Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are among 10 states that are accounting more than 80% of the total caseload in India. (PTI photo)Coronavirus India Lockdown Highlights: Lockdown-like strict restrictions will be imposed in Maharastra from tomorrow 8 pm. There will be a state-wide curfew in the state while essential services will be allowed, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said today. Cinema halls, theatres, auditoriums, amusement parks, gyms, sports complexes will be closed in the state. Shooting for films, serial, ads will be closed. All shops, malls, shopping centres not performing essential services to also remain closed from 8pm, 14th Apr till 7am, 1st May, Maharashtra Government said.
There will be strict restrictions in the state which will come into effect from 8 pm tomorrow. Section 144 to be imposed in the entire state from tomorrow, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said. All establishments, public places, activities to remain closed. Essential services exempted, their operations to be unrestricted. Local train and bus services for essential services only, petrol pumps, financial institutions associated with SEBI and construction work to continue, hotel/ restaurants to remain closed only take-away, home deliveries allowed, Maharashtra CM said. All places of worship, schools and colleges, private coaching classes, barbershops, spas, salons and beauty parlours will remain closed from tomorrow till 7am on 1st May.
The ugly reality of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has hit home as India overtook Brazil to become the second worst-hit nation in the world. India has arrived at this grim milestone as states are reporting a high caseload day after day. While Maharashtra continues to be the most affected state in India at the moment, other states have also shown a disturbing rise in the cases. In terms of metro cities, by Monday evening, Delhi had recorded over 11,000 cases. This caseload is far worse than Mumbai.
Photos of migrants have started appearing on news channels and social media confirming the worst fears of many. As Maharashtra contemplate hard lockdown, people have started migrating to their hometowns. Many have said that while the picture may not be as bad as what we saw in 2020, things still look very bleak. Migrants have been seen at the railway stations, bus stops in Maharashtra, Delhi and other states moving back to their villages.
Maharashtra COVID19 guidelines: All establishments, public places, activities to remain closed. Essential services exempted, their operations to be unrestricted.
Restrictions to be in effect from 8pm, 14th April till 7am, 1st May pic.twitter.com/1jYZvTMhYK
— ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2021
While the health infrastructure cries for help, the government has approved another corona vaccine. Russia’s Sputnik V will be available soon, reports say. As health experts say that people must be dissuaded from gathering in large numbers, Uttarakhand is hosting one of the largest religious congregation on the Earth – Kumbh Mela 2021. The Indian Express reports that on Monday on the occasion of Somvati Amavasya’s ‘Shahi Snan’, over 28 lakh people visited the Mela site to take the holy dip! Similar huge numbers were seen in the election rallies in West Bengal with many political parties flaunting the ‘huge support’ on social media.
While there is no official word on the link between the ‘double mutant strain’ and the fresh Covid surge, reports suggest that it is increasingly becoming difficult to detect the strain even by the RT-PCR test. The ICMR need to do more research on this to bring any conclusive evidence about this.
As the world battles the second wave, here are the latest updates on the corona lockdown, restrictions and other breakthrough studies from India and across the globe:
Highlights
An IAS officer is among the 14 new fatalities reported due to coronavirus in Bihar Tuesday, taking the toll of COVID deaths to 1630 in the state, health department sources said. Nodal officer for COVID at AIIMS Patna Dr Sanjeev Kumar said IAS officer Vijay Ranjan who was undergoingtreatment for the virus for last four days died Tuesday. Ranjan (59) was posted as Director in the Panchayati Raj department. Among 14 new casaulties, two deaths each were reported from Bhagalpur, Katihar and Nalanda while one fatality each came from Araria, Banka, Begusarai, Jehanabad, Nawada, Patna, Sheikhpura and Siwan, the health department said. A total of 4157 new coronavirus cases were registered Tuesday, out of which maximum 1205 was from capital Patna. The tally of coronavirus cases has spiked to 2,90,385 in Bihar. (PTI)
Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray today announced very strict measures to be followed to curb the spread of Cororonavirus in the state. These will be implemented from tomorrow 8 pm for 15 days.
- Full curfew in state from 8 pm tomorrow- Only essential services will be allowed
"We are imposing strict restrictions which will come into effect from 8 pm tomorrow. Section 144 to be imposed in the entire state from tomorrow. I will not term this as lockdown," Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said.
- Local train and bus services to be allowed for essential services only
- Petrol pumps, financial institutions associated with SEBI and construction work to continue
- Hotel/ restaurants to remain closed only take-away, home deliveries allowed.
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Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray today announced very strict measures to be followed to curb the spread of Cororonavirus in the state. These will be implemented from tomorrow 8 pm.
Uddhav Thackeray appealed to PM for more supply of oxygen to the state and allow supply of oxygen through air. He also appealed to the PM to allow for more Remedesivir injections.
Thackeray said, "We are continuously upgrading our healthcare infrastructure but they are under pressure. There is a shortage of medical oxygen, beds and the demand for Remdesivir has also increased." (ANI)
Chief Minister will take a decision related to imposing strict SOPs today. We've to break the chain of transmission of infection. We could have avoided lockdown if the number of cases was less. The government will do its best to save lives, said Maharashtra Minister Aslam Sheikh
Celebrities who are asymptomatic should take treatment at home, not occupy beds in the hospital. Some celebrities like Akshay Kumar, Sachin Tendulkar did not need to get admitted to the hospital. Beds should be left for the needy, he added. (ANI)
Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday recorded 1,269 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 1,40,650, while three fresh deaths pushed the toll to 2,037, officials said. Out of the fresh cases, 582 were from the Jammu Division and 687 from the Kashmir Division of the union territory, they said. The officials said Srinagar district recorded the highest of 423 COVID-19 cases, including 73 travellers, followed by 265 in Udhampur district, including 255 travellers, and 191 in Jammu district. The number of active cases has now reached 8,681 in the union territory, while 1,29,932 patients have recovered so far, the officials said. The death toll in the union territory due to the pandemic is 2,037 as three fresh deaths were reported in the past 24 hours in the union territory. (PTI)
Kerala recorded 7,515 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 36 health workers, taking the total caseload to 11.80 lakh and active cases mounted to 52,132, the state government said. As many as 2,959 people were cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to 11,23,133. A health department bulletin said 73,441 samples have been sent for testing, taking the overall number to 1,38,87,669. The test positivity rate stood at 10.23 per cent. The toll has gone up to 4,814 with 20 more fatalities being added to thetally. (PTI)
Nagaland Tuesday reported 11 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 12,427, a health department official said. The state currently has 174 active COVID-19 cases, the official said. "11 +ve cases of COVID-19 reported today. Dimapur-7, Kohima- 2, Phek- Wokha- 1 each. And, 3 +ve patients have recovered. Kohima- 2, Dimapur- 1, said Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom in a tweet. With three more COVID-19 patients recovering from the disease, the total number of recoveries in the state rose to 11,995, the official said. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu reports 6,984 new COVID-19 cases, 3,289 recoveries and 18 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Total cases 9,47,129Total recoveries 8,84,199Death toll 12,945
Active cases 49,985 (ANI)
Remdesivir is available in sufficient numbers. We appeal to the physicians community for rational, judicious, and correct use of the drug: Dr. VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog (ANI)
Over 1.67 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with states and UTs, the Centre said on Tuesday, underlining that the problem is not of vaccine shortage but of better planning. Addressing a press conference, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said so far states and UTs have received 13,10,90,370 vaccine doses, out of which the total consumption, including wastage, has been 11,43,69,677. "As per 11 am data, unutilised doses available with states and union territories for administration is 1,67,20,693. From now till April end, 2,01,22,960 doses are in supply pipeline to states and UTs," he said.
