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

Honduras President Tests Positive

Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19. 

Singapore Scientists Find Five Antibodies Blocking COVID-19

A team of Singapore scientists has discovered five antibodies that can block COVID-19 infection and protect against the key mutations that have emerged in the virus during the pandemic, the country's defence research and development organisation said on Wednesday.

Human trials for the lead antibody, AOD01, will commence in the coming months, pending approval from the Health Sciences Authority.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told  Supreme Court that the Central government had already issued a circular saying that the salaries of doctors and health staff will be paid and the Chief Secretaries of states must ensure this. Any violation of this will attract punishment.

This was in reply to a petition filed by Dr. Aarushi Jain in the Supreme Court

Beijing Reports First Locally Spread Case In Weeks

With a fresh spurt of 106 cases in COVID-19, Beijing is now reporting locally spread cases after two months.

PM Modi Speaks About COVID-19 Progress And Preparation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an address to the nation stated that the country has over 1 crore Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits. 

He also stated that India has enough diagnostic kits and production of ventilators have begun. He also emphasised that timely tracing have helped control the spread of the virus. 

COVID-19 Contact Tracing Increased: BMC

The BMC on Wednesday informed the Bombay High Court that it has increased contact tracing in the city to 1:10 ratio and plans to increase the same to 1:15 ratio, reports PTI.In an affidavit, the BMC has stated that for every COVID-19 patient, it had identified at least 10 high and low-risk contacts and over 78 lakh such people had been screened so far.

India Records Highest One-day Spike In COVID-19 Deaths

India recorded it's biggest ever single-day spike in deaths due to COVID-19 as the death toll rose by 2,003 to 11,903. 10,974 new cases were reported to take the total case count to 3,54,065.

Dexamethasone Reduces COVID-19 Mortality Concludes Oxford Study

The University of Oxford announced that the steroid dexamethasone reduced up to one-third of COVID-19 deaths on severely ill hospitalised patients providing evidence that this drug can increase chances of survival. The study revealed that dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-third in ventilated patients and by one-fifth in other patients receiving oxygen only. The researchers will publish the full results of the study soon.

"The survival benefit is clear and large in those patients who are sick enough to require oxygen treatment, so dexamethasone should now become standard of care in these patients. Dexamethasone is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide," said Peter Horby, a Chief Investigator in the trial.

New Zealand Reports Two New COVID-19 Cases

New Zealand has reported it's first COVID-19 cases in 24 days after two women from the same family tested positive for coronavirus. According a statement released by the Ministry of Health, the two women have recently arrived from the UK via Australia. The total number of cases in New Zealand stands at 1,156.

FDA Revokes HCQ's Emergency Use Authorization For COVID-19

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in a statement, said it has revoked the emergency use authorization (EUA) that allowed for chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate to be used for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The FDA said that on the basis of analysis and data, it has determined that HCQ is unlikely to be effective in treating COVID-19 for the authorized uses in the EUA. The FDA also said that with many patients suffering cardiac arrests due to HCQ, the potential benefits of HCQ no longer outweigh the risks involved.