The state has received only 9.63 vials of Covishield vaccine from the Serum Institute of India and merely 20,000 vials from the Bharat Biotech of its indigenously-made vaccine, Tope told reporters.
Tag: Rajesh Tope
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Maharashtra receives 9.63 lakh Covishield vaccine doses: Health minister Rajesh Tope
By PTI
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has received 9.63 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine from Serum Institute of India (SII), health minister Rajesh Tope said on Tuesday.The inoculation drive against coronavirus will be held at 511 centers across 36 districts of the state, he said, as the first consignments of vaccine left SII in Pune earlier in the day.
“The necessary arrangement of electricity, Internet and webcasting service has been made at all these centres,” Tope said in a release.
“The state government has so far compiled a database of 7.84 lakh medical workers including doctors, nurses, and other staff who has been more exposed to COVID-19 patients (than others). The registration drive on state government’s portal (for those who will be vaccinated in the first phase) will continue till Tuesday midnight,” he said.
The first consignment of Covishield vaccines left for Delhi on Tuesday morning, four days ahead of the nationwide inoculation drive launch.
Four airlines are operating nine flights to transport 56.5 lakh doses of the vaccine from Pune to 13 cities across the country.
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Three infants died of burns, seven suffocated to death: Maharashtra health minister on hospital fire
By PTI
MUMBAI: At least three of the ten infants died of burn injuries in the Bhandara district hospital fire in Maharashtra while seven others died of suffocation caused by smoke on Saturday, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said, adding that a probe is ordered and the guilty will not be spared.He said Rs 5 lakh would be paid to family members of each of the deceased infant.
According to doctors, ten newborn babies, aged between a month and three months, died after fire broke out in the Special Newborn Care Unit of the hospital around 1.30 am.
Seven out of the 17 babies in the affected unit were rescued.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope says out of 10 infants, 7 are died due to suffocation while three were burnt to death. The postmortem of infant bodies will not be carried out & handed over to families. Ajit Pawar ordered fire audit of govt hospitals. @NewIndianXpress
— Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) January 9, 2021“The preliminary information available indicated that three infants died from burn injuries in the Bhandara district civil hospital while suffocation caused by smoke is the cause of the death of seven other infants,” Tope said in a video message.
He said the hospital staff saved seven other infants admitted in the affected Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
ALSO READ | Maharashtra to give Rs 5 lakh ex gratia for kin of infants who died in hospital fire, govt orders inquiry
“The medical staff on duty opened the windows and doors of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit wards and shifted the infants to adjoining wards. However, they could not save the 10 infants,” he said.
Tope said, “chief minister Uddhav Thackeray informed me of sanctioning Rs five lakh to each to the family members of the deceased infants”.
He said the bodies have been sent to their respective homes for conducting the last rites.
“Persons responsible for this incident will not be spared. A detailed inquiry is ordered. We will try to avoid such incidents in future by learning from this tragedy,” he added.
Tope said he was rushing to the Bhandara civil hospital.
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Nobody is above law: Maharashtra Minister on celebs flouting COVID-19 norms
By PTI
MUMBAI: A day after Mumbai Police lodged an FIR against Bollywood actors Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan for allegedly violating the COVID-19 institutional quarantine norms, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday said nobody is above law and everyone should follow the protocols.Talking to reporters here, Tope said it is the duty of an “ideal citizen” to strictly follow rules and regulations in the current pandemic situation.
The police on Monday registered a case against Arbaaz Khan, his brother Sohail Khan and the latter’s son Nirvaan Khan for allegedly violating the COVID-19 institutional quarantine norms, officials earlier said.
As per guidelines, the three were asked to stay at a hotel in suburban Bandra after they returned to Mumbai from the UAE last month, but they went to their homes instead, a civic official said.
Asked whether the state health department would initiate or recommend any action against celebrities for violating the quarantine protocols, Tope said, “We will take measures against it.
” He, however, did not specify any measures.
Tope further said, “Nobody is above law. Every person should adhere to the protocols laid down by the government. It is the duty of an ideal citizen to strictly follow rules and regulations in the current pandemic situation.
” The police have registered the case against the Khan trio under Indian Penal Code Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease), and provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act.
As per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), passengers returning from counties in Europe and the Middle East must stay in institutional quarantine for seven days in view of the detection of the new strain of coronavirus in the UK.
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Eight UK returnees have new COVID-19 strain in Maharashtra: Health Minister Rajesh Tope
By PTI
MUMBAI: As many as eight returnees to Maharashtra from the UK have been found to be infected with the new COVID-19 variant detected in the European country, health minister Rajesh Tope said on Monday.Of these, five are from Mumbai, he said, adding contacts of all the COVID-19 patients with the UK strain are being traced.
Out of 4,000 returnees from the UK, 43 people have tested positive for COVID-19, out of which eight have the new variant,” Tope said in a televised message, citing results of their swab samples.
“The protocol to treat them is different and they have been isolated from the other COVID-19 patients,” he said.
The new coronavirus variant found in the UK is said to 70 per cent more infectious than the first one.
Out of the eight, five are from Mumbai and one each from Pune, Thane and Mira Bhayandar.
The contact tracing of these patients is going on, Tope said.
“Asymptomatic patients have been advised 14-day strict quarantine while those with compromised immunity such as (people with) diabetes and high blood pressure, among others, 21 days of quarantine, said the state health minister. The government has decided to treat the patients with symptoms till they get cured. We need to strictly follow COVID-19-appropriate behaviour such as frequently washing hands, use of masks and avoiding crowded places, Tope said.