India’s coronavirus numbers over the last two weeks suggest the second wave may have reached its peak, or will in the next few days. However, the end of the second wave may still be a long distance away. India’s cases, which touched 4.14 lakh last Thursday, have dropped significantly in the last one week.
In Mumbai, active Covid-19 cases have started dropping. As on Friday, the active caseload dropped to 37,656. A month ago, on April 14, the city had 87,443 active cases with a recovery rate of 81%. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data shows the recovery rate has also improved over the last four weeks. The recovery rate now, according to the BMC dashboard, is 92%. Officials said that the numbers are an indicator of significant improvement in Covid-19 situation in Mumbai after last month’s peak.
The Kerala government on Friday extended the ongoing lockdown till May 23 as the state’s positivity rate still remains high. “The positivity rate remains high, so the state government has decided to extend the present complete lockdown in Kerala till May 23,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. The state has recorded 34,694 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, while 93 deaths took the toll to 6,243, the chief minister added.
Behind bodies found on river banks, a Covid shadow
Days ago, the bodies were in scores, unclaimed, uncounted and unidentified. On Friday, at the Gahmar Ghat in Ghazipur, there were five. Two face down in the sand on the Ganga riverbank; one part submerged, the remaining two in fragments. Not far from here, in Unnao, again on the banks of the Ganga, an estimated 200 bodies were laid bare this week by the shifting sand after a heavy downpour.
These bodies, juxtaposed with images of overflowing cremation and burial grounds, frame a tragic rural postcard from UP and downstream Bihar touched by Covid.
Interviews with next of kin, officials, eyewitnesses and local residents in Unnao and Ghazipur reveal that behind the bodies lie long-held traditions, deep economic distress and the sudden rush to lay the dead to rest — all of this under the shadow of a devastating pandemic that has led to several deaths outside official records.
Covid reaches the interiors: secluded tribe in Odisha’s Niyamgiri hills affected; survey on
The first cases of coronavirous infection have been reported among the Dongria Kondh tribe, settled in the Niyamgiri hills of Rayagada district in Odisha, sparking concern among officials.
One of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups in India, the Dongria Kondhs had remained untouched during the first wave. Given their poor immunity due to lack of nourishment and a secluded way of life, officials are worried about the impact of the current virulent Covid-19 wave on them.
The administration had initiated a door-to-door survey in villages specifically falling under the Kalyansinghpur block following reports of tribe members showing members.
Maharashtra wants 50% vaccine doses of Bharat Biotech’s Pune plant
The state government will urge Bharat Biotech, the Hyderabad-based firm that is manufacturing the Covid-19 vaccine, to reserve 50 per cent doses manufactured at its proposed Pune plant for supply within Maharashtra, said deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Friday.
Delhi: Drugs to oxygen, amid Covid-19 surge, black market flourishes
Rs 50,000 for a vial of remdesivir, Rs 40,000 for a large oxygen cylinder: This is what some people paid in Delhi over the last three weeks trying to save lives of loved ones as the Covid surge left the healthcare infrastructure overwhelmed, and created fertile grounds for black marketers.
Explained: Punjab’s Covid-19 vaccine shortage, and why it wants to join Covax facility
On Friday, the Punjab government announced that, since it was facing a shortage of Covid-19 vaccines, it had decided to join the global Covax facility to procure supplies. Several other states, and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, have over the past few days expressed their intention to import vaccines from abroad.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday handed over fifty oxygen concentrators to AIIMS, Bathinda, that will help the facility in increasing the number of Level -2 beds by 50.
Former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sarup Chand Singla on Sunday handed over the fifty concentrators on behalf of former Union minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal to the AIIMS management. He said besides this donation, Badal has taken the initiative of arranging another fifty concentrators which will be sent to different parts of the constituency in the coming days. Singla also thanked the Bathinda MP as well as SAD President, Sukhbir Singh Badal, for their efforts in creating a Covid Centre at AIIMS, Bathinda which will patients of the region tremendously.
