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1. ICMR introduces rapid antibody and pool tests to speed-up coronavirus testing in India
14th April 2020:The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex medical body monitoring the spread of COVID-19 in India, is accelerating the testing to efficiently identify cases across the country. Scaling up the testing capacity is said to be the best way to fight the spread of COVID-19, as it helps to identify and contain the infection. Focusing on the current situation and the need for aggressive testing measures, the ICMR, in its latest advisory, has also proposed pool testing of samples.
2. Coronavirus: Hospital to trial ‘glimmer of hope’ blood treatment
16th April 2020:A potential new treatment for coronavirus being trialed at a hospital in Wales offers patients a “glimmer of hope”, specialists say. The University Hospital of Wales (UHW) in Cardiff hopes to offer the treatment as part of a study within a month. Blood will be extracted from people who have recovered from Covid-19 and the plasma will be given to patients. It is hoped that the antibodies in the plasma of the blood could help others struggling to fight the infection.
3. Coronavirus Live Updates: 6.5 lakh rapid testing kits from China to reach India today
16th April 2020: Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs has said, “Rapid Antibody Testing Kits (first lot of 3 lakh from Guangzhou Wondfo and 2.5 lakh from Zhuhai Livzon) and RNA Extraction Kits (1 lakh from MGI Shenzhen) got custom clearance on Wednesday night. The kits are on way to reach India. In total, 6.5 lakh kits are on the way and these should reach today. Our embassy in Beijing and consulate in Guangzhou played a key role in this.”
