Coronavirus News Updates: Couldn't predict ferocity of second wave, says Centre's scientific advisor

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30 districts showing rising trend in no. of COVID cases for two weeks, most in south

Thirty districts in the country are showing a continued rise in the number of coronavirus cases for the last two weeks, of which 10 are in Kerala, seven in Andhra Pradesh, three in Karnataka and one in Tamil Nadu, the Centre said on Wednesday.

Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said Bengaluru (Urban) has recorded 1,49,241 cases over the last one week, followed by Chennai, which has recorded 38,379 cases.

He said in Kerala, Kozhikode, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Alappuzha, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur and Kollam districts have recorded a continued rise in the number of cases for the last two weeks. Besides Bengaluru (Urban), Mysuru and Tumakuru districts of Karnataka, Solapur and Satara districts of Maharashtra have recorded a high number of cases over the last two weeks, he said.

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Third wave of COVID ‘inevitable’: Govt

The government on Wednesday said that a third wave of coronavirus pandemic was “inevitable”, although a time-frame for it could not be predicted. In a press briefing by the Ministry of Health Affairs on Wednesday, officials said the long COVID wave of such “ferocity” that the country was experiencing currently “was not predicted”.

Twelve states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, have more than 1 lakh active COVID cases, the government said. Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Bihar are among the states that show increasing trend in daily cases, it said.

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6th flight of emergency relief for India in 6 days: US embassy

US-India partnership involves all aspects of the relationship—govt, business& ppl. This week, vaccine components arrived in India from the US that will enable the manufacturing of 20 million doses of Covishield vaccine. Together we will defeat COVID-19, Daniel B Smith, US Ambassador in India said.

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UK variant dominates north India; double mutant in west

The UK strain of coronavirus is currently dominating parts of north India while the double mutant variant is found mostly in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat, Director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Sujeet Singh said on Wednesday. He, however, added that the B1.1.7 lineage of SARS CoV-2 (UK variant) is declining in proportion across the country in the last month and a half.

The double mutant variant, also known as B.1.617, is mostly dominating Maharashtra (761), West Bengal (124), Delhi (107) and Gujarat (102).

The South African variant, also known as B.1.315, was predominantly found in Telangana and Delhi. The Brazilian variant (P1) was only found in Maharashtra in a negligible proportion.

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COVID-related drugs, oxygen cylinders still taxed in India

A report in  NDTV  highlighted that key drugs and medical supplies, including Remdesivir and medical grade oxygen, still attract high taxation in India, even when most of the country is facing an acute shortage. 

The issue was also highlighted in a PIL submitted before the Supreme Court last week, wherein advocate Astha Sharma requested court intervention to waive off 12 percent GST on medical equipment and drugs crucial for fighting coronavirus.

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With Covid cases rising, EC defers bypolls across states

In view of the rising Covid cases, the Election Commission of India decides to defer by-elections of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh) and Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) Parliamentary constituencies and 8 Assembly constituencies in various states

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Vaccination for 18-44 age group restricted to few districts due to inadequate doses: Rajasthan health minister

Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma on Wednesday said the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive in the state for people aged 18 years and above is restricted to a few districts due to non-availability of adequate doses.  The government had started vaccinating people in the 18-44 age group from May 1. 

“There are about 3.25 crore people in the age group of 18 to 44 years in the state. In such a situation, the state needs around seven crore doses, including both the dosage and wastage. Vaccination has to be restricted to a few districts due to inadequate doses, Sharma said. Immunisation work will be carried out extensively in the entire state as soon as sufficient doses are received from the centre,” he added.

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Maharshtra preparing for third wave, says Thackeray

The state is producing around 1200 MT oxygen but the consumption has today increased to around 1,700. MT, says Thackeray. We have written to the Centre yesterday asking for more 200 MT of oxygen, he said adding that the Centre has allowed the state to get 500 MT from other states. The state has started preparing for the third wave, he said adding that authorities have been told to work towards ramping up production to 3,000 MT.

The chief minister said Remdesivir is being provided to every district as per  its need. From yesterday, the task force has started providing guidance to family doctors over Zoom calls aboutwhich medicines to give COVID patients getting treated at home and how to decide which patients need to be admitted to hospitals, he informs. Maharashtra is on the path to becoming self sufficient in terms of oxygen, Remdesivir, other facilities to not only tackle the second wave but also prevent a third wave, if it comes, from having a disastrous effect on the state, he said.

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Number of cases going down in some districts, increasing in others, says Uddhav Thackeray

The SC has lauded Maharashtra, especially Mumbai for its fight against COVID-19, said Uddhav Thackeray and thanked people for helping the government and the BMC. Referring to restrictions in the state, he said the rise in cases has started to decline marginally but added that the state was standing on a dangerous turn. The number of patients is going down in some districts of Maharashtra but also increasing in some other districts, he adds.

