Pune's weekly Covid-19 positivity rate has dropped below 5 per cent from September 15 to 21, as per state Health Department. (PTI)Coronavirus pandemic live news update: The Centre Thursday said 66 per cent of the country’s adult population has been given at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, while 23 per cent has received both the jabs. Addressing the media, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said 63.7 per cent doses have been administered in rural areas while 35.4 per cent vaccine doses has been administered in urban areas. A total of 68.2 lakh doses (approximately 0.95 per cent) has been administered at vaccination centres not marked as rural or urban, he said.
The government on Thursday announced that differently-abled people and those with restricted mobility will be administered Covid vaccine doses at their homes. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Union Health Ministry officials also said the country is still in the middle of the coronavirus second wave even though the number of daily new cases are declining.
They however added that 62.73% of total infections recorded last week were from Kerala alone, which is also the only state with more than 1 lakh active cases.
India on Wednesday logged 31,923 new Covid-19 infections out of which Kerala reported 19,675. There are about 3.01 lakh active cases in the country and Kerala has over 1.61 lakh active infections. Also, as many as 282 deaths in the last 24 hours took the total number of fatalities in the country to 4.46 lakh.
The initiative, through which 6.63 crore doses were exported, came to a halt in May, with India facing a severe shortage for its immunisation programme. (PTI)
A technical advisory committee of the Karnataka government on matters of Covid-19 pandemic has asked the State to write to the Centre requesting to reduce the gap between doses of the Covishield vaccine from 84 days to around a month, similar to when the vaccine was first introduced in January this year.
The committee has sought the shortening of the span of dosages to broaden the spread of vaccination as preparation for a possible third wave caused by any variants of the virus.
“We had a meeting on Sunday and we told the government to write to the Centre to reduce the gap between the first and second dose of Covishield. It is primarily because the vaccine supplies are good now and we have to keep in mind a possible third wave if a new variant emerges. It is safer to have good vaccine coverage in preparation for such a situation,” said Dr MK Sudarshan, a retired professor of community medicine and chairman of the technical advisory committee. Read more
The Centre Thursday said 66 per cent of the country’s adult population has been given at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, while 23 per cent has received both the jabs. Addressing the media, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said 63.7 per cent doses have been administered in rural areas while 35.4 per cent vaccine doses has been administered in urban areas. A total of 68.2 lakh doses (approximately 0.95 per cent) has been administered at vaccination centres not marked as rural or urban, he said.
British High Commissioner Alex Ellis on Thursday said India and the UK held "excellent" technical discussion on the issue of vaccine certification.
Referring to new British travel rules, Ellis had on Wednesday said there was no problem with Covishield vaccine and that the main issue is COVID-19 vaccine certification done through the CoWIN app.
"Excellent technical discussions with @rssharma3 @AyushmanNHA. Neither side raised technical concerns with each other's certification process. An important step forward in our joint aim to facilitate travel and fully protect public health of UK and India," he tweeted on Thursday. --PTI
The government Thursday announced that differently-abled people and those with restricted mobility will be given Covid vaccine doses at their homes. Addressing a press conference here, Union Health Ministry officials also said the country is still in the midst of the second wave of COVID-19 even though the number of daily new cases are declining.
However, they added, 62.73% of total infections reported last week were from Kerala alone, which is also the only state with over 1 lakh active Covid cases.
Thirty-three districts in the country are now reporting over 10 per cent weekly positivity rate, while 23 are recording between 5-10 per cent, the officials said. --PTI
The list of those who succumbed to Covid-19 was being updated based on the new guidelines of the Centre, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Thursday.
The minister, speaking to reporters after visiting the new ICUs at the Government Medical College here, also said that even the state's guidelines would be updated as per the Centre's norms and the finalised version would be ready in a few days.
She said that the new guidelines would cover various aspects, including considering deaths 30 days after turning negative as a COVID fatality.
A comprehensive list will be published in this regard, she added. (PTI)
Arunachal Pradesh's Covid-19 caseload rose to 54,241 as 51 more people tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said here on Thursday.
The Covid-19 death toll in the frontier state remained at 273 as no fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
Arunachal Pradesh now has 442 active Covid-19 cases, while 53,526 people have recuperated from the disease thus far, including 22 in the last 24 hours, the official said.
