News Analysis India

Tag: COVID19

  • COVID-19: Maharashtra declares six states including Uttarakhand, Delhi as places of sensitive origin

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Struggling to contain the huge COVID-19 surge, Maharashtra on Sunday declared six states, including the national capital and the NCR region, as the places of “sensitive origin” in a bid to stop the “influx of other variants of coronavirus”from other locations.

    An order signed by Maharashtra chief secretary Sitaram Kunte has declared states of Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Delhi and NCR region, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand as the places of “sensitive origin”. As per the order, passengers travelling to Maharashtra from the six states declared as the places of sensitive origin will need a RT-PCR negative test within 48 hours of their train travel.

    It said that this decision has been taken to curb the transmission of coronavirus in Maharashtra and to “stop the influx of other COVID-19 virus variants into the state of Maharashtra from other locations”. “These places will be considered the places of sensitive origin from the date of this order till the time it is retracted or till COVID-19 stays notified as a disaster,” it stated.

    Delhi on Sunday recorded the biggest jump in its daily COVID-19 tally with 25,462 fresh cases, while the positivity rate shot up to 29.74 per cent. Maharashtra, which is the worst-hit state in terms of the number of cases and deaths, on Sunday reported the highest number of 68,631 fresh infections while 503 patients died, as per the state health department.

    With this, the cumulative caseload in Maharashtra mounted to 38,39,338 while the death toll reached 60,473. The Maharashtra government also issued a standing operating procedure (SOP) for passengers from the six states of sensitive origin.

    In the SOP for passengers travelling in long-distance trains from these six places, the government said the Railways shall share data of the trains that are scheduled to be running between these origins and stations in Maharashtra with the local disaster management authorities.

    It said that data of passengers will be shared with local disaster management authority each day, four hours before the departure from the origin of trains. No unreserved tickets will be issued from these places to Maharashtra. “Railways should ensure that trains from the places of sensitive origin should come to outer platforms where it is easier to conduct thermal screening (of passengers),” the order said.

    If passengers are not carryingthe RT-PCR negative report, they will have to undergo a rapid antigen test at the station, it added.

  • Ward boy attempts to rape patient at COVID care centre in Gwalior, held

    By ANI
    GWALIOR: A hospital ward boy has been arrested for allegedly trying to rape a 50-year-old patient admitted at a COVID care centre set up in a hotel in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior, the police said on Sunday.

    “The police reached the hospital after getting the information regarding the matter. The accused has been arrested,” Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Gwalior Hitika Vasal told ANI. Investigation into the matter is underway.

  • No charges will be levied from states for COVID-19 isolation coaches: Northern Railways

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: No charges will be levied from states for COVID-19 isolation coaches, said Northern Railway General Manager Ashutosh Gangal on Sunday. “To my knowledge, no charges will be levied from states for COVID isolation coaches. Health ministry guidelines don’t mention any such thing,” Northern Railway General Manager Ashutosh Gangal said.

    He further said, “We have purchased oxygen cylinders, we can provide two cylinders in each coach. Thereafter refilling and other things will be taken care of by the state governments.” The Indian Railways has converted 4,002 train coaches as a COVID-19 care-cum-isolation facility to provide assistance to state governments amid surging coronavirus cases in the country.

    Pictures for the same were shared by Union Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal on Sunday. “Railways is devoting all its resources for fighting COVID-19. Isolation coaches have started functioning at Nandurbar, Maharashtra with COVID-19 patients being admitted,” he added.

    Additionally, as some states are facing scarcity of medical oxygen amid surging COVID-19 cases in the country, the Railways is getting ready to transport Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) and oxygen cylinders across the key corridors.

    A meeting was held between Railway Board officials and State Transport Commissioners along with representatives of industry on the “issues related to transportation of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO)” on Saturday.

  • COVID-19 effect: Hong Kong suspends flights connecting India from Tuesday to May 3

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Hong Kong has suspended all flights connecting it with India from Tuesday to May 3 amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country, aviation industry sources said on Sunday. They said the Hong Kong government has also suspended flights to and from Pakistan as well as the Philippines for the aforementioned time period.

