During a vaccination drive at a hospital in Ghatkopar, Mumbai. (Express Photo)Coronavirus India Highlights: The Bengal govt has made it mandatory for passengers travelling in flights from Maharashtra, Kerala and 2 other states to produce a negative Covid-19 report, PTI reported.
Earlier today, announcing the next phase of India’s vaccination drive, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar Wednesday said that people above the age of 60 and those above 45 years with co-morbidities will be vaccinated from March 01 at 10,000 government and over 20,000 private vaccination centres. The vaccine will be given free of cost at govt centres, he said.
India reported 13,742 new Covid-19 cases and 104 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to data released by the Union Health Ministry. With this, the country’s total caseload has risen to 1,10,30,176, while the death toll has surged to 1,56,567. The total number of active cases is now at 1,46,907, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease is now over 1,07,26,702, the Ministry said.
A health worker takes a sample of the RT-PCR swab test for diagnosis of Covid-19 at Katraj center in Pune on Monday. (Express photo by Pavan Khengre)
All day in his lab, Sudhi Payyappat leads a team of 20 in carefully examining dozens of sewage samples collected from wastewater treatment plants across New South Wales (NSW) state in Australia. It’s certainly not the most appealing job in the world, but the results he churns out on a daily basis hold significant ramifications: they help millions across Australia in steering clear of the coronavirus.
A methodology developed by Payyappat, a Kerala-born microbiologist settled in Sydney, in March last year has been adopted across Australia for its testing of waste-water to locate fragments of SARS-CoV-2 and thus detect hidden cases within the broader community. Read More
Following protests in neighbouring Kerala’s Kasaragod district after Karnataka made negative RT-PCR test reports mandatory for travellers from Kerala, the Dakshina Kannada district administration announced the temporary suspension of the order.
Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Dr KV Rajendra said, “The order has been temporarily taken back for three days. After this, people have to produce the negative certificate at the border before entering Karnataka. Students and employees will be allowed to come to Karnataka without restrictions.” Read More
Kerala recorded 4,106 new cases of Covid-19 and 17 fatalities on Wednesday.
A total of 5,885 patients recovered from the infection in the last 24 hours. The test positivity rate stood at 5.82 per cent with today being the third consecutive day where it stood below 6 per cent.
Pathanamthitta reported the highest number of cases (512) today, followed by Kozhikode (483) and Ernakulam (473). Read More
With the emergence of two new strains of Covid-19 in three states, guidelines for domestic air travel in India have been revised. States like Maharashtra, which has registered an uptick in Covid-19 cases, has made it compulsory for passengers travelling from select states to produce a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test report on arrival.
The Centre said on Tuesday that two new Covid-19 strains have been detected in three states — Maharashtra, Kerala and Telangana — but there is no scientific evidence to suggest that the recent surge being reported by the first two states is linked to these variants. Read More
Several parts of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) still remain unaffected by the surge in coronavirus infection. Following Mumbai, cases in Thane corporation, Kalyan Dombivali, Navi Mumbai and Panvel corporation have increased, but no worrying spike is noticeable yet in Bhiwandi, Mira Bhayander, Vasai-Virar or Ulhasnagar corporations.
Overall the low caseload in MMR, except Mumbai, could be due to low testing numbers or poor contact tracing. Read More
As cases go up in Maharashtra, Latur district to see 'Janata curfew' on February 27-28, according to news agency PTI.
The one-shot coronavirus vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson provides strong protection against severe disease and death from COVID-19 and may reduce the spread of the virus by vaccinated people, according to new analyses posted online by the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday. More details here.
Mumbai on Wednesday recorded 1,167 new Covid- 19 cases, the highest daily spike in about four months, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
The tally of cases in the country's financial capital thus rose to 3,21,698, while the death toll reached 11,453 with four new fatalities. On Tuesday, the city had reported 643 new cases and three fatalities.
A woman died hours after receiving the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district. A post-mortem will be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of death, an official told PTI.
The Bengal govt has made it mandatory for passengers travelling in flights from Maharashtra, Kerala and 2 other states to produce a negative Covid-19 report, PTI reported.
