COVID-19 UPDATES AS ON 31.7.2020

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Dr Harsh Vardhan chairs 19th meeting of Group of Ministers (GOM) on COVID-19

India has one of the lowest Case Fatality Rates globally, which is steadily decreasing: Dr Harsh Vardhan

A record 6,42,588 COVID-19 tests conducted in last 24 hours

Posted On: 31 JUL 2020 3:38PM by PIB Delhi

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare chaired the 19th meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19 by a video-conference, here today. Dr S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, Sh. Hardeep S. Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation, Sh. Mansukh Lal Mandaviya, Minister of State, Shipping (Independent Charge), Chemicals and Fertilizers, Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Health & Family Welfare and Sh. Nityanand Rai, Minister of State, Home Affairs were present during the meeting.

At the outset, the GoM was briefed on the current status of COVID-19 in India. Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated that “India has achieved the milestone of more than 1 million recoveries which has taken the Recovery Rate to 64.54%. This shows that the active cases under medical supervision are only 33.27% or approximately 1/3rd of total positive cases. India’s Case Fatality Rate is also progressively reducing and currently stands at 2.18%, one of the lowest globally.”

While speaking on the severity of cases found in India, Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated that, “Out of the total Active Cases, only 0.28% patients are on Ventilators, 1.61% Patients needed ICU support and 2.32% are on Oxygen support”. On the rapidly expanding testing capacity of India, the Union Health Minister highlighted that as on date, through a network of 1331 labs (with 911- Government labs and 420 private labs), India has conducted a record 6,42,588 tests in the last 24 hours. This has taken the cumulative tests to more than 1.88 crore.

The GoM was also apprised of the ramping up of the domestic production capacities of various sectors for manufacturing PPEs, masks, ventilators and drugs such as HCQ. In terms of healthcare logistics, cumulatively 268.25 lakh N95 masks, 120.40 lakh PPEs and 1083.77 lakh HCQ tablets have been distributed to States/UTs and Central Institutions.

Dr. Sujeet K Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC) presented the global comparison on daily cases, deaths & growth rate in top 10 countries with the highest case load. The GoM was briefed that overall recovery rate for India is 64.54% with the highest recovery rate being recorded by Delhi at 89.08%, followed by Haryana (79.82%). Karnataka has the lowest recovery rate of 39.36%. GoM was apprised on the distribution of confirmed cases along with locality and active cases in the containment zones across rural and urban India. Director NCDC also briefed the GoM on the growth rate in top 12 States (Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Telangana, Bihar, Rajasthan and Assam); number of tests and tests positivity rate across the States/UTs; and the active cases & deaths in top 20 districts and containment zones across districts.

He highlighted that efforts are being made to reduce mortality in high case load districts / cities and cities showing recent upsurge like Pune, Thane, Bengaluru, Hyderabad etc. The measures to be taken include revamping the strategy for effective management of containment zones through stricter perimeter control; widespread Rapid Antigen Tests; intensive & rapid door-to-door search; more isolation facilities for suspects/cases; standard case management protocols along with increase in oxygen supported beds & ventilators and assessing true burden through planned sero-surveys. Jan Chetana through targeted IEC campaigns and Jan Bhagidari (community involvement) were suggested as the way forward.

In moderate case load districts/cities, the efforts would focus on preventing spill-over from the high burden areas; limiting local spread; early identification of cases; strengthening contact tracing with the use of technology; and community involvement.

As for the low burden districts, the efforts aim at preventing infection among the population from other areas; strengthening Influenza Like Illness (ILI)/ Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) surveillance and targeted testing; rigorous contact tracing with targets to be set by the local administration (>15-20 contacts/case); and prior identification of high risk population. 

Sh. Amit Yadav, DGFT briefed the GoM on different items that were put under export restriction/prohibition during COVID-19 pandemic and their present status. The GoM deliberated upon the protocols being followed at the airports and the systemic improvements to improve the triaging of the incoming passengers.

