Coronavirus Updates: First consignments of medical supplies from US expected to reach India by Friday, says report

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

First consignments of medical supplies from US expected to reach India by Friday, says report

The first consignments of medical supplies from the US and Russia are expected to reach India in the next two days and Indian missions abroad were told to focus on procurement of oxygen-related equipment and critical medicines such as Remdesivir, sources told PTI on Wednesday.

They said India has sought from the US medical supplies, including ready-to-use vaccine doses, as well as raw materials for production of COVID-19 vaccines, they said.

The sources said an American aircraft carrying medical supplies is expected to land in India on Friday while a Russian plane is set to arrive by Thursday.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Delhi CM chairs meeting on COVID, plans to increase oxygen beds in hospitals

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal chaired a meeting on Wednesday to chalk out a plan for increasing the number of oxygen beds and strengthening the home isolation system in the national capital, following a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

“Convened a meeting with the officials. Discussed the plan to increase oxygen beds in the coming days, and strengthen home isolation system in Delhi. Please take all precautions and stay safe,” Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, the additional chief secretary and the health secretary were also present at the meeting, along with health officials.

“We are noticing that this new strain of the coronavirus is quite dangerous and often leads to respiratory and breathing issues. It has become very important to provide beds to every patient who needs oxygen. We have to expedite the process to add more ICU and oxygen beds in the coming weeks,” Kejriwal said at the meeting.

“We have to further strengthen our home isolation system. Every patient who is recovering from COVID-19 under home isolation should receive regular calls from Delhi government doctors and an oximeter. We have to monitor the daily condition of every patient recovering from the disease in home isolation,” he added.

Delhi logged a record 381 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, while the positivity rate stood at 32.72 per cent. This was the sixth day on the trot that the national capital recorded over 300 deaths due to the coronavirus.

-PTI

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CoWIN digital platform continues to work without any technical glitch: Health ministry

 As the registration of all citizens above 18 years of age for vaccination against COVID-19 started on the CoWIN portal at 4 pm on Wednesday, many people took to social media to complain about the technical problems they faced trying to register for the third phase of the inoculation drive scheduled to begin from May 1.

The Union health ministry, however, clarified that the media reports that the server has crashed “are incorrect and are without any basis”.

As the registration opened up at 4 pm, some people on social media complained that the portal was not responding, while others complained that it had crashed.

At 4.35 pm, a tweet from the verified Twitter handle of the Aarogya Setu mobile application said the CoWIN portal is working and that there was a minor glitch at 4 pm, which was fixed.

“Cowin portal is working. There was a minor glitch at 4 pm that was fixed. 18-plus can register,” it said.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Consider amending corona app to show which beds have oxygen support: HC to AAP govt

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a number of directions on categorisation of beds in the Delhi corona mobile app, setting up of helpline numbers, delay in testing and shortage of RTPCR test kits.

Justice Prathiba M Singh, while hearing several pleas with regard to non-availability of beds and shortage of Remdesivir which is used in treatment of COVID-19, asked the Delhi government to consider amending its mobile app to display which beds have oxygen support and which do not.

The court questioned the need for providing non-oxygen support beds, saying that patients suffering from COVID-19 would normally isolate themselves at home and would seek hospitalisation primarily when oxygen support was required.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Total COVID vaccination across India nears 15-cr mark

The total COVID-19 vaccination across the country inched closer to the 15-crore mark with more than 20 lakh vaccine doses given till 8 pm on Wednesday, the Union health ministry said.

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 14,98,77,121 according to the 8 pm provisional report.

These include 93,66,239 healthcare workers (HCWs) who have taken the first dose and 61,45,854 HCWs who have taken the second dose, 1,23,09,507 frontline workers (FLWs) who have received the first dose, 65,99,492 FLWs who have taken the second dose.

Besides, 5,09,75,753 and 31,42,239 beneficiaries over 45 to 60 years old also have been administered the first and the second dose, while 5,14,70,903 and 98,67,134 people aged above 60 years have taken the first and the second dose.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Maharashtra reports close to 1,000 COVID cases

Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 63,309 new coronavirus cases and 985 deaths, the state health department said. It took the tally of infections in the state to 44,73,394 and the death toll to 67,214.

Mumbai recorded 4,926 new cases and 78 deaths, raising its caseload to 6,40,409 and the death toll to 12,954.

A total of 61,181 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, taking the number of recoveries to 37,30,729.

Of 985 fatalities, 392 occurred in the last 48 hours, 251 in the last week while the rest had taken place earlier but were added to the tally now, an official explained.

