News Analysis India

Tag: Coronavirus Outbreak

  • Foreign nationals now eligible for COVID vaccination in India: Union Health Ministry

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: To ensure safety from COVID-19, the Union Health Ministry has taken a decision to allow foreign nationals residing in India to register on CoWin portal and get vaccinated against the disease.

    They can use their passport as identity document for the purpose of registration on CoWIN portal, the health ministry said in a statement.

    Once they are registered on this portal, they will get a slot for vaccination.

    According to the statement, a significant number of foreign nationals are living in India, especially in large metropolitan areas.

    In these areas, the potential of spread of COVID-19 is high due to higher population density.

    To counter any possibility of such occurrence, it is important to vaccinate all eligible persons.

    “In a landmark initiative to ensure safety from COVID-19, the Ministry of Health has taken a decision to allow foreign nationals residing in India to get registered on CoWin portal to take COVID-19 vaccine.

    “This initiative will ensure the safety of foreign nationals residing in India. It will also bring down the possibilities of further transfer of infection from unvaccinated persons residing in India. It will also ensure overall safety from further transmission of coronavirus,” the ministry said in the statement.

    The national COVID-19 vaccination programme is being implemented across all states and union territories since January 16, 2021.

    The vaccination programme in its current phase covers all citizens aged 18 years and above.

    As on August 9, 2021, India has administered more than 51 crore vaccine doses across the country.

  • Indian students enrolled in Italian universities stranded back home due to travel ban

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Indian students who had rushed back home from Italy to be with their family members or take part in last rites of the loved ones at the peak of the second wave of COVID-19 are now stranded here as air travel remains banned to the European country.

    As the students witnessed a flashback similar to the brutal first wave of COVID-19 in Italy last year, many of them had rushed back home earlier in the year.

    While some managed to come home in time, few were late to meet the last minute rush when Italy closed their international borders to India.

    Those who returned to India before April 28, when air travel to and from the country was suspended, are now stuck here even though their peers back in Italy have gone back to their normal lives in universities.

    Zeeshan Ahmed, a cyber security student at Sapienza University of Rome, arrived in India when he got news of his sister being ill due to COVID-19.

    Ultimately his entire family got infected with the virus, including him.

    “It was mayhem. In fact, it was a repeat of what I saw in Italy last year that made me scramble even more when I got to know about my sister first. Then, everybody around was infected and news of losing loved ones and family became an everyday thing,” Ahmad told PTI.

    “The second wave may have subsided but the nightmare for me is far from over. Italy has gone back to normal but I am stuck here while universities function completely. I also had a part-time job there which I am continuing from here but that will not be an option in few weeks because ultimately work is getting affected due to my absence,” he added.

    Aligarh’s Owais R Khan, who is studying MSc Computer Science at the same university in Rome, says he came back to India in February when the situation in both the countries was better.

    “Suddenly, all hell broke lose here and a week before my scheduled return, Italy imposed a travel ban which has still not been lifted. The exams are going on at my university both in offline and online mode. We have been reaching out to the Embassy, sending emails to the Ministry to raise the issue with their counterparts in Italy but nothing has worked,” Khan said.

    “It feels like a vicious cycle. Last year, we were stuck in Italy when the families back here were on tenterhooks. An year later, the same series of incidents has happened in India and we are in the same situation again. Its hard to struggle through these issues while dealing with loss of family members and memories of last rites afresh in mind,” he added.

    For Nihal Vikram Singh, an MBBS student at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, the trouble is not just limited to delayed travel plans but residence permit and Indian vaccines not being permitted there.

    “As per our residence permit, we cannot stay out of Italy for more than six months. To go through the same processes all over again and secure a permit is going to be troublesome. Also, I am a medical student. Though I am attending my theory classes online, that is far from enough for my course,” he said.

    Italy had on June 26 permitted Italian residents or Italian citizens with Registry of Resident Italians Abroad, to travel to the country from India, Bangladesh and Sri lanka.

    While there is no official update on the expected timeline of the travel ban being eased, the Indian Ambassador to Italy had on July 9 had a meeting with community representatives where she briefed them about the efforts on seeking relaxations.

    “Ambassador Dr Neena Malhotra virtually interacted with community representatives and briefed about Mission’s efforts in seeking relaxation for stranded Indians and resumption of flights. Several other community issues were discussed,” the Indian embassy in Italy had tweeted.

    India logged 41,157 new coronavirus cases, which took the infection tally to 3.11 crore while the death toll climbed to over 4.13 lakh with 518 more fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

  • India records 41,157 new COVID-19 cases, 518 deaths

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India logged 41,157 new coronavirus cases, which took the infection tally to 3,11,06,065, while the death toll climbed to 4,13,609 with 518 more fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

    The active cases have declined to 4,22,660 and comprise 1.36 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 97.31 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.

