A health worker, wearing protective gear, collects swab samples for COVD-19 test at East Delhi in New Delhi, Monday, Dec 21. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)Coronavirus India Highlights: At least 20 passengers from the UK tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday as the government issued a stringent set of SOPs mandating RT-PCR tests at airports for each traveller from the country and isolation in a separate unit of an institutional facility for positive cases in view of the new coronavirus strain.
There is no need to panic but there is cause to be more vigilant, said NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul. “We are yet to spot such a virus in our country. We will be safe if we suppress the genomic sequence,” Paul said at a press conference while stressing that the mutated SARS-CoV-2 strain detected in the UK has no impact on the potential of emerging vaccines.
The Health Ministry also issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for passengers who have travelled from or transited through the UK in the past four weeks. Compulsory RT-PCR tests on arrival, separate isolation of those testing positive for the new variant of coronavirus and institutional quarantine for co-passengers of those testing positive are some of the requirements mentioned by the Centre to the states.
Meanwhile, India on Tuesday recorded 19,556 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest in six months, according to data from the Union Health Ministry. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stand at 1,00,75,116. Out of these 2.92 lakh are active while over 96.36 lakh people have recovered from the disease. With 301 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the death toll reached 1,46,111. Detection of new cases of coronavirus infections fell below 20,000 for the first time in six months. Low detection was, however, powered by a drop in testing on Sunday. Only six states reported more than 1,000 new cases on Monday.
A health worker collects swab sample for COVD-19 test at M Block CP in New Delhi, Wednesday, Dec. 16. (Express File Photo by Amit Mehra)
A TOTAL of 1,653 persons tested positive for Covid-19 and 38 persons died in the state in the past 24 hours. As many as 2,270 persons were cured of the infection. The number of active cases further decreased and became 16,248.
The total death toll in the state rose to 9,439 on Tuesday. The cumulative number of discharged persons is now 5,14,309. The recovery rate stands at 95.24 per cent.
The total number of cases in West Bengal increased to 5,39,996. On Monday the total caseload was 5,38,343. As many as 40,156 more samples were tested, taking the cumulative number to 67,75,898.
Kolkata and its four adjacent four districts continued to take a major share in the fresh caseload. On Tuesday, Kolkata took the front seat in terms of caseload. As many as 388 persons tested positive in Kolkata, 358 tested positive in North 24 Parganas, 83 tested positive in South 24 Parganas, 72 tested positive in Howrah and 65 tested positive in Hooghly. Apart from these districts in south Bengal, 97 tested positive in Nadia, 80 tested positive each in Paschim Burdwan and 60 tested positive in Purba Medinipur.
In the past 24 hours in North Bengal, Jalpaiguri recorded 67 cases, Darjeeling recorded 55, Cooch Behar recorded 46 cases in the past 24 hours.
According to the state health department, 81,429 persons are still in home quarantine and 202 persons are in safe homes.
In her last weeks working the freight shift at the local JC Penney store, Alexandra Orozco took out her phone and hit record. The 22-year-old shot a video of the giant black-and-red 'Everything Must go posters, and posted it on TikTok in October.
"Slowing losing my job," she wrote below, days before the store in Delano, California shut for good, one of 156 J.C. Penneys across the United States to close since June of this year.
Since being laid off, she's applied for a couple of roles - counselling kids, delivering flowers - but has yet to hear back.
"It's so sad," she explains over the phone. "And it's hard to find jobs here." Halfway across the world, Matefo Litali experienced upheaval, too. A skilled sewer, the 53-year-old worked at Tzicc Clothing, apparel-maker for U.S-based giants J.C. Penney and Walmart, in Lesotho, a small mountainous country surrounded by South Africa. (AP)
At least 20 passengers from the UK tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday as the government issued a stringent set of SOPs mandating RT-PCR tests at airports for each traveller from the country and isolation in a separate unit of an institutional facility for positive cases in view of the new coronavirus strain.
There is no need to panic but there is cause to be more vigilant, said NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul. "We are yet to spot such a virus in our country. We will be safe if we suppress the genomic sequence," Paul said at a press conference while stressing that the mutated SARS-CoV-2 strain detected in the UK has no impact on the potential of emerging vaccines.
Ahead of the December 23-31 suspension of flights to and from the UK that comes into effect at 11.59 pm on Tuesday as India joins about 40 others in sealing off the country, passengers were under close watch and hundreds were tested at various airports.
