Black Fungus is a rare but serious fungal infection and it is being detected relatively frequently in COVID-19 patients across India.

Black Fungus infections on the rise in India

India has reported less than 300,000 COVID cases for the fifth straight day. The country reported more than 259,000 cases in the last 24 hours.

Coronavirus Update: India records less than 300,000 cases for 5th straight day

A top official of the Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said that India will receive the first batch of the sophisticated S-400 anti-aircraft surface-to-air missile system from Russia in October-December this year.

India to receive first batch of Russian S-400 missiles by year-end

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has embarrassed himself & the country by alluding the variant first found in India as that of Singapore's. The irresponsible behaviour has put India's ties with Singapore at risk. WION's Palki Sharma tells you how.

Gravitas: Delhi CM embarrasses himself & India

India has recoded less than 300,000 COVID cases for the forth straight day. Now India reported 276,070 cases in the last 24 hours. PM Modi meets field officials from districts and states.

PM Modi: Strategy to deal with COVID must be dynamic

A coffee shop at the Kaman Aman Setu, has been established by Indian Army. This coffee shop will be hosting people from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and also people from all across the country.

Kashmir: Coffee shop opened by Indian Army at Kaman Aman Setu

India has recoded less than 300,000 COVID cases for the forth straight day. Now India reported 276,070 cases in the last 24 hours.

Coronavirus Update: India sees slight downward trend in daily COVID cases

India has asked WhatsApp to withdraw its new privacy policy. Reports say the company has been given 7 days to respond. Otherwise, WhatsApp could face legal action. WION's Palki Sharma tells you why WhatsApp is facing scrutiny.

Gravitas: India tells WhatsApp to withdraw its new privacy policy

An Indian court has said live-in relationships are socially and morally not acceptable. Can courts play moral police? Or is it their job to do what's legally (not morally) right. WION’s Palki Sharma says- courts must stay in tune with the times.

Gravitas: Indian court: Live-in relationships morally unacceptable

Despite discovering the Farzad-B gas field in 2008, India's ONGC has been dropped from the multi-billion dollar project. WION’s Palki Sharma tells you how Indian officials miscalculated the deal and why India cannot afford more missteps in Iran.

Gravitas: Iran drops India from key gas field project

Aftermath of Cyclone Tauktae: In India, 22 people died in Mumbai after barge sank and 45 people died in Gujarat.

Cyclone Tauktae: 22 dead in Mumbai after barge sank

India has recorded highest one-day COVID deaths. More than 4,500 people lost their lives to COVID-19 in a single day.

India: 4,529 COVID-19 deaths in last 24 hours

Singapore is one of the nations most successful at curbing coronavirus has dismissed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's claim of a new Singapore COVID strain that is affecting children.

Singapore Foreign Minister To Arvind Kejriwal: Stick to facts

Remdesivir may soon to be dropped from COVID treatment in India. The Chairperson of one of the India's prominent hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital, has said that Remdesivir is being considered to be dropped from COVID-19 treatment.

Top Indian Hospital: Remdesivir may be dropped

India: Foreign Minister of Singapore dismisses Delhi CM's claims

Last year, Chinese manufacturers profiteered from selling faulty testing kits to India. Now, as India struggles with the new surge in Covid pandemic, Chinese have jacked up the prices of essential medical supplies and the Chinese state sees no problem with this.

Prices of everything from raw materials for drugs to oxygen concentrators have gone up. In some instances, the prices have gone up by as much as 300 per cent. Oxygen concentrators that usually list online for 1,000 yuan - roughly 11,000 rupees, marking a massive premium.

Going by one estimate, their prices now are four to five times higher. Prices for essential ingredients have gone up by 30 to 40 per cent including raw materials for paracetamol which is used for fever and azithromycin, an antibiotic.

Ingredients to make ivermectin have shot up by as much as 300 per cent in one instance. Now, various studies claim that this drug shows no benefit when it comes to the COVID-19 infection but the demand for ivermectin is high. So, Chinese suppliers are selling the raw materials for this drug at a premium.

Last week, an Indian diplomat shared her concerns with the press. The consul general to Hong Kong said soaring prices and cargo flight disruptions are slowing the arrival of medical goods in India. India's message to Beijing was clear - that even at a time when the demand was high, there needs to be some predictability and that prices just can't increase randomly.

The Chinese foreign ministry said the market is free to decide the prices and since Indian buyers are reaching out for supplies through several channels, the multiple requests are causing the prices to rise.

