Coronavirus August 1, Updates: At 2.15%, fatality rate lowest since lockdown, nearly 11 lakh people recovered

A 55-year-old Sub Inspector from Kerala undergoing treatment for COVID-19 died late on Friday after suffering a heart attack, making him the first casualty from the force in the state. V P Ajithan, who was attached to the Idukki special branch, was activelyengaged in Covid duty, a police press release said The SI, a diabetic and with a a heart ailment, was undergoing treatment at the Idukki medical college hospital after he tested positive. However, he was shifted to Kottayam Medical College hospital after his condition worsened, the release said.

He died at around 11.30 pm on Friday night after suffering a heart attack. The funeral of the officer was held this evening at Idukki with police honours. He leaves behind his wife and two children. In a Facebook post, DGP Loknath Behera condoled his death and said "losing a member of the family untimely is very sad and unfortunate. I only wish that other members of the Kerala Police family remain healthy and safe.

All help and assistance shall be provided to the family", he said. At least 108 police personnel have been infected by the virus so far and over 80 have been cured, police sources said. The DGP also issued guidelines stating that those aged over 50 years should not be put on Covid duty and must be assigned only station work. Those less than 50 years of age, but suffering from comorbidity issues also should not be assigned covid duties Senior officers should monitor the health of the policemen on duty,the DGP was quoted as having said.

Karnataka's COVID-19 tally rose to 1.29 lakh with the state on Saturday recording 5,172 fresh infections and 98 fatalities. The death toll mounted to 2,412 with the new fatalities. There were as many as 53,648 discharges including 3,860 on Saturday whereas there were 73,219 active cases in the state including 602 in the ICU, the department said in a statement. The spike in cases and deaths on Saturday was led by Bengaluru Urban district, which recorded 1,852 fresh cases and 27 deaths. The city has so far reported 57,396 cases and 1,056 deaths. There are 37,760 active cases including 338 in the ICU and 18,579 discharges including 1,683 in Bengaluru.

Abhishek Bachchan is a happy Chelsea fan as the actor has received a special letter from the football club, wishing him a speedy recovery from COVID-19. The 44-year-old actor, who is currently admitted to Nanavati hospital along with his father Amitabh Bachchan, shared the photo of the letter on Instagram. "This made my week. Thank you so much @chelseafc The only thing that would top this is winning the FA Cup this evening. Come on Chelsea!!! #ktbffh," Abhishek wrote in the caption. ln the letter, Chelsea captain Cesar" Azpilicueta said that he along with the players of the club were moved when they heard about what Bachchan testing positive for coronavirus. "We heard you aren't very well at the moment and just wanted to get in touch to wish you all the best. I know the players and I were very moved when we heard about what you have been going through and we just wanted to let you know that we are thinking of you and your family in what I can imagine are difficult times. "On behalf of all the players and everyone at Chelsea may I send you all our best wishes," Azpilicueta wrote in the letter

 

 

 

 

 

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This made my week. Thank you so much @chelseafc The only thing that would top this is winning the FA Cup this evening. Come on Chelsea!!! #ktbffh @cesarazpi

A post shared by Abhishek Bachchan (@bachchan) on Aug 1, 2020 at 12:23am PDT

For the first time since a spurt in COVID-19 cases, Tripura has registered more number of recoveries than fresh infections on a single day, a health official said on Saturday. While the state's COVID-19 caseload inched towards the 5,000-mark as 275 more people tested positive for the infection, a record 365 people were cured of the disease and discharged from various Corona Care Centres (CCCs) and District Corona Hospitals (DCHs) on Friday. The new cases have pushed the virus count in the state to 4,998, of which 3,327 people have been cured of the disease.

Forty-seven more people died from coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday as 3,807 fresh cases took the state's infection tally to 89,068. So far, the infection has claimed 1,677 lives in the state, Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters on Saturday. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 89,068, up from Friday's 85,261, Prasad added. Prasad further said 51,354 patients have been discharged after treatment, bringing the number of active cases to 36,037 in the state. He said 93,381 samples were tested on Friday. Till now, over 24.18 lakh samples have been tested in the state, he said.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday said that Covid-19 Fatality Rate has come down to 2.15 per cent today. " It is the lowest since the first lockdown started. It has been continuously reducing from around 3.33% in mid-June," said the health ministry.

