Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan congratulated the residents of Indore for achieving this feat and said, “Indore has once again made a new record." (PTI)Coronavirus India Highlights: In less than four days, India again administered 1 crore vaccinations in a day. As many as 1,08,83,963 vaccine doses were administered on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government announced that it has decided to do away with the weekend shutdown across the state from September. In view of the declining cases in the state, essential services like cab and food delivery aggregators will be allowed to operate during night curfew hours from 10 pm to 5 am. Commercial vehicles, including passenger buses and goods carrying trucks will also be allowed to ply, PTI reported.
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Kerala on Tuesday reported over 30,000 new Covid-19 cases and 115 deaths. Its test positivity rate stands at 18.86 per cent.
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Covid-19 testing at a municipality-run hospital in Navi Mumbai. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Every adult resident of Himachal Pradesh has got the first dose of his Covid vaccine and to commemorate this achievement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the people of the hill state on September 6.
The state has attained the unique distinction of achieving the cent per cent target of the first dose of Covid vaccination for all residents of 18 years and above, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said in a statement on Tuesday. (PTI)
Hours after the Telangana High Court stayed the state government’s August 24 order on reopening all educational institutions and sought clarifications on Covid measures, the Education Department issued a memo with “certain clarifications” while reiterating the High Court’s directions.
The memo from Sandeep Kumar Sultania, secretary to the government, stated all schools other than the government residential schools, social welfare schools, and tribal welfare schools with hostel facilities, are permitted to open from September 1, and “that no child shall be compelled by any school management to physically attend offline classes if his or her parent is not inclined to send the child to school.”
The memo said it is left to the school management to “conduct either only offline or only online or both offline and online classes. Any undertaking obtained from parents by any school management absolving the school management of any liability if the child gets with the virus, while in school, shall not have any legal effect.” Read more.
Karnataka recorded 1,217 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours. It also reported 25 deaths and 1,198 recoveries.
In a statement on Tuesday, Bharatiya Janata Party President JP Nadda expressed confidence that "with the increased supply of vaccines, we will be able to vaccinate all the citizens of the country by the end of this year."
"It is a matter of pride for the Indian health system to deliver one crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines in one day. So far no country has administered so many vaccines in a day," he was quoted as saying by PTI. "Under the prime minister's leadership, India has shown the world the path of victory over the coronavirus," Nadda added.
The US State Department has raised its travel advisory alert for Canada to a “level 4 – do not travel” status amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it said in a statement on Tuesday. (Reuters)
At least 20 people were injured in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Tuesday after hundreds of local residents tried to enter a vaccination centre together, leading to a stampede, police said. Four of them were critically injured in the incident, and they are undergoing treatment at Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital, a senior officer said. While the matter is being probed, the inoculation programme at the centre has been stopped following the incident, the officer added. (PTI)
In less than four days, India has again administered over 1 crore vaccinations in a day. On Tuesday, the country administered 1,08,83,963 vaccine doses.
Kerala Tuesday reported 30,203 new Covid-19 cases and 20,687 recoveries taking its active cases to 2,18,892. It also reported 115 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 20,788. The state's test positivity rate stands at 18.86 per cent.
On Tuesday, the Odisha government announced that it has decided to do away with the weekend shutdown across the state from September.
In view of the declining cases in the state, while the night curfew will continue to be in place from 10 pm to 5 am, essential services like cab and food delivery aggregators will be allowed to operate during those hours. Commercial vehicles, including passenger buses and goods carrying trucks will also be allowed to ply, PTI reported.
Shops, business establishments will be allowed to function and other activities will be allowed between 5 am to 10 pm, Special Relief Commissioner P K Jena said.
A little more than 25 per cent of healthcare workers were infected with coronavirus despite getting fully jabbed, a recent study has revealed, giving an insight on the breakthrough infections due to the Delta variant. The study, jointly conducted by the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) and Max hospitals in Delhi-NCR, found that vaccination breakthroughs were far more common during the Delta-outbreak in Delhi than previously reported.
