Coronavirus: Steroid dexamethasone cuts risk of death by 33%, finds UK trial
PM Narendra Modi spoke with multiple CMs and lieutenant governors and said India’s management of Covid-19 was a fine example of cooperative federalism.
A drug trial in the United Kingdom showed on Tuesday that giving low doses of the generic steroid drug dexamethasone to coronavirus patients reduced death rates by around a third among those severely ill. Some scientists called it a breakthrough in the fight against the coronavirus.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that there are signs of “green shoots” in the economy and that India’s fight to tackle the coronavirus pandemic is a fine example of cooperative federalism. He made the comments while speaking with the chief ministers and lieutenant governors of 21 states and Union Territories to discuss the situation in the country. Modi also said India’s death rate was among the lowest in the world.
Till Tuesday morning, India has reported 3,43,091 cases and 9,900 deaths. It is the world’s fourth most affected country, only behind the United States, Brazil and Russia.
Globally, the coronavirus has infected over 80.56 lakh people so far, and killed more than 4.37 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University. However, as many as 38,93,780 have recovered so far.
Read our top ten updates on the pandemic here.
The national helpline number for the coronavirus is 011-23978046, and a toll-free number 1075.
These are the helpline numbers for states and the Union Territories.
10.47 pm: Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy says the boundaries of the Union Territory with Cuddalore and Villupuram, both in Tamil Nadu, will be sealed from Tuesday, ANI reports. People will be allowed in only for medical services, he adds.
“If you come with a certificate stating that you are not infected with the disease when you come from abroad, then you are allowed in Puducherry,” Narayanasamy says.
10.43 pm: Delhi has 1,859 new cases and 93 deaths on Tuesday, according to the Directorate General of Health Services, ANI reports. Total number of positive cases now stand at 44,688, and toll at 1,837.
10.39 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau have spoken over the phone, and discussed the coronavirus situation in each country, ANI reports. They have also discussed possibilities for international cooperation in health.
10.24 pm: Maharashtra Health Secretary Ajoy Mehta says that in the beginning, Covid-19 data was managed manually, whereas now it is done online, ANI reports. “So, a letter was sent last week to collectors and commissioners to match total reported positive cases with final outcome – namely either discharge or unfortunate deaths,” he adds. “In this exercise, the death certificate issued as per the requirement of the Birth and Death Registration Act were matched with the Covid-19 positive cases.”
Read: Coronavirus: Mumbai’s BMC did not report over 400 deaths, say reports
10 pm: Maharashtra reports 2,701 cases and 81 deaths in 24 hours. It takes the state’s total number of cases to 1,13,445, including 5,537 deaths.
In Mumbai, 941 new cases and 55 deaths were reported in 24 hours. This takes the total positive cases in the city to 60,142 and the toll to 3,165. The city has been reporting over 1,000 cases each day for weeks.
9.40 pm: Haryana reports 550 new cases, taking the total number of cases in the state to 8,272. This includes 118 deaths.
9.30 pm: The Canada-US border will be closed till July 21, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces.
8.58 pm: The father of US Representative Ilhan Omar has died of complications from the coronavirus, reports Reuters. “It is with tremendous sadness and pain to say goodbye to my father,” the Minnesota congresswoman tweets. “No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew and loved him.”
8.55 pm: Rajasthan reports 235 new cases and seven deaths. With this, the state now has 13,216 infections and the toll has risen to 308.
8.52 pm: A spokesperson of the home ministry says that following Home Minister Amit Shah’s directions, all hospitals in Delhi performed the last rites of the coronavirus patients who died with consent/presence of their families.
8.47 pm: Beijing has banned high-risk people from leaving the city and closed schools, reports Reuters. Authorities in the city are concerned about a second wave of infections.
8.45 pm: The emergencies chief of the World Health Organization says he fully expects China to share the genetic sequences from the resurgence of coronavirus in Beijing, even though they have not yet done so yet, reports AP.
Also read: Situation in Beijing is ‘extremely severe’, warns city official as infections spread
8.40 pm: More coronavirus cases in new states, according to ANI:
- West Bengal: 415 new cases, taking the total to 11,909.
- Goa: 37 new cases, taking the total to 629.
- Manipur: 10 new cases, taking the total to 500.
- Punjab: 104 new cases, taking the total to 3,371.
7.44 pm: Mumbai’s Dharavi slum reports 21 new coronavirus cases, but no new deaths, according to PTI. The number of coronavirus cases in the area has risen to 2,089, while the toll due to the pandemic stood at 77.