The total number of recovered cases is nearly 11 lakh. With 36,569 patients discharged in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries have jumped to 10,94,374. The recovery rate stands at 64.53% amongst COVID-19 patients

Two elderly people succumbed to Covid-19 in Puducherry, while 139 new cases were reported on Saturday. The Union Territory now has 3,593 cases of coronavirus, Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a press release.

There are 1,357 active cases in the union territory now, while 2,185 have recovered from the infection. Nearly 39,707 samples have been tested so far.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s home district Ganjam became the first in the state to record over 10,000 cases of Covid-19, besides reporting 94 deaths, an official said on Friday. Following the detection of 368 new cases, the districts’ tally increased to 10,364. Further, four patients died during the day, he said.

Though Odisha’s first Covid-19 case was detected on March 15, Ganjam remained a green zone till the arrival of migrant workers, mostly from Surat in Gujarat. The district reported its first Covid-19 case on May 2 with two people who returned from Surat testing positive. About 3 lakh migrant workers have returned to the district, officials said.

Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol has alleged that at least 400 suspected Covid-19 deaths have gone unaccounted for in the city in July. Mohol said there were at least 400 to 500 deaths of suspected coronavirus patients are going unaccounted for in Sassoon General Hospital and private hospitals in the city.

“There are at least 12 deaths of suspected coronavirus patients that are going unaccounted for in Sassoon hospital daily. Similar cases are taking place in private hospitals also,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.

The Mayor said he raised the issue with CM Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday, when he took stock of the Covid-19 situation.

A senior official Saturday said the coronavirus-induced lockdown in the containment zones of Maharashtra’s Thane district has been extended till August 31. District Collector Rajesh Narvekar said in a video address that concessions granted to non-containment zones and the state government’s guidelines will be applicable to Thane rural, municipal council and Nagar Panchayat limits.

As many as 132 cases of coronavirus were detected from Majiwada-Manpada locality of Thane on Friday, deputy commissioner of Thane Municipal Corporation Sandeep Malawi said. Thane district has at least 85,956 Covid-19 cases, with 2,365 deaths.

The second round of sero-prevalence survey began in Delhi on Saturday, with the five-day exercise set to cover various demographic segments and all districts, news agency PTI reported. The exercise is being done as a part of a comprehensive assessment of the coronavirus situation in the national capital.

A senior government official told PTI 15,000 samples would be collected from August 1 to 5 as part of the exercise, spanning different areas and age groups. Representative samples will be taken from all 11 districts.

A sero-prevalence survey involves testing the blood serum to check for the prevalence of antibodies.

The last sero-prevalence survey was conducted by the Delhi government from June 27 to July 10. It found that around 23 per cent of the people surveyed had been exposed to the novel coronavirus. The survey had tested 21,387 samples.

Delhi Government begins monthly serosurvey in the city: Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Delhi Government begins monthly serosurvey in the city: Chief Minister's Office (CMO) #COVID19 https://t.co/xCaTe6xofq pic.twitter.com/V37xrA3M4d

— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2020

Telangana reported 2,083 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single day spike so far, breaching the two thousand mark for the first time, taking the tally of positive cases in the state to 64,786. With 11 more deaths, the COVID-19 toll in the state rose to 530, a state government bulletin said on Saturday, providing data as of 8 pm on July 31.

While the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the epicentre of the virus spread in the state, continues to report a high number of cases, there has been a sharp rise in theinfections being reported from different districts, including Ranga Reddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Sangareddy, Warangal Urban and Karimnagar.

In a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection among its medical staff, the state-run J J Hospital here has developed a transport chamber for contactless movement of COVID-19 patients within the premises. Developed by the general surgery department of the hospital with the help of engineers of a firm named Indomed Devices, the patient transport 'kavach' aims to reduce the risk of infection among the hospital staff, visitors and other patients.

