VA-SenaNovember 19, 2020
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4min3728

The vaccine’s efficacy was found to be consistent across different ages and ethnicities – a promising sign given the disease has disproportionately hurt the elderly and certain groups including Black people.

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Pfizer Inc and BioNTech could secure emergency US and European authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine next month after final trial results showed it had a 95% success rate and no serious side effects, the drugmakers said on Wednesday.

The vaccine’s efficacy was found to be consistent across different ages and ethnicities – a promising sign given the disease has disproportionately hurt the elderly and certain groups including Black people.

The US Food and Drug Administration could grant emergency-use by the middle of December, BioNTech Chief Executive Ugur Sahin told Reuters TV. Conditional approval in the European Union could be secured in the second half of December, he added.

“If all goes well I could imagine that we gain approval in the second half of December and start deliveries before Christmas, but really only if all goes positively,” he said.

The success rate of the vaccine developed by the US drugmaker and German partner BioNTech was far higher than what regulators had said would have been acceptable. Experts said it was a significant achievement in the race to end the pandemic.

Of the 170 volunteers who contracted COVID-19 in Pfizer’s trial involving over 43,000 people, 162 had received a placebo and not the vaccine, meaning the vaccine was 95% effective. Of the 10 people who had severe COVID-19, one had received the vaccine.

“A first in the history of mankind: less than a year from the sequence of the virus to the large-scale clinical trial of a vaccine, moreover based on a whole new technique,” said Enrico Bucci, a biologist at Temple University in Philadelphia. “Today is a special day.”

BioNTech’s Sahin said U.S. emergency use authorization (EUA) would be applied for on Friday.

An FDA advisory committee tentatively plans to meet on Dec. 8-10 to discuss the vaccine, a source familiar with the situation said, though the dates could change. The FDA did not respond to requests for comment.

COVID-19 RUNS RAMPANT

The final trial analysis comes a week after initial results showed the vaccine was more than 90% effective. Moderna Inc on Monday released preliminary data for its vaccine showing 94.5% effectiveness.

“We now have two safe and highly effective vaccines that could be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and ready to distribute within weeks,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said.

The Moderna vaccine is likely to be authorized within seven to 10 days of Pfizer receiving its EUA, U.S. officials said, with states ready to begin distribution within 24 hours.

The better-than-expected results from the two vaccines, both developed with new messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, have raised hopes for an end to a pandemic that has killed more than 1.3 million people and destroyed economies and daily life.

The news was especially welcome with the virus again running rampant around the world, setting records for new infections and hospitalizations almost daily.

The Pfizer-BioNTech shot was found to have 94% efficacy in people over age 65, a particularly high-risk group.

“This is the evidence we needed to ensure that the most vulnerable people are protected,” said Andrew Hill, senior visiting research fellow at the University of Liverpool’s department of pharmacology.


VA-SenaSeptember 11, 2020
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1min3604

According to Delhi government’s health bulletin, the tally of cases touched 2,05,482 while the death count rose to 4,666 with 28 fresh fatalities.

 

New Delhi: Delhi recorded 4,308 fresh coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest single-day spike so far, while a record 58,340 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, authorities said.

According to Delhi government’s health bulletin, the tally of cases touched 2,05,482 while the death count rose to 4,666 with 28 fresh fatalities.

The positivity rate in the last 24 hours stands at 7.38 per cent. The number of containment zones stands at 1,272, it said.

 

 


VA-SenaJuly 20, 2020
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7min33940

 

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A group of Indian-origin doctors has warned that inherent racial bias in medical research and practice could be exacerbating the disproportionately severe impact of COVID-19 among ethnic minorities in the UK and globally, as they call for a wider study into lifestyle-related risks among them.

While metabolic syndrome (MetS) that increases a person’s wider health risk is known to be behind the severity of the deadly virus among some ethnic groups, UK-based cardiologist Aseem Malhotra and British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) chairman JS Bamrah and US-based infectious disease and obesity physician Ravi Kamepalii highlight that the genetic factors behind MetS are not being properly factored in.

They warn that genetic predisposition may be a key factor behind South Asians developing conditions linked to obesity, such as Type 2 diabetes, at much lower levels of body fat.