7.20 pm: The wife of Ukraine’s President, Olena Zelenska, has been hospitalised after contracting coronavirus, reports Reuters. Her condition is said to be stable.
7.12 pm: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and many of his Cabinet ministers attended the first day of the shortened two-day budget session of the Legislative Assembly today without wearing face masks. The state government had ordered that any person who ventured out without wearing a mask will be fined Rs 1,000 in urban areas, and Rs 500 in rural areas.
Read more here: Andhra Pradesh CM, several Cabinet ministers attend budget session without face masks
7.08 pm: The Assam government has decided to launch the Assam Targeted Surveillance Programme to randomly test 50,000 samples in 11 days, reports IANS.
7 pm: Four more people test positive in Arunachal Pradesh, increasing the total number of cases in the state to 95, reports PTI.
6.52 pm: Karnataka reports 317 new coronavirus cases, taking the state’s tally to 7,530. The toll in the stands at 94.
6.44 pm: Tamil Nadu reports 49 coronavirus deaths, highest in a single day, taking the toll to 528, according to PTI. With 1,515 new cases, the tally has risen to 48,019.
6.40 pm: Dr Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, says steroid drug dexamethasone is cheap and available in every part of the world. “Still a challenge to ensure right patients get it,” he tweets. “But if findings hold, could make a real difference. Big win for global health.”
Read here: Life-saving drug found by UK researchers, cuts risk of death by 33%
6.32 pm: “This is the only drug so far that has been shown to reduce mortality – and it reduces it significantly,” Chief investigator Professor Peter Horby says about steroid dexamethasone. “It’s a major breakthrough.”
6.30 pm: Experts in the United Kingdom say that giving low doses of the generic steroid drug dexamethasone to coronavirus patients reduced death rates by around a third among those with the most severe cases of the infection, reports BBC. For those on oxygen, it reduced deaths by a fifth.
6.22 pm: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh urges the Centre to work closely with states to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy, reports PTI. He also adds that the lockdown to limit the spread of the infection cannot continue indefinitely.
06.16 pm: Kerala reports 79 new coronavirus cases, taking the active cases in the state to 1,366.
06.06 pm: The prime minister also says that the coronavirus has not assumed as life threatening a form as in the rest of the world.
6 pm: Modi also says the fight against the coronavirus can be presented an example for cooperative federalism to the world.
5.55 pm: In the virtual meeting with chief ministers and lieutenant governor of 21 states and Union Territories, Modi says there are signs of green shoots in the economy, according to a press release
“Prime minister noted that with the efforts of the past few week, green shoots in the economy are visible, including rise in power consumption which was earlier falling, fertilizer sale in May this year seeing a significant increase, a healthy increase in Kharif sowing in comparison to last year, production of two wheelers increasing, digital payment in retail reaching pre lockdown level, increase in toll collection in May and bouncing back of exports,” the statement adds. “These signals are encouraging us to forge ahead.”
5.42 pm: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma says that two more people in the state have recovered, reducing the number of active coronavirus cases to 15.
5.35 pm: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri says he is confident that in the coming month, they will start taking decisions on the resumption of international flights, ANI reports.
5.33 pm: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority exempts constitutional and government functionaries and their staff members, travelling across states on official work, from the requirement of seven-day home quarantine, ANI reports. This is applicable only if they are asymptomatic.
5.31 pm: All India Institute of Medical Sciences Director Dr Randeep Guleria says that if an asymptomatic person is seating next to you during a short flight and both the persons are wearing masks and face shields, there is less chance of the spreading of the coronavirus, ANI reports.
5.27 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan were part of the interaction held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers of different states and union territories to discuss the coronavirus crisis, ANI reports.
5.27 pm: The Uttarakhand Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, came into force, providing for a jail term or a fine or both for violating coronavirus rules in the state, PTI reports.
According to the amended ordinance, those violating Covid-19 guidelines will face a jail term of up to six months or a fine of up to Rs 5,000 or both.
5.20 pm: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh says that at least 3,661 police personnel have tested positive for the coronavirus in the state so far, PTI reports. Of the 3,661 police personnel, 42 have died of the infection.
5.18 pm: Singapore puts construction of a mega terminal at its international airport in Changi on hold for two years, citing uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic and its devastating impact on the aviation sector, PTI reports.