Sanskrit word 'kavach' literally means an armour. "The cost-effective glass transport trolley has a HEPA filter at the head end, which filters out particles as small as 0.02 microns," said Amol Wagh, assistant professor of surgery at J J Hospital.

It has not opened its borders fully yet but the Andhra Pradesh government is now liberalising inter-state movement of people in tune with the Unlock 3.0 guidelines issued by the Centre. People coming into AP will now only need to register their details on the government's Spandana portal to obtain an entry pass, according to Principal Secretary (Transport) M T Krishna Babu.

The system would be operational from August 2 on spandana.ap.gov.in portal. "An auto-generated e-pass will be sent to the persons mobile as well as email. They can carry the auto generated e-pass along with a valid identity proof to get entry at the border checkpost," Krishna Babu, who is also the state nodal officer, said in a release.

All the states in the country need to emulate the "Delhi model" for controlling the spread of the coronavirus, Union Minister of state from Home G Kishan Reddy said here on Saturday.

"I am requesting the state government (Telangana) to focus on testing, tracing and treatment. There is a need to increase the number of tests (in Telangana). The more number of the tests, the faster the containment of the disease. You know, Delhi as a union territory I am personally monitoring. There is 84 per cent recovery rate in Delhi. All the states should emulate the Delhi model," he told reporters.

From chanting of 'Mahamrityunjay' mantra to offering special prayers at temples, people in parts of Goa have started seeking "divine intervention" in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the state, where the infection count has gone above 5,900 so far. The coastal state, which was declared a COVID-19 green zone on May 1, had started witnessing a spurt in the number of cases a few days after that.

The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), the oldest regional political outfit in the state, said it has organised chanting of 'Mahamrityunjay' mantra in temples across Goa against the pandemic. MGP leader and party MLA Sudin Dhavalikar said that this mantra would be chanted one lakh times in each temple across the state.

Should you get tested just to check your status?

It is not advisable – because the probability of being wrongly identified as Covid-19 positive is significant. When no test for the virus is 100% accurate, the key aspect to consider is the prevalence of the disease in the population that is being tested

If I test positive, do I have the disease?

The unequivocal answer to the question is: Maybe.

This uncertainty exists because few diagnostic tests are 100% accurate. The inaccuracy coupled with disease prevalence makes a positive result open to interpretation, and not a definite judgment on the health status.

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. Read More

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has issued state-wise fresh guidelines for domestic passengers. Here's are details for people arriving in Kolkata. 

Congress leader PC Sharma Saturday said that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. "I have tested positive for COVID-19. I am healthy for now and undergoing medical treatment at Chirayu Hospital. I appeal to all who met me to get tested and quarantine themselves."

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— P C Sharma (@pcsharmainc) July 31, 2020

Rabia Ahmad is a little tired but can’t contain her smile as she sits on a wheelchair at the entrance of Greater Noida’s Sharda Hospital. A patient of Alzheimer’s with dementia, the 105-year-old, hailing from Afghanistan and a resident of France, has recoveredfrom coronavirus. As she was discharged on Friday, a group of doctors and nurses bid her farewell.

She was hospitalised on July 16, after testing positive, with symptoms of fever, breathlessness and altered sensorium. According to a hospital official, she was immediately shifted to the ICU due to her age and critical condition.

With India reporting 57,117 cases and 764 deaths in the last 24 hours, the total number of coronavirus infections reached 16,95,988 and toll rose to 36,511 on Saturday. Of the total, 5,65,103 are active cases while 10,94,37 people have been treated and discharged so far. according to latest data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Maharashtra continues to remain the worst-affected state at over 4 lakh cases.

Anthony Fauci, a top infectious disease expert in the United States, has said he was “cautiously optimistic” that a vaccine for novel Coronavirus would be a “reality” by the end of this year, or “as we go into 2021”. But he also seemed to cast doubts over vaccines being developed in Russia and China, at least one of which is planned to be approved within the next two weeks.

