Though the number of daily Covid-19 cases has been falling sharply for the past few weeks, many states are not out of the woods yet. As many as five states reported over 1 lakh new cases in the first two weeks of June.Coronavirus Cases and Deaths in India Today, Covid-19 Vaccine Highlights, Delhi Unlock 3.0, Day 4 Tracker June 17: As India seems to recover from a deadly Covid-19 second wave, health experts warn of a possible third wave. According to a task force in Maharashtra, a third wave of the pandemic could hit the state in a month or two if Covid-appropriate behaviour is not followed. In a high-level meeting, the state health department informed Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that a highly virulent “Delta plus” variant of the Coronavirus could stoke the third wave in Maharashtra. After which, the CM has ordered senior doctors and officers to ensure medicines and health equipment were available across urban and rural areas in order to tackle any such situation.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also unveiled an action plan yesterday as the national capital gears up for a possible third wave. Many other states/UTs have already started preparation for the next wave of Coronavirus infections. Gujarat is strengthening its health infrastructure, with a special focus on children. The state government has set up a statewide control system for real-time updates on hospital beds and other related services. It is also planning to fill up all the vacancies in medical facilities and boost testing. In order to get ready for a possible next Covid-19 wave, Kerala, too, has announced a two-pronged strategy – increasing vaccination coverage and strengthening paediatric health infrastructure. Telangana has also begun strengthening infrastructure at all paediatric hospitals. All these are good signs.
Though the number of daily Covid-19 cases has been falling sharply for the past few weeks, many states are not out of the woods yet. As many as five states reported over 1 lakh new cases in the first two weeks of June. Tamil Nadu witnessed 2.43 lakh cases, Kerala 1.89 lakh, Maharashtra 1.56 lakh, Karnataka 1.53 lakh, and Andhra Pradesh 1.10 lakh cases in the last 14 days (June 1-14), according to data from the health ministry. However, these states have made tremendous improvement; cases have come down by over 40 percent in these states compared to a couple of fortnights ago.
India has been reporting less than 1 lakh new Covid-19 cases for the past 10 days; India reported 67,208 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the overall cases tally to 2,97,00,313, according to Union Health Ministry’s data on Thursday. The number of active cases also declined to 8,26,740, the lowest after 71 days. The COVID-19 death toll climbed to 3,81,903 with 2,330 fresh fatalities, the health ministry said. On Wednesday, active cases drop below 9 lakh after 70 days. The daily positivity also stayed below five percent. Covid-19 deaths also remained below 3,000; overall the Covid-19 situation is improving in India and many states/UTs have already begun the process of unlocking. National Capital Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and Haryana are among states/UT that have lifted lockdown curbs, restrictions and allowed more activities in order to revive the economy.
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Highlights
Jammu and Kashmir records 656 fresh COVID-19 cases, 9 more deaths (PTI)
COVID19 | Chandigarh reports 32 new cases, 3 deaths and 96 discharges today; the total number of active cases in the Union Territory is 432 (ANI)
Mumbai reports 666 new COVID19 cases, 741 recoveries & 20 deaths in the last 24 hours; active cases at 14,807 (ANI)
Jammu and Kashmir records 656 fresh COVID-19 cases, 9 more deaths (PTI)
COVID19 | Karnataka reports 5,983 new cases, 138 deaths and 10,685 recoveries today; active case tally at 1,46,726 (ANI)
Himachal Pradesh reports 292 new COVID19 cases, 585 recoveries, and 10 deaths in the last 24 hours; active cases at 3430 (ANI)
1,492 new COVID19 cases, 13 deaths and 1,933 recoveries reported in Telangana today; case tally reaches 6,09,417 (ANI)
COVID-19: 69 more deaths, 336 fresh cases in Uttar Pradesh (PTI)
Meghalaya reports 478 new Covid cases, 4 deaths (PTI)
