Coronavirus India LIVE updates: A healthcare staff collects swab samples for Covid-19 test in Ahmedabad. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)Coronavirus India News Live Updates: The ICMR on Tuesday said that India hasn’t witnessed a huge peak at all compared to other countries. Addressing a briefing, ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava said, “US and countries of Europe had a peak, then they came down&there is a 2nd wave occurring there. We took learning from that. We distributed the curve in a way that we didn’t have many deaths. It was because we had an effective lockdown. We didn’t have a huge peak at all.”
With India reporting 83,809 cases in the last 24 hours ending 8 am on Tuesday, the total number of Covid-19 infections in the country crossed the 49 lakh mark to reach 49,30,237. Also, 1,054 deaths during the same period took the toll to 80,776. At present, the country has 9,90,061 active cases and 38,59,400 people have been treated and discharged so far.
Earlier today, Bill Gates Tuesday told PTI that it’s very likely that roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine will take place in fairly big volume (in India) sometime next year. He also said, “Brokering idea of taking a vaccine and manufacturing it in India, even if it comes from AstraZeneca, Oxford, Novavax or J and J.”
On Monday, India overtook Brazil to register the highest number of COVID-19 recoveries in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University data. According to the Union Health Ministry, India’s recovery rate has touched 78 per cent reflecting the increasing number of high recoveries per day. In India, 38.5 lakh people have recovered, followed by Brazil at 37.23 lakh cases and the US at 24.5 lakh cases. Globally, 19,775,100 people have recovered, 29,190,588 have been infected and as many as 927,245 deaths have been recorded.
Coronavirus India LIVE updates: A NEET aspirant waits for the metro train in Kolkata (Express Photo/Partha Paul)
The ICMR chief said that India hasn't witnessed a huge peak at all compared to other countries. 'US and countries of Europe had a peak, then they came down&there is a 2nd wave occurring there. We took learning from that. We distributed the curve in a way that we didn't have many deaths. It was because we had an effective lockdown. We didn't have a huge peak at all,' he said.
The health ministry in its latest briefing on Tuesday said that there are 14 states & UTs in India where the total number of active cases are less than 5000,taking country's average positivity rate to 8.4 per cent.
*India's coronavirus tally crossed 49 lakh on Tuesday with 83,809 new cases and 1,054 deaths.
*As many as 40 lakh people are kept under surveillance as part of COVID contact-tracing, says Centre.
*Country's recovery rate is now at 78.28 per cent.
*Vaccine roll-out likely in fairly big volume in India sometime next year, says Bill Gates
*In Maharashtra, now any dead body brought to a government hospital will be subjected to a rapid antigen test.
*In the Rajya Sabha today, a demand was made for using the term 'physical distancing' on the grounds that using the term 'social distancing' was promoting social stigma of coronavirus patients and their families.
*Globally, the number of people infected is inching closer to the 30 million mark with over 29.27 million current infections.
*Pakistan reopens schools and universities after near-5 month COVID-19 break.
*South Korea to secure coronavirus vaccines for 60% of population, says PM Chung
*China coronavirus vaccine may be ready for public in November, says official
*US continues to lead the world with over 6.5 million cases and over 1.94 lakh deaths. India, second after the US is inching closer to 5 million cases.
The act of singing emits particles into the air, and the novel coronavirus spreads through particles. So, what is the risk of Covid-19 spreading when a person sings — or talks? Two studies have examined the amount of particles emitted when singing and talking.
The broad findings
One paper, from Lund University in Sweden and published in Aerosol Research and Technology, found that:
* The louder you sing, the more particles you spread
* Consonants — particularly P, B, R, T — are bigger aerosol spreaders than vowe
Amid the pandemic, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has predicted India’s economy will shrink 9 per cent in the fiscal April 2020 to March 2021 fiscal. It said the growth outlook “remains highly vulnerable to either a prolonged outbreak or a resurgence of cases, with the country now having one of the highest number of Covid-19 cases globally.”
“India imposed strict lockdown measures to contain the spread of the pandemic and this has had a severe impact on economic activity,” ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada was quoted as saying by PTI.
