US FDA said Thursday that it had formally approved remdesivir as the first drug to treat Covid-19, a move that indicated the government’s confidence in its safe and effective use for hospitalized patients. The antiviral drug had been approved for adults and paediatric patients 12 years of age and older and weighing at least 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds) who require hospitalization for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
The drug does not prevent deaths in Covid-19 patients. Read more here
Let’s look at the global statistics:
Total Confirmed Cases: 41,734,275
Change Over Yesterday: 489,051
Total Deaths: 1,137,825
Total Recovered: 28,364,631
Nations hit with most cases: US (8,409,227), India (7,761,312), Brazil (5,323,630), Russia (1,471,000) and Argentina (1,053,650)
Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center
Philippines to allow foreign investors to enter: Foreigners with investor’s visa will be allowed to enter the Philippines from November 1, as authorities sought to boost the pandemic-battered economy. The inter-agency task force leading the pandemic response, in its Thursday meeting, allowed the entry starting next month of foreign nationals with investor visa from the Bureau of Immigration, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. Read more here
France expands its curfew to cover two-thirds its population: France will extend its nightly curfew to cover a total of 46 million people, more than two-thirds of its population, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday. Thirty-eight additional areas in France, as well as French Polynesia, will be affected by the change, which takes effect Saturday. The decision comes as France approaches a million recorded cases. Read more here
