The state has the third highest number of active cases of 77482 in the country. The Kerala government on Friday imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in eight of its districts as the state recorded its highest single day spike of 9,258 Covid cases. The orders will be in effect starting Saturday, 9 am onwards. Not more than five people will be allowed to gather at a time. The infection count touched 2,12,499 today while the death toll rose to 791 with 20 new fatalities. The state has the third highest number of active cases of 77482 in the country.
The country’s caseload rose to 6,394,068 today after over 80,000 cases were recorded in a day. With more than 1,000 people succumbing to the virus during the same period, the number of fatalities also rose to 99,773, according to latest data by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
However, the government also stated that India’s active COVID-19 cases remained less than 10 lakh for the 11th consecutive day and that it continues to maintain its global position of having the maximum number of recovered patients. With 78,877 people having recuperated from COVID-19 in a span of 24 hours, India’s total recoveries surged to 53,52,078 pushing the recovery rate to 83.70 per cent, according to data updated at 8 am.
A first of its kind study on the coronavirus epidemic in India suggests that an overwhelming number of infected people, over 70 per cent, might not be passing on the virus to others. The disease could be spreading only through a small set of infected people.
Globally, over 34 million people have been infected while more than one million have succumbed to the virus. The United States continues to remain the worst-affected followed by India and Brazil. On Friday, US President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania had tested positive for Covd-19 and would go into quarantine.
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation healthcare staff conduct rapid antigen test outside Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha Kochrab Ashram on Wednesday.
Andhra Pradesh reported 6,555 new cases, 7,485 recoveries and 31 deaths in the last 24
The recovery rate of COVID-19 patients in Bihar increased to 92.82 per cent on Friday, while 1431 fresh cases took the tally of positive cases to 1,85,706 in the state, health department bulletin said. Bihar reported four fresh casualties from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll from COVID to 910. Maintaining the momentum of higher number of tests for the virus, the state examined a total of 1,20,128 samples in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said. Over 75.06 lakh samples have been tested across Bihar so far, the bulletin added. The recovery rate of COVID patients in Bihar has been more than 92 per cent for the past one week. A total of 1497 people were cured of the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 1,72,364, the bulletin said. The state has 12,432 active cases of coronavirus at present.
With the UP government allowing programmes in the open outside containment zones in the next phase of coronavirus lockdown, decks have been cleared for holding Durga Puja and other religious events in the upcoming festival season. Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Navneet Sehgal said the district administrations will permit such programmes with necessary availability of face masks, thermal scanners, hand sanitisers and social distancing. The new guidelines will come into effect from October 15 while the festival season will kiCk off with Navratras from October 17. The new guidelines have been issued under which the lockdown will be effective only in containment zones, which have been converted into micro containment areas, he said. Sehgal said in closed halls, permission will be given with 50 per cent capacity but a maximum of 200 people. Earlier this week, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said all precautions must be taken during upcoming festivals in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Kerala government on Friday imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in eight of its districts as the state recorded its highest single day spike of 9,258 Covid cases. The orders will be in effect starting Saturday, 9 am onwards. Not more than five people will be allowed to gather at a time. The infection count touched 2,12,499 today while the death toll rose to 791 with 20 new fatalities. The state has the third highest number of active cases at 77482.
Uttar Pradesh recorded 3,946 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the infection count to 4,06,995 on Friday, according to official data. A total of 3,51,966 COVID-19 patients in the state have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the infection, Additional Chief Secretary Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said. With this, the recovery rate in the state has reached 86.47 per cent, he said. The state has 49,112 active COVID-19 cases, Prasad said, noting that the figure has come below the 50,000-mark after a long time. It was on August 25 that the number of active infection cases was under 50,000 after which it had been increasing, he said. The death toll from the pandemic stands at 5,917 in the state, Prasad said. On Thursday, over 1.62 lakh COVID-19 tests were done in the state, pushing the total number of tests for detection of the infection 1.04 crore, he said.
The COVID-19 lockdown gave the century-old Assam Sahitya Sabha an opportunity to bring back to life the dying art of storytelling, particularly tales from the region's dwindling tribes, proving perhaps that even the darkest cloud can have a silver lining.
