A health worker sorts samples for COVID-19 test at Nehru Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, in New Delhi, Saturday, Oct 17, 2020. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)Coronavirus India News Live Updates: India reported 61,871 new Covid-19 cases and 1,033 deaths in the 24 hours ending 9 am Sunday, according to data from the Union Health Ministry. The country’s tally of 74,94,552 cases included 7,83,311 active cases, 65,97,210 recoveries and 1,14,031 deaths.
As the work continues to develop an effective vaccine for COVID-19, the government on Saturday said two pan-India studies on the genome of the virus in India suggest it is genetically stable and has shown no major mutation. After a review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the COVID-19 pandemic situation, and vaccine delivery, distribution and administration preparedness, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that three vaccines are in advanced stages of development in India, out of which two are in Phase II and one is in Phase-III.
The PMO further said, “Two pan-India studies on the Genome of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 virus) in India conducted by ICMR and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) suggest that the virus is genetically stable and there is no major mutation in the virus.”
The number of active coronavirus cases in India dropped below eight lakh for the first time in one and a half months on Saturday, prompting the health ministry to say the country had scaled “an unprecedented peak”.
A swab sample is being taken at a BMC medical facility for a Covid-19 rapid test in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has kept most senior citizens indoors, an 87-year-old doctor from Mul in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district has been going out of his way to attend to his patients in remote villages.
With only his bicycle for company, Ramchandra Dandekar has been travelling barefoot for at least 10 km every day to villages in Mul, Pombhurna and Ballarshah talukas for the last 60 years, providing free doorstep treatment to people.
The current health crisis has not deterred the practitioner of Homeopathy and Ayurveda from stepping out of his home.
The ongoing pandemic seems to have hit young women aspiring to get into medical school this year harder than their male counterparts.
The Sunday Express analysed data since 2017 to find that like every year, while more girls (7,48,866) than boys (6,18,075) appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the attendance rate of girls had, for the first time in four years, fallen behind that of boys.
This year, the overall attendance rate fell from 92.85% to 85.57%, but the gender break-up shows the drop is much steeper for girls. According to the National Testing Agency (NTA), 86.25% of the registered male candidates appeared for the test, which is 6.38 percentage points lower than last year. On the other hand, 85.02% of the girls who had registered took the test this time, an 8.01 percentage point drop since 2019.
Four Covid-related deaths were reported in Mohali district on Saturday, bringing the number of fatalities to 218. Read More
As the nine-day Navratri festival began on Saturday, devotees offered prayers at various temples of the city in strict adherence to social distancing norms and wearing face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. Some of the temples prohibited offerings like flowers and 'prasad' to Goddess Durga on the occasion.
People were seen offering prayers at Jhandewalan Temple and Kalkaji Temple on the first day of Navratri. Morning 'aarti' (prayer) was also performed at the temples. However, some temple in east Delhi saw low footfall of devotees due to the coronavirus scare. (PTI)
The Kerala government has terminated from service 432 medical personnel, including 385 doctors, who were on unauthorised leave for years, Health Minister K K Shailaja said on Saturday. Despite being given several opportunities, these employees had not shown any inclination to join duty following which it was decided to dismiss them, the minister said in a press release. Directions had been issued to the health department to identify such staff who have kept away from work for years and take strict disciplinary action against them.
With 79 more jail inmates testing positive for COVID-19 in Jammu, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) held an awareness camp at the Central Jail here on Saturday to impart knowledge to the prisoners and staff about measures to combat the disease within the premises, officials said. The camp was held at the Central Jail Kot Bhalwal, in collaboration with the Ayush (Indian System of Medicine) ministry, which distributed immunity boosters and ayurvedic medicines, specially designed to enhance human immunity to fight COVID-19, amongst the inmates, the officials said.
Seventy-nine prisoners tested positive for the disease during a special drive in Jammu's Amphalla district jail on Friday, taking the total number of active coronavirus cases on the premises to 83. Earlier, 80 prisoners and three staff members had tested positive for COVID-19 in the Amphalla jail. However, 72 prisoners and all three jail staff were cured last week, while two more patients with comorbidities turned negative on Saturday. (PTI)
The Vatican says someone who lives in the same Vatican hotel as Pope Francis has tested positive for coronavirus, adding to the 11 cases of COVID-19 among the Swiss Guards who protect him, news agency AP reported. The Vatican said Saturday that the resident of the Domus Sanctae Marthae has moved out temporarily and is in isolation, as are all the people who came into direct contact with him.