We have been preparing since the last month and the Centre’s principal scientific advisor has advised to prepare for third wave,says Uddhav Thackeray. Speaking about the health facilities, he said there are around 4.5 lakh isolation beds, 30,000 ICU beds and around 12,000 ventilators in the state.  With regards to vaccination, we have to give vaccines to around 6 crore citizens in 18-44 age group. As we get vaccine doses, we can increase pace to even 10 lakh doses per day, he says.

Tejasvi Surya alleges bed scam in Bengaluru, receives flak for communalising issue

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, along with three MLAs, on Tuesday alleged that hospitals in the city ‘blocked’ at least 4,065 beds in fake names to make money amid the raging coronavirus pandemic. Surya alleged that government officials in Bengaluru colluded with private nursing homes and hospitals to block the beds and reserve it for exorbitant fees. Bengaluru city police Commissioner Kamal Pant tweeted that the matter was handed over to the Central Crime Branch and two people have been arrested while Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said he will not spare anyone involved. According to reports , Surya also went to the COVID war room, read out the names of 17 people belonging to a minority community and questioned their appointment. Later on Tuesday night Surya tweeted that the BBMP website was showing  1504 beds available and said the ‘system is reforming’. Congress leader DK Shivakumar lauded the BJP leaders for exposing corruption by the government and corporation from their own party while his party colleagues lashed out at Surya for communalising the issue and selectively reading out only names of those from the minority community. Surya also received huge backlash on social media.

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Two killed after oxygen cylinder explodes in Lucknow

 Two people died and two others got seriously injured after an oxygen cylinder exploded during the refilling process in Lucknow on Wednesday, police said.  The incident took place at an oxygen plant in the Chinhat area of the city, Station House Officer (SHO) Dhananjay Pandey said, adding efforts were on to ascertain the identity of the victims, who died on the spot. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the incident and expressed grief over the loss of lives. 

PTI

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All journalists in Jharkhand to be vaccinated on priority basis, says Hemant Soren

All journalists in Jharkahnd willl be included in the vaccination drive on a priority basis, announces Chief minister Hemant Soren, 

राज्य के सभी पत्रकारों को प्राथमिकता के तौर पर कोरोना टीकाकरण अभियान के साथ जोड़ा जाएगा। इस आशय हेतु मैंने अपर मुख्य सचिव (स्वास्थ्य) को निर्देश दे दिए हैं।
कोरोना की इस लड़ाई में हम मिलकर लड़ते हुए ही जीत हासिल करेंगे।

कोरोना फिर हारेगा
झारखण्ड फिर जीतेगा!

— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) May 5, 2021

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Gehlot asks social workers, donors for financial aid for free vaccination of 18-plus

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday urged social workers, public representatives, donors and other sections of society to provide financial support to carry out free vaccination of people above 18 years of age against the novel coronavirus infection. He has already approved opening a dedicated bank account —Raj CMRF COVID VACCINATION ACCOUNT —for this purpose. The bank account has been opened in the Jaipur Secretariat branch of State Bank of India. Its account number is 40166914665 and the IFSC code is SBIN0031031, officials said. The contributors can transfer the support amount by cash, cheque and electronically. The donation amount thus received will be used for free immunisation of youth, they said.

PTI

SC to pronounce judgment tomorrow on EC’s appeal against Madras HC’s remarks

The Supreme Court will on Thursday give its judgment on the Electoion Commission’s appeal against Madras HC’s “should be booked for murder” oral remarks, reports The Leaflet. The Election Commission had on 1 May moved the Supreme Court against the “uncalled for, blatantly disparaging and derogatory remarks” made by Madras HC. The HC had observed that the EC  “should be put on murder charges probably” as political parties flouted COVID-19 protocol in rallies

JUST IN: The Supreme Court to pronounce judgment tomorrow on EC's appeal against Madras HC’s “should be booked for murder” oral remarks@ECISVEEP @SpokespersonECI pic.twitter.com/ZFtWPUOuiV

— The Leaflet (@TheLeaflet_in) May 5, 2021

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Roche India gets emergency use approval for antibody cocktail used in COVID-19 treatment

Drug firm Roche India on Wednesday said it has received Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) from the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) for Roche’s investigational antibody cocktail used in the treatment of COVID-19.  The approval of antibody cocktail of Casirivimab and Imdevimab in India was based on the data filed for the EUA in the US, and the scientific opinion of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) in the European Union, Roche India said in a statement. 

“This Emergency Use Authorisation will now enable Roche to import the globally manufactured product batches to India and will be marketed as well as distributed in India through a strategic partnership with Cipla Limited,” it added.  The antibody cocktail is to be administered for the treatment of mild to moderate coronavirus disease in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age or older, weighing at least 40 kg) who are confirmed to be infected with SARS-COV2 and who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease, the statement said.   It could significantly help these high-risk patients before their condition worsens, it added.  

