A victim on way to hospital in Eluru. (Express photo)Chennai, Hyderabad Coronavirus News December 9, 10 Highlights: Tamil Nadu recorded 1232 positive cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state tally to 7,94,020. Among these, Chennai reported 347 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 2,18,549. The state recorded 14 deaths on Wednesday, putting the state toll at 11,836. All 14 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. The state discharged 1315 patients following treatment, putting the total number of recoveries at 7,71,693.
As of Wednesday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 10,491. According to a bulletin released by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu, 1,23,80,758 samples from the state have been sent for testing till date.
Traces of lead and nickel were Wednesday found in blood samples of 15 more people affected by a mystery illness in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru. A day before, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, had found traces of the heavy metals in 10 victims. The AP government had sent 45 samples to AIIMS for testing.
The West Godavari district administration has deployed 62 medical teams to monitor residents in Eluru and nearby areas. A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office stated that so far, 578 cases of the mystery illness have been reported, of which 471 have been discharged while 76 are still under treatment. Thirty people who had serious symptoms were shifted to Vijayawada Government Hospital, of whom seven have been discharged while 23 remain under observation. Medical and relief teams have conducted two rounds of household surveys to monitor residents’ health.
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Tamil Nadu, which has initiated a number of clinical trials on the efficacy of Siddha formulations in the management of COVID-19, has completed a randomised study undertaken at the Stanley government hospital in Chennai in association with Siddha doctors.
The outcome will be announced soon with the concurrence of the Ayush Ministry, researchers involved in the project said. Nine other clinical trials involving Siddha medicine either as stand-alone or adjunct with allopathic medicine that were taken up throughout Tamil Nadu are in various stages of completion.
Apart from studying the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 viral load and reducing the onset of symptoms in asymptomatic COVID-19 with Siddha formulation Kabasura Kudineer (KSK) compared to Vitamin C & Zinc (CZ) used as supplement in allopathy, the randomised trial examined the changes in the immunological markers of the Siddha medicine against control.
The trial also evaluated the safety of Siddha medicine and documented clinical profile of asymptomatic COVID-19 as per principles of Siddha system of medicine.
A leader of ruling the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in Andhra Pradesh was caught on camera threatening and physically assaulting a toll plaza staff after she was allegedly stopped for not paying the toll tax.
In a video shared by news agency ANI, YSRCP leader D Revathi can be seen removing the barricades in front of her vehicle at Kaja Toll in Guntur district and engaging in a heated conversation with the toll plaza staff. The leader was also seen holding one of the employees by the collar before slapping him.
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Indian scientists have identified drugs and possible cocktails that can target vital proteins of the novel coronavirus, and may potentially help treat COVID-19. Using a virtual screening of the DrugBank database, the research published in the journal Scientific Reports, identified a variety of as yet unexplored ways to attack SARS-CoV-2, even as it mutates.
The Drugbank database is a chemical space of compounds approved by FDA and molecules under drug trials.
The researchers from Alagappa University in Tamil Nadu and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden propose a list of individual drugs and cocktails that deserve testing for the treatment of COVID-19.
A key part of the study, the researchers said, is the identification of drugs that target or bind to multiple proteins that are essential for replication of the virus, and which are also involved in the initial stage of host-cell infection.
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Ruling out water and air contamination, the Andhra Pradesh Government has turned its focus to food products as a possible source of the mystery illness in Eluru town. Health Commissioner Bhaskar Katamneni told The Indian Express Thursday that they have ruled out contamination in water and air samples taken from the affected areas in the town.
"The water and air samples tested over the last three days do not reveal any contamination or abnormalities. The focus of our investigation is on food products now and we are awaiting test results from National Institute of Nutrition,'' Bhaskar said. Experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that they are surveying the areas where people have fallen sick and are collecting health details including the food they consumed.
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Telangana reported 643 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the tally to nearly 2.76 lakh while two fatalities pushed the toll to 1,482, the state government said on Thursday.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 109, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (84) and Rangareddy (82), it said in a bulletin.
As many as 7,497 patients are under treatment and 53,396 samples were tested on Wednesday. Cumulatively, over 59.73 lakh samples have been tested. The samples tested per million population was over 1.59 lakh, the bulletin said.
The case fatality rate in the state was 0.53 per cent while the recovery rate in Telangana was 96.74 per cent.
