News Analysis India

Tag: second wave

  • No evidence of any new variant of coronavirus in country: INSACOG

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: There is no evidence of a new variant of SARS-CoV2 and presently there is no additional or public health concern regarding the Delta sub-lineages, the INSACOG, a genome sequencing consortium, has said.

    In its latest bulletin dated September 20, the INSACOG said Delta continues to be the main variant of concern in India.

    “The second wave, driven by the Delta (variant), is continuing at low levels in some Indian states and there is no evidence of a new variant,” it said.

    Hospitals were overwhelmed and health infrastructure was severely stressed during the second wave of coronavirus in the country between March to May.

    There is a small but steady increase in AY.1 since June 2021, which is being monitored, the INSACOG noted.

    AY.4 is the most frequently seen Delta sub-lineage in recent sequences from India, as well as globally, it said.

    Clinical characteristics of the AY.4 variant infections were very similar to B.1.617.2 infections in initial studies from Maharashtra.

    “There is presently no additional clinical or public health concern regarding these sub-lineages. No new VOI or VOC are noted in India,”the INSACOG said.

    Last week, the INSACOG said India has so far not seen Mu and C.1.2, the two new variants of SARS’CoV2, and the Delta variant and its sub-lineages continue to be the main variants in the country.

  • Centre did politics over oxygen crisis in Delhi; tried to hide deaths, alleges minister Satyendar Jain

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday accused the Centre of doing politics over the issue of oxygen crisis here during the second wave of the Covid pandemic, and also trying to stop the formation of a city government’s panel to probe deaths allegedly due to its shortage.

    His remarks in response to a question during a press conference came a day after the Delhi High Court said that it saw no difficulty in the constitution of a high-powered committee (HPC) by the AAP government to probe the deaths caused by the alleged medical oxygen shortage.

    The court, which was dealing with a plea to operationalise the HPC, noted the Delhi government’s stand that the committee would not attribute any fault to any hospital and any compensation will be paid and absorbed by the government alone.

    Jain said the Delhi government had set up a four-member panel comprising medical experts in June and the files were sent to the Delhi Lt governor for approval.

    However, the Centre tried to stop it via the LG office, he alleged.

    “The Centre also did politics over the issue of oxygen crisis and even said in Parliament that no deaths due to oxygen shortage was reported,” Jain further alleged.

    They did a “wrong thing” by “trying to hide deaths” that may have occurred due to shortage of the life-saving gas, Jain charged, and added that the court had now cleared the way for the formation of the panel.

    The high court on Tuesday had also recorded that as per the Delhi government, the criteria for determining compensation will be open to scrutiny and its task would not overlap with that of a sub-group constituted by the Supreme Court on allocation and utilisation of oxygen.

    “The job of this committee is to probe any death that any person claims has taken due to oxygen shortage, whether at home or a hospital. The panel will investigate and recommend a compensation of up to Rs 5 lakh accordingly. It will not probe any medical negligence, that is the job of the medical council,” Jain told reporters.

    Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had on July 21 charged the Centre with trying to “hide its fault” and alleged that its “mismanagement” and change in oxygen distribution policy after April 13 had caused shortage of oxygen in hospitals across the country, leading to a “disaster”.

    Jain said several media channels were reporting live on the oxygen crisis issue during the second wave of the pandemic in Delhi.

    Was it all wrong, he asked.

    The number of COVID-19 cumulative cases on Tuesday stood at 14,38,556.

    Over 14.13 lakh patients have recovered from the virus, while the death toll stands at 25,085.

    On the UK rules related to Covishield vaccine, the Delhi minister said the MEA will respond on this, but, “I feel there is no question of not recognising it,” as it is the same vaccine used in the UK but with a different name of AstraZeneca.

    The UK government on Wednesday added Covishield to an updated international travel advisory.

    The move follows widespread condemnation of the Serum Institute of India manufactured vaccines not being included in a list of eligible COVID-19 vaccines recognised under Britain’s reviewed international travel norms, effective from October 4.

    The updated advisory means that Indians fully vaccinated with Covishield will no longer be required to undergo compulsory 10-day self-isolation at home or declared location on entry to England.

