Coronavirus News Updates: Will send expert teams to develop oxygen concentrators, says Israel's ambassador to India

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Stricter COVID curfew in Uttarakhand from 11-18 May

In a bid to check the coronavirus spread, the Uttarakhand government imposed a stricter curfew from May 11 to 18, reducing opening hours for shops dealing in essential services and restricting the number of people at social gatherings to 20. Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal said the decision has been taken to break the transmission chain of Covid-19.

The stricter curfew will begin at 6 am on May 11 and continue up to 6 am on 18 May, he said. Shops selling essential items like milk, vegetables, fruits and meat will be allowed to open from 7 am to 10 am daily. Till now, these shops opened from 7 am to 12 am daily.

Grocery shops will be permitted to open on May 13 only. Mediapersons will have the permission to move around during the curfew if they have their IDs with them.

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Inoculation only long-term solution to COVID-19 crisis in India: Anthony Fauci

Getting people vaccinated is the only long-term solution to the current COVID-19 crisis in India, America’s top public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci said on Sunday as he called for scaling up manufacturing of coronavirus vaccines both domestically and globally to fight the deadly pandemic.

“The endgame of this all…is going to be to get people vaccinated…India is the largest vaccine-producing country in the world. They’ve got to get their resources, not only from within, but also from without,” Fauci, who is the Chief Medical Adviser to US President Joe Biden, told the ABC News in an interview.

“That’s the reason why other countries need to chip in to be able to get either supplies to the Indians to make their own vaccines or to get vaccines donated. One of the ways to do that is to have the big companies that have the capability of making vaccines to really scale up in a great way to get literally hundreds of millions of doses to be able to get to them,” he said.

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Israel says will send expert teams to India to help combat COVID-19 wave

Israel Ambassador to India Ron Malka on Sunday said, “We are sending teams of experts to India. For example, we’re going to send a team for rapid testing, and a team to develop very easy producing oxygen concentrators. India has remarkable manufacturing capabilities.”

“We’ll never forget the remarkable assistance we got from India at the beginning of this pandemic. India and Israel share strong values of friendship. We’re sharing practices, expertise, IPs whatever we can this is a life-saving time.”

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Pinjra Tod activist Natasha Narwal’s father Mahavir Narwal dies of COVID-19, say reports

Pinjra Tod activist Natasha Narwal’s father Mahavir Narwal died of the novel coronavirus infection on Sunday, PTI quoted family sources said. Narwal was arrested in May last year for allegedly being part of a premeditated conspiracy in the northeast Delhi riots in February that year. She has been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The activist has been lodged in Tihar Jail. Mahavir Narwal was not able to speak to his daughter who is in jail. His son, Aakash, who is also COVID-19 positive, was there with him in Rohtak, sources close to the family said.

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Maharashtra’s COVID-19 cases fall below 50,000 after 5 April

Maharashtra on Sunday reported 48,401 fresh coronavirus positive cases and 572 fatalities, taking the tally to 51,01,737 and the toll to 75,849, the state health department said. At 48,401, the number of new cases in a day fell below 50,000 for the first time after 5 April this year, when the state had recorded 47,288 infections.

A total of 60,226 patients were discharged during the day, taking the count of recoveries so far in Maharashtra to 44,07,818, the department said in a release. Of the 572 fatalities, 310 had occurred in the last 48 hours, it said.

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Haryana announces ‘stringent’ restrictions from 10-17 May

Haryana health minister Anil Vij on Sunday said, “‘Surkshit Haryana’ initiative has been announced from 10 May to 17 May. Stringent measures will be taken to contain spread of COVID-19 in Haryana. Detailed order to be issued soon.”

On Sunday, Haryana reported 13,548 new COVID-19 cases, 12,639 new recoveries and 151 new deaths. The caseload rose to 6,15,897 and active cases stand at 1,16,867

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Bengal sees record rise of 19,441 new COVID-19 cases

West Bengal on Sunday reported 19,441 new COVID-19 cases, which is the highest single-day number of new cases in the state so far. The state also saw 124 deaths in the last 24 hours.

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11,084 new COVID-19 cases in Gujarat today

Gujarat reported 11,084 new coronavirus positive cases on Sunday, which took its infection tally to 6,81,012, while the death of 121 patients pushed the fatality count to 8,394, the state health department said.

