Coronavirus LIVE Update: India's Cases Rise To 59,92,532; 94,503 Dead

Multiple States Report New Cases

Andhra Pradesh reported new cases taking the state's total to 161. 

Other states also reported new cases. Gujarat reported 8 new cases taking the state's total to 95. Odisha and Goa confirmed its sixth cases. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh's counts increased to 154 and 120 respectively.

Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh Report New Deaths

A 55-year-old man who had died in Andhra Pradesh was confirmed COVID-19 positive days after his death. This is the first death reported by the state. 

Himachal Pradesh reported its second death as a woman from Solan District whose COVID-19 status was earlier unreported died in PGIMER Hospital, Chandigarh. 

A 78-year-old in Vadodara, Gujarat passed away due to COVID-19 taking the state's toll to 8 casualties. 

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has given its consent for initiation of COVID-19 testing in laboratories under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

Maharashtra, BMC To Conduct Antibody Testing

Maharashtra and BMC have stated that they are going to get their health workers tested for the antibody tests and have written to the Centre for the same. The governments believe that the workers who have been continuously handling cases may have developed antibodies and immunity towards the virus and will be bertter prepared to tackle COVID-19. 

ICMR Recommends Antibody Testing For Quick Detection Of Virus

The ICMR has recommended antibody testing in areas that have reported many cases. These are blood tests as opposed to the swab tests conducted for diagnosis of coronavirus and will detect COVID-19 positive cases. 

Maharashtra Creates COVID-19 Self Assessment Platform

The Maharashtra government has created a digital platform, wherein citizens can self assess their symptoms from the comfort of their homes and later contact authorities if they have any doubts about their condition

More Testing Kits Awaited In India

At least four multinational manufacturers of Covid-19 test kits are gearing up to supply more than a million diagnostic kits to India, as the country looks to ramp up testing for the novel coronavirus.

The US-based Thermo Fisher Scientific, Germany's Siemens and Altona, and South Korea's Seegene are all expected to start supplying Covid-19 test kits this week, claim sources.

DCGI Asks States For Manufacturer Details

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has asked the state drug controllers to provide details regarding the number of manufacturing units operational at present, percentage of average daily production of formulations and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and percentage of employees as compared to the pre-Covid-19 situation.

Indian Pharmas Want Govt To Get APIs From China

Indian pharma companies have asked the government to airlift from China key active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) required to make hydroxychloroquine — one of the drugs recommended to treat severe Covid-19 patients and frontline healthcare workers.

IPCA Labs, Zydus Takeda, Mangalam Drugs & Organics and Wallace Pharma are among the manufacturers of this drug that are looking at an erratic supply chain of these drugs.

Some companies said the price of the bulk drug has shot up almost three-fold to Rs 20,000 per kg from Rs 7,000 per kg in February.

The government has told pharma companies that it would take over their manufacturing plants if they stop producing these drugs at this crucial time.

UN Approves Resolution For International Cooperation

The UN General Assembly on Thursday approved a resolution calling for "international cooperation" and "multilateralism" in the fight against COVID-19, in the first text to come out of the international body since the pandemic's outbreak.

The resolution, which was approved by consensus, also stresses "the need for full respect for human rights" and that "there is no place for any form of discrimination, racism and xenophobia in the response to the pandemic."