India continues to record over 2 lakh new COVID-19 daily even as the rate of infection has been dropping. The number of deaths has also come down from the 4,000 mark and in the past 24 hours, India saw over 3,800 fatalities.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the number of black fungus cases had increased to 620 in Delhi, but the medicine needed to treat the rare infection was not available.?
The rise in the number of mucormycosis cases in many parts of the country, including Delhi-NCR, has led to a spike in the demand of Amphortericin B injection, a key drug used in the treatment of this fungal infection.?
The government has allocated 29,250 additional vials of Amphotericin-B drug to states and Union Territories, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Sadananda Gowda said on Wednesday.
Amphotericin-B is used to treat Mucormycosis, also known as Black Fungus, which damages the nose, eyes, sinuses, and sometimes even the brain.
Though cases in all 36 districts of Maharashtra have jumped during the second wave, 21 of them have had both cases and deaths rising.?
The state has surpassed last year¡¯s case tally of 19.32 lakh to reach 36.69lakh, but overall confirmed deaths so far this year (39,691) continue to be less than last year¡¯s 49,521. Of the 21 districts that bucked this trend, 11 had more than 100% rise in deaths.
With over 20 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines administered, 34% of those above 45 and 42% of 60-plus population have received their first shot, the health ministry said.
India has administered over 20 crore doses in 130 days, whereas the US took 124 days to reach the mark. Other leading countries, include the UK, which reached 5.1 crore in 168 days, while Brazil hit the 5.9 crore mark in 128 days and Germany reached 4.5 crore doses in 149 days.
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered US intelligence agencies to submit a report on the origin of Covid-19 in the next three months.
Biden directed the agencies to report on whether the Covid-19 virus that first emerged in China was from an animal source or from a laboratory accident.