Drugs such as ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir and antibiotics like doxycycline and azithromycin prescribed for adult Covid patients are not recommended for treating children, stated a government guideline issued on Wednesday. The guidelines by the Union Health Ministry said the decision has been taken since most of these drugs used in adults are have not been tested on children for prevention or treatment of Covid infection among them.

India recorded 62,224 new Covid-19 cases and 2,542 deaths in the last 24 hours. With this, the country’s overall caseload rose to 2.96 crore, while the death toll surged to 3.62 lakh. Kerala is the top contributor, adding 12,246 new cases to the country’s caseload.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the government said that its decision to increase the gap between two shots of Covishield from 4-6 weeks to 12-16 weeks lies in “fundamental scientific reason regarding behaviour of adenovector vaccines”, according to the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI). A fact-check released by the PIB on Tuesday said “pre-registration for vaccination through online registration and prior booking of appointment is not mandatory to avail of vaccination services.”

Clarifying that registering on the CoWIN app is “one of the many modes of registration”, the PIB release said, “Anyone, aged 18 years or more, can directly go to the nearest vaccination Center where vaccinator performs the on-site registration and provides vaccination in the same visit. This is also popularly known as “walk-ins”.

Study of 31,000 vaccinated healthcare workers at Apollo reveals less than 5% got Covid, no deaths

A study of over 31,000 vaccinated healthcare workers at Apollo Hospital units across the country has found that less than 5% were infected with Covid, with a small percentage of hospitalisation and no mortalities.

The study, covering the period from the start of the vaccine drive on January 16 to May 31­, covered 31,621 healthcare workers (HCWs) from 43 units of Apollo Hospitals in 24 cities. Among the HCWs, 25,907 or 81.9% were fully vaccinated while 5,714 or 18.1% had received only the first dose.

Uttarakhand reports 353 new cases and 6 deaths

Uttarakhand reports 353 new cases, 398 recoveries, and six deaths in the last 24 hours.

730 doctors died during second wave: IMA

Indian Medical Association (IMA) says 730 doctors have died during second wave of Covid-19 pandemic — most doctors lost their lives in Bihar (115), followed by Delhi (109).

Andhra Pradesh reports 6617 new cases and 57 deaths

Andhra Pradesh reports 6617 new cases, 57 deaths, and 10,228 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Most drugs for treating adult Covid patients not recommended for kids: Govt guidelines

Drugs such as ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir and antibiotics like doxycycline and azithromycin prescribed for adult COVID-19 patients have not been recommended for treating children, according to a government guideline issued on Wednesday.

In anticipation of likely intermittent surges in the number of COVID-19 cases, the government has come out with guidelines for operationalising Covid-care services for children. The recommendations include augmenting existing Covid care facilities to provide care to children with acute coronavirus infection.

According to it, once vaccines are approved for children, those with comorbid conditions having more severe manifestations of COVID-19 and poorer outcomes should be a priority group for immunisation.

About the treatment of children, the guidelines by the Union Health Ministry said most drugs used in adults such as ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir and antibiotics such as doxycycline or azithromycin have not been tested on children for prevention or treatment of Covid infection among them. “Therefore, these are not recommended in children.” (PTI)