After ramping up production to meet the steep demand spike during the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian medical device makers are now struggling with idle capacity. According to industry estimates, around a third of the installed capacity, especially for consumables, disposables, small-ticket electronic items, etc., is lying unutilised. Sample this: India used to produce just 6.24 million pieces of PPE kits per annum before the pandemic, but by June this was ramped up to 233.87 million pieces per annum.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said coronavirus cases have stabilised in the national capital and there is a possibility of the infections declining soon. In Mumbai, Mayor Kishori Pednekar also said the numbers of COVID-19 cases and its fast spreading variant Omircon were slowing down.
The death toll climbed to 66,333 with 1,045 more fatalities reported in 24 hours.
A total of 74,91,513 people have recuperated from COVID-19 so far taking the national recovery rate to 91.54 per cent while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.49 per cent.
Two women doctors were injured in the attack and had to be rescued by police.
The hospital where the boy was being treated since September 1 is on alert and the situation there was being closely monitored, sources said.
In a review meeting by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, these states and the union territory were asked to continue with rigorous vigil so as to contain the spread of infection as well as take steps to reduce fatalities.
With 1,73,195 cases, Maharashtra has the highest number of active cases.
NADA is gearing up for vigorous resumption of sample collection and testing after the home ministry allowed sports complexes and stadia to open but without spectators.
The Delhi high court on Monday granted bail to Jawaharlal Nehru University student Natasha Narwal, arrested last year in May in connection with the communal riots in north-east Delhi to perform the last rites of her father who succumbed to COVID-19.
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday said his side will not take the good showing in the first leg of the IPL for granted, adding that latest additions, including Sri Lanka's Wanidu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera, have added a new dimension to the team.
Nearly 57.50 lakh people have recovered so far, which is 6.32 times the active cases, the health ministry said.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said on Thursday that its total active cases stood at 33,961, and the total number of patients recovered so far at 333,603.
Pool testing reduces the number of test kits used, and therefore, increases testing capacity. Under the plasma therapy technique, transfusion of plasma from recovered patients to severally ill COVID-19 patients is conducted.
"Omicron has been detected in all countries where we have good sequencing and it's likely to be in all countries around the world. It is quickly, in terms of its circulation, overtaking Delta. And so Omicron is becoming the dominant variant that is being detected," Kerkhove said during a virtual questions and answers session.
'When the Olympics were postponed last year there were talks of the virus situation improving, but we are going from bad to worst.'
According to the zoo, two of the gorillas had started coughing on Wednesday, following which San Diego Zoo Global initiated the process of testing fecal samples from them for SARS-CoV-2 through the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System.
The Union health ministry data on Friday said the number of coronavirus cases in India breached the 45 lakh mark while a data released by a national public health institute in the US said the number of infections in the North American country crossed six million as of September 8.
As its factories resumed operations after over two-month of grim battle against coronavirus, China is busy tapping into the vast business opportunities of export of key medical goods, specially ventilators and personal protection equipment (PPE), across the world, including India, where both private and government bodies are placing orders for the import of these products.
Pollution is biggest reason behind the spike in COVID-19 cases in Delhi. We had situation under control until October 20, the CM said.
There are 8,62,320 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 20.96 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
Formula One got back on track in changed circumstances on Friday but with Mercedes bringing a familiar look to the timing sheets as six times World champion Lewis Hamilton led team mate Valtteri Bottas one-two in Austrian Grand Prix free practice. The Briton did 41 laps and lapped with a best time of one minute 04.816 seconds in a damp and overcast session, 0.356 faster than the Finn.
Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday said 26 Covid-19 patients died at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in the early hours and sought an investigation by the high court to find out the exact cause.
Many insurers either do not cover consumables like PPE kits, gloves, etc at all or cover up to a certain limit, warns Amit Chhhabra.
The country's total vaccination coverage has surpassed 6 crore on Sunday.
The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that a significant portion of this ocean plastic debris is expected to make its way onto either beaches or the seabed within three to four years.
The pandemic has shown that whether any of us have the virus or not, what most of us don't have when confronted by it is simple humanity.
The New York Times on Tuesday said Covaxin works by teaching the immune system to make antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The antibodies attach to viral proteins, such as the so-called spike proteins that stud its surface.
The recovery rate among COVID-19 patients has increased to 64.51 per cent.
'He was not scared of Covid, but always took all precautions.'
The top court said the private hospitals including laboratories have an important role to play in containing the scale of the pandemic by extending philanthropic services in the hour of national crisis.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,90,27,304.
Fresh bird deaths were reported on Tuesday, including over 900 from Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, amid cases of avian influenza in 10 states and union territories, with the Centre saying it has issued advisories on testing and maintaining sufficient stock of PPE kits for culling operations.
Terming coronavirus as a big health crisis before humanity, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said the only way to break the chain of transmission and contain COVID-19 cases is for people to 'close down everything' till May 15.
These 25 people include the 20 who were found positive with the mutated strain on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The decline in hospital admissions can be attributed to the drop in the number of positive cases, officials said.
According to the ministry, Maharashtra remained at the top with the total cases at 1,985, including 217 patients who have recovered/discharged and 149 patients died.
Candidates or their agents who have received both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine can also enter the counting hall on May 2 when votes for Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu will be counted, according to the guidelines issued on Wednesday.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease is 1,48,17,371, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.12 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The count of active cases has further reduced to 24,19,907, which is 8.84 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 90.01 per cent, the data showed.
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