Hyderabad: The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has approved a simple and fast method for COVID-19 testing which can not only increase the number of RT-PCR tests but can also bring down costs, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said on Saturday.
The method -- Dry Swab-Direct RT-PCR -- developed by CSIR's Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, is a variation of the existing gold standard RT-PCR method and can easily scale up the testing by 2 to 3 fold with no new investment of resources.
"After evaluating this method and finding an overall concordance of 96.9 per cent, ICMR has now issued an advisory for the use of CSIR-CCMB dry swab method, considering its lesser cost and quick turn-around time," the CSIR said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today undertook a three-city tour to conduct an extensive review of the vaccine development and manufacturing process. He visited the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad and Serum Institute of India in Pune.
The scientists expressed joy that the Prime Minister met them face to face in order to boost their morale and help accelerate their efforts at this critical juncture in the vaccine development journey. The Prime Minister expressed pride in the fact that India’s indigenous vaccine development has progressed at such a rapid pace so far. He spoke on how India is following sound principles of science in the entire journey of vaccine development, while also asking for suggestions to make the vaccine distribution process better.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan Saturday lauded PM Modi for his tri-city vaccine review tour and hailed him as a "general" for leading the efforts being made in the field of Covid-19 vaccine development in India. Vardhan said PM's initiatives to visit various vaccine plants reflects his seriousness in dealing with the pandemic.
Delhi
New Delhi: The Delhi government on Saturday said it has the infrastructure to undertake coronavirus vaccination among all city residents within three-four weeks, adding that it was only waiting for the vaccine to be made available.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Satyendar Jain made this announcement in at a press conference called to update Delhi's daily health bulletin. He gave the updates on Covid-19, decreasing positivity rate, availability of beds, and preparations for vaccination.
He said that the government had enough resources like Mohalla Clinics, polyclinics, dispensaries and hospitals to administer coronavirus vaccine across Delhi. Jain asserted that there will be no issues about the optimal storage of the vaccine as well.
"We are only waiting for the vaccine to be made available. Delhi has the infrastructure to roll it out and make it accessible to all city residents within 3-4 weeks. Delhi is equipped with the latest infrastructure to facilitate the rollout of the vaccine to Delhi's population.
Maharashtra
Mumbai/Pune: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Pune on Saturday on the last leg of his three-city visit to review coronavirus vaccine development in India. After landing at Pune airport around 4.30 pm from Hyderabad, Modi proceeded to the Serum Institute of India (SII) by helicopter. Modi's visit to SII is aimed at reviewing the progress of the vaccine candidate for coronavirus infection and to know about its launch, production and distribution mechanism, an official said.
Nationalist Congress Party MLA Bharat Bhalke died while undergoing treatment for post-COVID complications on Saturday, a hospital official said. Bhalke,60, a three-term MLA from Pandharpur- Mangalvedha constituency in Solapur district was admitted to a Pune-based private hospital on November 9 after being diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
A doctor who treated Bhalke said he was tested COVID- 19 positive on October 30 and returned home after recovery. He was readmitted on November 9 after complaints of fever and cough, the doctor said. Bhalke's condition deteriorated recently and he was on ventilator support.
Gujarat
Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a tour of the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad to review the Covid-19 vaccine candidate ZyCoV-D's development. The plant is located in the Changodar industrial area, over 20 km from Ahmedabad. After visiting the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday complimented the efforts of Zydus Cadila's team and assured that the government is actively working to support such vaccine makers in the country's journey to fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Telangana
Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday afternoon visited Bharat Biotech International Limited at Turkapally which is manufacturing Covid-19 vaccine - Covaxin. The PM arrived at the Hakimpet Air Force base at 1:15 pm and drove to BBIL’s facility where he interacted with the team developing the vaccine in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). He inquired about the progress of the vaccine and the manufacturing facilities. Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is in phase 3 of trials.
Odisha
Bhubaneswar: Baijayant Panda, National vice president of the BJP and in charge of the party's Delhi unit, tested positive for coronavirus on Friday and has isolated himself. In a late-night tweet, Panda said, "Because of certain symptoms, I got tested today & have been found Covid positive. I am now in isolation on doctor's advice. Request all those who came in contact with me in the last few days to take the necessary precautions & isolate or get tested."
Uttarakhand
Dehradun: At a review meeting, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat instructs officials of the health department to ensure the results of COVID-19 tests within 24 hours in urban areas and within 48 hours in hilly areas
Himachal Pradesh
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh government would also consider imposing a curfew from 9 pm to 6 am in the four districts - Shimla, Mandi, Kullu and Kangra.
