News Analysis India

Tag: fighting covid

  • Goa sets target of Oct 31 to fully vaccinate eligible population against COVID-19

    By PTI

    PANAJI: After covering the entire eligible population with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the Goa government on Tuesday set a target of October 31 to completely vaccinate all beneficiaries in the state.

    Speaking at a gathering in Margao, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the entire eligible population should be double vaccinated by October 31, and urged people to join hands with the state government for the same.

    He pointed out that neighbouring Maharashtra and Kerala were reporting a rise in COVID-19 cases, and appealed to people not to let their guard down.

    ​ALSO READ | Efficacies vary but all COVID-19 vaccines effective: Experts

    “A total of 11.50 lakh people have been given the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the state, which makes for the entire eligible population, if we go by the election data,” Sawant said.

    At least 20 per cent of the population, who have taken the first dose and are due for the second dose, are yet to turn up for their jab, despite having crossed the time gap between the two shots, he said.

    The chief minister said while the state government is prepared to face the third wave with all the necessary health infrastructure in place, it expects people to take precautions, especially considering the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

  • Maharashtra announces special housing scheme for COVID-19 warriors

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Sunday announced a reasonable housing scheme to honour Covid-19 warriors of the state for their comendable duty during the pandemic.

    According to the housing body of Maharashtra government, 4,488 houses for various groups like lower income to higher-income will be allocated.

    With this announcement, Maharashtra became first in the country to announce such a scheme for Covid warriors.

    ALSO READ | India records 36,083 new Covid cases, 493 deaths

    As per a Maharashtra government notification, dated 29 May 2020, employees of different departments like health workers, police, ASHA workers, finance, food and civil supply, water supply and sanitation etc are declared the Covid-19 warriors for their service during the pandemic. 

    Besides, the uniformed personnel such as armed servicemen, paramilitary forces, police, the fire brigade are also treated the Covid-19 warriors. 

    The applicant for the scheme should have a domicile certificate — staying in Maharashtra for the last 15 years.

    “The houses for the Covid-19 warriors are mostly located in Navi Mumbai — Kharghar, Kalamboli, Ghansoli, Dronagiri, Taloja etc. 

    ​ALSO READ | Covid-19: Vaccinations remain below projected target

    “If there are more applications than the announced houses in the scheme, then the houses will be allocated through the lottery system,” said a government official adding that aspirant can submit their application online.

    Moreover, the applicant has to get the certificate of Covid-19 warrior from their respective department.

    “This is little help and tribute to people who worked tirelessly during the pandemic risking their lives. In Mumbai, most people can’t afford to buy houses. Therefore this scheme will help them to get their dream home. Besides, the prices of these houses are high compared to private developers. Maharashtra is the first state to come out with such a scheme for Covid19 warriors,” said CIDCO officer.

  • Centre releases Rs 8,093 crore emergency Covid fund for states to plug infra gaps

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Centre has released around Rs 8,093 crore to states as part of phase 2 of the emergency response & health system preparedness package, approved by the Union cabinet in early July with a corpus of Rs 23,123 crore to prepare rural, tribal and semi-urban areas better.

    Last month, the Union Health Ministry had already issued Rs 1,827 crore under this scheme, to be implemented from July this year to March 2022 to the states.

    The government said that with the released of 35% more funds, a total of 50% of the fund has now been shared by the states, to ensure implementation of critical activities at the district- levels to prepare the public healthcare systems in response to the evolving pandemic.

    ALSO READ | Kerala model not working anymore? Experts question high Covid death count The scheme is aimed to accelerate health system preparedness for immediate responsiveness for early prevention, detection and management, with a focus on health infrastructure development including for paediatric care and with measurable outcomes. 

    Under the ERCP-II, the creation of 827 paediatric units in the districts which will result in the additional creation of 19,030 oxygen supported beds and 10,440 ICU and high dependency unit beds have been planned.

    Also, it has been decided to augment 23,056 ICU beds in the public healthcare system out of which 20% will be paediatric ICU beds while to provide care closer to the community due to the ingress of Covid19 in rural, peri-urban and tribal areas, a provision of 8.010 pre-fabricated structures for adding additional beds at government hospitals has been made.

    The scheme also looks to establish 203 field hospitals, with 50-100 beds, depending on the requirements posed by the states in tier-II or Tier-III cities and district headquarters which will help in the creation of 13065 oxygen supported beds.

    Till April this year, states with supported with Rs 15,000 crore by the Centre for Covid19 preparedness under ERCP-I.

