Family members react during the cremation of a COVID-19 victim, as coronavirus cases surge in record numbers, at Sarai Kale Khan Crematorium in New Delhi, Thursday, May 6, 2021. (PTI Photo)Coronavirus India Live Updates: Two days after he said the third Covid wave is ‘inevitable’, Principal Scientific Advisor to Prime Minister K VijayRaghavan Thursday said it can be prevented “if we take strong measures”. “It depends much on how effectively the guidance is implemented at the local level, in the states, in districts and in the cities everywhere,” ANI quoted him as saying.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa Friday evening announced a complete lockdown across the state to arrest the spread of Covid-19. The lockdown is imposed from 6 am on May 10, Monday, till 6 am on May 24.
The Union Health Ministry Friday said states such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Jharkhand have shown plateauing of daily Covid cases gradually. The ministry also said that 12 states have over one lakh active Covid-19 cases while seven states have 50,000 to one lakh active cases.
India recorded 4.14 lakh new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours ending 8 am Friday, taking the country’s total caseload to over 2.14 crore. Out of these, over 36 lakh cases are currently active while over 1.76 crore people have recovered. With 3,915 new deaths, the toll now stands at over 2.34 lakh.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with the Karnataka High Court’s order asking the central government to increase the state’s daily quota of liquid medical oxygen from 965 MT to 1200 MT. The apex court rejected the Centre’s challenge against the High Court order, calling it a “well calibrated and judicious exercise of power”.
The Indian Army mobilises two Field Hospitals from northeast to Patna to assist the Bihar government in fighting rising Covid-19 cases. (Twitter/@adgpi)
Describing the surge of COVID-19 infections and deaths in India as "nothing short of heartbreaking", Vice President Kamala Harris said on Friday that India's welfare is critically important to the United States.
Pledging that the Biden administration is determined to help India in its hour of need, Harris said that the entire government machinery has been galvanised to help the country in this hour of crisis.
"At the beginning of the pandemic, when our hospital beds were stretched, India sent assistance. And today, we are determined to help India in its hour of need," Harris said in her remarks at the State Department's Diaspora outreach event on US COVID Relief for India.
"We do this as friends of India, as members of the Asian Quad, and as part of the global community. I believe that if we continue to work together " across nations and sectors " we will all get through this," she said. (PTI)
Countries worldwide wrestling with new coronavirus surges are trying to ensure they aren’t hit by an India style disaster They face many of the same risks including large populations that have shirked restrictions and fragile health systems shaken under the strain.
In a province along the Nile in southern Egypt hospitals have been flooded with COVID19 patients a main hot spot in a third spike swelling across the country Doctors in Sohag province warn the health system there could collapse even as the government rushes in new supplies.
“My estimate is that there is no family in Sohag that does not have a corona case,” said Dr. Mahmoud Fahmy Mansour head of the provinces doctors union. “We lost five physicians in one week.”
He said a scenario like India was a possibility but God willing it is a very far possibility. Read more
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh Friday authorised deputy commissioners of all districts to declare curfew in their respective jurisdictions after the state reported a new record highest single-day spike with 600 positive Covid-19 cases.
The development comes following a virtual meeting chaired by the chief minister to review the prevailing pandemic situation in the state. The meeting was attended by DCs, superintendents of police, chief medical officers of different districts and doctors of RIMS, JNIMS and Covid care centres.
Singh expressed serious concern over the sudden rise in the number of casualties and positive cases in the past couple of days. He urged the district administrations and the doctors to strengthen measures to save lives and put in their best efforts to flatten the Covid curve. Read this report by Jimmy Leivon
The second wave of coronavirus in India has seen oxygen turning into gold as every other state has urged the Centre to increase their supply. However, during a hearing in the Supreme Court over Delhi's oxygen shortage, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, had submitted that if the central government increases the supply of a certain state, it will have to divert it from other states' quota.
At the time of the first coronavirus lockdown in the country in March 2020, the Centre had taken over the power to allocate oxygen to states based on their demand by invoking the Disaster Management Act, 2005. This means that even if a state has the required infrastructure to produce, store, and transport oxygen, it will have to ask the Centre to provide the required supply of oxygen.
Which states have raised the issue of oxygen shortage with the Centre? Read here
The Karnataka government has announced the extension of Covid-lockdown already in place in the state from May 10 to May 24. Essential services allowed from 6 am to 10 am every day. All commercial activities prohibited.
Delhi government has decided to organise a mass Covid vaccination drive for all the media houses (Electronic Media/Digital Media/Print Media) free of cost. The inoculation drive will be carried out at their offices.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan: "Nobody will go hungry during the lockdown. Next week onwards free food kits will be distributed for all families and guest workers. Food will be delivered to the needy from People's Restaurants and Community Kitchens through Local Self Government Institutions."
Some 4,000 government health care workers in Indore in Madhya Pradesh on Friday evening withdrew their stir that began over the district collector allegedly misbehaving with a senior woman doctor.
The workers' stir was called off after Collector Manish Singh expressed regret to district health officer Dr Purnima Gadariya post several rounds of meetings during the day.
The truce was hammered out by state water resources minister Tulsiram Silawat, who is in charge of the COVID-19 containment efforts in Indore, said officials.
"I had a telephonic talk with Gadariya over problems at the fever clinic in Khudail and expressed displeasure. Today, I told her I regret it if any of my words hurt her. We are here to serve the people and there is no place for personal ego and prestige," Singh told reporters after the meeting. (PTI)
As many as 1.84 lakh people in the 18-44 age group have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine since the inoculation of this category started on May 3, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Friday.
