News Analysis India

Tag: COVID19

  • COVID-19: Former West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s health condition is stable

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: The health condition of former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who was admitted to the hospital after testing COVID-19 positive, is now stable.

    As per the official release by Woodlands Hospital Critical Care Department on Saturday morning, “Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (age 77 years) and Former Chief Minister of West Bengal, admitted on May 25, 2021, at 12.32 pm in Woodlands Hospital Critical Care Department. He is now stable.”

    “He presented with drowsiness and shortness of breath. He was detected SarsCov2 positive on May 18, 2021. He is on intermittent BIPAP with 3 litres of oxygen, SpO2 maintaining at 92 percent. He is presently conscious, alert and talking sensibly. He has a mild dry cough,” informed the hospital.

    The hospital authorities further informed, “Blood pressure is stable, he is having a heart rate of 60/min. Urine output is satisfactory. He is taking food orally. His capillary blood glucose levels are normal now. He is on Injection Clexane, Injection Solumedrol, Injection Remdesivir (day 5) and other supportive measures.”

    Treating doctors are on constant vigil on his health situation and will take appropriate measures from time to time, assured the hospital.

    Representing the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011. At present, Mamata Banerjee is the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2012 onwards.

  • NCPCR asks states/UTs to upload data of children who lost one or both parents to COVID-19

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked all states and union territories (UTs) to upload data of children who have lost either one or both parents to COVID-19 on its portal.

    Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani had on Tuesday said as many as 577 children across the country were orphaned after their parents succumbed to COVID-19, citing reports of states and union territories from April 1 till March 25.

    The announcement by the apex child rights body comes a day after the Supreme Court directed all district officers across the states/UTs to fill data related to children who have lost either one of both parents to Covid within 24 hours on the Bal Swaraj portal under the ‘COVID Care’ link.

    Bal Swaraj is an online tracking portal of the NCPCR for children in need of care and protection. “Keeping in view the current situation of COVID- 19, the Commission has extended the use of this portal for tracking children who have lost both parents or either of them’ and provided a link under the name of ‘Covid Care’ on this portal for filling of data of such children by the concerned officer/department,” the NCPCR said in a letter to all principal secretaries of the states and UTs’s Women and Child Development Department.

    The NCPCR said the login ids of district child protection officers for uploading the data and filling up the forms of social investigation report and individual child care plan as provided by the commission have been issued.

    The login ids for all principal secretaries for uploading of data on the portal concerned with the state government have also been issued.

  • India reports 1.73 lakh fresh COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, lowest tally in 45 days

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The single day rise in coronavirus cases was recorded at 1,73,790, the lowest in last 45 days, taking India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases to 2,77,29,247, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Saturday.

    The daily positivity further declined to 8.36 per cent, remaining below 10 per cent for five consecutive days, while the weekly positivity rate dropped to 9.84 per cent. The death toll climbed to 3,22,512 with 3,617 daily deaths, the data updated by the ministry at 8 am showed.

    India’s #COVID19 tally has touched 2,77,29,247, discharges is at 2,51,78,011 and the death toll is 3,22,512.Express Photo | @sooraj_TNIE pic.twitter.com/806mp76mxF
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) May 29, 2021

    Also, 20,80,048 tests were conducted on Friday taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 34,11,19,909. The active cases have further reduced to 22,28,724 with a decline of 1,14,428 cases being recorded in the active caseload.

    It now comprises 8.04 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 90.8 per cent. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,51,78,011 while the case fatality rate stands at 1.16 per cent, the data stated.

    The daily recoveries outnumbered the daily new cases for the 16th consecutive day. The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country exceeded 20.89 crore on Saturday under the nationwide vaccination drive, the ministry said.

    India is the second country after the US to achieve the vaccination landmark of 20 crore, it added. A total of 20,89,02,445 vaccine doses have been administered through 29,72,971 sessions, according to the provisional report till 7 am on Saturday.

    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. 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 2 crore on May 4.

    The 3,617 new fatalities include 973 from Maharashtra, 486 from Tamil Nadu, 401 from Karnataka, 194 from Kerala, 176 from Punjab, 154 from Uttar Pradesh, 145 from West Bengal, 139 from Delhi and 103 from Andhra Pradesh.

    A total of 3,22,512 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 93,198 from Maharashtra, 27,806 from Karnataka, 23,951 from Delhi, 22,775 from Tamil Nadu, 20,053 from Uttar Pradesh, 15,120 from West Bengal, 14,180 from Punjab and 12,915 from Chhattisgarh.

    The health ministry stressed 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 state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

  • ‘Cops not filing FIR’: Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA alleges negligence after COVID positive son dies

    By ANI
    HARDOI: Alleging foul play in his son’s death, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district said he had been struggling for over a month to lodge a complaint against a private hospital’s negligence, but the police is not filing an FIR.

    Rajkumar Aggarwal, BJP MLA from Sandila in the Hardoi district, told ANI that his son Ashish (35) died on April 26 at a hospital in Kakori where he was admitted after testing positive for COVID-19.