Ms. Preeti Sudan, Health Secretary, Sh. Rajesh Bhushan, OSD (MoHFW), Sh. P D Vaghela, Secretary (Pharma), Sh. Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary (Civil Aviation), Sh. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary (Commerce), Sh. Ravi Capoor, Secretary (Textiles), Dr. Balram Bhargava, DG (ICMR), Dr Rajeev Garg, DGHS, Lt. Gen. Anup Banerji, DG, AFMS, Sh. Dammu Ravi, Addl. Secretary (MEA), Sh. Pankaj Agarwal, Addl. Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat), Sh. Anil Malik, Addl. Secretary (Home Affairs), Ms. Arti Ahuja, Addl. Secretary (MoHFW) representatives of ITBP, DGFT, MEA, M/o Defence and other senior government officials participated through virtual media.

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Dr Harsh Vardhan chairs session of The Bureau of The Executive Board of WHO

We need to come together & be more responsive to manage the new challenges to ensure a timely, adequate & coordinated global response: Dr. Harsh Vardhan

Posted On: 31 JUL 2020 6:39PM by PIB Delhi

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare presided over a meeting of the Bureau of the Executive Board as Chairman of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO), virtually. The Bureau also includes the Vice Chairs of the Executive Board and the Director General of WHO. Observer participants and senior officials of WHO Headquarters were also present.

The agenda of the meet included finalization of dates of 32^nd session of Program, Budget and Administration Committee (PBAC), and resumed sessions of 73^rdWorld Health Assembly (WHA 73) and 147^th Executive Board 147 (EB 147).

At the outset, Dr Harsh Vardhan welcomed the participants to the first meeting of the Bureau of the Executive Board and wished them well during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed his deepest condolences and concern at the loss of lives due to COVID-19 and offered sincere gratitude for the efforts of those on the frontline.

Recollecting the global crisis COVID 19 has unleashed, he said; “It is about four months ago that the WHO declared the COVID-19 as pandemic. About 17 million people have been infected by COVID-19 and more than 662 thousand precious lives have been lost world wide due to this pandemic. The magnitude of the damages caused to the world economy is also immense.” He further stated that: “The world has now realised the importance of health and the need for greater cooperation amongst countries to tackle the risks and dangers being posed by innumerable communicable and non-communicable diseases. In the era of globalisation, when the world is a large home to all humanity, the risk and challenge to spread of a disease is even bigger since it does not distinguish between boundaries of countries.”

In this regard, Dr Harsh Vardhan urged WHO members “to forge multi-sectoral collaboration to mobilize and galvanize global response, support and cooperation to fight communicable and non-communicable diseases more effectively.” There is a need to explore innovative ways to address new threats and challenges in the post pandemic phase, he added.

He further stressed on the mutual “need to come together to be more responsive in terms of managing the new challenges being faced so as to ensure a timely, adequate & coordinated global response.”

Dr. Harsh Vardhan subsequently gave the floor to Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO for his comments and opened the session for the participants.

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COVID-19 UPDATES AS ON 30.7.2020

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

India’s Total COVID-19 Recoveries cross the milestone of 10 lakh

Posted On: 30 JUL 2020 6:15PM by PIB Delhi

India has achieved the landmark of more than 10 lakh recoveries from COVID-19.

This is a testament to the sheer dedication to duty and selfless sacrifice of doctors, nurses and all frontline healthcare workers which has made such a tremendous recovery of COVID-19 patients a reality. Coordinated implementation of COVID-19 management strategy by the Union and State/UT governments has ensured that the recoveries are continuously on the rise with 1 lakh recoveries at the start of June to more than 10 lakh today.

The successful implementation of effective containment strategy, aggressive testing and standardized clinical management protocols based on a holistic Standard of Care approach have in a seamless manner resulted in a consistent trend of more than 30,000 recoveries/day for the seventh day in a row. There has been a continued increase in the average daily recoveries from around 15,000 in first week of July to around 35,000 in the last week.

With 32,553 patients discharged in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries have jumped to 10,20,582. The recovery rate today stands at 64.44% amongst COVID-19 patients. The gap between recovered patients and active COVID-19 cases currently stands at 4,92,340. With this figure, the recovered cases are 1.9 times the active cases (5,28,242, all under medical supervision).

The State/UT governments have taken many measures at the ground level to increase affordable hospital infrastructure for seamless clinical management. The success can also be seen with 16 States/UTs recording higher Recovery Rate than the national average rate.

