News Analysis India

Tag: Pandemic

  • Mumbai reports 340 new COVID-19 cases, 13 deaths, 403 recoveries

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Mumbai reported 340 new coronavirus cases and 13 fresh fatalities on Thursday, taking the tally of infections to 7,35,505 and the death toll to 15,808, a civic official said.

    The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said the city reported 340 infections, a drop from 404 cases on Wednesday, after 35,393 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. On Thursday, the metropolis logged double-digit fatalities after a three-day gap. The city had reported 6 fatalities on Wednesday.

    The financial capital of the country, however, witnessed less than 500 daily COVID-19 cases for the 14th day in a row, a period during which single-day deaths remained in the range of five to 14.

    According to the BMC official, with the discharge of 403 patients during the day, the cumulative number of recovered cases jumped to 7,12,100, leaving the city with 5,201 active cases.

    Mumbai’s average case doubling rate has climbed to 1,405 days, while the average growth rate of COVID-19 infections for the period between July 22 and July 28 was 0.05 per cent, he said.

    According to the official, Mumbai has only five containment zones in ‘chawls’ (old row tenements) and slums, whereas the count of sealed buildings (where certain number of residents have tested positive) is 54.

    This year, Mumbai reported the highest daily coronavirus cases at 11,163 on April 4 and most deaths in a day at 90 on May 1.

  • Madhya Pradesh records 18 new COVID-19 cases; no fresh death

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh on Thursday recorded 18 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally to 7,91,796, while no fresh death due to the infection was reported during the day, an official said.

    The death toll remains unchanged at 10,513, he said. The overall recovery count in MP stands at 7,81,153 and the state has 130 active cases, he said.

    With 71,090 samples being examined during the day, the number of coronavirus tests in Madhya Pradesh went up to 1,42,83,842, the official added.

    A total of 3,08,14,107 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in MP, including 6,71,610 on Thursday, said an official release.

    Coronavirus figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 7,91,796, new cases 18, death toll 10,513, recovered 7,81,153 active cases 130, number of tests so far 1,42,83,842.

  • Over 45 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in India: Government

    Nearly 40 lakh (39,42,457) vaccine doses have been administered on Wednesday, the ministry said citing a provisional report at 7 pm.

  • Assam reports 1,276 new COVID-19 cases, 21 fresh fatalities

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Assam’s COVID-19 tally rose to 5,62,731 on Wednesday as 1,276 people tested positive for the infection, while 21 fresh fatalities pushed the state’s coronavirus death toll to 5,201, a bulletin issued by the National Health Mission said.

    Kamrup Metropolitan district reported the highest number of new cases at 161, followed by Golaghat (98), Lakhimpur (95), and Nagaon (66).

    Four fresh COVID-19 fatalities were reported from Jorhat district, three from Golaghat, and two each from Kamrup (Rural) and Karbi Anglong.

    Bongaigaon, Cachar, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Hojai, Kamrup Metropolitan, Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, and Tinsukia reported one death each.

    The current death rate is 0.92 per cent and the number of COVID-19 positive patients dying due to other causes is 1,347. The number of active COVID-19 positive cases in the state is 13,152.

    Assam has thus far tested 1,82,83,009 samples for COVID-19, including 1,12,332 during the day. Meanwhile, a total of 5,43,031 patients have recovered from the infection, including 1,791 on Wednesday.

    The overall recovery rate of COVID-19 patients is 96.50 per cent, the bulletin said. As many as 1,03,31,680 people have been inoculated in the state, of whom 18,64,178 have received both doses.

  • Blinken announces USD 25 million for India’s Covid vaccination programme

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday announced that his country will provide USD 25 million to support India’s vaccination programme as the two sides held wide-ranging talks on further boosting cooperation in dealing with the pandemic and its adverse impacts.

    At a media briefing after talks with Blinken, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked the US for its “truly exceptional” support to India during the second wave of the pandemic and for keeping the supply chain for raw material open for vaccine production in India.