Sawada also noted “it is crucial that containment measures, such as robust testing, tracking, and ensuring treatment capacities, are implemented consistently and effectively to stop the spread of COVID-19 and provide a sustainable platform for the economy’s recovery for the next fiscal year and beyond.”
The Maharashtra government has launched the Majhe Kutumb, Majhi Jababdari (My Family, My Responsibility) campaign to help reach out to people in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19. As part of the drive, officials will contact residents in door-to-door surveys, assess their health and provide medical help and guidance if needed.
“This campaign will prove to be a key weapon in making people understand the importance of self-protection,” Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said Tuesday. “While normalcy is being restored in the state, it is important to break the chain of transmission. For that, we need to learn to live with the disease and need to change our lifestyle.”
“The initiative, therefore, is important and public representatives and administration should not remain off-guard and reach out to the last man,” he added, reported PTI.
A day after the government told Parliament it did not have data on migrant deaths during the lockdown, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Tuesday targeted the government for being “unaware”. Taking to Twitter, Gandhi wrote: “Did the death not take place if you did not count? It is sad the government was unaffected by it. The world saw their deaths, only the Modi government was not aware of it.”
When questioned on the thousands of migrant labourers who had lost their lives during the lockdown, the Ministry of Labour and Employment Monday, in a written reply, said, “No such data is available”.
Bill Gates Tuesday told PTI that it’s very likely that roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine will take place in fairly big volume (in India) sometime next year. He also said, “Brokering idea of taking a vaccine and manufacturing it in India, even if it comes from AstraZeneca, Oxford, Novavax or J and J.”
Vice President Naidu asked if a short duration discussion on the pandemic can be taken up tomorrow. House agrees. The discussion will be held tomorrow.
The discussion in Rajya Sabha has now switched to coronavirus pandemic. Addressing Rajya Sabha, Dr Harsh Vardhan said, "COVID-19 fatality and recovery rates stand at 1.67% & 77.65% respectively. India has been able to limit its cases & death per million to 3,320 cases per million and 55 deaths per million which is one of the lowest in the world. Lockdown prevented approximately 14 lakh to 29 lakh cases & 37,000 to 78,000 deaths. These 4 months were utilised to created additional health infrastructure, enhance human resource & produce within Indian critical elements such as PPE kits, N95 masks&ventilators."
"COVID-19 testing is about 1 million tests per day which translates to 720 tests per million population per day, much higher than that stipulated by WHO which 140 tests per million per day. A total of 55189226 samples were tested as of Sept 11. I want to remind the members that battle against COVID-19 is far from over. I wish to inform the house that government is taking all necessary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in India," Dr Harsh Vardhan said.
Forty-nine-year-old Munir Ramdurg, a well-known civic activist from Pimpri-Chinchwad and former vice-president of Ammunition Factory Workers’ Union, Khadki, died of coronavirus on Monday. He is survived by his wife, two sons, a brother and two sisters. A Covid warrior, Ramdurg helped several Covid patients find hospital beds and cremate victims’ bodies.
His family alleged there was delay of seven days in getting proper treatment for him as doctors failed to diagnose his medical condition. His family and three local corporators have urged Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar to probe the matter and create awareness so that no other citizen meets the same fate.
His son Adil said, “My father first went to a doctor in Kasarwadi after he developed fever. The doctor said he had throat infection and gave antibiotics. When he again had fever next day, he went to a doctor in Akurdi. The doctor told my father not to worry as he didn’t have coronavirus. He gave some antibiotics.”
A demand was made in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday for using the term 'physical distancing' for fighting COVID-19 on the grounds that the use of the term 'social distancing' was promoting social stigma of coronavirus patients and their families. Agreeing to the suggestion, Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said an appropriate term should be used and suggested 'safe distancing' . In a special mention made in the Upper House, Trinamool Congress leader Shantanu Sen said the term 'social distancing' is regularly used to avoid the spread of coronavirus.
"Actually, it is physical distancing of nearly six feet between two persons. On the contrary, the use of the term social distancing has promoted social stigma which has led to nearly an attitude of boycotting of COVID patients socially," he said.
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has deputed civic officers at private hospitals to monitor the status of beds round the clock after several complaints from Covid-19 patients and their families about struggle for beds.