 

The aggressive testing along with ramped up hospital infrastructure by combining public and private sector efforts has enabled early identification and prompt triaging of COVID-19 patients leading to lower fatalities. The focus of containment strategy has been on early detection and isolation along with prioritizing care for the severe cases and high-risk population. This has ensured that India has one of the lowest Case Fatality Rate (CFR) at 2.21% as compared to the Global average of 4%. 24 States/UTs have lower CFR than the national average and 8 States/UTs are showing CFR below 1%.

For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ and @MoHFW_INDIA.

Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be sent to technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and @CovidIndiaSeva .

In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no.: +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at  https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf.

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

India tests a total of 1.82 crore samples

Posted On: 30 JUL 2020 6:11PM by PIB Delhi

The combined and focused efforts of Union and State/UT Governments have resulted in ramped up testing across the country to ensure early detection and isolation of COVID-19 positive cases.

4,46,642 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. The average daily tests (on a rolling week on week basis) have increased from 2.4 lakh in the first week of July to more than 4.68 lakh in the  last week of July.

The testing lab network in the country is continuously strengthened with 1321 labs in the country, as on date; 907 labs in the government sector and 414 private labs. These include:

• 

• 

• 

The enhanced testing infrastructure has led to a sharp increase in the cumulative testing from 88 lakh total tests (1

The Tests Per Million (TPM) has subsequently increased to 13,181.

As per the “Test, Track and Treat” strategy of  the Union Government, the ramped up testing in the country has resulted in reduction in Positivity Rate across the country. Currently 21 States/UTs are reporting Positivity Rate of less than 10%.

For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ and @MoHFW_INDIA.

Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be sent to technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and @CovidIndiaSeva .

In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no.: +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at 

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

More than 10 lakh patients in India recover from COVID-19; recovery rate is continuously rising, while fatality rate is decreasing: Health Ministry

Posted On: 30 JUL 2020 6:37PM by PIB Mumbai

Mumbai, 30 July 2020

More than 10 lakh patients in India have recovered from COVID-19 so far. COVID-19 Recovery Rate is continuously rising. Stating this, Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Health Ministry stated, “"It is a piece of heartening news as it reflects that whatever efforts are being put in this battle against COVID-19 by the Union Government in collaboration with the state governments is actually showing results. This is not just a big piece of good news but a big achievement as well. It shows how our public health system worked together and saved more than 10 lakh lives”. As on June 4, one lakh patients had recovered; around June 25, the figure of recoveries had crossed 3 lakh and today morning, the total number of recoveries stood at 10,20,582. “The landmark recovery of more than 1 million COVID-19 recoveries has been achieved due to the selfless work, dedication and commitment to duty, of our frontline health care workers. It is a time for us to stand up and applaud their contribution”, further stated Shri Bhushan. He was addressing the media in a press briefing on the actions taken, preparedness and updates on COVID-19 held at National Media Centre in New Delhi today. Shri Bhushan also stated, there is a continuous decrease in proportion of active COVID19 cases and a progressive increase in proportion of recovered cases. This apart, percentage of deaths is also coming down. This apart, based on 7-day rolling average, 21 states and UTs have a COVID-19 positivity rate which is less than 10%, informed the Health Secretary.

Explaining in detail, Shri Bhushan said,” Around the first week of July, more than 14,800 recoveries on an average used to occur in a daily basis. Over the last week, an average of 34,230 recoveries took place every day. In many States and UTs the rate of recovery has been higher than this. The national average recovery per day on a week-on-week basis has been showing a progressive increase. In terms of percentage, the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients in the country, which was less than 8% in April, is now more than 64%”. He also stated, 16 states have reported a COVID-19 recovery rate which is higher than the national average rate. Delhi has the highest recovery rate of 88.99%, followed by 80.185 in the UT of Ladakh and then Haryana at 78.56%.

The Health Secretary further said, COVID-19 case load of India, that is the count of active cases is 5,28,242, whereas 10,20,582 lakh patients have recovered till today morning. Hence, number of recovered cases is 1.9 times more than that of active cases. Speaking about fatality rate, he said, while the fatality was 3.33% in the month of June and has now come down to 2.21% which is amongst the lowest in the world, except for Russia, while most developed western countries have a fatality rate which is 5-7 times higher than that of India. Further, 24 states and UTs report a COVID-19 fatality rate which is lower than the national average. Many states have a fatality rate which is less than 1%, he added. “Effective clinical management as per standard clinical treatment protocols issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been successful in reducing fatality rate due to COVID-19”, said the Health Secretary.

