Scrambling to contain the Covid surge, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday announced curfew-like restrictions on the movement of people in the state from 8 pm on April 14 to May 1, but stopped short of calling it a lockdown. In a 38-minute address to the state, Thackeray announced stricter restrictions than those in place since April 6, exempting only essential services, and announced a Rs 5,476-crore relief package for those who will be affected across sectors and certain categories. According to an order issued by the administration, prohibitory orders under Section 144 are to be imposed in the state from Wednesday night and will remain in force until May 1. (Click here to read the new guidelines)
New Delhi on Tuesday recorded the highest-ever spike of 13,468 Covid-19 cases and 81 deaths, making it the worst-affected city in the country. The highest single-day spike in Mumbai stands at 9,986 cases till date, followed by Bengaluru (6,387 cases), Chennai (2,105) and Kolkata ( 1,271 cases).
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has gone into self-isolation after some of his staff tested positive for Covid-19. "Some officers of my office have tested positive for Covid-19. As a precaution, I have isolated myself," Adityanath tweeted. On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh reported the highest-ever single-day spike of 18,021 coronavirus cases while 85 fatalities took the death toll in the state to 9,309.
In other news, the Centre has fast-tracked emergency approval for foreign-produced Covid-19 vaccines that have been granted similar clearances in other countries. The decision came after an expert panel recommended that Covid-19 vaccines which have been developed and are being manufactured in foreign countries and which have been granted emergency approval for restricted use by authorities in the US, Europe, the UK, Japan or which are listed in the WHO Emergency Use Listing may be granted emergency use approval in India.
The fourth day of the countrywide 'Tika Utsav' saw total vaccinations cross the 11.43 crore mark with more than 31.39 lakh vaccine doses being administered till 8 pm, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday.
Three states have administered more than 1 crore vaccinations - Maharashtra (1,11,19,018), Rajasthan (1,02,15,471) and Uttar Pradesh (1,00,17,650).
As many as 69,974 COVID vaccination centres (CVCs) were operational, marking a rise of an average of 24,000 operational vaccination centres (45,000 CVCs on an average are functional on any given day). Workplace vaccinations have also enabled such a high turnout of beneficiaries, the ministry said. The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 11,43,18,455 according to the 8 pm provisional report. (PTI)
The fourth day of the countrywide 'Tika Utsav' saw total vaccinations cross the 11.43 crore mark with more than 31.39 lakh vaccine doses being administered till 8 pm, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday.
Three states have administered more than 1 crore vaccinations - Maharashtra (1,11,19,018), Rajasthan (1,02,15,471) and Uttar Pradesh (1,00,17,650).
As many as 69,974 COVID vaccination centres (CVCs) were operational, marking a rise of an average of 24,000 operational vaccination centres (45,000 CVCs on an average are functional on any given day). Workplace vaccinations have also enabled such a high turnout of beneficiaries, the ministry said. The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 11,43,18,455 according to the 8 pm provisional report. (PTI)
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Throwing caution to the wind amid rising cases of coronavirus, lakhs of people congregated Wednesday on the ghats in Haridwar to take a dip in the Ganga during the third shahi snan of the Kumbh mela.
Over 13.5 lakh people, including sadhus from 13 akhadas, had bathed in the Ganga by the end of a day on which the authorities faced another scare - a fire at one of the tents in the sprawling mela area.
Wednesday's `royal bath' marked Mesh Sankranti and Baisakhi, and fell two days after a similar convergence of seers and other devotees for the second 'shahi snan' mammoth events where following social distancing norms appears almost impossible. (PTI)
As the CBSE cancelled its exams for class 10 and deferred those for class 12, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra have also postponed their state board exams for these classes due to an alarming surge in coronavirus cases.
States like West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh said they were monitoring the situation and are yet to decide whether to go ahead with the board exams. Karnataka said it will conduct the exams as scheduled. Meghalaya too said it is ready to hold the state board exams for class 12 but will take a decision on class 10 exams after a review of the situation is completed.
