News Analysis India

Tag: COVID 19 death

  • Amid COVID-19 fear, Muslims help Hindu man cremate father in Madhya Pradesh

    By PTI
    SAGAR: A group of Muslims helped a Hindu man cremate his 60-year-old father in Sagar in Madhya Pradesh after his neighbours and relatives refused to join due due to the fear of coronavirus.

    Ullas Belapurkar, an employee of a local government engineering college, died on Saturday morning reportedly of pneumonia, while his coronavirus test report is still awaited, his son Madhur said.

    “My household comprises my mother, wife and I. Since women do not take part in funerary arrangements, I was left alone, without any help from my neighbours and relatives who were afraid to cremate my father due to the fear of coronavirus,” he said.

    However, some members of the Muslim community came forward and helped carry out the last rites as per Hindu rituals at the local crematorium on Saturday, Madhur added.

    Muslim Kabristan Committee chairman Irshad Khan said, “When we got information about this issue, some of us in PPE kits went and took the body to the Muktidham (crematorium) here and helped conduct the last rites.” 

  • RJD slams Nitish govt after dead doctor promoted, transferred as civil surgeon of Sheikhpura district

    Express News Service
    PATNA: The Bihar government was left red-faced in the state assembly after the Opposition MLAs cornered it for transferring and appointing a deceased doctor as the civil surgeon for Sheikhpura district. 

    Dr Ram Narayan Ram, a resident of Bhojpur district, succumbed to the COVID-19 virus last month. He was posted as a medical officer at the public health centre in Rohtas till he tested positive for the infection. 

    After the media reports of this faux pas came to the fore, an embarrassed state health department swung into action and appointed a senior medical officer Dr KK Singh as the new civil surgeon for the district within hours of the uproar sparked in the assembly. 

    Prior to the House proceedings, RJD MLA from Sheikhpura, Vijay Samrat exposed the goof-up before the media. He said that medical officer Dr Ram Narayan Ram, who had died in February of Covid-19, has now been posted as CS in Sheikhpura after promotion.

    The order for the deceased doctor’s posting along with 11 others was issued on Monday.

    Even after a month of his death, the health department remained ignorant. On being asked, principal secretary Pratyay Amrit said that the department was not being informed about his death from the place he was posted. “The department was not updated about Dr Ram’s demise. The delay led to his mistake which is now rectified and a new civil surgeon has been appointed for Sheikhpura,” he said, further adding that a show-cause notice has been issued to the officer responsible who will be suitably reprimanded. 

    The RJD legislators alleged that the state health department is committing such a blunder since it had fallen sick. “This incident shows the condition of the current healthcare system in Bihar,” Samrat said.

  • No COVID-19 deaths in last 24 hours in 18 states, UTs: Health ministry

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Eighteen states and Union Territories, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, have not reported any death due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday.

    India’s cumulative recoveries have been showing a progressive increment on a daily basis, the ministry said.

    “Eighteen states/UTs have not reported any COVID-19 death in the last 24 hours. These are Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Ladakh, Assam, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu,” the ministry said in a statement.

    Nearly 90 lakh vaccine doses have been given to beneficiaries through 1,91,373 sessions till 8 am on Wednesday, as per the provisional report.

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    These include 61,50,922 healthcare workers (first dose), 2,76,377 healthcare workers (second dose) and 25,71,931 frontline workers (first dose).

    A total of 36 cases of hospitalization and 29 cases of deaths were reported among those who have been vaccinated till 4 pm on February 16, the ministry said.

    Out of 36 cases of hospitalization, 22 were discharged after treatment.

    “Two are still under treatment and 12 cases (people) died. Out of the 29 deaths, 17 are outside hospital whereas 12 deaths are in hospital,” it said.

    The ministry said no case of serious or severe AEFI (adverse event following immunization) or death is attributable to vaccination to date.

    The administration of the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination started on February 13 for the beneficiaries who had completed 28 days after receipt of the first dose.

    As on day 32 (February 16) of the vaccination drive, a total of 2,76,943 doses were given across 7,001 sessions.

    “Out of which, 1,60,691 beneficiaries were vaccinated for the first dose and 1,16,252 HCWs received the second dose of vaccine,” it said.

    “Eight states account for 57.8 percent of the total vaccine doses administered in India. Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for 10.4 percent (9,34,962),” it said.