  • Maharashtra company starts human trials of drug aimed at mild, moderate cases of Covid

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A company in western Maharashtra has started human trials of a drug targeted at mild and moderately infected coronavirus patients, a top official said.

    The company is hopeful of launching the product by the year-end after completing all the phases of trials, the official said.

    World’s largest vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) is the sponsor of the Pune-headquartered iSERA Biological Pvt Ltd’s drug project, which began soon after COVID-19 hit Indian shores.

    The company’s primary activity is the manufacturing of antiserum products for snakebites and rabies, and it is using the same process for development of the anti-Covid drug as well, its director Pratap Deshmukh told PTI.

    ALSO READ | 1,317 bed-ridden people given Covid vaccine in Mumbai, no case of adverse reaction: BMC tells HC

    He did not disclose the investment by his company and SII in the drug development.

    There has been no reaction from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, on the drug project.

    “The drug project started as an idea to check if we can use Covid anti-bodies to help a patient.

    It was followed up with pre-clinical studies, analyzing neutralizing values and animal studies,” he said.

    The results so far have been encouraging, he said, adding the company will be able to deliver the drug at a tenth of the cost charged by the alternative produced by pharma major Roche.

    ALSO READ | How will COVID vaccines work on compromised immune systems? Here’s what we know

    Deshmukh said his company got the test license from the Drugs Controller General of India in April 2020 and SII came on board in June the same year, helping with the supply of antigens, he said.

    These antigens are given to horses, who develop antibodies, using which the drug is manufactured after a purification process, he added.

    This is a tested process used for over a century in making anti-venoms, Deshmukh said.

    The ‘polyclonal cocktail’ being developed by iSERA will be safer than Roche’s monoclonal cocktail, he claimed.

    While SII will be holding the intellectual property being the sponsor, iSERA will be a partner, Deshmukh said.

    The safety of the drug is being established during the human trials, after which the company will begin the second and third phase to establish its efficacy and define the dosage to ultimately seek an emergency use authorisation, he said.

  • Covid vaccination: Two UP villages achieve 100 per cent first dose target

    By PTI
    JHANSI: Two villages here have witnessed considerable progress in the fight against Covid with all the residents above the age of 18 having received the first jab of the vaccine against the virus, authorities said on Tuesday.

    At the villages, Kharela and Nota in Jhansi, all residents, who are eligible for the vaccine, have been administered the first dose, they said.

    “All 310 eligible beneficiaries of Kharela village have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccines. On the directions of the state government, the district administration has managed to successfully help its villagers in overcoming their vaccine hesitancy,” Jhansi District Magistrate (DM) Adra Wamsi told PTI.

    The village situated in Moth block has a population of around 568, he said.

    “We do congratulate the entire village, its surveillance team, health department, ASHA, ANM, panchayat raj department, revenue department, SHGs and local FPOs for this achievement,” he said The cluster model approach adopted by the administration worked well in these villages along with the community participation, he said adding that the administration ensured that there was no wastage of the vaccine.

    “We faced a lot of resistance initially from villages due to lack of awareness. Then we asked the surveillance committees to run awareness campaigns in the village. The members of surveillance committees went from door-to-door and told about the benefits of vaccines and encouraged them to get vaccinated,” said Wamsi.

    Woman village head Sangeeta Yadav said: “In view of the threat of the third wave, this was an important step taken by the villagers for their safety.”

    Few days ago Nota village that falls under the Bangra block of the district, became the first village to achieve 100 per cent vaccination target with all its 2,447 eighteen plus inhabitants getting the first jab.

  • BMC claims monoclonal antibodies, given to Trump, successful in over 200 coronavirus patients

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Over 200 coronavirus patients at a civic hospital who were administered monoclonal antibodies showed a remarkable recovery following the treatment, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Monday.

    Monoclonal antibodies made news as a treatment for COVID-19 when they were given to then US President Donald Trump in November last year after he tested positive for the disease on the election campaign trail.

    It was described as an “experimental antibody cocktail” that was “one of the most promising candidates”.

    The monoclonal antibodies treatment has proved successful for over 200 COVID-19 patients at the civic body’s Seven Hills Hospital at Andheri in western suburbs, the BMC claimed in a release.

    After administering the cocktail, composed of Casirivimab and Imdevimab, cleared for use in mild to moderate cases of coronavirus in high-risk patients, only 0.5 per cent patients needed oxygen and the mortality rate was also reduced by 70 per cent, the release said.

    The earlier requirement of 13 to 14 days of hospitalisation was also reduced to 5 to 6 days after the cocktail was given, it said.