This apart, the daily rate of testing has also increased. More than one crore tests have been done in this one month, leading to a cumulative number of more than 1.81 crore tests till today. On July 1, the figure of total testing was 88 lakhs. This has been possible because of forming 1321 labs, informed Shri Bhushan. From 2.4 lakh COVID-19 tests per day in the beginning of this month, now we are testing more than 4.6 lakh tests per day; on three days between July 25-27, more than 5 lakh tests per day were done too. This enables us to identify and treat cases timely, stated Shri Bhushan. While the national average is 324 tests per day per million populations, 31 States and UTs are continuing to perform more than 140 tests per day per million populations, as per WHO’s guidelines. We are engaging with other states to help them change their testing strategy and reduce positivity rate, further stated the Health Secretary.

In reply to a media query on whether developing ‘herd immunity’ via previous COVID-19 infection a strategic option or choice for India, the Health Secretary stated, “No, it is not, in a country like India, with a population of roughly 138 crores, it can only be an outcome, at a very high cost”. Explaining this, he said, Herd Immunity is a kind of indirect protection from an infectious disease like COVID-19, which happens only when a population becomes immune, either through vaccination or previous infection. Stating this, he advised that we need to sustain COVID-19 appropriate behaviours.

About progress made in the two indigenous vaccines, Shri Bhushan informed, those are undergoing Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials which are being conducted on more than 1,000 subjects for each vaccine. In this connection, the Health Secretary informed, Health Ministry has begun to actively engage with stakeholders within & outside the Government on prioritizing distribution & administering of COVID-19 vaccines, if and when they become available. He further said, there is near unanimity on the need to administer COVID-19 vaccine on a much larger scale than other vaccines; apart from questions regarding logistics, this poses many ethical questions which are still being deliberated upon within the Central Government, he added.

Shri Bhushan also informed, India is a member of and plays a leading role in both Gavi and CEPI vaccine projects. A dedicated facility called COVAX for vaccines has been developed under this, along with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance & the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). Notably, WHO has evolved Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, to accelerate the Development, Production and Equitable Access to New COVID-19 diagnostics, drugs & vaccines. The ACT facility under WHO will pool requirement & manufacturing capacity of countries to enable equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

On a media query regarding insurance scheme for COVID-19 healthcare workers, Shri Bhushan stated, 131 claims have been received, while 20 cases have been settled, 64 are under process and 47 are with states so far. Maximum cases are in Maharashtra, Delhi, Telangana, he added.

About Unlock-3 Guidelines where gyms & yoga centres have been allowed to be opened from August 5, the Health Secretary said, Health Ministry is taking technical inputs from domain knowledge experts, guidelines for operation of these facilities will be issued adequately in advance.

The presentation given by Health Secretary can be found here.

 

 

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DJM/SC/DR

 

 

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COVID-19 UPDATES AS ON 29.7.2020

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

India’s cumulative testing crosses 1.77 crore

Tests Per Million increase to 12858

Posted On: 29 JUL 2020 4:40PM by PIB Delhi

The State/UT governments under the guidance of Centre are steadily ramping up testing to ensure prompt identification and isolation of COVID-19 positive cases. With 4,08,855 samples tested in the last 24 hours, the number of Test Per Million (TPM) has increased to 12,858 and cumulative testing has crossed 1.77 crore.

The testing lab network in the country is continuously strengthened with 1316 labs in the country; 906 labs in the government sector and 410 private labs.  These include:

•           Real-Time RT PCR based testing labs: 675 (Govt: 411 + Private: 264)

•           TrueNat based testing labs: 537 (Govt: 465 + Private: 72)

•           CBNAAT based testing labs: 104 (Govt: 30 + Private: 74)

 

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released a document titled “COVID-19 Pandemic and Tobacco Use in India”. It can be accessed at:

https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/COVID19PandemicandTobaccoUseinIndia.pdf

For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ and @MoHFW_INDIA.

Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be sent to technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and @CovidIndiaSeva .