Air pollution is one of the key global health and environmental concerns and has been ranked among the top five global risk factors of mortality. Apart from poor AQI, air pollution also causes serious health ailments including pulmonary and cardiovascular issues. Air pollutants can be broadly categorized into 3 types according to their size and sources of emission- Suspended Particles, microbial (including the coronavirus) and indoor/outdoor gases. Indoor air can be more dangerous than outdoor air, if these air pollutants aren’t taken seriously. The whole world now truly understands the impact an air pollutant like a virus can have on our life. We need to come up with a long term comprehensive strategy to tackle such invisible enemies to safeguard and preserve our future. | Read More
Tamil Nadu reports 9118 new COVID19 cases, 22,720 recoveries, and 210 deaths in the last 24 hours; active cases at 1,00,523 (ANI)
Sputnik V says it will soon offer a booster shot, adjusted to work against the Delta variant of coronavirus to other vaccine manufacturers (ANI)
The possible third wave of COVID-19 unlikely to affect children much, as per WHO-AIIMS survey (ANI)
COVAXIN maker Bharat Biotech says 'news reports on Bharat Biotech submitting Phase-3 data to WHO is incorrect and lacks any evidence' (ANI)
Goa reports 254 new cases, 6 deaths and 468 recoveries today; recovery rate in the State is 95.85% (ANI)
Delhi currently has sufficient stock of coronavirus vaccines for inoculation of beneficiaries in 45-plus as well as 18-44 age groups for over a week: AAP MLA Atishi (PTI)
Delhi currently has sufficient stock of coronavirus vaccines for inoculation of beneficiaries in 45-plus as well as 18-44 age groups for over a week: AAP MLA Atishi (PTI)
Kerala logs 12,469 new COVID-19 cases, 88 more deaths (PTI)
As much as 25 to 30 per cent of newly admitted mucormycosis or `black fungus' patients have no record of previous coronavirus infection, a senior doctor said here on Thursday. These persons could have been asymptomatic coronavirus patients who did not undergo testing, he added. Earlier, doctors had said that most of the patients suffering from black fungus were found to be COVID-19 survivors. (PTI)
Kerala recorded 12,469 new cases on Thursday, as the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) came down to 10.85 per cent,the lowest in recentmonths. The toll climbed to 11,743 with 88 more deaths. While the cumulative cases went up to 27,73,943 with the addition of the fresh cases, 13,614 people were cured of the disease, taking the total recoveries to 26,53,207, the health department said in a press release. As many as 1,08,560 people are undergoing treatment for the infection. (PTI)
Uttarakhand reports 264 COVID19 new cases, 7 deaths and 345 recoveries today. The recovery percentage in the State is 95.19%. (ANI)
An elephant belonging to the Lord Saneeswara temple at Tirunallarin Karaikal districthas undergone COVID-19 test as a precautionary measure. A team of veterinarians collected swab samples from the female elephant named 'Prakruti' on Thursday in the presence of Joint Directors of Animal Husbandary, Karaikal Dr Latha Mangeshkar and Dr Gopinath.(PTI)
Mumbai's Dharavi records one fresh COVID19 case today. Active cases stand at 6: Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. (ANI)
Padma Shri awardee tribal poet from Odisha, Purnamasi Jani, has been admitted to a COVID hospital after contracting the disease, an official said on Thursday. The 83-year-old fell ill at her native Charipada village in Kandhamal district two days ago. She underwent a COVID test and the result returned positive with mild viral load, hospital sources said. (PTI)
Private hospital chain Fortis Healthcare on Thursday announced that Sputnik V, the third anti-coronavirus vaccine approved for use in India, will be available at its Gurgaon and Mohali facilities as part of a limited pilot roll-out from Saturday. The vaccine stock has been procured directly from Dr. Reddy's Laboratories according to government guidelines, it said. (PTI)
The slide in Andhra Pradesh's coronavirus graph continued as 6,151 new cases were registered in the state in 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday. The infection positivity rate from 1.02 lakh tests in a day turned out to 5.9 per cent.
