Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : June 22, 2020 11:19 AM IST
Donald Trump was earlier criticised for holding campaign rallies amid a global pandemic.
Addressing his supporters at an election rally in Oklahoma's Tulsa on Saturday, US President Donald Trump informed people that he had ordered the officials to slow down testing for COVID-19 as it led to finding of more positive cases.
"You know testing is a double-edged sword. We tested now 25 million people, it's probably 20 million people more than anybody else. Germany and South Korea have a done a lot. But here's the bad part, when you do testing to that extent, you're going to find more cases. So, I said to my people slow the testing down," Trump said during the rally.
Mention may be made here that the United States has the highest number of COVID-19 infections in the world 2,208,829 confirmed cases and 118,895 deaths, according to WHO data.
While Trump has ordered to slow down testing for coronavirus disease in the US, India is trying to increase its testing capacity to fight the pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also been encouraging countries to test, isolate and trace new cases to suppress the spread of the coronavirus infection.
Last week the Union Health Ministry said that India has ramped up its testing capacity to test up to three lakh samples per day. In a press release, the Ministry informed that 907 labs have been created in the country, 659 labs in the government sector and 248 in the private sector.
To make COVID-19 testing more affordable and increase the volume of testing, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also approved use of rapid antigen test kits for diagnosis of coronavirus infection in containment zones and healthcare settings in combination with the RT-PCR test.
As informed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Delhi has been given priority for the Rapid Antigen kits and as many as 169 COVID-19 testing centres have become operational in the national capital starting from June 18. Delhi started conducting COVID-19 tests via new rapid antigen methodology since last Thursday. In addition, COVID-19 testing rates have been fixed at Rs 2,400 in the national capital.
Despite a series of lockdown, India is witnessing a rapid rise in COVID-19 infections. As of today, the number of confirmed cases in the country has jumped to 4,10,461 and as many as 13,254 people have lost their lives to this condition, according to data on the Union Health Ministry website. The top three worst-hit sates are:
Globally, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases have reached 8,690,140 including 461,274 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) data.
Here's the good news: Oxford scientists have claimed to have found the first life-saving drug for COVID-19. Initial clinical trial results have shown that dexamethasone a cheap and widely available drug may help reduce the risk of death among coronavirus patients with severe respiratory complications. The treatment was found to reduce mortality by about one third in patients on ventilators, and by about one fifth in patients requiring only oxygen, according to preliminary findings that were shared with WHO.
