News Analysis India

Tag: COVID19

  • 96 countries have agreed to mutual accept Indian COVID vaccine certificates: Mansukh Mandaviya

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Ninety-six countries have agreed to mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates with India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday.

    The government continues to be in communication with the rest of the world so that beneficiaries of the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccination programme are accepted and recognised, thereby easing travel for education, business and tourism purposes, Mandaviya said in a statement.

    “At present, 96 countries have agreed to mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and also those who recognise Indian vaccination certificates of travellers fully vaccinated with Covishield/WHO approved/nationally approved COVID vaccines,” Mandaviya stated.

    Consecutively, persons travelling from these countries are provided certain relaxations as enunciated in the Union Health Ministry’s guidelines on international arrivals issued on October 20, 2021. For those who wish to travel abroad, the international travel vaccination certificate can also be downloaded from the CoWIN portal, the ministry said.

    Among the 96 countries are Canada, the US, the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Bangladesh, Mali, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Angola, Nigeria, Benin, Chad, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Finland, Estonia, Romania, Moldova, Albania, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Austria, Montenegro, and Iceland.

    Eswatini, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, Kyrgyz Republic, Belarus, Armenia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Georgia, Andorra, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Maldives, Comoros, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Peru, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Brazil have also agreed to mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates with India.

    Guyana, Antigua & Barbuda, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Columbia, Trinidad & Tobago, Commonwealth of Dominica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nepal, Iran, Lebanon, State of Palestine, Syria, South Sudan, Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt, Australia, Mongolia, and Philippines are the other countries.

    “The Ministry of Health along with the Ministry of External Affairs is in continuous communication with all countries for mutual recognition of vaccine certificates, and WHO and nationally approved vaccines to facilitate hassle-free international travel across countries,” the minister said.

    “The Union government’s commitment to accelerate the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country has resulted in crossing the 100 crore milestone in administration of doses on October 21, 2021,” he stated.

    The cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 109.08 crore.

  • Brother-sister duo would have fled to Italy if COVID struck during Congress regime: Yogi Adityanath

    By ANI

    LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that if pandemic had occurred during the Congress regime then the “brother-sister duo would have fled to Italy”.

    While addressing at the Samajik Pratinidhi Sammelan, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister slammed the Opposition parties and said, “When COVID-19 struck, if there had there been a Congress government, then brother and sister would have fled to Italy. If there had been Samajwadi Party (SP) government, then there would have been a competition between the uncle and the nephew to misappropriate aid and the poor would not have been cared for. God knows what would have happened under ‘Behenji’.”

    Further attacking the Samajwadi Party, the Chief Minister said, “No one would have dared to open fire at Ram Bhakts on November 2, 1990, had there been a BJP government. They were ‘Ramdrohi’ who ordered firing at Ram Sewaks for vote-bank. Those who do not belong to Ram, do not belong to us.”

    He further questioned the recent meeting of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav with the family of student leader Umar Khalid and said, “An anti-national had given the slogan ‘Desh ke tukde honge’, and after giving this slogan recently his family members met the chief of a political party (SP). Umar Khalid’s family members met this party’s chief. What does this prove? This proves the party’s intentions for the state.”

    The Chief Minister further added that the Central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was taking steps to alleviate the status of backward castes. “The Constitutional right given to the OBC Commission was an important step towards empowering backward sections,” he said.

    He further said that various government schemes were being implemented for the welfare of various communities without discrimination.

  • India’s economy accelerating with increasing COVID vaccination coverage: PM Narendra Modi

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: As India breached the landmark of administering 100 crore COVID vaccine doses, the experts around the globe are positive about the country’s economic growth, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.

    “Experts in India and abroad are very positive about India’s economy. Today, not only record investment is coming to Indian companies but new employment opportunities are also being created for the youth…Positive activities are accelerating in every field with increasing coverage of the vaccine,” the Prime Minister said during his address to the nation.

    India’s vaccine campaign is a living example of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas aur Sabka Prayas,’ #PMModi said.#NarendraModi #OneBillionDoses pic.twitter.com/WtKIdlyfD5
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) October 22, 2021
    PM Modi noted that the agriculture sector kept India’s economy “firmly in place” during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Today, food grains are being procured at a record level. The money is going directly into the bank account of the farmers,” he said.

    Talking about other sectors of the economy, the Prime Minister said that today, Indian companies aren’t just getting record investments, but employment generation is also taking place. “Along with record investment in start-ups, record start-up unicorns are also being developed,” he stated.

    ALSO READ| India’s vaccination programme science- born, science-driven, science-based: PM Modi

    He reiterated his clarion call of “Vocal For Local” and appealed to people to buy ‘Made in India’ products during the festival season. “Emphasis should be given to buying made in India products. This will be possible only with the efforts of everyone. We have to put buying things made by Indians, being Vocal For Local, into practice,” he stated.