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AIIMS Executive Director, Dr D K Singh, while speaking on the occasion said steady supply of oxygen was the need of the hour for Covid patients and the concentrators given to AIIMS on Sunday would enable the institution to increase its Level -2 bed facility to cater to more Covid patients.
SAD Bathinda Rural President Balkaur Singh was also present on the occasion.
Nagaland's Covid-19 tally crossed the 18,000-mark on Sunday as 241 more people tested positive for the disease, Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom said. The fresh infections pushed the coronavirus caseload in the northeastern state to 18,076. The death toll rose to 209 as 13 more patients succumbed to the disease, State Nodal Officer Dr Nyanthung Kikon said.
Of the fresh cases, 103 were reported from Kohima, 102 from Dimapur, 14 from Mokokchung, 10 from Longleng, five from Zunheboto, three from Phek and one each from Mon, Kiphire, Tuensang and Peren districts, the minister said. At least 108 people were cured of the disease during the day, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 13,195, he said. (PTI)
A committee of 13 MLAs belonging to parties represented in the Tamil Nadu Assembly was set up on Sunday by the State government to offer it consultations on controlling the spread of Covid-19. The panel, headed by Chief Minister M K Stalin, would deliberate on the pandemic and offer consultations to the government, an official press release here said. Public Department Secretary would be the Member- Secretary of the committee.
It was formed on the basis of a resolution adopted in a meeting of the leaders of all legislature parties at the Secretariat here on May 13. DMK's Na Ezhilan, AIADMK's C Vijayabaskar (former Health Minister), Congress party's A M Munirathinam, PMK's G K Mani and BJP's Nayinar Nagendran are part of the panel.
T Sadhan Tirumalaikumar (MDMK represented as DMK member in the House as the Vaiko-led party fought polls in DMK's rising sun symbol), S S Balaji of Viduthali Chiruthaigal Katchi, V P Nagai Mali of the CPI(M) and T Ramachandran belonging to the CPI are in the committee. A member each from Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, Kongu Nadu Makkal Desiya Katchi and Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (all allies of DMK) and Puratchi Bharatham (AIADMK partner) are also part of the panel. (PTI)
Haryana on Sunday reported 139 Covid-19-related fatalities, taking the death toll to 6,685, while 9,115 new cases pushed the infection count to 6,94,427. According to the health department's daily bulletin, the new deaths include 16 from Hisar, 12 each from Gurgaon and Jind, 10 from Rohtak and nine from Ambala district.
Among the districts which reported a big spike in daily cases include Gurgaon (1,864), Faridabad (702), Hisar (713) and Sonipat (520), it said. The total active cases currently stands at 90,066 while the overall recoveries so far stands at 5,97,676. The positivity rate is 8.41 per cent while the recovery rate is 86.07 per cent, it added. (PTI)
A total of 133 prisoners have tested coronavirus positive in Osmanabad district jail of Maharashtra in two days, authorities said on Sunday. As per the data released by the district civil hospital, 35 inmates were found positive for the infection on Saturday, while 98 others were found infected on Sunday. Nine of the infected inmates are women, the data revealed. (PTI)
Some 200 people were booked for holding a motorcycle procession as a man murdered by history- sheeters was being taken for last rites, police in Pune said on Sunday. The procession, with some 100 motorcycles, started from Dhanakwadi and ended at Katraj crematorium on Saturday, an official said. All 200 people who took part in the procession and gathered illegally for the last rites have been booked and efforts were on to nab them, he added. (PTI)
Four districts of Kerala, which are witnessing a severe Covid spread, would be placed under a highly restrictive ‘triple lockdown’ for a week starting Monday.
The ‘triple lockdown’, for which detailed guidelines have been issued, will come into effect in Malappuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram districts at midnight. In the remaining 10 districts, a general lockdown will continue till May 23 with more exemptions being allowed.
