People wearing protective face masks stand in a queue to get tested for COVID-19 at the Nizamuddin Railway Station, in New Delhi, October 08, 2020. (Express Photo By Amit Mehra)Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Monday went into home isolation after he was tested positive for coronavirus infection. He had gone into quartine after deputy secretary had tested positive.
Read Coronavirus India Live Updates
With 66,732 new cases, the coronavirus tally in India has now risen to over 71 lakh. As many as 816 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the casualties to 1,09,150. Of the 71,20,539 infections, the recoveries stand at 61,49,536, while 8,61,853 cases are still active. With increasing recoveries, India has sustained its leading global position with the maximum recovered cases.
Laying out the sequence of distribution of Covid vaccines that are expected to be available in India, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said Sunday that the first priority will be for those facing occupational hazards from the virus and exposure risk, indicating that healthcare professionals at the frontline would be among the early recipients.
Globally, the infections topped 37.3 million. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to step up efforts to contain Covid-19 on Monday. South Korea eased social distancing requirements, and the governor of Jakarta relaxed restrictions in Indonesia’s capital.
Doctors and nurses on COVID-19 duty protest against North MCD administration over alleged non-payment of pending salaries, at Hindu Rao Hospital in New Delhi, Friday , Oct. 09, 2020. (Express Photo By Amit Mehra)
The Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, originally developed for tuberculosis a century ago, is in focus again, with scientists in the UK starting a large-scale trial on frontline health workers to gauge its effectiveness against Covid-19. As part of the global Brace study, the University of Exeter will inoculate around 1,000 healthcare workers since they are more likely to be exposed to the coronavirus. This will help researchers in knowing quickly if the vaccine is effective against Covid-19. Click here to read the full explainer.
The virus that causes COVID-19 can survive on banknotes, glass and stainless steel for up to 28 days, much longer than the flu virus, Australian researchers said on Monday, highlighting the need for cleaning and handwashing to combat the virus. Findings from the study done by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, appear to show that in a very controlled environment the virus remained infectious for longer than other studies have found. Click here to read the full report.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was speaking after a cabinet meeting, said: "I ask everybody to follow the COVID-19 safety protocols during the festive season. There are instance of community transmission of COVID-19 and also the contagion becoming airborne."
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Kalyan Singh has been discharged from a Ghaziabad hospital after recovering from coronavirus, an official said on Monday. Kalyan Singh was admitted to Ghaziabad's Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital on September 16 after he tested positive for the infection.
He was shifted from Lucknow's Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences to the hospital near the Kaushambi Metro station here. The hospital's Medical Superintendent, Dr Anuj Agarwal, told PTI that the BJP leader tested negative for the infection on Saturday. Singh suffered from other health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, Parkinson's disease, kidney and heart-related issues.
Malaysia on Monday announced that it will impose some restrictions on movement in its capital city and in the neighbouring state of Selangor from Wednesday, as the country grapples with a fresh surge of coronavirus cases. The government will bring in curbs on activities, ranging from attending schools and places of worship to playing sports, from Oct. 14 till Oct 27, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said. (Reuters)
The Philippines’ health department is open to easing a curfew, but movement restrictions for the young and elderly are needed to protect vulnerable groups, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Monday. The country’s virus task force is studying cutting back the curfew in Manila from from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. after it allowed extended operating hours for malls and restaurants last week. Persons below 21 and above 60 years old are required to stay at home except for essential activities.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Monday went into home isolation after he was tested positive for coronavirus infection.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Monday he did not rule out local lockdowns in France due to a resurgence of new coronavirus infections. "Nothing must be excluded," Castex told franceinfo radio after he was asked about potential local lockdowns. Castex also said the country was facing a "strong" second wave of new COVID-19 infections.
As the pandemic struck, and the government imposed a nationwide lockdown, the country woke up to countless images of migrant workers returning to their villages with their children, on cycles, buses, lorries and trains, many walking hundreds of kilometres. But as the economic distress began to sink in, a more sinister movement of children gathered pace — of those being taken away from their homes for illegal labour, trafficking and forced marriages.
The crisis led to a spike in “interventions” where officials or aid workers stepped in to rescue children in distress, and exposed an ill-equipped government apparatus with too many holes to stem the flow, let alone prevent it, an investigation of Childline data obtained by The Indian Express has found.
