At a cinema hall in Kolkata. (Express photo: Shashi Ghosh)Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav tested positive for Covid-19 Wednesday. The 80-year-old leader is presently asymptomatic and under medical observation.
Read Coronavirus India Live Updates
Meanwhile, India on Wednesday recorded 63,509 new Covid-19 cases and 730 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to data from the Union Health Ministry. The total caseload in the country stands at 72,39,390, including 8,26,876 active cases, 63,01,928 recovered cases and 1,01,586 deaths. Active coronavirus cases have remained below 9 lakh for six days in a row. The fatality rate was recorded at 1.53 per cent. Maximum deaths have occurred in the age group of 60 years and above (53 per cent) and lowest in the age group of below 17 (1 per cent) and 18-25 years (1 per cent).
During the weekly briefing, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan highlighted that a significant 35 per cent of deaths have occurred in the age group of 45-60 years, indicating that this age group is highly vulnerable, in the backdrop of resumption of economic activities.
Meanwhile, with active cases below 9 lakh for five consecutive days and the weekly positivity rate at 6.24 per cent, Niti Aayog member Dr V K Paul warned that the festive season and winter could likely result in a surge of cases if precautions are not taken.
At a Covid-19 centre in New Delhi. (Express Photo: Amit Mehra)
With the Union government and experts warning of a second wave of Covid-19 infections in winter, the district administration on Wednesday stressed on the need to be alert and aware of the situation.
“There is a decline in the number of new cases. So, the current situation of availability of beds and ventilators is satisfactory. Many of the beds are vacant but we are prepared if there is a need to scale up the facility,” said Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao. Read more
Manipur on Wednesday witnessed six COVID-19 related deaths, highest in a day, taking the total death toll to 103. With 301 positive cases, the state also recorded the highest single-day spike of COVID-19 positive on Wednesday the cumulative positive cases in the state has climbed to 14,094. With this the number of active cases is 3,076 (General Population - 2,709 and Central Security Personnel - 367).
According to Manipur health department, of the total six deaths, two were from Imphal East district, one each from Imphal West, Thoubal, Kangpokpi and Tamenglong districts. The victims were between the ages 40 to 88 years.
The department said of the 301 positive cases reported on Wednesday 281 persons were from general population and 20 personnel from Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). A total of seven persons from IW are returnees while the rest are locals without any significant travel history.
The positive cases are being shifted to the Covid Care facilities. All necessary medical precautionary measures like containment and contact tracing are in place, said the department.
As many as 86 persons were also reportedly discharged and the recovery rate stands at 77.44%.
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav tested positive for Covid-19 Wednesday. The 80-year-old leader is presently asymptomatic and under medical observation.
Kerala reported 6,244 new coronavirus cases today from 50,056 samples. The recovered patient count stood at 7792 for the day. The positivity rate also fell down to 12.47 per cent.
Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded one more fatality due to COVID-19 on Wednesday, pushing the death toll to 61, official data showed.
The district also recorded 139 new COVID-19 cases as its overall infection tally reached 15,327, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period.
The number of active cases came down to 1,528 from 1,557 on Tuesday and 1,579 on Monday, the data showed.
As many as 167 patients got discharged during the period and the overall number of recoveries in the district reached 13,738, seventh highest in the state, it showed. (PTI)
With rising footfalls in the run-up to the Durga Puja festival, the authorities of shopping malls in the city are taking all health safety measures, including the use of ultraviolet rays to sanitise elevators and handrails, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, officials said on Wednesday.
Leading shopping malls such as Acropolis, South City and Quest are currently experiencing a surge in footfalls ahead of Durga puja and expecting that number of visitors will further rise with multiplexes reopening from Thursday.
South City mall has witnessed a 20-30 per cent jump in footfall in recent weeks and is also concentrating on the frequent sanitisation of common touchpoints, an official said.
The shopping destination in the southern part of the city recorded over 40,000 footfalls on Sunday. (PTI)
The Maharashtra government Wednesday allowed resumption of metro rail services in the state from October 15 in a graded manner as part of its “Mission Begin Again”. According to new guidelines, government and private libraries will also be allowed to resume from October 15 in adherence to strict Covid-19 protocols.
Metro Rail services were stopped in Maharashtra following the announcement of the nationwide lockdown starting March 25 to curb the coronavirus pandemic. The order said Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) would be issued by the Urban Development department.