“Taking oxygen generators as an example, the rising demand affects the global supply chain. And there are some raw materials, such as those that need to be imported from Europe, and the lack of those supply has brought impact to production capacity. In addition, Indian buyers usually expressed their demand through a variety of channels, sometimes procurement through different channels may also over-amplify the demand to a certain extent, and thus affects the order of the market and push up the price”, Hua Chunying, ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson, said.

What Beijing is actually trying to say here is this - Had New Delhi reached out directly for help to Beijing, maybe the price wouldn't fluctuate this much.

In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping had offered to help. India has made no request to China. But medical supplies brought privately are allowed. So, Chinese suppliers are profiting off India's crisis. And Beijing is simply looking away from this blatant extortion.

This is not just a problem for India. The second wave is now hitting not just South Asia but Southeast Asia too. The shortages of medical suppliers are everywhere and China has positioned itself as the sole supplier of medical goods to the region - a monopoly of sorts.

This pandemic has created more such monopolies. The western countries are sitting on the largest stockpile of COVID-19 vaccines while the rest of the world is running out of shots. India is struggling to ramp up inoculations despite placing strict restrictions on vaccine exports.

Now, COVAX is reporting a severe shortage. COVAX is the international alliance for equitable vaccination access. 92 low and middle income countries depend on it for a COVID-19 vaccine but it is running out of shots. UNICEF is distributing the vaccines given to COVAX. It now says that by end of May, COVAX could have a shortage of 140 million doses. By June, this could go up to 190 million doses.

This will only exacerbate vaccine inequality. Some countries are still waiting for their first vaccine while rich countries like Canada and US are now gearing up to vaccinate children.

The World Health Organization is now asking these rich countries to halt inoculation for kids. Instead, the world health body wants rich countries to share their vaccines. Rich countries have locked up 53 per cent of the vaccines supplies in the near term. Nearly 1.4 billion shots have been given in 210 countries. 44 per cent of these have been given in high income countries. They account for just 16 per cent of the global population.

How many vaccines has the developed world got? Just 0.3 per cent. Less than 1 per cent of the vaccines have gone to 29 lowest income countries in the world. UNICEF has now asked the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US) to donate the excess.

If they were to part with just 20 per cent of their supplies, the developing world would get 153 million doses. Monopolies are slowing down the global vaccination drive. Right now, around 23 million doses are administered every day on average globally. At this rate, the developing world may not even get vaccinated until 2023.

So, the pandemic could get extended by two years. The quickest way to ramp up vaccinations now is for the developed world to share its doses. India's surge has proved to the world that until this virus is defeated everywhere, all countries are at risk.

Last year, Chinese manufacturers profiteered from selling faulty testing kits to India. Now, as India struggles with the new surge in Covid pandemic, Chinese have jacked up the prices of essential medical supplies and the Chinese state sees no problem with this.