Maharashtra has now 6,73,481 active cases.

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People with comorbidities will be given preference in Delhi in Phase 3 of vaccination

The third phase of the COVID-19 inoculation drive for those in the 18-44 age group is likely to begin at “moderate” pace in the national capital and people with comorbidities will be given preference, officials said on Wednesday, reports PTI.

The Delhi government has placed an order for over 1.3 crore doses with manufacturers. The vaccine will be delivered in phases, an official aware of the development said. Private hospitals will have to procure vaccines directly from manufacturers, he said.

“We are likely to have a moderate start and it will be ramped up gradually,” the official said. The Centre will continue to provide vaccine for those aged above 45.

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Gujarat reports highest single-day rise in deaths with 174 fatalities

Gujarat registered 14,120 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, while 174 people succumbed to the infection, the highest single-day fatalities so far, the state health department said.

With the addition of 14,120 new patients, the state’s tally of coronavirus cases rose to 5,38,845, the department said in a release here.

On Tuesday, Gujarat had registered 14,352 cases, the highest in a day so far.

After the death of 174 more patients, the statewide toll increased to 6,830, the department said.

The previous highest single-day toll was 170, reported on April 27.

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West Bengal reports record new cases with 17,207 infections

West Bengal on Wednesday logged 17,207 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest-single day spike recorded in the state so far, pushing the tally to 7,93,552, a bulletin issued by the health department said. The toll climbed to 11,159 with 77 more fatalities which is also the maximum count during a day, it said.

The metropolis accounted for 22 fatalities, followed by neighboring North 24 Parganas (16) and Howrah (5). The remaining deaths were reported from several other districts. The new infections include 3,821 cases in Kolkata and 3,778 in North 24 Parganas.

-PTI

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Nashik reports 4,869 new coronavirus cases

The COVID-19 tally in Nashik district of Maharashtra rose to 3,16,207 with the single-day addition of 4,869 cases on Wednesday, health officials said. The virus claimed 37 lives, which took the death toll in the district to 3,419, they said.

As 6,726 patients got discharge from hospitals during the day, the district’s recovery count reached 2,68,208, the officials said. With 17,679 tests conducted on Wednesday, the overall test count of Nashik has grown to 11,84,958.

Toon by Manjul

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Uttarakhand reports highest single-day spike of 6,054 COVID cases today

Uttarakhand recorded the highest single-day spike of 6,054 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the tally to 1,68,616, while 108 deaths pushed the toll to 2,417, reports PTI.

Dehradun district accounted for the maximum number of 2,329 cases, followed by Haridwar, which reported 1,178 cases, Udham Singh Nagar 849, Nainital 665, Chamoli 175,Pauri 174 Champawat 153, Almora 140, Bageshwar 128 and Tehri 109, a state health department bulletin here said.

There are 45,383 active COVID-19 cases in the state, while 1,17,221 have recovered, it said.

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China’s medical suppliers working overtime to supply order from India, says Chinese Ambassador

China’s Ambassador to India Sun Weidong has said that China’s medical suppliers are working overtime to supply orders from India. According to him, orders of about 25 thousand oxygen concentrators have been given by India in recent days.

Sun Weidong said in his tweet that a plan is being made to send medical-related things through the cargo plane. He also said that Chinese custom will facilitate the necessary process.

Chinese medical suppliers are working overtime on orders from India, at least 25000 orders for oxygen concentrators in recent days. Cargo planes are under plan for medical supplies. Chinese customs will facilitate relevant process.

— Embassy of The People's Republic of China in India (@China_Amb_India) April 28, 2021

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

SC seeks Centre’s reply on oxygen demand in India, steps taken to augment availability

Taking note of the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, the Supreme Court has asked the Centre to apprise it of the projected demand for oxygen in the country, how it intends to allocate it to critically affected states and the monitoring mechanism to ensure smooth supply, reports PTI.

The apex court termed the pandemic situation as a national crisis’ and said that being the last Constitutional court, it cannot remain a mute spectator.

It has made clear however that its suo motu proceeding on devising national policy for COVID-19 management is not meant to supplant high court hearings.

The order, passed on Tuesday by a bench of justices DY Chandrachud, L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat, was uploaded on the top court’s website on Wednesday and dealt in detail aspects of its future hearings.