At 14,770, the number patients who recuperated during the day exceeded the count of new cases.

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Arvind Kejriwal asks Centre to ‘actively monitor and supervise’ vaccine manufacture

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the Centre to “actively monitor and supervise” private COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers in the country and ensure adequate availability of the vaccine doses to states and Union territories.The Centre should make available to the states/UTs the requisite number of vaccine doses to enable vaccination of all its citizens, he said.

“The Centre should actively monitor and supervise the manufacture of vaccines by the private parties so that supplies in adequate quantity are made to all state governments, and this crucial aspect is not left to the discretion of the private manufacturers, Kejriwal said in a letter to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

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2,75,540 people in 18-45 age group have been vaccinated: Delhi govt

The Delhi government on Sunday said it has vaccinated 2,75,540 people in the 18-44 age group so far, and has a stock of 2,74,460 vaccine doses for the age group.

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Ten additional oxygen generation plants to come up in Jammu and Kashmir

Ten additional oxygen generation plants will soon come up in Jammu and Kashmir with the intervention of the central government, an official spokesperson said on Sunday. 

The information was given at a meeting of the COVID Task Force chaired by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, the spokesperson said, adding the meeting had a detailed assessment of the district-wise coronavirus scenario and containment measures required to control its spread.

The Lt Governor asked the functionaries concerned to prioritize the completion of all civil and other auxiliary works so that early functioning of these 10 oxygen plants can be ensured.

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Goa reports highest single-day toll of 67 COVID-19 deaths

Coronavirus claimed the lives of 67 patients in Goa on Sunday, the highest single-day death count in the state since the pandemic began, a health official said.

With this, its fatality count increased to 1,679, while the overall caseload went up to 1,18,846 with the addition of 2,633 infection cases.

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Manish Sisodia orders inquiry after 23 COVID patients ‘go missing’ from Hindu Rao hospital

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has ordered an inquiry into the incident of 23 COVID-19 patients going “missing” from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run Hindu Rao Hospital, PTI quoted sources as saying on Sunday. Sisodia has asked the health department to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit a report by Monday evening.

The corporation’s mayor, Jai Prakash, had on Saturday said that at least 23 COVID-19 patients left the hospital between 19 April and 6 May without informing the medical facility.  Sisodia said it is very shocking that a large number of COVID-19 patients have gone “missing” from the hospital.

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Rajya Sabha MP Raghunath Mohapatra dies of COVID-19

Rajya Sabha MP and sculptor Raghunath Mohapatra, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, died due to the disease in a hospital in Odisha, PTI reported.

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AMU flags possibility of ‘particular’ COVID variant after 16 teachers succumb in 18 days

Aligarh Muslim University VC Tariq Mansoor on Sunday wrote to the ICMR, urging it to study the COVID-19 “variant circulating around the university campus” and its surrounding areas.

In a letter to ICMR director general Balram Bhargava, Mansoor said 16 serving and 18 retired teachers in addition to other employees of AMU have succumbed to the infection in the past 18 days.

There is a possibility that “a particular variant may be circulating in areas around the AMU campus and surrounding localities, which has led to these deaths”, he said.

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Amarinder Singh asks for oxygen allocation to be raised to 300 MT

The Punjab government on Sunday issued a statement saying that Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an increased allocation ot medical oxygen, which is being used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Singh urged the prime minister to increase the total quota of oxygen for Punjab to 300 MT and to ensure urgent supplies of vaccine for the state, “which is facing shortages on both counts”.

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Curfew restrictions extended till 17 May in Bhopal

The district administration on Sunday extended the COVID-19 induced curfew in the Madhya Pradesh capital till 17 May, PTI reported. The curfew was supposed to be lifted at 6 am on 10 May.

Enforced on 12 April, the curfew was later extended subsequently after every one week till 10 May.

“The corona curfew is extended in the areas under the Bhopal Municipal Corporation and Berasia town till 6 am on May 17 as per the order issued by district collector Avinash Lavaniyam,” the official said.

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Arvind Kejriwal asks Centre for 60 lakh vaccine doses for three months

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday wrote to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, urging the Centre to direct vaccine manufacturers Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech to increase monthly supplies to Delhi to 60 lakh doses during May to July.

 Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday attacked the Centre over the export of coronavirus vaccines, saying a large number of lives could have been saved in India if the doses were given to people in the country first.