“I do hope that the Chinese and the Russians are actually testing the vaccines before they are administering the vaccine to anyone. Because claims of having a vaccine ready to distribute before you do testing is problematic at the very least,” Fauci said.

The Mizoram government on Friday extended state-wide partial lockdown till August 31 to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, as per a notification issued on Friday.

According to the order, all international and inter-state borders will continue to remain closed, barring three entry points -- Vairengte and Bairabi on the Mizoram-Assam border and Kanhmun on the state's border with Tripura, which will be opened for the movement of commodities.

Lengpui airport will continue to operate during the extended lockdown. The new guideline allowed inter-district and intra-state movement for commercial and private vehicles. (PTI)

Nagaland on Friday reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases, with 126 more people testing positive for the infection, officials said. The new cases have taken the virus count in the state to 1,692, they said. Dimapur district reported 95 new cases while Kohima registered 31, Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom said.

The fresh infections have pushed the number of active cases in the state to 1,062, while 625 people have recovered from COVID-19 and five patients have died of it, the officials said. The state had registered its previous highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases on July 23 when 90 people had tested positive for the infection, they said.

Nagaland had reported its first coronavirus cases on May 25 after three returnees from Chennai tested positive for the infection. The state has witnessed a steady rise in the number of COVID-19 cases since then. Dimapur district has so far registered the highest number of cases at 703, followed by Kohima (474), Peren (252) and Mon (148). Kiphire is the only virus-free district in the state, the officials said. The recovery rate among the COVID-19 patients in Nagaland is 36.93 per cent, they added. Chief Secretary Temjen Toy has issued a set of guidelines restricting the movement and gathering of people in the state during the lockdown period, which has been extended till August 31 in the wake of a spurt in coronavirus cases.

A 38 year old man from Thoubal district succumbed to Covid-19 at JNIMS hospital early Friday morning. The deceased was suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Meanwhile, 80 security personnel were among 116 tested who positive for Coronavirus on Friday. With this the total number of positive cases in Manipur stands at 2621 of which 931 active cases and 1689 recovered. The total recovery rate is 64.44 percent.

As reported by Jimmy Leivon

A major coronavirus hotspot has emerged in a remote village in this district with a total of 199 people testing positive so far after eight members of two families contracted it first. As many as 169 people tested positive in Valad ward of Thavinhal panchayath till Thursday and 30 more on Friday, taking the infection count to 199 as authorities undertook extensive screening of primary and secondary contacts since early this week, officials said. "The panchayat has been made a containment zone since Monday and we are hopeful of containing further spread of the virus," health department sources said.

The hilly Wayanad district has a total of 310 positive cases so far and 2,753 people are under observation. It all began with seven members belonging to two families, related to each other, turned positive for the deadly virus last week after attending a funeral of a relative who died of COVID-19 at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital recently.

Besides, another family member who attended a wedding last week, also tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total cases in Valad to eight. The health authorities conducted rapid antigen tests in the area after tracing the primary and secondary contacts of the eight and detected 83 positive cases on Tuesday and Wednesday. A Thavinhal panchayat official said rigorous testing by three different groups of medical teams, comprising five doctors and paramedical staff each, made it possible to test over 250 people on Wednesday alone. According to Health department sources, the estimated primary contacts in this area could be over 500 and the secondary contacts between 1,500 to 2,000.

Jammu and Kashmir registered 490 more novel coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections over the 20,000 mark on Friday, while the death toll rose to 377 with 12 more fatalities, officials said.

There are 7,765 active cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), while 12,217 patients have recovered so far, according to the officials. Two out of the 12 new fatalities were from the Jammu region, while 10 were from the Kashmir Valley. The death toll from the pandemic rose to 377 -- 349 in Kashmir and 28 in Jammu, the officials said.

Out of the 490 new cases, the highest number of 128 infections were from Srinagar, followed by 85 in Pulwama district. As many as 143 new COVID-19 cases were from Jammu, while 347 were from the Valley, taking the tally to 20,359, the officials said. The new cases detected include 64 people who had returned to the Union territory recently, the officials added.

