A steady decline in new COVID-19 cases has been recorded in India for the last 20 days. Twenty-four states have also reported decline in active COVID-19 cases since the last week, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.Covid-19 Cases and Deaths in India Today Live Count: As the world tries to vaccinate the younger population with the US starting the inoculation programmes specifically focused on the children, the Niti Aayog has said that the WHO has not recommended the need to vaccinate the young. This was something the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said on Twitter. At a time when the health experts are talking about the probability of the third wave of the coronavirus impacting the kids more severely, this confusing messaging from the top may hamper the policymaking for the future. The Centre must clearly spell out the agenda and roadmap for the next quarter if we don’t want to see a repeat of what happened in April.
On Thursday, the government said the second COVID-19 wave in India is on the “downswing” and hoped this trend will be sustained even when curbs are systematically relaxed. The Centre also highlighted that the number of active cases in the country is “still very high”. Amid a fall in the number of daily cases and some improvement in the status of Covid bed, medical oxygen, and medicine, the Home Ministry also issued fresh guidelines on Covid management. It directed the states/UTs to continue the ongoing Covid-19 guidelines till June 30 and asked them to go for intensive and local containment measures in districts with a high number of cases to check the spread of the disease.
As states spar with the Centre of vaccine stock and vaccine wastage data, India is losing out precious time for preparing for the war ahead. Here are the latest news, views, updates on state-wise lockdowns and all vaccine research from India and around the world:
Highlights
Scientists in Taiwan have developed a new DNA-based COVID-19 vaccine that successfully induced long-lasting antibodies against the novel coronavirus in mice and hamsters. Some currently available COVID-19 vaccines rely on messenger RNA or mRNA strands to teach the human immune system to recognise the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the disease. Most viruses have either RNA or DNA as their genetic material. The nucleic acid may be single- or double-stranded. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has RNA as its genetic material. The new study, published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, demonstrates the successful development of a vaccine that instead uses DNA encoding the virus' spike protein, which allows it to enter and infect the human cells. Both DNA and mRNA vaccines use genetic material encoding part of a virus to elicit an immune response. However, DNA vaccines can often be produced more quickly and at lower cost, and transported without the requirement of cold temperatures, the researchers said. (PTI)
India on Friday supported the renewed global call for a comprehensive study by the WHO into the origins of coronavirus, days after US President Joe Biden asked American intelligence agencies to "redouble" their efforts in investigating the emergence of the pandemic amid growing controversy about origins of the virus from a laboratory in China. In March, the World Health Organisation (WHO) came out with a report on the origins of the virus but it had failed to meet the expectations of the US and several other leading countries. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the follow up of the WHO report and further studies deserve the understanding and cooperation of all. "The WHO convened global study on the origin of COVID-19 is an important first step. It stressed the need for next phase studies as also for further data and studies to reach robust conclusions," he said. (PTI)
The price of DRDO’s 2DG anti-COVID 19 drug has been kept at Rs 990 per sachet by Dr Reddy’s lab. Govt hospitals, central and state govt would be provided the medicine at a discounted price: Govt officials (ANI)
In what we believe is the ‘second wave’ of COVID-19, India continued to report more than 4 lakh corona positive cases and over 3,500 death till recently – quite unfortunate yet important to note. The overall mortality rate of the country, which was once less than 1 percent, has increased drastically over the last few weeks. What is more heartbreaking is the fact that the rising mortality rate is not only because of the severe deadly virus but also because of the massive caseload, that has completely overwhelmed India’s healthcare system. And considering the current pace at which the cases are rising in India, the situation might take time to get back under control. READ FULL STORY HERE
Japan is set to extend a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas with infections not yet slowing to levels it can safely host the Olympics opening in just over 50 days. The extension is needed as people are increasingly roaming in public, especially in Tokyo and Osaka, when they should be doing the opposite, and it's feared that lifting the emergency would cause an instant rebound in infections, Economy Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said. The current emergency in the capital and eight other metropolitan areas was to end next Monday, but hospitals in some areas are still overflowing with COVID-19 patients and serious cases hit new highs recently. Nishimura told reporters the government proposal of a 20-day extension to June 20 in the nine areas received preliminary approval from experts ahead of an official announcement later Friday. The southern island prefecture of Okinawa is already under emergency status through June 20. Olympic organizers have to decide around that date whether to allow any fans at all, after overseas spectators were banned months ago. A plan to prioritize vaccinations for Japanese athletes also is being delayed to around that time, according to media reports. The Olympics are scheduled to start on July 23 after a one-year postponement due to the pandemic, and worries about the new variants and Japan's slow vaccination rollouts have triggered calls from the public and medical experts to cancel the Games. Experts have warned that more contagious variants are infecting more people, leaving them seriously ill and flooding hospitals. (AP)