The government has also allowed marriage and other family functions with number of guest not exceeding 50 and funerals/last rites with number of guests capped at 20. Read more
President Ram Nath Kovind says the coronavirus pandemic has underscored need for greater global cooperation to ensure collective health and economic well-being of people. (PTI)
Over 10.15 lakh persons have been tested for coronavirus so far in Maharashtra's Thane district, of which more than 8 lakh tested negative for the infection, an official said on Wednesday.
With the addition of 959 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the count of infections in the district reached 1.94 lakh, the official said.
Apart from this, 39 patients died of the infection, raising the toll to 4,913, he said. (PTI)
Odisha's Covid-19 tally surged to 2,59,541 on Wednesday as 2,604 people tested positive for the disease, while 15 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 1,072, a health department official said.
The state's quarantine centres reported 1,511 infections and the remaining cases were detected during contact tracing.
Khurda district, comprising state capital Bhubaneswar, recorded 385 new cases followed by Angul (216) and Cuttack (209). (PTI)
The University of Houston has joined hands with an Indian-American co-founded biotech company, AuraVax Therapeutics, to develop a 'differentiated-approach' vaccine against aggressive respiratory diseases, such as Covid-19.
AuraVax, however, has the option to exclusively license a new intranasal vaccine technology developed by its Indian-American co-founder, Navin Varadarajan, M.D. Anderson Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Houston.
"A safe and durable vaccine is urgently needed to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic that has infected millions of people and caused over 620,000 deaths globally," Vardarajan told PTI.
"We plan to stop Covid-19, a respiratory virus, at its point of entry -- the nasal cavity -- and we believe our intranasal platform is a differentiated approach that will lead to a vaccine with increased efficacy to create sustained immunity to Covid-19," he said. (PTI)
The nearly month-long declining trend in detection of new infections has ensured that, for the first time since the epidemic started in India, the growth rate of coronavirus cases has dropped below one per cent a day. The seven-day compounded daily growth rate, for the country as a whole, fell to 0.99 per cent on Tuesday.
At its height, growth rate of coronavirus cases had exceeded 7 per cent per day in the first week of May, but there has been a steady decline after that. This process has been expedited in the last one month which has seen a considerable decline in the daily numbers, from a high of about 98,000 cases to less than 70,000 cases right now.
In fact, on Monday, only about 55,000 new cases were detected. That was the lowest number since August 17. Though part of it could be attributed to the low testing on Sunday, the daily numbers have been falling steadily, leading to a very welcome decline in the active cases as well. In less than a month, active cases have come down by almost two lakh.
Private hospitals in Kolkata have welcomed the state government's decision to reduce the cost of Covid-19 test from from Rs 2,250 to Rs 1,500 as well as fixing rates for ambulance services, PTI reported.
They have requested the state government to consider lowering the GST on COVID-19 test kits.
The state Cabinet brought down the rate of Covid-19 tests at private sector from Rs 2,250 to Rs 1,500 on Monday, apprehending a surge in the infection in the coming weeks as the state will witness Durga Puja festivals.
Hospitals in Pune have started reporting fewer cases of new Covid-19 infections. An analysis till October 11, conducted by the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) health department, shows a definite easing of burden on health facilities.
As on Monday, of the total 15,417 beds reserved for Covid-19 patients by PMC in government and private hospitals as well as Covid care centres, only 6,651 were occupied while 8,766 were vacant.
The 1,902 vacant beds in dedicated Covid hospitals included 193 normal beds without oxygen, 1,440 beds with oxygen, 174 ICU beds without ventilators and 95 ICU beds with ventilators. The maximum beds were vacant at Covid care centres set up across the city. Of the 7,911 beds, only 1,047 were occupied while 6,864 were vacant, with the PMC keeping many centres closed temporarily.
West Bengal’s caseload crossed the three-lakh mark on Tuesday to rise to 3,02,020 after the state added a record 3,631 cases in 24 hours. Read More
With cumulative coronavirus cases in Gujarat nearing 1.55 lakh, the state saw its seventh consecutive day of decline in fresh Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, with the addition of 1,158 cases. Ten others succumbed to the infection, including one death reported from Mahisagar and three deaths in Vadodara — the maximum fatality in the district since September 25. Read More
Even as the number of new Covid-19 cases in Pimpri-Chinchwad dropped further on Tuesday, the civic administration has expressed concern over the sudden spike in mortality rate, which has crossed 2 per cent. Read More
India is expected to have a Covid-19 vaccine from more than one source by early next year and the government is formulating distribution strategies for the immunisation of people across the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday. More details here.
