Coronavirus July 10 Updates: Triple lockdown in Thiruvananthapuram extended by another week

India's COVID-19 vaccine candidates will go through a rigorous evaluation process that will not be compromised, the government's Principal Scientific Advisor K VijayRaghavan said on Friday, indicating that the ICMR-Bharat Biotech vaccine is unlikely to be out by August 15, news agency PTI reported.

Phase 1 of the human trial of any vaccine usually takes 28 days and that is followed by two other phases, VijayRaghavan said while addressing a webinar at the Vivekananda International Foundation. (PTI)

A 56-year-old executive engineer fell down from the tenth floor of the Stem Cell Hospital at New Civil Hospital (NCH) in Surat, where work to convert the facility into a dedicated Covid hospital is in progress. It has not been established whether the engineer committed suicide or accidentally fell down, police said.

Jashwant Shihora (56), a resident of Parle Point area in Surat, who worked as an executive engineer at the electrical department of Project Implementation Unit, reached the Stem Cell Hospital at NCH on Friday morning, to conduct a routine check.

According to police sources, Jashwant had gone to the tenth floor alone and fell down under mysterious circumstances. The other labourers immediately gathered at the spot even as Jashwant’s head was profusely bleeding. He was immediately taken to the NCH trauma centre where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said that the triple lockdown imposed in Thiruvananthapuram corporation limits will be extended by another week. The state government had on Sunday decided to enforce the lockdown in the capital city following a spike in coronavirus cases.

Kerala's COVID-19 tally is inching towards the 7,000 mark, with 416 people testing positive on Friday in the highest single-day spike of the infection so far, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan warned that the situation was "becoming alarming". The day also saw the highest number of cases through contact with infected people– 204.

Of the infected, 123 people had come from abroad and 51 from other states, Vijayan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram after the daily COVID-19 evaluation meeting, PTI reported.

Uttar Pradesh, which had been praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for successfully controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus despite its large size and population of 24 crore, unexpectedly announced fresh restrictions, which will be in place for 55 hours beginning 10 pm on Friday (July 10).

The government’s order announcing the curbs said the decision had been taken after a review of the present situation of Covid-19 and other communicable diseases.

So what is this “present situation” in Uttar Pradesh? What are the pandemic numbers in the state currently, and what is the government aiming to achieve by imposing the fresh restrictions? Read our explainer to know more.

A medical team that went to the coastal village of Poonthura off Thiruvananthapuram for Covid-19 swab collection Friday were surrounded by angry locals who threatened them with expletives and even coughed at them. Poonthura and its adjoining areas have been described by government officials as exhibiting a ‘super spread’ of the coronavirus infections with over 200 persons testing positive in the last week alone.

On Friday morning, dozens of men and women came onto the streets in the village agitating against the tight lockdown restrictions and claiming that the health department’s data on infections among them was hyped. They protested without masks and by abandoning social distancing regulations. Click here to read our full report.

Referring to several recent studies, the WHO has said that some outbreaks that have occurred in crowded indoor spaces suggest “the possibility of aerosol transmission”, although “combined with droplet transmission”. Such situations have arisen “during choir practice, in restaurants or in fitness classes”.

According to the WHO, “in these events, short-range aerosol transmission, particularly in specific indoor locations, such as crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces over a prolonged period of time with infected persons cannot be ruled out”.

There is, however, a caveat — the WHO does not think that even in these situations, the virus was transmitted exclusively by the aerial route.

The WHO brief still says that “the detailed investigations of these clusters suggest that droplet and fomite transmission could also explain human-to-human transmission within these clusters”. Click here to read our explainer.

In a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19, a 10-day lockdown will be imposed in Pune, neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad and a few other parts of the district starting July 13, news agency PTI reported on Friday.The lockdown will come into force from midnight of July 13 and end on July 23."A lockdown will be imposed in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and some other areas of the district considering the rise in COVID-19 cases," divisional commissioner (Pune division) Deepak Mhaisekar was quoted as saying by the news agency.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked officials to carry out rapid antigen tests in every household during the three-day special cleanliness campaign initiated from Friday.

