A healthcare worker checks the temperature of a child in Ahmedabad on Friday. (Express Photo: Nirmal Harindran) Delhi on Saturday recorded 213 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest in over three months, and 28 fresh fatalities on Saturday, while the positivity rate dipped to 0.30 per cent, according to the health department here. The new fatalities pushed the Covid death toll to 24,800.
India’s Covid-19 caseload climbed to 29,359,155 on Saturday after 84,332 new infections were logged in the last 24 hours, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare. This is the first time in more than two months that the daily cases went below the 90,000-mark. On Friday, 91,702 Covid-19 cases were recorded across the country. Active cases have also come down to 10.80 lakh.
As many as 4,002 people succumbed to the viral disease and 121,311 recovered on Saturday, taking the death toll and recoveries to 367,081 and 27,911,384 respectively.
Meanwhile, The ICMR stated that it will start national-level sero surveys to assess the spread of Covid-19 and all states as well as Union Territories should also be encouraged to conduct them so that information from all geographies can be collected, the Union health ministry said on Friday. The ministry also said that thought the country’s coronavirus situation appears to be stabilising, people to continue following the appropriate behaviour and social distancing norms.
The US’s Food and Drug Administration has rejected emergency use authorisation for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin vaccine, instead recommending that the vaccine manufacturer’s US partner must apply for biologics licence application (BLA). BLA is a “full approval” mechanism by the FDA for drugs and vaccines.
Beneficiaries wait to get Covid-19 vaccine at ESIS Hospital vaccination centre during heavy rain, in Navi Mumbai. (PTI)
Vaccinating 30 per cent of the population is a "big achievement" for Delhi, but it has a long way to go as herd immunity can be achieved only after inoculating at least 70 per cent population, Delhi MLA and AAP leader Atishi said on Saturday. A total of 59,90,485 people have received anti-Covid jabs in the national capital of whom more than 14 lakh have got both the doses, the AAP leader said, releasing the city' daily vaccination bulletin. "Vaccinating 30 per cent of the population is big achievement, but yet we have to go a long way. If we want to achieve herd immunity, it's really important to vaccinate 70 per cent of Delhi's population," she said. On Friday, 78,628 people were vaccinated -- 60,759 with their first dose and 17,800 their second. --PTI
India Saturday refuted a report which claimed that its Covid deaths could be “five-to-seven times” higher than the official number, saying the assessment is based on extrapolation of data without any epidemiological evidence.
In a statement, the Union Health Ministry also slammed the publication, without naming it, for the article which claimed “India has suffered perhaps five to seven times ‘excess deaths’ than the official number of Covid-19 fatalities”.
The ministry termed the article, published by The Economist, speculative, without any basis and misinformed. Read more
Mumbai reports 733 new cases
Karnataka to unlock in phases from June 14
Tamil Nadu reports 15,108 new cases, 374 deaths and 27,463 recoveries today; active cases at 1,62,073.
Chandigarh reports 58 new cases, 3 deaths and 79 discharges today; the total number of active cases in the Union Territory is 540.
Uttar Pradesh on Saturday reported 79 coronavirus deaths as 524 new cases pushed the state's infection count to 17,02,172, a health bulletin said. So far, the virus has killed 21,735 people in the state. On Saturday, 11 deaths were reported from Kanpur Nagar, nine from Bareilly, eight from Gorakhpur, six from Mathura, five from Jhansi, four from Farrukhabad, three each from Agra, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur, Etawah and Mirzapur. --PTI
There appears to be no substantial evidence to suggest that children will be more affected or have greater illness severity due to COVID-19 in the anticipated third wave, according to a new report.
The Lancet COVID-19 Commission India Task Force prepared the report after convening an experts group comprising leading paediatricians from the country to examine the issue of ‘paediatric COVID-19’ in India.
It said the infection’s symptomatology in children in India appears to be globally comparable.
“Most children with COVID-19 are asymptomatic, and amongst those symptomatic mild infections are predominant. Most children have fever with respiratory symptoms, and often present with gastrointestinal symptoms (such as diarrhea, vomiting, pain in abdomen) and atypical manifestation compared to adults. The proportion of symptomatic children increases as age increases as does the severity in such age groups,” the report stated. Read more
A four-day special 'vaccination festival' would be held in the Union Territory of Puducherry from June 16 to administer jabs to all those above 18 years as part of efforts to contain the Covid pandemic. The Health Department of Puducherry government is organising the festival. Health Secretary T Arun said in a release on Saturday that Puducherry was witnessing a decline in fresh cases of coronavirus. This was due to the intensive implementation of steps to combat the virus and sustained cooperation of the public in observing the safety protocols, the release said. --PTI
The Rajasthan government on Saturday announced a financial relief package for children who lost their parents to the coronavirus. Under the package, ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh and a pension of Rs 1,500 a month will also be provided to women who lost their husbands to the infection, according to an official statement. For children of these widows, Rs 1,000 a month per child and Rs 2,500 a month for school books and dress will be provided, it said. --PTI
Covid-19 vaccination camp for 18+ with the support of Health Services Chandigarh at Nirankari Bhawan in Sector 45 on Saturday.
