Covid-19 Bulletin: Recovery rate nears 62%, AIIMS starts tele-consultation for doctors; Do’s & Don’t of fighting pandemic

New Delhi: The number of samples being tested for detection of COVID-19 is substantially growing every day. During the last 24 hours, 2,62,679 samples have been tested of which more than 53,000 samples have been tested in private labs. The cumulative number of samples tested, as of now is 1,04,73,771. With 795 labs in the government sector and 324 private labs, there are as many as 1119 labs in the country.

Recovery Rate continues to improve, touches 61.53%

With more COVID-19 patients recovering, the gap between the number of recovered cases and active cases has increased by 1,91,886 as on date. During the last 24 hours, a total of 16,883 COVID-19 patients have been cured, taking the cumulative figure of recovered cases to 4,56,830 so far. The rate of recovery among COVID-19 patients continues to increase over the days. It has touched 61.53% today. Presently, there are 2,64,944 active cases and all are under medical supervision.

AIIMS starts Tele-Consultation to help doctors manning ICU in state hospitals

Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare has now involved specialist doctors from AIIMS, New Delhi to provide expert guidance and knowledge support to doctors manning ICUs in State hospitals. Tele-consultation is a critical component of the clinical intervention protocol for COVID-19. A specialist team of doctors from AIIMS, New Delhi shall provide guidance on effective clinical management of COVID-19 patients in the ICUs of different State hospitals through tele/video consultation. They will handhold the States in clinical management of COVID-19 patients to reduce the case fatality rate. These tele-consultation sessions for providing timely and expert guidance to the doctors in the States shall be conducted twice every week, on Tuesdays and Fridays.The first session of this exercise has begun.Ten hospitals have been selected, including nine from Mumbai (Maharashtra) and one from Goa.

Recoveries per million population show a steep upturn

In India, the States/UTs with high case load of COVID-19 are turning their focus on early identification and effective clinical management of positive cases to ensure that recovery/million is more than active cases/million. This shows that while the total number of positive cases might be high but the recoveries are fast catching up, thereby keeping the active cases low. This has also ensured that COVID healthcare facilities are not under pressure and are not stretched. India has 315.8 recovered cases per million while the active cases per million in the country are at a low level of 186.3.States have followed the direction of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to substantially increase testing with the deployment of RT-PCR tests, Rapid Antigen Tests which have helped in early identification of the cases. States have developed several mobile apps to keep track of high risk population including the senior and elderly population, people with co-morbidities, pregnant women and small children. The involvement of the community, ASHAs and ANMs at the local government has led to effective surveillance in the community.

Cabinet approves Agriculture Infrastructure Fund

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri NarendraModi today has given its approval to a new pan-India Central Sector Scheme-Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. The scheme shall provide a medium – long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management Infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and financial support.Loans will be disbursed in four years starting with sanction of Rs. 10,000 crorein the current year and Rs. 30,000 crore each in next three financial years.

Cabinet approves proposal to extend EPF contribution to another 3 months

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri NarendraModi today has given its approval for extending the contribution both 12% employees’ share and 12% employers’ share under Employees Provident Fund, totaling 24% for another 3 months from June to August, 2020, as part of the package announced by the Government under Pradhan Mantri GaribKalyanYojana (PMGKY)/ Aatmanirbhar Bharat in the light of COVID-19, a Pandemic. This approval is in addition to the existing scheme for the wage months of March to May, 2020 approved on 15.04.2020. The total estimated expenditure is of Rs.4,860 crore. Over 72 lakh employees in 3.67 lakh establishments will be benefitted.

Free cylinders under Ujjwala Yojana for another 3 months

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for extension of time limit by three months w.e.f. 01.07.2020 for availing the benefits of “Pradhan Mantri GaribKalyanYojana” for Ujjwala beneficiaries. Under the PMGKY-Ujjwala, it was decided to provide free of cost refills for PMUY consumers for a period of 3 months w.e.f. 01.04.2020. Rs. 9709.86 Cr was transferred directly into the bank accounts of Ujjwala beneficiaries during April- June 2020 and 11.97 Crore cylinders were delivered to the PMUY beneficiaries. It has been observed that a section of PMUY beneficiaries are yet to utilize the advance credited into their account to purchase the cylinder refill within the scheme period. The Cabinet has approved the proposal to extend the time-limit for availing the advance by three months. Thus, the beneficiaries who already have the advance transferred to their account can now take the free refill delivery till 30th September.

Distribution of free of cost Whole Chana for 5 months from July to November

The Union Cabinet has approved further extension of Pradhan Mantri GaribKalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) as part of Economic Response to COVID-19, for another Five months from July to November, 2020.Under the Scheme it is proposed to distribute 9.7 Lakh MT cleaned whole Chana to States/UTs for distribution to all beneficiary households @ 1kg per month free of cost for next five months -July to November, 2020 at a total estimated cost of Rs.6,849.24 crore.About 19.4 crore households would be covered under the Scheme. All expenses on the extended PMGKAY are to be borne by the Central Government. Extension of the Yojana is in line with the commitments of the Government of India not to allow any body, especially any poor family, to suffer on account of non-availability of food grains due to disruption during next five months.

Cabinet approves PMGKAY extension, foodgrains for another 5 months

The Union Cabinet has approved further extension of Pradhan Mantri GaribKalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) as part of Economic Response to COVID-19 for additional allocation of food-grains from the Central Pool for another Five months from July to November, 2020.In the month of March 2020, the Government of India announced the ‘Pradhan Mantri GaribKalyan Package to ameliorate the hardships faced by the poor due to economic disruptions caused by the Covid-19 in the country. This package, inter-alia, comprises the implementation of “Pradhan Mantri GaribKalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY)”, through which additional free-of-cost foodgrains (Rice/Wheat) at the scale of 5 Kg per person per month are being provided to about 81 Crore beneficiaries, so that poor and vulnerable families/beneficiaries are able to access food-grains easily without facing any financial distress. Under this programme initially, free food-grains for three months i.e. April, May and June were provided.

Reimbursement of Oximeter per family allowed under ECHS

As measuring of oxygen saturation level is one of the most important parameters for monitoring the health of COVID-19 patients, Ministry of Defence, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare has decided to reimburse the cost of pulse oximeter purchased by the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) beneficiaries. The ECHS beneficiaries who have been tested positive for COVID-19 infection are permitted to purchase one pulse oximeter per family. The reimbursement shall be claimed as per actual cost of pulse oximeter, subject to a ceiling of Rs 1,200.

CSIR-Laxai Sciences to seek regulatory approval for clinical trials on Covid-19 patients

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), in collaboration with Laxai Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. Hyderabad, has sought regulatory approval to undertake four-arm randomized controlled phase III clinical trial. The design principle of the study is to rationally combine and repurpose antivirals (viral-entry and replication inhibitors) and host-directed therapies (HDTs) addressing the disease-spread and pathology simultaneously and to determine safety and efficacy of the three combination drugs (Favipiravir+Colchicine, Umifenovir+Colchicine and Nafamostat+5-ALA) and a control arm with the standard of care in COVID-19 patients. The clinical trial named MUCOVIN, to be carried out in the partnership with MedantaMedicity, will include a total of 300 patients in four different groups of 75 patients in the trials to be carried for 17 to 21 days including screening and treatment.