"A special cleanliness campaign has been initiated from July 10-13 to create awareness about COVID-19, vector-borne diseases and other ailments. Under the campaign, door-to-door surveillance should be done and rapid antigen tests should be conducted in every household," a statement quoting the chief minister said.

He also said that the number of lab technicians should be increased and 15,000 rapid antigen tests should be conducted per day, news agency PTI reported. 

Several areas of West Bengal wore a deserted look Friday as most people preferred to stay indoors on the second day of the seven-day lockdown clamped on the state's containment zones. The containment zones, spread across 20 of the state's 23 districts, went into total lockdown from 5 pm on Thursday. 

On Friday, 53-year-old Hareswar Nath of the 16th (IR)BN of the Assam Police succumbed to the novel coronavirus. Nath had tested positive for COVID-19 on July 7. “With a heavy heart, we are saddened to inform that Hav. Hareswar Nath, 16 IRBn, who tested positive for #CoronaVirus on July 7, 2020 passed away today. Our deepest condolences are with the bereaved family and colleagues” tweeted Assam Police.

Earlier in the day, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that Nath was “non-symptomatic patient with no comorbidities.” “His oxygen levels plummeted to 90 within hours and he collapsed. My deepest condolences to his family. RIP” wrote Sarma on Twitter.

This is Assam’s fifth reported death on Friday. In the morning, four patients, aged 42, 68, 72 and 70, admitted to the ICU at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, succumbed to the infection. So far, Assam has reported 32 deaths. The number of active cases stand at 5,432.

A few days into the second phase of the nationwide ‘unlock’, Goa’s otherwise bustling Vasco railway station is quieter than it has been in months. Ironically, it was in the midst of the lockdown — when passenger trains were suspended, borders were sealed, and shops selling ‘non-essentials’ had downed their shutters — that the South Goa station was buzzing with activity.

During the lockdown, hundreds of migrant workers and their families would line up outside the station three times a day for nearly two months to partake in simple wholesome meals laid out by a group of Railway Protection Force (RPF) constables and a few station employees. Click here to read the story.

Starting 10 pm Friday, a 55-hour lockdown will come into force across Uttar Pradesh. Only emergency and essential services will remain available during this period.

The lockdown order, issued by State Chief Secretary R K Tiwari to the district and police administration on Friday, said the restrictions are being imposed to control the spread of “Covid-19 and communicable diseases like malaria, encephalitis, dengue and kala-azar”.

Here is a look at what will open and what will remain closed:

*All offices, markets, rural haats, mandis and commercial establishments will remain closed. However, doorstep delivery will be allowed.

*Only movement of those associated with essential services will be permitted, but they must show their identity cards which will be considered as their “duty pass”.

*There will be no restrictions on flights or trains. The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation will be allowed to operate buses for train passengers; all other bus services will be stopped.

*While industrial units in rural areas will remain operational, those in urban areas will be closed – except those that are categorised as “continuous units”.

*The national and state highways will remain open, and petrol pumps and dhabas along these highways will be allowed to operate.

*The construction of major infrastructure projects like expressways, bridges and roads as well as big private construction projects will not be affected.

*The health department will send teams to conduct house-to-house surveys during this period.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has admitted the possibility of airborne transmission of SARS-COV-2 during certain medical procedures and in crowded indoor settings with poor ventilation through aerosols — smaller airborne particles that linger in the air for longer periods of time.

“Airborne transmission of the virus can occur in health care settings where specific medical procedures, called aerosol-generating procedures, generate very small droplets called aerosols. Some outbreak reports related to indoor crowded spaces have suggested the possibility of aerosol transmission, combined with droplet transmission, for example, during choir practice, in restaurants or in fitness classes,” the WHO said about the spread of the novel coronavirus Thursday. More details here.