PTI

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DRDO setting up a 750-bed hospital on BHU premises

DRDO is setting up a 750-bedded makeshift Covid hospital at Banaras Hindu University premises. 90% of the work has been done and the rest will be completed in a day or two, Deepak Agrawal, Varanasi Commissioner told ANI

Varanasi: DRDO is setting up a 750-bedded makeshift COVID hospital at Banaras Hindu University premises

90% of work has been done, rest of the work will be completed in a day or 2. In the first phase, 250 ICUs will start functioning: Deepak Agrawal, Varanasi Commissioner pic.twitter.com/XojzerAwLg

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) May 5, 2021

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Uddhav Thackeray set to address State at 8:30 pm tonight

मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव ठाकरे हे आज रात्री ८.३० वा. समाजमाध्यमांवरून जनतेला संबोधित करणार. pic.twitter.com/Wd4LtHcrQK

— MAHARASHTRA DGIPR (@MahaDGIPR) May 5, 2021

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Kerala records 41,953 new cases, 58 deaths

In the highest single-day spike, Kerala on Wednesday reported 41,953 new COVID-19 cases, while 23,106 people were cured of the infection, pushing the caseload to 17,43,932 and recoveries to 13.62 lakh, the state government said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in view of the rise in the cases, more stringent measures will have to be taken to curb the surge in the state where severe lockdown-like restrictions were already in force. The toll mounted to 5,565 with 58 more deaths.

Active cases now stood at 3,75,658, while the test positivity rate (TPR) was 25.69.

-PTI

Oxygen Express trains so far delivered 2,067 tonnes of medical oxygen across India

The Railways’ Oxygen Express trains have delivered around 2,067 tonnes of medical oxygen across the country over the last 16 days with Delhi getting the highest 707 tonnes, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 641 tonnes.  Currently, trains carrying 344 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen are on the run.

“The Railways have delivered liquid medical oxygen to various states across the country. So far, Indian Railways has delivered around 2,067 Tonnes of liquid medical oxygen in 137 tankers to various states across the country,” a statement from the ministry said. It also said that so far, 34 Oxygen Express trains have completed their journey.

PTI

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PIL in HC claims lack of crematoriums in Delhi to deal with rising COVID fatalities

Another PIL in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday claimed that there is a lack of adequate cremation or burial sites in the national capital to deal with the daily rise in fatalities due to COVID-19, reports PTI

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh issued notice to the Delhi government and sought its response to the plea which seeks allocation of additional permanent or temporary places for cremation of dead bodies.

The court listed the matter for hearing on May 17 along with a similar plea which was taken up on Tuesday (May 4), by the bench.

The fresh plea by Delhi resident Jaswinder Singh Jolly also seeks a direction to the government to frame guidelines for the cremation of those deceased who loved ones cannot perform the last rites due to COVID-19.

In his plea, filed through advocates Naginder Benipal and Harithi Kambiri, the petitioner has claimed that family members of the deceased “are being made to run from one cremation facility to another due to lack of space as well as wood”.

Cap of Rs 10k on financial assistance to workers, dependents for COVID treatment not justified: HC

 The Delhi High Court on Wednesday told the Delhi government that it may not be justified to put a cap at Rs 10,000 on financial assistance provided to a construction worker and his dependents towards treatment of COVID-19 as it may not be sufficient if more than one person in the family was infected.   A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said that COVID-19 was a highly contagious disease and if one person in a family gets infected, others may too and each of them would require a course of medication. The court asked advocate Urvi Mohan, appearing for the Delhi government’sBuilding and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, to take instructions with regardto the concerns raised by it on the quantumof financial assistance.

The directioncame after Mohan told the court that the Board has issued an order to provide financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to every COVID positiveworker registered withit and to any of his dependents who are also infected, for treatment, subject to a maximumof Rs 10,000.

PTI

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Delhi hospital study finds 16 % vaccinated individuals tested positive for COVID-19

 A small-scale study on 113 healthcare workers who had received at least one vaccine dose at a private hospital in Delhi found that 18 tested positive for Covid but all except one had mild symptoms  The study, published in the peer-reviewed journalDiabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research and Reviewson 3 May, was conducted on employees of the Fortis Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology in Delhi. The participants in the study by researchers at Fortis, National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation, and Diabetes Foundation (India), New Delhi, included doctors, nutritionists, nurses, paramedical workers, and maintenance staff.  

Of the 113 in the study, 107 had received the second dose of the vaccine. Taken in percentage form, the study found that breakthrough infections —Covid infection in vaccinated individuals — occurred in 15.9 percent (18 persons) of the vaccinated individuals and 95 percent had mild symptoms. Of these, 17 incurred the infection after the second dose and one person. Except one person who required hospitalisation, all others had mild COVID-19 disease, the researchers said.