A brainchild of Kula Dhar Saikia, Assam's former police chief who now heads the Assam Sahitya Sabha, the campaign that started in July is aimed at popularising once again the art of storytelling and also ensuring that people learn about tribes whose very survival is at risk due due to their declining population. As part of Saikia's efforts, the Sabha has collaborated with the Guwahati division of All India Radio to broadcast a programme on storytelling for children twice a week since July this year.
The choice of stories is eclectic, some picked from famous grandmother tales and others from Aesop's Fables, Jataka's story, Panchatantra and the like. And also tales from various tribal groups.
BJP leader Anupam Hazra, who had recently threatened to hug West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee if he got infected with the virus, has tested positive for the disease, health officials said, PTI reported. Hazra, who was recently been appointed as a national secretary of the saffron party, was admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata, they added. Click here to read more.
The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has extended the suspension of physical hearing till October 16 amid the pandemic. Interim orders, if any, which are operational would remain in force till the next date of hearing, according to a notification issued yesterday. "... the judicial work of the Tribunal (physical hearing) shall remain suspended till 16th October, 2020," SAT said in a notification dated October, 1.
An analysis of 3,345 deaths from coronavirus infection in Pune city till September 29 has found that a majority had co-morbid conditions. At least 99 were brought dead and 2,206 persons, nearly 60 per cent, were above the age of 60. Ramchandra Hankare, outgoing chief medical officer of PMC, told The Indian Express that the latest analysis shows that at least 394 had hypertension and 316 had diabetes. Of the 3,345 deaths, a total of 2219 were males. As many as 123 persons who died due to Covid-19 had ischaemic heart disease. Click here to read more.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to seal sports complexes functioning despite an order to stay shut in an effort to check the spread of Covid-19. “The in-charge of ward offices have been directed to visit various sports complexes in their areas and seal those operating despite orders to keep them shut. Also, legal action should be immediately initiated against those sports complexes,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Kunal Khemnar. The sports complexes mainly include badminton halls, swimming pools, gymnasiums, and other indoor sports venues. Click here to read more.
Telangana registered 2,009 fresh coronavirus cases, pushing the tally of infections to 1.95 lakh, while the toll rose to 1,145 with 10 more fatalities. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) recorded 293 fresh cases, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri 173, Rangareddy 171, Karimnagar 114, Nalgonda 109, Khammam 104 and other districts, a state government bulletin said on Friday, providing data as of 8 PM on October 1. The bulletin said 54,098 samples were tested on October 1.
As External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar heads to Japan next week and participates in the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Quadrilateral grouping on October 6, New Delhi on Thursday said it will be focused on the “post-Covid-19 international order” as well as the “need for coordinating responses to the challenges emerging from the pandemic”. As the first such meeting of Quad foreign ministers’ grouping is taking place amid the tension between India and China over the border standoff, Delhi also said that there will be a discussion on “regional issues”.
After the Centre’s nod to cinema halls, multiplexes and theatres to open with up to 50 per cent seating capacity in areas outside containment zones from October 15, the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) urged state governments, including Maharashtra, to restart operations. Currently, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have not allowed cinema halls to reopen until October 31. On Thursday, state Cultural Affairs Minister Amit Deshmukh tweeted that the government was positive about reopening cinema halls and theatres, but its priority was to ensure the safety of residents amid the pandemic. The latest lockdown guidelines issued by the state Wednesday said cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres in malls and market places, auditoriums, and assembly halls will continue to remain closed.
Mumbai’s 5,000-odd dabbawalas have finally got what they were waiting for months. According to the latest unlock guidelines issued by the Maharashtra government on Wednesday, they can now travel in local trains. But returning from the longest break in the city’s 130-year-old history of tiffin delivery services will not be easy. To begin again, the delivery men now have to grapple with reduced demand, limited access to customers and rusted bicycles. In its latest ‘Mission Begin Again’ notification, the government has directed dabbawalas to procure QR codes from the Mumbai Police commissioner to access railway stations and trains, like persons engaged in other exempted services. Click here to read more.