With the emergence of two new strains of Covid-19 in three states, guidelines for domestic air travel in India have been revised. States like Maharashtra, which has registered an uptick in Covid-19 cases, has made it compulsory for passengers travelling from select states to produce a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test report on arrival. Several other states have also revise protocols. Read the full report here.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his help in the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Stating that it is worrying that the general public will go to the polling stations without any vaccination coverage in the upcoming April-May election, the Chief Minister said the West Bengal government has decided to procure adequate number of Covid-19 vaccines and inoculate the people of the state free of cost. More details here.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Wednesday said that most of the Union Ministers would want to pay to get themselves vaccinated against Covid-19. Prasad's comments came after the government announced that everyone above 60 years of age and those over 45 years with comorbidities will be able to get the Covid-19 vaccine from March 1 for free at government facilities and for a charge at many private hospitals.
Asked whether ministers and the prime minister, who would be in the category of those who can take the vaccination, will get inoculated, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, at a post-Cabinet media briefing, said those who want to take the vaccination will take it at the place of their choosing from March 1.
Considering the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, the civic body in Maharashtra's Nagpur city on Wednesday directed that restaurants, hotels and eateries will remain closed on weekends till further orders, an official said.
This comes after the district administration on Monday ordered the shutting of schools and colleges till March 7.
In a revised order, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has informed that restaurants, hotels and eateries along with shops will remain closed on weekends till further orders, the official said.
However, kitchens of hotels, restaurants and eateries can continue to function for online food delivery, he said.
The order further stated that swimming pools and libraries will also remain closed till March 7, the official said. (PTI)
The Centre on Wednesday (February 24) announced that the country will begin on March 1 the second phase of vaccination of the next priority group: persons above the age of 60 years, as well as those above the age of 45 years with associated comorbidities. So, how do you register for vaccination? Read our explainer here.
Ghana has become the first country in the world to receive vaccines acquired through the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative with a delivery Wednesday of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India in Pune.
The vaccines, delivered by UNICEF, arrived at Accra's Kotoka International Airport early Wednesday and are part of the first wave of COVID-19 vaccines that COVAX is sending to several low- and middle-income countries. Ghana is among 92 countries that have signed onto the COVAX programme, according to a statement by Ghana's acting Minister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah. (AP)
Centre on Wednesday said that vaccination against Covid-19 will also be done across private hospitals and centres but at some cost. The details of the cost will be announced by the health ministry within the next 2-3 days.
People above 60 years of age and those above 45 years of age with comorbidities will be vaccinated at 10,000 govt centre from March 01. The vaccine will be given free of cost, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Wednesday.
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Hong Kong will introduce 120 billion Hong Kong dollars (USD 15.4 billion) in fiscal measures to help businesses and residents impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, as it looks towards economic growth later this year following a recession in 2020. The measures, which include tax relief, loans for the unemployed and consumption vouchers, are aimed at stabilizing the economy, Hong Kong Finance Minister Paul Chan said in a budget speech Wednesday.
He forecast the economy is set to grow 3.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent this year, compared to the economic contraction of 6.1 per cent in 2020. "The budget for 2021 aims to alleviate the hardship and pressure caused by the economic downturn and the epidemic," Chan said.
Unemployed residents can get loans capped at 80,000 Hong Kong dollars (USD 10,300) in a programme that postpones payments for the first year and charges 1 per cent interest. The measures come after Hong Kong last week reported a 7 per cent jobless rate between November and January, the highest since April 2004.
Vouchers worth 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (USD 645) will also be issued in installments to residents to boost consumption. Businesses and individuals will also receive tax relief. Chan said that Hong Kong's fiscal deficit is at a record high, after the government last year spent 300 billion Hong Kong dollars (USD 38.7 billion) on supporting measures, including a cash handout to residents and wage subsidies for businesses. (AP)
The World Health Organization’s global vaccine sharing scheme COVAX delivered its first COVID-19 shots on Wednesday, as the race to get doses to the world’s poorest people and tame the pandemic accelerates.
A flight carrying 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India landed in Ghana’s capital Accra, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), said in a joint statement.
The delivery comes almost a year after the WHO first described the novel coronavirus as a global pandemic and eight months after the launch of the COVAX initiative, aimed at pooling funds from wealthier countries and non-profits to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and distribute it equitably around the world.
The shots will be used to kick-start a vaccination drive that will prioritise frontline health workers and others at high-risk, according to a plan presented by Ghanaian health officials on Friday. (Reuters)
Malaysia on Wednesday launched its COVID-19 inoculation programme, which authorities hope will rein in a spike in infections and help revive an economy that recorded its worst slump in over two decades last year.
Malaysia has set an ambitious target of vaccinating at least 80% of its 32 million people by February next year.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was the first to be given the vaccine, developed by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and German partner BioNTech, as part of government efforts to reassure people of the vaccine’s safety.
After Muhyiddin was given his shot, officials clapped in the health department office in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, before a group of health workers were also vaccinated. (Reuters)
The Centre has deployed high-level multi-disciplinary teams to states across the country -- including Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, MP, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and J&K -- to ascertain the reason behind a recent surge in coronavirus cases, ANI reported.
In a letter to these states, the Health Secretary asked officials to focus on tackling the issue by undertaking aggressive measures to break the chain of transmission and to ensure that RT-PCR testing is amplified.
Nineteen states and union territories have not reported any death due to COVID-19 in a span of 24 hours, while India's active cases stood at 1,46,907 accounting for 1.33 per cent of the total number of infections, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
A total of 13,742 new cases have been reported in a span of 24 hours, whereas 14,037 recoveries were registered during the same period. It has led to a net decline of 399 cases in the total active caseload, the ministry said. Maharashtra reported maximum positive changes with an addition of 298 cases whereas Kerala has recorded maximum negative change with subtraction of 803 cases, the ministry stated.
In the past one week, 12 states have reported more than 100 average daily new cases. These are Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Telangana, Delhi and Haryana. Kerala and Maharashtra reported more than 4,000 average daily new cases in the past week, the ministry said.
Nineteen states and UTs which have not reported any COVID-19 death in a span of 24 hours are Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chandigarh, Assam, Lakshadweep, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. (PTI)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking an extra chance to appear in the UPSC civil services exam by aspirants who have exhausted their last attempt last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A bench headed by Justices AM Khanwilkar said that it is dismissing the plea filed by a civil services aspirant for an extra chance to the candidates who had exhausted their last attempt in examination held in October, 2020 citing difficulties faced in preparations due to the pandemic.
On February 9, the Centre had told the top court that it is against granting one-time relaxation on age limit to UPSC civil service aspirants, including those who had exhausted their last attempt in 2020 exam amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as it will be discriminatory to other candidates. It had said that the candidates who gave their last attempt examination in October 2020 would get one more chance this year provided they are not age barred.
The Centre was initially not willing to concede to giving an extra chance but it was later done at the suggestion of the bench. (PTI)
A fresh set of protocols are in place at the Delhi airport, officials of the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said, days after the Centre issued new guidelines for international passengers travelling to India.
The new protocols say all international passengers have to get tested and upload their negative test reports 72 hours prior to the flight. Passengers from the UK, Europe and Middle East have to get mandatory RT-PCR tests done on arrival, and those whose final destination is Delhi can head home after the swab.
The new guidelines came following increased evidence of circulation of mutant variants of Covid-19, which have been found in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. The broader categorisation was made because there are no direct flights from South Africa and Brazil. Most passengers arriving from these countries come via Europe or the Middle East. Read our report here.
The Bihar Government is “closely monitoring” Covid testing data in the state and has “taken appropriate action” in cases where irregularities have been found, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said in the Assembly Tuesday.
The Chief Minister’s comments came after the RJD raised the issue of alleged “manipulation” in testing data. The main Opposition party had earlier raised the issue in Rajya Sabha and pointed to the findings of an investigation by The Indian Express that found several gaps in data compiled by Primary Health Centres in at least four districts, including fudging of contact details essential for tracing those tested.
“I have been keeping track of Covid testing data each day…. Whenever irregularities have been reported, we have taken appropriate action. We have been closely monitoring it,” the Chief Minister said. He also said that it was the “responsibility of public representatives” to send feedback and suggestions, and even inform his office directly about any anomaly. Read the full report here.
Arunachal Pradesh has not reported any fresh Covid-19 cases in the last five days, a senior health department official said here on Wednesday.
The Covid-19 tally in the state remained at 16,836, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said. One more person recuperated from the infection on Tuesday, taking the total number of coronavirus recoveries in the state to 16,776, he said. Arunachal Pradesh currently has four active Covid-19 cases, while 56 people have succumbed to the infection so far.
The coronavirus recovery rate in the state has touched 99.64 per cent, while the positivity ratio stands at 0.02 per cent and the fatality rate at 0.33 per cent, the official said. Altogether, 4,04,280 samples have been tested for Covid-19, including 330 on Tuesday, the SSO said. Meanwhile, State Immunization Officer (SIO) Dimong Padung said that 27,760 health and frontline workers have received vaccine shots so far in the state. (PTI)
Amid a surge in coronavirus cases across Maharashtra, the District Collector in Jalna has issued an order to shut down all schools, coaching classes and weekly markets until March 31.
Rapid antigen testing of all vegetable, fruit and newspaper vendors will be conducted periodically, Jalna SP V. Deshmukh told ANI.
In the wake of curbs imposed by the Maharashtra government in Amravati, Yavatmal and some other places due to spike in daily COVID-19 cases, working hours of all subordinate courts in five districts will be restricted till further notice.
As per a notice issued by the Bombay High Court's registrar on Tuesday, the Administrative Judge's Committee has decided that from Wednesday, the judicial working hours in Amravati, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Akola and Washim districts will be restricted to five hours a day. The courts in these districts will function in two shifts of two-and-a-half hours each -- from 10.30 am to1 pm and 1.30 pm to 4 pm.
Only those lawyers who have a case listed on a given day, parties appearing in person, accused persons, and witnesses summoned by court will be permitted inside the court premises, the notice said.
Lawyers and parties will be granted entry inside the court room only during their turn for hearing, it said. The notice also directed all court staffers and parties to maintain safety norms and follow the state and Union government's standard operating procedures on COVID-19. This arrangement will continue until further orders, the notice said. (PTI)
The Western Railway is facing an annual revenue loss of about Rs 5,000 crore due to COVID-19 crisis which affected services and led to a drop in the number of train travellers, a senior official has said. Many people are still reluctant to travel by train due to fear of the coronavirus, Western Railway's General Manager Alok Kansal told reporters here on Tuesday.
"We are incurring an annual revenue loss of Rs 5,000 crore in coaching trains (passenger trains) segment due to the COVID-19 crisis," he said. Among the trains being currently operated by the WR, some are running with only 10 per cent occupancy, he said. Kansal said before the outbreak of COVID-19, the Western Railway used to run about 300 passenger trains.
But, the government stopped passenger trains across the country in March last year to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He said the operation of passenger trains is now coming back on track and this is expected to improve the Western Railway's revenue. "During the last 11 months, the Western Railway has gradually restarted 145 out of its 300 passenger trains...about 50 per cent of our passenger trains have been resumed," he said. (PTI)
Even as parts of three districts in Vidarbha went under lockdown Tuesday evening, the region saw a record-breaking 2,866 new cases on Tuesday with five districts of Amravati division accounting for 1,952 and Nagpur division accounting for 914 cases.
The most cases, 926, were detected in Amravati district, followed by Buldana at 416 new cases, Akola at 277, Yavatmal at 246 and Washim at 87 on Tuesday. Amravati saw a big jump of 253 cases in the past 24 hours. Read More
Maharashtra registered 6,218 new COVID-19 cases, with Mumbai accounting for 643 of these, on Tuesday.
The numbers are significantly higher compared to Sunday, when the state had registered 5,210 new cases.
Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General, ICMR, said there was no direct relation between the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra and some other states and the mutant virus strains N440K and E484Q of COVID-19. Read More
The Delhi High Court Tuesday sought a response from the Delhi government and Centre in a petition seeking the release of four persons, including two children, who have been put in institutional quarantine at a hotel in the capital after travelling from the UK, despite testing negative for Covid-19.
