Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan on May 8, 2020, interacted with the State Health Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana through a Video Conference wherein he reviewed the preparedness efforts and containment measures regarding COVID-19. Further, he added that there is a need to increase the sampling and testing of SARI / ILI cases, along with proper quarantine arrangements of migrant workers returning from other states.
ICMR has initiated a multi-centre clinical trial called PLACID trial, “Phase-II Open-Label, Randomised Controlled Trial”, to assess the safety and efficacy of Convalescent Plasma to Limit COVID-19 associated Complications in Moderate disease. The study has received approval from the COVID-19 National Ethics Committee (CONEC) on April 29, 2020. ICMR has shortlisted 21 institutes for PLACID trial. They include 5 hospitals in Maharashtra; 4 in Gujarat; 2 each in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh; and 1 each in Punjab, Karnataka, Telangana and Chandigarh.
There are 216 districts which have not reported any COVID-19 case till date. As many as 42 districts have seen no fresh cases in the last 28 days while 29 districts have seen no fresh cases in the last 21 days. A total of 36 districts have seen no fresh cases in the last 14 days, and 46 districts have seen no fresh cases in the last 7 days.
The Ministry of Health has issued additional guidelines for States facility quarantine/ facility isolation in hotels, service apt, lodges etc., for returnees from abroad/contacts/ isolation of suspects or confirmed cases.
So far, a total of 16,540 patients have been cured. In the last 24 hours, 1,273 patients were found cured. This takes the total recovery rate to 29.36 %. This recovery rate is continuously increasing which currently means that almost 1 out of every 3 patients who were hospitalised has recovered/cured.
The total number of confirmed cases is now 56,342. Since May 7, 2020, an increase of 3,390 has been noted in the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in India. It is noted that on an average, 3.2% patients are on oxygen support, 4.7% of patients are in ICU, and 1.1% patients are on ventilator support, according to a PIB release.