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Tamil Nadu records highest COVID tally since onset of pandemic

COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu breached the 16,000 marks on Wednesday, the highest since the start of the pandemic, taking the caseload to 11.30 lakh, while 98 fatalities pushed the toll 13,826. The state had logged cases in excess of 15,000 over the last three days. It had crossed the 10,000 mark on April 18 this year.

The 16,665 cases on Wednesday took the cumulative tally to 11,30,167, a health department bulletin said. As many as 15,114 people were cured of the virus, taking the aggregate to 10,06,033, leaving 1,10,308 active cases.

Chennai headed the districts with 4,764 new cases, followed by Chengalpattu (1,219), while 29 districts saw a sharp increase, with figures in triple digits.

PTI

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Ashok Gehlot isolates himself after wife tests positive for COVID

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot isolated himself on Wednesday on Wednesday after his wife Sunita Gehlot tested positive for coronavirus. Gehlot tweeted that his wife has tested positive for COVID, though she is asymptomatic, and as per protocol, her treatment has started under home isolation.

He said he will be in isolation as a precautionary measure and will hold a daily review meeting with doctors and officers at 8.30 pm.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

SII CEO Adar Poonawalla to get Y-category security across India

Serum Institute of India’s CEO Adar Poonawalla will get Y category security across India, the ministry of home affairs notified on Wednesday reports PTI. The security category generally comprises 11 personnel, including one or two commandoes and police personnel.

The Union government’s decision came after Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), Prakash Kumar Singh had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on April 16 requesting security for Poonawalla.

Covishield, one of the two COVID-19 vaccines used in India’’s COVID-19 vaccination programme, is being manufactured by SII.  

In this letter, Singh had stated that Poonawalla has been getting threats from various groups regarding the COVID-19 vaccine supplies.

In this letter, Singh also said, “we are working shoulder to shoulder to fight against COVID-19 pandemic with the Government of India under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji.”

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Bihar extends night curfew to 6 pm to 6 am

Amid surging coronavirus cases, the Bihar government on Wednesday ordered that shops/commercial establishments will close at 4 pm daily while the timing of the night curfew will now be from 6 pm to 6 am, reports PTI.

Presently, the timing for shops/commercial establishments functioning was till 6 pm and night curfew was in force from 9 pm to 5 am. These decisions were taken at the meeting of the crisis management group chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during the day.

Development Commissioner Amir Subhani and Principal Secretary Health Pratyaya Amrit briefed media persons about the decisions. Amrit told reporters that the congregation at the marriage functions has been lowered to 50 persons from 100 at present and for the last rites, it will be 20 in place of 25.

Government and other offices will function only with 25 percent attendance till 4 pm, he said.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Centre makes interim allocation of COVID-19 treatment drug tocilizumab to states

The Union government has made an interim allocation of tocilizumab among the states, as a fresh limited stock of the drug used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients has arrived in the country.

In a letter, Pharma Joint Secretary Navdeep Rinwa and Health and Family Welfare Ministry Director Rajiv Wadhawan said the drug went out of stock in the country a few weeks ago due to a sudden surge in its demand because of a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the country.

Fresh limited stock of this drug has now been imported and is available with lone marketer company Cipla Ltd for marketing and distribution in the country, the letter said.

“An interim allocation of this drug among states has been finalised by MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) and the DoP (Department of Pharmaceuticals) in consultation with the company,” it added.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

With 266 fatalities, Uttar Pradesh records highest single-day rise in COVID-19 deaths

Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday recorded the highest single-day rise in its COVID-19 death toll with 266 more people succumbing to disease, while 29,824 new cases pushed the tally to 11,82,848. The toll in the state now stands at 11,943. A total of 35,903 COVID-19 patients were discharged after recovery in the past 24 hours, reports PTI

Of the 266 fresh deaths, Allahabad recorded 21 deaths, followed by 15 in Hardoi, 14 in Varanasi, 13 each in Lucknow and Kanpur, 12 each in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad, 11 in Gorakhpur and 10 in Agra, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement here.

Of the new cases, Lucknow reported 3,759 cases, followed by 1,909 in Varanasi, 1,650 in Kanpur, 1,355 in Meerut, 1,261 in Allahabad, 1,076 in Agra, 1,045 in Gorakhpur and 1,041 in Bareilly. A total of 8,70,864 COVID-19 patients have been discharged after recovery so far. The total number of active COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 3,00,041, the statement said.