“It’s a heinous crime committed by the Central government to sell vaccines to other countries only for its image management at a time when people were dying in our own country,” he told an online briefing.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal writes to Union Health Minister, urging to direct Serum Institute of India & Bharat Biotech to increase monthly supplies to Delhi to 60 lakh doses during May to July; says states should be allowed to develop separate apps or mechanism for vaccination pic.twitter.com/PIrGSHciDC

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2021

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Thirteen prisoners escape from dedicated COVID-19 facility in Haryana

Thirteen prisoners escaped from a jail in Haryana’s Rewari, a dedicated facility for COVID-19 positive inmates in the state. Four police teams have been formed to trace the prisoners while Rewari Police is also coordinating with police departments of neighbouring districts including Narnaul, PTI reported.

The incident took place on the intervening night of Saturday-Sunday, they said. The prisoners, who were kept in a special section of the Rewari jail, cut an iron grill of the barrack in which they were lodged and used cloth from their bedding as a rope to escape, they added.

At present, the jail is functioning as a dedicated facility for COVID-19 positive prisoners in the state.

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Nirmala Sitharaman responds to Mamata Banerjee’s request for tax exemption for COVID-19 drugs

Earlier on Sunday, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging that the Centre waive GST and customs duty and other such duties and taxes on oxygen concentrators, cylinders, COVID-related  drugs. 

1/ Hon. CM of West Bengal @MamataOfficial has written to the Hon @PMOIndia seeking exemption from GST/Customs duty and other duties and taxes on some items and COVID related drugs.

My response is given in the following 15 tweets.@ANI @PIB_India @PIBKolkata pic.twitter.com/YmcZVuL7XO

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) May 9, 2021

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Delhi Metro services suspended till 17 May

As the National Capital enters into an extended period of lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Sunday said its services on all lines will remain suspended from Monday till 5 am on 17 May. The DMRC statement came after the city government extended the ongoing lockdown for another week. 

According to the DMRC statement, in the wake of the extension of curfew in Delhi for the containment of Covid-19, the Delhi Metro services on all its lines shall also remain suspended for passenger or essential services from Monday till 17 March.

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Nearly 4,200 MT of oxygen delivered to six states, says Centre

“In more than 268 tankers, nearly 4200 MT oxygen has been delivered till date to states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh,” the Centre said on Sunday.

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Daily positivity rate is 21.64%, says Centre

The daily positivity rate in the country currently stands at 21.64 percent and there is a net increase of 13,202 cases in the total active caseload, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday.

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Delhi received 201 MT of oxygen less than ordered by SC, says AAP govt

AAP MLA Raghav Chadha on Sunday shared Delhi’s oxygen bulletin and said that the National Capital had received 499 MT oxygen on 8 May against 700 MT ordered by the Supreme Court.

Delhi's oxygen bulletin for 8th of May 2021 pic.twitter.com/JPo2hFMNMe

— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) May 9, 2021

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‘Corona curfew’ in Jammu and Kashmir extended till 17 May

The Jammu and Kashmir Administration on Sunday extended till May 17 the curfew imposed across the union territory to curb the spread of coronavirus. The curfew was earlier scheduled to end on Monday.

The curfew will be strict except for a few essential services, the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) said.

Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday recorded 4,788 fresh coronavirus cases taking the tally of infected persons to 2,11,742 while the death toll in the union territory rose to 2,672 with a record 60 fatalities in 24 hours.

#IndiaFightsCorona#JandKFightsCorona#WeshallOvercome

*COVID CONTAINMENT*

Corona Curfew imposed in all 20 districts of J&K till 7 am on Monday, 10/5/21 is extended further by 7 days till 7 am on Monday, 17/5/21. The curfew will be strict except for a few essential services.

— Information & PR, J&K (@diprjk) May 9, 2021

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Maharashtra govt earmarks Rs 108 cr as relief to 7.2L autorickshaw drivers

 A sum of Rs 108 crore has been allocated to provide Rs 1,500 each as one-time relief amid coronavirus-induced restrictions to 7.20 lakh autorickshaw drivers in Maharashtra, an official said on Sunday. The government notification on this was issued on 7 May, he added.

The money will be deposited directly in the accounts of drivers who will have to upload permit, badge, vehicle and Aadhaar card details to be eligible for the relief package, the official informed.

