News Analysis India

Tag: Coronavirus Outbreak

  • Government carrying out aggressive COVID vaccination drive: Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio

    By PTI
    DIMAPUR: Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Tuesday said that the government is carrying out an aggressive vaccination drive to stop the spread of COVID-19 cases in the rural areas of the state.

    He also said that the state government is strengthening the primary health centres.

    “The state government’s priority is not to allow the spread of coronavirus in the rural areas of the state and for which the government is undertaking aggressive vaccination drive and also strengthening the primary health centres (PHCs),” Rio told media persons on the sidelines of his visit to Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) in Dimapur.

    IHM Dimapur is being converted into a 100-bed makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients.

    Rio also said that the government was trying its best for strengthening the health care facilities in the state particularly Dimapur as the district accounts for more than 60 per cent of the total COVID-19 cases in the state.

    The state government was trying its best to take care of COVID-19 positive people living below the poverty line, he said.

    Further, Rio announced that CIHSR Dimapur was chosen for the setting up of a 176 bed COVID-19 hospital with all required necessary infrastructures because of its reputation, expertise, manpower and minimal treatment cost.

    Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR) has all the required facilities so when we have another hospital adjacent to that the working system becomes easy, Rio said.

    During the day, the CM also inaugurated the 30 bed COVID-19 Hospital at the Nagaland Police Referral Hospital, Chumukedima in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton, Ministers Pangyu Phom and Neiba Kronu, Advisors Zhaleo Rio and Mmhonlumo Kikon, DGP P John Longkumer and other senior bureaucrats.

    He also inspected the upcoming 75 bed COVID hospital in the same complex and expressed satisfaction with the progress of the work.

  • Free COVID-19 treatment for SSBY beneficiaries in private hospitals: Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Tuesday said the state government has decided to provide free treatment to COVID-19 patients covered under the Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana (SSBY) — a universal health insurance scheme — in empanelled private hospitals.

    Sidhu said the SSBY beneficiaries can directly visit empanelled private hospitals without any need for referral from the public hospitals for coronavirus treatment.

    This initiative shall bring an immense relief to the vulnerable and deprived section, which will now be able to avail level 2 and level 3 treatment in empanelled private hospitals, the minister said in a statement here.

    He said the treatment available earlier in these empanelled hospitals was payable as per SSBY scheme rates fixed by the central government.

    But the rates were too less to be viable for a hospital to meet expenses of treatment of a COVID-19 patient as it entails additional cost on account of PPE kits, masks, consumables, etc, he added.

    Sidhu said the state government decided to bear the additional expenses and allow free treatment of COVID-19 patients in the empanelled hospitals.

    “The aim is to ensure financial risk protection to around 39.57 lakh poorest, most vulnerable families in the state and is a step forward towards achievement of universal health coverage,” he said.

    He said the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the government hospitals was totally free.

  • Himanta Biswa Sarma takes stock of COVID situation in Assam-West Bengal border areas

    By PTI
    DHUBRI/SRIRAMPUR: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday visited the Assam-West Bengal interstate border at Chagolia in Dhubri and Srirampur in Kokrajhar district to review COVID-19 testing and screening of passengers entering the state.

    These two borders are important corridors and the success of the fight against COVID depends on better management of these borders, Sarma told reporters.

    While Cooch Behar in West Bengal shares boundary with Dhubri, Jalpaiguri is on another side of Kokrajhar.

    The chief minister took stock of the COVID-19 testing centre set up at Chagolia and the steps taken to conduct testing on incoming vehicle drivers and passengers.

    He reviewed the vehicle entry data through the border gate with the district administration and directed the authoritiex to increase RT-PCR testing to bring down the high positivity rate in the district.

    The chief minister said that except Guwahati, the COVID scenario is not improving substantially in other parts of the state and though positivity rate is coming down, the number of people getting infected is not decreasing considerably.

    “There is, however, indication of the situation improving in the next ten days”, he said.

    Sarma also directed that micro containment zones be declared in areas with high positivity rate while ramping up vaccination in the vulnerable urban pockets.