    The cocktail therapy is succeeding against the backdrop of the anticipated third wave of coronavirus, the BMC said, terming the “successful experimentation” with this drug combination a “respite” ahead of the third wave.

    “Trump was given the same cocktail of drugs after he contracted coronavirus. Since then, his health has improved significantly,” the BMC claimed.

    In India, the drugs were registered with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization on May 10, 2021, and have been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India, the BMC said.

    A total of 212 COVID-19 patients were given this cocktail through saline at the Seven Hills Hospital.

    Conclusions have been reached after the treatment of 199 patients, of which there were 101 patients in the 18-45 years age group, 45 patients in the 45-59 years age group and 53 patients above 60 years.

    “Of the 199 patients, 74 have at least one co-morbidity,” the BMC said.

    All the 199 patients were in the mild to moderate infection group, it added.

    At the start of treatment, 179 had a fever, while 158 had a cough with or without fever.

    Four patients were on oxygen support.

    It was noticed that fever subsided within 48 hours after giving the cocktail medicine, the BMC claimed.

    “Out of 199, only one person had to be supplied with oxygen. This proportion is only 0.5 per cent. It is a great relief, considering the amount of oxygen that was needed earlier for coronavirus patients,” the BMC said.

    In the first and second waves, at least 20 per cent of the patients had to be given oxygen and five per cent of patients had to undergo intensive care (ICU) treatment, it said.

    The civic body said monoclonal antibody cocktails can be given to patients above 12 years of age who weigh at least 40 kg.

    No side effects have been reported in any of the patients, the BMC said, adding the death toll has also dropped by a staggering 70 per cent.

    “This cocktail can be given to patients having diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, asthma and other acute respiratory diseases, high blood pressure, sickle cell, cerebral palsy etc,” the BMC said.

    This treatment is also financially beneficial to the patients as there is no need for oxygen supply and other expensive medications, avoiding the need for hospitalization, it said.

    “Considering the medical manpower, it is possible to provide treatment through OPD and as the duration of hospital stay of the patient is reduced, it will also help in relieving the work stress on doctors,” the BMC claimed.

  • No new Covid-19 fatality in Jharkhand; fresh cases dip to 90

    By PTI
    RANCHI: Not a single COVID-19 related death took place in tribal-dominated Jharkhand during the last 24 hours showing signs of recovery, while the fresh cases declined to 90, a health department bulletin said on Tuesday.

    No new COVID-19 cases were reported from seven of the 24 districts – Deoghar, Dumka, Jamtara, Khunti, Koderma, Pakur and Ramgarh – during the last 24 hours.

    The state now has 1,005 active COVID-19 cases while the death toll remained at 5,111.

    The 90 new COVID-19 cases pushed the tally to 3,45,430, the bulletin said.

    East Singhbhum district reported 19 cases, followed by 10 from Gumla and 9 from Bokaro.

    However, the mortality rate in the state remained at 1.47 per cent, higher than the national average of 1.30 per cent.

    The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state has improved to 98.22 per cent, better than the national average of 96.80 per cent.

    At least 115 more patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 3,39,314, the bulletin said.

    Altogether, 98,80,072 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in Jharkhand, including 56,088 since Monday, it added.

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    In a bid to combat the second wave of COVID-19, the government has extended the lockdown like restrictions in the state till July 1.

    Several other restrictions, including seven-day mandatory quarantine for people visiting the state, have been in place.

    The state has also suspended the operation of the intra and inter-city bus services and restricted the maximum number of attendees in a wedding event to 11.

  • COVID-19: IIT-Delhi launches rapid antigen test kit priced at Rs 50

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has come up with a rapid antigen test kit for Covid which is priced at Rs 50 and gives results within five minutes.

    The ICMR approved test kit was launched by Union Minister of State for Education Sanjay Dhotre on Friday.

    “I am confident that this technology will revolutionize the Covid test availability in the country. I am glad to know that the kit has been developed entirely using the internal resources at IIT-Delhi,” Dhotre said during the launch.

    The technology behind the test has been patented by IIT-Delhi.

    Professor Harpal Singh and his team from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering at the institute have developed the technology.

    “This kit is used for in vitro qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen meant for the qualitative determination in human nasal swabs, throat swabs and deep sputum samples. It is suitable for general population screening and diagnosis of COVID-19,” Singh said.

    “The identification is based on the monoclonal antibodies specific for the Coronavirus antigen.

    The results obtained are qualitative based and can be inferred visually with naked eye,” he said.