State-run Canara Bank on Friday announced three loan schemes as part of the fight against the pandemic under which it will offer healthcare credit, business and personal loan to individuals. The Canara Chikitsa healthcare credit facility will offer loans from over Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 crore to registered hospitals, nursing homes, medical practitioners, diagnostic centres, pathology labs and all other units engaged in the servicing healthcare infrastructure. The loan to be offered at a concessional rate of interest will have tenor of 10 years with moratorium up to 18 months, Canara Bank said in an advertisement. (PTI)
Mizoram continued to register a spike in fresh COVID-19 cases as 239 more people, including 46 children, tested positive for the infection, pushing the state's tally to 11,382 on Friday, a health official said. Aizawl district reported the highest number of new cases at 149, followed by 35 in Lawngtlai and 21 in Lunglei, he said. Five ambulance drivers and a BSF jawan are also among the new patients, the official said. Three new patients have travel history, while 236 fresh infections were detected during contact tracing, he said. (PTI)
Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale on Friday urged citizens to get their COVID-19 tests done only at ICMR-approved laboratories as cyber criminals are taking advantage of the pandemic by posing as employees of lesser known labs and giving fake reports. Due to heavy rush at civic and state-run hospitals, many citizens are opting for private labs for various COVID-19-related tests, an official said. Many of them book online appointment at nearby private labs through their mobile phones, laptops and computers, giving an opportunity to cyber criminals to fleece them, he said. Cyber fraudsters take advantage of the situation and offer home visit to collect samples and cheat patients by sending them negative or fake test reports, he said. Nagrale took to Twitter to create public awareness about COVID-19-related tests. He appealed to citizens to visit or book appointment only with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-approved labs for tests. "Testing Times! Cyber criminals, taking advantage of rise in demand for Covid-19 tests, are posing to be lesser known labs providing testing - even going to the extent of collecting samples and then sending no or fake reports," the Mumbai top cop said from his official Twitter handle. (PTI)
All members of the UK-bound Indian women's cricket team have been administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of their upcoming away series against England beginning June 16. The Indian team, which is currently in quarantine in Mumbai, will begin its UK tour with a one-off Test in Bristol from June 16. It will be followed by two T20Is on July 9 and 11 in Northampton and three ODIs beginning June 27. "All the players of the women's team have got their first dose of vaccination. Most of them got it in their respective cities, while a few who didn't, got their first jabs on Thursday," a BCCI source said. (PTI)
In a bid to spare senior citizens and differently abled people from hardships in reaching the far-off Coronavirus vaccination centre, the central government Covid-19 vaccine Task Group has advised state/UT governments to set up Near to Home COVID Vaccination Centres (NHCVC). The Technical Expert Committee of the Union Health Ministry had earlier recommended that vaccination centres in the close vicinity of senior citizens and differently abled be set up to make the vaccination process convenient for old and differently abled people who find it difficult to travel to far off vaccination centres. READ FULL STORY
Uttarakhand has received 15,000 injections of Amphotericin-B used for the treatment of patients with black fungus: State Drug Controller Tajber Singh (ANI)
he Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Centre and the Delhi government to respond to a PIL seeking more electric or CNG crematoriums in the national capital in view of the large number of people succumbing to COVID-19. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notices to the Centre, the Delhi government and the municipal corporations, seeking their responses to the plea filed by social activist Sunil Kumar Aledia. Aledia, in his petition filed through advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra, has also sought directions to the authorities to fix uniform charges for cremation at electric crematoriums in the city, as according to the petitioner, the rates range from Rs 500 -- at Sarai Kale Khan -- to Rs 8,800 -- at Lodhi Road. (PTI)