    “On April 26 morning, the oxygen level of the son was 94. He was eating and was having regular conversations with us. Suddenly in the evening, doctors told him that his oxygen level was decreasing. We arranged an oxygen cylinder from outside, but the doctors did not allow this oxygen to reach the patient, and he died,” the BJP MLA said.

    Aggarwal alleged that his son died due to negligence of the hospital administration and doctors and added that he is trying to file an FIR to get justice for his son.

    “That day seven people died in that hospital. I had complained about this to the chief minister, District Magistrate, Police commissioner, and Director-General of Police, and still, my complaint was not registered. My demand is that police should analyse the CCTV footage of the hospital and see who is responsible for the death of my son. I want the responsible doctors should be punished,” he further said.

    Uttar Pradesh is one of the worst affected states by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 death toll in Uttar Pradesh crossed 20,000 on Friday with 159 more people succumbing to the disease. A total of 2,402 new cases of COVID infection were also reported in the state. There were 52,244 active COVID cases in Uttar Pradesh till Friday.

  • Varanasi: New born baby tests positive for COVID-19 despite mother being negative

    By ANI
    VARANASI: A new born girl tested positive for COVID-19 at a hospital in Banaras Hindu University’s (BHU) Sir Sunderlal Hospital, despite her mother testing negative before the delivery. According to Dr Kaushan Kumar Gupta, the Medical Superintendent, the mother was tested for COVID-19 on May 24 before giving birth. The following day, she gave birth to a girl, who tested positive.

    “A woman tested negative in an RT-PCR test at BHU’s Sir Sunderlal Hospital on May 24 before delivery. She gave birth to a baby girl on May 25. She was tested COVID after her birth. The result was COVID-positive,” he told ANI.

    He added, “There are certain flaws and limitations of an RT-PCR test.”

  • COVID-19 effect: Shimla’s iconic Indian Coffee House stares at closure

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: The iconic Indian Coffee House on Mall Road in Shimla, which has been running for 64 years and visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017, is on the brink of closure. Following a drastic fall in the number of customers due to COVID-19, its liabilities have grown manifold. It has not been able to pay salaries to employees for 10 months.

    Talking to this newspaper over phone from Shimla, Senior Manager of Indian Coffee House, Atma Ram said: “We run on a no-profit- no-loss basis. We hardly have funds. For more than a year, the Coffee House we are running losses. We have a liability of around Rs 2 crore from the Shimla unit alone.”

    The outlet has not been able to meet the wage bill of 47 employees, which is Rs 7.50 lakh per month. These employees have withdrawn their provident fund or taken loans against their savings. “The situation is bad, yet none of our employees has left us,” Ram said.

    “There are several overheads as well like Rs 3.50 lakh pending water bill, Rs 11,000 per month garage charges. Somehow we have been able to pay electricity charges, which is around Rs 15,000 a month. There are other expenses on raw material amounting to Rs 4 lakh,” he added.

    Ram says they earned around Rs 60,000 daily before the pandemic. “Earnings have dipped to hardly Rs 4,000. We are open only for three hours. I do not know how long we will be able to survive,” says Ram. Set up in 1957, the Coffee House was the most popular hangout in town. Besides Modi, LK Advani and , Indira Gandhi were among its illustrious visitors.

  • ‘Near home’ COVID vaccination centres will benefit 14 crore senior citizens: Centre

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: ‘Near to home’ vaccination centres will benefit around 14 crore senior citizens and 2.2 crore differently-abled people, said Union Minister of state for Social Justice and Empowerment Rattan Lal Kataria on Friday.

    This ministry had earlier flagged the problems faced by persons with disabilities in testing, treatment and vaccination to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is committed to the cause of weaker sections of society and other vulnerable groups, said Kataria.

    The ministry has launched a helpline number to provide psychological support to people belonging to the transgender community. Counselling is available for transgender persons who are facing stress owing to the pandemic.

    The ministry has also announced a one-time subsistence allowance of Rs 1,500 for transgender persons who are adversely affected by the lockdown. The financial assistance, as an interim relief measure, was also extended last year to around 7,000 transgender people.

    Kataria said the ministry had urged state governments to spread awareness among the transgender community in vernacular languages.

  • Congress and BJP get locked in verbal war on COVID vaccination

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  The war of words between Congress and BJP goes on. On Friday, Rahul Gandhi held Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for the second wave of COVID-19 in the country. Taking a potshot,  Union minister Prakash Javdekar said the Congress leader was going by his ‘toolkit manual’ while making these allegations.

    Calling the PM as an event manager, Gandhi said: “There is no vaccination strategy. The Prime Minister doesn’t think strategically. He is an event manager, he thinks one event at a time. You don’t need events now as events will kill many. You need a strategy with an aim to shut the space for corona.”

    Gandhi added that India has vaccinated only 3 per cent of its people, while the US and Brazil have inoculated 50 per cent and 8-10 per cent, respectively.