In the past 24 hours, more than 1.86 lakh samples in the state have been tested for COVID-19, taking the total samples tested so far to 4.03 crore.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Ensure smooth supply of firewood to crematoriums, North MCD mayor tells Kejriwal

With municipal-run crematoriums facing a shortage of wood for funeral pyres in the face of surging Covid-19 fatalities, North Delhi Mayor Jai Prakash Wednesday urged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to direct the forest department to ensure smooth supply of firewood to these facilities.

The mayor also demanded that at least 100 hearse vans or ambulance be made available to municipal corporations to transport patients to available healthcare facilities or take unfortunate ones who couldn’t survive to the cremation ground for last rites.

The national capital has reported 4,063 Covid-19 deaths in April so far, over 2,500 of them in the past seven days alone in the terrorising second wave of the pandemic. In all of February, the death toll was 57, and in March 117.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Kerala logs over 35,000 cases in highest single-day surge, 41 deaths

Kerala recorded 35,013 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, in the highest single-day surge so far, while over 2.66 lakh people are presently undergoing treatment for the infection as the toll climbed to 5,211 with 41 deaths, the state government said. With the addition of the new cases, the infection count has gone up to 14,95,377.

As many as 15,505 people were cured, taking the total recoveries to 12,23,185, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters. Active cases stood at 2,66,646.

In the last 24 hours ending 2 pm, 1,38,190 samples were tested and the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) was 25.34 percent. So far, 1,54,92,489 samples have been tested.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Rahul Gandhi slams govt over ‘high’ COVID vaccine prices

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at the government over the “high” COVID vaccine prices, saying the system has once again failed Indian citizens.

“People’s money was given to vaccine companies to develop COVID vaccines. Now, GOI will make the same people pay the highest price in the world for these vaccines,” he alleged on Twitter.

“Once again, the failed ‘system’ fails our citizens for Modi-mitrs’ profit,” he said.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also lamented that only 2.36 crore people have been fully vaccinated in the country.

People's money was given to vaccine companies to develop Covid vaccines.

Now, GOI will make same people pay the highest price in the world for these vaccines.

Once again, the failed ‘system’ fails our citizens for Modi-mitrs’ profit. pic.twitter.com/3TELXqmZwK

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 28, 2021

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Negative report or full vaccination must for candidates to enter counting halls: EC

Candidates or their agents will not be allowed inside counting halls without a negative coronavirus report or without having both Covid-19 vaccine doses, the Election Commission said Wednesday in its latest guidelines for counting of votes on 2 May.

Issued amid spiraling coronavirus cases, the guidelines bar public gatherings outside venues during the counting process, but allow candidates to name a fresh agent if the first one tests positive for COVID-19.

Counting of votes for assembly polls in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry, besides various other assemblies and Lok Sabha bypolls begins at 8 am on May 2.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Covishield prices for states reduced to Rs 300 per dose, says SII

Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla Wednesday said his firm has decided to reduce the price of its coronavirus vaccine, Covishield, to the states from Rs 400 to Rs 300 per dose as a “philanthropic gesture”.

This announcement comes two days after the central government asked Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech to lower the price of their Covid-19 vaccines amid criticism from several states who have accused the companies of profiteering from the crisis.

As a philanthropic gesture on behalf of @SerumInstIndia, I hereby reduce the price to the states from Rs.400 to Rs.300 per dose, effective immediately; this will save thousands of crores of state funds going forward. This will enable more vaccinations and save countless lives.

— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) April 28, 2021

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Three thousand COVID infected people ‘missing’ in Bengaluru, says minister

Amid surging COVID-19 cases in the State, Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka claimed on Wednesday most infected people have switched off their phones and about 3,000 of them who have gone ‘missing’ from Bengaluru are spreading the disease. Police have been asked to trace them, the minister told reporters.

“We are giving free medicines to the people, which can control 90 percent of cases, but they have (COVID infected people) switched off their mobile phones. They reach the hospital in a critical stage to desperately look for the ICU beds. This is what is happening now,” Ashoka said.

He said most of those infected with COVID have switched off their phones and are not letting people know about their whereabouts, which is making things difficult.

“I feel that at least 2,000 to 3,000 people in Bengaluru have switched off their phones and left their houses.We don’t know where they have gone,” the minister added.

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After initial trouble, CoWIN portal back online for vaccine registration

Cowin Portal is working. There was a minor glitch at 4 PM that was fixed. 18 plus can register. pic.twitter.com/c94fpoURcT

— Aarogya Setu (@SetuAarogya) April 28, 2021

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Centre to procure 1 lakh portable oxygen concentrators from PM-CARES Fund

The government will procure one lakh portable oxygen concentrators and install 500 more pressure swing adsorption oxygen plants from the PM Cares Fund, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, asserting this will help improve access to oxygen, especially in district headquarters and tier-2 cities.