    PM Modi also urged people to celebrate the upcoming festivals with utmost caution. “I appeal to all those who have not taken the first dose of COVID19 vaccine yet should be given utmost priority to getting vaccinated. Those who are vaccinated should encourage others,” he said.

    Urging people to keep following COVID protocols, PM Modi added, “No matter how good the armour is, no matter how modern the armour is, even if armour guarantees complete protection, weapons are not thrown while the battle is on. I request that we have to celebrate our festivals with the utmost care.”

    Meanwhile, more than 100.59 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far to eligible beneficiaries, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

  • Fall in COVID vaccination numbers during festive season leaves experts worried

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Navratri festivals in many states have thrown up visuals of unguarded intermingling of people, raising fresh worries of a sudden rise in COVID cases, the pace of vaccination over the last several days has also taken a bad hit.

    Rise in daily vaccinations that began in late August has plummeted to under 50 lakh doses over the last few days, while there has not been a single one crore plus vaccination day during this month so far. As a result, only about 54 lakh doses of vaccines were administered on an average every day in October thus far, registering a sharp decline from September when the daily average was over 80 lakh. 

    Between October 1 and 15, a total of 8,12,41,556 jabs were administered. Overall, 97.57 crore shots have been administered in the country since January 16 when the vaccinations started.Officials in the health ministry conceded that the dip in daily vaccination has been worrying.

    “This is particularly concerning, given that we have asked states to raise the pace of vaccination in the wake of the festive season and pay special emphasis on inoculating those due for their second doses,” a senior official told The New Indian Express. 

    Last month, the Centre had advised the states that only those fully vaccinated should attend mass gatherings, but authorities maintained that there was no way to ascertain that this advisory had been followed anywhere.

    Warning people of the threat of a COVID-19 resurgence, Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the ministry, had last week asked people to watch “October, November, December”, underlining that these months will be crucial.

  • India reports 18,987 fresh cases of COVID-19, active caseload lowest in 215 days

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India logged 18,987 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the infection tally to 3,40,20,730 on Thursday, while the national COVID recovery rate increased to 98.07 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry’s data.

    The death toll climbed to 4,51,435 with 246 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 20 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 109 consecutive days now.

    The active cases have declined to 2,06,586, the lowest in 215 days, comprising 0.61 per cent of the total infections while the national COVID recovery rate was recorded at 98.07 per cent, the ministry said. A decrease of 1067 cases has been recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours.

    A total of 13,01,083 tests were conducted on Wednesday, taking the number of cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 58,76,64,525. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,33,62,709, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.33 per cent.

    The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.46 per cent and the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.44 per cent, according to the Health Ministry. Over 96.82 crore COVID vaccine doses have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20 lakh-mark on August 7, 2020, 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 two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23. The 246 new fatalities include 123 from Kerala and 49 from Maharashtra.

    A total of 4,51,435 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 1,39,670 from Maharashtra, 37,916 from Karnataka, 35,833 from Tamil Nadu, 26,571 from Kerala, 25,089 from Delhi, 22,897 from Uttar Pradesh and 18,935 from West Bengal.

    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.

  • India reports 19,740 fresh cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours, active tally in country lowest in 206 days

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India saw a single-day rise of 19,740 COVID-19 infections, taking the country’s total tally of cases to 3,39,35,309, while the number of active cases has declined to 2,36,643, the lowest in 206 days, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday.

    The death toll has climbed to 4,50,375 with 248 more fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 94 crore, the health ministry said.

    The daily rise in new coronavirus cases has been below 30,000 for 15 straight days, it said. The active cases have declined to 2,36,643 and comprise 0.70 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March last year.

    The national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 97.98 per cent, the highest since March last year, the ministry said. There has been a decrease of 3,578 cases in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours, the data stated.

    The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 1.56 per cent. It has been less than three per cent for the last 40 days, it said The weekly positivity rate has been recorded at 1.62 per cent. It has been below three per cent for the last 106 days, according to the health ministry.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 3,32,48,291, while the case fatality rate has been recorded at 1.33 per cent, it said. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16 last year.

    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 last year. India crossed the two crore cases on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23.

    The 248 new fatalities include 120 from Kerala and 59 from Maharashtra, the ministry said.

    It said that a total of 4,50,375 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 1,39,470 from Maharashtra, 37,866 from Karnataka, 35,754 from Tamil Nadu, 26,072 from Kerala, 25,088 from Delhi, 22,896 from Uttar Pradesh and 18,882 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.

  • Over 88.14 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses provided to States/UTs so far: Union Health Ministry

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: More than 88.14 crores (88,14,50,515) COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to the states and union territories so far by the Government of India through free of cost channel and through direct state procurement, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

    According to the ministry, over 5,28,28,050 crore balance and unutilised COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with states/UTs to be administered. The ministry stated that the Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country.

    It further stated that the new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from June 21.