The developments came as the central government announced the cancellation of class 10 exams and the postponement of class 12 exams conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education, following a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This is the first time that the CBSE has completely cancelled the board exams and it will affect over 21 lakh students across the country. (PTI)
As many as 2,551 people were penalised across Noida and Greater Noida on Wednesday for not wearing face masks in public places, the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police said. Challans were also issued to owners of 1,631 vehicles for flouting traffic rules and COVID-19 protocols, the police said, adding six vehicles were impounded.
Amid a surge in cases of COVID-19, the district police is now carrying out announcements in public places and patrolling crowded ares to raise awareness about the situation. (PTI)
Amid a worsening COVID-19 situation in the national capital, the DDMA has issued directions restricting unnecessary meetings of departments and agencies of the Delhi government.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) issued the orders on Tuesday in view of the consistent rise in COVID-19 cases in the city.
"As the cases of COVID-19 are consistently increasing at a fast pace, hence for effective COVID-19 management, it is necessary that besides the reductions in the attendance in the offices of Delhi government, unnecessary interactions amongst officials are restricted," the DDMA order stated. (PTI)
Delhi reported the highest single-day spike with 17,282 new Covid cases and 104 deaths Wednesday. A total of 1,08,534 tests were conducted and the positivity rate stood at a steep 16%.
Amid rising cases and shortage of beds and critical care facilities, the Delhi government issued orders to attach hotels and banquet halls with private and government hospitals, to add more beds for Covid patients.
At present, there are 13,437 beds earmarked, out of which 8,870 (66%) are occupied. There are 50,736 active cases, of which 24,155 people are under home isolation, as per Delhi government data. Read More
Extensive collaboration is needed to combat the coronavirus pandemic and India saw the "writing on the wall" early with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking the initiative for regional and international cooperation to deal with the crisis, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a session titled 'Plurilateralism Inc: The Future of Global Governance'' at the Raisina Dialogue here, Shringla said COVID-19 crisis has global and regional dimensions as clearly it is not within the capacity of any one state to deal with it.
"It needs very extensive cooperation and collaboration. In our case, we saw the writing on the wall fairly early. It was Prime Minister Modi who convened the meeting of SAARC leaders even before the lockdown was thought of early in March and said 'let's see how we can cooperate regionally in dealing with this crisis'," the foreign secretary said. (PTI)
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reduced the length of his visit to New Delhi at the end of this month due to the COVID-19 situation in India, Downing Street said on Wednesday.
Johnson was to spend a few days in India starting April 26 as part of a planned itinerary, which is expected to include finalising a UK-India Enhanced Trade Partnership.
However, with the pandemic crisis in India taking a turn for the worse, the itinerary has had to be reworked and the major part of the high-level bilateral interactions, including bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are now scheduled to be limited to New Delhi on April 26. (PTI)
Due to non availability of beds at covid wards, patients are forced to wait for long hours inside ambulances outside hospitals in Ahmedabad. In pictures, 25 ambulances are seen at a time parked outside the Ahmedabad Civil hospital for over three hours with Covid patients inside.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is likely to discuss COVID-19 situation with LG Anil Baijal during a review meeting on Thursday.
The development comes hours after Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said COVID-19 cases were rising very rapidly every single day and that "there is no slow down" in the spread of the pandemic in the national capital.
The minister, however, reiterated that lockdown was not a solution to the situation, and advised people to step out only if needed, avoid gatherings, wear masks and follow COVID-19-appropriate behaviour to combat the disease. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday interacted with Governors and Lieutenant Governors of all States and Union Territories on the COVID-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination drive in the country, through video conferencing.
In his interaction, Modi suggested that the Governors can actively engage to ensure that social institutions collaborate seamlessly with the State Governments towards micro containment, the Prime Minister's office said in a press release. He said Governors are an important pillar of 'Janbhagidari' in battle against COVID-19. The PM also emphasised the significance of tracking, tracing and testing while highlighting the importance of increasing RT-PCR tests.
He further underlined that the Government is committed to ensuring adequate availability of vaccines, adding that during 'Tika Utsav', the vaccination drive was expanded and new vaccination centres also came up. Noting that the youth is an important part of the country's economy. Modi said 'it is important to ensure that our youth follows all Covid related protocols and precautions.'
Delhi has registered 17,282 new Covid-19 cases and 104 deaths in the last 24 hours. A total of 108534 tests have been conducted with 15.92 per cent people testing positive for the infection.