The PMO said in a statement that the oxygen concentrators and the new PSA plants will greatly augment the supply of oxygen near the demand clusters.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Modi to discuss the measures needed to improve the supply of Liquid Medical Oxygen for COVID-19 management.

1 lakh portable oxygen concentrators will be procured, 500 more PSA oxygen plants sanctioned from PM-CARES. This will improve access to oxygen, specially in district HQs and Tier-2 cities. https://t.co/oURX74RYt1

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 28, 2021

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Hours after flagging oxygen shortage, AMU hospital gets supply for next 48 hrs

Hours after AMU’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital sent out an alert saying it has not received oxygen cylinders for the past four days and its own plants were running out of liquid oxygen, it received its supply Wednesday afternoon, reports PTI.

The hospital authorities said they received an oxygen supply in the afternoon that will last for the next 48 hours.

The frontline central government hospital in Uttar Pradesh, which is a part of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has 273 oxygen-dependent patients, including those suffering from COVID-19, officials said.

Though the hospital has oxygen plants, the officials earlier said they have just “a few hours” of liquid oxygen supply.

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Maharashtra Cabinet approves proposal to give free vaccine shots to all between 18-44 years

The Maharashtra Cabinet approves a proposal to give free coronavirus vaccine shots to all citizens of the state aged between 18-44 years, as per the chief minister’s office.

This decision was taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The move will put a burden of Rs 6,500 crore on the state’s coffers, said state health minister Rajesh Tope.

Aditya Thackeray further took to Twitter to say that the state government is also ensuring that the vaccine procurement happens at the earliest so that the state can have ample vaccines to keep up the smooth and fast vaccination of all citizens of Maharashtra.

Today, the Cabinet under the leadership of CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has decided to provide free COVID-19 vaccination to all the citizens of Maharashtra aged between 18-44years.#BreakTheChain pic.twitter.com/Kv1vIyVEow

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) April 28, 2021

3 days ago, I had deleted the tweet so as to not create a flutter with it. Now that the policy has been approved by the cabinet, this is the right time to share it formally, ensuring there is clarity and a sense of duty.

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) April 28, 2021

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Maharashtra lockdown to be extended to by 15 days, says Rajesh Tope

The lockdown in Maharashtra will be extended by another 15 days beyond April 30, state Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday. He said all members of the cabinet, who participated in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, pitched for such extension, reports PTI. “It (the lockdown) will be extended by 15 days,” Tope said.

In view of the alarming rise in the COVID-19 cases, the Maharashtra government on April 4 announced a weekend lockdown and restrictions on the movement of people in the night during the weekdays till April 30.

The government had also clamped other restrictions like the closure of private offices, theatres, and salons to curb the unprecedented surge in the cases.

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It appears Centre wants people to die, says Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court Wednesday said it appeared that the Centre wanted people to die as according to the new protocol on the use of Remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment, the drug was to be given only to those on oxygen support.

“This is wrong. This is a complete non-application of mind. Now people who do not have oxygen will not get Remdesivir either. It appears you want people to die,” Justice Prathiba M Singh said to the central government. “It appears the Centre was changing the protocol to reduce the shortage of the drug,” the high court said.

“This is complete mismanagement,” the court added. It was hearing a plea by a lawyer who is suffering from COVID-19 and was able to get only three out of the six doses of Remdesivir required. Due to court’s intervention, the lawyer got the remaining vials on Tuesday night.

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CoWIN server crashes within minutes of opening as thousands rush to register 

The registration for vaccination for those between 18-45 years old opened up finally on Wednesday at 4 pm and as expected servers of the CoWIN app and website, UMANG app, and Aarogya Setu app crashed as lakhs tried to register themselves for vaccination. 

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Wife of TMC candidate, who died of COVID, files case against EC official

According to TMC leader Derek O-Brien, wife of Trinamool candidate Kajal Sinha who recently died of Covid has filed a  “culpable homicide” charge on Sudip Jain, a senior official of the Election Commission of India.

Enough is enough.

Trinamool candidate Kajal Sinha recently died of #Covid

His wife files CULPABLE HOMICIDE charge on Sudip Jain, senior official of the Election Commission of India

— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) April 28, 2021

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Maharashtra may extend lockdown-like curbs till 15 May 

Following a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Maharashtra government may decide to extend the lockdown-like restrictions in the state at least till 15 May, according to several media reports.