The ‘triple lockdown’ strategy, which was experimented with in Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod districts successfully last year, involves focused interventions by the administration and law enforcement agencies at three levels to clamp down on the movement of the public and ensure smooth operation of essential sectors. (Read our Explainer)
Keeping in view the surge of Covid-19 cases in Odisha and also in Puri, the authorities of the temple of Lord Jagannath in the pilgrim town on Sunday announced that the 12th century would remain out of bounds for the public till June 15. The famous temple is closed for the devotees since May 5 as a state-wide lockdown was imposed by the Odisha government.
The Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration made the decision to keep the temple closed for people till June 15 at a review meeting chaired by SJTA Chief Administrator Dr Krishan Kumar and attended by Puri Collector Samarth Verma. The administration of the temple in Puri is under the law department of the state government and the SJTA, which is responsible for management of the shrine, is headed by a senior IAS officer.
Gujarat on Sunday reported 8,210 fresh coronavirus positive cases, taking the tally to 7,52,619 while 82 fatalities, including 13 deaths in Ahmedabad, pushed the toll to 9,121, the state health department said. A total of 14,483 patients were discharged during the day, taking the count of recoveries so far in Gujarat to 6,38,590, it said, adding the state's case recovery rate has improved to 84.85 per cent. Gujarat is now left with 1,04,908 active cases.
At 2,278, Ahmedabad district reported the highest number of new cases in the state in the day, followed by 882 cases in Vadodara, 705 in Surat, 535 in Rajkot, 411 in Junagadh, 319 in Jamnagar, and 269 in Bhavnagar. (PTI)
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar on Sunday said India will have enough Covid-19 vaccine doses from July-August. He hit out at the Congress for attacking the Centre on the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and said the opposition party did not have to face such tough times during their rule.
Speaking to reporters here after attending a crisis management committee meet, Tomar said, "The Congress leadership has nothing to do with the country or public interest. During their time, they did not have to face a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic." "The Congress is playing politics on vaccines, which is very unfortunate. India will have enough vaccine doses from July-August," he added. A 1000-bed hospital was under construction near the government medical college here and it would soon start functioning with 570 beds to begin with, the Union minister said. (PTI)
The coronavirus death toll rose to 2,311 in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday with record 70 more fatalities, while 2,378 new infections took the infection tally to 1,60,240, an official said. Out of the fresh deaths, the highest 30 were in Kangra district alone. The number of active cases in the state stands at 36,909, according to data. The highest 11,579 active cases were in the worst-hit Kangra district. The number of recoveries increased to 1,20,990 with 2,378 more people recuperating from the infection, the official said. (PTI)
At least 181 more people, including a two-month-old baby and three security personnel, tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram on Sunday, taking the tally in the northeastern state to 8,679, an official said. The death toll rose to 24 as a man succumbed to the disease while undergoing treatment at Zoram Medical College here. Aizawl reported the highest number of fresh cases at 103, followed by Lunglei at 53.
The remaining infections were registered in Champhai, Kolasib, Khawzawl, Serchhip and Siaha districts. Fifteen new patients have travel history, while others were found positive for the disease during contact tracing, the official said. As many as 104 fresh cases were detected through Rapid Antigen Test, 66 through RT-PCR and 11 through TruneNat method, he said, adding that 103 of the new patients were asymptomatic. (PTI)
Madhya Pradesh on Sunday reported 7,106 Covid-19 cases and 79 deaths, taking its tally to 7,31,385 and the toll to 6,992, an official said. He said 12,345 persons were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the count of recoveries in the state to 6,29,741, leaving it with 94,652 active cases.
"With 1,487 new cases, Indore's caseload went up to 1,37,878, while that of Bhopal rose to 1,13,208 with the addition of 982 cases. With eight deaths each, the toll in Indore and Bhopal rose to 1,261 and 846 respectively. Indore has 14,888 active cases and Bhopal has 14,093," the official informed. With 66,517 samples being examined in the last 24 hours, the number of tests in MP crossed 87.85 lakh. (PTI)
The Covid-19 death toll in Rajasthan rose to 6,777 on Sunday with 156 more fatalities, while 10,290 new cases pushed the infection tally to 8,59,669, according to an official report. The number of active cases in the state currently stands at 1,94,382 from 2,08,688 a day before, it said.
