Tamil Nadu: BCG vaccine trials administered for adults between 60-95 age group

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Dr C Vijayabaskar on Wednesday informed that the BCG vaccine will be administered on a trial basis for adults aged between 60 and 95, in an attempt to reduce the COVID-19 mortality rate in senior citizens. The National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis will begin the programme that has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin) vaccine provides immunity against tuberculosis in children and has been in use since decades. 

BCG vaccine had hit the headlines soon after the Coronavirus outbreak when experts suggested that it was a possible cure for COVID-19. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has ruled out any such possibility stating that there is no evidence pertaining to the claim. "Two clinical trials addressing this question are underway, and WHO will evaluate the evidence when it is available," the WHO had said. 

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Maha, TN account for 50% of India's COVID tally 

With the number of COVID-19 cases crossing the nine lakh-mark on Tuesday, the health ministry said that 86 per cent of the total active cases are confined to 10 affected states with Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu accounting for 50 per cent of them. Despite being the second-most populous country of the world, the daily growth rate of new COVID-19 cases in India has been coming down continuously from around 38.2 per cent in March to 3.24 per cent on July 12, Rajesh Bhushan, the officer on special duty in the Health Ministry, told a press briefing. He said Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are the two most affected states contributing to 50 per cent of the total active cases (amounting to 1,54,134 cases).

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Death toll reaches 2,099 in TN

Tamil Nadu continued to report over 4,000 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday but significantly, the capital city's downward trend continued, while the state saw 67 related fatalities. With the addition of 4,526 new cases, the cumulative tally stood at 1,47,324, according to a health department bulletin. As many as 67 deaths pushed the toll to 2,099, with Chennai accounting for 1,295 deaths till date.

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