Nearly 44 per cent of rural Indians are willing to pay for the COVID-19 vaccine, while more than half of the population in India's villages believe the coronavirus crisis is a "conspiracy by China', a survey showed on Tuesday. The survey, conducted by Gaon Connection among 6,040 rural respondents across 60 districts in 16 states and one union territory, found that 36 per cent said they would not want to pay for it. The remaining 20 per cent said they are yet to decide on paying for the vaccine.
Of those who were willing to pay, two-third said they can pay up to Rs 500 for two doses of the vaccine, whenever it is available.
Meanwhile, at least 51 per cent of rural respondents called the coronavirus crisis a 'conspiracy by China' and about 18 per cent saw it as the government's failure. Nearly 20 per cent said they consider it an 'act of God', 22 per cent blamed the negligence of the people for the pandemic and 18 per cent did not share any view. (PTI)
Manipur government on Tuesday relaxed the night curfew imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in view of Christmas and New Year, 2021. An order issued by the Manipur Home Department said night curfew will come into effect from 10 pm to 4 am in all days. However, for the intervening night starting from December 23 to 25 and 31 and January 1, curfew will come into effect from Midnight to 4 am.
The state clamped night curfew in the entire state from 6 pm to 4 am on November 27 till December 31 a day after the MHA issued a notification allowing local restriction to be enforced in the state and Union Territories in view of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in some states and UTs.
Earlier curfew was imposed on a need basis after assessment of the prevailing situation of certain areas or districts. The notification has also permitted gathering up to 50 percent of the hall capacity, with a ceiling of 200 persons in closed spaces strictly adhering to the Covid appropriate behaviour. (With inputs from Jimmy Leivon)
The faster spreading coronavirus strain first detected in the UK is unlikely to make vaccines less effective as of now but the preventives may need to be appropriately altered if more mutations occur over time, say scientists.
More than 40 countries, including India, have banned travel to and from the UK, a move several scientists said was necessary in view of the rapid spread of the new viral strain, VUI-202012/0, that was detected on September 21.
According to Jeremy Farrar, director of the London-based research charity Wellcome Trust UK, there is no indication at the moment that the new strain would evade treatments and vaccines. However, the mutation is a reminder of the power of the virus to adapt, and that cannot be ruled out in the future. Acting urgently to reduce transmission is critical, Farrar said in a statement. (PTI)
There is no cause of concern or panic over the mutated variant of SARS-CoV-2 detected in the UK, the government said on Tuesday, noting that no similar or significant mutation has been seen yet in the coronavirus strain in India.
Addressing a press briefing, NITI Aayog member (health) Dr V K Paul said that the mutated SARS-CoV-2 strain detected in the UK has no impact on the potential of emerging vaccines. "As of now, based on our discussions, deep understanding of data available and our deep assessment, there is no need to panic but it is a cause to be more vigilant. This new challenge we have to counter with our comprehensive efforts. We will be safe if we suppress the genomic sequence," Paul said.
There is no change in treatment guidelines due to this mutation and the vaccines that are being developed, particularly those in the country, will not be impacted, he said. Paul said that mutation might result in the virus becoming more infectious and spreading more easily between people.
The head of Germany's disease control center says it will probably be several weeks before infections in the country, which is nearly a week into a toughened lockdown, start to decline.
Germany has seen new coronavirus cases and deaths related to COVID-19 hit record highs over recent weeks, despite a partial shutdown in place since early November. Last Wednesday, nonessential shops and schools were closed in a bid to reverse the trend.
Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute disease control center, said Tuesday that he fears the Christmas period is making the situation worse, despite restrictions on the number of people allowed to gather. He appealed to people not to travel, to minimize contacts beyond their closest family and where possible meet others outdoors. (AP)
Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has said all passengers arriving from the Middle East and European countries will be subjected to mandatory institutional quarantine from Tuesday. The new rules for the passengers travelling via the Mumbai airport, including those having connected flights, are in line with the directives issued by the state and central governments on Monday, the airport operator said in a release.
The central government on Monday said all the UK-India flights will be suspended from December 23 to December 31 in view of the emergence of a new coronavirus strain in that country. It also said all passengers coming from the UK on Monday and Tuesday would be compulsorily tested for coronavirus on arrival at airports.