The discharge applications of 20 foreign nationals, members of the Tablighi Jamaat, were rejected by a magistrate’s court on Thursday that observed that while there was no legal evidence against them that they spread Covid-19, they will continue to face charges for staying in a mosque during the lockdown in March. The foreign nationals – 10 each from Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan – were booked by the D N Nagar police the same month on charges of violating lockdown and visa norms as well as for spreading Covid-19. Click here to read more.
Taking note of the US President's health, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today tweeted: "Wishing my friend @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS a quick recovery and good health."
A second sero survey conducted in Mumbai mid-August has found that 45 per cent of the people in slums and 18 per cent in non-slum pockets were exposed to Covid-19. The latest findings are different from the first survey in July, when 57 per cent of the people in slums were found to have been exposed to the virus. Members of the team that conducted the survey attributed the decline in sero prevalence – number of persons in a population who test positive for a specific disease – in slum areas to the fact that an entirely different set of people was surveyed the second time. Click here to read more.
Delhi Metro is struggling to maintain social distancing inside trains during peak hours, particularly on five stretches, DMRC said in an advisory Thursday, requesting people to stagger their travel timings. It said stretches on Red, Green, Violet and Blue lines are witnessing 100% occupancy during morning and evening peak hours under the current arrangements where alternate seats are left vacant and a limited number of people allowed to commute while standing. “By 100% occupancy, we do not mean coaches are getting occupied like before. What is happening is that during peak hours, trains plying on these stretches are carrying maximum number of passengers possible under prevailing standard operating procedure,” said a Delhi Metro spokesperson.
US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania tested positive for Covid today.
As Covid-19 cases continue to surge, the Kerala government Thursday announced a ban on the assembly of more than five persons. The ban under Section 144 of the CrPC comes into effect from Saturday and will continue till the end of this month. This, in effect, will halt all social and political events in the state in October. It would also nullify the directive in the latest unlock guidelines allowing gatherings of up to 100 persons outside containment zones. District Magistrates were directed to use the relevant provisions and orders under Section 144, CrPC to control the spread of the disease. Strict restrictions shall be imposed in containment zones and in specific areas where the spread of the disease is apprehended.
The Delhi government has deferred the decision on implementing the relaxations offered under unlock 5.0 guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs, with Chief Secretary Vijay Dev ordering “status quo”. The “status quo”, which will continue to keep schools and cinema halls shut among other restrictions, will be in force till October 31 “or further orders, whichever is earlier”, according to the order issued by Dev, in his capacity as the chairperson of the state executive committee of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). The trial run of allowing bars and weekly markets, which was launched on September 9, has been extended till October 31. Under the prevailing arrangements, two weekly markets are allowed per day per zone in all three municipal corporation areas. The Delhi government had previously ordered that all schools in the capital will remain shut till October 5.
Operation Warp Speed, a US government initiative to expedite the development and access of a coronavirus vaccine for its citizens, is being run mainly by military leaders, including four generals, revealed STAT, an American news website that focuses on health-related information. STAT said it had obtained an organisational chart of Operation Warp Speed that, for the first time, has revealed the key people who are running the initiative. The chart, the website said, shows heavy involvement of the US military in the quest to get an early vaccine. It said nearly 60 military officials, including at least four generals, were named on the chart, “many of whom have never worked in healthcare or vaccine development”. Only 29 of the 90 ‘leaders’ on the organisational chart did not work for the US Department of Defense. Click here to read more.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he and first lady Melania would go into quarantine as they await test results after an aide had tested positive for the new coronavirus. “Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid-19,” Trump said on Twitter.
A first of its kind study on the coronavirus epidemic in India suggests that an overwhelming number of infected people, over 70 per cent, might not be passing on the virus to others. The disease could be spreading only through a small set of infected people. A study published in Science magazine has relied on data from over 85,000 confirmed infections in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu till August 1, and nearly six lakh of their contacts who were identified and traced, the largest such study anywhere in the world. It has found that no infection was detected in contacts of nearly 71 per cent of the confirmed positive cases. In other words, over 60,000 of the infected persons did not transmit the disease to any one. Click here to read more.
