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More patients than beds in Mumbai as India faces surge in virus cases

by | May 25, 2020 | , , ,

India has 0.5 beds per 1,000 people, according to the latest data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), up from 0.4 beds in 2009, but among lowest of countries surveyed by the OECD. In contrast, China has 4.3 hospital beds per 1,000 people and the United States has 2.8, according to the latest OECD figures.

While millions of India’s poor rely on the public health system, especially in rural areas, private facilities account for 55% of hospital admissions, according to government data. The private health sector has been growing over the past two decades, especially in India’s big cities, where an expanding class of affluent Indians can afford private care.

How India, Singapore are contributing to a COVID-19 vaccine race

by | May 25, 2020 | , , ,

India’s Pune-based Serum Institute is not only India’s largest biotech company but one of the world’s largest. It has the capacity to produce 1.5 billion doses of vaccine annually. It is currently working on three projects to produce COVID-19 vaccines – one is with UK’s Oxford University, another with US-based biotech Codagenix, and it is also working on its own vaccine. To save time, it is taking the risk of preparing part of its facilities to be ready to produce between 20-40 million doses as soon as in September although one or more of the vaccines being worked on may not succeed in clinical trials or be approved by health authorities.
Singapore was involved in the international clinical trial of the Gilead Sciences drug remdesivir which was initially developed to treat Ebola. Around 100 patients in Singapore were enrolled in the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) led international trial which had about 1,000 patients taking part globally. The trial showed that remdesivir significantly improved recovery prospects of COVID-19 patients.

LIC to start selling 7.40% govt’s pension scheme from tomorrow

by | May 25, 2020 | , ,

The policy term is of 10 years and for policies sold during the first financial year i.e. up to 31st March 2021, the Scheme will provide an assured rate of return of 7.40 per cent annually, payable monthly (i.e. equivalent to 7.66 per cent.p.a.) for the entire duration of 10 years .For the policies sold during the next two financial years, the applicable assured rate of interest, at which the pension payment shall be made, will be reviewed and decided at the beginning of each financial year by Ministry of Finance, Government of India. 

Record 6,767 new COVID-19 cases in India in last 24 hours; death toll climbs to 3,867

by | May 24, 2020 | , , ,

Of the 147 deaths reported since Saturday morning, 60 were in Maharashtra, 27 in Gujarat, 23 in Delhi, nine in Madhya Pradesh, seven in Rajasthan, five in Tamil Nadu, four each in West Bengal and Telangana, three in Uttar Pradesh, and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand

Major Indian states seek delay in restarting flights as coronavirus cases rise

by | May 24, 2020 | , , , ,

Airlines are preparing to resume about a third of their domestic flight operations from Monday, even without clarity over which states will allow flights or what quarantine rules may apply to passengers.

India’s western state of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu in the south and West Bengal in the east, major business hubs and home to the country’s busiest airports, have said they are not prepared to open for flights amid rising coronavirus cases, according to state government officials.

ICMR’s new advisory expands use of HCQ but cautions against false security

by | May 24, 2020 | , , ,

The revised advisory issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine as a preventive medication for asymptomatic healthcare professionals working in non-Covid-19 hospitals, frontline staff on surveillance duty in containment zones and paramilitary/police personnel involved in coronavirus infection related activities.

Guidelines for international arrivals issued; 14-day quarantine compulsory

by | May 24, 2020 | , , ,

Only for exceptional and compelling reasons such as cases of human distress, pregnancy, death in family, serious illness and parent(s) accompanied by children below 10 years, as assessed by the receiving states, home quarantine may be permitted for 14 days, they said.
Use of Aarogya Setu application shall be mandatory in such cases, the guidelines said.

First COVID-19 vaccine human trial finds it is safe, induces immune response

by | May 23, 2020 | , , ,

However, the scientists, including those from the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology in China said further research is needed to confirm whether the vaccine protects against SARS-COV-2 infection.
“These results represent an important milestone. The trial demonstrates that a single dose of the new adenovirus type 5 vectored COVID-19 (Ad5-nCoV) vaccine produces virus-specific antibodies and T cells in 14 days,” said study co-author Wei Chen from the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology.