Covid-19 top developments: 1,118 new Covid cases, one more death in Delhi; positivity rate 4.38%

The national capital on Monday had reported 799 new coronavirus cases and three deaths — the single-day fatality count highest in over two months — while the positivity rate had stood at 4.94 per cent.

WHO chief says China’s zero-COVID policy not ‘sustainable’

The head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday China’s zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy is not sustainable given what is now known of the virus, in rare public comments by the U.N. agency on a government’s handling of the pandemic.

“We don’t think that it is sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus and what we now anticipate in the future,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing. “We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts. And we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable… I think a shift would be very important.”

He said increased knowledge about the virus and better tools to combat it also suggested it was time for a change of strategy. Speaking after Tedros, WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said the impact of a “zero-COVID” policy on human rights also needs to be taken into consideration.

Mumbai sees 122 COVID-19 cases, 7th time addition to tally over 100 in May

Mumbai on Tuesday reported 122 COVID-19 cases, a steep rise from the 63 cases detected a day earlier and the seventh time the daily addition to the tally was above the 100-mark this month, a civic official said.

The tally in the metropolis reached 10,60,914 and the fatality count remained unchanged at 19,563, he said.

So far, 10,40,507 persons have been discharged post recovery, including 100 during the day, leaving the city with an active caseload of 844, the official said.

Of the new cases, only two required hospitalization, though they are not in need of oxygen support, the official said, adding that just 25 of the 25,249 hospital beds earmarked for COVID-19 treatment were currently occupied.

Maharashtra reports 223 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths

Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 223 COVID-19 cases and two deaths, taking the overall tally to 78,79,622 and the toll to 1,47,849, a health department official said.

The addition to the COVID-19 tally was a steep rise from the 121 cases recorded in the state on Monday, which incidentally was covered by Mumbai alone that saw 122 infections during the day, he pointed out.

The twin coronavirus-linked deaths took place in Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation limits, part of Thane district which falls in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and in Satara, western Maharashtra, he said.

40 more people test positive for Covid in TN

Tamil Nadu on Tuesday logged 40 fresh COVID-19 infections, pushing the caseload to 34,54,431 while overall death toll remained unchanged at 38,025 with zero fatalities being recorded in the last 24 hours, the Health department said.

Chennai accounted for a majority of new cases with 23, Chengalpet recorded 6, Coimbatore 2, Tiruvallur 2, while Dindigul, Kancheepuram, Krishnagiri, Nagapattinam, Ranipet, Salem, Tiruchirappalli recorded one case each.

The number of people who have recuperated from the viral disease rose to 34,15,965 with 53 more people getting discharged. Tamil Nadu currently has 441 active Covid cases.

Gujarat sees 33 COVID-19 cases, no death; 12 recoveries leave active tally at 173

Gujarat on Tuesday reported 33 COVID-19 cases, which took the tally to 12,24,563, while the death toll remained unchanged at 10,944, a state health department official said.

So far, 12,13,446 persons have been discharged post recovery, including 12 during the day, leaving the state with an active caseload of 173, he said.The new cases comprised 24 from Ahmedabad, eight from Vadodara and one from Jamnagar, the official said.

A government release said 45,073 people were given COVID-19 vaccine jabs during the day, taking the overall number of doses administered in the state to 10.82 crore.

MP logs 30 COVID-19 cases, no death; active tally now 200

The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh reached 10,41,747 on Tuesday after the detection of 30 cases, while there was no addition to the toll, which stood at 10,735, an official said.

The positivity rate, or cases detected per 100 tests, was 0.5 per cent, while the recovery count increased by 29 to touch 10,30,812, leaving the state with 200 active cases, the official informed. With 5,471 samples examined during the day, the number of tests in MP went up to 2,91,53,839, he added.

28 new Covid cases in Telangana

Telangana on Tuesday recorded 28 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 7,92,389 so far. Hyderabad reported the highest number of cases with 20.

A Health Department bulletin said 34 people recuperated from the infection, raising the cumulative number of recoveries to 7,87,901 till date. The recovery rate stood at 99.43 per cent.

No fresh fatality occurred due to the infectious disease and the toll remained at 4,111. The bulletin said 14,753 samples were tested today. The number of active cases was 377, it said.

Chhattisgarh reports 3 COVID-19 cases, 6 recoveries; active tally drops to 34

Chhattisgarh on Tuesday reported three COVID-19 cases, which took the state’s tally to 11,52,321, while the death toll remained unchanged at 14,034, an official said.

The three cases, at a positivity rate of 0.07 per cent, were detected in Raipur, Dhamtari and Jashpur, he added. The recovery count increased by six to touch 11,38,253, leaving the state with 34 active cases, the official said.

With 4,588 samples examined during the day, the tally of tests carried out so far in Chhattisgarh went up to 1,76,76,521, he added.

A healthcare worker collects a swab sample from a passenger for Covid-19 testing amid a surge in coronavirus cases, at a railway station in Prayagraj, Tuesday. (PTI)

Place mechanism followed to ensure compliance of order to regulate online path labs: HC to Delhi govt

The Delhi High Court has directed the AAP government to file an affidavit delineating the mechanism being followed to ensure that the earlier direction to take action against online health service aggregators which are operating illegally and collecting samples for COVID-19 tests is being complied with.

