What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Dubai - Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

By Reuters

Published: Fri 13 Nov 2020, 4:43 PM

Delhi records its highest deaths: Delhi's COVID-19 deaths rose by a record number on Thursday and it reported the most number of infections in India, an increase attributed to the city's toxic air and a lack of physical distancing in public places around a major festival.

While daily case additions have come down significantly in the country as a whole since a mid-September peak, the capital city of 20 million people is going through its worst phase in the pandemic.

Delhi late on Thursday reported 104 new deaths and 7,053 new infections.

Intensive care body advises against remdesivir for sickest

Antiviral remdesivir should not be used as a routine treatment for patients in critical care wards, the head of one of the world's top bodies representing intensive care doctors said, in a blow to the drug developed by U.S. firm Gilead.

Remdesivir and steroid dexamethasone are the only drugs authorised to treat COVID-19 patients across the world. But the largest study on remdesivir's efficacy, run by the World Health Organization (WHO), showed it had little or no impact, contradicting previous trials.

In light of the new interim data from the WHO's Solidarity trial "remdesivir is now classified as a drug you should not use routinely in COVID-19 patients," the President of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, Jozef Kesecioglu, said in an interview with Reuters.

China finds virus on packaging of Brazilian beef

The Chinese city of Wuhan said it had detected the novel coronavirus on the packaging of a batch of Brazilian beef, as it ramped up testing of frozen foods this week as part of a nationwide campaign.

After taking drastic measures to control the spread of the virus in the population this year, China began in late June to test imported food for the virus too.

Congressman who ridiculed virus now says he has it

The Alaska congressman who once ridiculed the seriousness of the novel coronavirus, calling it the "beer virus", said he is now infected with it.

The announcement by Representative Don Young comes as the state's governor on Thursday warned that healthcare and public safety systems were at risk of being overwhelmed by the rapid spread of the virus across Alaska.

"I have tested positive for COVID-19. I am feeling strong, following proper protocols, working from home in Alaska, and ask for privacy at this time," the 87-year-old Republican said on Twitter.

Musk questions coronavirus tests

Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk questioned the accuracy of COVID-19 tests after claiming that results showed he tested positive twice and then negative twice all on the same day.

"Something extremely bogus is going on. Was tested for covid four times today. Two tests came back negative, two came back positive. Same machine, same test, same nurse. Rapid antigen test from BD," Musk said in a tweet, possibly referring to Becton Dickinson and Co's rapid antigen test.

When asked by a Twitter user if he showed any symptoms, Musk said he had symptoms of a "typical cold".