At least 444 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the tally in the northeastern state to 25,820, a senior health department official said on Friday. The death toll rose to 109 after two more persons succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said. A 54-year-old woman from Tawang had tested positive for the virus infection and was undergoing treatment at Dahung military hospital in West Kameng district. She died at the medical facility due to acute respiratory distress syndrome. She was also suffering from hypertension, the SSO said. (PTI)
The Delhi High Court has dismissed Matrix Cellular Services' plea for release of its seized oxygen concentrators, saying it sold "untested" equipment to desperate people at exorbitant prices by making false representations at a time when there was a surge in COVID-19 cases and severe lack of oxygen supply for patients. Justice Yogesh Khanna, while denying any relief to the company, further said that it had allegedly sold the concentrators at huge profit margins "in contravention of laws, rules and executive orders". The court also said that the oxygen concentrators being a lifesaving machine was a drug as defined under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and therefore, "there appears to be no illegality in the act of respondent (police), especially when the State was reeling in acute shortage of drugs, cylinders, concentrators and attendants of patients were running from pillar to post, ready to part with their life savings for its purchase." "A conjoint reading of the FIR, invoices and receipts produced by the petitioner (Matrix) along with the fact that the seized oxygen concentrators were allegedly sold at a huge profit margins in contravention of laws, rules and executive orders... "The facts show the petitioner was engaged in selling untested oxygen concentrators to people desperate for these devices and at an exorbitant prices through false representations, especially, when the State and the whole country saw an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 infections and severe lack of oxygen cylinders and/or concentrators," the court said. (PTI)
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Friday said the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a great challenge to the development prospects of the state as it is likely to witness high revenue and fiscal deficits. Providing free COVID-19 vaccine to all is the policy of the state government and an additional Rs 1,000 crore expenditure is expected for this, he said while presenting the policy address of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government in the state Assembly. Despite fiscal constraints, the government has stepped forward to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic and has floated global tenders and placed orders with domestic vaccine manufacturers. Even though there are over 22 lakh confirmed COVID cases, the state could keep the mortality to around 8,000, he said. "Unprecedented COVID pandemic had thrown a big challenge. The resurgence of COVID has resulted in falling revenues. This might constrain us to push the panic button," Khan said. (PTI)
Bajaj Healthcare on Friday launched Posaconazole API, used in treating Mucormycosis (black fungus) infection in COVID-19 patients. The company has received approval from FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat (India), to manufacture and market Posaconazole API as approved medication for treating Mucormycosis in India, Bajaj Healthcare said in a regulatory filing. Bajaj Healthcare said it will commence its commercial production from the first week of June 2021. Posaconazole is a triazole antifungal agent indicated for treating Mucormycosis patients. More than 11,000 cases of black fungal infection have been reported from different parts, forcing state governments to declare it an epidemic. (PTI)
Delhi HC issued notice to Centre & others on a petition seeking direction to immediately vaccinate children between ages of 12-17 years, in Delhi as well as to prioritize vaccination amongst parents having children up to 17 years of age–especially newborns to 12 years of age. (ANI)
After reporting up to 99 COVID-19 cases daily in April, Mumbai's slum colony of Dharavi has seen a gradual drop in single-day infections - below 5 - in the last couple of days with the tally of patients under treatment dropping to 50, marking a turnaround in the second wave. The 'Dharavi model' of COVID-19 management and the vaccination drive have helped in successfully containing the second wave in the area, officials said. A steady drop in coronavirus cases in Dharavi, a sprawling and congested shanty town which was once a COVID-19 hotspot, has brought huge relief to the civic authorities in Mumbai. BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) officials said the slum cluster, spread across 2.5 square km and located on the border of the island city, reported three and four cases on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, while Mumbai is still witnessing daily coronavirus cases in four digits. They said Dharavi's active cases have come down to just 50 (6,398 of the total 6,802 COVID-19 patients have recovered, while 354 have died). (PTI)
WHO convened global study on the origin of COVID-19 is an important first step. It stressed the need for next phase studies as also for further data & studies to reach robust conclusions. The follow up of the WHO report & further studies deserve understanding & cooperation of all: MEA (ANI)
