On Wednesday it was reported that there were 50 new COVID-19 deaths and recovery of 3,959 patients which took the recovery rate to 19.36% from 17% previously.
The Union Health Ministry reported that 20,971 individuals have been confirmed positive as of now and the death toll stood at 652. Since Tuesday, 1,383 new cases were reported.
According to the reports from the States, the toll has reached 683 and the total number of positive cases have reached 21,330, out of which 16,493 are active. Maharashtra has the most number of cases (5,649), followed by Gujarat (2,407) and Delhi (2,248).
The Home Ministry conveyed the message that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had promised to collect data from the States to assess the scope and extent of the utility of the rapid antibody test in field conditions.
“ICMR shall keep advising the States on a regular basis. The States have also been advised to follow the prescribed protocol for this test and use it for the purpose for which it is meant,” said a release issued by the Ministry. The ICMR had reiterated that the rapid test was largely to be used as a tool for surveillance.
“Globally also, the utility of this test is evolving and it is currently being used for detecting the formation of antibodies in individuals. The test results are also dependent on field conditions,” the release noted and asserted that the test cannot replace the RT-PCR test to diagnose COVID-19 cases.
