At an isolation centre in New Delhi. (Gajendra Yadav)Coronavirus India News Live Updates:The Haryana government on Friday revised its previous order and said that all shops, malls, and offices shall remain shut on Mondays and Tuesdays till further orders. This revised decision comes barely a week after the government had re-imposed weekend lockdown restrictions ordering that all shops and offices (except those dealing in essential services) shall remain shut.
Meanwhile, citing that the pandemic cannot be a ground to postpone elections, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a PIL seeking to defer the Bihar assembly polls till the state is declared Covid-free. The Election Commission of India will consider everything, a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said.
On the other hand, the Centre has permitted airlines to serve pre-packed snacks, meals and beverages on domestic flights and hot meals on international flights, according to an official order issued on Thursday. Additionally, it has also directed airlines to put any passenger who refuses to wear a face mask in a flight on the no-fly list, a senior official of the aviation regulator DGCA said.
With 77,266 cases in 24 hours, the Covid-19 tally in India rose to 3,387,500 earlier in the day with the death toll at 61,529, as per latest figures released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. For most of August, India has been reporting the highest number of new cases in the world, more than even the United States and Brazil, the only two countries which have a bigger caseload than India. Globally, over 24 million people have been infected with Covid-19 so far, including 830,205 deaths.
PMC medical staff conduct health check up camp in Pune. (Express photo/Ashish Kale/File)
The cumulative tests for detection of COVID-19 has reached 3,94,77,848 in the country, and more than one crore samples have been tested in the past two weeks, the Union Health Ministry said, highlighting that the Tests Per Million have increased to 28,607.
India has tested more than 9 lakh samples for the detection of COVID-19 for the second consecutive day, keeping a sharp focus on the 'test, track and treat' strategy of the Union Government. India has already created a capacity of doing 10 lakh tests per day. A total of 9,01,338 samples were tested in a span of 24 hours on Thursday taking the cumulative tests to 3,94,77,848 so far.
"More than 1 crore samples have been tested for COVID in the past two weeks," the ministry said. "The Tests Per Million too have seen a sharp surge to 28,607. It is only by aggressive testing that positive cases can be identified at an early stage, their close contacts promptly tracked and isolated as well as timely and effective treatment can be ensured," the ministry underlined.
The Goa government plans to focus on the COVID-19 containment zones in the state and urge the recovered patients of coronavirus from these areas to donate their plasma for treatment of others. Talking to reporters, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Friday said that next week, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant would hold a meeting with those MLAs, in whose constituencies the containment zones fall, in order to involve them in the plasma donation drive. "The MLAs, cutting across party lines, would be asked to encourage recovered coronavirus patients in the containment zones in their respective constituencies to come ahead and donate their plasma," he said.
A drug used to cure a deadly viral disease in cats may be effective as a treatment for humans against the novel coronavirus, according to a study that may lead to the development of new therapeutics to treat COVID-19. According to the research, published in the journal Nature Communications, the drug is effective at inhibiting viral replication in lab-grown cells infected with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. "This drug is very likely to work in humans, so we're encouraged that it will be an effective antiviral treatment for COVID-19 patients," said Joanne Lemieux, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Alberta. The scientists noted that the drug interferes with the virus' ability to replicate, and may help end infection.
Instead of the weekend, shops, offices and shopping malls in Haryana, except those dealing in essential services, will now remain closed on Mondays and Tuesdays until further orders. The order on Friday comes barely a week after the Haryana government had re-imposed weekend lockdown restrictions, ordering that all shops and offices will remain shut on Saturdays and Sundays. Read more
The Punjab Assembly, which met under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, paid tributes to the soldiers killed in Ladakh's Galwan valley, the Covid warriors and Olympian Balbir Singh Senior, PTI reporters. The 12th session of the 15th Punjab Assembly began at 11 am with strict protocols in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Thirty MLAs in the state, including four ministers, have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Friday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressing his disagreement with a proposal to curtail the Question Hour and Zero Hour during the upcoming Parliament session as it will prevent lawmakers from raising issues of national importance. In a two-page letter to Birla, the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha urged him to ensure that there is no curtailment of the two important parts of the proceedings. "There, however, appears to be a proposal for curtailing the Question Hour as well as the Zero Hour during the session by way of restricting the allocation of time as well as the number of notices that could be filed by the members. You will kindly appreciate the fact that raising questions in Parliament, and issues of public importance during the Zero Hour are foremost of the procedural methods available to members to vent issues of national and public importance," Chowdhury wrote.
The civic limits of Kalyan and Navi Mumbai have over 3,000 active cases of coronavirus, while Thane city is nearing 2,000 active cases, district authorities said on Friday. According to an official report, with an addition of 1,172 new cases on Thursday, the Covid-19 tally in Thane district has now reached 1,18,911. Moreover, 37 latest casualties in the district, including 10 from Kalyan alone, have raised the toll to 3,423, the report stated. Most Covid-19 cases have been reported from Kalyan, Thane and Navi Mumbai areas that have so far recorded 27,684, 25,076 and 24,585 cases respectively, an official said. The recovery rate in the district stood at 86.75 per cent, while the mortality was at 2.88 per cent, he said.
