News Analysis India

Tag: coronavirus latest updates

  • COVID-19: No sitting of regular courts in Allahabad HC next week

    By PTI
    ALLAHABAD: There will be no sitting of regular courts in the Allahabad High Court and its Lucknow bench from April 5-9 in view of the recent spike in coronavirus cases in the two cities of Uttar Pradesh.

    The Chief Justice passed an order in this regard Friday.

    The order further added that during the aforesaid period only the special benches constituted for hearing urgent matters will hold court.

    According to a notification, the decision was taken after the members of Administrative Committee of High Court discussed over phone the recent spike in coronavirus cases in Allahabad and Lucknow.

    The Allahabad High Court and its Lucknow bench were closed from March 28-31 for Holi.

    They reopened on April 1.

    Subsequently, a notification was issued that the High Court will remain closed on April 1 and 2 in view of the rapid surge in the number of active coronavirus cases in the two cities.

    The next two days being Saturday and Sunday, the court was supposed to reopen on April 5.

    However, with the new notification, the court will continue to remain closed from April 5 to April 9, except for urgent cases.

    Uttar Pradesh reported 16 more COVID-19 fatalities on Friday, pushing the death toll to 8,836, while 2,967 new cases took the tally in the state to 6,22,736, according to a health department bulletin.

    The highest number of fresh cases was reported from state capital Lucknow (940), the bulletin said.

    Allahabad reported 213 cases.

  • Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray warns of shortage of health facilities, says lockdown can not be ruled out

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI: In his state address on Friday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned about the possibility of a complete lockdown if the current condition does not improve.

    Thackeray said that along with livelihood concerns, prioritising the health of people is very important.

    “Between 40,000 to 45000 positive cases are reported per day. If the situation worsens, then there will be huge pressure over the health infrastructure, there will be a shortage of doctors and health technicians,” Thackeray said adding that the state government is not holding back on accurate reportage of the situation.

    ALSO READ: 6 pm-6 am night curfew imposed in Pune for a week over rising COVID cases

    Thackeray said that he will again consult with health experts and concerned officials and take a call on the lockdown imposition dilemma soon.

    “If people cooperate, there isn’t a need for lockdown but to break the chain of transmission, lockdown is the only option. The same thing has been done in European countries too,” he added.

    Thackeray also said that there 500 testing labs in Maharashtra. “Presently, we are doing one lakh covid tests per day and we plan to increase it up to 2.5 lakh per day. We are focusing to improve health infrastructure, but people also have to behave responsibly,” he said.

    ALSO READ: One COVID-19 patient can infect 400 people, says Maharashtra health official

    He further said that all the focus is now on vaccinations. 

    “Maharashtra vaccinated over three lakh people on April 1.  If enough vaccines are made available by centre, then our state has the capacity to vaccinate more than six lakh individuals daily. So far, we have vaccinated 65 lakh people across the state. I am confident that the central government will extend all possible help. I have no complaint against them, but we need to speed up the process,” he said.  

    Adding, that there must be no political mudslinging over the decision of lockdown imposition.

    Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar announced a seven-days-long 6 pm to 6 am curfew in Pune and decided to shut down hotels, malls, restaurants, bars, and religious places in the city for a week.

    On Friday, a total of 47,827 Covid 19 positive cases, and 202 deaths are reported in the state.

  • Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba chairs COVID review meet; 11 states, UTs of ‘grave concern’ told to take strict action

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Eleven states and Union Territories, marked as “states of grave concern” because of their rising daily COVID-19 cases, have not shown a commensurate increase in enforcement of containment activities, the Centre said on Friday.

    Chairing a high-level review meeting with chief secretaries, Directors General of Police and health secretaries of all states and UTs, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba asked these states to take strict action to contain the contagion.

    According to the health ministry, the 11 states of grave concern are Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Haryana.

    They have contributed 90 per cent of COVID cases, 90.5 per cent of deaths in 14 days till March 31, and have crossed or close to crossing their early reported peaks last year, it said.

    Use of the Police Act, Disaster Management Act and other legal and administrative provisions for imposing penalties on defaulters were underscored at the meeting for immediate compliance by the states.

    Another worrisome aspect pointed out at the meeting was that tier two and tier three cities along with peri-urban areas have recorded the recent rises in COVID cases and that the spread of infection from these areas to the rural areas with weak health infrastructure would overwhelm the local administration.

    Taking note of the present situation due to deterioration of the COVID scenario over the fortnight, the cabinet secretary pointed out that the case growth rate of 6.8 per cent in March 2021 has surpassed the previous record of 5.5 per cent in June last year.

