Coronavirus India LIVE Updates
As countries scramble to stem the spread of Covid-19, the US government’s top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, has provided some hope of a vaccine being ready as early as November even as epidemiology experts have warned that the novel coronavirus might not go away with the development of an injection.
The experts have said the novel coronavirus would likely remain for years to come, and may eventually, become endemic like HIV, measles and chickenpox, a report in The Washington Post said.
Meanwhile, US biotechnology company Novavax, which started human trials of its NVX-CoV2373 vaccine for Covid-19 earlier this week in Australia, is buying a manufacturing plant from Serum Institute of India in its bid to produce one billion doses next year, Reuters reported.
The government Thursday said there are about 30 groups in India, big industry to individual academics, who are trying to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus. Dr K Vijayraghavan, principal scientific advisor to Government to India, said it takes a long time to develop a vaccine but since we need to develop it in one year, the world is investing in over a 100 vaccines at the same time. The entire process will cost 2-3 billion dollars.
An increase of more than 300 infections of novel Coronavirus in last one week has ensured that Kerala is now growing at a rate faster than the national average. Kerala had been extremely successful in containing the spread of the disease till about the middle of this month, but a fresh wave of infections triggered by incoming travellers from within the country, and abroad, has seen the numbers go up rapidly.
In the last one week, the total number of confirmed infections in the state has gone up from 666 to 1,003. It means the current doubling time for the state (calculated on seven day compounded growth rate) is just below 12 days. The national doubling time of total infections right now is 14 days.
Loss of the sense of smell (and taste), one of the more recently identified symptoms of Covid-19, is now recognised as such by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the health authorities of some countries, including the US.
A new study in mice has sought to explore why this symptom appears in some Covid-19 patients. They have reported their findings in the American Chemical Society’s journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience.
Tracking the proteins
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, hijacks two human proteins to invade cells. One is the ACE2 “receptor” on the cell surface (it opens the door for the virus) while the other is called TMPRSS2, which the virus uses to replicate its genetic material. Here's all you need to know
With industries opening up in Haryana, almost 65,000 migrant workers have refused to return to their native states now, say officials who contacted them.
“At least 50-60 per cent of the migrants, who had earlier registered themselves for returning to their natives states, are not turning up at the railway stations. Eleven (Shramik Special) trains have already been cancelled due to low turnout of the passengers,” Haryana CID chief Anil Kumar Rao told The Indian Express. Rao monitors the movement of migrant workers while coordinating with the officers of states concerned. Read more here
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The number of COVID-19 cases increased by 151 to reach 7,465 in Pune district in the last 24 hours, while the death toll touched 329 as eight people succumbed to the infection, an official said on Saturday. Of the 151, Pune city accounted for 115, and it now has 6,201 cases, he added. 'Pimpri Chinchwad's count rose by 17 to 512 and that of the rural and cantonment areas reached 683,' he said. (PTI)
Coronavirus is a big challenge but also presents an opportunity in the technology space that Indians can leverage to make the country a great nation, IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Saturday. The minister launched a national artificial intelligence portal, which will share all developments and resources available for the development of the emerging technology in India. He also launched a nationwide programme 'Responsible AI for Youth' in collaboration with US electronic chip maker Intel. (PTI)
The beleaguered hospitality sector has welcomed the government's decision to allow hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services to re-open from June 8. Apex industry body Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) said it is a welcome move, but more clarity on guidelines is required.
"It is a welcome move. But there is no clarity on guidelines. There should be proper coordination between the centre and states on these. It is good move for the hotels and restaurants which do not serve liquor," FHRAI Vice President Gurbaxish Singh Kohli told PTI. (PTI)
Ninety-six more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha on Saturday, taking the state's tally to 1,819, a health department official said. A total of 73 people were discharged from different hospitals as they got cured from the disease. The total number of recoveries now stands at 1,050, the official said.
