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Coronavirus News Updates: Sputnik V vaccine soft launch scaled up in Delhi and Mumbai, says Dr Reddy's

Dr Reddy's said registration on CoWIN not open to public yet and it will be open at the time of commercial launch

FP Staff June 16, 2021 21:13:23 IST
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Coronavirus News Updates: Sputnik V vaccine soft launch scaled up in Delhi and Mumbai, says Dr Reddy's

Representational image. AP

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18:53 (ist)

Coronavirus latest news update: Chennai COVID deaths

Chennai NGO alleges underreporting of deaths at six hospitals

A Chennai NGO has alleged discrepancies in the state government’s figures on Covid-19 deaths in Tamil Nadu between April and May. 

Arappor Iyakkam said it had collated and analysed data from six hospitals – Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital in Trichy, Vellore Medical College Hospital, Karur Medical College Hospital and Tiruppur Government Headquarters Hospital. The overall number of death certificates issued between April and May in these hospitals was 11,699.

“The report finds that the likely underreporting of Covid deaths in these 6 hospitals is at least 8.4 to 9.8 times more than the declared Covid deaths in the media bulletin for the months of April and May 2021,” the NGO claimed in its report.

15:00 (ist)

Coronavirus latest news update

PM to launch 'Customized Crash Course' for frontline workers on Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch ‘Customized Crash Course programme for COVID-19 19 Frontline workers’ on 18 June 2021 at 11 am via video conferencing. The launch will commence the programme in 111 training centres spread over 26 states. The launch will be followed by the Prime Minister’s address. Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will also be present on the occasion.

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June 16, 2021 - 21:55 (IST)

Coronavirus latest news update: Vaccination update

'Near home vaccination centres for elderly, differently-abled'

The government has allowed setting up of ''near home'' vaccination centres for elderly and differently-abled people for simplifying the process of inoculation for them. In a statement, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Rattan Lal Kataria highlighted various steps taken by the government to assist the senior citizens during the pandemic.

He said in order to simplify the process of vaccination for the elderly and the differently-abled, the government has allowed the establishment of ''near home'' vaccination centres for them. He was addressing a programme on the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The Central Government has taken the initiative to provide protection to its elderly population by immunizing them at the earliest and making them the primary category, the minister said.

As a result of this policy, majority of our elderly population have received the first dose and have been able to protect themselves from COVID-19, he said. Kataria further highlighted the success stories of recently launched state-wise call centres (toll free number-14567) in major states under the Elderline Project. He claimed the helpline is doing a tremendous job during the ongoing pandemic.

June 16, 2021 - 21:47 (IST)

Coronavirus latest news update: 

Fresh cases in TN under 11,000

Coronavirus cases plunged below 11,000 in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday with the State reporting 10,448 new infections. Till date, the caseload is 23,88,746, a bulletin said. With 270 fatalities, including 106 in private hospitals and 164 in government facilities, the toll has mounted to 30,338. Totally, 21,058 people got discharged today and the total recoveries rose to 22,44,073. The active cases till date stood at 1,14,335, according to the bulletin.

The state capital reported 42 deaths due to the infection and 689 fresh cases while Coimbatore with a maximum of 1,420 new infections reported 28 fatalities. Erode registered 1,123 fresh cases (12 fatalities), Thirupathur with only 126 new infections reported 20 fatalities while Salem added 693 new cases and 18 fatalities.

About 32 districts, including Nilgiris, Karur, Namakkal, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Chengalpattu, Cuddalore and Ariyalur saw new cases below 500. While the metros case tally touched 5,27,283, Coimbatore saw 2,08,253, Chengalpattu 1,52,722 and Thiruvallur 1,08,650.

June 16, 2021 - 21:09 (IST)

Coronavirus latest news update: Vaccination news

Sputnik 'soft launch' scaled up: Dr Reddy's

June 16, 2021 - 21:07 (IST)

Coronavirus latest news update

TN rolls out scheme for kids who lost parents due to COVID-19

Rolling out a welfare scheme to help fulfill the future needs of children who lost both their parents to COVID-19, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday handed over certificates of Rs 5 lakh in fixed deposits in favour of each of five such children. The deposits made in the state-run Tamil Nadu Power Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation was given by the Chief Minister to their guardians at the Secretariat.