Goa on Tuesday reported 562 fresh coronavirus positive cases and three fatalities, taking the tally to 63,342 and the toll to 853, a health official said. A total of 236 people were discharged after treatment during the day, raising the count of recoveries in the state to 57,601, he said. Goa is now left with 4,888 active cases, the official said. (PTI)
The upward climb of coronavirus cases continued as Andhra Pradesh added 4,228 afresh on Tuesday, the highest daily count in exactly six months. The active caseload also crossed the 25,000 mark to 25,850, the highest after October 30. A health department bulletin said 1,483 patients had recovered and 10 more succumbed in 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday. The gross COVID-19 positives in Andhra Pradesh has now risen to 9,32,892, recoveries 8,99,721 and deaths 7,321, the bulletin said. (PTI)
A racket involving the creation of fake COVID-19 test certificates by the staff of a bus agency to allow people to travel to Gujarat amid coronavirus-induced restrictions was busted in the early hours of Tuesday, leading to the arrest of 31 passengers, a driver and a cleaner, Mira- Bhayander-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police said. Acting on a tip off, a Crime Branch team carried out a check of a bus on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway near Bhayander creek at around 1am, said an official. (PTI)
COVID-19 vaccines can be taken in Ramzan and do not affect the 'roza' (fast) observed during the holy month, a prominent Islamic seminary said in an edict here on Tuesday. "The vaccine enters blood vessels and not the stomach. Therefore, taking it does not affect 'roza'. Only because of 'roza', Muslims should not avoid taking the COVID-19 vaccine," the 'fatwa' issued by Darul Ifta Farangi Mahal said. (PTI)
With an exponential rise in COVID-19 cases in the city, the Delhi government has directed health facilities to strictly follow admission protocol while admitting coronavirus patients and said mild or asymptomatic cases can be considered for home isolation. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said that severe cases involving respiratory distress requiring mechanical ventilation should be admitted to a dedicated COVID hospital. The government has warned of action for failure in adherence to laid down admission protocol. (PTI)
The Dhanbad district administration has ordered mandatory COVID-19 tests for all passengers arriving at Gomoh railway station from Tuesday following a surge in coronavirus cases in many states, an official said. The decision by the Dhanbad District Disaster Management (DDM) came after a similar move in Dhanbad station last month. Most of the trains ferrying passengers to and fro northern and western India from Howrah in the eastern side of the country pass through Dhanbad and Gomo stations in Jharkhand. (PTI)
Amid rising COVID-19 cases, beds across hospitals in Jaipur are filling up fast, according to hospital authorities. A senior official of the state health department said all private hospitals with 60 or more beds have been asked to reserve 25 per cent of them in wards and another 25 per cent in ICU for COVID-19 patients. On Monday, Rajasthan recorded 5,771 fresh COVID-19 cases that took the state's total tally to 3,69,564, while 25 more fatalities, the biggest single-day jump, pushed the death toll to 2,951, according to an official report. Jaipur district recorded the highest number of fresh cases in the state at 961. It is often the biggest contributor to Rajasthan's COVID-19 tally. (PTI)
The Delhi High Court Tuesday refused to entertain a plea seeking direction to the Centre and AAP government to relax the age criterion for COVID-19 vaccination and to allow more private sector participation in the drive. A bench of Justices Rajiv Sahai Endlaw and Amit Bansal said it appeared that the public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed for publicity rather than doing any good to the society. (PTI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to address the state at 8.30 pm today. (ANI)
The US is recommending a 'pause' in administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots. In a joint statement Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said it was investigating clots in six women in the days after vaccination, in combination with reduced platelet counts. More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S. U.S. federal distribution channels, including mass vaccination sites, will pause the use of the J&J shot, and states and other providers are expected to follow. (AP)
Till 8 am today, more than 10.85 crore doses of vaccine have been administered in the country. In last 24 hours, over 40 lakh doses were administered: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan (ANI)