There are 760 active COVID-19 cases in the state and seven people have succumbed to the infection due to the disease till Saturday evening, according to the official. The fresh cases were reported from 18 districts. The patients had returned from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat, Telangana and Rajasthan, an official of the information and public relations department said. (PTI)
Revenues of the Gujarat government have taken a major hit during the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown. Earnings from various taxes imposed by the state are down by more than 50 percent, prompting the state to borrow Rs 5,000 crore in the first two months of the financial year 2020-’21. “Our revenues are down by 50 percent due to the lockdown. This includes revenues from Value Added Tax (VAT), stamp duty, Motor Vehicle Tax (MVT), electricity duty, among others,” a senior state government official told The Indian Express. Read Avinash Nair's story here
It began with people wearing masks as protective gear against air pollution that saw a spike in recent times in many parts of the country. As the coronavirus pandemic hit us, masks have become a necessity, so much so that medical stores and other suppliers are having a hard time meeting its burgeoning demand. Amid the shortage of supply of N95 masks came in benefactors who took the initiative to stitch and distribute masks to those in need. Celebrated fashion designers, from Masaba Gupta to Ritu Kumar, among many others, shifted their existing resources to non-surgical, three-layered reusable mask production. Read the full story by Disha Roy Choudhury
Delhi government's GTB hospital has been turned into a complete COVID-19 hospital. On Friday, the govt had earmarked only 500 beds from the hospital for the patient's treatment.
Seventeen more tested positive for coronavirus in Tripura on Saturday — all among those who recently returned from Bangladesh and Maharashtra. Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb wrote, "798 people tested today for COVID-19 out of which 17 people found #POSITIVE. Among them, 15 returnees from Maharashtra & 2 Bangladesh returnees. #TripuraCOVID19Count." With these new patients, Tripura now has 271 cumulative COVID-19 cases, out of which 171 were discharged from hospital. A hundred patients are currently under treatment. Tripura is currently testing 6,355 persons per million, one of the highest testing rates across India.
According to the guidelines of lockdown 5.0, the night curfew shall remain in operation but its timings have been changed from 7 pm-7 am to 9 pm-5 am. India will enter its fifth phase of the lockdown starting June, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Saturday said, adding the nationwide lockdown will be extended till June 30 in containment zones. “Reopening of prohibited activities in areas outside containment zones to be done in phased manner,” it said in its fresh guidelines.
Reports of Himachal Pradesh extending the lockdown till June 30 has sent shivers down the spine of the state’s already crumbling tourism sector. Even as tourism industry across the country may be badly hit, things become worse for hill states like Himachal who are solely dependent on summer tourism.
“Extending the lockdown will be the last nail in the coffin of the state’s tourism sector. Even if things open up for travelling and hotels by August-September, we have lost practically an entire year since we have few arrivals between July and March owing to adverse weather,” says Anil Walia, who runs three hotels in Shimla and the neighbouring Mashobra. Read the full story by Divya A
Movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited between 9.00 pm to 5.00 am throughout the country, except for essential activities. Local authorities shall issue orders, in the entire area of their jurisdiction, under appropriate provisions of law, such as under Section 144 of CrPC, and ensure strict compliance.
Activities allowed/organisations to open in
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
Schools, higher education institutions and coaching institutions will not re-open in June, the order stated, adding that dates for reopening of the education institutions will be decided in July, after consulting the state governments.
The Home Ministry order stated that yhe following activities will be allowed with effect from June 8:
* Religious places and places of worship for public
* Hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services
* Shopping malls.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister announced that lockdown in his state will be extended till June 15.
In a first, the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday sealed Kathua Police Station after two policemen posted there tested positive. Both the personnel were stated to be asymptomatic and were among nearly 250 cops whose samples were taken for the routine testing in view of them being the frontline workers amid this pandemic, sources said.
