Delhi Covid lockdown live: Govt to halt jabs for 18-44 year group from next week

Delhi recorded 4,482 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, the lowest since April 5 and the second day in a row that the figure remained below the 5,000-mark. The fresh cases were an outcome of 65,004 tests, with a positivity rate of 6.89%. This was lowest since April 7 when it was 6.1% from 90,201 tests. Monday was the first time since April 11 that the positivity rate dipped below 10%. Though the capital has been witnessing a consistent dip in the number of Covid-19 cases and the positivity rate, the death count remains alarming. On Tuesday, 265 people succumbed to the virus, taking the toll to 22,111 with a cumulative case fatality rate of 1.58%. May has already recorded 5,964 Covid-19 fatalities, the highest figure recorded in a single month since the outbreak in March last year.

After the Indian Council for Medical Research dropped convalescent plasma therapy from the Covid-19 treatment protocol, experts that TOI spoke to said that the advice was based on scientific evidence and would be duly followed. Belief in the therapy’s efficacy had led to huge demands for blood plasma in recent days. “The study was conducted by various institutions and the results are in front of us. The use of plasma has been seen not to have an impact on the mortality or the progression of the disease,” said Dr Anant Mohan, head of pulmonary medicine at AIIMS. Other doctors told TOI that they would discontinue the therapeutic use of plasma except as a last resort. It was believed that the antibody-rich plasma from a recovered Covid patient, when injected into an ailing recipient, would aid the fight against the infection.

Food & civil supplies minister Imran Hussain on Tuesday assured that sufficient ration was available in the city and fair price shops would remain open seven days of the week. Delhi government had already announced free ration to the 72 lakh ration card holders for May and June and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday further said those who were poor but didn’t possess a ration card would also start getting ration within a few days. The capital has around 17.8 lakh households with ration cards covering 72.8 lakh beneficiaries, including 68,732 Antodya Anna Yojna (AAY) households having 2.8 lakh beneficiaries.

State commissioner for persons with disabilities Ranjan Mukherjee has written to Delhi government asking it to prioritise vaccination for people with disabilities. The commissioner has suggested that welfare offices under the department of social welfare be used for providing vaccination. On May 10, TOI had reported about disabled activists asking the government to make some arrangements. They had suggested options like at-home vaccination, holding camps at old age homes, and creation of separate facilities for such people.

Making around a thousand pieces of momos takes quite a bit of time. But it is time well spent for Zoheb Bhutia. The momos that he and his team steam up feed hapless souls at hospitals and some homeless people, the dumplings restoring the sapped energies of those awaiting news about their kin being treated for Covid. Entrepreneur Bhutia, 31, a native of Sikkim, had set up a restaurant in Safdarjung Enclave in south Delhi in February, its speciality the much favoured momos at lower prices than elsewhere.

The Centre’s officers are living in “ivory towers” oblivious of ground realities that Covid-19 has not spared a single family, Delhi High Court said on Tuesday, after getting to know that an Indian firm collaborating with Sputnik vaccine makers of Russia is being starved of funds by the Centre. “Which bureaucrat is giving you instructions? Is he not alive to the situation? God bless this country. That is why we are facing this situation. In such matters instructions are need to be taken from the highest authorities, that, too, within 30 minutes,” the court said, highlighting that such partnership attempts with foreign vaccine manufacturers are an opportunity to the nation facing shortage of vaccines.

Delhi government will not be able to vaccinate people in the 18-44 age group from the next week. While the stock of Covaxin for this group is already depleted, Covishield is left for only three days. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi on Tuesday said that starting from next week, the centres vaccinating this age group would be temporarily shut down due to the shortage of vaccines. A fresh stock of 60,240 doses of Covaxin was supplied to Delhi by the Centre for 45-59 age group and healthcare/ frontline workers, Atishi said, thanking the Centre. The stock of Covaxin for this group is left for only two days and that of Covishield for four days, the MLA added.