Twenty-six more personnel of the BSF have tested positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya, taking the number of infections in the border-guarding force in the state to 91, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Friday.

They are all posted at the Border Security Force (BSF) frontier headquarters in Umpling, which has been declared a containment zone, news agency PTI reported.

Pune district in Maharashtra reported its highest single-day spike of 1,803 new Covid-19 cases, which pushed its overall count to 34,399, a health official said on Friday. This single-day rise was reported on Thursday, he said. The death toll in the district reached 978 with 34 more people succumbing to the infection on Thursday, the official said. "Of the 1,803 cases, as many as 1,032 were reported from the areas located in the Pune Municipal Corporation limits, where the number of patients has reached 24,977," he said.

The Maharashtra government today informed the Bombay High Court that the prohibitory order against spreading of incorrect or false information on social media amid the Covid-19 pandemic has ended and no extension has been given to it. Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni told a division bench of Justices A A Sayed and M S Karnik that the order dated May 23 passed by the deputy commissioner of police (Operations) under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) had been in effect only till June 8. "The same has not been extended after June 8 and presently there is no prohibitory order in place," Kumbhakoni said.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has decided to go in home isolation after some of his staff members tested positive for coronavirus. "Will coordinate work via video conference from home for the next few days. I'm healthy, no need to worry," he tweeted.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today demanded cancellation of university exams and urged the UGC to promote students on the basis of past performance during the coronavirus pandemic. Accusing the UGC of creating confusion, Gandhi said it is unfair to conduct examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic and the UGC should listen to the voice of students. "Covid has harmed many people. Students in schools, colleges and universities are being made to suffer. "While the IITs and colleges have cancelled exams and have promoted students, the UGC is creating confusion. UGC should also cancel the exams and promote students on the basis of past performance," he said in a video message.

Odisha on Friday registered its highest single-day spike of 755 Covid-19 cases, taking the coronavirus tally to 11,956, while the death toll mounted to 56 with four patients succumbing to the infectious disease, a health department official said. Detection of 755 more positive cases is a record in Odisha since the first case was detected in the state on March 15, the official said. Four Covid-19 positive patients died while undergoing treatment at hospitals, the official said, adding that the death toll in the state has increased to 56.

Housing sales fell 67 per cent at 21,294 units across nine major cities during April-June due to outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and natiowide lockdown, according to data analytics firm PropEquity. Recently, property consultant Anarock had released its data that showed an estimated 81 per cent fall in sales at 12,740 units across seven cities during April-June this year. According to PropEquity, total housing sales during April-June 2020 stood at 21,294 units, down 67 per cent from 64,378 units in the year-ago period. Barring Noida, all other eight cities witnessed a decline in sales.

Starting 10 pm Friday, a 55-hour lockdown will come into force across Uttar Pradesh. Only emergency and essential services will remain available during this period. For the first time on Thursday, the number of active infections in the state reached a five-digit figure — 10,373 — following a massive surge in the NCR districts of Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) and Ghaziabad. All offices, markets, rural haats, mandis and commercial establishments will remain closed. However, doorstep delivery will be allowed. All offices, markets, rural haats, mandis and commercial establishments will remain closed. However, doorstep delivery will be allowed.

OPD and emergency services at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences in Meghalaya was shut following exposure to coronavirus, PTI reported. The services will remain closed as decontamination and contact tracing within the hospital is underway, officials said. According to the hospital authorities, a BSF personnel on July 1 underwent an RT-PCR test for Covid-19, the reports of which came in as negative. Following this, he was admitted to the non-Covid ward in the Orthopedic Department of the hospital on July 4. The BSF personnel developed a fever on Thursday and when tested again for Covid-19, the report showed he was positive. The patient had extensive contact footprints in the hospital. Due to this, the hospital needs to be decontaminated and internal contact tracing is to be undertaken, a statement issued by the hospital said. Indoor patient care services will, however, remain operational, it added.