India’s war against Covid saw a brutal phase during the second wave of the coronavirus that wreaked havoc in the months of April and May. The absolute collapse of the Indian healthcare infrastructure saw many people going breathless. The Oxygen crisis sparked a massive outpouring of SOSs on social media. From film stars to major private and public companies, many institutions announced the setting up of oxygen bed facilities in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities. So, as India breathes again, what’s the status of the oxygen bed issue in the country? The answer is – it’s complicated! READ MORE
The AIIMS in New Delhi has decided to resume routine inpatient admissions and elective surgeries at its general and private wards and in all its centres with immediate effect, according to an order by the hospital administration. The order, issued on Wednesday, stated that the decision has been taken in view of a decrease in the need for hospitalisation of COVID-19 patients and also considering the relaxation of the lockdown by the Delhi government. Delhi was hit badly by a brutal second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming a massive number of lives daily, with the recent oxygen supply shortage issue at various hospitals, adding to the woes. (PTI)
A leading hospital chain, Fortis Healthcare on Thursday said 92 per cent of the fully vaccinated healthcare workers developed only mild COVID-19 infections. "The evidence-based study highlights that 92 per cent of the fully vaccinated healthcare workers amongst those who acquired infection post-vaccination developed only mild COVID-19 infection, largely recovering under home care, despite a surge in serious infections during the second wave of the pandemic," Fortis said. (PTI)
Sikkim's COVID-19 tally rose to 18,896 on Thursday as 90 more people tested positive for the infection, while two fresh fatalities pushed the Himalayan state's coronavirus death toll to 287, a health bulletin said. East Sikkim district registered the highest number of new cases at 51, followed by 23 in South, 15 in West and one in North Sikkim districts, it said. (PTI)
Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally rose to 3,43,983 on Thursday as 190 more people tested positive for the infection, while three fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 5,092, a health bulletin said. East Singhbhum district reported the highest number of new cases at 35, followed by Ranchi (20) and Hazaribag (18), it said. (PTI)
The government is taking various steps to enhance the availability of Amphotericin B in the country to cater to the sudden increase in demand for the medication, which is used in the treatment of Mucormycosis (black fungus), Chemicals and Fertilisers Ministry said in a release on Thursday. The government has been so far able to allot over 6.67 lakh vials of Amphotericin B to states and Union Territories (UTs) by augmenting production and initiating imports. (PTI)
Delhi records 158 fresh cases of COVID-19, 10 more deaths; positivity rate slips to 0.20 per cent: Authorities. (PTI)
Serum Insititute of India (SII) hopes to introduce Covavax in the country by September which is a version of US firm Novavax's COVID19 vaccine candidate: Sources (ANI)
As cases tumble and states reopen, the potential final stage in the US campaign to vanquish COVID-19 is turning into a slog, with a worrisome variant gaining a bigger foothold and lotteries and other prizes failing to persuade some Americans to get vaccinated. "The last half, the last mile, the last quarter-mile always requires more effort," Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday. (PTI)
ji Telefilms, one of the leading production houses in Bollywood, on Thursday commenced a vaccination drive to inoculate all its staff members. The drive aims to vaccinate 600-800 employees of Balaji Telefilms, ALTBalaji and Balaji Motion Pictures Private Limited. It was held at two centres, the Balaji house and Killick Nixon Studios, here. The programme will cover two shots of the vaccine for "all their on-roll and off-roll staff", the Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor-led company said in a statement. (PTI)
A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Centre and states to provide ex-gratia compensation of Rs four lakh to the family members of those who have succumbed to the side effects or post COVID-19 diseases, including mucormycosis. The petition has referred to section 12 of the Disaster Management Act 2005, which said that national authority shall recommend guidelines for the minimum standards of relief to be provided to persons affected by disaster, which shall include ex-gratia assistance on account of loss of life. (PTI)
Researchers have successfully used graphene -- one of the strongest, thinnest known materials -- to detect SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory, a breakthrough which they said can help detect coronavirus and its variants quickly and accurately. The research team at the University of Illinois Chicago in the US combined sheets of graphene, which are more than 1,000 times thinner than a postage stamp. They applied an antibody to the sheets designed to target the spike protein on the coronavirus, which helps the virus to enter and infect human cells. READ MORE
Indonesia's president ordered authorities to speed up the country's vaccination campaign as the World Health Organisation warned Thursday of the need to increase social restrictions in the country amid a fresh surge of coronavirus infections caused by worrisome variants. "We need vaccination acceleration in order to achieve communal immunity, which we hope can stop the COVID-19 spread," President Joko Widodo said in a remarks while visiting a vaccination center just outside the capital, Jakarta. (PTI)