The Covid-19 situation in India is slowly but steadily stabilising.Coronavirus Third Wave India Highlights, Coronavirus Statistics India August 11 Highlights: The Covid-19 situation in India is slowly but steadily stabilizing. The daily coronavirus count has been hovering around 35,000. On Tuesday, India reported 28,204 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest in nearly five months (since March 16). The number of active Covid-19 cases in the country also dropped to 3,88,508, the lowest in 139 days. Even Covid-19 deaths remained below 400. All these indicate improvement in the Covid-19 situation in the country.
However, as many as 37 districts have been witnessing a surge in daily Coronavirus infections, against 18 districts last week, which is a concern. While Covid-19 cases are “stabilizing” across the country, the rising reproduction value (R-value) is a major “reason to be concerned”, the Health Ministry said. The R-value has gone over 1 in eight states, especially in newer states. In Punjab, the R-value has increased to 1.3; in Himachal Pradesh, which saw massive overcrowding by tourists last month after Covid restrictions were eased, it is 1.3; Uttar Pradesh has an R-value of 1.1; Andhra Pradesh (1 R); Gujarat (1.1 R), Madhya Pradesh (1.1 R), Goa and Nagaland (1 R). This shows how fast the coronavirus is spreading in these states, the ministry said, asking these states to follow stricter containment measures to limit the spread. The Health Ministry said that the decline in daily cases has not conclusive meaning for India’s coronavirus trajectory if the ‘R’ factor remains high.
On Wednesday, India reported a higher daily caseload than yesterday; with 38,353 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the country’s overall Covid-19 tally increased to 32.04 million (the second-highest worldwide after the United States), according to data from the Union Health Ministry data on Wednesday. India’s Covid-19 death toll has climbed to 4,29,179 with 497 fresh fatalities. The active cases in the country now account for 1.21 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, the ministry said.
Kerala alone reported over 50% of India’s new Covid-19 cases last week. The test positivity rate in the state has gone over 16%, compared to the national average of 2%. However, the state government has reimposed most of the restrictions in order to contain the surge. A central team that visited Kerala has said that from August 1-20, the state may witness around 4.6 lakh Covid-19 cases. The unlocking of activities, the Onam festival (on August 20), and the reopening of tourism pose challenging scenarios to the state.
Globally, the Delta variant is still giving trouble to many countries. The variant is contributing to the high caseload in the US and UK. It is also behind the recent surge in China.
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Highlights
The daily oxygen requirement for COVID-19 patients will be the deciding factor for imposing lockdown in future, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Wednesday.
If the oxygen requirement reaches 700 metric tons, lockdown will be imposed again, he said in a statement. | Read More
Mumbai reports 289 new COVID cases, 1157 discharges, and 9 deaths today
Active cases: 2,900Total discharges: 7,16,949Death toll: 15,968 (ANI)
The test positivity rate (TPR) in the state is going up due to non-enforcement of isolation protocols properly, the Kerala High Court said on Wednesday and added that preventing crowding or full lockdown were the only options to prevent spread of COVID-19.
The observation by the court came while expressing concern over the non-implementation of the new COVID guidelines at liquor shops run by state-owned Beverages Corporation (BEVCO) where people could be seen waiting in long queues for hours on end to buy alcohol. | Read More
A top vaccines official at the World Health Organisation says the agency expects to make a decision next month on an emergency authorisation for the Indian-made COVID-19 vaccine made by Bharat Biotech, a shot that has yet to be authorized by any Western regulatory authorities.
Dr. Mariangela Simao, a WHO assistant director-general for vaccines, says the UN health agency’s assessment of the Bharat Biotech vaccine was “quite advanced” and officials hoped for a decision by mid-September. | Read More
Further relaxing the COVID-19 curbs, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday decided to allow malls and restaurants to remain open till 10 pm with a 50 per cent capacity from August 15 onwards, provided the entire staff is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Shops are also allowed to operate till 10 pm.