Last year, Chinese manufacturers profiteered from selling faulty testing kits to India. Now, as India struggles with the new surge in Covid pandemic, Chinese have jacked up the prices of essential medical supplies and the Chinese state sees no problem with this. Prices of everything from raw materials for drugs to oxygen concentrators have gone up. In some instances, the prices have gone up by as much as 300 per cent. Oxygen concentrators that usually list online for 1,000 yuan - roughly 11,000 rupees, marking a massive premium. Going by one estimate, their prices now are four to five times higher. Prices for essential ingredients have gone up by 30 to 40 per cent including raw materials for paracetamol which is used for fever and azithromycin, an antibiotic. Ingredients to make ivermectin have shot up by as much as 300 per cent in one instance. Now, various studies claim that this drug shows no benefit when it comes to the COVID-19 infection but the demand for ivermectin is high. So, Chinese suppliers are selling the raw materials for this drug at a premium. Last week, an Indian diplomat shared her concerns with the press. The consul general to Hong Kong said soaring prices and cargo flight disruptions are slowing the arrival of medical goods in India. India's message to Beijing was clear - that even at a time when the demand was high, there needs to be some predictability and that prices just can't increase randomly. The Chinese foreign ministry said the market is free to decide the prices and since Indian buyers are reaching out for supplies through several channels, the multiple requests are causing the prices to rise. “Taking oxygen generators as an example, the rising demand affects the global supply chain. And there are some raw materials, such as those that need to be imported from Europe, and the lack of those supply has brought impact to production capacity. In addition, Indian buyers usually expressed their demand through a variety of channels, sometimes procurement through different channels may also over-amplify the demand to a certain extent, and thus affects the order of the market and push up the price”, Hua Chunying, ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson, said. What Beijing is actually trying to say here is this - Had New Delhi reached out directly for help to Beijing, maybe the price wouldn't fluctuate this much. In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping had offered to help. India has made no request to China. But medical supplies brought privately are allowed. So, Chinese suppliers are profiting off India's crisis. And Beijing is simply looking away from this blatant extortion. This is not just a problem for India. The second wave is now hitting not just South Asia but Southeast Asia too. The shortages of medical suppliers are everywhere and China has positioned itself as the sole supplier of medical goods to the region - a monopoly of sorts. This pandemic has created more such monopolies. The western countries are sitting on the largest stockpile of COVID-19 vaccines while the rest of the world is running out of shots. India is struggling to ramp up inoculations despite placing strict restrictions on vaccine exports. Now, COVAX is reporting a severe shortage. COVAX is the international alliance for equitable vaccination access. 92 low and middle income countries depend on it for a COVID-19 vaccine but it is running out of shots. UNICEF is distributing the vaccines given to COVAX. It now says that by end of May, COVAX could have a shortage of 140 million doses. By June, this could go up to 190 million doses. This will only exacerbate vaccine inequality. Some countries are still waiting for their first vaccine while rich countries like Canada and US are now gearing up to vaccinate children. The World Health Organization is now asking these rich countries to halt inoculation for kids. Instead, the world health body wants rich countries to share their vaccines. Rich countries have locked up 53 per cent of the vaccines supplies in the near term. Nearly 1.4 billion shots have been given in 210 countries. 44 per cent of these have been given in high income countries. They account for just 16 per cent of the global population. How many vaccines has the developed world got? Just 0.3 per cent. Less than 1 per cent of the vaccines have gone to 29 lowest income countries in the world. UNICEF has now asked the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US) to donate the excess. If they were to part with just 20 per cent of their supplies, the developing world would get 153 million doses. Monopolies are slowing down the global vaccination drive. Right now, around 23 million doses are administered every day on average globally. At this rate, the developing world may not even get vaccinated until 2023. So, the pandemic could get extended by two years. The quickest way to ramp up vaccinations now is for the developed world to share its doses. India's surge has proved to the world that until this virus is defeated everywhere, all countries are at risk.

How Chinese suppliers are profiteering off India's devastating Covid surge... again

As the Israel-Palestine conflict rages, what is India's position? Historically, New Delhi has supported Palestine, but today it maintains an independent relationship with both sides. This stance reflects in India's statement. Palki Sharma tells you how.

Gravitas: Israel or Palestine: Who does India support?

India's daily infections have dropped below 300,000 for the first time in 25 days. Has India's deadly second wave touched its peak? Palki Sharma has the answers.

Gravitas: India's COVID Surge: New cases drop for the first time in 25 days

India's reproduction value (R) for COVID-19, which shows how fast the infection is spreading, is below one now, which means that the pandemic is shrinking, the government said on Tuesday even as it cautioned that 98 per cent of the population is still vulnerable.&nbsp;

Addressing media, NITI Aayog member (Health) VK Paul said in many states, the pandemic curve is stabilising.&nbsp;

"Comprehensive efforts at containment and testing are resulting in stabilisation. We still have a few states which continue to be cause of concern... There is a mixed picture but overall there is stabilisation and what we know from scientific analysis is the reproduction number is below 1 now which means the pandemic is shrinking," Paul said.&nbsp;

He said this has happened because there is a huge containment effort in addition to managing the cases in home settings and hospitals. &nbsp;

"We are hoping and keeping the case fatality rate reasonably under control. We have to be very mindful that when we are achieving declining positivity rate it is because of the results of what we are doing and that doing cannot be slackened. We cannot again let this go out of hand," he said. &nbsp;

Lav Agarwal, the joint secretary at the Health Ministry, said 1.8 per cent of the total population in India has been affected by Covid so far which means 98 per cent of the population is still susceptible or vulnerable to the infection.&nbsp;

"Despite the high number of cases reported so far, we have been able to contain the spread to under 2 per cent of the population due to continued efforts by the medical fraternity, states and districts," he said.&nbsp;

"This should also make us wary of protecting the still vulnerable/susceptible 98 per cent population. We cannot let our guards down, hence continued focus on containment is critical," Agarwal said.&nbsp;