Since a slump on March 23, India’s stock markets have been rising despite Covid-19, tensions with China and projections of economic contraction. What explains this trend, and how likely is it to sustain? Click here to find out.

The World Health Organisation is acknowledging the possibility that Covid-19 might be spread in the air under certain conditions after more than 200 scientists urged the agency to do so. In an open letter published this week in a journal, two scientists from Australia and the US wrote that studies have shown “beyond any reasonable doubt that viruses are released during exhalation, talking and coughing in microdroplets small enough to remain aloft in the air.” The researchers, along with more than 200 others, appealed for national and international authorities, including WHO, to adopt more stringent protective measures.

The Centre has defended the creation of the PM CARES Fund, which accepts donations for Covid relief operations, and opposed the demand for transferring the amount collected to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the government said, “There does exist a National Disaster Response Fund as stipulated under Section 46 of Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005 which so far consisted of the fund in the form of budgetary provisions made by the Central government in NDRF and state governments and Central government in State Disaster Response Funds without any private contribution.”

Maharashtra Environment and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday defended the state government’s stand on not holding final year or final semester college examinations and held that it is potentially hazardous given the high number of coronavirus cases in the state. Speaking to The Indian Express, he said: “How will you hold exams [at this juncture]? We were in lockdown when we had about 600 cases [in March]. Today, when the country has about 7 lakh cases, we are actually asking children to go out in a congregation and take exams. We are asking teachers who may be 50-60 years, a vulnerable age group [for the virus], to come out and conduct the exams…. All this will lead to congregations of people from different areas, including [those] from containment zones.”

283,659 samples were tested for Covid-19 on Thursday.

About 110 migrants died on Railway premises during the operation of Shramik Special trains since May 1, according to sources. Data from the states where nearly 63.07 lakh stranded migrants reached on 4,611 Shramik Specials indicate that the 110-odd deaths were caused by a variety of reasons, including pre-existing illness and Covid-19. Sources said a couple of deaths have not been taken into account as the bodies were found on tracks — apparently run over by trains. The government has contended in various official forums, including in an ongoing case in the Supreme Court, that none of the deaths can be linked to unavailability of food or water on Railway premises. On Shramik Special trains, food and water was served for free to the migrants.

After its experts red-flagged several “deficiencies” in clinical management of Covid patients that need “urgent correction,” the West Bengal government has issued a series of advisories to hospitals across the state. Issued between July 2 and June 9, these cover a sweeping range: from monitoring oxygen and using anticoagulants to intense monitoring of ICU patients and prohibiting drugs not recommended by the government. Experts said that the Bengal experience has an echo in many other states struggling with the clinical management of the rising tide of patients. Late last month, as reported by The Indian Express, a senior Central official had said that West Bengal, along with other states including Gujarat and Maharashtra, require “further hand-holding” in clinical management.

Even as the number of daily Covid tests goes up from a few thousand in March to over 2 lakh in July, a glut of RT-PCR testing kits has both domestic manufacturers and multinational importers grumbling about government policies that one of them described as “baffling”. While India has reached the 10-million-test landmark, domestic manufacturers supply only 25-30% of RT-PCR kits used. Given that ICMR has validated over two dozen Indian manufacturers, that is a small improvement from the country’s 100% dependence on imported test kits in March. A number of domestic players told The Indian Express that they could not compete with the MNCs with deep pockets unless the government reconsidered its decision on zero import duty, stipulated a domestic quota and price benefit in tender, and allowed export of surplus stock.

The Covid-19 tally in India on Friday inched closer towards the eight lakh mark after 26,507 fresh cases were reported within a span of 24 hours, taking the total to 7,93,802.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday reported six coronavirus- related deaths, including that of a Youth National Conference leader.

