ICMR’s second sero survey reveals considerable population still vulnerable to Covid-19

Second sero survey conducted by the ICMR showed that a considerable population is still vulnerable and susceptible to coronavirus infection, the Union Health Minister said on Tuesday. According to the report, one in 15 individuals aged more than 10 years were estimated to be exposed to Covid-19 by August 2020, said ICMR DG Balram Bhargava.

Meanwhile, daily coronavirus cases in India dropped below 75,000 and less than 1,000 deaths were reported in a day after nearly a month. The tally on Tuesday crossed the 61-lakh mark with the detection of 70,589 new cases. Of the country’s 61,45,292 cases, 9,47,576 people are undergoing treatment, 51,01,398 people have been discharged and 96,318 people have died. India’s recovery rate is 83.01 per cent, the highest in the world. The fatality rate, on the other hand, is 1.57 per cent. India’s count dips every Monday due to the number of samples tested, a trend that fits into a pattern, and is not unusual.

The global toll due to Covid-19 passed the one million mark on Tuesday. The most deaths have been reported in the United States, followed by Brazil and India. These three countries account for nearly 45 per cent of Covid-19 deaths globally.

According to Reuters, over 5,400 people die from the disease every 24 hours. This results to around 226 people succumbing to disease per hour, or one person every 16 seconds.

In other news, the government Monday launched a ‘vaccine web portal’ and the ‘National Clinical Registry for COVID-19’ to disseminate important information on Covid-19, including vaccine development, ongoing clinical trials and progress made in this area locally and globally. Both portals have been developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and was launched by Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.

Indian express