5.16 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visited Hotel Surya to take stock of preparations being done in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
5.11 pm: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat says that the state has done a lot of work in the direction of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” or self-reliant India, ANI reports. “We have injected more than Rs 300 crore projects,” Rawat says. “The industry which came to a halt due to Covid-19 has now resumed and over 90% of it is working.”
5.09 pm: Principal Health Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad says that 516 new cases of the coronavirus recorded in Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours, ANI reports. There are a total of 5,259 active cases in the state.
4.49 pm: Ludhiana Police Commissioner Rakesh Agrawal says that four accused who were arrested recently in different cases have tested positive for the coronavirus, ANI reports. Following this, 30 policemen who came in contact with them have been sent to quarantine centres. Their samples have been collected for the Covid-19 test, and none of them have any symptoms of the virus.
4.46 pm: Around 300 Covid Care isolation coaches will be placed today at Anand Vihar Terminal by the central government in view of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the national Capital, ANI reports. Chief Public Relation Officers of Northern Railways Deepak Kumar says that only people with mild symptoms will be kept there. “[The] management of coaches and patients will be done by the state.”
4.36 pm: Nepal records 380 more coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, ANI reports, citing the country’s health ministry. The total number of cases in the country is now 6,591.
4.25 pm: The prime minister says that when India’s fight against the coronavirus will be analysed in the future, this time will be remembered for how its citizens worked together and served as an example of cooperative federalism.
4.24 pm: The prime minister emphasises on the need to wear a face mask, wash hands and use of sanitisers. “With markets opening and people stepping out, these precautions are even more important.”
4.21 pm: The prime minister says that death of even a single Indian citizen is unsettling. However, he says, it is also true that India is one of the countries where there have been the least deaths due to the coronavirus.
4.19 pm: PM Modi says the cluster based strategy announced for the local product will also benefit every state. “For this, it is important that we identify such products in every block, every district,” he adds. “By processing or marketing, we can introduce a better product in the market of the country and the world.
4.17 pm: Modi says that the recent reforms in the field of marketing of farmer’s produce, will benefit the farmers. “This will provide new options to farmers to sell their produce, their income will increase and we will also be able to reduce the loss they had to suffer due to lack of storage,” the prime minister adds.
4.16 pm: The prime minister tells the chief ministers that the small factories are in great need of guidance and hand-holding. “I know a lot of work is being done in this direction under your leadership,” Modi says. “For trade and industry to catch up with its old pace, we will also have to work together on value chains.”
4.14 pm: Modi says that the more our economy, our offices, markets, means of transport will open, it will equally create new employment opportunities.
4.11 pm: PM Modi adds that the recovery rate in India has crossed 50%.
4.10 pm: The prime minister says that in the last few weeks, thousands of Indians have returned from abroad and hundreds of migrant workers have reached their home towns. “Almost all modes of transport have resumed operations, but still the coronavirus impact has not been that huge in India as in other parts of the world,” Modi adds.
4.08 pm: Prime Minister Modi says two weeks have passed since “Unlock-1” and the experience during this time could be beneficial in future. “Today I will get to know ground reality from you, your suggestions will help in chalking out future strategy.”
4.06 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with chief ministers on the coronavirus situation.
3.52 pm: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant attends the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via videoconferencing to discuss the coronavirus situation in the country.
3.40 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins meeting with chief ministers and lieutenant governors of 21 states and union territories to discuss the escalating coronavirus crisis in the country, PTI reports.
3.36 pm: At least 80 people working for the Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s helpline service test positive for the coronavirus, an unidentified senior official tells PTI.
3.34 pm: Uttarakhand records 67 more coronavirus cases, ANI reports, citing the state health department. The state now has a total of 1,912 cases and 25 people have died so far.
3.31 pm: Malaysian health authorities record 11 new cases of the coronavirus, taking the country’s tally to 8,505, Reuters reports. The Covid-19 infection has 121 people.
3.20 pm: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Palaniswami says at least 13 lakh disabled people in the state will get Rs 1,000 cash relief to help them during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, PTI reports.
3.16 pm: Four more people test positive for the coronavirus in Mizoram in the last 24 hours, taking the state’s tally to 121, PTI reports, citing an unidentified official. Of the 121 cases, 120 are active, while one person has recovered, the official says.
3.10 pm: Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research Dr Balram Bhargava writes to the Union health ministry over “ramping up testing for Covid-19 in containment zones and hospitals in Delhi by use of rapid antigen detection test”, reports ANI.