According to Delhi government's health bulletin, 1,14,657 beneficiaries were vaccinated in the last 24 hours, of which 80,306 received their first dose.
"In Delhi 1.84 lakh youth have got the 1st dose of vaccine, in first 4 days of 18-45 yrs age group opening. In total 38.88 lakh people have got the vaccine in all age groups till yesterday evening," Sisodia tweeted. (PTI)
The Chandigarh administration has decided to impose a weekend lockdown again to check the coronavirus spread.
The administration had imposed a weekend lockdown last week too while it ordered the closure of shops selling non-essential items till May 11. It had imposed a daily night curfew from 6 pm to 5 am.
A weekend lockdown will again be imposed in the Union Territory, beginning 5 am on Saturday and will continue till 5 am on Monday, according to an order after a review meeting here. However, during this period, morning walk will be allowed from 6 am to 9 am.
The shops selling essential items like dairy products and vegetables will remain open for home delivery up to 2 pm. No person will leave home or move on foot or by vehicle or travel or stand or roam around on any road or public place during the lockdown hours, the order issued by District Magistrate Mandip Singh Brar said. (PTI)
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has announced a statewide curfew starting May 9 till May 23. Grocery shops would remain open from 7 am to 1 pm. Takeaway kitchens would be open from 7 am to 7 pm, medical supplies to be available as well.
"Tourists entering Goa will need to have a negative RT-PCR test report or proof of vaccination," he said.
Principal Scientific Advisor to Prime Minister: "If we take strong measures, the third wave may not happen in all the places or indeed anywhere at all. It depends much on how effectively the guidance is implemented at the local level, in the states, in districts and in the cities everywhere." (ANI)
Addressing the press, Arti Ahuja, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health, said, "Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Jharkhand are the states/UTs where cases were increasing earlier but are now plateauing gradually."
"When we see states where the trend is going upwards, those states are Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Haryana, Odisha and Uttarakhand." (ANI)
All hospitals with a capacity of more than 50 beds in Gurgaon have been directed to make arrangements for oxygen supply themselves by either setting up oxygen plants or making arrangements for PSA oxygen generation, said officials during a meeting on Friday.
At the meeting, it was also revealed that a portal will soon be created to make the process of procuring oxygen cylinders smoother for those in home isolation, and six oxygen plants will be set up in the district in the coming weeks to improve the oxygen supply.
Speaking during the meeting, held virtually to discuss the Covid situation in Gurgaon, Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg said, “Continuous efforts are being made to increase oxygen supply in the district. Instructions have been given to hospitals with more than 50 beds capacity to manage their own oxygen needs, whether through liquid oxygen plants or by arranging a PSA. A letter has also been sent to them to this effect.” Report by Sakshi Dayal
The Delhi government has directed the heads of all the hospitals admitting Covid-19 patients to update the status of the beds on Delhi Corona App frequently but not later than every two hours. The order was issued after there was a delay by the hospitals in updating the app, causing trouble to the patients.
An order issued by special secretary, health and family welfare, S M Ali stated “It has been reported that many hospitals are not updating the status of different categories of beds regularly on the designated portal and Delhi Corona App. This is creating hardship to the public who, in the absence of reliable information, are forced to spend time and energy in searching for vacant beds and are subjected to great harassment and agony.” Read this report by Astha Saxena
Amid a rise in oxygen demand owing to spiralling COVID-19 cases, Haryana's Home and Health Minister Anil Vij on Friday said control and management of all oxygen generation plants should be handed over to military or paramilitary forces for their safety and smooth functioning.
Later, according a statement, Vij said if an oxygen plant stops functioning due to any reason it can cost lives. "Control and management of all Oxygen Generation Plants should be handed over to military or paramilitary forces for safety and smooth functioning of the plants," Vij said in a tweet.
On Wednesday, Vij had said 60 oxygen plants will be set up in the state with the support of the central government. According to a government release, the plants will be installed at various government hospitals with bed capacity of 30, 50, 100 and 200. (PTI)
The Karnataka government has decided to cap the price of CT-scan and digital X-ray in private hospitals and labs at Rs 1,500 and Rs 250 respectively, Health Minister Sudhakar K said on Friday. He said CT-scan or X-ray is becoming increasingly necessary to detect COVID-19.
"We have received complaints that some hospitals and labs are exploiting people by charging high prices," Sudhakar said adding that the government's decision is aimed at checking this.
The Minister warned that strict action would be taken against hospitals and labs which violate rules and charge high prices. (PTI)
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday said a lockdown to curb the rise in COVID-19 cases could be inevitable if people do not cooperate. "People are not following the Janata Curfew properly. They are not abiding by our warnings. Hence, lockdown could be inevitable," he told reporters near Annamma Devi Temple here ahead of a crucial meeting later Friday in view of the alarming rise in coronavirus cases.
According to him, the government will finalise in a day or two about the stringent measures required to control COVID. "If people wish that stringent measures should not be taken, then people should cooperate by wearing masks and maintaining social distancing," the Chief Minister said. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday announced a covid pandemic time relief of Rs 2,000 for the people of the state, a cut in Aavin milk rate and free travel for women in state-run buses, all promises made by his DMK ahead of the April 6 Assembly elections.
Issuing his first set of orders after taking over as CM, Stalin also announced bringing covid treatment in private hospitals under a government insurance scheme, to provide succour to such people, an official release here said. It recalled the party's promise of providing Rs 4,000 for rice ration card holders to aid citizens affected due to the pandemic and help them with their livelihood.
"To implement that, the Chief Minister has signed the order to provide the first instalment of Rs 2,000 in May itself at Rs 4,153.69 crore, covering 2,07,67,000 ration card holders," it said. (With PTI)