A COVID-19 patient being brought in an e-rickshaw for treatments at Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in Prayagraj. (PTI Photo) Coronavirus India Cases Today, New Strain of Coronavirus, Covid-19 Lockdown Live Updates: The horrifying scenes from India’s hospitals, cremation/burial grounds that stunned the world and showed the gruesome impact of the second wave of coronavirus in the second most populous nation on the Earth have not improved despite some states reporting a significantly lower number of new Covid-19 infections. What has changed is the testing pattern and with the new guidelines issued by the ICMR last night, India may register a further dip in daily caseload. However, experts say that this may result in actual infections not getting detected and that may result in other super-spreader events. So, what changes now? The ICMR says that states should go for rapid antigen rather than the RT-PCR, which is considered the best possible test for diagnosing Covid-19 infection. The new norms come into effect at a time when the diagnostic centres across the country face huge backlogs due to a massive surge in cases and testing. Another key element of the new rules says that now those travelling across states need not undergo the RT-PCR test.
Meanwhile, despite help pouring in from across the world, many states have said that they have not received any relief material. The Centre maintains that it has streamlined the process and sending the Oxygen devices and other things via proper channels. With the High Courts berating the Centre and state governments, one can only hope that situation improves without artificial gimmicks of antigen results and lower testing. As India continues its war against Covid here are the latest verified news and other developments from across the country and around the world:
Highlights
Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today inspected train coaches that have been converted into COVID19 care center at Guwahati Railway Station. He says,"At least 1600 people can be admitted in 150 coaches.However,these coaches will be used once we fall short of beds in hospitals" (ANI)
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Record daily rise of 41,953 coronavirus cases in Kerala; 58 more deaths: govt (PTI)
Drug firm Roche India on Wednesday said it has received Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) from the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) for Roche's investigational antibody cocktail used in the treatment of COVID-19. The approval of antibody cocktail of Casirivimab and Imdevimab in India was based on the data filed for the EUA in the US, and the scientific opinion of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) in the European Union, Roche India said in a statement. "This Emergency Use Authorisation will now enable Roche to import the globally manufactured product batches to India and will be marketed as well as distributed in India through a strategic partnership with Cipla Limited," it added. The antibody cocktail is to be administered for the treatment of mild to moderate coronavirus disease in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age or older, weighing at least 40 kg) who are confirmed to be infected with SARS-COV2 and who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease, the statement said. It could significantly help these high-risk patients before their condition worsens, it added. "With the increasing number of COVID-19 infections in India, Roche is committed to doing everything we can to minimise hospitalisations and ease pressure on healthcare systems," Roche Pharma India MD V Simpson Emmanuel said. (PTI)
Goa reports 3,496 new COVID19 cases, 71 deaths and 2,192 recoveries in the last 24 hours; active cases at 27,964 (ANI)
Direct selling major Amway on Wednesday said it is donating USD 1 million (around Rs 7.5 crore) to support the COVID-19 relief efforts in India during the second wave of the pandemic. The sum will be used to facilitate COVID-19 resources, including ventilators and oxygen concentrators, to accelerate the COVID 19 relief work, the company said in a statement. In a message, Amway Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Milind Pant said, "India is in the hearts and minds of Amway's global family. To our colleagues and friends across India, know that we are committed to supporting you during these tough times." He further said, "With the support of the founding families, as well as executive leadership, Amway Corporation contributed USD750,000 to the US Chamber's foundation to provide aid to the country." (PTI)
Setting a new trend in the time of coronavirus a single screen in the city, which had suspended film shows since April last week following escalation of pandemic cases, will throw open its facilities for a vaccination camp from this month. The theatre will collaborate with a leading private healthcare group for the initiative in which those waiting to be vaccinated will be shown content-rich films for free, director of the popular single screen Arijit Dutta told PTI on Wednesday. "We will start the camp as soon as vaccines are available from the state government, hopefully this month itself. Medical personnel from the private healthcare group will carry out the vaccination and other health related activities. We will provide the logistics and try to ensure that the wait for vaccines is not tiring for the people who can watch films in air conditioned comfort while strictly following the stipulations of the health experts," he said. (PTI)
