The Union Health Ministry on Saturday recommended the use of remdesivir under emergency use authorisation to treat COVID-19 patients on oxygen support while fatalities rose by 386, the biggest single-day increase, to settle at 8,884.
The recommendation from the ministry came under the revised ‘Clinical Management Protocol for COVID-19’ that also added “loss of smell and taste” to the list of symptoms for the disease.
The death count in India has nearly doubled over the past fortnight and Maharashtra (3,717) and Gujarat (1,415) together account for nearly 58% of the fatalities.
According to an analysis done by economist Shamika Ravi, Delhi accounts for the highest death rate in the country – 64.88 deaths per million people, which is almost 10 times the all-India death rate.
Delhi has reported 1,214 deaths so far and the pressure was visible at various crematoria, which are witnessing a heavy load of bodies for last rites.
The document also recommended drugs such as remdesivir and tocilizumab, and convalescent plasma under investigational therapies for a defined sub-group of patients making it clear that it was based on limited evidence.
The guidelines make it clear that remdesivir is not recommended for patients with severe renal impairment, children below 12 years and pregnant and lactating mothers.
The guidelines come as Maharashtra has announced multi-centre clinical trials for remdesivir imported from Bangladesh as the Indian drug controller was yet to grant permission for manufacturing the drug in India.
Read: Health Ministry okays HCQ for early course of COVID-19, remdesivir under emergency use authorization
India on Saturday witnessed its sharpest spike with 11,458 new cases, taking the total confirmed cases past the three-lakh mark to 3,08,993.
With the addition of loss of smell and taste, the clinical symptoms for COVID-19 have now risen to 15.