Poland is not currently considering introducing a state of natural disaster, although no scenario can be ruled out as the coronavirus pandemic develops, the Polish prime minister's top aide told public radio. Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily reported on Monday that one option the Polish government was considering was introducing a state of natural disaster, one of three emergency states that exist in Poland. "We obviously cannot exclude any scenarios, but at the moment no such option is considered," Michal Dworczyk told PR1 radio.
Nepal's education minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel has tested positive for COVID-19 -- the second Cabinet minister to have contracted the deadly viral infection, according to media reports. Pokharel, who was admitted to Patan Hospital on Saturday evening after developing mild fever, tested positive for the virus on Sunday afternoon during a PCR test, MyRepublica reported on Sunday. His health is stable, according to a member of the minister's secretariat. Pokharel is the second minister in the Cabinet of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to have contracted the contagion, which has so far infected over 107,750 people and claimed 636 lives in the Himalayan nation. On Saturday, Nepal's tourism minister Yogesh Bhattarai announced on social media that he has tested positive for the COVID-19 and requested all those who came in his contact to be on alert.
With 66,732 new cases, the coronavirus tally in India has now risen to over 71 lakh. As many as 816 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the casualties to 1,09,150. Of the 71,20,539 infections, the recoveries stand at 61,49,536, while 8,61,853 cases are still active. With increasing recoveries, India has sustained its leading global position with the maximum recovered cases.
The New Zealand government signed a deal on Monday to buy 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc and Germany's BioNTech, with delivery potentially as early as the first quarter of 2021. The government did not disclose financial terms of the deal, its first vaccine purchase, which will provide enough doses to vaccinate 750,000 people. Officials said talks were continuing with other drug companies to secure more vaccine supplies for the country of 5 million people and further announcements were expected next month. "The additional agreements will ensure that once the portfolio is completed, we will have sufficient COVID-19 vaccines for the whole population," Research Minister Megan Woods said in a statement.
Singapore and Indonesia will establish a reciprocal green lane for travel, according to a joint statement from the countries’ ministries for foreign affairs. The green lane will enable cross-border travel for essential business and official purposes. Applications for the green lane will open on Oct. 26 and travel will commence soon after.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to step up efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus on Monday, announcing a new tiered system of alert levels that would see millions of Britons subject to more stringent curbs on their everyday lives. The premier will unveil plans to divide England into areas of “medium,” “high” and “very high” alert, with the levels determining the extent of restrictions imposed. The government said it’s working with local leaders to decide which places need to be in the top category, and what curbs are required in those areas.
Karnataka posted 9,523 fresh cases of COVID-19 and 75 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 7.10 lakh and the toll to 9,966, the health department said on Sunday. The day also saw 10,107 patients getting discharged after recovery. Out of 9,523 new cases reported on Sunday, 4,623 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone. As of October 11 evening, cumulatively 7,10,309 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 9,966 deaths and 5.80 lakh discharges, the health department said in its bulletin. (PTI)
The national capital's COVID-19 tally rose to 3.09 lakh on Sunday with 2,780 fresh cases, while the death toll climbed to 5,769 as 29 more people succumbed to the disease, authorities said. The total number of cases in the national capital stands at 3,09,339, they said. This is the 10th day on the trot that the city has reported less than 3,000 new cases. A total of 2,866 cases were recorded on Saturday, 2,860 on Friday, 2,726 on Thursday and 2,871 on Wednesday. The city reported 29 deaths on Sunday -- the lowest since September 25 when 24 fatalities were recorded. The fatality count was 48 on Saturday, 39 on Friday, 37 on Thursday and 35 on Wednesday. (PTI)
Pakistan has imposed mini smart lockdowns in several cities after a surge in the COVID-19 positivity rate, a senior minister said on Sunday, amid fears of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. On Sunday, Pakistan reported 666 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections to 318,932, according to the Ministry of National Health Services. Minister for Planning Asad Umar in a post on Twitter said that mini lockdowns have been imposed in some cities after positivity rate crossed 2 per cent after remaining below 2 per cent for six weeks. Positivity rate is the percentage of positive results out of the total number of tests sampled. Mini smart lockdowns have been imposed in Karachi, Islamabad and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "Instructions have been issued to administrations across the country to ensure that precautionary measures are followed. But like in the past, success is impossible without the cooperation of the people," he said in the tweet.
