With lockdown restrictions having eased to a large extent and most activities having resumed, the novel Coronavirus got almost unhindered opportunities in July to spread in the Indian population. The result has been that more than 11 lakh people were found to have been infected with the virus in July. That is almost double the number of infected people before that.
That has meant that, on an average, more than 35,000 people were added every day in the month of July to the confirmed number of infections in the country. In the last three days, this number has been more than 50,000, with each day recording a number higher than the previous day.
Andhra Pradesh saw its Coronavirus numbers increase by almost nine times in July, while in Karnataka the number of infected people rose by more than seven times during this period. Bihar, Assam and Kerala added more than four times the number of infected people they had till June.
In almost every state, the numbers have at least doubled, the only exceptions being Delhi and Gujarat. Delhi, which has shown a remarkable slowdown, saw its numbers grow by 55 per cent in July, while in Gujarat the number of infected increased by 89 per cent.
Besides the easing of lockdown restrictions, another important reason for the phenomenal rise in numbers has been the impressive increasing in the number of tests being carried out. Till the end of June, a total of just over 88 lakh tests had been carried out in the country. In the month of July alone, more than 1.05 crore samples have been tested. The number of daily tests has increased from a level of about two lakh at the end of June to over five lakh now. On Thursday, 6.42 lakh tests were performed in a single day, the highest so far. There are plans to further ramp up the testing infrastructure to enable over 10 lakh tests a day.
In a first, the state government Monday evening cancelled the permission granted to a private hospital in the city to treat COVID-19 patients. The office of the Director of Public Health and Family Welfare found the Deccan Hospitals guilty of “inappropriate and surplus billing” for COVID-19 management services.
Private hospitals in the state were allowed to treat COVID-19 patients from mid-June onwards. In the last month, several instances of hospitals refusing to hand over the body of the deceased to their families for want of full settlement of medical bills, complaints of poor treatment and neglect despite exorbitant charges and denial of treatment have emerged in Hyderabad. This is the first time any action has been taken against a private hospital. Read more
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After eight days of complete lockdown, Tripura Monday announced to introduce unlock measures in all areas except those under containment zones. After the first phase of lockdown in March, the state re-imposed total lockdown for three day on July 27; the lockdown was extended for 72 more hours till August 04 dawn As the lockdown approaches closure, Chief Minister Manoj Kumar issued a notification this evening and said, “….on review of situation, it is felt that more activities need to be reopened in a calibrated manner while continuing with some measures to combat the situation and break the transmission chain of COVID-19 pandemic in the state”
The unlock measures outside containment zones from 5 AM on August 04 till 5 AM on August 11 Tripura has over 200 containment zones, with high concentration in Gomati and Sepahijala districts As per latest reports, Tripura has 5392 COVID-19 cases out of which 27 people have died so far. 3605 others recovered and were discharged from hospitals.
The UK government on Monday said that its new manufacturing pact with the Mumbai-based global pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Wockhardt will guarantee the supply of millions more doses of a COVID-19 vaccine whenever it is ready.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy confirmed it has entered into an 18-month agreement with the company to carry out the crucial “fill and finish” stage of the manufacturing process, which involves dispensing the manufactured vaccine substance into vials ready for it to be distributed.
Described as an essential part of the vaccines supply chain, the deal means Wockhardt will provide these services for the UK government and producers of vaccines being developed around the world in large quantities. “Ensuring the UK has the capability to research, develop and manufacture a safe and effective vaccine is critical in our fight against coronavirus,” said UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma. Click here to read the full report.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has set up a dedicated Covid-19 testing facility for fast detection of coronavirus infection among people living on its campus. The premier science institute had obtained the approval to set up the in-campus lab from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
.”IISc. has got approval from BBMP to start a sample collection facility for COVID-19 testing and for testing the samples at IISc’s COVID-19 test centre to obtain results quickly,” Deputy Registrar Veeranna Kammar said in a press statement.
Officials added that the Institute is in the process of contacting hospitals in the city to help manage dedicated Covid care centres for mild and asymptomatic patients, and for more serious cases being treated at hospitals. Read the full report here.
A day after Manipur Speaker Y. Khemchand Singh claimed that community transmission of Covid-19 has started in Manipur, state Chief Minister N Biren Singh Monday that there is no such thing happening.
“Though evidence of local transmission has been detected there is no community transmission in the state yet,' Singh told reporters.