    He said that Dhubri Medical College would be made operational within next year.

    Notably, rapid antigen tests have been conducted on 14,306 people entering Assam through the Chagolia gate in 3438 vehicles since April 24 and out of them, 528 people have tested positive.

    Among them 271 were allowed home quarantine while 153 have been provided with institutional quarantine.

    The chief minister during the review at Srirampur directed the Kokrajhar district administration to increase testing and conduct 20 per cent RT-PCR of all COVID tests.

    He said that while coronavirus positivity rate has gone down in the district, still around 60 to 90 positive cases are detected every day.

    Sarma said that the district administration has been directed to gradually decrease home quarantine of positive patients as the chances of COVID outbreak in villages is potentially higher in case of home isolation.

    He also said that the administration has been instructed to intensify RAT and RT-PCR testing.

    The chief minister further mentioned that while 1.20 lakh Covid tests were conducted in the state on Monday, daily COVID cases hovers around six thousand.

    Sarma said that the state government continued its efforts to ramp up health infrastructure including adding more ICU beds, increasing oxygen availability etc.

    He also said that the state government plans to set up oxygen plant in every district hospital to meet future oxygen demand.

    The chief minister said that there is adequate stock of oxygen in the state and Assam is supplying 15 metric tonne of oxygen to several neighbouring NE states.

    Moreover, Assam would receive 160 MT of oxygen every week through Oxygen Express, which would come twice weekly with 80 MT capacity per trip, he added.

    Replying to a query that people from outside the state in the age group from 18-44 were taking COVID vaccine in Assam, the Sarma said that he would immediately take necessary steps on this issue.

    He also informed that with a view to ensure that there is no shortage of essential commodities and medicines in the state, COVID test of drivers of goods carriers are being conducted at their final destination.

  • Punjab to provide oxygen concentrators to COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Monday said it has decided to allow the distribution of oxygen concentrators to COVID-19 patients after they are discharged from hospitals for use at home.

    However, this does not apply to patients in home isolation, it said.

    Punjab’s COVID-19 caseload stands at 5,43,475 while the disease has claimed 13,468 lives in the state, according to official data.

    So far, 4,75,011 people have recovered from COVID-19 in the state, with 6,803 recoveries recorded the previous day, the data showed.

    District authorities have been allowed to issue oxygen concentrators to those patients who require low oxygen assistance for a few days after they are discharged from hospitals, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said in a statement here.

    However, these guidelines do not apply to patients in home isolation as such patients who need oxygen supplementation should be brought to the hospital for comprehensive care, he said.

    Oxygen continuation will be permitted to patients after being discharged from hospitals only on the advice of the doctor or hospital.

    Monitoring and care of such patients will be the responsibility of the treating doctor or hospital, he added.

    Sidhu said patients will be issued an oxygen concentrator with a capacity of up to 5 litres per minute after taking a self-declaration or an undertaking from the patient or attendant.

    These will be issued for a maximum of four weeks and a refundable security deposit will be taken for the same.

    He also said that the state government is taking all necessary steps to ensure an adequate supply of oxygen in hospitals.

  • Madhya Pradesh: Video shows woman doctor propagating religion during government’s COVID-19 campaign

    By PTI
    RATLAM: A controversy has erupted after a woman doctor, hired on contract by the Madhya Pradesh government, was captured in a video purportedly asking people to offer prayers to the god of a particular religion for staying away from coronavirus infection or for recovery from the disease.

    The incident occurred in Bajna village of Ratlam district on Saturday.

    Talking to PTI on Sunday, tehsildar B S Thakur said the administration has received a complaint that the woman, a government contract doctor, was propagating Christianity during the ‘Kill Corona’ campaign (to curb the pandemic) in Bajna.

    Religious pamphlets were also found with the woman, he said.

    Thakur said that a report is being prepared, which will be submitted to senior officers.

    In the video, the woman doctor, who is wearing a mask, is seen talking to a man who was shooting the incident on his mobile camera.