3.08 pm: Mumbai’s civic body did not report at least 451 deaths of coronavirus patients in the city, a huge data reconciliation exercise by the Maharashtra government has revealed, The Indian Express reports.
Read more: Coronavirus: Mumbai’s BMC did not report over 400 deaths, say reports
2.50 pm: The Delhi government directs the Taj Mansingh hotel to isolate all their rooms and place them at the disposal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital with immediate effect in order to accommodate coronavirus patients, ANI reports.
2.41 pm: The Ministry of health and family welfare says that 10,215 coronavirus patients were cured in the last 24 hours. A total of 1,80,012 patients have been cured so far. The recovery rate has risen to 52.47%, which is indicative of the fact that more than half of positive cases have recovered from the disease, the ministry says.
2.40 pm: Andhra Pradesh records 193 new coronavirus cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, ANI reports.
2.37 pm: Assam records 10 new cases of the coronavirus, taking the state’s tally to 4,319. The Covid-19 infection has killed eight people in the state so far.
2.28 pm: At least 21 new coronavirus cases recorded in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district in the last 24 hours, PTI reports. The district now has a total of 4,090 cases, a health official says.
2.25 pm: Maha Vir Chakra awardee Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Raj Mohan Vohra died on June 14 due to the Covid-19 infection, PTI reports, citing unidentified senior officials.
2.19 pm: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to be part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with chief ministers at 3 pm, ANI reports. Modi will hold a videoconference to discuss the escalating coronavirus crisis in the country.
2.14 pm: A 59-year-old Bengaluru assistant sub-inspector (traffic) dies due to the coronavirus, reports The Indian Express.
1.31 pm: No new cases of the coronavirus were reported in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, ANI reports. The total number of infections in the state stands at 556.
1.25 pm: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain tests negative for the coronavirus, ANI reports.
Read more: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain admitted to hospital, tests negative for Covid-19
1.23 pm: The Khurda District Magistrate in Odisha orders all shops and market complexes except medicine shops and petrol pumps, to remain shut from 2:00 pm to 6:00 am every day till June 30, ANI reports.
1.03 pm: Union minister Nitin Gadkari says there is a need to increase liquidity to boost the economy damaged by the coronavirus pandemic, ANI reports.
12.55 pm: Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations says class 10 and 12 students can choose to not appear for pending board exams and be marked according to their performance in pre-board exams or internal assessment, PTI reports.
12.51 pm: The Meghalaya government on Monday gave permission for weddings at religious places.
12.49 pm: Pakistan records 4,443 new coronavirus cases and 111 deaths on Tuesday, PTI reports, quoting the country’s health ministry. Pakistan’s overall count rises to 1,48,919 and the toll reaches 2,839.
12.43 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia visit a hotel that will be used for coronavirus treatment.
12.37 pm: The United Nations projects that global foreign direct investment will fall by as much as 40% this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and continue to decrease in 2021. UN adds that FDI in Asia’s developing economies is projected to decline by up to 45% in 2020.
12.28 pm: Officials in Beijing say the coronavirus situation is in the city is “extremely severe” after 27 new cases are reported, according to AFP.
11.22 am: New Zealand records two new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, after declaring itself infection-free, The Guardian reports. The patients are two women who came from the United Kingdom.
11.11 am: Volunteers at a banquet hall in Delhi prepare beds for coronavirus patients, AFP reports.
10.59 am: Shanghai’s health commission says it will quarantine all people coming to the city from mid to high coronavirus risk areas in China for 14 days, Reuters reports.
10.54 am: Scientists at Imperial College London will start the first clinical trials of a potential coronavirus vaccine this week, Reuters reports. They have received more than 45 million pounds ($56.50 million) from the United Kingdom government and donors.
10.41 am: Rajasthan reports 115 new coronavirus cases and one death on Tuesday. The state’s tally rises to 13,096 and the toll reaches 302.
10.34 am: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweets a BBC report claiming that Gujarat has the highest coronavirus mortality rate in India.
Read here: ‘Gujarat model exposed’: Rahul Gandhi cites report claiming state has highest Covid-19 death rate
10.30 am: The World Health Organization says that the number of new coronavirus cases is growing faster than ever, with more than one lakh infections being reported globally each day.
Read here: Coronavirus: Over 1 lakh cases reported daily for past two weeks, says WHO, warns of resurgence
10.26 am: The Surya Hotel in Delhi’s New Friends Colony will be attached to the Holy Family Hospital in the area to treat coronavirus patients, ANI reports.