"First corona positive case in Kathua police today. ASYMPTOMATIC,’’ tweeted Kathua SSP Shailendra Mishra." The police station of Kathua is out of bounds till all the personnel are tested negative,’’ he said, adding that women police station shall take complaints till then.Meanwhile, sources said that there were nearly 70 people inside the police station and they have been quarantined there itself till their test reports come. -Arun Sharma reports from Jammu
A safe vaccine to prevent COVID-19 could take quite a long time to be ready, so there is a need to deal with the pandemic for the next few years and invest more in healthcare, Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said on Saturday. She was speaking at a webinar on 'Pharma and Healthcare's New Normal: Engaging With Customers in Uncertain Times; Business Model Post-COVID-19'. "...We believe that it will take a very long time before you can actually have a safe vaccine that can be accessible to the entire country. We must understand that vaccine development is a very complex process. Shortest time taken for any vaccine is not less than 4 years," PTI quoted Mazumdar-Shaw as saying.
Bollywood star Salman Khan has donated one lakh hand sanitisers to the Mumbai Police, who are fighting coronavirus pandemic from the frontlines. The sanitisers donated by the actor are manufactured under his recently launched grooming and personal care brand FRSH. The official Twitter handle of Chief Minister of Maharashtra thanked the actor for donating sanitisers.
"Thank you @BeingSalmanKhan for providing 1Lakh hand sanitizers to our @MumbaiPolice #WarAgainstVirus,' the tweet read. Replying to the post, Salman wrote, "Thank You."
Around 57 per cent of respondents expressed concern over exorbitant charges for COVID-19 treatment at private hospitals, while 46 per cent fear of contracting a secondary infection in a government facility, PTI quoted a survey. The survey conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, received around 40,000 responses on five questions related to public perception of government and private hospitals for COVID-19 treatment. It also said that 61 per cent of respondents want the government to fix a price cap or standardise coronavirus treatment related room charges in private hospitals. (PTI)
As governments struggle to manage enough PPEs and protective gears for frontline workers to contain the coronavirus pandemic, a Tripura University Assistant Professor has devised a low-cost robot from scrap materials to minimise human contact for doctors and nurses and provide basic services such as distribute food and medicines to coronavirus patients admitted in hospital.
Dr Harjit Nath, one of the youngest faculty members at Tripura Central University, joined the Department of Chemical and Polymer Engineering in 2016. As reports of rapid growth of coronavirus positive cases kept trickling in from across the country, especially during lockdown 4.0, the 31-year-old IITian visualised making something that could help people minimise human contact and exposure to patients admitted in hospital wards. Read full story by Debraj Deb here
A total of 513 domestic departures, 512 arrivals by the aviation ministry on Friday.
Covid-19 pandemic has had a serious impact on various aspects of the society and temple priests in Tamil Nadu are among the most affected. The situation in temples is so dire that several temple authorities even requested the government to waive off the electricity bill citing low revenue due to the lockdown. Though the government had announced cash support of 1,000 rupees, it is reportedly restricted to pujaris who are registered under the village temple pujaris welfare board of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR & CE). Read the full story by Janardhan Koushik
A total of 46 infections were reported from Chennai's Puzhal prison within two days. After 31 prisoners testing positive for coronavirus on Friday, 15 more were infected on Saturday. Out of the first 31, five were admitted to Stanley Hospital while rest were shifted to a special facility on the prison premises.
As Lockdown 4.0 nears its end, Koramangala returns to normalcy. Watch it here.
As Lockdown 4.0 nears its end, data show that India’s Covid curve is still ahead of the projections shared with states last month, based on which the decision to extend the lockdown to May 17 was taken. There has been one more lockdown since — that comes to an end on May 31. India reported the highest daily case load of 7,466 on Friday, taking the total number of cases to 1,65,799; according to a projection the Centre had shared with states last month, India was expected to reach 1,65,000 cases by May 31. The current doubling time is 14.63 days. The projections were shared on April 26 during a meeting chaired by cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba and attended by state officials.
