Demand for Remdesivir grows amid rising COVID-19 cases in country

The increase in COVID-19 cases across the country has led to a shortage of Remdesivir injection and people were seen lining up at the medical stores to procure the drug.

In Gujarat's Ahmedabad, people were seen queued up outside a private hospital on Wednesday to purchase the life-saving drug.

"I have come here to buy injection as prescribed for my aunt I have been standing since morning. There must be over 100 people here," a person told here.

According to the union health ministry, Gujarat has 18,684 active COVID-19 cases while total cases of the infection have mounted to 3,05,149.

Night curfew has been imposed in 20 cities of Gujarat between 8 pm to 6 am from Wednesday till April 30.

Madhya Pradesh's Indore is also facing a shortage of Remdesivir injection and oxygen supplies due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Remdesivir is considered a key anti-viral drug in the fight against COVID-19.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that adequate arrangements will be made to ensure there is no shortage of the Remdesivir.

"Yesterday, we decided to purchase the Remdesivir injection, which we are short of. A system is made for the purchase, we will make it available wherever it is needed. Adequate arrangements will be made to ensure that there is no shortage of medicines," Chouhan said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the Covid-19 situation, all urban areas of Madhya Pradesh will go into a lockdown from 6 pm Friday to Monday 6 am.

"There'll be lockdown from 6 pm on Friday to 6 am on Monday in all urban areas of Madhya Pradesh. For cities where cases have increased, appropriate action will be taken after the meeting of the crisis management group. We are making containment areas in big cities," Chouhan said.

( With inputs from ANI )