The hotel serves as a residence for Vatican-based priests as well as visiting clerics and lay people. Francis chose to live there permanently after his 2013 election, shunning the Apostolic Palace, because he said he needed to be around ordinary people. The hotel has a communal dining room and chapel where Francis celebrates Mass each morning.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said gymnasiums and fitness centres in the state will be allowed to reopen from Dussehra, which falls on October 25. During a virtual meeting with representatives of gyms and fitness centres, the chief minister said group activities like zumba and yoga and steam and sauna facilities will not be allowed. "Gymnasiums and fitness centres are for the welfare of citizens, so care should be taken to ensure that there is no virus spread. The SoPs should be strictly followed," he said. Thackeray said the state government was going slow on lifting COVID-19 restrictions because there should be no complacency. (PTI)
A class X student tested positive for COVID-19 prompting the Opposition AINRC legislator T P R Selvam, along with local people, to shut the main gate of the school in Puducherry on Saturday, demanding cancellation of classes. The school, where the infected student was studying, is located at Vadhanur village at Mannadipet which comes in the MLA's constituency.
While speaking to reporters, Selvam said he would launch an agitation on October 19 if the school was not closed. He said Puducherry should put off re-opening schools like neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu considering the pandemic. (PTI)
At least 101 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya on Saturday, pushing the tally to 8,404, a health department official said. The death toll rose to 75 after five more people succumbed to the infection, he said. Altogether 298 patients have recovered from the disease during the day, Health Services Director Aman War said.
15 new cases of novel coronavirus reported in the Dharavi area of Mumbai on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 3,400 in the area, including 140 active cases and 2,954 discharges, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
Andhra Pradesh recorded 5,529 recoveries and 3,676 new coronavirus positive cases, while 24 fatalities were reported in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Saturday. The latest bulletin showed 7,76,251 total confirmed cases, 7,32,743 recoveries and 6,406 deaths so far. The active cases declined further to 37,102, it said. (PTI)
As the work continues to develop an effective vaccine for COVID-19, the government on Saturday said two pan-India studies on the genome of the virus in India suggest it is genetically stable and has shown no major mutation. After a review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the COVID-19 pandemic situation, and vaccine delivery, distribution and administration preparedness, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that three vaccines are in advanced stages of development in India, out of which two are in Phase II and one is in Phase-III.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday chaired a meeting to review the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country and suggested developing a vaccine delivery system on the lines of conduct of polls and disaster management while involving all levels of government and citizen groups, PTI reported. He also called for full preparedness to ensure speedy access to COVID-19 vaccines for every citizen.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) also said that three vaccines are in advanced stages of development in India, out of which two are in Phase II and one is in Phase-III. The statement added that Indian scientists and research teams are collaborating and strengthening the research capacities in neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Read more here
Tamil Nadu on Saturday reported 4,295 fresh cases of the novel coronavirus infection, taking the state's total tally to 6,83,486. With 57 fresh deaths, the death toll in the state stands at 10,586. 6,32,708 people have been discharged in the state so far, including 5,005 discharges today.
Kerala on Saturday reported 9,016 fresh cases of the novel coronavirus infection, taking the total number of active patients in the state to 96,004. The state reported 1,139 deaths in the day.
The health condition of West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, who has tested positive for COVID-19, improved on Saturday after his oxygen saturation levels and other parameters "stabilised", news agency PTI said quoting the doctors treating him at a private hospital. The Medinipur MP's fever subdued in the morning and he had a normal diet in the afternoon, they said. "Ghosh underwent a CT scan of the thorax today afternoon after doctors found some defects in his lungs. His overall condition has improved as his fever has gone down. "His oxygen saturation levels are normal and all his vitals are stable. He is on a normal diet," a doctor said.
The Assam government on Saturday announced re-starting regular classes in schools and colleges, from standard six onward, on a voluntary basis, from November 2. Addressing the press in Guwahati, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said classes will be held according to a staggered timetable and on separate days. Students of classes 8, 10 and 11 will have classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, whereas students of 6, 7, 9 and 12 will have classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Read the report here
In a significant move towards India potentially getting a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of this year, the country’s top drug regulator has approved a request by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to conduct mid- to late-stage human trials for the Russian Sputnik V vaccine candidate. The Hyderabad-headquartered firm, which had entered into an agreement with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) last month to help receive approvals for the candidate in India, will now move ahead with an adaptive phase 2/3 clinical trial of the candidate here. “This will be a multi-center and randomized controlled study, which will include safety and immunogenicity study,” Dr Reddy’s told the Bombay Stock Exchange in a filing on Saturday evening. It is unclear at this stage how many participants will be enrolled in this trial and how many sites will be studying the vaccine’s safety and ability to help develop an immune response against Covid-19. Read more here
Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans to come together like they did in the spring to slow the spread of the coronavirus as the country posted another daily record of new cases Saturday. "Difficult months are ahead of us," she said in her weekly video podcast. "How winter will be, how our Christmas will be, that will all be decided in these coming days and weeks, and it will be decided by our behavior."
Meanwhile, new restrictions went into effect in several other European nations in an effort to staunch the resurgence of the pandemic. In Paris and eight other French cities, restaurants, bars, movie theaters and other establishments were being forced to close no later than 9 p.m. to try to reduce contact among people. The country was deploying 12,000 extra police officers to enforce the new rules. (AP)