News Analysis India

Tag: COVID19

  • BTS member V recovers from COVID-19, released from quarantine after a week

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: BTS member V has made a “full recovery” from COVID-19 and has been released from quarantine on Tuesday, according to the South Korean music group’s management agency. The 26-year-old singer, whose full name is Kim Tae-hyung, was diagnosed with the disease on February 15.

    In a statement posted on fan community forum Weverse, BigHit Music said, “We would like to inform you that BTS member V has made a full recovery from COVID-19 and his quarantine has concluded as of today, February 22. He has been receiving treatment from home from Tuesday the 15th, and he is now able to return to his daily activities.”

    According to BigHit Music, the singer did not exhibit any particular symptoms during his quarantine. “He had a slight fever when he first began treatment at home but has since made a full recovery,” he said. In response to a concerned fan’s post on Weverse last Thursday, V had written “I am feeling good.”

    When the agency announced V’s diagnosis, they said the singer was in contact with the other members of the band but everyone was wearing masks. Last December, fellow BTS members Suga, group leader RM, Jin also tested positive for the virus.

    In January 2021, BTS member Jimin went through surgery for acute appendicitis while also recovering from COVID-19. The seven-member band, which also includes Jung Kook, is currently on an “extended period of rest” after their performance at four in-person concerts in Los Angeles late last year.

    BTS are set to hold three ‘Permission to Dance’ shows in Seoul next month.

  • India logs 50,407 fresh cases of COVID-19, 804 deaths reported

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India saw a single day rise of 50,407 coronavirus infections, which took the tally of cases to 4,25,86,544, while the active cases have declined to 6,10,443, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday.

    The death toll has climbed to 5,07,981 with 804 daily fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. The daily COVID-19 cases are being recorded at less than one lakh for the last six consecutive days. The active cases comprise 1.43 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further improved to 97.37 per cent, the ministry said.

    It said a reduction of 87,359 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 3.48 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate has been recorded at 5.07 per cent, according to the ministry.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,14,68,120, while the case fatality rate has been recorded at 1.19 per cent. The cumulative doses administered so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 172.29 crore.

    50,407 #COVID19 cases, 1,36,962 recoveries and 804 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.Express Photo | @KanchiMadhav pic.twitter.com/bDy91G5Vhx
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) February 12, 2022
    India had crossed two crore cases on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23. The 804 new fatalities include 492 from Kerala and 63 from Maharashtra.

    A total of 5,07,981 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 1,43,355 from Maharashtra, 61,626 from Kerala, 39,575 from Karnataka, 37,887 from Tamil Nadu, 26,047 from Delhi, 23,382 from Uttar Pradesh and 20,965 from West Bengal.

    The health 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.

  • Third COVID wave may get over by mid-March as cases declining: Maharashtra minister Rajesh Tope

    By PTI

    JALNA: Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Friday said the number of COVID-19 cases had begun declining statewide and predicted that the third wave of the pandemic might get over by the second or third week of March.

    He said the state, which was reporting 48,000 cases per day during the third wave which started some weeks ago, was now seeing the tally increase by 15,000 daily, adding that the infection curve was flattening in major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Raigad.

    Speaking to reporters here, the minister said the Centre must start the process of vaccinating children in the 12-15 age segment against COVID-19. He said that Maharashtra was ready with the health infrastructure to vaccinate this age group.

    Coronavirus-induced curbs will continue to be lowered as the number of cases go down, Tope added.

  • Made in India vaccines playing important role in making COVID-free world: President Ram Nath Kovind

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday highlighted the achievements of the Modi government’s mega COVID-19 vaccination drive, and noted that 150 crore doses were administered to the country’s citizens in a record time.

    In his address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament at the start of the Budget Session, Kovind said the Rs 64,000 crore PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission will prepare the country for a health crisis in the future. “We have administered 150 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines in a record time,” he said.

    The President said more than 70 per cent beneficiaries of the vaccination drive have been administered the second dose. Flagging other achievements of the central government, he said that over six crore rural households are getting tap water under ‘Har Ghar Jal initiative’.

    Kovind said that India’s agriculture exports have also crossed Rs three lakh crore. He said despite the pandemic, country’s farmers produced 30 crore tonnes of food grains and 33 crore horticulture produce in 2020-21.

    The President said more than 11 crore farmer families received Rs 1.80 lakh crore through PM-KISAN and big changes have been seen in the farm sector. He said that the Government procured more than 433 lakh metric tonnes of wheat, which benefited more than 50 lakh farmers.

    The session begins ahead of the crucial assembly elections in five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur.

  • India reports 2,09,918 fresh COVID-19 infections; active cases reach 18,31,268

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: India reported 2,09,918 fresh COVID-19 cases and 959 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Monday. With this, the total tally of COVID-19 cases in the country moved up to 4,13,02,440 including 18,31,268 active cases which account for 4.43 per cent of the total cases.

    Active #Covid19 cases stand at 18,31,268. pic.twitter.com/8CKMUuusvQ
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) January 31, 2022
    However, the COVID-19 fatalities reported an upsurge as the country’s total death toll rose to 4,95,050. On Monday, the country logged 893 deaths from this virus. As many as 2,62,628 recoveries were added in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to 3,89,76,122. The recovery rate is currently at 94.37 per cent.

    Of the 13,31,198 COVID-19 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, a daily positivity rate of 15.77 per cent was reported. Moreover, the weekly positivity rate stood at 15.75 per cent. Under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive, as many as 166.03 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far, the ministry informed.

