Swab testing at Mumbai's Juhu beach.
With 227 deaths in the last 24 hours, the death toll due to Covid-19 in Maharashtra reached 54,549 on Wednesday. This was the highest death toll recorded in a single day this year. The state also reported 39,544 new Covid-19 cases. The total caseload of the state is now at 28,12,980.
A day before India open up its Covid-19 vaccination drive to people above 45, the Centre on Wednesday asked states and Union Territories to identify low vaccine-coverage pockets, particularly in districts reporting a surge in new infections, and take corrective action. The status and pace of the inoculation drive across the country were reviewed at the meeting held through video-conferencing, as were the preparations for April 2021, when vaccination would be extended to cover everybody above the age of 45, a statement by the health ministry said.
In other news, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Devegowda and his wife Chennamma tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday. “My wife Chennamma and I have tested positive for COVID-19. We are self-isolating along with other family members. I request all those who came in contact with us over the last few days to get themselves tested. I request party workers and well-wishers not to panic,” Devegowda said in a tweet.
A health worker collects swab sample from a person for Covid-19 test, at the India Gate in New Delhi on Saturday. (Express file photo by Prem Nath Pandey)
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With 227 deaths in the last 24 hrs, the death toll due to Covid-19 in Maharashtra has reached 54,549. This was the highest death toll recorded in a single day this year. The state also reported 39,544 new Covid-19 cases. The total caseload of the state is now at 28,12,980.
Amidst a growing surge in Covid-19 cases across the country, the government will roll out the third phase of its vaccination drive from April 1. The Centre has warned that the situation is going from “bad to worse” and urged states to achieve 100 per cent vaccination coverage of those above the age of 45 years in surge districts within the next two weeks. From eligibility to the registration process, here's everything you need to know about the next phase of the vaccination.
Russia has registered the world’s first vaccine for animals against COVID-19, its agricultural regulator said on Wednesday, after tests showed it generated antibodies against the virus in dogs, cats, foxes and mink. Mass production of the vaccine, called Carnivac-Cov, can start in April, regulator Rosselkhoznadzor said.
India's drug regulator DCGI has extended the shelf life of Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, from six to nine months from its manufacturing date. In a letter to the Serum Institute of India, Drugs Controller General of India V G Somani said the SII is permitted to apply the shelf life of nine months to unlabelled vials available on hand.
Shelf life is the length of time for which an item remains fit for use. The DCGI said it has no objection in respect of 'Extension of Shelf Life of Covishield Vaccine' in a multi-dose glass vial (10 dose-5ml) from six months to nine months. (PTI)
A court in Vietnam on Tuesday issued a two-year suspended jail term to a flight attendant over breaking Covid-19 quarantine rules and allegedly spreading the virus to others. The 29-year-old man is the first person in the country to go on trial for violating Covid rules.
Pfizer announced Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before they head back to school in the fall.
Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized for ages 16 and older. But vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to stopping the pandemic — and helping schools, at least the upper grades, start to look a little more normal after months of disruption. More details here.
A day before India open up its Covid-19 vaccination drive to people above 45, the Centre on Wednesday asked states and Union Territories to identify low vaccine-coverage pockets, particularly in districts reporting a surge in new infections and take corrective action. The status and pace of the inoculation drive across the country were reviewed at the meeting held through video-conferencing, as were the preparations for April 2021, when vaccination would be extended to cover everybody above the age of 45, a statement by the health ministry said.
As India starts vaccinating everyone above the age of 45 from April 1, a commonly asked question remains whether taking the jab will mean you can no longer drink alcohol. So should you avoid alcohol after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine?
There is no need to abstain from alcohol only because you have taken your shot of the vaccine. Alcohol will not by itself render the vaccine ineffective against the novel coronavirus infection. More details here.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope Wednesday said that people should be ready for stringent measures in the coming days to stop the spread of Covid-19 in the state. "Though the state does not want to implement a lockdown, saving lives is paramount. Thus, the state could undertake measures to curb further spread of the coronavirus," he was quoted as saying by PTI. On Tuesday, Maharashtra reported 27,918 new cases of coronavirus, taking the tally to 27,73,436.