The IMF on Tuesday predicted a deep global recession this year and the world growth to be – 4.4 per cent, asserting that the global economic crisis is far from over mainly due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In its latest World Economic Outlook report, the International Monetary Fund also said the swift recovery in China has surprised on the upside while the global economy’s long ascent back to pre-pandemic levels of activity remains prone to setbacks. Click here to read the full report.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus and Portugal football superstar, has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, according to the Portugal Soccer Federation. More details here.
About 47 per cent of Covid-19 deaths have been recorded among those aged below 60 years, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press briefing, Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that about 70 per cent Covid-19 deaths have been of male patients while 30 per cent of fatalities from the infection have been reported in females.
"About 53 per cent COVID-19 deaths registered among those aged 60 and above, 35 per cent in 45-60 years, 10 per cent in 26-44 years and 1 per cent each in the age-group 18-25 years and below 17 years," Bhushan was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan appealed to people on Tuesday to observe COVID-19-appropriate behaviour during the forthcoming festival season and the winter months "when the likelihood of an increase in the disease is high". Vardhan, who chaired the 21st meeting of the High-level Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19 via video-conference here, said India has the highest COVID-19 recovery rate of 86.78 per cent globally with 62,27,295 recovered cases and the lowest fatality rate at 1.53 per cent, according to a Health Ministry statement.
Uttar Pradesh Excise Minister Ram Naresh Agnihotri has tested positive for COVID-19. Speaking to PTI over phone, Agnihotri said he has been undergoing treatment at Max Hospital in Delhi after his diagnosis. Agnihotri tested positive for the novel coronavirus on October 6. On the same day, he was admitted to Max Hospital. A second test was conducted on him on Tuesday and the result came positive as well. The minister exuded confidence that he would defeat COVID-19 and return to work.
COVID-19 patients and voters above the age of 80 will be given a postal ballot facility for the Maharashtra legislative council's graduates constituency election in Marathwada.
While the date of the election is yet to be announced, the district administration has come up with guidelines for voting, news agency PTI reported.
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte has ordered strict new anti-coronavirus measures, including limits on private gatherings and a ban on casual pickup sports.
Conte negotiated with the country's regions to win limits on private gatherings, over the objections of some governors. Parties in closed spaces are banned, but the measures, imposed Tuesday, are limited to "strong recommendations" against private gatherings in homes with more than six people who don't live under the same roof.
Bars and restaurants must close by midnight, and drinks can only be consumed at tables "not while standing at the bar or outside" after 9 pm. Also banned are any contact sports that are not organized by an association that can maintain distancing rules. (AP)
The Election Commission Tuesday announced that elections for 11 Rajya Sabha seats – ten from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand – will be held on November 9. The counting will also be held on November 9. The poll body said the government-mandated rules on social distancing will be strictly followed and masks, thermal scanning, use of sanitisers will be mandatory.
In the last Parliament session, Rajya Sabha bid farewell to 11 of its members who are due to retire in November this year. They include Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, BSP’s Veer Singh and Raj Babbar of Congress. Others who will retire are: Javed Ali Khan (SP), P L Punia (Congress), Rajaram (BSP), Neeraj Shekhar (BJP), Arun Singh (BJP), Ravi Prakash Verma (SP) and Chandrapal Singh Yadav (SP). Read more here
There is a quiet proliferation of the Shiitake mushroom — an edible, nutrition-rich mushroom mostly grown in Japan and China — in the northeastern state of Nagaland. Hundreds of people have been spawning, harvesting, eating and selling kilograms and kilograms of the delicacy since the lockdown was imposed. "Enough to eat, and enough to sell too. It is a good income to have, especially in times like these... Before this, I didn’t even know that something called Shiitake mushroom existed," 45-year-old Temjen Wati says. Read Tora Agarwala's report
While releasing the autobiography of former Union minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil via videoconference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commented on the pandemic. "Coronavirus danger persists... we will win the battle against Covid-19," he said.
Vaccine allocation will pose difficult questions, call for choosing between vulnerabilities. For instance, if the strategy is to give precedence to healthcare workers, should doctors who deal with infectious diseases get the first shot? Or should nurses, ward attendants, ambulance drivers be higher on the priority list? Among those with comorbidities, should the health of the elderly be secured first, or do relatively younger people, who need to travel more, have a more urgent claim? Should those who live in slums and congested areas get priority? Choosing from among different sets of vulnerabilities is never easy. Let the deliberations begin
During its latest press briefing, the World Health Organization (WHO) has cited India's Aarogya Setu mobile application as an example of the use of digital technology in the fight against Covid-19. Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "Digital technologies are helping public health tools more effective. Such as mobile applications to support contact tracing efforts.