Singh said that awareness among the people is very much needed to contain further spread of the disease. He also issued an appeal asking people to come out openly for early treatment instead of concealing their Covid-19 status.
CPIM politburo member and former Lok Sabha MP Mohammed Salim, has tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. He has been admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata for treatment.
West Bengal government on Monday revised the dates for the statewide lockdown. The complete shutodown will now be observed on August 5, 8, 20, 21, 27, 28 and 31.
Meanwhile, the state BJP took a swipe at the Bengal government for "deliberately selecting" August 5 for Covid-19 lockdown when the 'bhoomi pujan' (groundbreaking rituals) in Ayodhya for the construction of Ram temple is scheduled. It demanded the TMC ministry to shift the date like it did for the Eid festival, news agency PTI reported.
As per the Unlock-3 guidelines, the Ministry of Home Affairs has removed restrictions on the movement of individuals during the night and has allowed yoga institutions and gymnasiums to open from August 5. On August 3, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released its guidelines to contain the spread of COVID-19 in gymnasiums and yoga institutes.
What are the generic preventive measures?
While yoga institutes and gymnasiums have been allowed, they will remain closed in containment zones. The generic preventive measures will be applicable here too. So, persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years are advised not to use gyms in closed spaces. Yoga institutes and gymnasiums are expected to advise members accordingly.
For those using these facilities or working in them, a new set of guidelines have been released. To know more, read our explainer.
Preparations for the Ram mandir bhoomi poojan in Ayodhya, scheduled for August 5, are on in full swing, with the city being painted in yellow – the colour of knowledge and auspiciousness.
The prayers and the ceremony are to start Tuesday morning with the worship of Lord Hanuman’s mark in Ayodhya, as he is believed to preside over the city. The programme was scheduled for Sunday but was postponed due to the weekend lockdowns in Uttar Pradesh amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Continuous Akhand Ramayan recitation in all local temples and a Deepotsava by lighting oil lamps in houses, temples and the Saryu River on the night of August 4 and 5 have been announced.
An invitation to the programme, written in red and black over a yellow background, has already been mailed to the guests, asking them to be present at Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya by Tuesday 4 pm for the historical bhoomi poojan. The event on Wednesday is to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sources close to the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is the organiser of the event, said that the list of more than 260 invitees has been trimmed to 175, to ensure social distancing. Click here to read the full report.
Uttar Pradesh reported 4,441 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the total to 97,362 as 50 more fatalities pushed the death toll in the state to 1,778. Of the new deaths reported, seven were from Kanpur, six from Varanasi, five each from Lucknow and Lakhimpur Kheri and four each from Meerut and Gorakhpur, among others, an official statement said here. Among the fresh cases of the infection, the highest number of 507 was reported from Lucknow, followed by 415 in Kanpur Nagar and 194 in Varanasi, it said. (PTI)
Social distancing is among the key precautionary measures to protect against and stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. In a study published in PLOS One, a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science, researchers have tried to quantify the efficacy of social distancing measures by analysing the spread of Covid-19 in 134 nations which have varying policies on social distancing. The study was published on July 30. Read our explainer to find out what the study says.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Monday said that the Covid-19 protocol will be strictly followed during the ceremony for Ram temple in Ayodhya. "COVID-19 protocol will be strictly followed at the event. As the prime minister will be here representing 135 crore people, I appeal that only those who have been invited should visit Ayodhya. The rest should remain at their respective places," Adityanath said, adding no laxity will be allowed.
As part of the Maharashtra government's "Mission Begin again," the BMC on Monday in an order said that shops in Mumbai can now remain open on all days on both sides of the road. It also said that malls will also be open for the public from August 05 from 9 am to 7 pm.
Hours after former Tripura health minister and BJP MLA Sudip Roy Barman visited a Covid care centre in a PPE suit, he was a memo by the local administration stating that his visit was "unautorised" and that he would be put under quarantine for 14 days.
The memo, served by West Tripura District Magistrate Sandeep Namdeo Mahatme claimed that Barman had exposed himself to Coivd patients at the centre and had put himself at a high risk of catching the virus. It also said that he would be put under institutional quarantine for seven days followed by seven more days of home quarantine.
In a reply, Barman on Monday said that he feels the DM wrote the notice "under duress" and claimed that some vested interest group has hatched a concerted conspiracy to get him exposed to coronavirus and put his life at risk by quarantining him with other COVID patients and that no Covid test was conducted.