Amid a sharp surge in Covid-19 cases, Rajasthan on Wednesday evening announced a night curfew in urban areas between 6 pm and 6 am from April 16 to 30. Bazaars and business establishments are to down shutters at 5 pm.
India is witnessing a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases after months of declining numbers. Since early April, Covid infection numbers have skyrocketed, reaching record high every day. On Wednesday, the country reported a total of 1,84,372 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, pushing India’s tally of cases to 1,38,73,825. With 1,027 fatalities (highest since October 2020), the death toll has now reached to 1,72,085. See Pictures
With the number of Covid-19 patients requiring oxygen and ventilator beds on the rise, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Wednesday admitted that Pune district may face shortage of medical oxygen soon.
“Pune Division requires 355 metric tonne of oxygen supply every day. As per Tuesday’s figure, 340 metric tonne oxygen was demanded by hospitals and that’s why, on Wednesday morning, we had only 15 metric tonne oxygen available…The situation as of now is tight…,” FDA Joint Commissioner S B Patil told The Indian Express. Read More
In pictures, people are seen maintaining social distance as they offer afternoon prayers on the first day of Ramadan in Srinagar.
In the wake of surge in COVID-19 cases, several states have urged the Muslims to follow the guidelines and offer prayers.
DMK chief M K Stalin on Wednesday batted for universal vaccination for COVID-19 and blamed the Centre's 'lackadaisical' attitude and 'careless' administration for the second wave of the pandemic sweeping across the country.
The Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assmbly alleged that the vaccines were not brought to use on time for people and slammed the export of over five crore doses to other countries. "The BJP government's lackadaisical attitude and careless administration are the reason for the second wave effecting such severe impact in the country, including Tamil Nadu," Stalin claimed.
In a statement, he also slammed the export of 5.84 crore doses of vaccines. (PTI)
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) Wednesday said it is reviewing the COVID-19 situation and will soon take a decision on conducting class 10 and 12 board exams.
The CICSE announcement comes following the CBSE's decision to cancel class 10 exams and postpone class 12 papers in view of the surge in COVID-19 cases.
"We are reviewing the situation and will soon take a decision in this regard," CICSE Chief Executive and Secretary Gerry Arathoon said. He, however, did not delve in to what the was board contemplating.
The class 10 exams are scheduled to begin from May 5 while class 12 exams have already begun from April 8. (PTI)
Gurgaon recorded its highest single-day spike in Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, with 1,151 people testing positive in the city. This is the third time in the last four days that the district has recorded more than 1,000 new cases of the infection in a single day.
According to the health bulletin released by the health department, there are now 7,003 active Covid-19 cases in Gurgaon, of which 6,557 are in home isolation. Prior to Wednesday, the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the district had been recorded on Monday, when 1,132 people tested positive.
One person also succumbed to the infection on Wednesday while 580 people recovered from it. Read More
As private hospitals in Gurgaon see a surge in demand for beds for Covid patients, with several reporting full occupancy, officials from the health department have revealed that a survey of private hospitals will be conducted to take action if they are found to be admitting patients suffering from cases of milder infection which can stay in home isolation.
“On Tuesday, we told hospitals that they cannot admit every person. They have to take in people as per the necessary guidelines. We are going to conduct a survey to make sure this happens. Patients who are suffering from milder cases of infection should not be admitted,” said Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Virender Yadav. Read More
Congress MLAs on Wednesday staged a silent sit-in with empty oxygen cylinders here to protest alleged poor state of health services in Madhya Pradesh which is witnessing an alarming rise in coronavirus cases. The opposition party MLAs, including PC Sharma, Jitu Patwari and Kunal Choudhary, staged the protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Bhopals Minto Hall (Old Vidhan Sabha building).
Earlier, these MLAs reached the protest site carrying empty oxygen cylinders and accused the BJP government of inaction in providing necessary medical equipment and medicines to patients, including Remdesivir, a key COVID-19 drug whose demand has shot up in view of the rising cases.
'The chief minister is making tall claims about self-reliance since past one year which nowstand exposed. Several people are dying in the state due to unavailability of oxygen, necessary medicines and equipment,' Patwari said while talking to reporters after the protest. (PTI)
The Palghar district administration on Wednesday urged citizens to postpone all non-emergency and non-COVID-19 medical procedures.
