Students undergo thermal screening before entering as schools reopened after relaxation in Covid induced restrictions, in Mathura, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. (PTI Photo)Coronavirus News Highlights: Schools in various states resumed physical classes for all students on Monday. As the number of daily Covid-19 cases continue to decline, schools in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala reopened Monday for all classes in view of the dip in Covid cases. Last week, students from classes 9 to 12 were allowed to resume offline classes in the national capital and Kerala, while the primary and middle classes returned to school Monday. While, in Jammu and Kashmir, schools reopened for classes 9 to 12 today, the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet has decided to reopen all educational institutions, gyms and cinema halls in the state from February 17 in view of declining Covid cases. In Gujarat, for the first time in nearly two years after the Covid-19 pandemic began and amid a decline in fresh cases, the state government has decided to allow anganwadi centres, pre-schools and kindergartens to reopen across the state from February 17.
India reported 34,113 new Covid-19 cases and 346 related deaths in the last 24 hours ending 8 am, Monday. The active count dipped to 4,78,882, accounting for 1.2 per cent of overall cases. This is lower than Sunday’s count, when the country had over 5.37 lakh active Covid cases. The daily positivity rate saw a marginal rise from 3.17% on Sunday to 3.19%.
Just over 100 districts are now reporting a weekly positivity rate of more than 10 per cent, indicating a further decrease in the spread of coronavirus infection in the country, granular data being tracked by the Health Ministry show. A total of 105 districts reported more than 10 per cent positivity between February 5 and February 11, data from the ministry show. During the same period, 480 districts reported less than 5 per cent positivity. Five states currently have more than 10 districts with a positivity rate of more than 10 per cent: Rajasthan (17), Kerala (14), and Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram (11 each).
Primary and middle school students return for offline classes in Delhi on Monday (Express Photo)
The University of Jammu on Monday said it will reopen its campuses for students from March 1, after Covid-19-induced closure. University spokesperson Vinay Thusoo said the decision was taken at a meeting chaired by vice chancellor Manoj K Dhar and attended by all rectors, campus deans, directors, heads of departments, in-charge librarian and provost boys and girls.
"After detailed discussions, it was decided that the University of Jammu shall immediately notify all the guidelines on reopening of the campuses for students from March 1,” Thusoo said. (PTI)
The cumulative Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed 173.38 crore on Monday, the Union Health Ministry said. More than 40 lakh vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm. Over 1.72 crore (1,76,27,475) precaution doses have been administered to healthcare workers, frontline workers and those aged 60 and above with comorbodities so far.
An expert panel of India's central drug authority on Monday recommended granting restricted emergency use authorisation to Biological E's Covid-19 vaccine, Corbevax, for age group 12 to 18 years subject to certain conditions, official sources said. The government has still not not taken a decision on vaccinating those aged below 15 years.
NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul at a press conference recently said that the additional need for vaccination and inclusion of population for vaccination is examined constantly. The Drugs Controller General Of India (DCGI) has already approved Corbevax, which is India's first indigenously developed RBD protein sub-unit vaccine against Covid-19, for restricted use in emergency situation in adults on December 28. It has not been included in the country's vaccination drive. (PTI)
Maharashtra on Monday reported 1,966 fresh coronavirus positive cases, over 1,500 less than the day before, and 12 fatalities due to the viral infection, the state health department said. With the latest additions, the overall tally of infections rose to 78,44,915 in the state and the COVID-19 death toll mounted to 1,43,416, the department said in a report. On Sunday, Maharashtra had recorded 3,502 cases and 17 fatalities.
Generally, Maharashtra registers lesser COVID-19 cases on Mondays due to fewer tests. Less than 1 lakh tests were conducted in the last 24 hours in the state. With the detection of eight new cases of the Omicron variant- all from Mumbai- the number of such cases went up to 3,994. A total of 3,334 Omicron patients have been discharged so far following a negative RT PCR test report. (PTI)
😷 Today's Covid numbers: Delhi (586 cases), Mumbai (192 cases), Bengaluru (754 cases), Chennai (341 cases), Kolkata (34 cases)
The West Bengal government has decided to reopen schools for primary, upper primary classes, for first time since Covid-19 outbreak, from February 16. (PTI)
Kerala recorded 8,989 fresh Covid-19 cases on Monday with a test positivity rate of 15.47 percent. A total of 58,090 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. The state also reported 25 Covid deaths in the past 24 hours along with 61 deaths that are newly certified as Covid deaths based on the revised rules and 92 more recorded late. With this, the death toll climbed to 62,377 in the state. There are 1,44,384 active Covid cases in Kerala.
Delhi on Monday reported 586 fresh Covid-19 cases and 4 related deaths, while the positivity rate declined further to 1.37 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. With this, the national capital’s coronavirus case count increased to 18,51,906 and the death toll climbed to 26,076. The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13. The active Covid cases in Delhi now stand at 3,416.