The Indian Medical Association will hold a protest on June 18 against assault on doctors, with the slogan of 'save the saviours'. In a statement, the apex medical body asked all its state and local branches across the country to observe the protest by wearing black badges, masks, ribbons, shirts and running awareness campaign against violence targeting healthcare professionals. The IMA said press conferences will also be organised and they will also meet local NGOs and voluntary service leaders. It termed "extremely disturbing" a series of violence against doctors in the last two weeks in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and other places. It demanded the implementation of central hospital and Health Care Professionals Protection Act with IPC and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), standardisation and augmentation of security in each hospital, and declaring hospitals as protected zones among others. --PTI
Health Ministry on Saturday denied speculations of under-reporting of Covid deaths in india by an international magazine and said the article has no basis and is misinformed. "A renowned international magazine in an article speculated that India suffered perhaps 5-7 times excess deaths than official COVID-19 deaths. Studies used by magazine as estimate of excess mortality aren't validated tools to determine mortality rate of a country/region. It is a speculative article, which is without any basis and seems to be misinformed. The unsound analysis of the said article is based on the extrapolation of data without any epidemiological evidence," it said.
The government on Saturday dismissed the claims of hacking of the Co-WIN system and data leak as "baseless". In a statement, the Health Ministry said the matter of the alleged hacking of the Co-WIN system has been investigated by the Computer Emergency Response Team of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Dr R S Sharma, Chairman of the Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration, has clarified that "the claims of so-called hackers on the dark web, relating to alleged hacking of the Co-WIN system and data leak, is baseless. We continue to take appropriate steps as are necessary, from time to time, to ensure that the data of the people is safe with Co-WIN." Co-WIN portal facilitates the national COVID-19 vaccination drive. --PTI
More than 1,200 people have been fined in Delhi for violating COVID-19 guidelines, police said on Saturday. According to data shared by Delhi Police Additional PRO Anil Mittal, of the 1,260 challans issued on Friday, 1,068 were for face mask violations and 192 for not adhering to social distancing norms. As many as 1,29,590 challans have been issued by police from April 19 to June 11, the data showed. Police said, 1,09,075 challans were issued for mask violations, 18,790 for flouting social distancing norms, 1,532 for holding large public gatherings and congregations, 72 for spitting and 121 for consumption of liquor, pan and tobacco, it stated. --PTI
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, alleging that Indians do not come first for the PM, politics does and that truth does not concern him, propaganda does. As part of her "Zimmedaar Kaun (who is responsible)" campaign, in which she has been asking questions of the government over its handling of the pandemic, the Congress general secretary focused on the "crisis of leadership" and claimed that the whole world has witnessed the prime minister's "incompetence at governance" during the pandemic.
"He (the prime minister) simply retreated and waited for the worst to pass. The Prime Minister of India has behaved like a coward. He has let our country down," Priyanka Gandhi said in her statement posted on her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. The prime minister's vast capacity for vanity has been exposed, she claimed. (PTI)
Assam Health Minister Keshab Mahanta on Saturday said that the state government has formed 2,000 teams to vaccinate three lakh people every day provided an adequate number of doses are available. He said the state administration has an adequate stock of Covaxin for administering the second dose to people in the 18-44 years age group.
"We have kept ready 2,000 teams who could vaccinate four lakh people every day. But, for now, we are targeting to inoculate three lakh people daily if we get the vaccines. We hope that the availability of vaccines will increase in the coming days," he told reporters. Mahanta, in a tweet on Friday night, had said that the state has a total stock of 3,80,900 vaccines, including 2,43,460 for those above 45 years of age and 1,37,440 for the 18-44 years age group.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said that the state had a capacity to inoculate 1 lakh people every day but it had to vaccinate less than half its capacity on most days since the beginning of the vaccination drive due to a shortage of supply. (PTI)
More than 25.87 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states and union territories so far through the Centre and direct state procurement category, the Union health ministry said on Saturday. Of 25,87,41,810, the total consumption, including wastage, is 24,76,58,855 doses (according to data available at 8 am on Saturday), the ministry said in a statement.
"More than 1.12 crore (1,12,41,187) Covid vaccine doses are still available with states/UTs to be administered," it added. Furthermore, the ministry said more than 10,81,300 vaccine doses are in the pipeline and will be received by states and union territories within the next three days. (PTI)
Kolkata Municipal Corporation's WhatsApp chatbot for vaccination registration and slot booking has crossed the 75,000 plus appointment bookings since its launch on May 15, a senior official said. The WhatsApp API based helpline was launched as a free to use service for citizens of Kolkata. "The number of vaccine booking on WhatsApp bot crosses 75,000 and usage is growing," a senior state e-Governance official said. (PTI)
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given approval to the CSIR and Laxai Life Sciences Private Limited to conduct clinical trial of Colchicine on Covid-19 patients, according to a statement on Saturday. Ram Vishwakarma, the advisor to the CSIR Director General, said Colchicine in combination with standard care will be an important therapeutic intervention for Covid-19 patients with cardiac co-morbidities and also for reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to faster recovery.
A number of global studies have confirmed that cardiac complications during course of Covid-19 infections and post-Covid syndrome are leading to loss of many lives, and it is essential to look for new or repurposed drugs, he said. (PTI)