    Today, I’m proud to announce an additional $25 million from the U.S. government, through @USAID, to support India’s COVID-19 vaccination program. The United States’ support will help save lives by strengthening vaccine supply chains across India. pic.twitter.com/In45qnrgID
    — Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 28, 2021

    Jaishankar also said that the travel challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic were also discussed.

    Separately, at an event in the US embassy, Blinken said by the end of August, the mission plans to conduct 68,000 student visa interviews which would be the “highest” in years.

    He said that there are few relationships that are more vital than the one between India and the United States and that his country will not forget the assistance provided to it by New Delhi in the early stages of the pandemic.

    ALSO READ | Jaishankar and Blinken hold talks on wide-ranging issues

    In a tweet, Blinken announced supporting India’s COVID-19 vaccination programme with an additional USD 25 million from the US government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

    “Today, I’m proud to announce an additional $25 million from the U.S. government, through @USAID, to support India’s COVID-19 vaccination program. The United States’ support will help save lives by strengthening vaccine supply chains across India,” he tweeted.

    In his remarks at the media briefing, Jaishankar said the Covid issue was “naturally a particular priority”.

    ALSO READ | In move likely to irk China, US Secretary of State Blinken meets Tibetan leader in Delhi

    “So let me first acknowledge the responsiveness of the Biden administration to keeping the raw material supply chain open for vaccine production in India and then say a big thanks for the support we received during the Covid second wave from the United States, a support that I would say was truly exceptional,” he said.

    “We focus today on expanding vaccine production to make it globally affordable and accessible. We also discussed travel challenges resulting from Covid,” he said.

    Jaishankar said the US has been very forthcoming on the issue of students. “I really appreciate all the trouble that the State Department and the Embassy has gone to in that regard and I very much hope, will take a sympathetic view of other travellers in the days to come,” he said.

    ALSO READ | ‘Taliban action will have consequences’: Afghanistan issue dominates Blinken-Jaishankar ties

    At the event in the US embassy, Blinken said by the end of August it would conduct 68,000 student visa interviews. “You made a major push this summer for visas. As I understand it, by the end of August you will have conducted 68,000 student visa interviews, which is the highest in years. And again, to do that during Covid is extraordinary,” he said.

    “We may end up sending more students to the United States this year than ever before as a result of your work. And that’s important in so many different ways, but it’s particularly important, I think to all of us, because this is where enduring connections are made between the United States and India,” he said.

    “These are relationships that are going to be not just established now but will likely endure for years, for decades, for generations. Nothing could be more important,” the US Secretary of State added.

    In his remarks at the media briefing, Jaishankar also said that the ability of India and the US to work more closely, bilaterally, in the Quad and elsewhere, benefits the international community as a whole.

    “Developments in India’s extended neighbourhood are also naturally of great consequence to us,” he said.

  • Doctors observe rise in tuberculosis cases among post-Covid patients

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Doctors at two private facilities have seen a rise in cases of tuberculosis (TB) among people who have recently recovered from COVID-19, and have attributed the rise in such instances to diabetes, altered immunity and use of steroids.

    Moolchand hospital has had a turnout of around 10 cases of active TB patients in the OPD in the last four to six weeks, according to a statement from the hospital.

    Dr Bhagwan Mantri, Pulmonologist, Moolchand Hospital stated that up to 60 per cent of them aged below 40 years of age.

    “All these TB patients had received steroids during their Covid treatment and many had diabetes. Six of them were below 40 years,” he said.

    Divulging on the clinical diagnosis of the cases, Dr Mantri said, “They presented with complaints of cough many weeks after recovery from Covid and a few of them also had mild low-grade evening fever for three to four weeks post-Covid. X Ray and sputum test showed cavitary pneumonia with sputum positive smear for Acid-Fast Bacillus (AFB).” AFB causes tuberculosis and other infections.