Also, Stalin gave away cheques for Rs 3 lakh to each of five other children who had lost one of their parents to the virus. Top government officials, led by Chief Secretary V Iraianbu participated. Days ago, the chief minister had announced various welfare measures for children who had lost both their parents or one of their parents due to COVID-19. 

June 16, 2021 - 21:04 (IST)

Coronavirus latest news update: Vaccination news

635 new COVID-19 cases, 12 deaths in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday recorded 635 fresh COVID-19 cases, bringing the virus tally to 3,09,361, while 12 deaths in the last 24 hours raised the pandemic toll to 4,217, officials said. Of the fresh cases, 193 were from the Jammu division and 442 from the Kashmir division, the officials said. They said Srinagar district recorded a maximum of 129 new cases, followed by 76 in Budgam district.

The number of active cases has dropped to 11,381 in the Union Territory, while 2,93,763 patients have recovered from the infection so far, the officials said. The number of confirmed cases of mucormycosis (black fungus) remained unchanged at 21 in the UT as no fresh case of the infection was reported, they said.

June 16, 2021 - 20:31 (IST)

Coronavirus latest news update

'Fatality rate among pregnant women higher in second wave'

Pregnant and postpartum women were more severely affected during the second wave of COVID-19 as compared to the first with symptomatic cases and the case fatality rate being significantly higher among this category this year, according to a study by ICMR.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Wednesday said cases related to pregnant and postpartum women during the first wave (1 April, 2020 - 31 January, 2021) and during the second wave (1 February, 2021 to 14 May) of the pandemic in India were compared.

"Symptomatic cases were significantly higher at 28.7 percent in the second wave (111/387), compared to the first wave (162/1143) when the proportion was 14.2 percent," the apex research body said. "The case fatality rate (CFR) among pregnant women and postpartum women was 5.7 percent (22/387) during the second wave, which was significantly higher compared to the scenario encounter in the first wave with CFR 0.7 percent (8/1143)," it said.

Total number of maternal deaths during both the waves of pandemic were 2 percent (30/1530), of which the majority (28/30) were due to COVID-19 pneumonia and respiratory failure. "The study underlines the importance of vaccination of pregnant and lactating women against COVID-19," the ICMR said. The COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all lactating women in India. However, the government has still not allowed vaccinating pregnant women citing lack of clinical trial data and the matter is under discussion by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI).

The WHO last week had recommended vaccinating pregnant women if they face high risk of exposure to COVID, and if they have co-morbid conditions

June 16, 2021 - 20:18 (IST)

Coronavirus latest news update: Supreme Court

 

SC says at least half of judges should sit on alternate days

The Supreme Court has said that non-listing of plea for regular bail impinges upon liberty of the person in custody and advocated that under the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, at least half of the judges should sit on alternate days so that hearing is accorded to those in distress.

Expressing "shock" that a bail plea filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court was not listed for hearing for over a year, the apex court said denial of hearing is an infringement of right and liberty assured to an accused. “Even during the pandemic, when all courts are making attempts to hear and decide all matter, non-listing of such an application for bail defeats the administration of justice,” said a vacation bench of justices Hemant Gupta and V Ramasubramanian.

“Under the prevailing pandemic, at least half of the judges should sit on alternative days so that hearing is accorded to the person in distress,” the bench said in its order passed on Tuesday.

June 16, 2021 - 20:10 (IST)

Coronavirus latest news update

 

Shivraj Singh Chouhan meets PM

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi  on Wednesday and apprised him about the efforts made by the state government so far to check the spread of coronavirus, according to an official statement. Apart from this, the chief minister gave details of the preparations being made by the state government to deal with a possible third wave of COVID-19, it said.

Chouhan said a public awareness campaign would be launched in the entire state from 21 June for vaccination, in which all state cabinet members, MLAs and MPs would participate to motivate the public to get vaccinated, said the statement issued by the Madhya Pradesh Information Centre here. The public would be informed that vaccination is the only protective shield to prevent COVID, it said.