The cabinet discussed about extending the lockdown upto May 15 in Maharashtra.

“But a final call will be taken after CM @OfficeofUT consults COVID taskforce and other experts,” a cabinet minister said.

@The_Dialogue_ https://t.co/rLMFGOstAh

— Ms Aflatoon (@Ms_Aflatoon) April 28, 2021

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Unsure if Maharashtra can begin vaccination for 18-45  age group on 1 May, says Rajesh Tope

Considering the uncertainty over availability of vaccine in Maharashtra, it is difficult to say if the state will be begin COVID-19 vaccination for all above 18 years from 1 May, said health minister Rajesh Tope to Times Now on Wednesday.

Will have to wait for chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s response, said the state health minister.

“We cannot answer on whether the state can begin with the vaccination of those above 18 years of age. This is because there is a question mark on availability of vaccine.” said Tope.

The Central government has permitted the vaccination of all above 18 years from 1 May

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Annual pilgrimage to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri to begin from 14 May 

The Uttarakhand government on Wednesday announced that the annual pilgrimage to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri will begin on 14 May, News18 reported.

The government’s new SOPs will include negative RTPCR tests, online registrations and E-passes. The sanctum sanctorum will be shut for devotees and no hand-to-surface contact will be allowed during the yatra, stated the government.

The announcement comes amid reports of at least 600 police officers in the state testing positive for coronavirus largely because of Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. 

Uttrakhand Govt. has said that the annual pilgrimage (Chardham yatra) to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri & Gangotri will begin on May 14.@AnupamTrivedi26 shares more details with @shreyadhoundial pic.twitter.com/kJatyaHN9z

— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 28, 2021

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Five UP cities report 12 times more cases than in first COVID-19 peak, says report

Five cities in Uttar Pradesh are registering about 12 times more coronavirus infections than the first COVID-19 peak in September 2020, according to India Today.

NITI Aayog has predicted that after Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh will emerge as the next COVID-19 hotspot in the country. The state may report over 1.9 lakh daily cases by the end of April, Centre’s policy think thank had predicted.

5 cities in UP are seeing about 12 times more cases now than the first #Covid19 peak in Sept 2020: pic.twitter.com/yXtuc54hF5

— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) April 28, 2021

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Kerala to purchase 70 lakh Covishied vaccine and 30 lakh Covaxin

Kerala on Wednesday has decided to purchase one crore COVID-19 vaccines directly from manufacturers. It also decided against imposing a lockdown in the state although the test positivity rate reigns above 20 percent.

Of the one crore vaccines to be purchased, 70 lakh doses will be Covishield and 30 lakh Covaxin. The first 10 lakh dose is to be purchased next week.

The Cabinet meeting, chaired by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, took the decision hours before the online registration for vaccination for those above 18 years is to begin in the country.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Uttarakhand has adequate oxygen supply, hospital beds, says CM

We have sufficient amount of oxygen, we even supplied a little to other states. We have adequate number of hospital beds too, we set up 1,000 beds in Sports College (Dehradun). In Haldwani, we’ve set up beds in private colleges besides medical college and Sports College, said Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat.

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Every govt has right to control panic created of a crisis, says BJP spokesperson to BBC

When the BBC anchor asks, “Is it unpatriotic in India to criticise the government?”

BJP national spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal says, “If there’s a concerted effort to spread fake news against the Central government and build a false narrative to create panic out of crisis, every government has the right to control the panic.”

Agarwal’s response comes after Twitter took down 52 tweets , most of which were critical of India’s handling of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

The tweets, which are no longer accessible, included those posted by Congress MP Revanth Reddy, West Bengal minister Moloy Ghatak, actor Vineet Kumar Singh and filmmakers Vinod Kapri and Avinash Das, according to reports.

“If you create panic out of the crisis, every government has a right to control the panic.”

As Covid critical posts are removed on social media platforms in India, the BJP's @gopalkagarwal responds with “tweeters have to comply" with the country's content regulations#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/zfzY2EfRhK

— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) April 27, 2021

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BJP spokesperson responds to social media gag during COVID-19 crisis

BBC conducted an interview with BJP national spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal on Wednesday. When the anchor asks “you are the biggest democracy. You can handle criticism, cant you?”