    Citing a case, the doctor said a young man presented with massive pyo-neumothorax (Air and Pus in the pleural cavity) post Covid which later turned out to be due to tuberculosis.

    The senior doctor said multiple factors weighed in the development of the lung disorder among the presented patients.

    “The reason for increased likelihood of tuberculosis in post-Covid patients can be explained by factors like altered immunity, lung inflammation and stress due to Covid, use of steroids for Covid treatment and worsening of blood sugar control,” he explained.

    Meanwhile, he suggested that the patients need to look out for certain markers after recovering from Covid for early diagnosis of TB.

    “A delay in diagnosis of TB also has been reported since symptoms of tuberculosis are similar to symptoms of post covid/Long Covid. So If you are having any symptoms that are persistent after Covid like a low-grade fever, cough, decreased appetite, weight loss, night sweating or any other complaints you need to visit a pulmonologist to rule out active tuberculosis,” he added.

    Aakash Healthcare has seen a 15 to 20 per cent surge in cases of tuberculosis compared to earlier years.

    This is a trend of concern rising among adolescents and young adults as these patients are presenting with complications involving more than one part or organs in the body.

    There is also an increase in recurrent tuberculosis cases (patients who have had tuberculosis earlier and have completed the full course of anti-tubercular treatment).

    The reasons can be many, from ignoring the health and attributing the fever or other constitutional symptoms to some other viral fever, to apprehensions regarding going to hospital for the fear of catching Covid.

    “Many patients had a history of Covid and hence attributed their general poor health to the after effects of Covid. Cases of misdiagnosis can also add on to the increased burden of TB during the pandemic. Many times, people attribute the fever to typhoid-like illness, manifestations for which include prolonged fever and weakness.

    Hence, a comprehensive evaluation is required for any fever lasting more than two weeks, or weight loss or poor appetite or prolonged cough/diarrhoea – any change in health status needs to be monitored by a qualified health professional,” the hospital advised in a statement.

    The hospital has introduced bi-directional screening of TB-COVID and TB-ILI/SARI as per the new guidelines from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

    “These tests are being conducted at our normal OPDs and Covid wing to ensure tuberculosis screening for all patients showing persistent cough /fever/ cavitation lesions/new Lung infiltrates in lungs/abdominal symptoms/deteriorating general condition,” said Dr Parinita Kaur, senior consultant- internal medicine, Aakash healthcare in Dwarka.

  • Madhya Pradesh sees 11 new COVID-19 cases; active infections at 130

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: With the addition of 11 new cases of COVID-19, the tally of infections in Madhya Pradesh reached 7,91,778 on Wednesday, an official from the state health department said.

    The state reported one casualty during the day that took the toll to 10,513, while the count of recoveries stood at 7,81,135, the official said, adding that the central state is now left with 130 active cases.

    With 71,075 swab samples tested during the day, the total number of tests conducted in the state rose to 1,42,09,454, the official said.

    As per an official release, a total of 3,00,18,551 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the state so far, of which 9,75,348 were given on Wednesday.

    Coronavirus figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 7,91,778, new cases 11, death toll 10,513, recovered 7,81,135, active cases 130, number of tests so far 1,42,09,454.

  • Jammu and Kashmir records 160 fresh Covid cases

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir recorded 160 fresh coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking the infection tally to 3,21,066 while the death toll rose to 4,376 as one more fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, officials said.

    Out of the fresh cases, 60 were from Jammu and 100 from Kashmir, they said. Srinagar recorded the highest of 42 cases, followed by 20 in Baramulla district.

    The number of active cases again rose slightly to 1,139 in the Union Territory, while 3,15,511 patients have recovered so far, the officials said.

    The death toll due to the pandemic was 4,376 as one new fatality was reported in the past 24 hours.

    Meanwhile, the officials said there were 35 confirmed cases of Mucormycosis (black fungus) in the Union Territory as no fresh case was reported since last evening.