While the YNC leader died in Jammu, Kashmir Valley reported the other five deaths. With this, the total number of people dying of coronavirus has risen to 155, including 140 in Kashmir.

Expressing grief over the death of the YNC leader, National Conference Vice President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on his Twitter handle that “he had been put on a ventilator but the medical teams, in spite of their best efforts, couldn’t stabilise him”. “He leaves behind a wife & two young kids. #Covid-19 kills. Taking it lightly is suicidal,” Abdullah added.

The COVID caseload in government hospitals in Ahmedabad has gone down to 21 per cent of their capacity ever since the state government started roping in private hospitals for treating people infected with the virus, according to officials.

A senior official at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, Gujarat’s largest dedicated COVID care facility, attributed the shift to people developing “immunity” and increased awareness.

Against a capacity of nearly 3,300 beds at the six government-run Covid-19 hospitals in Ahmedabad, they are down to less than one-fourth of their strength, with only 700 active patients. However, 2,005 Covid-19 patients are undergoing treatment in private hospitals at present.

All the offices, markets, mandis both in rural and urban areas would remain closed. Emergency services and doorstep delivery would be open. Railways and buses to ferry passengers from railway stations would be operational but otherwise bus services would be restricted. Air connectivity would be open. Industrial units in rural areas would be open with social distancing, while those in urban areas would be closed except "continous" production units.

The Uttar Pradesh government will impose fresh restrictions in the state from 10 pm on July 10 till 5 am on 13th July. 

Gujarat reported its highest single-day rise of 861 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, which pushed its overall tally beyond the 39,000-mark, the state health department said. The case count in the state now stands at 39,280, it said. Fifteen patients succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, that took the state's death toll to 2,010, the department said in a statement.

As many as 429 people were discharged from different hospitals post-recovery, taking the number of recovered patients to 27,742. Gujarat's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 39,280, new cases 861, deaths 2010 discharged 27,742, active cases 9528 and people tested so far 4,41,692.

With COVID19 cases continuing to spiral, Kerala on Thursday recorded the biggest single day spike of 339 infections, taking the count to 6,534, as Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayan cautioned that the state was "very close" to the threat of community spread. The state reported 133 cases through contact Thursday. As many as 149 people have recovered from the infection on Thursday and 2,795 people are under treatment, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told PTI.

In at least seven cases, no source of the infection has been traced yet, he said. Vijayan also said there are possibilities of formation of multiple clusters and COVID-19 super spread areas. Of the fresh cases, 117 had returned from abroad and 74 from other states.

Fresh COVID-19 cases again breached the 4,000 mark in Tamil Nadu after a gap of three days and 65 deaths were reported on Thursday, taking the tally to 1.26 lakh and the toll to 1,765. Though the state's daily count of fresh cases soared to 4,231, the downtrend in the fresh infections in the state capital continued with the addition of only 1,216 cases. The total COVID-19 cases stood at 1,26,581 of which Chennai accounted for 73,728, a health department bulletin said.As many as 42,369 samples were tested on Thursday, the highest in a day so far and 14,91,783 specimens have been examined till date. The number of virus testing centres increased to 100 in the state with two more facilities, one each in government and the private sector getting approved. --PTI

Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday decided to appoint ministers as in-charge for each zone in the city, aimed at effectively managing the pandemic. Karnataka CM Yediyurappa has also requested people from Bengaluru not to travel to their villages unnecessarily. 'Precautions must be taken to prevent spreading the infection to villages,' he said.

"World Health Organization (WHO) has also not provided any standard definition of the localised outbreak and community transmission. They have given its member states the right to report after assessing the local conditions," said Rajesh Bhushan, OSD, Ministry of Health. He added that it is a dynamic and evolving situation; we are keeping abreast with the information coming from WHO headquarters on this aspect.

"Till 8th July, 6,79,831 COVID19 tests have been conducted in Delhi, which means 35,780 tests per 10 lakh people. Over 20,000 tests are being conducted daily," said Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Home Ministry