Women will not reach parity with men until the middle of the next century as the COVID-19 pandemic hits them hardest, according to a World Economic Forum (WEF) report released on Wednesday.
“The pandemic has fundamentally impacted gender equality in both the workplace and the home, rolling back years of progress,” said WEF’s managing director Saadia Zahidi.
The annual report estimated that the gender gap will not be closed for another 135.6 years, versus 99.5 years previously. More details here.
Maharashtra Health Minister Wednesday said there is no shortage of beds, medicines and doctors in the state. "We're increasing testing, tracking & tracing in the State. We are also going to increase the number of vaccination centres. Today, there is no shortage of beds, medicines, doctors. If the number of cases keeps rising,then, we'll have to take a decision," he added.
Tamil Nadu government Wednesday extended the statewide lockdown with relaxations till April 30. It stressed on effective enforcement of the Test-Track-Treat protocol.
In January, Britain made a change to its vaccine guidelines that shocked many health experts: If the second dose of one vaccine wasn’t available, patients could be given a different one.
The new rule was based on sheer guesswork; there was no scientific data at the time demonstrating that mixing two coronavirus vaccines was safe and effective. But that may change soon.
In February, researchers at the University of Oxford began a trial in which volunteers received a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine followed by a dose of AstraZeneca’s formulation, or vice versa. This month, the researchers will start analyzing the blood of the subjects to see how well the mix-and-match approach works.
Janata Dal (Secular) chief and former Prime Minister H D Devegowda Wednesday confirmed that he tested positive for Covid-19.
"My wife Chennamma and I have tested positive for COVID-19. We are self-isolating along with other family members. I request all those who came in contact with us over the last few days to get themselves tested. I request party workers and well-wishers not to panic," Devegowda said in a tweet.
The 87-year-old veteran leader also requested party workers and well-wishers to avoid panic and take suitable precautions to avoid infection.
The Union Health Ministry Wednesday said that eight states -- Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Punjab & Madhya Pradesh accounted for 84.73% of the new Covid-19 cases.
The Covid surge in Delhi has mainly affected the younger population with most of the patients reporting “relatively milder symptoms”, according to AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria. But there is a need to remain vigilant, he said, because the infection can “spread to the elderly” and trigger “serious symptoms”, which would once again put healthcare resources under strain.
And, while some states are considering the option of imposing another lockdown, Guleria said that having more containment zones within a city would be a better strategy in containing the spread.
At least nine people have tested positive for COVID-19 in a Chinese city on the border with Myanmar, health officials said Wednesday.
Five are Chinese citizens are four are Myanmar nationals, the Yunnan Province Health Commission said in a report posted online.
The city of Ruili, with a population of about 210,000 people, said all residents would be tested for COVID-19 and would have to home quarantine for one week. The residential compound where the infections were found has been locked down.
In view of increasing covid cases in the national capital, random COVID-19 testing of passengers arriving at the Delhi Airport will be done from Wednesday, the Airport authorities have said, news agency ANI reported.
Passengers who are found to be positive will be quarantined.
India's drug regulator DCGI has extended the shelf life of Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, from six to nine months from its manufacturing date, PTI reported.
In a letter to the Serum Institute of India, Drugs Controller General of India V G Somani said the SII is permitted to apply the shelf life of nine months to unlabelled vials available on hand.
Shelf life is the length of time for which an item remains fit for use.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain Wednesday said the govt is going to increase testing to over 80,000 tests daily.
"From today, we're going to increase testing to over 80,000 tests daily. Yesterday, govt issued an order for increasing 220 beds in ICU wards in private hospitals for COVID patients. There is just 25% occupancy in private & govt hospitals in Delhi," he added.
The number of active cases in Panchkula district crossed the 1,000-mark on Tuesday, as 89 more tested positive for Covid-19 here. At present, there are 1,004 active cases in the district. Before this, Panchkula had breached the 1,000-mark in active cases in September 2020.
