A resolution was passed at the conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) on Friday strongly objecting to the WHO's estimates of 4.7 million COVID-19-linked deaths in India. The resolution stated that the modelling methodology used to reach the figure is "flawed" and that the WHO estimate is "unacceptable" to India as the country records Covid deaths systematically following a transparent and legal process, official sources said. On the second day of the CCHFW conference in Kevadia in Gujarat, around 20 state health ministers unanimously rejected the WHO report and urged Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to convey the country's disappointment to the WHO and raise it at higher international forums. Delhi records 1,656 COVID-19 cases, zero fatality; positivity rate 5.39% Delhi recorded 1,656 COVID-19 cases and zero fatality due to the infection on Friday, while the positivity rate stood at 5.39 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. A total of 30,709 tests for the detection of coronavirus were conducted in the city a day before, it stated. With the new cases, the national capital's overall COVID-19 infection tally rose to 18,91,425, while the death toll stood at 26,177, the data showed. The national capital had recorded 1,365 COVID-19 cases and zero fatality due to the infection on Thursday, while the positivity rate had stood at 6.35 per cent. Delhi had reported 1,354 cases with a positivity rate of 7.64 per cent and one fatality due to the disease on Wednesday. On Tuesday, it had reported 1,414 cases with a positivity rate of 5.97 per cent and one death due to the disease. Mumbai reports 117 COVID-19 cases; fourth consecutive day when addition is above 100-mark Mumbai on Friday reported 117 COVID-19 cases, the fourth day in a row when the addition to the tally was above 100, taking the infection count here to 10,60,434, a civic official said. The addition to the tally on Thursday was 130, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official pointed out. The death toll remained unchanged at 19,563, while the recovery count increased by 93 to touch 10,40,165, leaving the metropolis with an active caseload of 706, he said. Of the 117 new cases, only four had to be hospitalized, though none of them need oxygen support, the official said, adding that just 18 of the 25,959 hospital beds earmarked for COVID-19 treatment are currently occupied. As Beijing battles outbreak, China warns 'zero COVID' doubters Beijing residents fretted on Friday over tightening COVID curbs in its biggest district and dozens of new cases reported daily as China's leaders reiterated their resolve to battle the virus and threatened action against critics of their strict measures. Incurring a heavy economic cost and facing rare public criticism on its tightly-policed internet, China is increasingly out of step with the rest of the world where COVID restrictions are being abandoned and vaccines relied on to protect people. Internationally, industry organisations have complained that China's 'zero-COVID' policies have global economic reverberations. At home, the population worries about painful, long-term restrictions. In the latest ratcheting up of restrictions, Beijing authorities on Friday said all non-essential services in its biggest district Chaoyang, home to embassies and large offices, would shut. Mass testing will also resume in at least four districts over the weekend. Hangzhou Asian Games postponed after fresh Covid wave in China The Asian Games, which were to be held from September 10-25 in Hangzhou, have been postponed due to the pandemic, China’s state media reported on Friday. No alternative date has been announced so far. The decision comes at a time when China, where the virus emerged in late 2019, is experiencing its biggest Covid-19 outbreak. The country is battling a record number of daily cases in Shanghai, which has been under lockdown for more than a month. Shanghai is just a short train ride away from Hangzhou, where mass Covid-19 testing began last week to keep a check on rising omicron cases. In the last few days, China’s capital Beijing, too, began tightening its Covid curbs. Explain steps taken to ensure education of kids who lost parents to Covid: Delhi HC to Centre The Delhi High Court has directed the Centre to file an affidavit explaining in detail the steps that have been taken for ensuring continued education of children who lost their parents due to Covid-19. Justice Yashwant Varma also asked the Delhi government to apprise the court whether any steps or measures have been adopted by it independently for continuation of education of such children. The court passed the order in a petition filed by two minors who lost their sole bread-earning parent to Covid-19 in April 2021. Maharashtra plans innovative close-to-home inoculation sessions In order to expedite Covid-19 vaccination especially in the below-18 age group, Maharashtra’s health department is planning innovative methods that include locality and near-to-home based sessions. At least 55 per cent of the beneficiaries in the 12-14 age group have got the first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine while 18 per cent are fully vaccinated. The total beneficiaries in this age group is around 39 lakh. Till May 2 this year, a state health department report indicated district wise performance showing Sangli, Nashik, Ahmednagar topping the charts with more than 80 per cent beneficiaries in this age group getting the first shot of the Covid 19 vaccine. Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur are among 17 districts which have reported figures lower than the state average. Mumbai that has a target population of 3.9 lakh in the age group 12-14 has been able to administer the first dose to 25 percent of the beneficiaries while five per cent have got both shots of the Covid-19 vaccine according to state health department data. 11 girls of Jharkhand residential school test Covid positive As many as 11 students of Kasturba Gandhi Girls Residential School in Jharkhand's Chatra district were tested positive for Covid-19 in the past two days, officials said on Friday. Eight girls of class 12 and two of class 11 were found to be afflicted with the disease on May 4, while another one tested positive for the virus on Thursday. A random test for Covid-19 was conducted by the administration of the institution on April 27. A total of 195 students, as well as staff, underwent RT-PCR tests that day. “We were provided with the test report on May 4 in which 10 students were reported to be positive with Covid-19,” Arundhati Dutta, in charge of Kasturba Gandhi Residential schools in Chatra, told PTI. She said that there were no visible symptoms among the students of the central government-run institute. “Of the 10, eight students went home after their examinations. In view of the test report, a rapid antigen test (RAT) was carried out in the school on Thursday," Dutta said. China builds permanent COVID testing stations for life after lockdown China is setting up thousands of permanent PCR testing stations, with 9,000 already completed in Shanghai alone, as authorities seek to "normalise" tough pandemic controls even after the current round of lockdowns end. At present, nearly 25 million residents in the eastern financial hub of Shanghai remain under some form of lockdown as the city battles China's biggest ever coronavirus outbreak. But in a bid to head off future flare-ups, municipal authorities have been setting up a system that will make regular COVID-19 testing a permanent feature of everyday life, with other cities taking similar steps. Of Shanghai's 9,000 testing sites, 5,000 were already operating, vice-mayor Wu Qing said on Friday. India reports 3,545 new cases; active cases drop to 19,688 India reported 3,545 new Covid-19 infections in a day, taking the total caseload to 4,30,94,938, while the number of active cases declined to 19,688, according to the latest data released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Active cases presently comprise 0.05 per cent of total infections, while the national covid recovery rate stands at 98.74 per cent. With 27 more patients succumbing to the deadly disease, the death toll has climbed to 5,24,002. ‘Science doesn’t lie, Modi does’: Rahul Gandhi on WHO excess deaths reportA Attacking the Narendra Modi government over the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report that claimed Covid-19 deaths in India were heavily underreported, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Friday said “science doesn’t lie. Modi does.” “47 lakh Indians died due to the Covid pandemic. NOT 4.8 lakh as claimed by the Govt,” the Congress leader tweeted this morning. “Respect families who’ve lost loved ones. Support them with the mandated ₹4 lakh compensation.” FDA restricts J&J's Covid-19 vaccine due to blood clot risk The US’ Food and Drug Administration has strictly limited who can receive a dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine due to the risk of rare but serious blood clots. The FDA has said that the shot should only be given to adults who cannot receive a different vaccine or specifically request J&J's vaccine, the Associated Press reported. US authorities have been urging people to get Pfizer or Moderna shots instead of the J&J vaccine. Shanghai says Covid infections on downward trend for 2 weeks Shanghai mayor Qu Qing has said that Covid-19 infections in the city have been dropping consistently for the last two weeks, Reuters reported. “Currently, our city's epidemic prevention and control situation is steadily improving, and the epidemic has come under effective control," he told a news conference. Shanghai reported 4,024 new local asymptomatic coronavirus cases on May 5, down from 4,390 a day earlier. (With inputs from agencies)