    “The PM is responsible for the second wave of the virus, it is the result of his theatrics and the lack of his responsibility. It is time for the PM to be a leader and display leadership skills and courage and come out with excuses and blame others. The buck stops at the PM,” he said.

    “I am again requesting the Government. Get your vaccination strategy in order. Do not give the virus space to mutate. It is going to kill again. Lockdown is a temporary solution. The moment you open the lockdown, the virus will prepare itself and I guarantee you at 3 per cent vaccination we are going to get a third wave,” he added.

    Javdekar said the Congress leader’s press conference was straight out of the party’s toolkit. “People know well that Gandhi’s presser was as per the toolkit,” he said.

    BJP has been alleging that Congress has been working on the basis of a toolkit to build campaign against the government and PM Modi. The minister objected to Gandhi’s use of the term nautanki, saying it’s an insult to the country. 

    Javdekar said that 216 crore vaccines will be available by December this year to ensure vaccination of 108 crore people in the country. He hit out at the former chief of the Congress. “India will get 216 crore new vaccines by December, which will given to 108 crore people. Rahul Gandhi shouldn’t indulge in fear-mongering. India is second fastest on vaccination,” he added.

  • India reports 1.86 lakh fresh COVID-19 cases within 24 hours, lowest in 44 days

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The single day rise in coronavirus cases in India fell below the 2-lakh mark for the second time this month, while the recoveries continue to outnumber daily cases for the 15th consecutive day, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

    A total of 1,86,364 new coronavirus infections were reported in a day, the lowest in around 44 days, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 2,75,55,457. The death toll climbed to 3,18,895 with 3,660 daily deaths, the data updated at 8 am showed.

    The daily COVID-19 count in India last fell below the 2-lakh mark on May 25. Also, 20,70,508 tests were conducted on Thursday taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 33,90,39,861.

    The daily positivity rate has declined to 9 per cent. It has been less than 10 per cent for four consecutive days, the ministry said, adding the weekly positivity rate has further declined to 10.42 per cent. It said that recoveries continue to outnumber daily new cases for the 15th consecutive day.

    India’s #COVID19 tally stands at 2,75,55,457 and the death toll has touched 3,18,895 while active cases in the country is at 23,43,152: Union Health Ministry.Express Photo | @meetsenbaga pic.twitter.com/y4UtlmgWM3
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) May 28, 2021

    The active cases have further reduced to 23,43,152 comprising 8.50 per cent of the total infections with a net decline of 76,755 cases in the active caseload in 24 hours, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 90.34 per cent.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,48,93,410 and the case fatality rate has increased to 1.16 per cent, the data stated. 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.

    WATCH:

    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 2 crore on May 4.

    The 3,660 new fatalities include 884 from Maharashtra, 476 from Karnataka, 474 from Tamil Nadu, 187 from Uttar Pradesh, 181 from Kerala, 177 from Punjab, 148 from West Bengal, 117 from Delhi and 104 from Andhra Pradesh.

    A total of 3,18,895 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 92,225 from Maharashtra, 27,405 from Karnataka, 23,812 from Delhi, 22,289 from Tamil Nadu, 19,899 from Uttar Pradesh, 14,975 from West Bengal, 14,004 from Punjab and 12,848 from Chhattisgarh.

    The ministry stressed 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.

    The ministry also said that cumulatively 20.57 crore number of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the country. India is the second country after the US to achieve the vaccination landmark of 20 crore.

  • India supports WHO’s call for detailed studies on origins of coronavirus: External Affairs Ministry

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India on Friday supported renewed global calls for a comprehensive investigation by the WHO into the origins of COVID-19, days after US President Joe Biden asked American intelligence agencies to find out how coronavirus emerged in China.

    There were growing demands by a sizeable number of countries including the US and Australia to investigate whether the virus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 from an animal source or from a laboratory accident in December 2019 In March, the World Health Organisation (WHO) came out with a report on the origins of the virus but it had failed to meet the expectations of the US and several other leading countries.

    External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the follow up of the WHO report and further studies deserve the understanding and cooperation of all.

    “The WHO convened global study on the origin of COVID-19 is an important first step.

    It stressed the need for next phase studies as also for further data and studies to reach robust conclusions,” he said.

    Bagchi was responding to media queries on the issue.

    “The follow up of the WHO report and further studies deserve the understanding and cooperation of all,” he said.

    During the probe by the WHO earlier this year, the US and several other countries expressed concerns over Chinese authorities not providing complete data to the WHO team probing the origin of the virus.

    President Biden had on Wednesday ordered the US intelligence agencies to “redouble” their efforts in investigating the emergence of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and report back to him in 90 days.

    “I have now asked the intelligence community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyse information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion, and to report back to me in 90 days,” Biden had said.

    “As part of that report, I have asked for areas of further inquiry that may be required, including specific questions for China.

    I have also asked that this effort include work by our national labs and other agencies of our government to augment the intelligence community’s efforts,” the US president had said.