    The country also reported a 5.5 per cent growth rate in daily COVID deaths in this period, the health ministry said.

    While 97,000 daily new COVID cases were reported at the peak of the pandemic in September 2020, the country has now reached the critical figure of 81,000 daily new cases, it said.

    After a detailed and comprehensive review of the measures taken by the states and UTs, Gauba reiterated the necessity of meticulous and hard work regarding stringent enforcement of containment and surveillance measures in conjunction with ramping up of vaccination and strict enforcement of COVID-appropriate behaviour.

    “The Union home secretary pointed out that the 11 states and UTs that are showing a surge in daily COVID cases have not shown a commensurate increase in enforcement of containment activities. He urged the chief secretaries and DGs (Police) of the states, UTs for taking appropriate strict action in this regard,” the ministry said in its statement.

    It was pointed out the situation was particularly worrying in Maharashtra.

    The state has been advised to take up immediate and highly effective measures to ensure containment of active cases and daily deaths through adherence to the standard clinical management protocol, it said.

    NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul emphasised on the need for states to follow a protocol to share clinical and epidemiological data for a more detailed study of a mutant strain of the virus for genome sequencing.

    The states were asked to increase testing to ensure that positivity comes down to 5 per cent or less, focus on ensuring RT-PCR tests comprise 70 per cent of total tests, reduce waiting time of results, use rapid antigen tests (RAT) as a screening test in densely populated areas and where fresh clusters are emerging and ensure that all symptomatic RAT negatives are mandatorily subjected to RT-PCR tests.

    They were also asked to ensure effective and prompt isolation of those infected in institutional facilities and those patients isolated at home are to be monitored daily.

    The states were asked to ensure that 25 to 30 close contacts of each infected person are traced and isolated within 72 hours, increase the number of isolation beds and oxygen, plan for adequate oxygen supply, strengthen ambulance service and reduce response time and refusal rate.

    The cabinet secretary exhorted the chief secretaries to galvanize the administration and to use all resources at their disposal to tackle the recent surge of COVID-19 cases, the statement said.

    The review meeting was also attended by senior health professionals of all states and UTs along with the Member (Health) NITI Aayog, Union Home Secretary, Health Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Secretary, DG of ICMR, and the director of NCDC.

  • Many devotees arrived for Kumbh without coronavirus test report, inspection reveals

    By PTI
    HARIDWAR: Many devotees who arrived here on Thursday for the Kumbh Mela did not carry their coronavirus report, according to an inspection conducted by Garhwal Commissioner Ravinath Raman at the local railway station.

    Station Superintendent M K Singh told him that around 10,000 pilgrims are arriving every day for the Kumbh that started on Thursday.

    The Garhwal Commissioner said the railway authorities have been to to let the devotees proceed to the Mela area only after they produce their negative RT-PCR report.

    Those who arrive without a report should be tested on the spot and allowed to proceed only after their coronavirus report turns out to be negative, he said.

    The Garhwal Commissioner has ordered the expansion of the waiting area, augmenting drinking water and toilet facilities for passengers awaiting their reports at the railway station.

    He asked the railway authorities to coordinate with officials of the railway stations from where the trains originate and ensure that only passengers who carry a negative test reports are allowed to board the Haridwar-bound trains.

    The Uttarakhand High Court has made it mandatory for devotees attending the Kumbh Mela to bring their negative RT-PCR report, not older than 72 hours on arrival.

  • Lucknow district courts closed for two days after four judges, 13 staffers test COVID positive

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: The Lucknow district court campus was on Thursday closed for two days after some judges tested positive for the coronavirus infection.

    Orders have been issued for sanitisation of the entire court premises on April 2 and 3, when all courts will remain closed, a government communication said.

    A communication issued by the Lucknow chief medical officer said District Judge D K Sharma, Additional District Judge Pradeep Singh, Chief Judicial Magistrate Sushil Kumari and Additional Civil Judge Priyanka Gandhi were found corona-positive on Wednesday.

    Besides the judicial officers, 13 court employees too were found infected, the CMO communication said.

  • Need for comprehensive and expert-led mechanism to expeditiously investigate origin of COVID-19: India

    There were growing demands by a number of countries including the US and Australia to investigate how the virus originated in Wuhan city in December 2019.

  • Violators of mask rule lodged in temporary jail in Indore

    By PTI
    INDORE: People roaming in public places without masks despite warnings are being sent to a temporary jail in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore city, a jail official said on Thursday.