Agarwal says, “No, no this is not the right perspective. Twitter and every social media platform have to comply with the rules and regulations of the country. when our govt pointed out about these toolkits and these tweets which are not in our national interest and based on fake news…”

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Goa announces lockdown till 3 May

Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant Wednesday announced lockdown in the state from 7 pm on 29 April till 3 May. “Essential services and industrial activities will be allowed, no public transport to be allowed. Casinos, hotels, pubs will remain shut. Borders to remain open for essential service transportation,” said Sawant. 

Lockdown announced in state from 29th April 7 pm to the morning of 3rd May. Essential services & industrial activities allowed, public transport to remain shut. Casinos, hotels, pubs remain closed. Borders to remain open for essential service transportation: Goa CM Pramod Sawant pic.twitter.com/PXaUfT5tkG

— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2021

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Former Mumbai Congress chief Eknath Gaikwad dies of COVID-19

Former Maharashtra minister and Mumbai Congress chief Eknath Gaikwad passed away Wednesday morning at a Mumbai hospital due to COVID-19. He was 81.

The former MP, who was the father of Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad, succumbed to the viral infection at a city hospital around 10 am, party sources said.

Gaikwad had also served as the president of the Mumbai Congress.

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Responsibility of state to protect Siddique Kappan when in custody: SC to UP govt

The Supreme Court bench Wednesday observed that it was only considering the issue of medical treatment of Kerala scribe Siddique Kappan – who is said to have been suffering from various COVID-19 comorbidities in jail at the moment – and said that it was the responsibility of the state to protect him while he was under its custody.

“You have have to consider the suggestion in the context of the precarious health condition of the person and the ultimate responsibility of state. He has the problem of diabeteics, blood pressure, he has suffered an injury while in jail. Will he be able to get adequate medical help in jail?”, the bench asked the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

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SC hints at shifting journalist Siddique Kappan to Delhi for medical treatment

The Supreme Court on Wednesday hinted that it will shift journalist Siddique Kappan , presently in custody under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA ) in Mathura jail, to Delhi for better medical treatment.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and AS Bopanna indicated this while hearing the habeas petition filed by Kerala Union of Working Journalists seeking Kappan’s release.

The bench has asked the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government, to respond to the bench by 1 pm on Wednesday.

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COVID-19 Daily Tracker: India registers 3,60,960 new cases and 3,293 deaths

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‘World has failed India’ in averting tragic COVID-19 outbreak, says Dr Fauci

The world and wealthier nations, in particular, have failed to unite to provide an adequate global response to avert the “tragic” coronavirus outbreak in India, said Dr Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser to Guardian on Tuesday.

Fauci said the situation in India had highlighted global inequality. 

“The only way that you’re going to adequately respond to a global pandemic is by having a global response, and a global response means equity throughout the world,” he said, adding, “And that’s something that, unfortunately, has not been accomplished.”

On Wednesday, India recorded over 3.60 lakh fresh infections, the highest for any country, along with over 3,000 fatalities. The toll in the country crossed the 2 lakh-mark.

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Pfizer’s new oral drug to treat COVID-19 may be ready by year-end, says CEO

Pfizer’s experimental oral drug to treat coronavirus could be ready next year, said CEO Albert Bourla on Tuesday, adding the company is working on two antivirals, an oral and an injectable. 

“We are actually on two, one is injectable and the other one an oral (antiviral)… Particularly the attention is on the oral for the world and of us because provides several advantages and one of them is that you don’t need to go to the hospital to get the treatment of which is the case with all the injectables so far but you can get it home,” said Bourla.

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Singapore sends oxygen cylinders to support India’s pandemic response

The Singapore government has sent a consignment of oxygen cylinders to support India’s COVID-19 pandemic response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force is transporting the cylinders on board two C-130 aircraft from Singapore to West Bengal, according to a report by the Channel News Asia.

Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Maliki Osman handed over the two planeloads of oxygen cylinders to India’s High Commissioner P Kumaran at Paya Lebar Air Base on Wednesday morning.

Last yr, 🇮🇳 helped the world and 🇸🇬 by exporting essential medicines & supplies. Now, we stand with 🇮🇳 as you fight Covid. 🇸🇬 Minister Maliki Osman flagged off 2 of @TheRSAF’s C-130s, arriving in 🇮🇳 today with 256 O2 cylinders to support last mile O2 delivery. #SingaporeWithIndia pic.twitter.com/l64yZ24djc

— Singapore in India (@SGinIndia) April 28, 2021

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Maharashtra reports 895 of 3,293 new COVID-19 fatalities

Of the 3,293 new COVID-19 fatalities reported in the past 24 hours, the highest number of deaths were reported in Maharashtra with 895 patients succumbing to the viral disease.

