News Analysis India

Tag: COVID19

  • COVID-19: Punjab to promote students of classes 5, 8, and 10 without exams

    By ANI
    CHANDIGARH: Amid the continuous surge in COVID-19 cases, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday announced that all Class 5, 8, and 10 students be promoted to the next class, without taking any examination.

    The Chief Minister took these decisions during a virtual COVID review meeting with top officials and medical experts.

    Captain Amarinder said while the state had closed all educational institutions till April 30, bringing down the positivity in the 11-20 age group, relief was needed to be provided to school children going for exams.

    For the class 5 students, since exams of four out of five subjects have already been conducted, results may be declared by the Punjab State Education Board (PSEB) on the basis of the marks obtained by the students in respect of four subjects, ignoring the fifth subject. Results for classes 8 and 10 may be declared on the basis of Pre-Board examinations or the internal assessment of the respective schools, the Chief Minister directed the Education Department.

    He also said that the decision on Class 12 PSEB exams, which have already been postponed, will be taken later, based on the emerging situation.

    The Chief Minister, who had earlier this week written to the Union Education Minister in this regard, expressed satisfaction at the Centre’s decision to postpone Class 12 CBSE exams and cancellation of Class 10 CBSE exams in view of the pandemic.

    Medical Education Minister OP Soni, Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla, Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan, DGP Dinkar Gupta were among those who attended the meeting. 

  • India gets third Covid vaccine as experts approve Russia’s Sputnik V

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: As India faces an avalanche of Covid cases, the expert panel of the apex drug regulator on Monday recommended the use of Russia’s Covid vaccine Sputnik V in the country’s vaccination drive.

    This approval comes amidst the clamour to approve other Covid vaccines in India irrespective of their bridging trial status in the country. 

    The authorities too concede that while bridging trial data from the country is required to authorize the use of any vaccines in the country under the existing norms, it may be exempted under the present clinical trial norms. 

    Sputnik V, based on human adenoviral vectors, is one of only three vaccines in the world, along with those by Pfizer and Moderna, with an efficacy of over 90%.

    The two-dose vaccine which has to be administered 21 days apart, costs about $10 or Rs 750 per dose in the international market.

    The decision in India comes after the Central Drug Standards Control Organization’s subject expert committee on Covid met on Monday to consider the Sputnik V application for Emergency Use Authorization in India.

    The vaccine developed by Russia’s Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology which has shown nearly 91.6% efficacy against infection and 100% efficacy against severe disease had become the world’s first registered vaccine against Covid-19 in August last year.  

    The adenovirus-based vaccine can be stored at a comfortable 2-8 degree Celsius and is also being produced in the lyophilized (dry) form which makes it easier for distribution purposes.

    ALSO READ | COVID-19: RDIF collabs with Panacea Biotec to produce 100 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine in India

    Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, along with at least four other companies, have tied up with the Russian Direct Investment Fund — the codeveloper of Sputnik V, for the vaccine’s production in India.

    Top sources in the drug regulator said that the Drug Controller General of India will now consider SEC recommendation for the third Covid vaccine to be available in India amid reports of vaccine shortage in many states.

    The first two are Serum Institute of India’s locally-made AstraZeneca- Oxford University Covid-19 vaccine Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s indigenously manufactured Covaxin.

    Sputnik V is likely to be imported from Russia initially for emergency use in the country, government sources said.

    India is currently in the third phase of its mega Covid-19 vaccination drive which began on 16 January 2021. So far, nearly 10.5 crore vaccine doses have been administered through 15,56,361 sessions, as per the provisional report till Monday morning.

    Last Friday, CDSCO’s expert panel had sought additional data from drugmaker Dr.Reddy’s Laboratories on its Sputnik V Covid vaccine trial, in its second such request after an initial evaluation in February.

    The committee had earlier also asked the firm to submit a comparative analysis of late-stage immunogenicity data from both its Indian studies and an ongoing Russian study, as well as data on serious adverse events and positive cases reported to date.

  • Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut blames Modi’s leadership for rising COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, Punjab

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Monday blamed the Centre for the rise in coronavirus positive cases in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Punjab.

    Speaking to reporters, Raut said Maharashtra had followed every instruction issued by the Centre, and the latter must act sensitively and cautiously and stop blaming states.

    Ten states- Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan- have shown a steep rise in daily COVID-19 cases, accounting for 83.02 per cent of the new infections, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

    “If Maharashtra and the other two states (Punjab and Chhattisgarh) has failed, the first failure is that of the Centre since the country is fighting the war against the virus under prime minister Narendra Modi’s leadership,” he said, questioning why only non-BJP ruled states were being singled out as failures.

    ALSO READ | Lockdown leads to loss of jobs, Maharashtra govt not providing people support: Devendra Fadnavis

    “Has the coronavirus disappeared in states which have a BJP chief minister? The Centre should provide vaccines and Remdesivir to Maharashtra. Everyone has seen how Remdesivir is available in BJP offices in Gujarat but it is not (made) available to Maharashtra,” Raut claimed.

    He said Maharashtra BJP leaders must condemn these attempts to “malign the image of the state”, or else they have “no business to do politics in the state”.

  • India gets third Covid vaccine as experts approve Russia’s Sputnik V

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: As India faces an avalanche of Covid cases, the expert panel of the apex drug regulator on Monday recommended the use of Russia’s Covid vaccine Sputnik V in the country’s vaccination drive.

    Sputnik V, based on human adenoviral vectors, is one of only three vaccines in the world, along with those by Pfizer and Moderna, with an efficacy of over 90%.

    The two-dose vaccine which has to be administered 21 days apart, costs about $10 or Rs 750 per dose in the international market.

    The decision in India meanwhile comes after the Central Drug Standards Control Organization’s subject expert committee on Covid19 met on Monday to consider the Sputnik V application for Emergency Use Authorization in India.

    The vaccine developed by Russia’s Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology which has shown nearly 91.6% efficacy against infection and 100% efficacy against severe disease had become the world’s first registered vaccine against Covid-19 in August last year.  

    The adenovirus-based vaccine can be stored at a comfortable 2-8 degree Celsius and is also being produced in the lyophilized (dry) form which makes it easier for distribution purposes.

    ALSO READ | COVID-19: RDIF collabs with Panacea Biotec to produce 100 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine in India

    Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, along with at least four other companies, have tied up with the Russian Direct Investment Fund — the codeveloper of Sputnik V, for the vaccine’s production in India.

    Top sources in the drug regulator said that the Drug Controller General of India will now consider SEC recommendation for the third Covid vaccine to be available in India amid reports of vaccine shortage in many states.

    The first two are Serum Institute of India’s locally-made AstraZeneca- Oxford University Covid-19 vaccine Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s indigenously manufactured Covaxin.

    Sputnik V is likely to be imported from Russia initially for emergency use in the country, government sources said.

    India is currently in the third phase of its mega Covid-19 vaccination drive which began on 16 January 2021. So far, nearly 10.5 crore vaccine doses have been administered through 15,56,361 sessions, as per the provisional report till Monday morning.

    Last Friday, CDSCO’s expert panel had sought additional data from drugmaker Dr.Reddy’s Laboratories on its Sputnik V Covid vaccine trial, in its second such request after an initial evaluation in February.

    The committee had earlier also asked the firm to submit a comparative analysis of late-stage immunogenicity data from both its Indian studies and an ongoing Russian study, as well as data on serious adverse events and positive cases reported to date.

  • Maharashtra has got 1.10 crore doses of COVID vaccine, will get 1100 ventilators: Prakash Javadekar

    By PTI
    PUNE: Maharashtra has received 1.10 crore doses of anti-COVID 19 vaccines so far, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday amid reports that the state is facing an acute shortage of the doses which is hampering its vaccination drive.

