Relatives mourn the death of a Covid-19 patient in New Delhi. (Express Photo: Tashi Tobgyal)The number of districts reporting a decline in case positivity increased from 210 in April 29-May 5 to 303 districts in May 13-19, the Health Ministry said on Thursday. It also said seven states have more than 25 per cent case positivity, while 22 states have more than 15 per cent case positivity.
The country recorded 3,874 deaths, pushing the overall toll to 2,87,122. On Wednesday, India had recorded its highest single-day death toll with 4,529 fatalities.
Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said India will have procured 267 crore Covid vaccine doses by the end of this year, and will be in a position to inoculate at least all of its adult population, according to an official statement. The minister said that 51 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses will be made available by July and 216 crore more between August and December. He urged states to ensure that the healthcare and frontline workers are fully vaccinated, as they form the vulnerable categories. There is a need to strengthen testing facilities in peri-urban and rural areas, the statement said.
The Union Health Ministry Wednesday said that those who have got infected with Covid-19 after getting their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine should defer the second dose by 3 months after clinical recovery. The Health Ministry also recommended Covid-19 vaccination for all lactating women.
Coronavirus India: As black fungus cases rise, Delhi hospitals report drug crunch; Those infected after first vaccine dose should defer second dose by three months, says Centre; Read latest news and updates below:
Coronavirus India: As black fungus cases rise, Delhi hospitals report drug crunch; Those infected after first vaccine dose should defer second dose by three months, says Centre; Read latest news and updates below:
Eight people have died of black fungus in Haryana as the state has so far reported 316 cases of the deadly infection, officials said on Thursday.
Of the total cases, the maximum 114 have been recorded in Gurgaon, followed by 45 in Sirsa, 42 in Faridabad, 31 in Hisar and 20 in Rohtak, they said. Forty-eight fresh cases of black fungus were reported in Haryana on Thursday, the officials said.
With cases of black fungus or mucormycosis in the state on the rise, a meeting regarding management of the disease was held under the chairmanship of Health Minister Anil Vij on Thursday. ---PTI
The Gujarat government on Tuesday declared mucormycosis (black fungus infection) reported among Covid-19 patients as an “epidemic” and made it a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act.
The decision comes following a Union health ministry communication dated May 19 to all states and Union territories requesting all to declare it a “notifiable disease”.
As a notifiable disease, all government and private hospitals, and medical colleges will have to follow the guidelines issued by the ICMR and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with respect to the screening, diagnosis and management of the disease.
It will be mandatory for these facilities to report all suspected and confirmed cases to state health department through district Chief Medical Officer and subsequently to Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) system. Read more
In a joint effort by the social justice department and the PMC, a preliminary drive has begun to register transgender persons willing to get the Covid-19 vaccination.
Bindumadhav Khire, founder of Samapathik Trust, said he had started reaching out to transgenders to understand their willingness to be vaccinated.
Khire said the pandemic had had an adverse impact on the transgender community, as most earned a livelihood through either sex work or begging, and lockdown and restrictions made this difficult.
Charitable institutions and individuals had come forward to provide help, while the state government had also announced financial help, Khire said, adding that work to create a database of transgender individuals was on, which will help transfer financial aid to them. Read more
Covid-19 vaccinations at some private hospitals in Pune will resume on Friday. Ruby Hall Clinic, Jehangir Hospital and Noble Hospital are among some of the major hospitals that received their supply of Covishield doses on Thursday.
Bomi Bhote, CEO of Ruby Hall Clinic, said the hospital has received 25,000 doses, of which 5,000 doses will be sent to the Hinjewadi branch of the hospital while 2,000 doses will be sent to the Wanowrie branch. The rest of the doses will remain at the main centre at Station Road. Read more
Over 92 per cent Covid patients admitted in Covid health centres and hospitals in Himachal Pradesh are either under critical care or on oxygen support, according to health officials.
There are currently around 32,000 active Covid patients in the state, most of whom are in home isolation. Around 2,250 patients are more severely ill and admitted in 53 dedicated Covid hospitals and health centres.