For the past several months, Durga Ram, a labourer in Jaipur, has been trying to enroll for free foodgrains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. “Each time, people at the e-mitra kiosks say new names are not being added, and the portal is shut,” he said. Ram, who is in his mid-40s and belongs to the nomadic Banjara community, said work has been scarce since the lockdown was imposed, and he makes only Rs 300-400 on the days that he gets any. “Getting some wheat would have helped my family,” he said. The father of two children is among many poor people who have been seeking grain under the NFSA and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), but the state government has stopped adding new beneficiaries. Click here to read more.
The next serological survey to check for the prevalence of antibodies against the novel coronavirus among people will start in Delhi within a fortnight, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Thursday. Seroprevalence of antibodies to COVID-19 reduced to 25.1 per cent in September from nearly 29 per cent last month among people in the national capital, the Delhi High Court was informed on Wednesday. These are the findings of the third round of sero survey carried out by the AAP government in the national capital between September 1 and September 7. The first sero survey was conducted by the Delhi government in collaboration with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The next two surveys were conducted by the Delhi government. PTI
As many as 16.45 lakh Indians have returned from abroad under ‘Vande Bharat” evacuation mission that was launched on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs said Thursday. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the sixth phase of the evacuation process has come to an end and under this, 894 international flights and 142 feeder flights have been operated from 24 countries reaching 24 airports across India.
Nearly five months after it flattened the Covid-19 curve in the second phase of infection drawing praise from the international community, Kerala has galloped into the list of top ten states with maximum caseloads, generating extreme concern among the state’s health officials.
On Wednesday, the state reported a new daily high of 8,830 cases, pushing the tally of the total number of infections beyond 1,96,000. The rise in cases is especially striking because just two weeks ago, the state was reporting between 3,500-4,000 cases daily. The current average growth rate of infections in the last seven days is 4.12%, among the highest in the country. Full report by Vishnu Varma
As the autumn chill ushers people back into homes, classrooms and offices, the coronavirus may resurge even in states that so far have restrained its spread. Why? The virus poses a greater threat in crowded indoor spaces than it does outdoors. Southern states, for example, saw a spike in infections when the temperatures soared this summer, prompting people to remain inside with the air-conditioners humming. “I’m a little concerned we’re going to see that shift to the northern latitudes as the weather gets cold,” said Linsey Marr of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, who studies how viruses move through the air.
In poorly ventilated indoor settings, like most restaurants and bars, the virus can remain suspended in the air for long periods and travel distances beyond six feet, Dr. Marr and other researchers said. This summer, scientists isolated live virus from tiny droplets called aerosols floating in the air as far as 16 feet from an infected patient in a hospital. Read the New York Times story here
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Thursday announced a slew of relaxations amid COVID-19 outbreak, including lifting of night curfew and Sunday lockdown, PTI reported. However, he directed the DGP to strictly enforce wearing of masks at public places and other safety norms. Among the relaxations announced by Amarainder are increasing the guests limit for marriage functions and funerals to 100 in the state, in line with the Centre's guidelines, easing the limit of three persons in a car and 50 per cent capacity in buses, subject to the condition of windows being open, an official release said.
The district administration has issued show-cause notices to 14 private hospitals in Aurangabad of Maharashtra for overcharging Covid patients to the tune of more than Rs 62 lakh, PTI reported Thursday. The hospitals have been directed to furnish their replies to the notices within seven days, a district official said in a press release.
Singapore has quarantined 342 migrant workers living at a dormitory where a new COVID-19 case was confirmed following the routine testing. Safe living measures were "not strictly enforced" in the Space@Tuas dormintory's affected block where the case lived, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Thursday. "As such, 342 residents, who work for 27 employers, living in the affected block were deemed at risk and needed to be quarantined," the ministry said in a statement. The 342 migrants have been placed for 14 days at a government quarantine facility since September 30, a mandatory requirement. (PTI)
Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel tested positive for Covid-19, he said in a tweet on Thursday. 'I request all those who came in close contact with me recently, to self isolate,' he added.