Californians will be eligible for USD 116.5 million in prize money for getting coronavirus shots, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday, a windfall aimed at getting millions more vaccinated before the nation's most populous state fully reopens next month. The state estimates about 12 million Californians 12 and older have not been vaccinated. About 63 per cent of the 34 million eligible have gotten shots, though the pace has slowed markedly in recent weeks as infection rates have plummeted to record lows. California isn't the first state to offer vaccine prizes, though its pot of money is the largest, and so is the most valuable single prize: USD 1.5 million. The state's reopening is pegged for June 15, and on that day a drawing will be held to award 10 vaccinated people the top prize. Another 30 people will win USD 50,000 each, with those drawings starting June 4. Anyone 12 and older who has received at least one shot will be eligible. And the next 2 million people who get vaccinated will get USD 50 gift cards. (AP)
Coronavirus infections in the South Asia region surpassed 30 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally of official data, led by India which is struggling with a second COVID-19 wave and a vaccine shortage across the region. India, the second most-populous country in the world, this month recorded its highest COVID-19 death toll since the pandemic began last year, accounting for just over a third of the overall total. The South Asia region - India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka - accounts for 18% of global cases and almost 10% of deaths. But there is growing suspicion that official tallies of infections and deaths are not reflecting the true extent of the problem. This month, India opened its coronavirus vaccination campaign to everyone aged 18 or older. However, it has not been able to meet vaccine demand despite being one of the biggest vaccine producers in the world. India has been inoculating its people with the AstraZeneca vaccine produced locally at the Serum Institute of India (SII), Covaxin made by local firm Bharat Biotech and has begun rolling out Russia's Sputnik V. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced mounting criticism for the failure to secure vaccines as only about 3% of India's 1.3 billion population has been fully vaccinated, the lowest rate among the 10 countries with the most cases. To meet domestic demand, India temporarily halted vaccine exports in March after donating or selling more than 66 million doses. The halt has left countries including Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and many in Africa scrambling for alternate supplies. However, India is still facing a vaccine shortage and several of its state governments, and even cities such as Mumbai, have launched global tenders or sought expressions of interest from firms such as Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson for urgent supplies. India's official tally of daily coronavirus infections has been falling in the past few days, offering hope that its second wave is ebbing. But there are serious concerns that many new infections are not being reported, largely due to a dearth of testing in the countryside. As of Friday, India has reported nearly 27.6 million cases and 318,895 deaths. (Reuters)
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Olympic athletes were told by the IOC that a waiver they must sign releasing Tokyo organizers from liability for COVID-19 issues was "standard practice" for major sports events. The issue was raised when IOC president Thomas Bach took questions to cap a two-day online conference hosted by the official Olympic commission representing athletes. "I know this is a concern for a number of you," Bach said, before asking IOC chief operating officer Lana Haddad to give what he called "an expert's answer." The waiver is included in the traditional entry form Olympic athletes must sign, which was "updated to include COVID-19 related consideration," Haddad said. "This is really to provide transparency and ensure the informed consent from the games participants," she explained. "The entry forms are consistent with the standard practice of all other big event organizers. And the forms are within the framework of the law, if I may add." (AP)
The ”terrible” surge of the coronavirus cases in India has severely impacted COVAX’s vaccine supply in the second quarter of this year to the extent that there will be a shortfall of 190 million doses by the end of June, according to a joint statement by the WHO, UNICEF, GAVI and CEPI. The joint statement was issued on Thursday by Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) CEO Dr Richard Hatchett, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance CEO Dr Seth Berkley, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. READ FULL STORY
With the addition of 822 new coronavirus cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra rose to 5,13,548, an official said on Friday. The new cases were reported on Thursday, he said. The death toll in the district rose to 9,061 after 52more patients succumbed to the infection, the official said. The mortality rate stood at 1.76 per cent, he added. Details of recovered cases and under treatment patients was not provided by the district administration. (PTI)
Weekly positivity rate currently at 10.42% and daily positivity rate at 9.00%, less than 10% for 4 consecutive days. A total of 20.57 crore vaccine doses administered so far: Union Health Ministry#COVID19 (ANI)
#COVID19 | With 2,59,459 patient recoveries reported during the last 24 hours, a total of 2,48,93,410 patients have recovered in the country so far. Recovery Rate increases to 90.34%: Union Health Ministry (ANI)
