Health

New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the government over rising COVID-19 cases, saying the coronavirus curve is "frightening, not flattening".

His attack came on a day India recorded a record single-day increase of 66,999 cases, taking its COVID-19 tally to 23,96,637.

New Delhi, Aug 14 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was undergoing treatment for coronavirus, on Friday said he has tested negative.

13 Aug 2020; MEMO: Palestine expects to become one of the first places to receive Russia’s coronavirus vaccine, Wafa news agency reported on Tuesday. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas thanked his Russian counterpart for the opportunity.

“We congratulate you,” Abbas told Vladimir Putin, “and through you we appreciate the efforts of the Russian scientists, laboratories and your government for being the leader of this unique scientific discovery.”

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. state of Louisiana is tracking seven COVID-19 outbreaks tied to schools and colleges, sending an alert to other countries of risks of hasty school resumption.

Figures from the Louisiana Department of Health showed that four outbreaks were linked to colleges and three tied to primary and secondary schools. Data shows that 151 cases are connected to those college outbreaks, and 17 cases are being attributed to outbreaks at primary and secondary schools.

New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Friday a plea which has sought a direction to the Centre to appoint a commission, headed by a retired apex court judge, for inquiry into the alleged mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The petition has alleged that the Centre failed to undertake timely and effective measures for containing transmission of the virus and an independent inquiry by a commission, appointed under the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1952, was essential to inquire into the "lapses".

Wellington, Aug 13 (AP/PTI) A puzzling new outbreak of the coronavirus in New Zealand's largest city grew to 17 cases on Thursday, with officials saying the number will likely increase further.

And a lockdown in Auckland designed to extinguish the outbreak could be extended well beyond an initial three days.

Puducherry August 12 (PTI) Former Local Administration Minister of Puducherry A Elumalai succumbed to COVID-19 in centrally administered JIPMER on Wednesday.

Elumalai (53) had tested positive for the infection and was admitted to JIPMER on Tuesday, Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar told PTI.

Elumalai is survived by wife and three sons.

He was Local Administration Minister in the Congress Ministry headed by the then Chief Minister N Rangasamy in 2001.

New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) Drug firm Zydus Cadila on Thursday said it has launched Remdesivir under the brand name Remdac, used to treat patients suffering from severe symptoms of COVID-19, in the Indian market.

Priced at Rs 2,800 per 100 mg vial, Remdac is the most economical Remdesivir brand in India, Zydus Cadila said in a regulatory filing.

The company said the drug will be made available across India through the group's strong distribution chain reaching out to government and private hospitals treating COVID-19 patients.

12 Aug 2020; MEMO: The number of coronavirus cases in Israel has risen to 85,354 since March, the Health Ministry revealed on Tuesday.

According to Israel Hayom, the ministry said that there were 24,608 active or symptomatic cases in Israel as of yesterday morning, 256 of whom were identified after midnight.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday the first batch of its Covid-19 vaccine would be ready for some medics within two weeks and rejected as “groundless” safety concerns aired by some experts over Moscow’s rapid approval of the drug.

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine, after less than two months of human testing.