News Analysis India

Tag: Coronavirus in India

  • Eight new cases of Omicron found in Maharashtra; none had history of overseas travel

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Eight new cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus were reported in Maharashtra – seven of them in Mumbai – and none of the patients had a history of international travel, the state health department said on Tuesday.

    With the fresh cases, which included three women, the tally of those infected with the newly discovered variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, rose to 28 in the state, the health department said in a bulletin.

    “As per the report given by the (Pune-based) National Institute of Virology today, 8 more patients were found to be infected with Omicron in the state. Out of these, seven patients are from Mumbai and one patient is from Vasai-Virar (a satellite township of Mumbai),” the health bulletin said.

    ​ALSO READ | COVID Task Force chief V K Paul pitches for quickly adaptable vaccine platforms

    Seven of these eight persons were vaccinated against coronavirus and their swab samples were taken for testing in the first week of December, it said.

    All of them – five men and three women – are in the age group of 24 to 41, the department said.

    It said of the eight, three are asymptomatic, while five have mild symptoms of the viral infection.

    “According to preliminary information, none of them have a history of international travel,” the bulletin said.

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    The bulletin said one of those who have been infected with Omicron had travelled to Bengaluru, while the others had visited New Delhi.

    Out of the eight patients, two are in hospital and six are in home isolation and their close contacts are being tracked, it added.

    Giving the break-up of 28 patients detected with Omicron so far, the bulletin said 12 are from Mumbai, 10 from Pimpri-Chinchwad (an industrial township in Pune district), two from Pune city, one each from Kalyan-Dombivali, Nagpur, Latur and Vasai-Virar.

    ​ALSO READ | WHO expects increase in number of deaths, hospitalisations from COVID variant Omicron

    “Out of these, nine patients have been discharged after returning negative RT-PCR test,” the health bulletin added.

    It said as many as 91,320 international travellers have arrived in Maharashtra through Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur airports in the recent days.

    Of these, 13,615 were from ‘at-risk’ countries.

    The emergence of Omicron, classified as a ‘variant of concern’ by the WHO, has caused alarm among scientists and governments across the world.

  • Dharavi resident who returned from Tanzania tests positive for Omicron; 11th case in Maharashtra

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A resident of Dharavi area here who recently returned from Tanzania was found to have contracted Omicron infection on Friday, taking the number of cases of the new coronavirus variant in Maharashtra to 11, officials said.

    The 49-year-old man, who is a ‘Maulavi’ (Muslim cleric), was asymptomatic and was isolated before he could mingle in the community, said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official.

    The man landed in Mumbai from Tanzania on December 4 and his samples were sent for genome sequencing when he tested positive for coronavirus.

    With this, the number of Omicron-infected patients in Mumbai rose to three.

    ALSO READ | 25 Omicron cases detected in India so far, symptoms mostly mild: Government

    One case had been found in neighbouring Thane district.

    Seven cases have been found in Pune district, but deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said earlier in the day that five out of them have now tested negative for the infection.

    Tanzania does not figure in the list of ‘at-risk’ countries, but the Dharavi resident tested positive for COVID-19 during the mandatory random checking of two per cent of arrivals at the Mumbai airport.

    ALSO READ | UK returnee tests positive for Covid in Kolkata, genome sequencing underway for Omicron variant

    When his test came out positive, a medical team from G-North ward (where Dharavi falls) tracked him down immediately.

    The man was shifted to BMC-run Seven Hills hospital, the official said, adding that he was asymptomatic and is not vaccinated.

    Dharavi in central Mumbai is known as the biggest slum in Asia where over six lakh people live in a 2.5 square km area.

    The area has recorded 7,073 coronavirus cases since March 2020, but there are only seven active cases at present, as per the BMC.

  • Health Ministry, agencies should assess requirement of vaccine booster shots: Parliament panel

    Underlining that the nature and virulence of COVID-19 pandemic is 'unpredictable', the committee cautioned that alertness and preparedness cannot be compromised at any stage.

