News Analysis India

Tag: Pandemic

  • Siddaramaiah questions celebration of 1 billion COVID vaccinations

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday questioned the celebration over administration of one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses in the country when only 21 per cent of the people have been fully vaccinated so far.

    In a series of tweets, the Congress stalwart hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for not yet vaccinating the entire eligible population.

    “‘1 billion doses’ sounds fancy number but the devil is in the details. Only 29 Cr people out of 139Cr are fully vaccinated, which means only about 21% are fully vaccinated. What are @BJP4India leaders celebrating for? For vaccinating just 21% of the population?” Siddaramiah asked in a tweet.

    According to the Congress veteran, only 29 crore people have received two-doses and 42 crore have got only one, leaving 62 crore without any single dose of vaccine. “With just 29 Cr (21%) people fully vaccinated, India’s position is still in danger. Are @BJP4India leaders celebrating India’s vulnerability?” he asked.

    The leader of opposition in the assembly also claimed that India still needed about 106 crore doses to fully vaccinate the target by December 31, which means 1.51 doses have to be administered everyday.

    He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether India is prepared to administer 106 crore doses by December end and ensure all Indians are fully vaccinated by this year.

    Siddaramaiah noted that 56 per cent of the population in the US is fully vaccinated, in China it is 70 per cent and in Canada 71 per cent. “But India’s vaccine coverage is just 21%. Mr. @narendramodi, let us raise the bar before celebrating!!” the former Chief Minister took a jibe.

    Pointing out that there may be a need for booster dose too, Siddaramaiah said, “With even first doses and second doses pending for large population, can we even think of booster dose? Mr PM @narendramodi, Let us put celebrations on hold & concentrate on vaccinating everyone.” The total vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 99.

    54 crore on Wednesday, according to the data from the Co-WIN portal, with around 75 percent of all adults having administered the first dose and around 31 percent having received both doses.

  • Gujarat vaccinates 90 pc of eligible population with first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Gujarat has vaccinated 90 per cent of its eligible population with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 47 per cent beneficiaries are completely vaccinated against the deadly disease, state Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said on Thursday.

    Speaking to reporters in Gandhinagar, Patel congratulated the countrymen, as India achieved the milestone of administered 100 crore vaccine doses “under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.

    As per the official figures, Gujarat has around 4.93 crore people above the age of 18, who are eligible to take the vaccine against coronavirus. Till 10 am, nearly 4.41 crore people, which comes to around 90 per cent, have received their first dose, while 2.35 crore have taken their second dose as well, the minister said.

    “At least 90 per cent of the eligible population has been given the first dose till today, while nearly 47 per cent, that is 2.32 crore, have been given the second dose. I urge people to come forward, so that we are able to vaccinate 100 per cent of the population with the first dose,” Patel said.

    The Surat, Junagadh and Gandhinagar municipal corporations along with Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Mahisagar and Tapi districts have achieved 100 per cent coverage of the first dose, he said.

    Apart from this, around 15,500 villages have also achieved this milestone in Gujarat so far, he added. “We are planning to achieve 100 per cent first dose coverage in the next 15 days in Gujarat. For that, we will ask government hospitals and health centres to check if incoming patients are vaccinated or not. We have also asked heads of government offices to check and ensure that all their entire staff is vaccinated,” Patel said.

    To ensure that people also take their second dose in time, the minister said his department will launch a drive using the available data to trace and track people who have already taken the first dose.

    People need not worry about the availability of vaccines, as the Gujarat government has nearly 40 lakh doses of the vaccine, Patel added.

  • Co-WIN can be customised, scaled up for health interventions across globe: MEA official

    'Our overarching objective is to harness cyberspace for the growth and empowerment of people, not just of our own country, but for all humanity,' she asserted.

  • Government looking to vaccinate country’s entire adult population by year-end: MoS Health

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: More than 99 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in India and the government has set a target of vaccinating the country’s entire adult population by the end of the year, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar said on Wednesday.

    While virtually addressing the FICCI’s “Healthcare Excellence Awards” ceremony, Pawar informed that under the ‘Make in India’ initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi “India is one of the leading countries in the global medical devices market in the world.”