"The Aarogya Setu app from India has been downloaded by 150 million users, and has helped city public health departments to identify areas where clusters could be anticipated and expand testing in a targeted way," he added. Watch the briefing here; he speaks of India around the 7th minute:
Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claims the state is "flattening the Covid-19 curve". He elaborates with recent state data on how the numbers and percentages are coming down significantly.
US President Donald Trump, who has now tested negative for Covid-19, returned to the campaign trail on Monday, three weeks ahead of the US presidential elections. Trump, who was seen without a mask in front of thousands of supporters in Florida, claimed he was now "immune to the virus".
Meanwhile, a health expert in the US, Dr Anthony Fauci, questioned the need to hold such a large rally, adding that those who recover from Covid-19 were likely to be immune for a limited period of time. Follow US Elections 2020 Live Updates
There are three levels of coronavirus risk -- medium, high or very high risk -- in Britain, according to new guidelines issued by the Boris Johnson government. Johnson said the system was designed to "simplify and standardise" a confusing patchwork of local rules, as the country enters a "crucial phase". He said the goal was to save lives without "shuttering our lives and our society" through a new national lockdown. The guidelines will restrict social interactions, but shops, schools and universities will remain open across the country.
Liverpool is the only area that has been classified 'very high risk'. This means pubs, gyms, leisure centers, betting shops and casinos in the area will close beginning Wednesday.
Also read | UK moves closer to infect healthy people with Covid-19 to aid vaccine efforts
Two recent studies have explored the neurological effects of Covid-19 on patients. While a research published in the journal Neurology has pointed out the various neurological manifestations, another published in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology says that neurologic manifestations were present in nearly a third of the Covid-19 patients studied. Click here to read more on the research
An investigation by The Indian Express reveals the untold story of lockdown: a sharp surge in child trafficking. Part 1 of the series looked at how, despite restrictions imposed to curtail the movement of people, children were being taken away from their homes for illegal labour, trafficking and forced marriages. The crisis led to a spike in "interventions" where officials or aid workers stepped in to rescue children in distress.
In Part 2, Dipankar Ghose finds that the Centre's direction to all states to create an Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTUs) in each district on a "most urgent basis" is yet to be followed. Official records investigated show that eight states, including Covid-19 hotspots Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and J&K are yet to put these units in place.
The pandemic has helped the government reduce its foodgrain stocks. At 68.49 million tonnes (mt), the total wheat and rice stocks in the Central pool as on October 1 stood way below the record 97.27 mt at the start of June. The gap between the current and year-ago stocks, too, has narrowed down from over 15 mt to 1.5 mt between June 1 and October 1. Much of this inventory drawdown is the result of the Narendra Modi government’s efforts at disposing of surplus foodgrains — including by distributing these free under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). Read Harish Damodaran's report
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement on measures to boost consumer spending is clearly an acknowledgement that people going out and spending is key to a faster turnaround of the economy.
But then, two things stand out in the announcement: One, much of it (the consumer spending part) is front-loading of expenditure, or in other words, repurposing of government spending, and the size of the overall package is nothing much to talk home about; and, two, by specifying how and where to spend, the Finance Ministry just doused any excitement among the 35 lakh-odd Central government employees, and almost ensured an sub-optimum outcome in terms of its impact on growth. P Vaidyanathan Iyer explains the announcement
India reported 55,342 cases and 706 deaths due to the novel coronavirus in the 24 hours ending 9 am Tuesday, taking its caseload to 71,75,881, and toll to 1,09,856. India’s tally includes 8,38,729 patients who are undergoing treatment and 62,27,296 who have recovered.
A month after AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson Tuesday announced it had halted the clinical trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate. The company said the pause was due to an unexplained illness in a participant. It did not reveal details of the illness. J&J said the incident was being reviewed by an independent board, as well as within the company.
In September, AstraZeneca paused late-stage trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine, developed in partnership with the University of Oxford, after a participant in the UK developed an unexplained illness. Read more here
Good morning and welcome to our live blog on the coronavirus pandemic. Globally, over 37.68 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus and 1,077,858 have succumbed to the disease, according to a tally by Reuters. The United States has the most cases (7,783,379), followed by India and Brazil (5,094,979). India's latest tally will be released by the Health Ministry shortly.