India recorded its biggest-ever single-day spike with 1,84,372 Covid-19 cases, besides 1,027 deaths, in 24 hours. This is the highest number of cases that India has ever recorded and is now the second country after the USA to record these many cases in the span of 24 hours.
As the sudden surge in cases across the nation has led to an unprecedentedly high demand of Remdesivir, the government has announced that the production of the antiviral drug will be ramped up and its prices reduced. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan also called for stringent action against those found hoarding or black-marketing the drug.
States like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have flagged depleting stocks of the injectable antiviral drug, which, they say, has added to the crisis caused by the surge. Responding to this, Dr Harsh Vardhan told ANI, “The shortage of Remdesivir happened because its production was reduced as Covid-19 cases were decreasing. But our drug controller and (the Chemicals and Fertilizers) ministry held a meeting with stakeholders and have asked manufacturers to strengthen production.”
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya further informed, “The government has decided to increase the production and supply and reduce the prices of Remdesivir. This will ramp up production capacity for manufacturing to around 80 lakh vials a month. Manufacturers of Remdesivir are to reduce the price to less than Rs 3,500 by the end of this week.”
“In case of any complaint of black marketing or hoarding of doses, stringent action will be taken by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). Stringent action should be taken against those who are exploiting people by inflating the price of Remdesivir,” said Dr Harsh Vardhan.
Earlier this week, the Centre banned the export of the Remdesivir injections and active pharmaceutical ingredients, which was cleared by the drug regulator for restricted use in an emergency situation in June. It is being used for the treatment of patients with severe Covid-related complications. The government has stated that the drug must be given only in serious cases and not be used at home.
“It is an investigational drug. Its role has been clearly defined in the clinical management protocol. Remdesivir is to be used only in those who require hospitalisation and are on oxygen support. There is no question of its use in home settings and for mild cases. That is unethical,” said NITI Aayog member VK Paul, flagging “irrational” use of the drug.
Meanwhile, the Union Health Minister emphasised that there is no shortage of vaccines and the Centre is providing them to every state. “It is the job of the states to provide the vaccine at the centre in a time-bound manner along with monitoring the drive and meticulous planning,” he said.
Dr Harsh Vardhan also responded to questions about the Kumbh Mela which is attracting lakhs of people by saying, “It is clear that it is a new virus and the most important Covid-appropriate behaviour is using masks, distancing and sanitisation. Wherever it is not followed, it is dangerous…We should go back to Covid-appropriate behaviour and only then we can lower the cases.”
However, the viral infection is still rapidly spreading in most regions of the country. Delhi witnessed another record high because of it with 17,282 new Covid-19 cases and 104 deaths in 24 hours. It also registered 9,952 recoveries. With this, the total number of cases in the national capital has increased to 7,67,438 and the death toll stands at 11,540. 7,05,162 people have recovered so far. There are 50,736 active cases.
Maharashtra reported 58,952 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, besides 278 deaths. The total cases in the state have now reached 35,78,160, out of which 6,12,070 are active cases. Meanwhile, Mumbai reported 9,925 fresh cases and 54 deaths.
Uttar Pradesh reported 68 coronavirus deaths as it witnessed 20,510 more cases, making it the highest single-day number for the state, pushing the total infection count to 7,44,021. So far, 9,376 people have died from the infection in UP.
Himachal Pradesh reported 925 new positive cases, 250 recoveries and 13 deaths in the last 24 hours. The death toll in the state stands at 1,135, while 72,319 patients have recovered so far. There are 6,929 active cases.
Goa recorded 473 fresh cases of Covid-19 and four more casualties in 24 hours. With this, the tally of infections in the state reached 63,815, while the death toll mounted to 857.
Andhra Pradesh reported 18 Covid-19 fatalities, the highest in a day, as 4,157 fresh cases of the infection were registered in the state. 1,606 coronavirus patients also recovered in the state in 24 hours, while the number of active cases increased to a near six-month high of 28,383. The total recoveries reached 9,01,327 while the gross toll rose to 7,339. Telangana recorded 2,157 fresh coronavirus cases, pushing the total positives to over 3.34 lakh, while the toll rose to 1,780 with eight more fatalities. The total number of cases stood at 3,34,738 while, with 821 patients being cured, the total recoveries were at 3,07,499.
Tamil Nadu reported 7,819 new Covid-19 infections, pushing the caseload to 9,54,948, while the toll mounted to 12,970 with 25 more deaths. Recoveries mounted to 8,87,663 with 3,464 patients being discharged, leaving behind 54,315 active cases.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS