68 per cent decline in Covid-19 cases since second wave peak: Govt

A medic collects a swab sample of an infant for Covid-19 test, at a hospital in Nerul. Pics/PTI. AFP

India reported 1,32,364 fresh novel Coronavirus infections on Friday taking the country's total tally of Covid-19 cases to 2,85,74,350, while the recovery rate crossed 93 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. Almost 68 per cent decline has been noted in Covid-19 cases since the highest reported peak of cases on May 7, the government said. If the containment measures, Covid-19 appropriate behaviour or vaccination pace slackens, cases can rise again, it has warned.

The Covid-19 death toll climbed to 3,40,702 with 2,713 fresh fatalities. Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make injections for the treatment of mucormycosis or black fungus available to the people free of cost.

A health worker vaccinates a woman at a health centre in Sultanpur, Ghaziabad, on Friday

She also asked him to make public the total number of people suffering from the disease in each state. The number of patients with mucormycosis, which has a 50 per cent mortality rate, has crossed 11,000 in the country and there is a shortage of life-saving injections, she said. "We have faced a shortage of medicines during the pandemic even though we are the ‘world's pharmacy'. Who is responsible?" she tweeted. "Everywhere, cases of mucormycosis are rising fast. The patients are not getting the Liposomal Amphotericin B injections used to treat it," she said.

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Gandhi highlighted that a recent video showing a child from Indore appealing for these injections for her father has pained many and news of soldiers not getting the vaccines in two Army Hospitals in Delhi have also come to light. "Time demands that you take immediate steps in this direction so that people's lives can be saved. Your government's attitude towards this disease is not serious. Keeping in view the number of cases, the availability of these injections is very less," she said.

A doctor checks a patient for black fungus, at an NMMC fospital in Nerul, on Thursday. Pic/PTI

Noting that lakhs of rupees are spent for treating black fungus and its injection is not even covered under the Aayushmaan Bharat scheme, she said, "My appeal to you is to include the treatment for this disease in the scheme or the injections be provided free of cost to all patients."

She also asked, "What is the reason that after May 25 the number of cases of black fungus is not disclosed, while the Centre is regularly making public the number of injections provided to states?"

2,713
No. of fresh fatalities, as per Friday morning data

‘Prior infection cuts risk for 10 months'

The risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is substantially reduced for up to 10 months following the first infection with the virus, according to a study. The research, published in Lancet Healthy Longevity on Tuesday, looked at rates of Covid-19 infections between October lat years, and February this year among over 2,000 care home residents and staff in England. They found that residents with a previous infection were 85 per cent less likely to be infected during this four-month period than those who had never been infected. For staff members, the figure was 60 per cent.

DU may waive fee of orphaned students

The Delhi University is considering giving fee waiver to students who have lost their parents to Covid-19, officials said on Friday. Dean of Colleges Balaram Pani said the DU has written to its colleges to conduct a survey of students who have lost parents to Covid-19 and submit a report by Monday.

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