Talking to reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said spas and gymnasiums will also be allowed to function till 10 pm at a 50 per cent capacity on the condition that the entire staff at these establishments has taken both doses of the vaccine. | Read More
More than 40 lakh vaccine doses have been administered across India today, taking total cumulative COVID vaccination coverage to 52,32,53,450: Union Health Ministry (ANI)
Cases of Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 have risen to 65 in Maharashtra: State Health Department (ANI)
Telangana reports 482 new COVID-19 cases, 455 recoveries and 2 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Total cases: 6,50,835Total recoveries: 6,38,865Death toll: 3,833
Active cases: 8,137 (ANI)
Maharashtra: Vaccination against COVID-19 will not take place at state govt and BMC-run centres in Mumbai on August 12 and August 13 owing to shortage of vaccine doses, as per BMC (ANI)
Kerala on Wednesday reported 23,500 fresh COVID cases pushing the total infection caseload to 36,10,193, with the number of people succumbing to the virus rising to 18,120 with 116 more deaths. As many as 19,411 people have been cured of the infection since Tuesday, taking the total recoveries to 34,15,595 and the number of active cases in the state to 1,75,957, a state government release said.
In the last 24 hours, 1,62,130 samples were tested and the TPR was found to be 14.49 per cent. So far, 2,89,07,675 samples have been tested, it said. Some of the worst affected districts in the state are Thrissur (3124), Malappuram (3109), Ernakulam (2856), Kozhikode (2789), Palakkad (2414), Kollam (1633), Alappuzha (1440), Thiruvananthapuram (1255), Kottayam (1227) and Kannur (1194).
Of the new cases, 109 are health workers, 84 had come from outside the state and 22,049 were infected through contact with the source of contact being not clear in 1258 cases, the release said. There are currently 4,85,480 people under surveillance in various districts of the state. Of these, 4,56,991 are in home or institutional quarantine and 28,489 in hospitals. (PTI)
Shopping malls can remain open till 10 pm in the state but visitors need to be fully vaccinated. They need to show their vaccination certificates before entering: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope (ANI)
The moment the daily need for oxygen comes up to 700 metric tonnes in the state, a full lockdown will be imposed, in the third wave. As other states also may need oxygen, it's not clear if we can get what we need from the Centre: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope (ANI)
Goa reports 103 new COVID-19 cases, 63 recoveries and zero deaths in the last 24 hours
Active cases: 983Total recoveries: 1,68,041Death toll: 3,164 (ANI)
Kerala reports 23,500 fresh COVID-19 cases, infection tally climbs to 36,10,193, death toll mounts to 18,120 with 116 new fatalities; active case count 1,75,957: State govt (PTI)
Tamil Nadu reports 1,964 fresh COVID cases, 1,917 discharges, and 28 deaths today.
Active cases: 20,363Total discharges: 25,26,317Death toll: 34,395 (ANI)
The Punjab government on Wednesday ordered to conduct at least 10,000 RT-PCR tests at state schools daily, after no less than 26 students tested positive for coronavirus in the past two days. On Tuesday, 20 students of two schools in Ludhiana tested positive for COVID-19. Six students of a government school were found infected with the disease in Hoshiarpur on Wednesday. The Punjab government had reopened schools for all classes in the state from August 2. Chairing a coronavirus review meeting, Punjab Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan issued directions for conducting at least 10,000 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests daily at schools in the state, according to a statement. The chief secretary also asked deputy commissioners to ensure that only fully vaccinated staff is allowed to attend the schools. Asking the departments concerned to step up RT-PCR testing, Mahajan said the target of 40,000 samples per day in the state must be achieved. Mahajan also expressed concern over the movement of people to Punjab from neighbouring states where virus cases are once again on the rise, the statement said. She asked officials concerned to keep a close watch on the positivity rate ahead of the festival season when extra vigil is required to prevent a surge in virus cases. Instructing all districts to continue aggressive testing and contact tracing, she said epidemiologists have been appointed and all-out efforts should be made to thwart the possible third Covid wave.
Quoting a forecast from the University of Cambridge, Mahajan said new cases can be expected to double in about 64 days (under the assumption that the growth rate remains constant). She expressed satisfaction over the fact that 2,45,823 samples have been taken from August 3 to 9 and only 352 tested positive, which accounted for a positivity rate of 0.1 per cent.
