ICMR allows walk-in test for COVID-19 

As per the new directive issued by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) to states and union territories, people can now go for walk-in tests and will not be requiring a doctor’s reference for getting tested. The new advisory comes as a response to an order by the Delhi High Court which said that people with no symptoms – which forms a large base of COVID-19 patients in the country – must be able to get themselves tested. 

The guideline recommends adoption of “simplified modalities” for testing, implying that no restrictive measures should be implemented by the states on testing criteria for the patients. The guidelines also prefer molecular testing procedures (like RT-PCR) over cheaper and less reliable testing techniques (like Rapid Antigen Tests). 

Source: Hindustan Times 

India crosses 40 lakh COVID-19 cases 

On September 5 2020, India’s tally of COVID cases crossed the 40-lakh mark, making it all set to overtake Brazil and attain the second spot globally in terms of incidence of cases. It also registered more than 90 thousand cases on the same day, making it the highest single-day spike. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are the five states which reported the highest number of cases, with Maharashtra alone reporting over 20000 cases.

As on 5 September 2020, more than 31 lakh people have recovered, 70679 people have died while more than 8.61 lakh cases remain active across the country.  

In another development, the Chief of AIIMS has said that the country is witnessing the second wave of infection. He also said that the curve will probably flatten out by the beginning of next year but the pandemic will not end anytime soon. 

At present, five states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh account for 62% of the total active cases in India.  

Source: NDTV | India TV

Dhabas near Delhi become super-spreaders, contact tracing underway

75 employees at a highway-side Dhaba in Murthal, Haryana have been found to be positive. It is being estimated that more than 10 thousand people visited the dhaba in the last one week.  In another dhaba, 10 more employees tested positive.

It is now proving to be a challenging task for the district of Sonepat administration to trace all the contacts. These restaurants and dhabas are almost 70 kms away from the national capital. Passengers traveling to Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana often stop at these restaurants as they are really famous for their food.  

As a part of the ‘Unlock’ drive, traveling restrictions have also been eased. As a result, there has been increased interstate travel. The highway stores or restaurants are suddenly witnessing a surge in crowd, creating risk of spread. 

Source: NDTV

Highest single day spike for Noida, registers 213 fresh cases 

Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh registered 213 fresh cases, the highest in a single day. So far, 46 people have died due to Corona in the district and more than 7000 persons have been discharged. The mortality rate for the district was pegged at 0.52% — a positive factor. The recovery rate stood at 84%, dropping from 85% on Thursday. At present, there are more than 1300 active cases in the district, making it the 11th most affected district in the state in terms of active cases. 

Source: Hindustan Times | Livemint 

Survey by Ahmedabad municipality shows that around 40% patients lost antibodies post COVID-19 recovery 

As per a new survey conducted by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, 40% of the patients who recovered from COVID-19 have lost the antibodies, thus at risk of catching the infection again. The survey was conducted on 1800 people between March to July who tested positive for COVID-19. 

Developing antibodies means that the person has contracted the virus, recovered and subsequently created antibodies to the virus, making himself immune to the infection. The epidemic experts have called for detailed research into the survey and asked people to observe social distancing measures till the time a vaccine is available. The experts also said that reinfection has been reported in other countries as well. 

Source: Business Insider   

[Compiled by Rishabh Shrivastava]