  • Second wave not yet over, full vaccination prerequisite if attending mass gathering: Government ahead of festive season

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Mass gatherings should be discouraged but if attending it is essential then full vaccination should be a prerequisite, the Union government said on Friday and urged people to get the jabs and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, especially during the festive season.

    In a press conference, it warned the second wave of coronavirus infection in India was not yet over even though the weekly positivity rate was showing an overall declining trend.

    The Centre said that 39 districts in the country reported over 10 per cent weekly Covid positivity rate in the week ending August 31 while in 38 districts it was between 5 and 10 per cent.

    It asserted that 16 per cent of India’s adult population have received both the doses of COVID-19 vaccine while 54 per cent have been administered at least the first dose.

    “In Sikkim, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Himachal Pradesh all the adult population have got at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine,” the government said.

    In view of the upcoming festive season amid the scare of the third wave of COVID-19 infections striking the country, the Centre said mass gatherings have to be discouraged and full vaccination should be a prerequisite if attending such a congregation is essential.

    “People should celebrate festivals at home, follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and embrace vaccination,” the government said.

    It added that about 300 cases of delta plus variant of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in India so far.

  • Only those fully vaccinated should attend mass gatherings if essential: Centre ahead of festive season

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Only those fully vaccinated should attend mass gatherings, if essential, the Centre said on Thursday warned while highlighting that Covid vaccination in India had gathered pace with an average of over 80 lakh jabs administered daily in the last week of August.

    As per the data shared by the Union health ministry on Thursday, a total of 18.38 crore vaccine doses were administered in August while in the last week of the month, the average daily vaccination had been over 80 lakh — with the daily vaccination figure crossing 1 crore mark on two days.

    In August, the average daily vaccination was 59.29 lakh doses, up from nearly 43 lakh doses administered on an average in July and the government is hoping to take it to nearly 70-75 lakh every day in September during which availability of nearly 20-22 crore doses has been projected.

    Till Thursday morning, nearly 64.65 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states by the Centre while about 5 crore balance and unutilised vaccine doses are still available with states.

    The figures shared by the ministry in a weekly briefing showed that 16% of the total adult population in India has now been fully vaccinated against Covid while nearly 54% of the total adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

    ALSO READ | WHO warns new Mu variant of COVID-19 could be more vaccine-resistant

    The data also showed that two small states and one UT had achieved a remarkable feat of fully vaccinating 100 % of the population with at least one dose of Covid vaccine while some others too had covered nearly 70-80 % of the population.

    V K Paul, member, health, Niti Aayog pointed out that some large states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar had achieved a very high rate of vaccinations on a few days, pushing the nationwide tally to over 1 crore mark, the bar of high daily vaccinations for the country as a whole has also been rising.

    On the opening of export of Covid vaccines being manufactured in India, officials said that India would resume exports of Covid vaccines only after its own interests are taken care of.

    A recent surge in immunisations has raised hopes of foreign sales that have been barred since mid-April when the country was hit by a massive second wave of the pandemic. “Every country works with an aim of keeping its people, economy and social system safe,” said Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan.  

    “Even the public health response to Covid is governed by those goals. So, we will also try to achieve those goals and see when would be the right time to export vaccines.”

  • Rajasthan relieved as 30 districts report zero new Covid-19 cases

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: Amid the fears of a possible third wave, Rajasthan is currently going through a remarkable Covid-free phase. The state registered just 3 cases on Thursday which is the lowest it has ever seen in a single day since the start of the pandemic. 

    In addition, it’s now nearly a month since the state saw a single Covid-related death. Also, the state has registered major success administering 4 crore doses whereby over one crore people in the state have now got both doses. As a result, over 20% of the state’s eligible population is now fully vaccinated. Rajasthan is the only state to achieve such a milestone. 

    Rajasthan is now moving towards a Corona-free phase. As many as 30 out of 33 districts in Rajasthan registered no new Covid cases in the past 24 hours. The state saw just 3 new cases on Thursday — the lowest in the 542 days of the coronavirus era. Only Jaipur, Alwar, and Baran districts saw one new case each and the state now has just 107 active cases – easily the lowest figure among the large states of the country. 

