Earlier in the day, the PM had held a high-level meeting on oxygen supply and availability across India and called for using innovative ways to provide oxygen support to health facilities. (File Photo: PTI)Coronavirus India Live Updates: Amid the unprecedented Covid situation in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a series of meetings on Friday, including one with chief ministers of states with high burden of coronavirus cases. As per official sources, he will review the Covid-19-related situation in an internal meeting at 9 am followed by the meeting with the CMs an hour later via video conference. At 12:30 pm, he is set to hold a meeting with leading oxygen manufacturers in the country. Earlier in the day, the PM had held a high-level meeting on oxygen supply and availability across India and called for using innovative ways to provide oxygen support to health facilities.
Meanwhile, the UAE has banned travel from India for 10 days from Sunday amid the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country as India registered over 3 lakh cases on Thursday, the highest-ever single-day count recorded in any nation since the start of the pandemic. Passengers who have transited through India in the last 14 days are also not permitted to board from any other point to the UAE, the Gulf News reported.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Centre to ensure that allocation order and the MHA order allowing free movement of medical oxygen be implemented immediately, and its non-compliance would invite criminal action, it said. Pulling up the Centre, its said though the government had passed allocation order, it “did not seem to implement it seriously”. “As it stands, we all know this country is being run by God,” said Delhi HC.
With states accusing each other of blocking the passage of oxygen supply, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday ordered that there will be no restriction on the movement of medical oxygen between the states and the transport authorities shall be instructed to accordingly allow free inter-state and intra-state movement of oxygen-carrying vehicles.
Earlier today, taking suo motu cognisance of the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to put in place a national policy on issues relating to the supply of oxygen, essential drugs and method of vaccination.
At a Covid-19 isolation centre at CWG in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)
State governments are free to procure anti-coronavirus vaccine doses from vaccine manufacturers as per the Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.
The ministry said this while refuting some some media reports that suggested the Serum Institute of India (SII) has contracted all its production till May 25, 2021 to the Centre, and therefore, till that date the state governments will not be able to procure vaccine from SII.
"These media reports are based on incorrect facts and are without any basis," the ministry said.
In order to expand and liberalise the countrywide vaccination drive, the Union Government on April 19 announced the Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy which would come into effect from May 1. (PTI)
The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Centre and AAP government to look into the requirement of COVID beds in the national capital and work towards enhancing the same in hospitals run by them. The high court also asked the Delhi government to explore the possibility of getting public sector undertakings (PSUs) to set up makeshift beds as was being done by some other states to enhance the availability of beds for citizens of the national capital.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said the number of beds have to be increased in proportion to the increase in COVID-19 cases from what it was last year at its peak.
It also asked the Delhi government to consider roping in smaller hospitals for treatment of COVID-19 patients who do not require tertiary level of care. The court asked both the Centre and Delhi government to file status reports on steps taken by them to enhance the number of beds for COVID-19 patients in the national capital and listed the matter for hearing on April 26. (PTI)
The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to purchase 1 crore doses of Covishield vaccine at a cost of Rs 400 crore.
"The Chief Minister has approved the purchase of 1 crore doses of Covishield vaccine at a cost of Rs 400 crores, in the first phase. This will be used for vaccination of persons between 18 to 44 years," his office said in a statement.
Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) is the manufacturer of Covishield vaccine. (PTI)
A COVID care centre equipped with 500 oxygen beds will be restarted in Delhi amid a surge in coronavirus cases, and border guarding force ITBP has been again entrusted to run it, officials said on Thursday.
An order issued by the Union Home Ministry said the Delhi government has "sought assistance to re-operationalise" the Sardar Patel COVID care centre (SPCCC) with 500 oxygen beds, that was first created last year at the Radha Soami Beas campus located in south Delhi's Chhattarpur area.
"Keeping in view the above request, it has been decided to provide adequate number of medical officers and para-medical staff to man 500 oxygenated beds at SPCCC."
"ITBP is designated as a nodal force for operation of the SPCCC...ITBP may draw the required medical manpower (doctors and paramedics), if needed, from other central armed police forces (CAPFs) also," the order said. (PTI)
Israel issued a travel advisory on Thursday warning Israelis, including those who have recovered from or been vaccinated against COVID-19, to refrain from travelling to India, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and Turkey because of high COVID morbidity rates in the seven countries.
The statement from the Israeli health ministry also noted the presence of alarming COVID variants in the seven countries, and recommended that the public avoid all travel outside of Israel if possible, the Haaretz newspaper reported.