COVID19 | Uttarakhand reports 7,783 new cases and 127 deaths today; active cases is at 59,526 (ANI)
In the highest single-day spike, Kerala on Wednesday reported 41,953 new COVID-19 cases, while 23,106 people were cured of the infection, pushing the caseload to 17,43,932 and recoveries to 13.62 lakh, the state government said. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in view of the rise in the cases, more stringent measures will have to be taken to curb the surge in the state where severe lockdown-like restrictions were already in force. The toll mounted to 5,565 with 58 more deaths. Active cases now stood at 3,75,658, while the test positivity rate (TPR) was 25.69. (PTI)
Varanasi: DRDO is setting up a 750-bedded makeshift COVID hospital at Banaras Hindu University premises; 90% of work has been done, rest of the work will be completed in a day or 2. In the first phase, 250 ICUs will start functioning: Deepak Agrawal, Varanasi Commissioner (ANI)
Another PIL in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday claimed that there is a lack of adequate cremation or burial sites in the national capital to deal with the daily rise in fatalities due to COVID-19. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh issued notice to the Delhi government and sought its response to the plea which seeks allocation of additional permanent or temporary places for cremation of dead bodies. The court listed the matter for hearing on May 17 along with a similar plea which was taken up on Tuesday (May 4), by the bench. The fresh plea by Delhi resident Jaswinder Singh Jolly also seeks a direction to the government to frame guidelines for the cremation of those deceased who loved ones cannot perform the last rites due to COVID-19. In his plea, filed through advocates Naginder Benipal and Harithi Kambiri, the petitioner has claimed that family members of the deceased "are being made to run from one cremation facility to another due to lack of space as well as wood". (PTI)
A small-scale study on 113 healthcare workers who had received at least one vaccine dose at a private hospital in Delhi found that 18 tested positive for Covid but all except one had mild symptoms. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research and Reviews on May 3, was conducted on employees of the Fortis Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology in Delhi. READ MORE
Data on the availability of hospital beds will be uploaded daily on our website. A special 24X7 oxygen helpline has been set up as well: Health Department, Chandigarh (ANI)
Rural-focussed fintech player Spice Money on Wednesday said it has launched a dedicated initiative to help people register for the COVID-19 vaccination. Spice Money has launched the dedicated assistance initiative for vaccination registration to enable rural citizens to register through its dense network across more than 18,000 PIN codes, Spice Money said in a release. The company said it has also initiated a special drive to spread awareness and educate its banking correspondent partners (Spice Money Adhikaris) about the priority vaccination available to them as directed by the government. The Spice Money Adhikari (SMA) network covering 95 per cent of India's rural PIN codes will facilitate people to register and book an appointment for vaccination, said the fintech company. (PTI)
Those who need emergency medicines and are unable to go out can seek the help of Kerala Police to buy medicine by calling the police control room. The State Police media centre will also spread awareness in social media about COVID-19 guidelines: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan (ANI)
In view of rising COVID19 cases, District Magistrate Swati Bhadoria has issued orders imposing 'corona curfew' in Chamoli dist up till May 9. During the curfew, essential shops will stay open in district till 2 pm while pharmacies will remain open throughout day. (ANI)
There is no doubt that people have been pretty active on social media at a time when COVID-19 transmission and oxygen crisis, just so they can help others in need for treatment. Among the posts shared, many of them have requests for convalescent plasma as it is being prescribed to many for treating the COVID-19 infection. Blood banks too have seen a rise in demand for convalescent plasma. For this, NGOs have been working selflessly to respond to people’s pleas and are also encouraging Covid-recovered patients to donate plasma, a report by The IE noted. READ FULL STORY
Homegrown live streaming platform Bolo Indya has stepped forward to create awareness regarding the Coronavirus vaccination across the tier 2, tier 3 and tier 4 cities in India. For this initiative, the company has partnered with the citizen engagement platform of the government- MyGov India where the aim is to aid the Centre’s efforts to fight the pandemic via an awareness drive. READ MORE