At 1.86 lakh cases, a declining trend in new cases continues. Daily new cases are lowest in the last 44 days. Active caseload further declines to 23,43,152 with active cases decrease by 76,755 in last 24 hours: Union Health Ministry#COVID19 (ANI)
Gujarat: Production of drug substance for #COVAXIN will begin soon. According to official press release, bulk production of this drug substance equivalent to 20 Million doses per month will begin from August, 2021. (AIR News)
The COVID-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 6,917 on Friday as 16 more people tested positive for the infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the Union territory's coronavirus death toll to 109, a health official said. Eighteen more people were cured of the disease, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 6,591, he said. The Union territory now has 217 active cases, the official said. (PTI)
Gujarat: 2,869 new COVDI19 cases reported in the last 24 hours. Over 9,000 people recovered from the infection. With this Recovery rate improved to 92.66%. (AIR News)
Centre asks states and UTs to continue compliance to the containment measures and allow relaxations only in a graded manner after assessing the local situation. (AIR News)
An increasing number of French are feeling anxious and having a hard time falling asleep at night, apparent effects of the coronavirus pandemic that have led many people to turn to prescription drugs to deal with their discomfort, a report said Thursday. The report, commissioned by two government agencies that track pill use, showed a steady climb in the sale of medication to help cope with anxiety, depression, insomnia and other psychic ills over more than a year, with a spike during the past four months. 'The use of anti-anxiety, sleeping medication and also, more recently, anti-depressants does not stop increasing,' it said. 'The strong tendency of an increase in the use of these three classes of medication was further amplified in 2021 with (use) up more than five per cent to 13 per cent according to the medication and increases in new use of 15 per cent to 26 per cent over what was expected.' Since the start of the first pandemic confinement more than a year ago, there have been seven million more doses of such drugs sold than would have been expected, the report said. Sales of medication to fight alcoholism, which had been stable in 2020, have climbed since the start of this year, it said. (AP)
Asserting that a stronger India-US health partnership can be a powerful force to fight COVID-19 globally, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, at his meetings with top leaders of the American corporate sector on Thursday, appreciated their swift response to India's fight against the pandemic. Jaishankar, the first Indian cabinet minister to visit the United States under the Biden administration, at his lunch-on meeting with CEOs organised by the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), emphasised India's focus on healthcare partnerships and the importance of India-US collaborations, which would strengthen the supply chains for the production of vaccines and essential medicines in India. In a series of tweets, the Indian Embassy here said the meeting was a productive engagement on pandemic support and economic recovery. 'He appreciated the US private sector's swift response in India's fight against the pandemic,' the embassy said in a tweet. Jaishankar discussed India's priorities, the importance of strengthening critical supply chains and a collaboration for the production of vaccines and therapeutics. During the meeting, he emphasised that a stronger India-US health partnership can be a powerful force to fight the global pandemic. 'Wide-ranging discussion on India's fight against #COVID19, #USIndia commercial & strategic ties, economic recovery & the broader geopolitics of the region with Minister Jaishankar and (India's) Ambassador (to the US) Taranjit Singh Sandhu,' the USISPF tweeted. (PTI)
Meerut | 147 cases of black fungus (mucormycosis) reported so far including 11 new cases recorded yesterday. We've 88 active cases. 187 new #COVID19 cases were also reported yesterday. The situation is improving in terms of Covid crisis in the city: Akhilesh Mohan, CMO (ANI)
COVID19 | Ladakh reported 141 new cases, four deaths and 145 recoveries/discharges yesterday; Active cases in the Union Territory has come down to 1,656; 1438 in Leh and 218 in Kargil district (ANI)
COVID19 | Mizoram reported 239 new positive cases on Thursday; active cases at 2,861 and case tally at 11,382 (ANI)
Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis in India, the global supply of COVAX has been badly hit, so much so that there are many parts of the world where one shot has been dispensed to health workers or frontline workers and the second shot has not been forthcoming, a top Biden administration official told lawmakers on Thursday. "COVAX has suffered a big blow given the scale of the pandemic in India," Samantha Power, Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), told members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations for a hearing on the Fiscal 2022 Budget Request for the USAID. "The Serum Institute of India, which had planned to supply upwards of 140 million doses by the end of June, has had to pull back that supply because of the domestic emergency," Power said responding to a question on the vaccine crisis that has been created across the globe due to the scale of the pandemic in India. "COVAX now is looking to countries like ours and other countries around the world to contribute supply, to donate supply," she said. (PTI)