    Speaking to reporters, Javadekar said apart from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajashtan are the two other states that have received more than 1 crore doses. He also said over 1,100 ventilators will be made available for Maharashtra, which is worst-affected by COVID-19 pandemic, in the next three days.

    He said that oxygen supply has also been routed from the industrial production units. “As per the statewide report till 6 pm on Friday, Maharashtra has received 1.10 crore doses. There are only three states that have received over 1 crore vaccine doses in the country. They are Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajashtan,” Javadekar told reporters after attending a review meeting with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar here.

    When asked about the blame game between the Centre and the state government over the availability of vaccine doses, the BJP leader said this is not the right time to do politics. “When we will have to do politics, we will give a proper answer to that allegations. There is nothing greater than the interest of the people in the current situation,” he said.

    Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope had alleged that many states, which are smaller than Maharashtra in terms of population and the number of patients, have received more doses of vaccine. The state government had feared that the healthcare system will be overwhelmed if the cases continue to rise.

    A shortage of ventilator beds is being reported from various parts in Maharashtra, which has 5,34,603 active cases at present.

    Acknowledging the shortage of ventilators in Maharashtra, the Information and Broadcasting minister said, “I held a detailed discussion with concerned officials and ministers. 1,121 ventilators will be made available for Maharashtra in the next three to four days. 700 ventilators would be coming from Gujarat and 421 from Andhra Pradesh.”

    Javadekar also said that oxygen supply has also been routed from the industrial production units and the Centre would help the state to get this oxygen supply. He said that the Centre would provide funds for the manpower required for testing, tracking, tracing and treating patients from the National Health Mission.

    “We consider this (pandemic) as a national calamity. All the states and people belong to us, so attention and solutions will be provided to those areas where the situation is critical,” he said.

    Javadekar said more than 30 teams were sent to Maharashtra for reviewing the pandemic situation in various districts and they are considering measures to tackle the prevailing situation. “In Pune also, a team under IAS officer Kunal Kumar has arrived and held a meeting with officials,” he added.

    Maharashtra’s cumulative caseload reached 32,88,540 on Friday, while the death toll stood at 57,329, as per the state health department. The state has been recording more than 55,000 cases over the past few days.

    In a bid to tackle the spike in cases, the state government had imposed various restrictions, including night curfew which will remain in force till April 30, besides weekend lockdowns from Friday night to Monday morning every week.

  • Madhya Pradesh: 106-year-old woman gets her first COVID-19 vaccine in Bhopal district

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: A woman, whose age according to her Aadhaar card is 106 years, received her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Bhopal district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

    A state public relations department official said that the woman was administered the dose at an inoculation facility in Berasia area near here. After getting the jab, Kamli Bai, a resident of Bilkho village, said that the vaccine may help tide over the pandemic.

    According to Kamli Bai’s Aadhaar card, she was born on January 1, 1915. Last Saturday, a 118-year-old woman (according to her Aadhaar card) named Tulsabai was administered the coronavirus vaccine in Khimlasa area of Sagar district in the state.

  • Gujarat government not in favour of lockdown despite spike in COVID cases: CM Vijay Rupani

    By PTI
    AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government is not in favour of imposing a lockdown in the state considering its impact on the poor despite the rise in coronavirus positive cases, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Saturday.

    However, he welcomed the voluntary imposition of lockdowns at a local level by villages or market associations in cities.

    “The state government is not willing to impose a lockdown in the state considering the problems faced by the poor people. We have already imposed a curfew for 10 hours in a day to restrict the unnecessary movement of people,” Rupani said when asked if the government was thinking of clamping a lockdown in view of the rising cases.

    Rupani was speaking to reporters after flagging off 20 new ‘Dhanvantari’ vans which will conduct coronavirus tests in public places and also suggest treatment. “If any market association imposes a lockdown at a local level or if any village imposes such a measure, it is welcome to do so,” the chief minister said.