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Gujarat Congress leader Hardik Patel’s father dies of COVID-19

Gujarat Congress working president Hardik Patel’s father died on Sunday at a hospital in Ahmedabad where he was undergoing treatment for COVID-19, a party leader said. Later, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani conveyed his condolences to Patel, a government release said.

“Hardik Patel’s father Bharat Patel died on Sunday morning at the city’s UN Mehta Hospital where he was getting treated for coronavirus,” the Indian Youth Congress’ state unit vice president Nikhil Savani said.

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Mallikarjun Kharge writes to Modi, urges Centre to convene all party meeting

Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, offering six suggestions to help combat the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, said reports. According to an NDTV report, Kharge, who is Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, called on the Centre to convene an all-party meeting to “collectively forge a holistic blueprint to tackle the pandemic”. Kharge also suggested that the Rs 35,000 crore allocated by the Union Budget for COVID vaccines should be used to ensure free vaccines for all. According to The Indian Express, his other suggestions include leveraging compulsory licensing to increase production of vaccines, waiving GST on vaccines, PPE, ambulances, ventilators, oxygen and sanitizers, speeding up the distribution of relief material and proactively disclose where it is shipped and increasing MNREGA to 200 days. Kharge has also suggested some measures to the Rajya Sabha chairman.

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Three new oxygen plants to be commissioned in Ladakh by May end

 Three new oxygen plants will be commissioned in the Union Territory of Ladakh by the end of May to meet the needs of coronavirus patients   This was stated at a meeting chaired by Lt Governor R K Mathur in Leh on Saturday to review the preparedness of the health department for COVID-19 handling with detailed discussions on infrastructure, procurement of essential equipment and medicines, an official spokesman said. 

The ‘Site Readiness Certificates’ of the three oxygen generating plants at Drass, Padum and Diskit has been approved by the central government and civil and mechanical works are going on at these sites, an official spokesman said on Sunday. The oxygen plants would be dispatched by the supplier shortly and the plants will be commissioned by the end of May, 2021, Principal Secretary Health and Medical Education Pawan Kotwal said. 

PTI

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Jammu and Kashmir extends curfew till 17 May

Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday extended the curfew in the Union Territory till 7 am on 17 May, reports The Indian Express . Essential services will be permitted, gathering permissible for marriages is reduced to 25 only.

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Gujarat sets up special wards for Mucormycosis patients in hospitals

Amid the rise in cases of mucormycosis or ‘black fungus’ infection among COVID-19 survivors, the Gujarat government has started setting up separate wards in hospitals for such patients and has procured 5,000 vials of a medicine used in its treatment. Gujarat has so far reported over 100 cases of mucormycosis, a serious but rare fungal infection which has left many patients blind and is also causing other serious issues. Currently, 19 patients are undergoing treatment for it at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, as per the state government.

PTI

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67 new ventilators lying unused at COVID isolation ward in UP’s Firozabad

A total of 67 new ventilators are lying unused at the 100-bedded COVID-19 isolation ward set up at a medical college in Firozabad, a senior doctor has said    When contacted, Chief Medical Superintendent Dr Alok Kumar Sharma said that last year, the medical college had got 96 ventilators under the PM-CARES Fund, and in all there are 114 ventilators available at the medical college. Of these, 25-30 ventilators are being used to provide treatment to patients.

He added that of the 67 ventilators, which are kept in a store room of the hospital, around 60-62 are in working condition. Kumar, however, did not elaborate on the rest of the ventilators. Principal of the medical college, Dr Sangeeta Aneja said, that the state medical department has been informed that 67 ventilators are there in the hospital.  In a letter to the state health department, it was also requested that if there is a need of a ventilator in any nearby district, then it could be sent there.

PTI

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Over 72 vaccine doses still available with states and UTs, says health ministry

More than 72 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with states and Union Territories, while over 46 lakh  (46,61,960) doses will be received by them within the next three days, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday.  The Government of India has so far provided more than 17.56 crore vaccine doses (17,56,20,810) to states and UTs free-of-cost. Of this, the total consumption, including wastages, is 16,83,78,796 doses (as per data available at 8 am today).

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Defence ministry okays recruitment of 400 ex AMC/SSC medical officers 

The defence ministry has issued an order to the Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services for the recruitment of Army Medical Corps/SSC medical officers, said reports . Under the Tour of Duty scheme, 400 ex-AMC/SSC  medical officers, released between 2017 and 2021, are expected to be recruited on a contractual basis for a maximum duration of 11 months.

