Coronavirus LIVE Updates: However, Yediyurappa dismissed charges that it was a failure on the part of the government for not getting the vaccine beforehand
LATEST Updates: Vaccination in Karnataka for people above 18 years of age will be delayed as the vaccine has not been supplied yet, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Friday. He was reacting to the Centre's directive on allowing vaccinating people above 18 years from 1 May.
"Our Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar has said clearly that the vaccine has not been supplied yet. We will vaccinate people once it arrives," the chief minister told reporters on the sidelines of a function. He dismissed charges that it was a failure on the part of the government for not getting the vaccine beforehand.
"Where is the question of failure? We had thought we would get the vaccine (on time) but there is a delay in the supply," Yediyurappa said.
The Delhi High Court, which was conducting a hearing on the issue of oxygen shortage in the National Capital, on Friday said that it was "fed-up of hearing of people dying every day". A Bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli has been taking up pleas from hospitals seeking an urgent supply of medical oxygen to treat their patients.
"The aspect of oxygen shortage, if the need arises, will be looked into by this Court on Monday. We hope that the need doesn't arise. Every day people are dying, hundreds of people. We are fed up of hearing every day - the hospitals, nursing homes," the court was quoted as saying by LiveLaw.
Submitting during a suo motu hearing in the Supreme Court on Friday, the Centre claimed that there there is "more than adequate stock of oxygen" to meet the requirements in the country and that "there is no need to panic".
"There is no shortage of medical oxygen in the country, supply being augmented for relief," the Centre was quoted as saying by NDTV.
The statement came in backdrop of hospitals in Delhi and in other cities sending out SOS messages for an urgent supply of oxygen, and reports documenting deaths in Delhi, Haryana allegedly due to the lack of oxygen.
Making a presentation to the Supreme Court, the Centre Friday said there is more than adequate stock of oxygen to meet the demand and that there is no need to panic.
The Madras high court on Friday refused to restrain the media from publishing oral observations made during court proceedings and blamed the Election Commission for the surge across the country.
Rejecting repeated requests made by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi on behalf of the commission, the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy refused to grant any relief.
The issue pertains to the observations made by the high court on 26 April while hearing a suo motu PIL to monitor Tamil Nadu's preparedness in tackling the second wave of the cases.
"Delhi represents people from the entire country. Centre has a special responsibility. Forget that somebody wasn't able to lift the oxygen but you have to push through because you have to protect lives," observed the top court.
No state should clampdown information if citizens communicate their grievances on social media, the top court said Friday amid an unprecedented surge.
The apex court stressed clampdown on information will be "treated as contempt if any citizens are harassed".
The Supreme Court on Friday warned the state governments against clampdown on information if citizens communicate their grievances on crisis on social media.
As soon as the vaccines reach Delhi, we will make proper announcements. Only then people with appointments can start coming to the centres, said Kejriwal.
A division bench comprising of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rekha Palli however directed that the police will be duty bound to conduct investigation in such cases, cooperation of which shall be given by public at large.
The plea comes in light of the wide reportage of high court's observation that the poll body was responsible for second wave and must face murder charges for the same.
Of the total 1.87 crore cases in India, there are over 31 lakh cases that are currently active while, over 1.53 crore people have recovered after testing positive, according to health ministry's latest data.
With the death of 3,498 patients in the past 24 hours, the toll in the country climbed to 2,08,330 on Friday, said the Union health ministry. This takes the national fatality rate to 1.11 percent.
In 1971, Sorabjee was designated senior counsel of the Supreme Court. He became the attorney general of India first from 1989-90 and then from 1998-2004.
With more than 400 oxygen cylinders, nearly one million rapid test kits, and other hospital equipment, a Super Galaxy military transporter landed at New Delhi's International airport Friday morning.
Still reeling under a deadly second wave of , Maharashtra may witness a third wave of the infection in July-August, said health minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday.
The grim prediction by Tope came on a day when Maharashtra, the state worst-hit by the pandemic in the country, recorded 66,159 fresh cases and 771 fatalities.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "As per epidemiologists, Maharashtra could witness a third wave of in July or August. Maharashtra is trying to be self-sufficient in terms of availability of medical oxygen by then."
"It has been said the state could reach to the plateau level of cases by the end of May. If it is hit by a third wave in July or August, it would increase the
challenges before the state administration," he said.
He was speaking after taking part in a review meeting with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray where various aspects of management and vaccination were discussed.
District collectors and divisional commissioners also took part in the virtual meeting.
During the discussion, the chief minister stressed on setting up 125 PSA (pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plants (for generating medical oxygen) at the earliest for treating patients with mild to moderate infection," Tope said.
District collectors were told the government will not tolerate any complain about non-availability of oxygen when the state is hit by a third wave, said the health minister.
Maintaining that the current requirement of oxygen is being met through local generation as well as supplies from the Centre, he said Maharashtra is facing a shortage of 10,000 to 15,000 vials of Remdesivir, used to treat critical patients.
Though there is a shortage, we have asked doctors to use it judiciously. Extra doses could lead to grave side effects, he said.
Tope said the chief minister informed the meeting that he has told business houses and corporates that if they spend on setting up -related facilities, that money will be considered as CSR expenditure.
"They can avail all benefits related to CSR spendings and this will also ease financial burden on the state," the health minister said.
We will try to set up oxygen generator plants, arrange oxygen concentrators as well as provide medical equipment such as CT scan and MRI machines to districts where these facilities are not available," he said.
Districts such as Hingoli, Jalna, Parbhani, Osmanabad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Washim and Gadchiroli will get tele-medicine services where patients with other health issues can seek consultancy from doctors based in major cities, Tope said.
Maharashtra, which has so far reported 45,39,553 cases and 67,985 fatalities, is under lockdown-like restrictions till 15 May.
