In a boost to the ongoing vaccination drive against COVID and supply of the anti-viral drugs in Assam, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that the state presently has a stock of 25, 000 doses of Remdesivir injection.

Addressing a press meet today, Sarma said, as part of a new scheme 2, 500 doses of Remdesivir have been reserved exclusively for nursing homes.

Moreover, 1000 doses of Remdesivir injection have been kept aside for non-Assamese residents as well, the minister informed.

Recently, shedding light on the usage of oxygen and Remdesivir Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi was quoted saying in an India Today report, "Unnecessary use of Remdesivir can cause more harm than good and appealed to the public to avoid hoarding oxygen cylinders and Remdesivir injections"

"The solidarity trial on anti-viral drug Remdesivir by the World Health Organisation (WHO) was a negative study", said Dr Randeep Guleria. "

This study stated that Remdesivir can neither reduce hospital stay nor save the life of a coronavirus patient", he said.