    Amid the upswing in cases, many villages, housing societies and market organisations in Gujarat have declared lockdowns in their respective areas. The market organisation of Sola road in Ahmedabad has also decided to impose a lockdown on Saturday and Sunday to break the chain of transmission.

    A ‘janta’ curfew for two days is also observed in Palanpur city, but some traders kept their shops open. With the latest addition of 4,541 fresh COVID-19 cases, the tally of cases in Gujarat reached 3,37,015 on Friday, as per the state health department.

    Meanwhile, the CM denied reports that the state government was hiding the true data on the count of fatalities caused by the COVID-19 infection. “As per the guidelines of the ICMR, if a comorbid patient dies then a committee of experts decides the primary and secondary causes of such death. If that committee identifies the main cause of the death as a heart attack then even though the patient was infected, such death is not counted as caused by coronavirus. The same system is followed in the entire country,” he said.

    As per the state health government, Gujarat’s overall COVID-19 toll stood at 4,697 as on Friday. Rupani further said the state government has made arrangements for hospital beds, oxygen, Remdesivir injections and other facilities to treat patients.

  • COVID-19: Streets, markets deserted as Maharashtra’s first weekend lockdown comes into force

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The weekend lockdown imposed across Maharashtra to bring under control the COVID-19 surge, has elicited a positive reponse from people so far with the streets and markets in most parts of the state, including Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur, wearing a deserted look, officials said on Saturday.

    However, at some locations in the state, including some market areas in Mumbai, people were seen flouting social distancing and other norms by gathering at one place in large numbers. The first weekend lockdown in the state began at 8 pm on Friday and it will continue till 7 am on Monday.

    The announcement about the weekend lockdown had been made on Sunday, when the state government also declared some other restrictions, like night curfew during the week days and prohibitory orders during the day time as part of its ‘Break the Chain’ COVID-19 action plan.

    The weekend lockdown and other curbs will continue till April 30. In the country’s financial capital, some areas like south Mumbai were completely deserted due to the lockdown. But people in some other pockets of the city, like the market areas in the central parts and some suburbs in the eastern parts, could be seen stepping out of their houses and also crowding at some points.

    Eyewitnesses said that a large number of people were seen in Dadar vegetable market, with many of them not even wearing face masks. At many places in the city, people also made a beeline outside liquor shops. Mumbai police have deployed personnel to ensure that people adhere to the rules.

    Taking to Twitter, Mumbai Police had said, “Indoor Mode: ON! A Friday-evening reminder about the weekend lockdown from 8pm tonight till 7am Monday. We urge all citizens to not step out, except for essential services or medical emergencies. Stay home, Mumbaikars. Help Mumbai stay safe!”

    Indoor Mode: ON!A Friday-evening reminder about the weekend lockdown from 8pm tonight till 7am Monday.We urge all citizens to not step out, except for essential services or medical emergencies.Stay home, Mumbaikars. Help Mumbai stay safe!#BreakTheChain#TakingOnCorona
    — Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) April 9, 2021

    In Pune, the weekend lockdown has so far received a good response as all shops, commercial establishments, major market areas remained shut and there were no people on the roads. “There is a very good response to the weekend lockdown in Pune. Barring medical shops, almost all other shops, commercial establishments and market areas are shut. People are not coming out on the streets and 95 per cent of those who stepped out, had a valid reason to do so,” Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Shisave said.

    Police have set up multiple checkpoints in the city to ensure that peole follow the lockdown in letter and spirit. The lockdown in Pune had started at 6 pm on Friday. In Aurangabad, the weekend lockdown brought the movement of people under control.

    People have deferred their travel plans and the movement of public transport vehicles has also declined, a senior official told PTI on Saturday. “The weekend lockdown in Aurangabad district had come into effect from the second week of March due to the spike in cases. This was done to avoid unnecessary rush during the weekends,” DCP Nikhesh Khatmode said.