    As per the ministry, the vaccination drive has been ramped up through the availability of more vaccines, advanced visibility of vaccine availability to states and UTs for enabling better planning by them and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.

    As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Central government has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them COVID-19 Vaccines free of cost, stated the ministry.

    In the new phase of the universalisation of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Central government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to states and UTs, it added.

  • India logs 24,354 fresh cases of COVID-19, 234 deaths recorded

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI:  India logged 24,354 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 3,37,91,061, while the active cases declined to 2,73,889, according to the Union Health Ministry’s data updated on Saturday. The death toll climbed to 4,48,573 with 234 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

    The active cases comprise 0.81 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.86 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

    A decrease of 1,335 COVID cases has been recorded in the total number of active cases in a span of 24 hours. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 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 two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

  • Import delay, limited availability prevents Sputnik V COVID vaccine take-off in India

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: India has now reached a significant milestone of having fully vaccinated one in every four adult against COVID-19 but the role of  Sputnik V in the drive, has been spectacularly underwhelming.

    Of nearly 89 crore vaccines doses administered in India till Friday afternoon, less than just 9,56,0859 doses were that of the Russian vaccine which uses an adenovirus based platform and claims 90 per cent efficacy. 

    In other words, of every 1000 people who have taken shots, less than 1 received Sputnik V, despite its soft launch in India in May through its local partner Dr Reddy’s.

    Sources in the government said a delay on the part of Russia to send both the doses of the vaccine together – Sputnik V, given in two doses is the only vaccine where both the doses have separate components which are not interchangeable – is a main reason why it could never really take off in India.

    The other reason is the vaccine being only available in private hospitals where it costs Rs 995 per shot. Another limitation is that its recipients must receive both the doses at the same centre.  “While Russia sent the first batch to India, it only sent the first doses but the hospitals could not immediately start administering it as the two doses are to be given only 21 days apart and the second doses did not arrive for a long time,” said a senior official. This was confirmed by a representative of private hospitals.

    “As the adult vaccination started-many people even interested in Sputnik V could not get it and later once they took one shot of either Covishield or Covaxin, they could not get Sputnik V evn if its both doses were available at the hospitals. With COVID-19 vaccination saturated in metropolitans now, there are few takers for this vaccines,” said Association of Healthcare Providers of India director-general Girdhar J Gyani

    A spokesperson with Dr Reddy’s told The New Indian Express that with the start of supply of the second dose component manufactured by a partner in India, it has initiated supply of the first dose component to partner hospitals all over India followed by equivalent quantities of the second dose component.

    “The supply momentum therefore is ongoing,” said the firm. The Russian Direct Investment Fund, which markets the vaccine abroad, did not respond to a request for comment.

    Air sanitation devices in universities

    NEW DELHI: As physical classes in many universities and colleges have resumed now, the All India Council for Technical Education has instructed institutes affiliated under it to install air-sanitisation devices based on ultraviolet band irradiation to ensure the safety of staff and students. 

  • INTERVIEW| COVID pandemic hit anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh: DGP DM Awasthi

    Express News Service

    DM Awasthi, the Chhattisgarh Police head, who is considered to be an expert on Left Wing Extremism, has seen  LWE from close quarters for years as the Special Director General for anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh.

    In an interview to The New Indian Express’s Sana Shakil, Awasthi said that COVID-19 did affect operations against the Naxals. He defended his force against the charges of going slow on Naxals and expressed hope that several successful operations against the extremists will be carried out in the near future.

    Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel has talked about the possibility of talking to Maoists, if they surrender their weapons. Do you see any progress on that front?

    The governments at the Centre and at the state have always expressed willingness to talk to the Naxals if they give up arms. The Naxals put up various conditions like imposition of ceasefire, and release of their cadre from jails.

    Those conditions are not acceptable. One has to work within the ambit of the Constitution as the chief minister himself recently stated. Not just the governments but civil society members have also been trying to engage with the Naxals. The purpose is to ensure peace in the state. Nothing like it, if we achieve peace through non-violent means.

    Official data show that the number of operations has gone down. According to the CRPF, the police have gone slow on operations. Your response.

    There is no lack of coordination and cooperation between the police and the central forces. Local police cannot be accused of going slow on Naxal operations. There are reasons why fewer operations were carried out over the last two years.

    We have to take into account the effects of the pandemic, which affected our force. COVID has been a major challenge. I do not believe in conducting operations for the sake of numbers. Operations should result in success, and we have maintained a great success rate. We are confident of more successful operations in the near future.

    Is the government planning to introduce any new initiative to encourage more surrender?

    We recently reviewed our state surrender policy under which we have provided jobs to many Naxals. We are going to strictly monitor the implementation of the policy. When more people get rehabilitated, more get encouraged to surrender. Chhattisgarh has a very attractive policy. We will ensure better enforcement of the policy.  

    Have drone sightings increased in Naxal areas?

    We have not noticed anything alarming on that front.