The Covid-19 recovery rate in the state now is 98.68 per cent while the percentage of active cases is 0.81 and the positivity ratio stood at 1.77 per cent, Jampa said. (PTI)
Odisha Thursday reported 644 new Covid-19 cases, including 72 children, taking the tally to 10,22,594 while seven fresh fatalities pushed the coronavirus death toll to 8,157, a health department official said.
The new cases were detected in 24 of the state's 30 districts, with 375 reported from different quarantine centres while the remaining 269 were local contact cases.
Khurda district of which the state capital Bhubaneswar is a part reported the highest 283 new cases followed by Cuttack (77) and Balasore (34). The new cases included 72 children and adolescents whose rate of infection stands at 11.18 per cent, he said.
Health and Family Welfare department said seven Covid-19 deaths were reported from Angul, Cuttack, Jajpur, Khurda, Nabarangpur, Puri and Sundergarh districts which pushed the death toll to 8,157.
This apart, 53 other COVID-19 patients have also died due to comorbidities, he said. (PTI)
Infection with the virus that causes Covid-19 may be associated with risk of developing Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder in which a person's immune system attacks the nerves, causing muscle weakness and occasionally paralysis, according to a study published on Thursday.
Besides the well-known severe respiratory signs, and the risk of long-term complications in Covid-19, researchers and public health officials have also reported neurological complications linked with the disease.
Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder which can last for weeks or several years, is relatively rare but can be severe. The condition is triggered by an acute bacterial or viral infection.
"Our study shows that Covid-19 may precede Guillain-Barre syndrome in rare cases," said Bart C Jacobs from the University Medical Center Rotterdam in The Netherlands. (PTI)
Puducherry witnessed a dip in number of fresh coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours with 91 infections pushing the overall tally to 1,25,826, a top official of the Health department said on Thursday.
After reporting 117 new cases on Wednesday and 101 on Tuesday, the union territory logged 91 in the last 24 hours ending 10 AM today, Director of Health G Sriramulu said in a release here.
The new cases were identified at the end of the examination of 5,883 samples and were spread over Puducherry (66), Karaikal (19) and Mahe (six), he said, adding Yanam did not report any fresh cases.
The Health department Director said the number of active cases stood at 969 with 132 in hospitals and the remaining 837 in home isolation.
The union territory did not report any fresh fatalities during the last 24 hours and the death toll remained at 1,834. (PTI)
Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported eight new Covid-19 infections, three more than the previous day's count, which pushed the number of active cases in the union territory to 20, a health official said on Thursday.
All the eight new cases were detected during testing at the Veer Savarkar Airport here, he said.
Passengers arriving by flight have to undergo a mandatory RT-PCR test at the airport before they are allowed entry into the islands.
The eight new Covid-19 cases pushed the tally to 7,615 of which 7,466 people have recovered from the disease, including five on Wednesday, he said.
The Covid-19 death toll remained at 129 as no fresh fatality due to the contagion was reported in the last 24 hours. (PTI)
Ladakh recorded seven fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the infection tally to 20,750 while the active cases in the union territory climbed to 148, officials said.
Ladakh has registered 207 Covid-related deaths -- 149 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
All the fresh cases were reported in Leh, they said.
A total of 1,927 samples in Ladakh, including 925 from Leh and 995 from Kargil, were found negative, they said.
There was no death reported due to Covid in Ladakh on Wednesday. (PTI)
People who have lost their spouse to Covid need not submit a surviving member certificate when they apply for compensation under the Delhi government’s scheme to support families of those who lost members during the pandemic.
If the applicant who is seeking compensation is the spouse of the person who died, the document will not be needed for application. It will, however, be required in other cases, for example in case children of the deceased are the applicants.
The decision was taken at a meeting of Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot with officials of the department on Wednesday. Read more
Pune district’s weekly Covid positivity rate has dropped below 5 per cent in the week from September 15 to 21, according to a new state Health Department analysis. The positivity rate, however, remains higher than the state average, which also dipped to 2.28 percent.
Dr Pradeep Vyas, additional chief secretary (health), Maharashtra has urged district administrations to expedite the vaccination process and inoculate people in large numbers.
