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Predicting that the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have subsequent waves as well, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization, who has been maintaining a keen eye on the developments in India, says the efforts put in in the next 6-18 months will be most critical in battling the pandemic.
“A lot depends also on the evolution of the virus itself, the ability of vaccines to keep up with variants, and it also depends on the duration of protective immunity of vaccines. A lot of this is changing,” she says.
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the latest updates:
National
India registers 2.81 lakh fresh cases, 4,106 deaths
India’s COVID-19 tally mounted to 2,49,65,463 on Monday, May 17, 2021, with 2,81,386 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest in 27 days, while the death toll climbed to 2,74,390 with 4,106 fatalities, according to Union health ministry data.
The number of active cases stands at 35,16,997, accounting for 14.09 per cent of the total infections. The national recovery rate has improved to 84.81 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,11,74,076, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.10 per cent, it stated.
WHO
COVID-19 response over next 6-18 months critical, says Soumya Swaminathan
Predicting that the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have subsequent waves as well, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization, who has been maintaining a keen eye on the developments in India, says the efforts put in in the next 6-18 months will be most critical in battling the pandemic.
In an online interview to The Hindu, she provides detailed responses to a range of topics that are simmering, resolves some doubts, and advocates strategies to adopt gainfully. Investments in health care are crucial, she says, because it is now clear that there is nothing without health, and without sufficient physical and mental well being, it would be impossible to take the path to recovery as well.
Delhi
Two foreigners arrested in oxygen racket case
Two foreign nationals were arrested for allegedly cheating people on the pretext of providing oxygen cylinders, the police said on Sunday. The accused were using more than 20 bank accounts and had duped more than ₹2 crore from over 1,000 people across India, said the officers.
The accused have been identified as Cheema Benneth (42), hailing from Nigeria and Jonathan Kojo (44), a permanent resident of Ghana, they said. On May 5, one complainant reported that he was in need of an oxygen cylinder for his relative who was suffering from COVID-19 and found a phone number on social media, the police said.
Tamil Nadu
Remdesivir to be sold directly to hospitals in Tamil Nadu
The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday revised the protocol for the sale of Remdesivir. From May 18, hospitals will have to send their representatives to the designated centres to collect the drug.
The system of relatives visiting these centres to get the drug was dropped as it led to chaos and prompted fears of spread of COVID-19 due to the long queues. The change was announced after a meeting between Chief Minister M.K. Stalin with Minister for Medical and Family Welfare M. Subramanian and Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan.
Karnataka
A week into lockdown, hospital cases decrease
A week into the lockdown, healthcare personnel have said that the caseload in hospitals has declined. This has reduced the demand for general beds. The case positivity rate has also declined over the last week. Now, there is a growing chorus from health care experts to extend the lockdown by at least another week.
On May 10, when the lockdown began, the positivity rate for the day was 31.66%. The total number of COVID-19 cases reported was 39,305 against 1.24 lakh tests. On May 16, the positivity rate for the day stood at 27.84 %, with 31,531 new cases, while the number of tests conducted was 1.13 lakh.
Andhra Pradesh
Plasma therapy has limited effect in COVID patients, says study
With the sharp spike in coronavirus infections and related deaths during the second wave the pandemic, there has been an increased clamour on plasma donation especially on various social media platforms.
However, a study involving 464 adults with moderate symptoms of the infection last year suggests that the Convalescent Plasma Therapy (CPT) has shown a limited effect in reducing the progression to severe disease or death.
(With inputs from our Correspondents and agencies)
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