However, the severity of the infection was low and vaccination is crucial to avoid severe illnesses, said Shantanu Sengupta, senior scientist with the IGIB and one of the lead researchers of the study. He also cautioned that of the 25 per cent who were infected, a large number were asymptomatic, so masking is also very important to arrest the spread of infection. (PTI)
Kerala Health Minister Veena George Tuesday said that the state government plans to vaccinate everyone above 18 years with the first dose September 10. "This will actually depend on the availability of the vaccine doses. The union government has agreed to provide us with the doses," George added.
A study by researchers at New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, US found that viral buildup in the lungs is the likely driver behind the high mortality rates seen in the Covid-19 pandemic, PTI reported.
Research shows that people who died of the coronavirus had on average 10 times the amount of virus in their lower airways as did severely ill patients who survived their illness. The finding contradicts previous theories that simultaneous infections, such as bacterial pneumonia or overreaction of the body's immune defence system, played major roles in heightened risk of death.
Delhi recorded 28 new Covid-19 cases and one fatality in the last 24 hours. With 53 recoveries, the active cases in the national capital stand at 349.
The Telangana High Court Tuesday stayed a state government order to reopen all schools and educational institutions from Wednesday. The court said educational institutions can continue to conduct online classes.
The court directed the state government to place before it all the precautions that would be taken to ensure the safety of students, teachers and other staff. It also directed the government not to coerce or put pressure on parents to send their children to schools and colleges if they do not feel it is safe.
The high court also directed the government not to take action against students if they do not attend school or college, or the management of educational institutions if students fail to attend. Read more.
A combination of two monoclonal antibody treatments keeps high-risk Covid-19 patients out of the hospital when infected with mild to moderate disease, according to an observational study published in The Lancet’s E-Clinical Medicine journal.
The research enrolled nearly 1,400 patients at Mayo Clinic in the US, of whom 696 received the drug combo between December 2020 and early April, while an equal matched cohort did not receive it. The disease status of the patients was evaluated at 14, 21 and 28 days after treatment.
The study found that at the end of 28 days, 1.6 per cent of those treated were hospitalised versus 4.8 per cent of those who had not been treated. This translated to 60-70 per cent relative reduction in hospitalisation among treated patients, according to the researchers. Read more.
To prevent the spread of Covid-19, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has directed everyone to strictly follow the state government’s instructions which had stated that big public events should not be held to celebrate Janmashtami, Dahi Handi and the Ganesh festival.
“As per the guidelines state government has issued guidelines, the Janmashtami and Dahi Handi celebrations should be done in a simple way. Those violating the guidelines and will face legal action,” said municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar. Read more.
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday raised concern over crowds assembling at public places in Mumbai and said if it was not controlled or restricted, the city would face a similar situation as earlier this year when the number of Covid-19 cases surged, leading to the second wave of the pandemic.
“In our meeting of the administrative committee of the HC, lawyers and other experts held on Monday, an expert, Dr Rahul Pandit, who heads the Special Task Force appointed by the Supreme Court, informed that the third wave of the pandemic is knocking at our doors,” Chief Justice Datta said.
“Unless all the safety protocols are not followed, the state will face an imminent danger. Dr Pandit was also of the view that at least till April 2022, the nation may not get rid of Covid-19,” he said. Read more.
The Karnataka government Monday stated that it will impose a week-long institutional quarantine on those entering from Kerala, in the wake of the high Covid-19 positivity rate in the neighbouring state.
During a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to assess the pandemic situation, it was also decided to relax other restrictions such as the night curfew and reopen schools for grades 6 to 8.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the government will take a decision on relaxing restrictions on Ganesha festival celebrations, on September 5, after getting necessary inputs from the districts and the expert committee, PTI reported.
The Chief Minister who held a meeting with senior Ministers, officials and experts on Monday had deferred a decision on allowing full-fledged Ganesha festival celebrations for which several BJP leaders and groups with Sangh Parivar background were mounting pressure.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the government will take a decision on relaxing restrictions on Ganesha festival celebrations, on September 5, after getting necessary inputs from the districts and the expert committee, PTI reported.
The Chief Minister who held a meeting with senior Ministers, officials and experts on Monday had deferred a decision on allowing full-fledged Ganesha festival celebrations for which several BJP leaders and groups with Sangh Parivar background were mounting pressure.
Only 50 per cent students per class, staggered lunch breaks, mandatory thermal screening, alternate seating, a quarantine room — these are some of the guidelines that schools and colleges in Delhi will have to follow when they reopen on Wednesday.
