Health Ministry says has 3.28 cr Hydroxychloroquine Tablets in Stock as against Domestic Demand of 1.6 cr Tablets

Only 1.8% SARS Cases Found Positive

Clearing the air on hydroxychoroquine supplies, a drug being used as a preventive medicine for healthcare workers and high-risk contacts of Covid-19, the Centre has clarified that it has enough stocks to meet domestic needs even as it sanctions exports.

“Hydroxychoroquine is in high demand and several countries have made a request already. So keeping in view domestic stock availability and sufficient buffer, a decision was taken by the Group of Ministers to release some medicine surplus for export purposes,” said Dammu Ravi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has estimated that one crore tablets will be required for health workers dealing with Covid-19 cases and the high-risk contacts of confirmed cases. An additional 1.6 crore tablets are required, according to a projection for the month-end.

Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, said: “We have 3.28-crore tablets available for domestic use vis-a-vis our requirement.”

Up to two-crore tablets have been disbursed in the private sector to meet physicians’ prescriptions. “Another two or three-crore tablets worth additional supply is being arranged through tie-ups,” Agarwal said.

Concern over rise in cases

Agarwal maintained that there was no widespread community transmission (Stage 3). Earlier, he had said that India is tackling localised community transmission and is between Stage 2 and 3 of the pandemic.

He said: “1.8 per cent of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection cases are reported positive from Virus Research and Diagnostic Labs which are located in those areas from where primary Covid-19 cases had been picked up earlier. The study says that some positive cases had no travel or contact history and this needs further investigation, so we can locate their contact history. In some areas, when case load increases, contact tracing in those areas is not conducted properly.”

“We should remain concerned that our cases are increasing and we should also follow social distancing norms carefully to break the chain of transmission,” he further added.