ICMR tests 32K new samples, total COVID positive cases at 14,378; death toll hits 480

India reported 1,443 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, as per Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. According to latest update, number of total cases in country has climbed to 14,378, while death toll stands at 480.

READ: ICMR Asks States To Use Rapid Antibody Tests For Surveillance In COVID-19 Hotspots

Spike in cases

On Friday evening,  Indian Council for Medical Research released data stating that 3.35 lakh tests had been conducted till 9 pm, of which 14,098 people had tested positive. Council conducted 31,083 tests on Friday, and reported 1,443 positive cases of virus. Council has been testing at rate of roughly 9% of total tests every day.

READ: CDSCO Gives d To Convalescent Plasma rapy Clinical Trial In COVID-19 Patients

ICMR has asked states to use rapid antibody tests for surveillance in COVID-19 hotspots underlying that old standard frontline test for vel coronavirus diagsis is a real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) based molecular test, which is aimed at early virus detection.

In a letter to all chief secretaries and principal secretaries (health) of States, ICMR Director General Dr. Balram Bharagava listed protocol for using ‘rapid antibody test’ in hotspot area for epidemiological studies and surveillance.

India received five lakh rapid antibody testing kits from China on Thursday and se, health ministry officials said, are being distributed to States for districts with a high burden of infection.

Chief of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at ICMR Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar on Thursday said that rapid antibody test kits procured are t meant for early diagsis, but "only for surveillance and trend checking".

READ: Kerala Likely To Relax Lockdown In Some Areas, Classifies Districts Based On COVID Threat

Simultaneously,  Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has given a go-ahead to interested institutes for conducting clinical trial with convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients, as per protocol developed by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It said that ICMR has given a list of institutes to CDSCO which have shown interest in conduct of said trial.

country is currently in second phase of nationwide lockdown anunced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 and will go on till May 3.

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