The Sikkim government on Frida extended the complete lockdown in the state till August 3 i view of a spurt in COVID-19 cases, a senior official said. As per the revised guidelines from the Hom Department, the lockdown remains extended till 6 am on Augus 3, a notification issued by Chief Secretary S C Gupta said.

A set of revised guidelines with regard t restrictions on movement and gathering of people, however will come into force on August 3 and will be applicable til August 31, he said. The Sikkim government had reimposed a complet lockdown in the state on July 20 for six days and extended i till August 1 in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Himalayan state has recorded a nearly seven-fol increase in coronavirus cases in the last one month registering a total of 610 infections till July 30. On COVID-19 patient has died and 395 are under treatment 'The virus count in the state was 88 till June 30, a per data released by the Health Department.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has extended the ban on international scheduled flight operations till August 31. Earlier deadline was till July 31. 

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had tried to "scare" people by claiming that COVID-19 cases in Delhi will reach 5.5 lakh by July 31, but the situation was brought under control with the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the city BJP unit said on Friday. In June, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader had said that Delhi was likely to have 5.5 lakh novel coronavirus cases by the end of July and 80,000 beds would be needed to accommodate patients.

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta in a press conference asked the Arvind Kejriwal government to answer why it had tried to "scare" people with Sisodia claiming that there would be 5.5 lakh coronavirus cases by July 31. There was no immediate reaction from Sisodia or the AAP on the issue.

The national capital has seen a drop in the number of active cases over the past few days. On Thursday, Delhi had 10,743 active cases, down from 10,770 on Wednesday, 10,887 on Tuesday, 10,994 on Monday and 11,904 on Sunday. The number of active cases was 27,007 on July 1, according to health department bulletins. "The situation was beyond control of the Delhi government and when Home Minister Amit Shah intervened in mid-June, the cases of COVID-19 started declining, bed availability improved and now the Kejriwal government is taking credit for it," Gupta claimed. (PTI)

A day after the central government released guidelines for Unlock 3.0, the Karnataka government has announced to lift the total lockdown on Sunday and the daily night curfew in the state.

The state government had imposed a total lockdown on all Sundays and also had a night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am. “In accordance with the unlock 3.0 guidelines from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Sunday lockdown on 2 August has been lifted along with night curfew from 1 August between 9 pm and 5 am,” state Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar said in an order on Thursday.

The guidelines will be effected from August 1 and valid till August 31. Meanwhile, the educational institutions, including coaching centres, will remain closed till August 31. Theatres, swimming pools, entertainment parks, bars, auditoriums, assembly halls, and similar places will be closed. READ MORE

The civic body in Bhiwandi city of Maharashtra today urged citizens to celebrate Bakrid at their homes and not assemble in public places, especially mosques, PTI reported. The gathering of people in large numbers is not advisable in light of the pandemic, said Dr Pankaj Ashiya, municipal commissioner of the Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation, was quoted as saying by PTI. Issuing an order to the effect, he also appealed to the citizens to conduct the 'qurbani' ritual in a symbolic manner during the celebrations on August 1. Palghar district collector Dr Kailas Shinde also issued a similar order banning Bakrid celebrations in public places.

The monsoon session of the Chhattisgarh legislative Assembly will begin from August 25 and will be restricted to just four days in light of the pandemic, an Assembly official said on Friday. As per an official notification, the seventh session of the fifth state Assembly will begin on August 25 and conclude on August 28. As the session will be held amid the coronavirus crisis, precautionary guidelines for it will be issued very soon, said Chandra Shekhar Gangrade, principal secretary of the Chhattisgarh legislative Assembly. There will be Question Hour on all four days, along with works pertaining to financial and government affairs, the notification stated. On the last day, a time slot of two and a half hours has been allotted for non-government affairs, it was stated.