Barman further defended himself saying his visit was not unauthorized as the Director of Health Services, Medical Superintendent of Govind Ballabh Panth (GBP) Hospital – the apex dedicated COVID Care Hospital were informed of his visit prior to his arrival. Barman said he visited the centre after seeing a video clip of a pregnant woman and Covid patient housed in Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel on social media, where she complained of lack of doctor visits and observation at the centre. He also said he visited the patients wearing a full-body PPE kit.
According to the latest list of the World Health Organisation, at least 165 vaccines for novel Coronavirus were being developed across the world. There are possibly more, but still in the early stages, and not listed by WHO. Those that are listed have all entered at least the pre-clinical trials stage. Some of them are in the final stage of human trials, possibly only a few months away from hitting the market (a Russian vaccine promises to be ready in weeks, if not in days), while many others are just getting into animal trials, and are perhaps a couple of years away from becoming ready.
But why are so many vaccines being developed? Do we need so many Coronavirus vaccines? Wouldn’t one be enough? Wouldn’t the first one to hit the market make others redundant? Aren’t then we wasting huge amount of money and resources in duplicating efforts? Shouldn’t everyone collaborate to produce just one effective vaccine, and concentrate our efforts in ensuring that it is made available to all? Click here to read about some possible answers.
The World Health Organization warned on Monday that while there were strong hopes for a COVID-19 vaccine, there might never be a "silver bullet" for the coronavirus that has infected millions around the world.
"There is no silver bullet at the moment and there might never be," director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news briefing from the UN body's headquarters in Geneva.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who is currently undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at a hospital here, on Monday said there was no need for anyone to worry and he will soon get back to work after recovery.
Two new tests, both able to detect the novel coronavirus in just 90 minutes, will be rolled out to hospitals, care homes and laboratories across the UK to increase testing capacity and distinguish between COVID-19 and winter flu in the coming months, the British government said on Monday.
One of the tests, the 90-minute LamPORE swab tests, will be supplied by Oxford Nanopore, an Oxford University spin-off co-founded by Indian-origin CEO Gordon Sanghera, who believes it also offers an "accessible global testing solution," news agency PTI reported.
About 2,300 people, who tested positive for COVID-19 in Lucknow, had given false information pertaining to their names, mobile numbers and addresses, news agency PTI reported on Monday.
While 1,171 people out of those who gave false information have been tracked, a hunt is on for the others.
A senior health official said, "2,290 people who had undergone COVID-19 tests at various private and government laboratories between July 23 and July 31 had given false names, mobile numbers and addresses. This came to the fore when our department could not contact them. We have informed the police about it."
These people are not only from Lucknow but other cities also who were tested in the state capital, he said.
IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has gone into self-isolation, as he had met Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday evening, a source said. Prasad does not have any symptoms and the self-isolation is purely based on the existing protocol, the source added. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and is getting admitted to a hospital following the advice of doctors. (PTI)
Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu have begun to show signs of a stabilisation in their active cases. But these trends are only a few days old, and can change anytime. In the case of Tamil Nadu at least, such a dip in active cases has been observed in an earlier period as well. But for Maharashtra, this is a relatively new trend.
No other major state, apart from Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra is showing any signs of reduction in active cases right now. In fact, the active cases in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Kerala, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, all fast growing states, have been rising rapidly in the last one month
Due to the novel coronavirus, veteran BJP leader Uma Bharti Monday said she would not attend the ground breaking ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5. Instead, Bharti said she would be on the banks of the Saryu river and visit the site and offer prayers to ‘Ram Lalla’ after the event had concluded. Her announcement, made on Twitter, came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah and a couple of Uttar Pradesh BJP leaders tested positive for the disease. Bharti said she was worried about those attending the ceremony, “especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. Bharti also said she had informed the temple authorities and the Prime Minister’s Office to remove her name from the list of attendees.
Telangana reported 983 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally of positive cases in the state to 67,660. With 11 more deaths, the coronavirus toll in the state rose to 551, a state government bulletin said on Monday, providing data as of 8 pm on August 2. Out of the 983 fresh cases, 273 were from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), a substantial fall compared to the previous days, followed by Ranga Reddy (73) and Warangal Urban (57) districts, the bulletin said. GHMC and few other districts which have been reporting higher numbers of positive cases saw a considerable decline in numbers on Sunday. The case fatality rate in the state was 0.81 per cent, while it was 2.13 per cent at the national level, it said.
