India reports record spike of 26,506 COVID cases, fatality rate falls to 2.72%

India saw yet another record single-day jump of 26,506 COVID-19 cases pushing its tally to 7,93,802 on Friday (July 10), while the death toll climbed to 21,604 with 475 people succumbing to the infection, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The number of tests for detection of COVID-19 has crossed the 11-million mark. According to the Indian Council of Medical Rsearch (ICMR), a cumulative total of 1,10,24,491 samples have been tested up to July 9 with 2,83,659 samples being tested on Thursday.

The number of recoveries stands at 4,95,512 while there are 2,76,685 active cases of coronavirus infection presently in the country, the updated data at 8 am showed. “Thus, around 62.42 per cent of patients have recovered so far,” an official said.

The total number of confirmed cases included foreigners.

India’s COVID-19 case fatality rate dips to 2.72%, says Health Ministry

From 2.82 per cent a month earlier, India’s COVID-19 case fatality rate has declined to 2.72 per cent which is lower than that of many other countries, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.

It also noted that 30 states and Union Territories have a fatality rate lower than the national average.

Also, there is an upward trend in the recovery rate which was recorded at 62.42 per cent on Friday.

In 18 states and UTs, the recovery rates are higher than the national average, the ministry said. “At the national level, the case fatality rate has declined to 2.72 per cent. This is lower than the fatality rates observed in many other countries in the world. The focus of COVID-19 management in the country has been to keep the fatalities low,” it said.

From the states

Of the 475 new deaths reported, 219 are from Maharashtra, 65 from Tamil Nadu, 45 from Delhi, 27 from West Bengal, 17 from Uttar Pradesh, 16 from Karnataka, 15 from Gujarat, 13 from Andhra Pradesh, 9 from Rajasthan, eight from Bihar, seven from Telangana, six from Assam, five each from Haryana,Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, four from Odisha and one from Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jhakhand and Meghalaya.

Of the total 21,604 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra tops the tally with 9,667 fatalities followed by Delhi with 3,258 deaths, Gujarat with 2,008, Tamil Nadu with 1,765, Uttar Pradesh with 862, West Bengal with 854, Madhya Pradesh with 634, Rajasthan with 491 and Karnataka with 486.

The COVID-19 death toll reached 331 in Telangana, 287 in Haryana, 277 in Andhra Pradesh, 183 in Punjab, 154 in Jammu and Kashmir, 115 in Bihar, 52 in Odisha, 46 in Uttarakhand and 27 in Kerala. Jharkhand has registered 23 deaths, Assam 22, Chhattisgarh 15, Puducherry 14, Himachal Pradesh 11, Goa nine, Chandigarh seven, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya two each, Tripura and Ladakh have reported one fatality each, according to the Health Ministry.

More than 70 per cent deaths took place due to comorbidities, it said.

Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases at 2,30,599 followed by Tamil Nadu at 1,26,581, Delhi at 1,07,051, Gujarat at 39,194, Uttar Pradesh at 32,362, Karnataka at 31,105,Telangana at 30,946, according to the ministry data.

The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 25,911 in West Bengal, 23,814 in Andhra Pradesh, 22,563 in Rajasthan, 19,369 in Haryana and 16,341 in Madhya Pradesh. It has risen to 14,032 in Assam, 13,944 in Bihar, 11,201 in Odisha and 9,501 in Jammu and Kashmir. Punjab has reported 7,140 novel coronavirus infections so far, while Kerala has 6,534 cases.

A total of 3,675 have been infected by the virus in Chhattisgarh, 3,305 in Uttarakhand, 3,246 in Jharkhand, 2,151 in Goa, 1,776 in Tripura, 1,450 in Manipur, 1,140 in Himachal Pradesh and 1,055 in Ladakh. Puducherry has recorded 1,151 COVID-19 cases, Nagaland 673, Chandigarh 523 and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu together have reported 411 cases.

Arunachal Pradesh reported 302 cases, Mizoram has 197 cases, Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 151, Sikkim has registered 134 infections so far, while Meghalaya has recorded 113 cases.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR,” the ministry said, adding that 4,161 cases are being reassigned to states. State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added.

Doctors advised to use Remdesivir on COVID-19 patients strictly under laid-down protocol

Doctors in state hospitals are being advised to use antiviral Remdesivir on COVID-19 patients strictly as per protocol amid some reports of liver damage in such patients treated with the drug, official sources said.

While the health ministry is reviewing the guidelines on the usage of the drug following the adverse reports, states and union territories are also being asked to orient doctors on the protocols of Remdesivir use and not to prescribe it indiscriminately.

To prevent black-marketing and overcharging of the drug, Indias drug regulator Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has asked manufacturers to set up a helpline where the patients or their family members can contact in case the drug is not available in the market and also put on their websites details of distributors and supply chain.

“AIIMS specialists tasked by the Centre to provide expert guidance are advising doctors in state hospitals to use the drug as mentioned in the protocols stating it has been approved for restricted emergency use purposes in moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 subject to a set of conditions under investigational therapies and not as a mainstream treatment,” a source said.

Remdesivir has been included as an “investigational therapy” in the clinical management protocols for COVID-19 based on limited available evidence at present. “The drug is being increasingly prescribed in the absence of any proven treatment leading to a rise in demand. But then the data derived from the studies so far suggest that its use can cut down the duration of the hospital stay and does not have any effect on the mortality,” an official explained.

Responding to a question on whether Remdesivir will be dropped from COVID-19 treatment protocols after its negative impact on liver has been indicated, a senior Union Health Ministry official during a briefing on Thursday had said that they are aware of few studies which have indicated some adverse events.

“We are aware of this and within the ministry also there is a technical group of domain knowledge experts headed by DGHS that is looking into the evidence as it comes up. If there is a requirement to modify or refine our clinical treatment protocols we will definitely do it,” Rajesh Bhushan, Officer on Special Duty in the Union Health Ministry, said.

(With inputs from agencies)