According to the projections, on May 15, at the peak of the lockdown advantage with a doubling time of 15 days, India would hit 65,000 cases — in reality, on May 15, India had 81,970 cases. The projection had shown that on May 31 and June 15, the numbers will stand at 1,65,122 (9,346 new cases per day) and 3,95,727 (22,400 new cases per day), respectively, after two successive doubling times of 12 days each. Read full story here
A 36-year-old man, who returned from the UAE, has succumbed to coronavirus at the Alappuzha medical college hospital. With this, the total COVID-19 fatalities in the state has gone up to nine, official sources told PTI on Saturday. "The man was under quarantine after he returned to the state from Abu Dhabi on May 27.He did not have symptoms of COVID-19, but had liver ailment and vomitted blood before he passed away by noon on Friday. His samples were taken and sent for testing and he was found positive," the sources said.
A total of 513 domestic flights carrying 39,969 passengers were operated in India on Friday, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Saturday. Domestic services resumed in India after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus lockdown. Indian carriers have operated a total of 1,827 flights till Thursday -- 428 on Monday, 445 on Tuesday, 460 on Wednesday and 494 on Thursday. Puri said on Twitter on Saturday: "Day 5. 29th May till 2359 hrs. Departures 513. 39,969 passengers handled. Arrivals 512. 39,972 passengers handled." A departure is counted as a flight during the day.
An Air India flight, which was on its way to Moscow, returned midway to Delhi after the ground team realised that the pilot had tested positive for the virus, PTI reported.
The Karnataka government has banned spitting of tobacco products and paan at public places, in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state, PTI reported. According to an order issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare on Friday, chewing and spitting tobacco or tobacco made products will be an offence under sections 188, 268, 269 and 270 of the IPC, relating to disobedience, public nuisance, negligent act causing the spread of dangerous diseases. It will attract a jail term, it said. The order also said chewing and spitting tobacco products was an offence under section 4(2)A of the Karnataka Epidemic Ordinance-2020.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisami today held a meeting with medical experts in Chennai.
As the national capital struggles to contain the rising coronavirus figures, the medical director of Lok Nayak Hospital, the government’s biggest COVID facility, and the dean of University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) at GTB hospital, among others, have tested positive for the virus, officials said on Saturday. Dr Suresh Kumar, who was recently appointed as the medical director of Lok Nayak hospital, has gone into home isolation, officials at the hospital said. The Dean of UCMS at GTB hospital, Dr AK Jain, and his personal assistant have also contracted the disease.
"Delhi is witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases, we accept it. But there is nothing to worry about, I assure you that we are fully prepared. We cannot be in a permanent lockdown. It is a matter of concern but it is nothing to be scared of. I assure you that your government is four steps ahead of coronavirus," Kejriwal said.
Addressing the media, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said his government will soon launch an app to trace hospitals with beds and ventilators. In order to politicise the issue, some people are using old videos to give it a coronavirus link. The country is going through a bad time. It is better for everyone to work together. Do not fall for fake videos. I assure you stern action against those spreading such content."
At least two persons in the Ministry of External Affairs have tested positive for coronavirus. While one of them work in the Central Europe division, the other works in the Legal and treaties division. Other officials, who were in contact, are now being tested and have been advised self-quarantine.
A total of 297 people have tested positive for the virus in Himachal Pradesh.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed the health department and doctors to conduct an analysis of each death caused by COVID in the state so far. He gave this direction on Friday during a meeting held to review the coronavirus situation in the state. "The chief minister directed the doctors and administrative officials to analyse each death caused by COVID-19," an official statement said.
Addressing the media via video-conference to mark the government's first anniversary during its second tenure, BJP president J P Nadda said: "It has been a year of accomplishmentsand unimaginable challenges. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led from the front. He involved masses, took bold and timely decisions to combat coronavirus. While many big and powerful countries found themselves helpless against Covid-19, situation is still under control in India."
According to the order by Karnataka Chief Secretary TM Vijaybhaskar, the Sunday curfew was withdrawn following a request by the general public. However, the lockdown from 7 pm to next day 7 am will continue as usual, the order added. Since services will run as usual during the day, KSRTC buses will also be allowed to run tomorrow. At least 3,500 buses will be in service, KSRTC PRO said.
The Karnataka Government today withdrew the 'Sunday Curfew' across the state. All normal services will continue tomorrow from 7 am to 7pm.