The KEM Hospital and Research Centre at Vadu, 20 km from Pune, is planning to conduct a sentinel sero-surveillance to monitor the trend of SARS-nCoV-2 infection transmission in the general population in rural western India. “The purpose of our study is to generate information about the extent of Covid-19 spread in the community, which is currently lacking in India. The development of antibodies is a sign of exposure to Covid-19 infection and is believed to render immunity,” Dr Sanjay Juvekar, principal investigator of the study, told The Indian Express. The study is being funded by the RESPIRE unit of the University of Edinburgh along with Translational Health Science and Technology Institute. The RESPIRE unit is a global health research unit focusing on respiratory health in Asia.

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to pass any interim order on a batch of petitions seeking cancellation of final year/semester examinations in September and asked the Centre to clear the stand of Ministry of Home Affairs on the issue. The UGC told the top court that nobody should remain under the impression that since the Supreme Court is examining this issue, the final year /semester examination will be stayed. A bench head by Justice Ashok Bhushan, which conducted the hearing through video conferencing, said that it is not passing any orders on the issue and posted the matters for further hearing on August 10.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has decided to engage ward coordinators to help families get death certificates of people who die at home, PTI reported. For the purpose, officer-in-charge of local police stations will be helping the ward coordinators in identifying the deceased and help families in getting the death certificate without any problem, an official said. "We have been getting reports that doctors are refusing to write a death certificate even if there is a normal death at home in a family. There were a few instances when locals put up demonstrations against this. So we have decided to help such families by employing the ward coordinators to look into the matter," he said.

Senior citizens in slums were most exposed to SARS-CoV-2 among all age groups, while senior citizens in non-slums were least exposed to the virus, according to Mumbai’s sero survey findings. In slums, 62.6 per cent senior citizens had been exposed and developed antibodies against Covid-19, as opposed to 12.6 per cent in residential buildings. Of the 4,234 slum-dwellers who were surveyed, 56.1 per cent between 12-24 years, 52.9 per cent between 25-40 years, 59.6 per cent between 41-60 years, and 62.6 per cent aged above 60 had developed antibodies.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today said: "The recovery rate has improved to 64.54%. The doubling rate is right now 21 days."  The minister held a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, among others, via video-conferencing today.

In an address to his council of minister, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who tested positive for Covid-19, said: "We had a Covid campaign in July wherein tests were done extensively. The phase 2 of the campaign will be held from August 1-14 wherein we'll resolve to maintain social distancing and wear masks to break the chain of infection. During this period, the CM, ministers, MLAs and other public representatives won't hold any public rallies. The foundation stone laying ceremonies, 'bhoomi pujan', inaugurations and all similar functions will be prohibited. These can be done via video-conferencing."

For the second successive day on Thursday, Andhra Pradesh reported more than 10,000 new cases of novel Coronavirus. It’s a feat that not even Maharashtra has achieved till now. However, Maharashtra, on Thursday, reported more than 11,000 cases, the highest that any state has discovered in a day, and reclaimed its position as the highest contributor of Coronavirus cases in the country. A day earlier, on Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh had reported more cases than Maharashtra, the first time it had happened since the infection started spreading in Maharashtra in the middle of March. Click here to read more.

When the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 enters a human cell, it hijacks the cell mechanism. One of its proteins, called PLpro, is produced by the human cell itself after the virus hijacks the cell mechanism. PLpro is essential for replication of the virus. A new study in Nature has found that pharmacological inhibition of PLpro blocks virus replication and also strengthens our immune response. When SARS-CoV-2 infects us, the infected body cells release messenger substances known as type 1 interferons. These attract our killer cells, which kill the infected cells. SARS-CoV-2 fights back by letting the human cell produce PLpro. This protein suppresses the development of type 1 interferons, which would have attracted our killer cells.Researchers have now been able to monitor these processes in cell culture. If they blocked PLpro, virus production was inhibited, and the innate immune response of the human cells was also strengthened.