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DDMA issues guidelines for extended lockdown

According to an order issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), marriages can only be held at home or court with not more than 20 people,  “There will be a complete prohibition on marriage ceremonies at public places, banquet halls, hotels and similar places during the period,” it said. The DDMA said district magistrates, deputy commissioners of police, authorities concerned will be responsible for ensuring COVID-appropriate behaviour at inter-state bus terminals, railway stations, mandis and shops providing essential goods. 

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that lockdown in Delhi will continue till 5 am on 17 May and it will be stricter this time. The chief minister had also said that Metro services will remain supsended in this period.

Lockdown in Delhi extended till May 17 with strict restrictions; Metro rail services to remain temporarily suspended, marriage ceremonies at public places/ banquet halls/hotels prohibited, marriage ceremonies allowed to be organized at home or in Court pic.twitter.com/wmGE0KYGh8

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2021

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Centre increases oxygen allocation to Tamil Nadu

The Centre has increased the oxygen allocation to Tamil Nadu from 220 metric tonnes (MT) to 419 MT, said reports . According to a report in _The News Minut_e , the letter from National Health Mission Director Sanjay Roy issued on Saturday said the revised allocations were being made based on discussions and the changes will come into effect from 11 May, “giving sufficient time to the states for the transition.”

COVID-19 vaccination for 18-44 age group in Bengaluru from tomorrow, says health minister

COVID-19 vaccines for people in the 18-44 age group in Bengaluru, which has almost half the number of cases and deaths in Karnataka, would be available from 10 May at all major hospitals and medical colleges, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Sunday.  “Starting Monday, Covid-19 vaccination will be provided for citizens aged between 18 and 44 years at K C General Hospital, Jayanagar General Hospital, Sir C V Raman General Hospital, Government Medical Colleges, ESI Hospitals and NIMHANS in Bengaluru,” the minister said in a statement   In other districts, the vaccine shots will initially be
provided at district hospitals, government medical colleges and all taluk hospitals.  The number of vaccination centres would be increased as and when more vaccines are available, the minister added.

PTI

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Centre releases Rs 8,923 cr to 25 states as grants for rural local bodies

The finance ministry on Sunday said it has released Rs 8,923 crore to 25 states for providing grants to the rural local bodies for various prevention and mitigation measures needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic   The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, on Saturday released an amount of Rs 8,923.8 crore to 25 states for providing grants to the rural local bodies (RLBs). 

The grants are meant for all the three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions  village, block and district, an official statement said. It may be utilised by the RLBs, among other things, for various prevention and mitigation measures needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and will augment their resources.

PTI

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Ten states account for 67% of vaccine doses administered so far, says health ministry

Ten states account for 67 percent of the COVID-19 vaccine doses administered so far in the country, with Maharashtra having administered the highest with 1,78,58,864 doses followed by Rajasthan with 1,40,19,524, says health ministry.

#Unite2FightCorona#LargestVaccineDrive

Ten states account for 66.78% of the cumulative doses given so far in the country. pic.twitter.com/rVumUDI966

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) May 9, 2021

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Modi speaks to chief ministers of four states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke to the chief ministers of Punjab, Karnataka, Bihar and Uttarakhand on the COVID-19 situation in their states, official sources told news agency PTI. Modi has been speaking to state chief ministers and lieutenant governors of union territories for the last few days to asses the pandemic situation there and offer suggestions.  Chief ministers have also briefed him on the measures being taken by them to deal with the raging second wave of the pandemic.

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Over 17.8 lakh beneficiaries in 18-44 age group vaccinated so far, says health ministry

Over 20 lakh (20,23,532) vaccination doses were administered in the last 24 hours, says the Union health ministry. A cumulative total of 16,94,39,663 doses have been administeres so far, the ministry stated. A total of 17,84,869 beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group have been vaccinated in the third phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the ministry further says.

#Unite2FightCorona#LargestVaccineDrive

Over 20 lakh (20,23,532) vaccination doses administered in the last 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/XbrJcwZ9bp

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) May 9, 2021

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TV journalist Vipin Chandh dies of COVID-19

Television journalist Vipin Chandh, the chief reporter of Manorama News in Kochi, died of COVID-19 related complications in the city early on Sunday, his family said. He was 42 and is survived by his wife and child.