    The man is heard saying, “Why are you telling people that they will recover by praying Jesus?  Why are you not saying that people should pray according to their own religion?” In response, the woman is heard saying that people are getting cured by offering prayers to Jesus.”

    Some BJP leaders, including Bhopal Huzur seat MLA Rameshwar Sharma, shared the video on Twitter.

    क्या कोरोना वायरस को धर्म परिवर्तन का वायरस मार देगा ? हम तो डॉक्टर और हेल्थ वर्कर में ही भगवान देख रहे है परन्तु दवाई की जगह धर्म परिवर्तन की घुट्टी पिलाने वाले कतई बर्दास्त नही । 1/1@RSSorg@SuhasBhagatBJP@HitanandSharma @Ashutosh4BJP @anilscribe @rajneesh4n pic.twitter.com/ldSIz2Wlv2
    — Rameshwar Sharma (@rameshwar4111) May 23, 2021

    “This is not the time to propagate any religion. Doctors and medical professionals are engaged in selfless service of humanity. In such a situation, the woman doctor is propagating a religion. This is condemnable,” Sharma told PTI.

    When asked about the episode, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Prabhakar Nanaware said that a report is being sent to the district collector about this incident.

    In the report, the termination of services of this contract doctor is being recommended, he said.

    Bajna police station in-charge Dilip Rajoriya said the case will be registered after investigation.

    So far, no case has been registered, he said.

  • FIR against MP Congress chief Kamal Nath for allegedly creating panic with ‘Aag Laga Do’, ‘Indian Variant’ of Covid remarks

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: An FIR was lodged against former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and present Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Kamal Nath at Bhopal Crime Branch Police Station on Sunday for his controversial “Indian Variant” Coronavirus and “Aag Laga Do” remarks.

    Nath, who is a former union minister and presently the MP Congress Committee president, was booked U/S188 IPC (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 54 of Disaster Management Act (false warning about disaster or its severity or magnitude, leading to panic) on the complaint by ruling BJP leaders, including MP minister Vishwas Sarang, local MLA Krishna Gaur, ex-Bhopal mayor Alok Sharma, and district BJP president Sumit Pachouri.

    In the complaint, the ruling party leaders alleged that by making statements, like “Indian Variant” Coronavirus and “Aag Laga Do” at recent digital conference and press conference, Nath had defamed the country globally and created a sense of fear among the masses.

    The BJP leaders also alleged in the complaint that by alleging that the MP government was hiding facts related to COVID-19 pandemic deaths, the senior Congress leader had actually misled the people and also created a sense of fear and panic among commoners.

    In the complaint, the BJP leaders also alleged that not only did Nath malign the country’s image internationally through the “Indian Variant” remark, but also violated the World Health Organization (WHO) advisory/directions for not using any country/person/institution’s name to address the variant of global concern. The ruling party leaders demanded in the complaint that Nath also be booked for sedition and promoting enmity between groups through the remarks made at Friday’s digital conference and Saturday’s media interaction.

    Reacting to the FIR against Nath, the MP Congress spokesperson Narendra Saluja accused the police of lodging an FIR against the ex-CM under pressure from the BJP government.

    “The term Indian Variant was used by our leader while quoting national and international media reports and also statements of heads of other nations. The statements were made out of concern for the people of the state and the nation as a whole. This FIR which exposes the autocracy of the BJP government cannot stop us from fighting for public cause,” Saluja said.

    On Friday and Saturday, the ex-CM had reportedly said last year the world was saying that the COVID-19 pandemic was caused by a Chinese virus.

    “But now our country has become infamous due to Indian Corona or Indian Variant. Presidents and Prime Ministers of many nations are talking about Indian Variant,” Nath had said.

    “The British PM has directed to cancel all flights from India, as his country is afraid of Indian Corona. Indian students and workforce are being denied entry in many nations, out of the fear of the Indian Corona getting transmitted. Indian cab drivers are not getting passengers for the same reason.”

    “Earlier Mera Bharat Mahan was India’s worldwide identity, but now Mera Bharat COVID is the country’s new identity,” Nath had stated.

    He had also alleged suppression and hiding of actual COVID-19 figures and facts.