Bold government reform that triggers animal spirits and implemented effectively on the ground is essential for India to come out of the Covid-19 setbacks, former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan said on Thursday. He also made it clear that the space for expanding the balance sheet for RBI is not “infinite”, and the central bank will need to have a strong focus on monitoring inflation as it does that. Rajan said that because of the slide in the growth over the last few years, India entered the current crisis in a more “debilitated” state as compared to its peers. As per some estimates, economic growth is expected to contract by as much as 9.5 per cent in FY21 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The government and RBI have announced a slew of reforms to arrest the slide and aid the recovery. “A kind of animal spirit has to be created by really bold government action. And unfortunately thus far, I can see some possibilities that have been announced in agriculture but we need far more elsewhere,” Rajan said, speaking at a Linkedin interaction.

Telangana reported 1,986 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single day spike so far, taking the tally of positive cases in the state to 62,703. With 14 more deaths, the coronavirus toll in the state rose to 519, a state government bulletin said on Friday, providing data as of 8 pm on July 30. While the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the hotbed of the virus spread in the state, continues to report a high number of cases, there has been a significant rise in thenumber of cases being reported from different districts, including Ranga Reddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Sangareddy, Warangal Urban and Karimnagar. Out of the 1,986 fresh cases, 586 were from the GHMC, followed by Medchal-Malkajgiri (207) and Ranga Reddy (205) districts, the bulletin said.

The Kerala government has decided to implement home care isolation for Covid-19 patients. In the first phase of the plan, health workers who have tested positive but are asymptomatic would be allowed to opt for home care isolation on an experimental basis. After a review meeting, CM Pinarayi Vijayan told the media that an expert committee has recommended that home care isolation could be implemented as per ICMR guidelines. “Most patients are asymptomatic and do not require intensive care. Such patients have been moved to Covid first line treatment centres. They have been put up at such centres to prevent transmission of the disease. Such asymptomatic would be allowed for home care isolation,” he said. Vijayan said home isolation would be allowed for health workers who tested positive on an experimental basis. “Nobody would be forced. Government is not abandoning patients as alleged by the Opposition,” he said.

Ford Motor Co. posted results on Thursday that were not as grim as expected for its second quarter that saw its US factories shuttered for half the period to combat the spread of the coronavirus and car buyers sheltering in place, PTI reported. Ford reported a $1.12 billion second-quarter net profit, pushed into the black by a $3.5 billion gain on the value of its stake in the Argo AI autonomous vehicle operation. Without the one-time gain, the company lost $1.9 billion, or a 35 cents per share. But that was far better than the $1.17 a share loss Wall Street had expected, according to FactSet. A year ago, Ford posted a $148 million net profit.

Odisha registered 1,499 fresh coronavirus cases and eight new deaths today, increasing its caseload to 31,877 and fatality count to 177. 

Odisha adds 1499 new COVID19 cases and 8 new deaths, increasing its fatality count to 177 and caseload to 31877. Total 11918 active cases and 19745 discharges.
Ganjam continues to report highest cases in the state with 368 new cases. @IndianExpress

— Aishwarya Mohanty (@pirouetteworld) July 31, 2020

On the non-payment of salaries, Justice M R Shah said: “You are not helpless. You have to see to it that your order is implemented. You got power under DM Act. You can take steps also”: The apex court also asked the Centre to look into the petitoner’s complaint that the period of quarantine for health workers is being treated as leave. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said it cannot be treated as leave and agreed to look into the case.

The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to ensure that the salaries of doctors and health workers involved in the Covid fight are disbursed on time. In its response, the Centre said despite directions, four states have not yet implemented the same.

Supreme Court asks Centre to do needful to ensure that salaries of doctors & health workers involved in Covid fight are paid in time. Centre said though it had issued directions, 4 states have not implemented same. @IndianExpress

— Ananthakrishnan G (@axidentaljourno) July 31, 2020

With multiple Covid-19 vaccine candidates across the globe entering phase 3 of human trials, the government on Thursday said it has actively begun engaging with multiple stakeholders on the two crucial aspects related to distribution and administration of a potential vaccine for Covid-19. The Centre said it is currently deliberating on two key issues —logistics and to which section of the population the vaccine needs to be administered on priority. At a press briefing, Rajesh Bhushan, Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Health, on Thursday said, “…Has there been a discussion on prioritising how a vaccine would be distributed and administer, if and when it is available —the answer is, yes; there are multiple stakeholders within government and Ministry of Health has started actively engaging with such stakeholders.”