  • Lawyer tests positive for Covid, Tarun Tejpal case hearing postponed by Goa HC

    By PTI

    PANAJI: The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday postponed the hearing in the Tarun Tejpal case to December 12 after one of this lawyers said a colleague had tested positive for COVID-19.

    Advocate Raunaq Rao, representing Tejpal, told a division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and M S Jawalkar that a lawyer briefing senior counsel Amit Desai had tested COVID-19 positive, and requested a postponement, which was granted.

    Tejpal, the former editor in chief of Tehelka magazine, who was accused of sexually assaulting his then woman colleague in the lift of a five-star hotel in Goa in November 2013, was acquitted by a sessions court in May this year.

    The acquittal was challenged in the HC by the Goa government.

  • India’s Covid recovery rate increases to 98 per cent; 18,132 new cases in 24 hours

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India logged 18,132 new coronavirus infections, the lowest in 215 days, taking the country’s total tally of cases to 3,39,71,607, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

    The death toll climbed to 4,50,782 with 193 fresh fatalities.

    The active cases have declined to 2,27,347, the lowest in 209 days, according to the data updated at 8 am.

    India recorded 18,132 new #COVID19 cases and 193 fatalities in a single-day. pic.twitter.com/MPs7sK1GA5
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) October 11, 2021
    The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 17 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 106 consecutive days now.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

  • Covid vaccine certificates or negative test reports must for non-Maha devotees at Nanded temple

    By PTI

    AURANGABAD: Pilgrims from outside Maharashtra visiting the famous Renuka Mata temple at Mahurgad in Nanded district will have to carry certificate showing their fully vaccinated status, while those not inoculated should possess latest negative COVID-19 test reports, an official said on Thursday.

    Temples of Mahur and Tuljapur in Osmanabad district, including the Goddess Tulja Bhavani temple, along with Jyotirlings of Ghrishneshwar in Aurangabad and Parli Vaijnath in Beed district opened for devotees this morning after remaining closed for nearly 6 months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    ​ALSO READ | ‘Please watch your Oct, Nov, Dec’: Govt warns people of Covid surge during festival, wedding season

    The annual yatra organised on the occasion of Kojagiri Purnima (from October 18 to 20) in Tuljapur has been cancelled this year in view of the pandemic, the official said.

    The district administration of Nanded has implemented a pass system – both online and offline – for devotees coming for ‘darshan’ at the Renuka Mata temple at Mahurgad.

    The administration has made negative RT-PCR (done within 72 hours) and rapid antigen (within 24 hours) test reports mandatory for devotees who have not undergone vaccination against coronavirus.

    Pilgrims coming from out of Maharashtra will have to produce certificates showing they have been fully vaccinated against the viral infection to gain entry in the temple, the official said.

  • Mu and C.1.2 variants of SARS-CoV2 not found in India so far: INSAOCG

    The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said Mu has mutations that indicate potential immune escape properties.

  • 58 per cent of adult population got one dose of Covid vaccine; second wave not over yet: Govt

    Addressing a press conference, officials said India is still going through the second wave of coronavirus infections and it is not over yet.

  • Minor boy in Madhya Pradesh receives Covid shot, falls sick; probe ordered

    By PTI

    MORENA: A 16-year-old boy fell ill after he was allegedly administered a COVID-19 vaccine in Bagh Ka Pura locality in Ambah tehsil of Morena district in Madhya Pradesh, prompting authorities to order a probe on Sunday.

    A senior health official said the probe will find out how the teenager was given the shot even though the government is yet to roll out any anti-COVID 19 vaccination programme for minors.

    Pillu, son of Kamlesh Kushwaha, was administered the jab at a vaccination centre, nearly 35 km away from the Morena district headquarters, on Saturday following which his head spun and he started frothing from the mouth, sources said.

    Doctors in Ambah referred him to Gwalior for treatment, they said.

