A health worker removes a PPE kit after working at a swab collection centre in Pune's Kothrud area on August 25, 2020. (Express Photo: Ashish Kale)Coronavirus India News Live Updates: In the 24 hours ending 9 am Wednesday, India recorded 67,151 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,059 deaths. This takes the country’s tally to 32,34,475 Covid-19 cases, including 7,07,267 patients who are under treatment, 24,67,759 who have recovered and 59,449 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said.
Fresh guidelines for Unlock 4.0 are expected to be announced in the coming days. The Metro service in Delhi NCR, suspended since March 22 in the wake of the outbreak, is likely to resume in September, an official of the Ministry of Home Affairs said.
Trials for the Oxford University’s vaccine, developed in collaboration with AstraZeneca, will begin in India on Wednesday. Six volunteers will be administered doses at Pune’s Bharati Vidyapeeth medical college and hospital. This is phase-2 of the trial, as it is not mandatory to conduct phase-1 trials in India, where the vaccine’s safety is assessed. (Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker, August 26: The latest developments)
In other vaccine-related news, the Centre is in talks with Russia over its vaccine for Covid-19, called Sputnik-V. “As far as Sputnik-V vaccine is concerned, India and Russia are in communication. Some initial information has been shared,” Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said at a press conference.
Meanwhile, over 23 million people have been infected with the novel coronavirus across the world, including over eight lakh who succumbed. The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken note of reports that a Hong Kong man became infected twice, the first documented cases of re-infection, saying it provided important information for scientists studying immunity and developing a vaccine.
An employee wears a face shield and mask while serving food during a trial-run at Bukhara Restaurant inside ITC Maurya Hotel, New Delhi, on Saturday.
Tarun Gogoi, the former chief minister of Assam, tested Covid-19 positive on Wednesday. "I have been tested Covid-19 positive yesterday. People who came in contact with me during the last few days, should go for Covid test immediately," the 85-year-old said on Twitter. His wife, Dolly Gogoi, however, tested negative, reported PTI. Gogoi, MLA from Titabor constituency in Jorhat district, is the 13th legislator in the state to contract the disease.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in the national capital this morning. The meeting was attended by state Health Minister Satyendar Jain, the Chief Secretary and other officials of the health ministry. Delhi detected 1,544 news Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest single-day spike the city has seen. It now has over 1.64 lakh cases and 4,330 deaths. Here are some pictures from the meeting:
Additional Superintendent of Police of Jagtial district, K Dakshina Murthy died of a heart attack at 5.30 am, a week after he contracted Covid-19. The 58-year-old had been admitted to a private hospital Karimnagar, where he was being treated for Covid-19. He was set to retire at the end of this month. "Dakshina Murthy was a dedicated police officer. Unfortunately, we lost him," Karimnagar Police Commissioner, V B Kamalasan Reddy told PTI.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat tested negative for the novel coronavirus. He went into self-isolation on Tuesday as a precaution after a security personnel stationed at the Chief Minister's Office contracted the disease. "With the grace of God and your blessings the report is negative. However, as a precaution, I will remain in isolation for the next three days and discharge my duties from my residence telephonically or by using virtual platforms," he said.
In the 24 hours ending 9 am Wednesday, India recorded 67,151 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,059 deaths. This takes the country’s tally to 32,34,475 Covid-19 cases, including 7,07,267 patients who are under treatment, 24,67,759 who have recovered and 59,449 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a meeting with senior officials at 11 am this morning to discuss the increase in Covid-19 cases in the national capital and positivity rate.
Here is the latest from the field of vaccine development in India and the world:
Read more from our vaccine tracker here
New research shows that ventilators can be adapted to help two patients simultaneously in the event of a shortage. Researchers from King’s College London and Imperial College London have developed a theoretical model for how one ventilator could be used to treat two patients. Although splitting ventilators can be inherently dangerous, the researchers say their model shows how some of the issues can be mitigated. The model uses variable resistances and one-way valves. The airflow delivered to one patient can be manipulated independently of the other. Read more here
Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, there have been widely reported instances of a few animals — cats, dogs, tigers — being infected with the novel coronavirus, usually transmitted by humans. Now, researchers have published a comprehensive analysis of the relative potential risks faced by 410 animal species. The findings, drawn from a genomic study, are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. So, which ones are at risk? Read Kabir Firaque's report here
The Uttarakhand government has decided to use helicopters to carry Covid-19 samples to testing laboratories if roads are blocked due to landslides. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has given directions to this effect in a recent meeting with Health Department and Disaster Management officials.
With Karnataka clearing the ground for unrestricted travel in the state after five months of restrictions due to Covid-19, two expert committees that have been advising the government on the pandemic have recommended an increase in testing in order to flatten the positivity rate and to ensure that the disease control efforts remain effective.
“Karnataka is second in terms of high test positivity rate at 12 per cent. Instead of targets for testing, the joint expert committee advises the government of Karnataka to strengthen testing of all the symptomatic persons through rigorous tracing and tracking strategy. In addition, we advise that testing should be prioritised among vulnerable populations and high-risk groups for initiating early treatment and minimising progression to severe disease,” the technical advisory committee headed by retired community health expert Dr M K Sudarshan and a clinical expert committee headed by Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences vice chancellor Prof S Sachidanand stated.
The Delhi Metro plans to completely discontinue tokens and cash transactions involving commuters once services resume and allow only smart cards, which will also have to be recharged solely through cashless modes.
Metro services, suspended since March 22 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, is likely to resume in September in a limited manner under Unlock 4 guidelines to be released by the Home Ministry.
According to a plan drawn up following guidelines of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, parking facilities at the stations and feeder bus services that connect the stations with nearby areas will remain unavailable for the time being. Read the full report here.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Tuesday went into self-isolation for three days. Earlier, one of his security staff members had tested positive for Covid-19.
Consequently, the Cabinet meeting, scheduled to be held on Wednesday in the state secretariat, has been postponed to September 2.
Rawat took to Twitter on Tuesday saying that precautionary Covid-19 tests were carried out on his entire family, the staff working at the CM's residence and security personnel. He added that all of them had tested negative. In another tweet however, he announced his decision of 3-day isolation as a precaution and said that he would continue to work over the phone and by virtual means.
According to a state government official, the tests were carried after a security officer had tested positive.
Rawat had also gone into home quarantine in June after his cCabinet colleague Satpal Maharaj had tested positive. (ENS Dehradun)