The high court also asked the authorities to mention in the affidavit the steps taken when a complaint is received that a lab is functioning without the requisite licence in the city of Delhi.

The high court was hearing a petition by Dr. Rohit Jain seeking contempt action against the authorities for not adhering to the court’s earlier direction to take action against online health service aggregators which are operating illegally and collecting samples for COVID-19 tests.

Facemasks can reduce Covid severity, pressure on health systems: Study

Effective mask use can drastically slow the spread of COVID-19, reduce the magnitude of the pandemic peak by flattening the curve, and reduce the prevalence of severe cases, according to a study.

Researchers from McMaster University in Canada developed a model to investigate COVID-19 “variolation” — an incidental but potentially beneficial form of immunisation achieved by inhaling smaller doses of the virus than would be inhaled without a mask.

They noted that a form of variolation was deliberately used in the 18th century to control smallpox.

It involved infecting a healthy individual with small doses of the live virus taken from a dried scab or pustule of a person infected with smallpox.

Twelve new COVID-19 cases in Odisha

Odisha on Tuesday recorded 12 new COVID-19 cases, four more than the previous day, with the tally rising to 12,88,222, a health department bulletin said.

The death toll remained at 9,126 as no fresh fatality due to the infection was reported for the last one week, it said. Fifty-three other coronavirus patients have died due to comorbidities so far.

Fifty-two more people recuperated from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 12,78,929, the bulletin said. Odisha now has 114 active cases.

5 new Covid cases in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir recorded five new Covid cases on Tuesday that took the infection tally to 4,54,118, officials said. Of the new cases, three were reported from Jammu district while one each was recorded in Srinagar and Kupwara districts, they said.

There are 58 active cases while the overall recoveries has reached 4,49,309, officials said. The COVID-19 death toll stands at 4,751. No Covid-related fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, officials said.

There were 51 confirmed cases of mucormycosis (black fungus), they added.

Nagaland reports 2 new COVID-19 cases

Nagaland on Tuesday reported two new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 35,492, a health department official said. The two new cases were detected in Dimapur district, he said.

The COVID-19 death toll remained at 760 as no new fatality was reported. The state now has three active COVID-19 cases, while 33,244 people have recovered from the disease and 1,485 patients have migrated to other states, the official said.

Nagaland has so far tested a total of 4,72,691 samples for the infection. Over 17,69,025 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the state so far.

Texas doctor calls U.S. COVID deaths nearing 1 million ‘mindblowing’

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, pulmonologist Joseph Varon offered an opinion that made headlines around the world and went viral on social media. He was fighting two wars, he said: one against COVID and one against stupidity.

As the United States nears the grim milestone of 1 million coronavirus-linked deaths, Varon, chief of critical care and COVID-19 at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas said only one of those battles has been won.

“I think that I have won the fight against the coronavirus. I think I’ve lost the fight against human stupidity,” Varon told Reuters. “The reason why we have lost a million people in this country is because of that fight against human stupidity. I can tell you that the number of deaths that we will have would have been much more smaller if people just listen and do the right thing, if they have a little bit of common sense,” he said.

COVID-19 infections are rising again in the United States, and around 66% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, according to federal data. Most U.S. states and localities have eased mask and vaccination requirements.

Residents wearing masks line up for mass Covid testing in Beijing on Tuesday. China’s capital began another round of three days of mass testing for millions of its residents Tuesday in a bid to prevent an outbreak from growing to Shanghai proportions. (AP)

Shanghai disinfects homes, closes all subways in COVID fight

Teams in white protective suits are entering the homes of coronavirus-infected people to spray disinfectant as Shanghai tries to root out an omicron outbreak under China’s strict “zero-COVID” strategy.

City official Jin Chen said Tuesday that in older communities with shared bathrooms and kitchens, the homes of anyone else who uses those facilities will also be disinfected. He tried to address public concern about damage to clothing and valuables, saying residents can inform the teams about anything that needs protection.

Shanghai also suspended service on the last two subway lines that were still operating Tuesday, marking the first time the city’s entire system has been shut down, according to The Paper, an online media outlet.

India reports 2,288 Covid-19 cases, 10 deaths in last 24 hours

India Tuesday reported 2,288 new Covid-19 cases and 10 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the data by Union Health Ministry. As many as  3,044 people recovered during the same period and the active cases have reached 19,637. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.47 per cent. Tuesday’s numbers were less than Monday’s 3,207 cases and 29 deaths.

Meanwhile, a day after the National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad campus was declared micro-containment zone following 24 students testing positive for Covid-19, a team from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) took samples of nearly 600 persons, including students and staff, of the institute on Monday.

In the past two days, total 745 samples were collected from the NID, barely a month after the institute resumed regular offline classes. Ten health teams of the AMC with over 20 staff stationed on the campus on Monday collected 575 samples for RT-PCR test and another 20 for RAT, while on Sunday 147 samples for RAT were collected.

“Three more students tested positive in NID on Monday, taking the number to six in two days. The results of samples collected today are expected later tonight or by tomorrow, which will give a clear picture… So far, we have collected over 700 samples from NID in two days,” said AMC’s deputy health officer Dr Chirag Shah.

(With inputs from agencies)

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