People at a train station in Mumbai. (Express photo by Deepak Joshi)Coronavirus India Live updates: Kerala on Wednesday reported 21,427 new Covid-19 cases, according to the state government’s data, taking the infection count to 37,25,005. It also reported 179 deaths.
Meanwhile, India on Tuesday reported 35,178 new Covid-19 cases and 440 deaths, as per the Union Health Ministry. The health ministry said as many as 56.06 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far.
In other news, a study among healthcare workers in Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has reported that a single vaccine dose does not offer any significant protection against symptomatic infections, or moderate or severe Covid-19 disease.
The study, conducted between March 1 and May 31 among 4,276 employees of the hospital by a team led by Dr Ruma Satwik, found that there was no significant difference in the incidence of symptomatic or severe infections among those who had received only one dose of the vaccine and those who were not yet vaccinated.
A woman gets a Covid-19 vaccine at a centre in Mumbai. (Express file photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Maharashtra’s weekly Covid positivity rate has dropped to 2.44 per cent in the week of August 11 to 17, though seven districts, including Satara, Sangli, Ahmednagar and Pune, while showing a decline, continue to have a positivity rate higher than the state average.
The Covid positivity rate in the state from August 4 to 10 was 3.05 per cent, which dropped to 2.44 per cent from August 11 to 17, according to a new report that was presented at the state cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Pune’s Covid positivity rate has dropped to 4.37 per cent from August 11 to 17 compared to 5.81 per cent in the earlier week (August 4 to 10). However, the district’s weekly Covid positivity rate remains higher than the state average. Read more.
The Director of Public Health Wednesday issued the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for reopening schools for students of Classes IX, X, XI and XII.
The SOPs comes after the Tamil Nadu School Education Department tentatively announced to reopen schools from September 1. As per reports, an official announcement on the date of reopening is likely to be made by the government on August 20.
According to the guidelines issued by the government, schools have been asked to ensure that only 50% students are allowed at a time. The guidelines also mandate 100 per cent vaccination of teachers and other staff working in the schools. All students, within the eligible group, visiting the schools will also have to be vaccinated. Read more.
As cases of the Delta variant rise in the country, US health officials ahve recommend Covid-19 booster shots for all Americans to strengthen their defenses, news agency AP reported.
According to a plan developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other top authorities, an extra dose can be administered eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine The doses could begin the week of September 20. The authorities have stated that they are yet to work out a plan for those who have received the single-dose Johnson jab, and are awaiting more data for the same.
The Uttar Pradesh government will allow the reopening of school for physical classes for the students of grades 6 to 8 from August 23 and for grades 1 to 5 from September 1, PTI reported. The state has already allowed physical classes in schools for students of grades 9 to 12 with strict Covid-19 protocol from August 16.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday said that the state is fully geared to tackle a third wave of Covid and he urged people to participate in the vaccination drive against the disease. "The state government has launched the vaccination campaign at a large scale, and Himachal Pradesh is among the leading states in this campaign," he said. (PTI)
Kerala records 21,427 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the infection count to 37,25,005. The death toll also mounted to 19,049 with 179 new fatalities, according to the state government bulletin.
The R-value or the reproduction number, a key metric measuring how fast the pandemic is spreading, has fallen to around 0.9 in India, according to researchers at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai. This indicates that the disease incidence of Covid-19 is ebbing.
The R-value in Kerala, which has been witnessing the highest number of cases in the country, has also gone below 1. For Northeastern states, the R-value calculated between August 14-16, stood at 0.86, PTI reported. However, Himachal Pradesh continues to have an R value of above 1, although it reduced in the last few days, while Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand still have R very close to 1, the researchers said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated that physical hearing in the apex court, which is conducting proceedings virtually amid the Covid-19 pandemic since March last year, may resume soon. A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said that physical hearing in the apex court may start within 10 days, PTI reported.
The summer surge in coronavirus cases in the United States, led by the domination of the more contagious delta variant, is well into its second month, and the number of those hospitalized with Covid-19 has reached heights last seen during the overwhelming winter wave.
The number of those patients who are critically ill, requiring treatment in an intensive care unit, has risen, too. Data from the Department of Health and Human Services shows that the number of hospitals with very full ICUs doubled in recent weeks. Now, 1 in 5 ICUs have reached or exceeded 95% of beds occupied, a level experts say makes it difficult or impossible for health professionals to maintain standards of care for the very sick. Read the full report by New York Times here.