For the first time in nearly two years after the Covid-19 pandemic began and amid a decline in fresh cases in Gujarat, the state government has decided to allow anganwadi centres, pre-schools and kindergartens to reopen across the state from Thursday. This decision was taken by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel after reviewing the COVID-19 situation, Education Minister Jitu Vaghani said on Monday. (PTI)
Schools in various states resumed physical classes for all students on Monday. As the number of daily Covid-19 cases continue to decline, schools in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala reopened Monday for all classes in view of the dip in Covid cases. Last week, students from classes 9 to 12 were allowed to resume offline classes in the national capital and Kerala, while the primary and middle classes returned to school Monday. While, in Jammu and Kashmir, schools reopened for classes 9 to 12 today, the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet has decided to reopen all educational institutions, gyms and cinema halls in the state from February 17 in view of declining Covid cases.
The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet has decided to reopen all educational institutions, gyms and cinema halls in the state from February 17 in view of declining Covid cases. (ANI)
Sweden is recommending a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose to people over age 80 and those living in nursing homes or getting home care, authorities said Monday, adding it must be administered no earlier than four months after the previous shot. The Scandinavian country's chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, said in a statement from the Swedish Public Health Agency that a fourth dose ”strengthens the protection” against severe disease.
For most of the pandemic, Sweden has stood out among European nations for its comparatively hands-off response. It never went into lockdown or closed businesses, largely relying instead on individual responsibility to control infections. While coronavirus deaths were high compared with other Nordic countries, they were lower than many other places in Europe that did implement lockdowns. (AP)
The Assam government has decided to discontinue the mandatory Covid testing on arrival at airports, railway stations and road border from February 15. Covid testing for patients visiting hospitals for emergency/OPD services also has been discontinued except for symptomatic patients.
It’s too early to know for sure, but many doctors believe it’s possible to have long-term effects from the omicron variant of the virus.
Long Covid is usually diagnosed many weeks after a bout with Covid-19. Any long-lasting effects typically appear about 90 days after symptoms of the initial infection go away, Maria Van Kerkhove of the World Health Organization said this week.
Overall, some estimates suggest more than a third of Covid-19 survivors will develop some symptoms of long Covid. Symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, anxiety and other problems. The lingering illness is more likely if you’ve been hospitalized with Covid-19, but research shows it can happen even after a mild infection. Read more
The union territory of Puducherry witnessed a dip in number of fresh Covid-19 cases with 52 infections being reported in the last 24 hours, a top Health department official said on Monday. The four regions-Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam- logged 52 new cases at the end of the examination of 874 samples taking the overall tally to 1,65,295,
Director of Health G Sriramulu said in a release here. The union territory had clocked 91 new cases on 91.
Meanwhile, one more patient - a 71-year old man hailing from Puducherry - succumbed to the infection pushing the death toll to 1,958. (PTI)
The Rajasthan government on Sunday permitted all private and government schools in urban areas to hold educational activities up to class 5. The orders of the Home Department will come into effect from February 16.
The Home Department on Sunday issued fresh guidelines to all private and government schools in urban areas of the state to conduct educational activities up to class 5. Students would only be allowed to come to campus for studies after the written consent of their parents or guardian. The facility of online study would continue like earlier. Read more
Schools in Delhi reopened Monday for primary and middle school children after an almost two-year gap, which was only shortly broken in November 2021. Last week, students from classes 9 to 12 were allowed to resume offline classes following a dip in Covid cases in the city.
Arunachal Pradesh on Monday reported 22 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the tally in the northeastern state to 64,004, a senior health official said. No casualty was reported in the past 24 hours.
Of the 22 fresh cases, nine were reported from the Capital Complex Region, four from Upper Siang, two each from Namsai and Lohit and one each from West Kameng, Tirap, Tawang, Lower Siang and Lower Subansiri district, the official said.
Single-day recoveries outnumbered new Covid-19 cases in Meghalaya on Sunday as 156 people were cured of the disease and 58 more tested positive for the infection, a health official said.
The fresh cases raised the tally to 92,991, while 90,678 people have so far recovered from the disease, he said. The death toll rose 1,562 as one more Covid patient succumbed to the infection, Health Services Director Dr Aman War said.
The northeastern state had on Saturday logged 86 new cases and two fatalities. Meghalaya now has 751 active cases, War said. (PTI)
Delhi’s daily Covid case count continued to decline, with the city reporting 804 cases on Sunday. The positivity rate, which was 1.68% on Saturday, dipped marginally to 1.5%.
With the decrease, market associations have made appeals to extend timings for markets and shops to open till 10 pm, instead of the 8 pm restriction at present.
The New Delhi Traders Association wrote to L-G Anil Baijal, who also heads the Delhi Disaster Management Association (DDMA), highlighting the problems they are facing. President of the association Atul Bhargava said that since the timing applicable to restaurants — 8 am to 11 pm — has been extended, the same metric should also apply to shops. Read more