With Indore reporting 87 more coronavirus positive cases in the last 24 hours, the tally of such patients in the district mounted to 3,431, an official said on Saturday. As three more persons succumbed to the infection in the district, the number of victims rose to 129, the official said. Indore is one of the worst-affected districts in the country in terms of the coronavirus outbreak. Indore's Chief Medical and Health Officer Praveen Jadia said that 87 people tested coronavirus positive in the last 24 hours, due to which the number of patients grew to 3,431 from 3,344.
As many as 49 fresh cases were reported in Rajasthan today, taking the total in the state to 8,414.
At least seven people were injured when a bus carrying West Bengal-bound migrants, who were stuck in Kerala due to the lockdown, overturned in Odishas Balasore district on Saturday, police said. The bus carrying 38 passengers was on its way to Kolkata when it skidded off the National Highway 16 and overturned near Balasore town, a police official told PTI. Police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot and rescued the passengers with the help of locals, while the injured persons were sent to the district headquarters hospital in Balasore, he said. The condition of the injured persons was stated to be stable, he added.
West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose and his wife have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, making him the first such case in the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Cabinet. The couple has been quarantined at their home and has mild symptoms, according to sources. Their samples returned positive on Thursday night. It is not clear how Bose contracted the virus. However, a report by PTI news agency, citing a source, said a domestic help at his residence was diagnosed with the disease.
Taking note of the congregation of migrant workers at railway stations and bus stands in Maharashtra as they wait for their return to the home states, the Bombay High Court has sought a report from the Maharashtra government on how it was addressing the issue. "With regard to the peculiar local conditions, we consider it fit and proper to call upon the state to file a report indicating how the plight of the migrant workers, who have been assembling at the railways stations, bus stands in Mumbai and places around it are being addressed," the court said.
In the time of a pandemic like this, online marriages have emerged as a viable option, with some Indians already opting for it. But are online weddings really an option for everyone? Maybe not. There is a huge segment of people who depend on the wedding season in India. The entire industry with venue owners, makeup artists, designers, photographers – are going through a lean phase right now. So is the concept of the big fat Indian wedding going to change? Watch this video:
Odisha-owned Utkalika has started production and marketing of organic masks, manufactured by traditional artisans, with covering the face becoming the new norm in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, PTI reported. Such masks made up of Sambalpuri cotton fabric have attracted customers as these are handwoven, natural/organic dye of Kotpad fabric is used, washable and skin-soothing during the summer, said Utkalika managing director Anjana Panda. With doctors recommending the use of washable masks during this period, we have been preparing organic masks for the people, she said. 'Utkalika' is producing and procuring masks from the empanelled artisans with the motto of supporting their livelihood during the lockdown, she said.
With Goa witnessing a huge influx of people in the last couple of days, the Pramod Sawant government is planning to go back to its previous system of issuing travel passes that require approval by authorities, in place of the self-generated e-passes introduced earlier this week, PTI reported. State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who took part in the meeting on Friday, told reporters that it was discussed that travel passes need to be reintroduced in place of the self-generated e-passes. "The state witnessed a huge inflow of people in the last few days. We need to cap the number of arrivals in the state. Once the travel pass system is introduced, the health authorities will know how many people are going to arrive on a particular day," he said.
With West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announcing the easing of lockdown restrictions in the state, a renowned doctor said that following ramping up of Covid-19 tests, the government seems to be gradually shifting towards the Sweden or Taiwan model to contain the pandemic. Dr Diptendra Sarkar of the state-run SSKM Hospital said that with the countrywide lockdown having been in force for nearly 70 days and the government, both at the Centre and the state, having shored up resources during the period to deal with the disease, it was time for a gradual easing of restrictions. "I feel that they are shifting the model, they were till now going by the hammer and the tongs model which is a lockdown," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
With nearly 8,000 fresh cases reported within a span of 24 hours, the COVID tally on Saturday rose to 1,73,763. (Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)
Migrants wearing face masks put up at stadium near Yamuna before boarding trains to their native places in bihar. Express Photo by Amit Mehra.