"Angrezi Medium" actor Radhika Madan and "Fukrey" actor Pulkit Samrat on Wednesday received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. The actors took to Instagram to share the update. "One step at a time #Vaccinated," Madan captioned her photo as she took the first jab of the vaccine. The 26-year-old actor urged everyone to get registered and requested them to maintain all precautions at the vaccination centres. "Wear double mask, sanitise your hands, maintain distance and don't panic. Don't forget to get a good night's sleep the day before and stay well hydrated #FightCorona," she said. Samrat, 37, said getting vaccinated is the "best form of defence" against COVID-19. "#Jab We Met. This is our best form of defence. Be safe. #GETVACCINATED," he wrote in the caption. "Dil Bechara" star Sanjana Sanghi and her brother Sumer also received the first jab of the vaccine. "Tiny rays of hope and sunshine in dark times #GetVaccinated" the 24-year-old actor wrote alongside a selfie with her brother. (PTI)
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Kerala is going through a serious situation with COVID spreading rapidly in the state. Test positivity rate is not coming down. The situation calls for imposing more restrictions in the state: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan (ANI)
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Punjab | CM Amarinder Singh today announced thrust sector status for all oxygen production units, appointed a nodal officer for quick clearance of foreign aid. Status applicable to O2 production units with minimum capacity of 700 cylinders per day, oxygen refilling excluded: CMO (ANI)
All migrant workers returning to the state shall be tested (RAT) on arrival. Those testing COVID negative shall be isolated for 7 days at govt facilities. While those testing positive shall be managed as per protocol of Health and Family Welfare: Chief Secretary, Jharkhand (ANI)
Coronavirus in older adults: Ever since the pandemic first struck early last year, fever is being used as a key indicator of checking if someone potentially has COVID-19. A testament to this is the fact that at all public places like metro stations, offices and tourist attractions, thermal screening measures are at place, and people have to go through it first before being allowed to enter. However, now, medical experts have proposed that to check whether older adults have infections, pulse oximeters are more useful than taking temperature, according to a report in IE. This commentary has been published in Frontiers in Medicine by Catherine Van Son and Deborah Eti of Washington State University’s College of Nursing. READ FULL STORY
This disease (Covid-19) is not spreading through animals, it's human to human transmission: Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog (ANI)
Sikkim reported 221 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours pushing the tally to 8,919, a health department bulletin said on Wednesday. The COVID-19 death toll rose to 155 as four more persons succumbed to the disease, the bulletin said. Of the 221 new COVID-19 cases, East Sikkim district registered 171 cases followed by 24 each in South and West Sikkim and 2 in North Sikkim. (PTI)
A phase three is inevitable, given the higher levels of circulating virus but it is not clear on what time scale this phase three will occur. We should prepare for new waves: K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to Centre (ANI)
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on Wednesday described the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as an “all consuming” challenge posed by a virulent strain of coronavirus and welcomed the enormous goodwill from countries around the world as a sense of solidarity in diplomacy. Jaishankar, who is in the UK on a four-day visit to participate in the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers Meeting as a guest minister, admitted that India’s health system “stands exposed” but that there is a focussed plan to ramp up the vaccination programme and address the country’s needs beyond the immediacy of the pandemic. READ MORE
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain takes stock of preparations of COVID Care Centre at Gurudwara Rakab Ganj. He says, 'We're trying to set up 500 oxygen bedded centre here. Apart from ICU, everything will be available here. We're trying to start this facility at the earliest' (ANI)
Karnataka on Wednesday crossed the 1-crore mark in inoculation of COVID-19 vaccines, Health Minister K Sudhakar said. "Karnataka crossed 1 crore inoculations of Covid-19 vaccine today. K'taka has received 1,05,49,970 doses from Centre & State Govt has procured 3 lakh doses," the Minister tweeted. Noting that the vaccine is the biggest weapon to defeat the virus, Sudhakar said the government is leaving no stone unturned to inoculate everyone at the earliest. According to the health department officials, these inoculations comprise first and the second doses. On Tuesday alone, the state government has achieved 99.36 lakh inoculations. (PTI)