In an appeal, district collector Dr Manik Gursal said this will free up beds for COVID-19 patients who need immediate treatment, as infections are increasing rapidly in the district. The collector also issued a set of guidelines to be followed by citizens and others in social distancing and sanitising.
According to official data, Palghar district has recorded 60,665 COVID-19 cases, including 1,269 casualties, while Thane's tally of infections stood at 3,90,124 with 6,760 fatalities. (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday reported 67 coronavirus deaths as it witnessed 20,510 fresh cases, its highest single-day numbers that pushed the state's infection count to 7,44,021, according to a senior official.
So far, 9,376 people have died from the infection in the state, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters. As many as 6,22,810 people have recovered from the infection since last year, he added.
On Tuesday, the state had recorded 18,021 cases. Over 83 lakh persons have been administered the COVID-19 vaccine in the state. (PTI)
A model has been developed by Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur researchers predicting alteration in metabolic reaction rates of lung cells post SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The research would lead to a better understanding of metabolic reprogramming and aid the development of better
therapeutics to deal with the viral pandemics, an institute spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The spokesperson said researchers at IIT Kharagpur have, for the first time, reported such a method to find an alteration in metabolic reaction rates inside lung cells when they are affected by virus/pathogens. As the method finds and reports critical aspects of physiology, which are affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection, it will definitely enable the discovery of therapeutic targets. (PTI)
Over 60 inmates and 11 staff members in the three prison complexes of Delhi are presently undergoing treatment for COVID-19, officials said on Wednesday.
"A total of 190 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 so far," Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said.
According to the data shared by officials, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi prisons till Wednesday stands at 78, including 11 jail staff members.
"Of the 190 positive cases, 121 inmates have recovered and two have died, leaving 67 active cases. A total of 304 prison staff contracted the infection so far. Of them, 293 have recovered and 11 are still under treatment," Goel said. (PTI)
Continuing its crackdown on black-marketing of Remdesivir injections, the Crime Branch of Pune City police has arrested a medical assistant at a hospital who was selling the vials at about five times the maximum retail price.
The action comes two days after the Pune City crime branch and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in a joint operation, booked a staffer of a Covid care centre and a nurse at a private hospital for alleged illegal sale of Remdesivir injections at inflated rates. Read More
In early March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s smiling portrait appeared in the unlikeliest of places — on billboards in Toronto, Canada. A Canadian-Indian group aligned with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was thanking Modi “for providing [the] COVID vaccine to Canada”. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared, “If the world managed to conquer COVID-19, it would be [because of] Prime Minister Modi’s leadership in sharing [India’s manufacturing] capacity with the world.”
Trudeau was right — India is playing and will continue to play a major role in supplying vaccines to the world. He was alluding to India’s massive privately-run vaccine manufacturing facility in Pune — the Serum Institute of India. Serum Institute made an early move to secure the license to produce the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine, but it came with strings attached. Serum was to supply $3 vaccine shots to the world’s poorest countries through the Covax programme, a global effort to equitably distribute vaccines. Read More
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Wednesday reiterated that there was no shortage of vaccines and the Centre is giving vaccines to every state, adding that it was the job of the states to provide vaccine doses in a time-bound manner, news agency ANI reported. He also said that the shortage of remdesivir injections is happening because its production was reduced when Covid-19 cases were decreasing.
India can expect to receive doses of Sputnik V between April and June, as Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) will begin importing the Covid-19 vaccine for use during this time. However, the final availability of the vaccine will depend on factors like how many doses the government wishes to procure as well as the cold chain system set up to distribute them in the country.
As per DRL’s contract with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the Hyderabad-based company is expected to receive around 250 million doses of Spuntik V, Deepak Sapra, DRL CEO — API and Services — said Wednesday. This would be sufficient for 125 million people, but the number of doses that DRL can procure for use in India can be extended upon “mutual consent” with RDIF.