But these are not being identified as high risk and managed appropriately because of the general focus on Body Mass Index (BMI) as a proxy for “healthy weight”.

“Using Body Mass Index (BMI) as a proxy for ‘healthy weight” may provide the illusion of protection and will miss a substantial proportion of those from black and South Asian ethnic minority groups with MetS risk,” they write in the peer-reviewed academic journal ‘The Physician’.

BMI is determined by a person’s weight relative to their height and a BMI above 30 is taken as the standard measure for unhealthiness in the UK.

According to Public Health England (PHE), those from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are at increased risk of poor outcomes from COVID-19.

Last month, an official UK government review found that historic racism is among the factors behind this higher risk of ethnic minorities contracting and dying from COVID-19.

In their paper titled ‘Poor metabolic health is the major issue for increased COVID-19 mortality in BAME groups’, the doctors note: “Just as racism is endemic in the NHS [National Health Service], racial bias exists in the identification and management of patients from BAME backgrounds at high risk.

“Normal BMI metabolically unhealthy have a threefold increased all-cause mortality and or cardiovascular event risk compared to metabolically healthy normal weight over a 10-year period. Unfortunately, the current NHS risk assessment tool doesn’t directly measure metabolic health which is a more sensitive method to identify and subsequently manage BAME individuals at high risk.”

Poor diet, lack of activity and severe Vitamin D deficiency are highlighted as the common factors leading to poor metabolic health and increased infection severity risk among BAME backgrounds, particularly South Asians.

The doctors have called for an immediate update of the risk assessment tool to take into account five factors that will help identify those from ethnic minority backgrounds at the highest risk from not just Covid-19 complications, but longer-term risk of death and heart attack.

These five factors are: blood pressure above 120/80mmHg, (pre-hypertension or hypertension); HbA1c > 5.7 (pre-diabetes/Type 2 diabetes); high blood triglycerides; low HDL-Cholesterol; and increased waist circumference.

MetS, which has been identified as having up to several-fold increased risk of mortality from COVID-19, is defined as having at least three of the above risk factors but this is not being assessed in the current NHS risk assessment tools, the doctors note.

They also draw on a “concerning picture” of lifestyle factors not being addressed behind those risk factors, which include a diet low in whole fruit and vegetables, and one that’s high in sugar and refined carbohydrates especially in those from South Asian backgrounds.

Indians are consuming at least twice the amount of sugar as recommended as a maximum limit by the World Health Organisation (WHO), their paper notes.

Also, given a genetic tendency to lower genetic cardiorespiratory fitness, people from South Asian backgrounds may require 233 minutes of moderate activity per week to get the same cardiometabolic risk benefits as a white European doing 150 minutes per week.

The paper adds: “Vitamin D plays an essential role in innate and adaptive immunity. Severe Vitamin D deficiency, which has been strongly correlated with adverse outcomes from Covid-19, also has a high prevalence amongst BAME groups in the UK. The majority of those from South Asian or black backgrounds are either deficient or severely deficient.

“It’s imperative that those from BAME backgrounds know their Vitamin D status but it’s not currently routinely measured in primary care. In those who are deficient measures should be taken to correct it. More sun exposure is required to generate adequate levels compared to those of lighter skin colour.”

The most important food sources of Vitamin D are fatty fish, cod liver oil, eggs and mushrooms but as a back-up supplements may also be used to top up a deficiency.

The authors stress that many of the risk factors they have highlighted can be improved, and even reversed, very quickly through diet and lifestyle changes but more research and publicity on diet and lifestyle interventions in metabolically unhealthy BAME groups, including those with a normal BMI who are at highest risk, is urgently required.

“The evidence is clear, time for action on metabolic health is long overdue. Otherwise there will be even more misery and devastation when the next pandemic comes round,” they warn.


VA-SenaJuly 13, 2020
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2min31300
Patna AIIMS to start human trial of coronavirus vaccine on 18 volunteers from July 13

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Patna: The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Patna will start the human trail of coronavirus vaccine from Monday (July 13, 2020). The trail will be conducted on 18 volunteers selected by the hospital authority.

Several people contacted the AIIMS hospital to take part in the trail but only 18 people aged between 18 to 55 years were selected for the process.

The selected volunteers will first go through a medical check-up on Monday, and after analysing their reports they will further proceed for the trail.

As per ICMR guidelines, the first dose of the vaccine will be given to only those whose reports will be fine. After the first dose of the vaccine, the patient will be under doctor’s supervision for 2 to 3 hours after which they will be sent home.

A total of three dosages of injection will be given to the patients to complete the trial process.

AIIMS Patna is one among the 12 institutes selected by ICMR of conduct the coronavirus vaccine trial.

 


VA-SenaMay 23, 2020
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7min37800

Health authorities across the globe are looking at vaccines as the long-term solution to the disease which has wreaked havoc all over the world.

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COVID-19 vaccine: A ray of hope! The first vaccine for COVID-19 to reach the first phase of clinical trial has been found to be safe and well-tolerated, and it can generate a response among humans that is immune to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus which causes COVID-19, a study published in The Lancet has found. In a statement, Lancet said that the trial, which was conducted among 108 healthy adults, has given a positive outcome within the first 28 days of the 6-month-long study. Further tests will ascertain if this immune response can effectively protect humans against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

 

Beijing Institute of Biotechnology’s Professor Wei Chen, who is conducting the study, has been quoted by Lancet as saying that the trial shows that a single dose of the vaccine called Ad5-nCov produced antibodies specific to the virus and T cells in 14 days. The Ad5-nCoV vaccine – an abbreviation of new adenovirus type 5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine – has therefore become a candidate to be studied further, Chen said. The professor, however, added that the results must be interpreted with caution, since the challenges in developing a vaccine against the COVID-19 are unprecedented, much like the virus itself.

Chen further stated that the ability of the trial vaccine to trigger an immune response does not translate to the fact that it would be able to protect humans from SARS-CoV-2. While the results are promising and give an indication towards the eventual development of a vaccine against the disease, there is a long walk till the vaccine is made available to all.

Health authorities across the globe are looking at vaccines as the long-term solution to the disease which has wreaked havoc all over the world. Therefore, over 100 vaccine candidates are under development globally at present.

According to Lancet, Ad5-nCoV is the first vaccine candidate to be tested among humans.

How does the vaccine work?

The vaccine uses a weakened common cold virus called adenovirus, which can readily infect human cells without causing any diseases. These weakened viruses deliver genetic material which codes for spike proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 to the cells, which then produce these proteins and travel to the lymph nodes. The immune system produces antibodies at these lymph nodes, and with the help of these cells, the system recognizes the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 and fights it.

Results of the study

The study checked how the vaccine generated immune response among humans depending on the dosage administered to the 108 healthy adults, who were aged between 18 and 60 years and did not have COVID-19. The study also assessed the safety of the vaccine in generating the response.

The 108 adults were enrolled from a site in Wuhan, China, and they were either administered an injection containing low dose (0.5 ml), medium dose (1 ml), or high dose (1.5 ml).

It was found that no serious adverse effect was reported for any dosage within the first 28 days, even as 83% each from low and medium dose groups and 75% from high dose groups reported at least one mild to moderate adverse effect within seven days of vaccination. The most common adverse effect was found to be mild pain at the site of injection of vaccine, and it was reported by 54% of the recipients. Apart from this, 46% recipients reported fever, 44% fatigue, 39% headache and 17% muscle pain.

The study further showed that within the first two weeks of vaccination, all dosage levels started showing some form of antibodies generation. Some of the recipients showed generation of antibodies which could bind to the coronavirus but not fight it, while some recipients showed antibodies which could detectably neutralise the virus.

The study further stated that within the first 28 days of the vaccination, most of the participants underwent a four-fold increase in binding antibodies, while half of the participants in each low and middle dose group and 75% participants in the high dose group showed antibodies which could neutralise the SARS-CoV-2.

Lancet study also stated that Ad5-nCoV vaccine also led to a rapid T cell response in most volunteers, and this response was greater in recipients of high and middle level dose, and the levels of T cells peaked at 14 days after vaccination.

Possible limitations in further experimentation

Authors of the study, however, stated that the production of T cells and antibodies, both could reduce if the recipient has high pre-existing immunity to the adenovirus type 5, which is the carrier of common cold. In the study, 44-56% of the participants, who had high pre-existing immunity to this carrier, showed less positive antibody and T cell response.

Professor Feng-Cai Zhu of China’s Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention was further quoted by Lancet statement as saying that a high pre-existing immunity to this virus could also negatively impact the immune response elicited by the vaccine.

The authors further stated that the study is limited due to the small sample size, relatively short duration, and non-randomized group, which can impact the ability of the study to pick up rarer adverse effects, or provide stronger evidence regarding the positive results of the vaccine.

All over the world, several studies are being conducted, with health experts all over the globe scrambling to develop a vaccine as soon as possible to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far infected over 51 lakh people globally, accounting for the death of over 3.3 lakh people.

 

 


VA-SenaMay 22, 2020
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5min32270

The ‘black ribbon protest’ has been organised by the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) India to express the medical professionals’ disappointment over the revised guidelines for health workers posted in Covid areas, issued by the Union and state health departments.

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New Delhi: Doctors deployed in Covid-19 duty in all the Central and state government hospitals on Friday sported black arm bands while at work as a mark of protest.

The ‘black ribbon protest’ has been organised by the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) India to express the medical professionals’ disappointment over the revised guidelines for health workers posted in Covid areas, issued by the Union and state health departments.

Deep Chand Bandhu Government Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital in the national capital are a few hospitals where the doctors are currently holding the protest by sporting black arm bands.

The organisers said that if the government does not pay attention to their issues, they will intensify the agitation.

Speaking to IANS, FORDA President Shivaji Dev Barman said, “Today’s ‘black ribbon protest’ at work is for the justified demand for adequate quarantine and testing for all doctors and other healthcare workers who are on Covid-19 duty. Since the incubation period of the virus is 2-14 days and many asymptomatic patients are also testing positive, quarantine post duty is a necessity.

“It is necessary to stop the spread of the virus among the family members, colleagues and in the community. We urge the Union Health Minister to revisit the guidelines and make necessary amendments. We will have to intensify the agitation if the issues are not adequately addressed.”

The government on May 15 issued revised guidelines for the health workers wherein it removed with the mandatory quarantine clause for the health workers post Covid-19 duty, except for those who fit in the ‘high risk exposure’ criteria, thereby revoking the facility for all other doctors and healthcare workers on Covid-19 duty.

Padmini Singla, Delhi government’s Health Secretary, also issued similar guidelines for the hospitals run by the Delhi government.

The doctors claimed that this has put the healthcare workers in a dilemma with remarkable consequences. Parv Mittal, RDA President at Maulana Azad Medical College and Associated Hospitals, told IANS: “The healthcare fraternity is fighting a war on two fronts today. One is the obvious (against Covid-19), the other is the fight for quarantine facilities. The new guidelines have augmented the mental stress of the Covid-19 warriors.”

“The symbolic protest is to register our grievances with the policymakers and urge them to reconsider the quarantine guidelines. Quarantine is a measure to prevent the transmission of the virus to our parents, children and the community at large. Let us not jeopardise the excellent work done by the government for containing the Covid-19 outbreak,” he added.

Saksham Mittal, Joint Secretary of FORDA, and Treasurer of the RDA at RML Hospital, told IANS, “The recent guidelines do not consider the possibility of asymptotic carriers and the accidental exposure of a healthcare worker during the stressful conditions of Covid-19 duties. As the incubation period of the virus is 2-14 days, asking the healthcare workers to resume duty or go home the next day just increases the chance of transmitting the disease to our colleagues and family members.

“We need to safeguard doctors, one of the most important pillars of the frontline health workers to fight this pandemic. We demand 14-day quarantine in a quarantine facility.”

Echoing Mittal’s views, Prateek Goel, General Secretary of the RDA at LNJP Hospital, told IANS, “This is to draw the attention of the Union government and the Delhi government so that they can withdraw the ‘no quarantine’ order. We don’t want your ‘Taali’ and ‘Thaali’. We want to serve the community for which we need proper 14 days of quarantine.”

 

 


VA-SenaMay 22, 2020
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3min32880

An analysis of the deaths show 64 per cent of the fatalities in males and the remaining 36 per cent in females, the ministry said.

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NEW DELHI: The mortality rate in COVID-19 cases in India is 3.06 per cent as against the global rate of 6.65, the Union health ministry said on Thursday, crediting the efforts towards timely case identification and proper clinical management for this low figure.

An analysis of the deaths show 64 per cent of the fatalities in males and the remaining 36 per cent in females, the ministry said.

Providing an age distribution of the fatalities, the ministry said 0.5 per cent of the deaths are reported in the less than 15 years age group, 2.5 per cent between 15 and 30 years, 11.4 per cent in those aged between 30 and 45, 35.1 per cent between 45-60 years and 50.5 per cent fatalities among people aged above 60 years.

Further, 73 per cent of the deaths had underlying co-morbidities. Elderly people (above 60 years of age) and people having co-morbidities are identified as high risk groups for COVID-19.

 

“The case mortality rate in India is 3.06 per cent, which is much lesser in comparison to the global case mortality rate of 6.65 pc. This brings into focus our efforts towards timely case identification and proper clinical management of the cases,” the ministry said in its statement.

The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 3,435 and the number of cases climbed to 1,12,359 in the country in a 24-hour span till Thursday 8 AM, registering an increase of 132 deaths and 5,609 cases.

A total of 45,299 patients have recovered so far and 3,002 people have been cured in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.

“The recovery rate is improving continuously and is 40.32 per cent currently,” it said.

India currently has 63,624 active cases. These are all under active medical supervision. Of the active cases, around 2.94 per cent of the cases are in ICU, the statement said.

It is advised that community awareness on COVID-19 appropriate behaviour is an important intervention for prevention for spread of this disease, the ministry said as it stressed on the need to focus on personal hygiene, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquettes and environmental sanitation.

Face covers and masks should be used in public places and physical distancing should be followed. Large gatherings should be avoided. Individuals in high risk groups should stay at home except for essential and health purposes, it said.


VA-SenaMay 22, 2020
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4min30270

According to Frost & Sullivan, The telehealth market in the United States (US) is estimated to display staggering seven-fold growth by 2025, resulting in a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.2%. In 2020, the telehealth market is likely to experience a tsunami of growth, resulting in a year-over-year increase of 64.3%.

 

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California: The demand for telehealth technology is expected to rise dramatically as the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to disrupt the practice of medicine and the delivery of healthcare worldwide.

“The critical need for social distancing among physicians and patients will drive unprecedented demand for telehealth, which involves the use of communication systems and networks to enable either a synchronous or asynchronous session between the patient and provider,” said Victor Camlek, Healthcare Principal Analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

According to Frost & Sullivan, The telehealth market in the United States (US) is estimated to display staggering seven-fold growth by 2025, resulting in a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.2%. In 2020, the telehealth market is likely to experience a tsunami of growth, resulting in a year-over year increase of 64.3%.

“However, all stakeholders need to remember that many people use the terms ‘telehealth’ or ‘telemedicine’ without understanding the ecosystem that is involved. This study will clarify the many components that are needed in order to implement telehealth. Across the market segments, virtual visits and remote patient monitoring (RPM) will propel the overall market of telehealth, followed by mHealth and personal emergency response systems (PERS).”

 

The opportunity for telehealth products and services to become a standard of care is growing. The challenge facing these technology and healthcare providers will focus on their ability to scale-up to this unprecedented demand. Growth in the telehealth space will be sustained beyond the COVID-19 pandemic for the vendors who can deliver:

The opportunity for telehealth products and services to become a standard of care is growing. The challenge facing these technology and healthcare providers will focus on their ability to scale-up to this unprecedented demand. Growth in the telehealth space will be sustained beyond the COVID-19 pandemic for the vendors who can deliver:

The opportunity for telehealth products and services to become a standard of care is growing. The challenge facing these technology and healthcare providers will focus on their ability to scale-up to this unprecedented demand. Growth in the telehealth space will be sustained beyond the COVID-19 pandemic for the vendors who can deliver:

  • User-friendly sensors and remote diagnostic equipment that yield a high rate of successful patient outcomes following the telehealth experience.
  • Practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI), Interactive Virtual Assistants (IVAs), and robotics that expand the telehealth deployment model.
  • Deployment of big data analytics that can help researchers learn more about the way COVID-19 progresses among diverse patient populations.
  • Adherence to cybersecurity and privacy regulations that avoid data breaches following the use of telehealth services.
  • Measurable data that confirms the value of telehealth and influences regulatory agencies at the federal and state levels to extend all emergency waivers beyond the pandemic.

VA-SenaMay 22, 2020
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2min32090

WHO is already providing leadership to the entire world in the sphere of public health, engaging with partners for joint actions, shaping the research agenda and stimulating the dissemination of valuable knowledge. The need is to catalyze further change, he said

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New Delhi: Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, India, was today elected the Chair of World Health Organization’s Executive Board.

“I feel deeply honored to have the trust and faith of all of you. India, and my countrymen, too, feel privileged that this honor has been bestowed upon us. I will work to realize the collective vision of our organization, to build the collective capacity of all our Member nations and to build a heroic collective leadership,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said addressing the 147th WHO Executive Board session as its Chair. The session was held virtually.

WHO is already providing leadership to the entire world in the sphere of public health, engaging with partners for joint actions, shaping the research agenda and stimulating the dissemination of valuable knowledge. The need is to catalyze further change, he said.

Health is central to enhancing human capabilities. Protecting health of those without wealth should be the core philosophy of our close alliance at the WHO, Dr Harsh Vardhan said.


VA-SenaMay 21, 2020
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4min34190

Bangladesh has so far reported 20,995 coronavirus cases. A total of 314 people have lost their lives in the country due to the disease

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A Bangladeshi medical team led by a senior doctor has claimed that their research on the combination of two widely used drugs has yielded astounding results in curing the patients with acute symptoms of the coronavirus that has created havoc worldwide and claimed the lives of over 312,000 people globally. The claim by the Bangladeshi medical team, which includes prominent physicians from the country, comes amidst the desperate global attempts for a remedy to the deadly coronavirus.

We have got astounding results. Out of 60 COVID-19 patients, all recovered as the combination of the two drugs were applied, said Professor Dr Md Tarek Alam, the head of medicine department at private Bangladesh Medical College Hospital (BMCH). Alam, a reputed clinician in Bangladesh, said a frequently used antiprotozoal medicine called Ivermectin in a single dose with Doxycycline, an antibiotic, yielded virtually the near-miraculous result in curing the patients with COVID-19.

My team was prescribing the two medicines only for coronavirus patients, most of them initially reporting with respiratory problems with related complaints, later to be tested COVID-19 positive, he said. Bangladesh has so far reported 20,995 coronavirus cases. A total of 314 people have lost their lives in the country due to the disease.

Claiming that the efficacy of the drug developed by them was such that patients recovered from the virus within 4 days, he said, adding that there were no side effects of it. We first ask them to be tested for COVID-19 and when found coronavirus positive we apply the drugs... they are recovering within four days".

"The repeated or second tests, in line with the procedure, reconfirmed them COVID-19 negative in all the cases under the research which found the combination to have no side effects on patients either, he said. We are hundred per cent hopeful about the effectiveness of the combination, he said, adding they by now contacted the concerned government regulators and preparing to exhaust international procedures for acknowledgement of the drugs for the COVID-19 treatment.

Alam said his team was preparing a paper on the development of the drug for an international journal, as required for scientific review and acknowledgement. Alam's associate Dr Rabiul Morshed said despite being a non-COVID-19 facility a huge number of patients directly and indirectly end up in BMCH, the country's premier private general hospital.

But all of them have shown remarkable recovery being (COVID-19) negative in four days and 50 per cent reduction of symptoms in 3 days, he said. The coronavirus, which broke out initially in China, has claimed the lives of 312,115 people while infected over 4,650,793, according to Johns Hopkins University.