PTI

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India accounted for 46% of cases, 25% deaths last week, says WHO

India accounted for nearly half of the coronavirus cases reported across the world last week, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday, reports Reuters.  The WHO said in its weekly epidemiological report that India accounted for 46 percent of global cases and 25 percent of global deaths reported in the past week.

Worldwide, 5.7 million new cases were reported last week and more than 93,000 deaths, the WHO said in its weekly epidemiological report.

According to a report  by The Hindu ,  a total of 3,103,632 new COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide in the last five days.Of these 1,512,057 (49 percent) are from India while the US has recorded 333,659 new cases.

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No standard definition of terms like community transmission, says VK Paul

In response to a question, VK Paul, member (health) NITI Aayog said there is no standard definition of terms like community transmission. We have defined our approach to pandemic control –  (in terms of) testing tracking, containment, treatment, vaccination etc," reports quote him as saying.

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UK variant declining in proportion in last 1.5 months, says NCDC director

According to reports , during the press briefing on the COVID-19 situation, the NCDC director Dr Sujeet Singh said the B1.1.7lineage of SARV-CoV-2  (UK variant) has been declining in proportion across the country in the last month and a half. The B1.617 lineage has been seen in Maharashtra, he said adding that the current surge in some states in the last one-and-a-half months shows a correlation with the rise in the B1.617 lineage.

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Mamata Banerjee announces fresh curbs in Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata  Banerjee on Wednesday took stock of the COVID-19 situation in the state, shortly after her swearing-in ceremony, and

announced fresh curbs to combat the spread of COVID-19, including suspension of local train services. Banerjee, following a high-level meeting with top officials, said that metro rail and state transport services will be curtailed by 50 percent from Thursday, as part of the newly imposed set of restrictions. Banks will be operational from 10 am to 2 pm, and government offices have been told to make do with 50 percent workforce, Banerjee said at the press meet. The state administration has also requested private firms to encourage work from home, the CM said.

PTI

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Spending by Co’s on health infra for COVID care will be considered as CSR work: Govt

The government on Wednesday said that spending by companies for setting up health infrastructure for COVID care will be considered as CSR activities. The corporate affairs ministry’s latest clarification comes weeks after clarifying that spending for setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID-19 care facilities will be considered as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity under the companies law. Certain class of profitable companies are required to shell out at least 2 per cent of their three-year annual average net profit towards CSR works in a particular year.

“… spending of CSR funds for creating health infrastructure for COVID care, establishment of medical oxygen generation and storage plants, manufacturing and supply of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, cylinders and other medical equipment for countering COVID-19 or similar such activities” are eligible CSR activities, as per the ministry.

PTI

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Himachal Pradesh declares lockdown from 7 to 16 May

The Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday decided to impose a lockdown in the state from 7 May to 16 May to check the spread of COVID-19, an official said.  The decision to impose the lockdown was taken at a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, the spokesperson added. The meeting was held to review the current COVID-19 situation in the state. 

PTI

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Phase three inevitable, says K Vijay Raghavan

A phase three is inevitable, given the higher levels of circulating virus but it is not clear on what time scale this phase three will occur. We should prepare for new waves, ANI quotes K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to Centre as saying. Raghavan also said vaccines are effective against current variants. “New variants will arise all over the world and in India too but variants that increase transmission will likely plateau. Immune evasive variants and those which lower or increase disease severity will arise going ahead, the news agency quotes him as saying.

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From 1 May, 6.71 lakh in 18-44 age group given vaccines, says health ministry

From 1  May, 6.71 lakh people in age group of 18-44 years in 9 states have been administered vaccines, says Lav Agarwal.

Maharahashtra, UP among states recording dip in cases, says health ministry

According to The Hindu, the Joint Health secretary said that Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Gujarat have recorded a dip in daily cases recorded.  However, a rise in the number of daily cases was noted in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Haryana and Punjab among others, said the report.  According to ANI, Agarwal said 12 states have more than  one lakh active cases, seven  states have 50,000 to one lakh active cases, and 17 states have less than 50,000 active cases. Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have around 1.5 lakh active cases, he said as per the news agency,

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Health ministry briefing on COVID-19 situation begins

Around 2.4 percent day on day growth in COVID cases has been noticed, ANI quotes Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry as saying. An increase in deaths has been noticed too. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, and Haryana reported more deaths, Agarwal further states. “There are some areas of concern. Bengaluru reported around 1.49 lakh cases in last one week. Chennai reported 38,000 cases. Some districts have recorded further and speedy COVID cases, these include Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Gurgram,” the news agency quotes him as saying.

