India records more than 82,000 Recoveries for two days in a row

India has been registering very high recoveries for two consecutive days. More than 82,000 COVID patients have been cured and discharged in the past two days. 82,961 active cases were found free of COVID in the last 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry data. The number of novel coronavirus cases in India has crossed 50 lakh, after the country detected 90,123 new cases in the 24 hours ending 9 am. The tally of 50,20,360 cases includes 9,95,933 patients who are undergoing treatment and 39,42,361 who have recovered. With 1,290 additional deaths, the toll rose to 82,066. Spurred by the  number of very high recoveries, the national Recovery Rate continues to follow its rising curve. It stands at 78.64% today.  More than 40 lakh (40,25,079) patients have recovered so far. Recovered cases have exceeded Active Cases today by more than 30 lakhs (30,15,103) today, and are four times the latter.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Tests Coronavirus Positive

Union minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted that he has tested positive for coronavirus, which has so far infected more than 50 lakh people in the country. Before him, at least seven union ministers, including Union home minister Amit Shah, and two dozen lawmakers have contracted the disease. In the mandatory covid tests for parliamentarians conducted before the monsoon session started on Monday, 17 members of the Lok Sabha and eight from the Rajya Sabha had tested positive. Gadkari had tested negative at that time. His positive result came from a test conducted in Nagpur.  Gadkari had attended parliament on Monday.

Health Ministry organizes Seminar on World Patient Safety Day

On the occasion of second World ‘Patient safety Day’, a webinar was organized by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare & National Health System Resource Centre, to give impetus to the endeavours directed towards improving the safety of patients as well as health care worker, since both are closely inter-linked.  The COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled huge challenges and risks, which front-line health workers face while caring for the patients. The theme for Patient safety this year is “Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety” and the Slogan is “Safe health workers, Safe patients.” The Webinar was inaugurated by  Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary MoHFW. In his address, the health secretary emphasised different steps, which the Government of India has taken for protection of hospital workers. Few of the such steps are ensuring availability of PPE and Masks, insurance coverage of Rs. 50.0 Lakhs, functional helpline, advisory on chemoprophylaxis, etc. The Health secretary also highlighted the importance of putting a transparent “Reporting and Learning System” in place.

Centre Advisories / Policies / Updates

Can’t back specific cure: ICMR scientist

Eight months after the first Covid-19 case was reported in India on January 30, “there is still no scientific evidence to support a specific line of prophylactic or treatment including convalescent plasma (CP),” said Dr Rajni Kant Srivastava, Director, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Gorakhpur and head, Division of Research Management, Policy, Planning and Coordination (RMPPC) at ICMR, New Delhi.

6,05,65,728 samples tested to detect COVID-19 infections till September 15, says ICMR

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday (September 17, 2020) said that nearly 6,05,65,728 samples were tested to detect cases of coronavirus infection till September 15. Of these, 11,36,613 samples were tested on Wednesday, the ICMR said. According to the data from the ICMR, India had conducted 11,16,842 sample tests in a single day on Tuesday, taking the total number of samples tested so far to 5,94,29,115.

Global Advisories/Policies/Updates

Need to focus on creating effective health systems for improved pandemic preparedness: Dr. Harsh Vardhan

There is a need to focus on creating effective health systems for improved pandemic preparedness and while all the other action plans are a response to a pandemic, a well-developed healthcare system can support even in containing the pandemic, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Indian Health Minister said while addressing Joint G20 Finance and Health Ministers Meeting.  Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of India attended Joint G20 Finance and Health Ministers Meeting through video conference on Thursday. “Flattening the curve globally will require international, multisectoral collaborative efforts to ensure that health systems across the world are able to maintain sufficient capacity to address the flux of complicated COVID-19 cases and protect the vulnerable and elderly in the world population, Dr Vardhan said. 

WHO doesn’t recommend coronavirus passports

A World Health Organization official said Wednesday that the international agency does not recommend countries issue so-called immunity passports for the coronavirus, because scientists are still unsure whether Covid-19 antibodies reduce the risk of reinfection. Earlier in the pandemic, some countries said they would issue passports or certificates that indicate whether someone has had Covid-19, allowing them to travel or return to work, assuming that they are protected.

