New Delhi [India], July 31 (ANI): India recorded 19,673 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, according to data shared by the Union Health Ministry on Sunday.

New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): The Indian Council of Medical Research on Tuesday released a book and a mobile app for use by physicians that would help them deal with problems associated with irrational use of medicines, over and under diagnosis, among other things.

New Delhi [India], June 6 (ANI): The Indian Council of Medical Research issued guidelines for the management of Type 1 Diabetes on Monday.

New Delhi [India], May 5 (ANI): After the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that India had 4.7 million "excess" COVID deaths, the country questioned the modelling methodology used by the organisation and said it is disappointed with its ''one-size-fits-all'' approach.

New Delhi Apr 25 PTI With 2541 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day Indias total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 43060086 while the active cases increased to 16522 according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on MondayThe death toll climbed to 522223 with 30 fresh fatalities the data updated at 8 am statedThe active cases comprise 004 per cent of the total infections while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded as 9875 per cent the ministry said An increase of 649 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hoursThe daily positivity rate was recorded as 084 per cent and the weekly positivity rate as 054 per cent according to the ministry The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 42521341 while the case fatality rate was 121 per cent The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 18771 crore Indias COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 2020 30 lakh on August 23 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16 It went past 60 lakh on September 28 70 lakh on October 11 crossed 80 lakh on October 29 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19 The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year The 30 new fatalities include 24 from Kerala two each from Maharashtra andUttar Pradesh and one each from Delhi and MizoramA total of 522223 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 147834 from Maharashtra 68843 from Kerala40057 from Karnataka38025 from Tamil Nadu 26167 from Delhi 23505 from Uttar Pradesh and 21201 from West BengalThe ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbiditiesOur figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research the ministry said on its website adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation PTI PLB DV DV

Mumbai Mar 31 PTI The Maharashtra governments decision to lift all coronavirus-related restrictions including the mask mandate from April 2 was supported by experts on Thursday but with a caveat that vulnerable groups must continue to take precaution State health minister Rajesh Tope earlier in the day announced that all restrictions will be lifted from Saturday and wearing mask will not be compulsory Dr Anurag Agrawal Director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology Delhi said there was no point in wearing masks outdoors now when the infection rate is low It is a good time to do away with masks Dr Agrawal told PTI He however added that wearing masks indoors should still be practiced especially by the vulnerable population The Delhi Disaster Management Authority DDMA has also announced that there will be no fine for not wearing masks in public places in the national capital Dr Raman Gangakhedekar former head scientist of the Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Division at the Indian Council of Medical Research said I will not say that this is an improper decision to make masks voluntary Dr Gangakhedekar who was the face of the ICMR when the first wave of coronavirus hit the country in 2020 said currently the rate of infection is very low and the decision has been taken in that context He too stressed that masks are still necessary for people whose immunity is low This group comprises senior citizens people with comorbidities and those who have not taken both the doses of coronavirus vaccine he said Dr Dileep Mavlankar Director of the Ahemdabad-based Public Health Foundation of India said the time is right to withdraw the mask mandate as infection rate is low and people have developed immunity due to infections and vaccination But people with symptoms must continue to wear masks he cautioned Dr Trupti Gilada Infectious Diseases Specialist Masina Hospital said the vaccination status of Maharashtra is high with over 90 per cent of the population having COVID-19 antibodies either due to previous infection or immunisation There have been no repercussions in the form of rising cases over the last few weeks despite festivities opening up of all public spaces weddings and elections We will continue to see a few cases here and there most of which will be mild Gilada said This is exactly what it means for a disease to become endemic like other diseases like influenza she said It was just about time to return to normalcy and removing compulsory masking is the last leg in that direction a step that has been well calculated and deliberated upon she said But Dr Harish Chafle Senior Consultant - Pulmonology and Critical Care at Global Hospitals in Parel Mumbai had a different take Mumbai was and will be the hotspot of COVID-19 simply because it hosts a large number of people from different cities and countries he said Despite the fact that wearing a mask was always mandatory not many followed the regulation strictly This was the situation when rules were absolutely compulsory he pointed out Now imagine what would happen if the government decides to completely lift the rules There will be chaos among people he said With overcrowded local trains and other modes of transportation going mask-free in Mumbai so soon will be a bad decision especially when we havent achieved 100 per cent vaccination he saidAs many as 1225 new coronavirus cases were reported in the country during the day The active case tally in the country dipped to 14307 The countrys daily positivity rate stood at 020 per cent PTI PR KRK KRK

New Delhi Mar 25 PTI A study has said that heart diseases contributed over 28 per cent of the total deaths in India in 2016 compared to 152 per cent in 1990 the Lok Sabha was informed on FridayThe government also told the lower house that non-communicable diseases are estimated to account for 63 per cent of fatalities in the countryUnion Minister of State for Health Bharati Pawar said the study -- The changing patterns of cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors in the States of India The Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2016 -- was published in the Lancet Global Health 2018 by the Indian Council of Medical Research ICMRShe said the according to the study heart diseases contributed 281 per cent of the total deaths in India in 2016 compared to 152 per cent in 1990Pawar said another study -- Global regional and national burden of chronic kidney disease 1990-2017 a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 -- was published in Lancet 2020 by ICMRAccording to this study the age standardised prevalence of chronic kidney disease CKD in India has increased by 56 per cent between 1990 and 2017 she saidThe minister also said the non-communicable diseases are estimated to account for 63 per cent of all deaths in India PTI ACB ACB TIR TIR

New Delhi [India], March 3 (ANI): Stating that COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in mortality prevention has been measured, the Union Health Ministry informed on Thursday that one dose is 98.9 per cent effective and if both doses are administered then its efficacy increases to 99.3 per cent.

New Delhi [India], January 16 (ANI): Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said that the government is conducting three times more COVID-19 testing than required by the Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines and informed that the city is likely to report nearly 17,000 new COVID-19 cases today.

New Delhi [India], January 11 (ANI): Molnupiravir, an oral antiviral drug used in the treatment of COVID-19 should not be administered to the younger population as it adversely affects their reproductive system, said Dr NK Arora, Chairman of COVID-19 Working Group of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI).