Coronavirus / India conducts 15,663 coronavirus tests on Friday, 2.76% test positive

New Delhi: According to the latest data released by the Indian Council of Medical Research, more than 15,000 samples were reported on Friday till 9 pm IST. 433 out of these 15,663 samples have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. So far, 1,61,330 samples from 1,47,034 individuals have been tested for COVID-19. A total of 6872 persons have been confirmed positive among suspect cases and contacts of known positive cases. As per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 516 people have completely recovered from the novel coronavirus while 206 individuals have passed away. 

Clinical trial for convalescent plasma therapy

Earlier in the day, a senior ICMR official revealed that India was in the final stages of framing a protocol for conducting a clinical trial for convalescent plasma therapy. Kerala is set to become the first state in the country to commence the therapy which uses antibodies from the blood of cured patients to treat severely-ill COVID-19 patients. The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) has reportedly been given the approval for this project. However, further approval is awaited from the Drug Controller General of India. Moreover, the ICMR has given the green signal for using TrueNat, a tuberculosis testing machine for novel coronavirus screening tests. 

PM to interact with all CMs on April 11

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a complete lockdown in the country until April 14 to tackle the challenge posed by the COVID-19 crisis. On April 5, people across the country heeded PM Modi's appeal and lit a lamp, candle or torchlight to express solidarity with fellow citizens and to vanquish the darkness caused by the novel coronavirus. In the interim period, the PM has interacted with several stakeholders including the Chief Ministers of all the states to take stock of the situation. As per sources, the Centre will take the final decision on the extension of the nationwide lockdown after PM Modi's meeting with all the CMs on April 11.