India’s confirmed coronavirus toll has crossed 8 million with daily cases dipping to the lowest level this week. The Health Ministry reported another 49,881 infections in the past 24 hours.
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here . A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the latest updates:
COVID-19 arrives in Marshall Islands with 2 cases
The Marshall Islands has reported its first cases of COVID-19 after two people who flew from Hawaii to a U.S. military base tested positive.
The small Pacific nation had been among the last places in the world to have no reported cases of the virus.
The Office of the Chief Secretary said in a statement that a 35-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man had tested positive this week after flying directly from Honolulu to the base on Kwajalein Atoll.
India’s average daily COVID-19 tests in past six weeks at about 11 lakh
Nearly 11 lakh COVID-19 tests have been conducted daily on an average in the past six weeks as the cumulative tests have crossed 10.65 crore-mark, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.
In a statement, the Health Ministry said 15 lakh tests can be done everyday now.
“The declining trend of cumulative positivity rate in the past three weeks is a testimony of the wide expansion of the country’s testing facilities,” it said.
“With 10,75,760 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the cumulative tests have crossed 10.65 crore (10,65,63,440). Nearly 11 lakh tests have been conducted daily on an average during the past six weeks,” it added.
Two out of five Srinagar residents have COVID-19 antibodies, sero-survey shows
Over 40 per cent people living in Srinagar district have developed COVID-19 antibodies, according to a latest sero-prevalence study which suggests a large fraction of the population in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir may have been infected by the novel coronavirus.
The results of the study conducted by the Government Medical College Srinagar (GMC) reveal a quantum jump from 3.8 per cent sero-prevalence recorded in a similar study conducted in the city in June.
A sero-survey involves testing the blood serum of individuals to check for the prevalence of antibodies against an infection.
Govt changed strategy, going for aggressive COVID-19 contact tracing, testing: Jain
Amid a spike in cases of COVID-19 here, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said the city government has changed its strategy and is now going for “aggressive tracing and testing” of people who came in contact with those found positive for the infection.
Interacting with reporters, he also said, it would be too early to say, if this was a “third wave” in surge in fresh cases.
Amid festive season and rising pollution level, Delhi on Wednesday recorded over 5,600 COVID-19 cases for the first time, with the national capital witnessing a sudden surge in daily cases in the past few days.
WB govt asks medical establishments to send list of workers to be given COVID-19 vaccine
The West Bengal government has asked all state-run and private medical establishments to send details of frontline health care workers (HCWs) and other staff who would be administered COVID-19 vaccine on a priority basis, an official said on Thursday.
All medical establishments like medical colleges (allopathic, homoeopathic and AYUSH), health centres, private healthcare units and polyclinics have been asked to send the list of workers, the senior official of the Health department told PTI.
“The HCWs like frontline health workers, ASHA, supervisors/ facilitators, Anganwadi workers (AWWs), nurses and supervisors, health supervisors, block extension educators, medical officers (allopathic doctors), teaching and non-teaching staff and doctors on administrative posts), AYUSH doctors, dentists will be given priority,” he said.
SC seeks Centre’s reply on plea alleging no approval for Remdesivir, Favipiravir to treat COVID-19
The Supreme Court Thursday sought response from the Centre on a plea alleging that two medicines Remdesivir and Favipiravir, are being used for treatment of COVID-19 without approval.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde issued notice to the Centre on the plea and sought its response in four weeks.
Advocate M L Sharma petitioner in-person referred to the bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, the World Health Organization (WHO) report of October 15 and said that nowhere these medicines are designated officially as medicines for coronavirus.
The bench said that it is only going to make central government aware of it and therefore issuing notice.
More young people reporting blood clots during pandemic, say experts
The number of younger patients reporting to hospitals with blood clots in large blood vessels had increased due to COVID-19, said Bhuvaneshwari Rajendran, consultant neurologist and neurophysiologist, Kauvery Hospital.
Addressing a virtual conference on ‘Stroke emergency and rapid response’ organised as part of The Hindu Wellness Series along with Kauvery Hospital on Wednesday, she said that the clots appeared to form as a result of the body’s immune response to COVID-19.
Sivarajan Thandeeswaran, senior consultant, stroke and neurovascular medicine, Kauvery Hospital, said a majority of such young patients who were reporting clots in blood vessels going to the limbs and heart had comorbidities, particularly diabetes and hypertension.