Maharashtra recorded 10,792 new coronavirus positive cases on Sunday, which pushed the state's overall tally to 15,28,226, the health department said. The death toll due to the virus reached 40,349 as 309 patients succumbed to the infection, it said. A total of 10,461 patients were discharged from hospitals following recovery during the day, it said in a statement. So far, 12,66,240 patients have recovered across the state. There are 2,21,174 active cases in Maharashtra at present, while the number of people tested so far is 76,43,584.
Turkey will start to report its total number of coronavirus cases later this week, the country's health minister said in an interview published on Sunday, after Ankara was criticised for only releasing figures for patients showing symptoms of infection. Fahrettin Koca told the newspaper Hurriyet that asymptomatic cases would be included in Turkey's published data from October 15, which would be shared with the World Health Organisation. Last month, the minister revealed Turkey had been publishing only the daily number of patients displaying symptoms of COVID-19. This led to criticism from medical groups and opposition parties that had long questioned the accuracy of the statistics. (PTI)
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Sunday hinted that India may see an increase in the Covid-19 transmission rate during winter. The Minister’s comments came in the backdrop of several reports which indicated that coronavirus cases will surge in the colder weather since respiratory illnesses tend to thrive during cooler weather conditions.
Addressing his weekly social media interaction programme Sunday Samvaad, Vardhan stated that SARS-CoV-2—which causes Covid-19 infection— is a respiratory virus and the transmission of respiratory viruses is known to increase in the colder weather.
“Respiratory viruses are known to thrive better in cold weather and low humidity conditions. There is another fact which needs to be kept in mind. There is overcrowding in residential dwellings of many people in the winter season. This also increases the transmission of respiratory viruses”, he added.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday urged people to stay away from large congregations and diligently follow COVID-19 guidelines during the upcoming festive season, saying no religion or God asks people to celebrate ostentatiously. Requesting people to celebrate the approaching festivals at home with their loved ones instead of going out to fairs and pandals, he said fighting against COVID-19 is everyone's foremost "dharma" and as the country's health minister it is his "dharma" to mitigate the virus and prevent deaths at any cost. "The Bhagwad Gita condones war for the warrior class. So, there is no need to congregate in large numbers to prove your faith or your religion," he said.
"Extraordinary circumstances must draw extraordinary responses. No religion or God says that you have to celebrate in an ostentatious way, that you have to visit pandals and temples and mosques to pray," Vardhan underlined.
Iran announced on Sunday its highest single-day death toll from the coronavirus with 251 confirmed dead, the same day local media reported two senior officials had been infected and the nation's currency plunged to its lowest level ever. Health Ministry spokesperson Sima Sadat Lari said the total confirmed death toll now stands at 28,544, making Iran the hardest-hit country in the region. Iran had just recently recorded its highest daily death toll four days earlier with 239 new fatalities.
A further 3,822 new cases were confirmed over the past 24 hour-period, raising recorded nationwide cases to 500,075. Nearly 4,500 patients are in critical condition. Among those recently infected is the head of the country's atomic energy organisation, the latest senior official to test positive for the virus.
Nepal's coronavirus tally reached 107,755 with the detection of 2,071 new cases in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Sunday. Twenty-two more people succumbed to the viral infection overnight, pushing the death toll to 636, health ministry spokesperson Dr Jageshwor Gautam said. As many as 75,804 patients have recovered so far from the disease, he said, adding that there are currently 31,315 active coronavirus cases in the country. As many as 2,071 new cases were detected in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 107,755, he said. The Kathmandu Valley alone reported 1,416 new cases, pushing the total caseload to 41,586 in the Valley.
Despite the Union Ministry of Education allowing gradual reopening of educational institutions across the country, state-run schools in West Bengal are unsure about the resumption of physical classes and are waiting for the state government's decision. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier said her administration will think about reopening educational institutions after Kali Puja on November 15 'depending on the COVID-19 situation at that time'. Education Minister Partha Chatterjee had said schools cannot be reopened till the pandemic situation improves and the safety of children is the priority of the state government. West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education president Mahua Das said any decision on the reopening of the schools will be taken by the administration and instructions communicated to the institutions by the School Education Department.
Karnataka CM Yediyurappa has announced three-week holidays for schools from October 12 to 30 due to surge of Covid-19 cases.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said the war against COVID-19 will be won by the "whole-hearted participation" of people, who have to decide whether to follow protocols to contain the spread of the disease or remain in lockdown. In a webcast, Thackeray said COVID-19 is a "foreign guest not leaving us despite our best efforts", and added that it is spreading from cities to rural areas. He said 70 to 80 per cent COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic, and termed face mask as the self-defence or the "black belt" in the fight against the viral infection till a vaccine comes up.