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Uttar Pradesh extends curfew till 17 May

The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday extended till 17 May the curfew imposed in the state to curb the spread of coronavirus, a senior official said. The curfew, which was earlier scheduled to end on 7 am on Monday, has been extended. The corona curfew imposed in the state has been extended till 17 May, Additional Chief Secretary (Information), Navneet Sehgal, said in a statement issued.

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Lockdown in Delhi extended by another week, announces Kejriwal

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announces that lockdown in Delhi extended by a week and will be in force till 5 am next Monday. The lockdown willbe stricter this time, Kejriwal adds. From tomorrow, Metro services will also be shut in the National Capital, the chief minister says.

The chief minister also says that oxygen supply in Delhi has improved significantly in the last few days. Vaccination is also going on at a fast pace although there is lack of adequate vaccine stock, he adds.

दिल्ली में कोरोना की स्थिति पर महत्वपूर्ण प्रेस वार्ता | LIVE https://t.co/wERioNDs0M

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 9, 2021

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Mamata urges Modi to waive GST, customs duty on oxygen concentrators, COVID-related drugs

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging that the Centre waive GST and customs duty and other such duties and taxes on oxygen concentrators, cylinders, COVID-related  drugs. 

In view of the request by donors of O2 concentrators, cylinders & COVID related drugs for exemption of these items from customs duty/GST, I request that these items may be exempted from GST/customs duty and other such taxes: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in a letter to PM Modi pic.twitter.com/2MAeamj3x3

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2021

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Nagaland has sufficient stock of oxygen,claims official

 A senior official of the Nagaland Health and Family Welfare Department on Sunday claimed that the state has sufficient stock of oxygen despite the rising

number of COVID-19 cases. “There is sufficient stock of Oxygen and the state is fully prepared to face even the worst situation amidst the increasing number of fresh infections,” Health and Family Welfare Department, Joint Director, Dr Neisakho Kere told reporters .

He said there are 1,617 type B oxygen cylinders (small) and 402 type D cylinders (big). All these are available in the districts while 250 oxygen concentrators have also been distributed to all the districts, he said.

PTI

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India receives three oxygen generators, 1,000 ventilators from UK

A consignment of three oxygen generators and 1,000 ventilators has arrived in India from the UK, tweeted MEA spokesperson Arindam Baghchi.  Each generator has thecapacity to produce 500 litres of oxygen per minute, enough to treat 50 people at a time, he said.

🇮🇳🇬🇧
Taking forward our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Consignment of 3 O2 generators & 1,000 ventilators arrives from UK. Each generator has capacity to produce 500 litres of O2/min, enough to treat 50 people at a time. Deeply value the contribution from our close friend🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/FmOCJYUUKz

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) May 9, 2021

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Arunachal Pradesh reports highest single-day spike of 244 new cases

Arunachal Pradesh reported 244  new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike, pushing the coronavirus tally in the state to 20,046, a health department

official said on Sunday. The Capital Complex region recorded the maximum number of fresh cases at 77, followed by Tawang (33), 20 each in Lower Dibang Valley and Lohit, Changlang (19), Lower Siang (13), East Siang (12) and Lower Subansiri (10), State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

At least 135 people were cured of the disease on Saturday, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 17,984. The toll in the state remained at 60 as the state did not report any COVID-19 death in the last 24 hours, Dr Jampa said.

PTI

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Variant accelerating India’s COVID explosion, says Soumya Swaminathan

A COVID-19 variant spreading in India is more contagious and maybe dodging vaccine protections, contributing to the country’s explosive outbreak, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist said Saturday. In an interview with news agency AFP, Soumya Swaminathan warned that “the epidemiological features that we see in India today do indicate that it’s an extremely rapidly spreading variant”.

Swaminathan, an Indian paediatrician and clinical scientist, said the B.1.617 variant, which was first detected in India last October, was clearly a contributing factor to the catastrophe unfolding in the country. “There have been many accelerators that are fed into this,” the 62-year-old said, stressing that “a more rapidly spreading virus is one of them”.

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South Africa reports four cases of India virus variant

South Africa’s health ministry on Saturday said four cases of a coronavirus variant fuelling a devastating surge of Covid-19 in India had been recorded in the country. “The four cases of B.1.617.2 have been detected in (the provinces of) Gauteng (2) and KwaZulu-Natal (2) and all have a history of recent arrival from India,” Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement late Saturday.