Due to the sudden surge in the caseload here, Panchkula now figures among the top five districts, standing fourth, in terms of active cases in Haryana.
A Subject Expert Committee(SEC) meeting will be held on Wednesday to deliberate on emergency use authorisation of Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V, news agency ANI reported.
The manufacturers of the vaccine in India, Dr Reddy's, has already submitted the safety and immunogenicity data from the third phase trials.
Aviation regulator DGCA has found the compliance of Covid-19 protocols at the country’s airports to be “not satisfactory”, and consequently asked all airport operators to step up surveillance while exploring the possibility of imposing spot fines to those violating rules such as improper wearing of masks and social distancing.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also approved 18,843 domestic flights per week in the summer schedule of 2021, which will last till October 30. This is 80 per cent of the full summer schedule of 22,980 flights per week, and around 77 per cent of the 2020 summer schedule that was approved for 24,409 flights every week.
India reported 53,480 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, taking the total tally of infections to 1,21,49,335, according to data from the Union Health Ministry.
354 deaths were reported on Tuesday, the highest since December 16, out of which 140 were reported from Maharashtra. The overall death toll stood at 1,62,468. Death count in Karnataka (21) is the highest since December 9. Other states -- Punjab (64), Chhattisgarh (35) and Tamil Nadu (16), Madhya Pradesh (10), Uttar Pradesh (10) -- also reported more than the usual number of deaths.
Maharashtra reported 27,918 cases, a significant drop from the peak of 40,000 on Sunday, possibly because of lower testing. There are now more than 5.52 lakh active cases in the country while over 1,14,34,301 people have recovered from the disease.
In a grim indicator of the worsening Covid-19 situation, queues at RT-PCR testing centres in Mumbai have increased, with a waiting time that ranges between 3 to 4 hours for swab collection. The test reports now take up to 48 hours to arrive.
On Tuesday, Mumbai reported 4,758 cases. The figure was lower than the preceding days as testing had halved on Holi. Read more
A year since Pune district reported its first death due to the coronavirus infection, there have been a total of 9,873 deaths, of which 69 per cent were men. At least 82 per cent of the deaths were of people with one or more co-morbidities and the average case fatality rate was 2 per cent. Read More
Maharashtra on Tuesday showed a big drop in its daily count of COvid-19 cases, reporting 27,918 new infections, compared to over 40,000 two days ago. Across the country, about 45,000 new cases were detected, a substantial dip considering that more than 60,000 cases were being reported over the previous three days. Read More
With Nagpur recording over 50 deaths due to coronavirus infection for the fourth consecutive day, death toll in the district crossed the 5,000 mark on Tuesday.
Of the 54 deaths recorded on Tuesday, 31 were from within municipal limits, 20 from rural parts of the district and three of patients outside the district. With this, the toll in the district has gone up to 5,040. Of the total deaths, 850 are of patients who came to Nagpur from other districts. Read More
Seeing tepid response to the Covid vaccination drive till now, the Punjab Health Department will be increasing vaccination sites to at least 5,000 from April 1 when the drive opens for entire population above 45 years of age, revealed Punjab’s Principal Secretary, Health, Husan Lal.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Husan Lal said that from April 1, vaccination sites will be increased to 5,000 including government hospitals, health and wellness centres, primary health centres, community health centres, ayurveda and homeopathy facilities and private hospitals. Read More
With a continuous rise in the daily number of Covid infections, Delhi has swiftly moved to the top ten districts in the country having the highest Covid burden.
The data shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday stated that the capital has 8,032 active cases at the moment, and is number nine in the list of the ten districts with the most active cases. Read More
Amid a surge in Covid cases, the Uttarakhand government on Tuesday made it mandatory for people coming from 12 states to carry a negative RT-PCR report from April 1 onwards. According to officials, the advisory has been issued to prevent the spread of Covid-19 cases.
The restrictions are applicable to people travelling by road, air and train to Uttarakhand from 12 states including Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan. The govt also said that the RT-PCR test should not be older than 72 hours on arrival.
