Coronavirus Updates: Six states account for 87% of new COVID-19 deaths, says Union Health Ministry

5,501 health workers receive vaccine in Assam

A total of 577 people with comorbidities, 4,260 senior citizens and 26,461 health care workers and front-line workers received the first dose of vaccine in Assam on Saturday.

Around 5,501 health care and front line workers also received the second dose of vaccine.

The cumulative total number of beneficiaries and health care workers who received the first dose of the vaccine so far in the state is 3,42,118 while 50,341 have received the second dose, it added. 

PTI

Vaccine rollout is India’s ‘gift to the world’: Top US scientist

The rollout of COVID-19 vaccine is ‘India’s gift’ to the world in combating coronavirus and will be remembered as a time when the country stepped up in a major way as a global player in innovation, a top American scientist has said.

Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston during a webinar this week said that the two mRNA vaccines may not impact the world’s low and middle income countries, but India’s vaccines, made in collaboration with universities across the world such as BCM and Oxford University, have “rescued the world” and its contributions must not to be underestimated.

PTI

Assam reports 7 cases, 1 death in past day

Assam’s COVID-19 tally rose to 2,17,649 as seven more persons tested positive for the virus while one fresh fatality pushed the coronavirus death toll to 1,094, a bulletin issued by the National Health Mission said.

Of the seven new cases, three are from Kamrup Metropolitan district, and two each from Tinsukia and Cachar. The current COVID-19 death rate in the state is 0.50 per cent while 1,347 COVID positive patients have died for other reasons, it said. The state currently has 278 active COVID-19 cases, while 2,14,930 people have recovered from the disease, including 16 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, 36,799 beneficiaries were administered both doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, taking the total number of people vaccinated to 3,92,459 so far.

PTI

No deaths reported in 10 states in past two week, says health ministry

In the past two weeks, 10 states did not report any COVID-19 deaths while 12 states reported between 1-10 deaths, says the Union health ministry.

Six states account for 87% of fresh fatalities

Six states — Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Haryana — account for 87 of the 100 COVID-19 fatalities reported in the last 24 hours, says the Union health ministry.

No deaths in 18 states, UTs in last 24 hours

As many as 18 States/UTs did not report any deaths due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, said the Union health ministry. These states are: Rajasthan, Uttar Pardesh, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Tripura, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.

Six states account for 84.71% new cases, says health ministry

Six states — Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. — are reporting high daily COVID19 cases and collectively account for 84.71 percent of the 18,711 new daily cases reported in last 24 hours, says the Union health ministry. Maharashtra continues to report the highest daily new cases at 10,187. It is followed by Kerala with 2,791 while Punjab reported 1,159 new cases, it said. “The Centre is continuously engaging with the States and UTs reporting higher caseload of active cases and those showing a rise in the daily new COVID cases. It has deputed high-level teams to Maharashtra and Punjab, that are showing steep increase in the daily new cases,” the ministry added.

Daily recoveries outnumber new cases in Telangana

Recoveries outnumbered new COVID-19 cases in Telangana as the tally of positive cases rose marginally to 2.99 lakh, while a lone fatality took the toll to 1,641, the state government said on Sunday.  As many as 207 people were cured of the virus against 158 new cases as of 8 pm on Saturday. The maximum of 30 new cases were reported from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, followed by 15 from Ranga Reddy and 10 Medchal Malkajgiri districts, a government bulletin said.  The total number of cases in the state stood at 2,99,900 while recoveries were 2,96,373 and 1,886 patients were under
treatment at different hospitals.

PTI

Three cases of UK COVID strain, one of Brazilian variant detected in Bengal

Three persons in West Bengal were  on Saturday detected with UK’s new COVID-19 strain, and one with the Brazilian variant of the coronavirus, prompting the administration to take strict precautionary measures, a senior official of the health department said. Necessary measures are being taken to isolate these
infected patients, he said.
 

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No new cases in Andaman and Nicobar in last two days

 Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not report any new COVID-19 case in the last two days, a health department official said on Sunday. The coronavirus tally in the Union Territory remained at 5,024, the official said. The archipelago now has seven active COVID-19 cases and all the patients are in the South Andaman district while the other two districts  North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar  are coronavirus free, he said. One more person recuperated from the disease on Saturday, taking the total number of recoveries in the Union Territory to 4,955. The coronavirus toll remained at 62 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours.

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No new COVID-19 cases reported in Arunachal Pradesh

 Arunachal Pradesh did not report any new COVID-19 case on Sunday, a senior health official said. The state’s caseload stands at 16,839, of which three

are active cases, while 16,780 people have recovered from the disease and 56 patients have succumbed to the infection so far, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said. The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state stands at 99.64 percent, he said.

A total of 55,304 people have been vaccinated in the state so far, State Immunisation Officer Dimong Padung said.

Stepping up vaccine coverage by May end will help check COVID-19 spread: GVS Murthy

The spread of COVID-19 in the country would remain at low levels if the vaccination coverage is expanded substantially, possibly by inoculating those above 30 years of age and without comorbidities, by end of May, an expert has said. Though there has been a spike in the number of cases in some states, overall they have remained much on the lower side despite elections being held in some states, GVS Murthy, Director of Indian Institute of Public Health, set up under the aegis of Public Health Foundation of India, said.  “A sudden spike in cases has not been seen though civic polls were held in Hyderabad and local body elections took place in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh,” he said.  The infection is spreading, most probably after those who were leading protected lives got exposed as they moved out of their homes and mingled with others, he said.

PTI

Sri Lanka receives first batch of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine under COVAX

Sri Lanka on Sunday received the first batch of 264,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines provided under the World Health Organisation’s COVAX facility, an official said.  COVAX is the global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, regardless of income level.

PTI

Total of 22,14,30,507 samples tested till 6 March

According to the ICMR, 22,14,30,507 samples have been tested up to 6 March, with 7,37,830 samples being tested on Saturday.

Recovery rate falls to 96.95%

The active coronavirus cases in the country registered an increase for the fifth consecutive day while the recovery rate dropped further to 96.95 percent,the health ministry’s data showed. The casefatality rate stands at 1.41 percent

India records 18,711 new cases, 100 deaths

A  single-day rise of 18,711 new COVID-19 cases, 100 fatalities takes India’s tally of cases to 1,12,10,799, toll to 1,57,756. Active COVID-19 cases stand at 1,84,523, while a total of 1,08,68,520 people have recovered from the disease, says the Union health ministry.

PTI

Over 2.06 crore vaccine doses administered till 7 pm on Saturday, says health ministry

The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 2.06 crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday. According to a provisional report till Saturday 7 pm, a total of 2,06,62,073 vaccine doses have been given. These include 69,72,859 healthcare workers and 65,02,869 frontline workers who have taken the first dose, 35,22,671 healthcare and 1,97,853 frontline workers who have taken the second dose, 4,60,782 beneficiaries more than 60 years and 30,05,039 aged 45 and above with specific comorbidities.

On Saturday, the 50th day of nationwide COVID-19 vaccination, till 7 pm, a total of 11,64,422vaccine doses were given, the health ministry said.