Describing it as illegal confinement, the family, in their plea, also sought directions for compensation from the authorities.
The court also issued notice to the Ministries of Civil Aviation and External Affairs. Read More
Maharashtra Immunisation Officer Dr D N Patil was administered the first dose of Covaxin at the Pune District Hospital on Tuesday. “The vaccination coverage is good in Maharashtra, with 10.28 lakh beneficiaries getting the dose,” Dr Patil told The Indian Express.
“We are now expecting the third lot of 11.56 lakh vaccine doses from Serum Institute of India,” he said. Read More
There is no direct relation between the recent surge in Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra and the mutant virus strains N440K and E484Q, the Indian Council of Medical Research said on Tuesday.
Maharashtra reported as many as 6,218 new cases and 51 deaths on Tuesday.
After Akola circle, the number of new infections was the highest in Pune circle with 679 new infections in the city on Tuesday, while Akola circle reported 1,392 cases, including 515 in Amravati. Mumbai circle reported 1,250 new cases while Pune circle reported 1,288. Read More
At least 62 per cent patients who died due to Covid-19 in Haryana were on ventilator, while 20 per cent were on Oxygen support at the time of their death. An audit of Covid-19 fatalities in Haryana revealed that 64 per cent of the victims were aged 60 or above.
Haryana had recorded 3,042 Covid-19 deaths till February 21. No Covid fatality has been reported in the State in last two days. Read More
With the state witnessing a spike in Covid-19 cases, curbs are back in Punjab with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday ordering a limit of 100 on indoor gatherings and 200 on outdoor gatherings from March 1, along with strict enforcement of mask/social distancing etc, with testing to be ramped to 30,000 a day.
Amarinder was chairing a high-level virtual meeting to review the situation. He authorised the DCs to impose night curfew in hotspots in their districts if needed, with micro-containment strategy to be adopted. ENS
Kerala recorded 4,034 new Covid-19 cases and 14 fatalities on Tuesday, but there was an element of hope in the fine print as the test positivity rate in the state stood below 6% for the second consecutive day, with 69,604 samples tested in the last 24 hours.
A total of 4,823 patients have recovered from the infection so far, while the active caseload is currently at 54,665. The fresh deaths have taken the state’s toll to 4,119.
A total of 21 health workers tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, while 3,674 cases were reported to have been transmitted from primary or secondary contacts. Read more
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered to healthcare and frontline workers in the country has crossed 1.19 crore, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.
A total of 1,19,07,392 vaccine doses have been administered through 2,53,434 sessions till 6 pm on Tuesday, according to a provisional report.
The beneficiaries include 64,71,047 healthcare workers (HCWs) who have taken the first dose, 13,21,635 HCWs who have taken the second dose and 41,14,710 frontline workers (FLWs) who have taken the first dose.
While the countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16, the vaccination of FLWs started from February 2.
"A total 1,61,840 vaccine doses were given till 6 pm on Tuesday, the 39th day of nationwide COVID-19 vaccination. Out of which, 98,382 beneficiaries were vaccinated for 1st dose and 63,458 HCWs received 2nd dose of vaccine as per the provisional report," the ministry said, adding that the final reports for the day would be compiled by late night. (PTI)
Amid rising Covid-19 cases, night curfew imposed in Maharashtra's Aurangabad city till March 8, says police. (PTI)
Kerala reported 4,034 new COVID-19 cases and 14 related deaths on Tuesday taking the tally of affected in the state to 10,41,252 and the toll to 4,119.
Health Minister K K Shailaja said 69,604 samples were tested in the state in the last 24 hours and the test positivity rate was 5.80 per cent.
Shailaja said a 72-year old person was found infected with the new strain of the virus from the UK.
"The 72-year-old is the contact of a Kozhikode native, a UK returnee, who was earlier tested positive with the new strain. With these a total of 11 persons have been found positive with the new strain till now," Minister said.
She said out of those affected on Tuesday, 81 reached the state from outside while 3,674 contracted the disease through their contacts.