There are some areas of concern. Bengaluru reported around 1.49 lakh cases in last one week. Chennai reported 38,000 cases. Some districts have recorded further & speedy COVID cases, these include Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Gurgram: Lav Agarwal, Union Health Ministry, Joint Secretary pic.twitter.com/29awAxUW32

— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2021

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Karnataka HC directs Centre to increase cap on oxygen supply to state

The Karnataka High Court orders the Cente to again consider the representation of state govt dated 30 April asking for more oxygen, reports Bar&Bench. According to LiveLaw, the court directed the state government to submit a projected estimate of oxygen for next one week and further directed that this representation should be considered within four days Till then, the Centre should increase the cap of oxygen allocation to Karnatka to 1121 MT per day. The HC said the standing counsel should immediately communicate its orders to the Centre as there a number of reports of people affected in the state due to a lack of oxygen. “For upholding rights under Article 21 of Constitution this is minimum requirement to be complied with by the state,” LiveLaw quotes the court as saying.

HC: We make it clear that standing counsel for GoI present online will have to communicate order to Central Govt the reason being there are number of reported incident in state of covid affected people due to lack of Oxygen.

— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) May 5, 2021

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Thirteen die at Chengalpattu GH in 24 hours; officials deny oxygen shortage

As many as 13 people, aged 40 to 85, died at the Chengalpattu Government Medical College Hospital near Chennai in a span of 24 hours, with

their relatives alleging shortage of oxygen, a charge stoutly denied by officials on Wednesday The overnight fatalities triggered panic among the

people in the area and outrage among the relatives of the deceased who alleged that a shortage of oxygen had led to the deaths.

Chengalpattu district collector A John Louis, who reviewed the situation on Tuesday night, denied that the deaths were due to oxygen shortage. “I was there at the field the whole night monitoring the situation. Oxygen supply (for the patients) was not interrupted,” Louis told reporters on Wednesday. He said a probe will be taken up by the director of medical education into “technical issues.”

Of the deceased, only one patient was Covid positive while others tested negative but had viral pneumonia and comorbidities, hospital Dean Dr J Muthukumaran said.

PTI

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HC asks Chhattisgarh govt to modify COVID-19 vaccination plan for 18-44 age group

 The Chhattisgarh High Court has directed the state government to modify its plan for the third phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive for citizens in the age group of 18 to 44 years and fix the ratio of allotment of vaccines in an equitable manner.   A division bench of Chief Justice P R Ramachandra Menon and Justice Parth Prateem Sahu passed the order on Tuesday after hearing a suo motu (on its own) public interest litigation (PIL), under which intervention applications were filed challenging the state’s order of giving priority in inoculation to economically weaker sections, said Palash Tiwari, advocate for one of the interveners.

In an order issued on 30 April , the Chhattisgarh government had announced that in the third phase of the vaccination drive, vaccines will be first given to the Antyodaya group (poorest among poor), followed by persons belonging to the below poverty line (BPL) category and then to those from the above poverty line category.

PTI

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Members in Jaishankar’s delegation to UK test positive, schedule modified

 Members of the small delegation accompanying External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to the UK have tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the minister to take his remaining schedule here, including his in-person meetings at a G7 gathering, virtual as a “measure of abundant caution”, reports news agency PTI.“Was made aware yesterday evening of exposure to possible Covid positive cases,” Jaishankar said on Twitter on Wednesday. “As a measure of abundant caution and also out of consideration for others, I decided to conduct my engagements in the virtual mode. That will be the case with the G7 Meeting today as well,” he said. According to numerous sources, two members of the delegation tested positive on Tuesday with further test results still awaited, the news agency reports. 

Jaishankar was to join ministers from the other G-7 guest nations for the first formal gathering of the summit over a working dinner on Tuesday evening and further meetings on Wednesday.  A bilateral meeting scheduled with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab at Chevening in Kent on Thursday is also expected to take on a virtual form.

Was made aware yesterday evening of exposure to possible Covid positive cases. As a measure of abundant caution and also out of consideration for others, I decided to conduct my engagements in the virtual mode. That will be the case with the G7 Meeting today as well.

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 5, 2021

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SC asks Centre to reply on oxygen allocation for Delhi by 10.30 am tomorrow

The Supreme Court directed the Centre to place a plan before the top court with regard to required oxygen supply of 700 MT per day to the National Capital by 10.30 am on Thursday.

Justice Chandrachud: we will list this tomorrow at 10.30 am

SG: Let us try and find out the real requirement of oxygen of the state

Justice Chandrachud: I need to discuss this with Justices Rao and Bhat. its a matter of deference

— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) May 5, 2021

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SC stays Delhi HC’s contempt notice on oxygen supply in Delhi

The Supreme Court puts on hold the contempt notice issued by the Delhi High Court over deficit in oxygen supplies to National Capital. “We stay the operation of the contempt notice issued by Delhi HC. This stay will not be a restraint on Delhi HC to monitor the on ground situation on other heads,” observed the court.

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Devotees flout COVID-19 norms during religious procession in Gujarat

Several devotees flouted COVID-19 norms on Wednesday to take part in a religious procession in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Thousands thronged the streets without masks and adhering to social distancing even as the Gujarat government had imposed lockdown-like restrictions till 12 May.