We have 89.51% people who have been cured, 1.25% deaths & 9.24% active cases. If we look at new cases, we will find that the previous highest surge has already been crossed and the trend is going upward. That is a cause for worry: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan (ANI)
Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here, an official said on Tuesday. Giri was shifted to the emergency ward of AIIMS from a private nursing home in Haridwar on Monday night, the hospital official said. Doctors attending to Giri said he is diabetic and suffering from fever and cough. His treatment has been started and he is stable, they said. Shortly before Giri tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and several state government officials had met him in Haridwar. (PTI)
Karnataka Govt issues guidelines for observance of rituals in connection with Ramzan month in Masjids, in view of COVID19; Masjids in containment zones to remain closed till the zone is denotified, large gathering continues to remain prohibited, face masks mandatory. - ANI
Chief Minister has requested all the devotees coming for the third 'Shahi Snan' at Haridwar Kumbh Mela to follow COVID19 guidelines of wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and sanitising hands, says Uttarakhand Chief Minister's Office. In a related update, the CMO said that 'in the view of upcoming festivals, Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat (in file pic) has shortened the night curfew, to be imposed from 10:30 pm to 5 am now. This is applicable for the areas where night curfew is already imposed.'
Second-ranked Daniil Medvedev withdrew from the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday following a positive COVID-19 test. The ATP said Medvedev has been placed in isolation. His condition is being assessed by the tournament doctor and the ATP medical team. "It's a big disappointment not to play in Monte Carlo," Medvedev said. "My focus is now on recovery and I look forward to getting back out on Tour as soon and as safely as possible." - AP
Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday reported the highest-ever single-day spike of 18,021 coronavirus cases while 85 fatalities took the death toll in the state to 9,309, a senior official said in Lucknow today. The total number of cases in the state stands at 7,23,582 and the active caseload is 95,980. 'In the past 24 hours, 18,021 fresh cases were reported while 3,474 people were discharged in this period. There are 95,980 active cases while 6,18,293 were treated and discharged. The state reported a total of 9,309 deaths till now since the start of the pandemic,' Additional Chief Secretary of Health Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters here. The state recorded 85 deaths in the past 24 hours, the highest single-day toll this month, according to official figures. - PTI
Jammu has recorded a seven-fold increase in active coronavirus cases in nearly a month, while Srinagar currently has the highest number of 2,833 patients in the union territory, official data showed. Some districts in Jammu and Kashmir which were earlier declared "coronavirus-free" are now reporting new cases as the country reels under a second wave of COVID-19 infections. On March 19, Srinagar district had 564 active cases and the figure shot up to 2,833 on Monday, while Jammu recorded a seven-fold increase during the period from 211 to 1,582 cases. - PTI
Amid talk of an extended lockdown in Maharashtra, state minister Aslam Shaikh has said the government will come up with fresh restrictions to curb the coronavirus spread on Tuesday itself. Speaking to reporters, the Mumbai guardian minister also said the state government will also have to decide guidelines regarding the people returning from Kumbh mela in Haridwar as COVID-19 appropriate behaviour was not followed at that congregation. "We will come up with fresh guidelines today to break the chain of coronavirus. There will be a standard operating procedure for the entire state, which will be announced (on Tuesday) itself," he said.- PTI
In the wake of increasing coronavirus cases in the national capital, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) directed its monument caretakers on Tuesday to follow the rules and regulations set by the local administration. Talking about the steps taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, an ASI official told PTI that all the precautions mandated by the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs are being regularly followed at all the Delhi monuments. - PTI
Veteran actor-talk show host Tabassum, who tested positive for COVID-19 more than a week ago, has recovered and will be discharged from the hospital in a day or two, her son, actor-filmmaker Hoshang Govil, said. The 76-year-old actor was shooting for her digital show "Tabassum Talkies" from her home in March end, just two days before she tested positive for the novel coronavirus. - PTI