    The Hong Kong government’s decision has come after 50 passengers of two Vistara flights this month were found positive for COVID-19 when tested on arrival. According to rules, all passengers who want to come to Hong Kong need to have a COVID-negative RTPCR result with them from a test done 72 hours prior to the journey.

    Earlier on Sunday, the Hong Kong government announced suspension of all Vistara flights on Mumbai-Hong Kong route till May 2. This decision was taken as three passengers on Vistara’s Mumbai-Hong Kong flight on Sunday tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival.

    Till Sunday, total 47 passengers who were on Vistara’s Delhi-Hong Kong flight of April 4 have tested positive for COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Vistara’s flights on Delhi-Hong Kong route had earlier been banned from April 6 to April 19.

    Vistara did not respond to PTI’s request for a statement on the matter.  A record single-day rise of 2,61,500 coronavirus infections has taken India’s case tally to 1,47,88,109, while active cases have surpassed the 18-lakh mark, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

    The death toll increased to 1,77,150 with a record 1,501 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

  • Chhattisgarh records 12,345 new COVID-19 cases, 170 deaths

    By PTI
    RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh on Sunday reported 12,345 fresh COVID-19 cases and 170 deaths, taking the infection count to 5,44,840 and the toll to 5,908, a health official said. The state has recorded over 2.25 lakh cases and 1,993 deaths in the last one month.

    The number of active cases in Chhattisgarh reached 1,28,019 after 189 people were discharged from hospitals while 13,886 others completed their home isolation stay in the day. With this, the number of people who have recovered from the infection increased to 4,10,913.

    The worst-hit Raipur and Durg districts reported 2,524 and 1,281 new cases, respectively, during the day. While the total count of infection in Raipur has reached 1,16,259, including 1,632 deaths, Durg’s overall caseload climbed to 67,329, including 1,097 deaths.

    The official said that Rajnandgaon recorded 732 new cases, Bilaspur 1,217 and Koba 885 among other districts. Of the latest fatalities, 170 were reported on Sunday and Saturday. With 42,652 samples tested on Sunday, the total number of tests conducted in Chhattisgarh went up to 65,62,553.

    Chhattisgarh’s coronavirus figures are as follows: Positive cases 5,44,840, New cases 12,345, Deaths 5,908, Recovered 4,10,913, Active cases 1,28,019, Tests today 42,652 and Total tests 65,62,553.

  • Uttar Pradesh: Woman dies after taking COVID vaccine, kin create fuss at Ballia government hospital

    By PTI
    BALLIA (UTTAR PRADESH): Family members of a woman created a ruckus at a government hospital here as she died after being administered an injection by a doctor, according to police. Pushpa (45) of Bahadurpur village was taken to a Garhwar hospital following pain in her chest and a doctor administered an injection while referring her to the district hospital.

    Citing the family members, police said froth came out of the woman’s mouth and nostrils after she was given the injection. Her family members created a ruckus in the hospital following her death. They were placated by police and the body was sent for a post-mortem.

  • Covaxin production to increase 10 times by September 2021: Union minister Harsh Vardhan

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said there will be a 10 times rise in Covaxin vaccine production by September while manufacture of remdesivir jabs, an anti-viral drug against COVID-19, will be doubled to 74.1 lakh each month by May.

    In a series of tweets, he also said all support is being extended to states to fight COVID-19 and uninterrupted supply of oxygen and enhancement of healthcare infrastructure is being ensured.

    Highlighting the steps taken to fulfil the requirement of remdesivir, Vardhan in a tweet said, “Production being doubled to 74.1L per month by May; Express permission given to 20 manufacturing plants to increase production; Exports prohibited; Prices capped; Strict monitoring to curb any malpractice, hoarding and black marketing.”