This was followed by Delhi with 381 deaths, 264 in Uttar Pradesh, 246 in Chhattisgarh, 180 in Karnataka, 170 in Gujarat, 131 in Jharkhand, 121 in Rajasthan and 100 in Punjab.

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Canada to send $10 mn to Indian Red Cross for tackling COVID-19 crisis

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that Canada will donate $10 million to the Indian Red Cross as well as provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators.

Speaking about the “heartbreaking news from hospitals in India that are unable to keep up with the number of patients” Trudeau said Canada’’s Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau has spoken with the Indian government on how Canada can help.

“We are also ready to provide $10 million – through the Canadian Red Cross – to the Indian Red Cross,” Trudeau said, adding, “This will support everything from ambulance services to buying more PPE locally.”

Right now, the people of India are facing a tragic situation. To help with everything from ambulance services to buying personal protective equipment, we’re contributing $10 million to @IndianRedCross through @RedCrossCanada. We stand ready to donate extra medical supplies, too. https://t.co/YUuJTGSIoG

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 28, 2021

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Registration for above 18 to start at 4 pm Wednesday

All those aged above 18 can register themselves on the CoWIN portal or using the Aarogya Setu app to get vaccinated against COVID-19 starting 4 pm on Wednesday, the Union health ministry said as the government gears up to launch the third phase of vaccination drive from 1 May.

“Registration for the newly eligible category for COVID-19 vaccination opens today at 4 pm on cowin.gov.in and Aarogya Setu app,” the ministry tweeted.

After registration, taking an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine jab would be mandatory for those aged between 18 and 44 years as walk-ins will not be allowed initially, officials had said.

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COVID-19 variant causing surge in cases in India found in at least 17 other countries: WHO

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that a variant of COVID-19 feared to be contributing to a surge in coronavirus cases in India has been found in over a dozen countries. The UN health agency said the B.1.617 variant of COVID-19 first found in India had as of Tuesday been detected in over 1,200 sequences uploaded to the GISAID open-access database “from at least 17 countries”.

“Most sequences were uploaded from India, the United Kingdom, USA and Singapore,” the WHO said in its weekly epidemiological update on the pandemic.

The WHO recently listed B.1.617 — which counts several sub-lineages with slightly different mutations and characteristics — as a “variant of interest”. But so far it has stopped short of declaring it a “variant of concern”.

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COVID-19 recovery rate in India drops to 82.33%

With 2,61,162 COVID-19 patients being cured of novel coronavirus, the number of recoveries surged over 1.48 crore on Wednesday, said the Union health ministry. The national recovery rate has further dropped to 82.33 percent.

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India’s COVID-19 toll crosses 2 lakh

With the death of over 3,200 COVID-19 patients in a day, the toll due to the novel coronavirus in the country increased to 2,01,187. This takes the national fatality rate to 1.11 percent.

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India adds 3,60,960 new COVID-19 cases

India registered 3,60,960 fresh COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, taking the overall count in the country to 1,79,97,267 on Wednesday, said the Union health ministry.

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Vaccine registrations for 18-44 age group to begin at 4 pm today

Registrations for an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine between the age group of 18-44  years will begin at 4 pm on Wednesday, reported The Hindu.

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New NCT law effective from today; now govt in Delhi means L-G

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021, which gives primacy to the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) over the elected government in the city, has come into force.

The provisions of the Act came into effect from April 27, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

According to the legislation, the “government” in Delhi means the “Lieutenant Governor” and the city government will now have to seek the opinion of the L-G before taking any executive action.

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Delhi’s new NCT law will come into force from today, says home ministry

The Centre appointed 27 April, 2021, as the date on which provisions of Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021 shall come into force, said Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday.

The Act exponentially increases powers of Delhi’s nominated Lieutenant Governor while emasculating the elected government and Assembly. 

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At least 62 held in Uttar Pradesh for black marketing of oxygen, drugs

Sixty-two people were arrested in the last 10-12 days across Uttar Pradesh for black marketing of oxygen cylinders and life-saving drugs, police said on Tuesday.

Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar on Tuesday said raids were conducted in different parts of the state on black marketeers of oxygen cylinders and life-saving drugs over the last 10-12 days.

“So far, 62 persons have been arrested, while 987 life-saving drugs and 385 oxygen cylinders were recovered from them. Rs 11.39 lakh was recovered from them,” Kumar said.