Stressing the need to further ramp up the health infrastructure, she said each district should aim to augment the bed capacity by 25 per cent from the second wave's peak demand. She also asked officials to focus on further increasing medical oxygen availability in government and private hospitals. (PTI)
Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 103 to reach 1,72,188 on Wednesday, a health department official said. The death toll remained unchanged at 3,164 as no patient succumbed to the infection during the day, he said. The number of recovered patients in the state rose to 1,68,041 as 63 of them got discharged on Wednesday. Goa's count of active COVID-19 cases is 983 now, the official said. "With 5,057 new tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the overall test count of the coastal state has gone up to 11,07,531," he added. Goa's coronavirus figures are as follows: Positive cases 1,72,188, new cases 103, death toll 3,164, recoveries 1,68,041, active cases 983, samples tested till date 11,07,531. (PTI)
Delhi records zero COVID-19 fatality, 37 fresh cases; positivity rate 0.06 per cent: Health bulletin (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh reported 1,869 fresh cases of Covid-19, taking the total to 19,87,051 on Wednesday. The gross recoveries went up to 19,55,052 after 2,316 patients got cured in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Wednesday. Another 18 coronavirus deaths took the overall toll to 13,582, the latest bulletin said. The active cases decreased by 465 to 18,417 in 24 hours, the bulletin added. The state once again slid to the fifth position in the country in the number of active Covid-19 cases. (PTI)
The Punjab government on Wednesday ordered to conduct at least 10,000 RT-PCR tests at state schools daily, after no less than 26 students tested positive for coronavirus in the past two days. On Tuesday, 20 students of two schools in Ludhiana tested positive for COVID-19. Six students of a government school were found infected with the disease in Hoshiarpur on Wednesday. (PTI)
Pakistan's top health official has written to the UK's health secretary highlighting the "discrepancies" in the British government's policy to retain Pakistan on the COVID-19 travel red list while moving India to the amber list. Pakistan was placed on the red list in early April and India on April 19 but unlike Islamabad, New Delhi was moved to the amber list on August 5 along with some other countries, prompting an uproar against the government's decision. "The UAE, Qatar, India and Bahrain will be moved from the red list to the amber list. All changes come into effect Sunday, August 8, at 4 am," UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted. (PTI)
A strict four-week quarantine imposed on 16 athletes returning from the Tokyo Games has been criticized as 'cruel and uncaring' by the Australian Olympic Committee. All travelers entering Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic are subjected to a mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine, and members of Australia's Olympic delegation have returned in groups to undergo two weeks of supervised isolation in various state capitals. But South Australia is imposing an additional 14-day domestic quarantine on those athletes who want to return to the state after isolating in Sydney, where a coronavirus outbreak has forced the city into lockdown. And that has sparked outrage among athletes and Olympic officials. (AP)
The free vaccination drive rolled out by the government is likely to create a positive impact on the job market and on the overall economy as most respondents believed that it will help them in providing a safe work ecosystem to their employees with steady work opportunities, according to a report. Over 87 per cent of respondents believe that the free vaccination drive can prevent a second reverse migration for these workers as they will also be eligible to get vaccines, according to a report by human resource solutions provider Genius Consultants. (PTI)
Raigad district in Maharashtra reported 187 new COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths, taking the tally of infections to 1,62,052 and the toll to 4,065, an official release said on Wednesday. These new additions and deaths were reported on Tuesday. A total of 185 patients were discharged, taking the number of recoveries in the Raigad district so far to 1,55,787, as per a release issued by the district collector's office. The case positivity rate in the district now stands at 2.52%, it said. A total of 7,25,551 people have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine so far in the district. 2,22,919 people have received the second dose. (PTI)
Sikkim reported 157 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths on Wednesday, as per the Health Department. West Sikkim registered the highest number of new cases at 81, followed by 47 in East Sikkim, 26 in South Sikkim and three in North Sikkim. The state at present has 2,543 active cases, while 278 patients have migrated out. (PTI)
Six students of a government school here tested positive for COVID-19, said an official on Wednesday. District Education Officer (Secondary) Gursharn Singh said Government High School, Jaja, will remain shut till August 15, adding that the closure could be further extended on the directions of the deputy commissioner. Among those tested positive for coronavirus, three are from Class 7, two from Class 10 and one from Class 9, said the official. The Health Department took samples of all students and 13 teachers of the school. (PTI)
Mumbai's slum colony Dharavi did not report any fresh coronavirus case for the third time in August so far on Wednesday, keeping the tally unchanged at 6,992, a senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said. Earlier on August 3 and 8, no new case was detected in the slum- dominated area, once a COVID-19 hotspot. In June and July, too, Dharavi had witnessed no new COVID-19 infections on a few days. (PTI)
A company in western Maharashtra has started human trials of a drug targeted at mild and moderately infected coronavirus patients, a top official said. The company is hopeful of launching the product by the year-end after completing all the phases of trials, the official said. World's largest vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) is the sponsor of the Pune-headquartered iSERA Biological Pvt Ltd's drug project, which began soon after COVID-19 hit Indian shores.