    #Oxygen▫️Projected demand of high-burden States mapped with supplies▫️Oxygen production being maximised & diverted from industrial use to medical use.▫️Expediting installation of 162 PSA plants across the country▫️24*7 coordination cell assisting the States@PMOIndia
    — Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) April 18, 2021

    On the issue of oxygen supply, he said in another tweet, “Projected demand of high-burden states mapped with supplies; Oxygen production being maximised and diverted from industrial use to medical use; Expediting installation of 162 PSA plants across the country; Round-the-clock coordination cell assisting the States”.

    Amid spiralling coronavirus cases in the country, the demand for medical oxygen in the country has gone through the roof.

    ALSO READ| Delhi’s oxygen quota diverted to other states, alleges CM Kejriwal amid COVID spike

    While the Railways has decided to run ‘Oxygen Express’ trains over the next few days to transport liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders across the country, the Home Ministry has banned the supply of oxygen for industrial purposes except in nine specified industries.

    He also said the number of beds for COVID-19 patients will be enhanced by setting up temporary hospitals and dedicating wards at hospitals under Union ministries. “The Government of India has provided 1,121 ventilators to Maharashtra, 1,700 to Uttar Pradesh, 1,500 to Jharkhand, 1,600 to Gujarat, 152 to Madhya Pradesh and and 230 to Chhattisgarh,” Vardhan said.

    Listing the measures being taken to strengthen the COVID-19 inoculaton drive across the country, he tweeted, “COVID-19 vaccine supplies to small states being replenished every seven days and every four days for big states. Steps taken to quickly enhance basket of vaccines available. Production of Covaxin to increase 10 times by September 2021.”

  • Uttar Pradesh records highest single-day rise of 30,596 COVID-19 cases, 129 more fatalities

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh registered the highest single-day rise in COVID-19 cases as well as fatality count, with the disease claiming 129 more lives, while 30,596 fresh cases pushed its tally to 8,51,620.

    Briefing reporters here, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said in the last 24 hours, 30,596 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported from the state, while 9,041 patients recovered from the disease.

    He added that a total of 6,50,333 COVID-19 patients have so far recovered from the disease in the state. “With the 129 fresh fatalities, the death toll due to the viral disease rose to 9,830,” the official said.

    Of the 129 fresh COVID-19 deaths, 22 fatalities were reported from Lucknow, followed by 15 from Allahabad, 10 from Varanasi, eight from Kanpur, six from Etawah, five from Mathura and four each from Bareilly, Moradabad, Rae Bareli and Gonda.

    Of the fresh cases, Lucknow reported 5,551 cases followed by 2,011 from Varanasi, 1,839 from Kanpur and 1,711 from Allahabad. He added that the count of active COVID-19 patients in the state stands at 1,91,457.

    Prasad also informed that over 3.82 crore samples have so far been tested in the state, including over 2.36 lakh in the last 24 hours. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel spoke to district magistrates of Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi and Kanpur over phone on the prevailing situation.

    The Raj Bhavan said in a statement on Sunday that she was informed about the preventive measures and treatment being given to patients. The Governor said use of mask should be made mandatory for everyone, and violators should be sternly dealt with.

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also asked Medical Education Minister Suresh Khanna to monitor the current situation of oxygen supply and its projected use in the next 15 days.

    Adityanath, who is in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, undertook a review meeting with senior officials on Sunday to ensure adequate medical grade oxygen supply in the state amid a massive surge in its demand for critical COVID-19 patients. “Uninterrupted supply of oxygen should be ensured in all the hospitals for the next 36 hours and oxygen cylinders should be regularly replaced in all districts,” he said.

    He said that the capacity of ICU and isolation beds in the 12 most affected districts of the state, including Lucknow, Allahabad, Moradabad, Jhansi and Kanpur, will be doubled with immediate effect. Adityanath said when the thought process will be 10 steps ahead of corona, only then there will be success in controlling it.

