Health

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) Drugmaker Lupin on Friday said it has launched antiviral medication Molnupiravir under the brand name Molnulup in the country for the treatment of COVID-19.

Molnupiravir has been given emergency use authorisation by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for treatment of adult COVID-19 patients who have a high risk of progression of the disease, including hospitalisation.

"The approval for Molnulup is timely as India is again experiencing an upward spike in COVID-19 incidences.

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) The single day rise in coronavirus infections was recorded above one lakh after 214 days, taking India's total tally of COVID-19 cases to 35,226,386 which includes 3,007 cases of Omicron reported across 27 states and UTs, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

Out of the total Omicron cases reported so far, 1,199 people have recovered or migrated.

Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of 876 cases followed by Delhi at 465, Karnataka 333, Rajasthan 291, Kerala 284 and Gujarat 204.

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) Amid a surge in Covid cases, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked Delhi and neighbouring districts to immediately strengthen health infrastructure, maintain buffer stocks of essential drugs and ensure that oxygen supply equipment is fully functional.

At a meeting convened to review the COVID-19 situation in the national capital and adjoining districts on Thursday, Bhalla also favoured ramping up of testing in all districts of Delhi-NCR where the number of tests is low.

Mumbai, Jan 5 (PTI) Mumbai reported 15,166 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, its highest-ever daily count and up 4,306 from a day ago, while three more patients succumbed to the infection, the city civic body said.

With these additions, the city's overall coronavirus count jumped to 8,33,628, while the death toll increased to 16,384, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a bulletin.

New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) Amid a surge in cases of coronavirus and its Omicron variant, the Delhi government has asked its nine hospitals to increase their cumulative Covid bed capacity to 4,350 from the existing 3,316, an official order said on Wednesday.

New Delhi, Jan 4 (PTI) Nearly 5,500 fresh cases of Covid have been reported in Delhi on Tuesday with a positivity rate of about 8.5 per cent, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said while asserting that the weekend curfew imposed in the city should not be treated as a lockdown.

Interacting with reporters, he said experts have been saying that the spike in Covid cases in Delhi should be considered largely due to the Omicron variant.

New Delhi, Jan 4 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and isolated himself at home.

The chief minister urged people who came in contact with him in the last few days to quarantine and get tested.

"I have tested positive for Covid. Mild symptoms. Have isolated myself at home. Those who came in touch wid (with) me in last few days, kindly isolate urself (yourself) and get urself tested," Kejriwal tweeted.

New Delhi, Jan 4 (PTI) Bharatiya Janta Party MP from North East Delhi and former state unit chief Manoj Tiwari on Tuesday said he tested positive for COVID-19 and has isolated himself at home.

He has developed fever and cold two days back and tested positive on Tuesday.

New Delhi, Jan 4 (PTI) As the world grapples with the highly mutated Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, scientists have identified a new strain of the COVID-19 causing virus in Southern France.

Known as 'IHU', the B.1.640.2 variant has been reported by researchers at institute IHU Mediterranee Infection in at least 12 cases, and has been linked to travel to African country Cameroon.

However, the researchers noted that it is too early to speculate on how this variant behaves as far as infection and protection from vaccines is concerned.

03 Jan 2022; MEMO: The Kuwaiti embassy in the United Kingdom has encouraged its citizens to leave the country due to a "significant and unprecedented" increase in Omicron cases there, Kuwait's state news agency, KUNA reported on Sunday.

The embassy warned in a statement that the rising figures may lead to the imposition of new restrictions including a national lockdown and irregular air traffic.