India Coronavirus Dispatch: Daily cases stay under 100,000 for second day

University develops self-testing kit to 'detect virus in 10 minutes', dexamethasone use in pregnant women may cause birth defects, and more-news relevant to India's fight against the pandemic

Over 92,000 fresh cases reported

India reported 92,596 fresh coronavirus infections on Wednesday, taking the cumulative caseload to nearly 29.1 million, according to central health ministry data. The country saw 2,219 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 353,528. The active caseload is at 1.2 million, while the total recoveries have surged to 27.5 million. As many as 239 million vaccine shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 2.8 million were given on Tuesday. Read more

Dexamethasone use in pregnant women may cause birth defects in babies: Study

Administering the drug dexamethasone to pregnant women for the treatment of Covid may cause major congenital malformation in babies, a report in ThePrint said that cited a study that examined the safety of common Covid medications for pregnant women. Dexamethasone is one of the few drugs shown to reduce the risk of death from Covid. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Montreal in Canada and Université Claude Bernard in France and published in the medical journal The Lancet, showed that several repurposed drugs that are in different stages of trials or have been approved for use for Covid treatment are associated with adverse outcomes in pregnant women. Read more

Setbacks at Serum Institute have left the world short on Covid vaccines

Covid-19 vaccination programs in many developing and poor countries around the world have stalled as they run out of doses. Many of these shortages can be traced back to Pune-based vaccine maker Serum Institute of India, a report in Bloomberg said. Serum, the world's largest supplier, was last year named a top supplier of doses to Covax, the World Health Organization-backed initiative aimed at securing an equitable global rollout. But the firm has been hurt by setbacks, from a ban on exports to a factory fire, that have hampered its ability to fill orders, the report said. Read more

Mysore University develops self-testing kit that ‘can detect virus in 10 minutes’

A new Covid self-testing kit with an accuracy rate as high as above 90 per cent has been developed by Scientists of the University of Mysore, a report in The Indian Express said. The kit, developed in collaboration with Hyderabad-based Lorven Biologics, is now being sent to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, for emergency approval. The university claims that the kit is expected to be available at an affordable cost of Rs 100 since it has been developed by a state-run university, the report said. Read more

Students going abroad to get vaccine relief in Gujarat

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has reduced the interval between two vaccination shots for Covishield vaccine from 84 to 28 days for students seeking to go abroad for higher education, a report in The Indian Express said. According to the AMC, eligible students have to submit the necessary paperwork with the zonal deputy health officer in person or through email, the report said. Read more