The maximum deaths and positive cases on Sunday were reported from Jaipur at 41 and 2,558 respectively, it said. A total of 6,58,510 Covid patients have recovered so far in the state so far, it added. (PTI)
Karnataka records 403 Covid-related deaths in the last 24 hours, of which 160 were from Bengaluru (Urban & Rural). The state also saw 31,531 new cases and 36,475 recoveries. Testing, however, has dropped to 1,13,219.
Maharashtra records 34,389 fresh Covid-19 cases, 59,318 discharges and 974 deaths in the last 24 hours. The state’s active case count stands at 4,68,109.
The Union health ministry on Sunday clarified that already booked online appointments for second dose of Covishield vaccine will remain valid and the same will not be cancelled on Co-WIN platform.
It, however, said requisite changes have now been done in the Co-WIN digital portal, as a result of which further online or on-site appointments will not be possible if the period after first dose date for a beneficiary is less than 84 days.
The Centre had on May 13 extended the gap between the first and second doses of Covishield vaccine to 12-16 weeks based on the recommendations by the Covid Working Group chaired by N K Arora. (PTI)
West Bengal records 19,117 new Covid-19 cases, 19,113 discharges and 147 deaths in the last 24 hours. (ANI)
Mumbai, in the last 24 hours, recorded 1,544 fresh Covid-19 cases. The city currently has 35,702 active cases while its recovery rate stands at 92%. The fresh cases increased slightly from Saturday's figure which stood at 1,477.
Himachal Pradesh records 2,378 fresh Covid-19 cases, 70 deaths and 4,974 recoveries on in the last 24 hours. (ANI)
Senior doctors will be on duty during odd hours so that Covid-19 patients get the same level of treatment throughout the day, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after making a surprise visit to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital in the early hours of Sunday. Sarma made the unannounced visit to GMCH at 2.30 am to see for himself the treatment of Covid-19 patients in Emergency Ward at night, an official release said.
Asserting that it has been one of the priorities of the state government to step up midnight critical care services in all the medical colleges of the state, the chief minister expressed satisfaction over the arrangements put in place to meet the emergency needs of coronavirus patients. He also iterated his gratitude to doctors, nursing staff, and other paramedical staff for their round-the-clock services. The chief minister also visited the oxygen plant set up at the GMCH premises. (PTI)
With concerns over cases of mucormycosis, a rare fungal infection, becoming relatively more frequent among Covid patients, families are scrambling to purchase Amphotericin B — an anti-fungal drug prescribed for its treatment — with pharmacies in Delhi reporting unavailability.
Dr Suvrankar Datta, a junior resident at AIIMS, is part of a network of resident doctors who have been trying to help patients and their attendants with medical resources. He said: “Initially, there were reports coming from the South and Gujarat that patients are unable to find the drug and that there is a severe shortage. In AIIMS emergency, there are currently 15 mucormycosis patients. Yesterday, our network got 11-12 SOS calls looking for Amphotericin B. Most of the pharmacies we called were out of stock, and we found only five-six pharmacies in Delhi which had some stock as of Saturday evening.” (Read Sukrita Baruah’s report)
Delhi has only one day of Covaxin stock left for those aged above 45, healthcare and frontline workers while Covishield doses for this category can last up to five days, AAP MLA Atishi said on Sunday. Delhi has so far received 44.94 lakh vaccine doses for this age group, of which 41.68 lakh have been administered, she said.
