Coronavirus India Updates, Sept 21: Recovery rate crosses 80% mark; schools reopen with few students in J&K

The phase-III human clinical trial of the Covid-19 vaccine being developed by Oxford University, and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), began at the state-run Sassoon General Hospital in Maharashtra on Monday. “We have started the phase-III trials of the vaccine (candidate Covishield). We will administer dose to 150 to 200 volunteers,” PTI quoted Dr Muralidhar Tambe, Dean, Sassoon General Hospital, as saying. Earlier this month, the SII had paused the clinical trials of the vaccine candidate in the country because of “an unexplained illness” in a participant in the study. However, on September 15, the DCGI gave permission to the SII to resume clinical trial of the vaccine.

A look at the top developments today:

Section 144 imposed till Nov 4 in municipal limits of Mathura city

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been promulgated in the Nagar Nigam area of Mathura, officials said on Monday. The action has been taken owing to a series of forthcoming celebrations, including Gandhi Jayanti, Ram Barat, Dashahara, Ram Navami, Deepavali, Govardhan Puja, City Magistrate Manoj Kumar Singh said. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) empowers an executive magistrate to issue orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger.

77 new COVID-19 cases push Gautam Buddh Nagar’s tally to 11,419

Seventy-seven new instances of COVID-19 infection pushed the tally of cases in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar district to 11,419 on Monday, official data showed. The number of active cases came down to 1,578 from 1,678 on Sunday, according to the data released by the state health department for a 24-hour period.

On the brighter side, 177 patients got discharged during the period and the total number of recoveries in the district reached 9,792, the data showed. The district, adjoining Delhi, has so far recorded 49 coronavirus-linked deaths and has a mortality rate of 0.42 per cent which is one of the lowest in the state.

Kerala registers 2,910 COVID-19 cases; toll rises to 553 with 18 more deaths

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja. (Picture source: KK Shailaja/Facebook)

Schools reopen with few students amid COVID scare in J&K

Only a few students turned up to attend special classes in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday as schools for higher classes reopened after a gap of over six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the union territory administration said. Principal Secretary, School Education and Skill Development, Asgar Hassan Samoon said the reopening of schools was not meant for regular classes.

“I was on a visit to Reasi district and only five to seven students were present in different schools and attending the special meetings with their teachers meant to clear their doubts,” Director School Education, Jammu, Anuradha Gupta told PTI.
She said the school management has been directed to devise a mechanism to ensure the students make the best of the opportunity and come out with a roster to fulfill the requirement of the students.

The decision of the government to reopen the schools came under sharp criticism from opposition parties, including the National Conference and the Congress, who questioned the rationale behind the opening of school from classes 9 to 12 amid the pandemic.

Taj Mahal reopens for tourists after six months

The tourists are also allowed to be taken in two-shifts of 2,500 each with the tickets being sold online or through the ASI phone app only. (Express photo by Renuka Puri)

More than six months after it was closed down for visitors due to Covid-19, the Taj Mahal Monday finally opened its door for the tourists again. Keeping the ongoing pandemic in mind, the number of visitors per day has been restricted to 5000 by authorities. The tourists are also allowed to be taken in two-shifts of 2,500 each with the tickets being sold online or through the ASI phone app only.

Visitors were also asked to follow all guidelines issued by the Centre such as social distancing and hand sanitisation and were thermally screened before they were allowed to enter the premises.

4,703 new COVID-19 cases take UP’s tally to 3,58,893; death toll mounts to 5,135

The death toll due to COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh rose to 5,135 on Monday with 88 more fatalities, while 4,703 fresh cases pushed the infection tally in the state to 3,58,893, officials said.

Briefing reporters, Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said 2,89,594 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the viral disease and have been discharged.  The recovery rate of the state is 80.69 per cent, he said.

Prasad said 4,703 fresh COVID-19 cases have been reported in the state, while so far 5,135 COVID-19 patients have succumbed to the disease.

30 per cent of COVID-19 patients in Delhi hospitals from other states: Satyendar Jain

The minister also disclosed that the authorities have been collecting data of non-resident patients separately.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday said 30 per cent of the COVID-19 patients admitted to Delhi hospitals are from other states. He also said that non-residents of Delhi have been occupying most of the ICU beds in private hospitals.

“People coming from outside prefer private hospitals. They make up their mind in advance. These patients go directly to these four-five hospitals they have heard of… such as Max, Apollo and Fortis. That’s why ICU beds at these hospitals are full,” Jain told PTI.

Most of these patients are those who seek ICU facility. There are 1,500 such patients undergoing treatment in Delhi, he said.
The minister also disclosed that the authorities have been collecting data of non-resident patients separately.

Half the increase in active cases in September from Maharashtra

In the month of September, the number of active cases of novel coronavirus in India has increased by about two lakh, nearly half of which has happened in Maharashtra. At the start of this month, Maharashtra had 1.98 lakh active Covid19 patients, which has gone up to more than 2.91 lakh now, an increase of more than 92,000, or 46 per cent.  Incidentally, this also comes out to be 46 per cent of the increase in entire India’s active cases during September.

Maharashtra has detected almost exactly four lakh new infections in the first 20 days of this month. During this period, about three lakh patients have been declared to have recovered from the disease, while about seven thousand people have died, thereby increasing the number of active cases by over 92,000.

Covid-19 recovery rate in India crosses 80% mark

The recovery rate of Covid-19 cases in India has crossed the 80 per cent mark, with over 90,000 recoveries recorded for the third consecutive day, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. In a statement, the ministry said 93,356 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours.

“India has crossed the significant landmark of more than 80 per cent national recovery rate. On a continuous stretch of high recoveries, India has also reported more than 90,000 recoveries for the third day in succession,” the ministry said in the statement.

Twelve states and UTs have registered recovery rate of more than the national average and 79 per cent of the new recovered cases are from 10 states and UTs. “The total recovered cases are close to 44 lakh (43,96,399) today. India tops the global figure of total recoveries. It accounts for more than 19 per cent of the world total,” it said.

Students attending a class at GMSSS Sector 45 Chandigarh

Tablighi Jamaat event caused Covid-19 to spread: MHA in Rajya Sabha

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi’s Nizamuddin locality in March led to the coronavirus infection spreading to “many persons”.

Reddy also said Delhi Police arrested 233 Tablighi Jamaat members and 2,361 people had been evacuated from the organisation’s headquarters since March 29.

As reported by Delhi Police, despite guidelines and orders issued by various authorities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a huge gathering assembled inside Nizamuddin Markaz over a protracted period of time and without any semblance of social distancing or provision of masks and sanitisers. “This also caused the spread of coronavirus infection amongst many persons,” the minister said.

As the proceedings of day-one of the Karnataka legislative session began, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa makes obituary references to commence the same within the House (File)

Mizoram allows private hospitals, labs to conduct Covid-19 tests

The Mizoram government has allowed private hospitals and laboratories to conduct Covid-19 tests, PTI reported. Only designated government hospitals were permitted to test samples for coronavirus till now.

As per the ‘Mizoram Epidemic Disease (COVID-19) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2020’, notified in the official gazette recently, private hospitals and laboratories having requisite facilities can collect samples and test them for coronavirus, Mizo National Front (MNF) MLA and state Health and Family Welfare Board vice-chairman, Dr Z R Thiamsanga, said.

However, the government will have the sole discretionary power to regulate sample testing rate and to designate Covid-19 sample collection centres in private agencies, Thiamsanga said. He said private hospitals and laboratories can conduct tests with the help of mini-PCR or TrueNat machines besides rapid antigen test kits.