In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no.: +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

India’s Case Fatality Rate (CFR) lowest since 1st April at 2.23%

Total recoveries fast nearing 1 million

More than 35,000 recovered in last 24 hours

Posted On: 29 JUL 2020 3:37PM by PIB Delhi

Coordinated implementation of “Test Track Treat” strategy by the Union and State/UT governments has effectively ensured that the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is maintained at a low level when compared to the global scenario, and it has been progressively falling.

The Case Fatality Rate stands at 2.23% today and it is lowest since 1^st April 2020.  

Not only has the CFR been kept a low rate, the successful implementation of effective containment strategy, aggressive testing and standardized clinical management protocols based on holistic Standard of Care approach have in tandem resulted in a consistent trend of more than 30,000 recoveries/day for the sixth consecutive day.

The total number of recovered cases is fast approaching 1 million. With 35,286 patients discharged in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries have jumped to 9,88,029. The recovery rate has reached another high of 64.51% amongst COVID-19 patients.

With such consistent increase in recoveries, the gap between recovered patients and active COVID-19 cases currently stands at 4,78,582. Active cases (5,09,447) are under medical supervision.

For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ and @MoHFW_INDIA.

Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be sent to technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and @CovidIndiaSeva .

In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no.: +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at  https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf.

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Dr. Harsh Vardhan releases book on Standard Treatment Guidelines for of Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and Behavioral Addictions

“Awareness and cooperation between society and medical fraternity to fight the menace of addiction imminent for realisation of the Prime Minister's Vision of New India”

“The Guidelines will help towards reducing the treatment gap for substance use disorders and help the country in its progress towards becoming healthier, happier and more prosperous”

Posted On: 29 JUL 2020 4:47PM by PIB Delhi

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare released the e-book titled “Standard Treatment Guidelines for the Management of Substance Use Disorders and Behavioural Addictions” that aims to tackle substance abuse and behavioral addiction in the country, here today, through video conference, in the presence of Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, MoS (HFW).

Speaking on Substance Use Disorder as a growing public health problem, especially among youth and adolescents, Sh. Ashwini K. Choubey said, “such problems will become more rampant as society adopts modern lifestyle. The Behavioural change also manifests in increased rate of suicides which we have seen during the COVID pandemic.” He commended the Drug Deaddiction Program (DDAP) under the Health Ministry and other stakeholders for implementing such initiatives across throughout the country.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan spoke on “the harmful association of Substance Use with non-communicable disorders (NCDs) like cardiovascular, cancer, road traffic injury, as well as mental health is well established.” He also expressed his satisfaction that “behavioural addictions like gambling, shopping, cyber-relational and cyber-sexual addictions including over-involvement in online relationship and pornography and addiction to online games has been included in the standard treatment guidelines.”

On the importance of addressing challenges to addiction in the times of COVID-19, Dr Harsh Vardhan cautioned that the World Drug Report 2020 “suggests that COVID-19 can have other fallouts just like earlier economic crises have caused – users seeking out cheaper synthetic substances; a shift to more injecting; economic downturn causing the poor and disadvantaged to turn to drug use and suffer its consequences.” He also elaborated on the “emerging evidence that smoking increases risk for COVID-19 as well as worsens the outcome in people who get infected with the virus. Alcohol intoxication can also increase the risk and the other effects including a reduction of immunity can increase the risk.” Similar effects can be anticipated with other drugs as well, he added.

Recollecting his experience in implementing WHO’s essential drug policy as the Health Minister of NCT of Delhi, he underscored the relevance of having a set of standard guidelines to help health professionals in preventing as well as minimising the harm from drug use. He said that the “Standard Treatment Guideline (STG) developed by the DDAP outlines a robust recommendation about the management of various Substance use Disorders or Addiction such that every general clinic can follow them.” He hoped “these Guidelines will help towards reducing the treatment gap for substance use disorders and help the country in its progress towards becoming healthier, happier and more prosperous.”

