A health worker collects a swab sample at a testing centre. (Reuters/Adnan Abidi)The Maharashtra government on Saturday announced reopening of schools for classes 9-12 from November 23. Education minister Varsha Gaikwad made the announcement a video conference held by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Gaikwad said all teachers will undergo RT-PCR coronavirus tests between November 17 and 22. “Schools will reopen on November 23, and students will undergo thermal checking at entry,” she said.
Daily new cases of coronavirus crossed the 50,000-mark again with India reporting 50,356 cases in the last 24 hours. With 7,178 cases, Delhi became the top contributor for the first time, ahead of Kerala and Maharashtra. About 54,000 people were declared to have recovered on Friday and active cases have come down to 5.16 lakh. India’s Covid-19 cases have risen to 84,62,081 and with 577 new deaths, the death toll has surged to 1,25,562.
Meanwhile, the vaccine against the novel coronavirus, when it arrives, will be prioritised on the principle of “protecting the health system and pandemic control system”, and those who have “excessive risk of mortality”, NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul, who chairs the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19, has said.
Also, a fortnight after Dr Reddy’s Laboratories said it had “isolated” its data centre services after a cyber attack, Mumbai-based Lupin became the second major Indian pharmaceutical company to be hit by a similar attack. Indian pharma companies, currently plugged into the global supply chain for potential Covid-19 vaccines, have become more vulnerable, the experts said. More such attacks could be on the way, they warned.
On Friday, India sent out a message to several countries that it will use its strength in vaccine production and delivery to help humanity in fighting the coronavirus crisis. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said this during an interaction with ambassadors and high commissioners of foreign missions in India.
Covid-19 testing at a school in Saket, New Delhi. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)
Classes 9 to 12 of schools in Maharashtra will reopen from November 23, school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said on Saturday. Gaikwad made the announcement at a video conference held by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Classes 9 to 12 should reopen after Diwali with all COVID-19 safety protocols in place, he said. A second wave of COVID-19 pandemic was possible looking at the situation elsewhere in the world, so the administration must be cautious, the chief minister warned. He also said that schools used as quarantine centres will not be closed.
Delhi overtook Maharashtra and Kerala by reporting 7,178 COVID-19 cases in a span of 24 hours, becoming the largest contributor to the new 50,356 single day infections, according to Union Health Ministry. Read more
Noting that the coronavirus pandemic presented a unique challenge for the poll panel in holding safe elections, Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra on Saturday said various facilities were extended to COVID-19 patients to cast their vote in the Bihar assembly polls, including postal ballot facility and extension of polling time. He said the Election Commission cannot remain "silent" to situations where persons suffering from COVID-19 are unable to exercise their democratic right. "This time, besides senior citizens and women, we had to make additional arrangements for COVID patients... We extended polling time by one hour," he said addressing an event. Chandra said though postal ballot facility was extended, any person wanting to cast vote at the polling station was free to do so. "Our polling officials were fully equipped with PPE kits and other measures to handle the situation," he said. Many people suffering from COVID-19 came to cast their votes in all the three phases on October 28, November 3 and November 7 (Saturday).
India's domestic passenger traffic has reached more than half of pre-coronavirus pandemic level operations with the number of daily air travellers crossing over two lakh in November, a top official of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) said on Saturday. MOCA Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said when flights resumed after a hiatus of two months due to the COVID-19 outbreak, there were only 30,000 air passengers on the first day but the number reached over two lakh on November 2. He also said almost 100 per cent of bookings and check-ins are now happening through the web and hailed the country's aviation fraternity for adapting "very well" to the "new normal".
The national capital is currently reeling under the "third wave" of the COVID-19 infection, but cases should begin to come down soon, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Saturday.
Interacting with reporters, he also said that the Delhi government has filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court after the high court did not allow reserving 80 per cent ICU beds for COVID-19 patients at several private hospitals here. Delhi's COVID-19 tally increased to 4,23,831 on Friday after the national capital for the first time recorded over 7,000 coronavirus cases.
The 7,178 fresh cases came out of the 58,860 tests conducted on Thursday, while the positivity rate on Friday stood at 12.19 per cent amid the festive season and rising pollution in the city, according to a bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.