June 16, 2021 - 19:37 (IST)

Coronavirus latest news update: Vaccination news

95% of vaccinated healthcare staff got protection against Covid, finds study

A multi-centre study on a cohort of over 31,000 vaccinated healthcare workers of a leading private facility, spanning across the country, has found that the Covid vaccine provided protection against infection in "95 percent" of the beneficiaries. The study by Apollo Hospitals took place over four and a half months, from 16 January to 30 May, and covered 31,621 healthcare workers who had received either both doses or the first dose of Covishield or Covaxin, a hospital spokesperson said.

The brutal second wave of the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak in April and May. Several doctors died during this period, and many doctors who had received double doses, were also infected in this duration.

The mega vaccination drive against Covid was launched by the government on January 16 and healthcare workers across government and private hospitals were the first ones to get the jab.

June 16, 2021 - 19:29 (IST)

Coronavirus latest news update

Congress party to take out nationwide outreach campaign

The Congress party on Wednesday said that it will undertake a nationwide outreach campaign to help those affected by the coronavirus crisis, reports PTI. The party will also collect data about the number of infected patients and those who died due to the disease.

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LATEST News Updates: Dr Reddy's said registration on CoWIN not open to public yet and it will be open at the time of commercial launch.

The study underlines the importance of vaccination of pregnant and lactating women against , the ICMR said.

A multi-centre study on a cohort of over 31,000 vaccinated healthcare workers of a leading private facility, spanning across the country, has found that Covid vaccine provided protection against infection in "95 percent" of the beneficiaries

A Chennai NGO has alleged discrepancies in the state government’s figures on deaths in Tamil Nadu between April and May.

As many as 730 doctors died during the second wave of the COVID pandemic, said the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Wednesday, adding that the maximum fatalities have been reported in Bihar

In anticipation of likely intermittent surges in the number of cases, the government has released guidelines for operationalising Covid-care services for children

Odisha on Wednesday extended its partial lockdown by two more weeks, till 1 July and divided the state into two categories depending on the positivity rate.

A new, experimental anti-viral treatment used for some worst-affected patients has been found to save lives, according to the results of a UK trial on Wednesday.

Union health ministry responded to social media posts suggesting COVAXIN shots contain newborn calf’s serum and put out a clarification. “Newborn Calf Serum is used only for preparation of vero cells...The vero cells are completely destroyed in process of viral growth,” says the ministry. “The grown virus is also killed and purified. This is then used to make final vaccine and in the final vaccine formulation no calf serum is used.”

Doctors on Tuesday cautioned that Delhi could face a "worse than second wave situation" of if people do not adhere to safety norms or lower their guards

Any adult can walk in to the nearest vaccination centre to get registered on the CoWIN digital platform and be inoculated against , the Union Health Ministry said.

It is not mandatory to pre-register online or book an appointment to get the vaccine, the government said, as it seeks to increase the pace of vaccinations and tackle the 'vaccine hesitancy' it has blamed for the slow rollout of vaccines in parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the first death due to vaccination was reported in India, even as India said the benefits of inoculation far exceed its harms. The government panel studying COVID vaccine's severe adverse effects said the death occurred due to anaphylaxis following inoculation.

The decision regarding enhancing interval between two doses of Covishield was based on scientific evidence and taken in a transparent manner, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization Chair NK Arora said.

The government had on 13 May said it has accepted the Working Group's recommendation and extended the gap between the two doses of the Covishield vaccine from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks. "Based on the available real-life evidence, particularly from the UK, the Working Group agreed for increasing the dosing interval to 12-16 weeks between two doses of Covishield vaccine. No change in the interval of Covaxin vaccine doses was recommended," the ministry had said in a statement.

As the Covid positivity rate dropped to two percent in Punjab, the state government eased restrictions, allowing restaurants, cinema halls and gyms to operate at 50 percent capacity beginning Wednesday.

Under fresh guidelines, which will be in effect till 25 June, daily night curfew will be in place from 8 pm to 5 am and weekend curfew from 8 pm on Saturday up to 5 am on Monday across the state, according to a government statement.

All restaurants, including those in hotels, cafes, coffee shops, fast food outlets, dhabas, and cinemas and gyms at maximum 50 percent capacity, subject to all their employees having received at least one dose of Covid vaccine.

Air-conditioned buses can also ply with 50 percent occupation. Bars, pubs and ''ahatas'' (taverns) shall, however, continue to remain closed, the statement said. All educational institutions will also continue to be closed.

Updated Date: June 16, 2021 22:10:33 IST

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