Covid-19 cases spike across India; Delhi brings back mask rule

 

233 out of 727 districts in India report rise in positivity rate between April 16 and 19

Masks are back, weeks after their use was made voluntary. The national capital on Wednesday said that wearing masks is mandatory, and violations would attract a fine of Rs 500.

Covid-19 cases seem to be rising across the country. A Business Standard analysis showed that 233 districts (out of the total 727) recorded a rise in positivity rate between April 16 and April 19.

As cases spike in the national capital region (NCR), the Delhi Disaster Manage­ment Authority (DDMA) held a meeting on Wednesday and decided to bring the mask-rule back. It allowed schools to continue physical classes, and there is yet no ban on social gatherings.

Between April 11 and 18, Delhi witnessed a nearly three-fold rise in the number of daily Covid cases, thereby raising concerns. In fact, on Monday, the positivity rate in Delhi breached 7.7 per cent, which came down to 4.4 per cent on Tuesday (632 fresh Covid cases) but went up to 5.7 per cent on Wednesday as fresh cases rose to 1,009.

Delhi still accounts for 20 per cent of the country’s cases, but Covid-19 infections elsewhere have been rising as well.

A Business Standard analysis found that 10 states had more districts recording an increase in positivity rate than those which were reporting a status quo or a decline. In Uttar Pradesh, for instance, positivity had increased in 36 of the 75 districts. In Kerala, 10 districts had reported a rise in positivity compared to four that had recorded a fall. In West Bengal, 14 districts had recorded a rise in positivity.

Further analysis shows that the number of districts with over 5 per cent positivity had increased from 34 to 36 between April 16 and April 19. While Delhi had only one district reporting a positivity of more than 5 per cent on April 16, on April 19, four districts from the national capital had reported a positivity rate of over 5 per cent. Seven districts in the country had reported an increase of 3 percentage points or higher between April 16 and April 19.

Serum Institute gets DCGI nod to resume clinical trial of Oxford vaccine

DCGI gave permission to Serum Institute to resume clinical trial of the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine candidate in the country

Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr V G Somani on Tuesday gave permission to Serum Institute of India to resume clinical trial of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the country while revoking its earlier order of suspending any new recruitment for phase two and three trial.

The DCGI, however, put certain conditions like taking extra care during screening, providing additional information in informed consent and close monitoring for adverse events during follow-up of the study which have to be “scrupulously” followed by Serum Institute of India (SII). SII has also been asked to submit to the DCGI’s office details of medication used in accordance with the protocol for management of adverse events.

The DCGI had on September 11 directed Serum Institute of India to suspend any new recruitment in the phase two and three clinical trial of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate till further orders in the backdrop of pharma giant AstraZeneca pausing the clinical trials in other countries because of ”an unexplained illness” in a participant in the study. On Saturday, British-Swedish biopharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford said clinical trials for their coronavirus vaccine have resumed in the UK after the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority’s (MHRA) confirmed that the trials were safe…

WHO in contact with Russia on new Covid-19 vaccine: Spokesman

WHO is in close contact with Russia regarding a possible pre-qualification of the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine, a WHO spokesman said

The World Health Organization (WHO) is in close contact with Russia regarding a possible pre-qualification of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine, a WHO spokesman said. “We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are underway regarding a possible pre-qualification of the vaccine by WHO,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said at a virtual press briefing on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The pre-qualification of any vaccine involves rigorous review and evaluation of all the data required for safety and efficacy” in clinical trials, said Jasarevic, adding that at the WHO level, this process would be the same for any vaccine candidate. “Each country has national regulatory bodies that approve the use of vaccines or drugs in its territory,” he said. “Manufacturers are asking for WHO pre-qualification because it is a kind of seal of quality.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that his country has registered the world’s first vaccine against the novel coronavirus. Putin said he hoped that the mass production of the vaccine registered in Russia should begin in the near future, and vaccination will be available to everyone in the country voluntarily…Read Full Story