While the company continues to engage in discussions with the government over the price and procurement of Sputnik V for use in India’s immunisation campaign, it will start importing this vaccine from Russia’s sovereign wealth fund “this quarter”, he said. Clarity over the number of doses that India will buy and the price at which they will be procured will emerge “in the next few weeks,” said Sapra.
Days after the Delhi government ordered 14 top private hospitals in the city to be converted into a fully Covid facility, the Association of Healthcare Providers in India (AHPI) has urged Health Minister Satyendar Jain to continue with the treatment of non-Covid patients in private hospitals.
In a letter to the minister, the association said the directive was issued without any prior discussions with the private hospitals and also no effort was made to assess the current demand-supply situation of critical care beds in private hospitals in the city.
“The order does not consider the plight of non-Covid patients and those who are already admitted in the hospitals. Further, the hospitals which have been declared as fully Covid hospitals are the ones which offer the best medical services in the country,” wrote Dr Girdhar Gyani, director of AHPI in the letter to Jain.
An order issued by the Delhi government on April 12 stated that top hospitals including Indraprastha Apollo, Sir Ganga Ram, Holy Family, Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh, Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh and Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital will have to reserve 100% beds for the Covid-19 patients.
Helpline numbers for remdesivir injections, availability of beds in Covid-19 treatment facilities in Rajkot, Gujarat.
Senior DMK leader and the party's Lok Sabha MP, T R Baalu, has tested positive for coronavirus and was doing fine, his son said on Wednesday. Baalu, who had taken the first dose of covid vaccine, is also the DMK Parliamentary Party leader.
"My father Thiru #TRBaalu has tested positive for the #COVID19 virus & has been admitted to a hospital. He is stable and doing fine now," Balu's son T R B Rajaa, also a party legislator from Tamil Nadu, said in a tweet.
He urged everyone who had come in contact with Baalu for the past week to get themselves tested immediately. (PTI)
Pune Municipal Corporation close to achieving 100% Covid inoculation of registered healthcare workers
Nearly three months after the Covid vaccination drive began in the country, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has managed to vaccinate nearly 100 per cent of registered healthcare workers in the city.
In the list prepared by the PMC, it had planned to vaccinate 55,588 registered healthcare workers in four days in the first phase. However, it got off to a slow start with only eight vaccination centres set up out of the planned 100.
As of April 13, the PMC has been able to administer 55,887 healthcare workers which is 99.79 per cent of the revised number of 56,000 healthcare workers in the city.
Union Minister Sadananda Gowda Wednesday took the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine in Bengaluru, and urged others to get vaccinated and continue taking appropriate precautions.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday refused permission to a city-based trust to allow people to offer Namaz at its mosque in south Mumbai during the Ramadan period, saying the Covid-19 situation was "serious and critical" and the safety of citizens was more important.
"The right to celebrate or follow a religious practice is important, but what is more paramount and of importance is
public order and the safety of citizens," the court said.
It was hearing a petition filed by the Juma Masjid Mosque Trust, seeking permission to allow people from the Muslim community to offer the prayers five times a day at its mosque in south Mumbai. (PTI)
The Education Ministry Wednesday cancelled CBSE Board exams for class 10 and postponed class 12 exams. The ministry said it will review the situation on June 1 to decide fresh dates.
The Education Ministry Wednesday cancelled CBSE Board exams for class 10 and postponed class 12 exams. IThe ministry said it will review the situation on June 1 to decide fresh dates.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a sly dig at the Centre over its decision to fast-track approval for foreign vaccines, which can now apply for emergency use authorization in India without conducting phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in the country.
Gandhi, who had been earlier criticised by BJP for his demand to fast-track more vaccines, tweeted, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
The senior Congress leader had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that approval of vaccines is fast-tracked. He also demanded that an immediate moratorium is put on the export of vaccines and everyone is made eligible to get the jab.
Dr NK Arora,Chairman, Covid-19 sub-committee, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation Wednesday said we'll have to impose restrictions/lockdown in small areas and not nationwide.
"Aim is to bring down spread of virus. Contact b/w people has to be reduced. Needs be done at micro level. We'll have to impose restrictions/lockdown in small areas, not needed nationwide," he told news agency ANI.
In the first two weeks of April, hospitals in Pimpri-Chinchwad have seen nearly an 80 per cent increase in hospitalisations of Covid patients showing serious symptoms.