The death toll due to COVID-19 in Odisha crossed the 200-mark on Monday with 10 more fatalities taking the total to 207, a Health Department official said. At least 1,384 more people have tested positive for the disease, pushing the tally to 36,297, he said. Of the new fatalities, three each were reported from Ganjam and Rayagada districts, two from Gajapati and one each from Kalahandi and Khurda. The fresh cases were reported from 26 districts. Of the 1,384 new cases, 873 were detected in quarantine centres, and 511 in localities. Ganjam district, Odisha's coronavirus hotspot, reported the maximum number of fresh cases at 331, followed by Khurda at 211 and Sambalpur at 93. The number of active cases in the state currently stands at 14,094, while 21,955 people have recovered from the disease so far.
Lok Sabha MP from Sivaganga, Karti Chidambaram has Covid-19. Taking to Twitter, he says, 'I have just tested positive for #Covid. My symptoms are mild and as per medical advice I am under home quarantine. I would urge all those who have recently been in contact with me to follow medical protocol."
How effectively can children spread Covid-19? Until recently, it was widely believed that they are not strong spreaders. Recent studies, however, have suggested that children may spread the novel coronavirus at least as much as adults. A look at some of the research findings
According to the latest list of the World Health Organisation, at least 165 vaccines for novel Coronavirus were being developed across the world. There are possibly more, but still in the early stages, and not listed by WHO. Those that are listed have all entered at least the pre-clinical trials stage. Some of them are in the final stage of human trials, possibly only a few months away from hitting the market (a Russian vaccine promises to be ready in weeks, if not in days), while many others are just getting into animal trials, and are perhaps a couple of years away from becoming ready.
Kosovo Premier Avdullah Hoti said he has contracted Covid-19 and will self-isolate for two weeks while working from home. Hoti, 44, said on his Facebook page that he has “no symptoms, except for a very mild cough.”
With nearly 53,000 new cases (52,972), the number of confirmed infections in India crossed the 18-lakh mark on Monday. As many as 771 casualties took place in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 38,135. Of the 18,03,696 cases, 5,79,357 are active, while 11,86,203 have been cured.
A day after Karanataka CM Yediyurappa tested positive, her daughter has also been infected with the virus. She has been admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru.
CM Yediyurappa, meanwhile, is "doing well" and is "clinically stable." "Hon CM of Karnataka Shri BS Yediyurappa has been admitted to Manipal hospital for observation. He is doing well, is clinically stable and will be monitored closely by our team," Manipal Hospital said in a statement issued late Sunday night, hours after the leader was admitted. Yediyurappa was in home quarantine a couple of weeks ago after some staff members in his home office were found infected with the virus.
New Zealand will not be proceeding with a quarantine-free travel zone with Australia any time soon as a coronavirus outbreak spreads in the state of Victoria, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. Officials from both nations have been working toward a “trans-Tasman bubble” to stimulate tourism and help their economies recover from the pandemic. While New Zealand has no community transmission of the virus, and has so far caught and quarantined anyone infected as they arrive at the border, Victoria has gone into a second lockdown as the outbreak there shows no signs of abating.
As Covid-19 cases climb steadily across the country, touching 17.50 lakh on August 1, general insurance companies, including standalone health insurers, have reported an over 240 per cent jump in claims for treatment for the disease over the previous month. As of July last week, 71,423 people had claimed Rs 1,145.87 crore from insurance companies towards Covid treatment, according to figures compiled by the General Insurance Council, the apex body of all general insurers. On June 22, only 20,965 people had made claims for Rs 323 crore
Despite this jump in insurance claims, in a sign of the low insurance penetration in the country, the health insurance claims received so far amount to just 4.08 per cent of the total number of people infected with the virus so far (17.5 lakh cases as on August 1). The average claim per person works out to Rs 1.60 lakh.
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given nod to the Serum Institute of India (SII) for conducting phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the Oxford University developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the country. Government officials told PTI that the approval for conducting phase 2 and 3 clinical trials by the SII was granted by DCGI Dr V G Somani late Sunday night after a thorough evaluation based on the recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19. "The firm has to submit safety data, evaluated by the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), to the CDSCO before proceeding to phase 3 clinical trials," a senior official said. "As per the study design, each subject will be administered two doses four weeks apart (first dose on day one and second dose on day 29) following which the safety and immunogenicity will be assessed at predefined intervals," the official said.