WHO director warns Latin America is opening too early, COVID-19 still a risk

Latin America has started to resume normal social and public life at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic still requires major control interventions, the World Health Organization regional director Carissa Etienne said on Wednesday. Speaking in a virtual briefing from Washington with other Pan American Health Organization directors, Etienne said coronavirus cases in Colombia’s border area with Venezuela have increased ten-fold in the last 2 weeks. Death rates are climbing in areas of Mexico, and similar trends are seen in Ecuador, Costa Rrica and Bolivia, she said.

State Advisories / Policies / Updates

Delhi: New high of 4,473 takes Covid case tally past 2.3 lakh

Delhi recorded its highest single-day spike of 4,473 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases to over 2.3 lakh. Previously, on September 12, the city had recorded a maximum of 4,321 cases in a single day. In the last eight days, more than 4,000 new cases have been recorded daily except on Monday when 3,229 new cases were reported. Officials in the state health department said the spike has been caused mainly due to increased testing and inter-state mobility.

Maharashtra Coronavirus Live Updates: With single-day addition of over 23,000 cases, state’s tally crosses 11 lakh

Maharashtra’s COVID-19 tally spiked to 11,21,221 on Wednesday with the single-day addition of 23,365 new cases, the state health department said. With 474 deaths during the day, the total count in the state mounted to 30,883, it said. Mumbai city reported 2,378 cases in the day, taking its count to 1,75,974 while the cumulative death toll rose to 8,280, including 50 in the day. Meanwhile, state health minister Rajesh Tope said the spurt in COVID-19 cases was due to the way the unlocking process was undertaken and also people not following stipulated norms. He said the state government is taking all possible measures to bring down the cases in the state.

Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Food Minister K Gopalaiah Test Positive for COVID-19

Two more Karnataka Ministers - Basavaraj Bommai and K Gopalaiah - in Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's cabinet have tested positive for coronavirus. Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai tweeted today that he has contracted the virus. "Our domestic help at home was found infected by the coronavirus yesterday. So, I too underwent a test and found positive for the virus," he said. Mr Bommai said he was asymptomatic and healthy but as a precautionary measure he has isolated himself at home.

4,656 COVID cases found in Pune 

Pune district reported 4,656 new COVID-19 cases. The number of cases has climbed to 2,35,852. Also with 74 deaths on Wednesday, taking the death toll to 5,366 said. At least 3,505 positive patients were discharged on Wednesday after recovering, taking the total number of patients discharged to 1,88,154. Among the fresh COVID cases reported on Wednesday, 2,120 are in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, 1,104 in Pimpri-Chinchwad, 994 in rural areas and 346 in cantonment areas, respectively.

Industry Updates

1 in 7 volunteers report side effects after taking Sputnik V

Russian health minister Mikhail Murashko said that one in seven volunteers have complained of side effects, including weakness and muscle pain after receiving the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, reported The Moscow Times. Results of the phase 1/2 trials of the vaccine published in The Lancet show no serious adverse effects and a stable immune response in 100 per cent of participants. Final clinical trials of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine are currently ongoing.

Pfizer Says Late-stage Vaccine Study Shows Moderate Side Effects

Pfizer Inc said participants were showing mild-to-moderate side effects when given either the company’s experimental coronavirus vaccine or a placebo in an ongoing late-stage study. Over 12,000 study participants had received a second dose of the vaccine, Pfizer executives said on an investor conference call.

Russia To Sell 100 Million Doses Of Sputnik-V Vaccine To Dr Reddy's Lab

Russia's sovereign wealth fund has agreed to supply 100 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik-V, to Indian drug company Dr Reddy's Laboratories, the fund said on Wednesday, as Moscow speeds up plans to distribute its shot abroad. The deal comes after the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) reached agreements with Indian manufacturers to produce 300 million doses of the vaccine in India, which is a major consumer of Russian oil and arms.

Prepared by Impact Health Research Team

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