Impressed with the success of Government campaign to instil COVID appropriate behaviour in the masses such that every child is as aware of the norms as the expert recommending them, he pressed the need for a mass campaign to address the issue.  “This is a social issue not limited to the medical fraternity. Individuals in public life and religious organizations should also be involved in raising awareness. Awareness and cooperation between society and medical fraternity to fight the menace of addiction imminent for realisation of the Prime Minister's Vision of New India”

The National Mental Health Survey 1996 showed a treatment gap of 76-85% for substance use disorders mostly related to addiction to tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and opioids. The Standard Treatment Guidelines are developed by an Expert Group identified by the Tobacco Control and Drug Dependence and Treatment Programme (TC and DDAP). The group consists of psychiatrists working in the area of substance use prevention and treatment from National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Science  (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, AIIMS, New Delhi, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research  (PGIMER), Chandigarh, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College  (VMMC) and Safdarjung Hospital, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (ABVIMS) and Dr. RML Hospital. The Guidelines are also available through the digital library of resources, available at: http://books.vknnimhans.in/books/jllx/#p=1.

This library has potential to be expanded in terms of regional, national and international resources that can be used for substance use treatment programmes in the country. The appendix contains an E-repository of resources in the area. Digital training of doctors through this book aims to reach the under-served populations through doctors and health professionals working in remote and poorly resourced settings.

Ms. Preeti Sudan, Health Secretary, Shri Rajesh Bhushan, OSD (HFW) and senior officials of the Ministry were also present. Dr. Rakesh Chadda, HoD, NDDTC, AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr. BN Gangadhar, Director, NIMHANS, Bengaluru and contributors to the book joined the programme through virtual platforms.

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COVID-19 Pandemic and Tobacco Use in India

UPDATES ON COVID-19 AS ON 28.7.2020

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

India tests more than 5 lakh per day for the 2nd day in a row

More than 1.73 crore samples tested as on today

Tests Per Million (TPM) jumps to 12,562

Posted On: 28 JUL 2020 5:28PM by PIB Delhi

Pursuant to “Test, Track, Treat” strategy, India has created and maintained a new high of testing more than 5 lakh COVID-19 in a single day over two consecutive days. This is the outcome of the combined and focused efforts of Union and State/UT Governments on aggressive testing as the first important step in the early detection and isolation of COVID-19 positive cases. On 26th July, India tested a total of 5,15,000 samples and on 27th July, a total of 5,28,000 samples were tested.

The graded and evolving response resulted in a testing strategy that steadily widened the testing network in the country, and the cumulative testing as on date has crossed 1.73 crore. The Tests Per Million has further improved to 12,562.

The testing capacity of India has received another boost with the induction of three high throughput testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata that were inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister yesterday. The testing lab network in the country is continuously strengthened with 1310 labs in the country; 905 labs in the government sector and 405 private labs. These include:

• Real-Time RT PCR based testing labs: 668 (Govt: 407 + Private: 261)

• TrueNat based testing labs: 537 (Govt: 467 + Private: 70)

• CBNAAT based testing labs: 105 (Govt: 31 + Private: 74)

 

For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ and @MoHFW_INDIA.

Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be sent to technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and @CovidIndiaSeva .

In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no.: +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf .

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

India’s Case Fatality Rate (CFR) further improves and drops to 2.25%

Total Recoveries continue on an upward trend, cross 9.5 lakh today

More than 35,000 Recoveries registered yesterday

Posted On: 28 JUL 2020 3:01PM by PIB Delhi

India’s Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is progressively falling and currently, it is 2.25%. India continues its march as a country with one of the lowest fatality rates in the world. This achievement is a result of effective implementation of containment strategy combined with house-to-house surveys, aggressive testing and standardized clinical management protocols based on holistic Standard of Care approach which ensured that hospitals were left unburdened with supervised home isolation for the asymptomatic patients.

Under the guidance of Central government, State/UT governments have focused on reducing the fatalities by effectively managing the severe cases and prioritising care of the high-risk population using field health care workers leading to decrease in the CFR across the country. The CFR has reduced from around 3.33% in mid-June to 2.25% today.

The ramped up three-tier hospital infrastructure along with prompt and seamless patient management has helped consistent increase in the recoveries. For the fifth day in a row, India has seen more than 30,000 recoveries per day. The focused efforts of Centre and State/UT governments on early detection and isolation along with handholding of States/UTs by the expert teams of AIIMS, New Delhi for efficient clinical management of hospitalized cases and periodic visits of central teams, have borne results with continuously improving Recovery Rate.

The Recovery Rate has seen a sharp increase from around 53% in mid-June to more than 64% as on today. With 35,176 patients discharged in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries stand at 9,52,743.

