25 district in 15 states have not reported new COVID-19 cases in last 14 days: Health Ministry

Twenty-five districts across 15 states where COVID-19 infections were detected earlier have reported no new cases in the last 14 days and the credit for it goes to the proper implementation of containment strategies by the district administrations, Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

Addressing a press briefing here, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said796 new COVID-19 cases and 35 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 9,152 and deaths to 308.

"The implementation of the action plan has started yielding appreciable results in 25 districts across 15 states which reported cases earlier. These districts have no case reported since the last 14 days and constant vigil is being maintained to ensure that no new cases may occur in future," he said.

The districts are Gondia (Maharashtra), Raj Nand Gaon (Chhattisgarh), Davangiri (Karnataka), South Goa, Wayanad and Kottayam (Kerala), West Imphal (Manipur), Rajouri (J&K), Aizwal West (Mizoram), Mahe in Puducherry, SBS Nagar in Punjab, Patna, Nalanda and Munger in Bihar, Pratapgarh in Rajasthan, Panipat, Rohtak and Sirsa in Haryana, Pauri Garhwal in Uttrakhand and Bhadradari Kothagudem in Telangana.

Commenting over a recently published study which stated that administration of antiviraldrug Remdesivir may reduce risk of death in critically ill coronavirus patients, Head of Epidemiology and Communicable diseases atIndian COuncil of Medical Research, Raman R Gangakhedkar said the drug whichwas used against Ebola virus, may affect the reproduction of the virus.

"Recently reported study on use of Remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment is not a clinical trial, but an observational study according to which two out of three patients after treatment with the drug may not need ventilator support or their need for oxygen support may reduce.

"We will come to know of further developments through the WHO Solidarity Trial, which has an arm looking into this," he said.

He further said Remdesivir, developed by Gilead Sciences Inc,is not presently available in the country and the government is working to see ifany pharmaceutical company can manufacture it.

Respondingto a report of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention which stated that coronavirus can spread through shoe soles, Gangakhedkar saidmore evidence and research is required to conclude that.

"We have to see the strength of the evidence...tosay that it hasbeen transmitted via shoe soles will need a solid evidence and I will not accept it based on one report," he said.

He further informed that2,06,212 tests for COVID-19 have been conducted so far, adding that 14,855 tests took place at 156 government labs and 1,913 tests were done at 69 privatelabs on Sunday."There is no need to worry. We have enough stocks to conduct tests forupto six weeks," he said.

Reacting to reports which said ICMR's nodal testing facility in Kolkata,West Bengalwas not sending enough samples for COVID-19 testing, Agarwal said, "Our effort is to ensure that the guidelinesand the do's and don'ts of the infectious disease management are followed.

"The Home Secretary and the ministry of Health communicates regularly through video conferencing with states and we tell them our containment strategies and they are working in coordination."