Latest news with #Remdesivir
India Today
4 days ago
- Health
- India Today
Nipah patient in Kerala declared virus-free, recovering says Health Minister
Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Friday confirmed that the state's sole Nipah virus patient in Malappuram district has tested negative in two consecutive samples and is now considered 42-year-old woman from Ward 2 of Valanchery municipality, who tested positive for Nipah on May 8, was undergoing treatment at EMS Cooperative Hospital in Perinthalmanna.'The patient has been off ventilator support for the past 12 days and is now breathing independently. Internal organs like the liver and kidneys are also functioning normally. Although the patient has not yet regained full consciousness, brain activity is gradually showing signs of improvement," said Health Minister George in an official According to the hospital's intensive care team the MRI scans of the patient are showing healing in areas previously damaged by the virus. Subtle responses to pain and movements in the eyes and jaw have also been were hopeful the patient could be discharged in the coming weeks with full physical and mental recovery, George minister said that the incubation period for the virus has now passed without any new cases being reported. However, support services and helplines will continue for a few more days as a patient continues to be under close observation by a full critical care team at the EMS Cooperative George emphasised that the patient received advanced treatment, including Remdesivir and monoclonal antibodies provided by the Indian Council of Medical Research. "When Nipah first struck Kerala, the fatality rate exceeded 90 per cent. However, since 2021 with use of antiviral drugs and monoclonal antibody treatment, the rate has dropped, falling to 33 per cent in 2023," she by Debosmita Maity Must Watch
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Time of India
Black marketing Remdesivir in Covid: Two get two years in jail
Barwani: A Barwani court on Tuesday sentenced a pharmacist and an agent of a private hospital to two-year imprisonment for black marketing Remdesivir injections during Covid-19 pandemic. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Barwani principal district and sessions judge Mahendra Kumar Jain convicted Vinay Rajak of Sanawad and Rahul Badgujar of Rajpur under Section 53 of Disaster Management Act 2005 and sentenced them to two years of imprisonment and fined them Rs 50,000 each. According to the prosecution, during lockdown period, Barwani police received information that Vinay Rajak, an agent of Gurupad Hospital, was black marketing Remdesivir injections. Acting on this information, the police sent a constable as a customer to Gurupad Hospital. There, Rajak took Rs 25,000 from the constable and brought the injection from the hospital pharmacist, Badgujar, and gave it to him. The police team immediately took both of them into custody and interrogated them. It was revealed that the govt had given two Remdesivir injections to a patient admitted to the hospital. However, after administering one injection, the patient's condition worsened, and he was referred to the trauma centre. Following this, both the accused decided to sell the injections in black instead of depositing them with the govt.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Covid-19: Karnataka medical education minister asks hospitals to check bed, drugs and oxygen availability
Bengaluru: With Covid cases increasing, medical education minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil Wednesday directed all state-run medical colleges-cum-hospitals to be prepared to handle a sudden spike in the number of Covid +ve patients Talking to media after a meeting on Tuesday, Patil said: "All hospitals are asked to assess how many oxygenated beds and ventilators are available and to place a demand for what they need. " He added instructions were given to maintain the stock of required drugs - antipyretics (medicine that reduces fever), antitussives (cough suppressants), steroids, or anticoagulants. All directors were told to send their demands for hospital facilities by the end of the day, he said. He added the health department was checking the availability of Remdesivir (intravenous antiviral medication for Covid) and is providing RTPCR kits through NHM. While masks are not mandatory in public places, Patil said doctors and officials visiting hospitals are expected to mask up. Officials said the cases were seen increasingly in newborns. So far, the minister said, all cases are mild and only one patient is hospitalised. The department maintained that the spike in cases is cyclical in nature and told TOI recovery is much faster, usually a week. Advisories by govt: - Pregnant, seniors, and persons with comorbid conditions should wear masks in crowded areas - Children with flu symptoms should avoid being sent to school - Testing of SARI cases
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Covid cases reach 135 in Karnataka, CM Siddaramaiah orders launch of dedicated helpline
