India registers a single-day rise of 30,548 cases and 435 fatalities, pushing India’s COVID-19 tally to 88,45,127 and death toll to 1,30,070, the Union health ministry said on Monday.
In its daily bulletin, the ministry said that India’s active COVID-19 cases stand at 4,65,478, while 82,49,579 people have recovered from the disease so far.
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the updates:
Congress MP Manish Tewari tests positive
Congress MP and former Union minister Manish Tewari on Monday said he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Mr. Tewari got himself tested after running a mild fever.
“I have tested positive for COVID-19 today afternoon. I got up with mild fever around 2 a.m. last night. I got myself tested first thing in the morning. No other symptoms so far,” the MP from Sri Anandpur Sahib said in a tweet.
The former Union minister for Information and Broadcasting said “All those who have been in contact with me over the past few days are advised caution.” - PTI
Biological E. Limited’s COVID-19 vaccine enters Phase I/II trial
Biological E. Limited (BE), a Hyderabad-based vaccines and pharmaceutical company, has initiated a Phase I/II clinical trial of its COVID-19 subunit vaccine candidate in India following approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI).
The announcement was made jointly by BE, Dynavax Technologies Corporation (Dynavax), a US-based vaccine focused biopharmaceutical company, and Baylor College of Medicine, a health sciences university in Houston.
“We are very happy indeed to transition our potential vaccine candidate to clinical trials and offer one more potential option for the prophylaxis of COVID-19,” said Mahima Datla, Managing Director, Biological E. Limited.
Number of non-COVID-19 ICU beds shrinking fast at many hospitals in Delhi: Data
The number of non-COVID-19 ICU beds at several leading hospitals here is shrinking fast, parallely to the surge in the number of coronavirus cases, according to official data.
The online ‘Corona Dashboard’ of the Delhi government showed that around 4 p.m., out of 1,588 non-COVID-19 ICU beds, only 422 were vacant.
At Max hospital, Patparganj; Batra hospital; Fortis hospital, Shalimar Bagh; and Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, all non-COVID-19 ICU beds were occupied, as per the data.
Their numbers were fast reducing in government facilities too, including AIIMS where out of 86 such beds, only 19 were vacant.
At Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (39 out of 108 such beds); Apollo Hospital (11 out of 81); BLK Hospital (36 out of 94); Max hospital, East-West Block (7 out of 32); BSA Hospital (2 out of 12); DDU Hospital (8 out of 43), were empty, according to the data at 4 pm.
The number of COVID-19 ICU beds have already filled up at many hospitals in Delhi and their count is shrinking at other facilities too.
Haryana Governor tests positive
Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya has tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to a private hospital in Mohali in Punjab.
The 81-year-old Governor is currently admitted in the ICU, hospital sources said.
“His condition is stable,” a hospital official said.
Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar in a tweet wished Mr. Arya a speedy recovery.
Earlier, CM Khattar, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, some of their ministerial colleagues, Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta had contracted the infection and subsequently recovered from it. - PTI
Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin enters phase-3 trials
The COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, being developed by Bharat Biotech is now undergoing phase-3 trials, Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech said on Monday.
Speaking virtually at a programme organised by the Indian School of Business, Mr. Ella said the company is also working on another vaccine for COVID-19 which would be in the form of nasal drops and can be ready by next year.
“We partnered with ICMR for COVID-19 vaccine as we speak it entered the phase 3 trials,” he said.
No plans to reimpose lockdown in Delhi: Jain
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday said there is no chance of reimposition of lockdown in the national capital since the third wave of coronavirus has peaked out in the city.
Talking to reporters, he said the virus cannot be contained through lockdown and that people should protect themselves by wearing face masks.
Asked whether lockdown would be reimposed in Delhi, Jain said, “No chance.”
“I can tell you that the peak of the third wave is gone,” he said.
Lord Ayyappa devotees trek Sabarimala adhering to COVID-19 protocols
Wearing masks and strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocols, devotees of Lord Ayyappatrekked the holy hill Sabarimala and offered prayers at the templehere as the shrine opened for the annual two-month-long Mandala-Makaravilakku season on Monday morning.
It is the first annual pilgrimage season at the hill temple after the coronavirus outbreak.
“Sannidhanam”, the temple complex which used to witness a sea of devotees on the first day of the Malayalam month of Vrichikam, saw only few devotees this morning.
Gurugram hospitals told to reserve beds for COVID-19 patients
The district administration on Monday ordered reservation of 50% beds in general category and 75% in intensive care unit/ventilator category in public and private hospitals in Gurugram for COVID-19 patients in view of a sudden spike in cases of infection.
Issuing directions under the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 and Disaster Management Act, 2005, District Magistrate, Gurugram, Amit Khatri directed the hospital authorities to ensure that at least 50% of total bed capacity of general category and 75% of total bed capacity of ICU/Ventilator category of all public/private hospitals are dedicated for COVID-19 cases with adequate availability of human resources and logistics (drugs, consumables, ICU etc.). The same is to be updated daily on the link https://onemapggm.gmda.gov.in/ with requisite information on patients and number of beds, the order said. - Ashok Kumar
Delhi overtakes Maharashtra as 95 COVID-19 fatalities are reported in 24 hours
About a fifth (21.84%) of new COVID-19 fatalities in the past 24 hours has been reported from Delhi (95 deaths), overtaking Maharashtra.
Delhi also has recorded the second largest surge in new cases and largest number of recoveries (7,606), said data released by the Union Health Ministry here on Monday.
Delhi along with Maharashtra (60), West Bengal (51), Punjab (30), Kerala and Karnataka (with 21 each), Uttar Pradesh (18) and Odisha (17) fatalities make up for 79 % of the new COVID-19 deaths across the country.
Jharkhand govt. bans Chhath puja celebrations along waterbodies
The Jharkhand government has issued a notification prohibiting congregation and religious ceremony on the banks of rivers, ponds and other public waterbodies for Chhath puja, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the guidelines issued by the State Disaster Management Committee late on Sunday, all precautions were being taken by the Government to ensure the safety of people amid the pandemic, and as part of the measures, no one would be allowed to organise any musical or cultural programme near the waterbodies during the Chhath festival.
Decorative lights at public places and bursting of firecrackers, too, have been forbidden this time.
Places of worship reopen in Maharashtra
Places of religious worship in Maharashtra, which were shut since the imposition of COVID-19 lockdown in March, reopened on Monday with devotees visiting some of the prominent temples and shrines in the State.
The reopening of the places of worship coincided with the Diwali ‘Padwa’, which is an important festival in the State.
Early in the morning, devotees were seen visiting Lord Vitthal’s temple at Pandharpur in Satara, Saibaba’s shrine in Shirdi, Goddess Tulja Bhavani’s temple in Osmanabad and the famous Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai.
The Siddhivinayak temple’s chairman Aadesh Bandekar said only 1,000 devotees will be allowed inside the temple every day in staggered time slots to be booked through a mobile phone application. - PTI
Arunachal local body elections opposed amid COVID-19 scare
Opposition political parties and the apex students’ organisation in Arunachal Pradesh have slammed the State Election Commission (SEC) for deciding to conduct the local body elections despite COVID-19 worries.
The Congress, the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) and the Janata Dal (Secular) have also threatened to take the SEC to court if the polls are not deferred. They said the panchayat and municipal elections had already been postponed by two years and delaying them by a few more months for the sake of public health would make no difference.