According to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator, 1.18 lakh people in Delhi were vaccinated on May 15 and around 10.5 lakh people have taken both vaccine doses so far. After Sunday evening, the city will have only one day of Covaxin stock and five days of Covishield doses left for those aged 45 years and above. We appeal to the central government to immediately make more vaccines available for this category, she said. The capital has received 8.17 lakh doses for the 18-44 age group so far, of which 5.25 lakh have been used till Sunday morning, she said. (PTI)
1,314 new Covid-19 cases, 43 deaths and 3,793 recoveries reported in Goa in the last 24 hours. (ANI)
Uttarakhand reports 4,496 fresh Covid-19 cases, 5,034 recoveries and 188 deaths on Sunday. The state currently has 78,802 active cases. (ANI)
Telangana registers 3,816 new Covid-19 cases, 5,892 recoveries and 27 fatalities in the last 24 hours. The state’s death toll stands at 2,955. (ANI)
The Covid-19 death toll in Uttar Pradesh rose to 17,546 with 311 more fatalities while the infection tally climbed to 16,19,645 as 10,682 fresh coronavirus cases were reported, officials said on Sunday. Of the fresh deaths, Meerut reported 27 followed by Lucknow (20), Kanpur (13), Chandauli and Basti (12), Mathura (10), the state government said in a statement.
At 701, the maximum number of new cases were reported from Meerut followed by Lucknow (525), Varanasi (496), Deoria (471), Bulandshahr (451) and Saharanpur (437). In the last 24 hours; 24,837 Covid-19 patients have recovered from the disease taking the total number of patients discharged so far in the state to 14,39,096. (PTI)
Puducherry records 1,961 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1,491 discharges and 32 fatalities on Sunday. The Union Territory’s active case count currently stands at 17,666. (ANI)
Bharat Biotech on Sunday said its Covid-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' has been found to be effective against coronavirus strains found in India and the UK. Citing a study published in peer-reviewed medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, the Hyderabad-based vaccine major noted that vaccination with Covaxin produced neutralising titres against all key emerging variants tested, including B.1.617 and B.1.1.7, first identified in India and the UK, respectively.
The study was conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Virology and Indian Council of Medical Research, it added. "Covaxin gets international recognition yet again, by scientific research data published demonstrating protection against the new variants. Yet another feather in its cap," Bharat Biotech co-founder and Joint Managing Director Suchitra Ella said in a tweet. (PTI)
A week after the implementation of a complete lockdown, the Covid-19 cases in Kerala started showing a downward trend with the state on Sunday reporting 29,704 fresh cases, taking the total caseload to 21,17,912. The slight dip in new cases was detected through 1,15,982 tests carried out in the last 24 hours.
The test positivity rate was 25.61 per cent. This is the lowest since May 12 when the state had recorded 43,529 new Covid-19 cases. With 89 more people succumbing to the disease, the toll reached 6428. Currently, 4,40,652 people are under treatment in the state. Giving a sigh of relief to the health workers, 34,296 people were cured of the infection in the last 24 hours taking the total recoveries to 17,00,528. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh, in the last 24 hours, has recorded 24,171 fresh Covid-19 cases and 101 related deaths. The total number of cases in the state rises to 14,35,491, while active case count stands at 2,10,436. (ANI)
The coronavirus-induced curfew in Bhopal and Berasia town in Madhya Pradesh was on Sunday extended till May 24 by Collector Avinash Lavaniya, an official said. The corona curfew, which was supposed to end at 6am on May 17, has earlier been given multiple week-long extensions since April 12. Essential services and emergency travel are exempted from the ambit of the curfew, he added. The Covid-19 caseload in Bhopal, as on Saturday, was 1,12,226, including 838 deaths, the official said. (PTI)
The curfew imposed in Ladakh to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has been extended by another week till May 24, officials said on Sunday. The extension of the curfew, which was scheduled to end on May 17, was ordered by the district magistrates of Leh and Kargil in separate orders, they said. As of Sunday, Ladakh's Covid-19 tally stands at 16,333 and the death toll at 165, according to officials. In his order, Leh District Magistrate Shrikant Balasaheb Suse said the extension of restrictions that are already in place is meant to avoid the further spread of the infection.