    On the directives of the local administration, a community guest house in the Snehlataganj area of the city is being designated as a temporary jail, said Rakesh Kumar Bhangre, the superintendent of the central jail.

    As many as 15 personnel have been deputed in the temporary jail to keep a watch on prisoners and CCTV cameras are also installed in it, the official said.

    Initially, 20 persons of Khajrana area, who were roaming without masks, were lodged in the facility under section 151 of the CrPC, the official said.

    Indore, the worst-affected district of the state, has recorded 70,309 coronavirus cases and 962 deaths.

  • We can’t go back to last year: Multiplex, retail associations urge Maharashtra government to avoid lockdown

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Cinema, retail, and shopping industries won’t be able to bear another lockdown, industry associations said on Thursday, urging Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to not impose a lockdown in Maharashtra where COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

    Multiplex Association of India (MAI), Retail Association of India (RAI), and Shopping Centres Association of India said they were following all the safety protocols of the government but a lockdown will hit the business, which was in the recovery process.

    Maharashtra, whose capital Mumbai is home to Hindi cinema, on Wednesday reported as many as 39,544 new coronavirus cases, its second-highest single-day rise in infection tally since the pandemic began, a health official said.

    With this, the state’s cumulative caseload mounted to 28,12,980.

    Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope recently said people should be ready for stringent measures in the coming days to curb the spread of COVID-19 and that imposing a lockdown is the last option for the state government.

    Kamal Gianchandani, CEO PVR Pictures and president of MAI, said the cinema industry is mentally reconciled with the fact that they will have to “co-exist with the virus for some time”.

    “There’s a sensor deja vu for sure because we all have painful memories of the lockdown,” he told PTI in an interview, emphasising the need for stricter enforcement of safety protocols and faster vaccination of people.

    Gianchandani said businesses should be permitted to function because that’s the only way for them to sustain.

    “If we can’t function, the whole cycle comes to a stop and then we cannot sustain ourselves. So, if at all, they’re thinking of a second lockdown, we would urge them to reconsider their decision and take a much more long-term and pragmatic approach.

    “Businesses, the economy and the virus have to co-exist. You can’t manage and contain one at the cost of the other. It’s not an either-or situation anymore. It has to be an ‘and’ situation,” he added.

    Several films like “Haathi Mere Saathi” (Hindi version), “Bunty Aur Babli 2”, and “Chehre” that were up for release in March and April have been pulled by the makers from the calendar due to uncertainty amid the pandemic.

    Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, RAI, told PTI that a lockdown would be a non-analytical and knee-jerk reaction.

    “Because it means we have given up hope that we can control the situation, that in the last one year, we have not learnt anything new. So, this is a really non-tenable situation and who can survive.

    “If retail does not get money, then the suppliers do not get money and if suppliers do not get money, then the factories cannot operate. And if the factories do not operate, then it has an overall effect all across the system. The government does not get taxes and the employment will also go down,” Rajagopalan said.

    Mukesh Kumar, chairman and director on board, Shopping Centres Association of India, said the industry is already suffering because of the previous government decisions such as mandatory testing for the mall and reducing the timings.

    “We are just recovering. We have reached almost 60 per cent of the footfall and 90 per cent of sales in March but then it started going downhill once the notification came about checking people coming to the mall and that they must have a negative RT PCR report…Then the second news came about reducing the timings, so these were all bad news.

    “Let’s hope that this doesn’t happen because we will not be able to take another lockdown. Another shut down will be discriminatory only for the malls, theatres and F&B,” Kumar told PTI.

    According to SCAI, they cater to just one per cent of the population and follow stringent safety protocols with malls ensuring that they don’t have more than one person per square foot.

    “If you look at the number of people in the mall, it is very limited. They are being monitored and you can’t get a safer place than the mall where everything is controlled, monitored, reviewed and audited. You can’t have this in markets, railway stations, airports or any other crowded place. In the event, any action is taken, the first casualty is the mall, theatres and the F&B,” Kumar claimed.

    Despite the rising COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, setting the alarm bells in the business community, Gianchandani is cautiously optimistic about the future provided theatres are allowed to operate in Maharastra, a crucial state for business.

    “I remain confident as at this point, there is no change of dates as we speak. ‘Sooryavanshi’ is coming on April 30 and ‘Radhe’ is scheduled for May 12 or 13, depending on the Eid. So as we speak, these films are releasing on the dates that they have announced, but at the same time, the cases continue to worsen, there would be concerns.