"The sources of infection of 258 are yet to be traced. As many as 21 health workers are also among the infected," the Minister said in a release. (PTI)
Two variants of SARS-CoV-2 -- N440K and E484K -- have been detected in Maharashtra and Kerala but there is no reason to believe presently that they are responsible for the surge in cases in some districts in these two states, the Centre said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference here, NITI Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul said that 187 people have tested positive for the UK strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the country so far, while six people have detected with the South Africa variant. Also, one person has tested positive for the Brazil variant strain.
"Both the N440K and E484K variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in Maharashtra. In Kerala and Telangana also these variants have been found. Also, three others -- UK, South Africa and Brazil variants are there in the country. But there is no reason for us to believe that they are responsible for the upsurge of the outbreak in some districts of Maharashtra and Kerala," Paul said. (PTI)
Delhi recorded 145 fresh COVID-19 cases and two new fatalities on Tuesday, while the positivity rate stood at 0.25 per cent, authorities said. With this, the toll from the coronavirus infection has grown to 10,903.
On Monday, 128 cases and one death were registered. No death due to COVID-19 was recorded in Delhi on February 17, the third time single-day fatality count stood nil in this month.
On February 9 too, no fatality due to COVID-19 was registered in the national capital, first time this month, and after a gap of nearly nine months.
No death from COVID-19 was recorded on February 13 as well, the second time in February when the single-day fatality count was nil.
On Tuesday, Delhi recorded 145 fresh COVID-19 cases, while the positivity rate stood at 0.25 per cent, authorities said, adding the infection tally in the city rose to 6,38,173 according to the latest health bulletin issued by the city government. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh reported 70 fresh COVID-19 cases, 84 recoveries and one death in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday.
With the addition of the new infections, the tally went up to 8,89,409, according to the latest bulletin.
Recoveries rose to 8,81,666, while the toll mounted to 7,168, it said.
The active cases now stood at 575, it added. (PTI)
The Union Health Ministry has said that to date, there have been 187 individuals detected with UK coronavirus strain, six people with South African strain and one with Brazilian strain. However, there has been no evidence to back that these new variants are responsible for the upsurge of Covid-19 cases in Kerala and Maharashtra, Dr VK Paul, Member of the NITI Aayog, said.
Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Health Ministry said the cumulative positivity rate is 5.19 per cent in the country and is declining rapidly. Kerala and Maharashtra still have 75 per cent active Covid-19 cases. Kerala has 38 per cent of the total active cases of the country while Maharashtra has 37 per cent of the total active cases, he said.
Concerned over the rising coronavirus cases, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh Tuesday ordered fresh guidelines in the state to contain the spread of virus.
The CM said the capacity of indoor gatherings would be restricted to 100 and outdoor gatherings to 200 from March 1, along with strict enforcement on wearing of mask and social distancing. Coronavirus testing would also be ramped to 30,000 a day.
He also authorised the DCs to impose night curfew in hotspots in their districts if needed, with micro containment strategy to be adopted.
The chief minister said a decision on reducing occupancy in cinema halls will be taken after March 1. Private offices and restaurants shall be encouraged to display last tests done for all employees, he said.
West Bengal Power Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, who was advised home isolation after he tested positive for COVID-19 last week, was on Tuesday admitted to a private hospital here as there was no improvement in his condition, health department officials said.
The septuagenarian was taken to the facility after his fever did not subside, the officials said.
The minister will undergo tests to ascertain whether he was still infected with COVID-19 or having other medical problems for which he was not recovering, he said. (PTI)
As many as 39 students and five employees of a hostel tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra's Latur city, an official said on Tuesday.
At least 360 students who live in the hostel underwent COVID-19 test, of which 39 from Classes 9 and 10 have contracted the infection, health officer Mahesh Patil of the Latur Municipal Corporation said.
The infected students are from Classes 9 and 10, he said.
Sixty teaching and non-teaching staff work on the hostel premises, and of these 30 underwent the test and five are infected, he said.
Test reports of the remaining staffers will be available by the end of the day, he said. (PTI)
Odisha's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 3,36,767 on Tuesday as 62 more people tested positive for the infection, a health department official said. Of the fresh cases, 37 were reported from quarantine centres and 25 detected during contact tracing.