Traces of lead and nickel were Wednesday found in blood samples of 15 more people affected by a mystery illness in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru. A day before, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, had found traces of the heavy metals in 10 victims. The AP government had sent 45 samples to AIIMS for testing.
The source of the contamination is still not known.
The West Godavari district administration has deployed 62 medical teams to monitor residents in Eluru and nearby areas. A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office stated that so far, 578 cases of the mystery illness have been reported, of which 471 have been discharged while 76 are still under treatment. Thirty people who had serious symptoms were shifted to Vijayawada Government Hospital, of whom seven have been discharged while 23 remain under observation. Medical and relief teams have conducted two rounds of household surveys to monitor residents’ health.
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The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) conducted 406 fever clinics in Chennai on Wednesday. A total of 21,285 people attended the clinics, with swabs collected from 410 people who were identified with ILI symptoms, while others were provided with medication for minor ailments.
The most number of camps were held in Teynampet (Zone 9) where 49 camps were set up, while Manali (Zone 2) had the least with six camps.
Andhra Pradesh Health Department officials investigating the mystery illness that has affected more than 550 people in Eluru have said that excessive use of bleaching powder and chlorine, as part of Covid-19 sanitation measures, may have caused the water contamination that made people take ill.
“Health experts suspect that excessive use of bleaching powder and chlorine in sanitation programmes as part of Covid-19 prevention measures may be the cause of water contamination. This is just one of the causes we are exploring,” Andhra Pradesh Health Minister A Krishna Srinivas told The Indian Express.
A multi-disciplinary team of experts from the World Health Organisation, AIIMS (New Delhi), National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, and Indian Institute of Chemical Technology told the AP government that it should focus on investigating the source of water contamination.
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A week after Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) staged a demonstration demanding 20 per cent exclusive reservation for the Vanniyar community in government jobs and education, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami appointed former high court judge A Kulasekaran to head the commission that will begin collection of caste data in Tamil Nadu.
CM Palaniswami, in a statement, said the government has decided to undertake a caste-based survey to ensure that all the government welfare schemes reach the intended beneficiaries.
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Tangedco has announced a powercut in parts of Chennai today from 9 am to 2 pm to carry out maintenance work.
Here are the affected areas:
A total 211 flights will be operated between Chennai and major cities today, with 106 arrivals and 105 departures scheduled at the Chennai International Airport.
The Andhra Pradesh government Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Survey of India kick-starting one of the largest land and house ownership surveys in the state. The survey will begin on December 21.
Around 14,000 surveyors have been appointed by the Andhra Pradesh government and 9,400 surveyors were given training by Survey of India for the survey which will be conducted over 1.26 lakh sq km except for forest lands, in three phases. Around 5,000 villages are to be covered in the first phase, 6,500 villages in the second phase, and 5,500 villages in the third phase. The state government will also set up mobile tribunals to solve land disputes on the spot.
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Tamil Nadu recorded 1232 positive cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state tally to 7,94,020 Among these, Chennai reported 347 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 2,18,549. The state recorded 14 deaths on Wednesday, putting the state toll at 11,836. All 14 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. The state discharged 1315 patients following treatment, putting the total number of recoveries at 7,71,693.
As of Wednesday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 10,491. Till date, 4,79,730 males, 3,14,256 females and 34 transgenders have tested positive for the virus in the state.
According to a bulletin released by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu, 1,26,75,551 samples from the state have been sent for testing till date, with 70,262 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 228 COVID-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 67 are government and 161 are private facilities.
The functionaries of Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) were overjoyed when actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth or Thalaivar’, as he is fondly called, finally announced his political debut. After all, despite Rajinikanth's dilemma to enter politics lasting years, the indefatigable members had continued to do all the groundwork needed for the launch of the party, which included setting up booth committees across the state.
On December 3, Rajinikanth announced that he would be launching a political party in January 2021 and contesting in the upcoming assembly election. But the RMM members were soon in for a disappointment after Rajinikanth picked Arjuna Murthy, the former Intellectual cell head of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Gandhi Makkal Iyakkam leader Tamilaruvi Manian as his party’s chief coordinator and supervisor, respectively.