    Nagpur Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar told PTI that the weekend lockdown in the city has received a good response so far.

  • Formulate COVID-19 vaccine allotment criteria: Maharashtra Health minister Rajesh Tope to Centre

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Health minister Rajesh Tope has urged the Centre to formulate criteria for allotment of COVID-19 vaccines by taking into consideration factors like population and number of active coronavirus cases of a particular state.

    He alleged that many states, which are smaller than Maharashtra in terms of population and the number of patients, have received more doses. Talking to reporters, Tope said that out of thelatest dispatch of 3.5 crore doses by the Centre, Maharashtra received 7 lakh and the Centre added another 10 lakh “after much persuasion”.

    “The criteria should be decided in terms of the size of the population and the number of active cases,” he said, adding that many smaller states with less population and number of active cases had got more doses than Maharashtra.

    ALSO READ| Sonia Gandhi reviews efforts to tackle COVID-19 in Congress-ruled states

    He said that Maharashtra, with a population of over 12 crore, accounts for 60 per cent of the total number of active cases in the country. He said that the number is more because testing has been increased substantially.

    Tope said the state had mobilised its capacity to administer six lakh doses on daily basis. “We have scaled up the daily vaccination up to 6 lakh people. Weekly we are able to vaccinate 40 lakh people and monthly around 1.60 crore…We need vaccine accordingly. Where there are more cases, it is necessary that we develop immunity and vaccine is the only answer,” he said.

    “Today we have 8 lakh doses available and we have been told we will get four lakh doses in a day. If the supply of doses is on a daily basis, how will the vaccines be transported to other parts of the state on time?” he asked.

    Stating that 70 vaccine centres in Mumbai have closed and places like Sangli, Satara, Panvel are also facing shortage, due to which all the centres there have been affected. People visiting the centres are being turned away.

    All this is very embarrassing, he said and reiterated that the state’s vaccine wastage percentage is just three per cent. “The Centre is not addressing these issues seriously,” Tope alleged.

    Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told reporters that all political parties should set aside their differences and unite to save lives from coronavirus. “An MLA from Nanded has died, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has been hospitalised. The virus is attacking VIPs and common people alike. We need to unite to tackle the pandemic. The opposition should cooperate and give suggestions if the state government is falling short,” he said.

    To a question on the ‘Tika Utsav’ (vaccine festival) as suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Raut said the aim of the programme is to create awareness about vaccination. “Without creating controversies, the Centre should give Maharashtra the number of doses it requires,” he said.

  • BK Hariprasad to be AICC in-charge for West Bengal polls as Jitin Prasada contracts COVID-19

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: BK Hariprasad, the Congress’ senior observer overseeing campaign management in West Bengal, will shoulder the responsibilities during the polls of AICC in-charge of the state Jitin Prasada, who tested positive for COVID-19 recently.

    Prasada, who was engaged in aggressively campaigning for the Assembly polls, had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week and was in quarantine as advised by doctors. “Mr Jitin Prasada is the AICC in-charge, but since he is down with COVID-19, I would be filling in for him during the campaign,” BK Hariprasad told PTI over phone from Kolkata.

    “We have a formidable alliance with the Left and the Indian Secular Front….I think we will be in a position to form the government,” he said on the Congress-Left-ISF alliance’s chances in the polls.

    Asked if the Congress would be willing to support the TMC after the polls if a situation arises that the two parties need to come together to stop the BJP from coming to power, Hariprasad said it is for the party president to decide on such issues.

    Earlier in January, Hariprasad and Alamgir Alam besides Punjab Minister Vijay Inder Singla were appointed as senior observers to oversee the party’s election campaign management for the West Bengal Assembly polls.

    Elections for 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal are being held in eight phases. The votes will be counted on May 2.