News Analysis India

Tag: Health Ministry

  • COVID-19: India’s active caseload down to 2.31 lakh

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India’s COVID-19 active caseload, which has been falling steadily, stands at 2,31,036 and accounts for a “paltry” 2.23 per cent of the total infections reported so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

    This has been made possible as daily recoveries are outnumbering new infections for 39 days in a row, the ministry stated.

    “Against 29,091 people who recovered in a 24-hour window, India reported only 16,375 new cases, maintaining a steady level of testing.

    “A net decline of 12,917 cases has been recorded in the total active cases in a day,” the ministry said.

    India’s cumulative recoveries are inching closer to the 1-crore mark.

    The tally of recovered cases stands at 99,75,958 as of now.

    The ministry said 82.62 per cent of the 29,091 new recoveries were contributed by 10 states and union territories.

    Maharashtra reported the highest number of 10,362 single-day recoveries, while Kerala recorded 5,145 and Chhattisgarh 1,349.

    Ten states and UTs have contributed 80.05 per cent of the new cases. Maharashtra reported 4,875 cases in the last 24 hours.

    Kerala recorded 3,021 new cases, while Chhattisgarh registered 1,147 daily cases. The ministry said 70.15 per cent of the 201 case fatalities reported in a span of 24 hours are from 10 states and UTs.

    Maharashtra registered 29 deaths, West Bengal reported 25 and Punjab 24.

  • All passengers from UK to be tested for COVID-19 on arrival between January 8-30: Health Ministry

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The passengers reaching India from the UK between January 8 and January 30 will have to carry negative RT-PCR tests and will be subjected to selfpaid Covid-19 tests on arrival, the Centre said in a standard operating procedure issued on Saturday. Travellers from the UK will need to get their negative reports from tests done 72 hours prior to the journey, as per the guidelines. India had suspended all flights to and from the UK from December 23 to 31 to check the spread of the mutated and more contagious variant of coronavirus found there. Later, the suspension was extended till January 7.

    ALSO READ: First jab of COVID-19 vaccine barely a few days away in India

    The restrictions however will be relaxed from January 8 and 30 flights per week will operate between India and the UK in an arrangement that will continue till January 23. “Airlines to ensure the availability of negative test reports before allowing the passenger to board the flight,” the health ministry’s SOP said, adding that adequate arrangements should be made for the passengers who will be waiting for their RT-PCR test or its results at the airport.

    “Passengers testing positive shall be isolated in an institutional isolation facility in a separate (isolation) unit coordinated by the respective state health authorities,” the SOP said. If the genomic sequencing indicates the presence of the new variant of SAR S-CoV-2, the patient will continue to remain in a separate isolation unit, as per the guidelines. The patient will be tested on the 14th day after having tested positive and he or she will be kept in the isolation facility till his or her sample has tested negative, it added.

    ALSO READ: COVID vaccine dry-run kicks off, Kerala Health Minister says state ready for vaccination drive

    If a passenger tests Covidpositive on arrival, passengers seated in the same row, three rows in front and three rows behind would also be subjected to institutional quarantine in separate quarantine centres, as per the planned protocol. The passengers who are found Covid-negative after the tests conducted at the airport would be advised home quarantine for 14 days and the concerned state or district administration should regularly follow up with them.

  • Health Ministry: Make all Govt premises tobacco-free zones

    Months after making premises of its headquarters here, Nirman Bhawan, a tobacco-free zone, the Union Health Ministry has now asked all the State Governments and other Central Government departments to initiate similar move in all their buildings to protect public health.

    Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan in her recent letter to all the State Government pointed out the health threats of tobacco, saying that its use is highly detrimental to health. It is a major risk factor for cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVD, diabetes, chronic lung disease, stroke), infertility, blindness, tuberculosis (TB), oral cavity etc, she said. “Thus, in the interest of public health and with a view to keep the building clean, contributing towards the “Swachh Bharatt Swasth Bharat” campaign initiative was taken. As such smoking and spitting of tobacco in the premise of Nirman Bhawan is prohibited and is a punishable offence.

    ” In this regard, it would be appropriate that all government buildings/offices of your State/UT are made tobacco free in-order to protect public health,” said the Health Secretary to her counterparts in the States.

    To protect non-users from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke, smoking in public place which includes all public offices, workplaces, canteen etc  has been banned as per Section 4 of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulations of Trade and Commerce Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA),2003.