More than 26 lakh people in India were infected with the novel coronavirus in the month of September, which comprises a 71 per cent rise over the number at the end of August. Not surprisingly, almost six lakh of these cases in September were reported from Maharashtra, while Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka contributed about 2.6 lakh each. Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala and Odisha were the other states that saw their total numbers rise by at least one lakh in September. Twelve states doubled their total case numbers during this period. The biggest rise, in relative terms, was recorded in Kerala and Chhattisgarh, the two states which have grown the fastest in September. The number of confirmed infections in Chhattisgarh more than tripled in the last one month, increasing from about 31,000 at the end of August to over 1.1 lakh now. Click here to read more.
After 101 days, former Union minister and former Congress MP from Anand, Bharatsinh Solanki, is set to walk out of CIMS Hospital in Ahmedabad where he has been undergoing treatment since June-end, after testing positive for Covid-19. A release from the hospital claimed his stay in hospital due to Covid-19 was the “longest in Asia” by a Covid patient. Solanki, who recovered from Covid-19 sometime in August was on ventilator support for 51 days and thereafter in rehabilitation in the hospital. The former Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president tested positive for Covid-19 on June 21, two days after contesting in the Rajya Sabha polls.
Despite the country's health systems being under severe strain due to the ongoing pandemic, every effort has been made to ensure that "healthcare services are made available to women, children and adolescents", Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Thursday. "We are in a constant dialogue to ensure that healthcare services are made available to women, children and adolescents remain in focus despite the health systems being under severe strain due to the COVID epidemic," while speaking at the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) 'Accountability Breakfast', through video conference.
The Gujarat government on Wednesday announced a 25 per cent fee reduction in private schools for the current academic year across all boards and has directed the schools not to charge any other fee under co-curricular activities. The decision came after a series of meetings with associations of private schools and parents over the aspect of fees. Also, the schools will not hike the fees for this academic session. Those who have already paid the full fees will get the amount reimbursed as per this decision. However, the fee relief comes with the condition that parents have to pay 50 per cent of the fees by October 31 in order to avail this relief. Click here to read more.
Former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane tested positive for coronavirus today.
West Bengal is on the cusp of breaching the 5,000 mark in terms of deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, becoming the seventh state to reach the dour figure. The toll on Wednesday reached 4,958 with an addition of 59 Covid-19 fatalities in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have so far recorded more than 5,000 Covid-19 deaths. West Bengal’s coronavirus caseload rose to 2,57,049 with an addition of 3,281 since Tuesday.
A 15-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide at her home in Karad in Satara district as she didn’t have a smartphone to attend her school’s online classes, said the district police. The incident took place in Ond village in Karad taluka of Satara district on September 23. While initially a case of sudden death pending probe into causes was registered, subsequent investigation by the police established the cause of the suspected suicide. The girl, Sakshi Aabasaheb Pol, is survived by her younger brother and mother, who is a daily wage labourer.
For Aditya Pachpande, a 14-year-old student from Chinchwad, his role model is Elon Musk. Like the business magnate and chief designer of SpaceX, Aditya has set his sights on doing multiple things. The Std IX student of Indus International School has designed a ‘Suraksha kit’ that has received a patent because of its application of UV-C rays for protection against Covid-19. The teenager has now received a letter from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, stating that the product – a sanitiser box – can be recommended for UV-C sterilisation purpose. Click here to read more.
In a relief to passengers who had booked plane tickets during the Covid-19 lockdown, the Supreme Court Thursday allowed airline companies to set up ‘credit shells’ with life up to March 31, 2021, and a complete refund if the money remained unused on the cut-off date. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah clarified that in cases where tickets were booked through travel agents, the money would be utilised through these agents and not directly by the passenger. The apex court, which had reserved its verdict in the case on September 25, said it was accepting all the suggestions put forth by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regarding the refund of tickets for flights cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Click here to read more.
The Pune Municipal Corporation decided to purchase more antigen detection kits on Wednesday to ensure testing continues at the same pace even if the number of new patients identified every day continues to decrease. "We have decided to procure 50,000 more antigen kits. This is to retain the ongoing rate of testing to identify and isolate infected persons faster,” said Sanjeev Wavare, assistant medical officer, PMC.