The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) entrance examination was held in the Salt Lake Sector Five area, near Kolkata, on Thursday amid a biweekly total lockdown across the state. Fewer students appeared for the exam compared to previous years. As public transport stayed off the road, students took private vehicles to reach the examination centre to write the entrance test. Social-distancing norms were strictly followed, and students were allowed to enter the examination hall only if they wore masks. Proper arrangements for thermal screening and sanitisation were made. “Student count was low maybe because there was no transportation available in the city. My dad had pre-booked a car so that we could reach the centre on time,” said Pratibha Singh, one of the aspirants.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday targeted the BJP over the holding of the JEE and NEET exams amid the pandemic, saying the party's attitude towards students is "devoid of humanity". "Adamant on conducting JEE and NEET examinations, BJP has now clarified why it has changed the name of the Ministry of Human Resources. It is because its attitude towards education and students is devoid of humanity," the former chief minister said in tweet in Hindi, and tagged pictures of the protest by his partymen in the state capital on Thursday.
Kolkata Police on Thursday said 260 people had been arrested till 12 pm for violating the curbs imposed as part of the state government’s total biweekly lockdown strategy to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. Seven vehicle owners were prosecuted violating the lockdown, while 199 people were booked or prosecuted for not wearing a face mask. The law-enforcement officials booked nine people for spitting in public places. The police patrolled major traffic intersections here. Lockdown violations were reported in some districts, including Howrah and Hooghly. At many places, policemen stopped people from venturing outside their house, and asked them to remain indoors.
Even as it grapples with over 1,000 new cases of coronavirus infection every day, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has a sliver of good news in its fight against the pandemic, as the recovery rate among Covid-19 patients in the city has crossed 80 per cent. The recovery rate has reached 80.48 per cent in PMC areas, inching closer to the 81.32 per cent recovery rate in Mumbai, though Pune has a higher rate of active cases than the state capital. The percentage of active patients in PMC areas is 17.11, while it is 13.03 per cent in Mumbai, 23.57 per cent in state and 21.94 per cent nationally. “The recovery percentage of PMC has crossed 80,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Rubal Agarwal on Thursday.
Doctors treating coronavirus infection have cautioned that parents and pediatricians should be vigilant about a rare hyperinflammatory syndrome as a post Covid-19 complication in children, as early recognition and treatment of the condition can save lives. A seven-year old boy, who was diagnosed with the hyperinflammatory syndrome, was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit with complaints of fever, pain in abdomen and vomiting. The boy is the son of a Pune Municipal Corporation employee. His family members had tested positive for Covid-19 in July, after which they recovered. “The child had persistent symptoms and we suspected diseases like dengue and septic shock that have similar features,” Dr Jitendra Oswal, deputy medical director of Bharati Hospital, told The Indian Express. Click here to read more.
Delhi Congress leaders and workers, including its president Anil Kumar, were detained by police today during a protest against the holding of the JEE and NEET exams amid the pandemic. Several Congressmen were detained by the police near the Shastri Bhawan and taken to the Mandir Marg police station, Kumar said. "The Centre and its education ministry are endangering the lives of 25 lakh students by being adamant on holding the JEE and NEET when the number of coronavirus cases is going up in the country," he was quoted as saying by PTI.
Maharashtra is working on modalities of undertaking a screening drive to check for hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis and Covid-like symptoms to pick high-risk populations and provide them early intervention. The drive is likely to commence from the rural pockets of the state. Earlier this week, the central government issued guidelines to conduct bi-directional screening for tuberculosis and Covid-19 to ensure none of the two respiratory illnesses are missed. “In two-three days we will plan the entire screening process and start it across the state. We plan to screen high-risk populations for hypertension, diabetes and severe acute respiratory illness. We are in early stages of planning,” said Health Secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas. He said for massive screening of Covid-19 patients for TB and vice-versa, state has to strategise on testing machinery. “CBNAAT (cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test) can be used for TB and Covid-19, but we have to get as many cartridges and look at cost. RT-PCR and antigen test cost are expected to go further down,” Vyas said.
Six ministers, one each from Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, today approached the Supreme Court, seeking review of its August 17 order to conduct NEET and JEE examinations amid the pandemic.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) today launched the second round of serological survey to ascertain the immune strength of people against coronavirus. Five teams will collect 1,500 samples from various locations in the city, an official told PTI. "The current exercise will provide an indication of the community exposure level which was found to be very low during the first round of the serological survey," he said. The Regional Medical Research Centre is providing technical support to the BMC to carry out the two-day survey in the city.
The Supreme Court today also refused to entertain a PIL, seeking postponement of Bihar assembly polls till the state was declared Covid-19 free. Coronavirus cannot be a ground for postponement of Bihar elections, the poll panel will consider everything, the top court observed.
The Supreme Court today said that states and universities cannot promote students without holding final year exams by September 30. Upholding the UGC decision to hold final year exams, a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said if any state feels they can't conduct exams by that date, they must approach the UGC for new dates to hold the exam.
The government has permitted the airlines to serve pre-packed snacks, meals and beverages on domestic flights and hot meals on international flights, according to an official order, PTI reported. Moreover, any passenger who refuses to wear a face mask in a flight can be put on the no-fly list by the airline, said a senior official of the aviation regulator DGCA. In an order issued on Thursday, the Civil Aviation Ministry said, "Airlines may serve pre-packed snacks/meals/pre-packed beverages on domestic flights depending on the duration of flight. Airlines and charter flight operators can "serve hot meals and limited beverages" on international flights "as per the standard practices." The ministry said only single-use disposable trays, plates and cutlery should be used while serving food or beverages in domestic and international flights. "Crew shall wear a fresh set of gloves for every meal/beverage service," it noted.
Two new studies of elite athletes found that working out amplifies the immune response to a flu shot. If you are an athlete, you may gain greater immunity from a flu shot than people who are less active, according to two complementary and timely new studies of exercise and vaccinations. The two studies, which involved the same group of elite runners, swimmers, wrestlers, cyclists and other athletes, suggest that intense training amplifies our vaccine response, a finding with particular relevance now, as the flu season looms and scientists work to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. Click here to read more.