A German military cargo aircraft with a mobile oxygen production unit for India has departed from an airport in northern Germany to help Indian hospitals that are overwhelmed with coronavirus pandemic patients. The plane will have a layover in Abu Dhabi and is expected to arrive in India on Thursday. "We're proud to contribute significantly with our airlift in the global fight against the coronavirus," German air force Lt Gen Ingo Gerhartz told German news agency dpa on Wednesday. Air transports are a routine for us but we all know that the fight against this pandemic is about human lives and that every single life counts. (PTI)
At a time when the COVID-19 cases are surging, the National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH), an autonomous organisation here and the State DisasterManagement Authority, have jointly set up a 24 X 7 Covid-19 helpline exclusively for the deaf and hard of hearing. The facility is primarily meant for answering queries and concerns related to the pandemic and extending counselling to stress-related issues. Sign language interpreters will be available to attend the WhatsApp video calls made to the helpline, an official statement said. (PTI)
The government on Wednesday said that spending by companies for setting up health infrastructure for COVID care will be considered as CSR activities. The corporate affairs ministry's latest clarification comes weeks after clarifying that spending for setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID-19 care facilities will be considered as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity under the companies law. Certain class of profitable companies are required to shell out at least 2 per cent of their three-year annual average net profit towards CSR works in a particular year. - PTI
The Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday decided to impose a lockdown in the state from May 7 to May 16 to check the spread of COVID-19, an official said. The decision to impose the "corona curfew" in the state was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, the spokesperson added. While government and private offices and establishments will remain closed during the lockdown period, essential services such as those related to health, electricity, telecommunication, water supply and sanitation will be exempted, the official said. The cabinet decided that work would continue at civil work sites and horticultural, agricultural and other projects, while educational institutions would remain closed till May 31, he said. Government and private transport vehicles will be allowed to ply with 50 per cent occupancy, and inter-state transportation will continue, the official added. Industrial establishments will work as per guidelines issued by the state government, he said. The cabinet also decided to cancel the Class 10 board exams of the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education. All students will be promoted to Class 11 as per norms suggested by the CBSE for its students of the same class, the official said. (PTI)
An IL-76 aircraft of IAF landed in Singapore today. After loading 352 empty oxygen cylinders there, it is expected to get airborne late afternoon and land at Hindon Air Force Station late in the night: Indian Air Force
Pakistan has reported 4,113 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of coronavirus infections to 841,636, the health ministry said on Wednesday. According to the Ministry of National Health Services, another 119 people died in the last 24 hours, taking the number of COVID-19 toll to 18,429. The authorities performed 44,838 tests, recording a 9.17 per cent positivity rate. A total of 4,113 new coronavirus cases were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 841,636. Meanwhile, Minister for Planning Asad Umar, who is also chief of National Command Operation Centre (NCOC), the top body to combat COVID-19, tweeted that more and more people were registering for inoculation. - PTI
The two medical oxygen plants have been installed at AIIMS and Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in the national capital with PM-CARES fund and will start supplying oxygen to these medical facilities by this evening, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. The plants were airlifted from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and installed here on Tuesday on a war footing, it said. The ministry said in order to cope with high demand of medical oxygen amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, fund has been allocated from PM-CARES for installation of over 500 medical oxygen plants across the country. These plants are planned to be set up within three months. - PTI
Karnataka crossed 1 cr inoculations of COVID19 vaccine today. We've received 1,05,49,970 doses from Centre & state govt has procured 3 lakh doses. Vaccine is biggest weapon to defeat pandemic. We're leaving no stone unturned to vaccinate all: Dr K Sudhakar, Karnataka Health Minister - ANI