Police booked a case against 23 people including the sarpanch of Navapara, reported Indian Express.

Thousands thronged a religious #festival in #Sanand without masks and #social #distancing even as the #Gujarat government has imposed a #Mini #Lockdown till May 12#Covid #Covid19

Video Source : Amit Mishra @Amitjanhit pic.twitter.com/9XLZULJ40U

— Ahmedabad Mirror (@ahmedabadmirror) May 5, 2021

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West Bengal CM suspends movement of local trains from tomorrow

All markets, retailers, standalone shops to function from 7 am to 10 am and later from 5 pm to 7 pm only. Movement of local trains to be suspended from Thursday. State transport, including metro, to function with 50 percent capacity, said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

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Take notes from BMC fon oxygen management in Delhi, give full quota of 700 MT, SC tells Centre

When the Centre Wednesday claimed that Delhi can manage with 500 tonnes of oxygen, the apex court disagreed saying its orders were for 700 metric tonnes and that 550 metric tonnes it was getting now will not resolve the city’s problem.

“Now you have made a oxygen per bed formula which is not scientific. We will try and extrapolate BMC model for Delhi and third is actual procurement of Delhi. So, 700 MT for Delhi will take care of the humanitarian crisis,” said the top court.

Until this exercise is complete, Delhi must have a hoarding of 700 MT. Inform us by 3 pm, how much has been allocated for Delhi till today midnight. We need to inch as close a possible to 700 MT and not be at 550 MT as stated, it further stated.

Justice Chandrachud: until this exercise is complete Delhi must have a hoarding of 700 MT. you can tell us by 3 pm how much will you go up to till Midnight today. We need to inch as close a possible to 700 mt and not be at 550 mt as stated.

— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) May 5, 2021

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SC suggests Centre to follow Bombay model for Delhi for oxygen management

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Centre to examine and follow the Bombay model for allocation of oxygen supply in Delhi. “We are trying to find a way. Now tell us, we have passed an order for 700, we will review that. We want to analyse what was done in a large metropolis like Mumbai and how it can be emulated, and we are answerable to citizens of Delhi,” said Justice DY Chandrachud on Wednesday

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Follow Bombay model for allocation of oxygen supply in Delhi, SC tells Centre

What we see in media, Bombay Municipal Corporation has done some remarkable work and not disrespecting Delhi but we can maybe see what was done by BMC. Maharashtra is also an oxygen supply state, said the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Justice Chandrachud: This exercise can be done from today and Monday. then the modality can be based on Bombay model which has been successful in a large metropolis

— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) May 5, 2021

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Centre’s formula on allocation of oxygen has to be more scientific: SC

The Supreme Court asked Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, to formulate a better plan on oxygen allocation for the National Captial. 

Justice Chandrachud: We need to do this scientifically. I need to discuss with my brother judges. One way is to have a broad based expert committee and solve this pan India. this will be based on states reply too.

— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) May 5, 2021

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Delhi govt’s estimation of 700 MT of oxygen per day not justified: Centre in SC

The Centre on Wednesday said that the daily requirement of 700 MT of oxygen per day requested by Delhi government was not justified and explained the allocation of oxygen for ICU and non-ICU beds.

Fifty percent of ICU beds need 10 litres per minute and 100 percent needs 20 litres per minute. I’m not going back from my statement. The figure by Delhi government for 700 MT per day is not justified. On-ground medical facilities available will be 505 MT for Delhi and a team has stated that there is no justification for 700 MT. This is based on calculation sheet for states, said Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Centre, on Wednesday.

As per Centre, 8,136 of 16,000 non-ICU beds need oxygen. On the basis of the formula, 152 MT oxygen is needed.

SG: on-ground medical facilities available will be 505 MT for Delhi and a team has stated that there is no justification for 700 MT. This is based on calculation sheet for states. As per centre 8136 of 16,000 non icu beds needs oxygen. On the basis of this 152 MT oxygen is needed

— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) May 5, 2021

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India’s medical oxygen quantity was augmented by 2,000 MT in a month: Centre

The initial quantity of medical oxygen available in India was 5,000 MT, which was inclusive of industrial oxygen. You may be aware that there are several hospitals where rarely oxygen is required due to the nature of activities, therefore medical oxygen was not in demand before April, said Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta on Wednesday.

But now, we have been able to augment the quantity to 9,000 MT after several philanthropists came and gave oxygen. We diverted use of industrial oxygen. The question was how to divide this among various states and it cannot be at the sweet will of the Centre, added the Solicitor-General.

SG: We have been able to augment. We stopped industrial use of oxygen. Several philanthropies came and gave oxygen. We diverted use of industrial oxygen. The question was how to divide this amongst various States and it cannot be at the sweet will of the Centre.

— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) May 5, 2021

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We are procuring 700 MT for Delhi, no question of non-compliance, Centre tells SC

We are in the process of procuring 700 MT for Delhi. Yesterday we reached 585 MT. Allotted was 590 MT, said Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, who is appearing for the Central Government on Wednesday.