The Delhi High Court Wednesday said the rate of testing for coronavirus through RT-PCR in Delhi continues to remain “abysmally low” as compared to the testing being conducted through the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT). The Delhi government meanwhile sought more time to apprise the court about the Covid-19 Expert Committee’s decision on ramping up RT-PCR testing in the capital. The division bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad observed that the highest RT-PCR and other similar testing methods used by the state between September 14 and September 27 on a single day was 11,417 on September 26. The court added the numbers are witnessing a change each day and that testing through RT-PCR plummeted to 7,672 on September 27. Click here to read more.
Celebrity hairstylist Aalim Hakim has tested positive for Covid-19. Hakim, whose clientele includes many A-listers of Bollywood, took to Instagram to share the health update. He added that he is asymptomatic and is in quarantine. Hakim’s post read, “Dear all, I would like to inform everyone that I have tested COVID positive. Fortunately, I was already in quarantine as I had come for a film shoot & the protocol is to be tested upon landing and be in isolation until test reports come out. I am asymptomatic & feeling absolutely fine and I will continue to remain quarantined until I test negative. Thank you for your support & well wishes – Aalim Hakim”.
Amid job losses and salary cuts, this school in Bulandshahr is doing its best to save girl students from child marriage.
As its Covid-19 cases surge, Kerala has now climbed to the third position among states with the highest number of active cases. With a record daily caseload of 8830 reported on Wednesday, the active cases in the state went up to 67,061. Only Maharashtra and Karnataka have more active cases, with 2,60,363 and 1, 07,737, respectively (as on September 29). While the all-India figure for proportion of active cases is 15.42 per cent, Kerala’s is 33 per cent. Though the national average was also 33 per cent on August 1, then the graph of active cases since then has been on a decline, in contrast to Kerala’s northbound graph. The average positivity rate in the state has hovered at around 12 per cent for the last one week.
The suspension of services and subsequently limiting only essential service workers to travel in them following the ‘unlockdown’ have caused losses of Rs 850 crore to Mumbai’s suburban train system so far. The losses of Western Railway (WR) are pegged at Rs 415 crore while that of Central Railway (CR) are Rs 435 crore. CR and WR used to run more than 3,000 services a day before the pandemic, ferrying 7.8 million commuters daily. But from March 21 when the lockdown came into force, the railways shut operations of local trains fully for 70 days, till May 31. Later, following guidelines issued by the Centre and state government, train services were started only for essential service providers.
Resident doctors working in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-run hospitals have criticised the civic body’s latest circular which allows doctors to take only one-day leave after working in a Covid ward before resuming work. Doctors claimed the one-day quarantine period is too short and leaves people who interact with them susceptible to infection. On September 7, BMC issued a circular asking doctors to work in Covid ward, take a day off and then resume duty in non-Covid wards. In KEM and Sion hospital, doctors are working on 10-day duty before they get one-day off. In Nair hospital, doctors are allowed to work for seven days and then get a day off.
Testing for coronavirus underway in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
States and Union Territories can take a decision on whether to open schools from October 15; cinemas and multiplexes will be allowed to open with 50 per cent capacity from the same date; limits on outdoor gatherings have been removed while indoors gatherings will be allowed with 50 per cent capacity — there are among the new unlockdown guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday evening. The guidelines, which are to come into effect from October 15, also say PhD and post-graduate students of science and technology streams — those that may require laboratory work — can open, while a decision to open all colleges “may be taken” by the Department of Higher Education in consultation with the Home Ministry. Click here for more information.
The overall prevalence of Covid antibodies has shown a “significant reduction” during the month of September among people in Delhi as compared to the data brought forth by the serosurvey conducted in August. The latest round of the survey said that Delhi’s overall seroprevalence fell from around 29% in August to 25.1% in September. The study also found seroprevalence to be more among women than men, and people belonging to the low socioeconomic category and those living in unplanned colonies. Click here to read more.
A total of 75,619,781 samples were tested for Covid till September 30. Of these, 1,423,052 samples were tested yesterday.
The Covid-19 tally in India continued to see a daily massive surge in cases even as the Centre on Wednesday announced the guidelines as part of Unlock 5.0 from October 15. On Thursday, the total caseload in the country rose to 6,312,584 after 86,821 cases were recorded in 24 hours. The number of fatalities stood at 98,678. Follow our blog for all the lastest updates.