“We have to be vigilant for any rise in Covid-19 cases post Ganpati celebrations,” Dr Vyas told The Indian Express, adding that testing also should be increased in addition to maintaining social distancing and other measures. Read more
The number of new Covid-19 cases in West Bengal saw a slight jump from 592 on Tuesday, with 683 cases being reported in the last 24 hours. The fresh cases took the overall tally to 53,63,393.
The state also reported 13 Covid deaths over the last 24 hours, taking the overall toll to 18,691. North 24 Parganas district accounted for most the deaths on Wednesday at 5, followed by 3 each in Kolkata and Howrah.
With the discharge of 687 more Covid patients on Thursday, the cumulative count of recoveries rose to 15,36,978. The state’s active case count currently stands at 7,724, of which 6,364 patients are in home isolation and 227 at safe homes. Read more
PM Narendra Modi also said at the Global Covid-19 Summit, “India is now running the world’s largest vaccination campaign. Recently, we vaccinated about 25 million people on a single day. Our grassroots-level healthcare system has delivered over 800 million vaccine doses so far. Over 200 million Indians are now fully vaccinated.
“This has been enabled through the use of our innovative digital platform called CoWIN. In the spirit of sharing, India has made CoWIN & many other digital solutions available freely as open-source software.”
He added, “Earlier this year, we shared our vaccine production with 95 other countries & with UN peacekeepers. Like a family, the world also stood with India when we were going through a second wave. For the solidarity & support extended to India, I thank you all… The pandemic has been an unprecedented disruption and it is not yet over. Much of the world is still to be vaccinated. That is why this initiative by President Biden is timely and welcome.” (ANI)
“We also need to focus on addressing the pandemic’s economic effects. To that end, international travel should be made easier, through mutual recognition of vaccine certificates,” PM Narendra Modi said at the Global Covid-19 Summit which was streamed on Wednesday.
He added, “As newer Indian vaccines get developed, we're also ramping up production capacity of existing vaccines. As our production increases, we'll be able to resume vaccine supplies to others too. For this the supply chains of raw materials must be kept open. With our Quad partners, we're leveraging India's manufacturing strength to produce vaccines for Indo-Pacific region. India & South Africa have proposed a TRIPS waiver at WTO for COVID vaccines diagnostic & medicines. It'll enable rapid scaling of the fight against pandemic.” (ANI)
National Health Authority CEO RS Sharma on Wednesday said he was not aware of any concerns being raised by the UK about India's COVID vaccine certification and stressed that the Co-WIN system is WHO-compliant. Indian travellers vaccinated with two doses of Covishield will still have to undergo 10 days of quarantine in the UK even after the vaccine was approved under the revised guidelines for travel on Wednesday.
British officials suggested the main issue is COVID vaccine certification and not the Covishield vaccine and that both India and the UK are holding talks to mutually resolve the matter. "I am not aware of any concerns being raised by the UK. The British High Commissioner met me on September 2 and wanted to know details about the Co-WIN system.
"So we connected their technical team with our technical teams that had two rounds of discussion, with the second one being just yesterday. They have conveyed to us there is no need for any further discussion as all information has been exchanged between the two parties," Sharma told PTI.
He further said the Co-WIN system is WHO compliant and that so far they have not received any communication about any concerns from the Ministry of External Affairs or the British High Commission. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu on Wednesday witnessed 1,682 new coronavirus cases with Coimbatore, Erode and Tiruppur districts contributing the maximum numbers, taking the overall caseload to 26,50,370.
With 21 deaths due to the infection, including six in private hospitals and 15 in government facilities, the toll has risen to 35,400. With 1,627 patients getting discharged following treatment today, the cumulative recoveries stand at 25,97,943.
The number of active cases, including isolation as on today, remains at 17,027, according to a bulletin here. Coimbatore saw 235 new cases, Chennai 194, Erode 130, Chengalpattu 110 and Tiruppur 101. Ramanathapuram, Perambalur, Theni, Tenkasi, Dindigul and Virudhunagar saw new cases in single digits while 27 districts reported fresh cases below 100, the bulletin said. (PTI)
Gujarat on Wednesday reported 20 new COVID-19 cases, which took its overall caseload to 8,25,771, the health department said.