    The professor explained that the test is found to be suitable for early Ct values (Ct values between 14 to 32) with 90 per cent sensitivity, 100 per cent specificity and 98.99 per cent accuracy.

    The IIT has awarded licenses to two companies in the country for its commercial roll out.

  • Mobile recharge coupons, sarees, make-up boxes: Gifts galore to boost COVID vaccinations in MP

    By PTI
    BHOPAL/INDORE/BETUL: In a bid to encourage people to take COVID-19 jabs and overcome hesitancy, Madhya Pradesh government officials and various organisations have started offering prizes and gifts, ranging from mobile phone recharge coupons to sarees and make-up boxes, especially in rural areas.

    Bhopal district administration is offering mobile recharge coupons worth Rs 200 through lottery while an organisation in a village in Betul district is distributing umbrellas and sarees.

    A traders’ outfit in Indore has also announced various rewards totalling Rs one lakh to encourage people to get themselves vaccinated.

    “Five persons won mobile vouchers worth Rs 200 each through a lucky draw on Wednesday. This initiative was launched to encourage vaccination,” a Bhopal district official said.

    In Indore, the Association of Industries Madhya Pradesh, an organisation of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) companies, announced a reward scheme to strengthen inoculation.

    “We are seeing that many workers in industrial plants in Indore are not getting themselves vaccinated due to different reasons. So we have decided to encourage them through a reward scheme,” said Association president Pramod Dafaria.

    He said prizes, including items like juicers, mixers and cookers, worth Rs one lakh would be distributed on July 20 to 100 vaccinated labourers through a lucky draw.

    An estimated one lakh workers are currently working in local industrial plants, he said, adding that the Association has also asked its member industrialists to get workers in their respective factories vaccinated by July 10.

    Another organisation is offering umbrellas and sarees for those getting themselves vaccinated in Simori village in Betul district.

    “All the doses of vaccines were exhausted within the first two hours of the announcement of this scheme,” said a volunteer in Simori village.

    He said 40 sarees and a good number of masks were distributed on the occasion.

    Besides, make-up boxes were also distributed to women.

    Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday recorded 84 new cases of COVID-19 and 21 casualties that raised the tally of infections to 7,89,499 and took the toll to 8,827, the state health department said.

    On July 21, Madhya Pradesh set a new record for itself by vaccinating more than 16 lakh people against COVID-19 as part of a mega inoculation campaign launched to coincide with International Yoga Day, exceeding the set target of 10 lakh inoculations for that day.

  • Maharashtra government announces wage hike, Covid-19 allowance for Asha workers

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday announced that Asha workers will get an increment of Rs 1,000 in their wages and Rs 500 as COVID-19 allowance per month from July besides a smartphone.

    After the announcement, which will benefit more than 68,000 such community health activists, Asha workers withdrew their week-long protest which they had launched in support of various demands, including a wage hike.

    The kin of Asha workers who have died due to COVID-19 will get a compensation of Rs 50 lakh, the minister said.

    Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) are contractual workers hired to implement a slew of government schemes, chiefly of the health department.

    ALSO READ | Second Covid wave hit housing sales too, demand falls by 58% in second quarter of 2021

    Speaking to reporters, Tope said, “Maharashtra’s Asha workers will get an expensive smartphone for their work along with an increment of Rs 1,000 per month.

    They will also get Rs 500 per month as COVID-19 allowance on top of the increment.

    This means, Asha workers will get Rs 1,500 more per month from July, the minister said.

    Asha group monitors will get an increment of Rs 1,200 and Rs 500 as COVID-19 allowance, he said.

    There are 71,137 sanctioned posts of Asha workers in the state, of which 68,297 seats are filled, Tope said.

    Group heads of Asha workers, who monitor their daily functioning, will get a permanent increment of Rs 1,200 per month apart from a COVID-19 allowance of Rs 500, he said.

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    Asha workers will get another increment of Rs 500 from July 2022, he added.

    The state would spend Rs 202 crore annually to absorb the hike in increment and allowance, said the minister.

    Asha workers helping at vaccination centres to manage crowds will get an additional Rs 200 allowance, he said.

    “The family members of Asha workers who have died due to COVID-19 will get a compensation of Rs 50 lakh. The data compilation work is going on and the government is trying to settle such claims at the earliest,” Tope said.

    Their family members will also get free COVID-19 treatment at state-run hospitals, he added.

    Asha workers who assist pregnant women to get admitted in district COVID-19 hospitals will get Rs 200 as a special allowance and shelter will be provided to them at such hospitals, said the minister.