Amid a spike in Covid cases, the Chhattisgarh government has imposed restrictions on shops remaining open after 9 pm in several districts, including Raipur, while some areas will see night curfew from Tuesday, PTI reported.
The order issued by the administration in various districts said the operation of all kind of temporary and permanent shops will be allowed from 6 am to 9 pm, while restaurants, dhabas and hotels can remain open between 8 am and 10 pm for indoor dining, a public relations department official said.
"However, restaurants, dhabas and hotels can provide takeaway parcels and home delivery services till 11:30 pm. In some districts, shops have been allowed to function from 6 am to 8 pm. Petrol pumps and medicine stores have been exempted from the restrictions," he added.
A retired district judge died due to COVID-19 here, bringing the toll to 112, while the active case count rose to 155 with 25 new cases, officials said on Tuesday. According to Chief Medical Officer (CMO) SK Aggarwal, the 76-year-old retired judge succumbed to the infection at the Muzaffarnagar Medical College on Tuesday. The CMO said eight more people recovered from the infection, pushing the recovery count to 8,600 in the district. (PTI)
Amid rising Covid cases and deaths, as well as the continuing prevalence of the UK strain in the state, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday ordered extension of curbs till April 10, while directing the Health Department to increase the number of vaccination sites to target the priority are groups on an urgent basis.
Reviewing the Covid situation with the Chief Secretary and other top officials, the Chief Minister said all restrictions that were in place till March 31 will now remain in force till April 10, after which they would be again reviewed. More details here.
"Covid-19 situation is turning from bad to worse. In the last few weeks, especially in some states, it is a huge cause for worry. No state, no part of the country or district should be complacent," NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Paul also said that the whole country is "potentially at risk" and that all efforts contain and save lives must be taken. "Hospital and ICU preparations have to be readied. If the cases increase rapidly, the healthcare system would be overwhelmed," he added.
The coronavirus situation is "turning from bad to worse" and is a huge cause of worry especially for some states, the Centre said on Tuesday while stressing that the whole country is at risk and nobody should be complacent.
NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul said, "COVID-19 situation is turning from bad to worse. In last few weeks, especially in some states, it is a huge cause for worry. No state, no part of the country or district should be complacent."
"We are facing an increasingly severe and intense situation, more so surely in some districts. But the whole country is potentially at risk and therefore all efforts to contain and save lives should be taken. (PTI)
Aviation regulator DGCA on Tuesday told airports to increase surveillance to ensure COVID-19 norms are followed and consider imposing spot fines, with the help of police authorities, on passengers who are found not wearing masks properly and not maintaining social distancing.
On March 13, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had asked airports and airlines to ensure that passengers wear mask and maintain social distance at all times during air travel, and take action against those violating the norms. More details here.
Centre on Tuesday said that those above 45 years can now make an appointment for vaccination on the CoWIN portal. On-site registration will be allowed from April 1 after 3 pm, it added.
As Covid cases escalate, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh Tuesday ordered an extension of curbs till April 10, while directing the health department to increase the number of vaccination sites and target priority categories on an urgent basis. In wake of 40 women in Patiala's Naba Open jail testing positive for coronavirus, the chief minister also ordered the launch of a vaccination drive in prisons. Expressing grave concern, Amarinder also directed officials to issue the necessary directions for carrying out testing and vaccination in busy market areas.
Union Health Ministry Tuesday said that the Covid-19 situation in the country is going "from bad to worse" recently and is a huge cause for worry. It also directed states witnessing a spike to ramp up testing with a focus on RT-PCR, isolate promptly, trace contacts, and boost healthcare resources.
Union Health Ministry Tuesday said that Punjab is neither conducting adequate number of tests nor being able to promptly isolate Covid-19 positive people. The ministry also said that states, Union Territories reporting spike in cases need to exponentially increase testing.
Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has recommended that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine not be used for individuals below the age of 55. The move came following an adverse event referred to as Vaccine-Induced Prothrombotic Immune Thrombocytopenia (VIPIT). Click here to read our explainer.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and his wife took the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Delhi Heart and Lung Institute on Tuesday. His wife Nutan Goel first took the jab of Covaxin after which Vardhan also took the vaccine shot.