No fresh death due to the virus was recorded during the day. The fatality count in the state stood at 10,082. There are 133 active cases in the state right now and three of these patients are on ventilator support, the department said in a release.
The recovery count stands at 8,15,556 after 20 persons got discharge during the day, it said.
As many as 5.79 crore doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered to the eligible population till now in the state, of which a little over 6.35 lakh doses were given on Wednesday.
No new COVID-19 case was registered in the adjoining union territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu in the last 24 hours, the authorities said, adding that there are zero active cases in the territory at present. (PTI)
The High Court of Manipur on Tuesday directed the state government to include people from the transgender community within the ambit of the state’s Covid-19 relief scheme. The court also directed authorities to extend the date for the submission of the application beyond August 7.
Under the scheme, beneficiaries, whose livelihoods has been affected by the pandemic, are provided Rs 5,000, in two instalments of Rs 2,500 each.
The directive was issued in response to a PIL filed by Santa Khurai, secretary of All Manipur Nupi Maanbi Association (AMNMA), seeking inclusion of transgenders as beneficiaries of the Chief Minister Covid-19 Affected Livelihood Support Scheme. Read more
The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh rose to 7,92,422 on Wednesday with the addition of 12 cases, a health department official said. The death toll remained unchanged at 10,517, he added. The count of recoveries in Madhya Pradesh now stands at 7,81,815, leaving the state with 90 active cases.
With 63,214 samples being examined during the day, the number of tests in MP went up to 1,80,46,382, the official added. A total of 5,91,21,230 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in Madhya Pradesh, including 3,96,401 on Wednesday, an official release said. (PTI)
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 83 crore on Wednesday, the Union health ministry said. More than 64 lakh (64,98,274) vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm on Wednesday, it said, adding that the tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final report for the day by late night.
The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, the ministry underlined. The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated against the viral disease in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2. (PTI)
A close-knit society, negligence towards COVID-19 appropriate behaviour (CAB) and presence of the highly contagious Delta variant have resulted in a significant increase in the transmission of coronavirus infections in Mizoram, recent studies have revealed. The state registered a sustained rise in COVID-19 cases since April this year and over 1,000 single-day cases were reported several times.
Mizoram has only one dedicated COVID-19 hospital, Zoram Medical College (ZMC), and one laboratory for conducting RT-PCR tests. According to state nodal officer and official spokesperson on COVID-19 Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma, a recent study conducted by experts in the northeastern state has revealed that a close-knit Mizo society wherein casual visit to relatives, friends, and neighbours or dining together within the family circle or with others is a common or regular practice even during lockdown has resulted in high transmission of the infection.
Another study conducted by two members of a Central team recently also attributed the rise in COVID-19 cases to the close-knit society and non-compliance with coronavirus-related public health measures in Mizoram. (PTI)
Nagaland's COVID-19 tally rose to 30,990 on Wednesday as 31 more people tested positive for the infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the northeastern state's coronavirus death toll to 658, a health bulletin said.
Dimapur district registered the highest number of new cases at 19, followed by Mokokchung (five) and Kohima and Phek (three each), it said, adding that the fresh fatality was recorded in Dimapur. (PTI)
The COVID-19 caseload in Nashik district of Maharashtra rose to 4,07,683 with the addition of 107 cases on Wednesday, officials said. The virus claimed the lives of two persons, which pushed the death toll in the district to 8,617.
A total of 3,98,078 patients have recuperated from the infection in the district so far, with 78 of them getting discharged from hospitals on Wednesday alone. As 4,078 samples were tested during the day, the cumulative test count of Nashik has gone up to 25,47,951, they said. (PTI)
The Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that National Disaster Management Authority has recommended ex gratia of Rs 50,000 to be given to kin of those who died due to Covid-19. The Centre further said that ex gratia will be provided by from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and subject to the cause of death being certified as Covid-19. (PTI)
The Jawaharlal Nehru University on Wednesday said that the varsity will open for third-year Ph.D scholars from Thursday and final-year M.Sc and MBA students from September 27. Following a marked improvement in the COVID-19 situation here, the Delhi government had last Friday announced that schools for classes 9 to 12, colleges, and coaching institutions will reopen from September 1.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) had earlier said that it will open in a phased manner. The campus had reopened on September 6 for those Ph.D research scholars who have to submit their thesis by the end of this year. In an order issued on Wednesday, the university said that it will allow entry of third-year Ph.D scholars, both hostellers and day scholars into the campus from Thursday. Besides this, buses will be allowed to enter the campus from Thursday, it said. (PTI)
When deaths even after 30 days of a person turning negative for coronavirus is treated as a COVID death, then by the same rationale treatment for post-COVID complications should also be reckoned as part of corona care was the prima facie view expressed by the Kerala High Court on Wednesday.
A bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and Kauser Edappagath expressed the view while directing the state government to clarify why it issued the August 16 order by which treatment charges were fixed for post-COVID complications for those above poverty line.
"Government must clarify why the order dated August 16, 2021 was issued, particularly when, as of now, deaths which occur 30 days after a person turns negative for COVID-19 is also accounted as a COVID death. "On a parallel reasoning, treatment which goes on after a person turns negative, must, prima facie, be also reckoned as a COVID treatment," the bench said and asked government pleader S Kannan to seek instruction on the issue. (PTI)
The number of new COVID-19 cases continued to fall last week, with 3.6 million new cases reported globally, down from 4 million new infections the previous week, the World Health Organization said. Last week's drop marked the first substantial decline for more than two months, with falling COVID-19 cases in every world region.
In its latest update on the pandemic released on Tuesday, WHO said there were major decreases in cases in two regions: a 22 per cent fall in the Middle East and a 16 per cent drop in Southeast Asia. The UN health agency said there were just under 60,000 deaths in the past week, a 7 per cent decline. It said that while Southeast Asia reported a 30 per cent decrease in COVID-19 deaths, the Western Pacific region reported a 7 per cent increase. (AP)
Delhi reports 30 new Covid-19 cases, zero deaths; positivity rate at 0.04 per cent, says health bulletin.
However, there is confusion over the UK government's vaccine recognition process for Indian travellers as even though Oxford/AstraZeneca Covishield, the India-manufactured Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, is on an updated international travel advisory, India is not yet on a list of 17 approved countries.
The UK's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said on Wednesday that they are unable to confirm this and will require further clarifications even though the advisory states. “Formulations of the 4 listed vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, qualify as approved vaccines."
There has been widespread condemnation of the Serum Institute of India manufactured vaccines not being included in a list of eligible Covid-19 vaccines recognised under Britain's reviewed international travel norms, effective from October 4. (PTI)
Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler T Natarajan has tested positive for Covid-19 at a scheduled RT-PCR test ahead of his team’s IPL 2021 encounter against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Wednesday.
Despite the positive test, the match between DC and SRH will go ahead in Dubai. Read more
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday accused the Centre of doing politics over the issue of oxygen crisis here during the second wave of the Covid pandemic, and also trying to stop the formation of a city government's panel to probe deaths allegedly due to its shortage.
His remarks in response to a question during a press conference came a day after the Delhi High Court said that it saw no difficulty in the constitution of a high-powered committee (HPC) by the AAP government to probe the deaths caused by the alleged medical oxygen shortage.
The court, which was dealing with a plea to operationalise the HPC, noted the Delhi government's stand that the committee would not attribute any fault to any hospital and any compensation will be paid and absorbed by the government alone.
Jain said the Delhi government had set up a four-member panel comprising medical experts in June and the files were sent to the Delhi Lt governor for approval. However, the Centre tried to stop it via the LG office, he alleged. "The Centre also did politics over the issue of oxygen crisis and even said in Parliament that no deaths due to oxygen shortage was reported," Jain further alleged. (PTI)
Odisha on Wednesday logged 734 new Covid-19 cases, including 101 children, which pushed the tally to 10,21,950, a health department official said.
On Tuesday the state had reported 462 cases while on Monday it was 510, he said.
The Covid-19 death toll rose to 8,150 as four more fatalities were reported from Cuttack, Khurda, Kendrapara and Nayagarh districts, he said.
Of the 734 new cases, 424 were reported from quarantine centres while the remaining 310 were local contact cases.
Khurda district reported the highest of 335 new cases followed by Cuttack (91) and Jagatsinghpur (32). Five districts reported zero cases, he said. (PTI)
A day after India threatened to retaliate against new British travel rules putting those who are vaccinated with Covishield in the category of the “unvaccinated”, the vaccine got approved in the updated UK travel advisory.