“Civic officers have been deputed at those private hospitals that have an agreement with PMC to treat Covid-19 patients,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Rubal Agarwal.
Three civic officers would be deputed in a hospital to monitor and coordinate bed availability on a real-time basis, she said. The three officers would work in shifts — one stationed at the hospital in each shift, 6 am-2 pm, 2 pm-10 pm and 10 pm-6 am.
The death toll among the Maharashtra police personnel crossed the 200 mark with eight cops succumbing to COVID infections on Monday. Total number of COVID positive cases in two lakh strong state police force stands as 19,756 as per the data shared on Tuesday morning. There are 3,724 active cases.
Eight cops died due to coronavirus infection across Maharashtra on Monday taking the total death toll to 202 which includes 20 officers and 182 constabulary staff.
There are eleven districts in India right now which have reported more than 1,000 deaths of people infected with novel coronavirus. Together, they account for more than 42 per cent of all coronavirus-related deaths in the country, which exceeds 80,000 now.
While most of that list of 11 districts comprise of usual suspects like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune, it also includes three relatively smaller urban centres from Maharashtra. Nagpur, Nashik and Jalgaon have all reported more than 1,000 deaths till now. Their presence in the list is not entirely unexpected though. Nashik and Nagpur figure towards the bottom of the top ten list of cities with maximum number of infected people. Jalgaon has much lesser caseload, but that too figures in the top 25 cities.
In fact, there are three more districts from Maharashtra that are now approaching 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths. Solapur, Kolhapur, and Raigad have all reported more than 900 deaths till now.
Severely ill Covid-19 patients on ventilators are made to lie face down because it’s easier for them to breathe. But that position can also cause permanent nerve damage, according to a new study. The study from Northwestern University, US, is currently on a preprint server; the university said it has been accepted by the British Journal of Anaesthesia.
Scientists believe that nerve damage is the result of reduced blood flow and inflammation in Covid-19 patients. When non-Covid-19 patients on ventilators are placed in this position, they rarely experience any nerve damage.
Delhi is conducting the highest number of COVID-19 tests in the whole world, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said during the one-day session of the Assembly on Monday. Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, Kejriwal said the matter of concern should be the number of deaths and not cases as he claimed that the coronavirus death rate in the national capital is perhaps the lowest in the world. He said that currently around 60,000 tests for detection of COVID-19 are being conducted in Delhi daily, which means that 3,000 tests are conducted per day per million population in the city.
"In Delhi, 3,057 COVID-19 tests are conducted per day per million population. In the UK, around 3,000 tests are conducted per million population, 1,388 in the USA, 2,311 in Russia, and 8,58 in Peru. In India, the figure is 819 tests per day per million. So, Delhi is conducting the highest number of tests in the whole world," the chief minister said.
"The largest number of COVID-19 tests are being carried out in Delhi. Eleven per cent Delhi has been tested so far with nearly 21 lakh tests. The concern should be the number of deaths and not the number of COVID cases. Death rate in Delhi is perhaps the lowest in the whole world," he said.
Around 20,500 passengers travelled on the Kolkata Metro which resumed operations on Monday with reduced services and safety protocols after a gap of more than five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an official said. Passengers were happy to be back on the Metro premises after March 23, when regular services were suspended to stem the spread of coronavirus infection. Special trains, however, were run for NEET aspirants and their guardians on Sunday.
"Services resumed at 8 am and around 20,500 commuted till 8 pm. The last trains from the originating stations on both sides commenced their journey at 7 pm and completed it by 8 pm," Metro Railway General Manager Manoj Joshi told PTI. Previously, Metro services were available for longer durations.
President Donald Trump is running as the "law and order" candidate. But that hasn't stopped him and his campaign from openly defying state emergency orders and flouting his own administration's coronavirus guidelines as he holds ever-growing rallies in battleground states. Democratic governors and local leaders have urged the president to reconsider the events, warning that he's putting lives at risk.
But they have largely not tried to block the gatherings of thousands of people, which Trump and his team deem "peaceful protests" protected by the First Amendment. "If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States," Tim Murtaugh, a Trump campaign spokesperson, said in a statement.