Singapore will require some incoming travelers who are serving their 14-day stay-home notices outside of dedicated facilities to wear an electronic monitoring device to ensure compliance. The rule will come into effect Aug. 10 and will apply to Singapore citizens, permanent residents, long-term pass holders and work pass holders, the government said.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday. Taking to Twitter, Yediyurappa said: "I have tested positive for coronavirus. Whilst I am fine, I am being hospitalised as a precaution on the recommendation of doctors. I request those who have come in contact with me recently to be observant and exercise self quarantine."
Issuing fresh guidelines for international passengers arriving into India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) Sunday made a seven-day institutional quarantine mandatory for travelers, followed by home isolation for another 7 days.
Exceptions will be given in a few cases — human distress, pregnancy, death in family, serious illness, and parents accompanied by children below 10 years of age. They will be asked to self-isolate at home for 14 days. The new set of guidelines will come into place from August 8. Click here to read more.
In early May, an extremely well-sealed steel box arrived at the cold room of the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker.
Inside, packed in dry ice, sat a tiny 1-milliliter vial from Oxford, England, containing the cellular material for one of the world’s most promising coronavirus vaccines.
Scientists in white lab coats brought the vial to Building 14, carefully poured the contents into a flask, added a medium of vitamins and sugar and began growing billions of cells. Thus began one of the biggest gambles yet in the quest to find the vaccine that will bring the world’s COVID-19 nightmare to an end. Click here to read more.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday wished Home Minister Amit Shah a speedy recovery, after he was found to be suffering from Covid-19.
With several countries gradually opening their air space and lifting lockdown restrictions, ‘non-essential’ travel is slowly gaining traction as major airlines ramp up their services in time for the peak holiday season. However, most countries still have border closures and travel bans in place.
Borders across Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, and some Pacific island nations have begun to reopen to non-essential travel even though many countries across Africa and South America are in lockdown. US border closures remain in place with Europe, Mexico, and Canada.
Moreover, in a bid to kick-start tourism and help economies rebound, governments are implementing “travel bubbles” or air bridges between countries, allowing citizens to travel freely between specified nations. India has implemented a temporary reciprocal arrangement with the US, Germany, and France and more countries like the UK and Canada will soon be added to the list. Click here to read more.
Actor Akshay Kumar equipped the Mumbai Police with health-tracking devices which will help them deal better with the COVID-19 situation, Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray said in a tweet on Saturday.
"Earlier today, Akshay Kumar ji handed over fitness-health tracking devices to Mumbai Police. It gives a constant reading of oxygen, body temp, and heart rate, helpful in COVID battle. Last month, Akshay ji gave it to Nashik Police," the tourism minister tweeted.
Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday wished a speedy recovery to Union home minister Amit Shah and Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit who have tested positive for coronavirus.
"The entire nation's good wishes are with you," the former Maharashtra chief minister said responding to Shah's tweet that he has tested positive for the infection and is getting admitted to a hospital on the advice of doctors.
Police in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district will distribute over 14 lakh face masks to people on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan on Monday, to urge the public to make efforts towards containing the spread of COVID-19.
As part of the drive, titled Ek Rakshasutra Mask ka (one safety string of mask), the police with the support of volunteers will offer masks to people in every police station area of Raigarh, a senior official said on Sunday.
“Right from when the coronavirus outbreak began in March, the Raigarh police have been running several awareness campaigns to sensitise people about the viral infection. The district witnessed a spurt in cases in the last one month,” Raigarh Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh told PTI.
Uttar Pradesh BJP President Swatantra Dev Singh tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday. He has been advised by the doctors to stay in home quarantine.
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Sunday tested positive for Covid-19. "He is asymptomatic and clinically stable," according to a statement issued by the hospital where he was tested. He has been advised to isolate himself at his residence.
Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan was discharged from Nanavati hospital on Sunday. The actor’s son Abhishek Bachchan took to Twitter to share the news.
Abhishek Bachchan tweeted, "My father, thankfully, has tested negative on his latest Covid-19 test and has been discharged from the hospital. He will now be at home and rest. Thank you all for all your prayers and wishes for him.”
Amitabh Bachchan was admitted to Nanavati hospital on July 11 after testing positive for coronavirus. Amitabh had been admitted in the hospital along with his son and actor Abhishek Bachchan, who had also contracted the disease.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday tested positive for Covid-19. "My health is fine but I am being admitted to hospital on the advice of doctors. I request all of you who have come in contact with me in the last few days to please isolate yourself and get your inquiry done," he said in a tweet.