"Restrictions imposed on all kind of movements/activities across Leh district shall be extended from 17.05.2021 (5 am) and shall remain in force till 24.05.2021 (7 am)," he said.
All shops selling groceries, vegetable and fruit, chicken, milk, dairy products, automobile spare parts, confectionery items and tyre repairs shops would be allowed to open from 7 am to 2 pm. The supply and distribution of essential commodities by wholesale distributors would be allowed between 5 am to 9 am and their movement would be allowed on the production of a valid trade license or registration certificate, the order stated. (PTI)
Jharkhand has started witnessing a declining trend in daily Covid-19 fatalities as the state on Sunday recorded 65 deaths due to the infection, the lowest in May so far, a health department bulletin said. This is the fourth time in the month when fresh Covid-19 deaths plunged below 100 in the state. The state had recorded 76 fatalities on May 15 and 97 Covid-19 deaths each on May 13 and May 10.
It had recorded the highest number of 159 deaths this month on May 2. There has also been an improvement in the recovery rate of Covid-19 patients. The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state now stands at 85.37 per cent, better than the national average of 83.80 per cent, the bulletin said. With the 65 fresh fatalities, the Covid-19 death toll in the state is now 4,431. (PTI)
The national capital recorded 6,456 fresh Covid-19 cases and 262 fatalities on Sunday while the positivity rate dropped to 10.40 per cent, the lowest since April 11, according to a Delhi government health bulletin. This is the third consecutive day when Delhi has recorded less than 10,000 cases.
However, the smaller number of new cases was due to relatively fewer tests, 62,059, conducted on Saturday. Delhi had reported 6,430 cases on Saturday, the lowest since April 7, with medical experts attributing the lockdown as the main factor behind the dip.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh orders extension of all existing restrictions up to May 31, with directions for strict enforcement of all the curbs. "The deputy commissioners will continue to determine the opening of shops in a staggered manner," he added. (ANI)
The Tripura government on Sunday announced a nine-day “corona curfew” from 5 am on Monday (May 17) till 5 am on May 26 within the jurisdiction of Agartala Municipal Corporation to contain and combat the novel coronavirus.
West Tripura district is the worst-hit in the state, having 2,263 active Covid-19 cases, of which 1,486 are in Agartala alone.
Addressing a press conference, cabinet spokesperson and Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath said 65.66% of active cases in the state are currently in West Tripura district. The positivity rate here has also spiked to 9.25%. (Read Debraj Deb's report)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said that the government has been able to contain the spread of coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh. “Positivity rate, which had climbed up to above 24%, has declined to 10.68% yesterday and in some districts, it is below 5%. Positive cases are constantly reducing,” he added. (ANI)
India's Covid-19 active cases count has decreased to 36,18,458 with a net decline of 55,344 cases being recorded in the active caseload in a span of 24 hours, while the daily positivity rate dropped to 16.98 per cent, the Union health ministry said on Sunday. The total active caseload now comprises 14.66 per cent of the country's total infections, it said.
Ten states — Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh--cumulatively account for 74.69 per cent of the country's total active cases, the ministry said. "A declining trend in the positivity rate is also observed which has dropped to 16.98 per cent (May 16) from 24.47 per cent recorded on May 3," it said.
India's cumulative recoveries have reached 2,07,95,335 with 3,62,437 patients recuperating in a span of 24 hours. It outnumbers the country's daily Covid-19 cases for the fifth time in the last six days, the ministry said. Ten states account for 70.94 per cent of the new recoveries. (PTI)
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has decided to suspend vaccination drives across Mumbai on Monday in the wake of the intensity cyclone warning issued by IMD. Vaccination will resume from Tuesday again, the BMC said.
The union territory of Puducherry reported 1,961 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours raising the overall tally to 84,506, a senior official of the Health Department said on Sunday. Thirty-two more people succumbed to the virus during the last 24 hours ending 10 am on Sunday, pushing the toll to 1,151, Director of the Health Department S Mohan Kumar said. He said the 1,961 new cases were identified at the end of the examination of 9,446 samples, projecting a test positivity rate of 20.76 per cent.
