Centre releases 15% amount under Covid emergency response package to states

The Centre has released 15 per cent of the amount under the Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness (ECRP-II) Package to the states to improve health infrastructure, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday.

He said an amount of Rs 1,827.8 crore has been sent to the states and Union territories. The amount constitutes 15 per cent of the total allocation of Rs 12,185 crore under the package.

In a tweet, the minister said, “15 per cent of the total amount of ‘Emergency COVID-19 Response Package’ fixed by the Central Government to empower the country to fight COVID-19 which means Rs 1827.80 crore has been sent to the states and UTs. This package will prove helpful in the development of health infrastructure across the country.”

Meanwhile, India recorded 41,649 coronavirus cases and 593 fatalities in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am on Saturday, according to the Union Health Ministry’s latest update. With this, the country’s total Covid caseload is now at 3,16,13,993, while the death toll stands at 4,23,810. 

Active cases recorded a slight rise for the fourth consecutive day. The country’s tally of active cases presently stands at 4,08,920. A majority of the fresh cases have been contributed by Kerala, which is battling a surge. Out of the total active caseload, 1.61 lakh are from Kerala. 

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.34 per cent. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.42 per cent, according to the ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has gone up to 3,07,81,263, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.34 per cent.

Meanwhile, the recent controversy over the government’s claim that there were no recorded Covid deaths due to a lack of oxygen sparked a furore in Parliament yet again. In a written response in the Assembly, Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane said no deaths in the state had been directly attributed to the lack of oxygen.

Over 3.14 cr balance COVID-19 doses available with states, pvt hospitals: Centre

More than 3.14 crore balance and unutilised COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states, union territories and private hospitals to be administered, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.

TN Serosurvey finds Covid antibodies in 66 per cent population

The third Tamil Nadu cross-sectional serosurvey in July, covering over 26,000 samples revealed that at least 62.2 per cent of the population has developed antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes Covid-19.

Among the 26,610 samples tested, 17,624 individuals had IgG (Immunoglobulin G) antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 virus.

While the overall seroprevalence was 66.2 percent, the highest seropositivity was observed in Virudhunagar district at 84 per cent while Erode in west Tamil Nadu reported the lowest at 37, according to the latest serosuvrey conducted by the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in 888 clusters across the state.

SII chairman Cyrus Poonawalla named recipient of Lokmanya Tilak National Award

Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, chairman of the Pune-based vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII), will be honoured with the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for 2021. Deepak Tilak, president of the Lokmanya Tilak Trust, has made the announcement.

“Poonawalla will be felicitated for his work during the Covid-19 pandemic, wherein he helped in saving many lives by manufacturing Covishield vaccine. Under his leadership, crores of doses of Covishield vaccine were made available to the world in record time. Poonawalla has been at the forefront of making different vaccines at affordable prices,” Tilak said on Friday.

The award ceremony will take place on August 13, he said, adding that the award comprises cash prize of Rs one lakh and a memento.

(With PTI inputs)