    ALSO READ | Covid-19: International passenger flights in India to remain suspended till September 30

    After Pillu fell ill, his family created a scene at the vaccination centre.

    “We are checking whether Pillu reached Gwalior or not. According to unconfirmed reports he returned to his house instead of going to Gwalior,” Morena District Chief Medical and Health Officer (CM&HO) Dr AD Sharma said.

    He said a team was sent to Pillu’s house this morning.

    “We are checking whether Pillu was suffering from epilepsy,” he added.

    Dr Sharma said “An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain how the minor boy was given the COVID-19 shot”.

    ​ALSO READ | Post-Covid issues lingering in patients even after a year, says study

    Pillu’s Aadhaar card will be checked, Dr Sharma added.

    According to Pillu’s Aadhaar card, he is 16-year-old and a resident of Kok Singh Ka Pura.

    His date of birth mentioned on the card is January 1, 2005, said people who know the boy’s family.

    Indigenously developed Zydus Cadila COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D, which received approval for Emergency Use Authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India recently, will be administered to people 12 years and above, the Department of Biotechnology had said.

  • 2 in 3 Indians infected with Covid, India might’ve seen 30 infections per confirmed case

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The latest round of the national serosurvey carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research to gauge the real extent of the Covid-19 infection in India has revealed that 67.6 % of the population above the age of six has been exposed to the virus. 

    When extrapolated against the actual population of about 135 crore in India, it means that over 90 crore Indians — or two out of every three people — may have already been infected with SARS CoV 2, while nearly 40-45 crore people may still be vulnerable to the disease. 

    It also means, as only about 3 crore Covid-19 cases were detected by early July, that for every confirmed case, nearly 30 infections were missed. 

    The sero surveillance carried out in the last 10 days of June and the first week of July in 70 districts across 21 states from nearly 29,000 samples has shown that the highest seropositivity or antibodies against SARS CoV 2 — 77.6 % was found in the 45-59 age group.

    The figures presented by ICMR director general Balram Bhargava in a press conference on Tuesday also showed that the seroprevalence in urban areas, at 69.6%, was slightly higher than the 66.7% of people in rural areas with antibodies. 

    Compared to the first national serosurvey in June 2020 when the overall seropositivity had been detected in less than 1% of the population in the country, the jump in a year has been quite significant.

    The last national serosurvey by the ICMR in December, 2020-January 2021 had shown that 24.1% people in India had antibodies against Covid-19. 

    ALSO READ | Research says India’s deaths during Covid-19 pandemic 10 times the official toll

    “There is a ray of hope but still no room for complacency,” said Bhargava while sharing the significant results and added that states, districts and areas without antibodies run the risk of infection waves.

    The findings meanwhile also suggested that over half of the children, aged 6-17 years, were seropositive. 

    Also, 85% healthcare workers had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 but one-tenth of the healthcare workers were still unvaccinated.

    #Imp: Children can handle viral infection much better than adults, it may be wise to open primary schools first; all support staff however need to be vaccinated: @ProfBhargava on opening of schools@NewIndianXpress
    — Sumi Dutta (@SumiSukanya) July 20, 2021

    Importantly, the survey also included those vaccinated with one or two doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

    The project found that out of 12,607 adults without vaccination, 62.3 % were found to have antibodies as against 81 % with one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 89.8 % of those with two doses. 

    Meanwhile, authorities also stressed on the need of the state and hyperlocal sero-surveillance exercises whose findings should be used for driving Covid-19 pandemic response in every area. 

    “State-led sentinel sero-surveillance will inform further state-level action and state heterogeneity indicates the possibility of future waves of infection,” said Bhargava.

    He also emphasised that societal, public, religious and political congregations should be avoided and only essential travels should be taken by those fully vaccinated. 

    Some experts meanwhile said that these results also indicate that a third nationwide Covid-19 wave may be highly unlikely unless there is a new mutant with immune escape properties and increased virulence.