France hoping to deploy StopCovid app by June 2: minister

France hoping to deploy StopCovid app by June 2: minister
Reuters: Health
France is hoping to deploy its state-supported "StopCOVID" contact-tracing app by June 2, the Minister for Digital Affairs, Cedric O, said on Tuesday.

VTF allows institutes to share bio-specimen

VTF allows institutes to share bio-specimen In a letter to secretaries who have been asked to inform the concerned research institutes, the office of the principal scientific advisor professor K VijayRaghavan has asked research institutions which have received clearances from ICMR as Covid-19 testing-sites and wish to use samples for R&D, to inform the VTF about delineating the specific research intended to be undertaken. https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Thailand reports one new coronavirus case, no new deaths

Thailand reports one new coronavirus case, no new deaths
Reuters: Health
Thailand on Tuesday reported one new coronavirus case and no new deaths, the lowest number of new infections since March 9.

Gilead looks to make Remdesivir available globally

Gilead looks to make Remdesivir available globally In India, people familiar with the development said the company is in discussions with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Cipla, Jubilant Lifesciences, and Strides Pharmaceuticals for granting them voluntary licences for manufacturing the drug. https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Bengal, Bihar, UP and MP lag behind in testing

Bengal, Bihar, UP and MP lag behind in testing ​​West Bengal conducts 230 tests per million, followed by Bihar, which conducts 267 tests per million. Uttar Pradesh’s 429 tests per million is almost half the national average. Madhya Pradesh, which has been the cause of worry tests 642 per million. The four states have seen a sharp increase in positive cases. https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Call centres expose fault line in Japan's pandemic fight

Call centres expose fault line in Japan's pandemic fight
Reuters: Health
Almost a month after Tokyo declared a state of emergency, dozens of call centre employees for telecom KDDI Corp still commute into their crowded office, where the fear of coronavirus infection has taken a back seat to data security.

Researchers double U.S. COVID-19 death forecast, citing eased restrictions

Researchers double U.S. COVID-19 death forecast, citing eased restrictions
Reuters: Health
A newly revised coronavirus mortality model predicts nearly 135,000 Americans will die from COVID-19 by early August, almost double previous projections, as social-distancing measures for quelling the pandemic are increasingly relaxed, researchers said on Monday.