Coronavirus LIVE Updates: The Serum Institute of India (SII) said on Saturday: ‘Once DCGI (Controller General of Drugs of India) gives us permission to restart trials in India, we will resume trials.’
Latest coronavirus updates: The Serum Institute of India (SII) said on Saturday: “Once DCGI (Comptroller General of Drugs of India) gives us permission to restart the trials in India, we will resume them.”
Its British partner in developing a COVID-19 vaccine, AstraZeneca, said on Friday it had restarted its trials.
The reports cited a statement from AstraZeneca saying that the British pharmaceutical company was going to resume clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine it is developing in partnership with the University of Oxford.
“Clinical trials for the AstraZeneca Oxford coronavirus vaccine, AZD1222, have been resumed in the UK following confirmation by the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA) that it was safe to do so,” the company said in a statement. release.
Delhi reported 4,321 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, which is the highest peak in a single day so far. The total number of cases increased to more than 2.14 lakh, while the number of victims rose to 4,715.
The COVID-19 death rate in Maharashtra is 2.8 percent, nearly one percent above the national death rate of nearly 1.7 percent.
Sixty percent of the total recovered cases come from five states: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.
Bharat Biotech said the results showed “remarkable immunogenicity and protective efficacy” in phase I clinical trials in India.
DCGI’s Dr VG Somani also instructed the Serum Institute of India on Friday to increase safety screening of already vaccinated subjects as part of the trial and present the plan and report.
Of the 1,201 new deaths from COVID-19, 442 were recorded in Maharashtra, 130 in Karnataka, 77 in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and 76 in Uttar Pradesh.
With 36,24,197 COVID-19 patients cured so far, India’s recovery rate reached 77.77 percent on Saturday. Meanwhile, the death rate dropped to 1.66 percent after 77,472 deaths were recorded.
With more than 1,200 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, the number of COVID-19 victims has risen to 77,472, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.
After a hiatus of nearly six months, the Delhi Metro became fully operational on Saturday following the resumption of the Airport Express Line. The entire Metro rail network is now available from 6 am to 11 pm, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) confirmed.
India witnessed another record increase in its coronavirus case count, with 96,551 new cases reported on Friday, according to data from the Union Health Ministry. The total number of cases increased to 45,62,415, the ministry said, adding that 1,299 new deaths were also reported.
The total number of cases includes 9,43,480 active cases, 35,42,664 patients cured, discharged and migrated, and a number of 76,271.
Maharashtra, which has consistently been the state hardest hit by the pandemic, crossed a grim milestone in its COVID-19 case count on Friday. The count crossed the 10 lakh mark with 24,886 new cases on Friday, while 393 new deaths were reported. The total number of cases in the state includes 7,15,023 discharged, 2,71,566 active cases and 28,724 deaths, the state health department said.
ICMR sero-survey shows 6.4 million people were infected in May
The first national sero-survey conducted by the ICMR indicates that 0.73 percent of adults in India were exposed to SARS-CoV-2, equivalent to a total of 6.4 million infections in early May.
The survey was conducted from May 11 to June 4 and included 28,000 people whose blood samples were tested for IgG antibodies using the COVID Kavach ELISA kit.
In addition, seropositivity was highest in the age group 18 to 45 years (43.3 percent), followed by those from 46 to 60 years (39.5 percent) and was the lowest among those over 60 years (17.2 percent).
It is estimated that there were a total of 64,68,388 infections in India at the beginning of May, according to the survey report. This is in stark contrast to India’s cumulative case load on May 7 of 52,592.
“Our survey findings indicated that the overall seroprevalence in India was low, with less than one percent of the adult population exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in mid-May 2020.
“The low prevalence observed in most districts indicates that India is in the initial phase of the epidemic and the majority of the Indian population is still susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2,” emphasized the survey report. .
He highlighted the need to continue to implement context-specific containment measures, including testing of all symptoms, isolating positive cases, and following up on high-risk contacts to slow transmission and prevent health system overload.
Delhi Government Orders Mohalla Clinics to Begin COVID-19 Testing
Mohalla clinics in Delhi were instructed to begin COVID-19 testing with immediate effect as part of the Delhi government’s strategy to increase testing amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the national capital. PTI reported.
According to an order issued on September 10 by Dr. Shalley Kamra, State Nodal Officer of the Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinic (AAMC), the tests will take place every weekday between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
There are almost 450 mohalla clinics in Delhi.
“In order to increase COVID testing, it has been decided to initiate COVID testing at all AAMCs from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM every business day with immediate effect. All CDMO Mission Directors are requested to make sure that AAMC staff members are trained for the testing procedure, “the order said.
He said the tests will be conducted according to the Delhi government protocol and the chief district medical officers (CDMO) will share the guidelines with AAMC staff. All tests performed will be updated on the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) website, he added.
The order also said that the logistical support required to conduct the tests will be provided by the CDMO-cum-Mission directors, including PPE, test kits and administrative support. He requested that AAMC testing for COVID-19 be disinfected at the end of each day.
Maharashtra government publishes standard operating procedures for hotels to resume operations
The Maharashtra government on Friday released standard operating procedure and guidelines for hotels, hostels and resorts, which were allowed to resume operations at 100 percent capacity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The operation of hotels, tourist complexes, family houses, farm stays, etc. will be allowed. in all areas except containment zones. In accordance with the guidelines, which have been distributed to all interested parties, all travelers will be screened at the establishment’s entry points using heat guns to record their body temperature and monitored for cough and cold symptoms.
Only asymptomatic tourists will be allowed to stay, it was said. Mandatory practices such as the use of masks, social distancing, and the use of hand sanitizers must be followed at all times.
Punjab government cancels Sunday curfew in view of NEET exam
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced on Friday that there will be no curfew in the state this Sunday to facilitate the free movement of students who appear for the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET). However, stores that sell non-essential items will remain closed, he clarified.
All cities and towns in the state are under curfew on Sundays. Students will have no problem getting to their exam centers, the chief minister said.
Ministers from Suresh Angadi, Odisha and Maharashtra test positive
Several ministers in the state and the Center tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.
State Minister of Railways Suresh Angadi, who said he tested positive for COVID-19, was admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Center. The 65-year-old Lok Sabha member of Karnataka’s Belagavi constituency was admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Center, which is a facility dedicated to COVID-19, around 6.30pm.
Previously, Angadi tweeted: “Today I have tested positive for COVID-19. I am fine. I am following the advice of doctors. Asking all who have been in close contact with me in the last few days to monitor their health do the test in case of any symptoms. “
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister Vishwajeet Kadam became the 10th state government minister to test positive for COVID-19 on Friday.
Odisha Minister Tukuni Sahu also said she had tested positive for COVID-19. Sahu became the fifth minister of the state infected by coronavirus.
Kerala Minister EP Jayarajan and his wife also tested positive for coronavirus on Friday. He is the second member of the Pinarayi Vijayan government to test positive.
“Jayarajan and his wife, who has also contracted the disease, were admitted to Pariyaram Medical University Hospital in Kannur, government sources said.” The Indian Express reported.
With contributions from agencies
