Coronavirus India Updates: Tally Tops 27.6 Lakh; Recoveries Spike

Covid-19 cases in India continued to mount, along with deaths, as the country continues its efforts to restart the economy. Recoveries, however, also spiked as the country’s healthcare system gains more control over treatment of the virus.

The country added over 64,000 new cases in a matter of 24 hours, taking the total tally to over 27.6 lakh, according to the health ministry’s update as of 8:00 am on Aug. 19. This includes nearly 53,000 deaths and more than 20 lakh patients who have recovered. India has over 6.7 lakh active cases -- a curve that seems to be flattening.

Recoveries have crossed the 20-lakh mark today, with over 60,000 of them discharged in the last one day - the highest so far.

Key figures:

• Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases: 27,67,273
• Active cases: 6,76,514
• Cured/discharged/migrated: 20,37,870
• Deaths: 52,889
• Fresh cases in 24 hours: 64,531
• One-day recoveries: 60,091
• One-day deaths: 1,092

As recoveries are rising, so are deaths. Authorities reported over 1,000 deaths in a day for the fifth time today. The first time was on June 17 when states like Delhi and Maharashtra revised their fatality data after accounting for accruals. Barring that, today’s is the second highest deaths reported in a single day.

The Health Ministry has lauded the government’s efforts in fighting the virus, often highlighting that India has managed to reduce its fatality rate and increase its recovery rate. The recovery rate now stands at 74% while the fatality rate is less than 2% despite India reporting the fourth highest deaths in the world.

Global Update

Global virus cases topped 22 million, with the U.S., Brazil and India accounting for more than half the total.

Japanese exports plunged for a fifth month as the pandemic weighed on trade. South Korea’s infections jumped the most since March. U.S. President Donald Trump said he called off last weekend’s planned trade talks with China, saying Beijing’s handling of the virus was “unthinkable.” Thailand may extend its state of emergency for another month.

Globally, the death toll stood at 779,000.

Track all Covid-19 related news and updates for India, here.

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. has launched Avigan (Favipiravir) 200 mg tablets in India for treating patients showing mild to modeate symptoms of Covid-19.

The launch is part of the global licensing agreement with Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Co. Ltd. that grants the Indian drugmaker the exclusive rights to manufacture, sell and distribute the tablets in India, MV Ramana, chief executive officer of branded markets (Indian and Emerging Markets) at Dr. Reddy’s, said on Wednesday.

"The need for high quality and efficacy, affordability and better disease management are key priorities for us,” Ramana said. “We believe that Avigan would provide an effective treatment option to the Covid-19 impacted patients in India.”

Avigan (Favipiravir) has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India for the treatment of patients showing mild to moderate symptoms of Covid-19. It comes in a complete therapy pack of 122 tablets with a two-year shelf life. To ensure accelerated access to the medicine, Dr Reddy's has initiated a free home delivery service in 42 cities and set up a helpline centre from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, Monday to Saturday.

According to Ramana, Dr. Reddy’s as of now is importing the drug from Japan and will soon manufacture it locally. The company has already approached regulators of two or three countries, including the U.S., seeking approvals to sell the drug in those nations.

The Hyderabad-based drugmaker will launch another Covid-19 drug, Remdesivir, in the first week of September this year.

The Japan-based United Nation World Peace Association, a non-profit organisation, has hailed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.

In a letter to the Minister of State of Labour Nirmal Maji, UNWPA founder-president Fusao Kitagawa also lauded him for his contribution towards the society during this ongoing pandemic.

"...from the end of our representative we learnt about you and your state government. We also learnt about your humanitarian chief minister....

"We are also aware enough about your graceful contribution towards the society during this pandemic. Doctors are another form of omnipotent. The mankind is in your safe hands. We are feeling proud to provide you a certificate as the symbol of our gratitude and appreciations," Kitagawa wrote to Maji in the letter dated Aug. 17.

Maji, a doctor and the president of West Bengal Medical Council, said he is honoured and elated for this recognition.

"It will give me the impetus to keep on working for people," he said. The UNWPA is a non-profit organization registered with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs civil society.

Source: PTI

West Bengal on Tuesday recorded the highest single-day spike of 3,175 new Covid-19 cases, taking its tally to 1,22,753, as per an official bulletin. The state reported 55 more deaths, following which the toll rose to 2,528, it said.

Total 2,987 people recovered from the disease over the last 24 hours, improving the discharge rate to 75.51%. There are 27,535 active cases in the state at present, the bulletin issued by the Health Department said.

There are 27,535 active cases in the state at present, the bulletin issued by the Health Department said. West Bengal tested 35,107 samples for Covid-19 since Monday, it said. So far, 92,690 people have recovered from the disease in West Bengal.

Kolkata registered 17 of the latest deaths, while 11 people died in North 24 Parganas. Nine fatalities were reported from Howrah and Hooghly recorded four deaths. Three people died in South 24 Parganas, two each in Murshidabad and Malda districts, and one each in Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Paschim Bardhaman, Nadia, Birbhum, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, the bulletin said.

Source: PTI