The next phase of lockdown, to kickstart from Monday, is likely to prune the list of prohibited activities further and allow states to decide on opening of malls and multiplexes, places of worship, and dine-in restaurants, The Indian Express has learnt. The government may also consider relaxing night curfew hours based on suggestions from health experts. “It (decision to impose curfew from 7 pm to 7 am) is not exactly based on technical considerations of health. There is no harm if it is extended at least to 9 pm,” said an official. However, based on suggestions from various states, strict curbs are likely to continue in containment zones, and “there will also be some restrictions in 13 key cities where the concentration of Covid-19 cases is very high”, an official said.
During the two months of Covid-19 lockdown, relief worth Rs 9,500 crore has been extended to Gujarat by both the central and state governments, officials said. “Under various schemes announced by the Gujarat government, Rs 3,700 crore of relief is being provided across the state. The last welfare scheme to be declared was the Aatmanirbhar Gujarat Sahay Yojana where the state government has absorbed a significant portion of the interest on small loans up to Rs 1 lakh,” Milind Torwane, Secretary (economic affairs), Finance Department told The Indian Express. “In addition to this, the Centre has pledged an assistance of Rs 5800 crore, most of which is being directly given to beneficiaries in the state,” Torwane added. Most of the relief that is coming to the state from the Centre is under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana package. This amount is in addition to the money which is being directly spent for tackling Covid-19 by the Health and Home departments in the state.
Gujarat reported the highest single day discharge at 608 even as 372 new Covid-19 positive cases were reported across the state on Friday. Twenty deaths were reported in the state, of which 18 were from Ahmedabad as the total mortality in the district neared 800. Surat, which reported two deaths, also crossed the 1500-mark with 45 more testing positive.
The total positive cases reported till date are 15,966 of which 6370 are active and 8611 have been discharged. The state has reported 984 deaths so far. Read more here
The Bombay High Court on Friday expressed displeasure after the Maharashtra government stated it was not possible to have full-fledged Covid-19 testing facilities in all the districts of the state and that it had fulfilled the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines prescribing testing lab within 250 km.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice K K Tated was hearing a plea filed by a fisherman seeking proper testing facilities in Ratnagiri, a non-red zone, in the light of thousands of stranded migrant workers returning to the district from red zones, such as Mumbai and Pune. Read more here
Following frequent complaints about difficulty in finding hospital beds for coronavirus-afflicted staffers, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation employees’ union has now demanded dedicated hospital beds be allotted for the civic staff. The union has claimed that due to a shortage of beds there have been instances where civic employees, who are at the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, have had to wait for hours and in many cases take admission at hospitals outside the BMC’s limits. Read more here
At least four wards in Mumbai — R Central (Borivali West), R North (Dahisar), P North (Malad West) and C ward (Chandanwadi, China Bazaar) —have a recovery rate of Covid-19 patients lower than 20 per cent, while only two wards, D ward (Grant Road) and G South (Worli, Elphinstone), have a recovery rate above 42 per cent, data from BMC till May 28 shows. Worli's rate of discharge of patients and their recovery, at 44.5 per cent, is higher than the national average at 42.75 per cent. Read more here
The Gujarat High Court (HC) on Friday said there was no need to take the state government’s permission before conducting Covid-19 test at private laboratories before emergency procedures.
The court heard several issues related to the Covid-19 situation in the state, the order for which is reserved for Saturday.
The court’s opinion came in response to issues highlighted by the Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA) which had filed a plea seeking relaxation in the policy where prior to emergency operative procedure or invasive surgeries or delivery, an RTPCR test at a private, ICMR-approved laboratory, required a filling out of ICMR requisition form by the laboratory, a doctor’s prescription prescribing the test, to be forwarded to the chief district health officer (CDHO) or medical officer of health (MOH) and conducted only after they gave a nod. For Ahmedabad, such requests had to be sent to the Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) Hospital at Sola, for their approval. Read more here