    It said that active COVID-19 cases have decreased by 1,365 in a span of 24 hours.

    The ministry said that 19,36,709 tests were conducted on Saturday, taking the total cumulative tests conducted for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 44,39,58,663.

    The number of people who have recovered from the disease has risen to 30269796, while the case fatality rate has increased to 1.33 per cent, the data stated.

    The total vaccine doses administered has reached 40.49 crore under the nationwide vaccination drive.

    The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.13 per cent and the weekly positivity rate stands at 2.08 per cent, according to the health ministry.

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

    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 last year.

    India crossed two crore cases on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23.

    The 518 new fatalities included 124 deaths from Maharashtra and 114 from Kerala, the ministry said.

    In total, 413609 deaths have been reported in the country, including 126851 from Maharashtra, 36121 from Karnataka, 33695 from Tamil Nadu, 25027 from Delhi, 22715 from Uttar Pradesh, 17988 from West Bengal and 16224 from Punjab.

    The ministry said that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

    “Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

  • Follow all precautionary COVID-19 protocols: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday urged people not to lower their guard against COVID-19 and to follow all precautionary steps.

    “Please keep the guard up – follow all precautionary protocols,” he said on Twitter, using the hashtag “CovidIsNotOver”.

    His remarks came amid concerns that over-crowding at many places, including hill stations, may lead to an early third wave of the pandemic.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government have also expressed concern over the issue and urged all states and union territories to ensure that COVID-19 protocols are strictly followed.

  • COVID-19 offers appropriate opportunity to work on strategic research outcomes: Jitendra Singh

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: COVID-19 has shifted the focus to biotech and genetic interventions, and this offers an appropriate opportunity to work on strategic research outcomes which are specifically India-centric, Union Minister Jitendra Singh has said.

    Addressing scientists and officials of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in his first review meeting on Friday after taking charge as the science and technology minister, Singh said India has huge resource material for research.

    It can offer the world exclusive preventive and therapeutic options, particularly considering the fact that Indian phenotype and genotype are different from the rest of the world, he said.

    As a result, both epidemiology as well as the clinical course of diseases, including the currently prevalent infections due to coronavirus or the mutant viruses, could be different and therefore, the country’s researchers and scientists also owe responsibility to provide Indian remedies for the Indian patient, Singh pointed out.

    “COVID-19 has shifted focus to biotech and genetic interventions and this offers an appropriate opportunity for us to work on strategic research outcomes which are specifically India-centric, and can provide answers to a number of questions posed by the contemporary health scenario,” he said.

    The minister emphasised that Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a personal interest in scientific and technology related programmes.

    This offers a great support and patronage for the entire fraternity, he said.

    Singh called upon the biotechnologists to identify at least two exclusive projects which can be researched, and completed with definite conclusions and results around the 75th Independence anniversary of India in 2022.

    “If we succeed in doing so, he said, we will not only be able to showcase the superlative talents of Indian scientists but would also succeed in coming out with research findings which can be exclusively hailed and published across the world as an Indian discovery for mankind during its most testing times,” he said.

    Referring to the huge potential in the field of biotechnology, Singh said somehow this has not been optimally utilised.

    However, he said, now is the time to give a special push and put it on the fast track.

    The minister asked the DBT to explore the feasibility of conducting joint projects with premier medical institutions like AIIMS and at the same time also engage the industry, private players and young start-ups in these projects.

    Singh particularly emphasised the need to reinforce the infrastructural strength by cutting down the number of autonomous bodies functioning in the DBT or try to merge two or more in order to make them more focused and oriented.

    He said the time has come for the DBT to emerge as a service-provider for the common citizens and contribute in “ease of living” and “ease of health”.

    The minister also underscored the need to curtail all kinds of wasteful expenditure.

  • Uttarakhand orders strict adherence to COVID protocol at tourist spots, negative test report must

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government has ordered visitors at all tourist spots in the state to strictly adhere to Covid protocol in view of the threat of spread of the infection due to growing crowd of tourists at popular destinations like Mussoorie and Nainital.

    On arrival in the state, tourists now have to produce a negative Covid test report not older than 72 hours.

    District magistrates of Dehradun, Nainital and other districts have issued orders to officials to ensure that the Covid norms are strictly followed by all tourists.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand CM Dhami calls on PM Modi, seeks directions on third wave and Char Dham Yatra

    Tourists are arriving in large numbers over the past few days at major tourists spots like Mussoorie, Kempty Fall, Nainital, Haridwar and Rishikesh.

    Several videos have gone viral in which tourists are seen violating Covid norms by not wearing masks and refusing to maintain social distancing.