    ALSO READ | 100 days of Pinarayi govt: No respite from Covid, ministers a letdown

    In terms of Covid deaths, not one person succumbed to the infection in the past 24 hours. In fact, all through the month of August, Rajasthan has not seen a single Covid death and the total death toll in the state stands at 8954. 

    Significantly, of the 30,905 samples, only 3 patients tested positive on Thursday. As a result, the positivity rate came to just 0.009% which is the lowest ever recorded in the state.

    While the second wave has almost vanished, the health department is now focusing on vaccination. The number of beneficiaries who have got the second dose has crossed the figure of 1 crore. Of the total number of 5.14 crore people eligible for vaccination in the state, 1,00,89,107 have now received both the doses. Another 3.14 crore have received their first doses. In effect, over 60% of the people in the state have now been given at least one dose from the 3177 vaccination sites functional in the state. 

    Ironically, despite all these successes, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who has been suffering from post-Covid complications, was rushed to hospital on Friday morning after he complained of severe chest pain. The angioplasty was successfully done on him in a few hours at Jaipur’s SMS Hospital. 

    According to the Health Bulletin, Dr. Sudhir Bhandari, Superintendent of SMS Hospital, the Chief Minister’s health is improving now. Dr. Bhandari said, “CM’s angioplasty has been successful and now his tests are normal. After angioplasty, he will be kept under observation for 24 hours. The CM has been advised to stay in the hospital for 2-3 days. He is feeling better now.” 

  • Uttarakhand officials did not move a finger to stop fake testing: Report

    By Express News Service

    DEHRADUN:  An investigation report into fake Covid testing in Haridwar said health officials of the district were aware of the irregularities, but chose not to act. Had the officials acted on time, they could have stopped the fake testing, the report says.  

    “Various irregularities by the pathology labs surfaced (during the investigation), such as the filing of expression of interest documents in January and affidavits related to it in April. Why such a long delay? Later, the labs were not uploading data in regular fashion,” said an official on condition of anonymity. 

    The investigation report was submitted to the district magistrate last week. The DM will submit the report to senior officials of the state government. The report also pointed to a ‘conspiracy’ behind conducting more than 1 lakh fake tests. 

    Officials privy to the development said district health officials as well as mela health officials have been fired as the report indicates their complicity. The main report consists of 120-pages and annexures run over 2400-pages. 

    The inquiry was ordered on June 10, 2021 by the Haridwar district administration. The DM had directed the probe agency to complete the inquiry within 15 days. However, multiple extensions were granted on requests made by the officials. On June 18, Haridwar district police formed special investigation team (SIT) to probe fake Kumbh testing matter.

    In July 2021, the SIT added Section 467 (Forgery of valuable security, will, etc) in the already registered FIR against a firm and two pathology laboratories accused of irregularities in Covid 19 testing in Kumbh in Haridwar. 

     Case was registered last month under sections of Epidemic Act, 1897, Disaster Management Act, 2005, IPC 420 (forgery), 468 (forgery), 471 (fraudulently using as genuine any document or electronic record), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 188 (punishment for disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant), 269 and 270 (likely to spread infection).

    During Kumbh Mela, the Uttarakhand government had teamed up with several private diagnosistic firms to conduct Covid-19 tests. One of the labs ­ Max Corporate Service (MCS)  in turn hired two other private laboratories, Delhi-based Lal Chandani Lab and Hissar-based Nalwa lab, to carry out the tests. More than 1 lakh samples tested by these labs are under scanner.

  • Any subsequent Covid wave to be mild, impact of second wave muted: Finance ministry

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  The finance ministry has brushed aside the fears of next wave of pandemic and said that any subsequent waves will be mild in impact, if the country sustains the momentum of vaccination programme.

    “Having antibodies reduces the probability of acquiring serious illnesses, as is borne by studies. So, any subsequent waves are expected to be mild in their impact on hospitalisations and deaths. However, it is imperative that Covid-appropriate behaviour and due protocol is followed,” the monthly economic report released by the financial ministry said.

