In the sixth phase, 894 international flights and 142 feeder flights have been operated from 24 countries reaching 24 airports across India.Coronavirus India News Live Updates: India on Friday recorded yet another surge of over 80,000 cases in a single day as the total caseload rose to 6,394,068, according to latest data by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. With more than 1,000 people succumbing to the virus during the same period, the number of fatalities also rose to 99,773.
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.
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.
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.
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.