With improving daily recovery number, the gap between the recovered cases & the active cases is also persistently increasing. Presently, it is 4,55,755. This means the actual active case load is presently 4,96,988 and all are under medical supervision.

For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ and @MoHFW_INDIA.

Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be sent to technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and @CovidIndiaSeva .

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Dr. Harsh Vardhan participates in 2nd Empathy e-Conclave on “World Hepatitis Day” for creating awareness among parliamentarians

“This year’s theme, ‘Keep your Liver Safe in COVID times’, is very apt, important and relevant to these testing times”

Posted On: 28 JUL 2020 11:55AM by PIB Delhi

On the occasion of “World Hepatitis Day”, 2nd Empathy e-Conclave was organised with Sh. Om Birla, Speaker of Lok Sabha as the Chief Guest and Sh. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Law and Justice (who participated digitally) along with Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare as the guests of honour. The event was organised by Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in collaboration with Airport Authority of India (AAI) for creating awareness among the parliamentarians.

At the outset, Dr. S. K. Sarin, Director, ILBS made a presentation and highlighted the importance of healthy liver and features of “Empowering People Against Hepatitis: The Empathy Campaign” by ILBS in partnership with AAI, undertaking several innovative initiatives across the country and reaching out to diverse populations.

Inaugurating the Conclave, Sh. Om Birla said, “It is my pleasure that I could participate in observing World Hepatitis Day for the second year in a row.  In these trying times, when India along with the whole world is fighting the pandemic, it is our dedication and will that have enabled us to come together via this e-conclave. We are committed to the WHO goals of elimination of Hepatitis C and of reducing the burden of Hepatitis B by 2030. We, as the representatives of people of India, have a larger responsibility of spreading awareness in people about this disease so as to make this a Jan Andolan.”

Welcoming everyone to the Conclave, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “The theme of this year’s conclave is “Keep your Liver Safe in COVID times”, which is very apt and important especially in these testing times. Under the guidance of Hon. Prime Minister, the pre-emptive and proactive measures taken have helped us control the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. While the mortality due to COVID-19 is approximately 2 to 3 % and most cases are largely asymptomatic, it is important to create awareness about the higher risk of both morbidity and mortality faced by people with co-morbidities like diabetes, obesity and fatty liver, chronic liver diseases. The Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres are tirelessly working for screening of such conditions.”

Highlighting the issue to creating mass awareness and community mobilisation, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “Hepatitis has become a global health problem. Viral Hepatitis is a very common and serious disease in India, but is virtually unknown to health care providers and the general public. Individuals with viral B & C hepatitis are at increased risk for liver cancer and chronic liver disease, yet an estimated 80 percent of persons with chronic viral hepatitis do not know that they are infected. The mantra to educating people is “Talk Test & Treat” and I appeal to all participants especially from industries, NGOs and other fraternity to support ILBS in this campaign. I request all my colleagues present here to act as a Champion/Ambassador in spreading awareness about the silent epidemics of Hepatitis B & C and help remove the stigma attached to these diseases.”

On the contribution of ILBS, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “ILBS is also a WHO collaborative centre. It helped in the development of the National Viral Hepatitis Program which was launched on July 28, 2018. It is the largest program for Hepatitis B and C diagnosis and treatment in the world. We have made seminal progress in reaching out to the people and now every state has several model treatment units.”

Dr. Harsh Vardhan also congratulated Dr. S. K. Sarin and Team ILBS for their tireless efforts towards the fight against ongoing COVID – 19 pandemic by testing SARS-Cov-2 samples since the last four months. “It’s indeed been a matter of pride that the country’s first Plasma Bank was made functional at ILBS. Plasma warriors have been selfless contributors helping in improving Recovery Rate in India ”.

At the end of the event, all participants took a pledge of “Healthy Liver – Healthy India” by committing to care for the liver even during the COVID-19 pandemic and spread the same message to at least ten people. The event concluded with a vote of thanks.

Dr. Poonam Khetrapal, Regional Director, SEARO (WHO), Sh. Vijay Kumar Dev, Chief Secretary of Delhi, Sh. Arvind Singh, Chairman, AAI and other parliamentarians and audience also participated through digital platforms.

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