Just six days before bhoomi pujan is expected for the proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya, an assistant priest and four policemen posted at the site tested positive on Thursday in a rapid antigen test for the novel coronavirus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the ceremony, along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The CM had come in contact with the assistant priest, Pradeep Das, 30, during his visit to Ayodhya last week to check arrangements for the bhoomi pujan. Ten other constables in Ayodhya district have tested positive. The authorities said the developments would have no effect on the programme, scheduled for August 5, and expected to be attended by around 250 people. The priest as well as the policemen who are positive will now be put through the more reliable RT-PCR test for Covid-19.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has quarantined himself at his home after a few staffers of his residential complex have tested positive for coronavirus. "Few persons in the Chief Minister's Residential Complex have tested positive for Covid-19. All SOPs are being implemented. The complex is being sanitised and the residential office closed for 48 hours. The normal functioning of the CMO is continuing following all guidelines. As a safety precaution, the Honourable Chief Minister is in home quarantine while strict adherence to SOPs has been put in place for primary and secondary contacts," the CMO said in a tweet.

As the “world’s leading manufacturer of vaccines”, India’s private sector has a “very important role” in the global battle against Covid-19, Dr Anthony S Fauci, one of the world’s leading experts on infectious diseases, said on Thursday evening. Dr Fauci was speaking at an online symposium organised by the Indian Council of Medical Research, which was also attended by several other internationally acclaimed epidemiologists and vaccinologists. “India’s private sector also has a very important role to play as the world’s leading manufacturer of vaccines and, as effective Covid-19 vaccines emerge from our research efforts, this manufacturing capability is going to be very, very important,” Dr Fauci said. “Moving forward, we and other (US National Institutes of Health) institutes will continue to work with Indian counterparts and colleagues to assure Indian scientists and Indian impressive research and development capacity are integrated in the global efforts to address the Covid-19 vaccine.”

Amitabh Bachchan, who is presently getting treatment for coronavirus at Nanavati Hospital, took to his blog late Thursday to update his followers about his health. The actor wrote about the “isolation,” “quarantine,” and “solitude” that has come into his life because of Covid-19. Big B shared that “the most awaited” part of his day is when the doctors and nurses come to visit. He wrote, “The medication and the treatment hours, they are looked forward to.” The actor revealed that he has made up little games with the treatment equipment like holding his breath in for a few seconds, and he looks forward to breaking yesterday’s record. He mentioned that even though he doesn’t understand much of what the medical staff says, he still looks forward to those visits. Amitabh Bachchan also wrote about the uncertain world that we are all living in. He noted, “The world has become peculiar, and there is wonder on what the next day will hold.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Light at the end of the tunnel! #latenightwalks

A post shared by Abhishek Bachchan (@bachchan) on Jul 30, 2020 at 2:10pm PDT

Tamil Nadu Minister Sellur Raju, who had recovered from coronavirus, received a welcome from AIADMK workers after he returned to Madurai.

#WATCH: Tamil Nadu Minister Sellur Raju who had recovered from #COVID19, was welcomed by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) workers on returning to Madurai; social distancing norms flouted. (30/7) pic.twitter.com/VdhIcEk2LC

— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2020

The total number of samples tested for Covid-19 rose to 1,88,32,970, of which 6,42,588 were tested yesterday.

COVID-19 Testing Update . For more details visit: https://t.co/dI1pqvXAsZ #ICMRFIGHTSCOVID19 #IndiaFightsCOVID19 #CoronaUpdatesInIndia #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/PCs9H4Cu9R

— ICMR (@ICMRDELHI) July 31, 2020

India on Friday crossed the 16 lakh-mark after over 55,000 fresh Covid-19 cases were recorded within a span of 24 hours, taking the tally to 1,668,870.