    Detailing the success amid challenges posed by COVID-19, the Union minister said, “More than 99 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country and the government has set a target of vaccinating the country’s entire adult population by end of the year.”

    The minister thanked the dignitaries present at the event and expressed her appreciation for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for contributing immensely to the COVID-19 response in close coordination with the Empowered Groups, central and state governments.

    Speaking on the occasion, Pawar said a “great responsibility lies on us to achieve the Prime Minister’s dream of achieving affordable, accessible, safe and modern health care in India.” 

    She further said “the Government of India launched various nationwide programs for prevention, control and eradication of communicable and non-communicable diseases and improvement of maternal and child health”.

    The minister highlighted that in working towards the goal of achieving universal health coverage, the government launched the world’s largest public funded health care programme, the ‘Ayushman Bharat Mission’.

    She added that the scheme has been expanded to include the Digital Health Mission that aims to converge the various components of health care ecosystem on one platform for seamless integration and better health outcomes.

    Pawar informed that the government has also launched numerous financial support schemes over the past couple of years for creating the appropriate environment for growth as well as augmenting public-private infrastructure of hospitals and public-funded labs across the country.

    The National Medical Commission and Paramedical Council have been key achievements in the field of medical education, she said.

    The minister also informed that India’s health indicators have shown consistent improvement in the past decade.

    She noted that “relentless efforts of the Central government have resulted in launching of various nationwide programs for prevention, control and eradication of communicable and non-communicable diseases and improvement of maternal and child health.”

  • Over 102.4 crore Covid vaccine doses provided to states: Centre

    The Centre is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of Covid vaccination throughout the country, the ministry said.

  • Meghalaya: No fresh COVID death, 79 new cases push tally to 83,158

    By PTI

    SHILLONG: The COVID-19 death toll in Meghalaya remained at 1,439 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours, while 79 fresh infections pushed the tally to 83,158, a health department official said on Wednesday.

    Of the fresh cases, 45 were recorded in East Khasi Hills district, 23 in West Khasi Hills and six in South West Khasi Hills.

    Meghalaya now has 761 active cases, while 80,958 people have recovered from the disease, Health Services Director Dr Aman War said.

    The state has conducted over 11.26 lakh sample tests for COVID-19, he said. Over 16.62 lakh people have been inoculated in the state with over 5,71,820 of them having received both doses of vaccines, War added.

  • India’s economy recovered very fast after tough phase of COVID-19 pandemic: Modi

    By PTI

    SURAT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the recovery of India’s economy after the difficult phase of COVID-19 pandemic has been robust.

    He was speaking after a virtual ground-breaking ceremony of a boys’ hostel here. “After the difficult phase of the coronavirus pandemic, the Indian economy has recovered very fast. The world is hopeful about India because of this recovery,” the prime minister said.

    He added that an international organisation had recently said that India is once again on its way to becoming the fastest growing economy of the world.

    Modi was apparently referring to International Monetary Fund’s report ‘Recovery During a Pandemic Health Concerns, Supply Disruptions and Price Pressures’, which made a projection that India will grow at 9.5 per cent in the current fiscal.

    As per the IMF’s projection, India will be the fastest growing economy among big countries of the world.

  • Mahendra Singh Dhoni salutes medical fraternity for their sacrifice and hard work

    By PTI

    CHENNAI: Legendary Indian cricketer and Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has saluted the medical fraternity for their service and hard work during the coronavirus pandemic.

    In a video campaign released by Kauvery Group of Hospitals on Friday to recognise the efforts of the fraternity, Dhoni, its brand ambassador, said doctors and nurses were the real heroes and their hard work kept us safe and healthy.

    “Thala whenever you call me Thala, I feel like a real hero. But our real heroes are doctors and nurses who save lives day in and day out. It is their sacrifice and hard work which keeps us safe and healthy,” Dhoni, who is known as ‘Thala’ (leader) among his CSK fans, said in the video message.