    “Around 1.27 lakh bodies have reached the smashan (cremation grounds) and kabrastan (graveyards) in the state during March and April and my guess is that 80% of those deaths happened due to COVID. I demand that the MP government should make public the figures of how many bodies reached cremation grounds/graveyards across the state in March-April 2021.”

    Also, a controversy had erupted in MP on Saturday, over a 20 seconds video of Nath seemingly urging Congress workers to ‘set fire’ (‘Aag Laga Do’) in order for the farmers to ‘get justice.’ The 20-seconds video has been released by the state’s BJP unit. In a 20-second-long video shared by BJP leader Lokendra Parashar, Kamal Nath can be seen addressing a virtual meeting and is heard telling the Congress workers that it was the right opportunity to ‘set fire’ (‘aag laga do’) and that the farmers would get justice.

  • Uttar Pradesh: Reluctant to get vaccinated against COVID-19, villagers jump into Saryu river

    By PTI
    BARABANKI: In an extreme example of vaccine hesitancy, a group of people in Barabanki’s Sisaurha village jumped into the Saryu river after seeing a team of health officials coming to inoculate them against coronavirus.

    Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Ramnagar tehsil Rajiv Kumar Shukla said the incident took place on Saturday.

    Shukla said he made the villagers understand the importance and benefits of vaccination, and tried to dispel the myths, following which 18 people in the village got the jabs.

    The villagers said they jumped into the river because some people had told them that this was not a vaccine, but a poisonous injection.

  • COVID-19: Goa curfew extended till May 31

    By PTI
    PANAJI: The Goa government on Sunday extended till May 31 a coronavirus-induced curfew in place in the state since May 9, an official said.

    The order, which was issued during the day, stated that all shops will remain shut except those selling essential times and medicines, which can conduct business from 7 am to 1 pm.

    Restaurant kitchens can operate between 7 am and 7 pm during the curfew period, the order informed.

  • Jharkhand not fudging data, so COVID numbers high: CM Hemant Soren

    By PTI
    RANCHI: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said on Sunday that COVID numbers of the state were high as it was reporting the actual data and not fudging any figures.

    Addressing a meeting with officials, heads of hospitals and doctors, Soren said the state machinery should be prepared to deal with a potential third wave of the pandemic.

    “We did not tamper with any data. There was no fudging of numbers. We presented correct figures of deaths at hospitals and cremation centres and that is why our COVID numbers are high. We took the right steps in the right direction to contain the virus,” the chief minister said.

    He said the partial lockdown in the state has resulted in success in tackling the COVID-19 and his government is not hesitant in taking tough decisions, if needed.

    The inter-state movement had to be restrained as 23 of the 24 districts are bordering different states such as Bihar, West Bengal, Chattisgarh and Odisha, he said.

    “In this battle of livelihood and life, we are working very carefully to save both,” Soren said.

    “There is a need to chalk out a strategy to contain the potential third wave. There is a need to augment health infrastructure. At the same time, the state has issued directions to prepare child wards in district and block hospitals, besides children care units in all hospitals,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the state on Sunday reported 2,037 new COVID-19 cases and 41 deaths.

    The new cases were detected after testing 58,347 samples since Saturday.

    State capital Ranchi recorded nine deaths in the last 24 hours, while East Singhbhum reported seven fatalities.

    Jharkhand has so far reported 3,29,072 cases and 4,801 deaths.

    There are 22,566 active cases and 3,01,705 patients have recovered from the infection.

    Battling the sharp surge in COVID-19 cases, the state government has extended the lockdown till May 27.

    The chief minister approved an additional Rs 39.

    79 crore expenditure to augment the honorarium of about 80,000 mid-day meal assistants in the state which has been hiked from Rs 500 a month to Rs 2,000.

    Soren also approved action against officials involved in alleged fraudulent practices relating to about five acres of land at Kanke.

  • Pfizer, Moderna vaccines effective against COVID variants found in India: Study

    As of today, India registered 2,81,386 fresh infections were recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry #39;s data.