcare institutions involved in the fight. Singapore will also work with its international partners to share information on cases and remains "actively involved" in developing vaccines and treatments for the virus, Gan said.

Covid-19 brings new challenges to counter-terrorism efforts: UN

A top UN official has called for attention to new challenges brought by the global corona virus pandemic to counter-terrorism efforts. "This pandemic environment raises several strategic and practical challenges for counter-terrorism," Undersecretary-General for UN Counter-Terrorism Office, Vladimir Voronkov told the Security Council on Monday. The Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist groups seek to exploit the far-reaching disruption and negative socio-economic and political impacts of the pandemic, Voronkov as saying.

Russia seeks collaboration with India for manufacturing Covid-19 vaccine 

The Russian government has reached out to India seeking a collaboration for manufacturing its COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V' and conducting its phase 3 clinical trial here, sources said. According to government sources, the matter was discussed by the national expert group on vaccine administration for COVID-19 in its last meeting held on August 22. Sputnik V has been developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology along with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The vaccine has not been tested in phase 3 or larger clinical trials. There has been scepticism in some quarters about limited data related to the efficacy of the vaccine.

State Advisories / Policies / Updates

Tripura set to step up testing amid rising Covid-19 cases

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has directed officials of the state's COVID-19 core committee to ramp up sample testing, and appealed to people to cooperate with the government in its fight against the disease, a senior official said on Tuesday. Deb, during a review meeting on Monday evening, expressed concern over the spike in coronavirus cases in the state, and sought strict enforcement of safety protocols. Tripura recorded 293 new COVID-19 cases and five fatalities on Monday.

Corona virus death toll nears 1,000-mark in Rajasthan

Rajasthan recorded six more fatalities due to the novel corona virus on Tuesday, taking the COVID-19 death toll in the state to 973, according to a health department official. The state also reported 695 new cases of the virus. The total number of people infected by COVID-19 now stands at 72,650 in Rajasthan and out of these 14,883 people are under treatment. The official said that 56,091 people have been discharged after treatment till now. In Jaipur, the COVID-19 death toll stands at 260 followed by 87 in Jodhpur, 67 each in Bikaner and Bharatpur, 65 in Ajmer, 60 in Kota, 42 in Pali, 41 in Nagaur, 24 in Udaipur, 23 in Alwar and 19 in Dholpur.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar tests positive for corona virus

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar tested positive for novel corona virus infection today, two days before the monsoon session is set to begin in the state. Khattar also urged his colleagues who came in contact with him over the past week to get tested for the virus as well. "I appeal to all colleagues and associates who came in my contact over the last week to get them-selves tested. I request my close contacts to move into strict quarantine immediately," Khattar posted on the micro-blogging site. Last week, Haryana's chief minister tested negative for Covid-19, days after he had attended a meeting with Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who has been found infected with the contagious disease on 20 August. Khattar had on last Thursday decided to go into home quarantine for three days as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta and two BJP MLAs have also tested positive for the highly contagious virus today, Health Minister Anil Vij said. Six assembly staffers have also tested positive for the disease, officials said.

Corona virus death toll rises to 3,059 in Uttar Pradesh

With 72 more patients succumbing to COVID-19, the death toll due to the viral disease rose to 3,059 in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, while 5,124 fresh cases took the infection tally to 1, 97,388. "In past 24 hours, 5,124 fresh COVID-19 cases were found. There are total 49,575 active cases while 1, 44,754 persons were treated and discharged," Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters here. The recovery rate of patients in the state is 73.33 per cent, he said, adding that over 1.21 lakh samples were tested for detection of COVID-19 on Monday, taking the total number of tests so far to over 47 lakh.

Industry Updates

Oxford vaccine trial awaits insurance nod

Despite days of deliberations, the ethics committee is yet to green light the Oxford vaccine trial that is to be conducted at two civic-run hospitals. What appears to be holding up the final approval is clarity from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on medical insurance for participants, with the committee having been waiting for the council's response for a few days. The ethics committee, headed by Dr. Padma Menon of KEM Hospital, met on August 20 and had further discussions over the next couple of days. A senior civic official said that while medical insurance has to be arranged, the amount needs to be determined. “During the discussions, a point came up that Mumbai cannot have an insurance amount different from the rest of the sites in India. All candidates as part of the phase II trial will have to be granted the same insurance amount. We wrote to the ICMR last week and are yet to get a response," said the official, adding that final approval is expected by the end of the week.

Increasing demand due to COVID -19, Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceutical Ltd creates a record of producing 51,960 pheneol bottles on a single day

Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceutical Ltd (BCPL), a public sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has scaled up its production activities to cater to the demand increasing many folds since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. It has created an all-time record by producing 51,960 pheneol bottles on a single day. This achievement goes to the BCPL Panihati, North 24-Parganas Unit situated in West Bengal. Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri D.V Sadananda Gowda has congratulated the management and employees of the company for brilliant work in recording all-time high production.

AstraZeneca starts trial of Covid-19 antibody treatment

British drug maker AstraZeneca has begun testing an antibody-based cocktail for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, adding to recent signs of progress on possible medical solutions to the disease caused by the novel corona virus. The London-listed firm, already among the leading players in the global race to develop a successful vaccine, said the study would evaluate if AZD7442, a combination of two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), was safe and tolerable in up to 48 healthy participants between the ages of 18 and 55 years. If the UK-based early-stage trial, which has dosed its participants, shows AZD7442 is safe, AstraZeneca said it would proceed to test it as both a preventative treatment for COVID-19 and a medicine for patients who have it, in larger, mid-to-late-stage studies.

Sepsivac receives Covid-19 Pharma Excellence Award 

Sepsivac, the latest innovation by Cadila Pharmaceutical recently received the prestigious Pharma Excellence Award at the Emerging Dimensions in Pharma Excellence e-Summit organised by Express Pharma and HEAL Health Connect Solutions. This honour was awarded to Sepsivac for being one of the most promising drugs in the fight against COVID-19.

Prepared by Impact Health Research Team

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