With a total of 39,174 patients cured of COVID-19 in India, the recovery rate in the country stood at 38.73 per cent and the rate of recovery was improving continuously, according to the Health Ministry.
The Ministry also said that India had a lower death rate when compared with the world ratio. India has 0.2 deaths per lakh population whereas it was 4.1 deaths per lakh population for the world as a whole.
Testing
A record number of 1,08,233 samples were tested, which brings the total samples tested so far to 24,25,742, the Ministry said in a release. Only one laboratory conducted COVID-19 test in January. But now the testing capacity is available in 385 government laboratories and 158 private laboratories. The Ministry said that the testing capacity in the country was expanded with forging partnerships with all central government labs, state’s medical colleges, private medical colleges and private sector. Testing machines like TrueNAT and CBNAAT have also been mobilized to ramp up testing, the release said.
New Guidelines
The Health Ministry also issued revised testing guidelines for COVID-19. In addition to earlier criteria, the testing strategy has been widened to include frontline workers involved in containment and mitigation of C0VlD-19, all hospitalized patients who develop lLl symptoms and all symptomatic ILI among returnees and migrants within 7 days of illness. For details: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/Revisedtestingguidelines.pdf
Moreover, guidelines were also issued on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19 in workplace settings to deal if suspect or confirmed case of COVID-19 is detected in these settings. The guidelines can be seen at: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/GuidelinesonpreventivemeasurestocontainspreadofCOVID19inworkplacesettings.pdf
Another set of guidelines was issued for Dental Professionals as the Dentists, auxiliaries as well as patients are at high risk of cross-infection. The detailed guideline can be seen at:
https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/DentalAdvisoryF.pdf