The death toll from coronavirus in Latin America surpassed 2,00,000 on Saturday, as per a Reuters tally. Apart from the United States, Brazil and Mexico have reported more fatalities from the virus than any other country. Together, they account for around 70 per cent of the regional death toll.
Brazil reported a daily record of 1,595 coronavirus-related deaths earlier in the week and 1,088 deaths on Saturday. Mexico, meanwhile, reported 784 fatalities on Saturday and recorded over 9,000 new infections for the first time.
Peru reported 191 deaths due to the disease.
Indian craftspeople and tribal communities are turning masks into art -- from Cheriyal, Saora, to Mata ni Pachedi paintings. Here's a list.
Malls, gymnasiums and restaurants will now be allowed to open in Assam from Monday to Friday till August 15, even as movement of individuals would be strictly prohibited between 6 PM to 6 AM on all weekdays and a complete lockdown will be imposed on weekends
An order by Assam chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said that in Guwahati — the state capital which was under a complete, and then a partial, lockdown, over the last five weeks — malls and gymnasiums will be allowed to open on one side of a road on one day and the other the next. But apart from Guwahati, they would be allowed to open on both sides of roads across the state.
“Inter-district movement of people is allowed on Monday and Tuesday only. No separate permission/approval/e-permit will be required for inter-district movement,” the order said. It added that all government offices would operate with 100% attendance from Monday. The order continued, “Cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars, auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places of the public gathering shall remain closed.”
The administration has also allowed hotels to open.
However, Sunday’s order did not mention anything on vehicles but added that all permitted activities in the earlier order will continue between 7 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday, “subject to the opening of only one side of the street”.
As of Saturday, Assam reported a total of 41,726 COVID cases with 101 deaths and 11,265 active cases. The state’s positivity rate as on Saturday was 5.36% against 27,161 tests in the day.
A registry of hospitalised COVID-19 patients across the country is being mooted to collect real-time data which will help improve treatment outcomes, analyse trends in the progression of the pandemic and calibrate response, officials said.
The ICMR in collaboration with the Health Ministry and the AIIMS is planning to set up the National Clinical Registry which will help researchers and policy makers understand effectiveness of investigational therapies, adverse effects taking place and generate evidence for improving the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
"A systematically collected, comprehensive database covering different regions of the country will enable both researchers and policymakers to generate pertinent hypotheses, to inform crucial understanding of COVID 19, to detect trends in the progression of the pandemic and to accordingly calibrate the response to the pandemic," an official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The reproduction number, or the number of people getting infected by an already infected person on an average, has fallen below 1 in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, for the first time since the novel Coronavirus outbreak began in India in March. When that happens, it usually signals the beginning of the decline of an epidemic in a population group.
The latest projections, made by Sitabhra Sinha and his research group at Institute of Mathematical Sciences in Chennai, thus offer hope, at a time when India is discovering more than 50,000 new cases of infection every day. But there are important caveats. It is only in case of Delhi that this trend (of reproduction number R remaining below 1) has held on for some time, and therefore only in case of Delhi can it be used to make some reliable estimates about a future scenario. In case of Mumbai and Chennai, the present low R-values could just be part of normal variations.
In Delhi’s case, according to the estimates of Sinha’s group, the number of active cases in Delhi could fall below 1,000 by the first week of September. There were about 10,600 active cases in Delhi, as on Friday. Read our explainer here.
Recoveries among COVID-19 patients in India crossed the 11 lakh-mark on Sunday with over 51,000 patients recuperating in a 24-hour span, the highest recorded so far, pushing the recovery rate to 65.44 per cent, the Union health ministry said on Sunday. There are 5,67,730 active cases of the coronavirus infection, which is the "actual caseload" of COVID-19 for the country presently and account for 32.43 per cent of the total cases, it said. All active cases are under medical supervision either in hospitals or in home isolation. With 51,225 patients cured and discharged in a day, India's total recoveries have surged to 11,45,629 and exceeded active cases of COVID-19 by 5,77,899 as on date, while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 2.13 per cent
A potential novel Coronavirus vaccine being developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute had completed clinical trials, and ‘paperwork’ for its ‘registration’ with the country’s regulatory body was underway, Russian media reported on Saturday. Russia’s health minister was quoted in the news reports as saying that a mass vaccination programme, presumably using this vaccine, would be launched in Russia in October and that doctors and teachers would be among the first groups to be vaccinated.