Vedanta group firm Hindustan Zinc CEO Arun Misra has said the possibility of a third wave of COVID-19 calls for preparedness, and stressed that the company's first line of defense is prevention through a mega vaccination drive. The company, he said, is prepared on ground with necessary medical infrastructure, including a 100-bed COVID-19 field hospital with oxygen supply, ventilators and ICU beds. In addition, enhanced medical and life insurance covers are also being provided to reduce and share the burden of the company's employees, Misra said in his speech during the company's 55th annual general meeting. (PTI)
The highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 has rendered the prospect of herd immunity, where the majority of a country's population becomes immune to a virus, difficult, the head of the UK's Oxford Vaccine Group has warned. Professor Andrew Pollard, who led the team behind the Oxford University's COVID-19 vaccine, told the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coronavirus on Tuesday that the fear of another even more transmissible variant remains a possibility and therefore there is nothing that can completely stop the deadly virus from spreading. (PTI)
A COVID-19 vaccine candidate which can be administered through the nose showed a reduction in both the impact of the disease and transmission of the virus in pre-clinical animal trials, scientists say. Researchers at Lancaster University in the UK immunised hamsters with two doses of the intranasal vaccine. They found the animals showed complete protection from lung infection, inflammation and lesions following exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. (PTI)
A total of 1,317 bed-ridden people have so far been given vaccine against COVID-19 at their residences in Mumbai and there has not been a single case of adverse reaction to the jabs, the city civic body told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday. The door-to-door vaccination drive began as a pilot project in Mumbai on July 30. (PTI)
Cambodia has administered at least one coronavirus vaccine dose to half of its population, among the highest rates in Asia, official data showed on Wednesday, with vaccine diplomacy playing a key part in its success.Cambodia, an ally of China and one of Asia's poorest countries, started inoculations with Chinese-made vaccines in February, while millions of doses provided by the United States, Japan and Britain have arrived in recent weeks.Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday said Cambodia should reach the 10 million people targeted for vaccination about seven or eight months earlier than planned.Of Cambodia's more than 16 million people, 8.3 million have received at least one dose, while 6.4 million of those have received both required shots. (Reuters)
India continued to be Dubai International Airport's top destination country by traffic volume in the first half of 2021 with passenger numbers exceeding 1.9 million (19 lakh), despite travel restrictions due to COVID-19 affecting its key source markets. The world's busiest airport for international travel clocked 10.6 million passengers in the first six months of 2021, Dubai Airports said on Wednesday.as it projected robust growth for Dubai International (DXB) in the second half of the year. (PTI)
With the COVID-19 situation improving in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials on Wednesday to consider a partial relaxation in the two-day weekly closure of shops and business establishments and asked the home department to present detailed guidelines in this regard. At a high-level meeting with senior officials, the chief minister, however, stressed that the Covid protocols should be followed everywhere and there should not be any unnecessary congregation of people anywhere, one of the officials said. Underlining the importance of a continued police patrolling, Adityanath asked the officials to present appropriate guidelines regarding the new system. (PTI)
Authorities in Myanmar currently have no plan to include minority Rohingya Muslims living in densely-packed camps as they begin vaccinating priority groups against COVID-19 in western Rakhine State, the junta-appointed local administrator said. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh during military operations in 2017 and those who remain complain of discrimination and mistreatment in a country that does not recognise them as citizens. Local administrator Kyaw Lwin told Reuters from Sittwe township that the rollout had begun there with 10,000 vaccinations for priority groups such as the elderly, healthcare workers, government staff and Buddhist monks. (Reuters)
Mizoram's COVID-19 tally rose to 46,320 on Wednesday as 863 more people, including 115 inmates of a rehabilitation centre in Aizawl, tested positive for the infection, a health official said. Two fresh fatalities pushed the northeastern state's coronavirus death toll to 171. Aizawl reported the highest number of new cases at 590, followed by Kolasib (76) and Mamit (53), he said, adding that the single-day positivity rate stood at 13.2 per cent. As many as 115 inmates of Operation Kingdom Ministry Home in Phunchawng locality on the outskirts of Aizawl tested positive for the infection during a mass testing drive on Tuesday, the official said. (PTI)
Ladakh recorded seven fresh COVID-19 cases taking the union territory's tally to 20,407, while active cases stood at 74, officials said on Wednesday. Ladakh has registered 207 Covid-related deaths -- 149 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. A total of 20,121 patients have recovered till date. Of the seven new Covid cases reported on Tuesday, six were from Leh and one from Kargil. A total of 2,033 samples -- 1,156 from Leh and 877 from Kargil -- were found negative for the coronavirus, they said. (PTI)