  • Assam reports 1,436 new COVID-19 cases, 18 more fatalities

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Assam’s COVID-19 tally mounted to 5,61,455 on Tuesday as 1,436 more people tested positive for the infection, while 18 fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 5,180, the National Health Mission (NHM) said in a bulletin.

    Four coronavirus deaths were reported from Dibrugarh while Bishwanath, Morigaon, Sonitpur, and Tinsukia reported two deaths each.

    Cachar, Dhemaji, Jorhat, Kamrup Rural, Kamrup Metro, and Lakhimpur reported one death each. The current death rate is 0.92 percent and the number of COVID-19 positive patients dying due to other causes is 1,347.

    Currently, the number of active cases in the state is 13,688. The highest number of new cases were reported from Kamrup Metropolitan district at 169, followed by Golaghat (131), Lakhimpur (122), and Nagaon (78).

    With the detection of 1,436 new COVID patients from 1,55,495 sample tests conducted on Tuesday, the state reported a positivity rate of 0.92 per cent for the day. Altogether 1,81,70,677 samples have been tested for COVID-19 thus far.

    As many as 1,312 people were cured of the disease during the day, taking the total number of recoveries to 5,41,240. A total of 1,02,05,495 beneficiaries have been inoculated, of whom 18,36,793 received both doses.

  • Centre trashes reports claiming India’s COVID death rate may be about 7-8 times higher

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday dismissed as “totally fallacious” media reports based on a “yet-to be peer-reviewed” study that claimed at least 2.7 to 3.3 million COVID-19 deaths during the two waves in India.

    In a statement, the Union Health Ministry said the report further “concludes” that India’s COVID death rate may be about 7-8 times higher than the officially reported toll and claims that “most of these additional deaths are likely to have been due to COVID-19”.

    “Such misinformed reports are totally fallacious,” the ministry said. The ministry said there have been some media reports, based on a yet-to be peer-reviewed study which was uploaded on MedRxiv recently, alleging that at least 2.7 to 3.3 million COVID-19 deaths happened during the two waves of Covid-19 in India, quoting three different databases “pointing towards at least 27% excess mortality over a year”.

    It is clarified that the Union Government has been transparent in its approach to COVID-19 data management and a robust system of recording all COVID-19 related deaths already exists.

    All states and Union Territories have been entrusted with the responsibility to update the data on a continuous basis, it said in the statement.

    “In addition to this reporting by States/UTs, the robustness of statute-based Civil Registration System (CRS) ensures all the births and deaths in the country get registered.

    “The CRS follows a process of data collection, cleaning, collating and publishing the numbers, which although is a long drawn process, but ensures no deaths are missed out.

    Because of the expanse and the amplitude of the activity, the numbers are usually published the next year,” the statement said.

    The Union Health Ministry has also been repeatedly advising states and UTs through formal communications, multiple video conferences and through deployment of central teams for recording of deaths in accordance with laid down guidelines.

    States have been advised to conduct thorough audits in their hospitals and report any cases or deaths that could have been missed with a district and date-wise details to guide data-driven decision making, it said.

    Moreover, as early as May 2020, to avoid inconsistency or confusion in the number of deaths being reported, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had also issued ‘Guidance for appropriate recording of COVID-19 related deaths in India’ for correct recording of all deaths by States/UTs as per ICD-10 codes recommended by WHO for mortality coding, the statement said.

    During the peak of the second wave, the health system across the country was focused on effective clinical management of cases requiring medical help due to which correct reporting and recording of COVID deaths could have been delayed but later was reconciled by the States/UTs.

    Given the robust and statute-based Death Registration System in India, while some cases could go undetected as per the principles of Infectious Disease and its management, missing out on the deaths is unlikely.

    It is a well-known fact that there shall always be some differences in mortality recorded during a profound and prolonged public health crisis such as COVID pandemic, the statement said.

    Well-conducted research studies on mortalities are usually done after the event when data on mortalities are available from reliable sources.

    The methodologies for such studies are well established, the data sources are defined as also the valid assumptions for computing mortality, it said.