India Shuts Down To Battle Coronavirus Outbreak

The government banned international flights for a week staring this Sunday in order to escalate measures to fight coronavirus. Also, PM Modi urged children below 10-years and people above 65-years should stay inside. Meanwhile 18 new COVID-19 cases took the total number of coronavirus cases to 173 on Thursday. The pandemic has claimed over 8,000 lives globally.

Highlights of the story

• People above 65-years are advised to stay indoors until necessary. Only public representatives, doctors and government employees should come outside.

• All concessional travel except for students, patients and people with special needs are suspended by railways and airlines.

• Private sector employees are urged to work from home across all states, except for emergency and essential services.

• Fourth COVID-19 death of a 70-year old man with travel history to Germany was reported from Punjab. The earlier three deaths were from Delhi, Punjab and Karnataka.

• Punjab suspended public transport services in addition to restricting public gathering to less than 20 from Friday night. It became the first state to do so.

• The centre has sent 50% of his employees to work from home in addition to staggering working hours for the staff.

• India is on the Stage 2 of the outbreak. It suggests that the transmission is local and traceable. The health ministry said that there was no sign of community transmission.

• Schools, colleges, theatres, malls and shopping areas have been shut down and religious gatherings and weddings have been put off across the country.

Source:- https://bit.ly/2Qv60Sj

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Chloroquine Prices Sliced To 2015 Level To Fight Global Coronavirus Pandemic

A New Jersey based drug company Rising Pharmaceuticals doubled the price of its chloroquine phosphate tablets in late 2019. But the increased price was soon rolled back after the medicine is touted as a promising coronavirus treatment.

Treating COVID-19 with chloroquine

The publishing and analytics company Elsevier compiled a report on price increase by the said pharma company. The report said that the price of chloroquine phosphate tablet was increased by 98% between December 2019 and January 2020. The data provided to STAT revealed that cost of a 250-miligram tablet was increased from $3.87 to $7.66.

The company increased the cost of the drug months before the COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and much before the tablet was perceived as an effective medicine in the fight against the novel coronavirus. Chloroquine phosphate is usually given in malaria treatment but its demand increased in the past two weeks due to COVID-19 pandemic.

CEO of company explained price decrease

Ira Baeringer said that the price of the drug was reduced to 2015 level for all customers once the whole issue of COVID-19 pandemic started to explode. Even the President Trump said that the drug chloroquine was an effective treatment against coronavirus and that it was “approved for prescription.”

Food and Drug Administration contradicted Trump

Stephen Hahn interrupted to correct Trump almost immediately saying that any opinion on the efficacy of the drug should be made only after conducting clinical trials. Chloroquine phosphate has been manufactured since late 1940s and used as an antimalarial drug.

Source: https://bit.ly/2U4P3AA

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