98% of discharged persons show lung recovery
Healthcare providers at the Government Medical College Hospital, Omandurar Estate, Chennai, have been assessing the lung function and cardiac capacity of persons discharged after COVID-19 treatment by getting them to take a six-minute walk and a few steps up and down a platform. For a closer look at their lung conditions, a repeat CT (computed tomography) chest scan is done, and 98% patients have shown complete resolution of lung involvement.
The six-minute walk test around a demarcated space and the Harvard step test, along with an ECG, are part of assessments at the post-COVID-19 outpatient (OP) ward at the hospital. Six weeks after discharge, patients are screened and tested for the functional capacity of their lungs, heart and eyes, and their psychological well-being, according to a press release.
Infections in Kerala may be plateauing: experts
Kerala’s COVID-19 case graph, which had dipped with a slump in testing changed course on Wednesday, registering 8,790 new cases from 66,980 samples.
Epidemiologists said that the State’s weekly growth rate, at 10%-15% two weeks ago, came down to less than 5% during October 18–25 and the active case pool stabilised at around 95,000. At the current growth rate it could take weeks for the active case load to crosses a lakh, they said.
The test positivity rate on Wednesday was 13.12%.
Curbs likely to stay on Tamil Nadu schools, colleges, cinemas
Schools, colleges and cinemas in Tamil Nadu may have to remain closed for some more time. Citing hard-won gains against COVID-19, District Collectors and other top officials said it would be prudent to bring down the numbers further before exploring the possibility of further relaxations.
At a meeting with Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday, officials said cinemas were a luxury at this point in time.
Noting that schools in countries like the U.K. had seen a surge in cases, they urged caution on the issue of reopening schools.
Stroke care amid Kerala’s pandemic management
Neurologists have called for a reorganisation of various aspects of stroke treatment and rehabilitation in the State to overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19 to stroke management and to provide better outcomes for patients.
On World Stroke Day that falls on October 29, they have highlighted the importance of maintaining the continuum of care for stroke patients even in the midst of the pandemic. The public should be encouraged to seek timely treatment for stroke while also ensuring that public health systems have better care strategies in place to give optimum care for stroke patients.
While time is the essence in stroke care, during the past few months, delays in seeking timely care, especially in the case of people who suffer minor strokes or transient ischemic attack (TIA), has been well-documented.
62 persons had COVID-related stroke in Bengaluru from June to August
As many as 62 people diagnosed with COVID-19 suffered a stroke in the city during the infection between June and August. Of these 16% died in hospital, a study by doctors from St John’s Medical College Hospital has revealed.
The multi-centre retrospective study from 13 hospitals has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Stroke, the official publication of the World Stroke Organization.
Of the 62 CORS, 60 (97%) patients had ischemic strokes while two (3%) had haemorrhagic strokes. A majority of them (59.7%) had a “bad” stroke wherein the large artery was blocked.
COVID-19 caseload in India breaches 80-lakh mark with 49,881 new cases
India’s COVID-19 caseload surpassed the 80-lakh mark on Thursday, 18 days after it had gone past 70 lakh, with 49,881 new cases while the recoveries surged to 73.15 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 90.99%, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
The total coronavirus cases mounted to 80,40,203 and the death toll climbed to 1,20,527 with the novel coronavirus virus claiming 517 lives in a span of 24 hours in the country, the data updated at 8 a.m. showed.
The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.49%. There are 603687 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 7.5% of the total caseload, the data stated. - PTI
98% of discharged persons show lung recovery
Healthcare providers at the Government Medical College Hospital, Omandurar Estate, Chennai, have been assessing the lung function and cardiac capacity of persons discharged after COVID-19 treatment by getting them to take a six-minute walk and a few steps up and down a platform. For a closer look at their lung conditions, a repeat CT (computed tomography) chest scan is done, and 98% patients have shown complete resolution of lung involvement.
The six-minute walk test around a demarcated space and the Harvard step test, along with an ECG, are part of assessments at the post-COVID-19 outpatient (OP) ward at the hospital. Six weeks after discharge, patients are screened and tested for the functional capacity of their lungs, heart and eyes, and their psychological well-being, according to a press release.
Puducherry begins post-COVID survey among recovered patients
The Union Territory of Puducherry has launched a post-COVID survey among recovered patients to identify those with after-effects that would require medical or psychological intervention.
Teams of ANMs and ASHA workers are engaged in door-to-door visits of patients, who recovered from the COVID-19 infection and were discharged, to assess their general health status.
Smriti Irani tests positive for COVID-19
Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said she has tested positive for COVID-19.
The women and child development and textiles minister asked the people who came in contact with her to get themselves tested for the disease at the earliest. Ms. Irani campaigned for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday for the Bihar Assembly polls.
