CoWIN portal in Hindi, other languages from next week: Govt

The CoWIN portal will be made available in Hindi and 14 regional languages by next week while 17 more laboratories will be added to the INSACOG network to monitor the variants of Covid19 the health ministry said on MondayAccording to a statement by the ministry these decisions were announced at the 26th meeting of the highlevel Group of Ministers GoM on Covid19 chaired by Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on MondayVardhan informed his colleagues that 17 new laboratories are going to be added to the INSACOG network to increase the number of samples screened and allow for more spatial analysis the ministry saidThe network is presently served by 10 laboratories located at different corners of the countrySpeaking on their contribution to the countrys achievements today Vardhan said Indias new Covid19 cases have dropped to less than three lakh for the first time after 26 days Also a net decline of 101461 cases has been recorded in the active caseload in the last 24 hoursHe lauded the efforts of defence scientists and the leadership of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching the countrys first indigenous antiCovid19 drug 2deoxyDglucose or 2DG developed by the DRDO in collaboration with the INMAS and the Hyderabadbased Dr Reddys Laboratories the ministry saidThe research efforts for the drug started in April last year and ended recently when the DCGI gave it the emergencyuse approval EUA The minister informed the members that the drug can become a gamechanger in the countrys response to the pandemic as it reduces the dependence of patients on oxygen administration and has the potential of getting absorbed differentially and in a selected manner In the Covid19 infected cells it inhibits virus synthesis and energy production for the processHe noted that the Centre continues to help the states under a whole of government approach to tide over the pandemic Over 422 crore N95 masks 176 crore PPE kits 5264 lakh Remdesivir injections and 45066 ventilators were distributed among the states and Union territories according to the statementThe Union health secretary apprised the meeting that the CoWIN platform is being made available in Hindi and 14 regional languages by next weekDr Sujeet K Singh Director NCDC presented a detailed report on the mutations of SARSCoV2 and the Variants of Concern VoCs being reported in India He showed figures related to the statewise prevalence of VoCs like the B117 and B1617 The B117 lineage UK variant was found predominant in the samples collected in Punjab and Chandigarh between February and March the statement saidDr Balaram Bhargava Secretary Health Research and DG ICMR made a presentation on the innovative changes in testing policy that would widen its scope of application and help in mass screening for COVID particularly in periurban and rural settings where the health infrastructure is relatively weakDeployment of mobile RTPCR testing vans and amplification of RAT tests were presented as the way forward While the present capacity is around 25 lakh RTPCR 13 lakh RAT 12 lakh this is projected to exponentially increase to 45 lakh RTPCR 18 lakh RAT 27 lakh under the new testing regimenThe DG ICMR also informed regarding the homeisolation guidelines which have been converted into Hindi and other regional languages for a wider reach Warning signs for hospitalisation admission to ICU and for potential administration of Remdesivir and Tocilizumab were also highlightedS Aparna Secretary Pharma informed that a dedicated cell has been created to coordinate production and allocation of the drugs in demand to treat COVID19Stress was laid on the procurement and allocation of Remdesivir Tocilizumab and AmphotericinB She notified that the demand for Favipiravir too has increased although the drug is not recommended in COVID medical guidelines She suggested IEC campaigns for a judicious use of these drugsThe secretary pharma also highlighted that Remdesivir production has more than tripled in the country with government intervention from around 39 lakh to 118 crore vials per monthThe demand for AmphotericinB which is used in the treatment of mucormycosis has also increased Five suppliers have been identified and efforts are being made for an optimal allocation of the drug The states were given one lakh vials from May 114 while avenues for import are being actively explored the statement saidThe secretary pharma further emphasised that the states must make an equitable distribution among the government and the private hospitals and keep the public informed on availability and shop details help prevent unnecessary stockpiling and ensure timely payments to the manufacturersVardhan expressed his appreciation to all COVID warriors who have remained steadfast in their duty during the pandemic without showing any signs of deprivation and fatigueHe was joined by Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep S Puri Minister of State for Ports Shipping and Waterways IC and Chemical and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State Ministry of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai Ashwini Kumar Choubey Minister of State for Health joined the meet digitallyDr Vinod K Paul Member Health NITI Aayog was also present virtuallyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever