Covid-19 treatment: AIIMS to conduct clinical trials of plasma therapy

The AIIMS director stresses on the need to have good and well-conducted research trials before the therapy is recommended for routine use

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences is planning to conduct a clinical trial of the convalescent plasma therapy in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said on Tuesday. The modalities of taking the approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) is being worked out, official sources said.

Stating that the mode of treatment in Covid-19 is still at an “experimental stage”, Guleria stressed on the need to have good and well-conducted research trials before its benefit, and this mode of therapy can be recommended for routine use in coronavirus patients. “AIIMS is working with the ICMR to conduct a clinical trial on the efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in Covid-19 patients,” he said. The doctor said it is necessary for all institutes to take necessary approvals from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and DCGI and follow proper clinical practice guidelines for this research.

“In very limited studies, globally, convalescent plasma as an adjunct to other supportive therapies and treatments has shown some benefit in the management of severe patients of Covid-19,” Guleria said. He also underlined that plasma has to be tested for its safety and it should have sufficient antibodies to be useful for giving it to Covid-19 patients. “Giving plasma from a recovered patient without testing whether it has enough antibody titer or not may cause more harm than good as it can cause transfusion-related reactions,” he said…Read More

Coronavirus pandemic: China ends 76-day lockdown imposed on epicentre Wuhan

Along the embankments and bridges, citizens waved flags and chanted “Wuhan, let’s go!” and sang a capella renditions of China’s national anthem.

The lockdown of Wuhan, which served as a model for countries battling the coronavirus outbreak around the world, has finally ended after 11 weeks. Chinese authorities are allowing residents of Wuhan to travel in and out of the sprawling city, which was the epicentre of the virus outbreak. From Wednesday midnight, the city’s 11 million residents are permitted to leave without special authorisation as long as a mandatory smartphone application powered by a mix of data-tracking and government surveillance shows they are healthy and have not been in contact with anyone confirmed to have the virus recently.

The occasion was marked with a light show on either side of the Yangtze river, with skyscrapers and bridges radiating animated images of health workers aiding patients, along with one displaying the words ‘heroic city’, a title bestowed upon Wuhan by president and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. Along the embankments and bridges, citizens waved flags, chanted “Wuhan, let’s go!” and sang a capella renditions of China’s national anthem.

“I haven’t been outside for more than 70 days,” said an emotional Tong Zhengkun, who was watching the display from a bridge. Residents in his apartment complex had contracted Covid-19, so the entire building was locked down. He couldn’t go out even to buy groceries, which neighbourhood workers brought to his door. “Being indoors for so long drove me crazy,” he said…Read More

Covid-19 Factoid: Counting the dead – from the US to Punjab and Iran

The US remains the most affected country with over 340,000 cases and the death toll at over 11,000

The global tally for Covid-19 cases is now nearing the 1.4 million mark and more than 76,000 people have lost their lives due to the coronavirus pandemic. Back home, India is inching closer to the tally of 5,000 cases and the death toll has risen to 125. The US remains the most affected country, with over 340,000 cases and the deaths now at over 11,000. It has recorded more than 1,000 deaths daily for four straight days.

Here are a few data trends showing the magnitude of the pandemic spread across 181 nations.

#1. The death toll in the US has crossed the 10,000 mark, slower than in Italy and Spained

While the US is the worst affect country globally when it comes to the total number of coronavirus-infected persons, the country’s path to cross the 10,000 deaths has been slower than Italy and Spain. Overall, Italy has the highest number of reported deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic.

#2. Italy has the highest death rate, followed by Netherlands

Despite the progressive growth in the number of deaths due to coronavirus infection in the US, it still fares better than Italy and Spain in terms of death rate. Italy, with over 1,40,000 cases and over 16,000 deaths, has a death rate of over 12 per cent. Italy is followed by Netherlands, with a death rate of around 11 per cent. The US has had a much lower rate of 3 per cent as of now….Read More