    A Tribute from our Thala to all the real heroes! A sincere thanks to all the healthcare professionals. For your well-being, Kauvery Hospital! #kauvery #kauverycares #healthcare #health #dhoni #ipl #msdhoni #cricket #csk #india #msd #mahi #indiancricketteam #thala #love pic.twitter.com/YxfOJ6Pegc
    — Kauvery Hospital (@kauveryhospital) October 15, 2021
    The video campaign has been released by Kauvery Group of Hospitals to recognise the work of the medical fraternity during the pandemic which saw many doctors, nurses and healthcare staff working round-the-clock and some succumbed to the virus, a press release said here.

    The video drives home the message that the healthcare personnel are the unsung heroes who have been relentlessly serving people and saving lives.

    The CSK captain was roped in as brand ambassador by Kauvery Group of Hospitals earlier this year. Dhoni is currently in the UAE with the CSK team which will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL final later on Friday night.

  • Airlines can operate domestic flights without any capacity restriction from October 18: Government

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Airlines can operate domestic flights without any capacity restriction from October 18 onwards, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on Tuesday keeping in mind the “passenger demand for air travel”.

    The carriers have been operating 85 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic services since September 18, according to the ministry’s order.

    The capacity cap stood at 72.5 per cent between August 12 and September 18, 65 per cent between July 5 and August 12 and 50 per cent between June 1 and July 5.

    On October 9, the Indian carriers operated 2,340 domestic flights, which is 71.5 per cent of their total pre-COVID capacity.

    The ministry stated in its order that “it has been decided to restore the scheduled domestic air operation with effect from October 18, 2021, without any capacity restriction”.

    The order noted that the decision was taken “after a review of the current status of scheduled domestic operations viz-a-viz passenger demand for air travel”.

    When the government resumed the scheduled domestic flights on May 25 last year after a two-month break, the ministry had allowed the carriers to operate not more than 33 per cent of their pre-Covid domestic services.

    The cap was gradually increased to 80 per cent by December 2020. The 80-per cent cap remained in place till June 1 this year.

    The May 28 decision to bring down the cap from 80 to 50 per cent from June 1 onwards was taken “in view of the sudden surge in the number of active COVID-19 cases across the country, decrease in passenger traffic and the passenger load (occupancy rate) factor”, the ministry had said.

  • Covid: Expert panel recommends emergency use approval for Covaxin in 2 to 18 age group

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: An expert panel of India’s Central Drug Authority has recommended granting emergency use authorisation to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children in the 2 to 18 years age group with certain conditions, sources said on Tuesday.

    Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, which completed the phase 2/3 trials of Covid vaccine Covaxin for use in children aged between 2 and 18 years, had submitted the data to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for its verification and subsequent approval for emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the jab in the beginning of this month.

    The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 examined the data and deliberated on the EUA application on Monday.

    ALSO READ: India logs 14,313 fresh Covid-19 cases in last 24 hours; lowest since March

    “After detailed deliberation, the committee recommended grant of market authorisation of the vaccine for the age group of 2 to 18 years for restricted use in emergency situations subject to the certain conditions,” a source quoted SEC as having stated in its recommendations.

    The recommendations have been forwarded to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for final approval.

    It issaid that in the last 24 hours, 65,86,092 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered. India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 95.89 crores, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.

    As per provisional reports, till 7 am today, 95,89,78,049 vaccine doses have been administered so far through 93,66,392 sessions.

    ALSO READ | WHO panel recommends Covid vaccine booster shot for people with weak immunity

    Of the total, 1,03,75,424 health care workers received the first dose and 90,36,583 second vaccine doses; 1,83,59,259 front line workers were administered the first dose and 1,53,98,857 vaccine doses given as the second dose to front line workers.

    According to the health ministry, 38,68,20,261 vaccine doses were administered as the first dose and 10,40,73,546 vaccine doses were given as the second dose in the age group 18-44 years.

    Also, in the age group of 45-59 years, 16,61,56,424 people have received the first dose and 8,38,76,362 have received the second dose whereas 10,48,69,202 vaccine doses were administered as first dose and 6,00,12,131 vaccine doses given as the second dose to the people over 60 years.

    Meanwhile, 14,313 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, which is the lowest recorded daily new cases in 224 days.

    The recovery of 26,579 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally of recovered patients to 3,33,20,057.