    “We have come to know through videos on the social media that people are not following Covid appropriate behaviour. They are neither wearing masks nor are they maintaining any social distancing. This is a matter of concern,” Dehradun DM Ashish Shrivastava said.

    ALSO READ: Set up separate pediatric wards at all hospitals to deal with third wave, says Uttarakhand CM

    Mussoorie’s Circle Officer Narendra Pant said tourists coming to Mussoorie are being stopped at Kuthal Gate on the way to check if they are registered on the smart city portal and have a negative Covid test report with them.

    Only those who have the documents are being allowed to proceed to Mussoorie and the rest are being returned, he said.

    Recorded messages asking people to adopt Covid appropriate behaviour are being played in Mussoorie all day, Pant said.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand govt to send Gangajal in tankers if Kanwar yatra not allowed due to COVID situation

    People violating the norms are also being fined, he added.

    Additional deployment of police personnel has also been made to ensure that the SOPs are not flouted by people, he said.

    There has been a decline of 50 per cent in tourist inflow due to the restrictions in Mussoorie this weekend in comparison to the last, he said.

    After videos of hundreds of tourists seen together in Kempty Fall without wearing masks went viral, the number of tourists bathing at a time in the fall has been limited to 50.

    No one can stay in the fall for more than 30 minutes.

    The restrictions were imposed on Thursday by Tehri District Magistrate Iva Ashish Shrivastava.

    Police officials in Nainital said entry of tourists to the lake city during daytime on weekends has been banned.

    However, there is no restriction on tourists staying in hotels, they said.

  • Tripura government extends COVID curfew till July 17

    By PTI
    AGARTALA: After detection of ‘Delta Plus’ variant of coronavirus in Tripura, the state government has extended the 15-hour daily curfew in several urban areas for another week till July 17, an official said on Saturday.

    The government also increased the time for such a restriction by two hours on Saturdays and Sundays, Revenue Secretary Tanushree Debbarma said.

    The curfew will be in place from 2 pm to 5 am on weekdays and from noon to 5 am on Saturdays and Sundays in the jurisdiction of Agartala Municipal Corporation and 12 other urban local bodies, she said.

    Debbarma stated that the administration decided to extend the curfew after the COVID situation in the state was reviewed.

    “The curfew will be enforced strictly in several areas from noon to 5 am on Saturdays and Sundays and from 2 pm to 5 am on weekdays,” the official said.

    The COVID curfew will remain in place in Agartala, Ranirbazar, Jirania Nagar, Udaipur, Kailashahar, Dharmanagar, Khowai, Belonia, Kumarghat, Teliamura, Sonamura Nagar, Amarpur Nagar and Sabroom Nagar till July 17, she said.

    The COVID curfew in these urban areas was first imposed on May 16 and then extended several times.

    Many cases of ‘Delta Plus’ and ‘Delta’ variants of COVID-19 have been detected in the northeastern state, a health department official said.

    “Altogether, 151 samples were sent for genome sequencing in a laboratory at Kolkata. The report was shocking as more than 90 per cent of them were found positive for the ‘Delta Plus’ variant. New coronavirus strains were detected not only in West Tripura but also in other districts,” Dr Tapan Majumder, head of the microbiology department of Agartala Government Medical College, said.

    State Surveillance Officer for COVID-19 Dr Deep Kumar Debbarma said the ‘Delta Plus’ strain was detected in 138 samples, ‘Delta’ in 10 and UK variant in three.

    “The ‘Delta Plus’ strain can spread rapidly. The situation may turn complicated if the COVID appropriate behaviour is not enforced strictly,” Majumder said.

  • Vice President Venkaiah Naidu emphasizes on healthy lifestyle, vaccination to fight COVID pandemic

    By PTI
    HYDERABAD: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday suggested adopting a healthy lifestyle, COVID- appropriate behaviour, among others, to fight the pandemic even as he stressed on the importance of vaccination.

    He called for removing vaccine hesitancy among sections of people and highlighted the need for concerted efforts to counter fake news and myths on issues relating to COVID-19.

    Addressing a virtual event from here, he suggested that people adopt five principles to combat the pandemic– leading an active lifestyle that includes regular physical exercise or yoga, seeking spiritual solace, consuming nutritious food, observing COVID-appropriate behaviour like wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and washing hands frequently and to protect and live in harmony with nature.

    Pointing out that the country is implementing the worlds largest vaccination drive, he emphasized that every Indian has a social responsibility to get vaccinated and encourage others to immunize themselves.

    Vaccination drive should become a people’s movement and it should be led by the youth, he said.

    Talking about the effect of mental stress and fear among people, he said misinformation on COVID-19 and vaccination is a matter of serious concern.

    He urged icons in different fields, doctors and others to dispel fears and create awareness among the people on the importance of vaccination.