“700 or 590 is for what duration?” asked Justice MR Shah, who is hearing the Centre’s plea with Justice DY Chandrachud.

Mehta responded saying, “24 hours, thus there is no question of non-compliance.”

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SC to hear Centre’s plea against Delhi HC order mulling contempt action shortly 

The Supreme Court bench Wednesday will hear Centre’s plea against Delhi High Court’s order mulling contempt action against its officials over failure to supply 700 MT of oxygen to National Capital. The special bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud will assemble at 1 pm.

On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court had directed the presence of Central government officers, Sumita Dawra and Piyush Goyal, who are handling oxygen allocation to states to explain failure to meet the assurance with regard to oxygen supply of 700 MT per day to the National Capital.

Bench will assemble at 1 PM. #DelhiHighCourt #SupremeCourt #OxygenShortage

— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) May 5, 2021

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Uttar Pradesh govt extends curfew till 10 May 

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday decided to extend the partial ‘corona curfew’ till 7 am on 10 May, Live Law reported.

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SC to hear Centre’s plea against Delhi HC’s contempt order shortly

A Supreme Court special bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud will assemble at 12.30 pm on Wednesday to hear Centre’s appeal against Delhi High Court regarding contempt action against its officials over oxygen supply to the National Capital.

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Delhi’s COVID-19 positivity rate below 30% for third straight day

The National Capital recorded 338 COVID-19 deaths and 19,953 cases in a day with a positivity rate of 26.73 percent, according to the health bulletin issued by the Delhi health department on Wednesday morning.

The positivity rate has remained below 30 percent since Sunday. Delhi had recorded 18,043 cases on Monday, the lowest since 15 April, when 16,699 people were diagnosed with the disease.

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Centre moves Supreme Court against Delhi HC’s contempt notice on oxygen supply

The Centre Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against Delhi High Court order asking state and Centre officials to remain present to see if contempt proceedings be initiated or not since oxygen supply was not met as per apex court order. Matter will be placed before Justice DY Chandrachud. 

The Delhi High Court on Monday pulled up the Centre for its failure to meet the assurance with regard to the supply of 700 MT liquid medical oxygen per day to the National Capital in line with the directions passed by the top court.

A division bench comprising Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli had directed the presence of Central government officers Sumita Dawra and Piyush Goyal, who are handling oxygen allocation to states, on Wednesday, to explain the failure to comply with the order to supply the required oxygen to the Delhi Government.

“We direct Central government to show cause why contempt action should not be taken for non-compliance of our order of 1 May and Supreme Court order”, the bench ordered.

BREAKING:

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentions Delhi High Court order passed yesterday regarding supply of #oxygen

CJI Ramana: what can we do?

SG: With regard to SC order, State officials were asked to remain present in HC for #contempt proceedings. #SupremeCourt pic.twitter.com/LzftsC8fSw

— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) May 5, 2021

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Five COVID-19 patients die in Roorkee hospital after disruption in oxygen supply

Five COVID-19 patients, including a woman, died at a private hospital in Roorkee in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district allegedly due to disruption in oxygen supply to the facility for around 30 minutes.

The incident occurred in the early hours on Wednesday when oxygen supply to the hospital remained disrupted between 1.30 and 2 am, a doctor at the hospital said.

One of the patients who died was on ventilator support while four others were on oxygen beds, he said. A magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident, Haridwar District Magistrate C Ravishankar said on Wednesday.

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Karnataka HC begins hearing cases on COVID-19 management in state

The Karnataka High Court began hearing on batch of petitions regarding COVID-19 management in the state. A bench of Chief Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar was hearing the matter. 

“Today, we will pass order for seizure of the hospital documents etc and we will say about the manner in which the state has acted in our order,” the court said. 

The bench made the remarks while hearing PILs related to COVID-19 issues to take note of the deaths in Chamarajanagar district.

CJ: Today, we will pass order for seizure of the hospital documents etc and we will say about the manner in which the state has acted in our order. #OxygenEmergency #KarnatakaFightsCorona

— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) May 5, 2021

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Maharashtra reports 51,880 new COVID-19 cases 

In Maharashtra, which has been the worst COVID-affected state since last year, 51,880 new COVID-19 cases took the total caseload to over 48.22 lakh on Wednesday. At least 891 morev people succumbed to the viral disease in the past 24 hours.

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RBI announces term liquidity facility of Rs 50,000 cr for emergency health security

On-tap liquidity of Rs 50,000 crore at repo rate is being opened till March 31, 2022. Under the scheme, banks can support entities including COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, medical facilities, hospitals and also patients, said RBI governor Shaktikanta Das on Wednesday.

India has mounted a valiant defence against COVID-19. The RBI will continue to monitor the emerging situation and deploy all instruments at its command, Das said.