He said 1,491 patients were discharged during the last 24 hours. The Department has so far tested 9.17 lakh samples and it was found that 8.14 lakh were negative. There were 17,666 active cases and 65,689 patients had recovered and were discharged so far. The Health department Director said 33,696 healthcare workers and 20,177 frontline workers were inoculated against Covid so far. (PTI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday appealed to doctors who serve as family physicians to join the state's fight against Covid-19 and advise their patients under home isolation about the right treatment protocols. During a virtual interaction with private medical practitioners and members of the state Covid-19 task force, Thackeray said patients trust their family doctors more than anyone else.
"The treatment protocols of Covid-19 patients in home isolation can be managed more effectively if their family physicians join the battle against the viral infection," the chief minister said. He said family physicians can evaluate the Covid-19 patient's condition, co-morbidities and oxygen level during home isolationand guide them effectively regarding the need for hospitalisation. "If the asymptomatic patients in home isolation are treated effectively,it would help reduce the Covid-19 mortality rate," he said. (PTI)
The oxygen supply at the Goa Medical College and Hospital was getting streamlined following commissioning of a new tank of the life-saving gas at the facility, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Sunday.
Over last five days (till Saturday morning), 83 patients died at the state-run medical facility during the "dark hours" between 2 am and 6 am, as per official figures. A 20,000 kilo litre oxygen tank was commissioned at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Saturday. Rane told PTI that the oxygen supply at the GMCH was getting streamlined after commissioning of the tank.
"Now, we should not have problems regarding the oxygen supply. The commissioning of the tank is a major step towards solving this problem," he said. The tank was shifted from Bicholim industrial estate and the move would reduce the GMCH's dependence on oxygen cylinders, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Saturday. (PTI)
More than 1.84 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with states and UTs, while nearly 51 lakh doses are in the pipeline and will be received by them within the next three days, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. The Centre has so far provided more than 20 crore vaccine doses (20,28,09,250) to states and UTs free of cost, it said.
Of this, the total consumption, calculated based on average up to May 14, including wastages, is 18,43,67,772 doses, according to data available at 7 pm on Saturday. "More than 1.84 crore COVID vaccine doses (1,84,41,478) are still available with the states and UTs to be administered. States with negative balance are showing more consumption (including wastage) than vaccine supplied as they have not reconciled the vaccine they have supplied to Armed Forces," the ministry said. (PTI)
Indian Oil Corp has said it will provide 50 hospital beds at nearby hotels to doctors working at the Covid care centre in Panipat for six months, AP reported. "This facility will bolster emergency care for Covid-19 patients from Panipat, Sonipat, Karnal, and other regions of Haryana," Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced.
The 'Mahamari alert' in Haryana has been extended from May 17 to May 24, Anil Vij tweeted on Sunday. "Mahamari Alert/Surkshit Haryana extended from 17 May to 24 May. Stringent measures will be taken to implement the alert," tweets Haryana Minister Anil Vij(File photo) pic.twitter.com/sDhOGPhfms— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2021
Covid-19 restrictions in PUnjab's Ludhiana district have been extended till May 23.
As rural areas see a rise in COVID-19 cases, the Centre on Sunday issued new guidelines for containment of the virus advising that peri-urban and rural areas plan a minimum 30-bedded COVID Care Centre for asymptomatic cases with comorbidities or mild cases where home isolation is not feasible.
Provision of Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits should be made at all public health facilities including Sub-centres or Health and Wellness Centres and Primary Health Centres, the Union Health Ministry said.