According to PCMC additional health and medical chief Dr Pavan Salve, in the last two weeks, as many as 5,575 were hospitalised. “On April 1, 3360 patients were hospitalised. This figure has gone up to 5,575, which is nearly 80 per cent. Those with mild symptoms are home isolated while those with severe symptoms are hospitalised,” he said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Wednesday tested positive for Covid-19. He is in self-isolation.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will hold a meeting of all district collectors on Wednesday to review the Covid-19 situation in the state, news agency ANI reported.
In October last year, when the Covid caseload was peaking across the country, Bemetara in Chhattisgarh recorded 1,000 cases. On April 1 this year, the district’s log of active cases showed 6,300. By April 12, it had surged to 9,700.
Bemetara’s numbers capture in a nutshell the impact of the second wave of the pandemic in the state. And its lone Covid ICU facility — 8 beds at the district hospital — the damage and despair that it has caused.
Two of those ICU beds are vacant now. But that’s because the occupants succumbed to the virus on Monday.
In October last year, when the Covid caseload was peaking across the country, Bemetara in Chhattisgarh recorded 1,000 cases. On April 1 this year, the district’s log of active cases showed 6,300. By April 12, it had surged to 9,700.
Bemetara’s numbers capture in a nutshell the impact of the second wave of the pandemic in the state. And its lone Covid ICU facility — 8 beds at the district hospital — the damage and despair that it has caused.
Two of those ICU beds are vacant now. But that’s because the occupants succumbed to the virus on Monday.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain Wednesday said there is no slowdown of Covid-19 cases in the city. "Covid cases are rapidly increasing, there's no slowdown. We appeal to people to go out only if necessary."
"We have 13,000 beds, there's no shortage of ventilators. Patients from Delhi & other states are being admitted. Centre has provided 1,100 beds, talks on (to add more). 286 out of 5525 Covid care centres are occupied. Banquets, hotels to be included soon," the health minister said.
"Beds' data is being revised twice a day in the app (for availability). People should visit hospitals only after going through the app," Jain further said.
PM Modi will hold a meeting with Education Minister, Secretary and other officials at 12 pm on Wednesday to discuss the issue of CBSE Board exams, government sources said.
Owing to a shortage of remdesivir in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the state health department to acquire 25,000 injections of remdesivir from Gujarat's Ahmedabad on an urgent basis, the CMO said on Wednesday.
Donning a PPE suit Chirag Patel waited at the Vadaj crematorium in Ahmedabad for his turn to cremate his 55-year-old brother, who succumbed to the coronavirus disease Monday, just three days after he showed symptoms for the viral infection.
At Chandkheda crematorium, he was told the wait would be for 12 hours as there were about eight to 10 bodies in the queue. So, he came to Vadaj, some seven kilometres away, which is open round-the-clock. Even at Vadaj, he had to wait for more than two hours.
For the relatives of deceased patients, queues begin from the wait at hospitals for their dear one’s body, for hearse vans to take them to the resting place, to finding a furnace free at a crematorium — the time for each disposal/cremation has increased because of the Covid-19 protocol. To meet the rush crematoriums are running round the clock. At Surat’s largest Ashwani Kumar (AK) crematorium of the 10 gas-fired furnaces one saw its chimneys turning red hot and was shut for a day.
Former Uttar Pradesh CM and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Wednesday said he has tested positive for Covid-19. Yadav said he is in home isolation.
Drive-through RT-PCR testing was launched at GMDC Ground in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
"It will help to contain COVID by limiting the lab rush. Those getting tested have to register via QR code. Report to be sent in 24 hours," one of the organizers said.
TheCentre may have opened the regulatory door to a set of vaccines from overseas but how it works its pricing and procurement strategy could be key to their entry and rollout.
For most nations, the vaccine rollout adheres to one simple maxim: countries that invested “at risk” before the products cleared regulatory scrutiny ended up extracting a better pricing deal from manufacturers in the end. So far, India, with the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturing base, seems to be the only exception.