Eleven cases of another variant first detected in the United Kingdom and known as B.1.1.7 have also been found, the statement added, noting that community transmission of that variant had “already set in”.

South Africa is at least the fourth country on the continent to pick up the B.1.617.2 variant, alongside Kenya, Uganda and Morocco.

AFP

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Karnataka received 3.5 lakh Covishield doses on Saturday night, says health minister

Karnataka health minister K Sudhakar said that of the order for two crore Covishield doses placed the state government, it received 3.5 lakh doses on Saturday night taking the total delivery to 6.5 lakh doses. “So far the Government of India has supplied 1,10,49,470 doses including 99,58,190 doses of Covishield and 10,91,280 doses of Covaxin,” he said.

In the order placed by Karnataka Govt to procure 2 crore doses of Covishield, we received 3.5 lakh doses on Saturday night taking the total delivery to 6.5 lakh doses.

So far GoI has supplied 1,10,49,470 doses including 99,58,190 doses of Covishield & 10,91,280 doses of Covaxin.

— Dr Sudhakar K (@DrSudhakar_) May 9, 2021

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Modi govt’s attempts to stifle criticism ‘inexcusable’, says Lancet editorial

Medical journal The Lancet on Saturday severely criticised the Narendra Modi government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, saying that its actions in attempting to stifle criticism and open discussions are ‘inexcusable’.

Referring to the large number of people seeking emergency assistance on social media, the editorial said, “…Before the second wave of cases of COVID-19 began to mount in early March, Indian minister of health Harsh Vardhan declared that India was in the “endgame” of the epidemic. The impression from the government was that India had beaten COVID-19 after several months of low case counts, despite repeated warnings of the dangers of a second wave and the emergence of new strains.”

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Oxygen Express reaches Nagpur, tweets Piyush Goyal

#OxygenExpress from Angul has reached Nagpur for providing a steady supply of Oxygen for COVID-19 patients in Maharashtra. pic.twitter.com/6f3ztjGy45

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) May 9, 2021

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India records 4,03,738 new cases, 4,092 deaths

Single day rise of 4,03,738 COVID-19 infections, 4,092 fatalities push India’s tally of cases to 2,22,96,414 and toll to 2,42,362, reports news agency PTI quoting the Union health ministry.  According to the health ministry data, active COVID-19 cases in country stand at 37,36,648. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,83,17,404 with 3,86,444 patients recovering in a day.

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ICMR says 30.22 cr samples tested till 8 May

COVID-19 Testing Update. For more details visit: https://t.co/dI1pqvXAsZ @MoHFW_INDIA @DeptHealthRes #ICMRFIGHTSCOVID19 #IndiaFightsCOVID19 #CoronaUpdatesInIndia #COVID19 #Unite2FightCorona pic.twitter.com/x4AGtbINeW

— ICMR (@ICMRDELHI) May 9, 2021

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Mizoram records 169 new cases

At least 169 people, including 12 policemen who had returned from West Bengal after election duty, have tested positive for novel coronavirus in Mizoram, pushing the state’s COVID-19 caseload to 7,551, an official said on Sunday. So far 287 police personnel out of 705, who had gone for poll duty in West Bengal and Assam, have tested positive for the infection, the official said.

Mizoram now has 1,951 active COVID-19 cases, while 5,583 people have recovered from the infection. The COVID-19 recovery rate is 73.94 percent and the

coronavirus toll in the state is 17.

PTI

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No new cases in 180 districts in last seven days, says Harsha Vardhan

 No fresh COVID-19 cases have been detected in 180 districts in the country in the last seven days, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday. In his virtual address at the 25th meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) to discuss the pandemic situation, the minister said that as on date, 1.34 percent of COVID-19 patients were in ICU, 0.39 percent on ventilator support and 3.70 percent on oxygen support.

Vardhan, who chaired the meeting through video conference, said, “180 districts have showed no fresh cases in the last seven days, 18 districts in 14 days, 54

districts in 21 days and 32 districts were bereft of any fresh cases in the last 28 days.” He said that across the country, the number of patients in ICU beds so far is 4,88,861 while 1,70,841 patients were on ventilators and 9,02,291 patients were on oxygen support.

PTI