Asserting that Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown has badly hit tourism, transport and trade sectors in Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) on Wednesday demanded a special relief package for these sectors. "We urge the government to make some mechanism for survival and revival of these sectors," the memorandum said, also requesting for a revival package for the small-scale business houses especially the non-essential shopkeepers.
The Chamber also advocated continuation of the bi-annual 'Darbar move', an age-old practice under which the J&K government functions six months each in the twin capital cities. (PTI)
A week after Sikkim allowed relaxations in famous tourist destinations such as Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir and Nathula, the state government Wednesday announced that the Yumthang Valley in Lachung village is now open for tourists. Lachung Dzumsa, a local body that controls tourism activities in the North Sikkim village, welcomed the decision and said that strict adherence to Covid guidelines will be ensured, PTI reported.
In July, the state had started allowing tourists with fully vaccinated certificates to enter and permitted hotels and homestays to operate at 50 per cent capacity. A decision regarding the opening of the Gurudongmar Lake in Lachen village will be taken soon, an official said.
A study by the US-based Washington University School of Medicine found that the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, that causes Covid-19, is unable to evade the antibodies generated by vaccination. The findings, published in the journal Immunity, help explain why vaccinated people have largely escaped the worst of the Delta surge, PTI reported.
The study is based on an analysis of a panel of antibodies generated by people in response to the Pfizer's Covid-19 jab. Researchers found that Delta was unable to evade all but one of the antibodies they tested. "The fact that Delta has outcompeted other variants does not mean that it's more resistant to our antibodies compared to other variants," said co-senior author Jacco Boon, an associate professor at Washington University.
The Jan Arogya Abhiyan (JAA) has expressed shock at the Maharashtra Covid taskforce’s opposition to restarting schools. “We are shocked to know that the expert taskforce in Maharashtra has opposed the decision of the education department to restart schools. Such a decision should be taken based on the science of public health,” Dr Anant Phadke, co-convenor, Jan Arogya Abhiyann, said.
The Indian Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that schools should be opened in areas where the positivity rate is less than 5 per cent and where the number of new cases per million population is less than 20 a day, Dr Abhay Shukla, co-convenor of JAA said.
Jan Arogya Abhiyan has demanded that Anganwadis and primary schools should be re-opened immediately with proper precautions and preparation along with adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour. Read more.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday claimed the 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra', being carried out by a number of Union ministers in various states, was an 'invitation for a third wave of COVID-19', reported PTI.
Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut said they have asked the BJP to have patience. "The 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' is an invitation for a third wave of COVID-19. The BJP is doing it deliberately," he said.
Notably, newly-inducted Union ministers Bharti Pawar, Kapil Patil and Bhagwat Karad earlier this week embarked on 'Jan Ashirwad' yatras in different parts of Maharashtra to reach out to people and thank them for the BJP's win in elections in the recent past.
A study among healthcare workers in Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has reported that a single vaccine dose does not offer any significant protection against symptomatic infections, or moderate or severe Covid-19 disease.
The study, conducted between March 1 and May 31 among 4,276 employees of the hospital by a team led by Dr Ruma Satwik, found that there was no significant difference in the incidence of symptomatic or severe infections among those who had received only one dose of the vaccine and those who were not yet vaccinated.
The study included 2,716 employees who had received two doses of Covishield, 623 who had received a single dose, and 927 who remained unvaccinated. It excluded 20 employees who had received the Covaxin or Pfizer vaccines.
A study by the ICMR on covid-infected individuals in the city has indicated that the prevalence of B.1.617.2 (Delta variant) “was not different between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.”
B.1.617.2, or the Delta variant of covid causing Sars Cov2 was the dominant circulating strain and one of the primary drivers for the country’s covid second wave, the study, approved by the ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, said.
India on Tuesday reported 35,178 new Covid-19 cases and 440 deaths, as per the Union Health Ministry.
With this, the total number of infections in the country rose to 3,22,85,857, while fatalities reached 4,32,519. There are 3.67 lakh active cases in the country at present and 3,14,85,923 people have recovered from the disease. Out of the new cases, Kerala reported 21,613 new cases and 127 deaths while Maharashtra reported 130 deaths. The health ministry said as many as 56.06 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far.