The NDA government is learnt to have negotiated the cost of Covishield — Serum Institute of India’s (SII) version of the AstraZeneca-University of Oxford vaccine — to Rs 150 plus GST, or around $2.02, per dose. This is lower than the $2.15 at which AZ is supplying to the European Union, which invested $399 million “at risk” in AstraZeneca way back in August 2020, in return for 400 million doses of its vaccine.
A total of 1,84,372 new Covid-19 cases have been reported on Wednesday, pushing India's tally of cases to 1,38,73,825, according to data from the Union Health Ministry.
With 1,027 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the death toll increased to 1,72,085. The number of active cases stand at 13,65,704, while as many as 1,23,36,036 people have recovered from the disease. At least 11,11,79,578 people have been vaccinated so far.
Amid rising Covid-19 cases in Indore, the district administration Wednesday said it has decided to convert the Radha Soami Satsang Beas ground into a Covid-19 care centre.
Nodal Officer said, "Asymptomatic patients will be isolated here. 500 beds in 1st phase,1000 in 2nd, if need arises. Medicines, food will be free."
The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, has shared data with laboratories in Maharashtra showing that of 361 Covid-19 samples taken in Maharashtra from January to March and genome sequenced, 61% or 220 had the double mutation E484Q and L452R, now classified as B.1.617 lineage.
On March 24, the Central government had announced the detection of a double mutant variant in “15-20% samples in Maharashtra” but did not link the variant with the second surge in the state.
State health officials said the double variant’s role cannot be ruled out in Maharashtra’s second wave. The state is recording over 50,000 new cases every day and has 5.64 lakh active cases, half of India’s Covid burden.
New Delhi on Tuesday recorded the highest-ever spike of 13,468 Covid-19 cases and 81 deaths, making it the worst-affected city in the country.
The highest single-day spike in Mumbai stands at 9,986 cases till date, followed by Bengaluru (6,387 cases), Chennai (2,105) and Kolkata ( 1,271 cases). On Tuesday, the positivity rate rose to 13.14 percent from 12.44 percent a day ago.
The 81 deaths are the highest since December 3 when 82 deaths were recorded. The national capital had recorded 131 COVID-19 deaths on November 19, the highest single-day fatality count till date.
From April 4 to April 13, Delhi has recorded 77,775 COVID-19 cases, witnessing a massive rise of 234 per cent. During the same period, 376 people have died due to the disease. PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday stressed the need for united global efforts to deal with the coronavirus crisis, saying mankind will not be able to defeat it unless everyone comes out of it.
In an address at the Raisina Dialogue, the Prime Minister said India tried to protect its 1.3 billion nationals from COVID-19, and, at the same time, tried to support pandemic response efforts of others.
"We understand fully, that mankind will not defeat the pandemic unless all of us, everywhere, regardless of the colour of our passports, come out of it. That is why, this year, despite many constraints, we have supplied vaccines to over 80 countries," he said at the conference, held virtually.
The Prime Minister further said, "We will continue to share our experiences, our expertise and also our resources with humanity in the fight against the pandemic." (PTI)
Ruling out a complete lockdown amid the extreme Covid situation in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday said the state government will impose Section 144 for 15 days from 8 pm Wednesday. The state, which is grappling with a second Covid-19 wave, already has a weekend lockdown in place besides daily night curfews.
Here are the guidelines:
*Section 144 to be imposed in all places
*Services and activities mention in 'essential category' are exempted.
*All restaurants and bars to remain closed for in-dining. Home delivery services allowed.
*Local train and bus services for essential services only
*Petrol pumps, financial institutions associated with SEBI and construction work to continue.
*Cinema halls, theatres, swimming pools, gyms and sports complexes to remain closed.
*Shooting for film/serials/advertisements to be closed.
*Public places like beaches, gardens, open spaces etc shall remain closed.
*Religious places of worship to remain closes.
*Barber shops, spa's, salons and beauty parlors to remain closed.
*All schools and colleges to remain closed.
*Students who have to attend any exam will be allowed to travel along with one adult, on basis of a valid hall ticket.
*All private coaching classes to remain closed.
"I will speak to the Prime Minister to request him to provide us IAF assistance in the supply of oxygen for medical use from nearby states," Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said.
Ruling out a full-scale lockdown, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday said that Section 144 will be imposed in the state from tomorrow. "I will not term this as lockdown," he said.