Giving figures from around the world, he said 10.1 per cent of the population in the US has been infected so far, 7.3 per cent in Brazil, 9 per cent in France and 7.4 per cent in Italy.&nbsp;

About black fungus, Paul said till now the number is not that high but it cannot be taken for granted.&nbsp;

"We have held discussions with all states on black fungus and there is a push on availability of Amphotericin B and till now, the number is not that high but we cannot take it for granted. There are a large number of cases through which we have learnt that when a combination of diabetes, an uncontrolled one, particularly in Covid and steroid use comes up then likelihood of this disease becomes a possibility. So, whoever has diabetes should try to keep it in control," he said. &nbsp;

He stressed on rational use of medication. "We reiterate that proper use of steroids has to be done and we must not take it lightly," he said.&nbsp;

India's reproduction value (R) for COVID-19, which shows how fast the infection is spreading, is below one now, which means that the pandemic is shrinking, the government said on Tuesday even as it cautioned that 98 per cent of the population is still vulnerable.

India's reproduction value (R) for COVID-19, which shows how fast the infection is spreading, is below one now, which means that the pandemic is shrinking, the government said on Tuesday even as it cautioned that 98 per cent of the population is still vulnerable. Addressing media, NITI Aayog member (Health) VK Paul said in many states, the pandemic curve is stabilising. "Comprehensive efforts at containment and testing are resulting in stabilisation. We still have a few states which continue to be cause of concern... There is a mixed picture but overall there is stabilisation and what we know from scientific analysis is the reproduction number is below 1 now which means the pandemic is shrinking," Paul said. He said this has happened because there is a huge containment effort in addition to managing the cases in home settings and hospitals. "We are hoping and keeping the case fatality rate reasonably under control. We have to be very mindful that when we are achieving declining positivity rate it is because of the results of what we are doing and that doing cannot be slackened. We cannot again let this go out of hand," he said. Lav Agarwal, the joint secretary at the Health Ministry, said 1.8 per cent of the total population in India has been affected by Covid so far which means 98 per cent of the population is still susceptible or vulnerable to the infection. "Despite the high number of cases reported so far, we have been able to contain the spread to under 2 per cent of the population due to continued efforts by the medical fraternity, states and districts," he said. "This should also make us wary of protecting the still vulnerable/susceptible 98 per cent population. We cannot let our guards down, hence continued focus on containment is critical," Agarwal said. Giving figures from around the world, he said 10.1 per cent of the population in the US has been infected so far, 7.3 per cent in Brazil, 9 per cent in France and 7.4 per cent in Italy. About black fungus, Paul said till now the number is not that high but it cannot be taken for granted. "We have held discussions with all states on black fungus and there is a push on availability of Amphotericin B and till now, the number is not that high but we cannot take it for granted. There are a large number of cases through which we have learnt that when a combination of diabetes, an uncontrolled one, particularly in Covid and steroid use comes up then likelihood of this disease becomes a possibility. So, whoever has diabetes should try to keep it in control," he said. He stressed on rational use of medication. "We reiterate that proper use of steroids has to be done and we must not take it lightly," he said.

Indian Govt says COVID-19 pandemic is shrinking, warns 98 per cent population still vulnerable 

Major regulators have listed blood clots as a rare side effect of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. India has found 26 suspected cases of bleeding and clotting among recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Coronavirus Update: India finds 'minuscule' clot risk from AstraZeneca jab

India has called for an immediate de-escalation for the situation between Israel and Palestine at the first public United Nations Security Council meeting. India also urged Israel and Palestinian authorities to immediately resume dialogue to find a lasting solution.

India at UNSC calls for immediate de-escalation of Israel-Palestine hostilities

The daily COVID-19 infections across India have gone below the 300,000 mark. 281,386 fresh cases have been recorded in the last 24 hours and the nations total caseload down stands at 24.97 million.

India COVID-19: Daily infections slip below 300,000 mark, daily deaths rise by 4,106

The first batch of the Indian made anti-Covid drug called “2-DG” or “2-deoxy-D-glucose” was released for medical use on Monday. Touted as a wonder drug to help ailing patients while reducing the dependency on supplementary oxygen, it is believed that the medicines could immensely take the load off India’s strained healthcare system and could also help limit the fatalities in rural areas which have been ravaged in the ongoing second wave of COVID-19.

Here’s what we know so far

How was it created?