The Russian vaccine has raised concerns because of the speed at which it is being pushed through. It is most likely to be approved without phase-III trials being carried out. Phase-III trials assess whether the vaccine works in real life situations, essentially whether it offers protection to the people against the disease for which it is being developed. Phase-III trials are usually carried out on several thousand volunteers, and takes months or years to be completed. Some earlier news reports from Russia had indicated that phase-III trials would be carried out alongside the deployment of the vaccine for public use. But there was no mention of this fact on Saturday.
Australia’s Victoria declared a state of disaster on Sunday, with the local government implementing a night curfew as part of its harshest restrictions on movement to contain the spread of coronavirus, Reuters reported. State Premier Daniel Andrews said that the new restrictions will be in place for six weeks until mid-September, and will allow only one person per household to go shopping once a day. People in Melbourne will not be allowed to go beyond 5 km from their homes.
Confirmed coronavirus cases are hovering at near record levels in Japan, raising worries the pandemic may be growing more difficult to control. The Tokyo government reported 292 new cases Sunday, about half in their 20s. Japan in total reported 1,540 cases on Saturday— the second straight day the number was above 1,500. Nationwide cases for Sunday will be tallied at midnight. Numbers are usually fewer over the weekend because of fewer tests. Japan has avoided a total lockdown, encouraging business activity while urging people to wear masks, social distance and work from home.
Tamil Nadu went on a total shutdown mode on Sunday with the government imposing intense curbs as part of its anti-coronavirus measures, leaving main roads deserted while most shops, barring pharmacies, remained closed. Roads were virtually empty with no vehicles plying on account of the strict implementation of the curbs, with police making it clear that private vehicles will be allowed only for emergency purposes. While announcing extension of the coronavirus-induced lockdown to August, Chief Minister K Palaniswami had said on July 30 that complete curbs will be in place on all five Sundays this month also, much like in July. There will be no relaxations, he had said.
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players” — taking a cue from Shakespeare, entrepreneur-magician Pravin Sonawane has converted the drawing room of his house into a studio and continued to entertain his viewers ‘live’ using his mobile phone amid the extended lockdown. The gadgets used are simple: a three-legged flower vase for a tripod, rubber contraptions to hold the mobile phone in place, and a light atop it for a spotlight. While live-streaming a trick, Sonawane also uses a headphone to hear and interact with his virtual audience.
Sonawane has live-streamed his shows on online platforms like Zoom, Meetup, Facebook and Instagram, usually with 50 or more viewers. A typical show starts with him pulling a pigeon out of a handkerchief, and gradually moves on to the more routine fire and card tricks. Throughout the show, Sonawane constantly interacts with his audience. See more
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering sealing off Greater London and ordering at-risk members of the population to stay at home under a potential scenario designed to avert a second national lockdown, according to news reports.
Possible measures include locking down the capital if infection rates spike and tightening quarantine rules on those flying into the U.K., The Sunday Telegraph reported. There would be travel curbs in and out of the M25 highway encircling Greater London and a ban on overnight stays, according to the Sunday Times. Elderly people and those considered to have an increased risk from Covid-19 could be asked to stay at home, and “harder” local lockdowns could be ordered than the restrictions already imposed on parts of northern England.
Uttar Pradesh minister Kamal Rani Varun, who had earlier tested positive for the novel coronavirus, died due to the infection in Lucknow on Sunday. Expressing condolences, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called her a “popular public leader who worked efficiently.” “I express my deepest condolences to the family of Cabinet Minister Kamala Rani Varun. She was COVID19 positive and was receiving treatment at SGPGI Hospital. She was a popular public leader & a social worker. She worked efficiently while being the part of the Cabinet,” he tweeted.
A 35-year-old staffer at the India International Centre (IIC) has tested positive for Covid-19, and at least 17 employees are now under home quarantine. The man, a utility worker in the kitchen, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in East Delhi, and has been on leave since July 23.
Kanwal Wali, secretary of the executive committee, IIC, said, “The utility worker last reported to duty on July 22 and asked for a leave till July 31 as his family was sick. On Friday, he called us and said that he has tested positive. We checked who all were on duty with him on July 22 and have asked them to be under home quarantine for five-six days.”