Union Health Ministry Tuesday said that more than 5.8 lakh (5,82,919) vaccination doses have been given to people in the last 24 hours. With this, the total vaccine doses administered across the country has reached over 6.11 cr (6,11,13,354).
In a circular, the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has called for 'enhanced surveillance' for Covid-19 protocols at airports across the country.
'During the surveillance of some airports, it has come to notice the compliance is not satisfactory. All airports operators, therefore, are requested to ensure that the instructions on Covid-19 protocol from the standpoint of wearing face masks properly, as well as maintaining social distance norms within the airport premises are followed scrupulously,' the DGCA said.
The aviation regulator also told airports to consider imposing spot fines, with the help of police authorities, on passengers who are found not wearing masks properly and not maintaining social distancing.
More than 20 heads of government and global agencies on Tuesday called for an international treaty for pandemic preparedness that they say will protect future generations.
But there are few details to explain how such an agreement might actually force countries to act more cooperatively.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and leaders, including Boris Johnson of Britain, Mario Draghi of Italy and Paul Kagame of Rwanda, called for "a renewed collective commitment" to reinforce the world's pandemic preparedness and response systems, that would be rooted in the UN health agency's constitution.
Last week, Tedros pleaded with rich countries to immediately donate 10 million COVID-19 vaccines so that immunisation campaigns could start in all countries within the first 100 days of the year. (AP)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday wished for the speedy recovery of National Conference President Farooq Abdullah who tested positive for Covid-19. Taking to Twitter, Modi said, 'Praying for the good health and speedy recovery of Dr. Farooq Abdullah Ji. Also praying for your and the entire family’s good health.”
Earlier today, Farooq Abdullah’s son Omar Abdullah announced on Twitter. “My father has tested positive for Covid-19 and is showing some symptoms. I will be self-isolating along with other family members until we get ourselves tested,” Omar tweeted.
With the daily test positivity rate breaching the 3 per cent mark for the first time in 2021, Karnataka — especially Bengaluru Urban and a few other districts —continued to witness a trend of growing daily Covid-19 caseload on Monday as well. However, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa Monday reiterated that there will be “no lockdown” in the state.
Instead, after a meeting with top ministers of the cabinet, the CM announced, “No protests or public rallies will be allowed for the next 15 days… Also, parties in apartments in Bengaluru will stay prohibited.” He also urged people to wear masks and to follow all Covid-19 norms stipulated by the government, warning violators of “strict penal action”.
Yediyurappa also highlighted that infections are being reported more among people in the age group of 20 to 40 years. “Stringent steps are being taken to trace, test, and treatment of the affected,” he added. (Read Ralph Alex Arakal's report)
Six states, including Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, have reported a high number of daily COVID-19 cases and account for 78.56 per cent of the 56,211 fresh cases recorded in the country in a day, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday received his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine and reiterated the safety of the shots. Vardhan's wife, Nutan Goel also received the jab with him. “After taking the first dose of vaccine, neither of us felt any side effects, '' Vardhan said addressing reporters. “Both Indian vaccines are safe & effective. A lot of people still have doubts regarding vaccines. I urge them not to believe what is being circulated in WhatsApp university,” he added.
There was a drastic drop in the daily count of cases in Pune on Monday, but that has been a usual weekly phenomenon all across the country. The Pune district reported 4,972 new infections on Monday, compared to 8,324 a day earlier. The figures were the lowest in Pune in a week, but higher than previous Monday’s count of 4,345.
India recorded 56,211 new covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours ending 8 am Tuesday, taking the country's total to over 1.20 crore. Out of the total cases, 5.40 lakh are active while over 1.13 crore people have recovered after testing positive. With 271 new deaths, the toll is over 1.62 lakh now.
National Conference president and Lok Sabha MP Farooq Abdullah has tested positive for Covid-19, his son Omar announced on Tuesday. “My father has tested positive for Covid-19 and is showing some symptoms. I will be self-isolating along with other family members until we get ourselves tested,” Omar tweeted.