The formulation of the drug was cleared for emergency medical use by India’s national drug regulator - Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on May 1 to treat Covid patients with moderate to severe infections.

2-DG was created by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab which functions under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The lab collaborated with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), as stated in the Defence Ministry’s release from earlier in May.

What does it do?

Based on clinical data, it appears that the constituent molecules of the 2-DG accentuate the recovery of patients that are witnessing moderate to severe symptoms of COVID-19, especially ones who have undergone hospitalisation and are heavily dependent on oxygen support.&nbsp;

According to available trial data, the drug gathers all cells that are infected with the virus. Then, it prevents further viral multiplication of the virus and halts the production go energy, effectively limiting the spread of the disease. The drug is being touted as a magic cure for its ability to accumulate infected cells in an infected person.

How much data do we have?

The clinical trials for 2-DG began in summer 2020, when India witnessing its first wave of COVID-19. According to the INMAS-DRDO trials, the molecule in the drug effectively fights COVID-19 and stops the growth of the virus. The phase 2 trials for 2-DG began in May 2020 among COVID-19 patients. The trials were undertaken for 110 patients between May and October in 2020.

According to trials, the first part of the phase 2 trials was conducted in six hospitals, while the second part was done at 11 hospitals. Phase 3 trials began in November 2020. Between December 2020 and March 2021, 220 patients underwent trials from 27 hospitals spread across Delhi, West Bengal, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

What’s the proof?

According to government data, 2-DG was not only safe among Covid patients, but in fact helped improve the recovery. The trial data says the patients who received 2-DG recovered quicker than those who received standard treatments.

Phase 3 trials showed that 2-DG recipients were off supplementary oxygen (42 per cent as opposed to 31 per cent who were receiving standard care) by the third day of being administered the drug.

If this works out well, the drug could change the route of treatments being commissioned in India right now.

The first batch of the Indian made anti-Covid drug called “2-DG” or “2-deoxy-D-glucose” was released for medical use on Monday. Touted as a wonder drug to help ailing patients while reducing the dependency on supplementary oxygen, it is believed that the medicines could immensely take the load off India’s strained healthcare system and could also help limit the fatalities in rural areas which have been ravaged in the ongoing second wave of COVID-19.

The first batch of the Indian made anti-Covid drug called “2-DG” or “2-deoxy-D-glucose” was released for medical use on Monday. Touted as a wonder drug to help ailing patients while reducing the dependency on supplementary oxygen, it is believed that the medicines could immensely take the load off India’s strained healthcare system and could also help limit the fatalities in rural areas which have been ravaged in the ongoing second wave of COVID-19. Here’s what we know so far How was it created? The formulation of the drug was cleared for emergency medical use by India’s national drug regulator - Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on May 1 to treat Covid patients with moderate to severe infections. 2-DG was created by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab which functions under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The lab collaborated with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), as stated in the Defence Ministry’s release from earlier in May. What does it do? Based on clinical data, it appears that the constituent molecules of the 2-DG accentuate the recovery of patients that are witnessing moderate to severe symptoms of COVID-19, especially ones who have undergone hospitalisation and are heavily dependent on oxygen support. According to available trial data, the drug gathers all cells that are infected with the virus. Then, it prevents further viral multiplication of the virus and halts the production go energy, effectively limiting the spread of the disease. The drug is being touted as a magic cure for its ability to accumulate infected cells in an infected person. How much data do we have? The clinical trials for 2-DG began in summer 2020, when India witnessing its first wave of COVID-19. According to the INMAS-DRDO trials, the molecule in the drug effectively fights COVID-19 and stops the growth of the virus. The phase 2 trials for 2-DG began in May 2020 among COVID-19 patients. The trials were undertaken for 110 patients between May and October in 2020. According to trials, the first part of the phase 2 trials was conducted in six hospitals, while the second part was done at 11 hospitals. Phase 3 trials began in November 2020. Between December 2020 and March 2021, 220 patients underwent trials from 27 hospitals spread across Delhi, West Bengal, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. What’s the proof? According to government data, 2-DG was not only safe among Covid patients, but in fact helped improve the recovery. The trial data says the patients who received 2-DG recovered quicker than those who received standard treatments. Phase 3 trials showed that 2-DG recipients were off supplementary oxygen (42 per cent as opposed to 31 per cent who were receiving standard care) by the third day of being administered the drug. If this works out well, the drug could change the route of treatments being commissioned in India right now.

Explainer: What is 2-DG, India's new anti-Covid drug? How does it work?

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