The Health Ministry's Director-General Chezy Levy said that unvaccinated foreign workers and students from India must quarantine in state-run quarantine hotels, it said.
Meanwhile, Israel said last week it will start allowing the limited entry of vaccinated tourist groups as of May 23. The return of foreigner tourists after Israel had closed its borders at the outset of the pandemic in March 2020 would boost the country's economy, which contracted 2.5 per cent in 2020, and battered tourism sector. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a series of meetings on Friday, including one with chief ministers of states with high burden of COVID-19 cases.
Official sources said he will review the COVID-19-related situation in an internal meeting at 9 am followed by the meeting with chief ministers an hour later via video conference. At 12:30 pm, he will hold a meeting with leading oxygen manufacturers in the country, they added.
The prime minister had earlier called off his visit to West Bengal for poll campaign on Friday due to the meetings here to review the COVID-19 situation. He will instead address the West Bengal voters virtually.
With the COVID cases rising at a rapid pace in the country, Modi has been chairing regular meetings to review the situation. He had also addressed the nation on Tuesday. (PTI)
In a first since the pandemic started last year, Punjab’s daily case count crossed 5,000-mark as the state reported 5,456 Covid cases in 24 hours.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday informed that his government will be placing an order initially for 5 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines directly from the manufacturer.
Altogether 15 lakh plus doses, he said, will be procured at a cost of over Rs 60 crores and the vaccines will be administered free of cost to people between the age group of 18-45.
The Kerala government has initiated steps to directly purchase Covid-19 vaccines from manufacturers. A high-level committee headed by the chief secretary has been constituted for talks with the manufacturers, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday.
After the daily review of the Covid-19 situation in the state, the Chief Minister told the media that Kerala is not waiting for a final decision of the Union Government regarding the distribution of the vaccine (free of cost). Read More
Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted conditional exemption to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting feasibility study of Covid-19 vaccine delivery using drones in collaboration with IIT Kanpur.
The permission exemption is valid for a period of one year or until further orders.
Kerala on Thursday reported the highest-ever single-day figure with 26,995 new Covid-19 cases. With 1.56 lakh active cases, the test positivity rate stands at 19.97 per cent.
Kerala on Thursday reported the highest-ever single-day figure of 26,995 new Covid-19 cases. With 1.56 lakh active cases, the test positivity rate stands at 19.97 per cent.
Punjab government on Thursday announced that it will provide Covid-19 vaccine free of cost to all, including those between the age of 18 and 45, at government hospitals across the state.
The UAE has banned travel from India for 10 days from Sunday due to the worsening COVID-19 situation in the country, according to media reports here on Thursday. The travel ban will come into effect from 11.59 pm on Saturday, April 24, and is subject to review after 10 days, the Gulf News reported.
Passengers who have transited through India in the last 14 days are also not permitted to board from any other point to the UAE, the report said. However, departure flights will continue to operate, it added. UAE citizens, diplomatic passport holders and official delegations are exempted from the above conditions, it said.
According to Khaleej Times, people are barred from booking flights from the UAE to Indian destinations after April 24 on the Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia websites. (PTI)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday announced that her government will give Covid vaccines free of cost to every person of the state.
Speaking at a rally in Tapan, South Dinajpur, she said from May 5, all eligible people in Bengal can avail the vaccines free of cost. Read More
Tomorrow at 9 am, PM Modi will review the Covid-19 related situation in an internal meeting.
At 10 am, he will interact with CMs of high burden states on the Covid-19 situation.
At 12.30 pm, he will hold a meeting with leading oxygen manufacturers in the country via video conference.
Sri Balaji Action Medical institute tells court it is running out of oxygen. Delhi government tells court that nodal officer Udit Raj should he contacted. Court directs nodal officer to address concerns of the hospital. Saroj Hospital tells court that it would try and assist the hospital by providing oxygen cylinders.
"We hope and expect that central government shall look into requirement of COVID-19 beds and work to enhance the beds in central government hospitals," Delhi High Court says.
"We would like to how many more beds are being added," Court tells Centre, adding that the HC will keep the pressure on on central government.
Delhi contests the number given by Centre, says the number includes isolation beds and not all are hospital beds. "2,900 is the figure of hospital beds. We need at least 7K beds," Delhi government tells court. "Hospital beds today are only meant for Covid-19. You're keeping 80 percent beds for other purposes when people are scared even to come out of their homes. Who wants to go to hospitals?" says Delhi government.