On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had called the UK government’s decision discriminatory. “The non-recognition of Covishield is a discriminating policy and impacts our citizens travelling to the UK. The External Affairs Minister has raised the issue strongly with the new UK foreign secretary. I am told that certain assurances have been given that this issue will be resolved.”
Arunachal Pradesh's Covid-19 caseload rose to 54,190 on Wednesday as 64 more people tested positive for the infection, while one more fatality pushed the death toll to 273, a senior health official said.
A 51-year-old man from Papumpare district died at the Dedicated Covid Hospital (DCH) at Chimpu, near here on Tuesday due to acute respiratory distress syndrome with Covid Pneumonia, State Surveillance Officer, Dr Lobsang Jampa said here.
Arunachal Pradesh now has 413 active Covid-19 cases, while 53,504 people have recovered from the disease thus far, including 61 in the last 24 hours, the official said.
The Covid-19 recovery rate now is 98.73 per cent while the percentage of active cases is 0.76, Jampa said. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said his visit to the United States would be an occasion to strengthen the Indo-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and consolidate ties with Japan and Australia.
In a statement just before leaving for the US, Modi said he will conclude his visit with an address at the United Nations General Assembly focusing on the pressing global challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to combat terrorism, climate change and other important issues.
"I will be visiting the USA from 22-25 September, 2021 at the invitation of His Excellency President Joe Biden of the United States of America. During my visit, I will review the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with President Biden and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the prime minister said.
Modi said he will participate in the first in-person Quad Leaders' Summit along with President Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Premier Yoshihide Suga. (PTI)
In the United States, pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson said a second shot of its COVID-19 vaccine given two months after the first dose increased efficacy to 94%. This was found to be the case against moderate to severe courses.
A single dose has been found to give 70% protection.
“A booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine further increases antibody responses among study participants who had previously received our vaccine,” said Dr. Mathai Mammen, head of research and development at J&J. The company previously published data showing its one-shot dose provided protection for up to eight months after immunisation. Read more
Thane has reported 258 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 5,56,855, an official said on Wednesday.
Besides these new cases recorded on Tuesday, the virus also claimed the lives of seven more people, which pushed the death toll in the district to 11,380.
The Covid-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 2.04 per cent, he added.
In neighbouring Palghar district, the Covid-19 case count has gone up to 1,35,459, while the death toll stands at 3,273, another official said. (PTI)
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has hailed India's decision to resume Covid-19 vaccine exports as an 'important development' in support of the goal to reach 40 per cent vaccination in all countries by end of the year.
India on Monday said that it will resume export of surplus Covid-19 vaccines in the fourth quarter of 2021 under the 'Vaccine Maitri' programme and to meet its commitment to the COVAX global pool.
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, however, said that vaccinating Indian citizens remains the topmost priority of the government.
'Thank you Health Minister @mansukhmandviya for announcing #India will resume crucial #COVID19 vaccine shipments to #COVAX in October. This is an important development in support of reaching the 40% vaccination target in all countries by the end of the year,' WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus said in a tweet to Mandaviya with the hashtag vaccine equity.
India stopped the export of Covid-19 vaccines after the second wave of the pandemic hit the country in April this year. (PTI)
India reported 26,964 new Covid-19 cases. The active cases in country has touched 3.01 lakh and 383 succumbed to the deadly disease. Kerala, on the other hand, logged 15,768 Covid-19 cases. The state has seen a decline in number of active cases; death tally in Kerala exceeds 4.45 lakh.
The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday requested the Centre to postpone resumption of exports of Covid-19 vaccines, saying only one third of the country’s population have been fully inoculated so far and 115 crore vaccines are still required to give the shots to all the people.
Minister for medical and family welfare Ma Subramanian put forth the request after Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said that exports of surplus Covid-19 vaccines would resume next month under the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ programme.
Talking to reporters after unveiling the simulation centre at Apollo Hospitals in Vanagaram on Tuesday, Subramanian said the global medical fraternity welcomed the vaccination programme in India, as inoculating people holds the key in the fight against the COVID-19 virus. Read more