    The report added that the impact of the second wave is muted and the economy has started recovering, as suggested by various economic indicators. The finance ministry said the movement of high frequency indicators in July clearly point towards a broad-based economic revival. PMI Manufacturing sharply rebounded to expansionary zone in July emerging from the previous month’s contraction. GST collection also reclaimed its Rs 1 trillion plus territory in July signifying increased business and consumer activity. Rail freight in July hit a record 18.3% growth.

    The surge in economic activity in July was further corroborated by trends in Kharif sowing, fertilizer sales, power consumption, vehicle registrations, highway toll collections, e-way bills and digital transactions. Latest available data on growth of eight core industries, auto sales, tractor sales, port traffic, air passenger traffic also indicate improvement from the contraction induced by the second wave.

    “With the second wave abating in most  parts of the country and state governments lifting the restrictions in  phases, there are visible signs of economic rejuvenation since second half of May. This resonates with the expectation that the impact of the second wave will be muted,” the report said, adding the rebound in economic indicators and the muted impact of the second wave is corroborated by upward revision of RBI estimates for real GDP growth in Q1 of 2021-22 to 21.4% from its June estimate of 18.5%.

  • Centre writes to States, seeks data on deaths due to oxygen shortage during second wave: Sources

    According to government sources, this data is likely to be presented in the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament.

  • Delta variant largely responsible for infections during second Covid wave: ICMR study

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The latest study by the Indian Council of Medical Research has confirmed that the majority of the clinical cases in the breakthrough infections during the second Covid wave in India had been caused by the delta variant. 

    The study, based on samples from 677 people across 17 states who got Covid despite vaccination with either Covishield or Covaxin, also found 9.8% of cases required hospitalization while fatality was observed in 0.4% of cases. 

    “This clearly suggests that the vaccination does provide a reduction in hospital admission and mortality,” noted the authors of the paper titled “Clinical characterization and Genomic analysis of Covid-19 breakthrough infections during the second wave in different states of India”. 

    Tarun Bhatnagar, a scientist with ICMR’s National Institute of Epidemiology who is not directly associated with the study said that the study corroborated the dominance of delta variants in India during the second wave. 

    “It also shows that the breakthrough infections with the dominance of Delta suggest some level of immune escape by variant that can result in reduced vaccine effectiveness in general,” he said, adding that there is need for accelerated vaccination to reduce the impact of higher transmission property of the variant. 

    ALSO READ | ‘Work from home, staggered opening’: Doctors advise third COVID wave preparations in Delhi

    In the analysis researchers also examined the clinical data for 677 breakthrough cases — 592 of whom had received both doses while 85 had got just one — and found that a total of 482 cases or 71% were symptomatic with one or more symptoms, while 29% had asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. 

    Fever (69%) was the most consistent presentation followed by body ache including headache and nausea (56%), cough (45%), sore throat (37%), loss of smell and taste (22%), diarrhoea (6%), breathlessness (6%) and 1% had ocular irritation and redness. 

    Comorbidities were observed in 154 out of 677 cases which included diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension as well as chronic cardiac, renal, and pulmonary diseases, and obesity. 

    The comorbid cases were significantly predisposed to develop symptoms such as cough, sore throat, fever, loss of smell and taste, diarrhoea, breathlessness, ocular symptoms and were significantly more predisposed to hospitalization, noted the authors. 

    It was highlighted that the current Covid19 vaccines are disease-modifying in nature wherein mild or less severe infections are expected to occur in vaccinated individuals. 

    However, vaccination seems to have an obvious advantage in averting severe disease, hospitalization, and deaths, felt the scientists adding that continuous monitoring of post-vaccination breakthrough infections along with clinical severity of disease must be adopted as an essential component of vaccine roll-out program by all countries. 

    “Such monitoring will help us to understand the need to adequately tweak the available vaccines and also develop new vaccines with enhanced potential to protect against variant strains of SARS-CoV-2,” said the paper.

  • Second wave of COVID-19 not over yet, cannot lower guard: Govt

    Seventy-one districts reported Covid case positivity rate of more than 10 per cent in the week from June 23 to 29, the government said.