While schools for Classes IX-XII, colleges and coaching institutions will reopen, it will not be compulsory for students to attend physical classes. Online learning will continue for those who opt out. Those who choose offline classes will have to get the permission of their parents/ guardians.
As India gets ready to face a possible third wave of SARS-CoV-2, World Health Organization (WHO) chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan has said that “India seems to be entering some stage of Covid-19 endemicity where there is low- to moderate-level transmission”. Earlier this year, scientists had indicated in a survey carried out by the journal Nature that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is set to become endemic and would continue to circulate in pockets of the global population.
Endemic means something that is present all the time. For example, said leading virologist Dr Shahid Jameel, influenza is endemic, unlike smallpox which has been eradicated.
“Only those pathogens can be eradicated that don’t have animals (another species) as a reservoir. Smallpox and polio are human virus examples, rinderpest is a cattle virus. This means if there is a virus/pathogen that is present in some animal reservoir like bats, camels or civet cats, then it can transmit again once the level of immunity wanes in the population against the disease caused by it,” Dr Jameel said.
Chandigarh reported 12 new Covid cases on Monday,a long with one fatality. The UT reported six new Covid cases on Monday, taking the total cases to 65,099. The active cases stood at 40. The total number of samples tested in the last 24 hours is 2,073.
As per the ongoing vaccination drive, 4,928 people received the jab.
Mohali: One death, six cases
One person succumbed to the virus on Monday, taking the total fatalities to 1059. Six new cases were also reported, taking the total number of cases to 68,608 with 47 active.
“It is a privilege to be here in my alma mater. It is a place of my dreams. I pray for the well-being and progress of students of my college,” former Pakistan senator Muhammad Hamza had written in the visitors’ book when he had visited his alma mater, SCD Government College, Ludhiana, in 2015.
On Sunday, with the passing of the 92-year-old former member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and West Pakistan Legislative Assembly — SCD Government College lost one of its last alumni living across the border, one who had made Ludhiana proud with an illustrious career in politics in Pakistan — where he had moved during Partition in 1947.
The Karnataka government has decided to allow schools to reopen for classes 6-8 on alternate days from September 6 in regions where the Covid-19 test positivity rate is below two per cent. State Revenue Minister R Ashok, said here on Monday that schools will be reopened at 50 per cent capacity on alternate days, for half a day, with Saturday and Sunday being holidays.
The government had earlier allowed the opening of high school classes 9-12 on August 23. Good attendance was reported in government high schools since August 23, but many private schools have not opened yet. “Out of 6,472 samples of children, only 14 samples have tested positive. This is very low and that is why we have decided to open up offline schooling for more classes in the state,” Ashok said.
India reported 30,941 new Covid-19 cases and 350 deaths in the last 24 hours ending 8 am on Tuesday, according to data from the Union Health Ministry.
Less than 14 lakh samples were tested on Monday, compared to the weekly average of over 17 lakh. Kerala reported 19,622 cases and 132 deaths, while Maharashtra had 3,741 new infections. Active cases have shown a small decline, and have come down to 3,70,640. The death toll has risen to 4,38,560. As many as 3,19,59,680 people have recovered from the disease. The ministry said a total of 64,05,28,644 vaccine doses have been administered in the country so far.
The Karnataka government Monday stated that a week-long institutional quarantine will be imposed on all people entering from Kerala, in the wake of the high Covid-19 positivity rate observed in the neighbouring State.
The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to assess the pandemic situation.
Further details on whether the rule will be applicable to short-term visitors, competitive exam candidates, and date of implementation among other specifics to be informed in a detailed govt order this night or tomorrow morning, sources from the Karnataka CM's office told Indianexpress.com.