Separately, the Maharashtra government in a circular on Monday said it has decided to conduct institutional quarantine for all passengers from all over Europe and the Middle East for 14 days after landing at the airport, as well as home quarantine for passengers from other countries. (PTI)
In a routine press briefing on the coronavirus situation in the country, Niti Aayog’s Dr V K Paul Tuesday said that the new strain of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom has increased transmissibility. However, he added that the new mutation of coronavirus has not been seen in India, so far. “This mutation is not affecting the severity of the disease. Case fatality is not affected by this mutation,” Paul added.
57% of the cases in the last 24 hours were reported from MP, Tamil Nadu, Chhatisgarh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Kerala. 61% of deaths in the last 24 hours were reported from UP, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Kerala, West Bengal and Maharashtra, said Health Ministry.
In today's presser, Niti Aayog's Dr VK Paul said that the new strain of COVID19 in the United Kingdom has increased transmissibility. "This mutation is not affecting the severity of the disease. Case fatality is not affected by this mutation," he added.
The chief executive of BioNTech says the German pharmaceutical company is confident that its coronavirus vaccine works against the UK variant, but further studies are need to be completely sure. Ugur Sahin said Tuesday that we don't know at the moment if our vaccine is also able to provide protection against this new variant, but because the proteins on the variant are 99% the same as the prevailing strains, BioNTech has scientific confidence in the vaccine.
Sahin said BioNTech is currently conducting further studies and hopes to have certainty within the coming weeks. "The likelihood that our vaccine works ... is relatively high," he said. BioNTech's vaccine, developed together with U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer, is authorised for use in more than 45 countries including Britain, the United States and the European Union. (AP)
Amid mounting concern over a new strain of COVID-19 detected in the UK, the Delhi government on Tuesday said it will check the health condition of passengers, who have arrived here recently from the UK, by visiting their houses. All passengers arriving from the UK are now being tested for COVID-19 at Delhi airport, Health Minister Satyendar Jain told reporters.
"The Delhi government is on alert in the wake of a mutated coronavirus strain detected in the UK. The situation is being closely monitored and mandatory tests are being conducted at the Delhi airport for all passengers arriving from that country," he said.
The ministry said SOPs are now required to be followed at all entry points into the country and within the community with regard to air passengers who have travelled from or transited through the UK in the past four weeks starting from November 25 to December 23.
“This variant is estimated by the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) to be more transmissible and affecting younger population. This variant is defined by a set of 17 changes or mutations. One of the most significant is an N501Y mutation in the spike protein that the virus uses to bind to the human ACE2 receptor. Changes in this part of the spike protein may result in the virus becoming more infectious and spreading more easily between people,” the ministry said in a document released today.
The Health Ministry Tuesday issued Standard Operating Procedure for Epidemiological Surveillance and Response in the context of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in the United Kingdom.
India's COVID-19 active caseload has fallen below 3 lakh, the lowest in 163 days and comprises just 2.90 per cent of the total infections, the Union Health Ministry said. The total active cases stand at 2,92,518. On July 12, the active cases had last settled below three lakh at 2,92,258.
Less than 20,000 daily new cases (19,556) were added to the national tally in a day after 173 days. A net decline of 11,121 cases has been recorded in the total active cases in a span of 24 hours. The share of active caseload in the total cases has further shrunk below 3 per cent to 2.90 per cent, the ministry highlighted.
'India has achieved a new low in daily cases. Less than 20,000 daily new cases (19,556) were added to the national tally in a day after 173 days. The new added cases were 19,148 on July 2,' the ministry said. (PTI)
Three people arriving in India from Britain tested positive for coronavirus, a government official said on Tuesday, but it wasn't clear if they had a highly infectious strain of the virus, reported Reuters.
Three of the 266 passengers and and crew who arrived in New Delhi on a flight from Britain late on Monday had tested positive forthe coronavirus, said government official Awanish Kumar, who is helping coordinate testing at New Delhi airport.
"It is unclear ... National Centre for Disease Control will confirm this," Kumar said in a text message.
Two passengers who arrived in Kolkata from the United Kingdon (UK) tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday.
Sources said they have been kept in isolation at a Kolkata hospital. According to reports, around 25 people were tested on arrival, out of which two tested positive.
As per sources, a total of 342 passengers were tested for coronavirus on arrival at the Kolkata Airport since October 22. So far, six of them have tested positive.