10.24 am: United States President Donald Trump on Monday stood by his support of hydroxychloroquine, saying that other countries provided “great reports” on the effectiveness of the anti-malarial drug for treating coronavirus, and only American agencies have failed to grasp its benefit.
Read here: Coronavirus: Trump once again backs use of HCQ, says only US agencies couldn’t grasp its benefits
10.23 am: The United States hands over 100 ventilators to India.
10.18 am: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wishes Satyendar Jain a speedy recovery. “You have been serving the people 24x7 without caring about your own health,” he tweets. “Take care of yourself and get well soon.”
10.15 am: Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district reported its first coronavirus death on Monday, according to PTI. The district has reported 49 cases so far.
10.10 am: Congress President Sonia Gandhi asks Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rollback hike in fuel prices amid the coronavirus pandemic.
9.54 am: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain tweets that he has been hospitalised after developing a fever.
9.49 am: Nagaland reports two new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, according to ANI.
9.25 am: India reports 10,667 new cases and 380 deaths, taking the nation’s tally to 3,43,091. The overall toll stands at 9,900.
9.13 am: China reports 27 fresh cases in Beijing, according to AFP.
9.11 am: Nagaland reports two new cases. With this, the total number of positive cases in the state is 179, says Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom.
8.12 am: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa says people coming from Chennai and Delhi will have to undergo mandatory three-day institutional and 11-day home quarantine, reports NDTV.
8.04 am: Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar directs a survey of vacant buildings in Gurugram district so that they can be used as isolation wards, reports ANI. He says private laboratories should timely upload test reports and asks state officials to monitor it. He adds that it is necessary to enter the name and address of the person who gets tested while assuring that a person belonging to any state can get his sample tested in Gurugram.
8.01 am: The Ministry of Railways has said it had ferried 60 lakh migrants through “Shramik Special” trains since they were launched last month and that the average fare per passenger was Rs 600. At a press conference on Monday, Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav said that the government has run 4,450 trains so far. He added that the railways generated a revenue of around Rs 360 crore by running the special trains. “We managed to recover only 15% of cost of operations, 85% of the cost is being borne by the Centre,” Yadav said.
Also read
Coronavirus: Railways says it carried 60 lakh migrants on special trains, average fare Rs 600
7.26 am: Four new cases in Mizoram, taking the state’s tally to 121.
7.19 am: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the ABC Television Network have postponed the Oscars by two months. The 93rd Academy Awards will now be held on April 25, 2021. The Board of Governors has also extended the eligibility date.
“Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone’s control,” said Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson in a joint statement.
7.12 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold discussions with the heads of 21 states and union territories at 3 pm today. This will be part of this two-day consultation with the states.
Read here:
Coronavirus: PM Modi to hold meetings with states from today as cases cross 3.4 lakh
7.10 am: Here are the top updates from Monday
- India on Monday recorded 11,502 new cases and 325 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The total number of cases has crossed 3.32 lakh and the toll is 9,520.
- United States’ drug regulator, the Food and Drug Administration, on Monday revoked the emergency use authorization of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine. The FDA said the drugs, which were promoted by US President Donald Trump, are “unlikely to be effective”.
- Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday ordered CCTV cameras in Covid-19 wards of Delhi hospitals, as well as counselling for doctors and nurses. During an all-party meeting led by him earlier in the day, the Congress demanded Covid-19 testing for all citizens of Delhi. Shah and Delhi Lieutenant Governor promised that testing will be made available for all in the next few days.
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami declared a complete lockdown in four districts – Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur – from June 19 to June 30, due to the rising number of coronavirus cases. On the other hand, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani said their governments had no plans to impose a new lockdown.
- Maharashtra reported an increase of 2,786 cases and 178 deaths in 24 hours on Monday. This is the state’s highest single-day rise in deaths so far. The total number of cases in the state is now 1,10,744, including 4,128 deaths. Tamil Nadu, which is the second most-affected state in India, has reported 46,504 cases and 479 deaths, while the national Capital’s tally rose to 42,829 and toll went up to 1,400.
- The Indian Council of Medical Research on Monday disowned a study that said India would reach its peak of coronavirus cases only by mid-November, claiming that it did not carry out the research. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Indian Council of Medical Research recommended the use of Standard Q COVID-19 Ag detection assay (antigen detection test) for testing under certain conditions, in combination with the Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test.