    The chief minister also asked the medical education minister to increase the facilities at GSV Medical College, Rama Medical College and Naraina Medical College in Kanpur. Complying with the CM’s order to set up 10 new oxygen plants at different locations of the state, a liquid oxygen plant of 20,000 litres has been installed at SGPGI in Lucknow.

    An official statement said that the DRDO is also lending support in setting up another nine new oxygen plants. The chief minister also instructed the department of Food Safety and Drug Administration to keep a constant watch on the availability of various medicines, including Remdesivir.

    He asked the health minister to keep an eye on the availability of medicines and its entire chain of supply.

    Taking note of the fire incident at one of the hospitals in Chhattisgarh recently, the chief minister directed officials to test fire safety equipments at all government and private medical institutions of the state.

    Meanwhile, a police station in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh had to be closed for 48 hours on Sunday after seven personnel posted there tested positive for COVID-19, a senior officer of the force said.

    Sambhal SP Chakresh Mishra said, “Seven personnel posted at the Hayatnagar police station tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. The test reports of the other policemen are yet to come. Complying with the coronavirus guidelines, the Hayatnagar police station has been closed for 48 hours. The police station is being sanitised.”

    He added that the work of the Hayatnagar police station is being carried out from the Sarai Tarin police station.

  • COVID-19: Bihar imposes night curfew; malls and gyms to remain shut till May 15

    By ANI
    PATNA: In the light of the surge in the COVID-19 cases in the state, the Bihar government on Sunday impose night curfew in the state.

    Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said, “Night curfew will remain in place across Bihar from 9 pm to 5 am. All shops selling vegetables, fruits, eggs and meat will be closed by 6 pm. Restaurants and dhabas to be operational for home delivery and take away services till 9 pm.”

    The state government has also decided that schools, colleges and other educational institutions in Bihar will remain shut till May 15. During this period, state-run schools and universities will not conduct any exam.

    “Schools, colleges and other educational institutes will remain closed and no examination will be held by state-run schools and universities till May 15. Cinema halls, malls, clubs, gyms, and parks will be closed till May 15. All religious places to remain closed in Bihar till May 15. Not more than 25 people will be allowed at last rites. Only 100 people will be allowed at weddings,” Kumar said

    The Chief Minister informed that 8,690 fresh cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Bihar on Sunday. Moreover, the Bihar government has decided to provide bonus salary of one month to all healthcare workers this year.

    As per an official statement, there are 39,498 active cases of COVID-19 in Bihar, while the death toll due to the infection have mounted to 1,722.

  • No COVID-19 patient in Maharashtra died due to oxygen shortage: State minister Rajesh Tope

    By PTI
    JALNA: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Sunday said that no COVID-19 patient died in the state-run hospitals due to the shortage of medical oxygen. He also said most of the COVID-19 fatalities have occurred due to the delay on part of patients in seeking proper medical treatment.

    Tope termed “false” media reports that the shortage of medical oxygen resulted in the death of COVID-19 patients in some parts of the state. “I have received reports from (government) hospitals in the state. No COVID-19 patient died due to the shortage of oxygen in these hospitals,” he told reporters.

    Earlier this week, kin of 10 COVID-19 patients who died at two hospitals in Palghar district neighbouring Mumbai had alleged that a shortage of oxygen led to the deaths. Civic authorities in Palghar and the management of the medical facilities had denied these allegations.

    Tope attributed most COVID-19 fatalities due to late admission in hospitals. “Especially in rural areas, coronavirus positive patients are being traditionally treated by local doctors,” he said.

    Tope further said that people showing specific symptoms should get themselves tested for coronavirus without delay and seek medical treatment. He also appealed to eligible people to get vaccinated for COVID-19. “There are 4,200 vaccination centres in Maharashtra where eligible people can go and get themselves inoculated,” the health minister said.

    Tope also appreciated doctors and frontline workers for their efforts and dedication during the pandemic. Maharashtra, which is the worst-affected state in India, recorded a total of 37,70,707 COVID-19 cases till Saturday while 59,970 patients have died so far, as per the state health department.