    “But firstly, I remain optimistic. I do think that government machinery and administration in districts are doing everything possible to contain the spike in cases. And my sense is they would be able to show results fairly quickly. So we remain quite optimistic that these films will release on time,” Gianchandani noted.

    Unlike other countries where businesses were given subsidies on wages, soft loans and other such initiatives, businesses in India have been left to fend for themselves, which he said was understandable given India’s resource crunch, but the cycle of recovery must not stop.

  • MPPSC postpones preliminary exams due to COVID-19 pandemic

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: In light of the COVID-19 situation, the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) has postponed the preliminary exams for the state civil services examination, which were scheduled in April.

    Keeping the health and protection of candidates in view following the coronavirus spread, the MPPSC’s state civil service examination, scheduled on April 11, has been postponed, the commission’s secretary Vandana Vaidya said.

    It has been proposed that the postponed exams be held on June 20, the official said.

  • Bharat Biotech, Biovet, Sapigen Biologix sign collaborative research agreement with CSIR-IICT

    By PTI
    HYDERABAD: Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech, Biovet and Sapigen Biologix on Monday signed a collaborative research agreement with CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) here to collaborate on development of novel platform technologies for bio-therapeutics and vaccines to support affordable healthcare solutions for humans and animals.

    The Master Collaborative Agreement (MCA) was signed here by Bharat Biotech International, Biovet, Sapigen Biologix with the IICT in the presence of Bharat Biotech CMD Krishna Ella, CSIR DG Shekhar C Mande, IICT Director S Chandrasekhar and others.

    The collaborators would identify mutually interesting projects to pursue under the agreement,a CSIR-IICT release said.

    As a part of the MCA, the Industry collaborators shall provide necessary financial support to CSIR-IICT for developing key raw materials required by the collaborators, and also perform “in-vitro and in vivo studies” for further development of potential vaccine candidates and bio-therapeutics formulations to be designed by the collaborators.

    The broad-based MCA enables the partners to take up futuristic development activities in other related areas as well, it said.

    The MCA follows the contribution by CSIR-IICT during February 2021, in developing a synthetic process route for adjuvant molecule TLR 7/8 to BBIL for Covaxin, the indigenous vaccine rolled out by BBIL.

    The partners intend to strengthen the “excellent working relationship” between the organisations, by conducting studies on futuristic vaccines, bio-therapeutic formulations, delivery strategies and also explore innovative solutions to the vaccination administration process.

    Biovet is a leader in animal vaccines, while Sapigen Biologix is engaged in research, design, development of technical know-how in all kinds of work in the fields of Biology, Biotechnology and others, according to the release.

    PTI SJR Addressing the gathering, Krishna Ella talked about the dependence on imports for some of the raw materials and the need to address the issue.

    “When you want to leapfrog the vaccine field, we need other ancillary industries to come up, other technologies to come up along with it. Otherwise, I don’t think, biotechnology field, we will go (far ahead). We will be importing lot of stuff from other place…,” he said.

    Noting that some raw materials could not be obtained from the US due to certain restrictions imposed by that country, he said such problems needed to be anticipated in the future.

    “That is one of the reasons why we said, let’s partner (with CSIR)…,” he said.

    Asked about how the issue of shortage of raw materials would be addressed, Mande referred to the goal of ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’and that the government is very keen on generating as many resources as possible within the country.

    “Shortage of chemicals that probably is being asked is only one aspect of that. What we would like to take is a much larger view and try to see that as much as possible, we would like to be self-dependent,” he said.

    However, the statement of self-dependent on raw materials does not mean remaining inward-looking (that nothing will be imported) and the government is keen on having the capability, capacity and confidence that everything can be done in the country, Mande said.

    About how the agreement would work, he said true collaborations involve exchange of ideas between different parties and working together and not working in isolation.

    He said CSIR and Bharat Biotech are looking at bringing mRNA based vaccine platform in the country.

    “For example, today there is a need felt that India must have a vaccine platform which is let us say mRNA based. Today, we don’t have an mRNA based vaccine platform in the country.”

    “Dr Ella and us are already talking about it that how do we actually bring it and Dr Ella is very confident that in the coming few months we will be able to actually bring it, this particular platform,” Mande said.

    He said mRNA has emerged as one of the most powerful technologies in the COVID pandemic.

    Asked if the mRNA effort would be COVID specific, he said the CSIR, in its collaborations with companies, would like to cover different areas and many diseases together.

    “When we do collaborations with companies, we always do long term, many different areas, many different diseases together. COVID also is a part of that. But, what we want to do is generate a platform here so that any other diseases or future pandemics can also be dealt with this kind of a platform,” Mande added.