Sambalpur district recorded the highest number of new cases at 12, followed by Khurda and Cuttack at seven each. Kandhamal and Nabarangpur districts have turned "coronavirus free" as no active case exists there, the official said.
The state's COVID-19 death toll remained unchanged at 1,914 as no fresh fatality was reported since Friday last week. Fifty-three other coronavirus patients have died in the state due to comorbidities.
Odisha now has 634 active cases, and 3,34,166 people have so far recovered from the disease. (PTI)
The Goa chapter of the Indian Medical Association on Tuesday urged the state government to speed up the COVID-19 vaccination drive in the coastal state to prevent a second wave of the infection.
In a letter to the state authorities, the IMA Goa stated that the important aspect of vaccination is the speed and the coverage, with which at least 60 per cent of the state's population can be vaccinated.
This will reduce the incidence of new cases and save the state from witnessing a second wave, IMA Goa president Vinayak Buvaji said in the letter.
The IMA has requested the government to authorise the local medical association to approve beneficiaries and direct them for vaccination at nearest vaccine booths with ID proof, it said. (PTI)
The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said the recent surge in coronavirus cases is a matter of concern and the opposition in Maharashtra should talk carefully about the COVID-19 crisis, PTI reported.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had on Sunday asked people to follow "COVID-appropriate" behaviour and safety norms, and said he would observe the situation for a week to 15 days and then decide whether to impose another lockdown.
An editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Tuesday said after Thackeray's comments, BJP leader Pravin Darekar remarked that the government should not create an atmosphere of terror and not act like a tyrant regime.
The Sena hit out at the opposition while citing Delhi-based AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria's comment that herd immunity is very difficult to achieve and one should not think of it in practical terms in India, especially in times of variant strains of COVID-19 and waning immunity.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan Tuesday said that India's cumulative vaccination coverage has crossed 1.17 crore. There are less than 1.5 lakh active cases in the country at present.
"Daily deaths have remained below 100 and no new Covid-19 fatality has been reported in 21 states and union territories in the last 24 hours," he said in a tweet.
The most reliable longer-term protection against coronavirus is provided through vaccination, experts said on Monday noting that the immunity afforded by the presence of antibodies might be expected to last only several months.
The experts — Rajeeva Karandikar from the Chennai Mathematical Institute; Shekhar Mande, Director General, CSIR; and M Vidyasagar from IIT Hyderabad — said it is crucial to ensure that the number of cases does not start increasing again as it has in many countries such as Italy, the UK, and the USA.
They said according to both serological surveys as well as model predictions, a substantial fraction of India’s population currently has immunity against the virus, coupled perhaps with some natural form of immunity.
In the light of the increasing rate of spread of coronavirus, the Pune District administration has announced fresh restrictions on night-time movement, large gatherings and operations of restaurants and bars. Below are some visuals of the night curfew in Pune.
With Covid-19 cases on the rise in the industrial city, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation is planning to make available 5,000 beds for new patients. The civic administration has also started the process of setting up of micro-containment zones.
“We are trying to keep 5,000 bed facilities ready to tackle any substantial rise in COVID-19 cases,” Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Patil told The Indian Express.
The civic chief said though Covid Care Centres have been shut down, they can be restarted any moment. “Though the Covid Care Centres have been shut, we will activate them any moment if the cases continue upward movement,” he said.
The rising coronavirus cases in Maharashtra is not the first time that a state has seen a second wave of infections in this epidemic. Delhi has had three distinct waves, each with a bigger peak than the previous one. Punjab and Madhya Pradesh have seen multiple periods of growth and slowdown of infections.
The current situation in Maharashtra and a few other states seems different for several reasons.
Unlike the previous instances, this resurgence in infections has come after a prolonged and sustained slowdown that continued for almost five months. Except Kerala, almost every other state saw their numbers decline considerably during this period. Read more here
There are more than 7,000 coronavirus mutations in India of which some could pose a serious risk, a senior scientist said on Monday.
Rakesh Mishra, Director of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, said among the variants, N440K is spreading a lot more in the southern states.
The CCMB alone has done an exhaustive analysis of over 5,000 coronavirus variants in India and how they have evolved over the course of the pandemic.