"I don't want to impose strict laws or penalty against violators of the COVID-19 protocols. The war against the pandemic will be won by people's whole-hearted participation," he said.
The Odisha government has constituted district-level committees to audit the quality of healthcare in COVID-19 hospitals and review the deaths caused by the disease, a health official said on Sunday. The committees were formed on the direction of Assembly Speaker S N Patro after members cutting across party lines expressed concern during the recently-concluded monsoon session over poor treatment facilities at both state-run and private COVID-19 hospitals.
The committees will be headed by an officer authorised by the collector or the municipal commissioner and he/she should not be below the rank of the additional district magistrate, a health department order issued on Saturday said. The chief district medical and public health officer, a doctor trained in handling ICU and a medical officer of the treating facility will be among the members of the committee, it said. (PTI)
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday burnished her leadership credentials on the back of her successful response to the coronavirus pandemic at a campaign rally six days ahead of the country’s election on Oct. 17.
Polls show Ardern’s Labour Party is expected to win the election with a wide lead over the conservative National Party, and could form government in a coalition with the Greens and New Zealand First.
“While there was no playbook for COVID-19, we went hard and early and committed to a strategy of elimination which has meant that when we’ve had new cases, we’ve circled and stamped them out and opened up our economy faster than others,” Ardern told a campaign rally in the capital Wellington.
While the Central government has given a go-ahead for graded reopening of schools from October 15, many states including Delhi, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh have decided against it while others such as Haryana and Meghalaya are still unsure and are assessing the situation in view of the increasing number of coronavirus cases, PTI reported.
Schools and Universities were closed on March 16 to contain the spread of coronavirus. While several restrictions have been eased gradually in different phases of the 'unlock' since June 8, educational institutions continue to remain closed. According to the latest unlock guidelines, schools, colleges and other educational institutions outside Covid-19 containment zones can reopen after October 15. The final decision has however, been left with the states and Union territories.
Delhi government has decided to maintain the status quo on schools' closure till October 31, following which a review of the situation will be done.
The Uttar Pradesh government announced that schools outside containment zones will reopen from October 19 for students of classes 9 to 12. Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma said classes will be held in shifts and all necessary protocols including social distancing and proper sanitisation of premises will have to be followed by schools.
The Karnataka government said it is in no hurry to reopen schools and will take a call on the issue after evaluating all aspects.
Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad has said schools will not reopen in the state before Diwali, reported PTI.
Maharashtra has reported 15,17,434 Covid-19 cases and 40,040 deaths due to the disease so far.
The Centre has now allowed graded reopening of schools from October 15.
Gaikwad, who recently recovered from Covid-19, said schools have been conducting virtual classes and teachers have been taking special classes fo students in some areas.
"While we are exploring various options, it is clear that schools will not open before Diwali," Gaikwad said.
Senior officials in the state education department said reopening schools under the current circumstances is out of question, as there is no sign of the pandemic abating.
State Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant also said his department does not intend to reopen colleges until the COVID-19 situation is under control. "The situation is grim for students who wish to pursue higher studies abroad, as their future depends on our decision," he added.
For over six months, Aarif Khan slept in an ambulance parking lot 28 km from his home in northeast Delhi’s Seelampur, staying in touch with his wife and four children on the phone. Khan was on call 24X7, ferrying patients of Covid-19 as well as carrying its victims to their last rites. On Saturday morning, the 48-year-old ambulance driver succumbed to the disease at Hindu Rao Hospital.
Employed with the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal, that provides free emergency services in NCR, Khan would often pitch in with money for the last rites if a family was in need, or help with the rituals if a deceased’s near ones were not around, his colleagues say.
“He ensured everyone got a farewell but his own family couldn’t give him that. They saw his body from afar for a few minutes,” said Jitender Kumar, adding that Khan would have ferried close to 200 bodies since March.
The Gujarat government is likely to consider reopening schools only after Diwali, PTI quoted a senior official as saying.
State education department secretary Vinod Rao said there was no immediate plan to reopen schools. "We are not doing this immediately. We will consider reopening schools only after Diwali (vacation) after assessing the coronavirus situation," Rao said on Saturday.
He said the education department has been in touch with representatives of parents and school associations over the issue.
The state government had earlier decided against reopening schools from September 21 as per the Centre's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that allowed students to visit schools to take guidance from teachers with parents' permission.