With an aim to expand the basket of COVID-19 vaccines and enhance the pace of inoculation in India, the central government on Tuesday said it has fast-tracked emergency approval for foreign-produced jabs that have been granted similar clearances in other countries. The first 100 beneficiaries of such foreign vaccines shall be assessed for seven days for safety outcomes before it is rolled out for further immunization programme within the country, the Union Health Ministry said. The Centre's decision came after an expert panel recommended that COVID-19 vaccines which have been developed and are being manufactured in foreign countries and which have been granted emergency approval for restricted use by authorities in the US, Europe, the UK, Japan or which are listed in the WHO Emergency Use Listing may be granted emergency use approval in India. - PTI
Angry about not getting a bed, family members of a COVID-19 patient allegedly created a ruckus and abused the staff of a private hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city, an official said on Tuesday. According to eye-witnesses, the incident occurred at Greater Kailash Hospital in Palasia area of the city on Monday night. "Our staff informed the patient's family that we cannot admit him at the moment because all beds were full. Following this, the patient's family started a dispute with the staff. They vandalised some COVID-19 safety equipment placed in the premises," Hospital director Anil Bandi told PTI. The hospital has reserved 90 beds for COVID-19 patients, he said. - PTI
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) has said it is using a surge testing system in two areas of south London this week after it was found to have a "significant" cluster of the faster-spreading South African variant of COVID-19. The NHS Test and Trace said it is providing additional testing and genomic sequencing across parts of Wandsworth and Lambeth, where 44 confirmed and 30 probable cases of the variant first identified in South Africa have been found. All identified cases are isolating or have completed their isolation, and their contacts have been traced and asked to isolate. The first case of the variant in the area was said to have been identified in early March. - PTI
Bodies of COVID-19 victims have been piling up in mortuaries and crematoriums in Raipur, as the Chhattisgarh administration struggles to deal with the sudden surge in cases of the viral infection and fatalities. In some videos on social media, bodies were seen lying on stretchers outside the mortuary of Raipur's Dr B R Ambedkar Memorial Hospital (DBRAMH), the state's biggest government-run hospital, and last rites of victims being performed from morning till late night in crematoriums. - PTI
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said very less plasma is available in stock for treating COVID-19 patients, and appealed to those who have recovered from the virus to actively donate it. A day after 14 hospitals in the national capital were converted into COVID-only facilities, the chief minister said planned surgeries like knee replacement can be delayed for 2-3 months and stressed that there is enough capacity for emergency surgeries. "This wave is very dangerous. As per the data of last 10-15 days, 65 per cent of patients are below 45 years of age. Your health and life is very important to us. So, I would like to appeal to the youth to step out of the house only when it is necessary and follow all COVID protocols," Kejriwal said at a press conference. - PTI
It's a critical situation. There is a surge in cases, positivity ratio has also increased. Can't say if malfunctioned ventilators were deliberately sent by the Centre, but some ventilators are still not working: Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo - ANI
U.S. infectious disease official Anthony Fauci said AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine had good efficacy, but safety concerns needed to be straightened out and it might not be needed for Americans because of supplies of other shots ."I think that the AstraZeneca vaccine from a standpoint of efficacy is a good vaccine, and if the safety issue gets straightened out in the European Union ... the efficacy of that vaccine is really quite good," he told BBC radio on Tuesday. "Whether or not we ever use AZ is unclear but it looks right now at this point in time that we will not need it. It's not a negative indictment of AZ, it is just possible that given the supply that we have from other companies that we may not need to use an AZ vaccine. - Reuters
Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober of the Greens, the junior partner in the country's conservative-led coalition, said on Tuesday he is stepping down as he is overworked because of the COVID-19 pandemic and his health has suffered."I ... do not want to break myself," Anschober, 60, said in a short-notice statement to the media, adding that he has recently been suffering from blood-pressure problems and exhaustion. - PTI