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With 3,780 new COVID-19 deaths, India registers highest single-day fatalities so far

India on Wednesday registered highest single-day COVID-19 deaths with 3,780 patients succumbing to the novel coronavirus, pushing the total fatalities to 2,26,188.

With 3,82,315 new COVID-19 cases, the country’s total caseload was over 2.06 crore on Wednesday, according to the Union health ministry.

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India’s COVID-19 toll crosses 2.26 lakh with 3,780 new deaths

With the death of 3,780 COVID-19 patients in the past 24 hours, the total number of fatalities crossed 2.26 lakh on Wednesday, said the health ministry. This takes the national COVID-19 fatality rate to 1.09 percent.

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India adds 3,82,315 new COVID-19 cases, daily count up 6.6% from yesterday

India on Wednesday reported 3,82,315 new COVID-19 cases, taking the overall count over 2.06 crore on Wednesday, according to the Union health ministry. The daily COVID-19 cases reported in the past 24 hours saw an increase by 25,086 or 6.6 percent from Tuesday. India had reported 3,57,229 cases on 4 May.

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Delhi reports 19,953 new COVID-19 cases

Delhi on Wednesday registered 19,953 fresh coronavirus infections, taking the total caseload in the National Capital over 12.32 lakh on Wednesday. With the death of 338 COVID-19 patients, the toll climbed to 17,752.

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Delhi HC issues notice to Centre on non-compliance of oxygen supply orders

The Delhi High Court issued a show cause notice to the Centre to explain as to why it should not initiate contempt of court proceedings over the government’s failure to supply oxygen to the National Capital despite being ordered to do so by the Supreme Court and high court.

“You can put your head in sand like an ostrich, we will not,” a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said, according to PTI, rejecting the Centre’s submission that Delhi was not entitled to 700 metric tonnes of medical oxygen in light of existing medical infrastructure.

The Bench which was hearing multiple petitions over the shortage of supply of COVID-19 essentials in the National Capital, including medical grade oxygen, also summoned Union minister and joint MHA secretary Piyush Goyal at the court along with Sumita Dabra of the Industries Department to respond to the notice.

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More than 16 crore vaccinated against COVID-19 

The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 16 crore with nearly 11.5 lakh doses administered till 8 pm on Tuesday, the health ministry said.

The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 16,04,18,105, according to a provisional report compiled at 8 pm.

“India also administered more than 13 crore (13,00,03,225) doses as the first dose and more than three crore (3,04,14,880) vaccine doses as the second dose,” the ministry said.

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14 Indian crew members of cargo ship in isolation after testing COVID-19 positive in South Africa

Fourteen crew members of a cargo ship that sailed to Durban from India have tested positive for COVID-19, South Africa’s Transnet National Port Authority has said.

The 14 were among the entire crew that was tested after the ship arrived in Durban on Sunday. They are now all in isolation as authorities start a track and trace initiative for all those who might have been in contact with them.

“The vessel is currently on quarantine. No one is allowed to leave or enter the vessel, and the company responsible for anyone who worked on board is to track and trace all employees who interacted with the subject vessel,” Transnet said on Tuesday.

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COVID-19 situation in Assam ’little alarming’: Himanta Biswa Sarma

The COVID-19 situation in Assam is “a little alarming” with nearly 5,000 positive cases and the highest of 41 deaths reported on Tuesday, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Sarma said that with about 5,000 COVID-19 cases reported everyday the “situation in Assam is becoming a little alarming”. However, “we are prepared and measures are on to scale up ICU and hospital beds”.

The state has reported 4,475 new COVID-19 cases during the day taking the tally to 2,67,925 while the toll has increased to 1,430 with the 41 fatalities, including 15 from Kamrup Metro.

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US is helping India ‘significantly’ in fight against COVID-19 second wave: Biden

The US is helping India “significantly” in its fight against the second wave of COVID-19 by sending it material and machine parts, President Joe Biden has said.

So far, six air shipments funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have departed the US for India. These flights include health supplies, oxygen cylinders, N95 masks and medicines.

“We are helping Brazil. We are helping India significantly. I spoke to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. What he needs most is the material and the parts to be able to have his machines that can make the vaccine work. We’re sending him that,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

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ICMR revises RT-PCR testing guidelines to reduce pressure on labs

The need for RT-PCR test in healthy individuals undertaking inter-state domestic travel may be completely removed to reduce the load on laboratories, recommended an ICMR advisory for COVID-19 testing during the second wave of the pandemic.

The advisory stated that RT-PCR test must not be repeated in any individual who has tested positive once either by RAT or RT-PCR and that testing is not required for COVID-19 recovered individuals at the time of hospital discharge in accordance with the discharge policy of the Ministry of Health.

The advisory was issued in view of laboratories facing challenges to meet the expected testing target due to extraordinary case load and staff getting infected with COVID-19 .