COVID-19 updates: Mucormycosis not contagious, says AIIMS chief; walk-ins for 18-44 allowed at govt centres

AIIMS director Randeep Guleria on Monday said it is better to identify mucormycosis by its name rather than by the colour as labelling the same fungus with names of different colours can create confusion. Addressing a press conference by the Union health ministry, he clarified that no definite link of mucormycosis has been seen with oxygen therapy.

“Many patients taking treatment at home, who were not on oxygen therapy, have also been found to get infected with mucormycosis. So there is no definite link between oxygen therapy and catching the infection,” he said. Guleria underlined that it is better not to use the term ‘black fungus’ while talking about mucormycosis, as it leads to a lot of avoidable confusion.

“Labelling the same fungus with names of different colors can create confusion. Mucormycosis is not a communicable disease, unlike COVID-19. About 90-95 percent of patients getting infected with mucormycosis are found to have been either diabetic and/or taking steroids. This infection is seen very rarely in those who are neither diabetic nor taking steroids,” he said.

Meanwhile, India’s COVID-19 daily recoveries have outnumbered new cases for the 11th consecutive day, while the cumulative positivity rate stands at 8.09 percent,  the Union health ministry said in a briefing on Monday. The weekly positivity rate has also declined to 12.66 percent.  The COVID-19 active caseload has decreased since its last peak on 10 May. The active cases have declined to 27,20,716 with a net decline of 84,683 cases being witnessed in a span of 24 hours. It now comprises 10.17 percent of the country’s total infections.

Latest figures in India

Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Odisha cumulatively account for 71.62 percent of India’s total active cases. A total of 19,28,127 tests were conducted in a span of 24 hours in the country and cumulatively 33,05,36,064 tests have been done so far. The cumulative positivity rate stands at 8.09 percent today. A total of 3,02,544 patients have recuperated in a span of 24 hours taking India’’s cumulative recoveries to 2,37,28,011. The  National Recovery Rate has grown further to touch 88.69 percent.

Ten states account for 72.23 percent of the new recoveries.India has recorded less than 3 lakh daily new cases for the eight consecutive days now. The gap between daily new cases and daily recovered cases has reduced to 80,229. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Rajastha, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh reported 81.08 percent of the 2,22,315 new cases registered in a span of 24 hours.

Tamil Nadu has reported the highest daily new cases at 35,483, followed by Maharashtra with 26,672 new cases. The National Mortality Rate has increased to 1.14 percent. Ten states account for 79.52 percent of the new 4,454 deaths in a span of 24 hours. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (1,320). Karnataka follows with 624 daily deaths. Eighteen states and UTs have a Case Fatality Rate less than the national average (1.14%), while 18 states and UTs have a Case Fatality Rate more than the national average

Walk-in vaccinations for 18-44 age group

Meanwhile, on-site registrations and appointments have now been enabled for the 18-44 years age group on the CoWin platform for COVID-19 vaccination, the Centre said.

However, this feature is being enabled only for government COVID Vaccination Centers (CVCs) at present, it said. This feature will not be available for private CVCs and they will have to publish their vaccination schedules exclusively with slots for online appointments.

This feature will be used only upon the decision of respective states and UT governments.

States and UT must decide on the opening of on-site registrations/facilitated cohorts’ registration and appointments for 18-44 years age group based on the local context just as an additional measure to minimize vaccine wastage and for facilitating vaccination of eligible beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years, the ministry said in its statement.

RDIF and Panacea Biotec announce launch of Sputnik V production 

Also on Monday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Indian drug firm Panacea Biotec announced the launch of the production of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in India. The first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine produced at Panacea Biotec’s facilities at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh will be shipped to Russia’s Gamaleya Center for quality control. Full-scale production of the vaccine is expected to start this summer, RDIF and Panacea Biotec said in a joint statement.

As announced in April, RDIF and Panacea have agreed to produce 100 million doses per year of Sputnik V, it added. “Launch of production in India in partnership with Panacea Biotec marks an important step in helping the country fight the pandemic,” RDIF chief executive Kirill Dmitriev said.

The production of Sputnik V supports efforts of India’s authorities to leave behind the acute phase of coronavirus as soon as possible while the vaccine will also be exported at a later stage to help prevent the spread of the virus in other countries around the world, he added. On the development, Panacea Biotec MD Rajesh Jain said, “This marks a significant step as we initiate production of Sputnik V. Together with RDIF, we hope to help bring a sense of normalcy back to people across the country and around the world.”

Sputnik V was registered in India under the emergency use authorisation procedure on 12 April, 2021, and vaccination against coronavirus with the Russian vaccine started on 14 May.

‘Expedite registration for migrant workers’

The Supreme Court said the process of registration of migrant workers is very slow and it must be expedited so that benefit of various schemes can be extended to them amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The apex court observed it is not happy with the efforts of the Centre as well as the states on the issue of registration of unorganised workers.

While stressing on the need to register migrant as well as unorganised workers, a bench of justices Ashok Bhushan and MR Shah said the benefit of schemes meant for them can be extended after they are identified and registered by authorities.“The process of registration is very slow. We are not happy with the efforts undertaken by the Centre and states on registration of unorganised workers,” the bench said.

The top court said the government must ensure that benefit of schemes reach the beneficiaries, including migrant workers, and the process must be monitored and supervised. The apex court was hearing an application filed by three activists who have sought directions to the Centre and states to ensure food security, cash transfers, transport facilities, and other welfare measures for migrant workers who are facing distress due to the curbs clamped in several parts of the country amid the pandemic.

The top court said it had last year passed directions regarding registration of migrant workers. The bench said for extending the benefits of schemes, the authorities must complete the process of registration and the government should also reach to these workers to complete it expeditiously.

“We want this process to be completed. We also want that all organised workers be registered, it said, adding, We will ask the government to speed up the process. It is a difficult task but has to be achieved,” the bench said, adding, “Our main concern is that benefits meant for them must reach them.”

With inputs from PTI