The national capital reported 20 cases of the coronavirus and one death on Monday, while the positivity rate stood at 0.04 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here. The capital had not recorded any fatality due to the infection in the past four days. The low number of cases can also be attributed to fewer tests (51,387) conducted the previous day. With the new cases, the overall infection tally in the city climbs to 14,37,736. Over 14.12 lakh patients have recovered from the disease. The death toll stands at 25,081. --PTI
Restrictions on the movement of people enforced at the border with Kerala will continue as there has been no change in the Covid-19 situation in Kerala, Dakshina Kannada district Deputy Commissioner K V Rajendra said. Giving a clarification on reports claiming that the Centre has lifted the requirement of RT-PCR certificates to cross the border, he said the Karnataka government's order mandating the RT-PCR test negative certificates for those coming to DK from Kerala is still in force. The order is meant to contain the spread of Covid-19 and the district administration will continue to implement the same, he said. --PTI
A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which cause COVID-19, has been detected in South Africa and many other countries globally which could be more transmissible and evade protection provided by vaccines, according to study.
Scientists from National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) in South Africa said the potential variant of interest, C.1.2, was first detected in the country in May this year.
C.1.2 has since been found in China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, England, New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland as of August 13, they said. (PTI)
As schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu are set to reopen on September 1, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian said teachers can return to the educational institutions even if they are only partially vaccinated against Covid-19, provided they get their second dose within the prescribed time. The minister also requested all eligible students to get vaccinated.
Subramanian said that more than 90 per cent of teachers in Chennai have been vaccinated. The government has taken steps to accelerate vaccination in 122 colleges in Chennai including government, government-aided, private colleges and all concerned principals have been briefed upon the guidelines, said the minister. He added all the non-teaching staff and their families can get vaccinated through the special camps organised by the government.
Young children, especially those belonging to the age group 5-11 years, gained excess weight during the pandemic, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“When we compared the weight gain among children from 2019 to 2020, we found that there was more weight gained during the pandemic for youths of all ages,” Corinna Koebnick, the senior author of this study, of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s Department of Research & Evaluation, was quoted as saying in the press release issued by Kaiser Permanente.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority Monday issued its order permitting schools, colleges, and other educational institutes to re-open for students in class IX and upwards from September 1. The DDMA has also issued the SOP to be followed in all such institutes while allowing students to return to them.
According to the order, the list of institutes permitted to re-open from Wednesday — with a maximum of 50% of their capacity in classrooms — are schools, colleges, educational/coaching institutes, skill development and training institutes, other training institutes and libraries.
Following a marked improvement in the Covid situation in the national capital, the Delhi government on Friday had announced that schools for classes 9 to 12, colleges and coaching institutions would reopen from September 1.
COVID-19 has devastated many lives and it is "heart wrenching" that the survival of children who lost either or both parents during the pandemic is at stake, the Supreme Court said, but expressed satisfaction over schemes announced by the Centre and states to provide succour to them.
The apex court said that "satisfactory progress" has been made by the Executive in identifying children who have either become orphans or have lost one of their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are glad that the UoI (Union of India) and the state governments/Union Territories have announced schemes to provide succour to the children in need. We have no doubt that the authorities concerned would leave no stone unturned to attend to the immediate basic needs of the crestfallen children," said a bench of justices L Nageswara Rao and Aniruddha Bose. (PTI)
Despite almost two months having gone since the rollout of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine in Delhi, there are only four districts where it is being administered.
The vaccine was initially being administered in a few private hospitals, including Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Madhukar Rainbow Children’s Hospital, Action Cancer Hospital, Batra Hospital and Sarvodaya Medicentre, since late June and early July.
Since the availability has not been extended significantly since then, the numbers have remained low and limited to South, South-East, West and East districts.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope has made a strong case for exercising caution and following Covid-appropriate behaviour, with several festivals like the Ganesh festival, Dussehra and Diwali around the corner. “We need to take learnings from Kerala which saw a massive spike in Covid cases [an approximate 31,000 in a day] post-Onam. We have to ensure Covid-appropriate behaviour,” Tope said.
Tope has also said that in some districts of Maharashtra, where there are not many Covid-19 cases, some schools can be reopened. Towards that end, the state is taking various measures like vaccinating both teaching and non-teaching staff before September 5.
India reported 42,513 new Covid-19 cases and 380 deaths in the last 24 hours ending 8 am on Monday, according to data from the Union Health Ministry.
The number of active cases has risen to 3,76,324 and the death toll has crossed 4,38,210. Kerala, which reported 29,836 new cases, now has over 2.13 lakh active cases. As many as 3,19,23,405 people have recovered from the disease. The ministry said a total of 63.43 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country so far.