    Observing that the pandemic has underlined the importance of regular physical activity, he said modern lifestyle and sedentary habits have led to the increasing prevalence of many non-communicable diseases.

    Asserting that the country has fared reasonably well in tackling the pandemic in spite of its huge population and lack of adequate health infrastructure, he commended the efforts of scientists, doctors, health workers and others in playing an invaluable role in containing the spread of the virus.

    Naidu also spoke about the importance of mental health as a public health issue in the wake of the pandemic and the need to address it in a holistic manner.

    He said meditation and spirituality would help in maintaining a balanced life.

    Highlighting the importance of consuming a balanced diet, he cautioned people, particularly the youth, against becoming addicted to fast food.

    He also highlighted the importance of personal hygiene, which, he said, was reinforced by the pandemic.

    The Vice President urged people to follow precautions even after getting vaccinated.

    Naidu was speaking after releasing the book ‘Kotha (Corona) Kathalu’, an anthology of 80 short stories on COVID- 19 in Telugu by eminent authors from across the world.

    He paid rich tributes to legendary singer, the late S P Balasubrahmanyam, to whom the book is dedicated.

    Recalling the life of the versatile singer, Naidu said Balasubrahmanyam left an indelible mark on the musical world in the five decades of his musical journey.

    Appreciating the efforts of the authors and publishers in bringing out the book, Naidu reiterated the need to preserve our native languages and mother tongues.

    Former Deputy Speaker of Andhra Pradesh Assembly Mandali Buddha Prasad and others from India and abroad attended the virtual event.

  • Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla reviews COVID-19 situation in hill stations, tourist locations

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Saturday sounded a note of caution against reported blatant disregard of COVID-appropriate behaviour at hill stations and other tourist locations, stressing that the second wave of the pandemic is not yet over.

    The Home Secretary was reviewing the steps taken by the state governments for checking the spread of COVID-19 at hill stations and tourist locations, a home ministry statement said.

    During the meeting, the overall management of the COVID-19 situation and the vaccination status in Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal were discussed.

    The meeting was conveyed that the decline of the second wave is at variable stages in the different states and UTs in the country, and while the overall case positivity rate may be declining, the case positivity rate in certain districts of Rajasthan, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh is over 10 percent, which is a cause for concern, the statement said.

    The Union Home Secretary sounded a note of caution in the wake of media reports showing blatant disregard of COVID-appropriate behaviour at hill stations and other tourist locations, the statement said.

    Bhalla emphasised that the second wave of COVID was not yet over and states should ensure strict adherence to the protocols prescribed in respect of wearing of masks, social distancing and other safe behaviour.

    States were also asked to follow the five-fold strategy of Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate and COVID Appropriate Behaviour, as has been laid out in the MHA order dated June 29, 2021.

    Adequate health infrastructure preparedness, especially in rural, peri-urban and tribal areas, was also advised to tackle any potential future surge in cases.

    The meeting was attended by V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog; Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Director General, Indian Council for Medical Research; and Chief Secretaries, Directors General of Police and Principal Secretaries (Health) of the eight states.

  • With Covishield ‘running out’ and Covaxin left for a day, Punjab wants enhanced supplies

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: With Punjab running out of coronavirus vaccine Covishield and left with only one day’s stock of Covaxin, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Friday reiterated the need for enhanced supplies from the Centre, his office said Friday.

    The increase in supplies was critical also because the state on Friday lifted weekend and night curfews and allowed reopening of colleges, cinema halls, malls, restaurants, bars and gyms to those who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

    “With the state running out of Covishield & left with only one day’s stock of Covaxin, CM @Capt_Amarinder Singh again stressed the need for increase in vaccine supplies from Centre,” the Chief Minister’s Office tweeted.

    During a Covid review meet, the chief minister directed officials to continue pursuing aggressively with the Centre enhancing the state’s quota of vaccine.

    Pointing out that Punjab has already vaccinated nearly 83 lakh eligible people (approximately 27 per cent of population) — 70 lakh first doses, 13 lakh second — the Chief Minister said the stock was being utilised in the state without any wastage.

    Punjab was able to utilise more than six lakh doses in a single day when adequate supply was received, he noted at the Covid review meeting.

    Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan told the meeting that the administration was following up with the Centre for more doses.

    Meanwhile, the CM also asked the departments concerned to step up whole genome sequencing (WGS) to expeditiously identify cases of new Covid variant and to fast track execution of an MoU with the Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR) for a regional institute of virology at Mohali.

    Though no fresh cases of Delta Plus variant (apart from two reported earlier based on May sampling) have been identified in the state, the Chief Minister directed that the WGS Lab at GMCH Patiala must become functional this month.

    The CM noted with satisfaction that the state was also starting dry swab testing, with a pilot at government medical college Patiala next week.