Noting that besides urban areas reporting a large number of cases, a gradual ingress is now being seen in peri-urban, rural and tribal areas as well, the ministry released the 'SOP on COVID-19 Containment and Management in Peri-urban, Rural & Tribal areas' to enable communities strengthen primary level healthcare infrastructure at all levels to intensify COVID-19 response. (PTI)
Three BJP MLAs were on Sunday taken into custody here on the charge of violating lockdown regulations, a police officer said. The legislators -- Shankar Ghosh, Anandamoy Burman and Sikha Chattopadhyay -- were protesting against alleged lack of measures on the part of the state government to check the rising number of COVID-19 deaths in north Bengal.
They were released later in the day, the officer said. The MLAs, who were apprehended when they were staging a sit-in at Safdar Hasmi Chowk roundabout in Siliguri, claimed that they maintained all COVID-19 protocols during the protest, and there was no gathering at the spot.
Hitting out at them, senior TMC leader Goutam said that the BJP legislators "betrayed" the people of the region by organising a sit-in amid the lockdown. (PTI)
Following his meeting with PM Modi, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that he will soon be visiting rural areas in the state, which have witnessed a surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks. "We have constituted around 8,000 rapid response teams for Covid-19 sample testing. We have also drawn plans for the third wave of coronavirus," he added.
During a meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Prime Minister Narendra Modi guided the state on a number of issues including addressing the oxygen crisis, vaccine distribution, as well as how to prevent vaccine wastage, a statement released by the CMO read.
A consignment of 32,400 kgs of Zeolite has arrived Bengaluru airport from Rome in two Air India flights. According to officials, this is the first of many batches imported by the Centre to generate more oxygen amid an acute shortage.
People caught violating the lockdown in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh have been asked to write down the name of Lord Ram in a designated book as punishment, Police Sub Inspector Santosh Singh told ANI.
Karnataka Minister BC Patil has announced Rs 50,000 compensation for the families of all Covid patients who have succumbed to the infection in the Hirekerur constituency.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry to discuss the Covid-19 situtations in their respective states with them, ANI reported.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday that the lockdown in the National Capital has been extended by another week till May 24, ANI reported.
"We are extending the lockdown for one more week. Instead of tomorrow, lockdown is extended till next Monday, 5 am in Delhi," he said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter on Sunday to condole the death of late MP Rajeev Satav, who succumbed to secondary pneumonia with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome less than a month after testing positive for Covid-19.
'I’m very sad at the loss of my friend Rajeev Satav. He was a leader with huge potential who embodied the ideals of the Congress,' Gandhi tweeted. 'It’s a big loss for us all. My condolences and love to his family.'
Congress MP Rajeev Satav, who passed away on Sunday morning, succumbed to secondary pneumonia with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome, according to the medical director of Pune's Jehangir hospital.
On May 13, three siblings whose parents tested Covid positive were brought to a residential school at Bukkarayasamudram village in Anantapur Mandal in Anantapur district.
“The youngest of the three kids is a 3-year-old girl. Her sister is 5 and her brother is 12. Their parents are presently under treatment at a Covid hospital at Anantapur. We are making all efforts to make them comfortable here and provide whatever they want. They will be given counselling every day,” said Childline Coordinator K Krishnamachari.
Originally for children with special needs, the Bukkarayasamudram school now has a different function – to look after children whose parents or guardians have tested Covid positive and are in hospital or at isolation centres, and for those whose parents or guardians have died of the virus. Read the full report here.
“Containment Zone,” says the scrawl in Hindi on a piece of white cloth hanging above the makeshift barrier made of bamboo poles. This is the entry to Bade Anjani village in Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district, which was carved out of Bilaspur and came into existence on February 10, 2020, just a month before Chhattisgarh recorded its first Covid case.
Today, the Covid graph of Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, or GPM, with a population of about 3,36,000, reflects the trajectory of the infection’s rural spread in the state — a swell last November following a bypoll, a lull early this year, and now a devastating second wave.
Officials and doctors say the challenge is particularly daunting in this fledgling district, which is struggling with vacancies in key posts including Chief Medical Health Officer, gaps in infrastructure and mistrust on the ground over the vaccination drive. Read the full report here.