RMM district secretary from southern Tamil Nadu, on the condition of anonymity, said: “We waited for this one announcement (launch of the party) from Thalaivar all these years. We called our friends and relatives to express our happiness. We were surprised to see Arjuna Murthy being appointed at the top-level. We know Tamilaruvi Manian but Arjuna Murthy’s name was never discussed in our meetings and many of the members don’t even know him. But we believe and obey our Thalaivar. He knows what to do,” he said.
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Welcome to the live blog from Chennai and Hyderabad where we bring to you the latest updates on northeast monsoon, Eluru mystery illness, COVID-19, lockdown in Tamil Nadu, lockdown in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and more across Chennai and Hyderabad through the day. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the states in real time.
A delegation of 70 Ambassadors and High Commissioners visited the Bharat Biotech facility Wednesday at Genome Valley in Hyderabad for a briefing on the progress of Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin. The delegates interacted with team Bharat Biotech and extensively discussed the Covaxin. The project update on the vaccine was presented to the delegates by Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech.
Speaking on the occasion, Suchitra Ella, Joint Managing Director of Bharat Biotech said, "The development and clinical evaluation of Covaxin marks a significant milestone for novel vaccinology in India. Covaxin has garnered interest from several countries worldwide for supplies and introduction. It is an honour to have with us today all the distinguished ambassadors of various countries. It not only makes us proud but also reminds us that the world is looking up to India in the common fight against the deadly pandemic."
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami inspected rain-related damage in Nagapattinam on Wednesday. He commenced his tour of the district after offering special prayers at Vailankanni Church and Nagore Dargah.
The Chief Minister has undertaken a two-day tour of the flood-hit Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, and Tiruvarurdistricts. Early in the morning, accompanied by Ministers and officials, the CM participated in a special prayer at the famous Shrine Basilica at Vailankanni.
Later, he arrived at the Muslim pilgrim town of Nagore and offered prayers at theDargahof Saint Hazrath Syed Shahul HameedQuadirWali. He also inspected the damage caused to the compound wall of the Dargah's holy tank during the incessant rains last week.
En route to Nagore, the Chief Minister stopped his convoy at many places and interacted with the farmers and enquired about the damages.
A total of 8,154 students enrolled at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in the first batch of first-ever online BSc degree in programming and data science. For the engineering courses, as many as 1,593 students from an arts background and 3,450 learners from science and commerce background have applied.
This includes 1,922 female candidates and 6,232 male candidates across India. These students can enroll for the foundational level courses, which will be offered from January 2021. Nearly 400 hours of live sessions to support the learning process of the learners. Most of the students have applied from Tamil Nadu with 1,037 applications followed by Maharashtra and UP. Among qualified candidates, most were under the age of 20 years.
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A week after Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) staged a demonstration demanding 20 per cent exclusive reservation for the Vanniyar community in government jobs and education, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami appointed former high court judge A Kulasekaran to head the commission that will begin collection of caste data in Tamil Nadu.
CM Palaniswami, in a statement, said the government has decided to undertake a caste-based survey to ensure that all the government welfare schemes reach the intended beneficiaries.
The decision comes amid the backdrop of the Supreme Court directions to all the states to collect quantifiable data highlighting the inadequacy of representation of a particular class in public service.
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Since 1986, municipal elections in Hyderabad have remained wedded to aspirations for assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Corporators rarely have a voice — within their parties and across party lines in the corporation.
Hyderabad, an urban agglomeration of 10 million population, is today staring at multiple risks — from floods to contagions to political unrest. Political opportunism and short-termism can jeopardise the entire region. Municipalising the gated communities and industrial area local authorities, reorganising the municipal units for coherent governance and meaningful local democracy and re-territorialising the region by delegating strategic authority and devolving resources to the metropolitan development authority can contain the risk and set spatial boundaries around it. This needs a revisioning of political purpose and a vote of confidence for constitutionalism.
Last week, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) was reduced from 99 to 56 seats. The BJP increased its tally from five to 48 and the AIMIM from 40 to 44. The BJP has broken the spatial contiguity of the AIMIM and the TRS seats and has a toehold in many assembly constituencies in the city.
In the campaign, the AIMIM spoke for the hyperlocal and the Hyderabadi Muslim, the TRS for the sons of the soil and the Telangana region, and the BJP for the ultra-nationalist Hindu. Between the BJP and its voters, a vote in this municipal election is a promise of a vote in the assembly election in 2023.
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