India recorded 4,03,738 fresh Covid cases and 4,092 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the overall case count to 2.22 crore. The country saw over 4 lakh daily infections for fifth time in a week and over 4,000 deaths for the second straight day.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has formed a 12-member National Task Force to assess availability and distribution of medical oxygen. “We expect leading experts in the country shall associate with the Task Force, as members and resource persons,” the court said in its final order.
An anti-Covid drug – developed by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) – has been cleared for emergency use by the drug regulator DCGI. Clinical trial results showed a molecule present in the drug helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.