Bengaluru: The number of Covid-19 cases in the state has reached 135, with 80 of them currently active, including 73 in Bengaluru. A total of 3,981 people have been tested so far. Monday, CM Siddaramaiah held a high-level meeting with ministers and officials of the health and medical education departments to assess the state's preparedness in light of the uptick in the cases. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The review was also prompted by the rise in infections in neighbouring states, including 95 cases in Kerala, 66 in Tamil Nadu, and 56 in Maharashtra. Officials informed the CM that while Karnataka has seen only one or two Covid-19 cases from Jan till recently, the fourth week of May saw a noticeable spike, including one serious case. SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infection) surveillance is already underway. To support the public, Siddaramaiah ordered the launch of a dedicated Covid helpline. "If the situation escalates, screening units must be reintroduced at airports to monitor arriving passengers. Health department personnel should remain on duty and avoid taking leave during this critical period," he said. The CM directed officials to ensure that all necessary medical infrastructure, such as ventilators, oxygen supplies, essential medicines, and hospital beds, is fully in place across district hospitals. "Although there is no cause for panic at this stage, the state must be prepared to handle any situation swiftly and effectively. Special attention must be paid to the health of vulnerable populations, including the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with pre-existing heart or lung conditions. They should wear masks as a precaution," he added. CM instructed the officials that pregnant women should not be transferred between hospitals during medical emergencies, and instead, every hospital must be equipped to care for them. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Parents should avoid sending children with fever, cold, or flu-like symptoms to school, and schools should send such children home through their guardians," he directed the officials. He assured that the state is already following the required protocol. As a precaution against possible mutations of the virus, he advised that vaccines be kept ready. Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said, "Testing kits have already been distributed to hospitals across the state. We've procured 5,000 RT-PCR kits, and the rest will arrive by tomorrow. Since the number of Covid-infected individuals is currently low, mandatory testing is being conducted primarily for those with respiratory and heart conditions at VRDL testing centres. As a precautionary step, we've also instructed officials to stock up Remdesivir injections. "
India Today
21-05-2025
- Health
- India Today
Is Covid back? As cases climb, how Indians can stay safe
The horrific Covid-19 pandemic never really got erased from our collective memory, but now, a string of new cases in India and abroad is beginning to cause panic. India had reported 257 Covid cases as of May 20, with the count expected to rise. How concerning is the situation and what should we do? Dr Ankita Baidya, head of department, infectious diseases, Manipal Hospital Dwarka, New Delhi, separates fact from fiction to help you make informed choices and stay are the new variants different?There are different new variants of Covid circulating not only in India, but globally. These are mostly derived from the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus and are subvariants of the Omicron variant. Certain mutations in the spike protein of these viruses help them to attach and cause infection in people who were already immune or have protective antibodies from earlier infection. As such, we start seeing some cases coming up from the new are the symptoms?Symptoms of Covid infections are similar to viral infections, such as fever, sore throat, cough, running nose, blocked nose, loss of taste and smell. However, these symptoms are not very commonly seen these days but still can be noticed with Covid-19 infection. Sometimes loose motion, upset stomach and headache accompany Covid-19 infection. What are the new treatments available?There are antivirals approved for Covid infection, but are mostly used in patients who are anticipated to have severe infection because of certain comorbid conditions, and are used in the early course of infection because they mainly affect the viral replication. As such, these are Remdesivir and Paxlovid. Remdesivir is intravenous. So, it is used in patients who are admitted in hospital, while Paxlovid can be used in an outpatient it is not universally recommended that all patients should be taking this medication after diagnosis of Covid. It depends on person to person and as per the risk assessment status for severe disease. Apart from the antiviral, certain supportive therapies and some anti-allergens are used depending on what symptoms the patient is having. Accordingly, supportive treatment is the one that is usually Indians' immunity have waned over time?People in India should not worry, but yes, preparedness and taking precautions are always better. Therefore, awareness is important. As these viruses tend to mutate, our immunity against these diseases changes with time, and getting a milder form of infection is possible. And it is not always necessary that somebody who gets Covid is going to get a severe disease. So it is about the immunity and the response to the virus that our body takes after infection. It is advised not to panic, but one must take precautionary measures should one take?The precautions are still the same as taken before. It is always suggested to wear a mask, especially in social gatherings or when somebody has symptoms of viral infection, and practise hand hygiene. Affected people should wear a mask and isolate themselves. This helps in preventing the transmission of infection to close family members and friends, helping slow down the progress of the disease in to India Today MagazineMust Watch