Only 180 of the admitted patients are on ordinary beds. More than 1,800 patients are on oxygen support, and around 240 patients are admitted in intensive care units (ICUs). Read more
The Karnataka government on Thursday denied permission to the Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah to conduct meetings with the senior district administration officials including district commissioners of all districts in the state regarding Covid-19 management.
On Wednesday, Siddaraaiah had written a letter to the chief secretary asking him to direct all deputy commissioners, police superintendents, and health officers of various districts to attend the zoom meeting and provide information regarding measures taken for Covid-19 management in their respective districts starting Friday.
Siddaramaiah’s request follows after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a virtual meeting with Karnataka district commissioners on Covid-19 management. Read more
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Glad to share a very positive development from us 20/5/21 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/cA3ZZx8pdc
— suchitra ella (@SuchitraElla) May 20, 2021
Maharashtra reports 29,911 new Covid cases.
Maharashtra reports 29,911 new #COVID19 cases, 47,371 recoveries and 738 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Total cases 54,97,448
Total recoveries 50,26,308
Death toll 85,355
Active cases 3,83,253 pic.twitter.com/X4HNAcj26v
— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2021
Karnataka reported 548 new Covid-19 deaths, 326 in Bengaluru (Urban & Rural) alone.
#Karnataka reports 548 new #Covid19 deaths, 326 in #Bengaluru (Urban & Rural) alone. Positivity rate drops further to 23.91% as recoveries (52,257) outnumber new cases (28,869) for third consecutive day. @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/DnlETpN3pp
— Ralph Alex Arakal (@ralpharakal) May 20, 2021
#CoronavirusUpdates
20th May, 6:00pm#NaToCorona pic.twitter.com/Fe5X2CbGe1
— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) May 20, 2021
Tamil Nadu recorded 35,579 positive cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the state tally to 17,34,804. Among these, Chennai reported 6,073 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 4,62,448.
The state recorded 397 deaths on Thursday, putting the state toll at 19,131. 300 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 25,369 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 14,52,283.
Amid a rise in black fungus cases particularly in COVID patients in Delhi, some medical experts feel that 'unhygienic masks' and poorly ventilated rooms could be a contributing factor, while others said 'no clinical evidence' has been established linking the two.
Doctors at many leading hospitals here said many patients, both COVID and non-COVID ones, have presented themselves at the facilities who have been infected with mucormycosis or black fungus and had a history of exhibiting poor hygienic practices, including wearing unwashed masks for a long time.
According to Dr Suresh Singh Naruka, senior consultant, ENT, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, the primary factor is 'irrational use of steroids'.
'Second, I would reckon is unhygienic practices, like wearing masks over a long time without washing them, or staying in a poorly ventilated rooms such as a basement, or less airy rooms. So, I would say, the second factor is also a trigger point for contractor mucormycosis,' he said. --- PTI
Kerala on Thursday reported 30,491 new COVID-19 cases and 128 more deaths, taking the caseload to 22,33, 904 and the toll to 6,852, the state government said.
As many as 44,369 persons have been cured,pushing the total recoveries to 19,38,887, while 3,17,850 are undergoing treatment for the infection.
In the last 24 hours, 1,31,525 samples were tested and the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) was 23.18 per cent.
So far 1,84,21,465 samples have been tested. Malappuram reported 4,746 cases, the highest, followed by Thiruvananthapuram 3,969. Ernakulam and Kollam also reported over 3,000 cases.
Of the new cases, 101 are health workers, 172 had come from outside the state and 28,176 were infected through contact. As many as 9,99,338 persons are under quarantine, including 38,685 in hospitals. --- PTI
Less than a day's stock of Covishield left for 18-44 age group and half of the vaccination centres to be shut from Friday in Delhi, says AAP MLA Atishi. She also said Delhi will receive 50,000 doses of Covishield for 45-plus age group on Thursday. ---PTI
