The COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network (Co-WIN) system, a digitised platform, will be used to track the enlisted beneficiaries and the COVID-19 vaccines on a real-time basis, according to the COVID-operational guidelines released by the Health Ministry recently.
The guidelines said the latest electoral roll for Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections will be used to identify the priority population over the age of 50. The guidelines added that at the vaccination site, only pre-registered beneficiaries will be vaccinated in accordance with the prioritisation, and there will be no provision for on-the-spot registrations.
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 latest updates:
Eswatini PM Ambrose Dlamini succumbs to of COVID-19
Eswatini Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini, who was undergoing treatment for coronavirus in neighbouring South Africa, has died. He was 52.
The Prime Minister of Africa’s last absolute monarchy Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, was moved to South Africa on December 1, a fortnight after testing positive for COVID-19.
Delhi begins training of doctors for vaccination drive
The Delhi government has started training more than 400 doctors from different hospitals in the city for the COVID-19 vaccination drive.
“The government has started training more than 400 doctors since yesterday (Sunday). Doctors who were trained by the Central government last week are heading the training and it will be completed in three days,” a Delhi government official told The Hindu.
Doctors keep a close watch on post-COVID-19 symptoms
Fresh coronavirus infections may be on the decline but doctors continue to keep a close watch on post-COVID-19 sequelae in Chennai. From the commonest symptom of fatigue to the rarest complication involving the eyes, a cross-section of doctors is of the view that patients who had COVID-19 need follow-up for at least a year.
One of the first institutions to start a post-COVID Outpatient Ward (OP), the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), has so far received 1,074 patients since August. Of this, 292 persons were in the age group of 51 to 60 years and 255 aged 41 to 50 years.
Strict COVID regulations at Sabarimala
Taking a serious note of the sharp spike in COVID-19 cases at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam, a high-level committee has decided to intensify the activities to check the outbreak of the disease among employees of various departments including the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).
A meeting of the committee, held against the backdrop of 36 out of the 239 people on duty at the Sannidhanam testing positive the other day, decided to withdraw all primary contacts of the positive cases from the pilgrimage zone on an emergency basis and a list prepared by the Health Department will be handed over to the various departments. Steps have been initiated to ensure accurate reporting of the primary contacts to the health authorities.
Firm signs pact with CCMB for dry swab RT-PCR test
CSIR-Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) revolutionary dry swab direct Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test, which allows for faster testing of COVID-19, is gaining fast acceptance.
SpiceHealth, a healthcare company founded by the promoters of SpiceJet, became the second lab to tie up with CCMB after Apollo Hospitals for conducting these tests in its mobile testing laboratories, on Monday.