  • COVID-19: Election Commission to review ban on physical rallies, roadshows on Monday

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI:: The Election Commission of India will hold a review meeting on Monday regarding the continuation of the ban on physical rallies and roadshows in view of the upcoming assembly elections.

    Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra will meet Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan today. The ECI will also meet with Health Secretaries and Chief Secretaries of poll-bound states virtually. Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Election Commission of India on January 22 extended the ban on physical rallies and roadshows till January 31.

    The Election commission had put a ban on election rallies and roadshows until January 15 first and later extended till January 22. The poll body had on January 22 gave relaxation for physical public meetings of political parties or contesting candidates for Phase 1 allowed from January 28 and for Phase 2 from February 1.

    As on date, the limit of five persons for door to door campaign is 10 persons, excluding security personnel and video vans for publicity permitted at designated open spaces with COVID restrictions.

    Assembly elections in five states will be held between February 10 and March 7, the Election Commission of India informed earlier this month, as it announced the poll schedule for the states of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The counting of votes will be done on March 10.

  • Schools, colleges in Pune to reopen from February 1: Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar

    By PTI

    PUNE: Schools and colleges in Maharashtra’s Pune will reopen for physical classes from February 1, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Saturday.

    Speaking to reporters after attending a meeting to review the COVID-19 situation, Pawar said school timings for Classes 1 to 8 will be for half day so that the lunch hour gets excluded and students eat their meals at home. “The final decision to send children to schools and colleges will be on the parents. But the administration will reopen schools,” said Pawar, who is also the guardian minister of the district.

    Colleges and schools for Classes 9 and up will be full-time, while schools for Classes 1 to 8 will be for half day so that lunch time gets excluded and students won’t have to take off their masks to eat, he said.

    Talking about COVID-19 vaccination for children in the 15-18 age group, the minister said, “College students should get both doses of vaccines. We plan to have mobile vans and make other arrangements so that vaccines can be administered in schools and colleges.”

    At least 86 per cent of eligible children have taken the vaccine in the rural areas, while in Pune city and Pimpri Chinchwad, the number is less, he said. The number of infections has come down in Pune in the last three days, Pawar said, refuting rumours about relaxation in mask rule.

    Pune on Friday recorded 7,166 new COVID-19 cases and 12 casualties that raised the tally of infections to 13,88,687 and toll to 19,429. The district currently has 2,261 active cases.

  • Former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal tests positive for Omicron variant of COVID-19

    By PTI

    LUDHIANA: Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Monday, said a senior doctor of the hospital where he was admitted. The doctor said the five-time chief minister was stable.

    Dr Rajesh Mahajan, in-charge of the team of doctors attending to Badal, said that the samples of the 94-year-old Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch was sent to the Patiala lab for testing and he tested positive for the Omicron variant.

    Badal is having sore throat, slight cough and mild fever but he is stable, Mahajan added. Badal was admitted to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital last week when he tested positive for coronavirus.

  • Give health details in self-declaration form: Centre brings new rules for international travellers

    By Express News Service

    BENGALURU: The Union Health Ministry has issued fresh guidelines for international passengers to be in force from January 22. As per the guidelines, all international air travellers should submit in self-declaration form factual details of their health before travel on the Air Suvidha portal, including the last 14 days’ travel history.

    Uploading a negative RT-PCR report not older than 72 hours of their travel is mandatory. Air travellers are also directed to give an undertaking on the portal or to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, before their journey. Those who need test on arrival, should preferably pre-book it on the Air Suvidha portal.

    Passengers arriving from high-risk countries should submit their samples on arrival and await the report at the airport before taking any connecting flights. Those who test negative must follow a strict seven-day home quarantine and undertake RT-PCR test on the eighth day.

    Information regarding their health condition must be uploaded on the Air Suvidha portal along with the test report of the eighth day. For the next seven days, they must monitor their health and if found positive, their samples must be sent for genome sequencing.

    The guidelines also stated that two percent of the total flight passengers should undergo post-arrival testing randomly on arrival at the airport. The passengers of each flight shall be identified by the airlines concerned and the same quarantine rules as those arriving from high-risk countries will apply. International air travellers arriving from sea and land ports will also have to follow the same procedure for testing and quarantine.

  • Czech anti-vaccine singer Hana Horka dies after catching COVID-19

    By AFP

    PRAGUE: An anti-vax Czech folk singer has died after she deliberately contracted COVID to obtain a health pass that would have allowed her to visit the sauna and theatre, her family said. Proof of vaccination or a recent infection is required to access cultural and sports facilities as well as for travel and for visiting bars and restaurants in the EU member state, which is facing a soaring COVID count.

    Hana Horka, who was the vocalist for the band Asonance, died on Sunday at the age of 57, according to her son Jan Rek. She voluntarily exposed herself to the virus when her husband and son, both vaccinated, caught it before Christmas, Rek told public radio iRozhlas.cz. “She decided to continue to live normally with us and preferred to catch the disease than to get vaccinated,” he said on Monday.

    Two days before her death, Horka took to social media to say: “I survived… It was intense.” “So now there will be the theatre, sauna, a concert… and an urgent trip to the sea,” she added.  Rek blamed the death on a local anti-vax movement, saying its leaders had convinced his mother against vaccination and thus had “blood on their hands”. 

    “I know exactly who influenced her… It makes me sad that she believed strangers more than her proper family. It wasn’t just total disinformation but also views on natural immunity and antibodies acquired through infection,” Rek said.

    The country of 10.7 million people announced more than 20,000 new COVID infections on Tuesday.