Haj pilgrims will have to submit COVID-19 negative report 72 hours prior to their journey to Saudi Arabia in 2021, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Saturday. After holding a meeting with the Haj Committee and other stake-holders, the minister for minority affairs told reporters that December 10 is the last date for submitting applications for Haj pilgrimage 2021. "The applicants can apply online, off-line or through Haj mobile application as well. In view of the coronavirus pandemic, we are making it mandatory for all the pilgrims to submit their COVID-19 negative report of RT-PCR test. The date of testing should be 72 hours prior to boarding a flight to Saudi Arabia," he said.
The coronavirus situation in Maharashtra, where the infection count has crossed the 17 lakh-mark so far, appears to be improving gradually as the last one lakh cases were added over a period of 16 days as compared to the earlier average period of less than 10 days. While the case count had crossed the 16-lakh mark on October 20, the infection tally reached 17,03,444 on November 5.
According to officials, this is the third slowest growth period as far as addition of one lakh cases is concerned since the outbreak began in March this year. In the state, which remains the hardest-hit in the country by the pandemic, the number of single-day infection cases has come down in the range of 4,000 to 7,000 in the last couple of weeks after witnessing 20,000-plus daily cases for a sustained period in September.
West Bengal Tourism Minister Gautam Deb tested positive for COVID-19, following which he was hospitalised, Health Department officials said on Saturday. Deb undertook the COVID test after he was feeling unwell, they said. His test result came in as positive on Friday, officials said, adding that he was admitted to a hospital in Siliguri. Deb was present at the administrative review meeting held at state secretariat 'Nabanna' on Thursday. He also held meetings with party leaders in Siliguri on Friday. "All those who have met him were asked to go on isolation. The vehicle used by Deb and his residence were sanitised on Saturday morning," a Health official said. (PTI)
The Goa government has withdrawn the permission granted to the organisers of Sunburn electronic dance music (EDM) festival to hold the event in the state in December this year.
The move comes in the wake of criticism being faced by the BJP government in the state after it gave its nod to organise the festival amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Congress party had protested in the city on Friday against the decision to allow Sunburn to be organised in the state.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has tested positive for COVID-19. A tweet from the Kerala Governor's handle said, "Hon'ble Governor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan said: 'I have tested positive for Covid19. But, there is no cause for concern. However, I request all those who had contact with me in NewDelhi last week to test for Covid, or be under observation to be on the safe side."
Satyender Jain says, "ICU beds are still available in govt hospitals in Delhi. But since affluent people prefer private hospitals over govt hospitals so, they are facing problems in private hospitals."
Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain says, "Delhi government has added 500 COVID-19 beds, including 110 ICU beds in the govt hospitals across the national capital. In private hospitals, 685 more beds have been added. Delhi govt has filed Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court to address the High Court overturn of our mandate to reserve 80% beds as ICU beds in private hospitals."
PM Modi says, "COVID-19 pandemic has taught us a lot. It has taught us that globalisation is essential but at the same time, self-reliance is equally important. Atma Nirbhar Bharat drive is about new opportunities for our youth so that they can showcase their inventions freely."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the 51st Annual Convocation of IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology), through video conferencing. He says, "In the present situation amid #COVID19 pandemic, technology has played the most significant role. It has changed the way things are being conducted today. Virtual reality is becoming a working reality now."
With Delhi breaching the 7,000-mark in daily cases for the first time, the crunch in Covid ICU beds with ventilator support, so far seen at the city’s private hospitals, is now being felt even at government facilities.
On Friday, the capital recorded 7,178 cases and 64 deaths, taking the count to 4,23,831 and the death toll to 6,833 — 42,187 cases were logged in the last week. And out of 1,250 ICU ventilator beds across private and government hospitals, 912, or almost 73 per cent, are occupied.
Data available on the Delhi government’s Corona app shows that not a single ICU bed with a ventilator is available at Safdarjung, Deen Dayal Upadhaya and Sardar Patel hospitals. These are among the 14 government hospitals with ICU beds earmarked for Covid patients in the city.
To reopen schools or not, even for senior students — Class IX to Class XII — is the big question states are grappling with. While Maharashtra Friday said it was considering starting physical classes in schools from November 23, Odisha put on hold an earlier decision to reopen schools after November 15, and Gujarat said it was preparing an SOP for physical classes in senior classes from November 18.
At least two states, Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh, reported Covid cases among teachers and students after schools reopened, raising fresh concerns among parents and administrators. In Uttarakhand, where classes for Class X and Class XII re-commenced this Monday, over 80 teachers in 20 government schools in Pauri Garhwal district tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The administration Friday closed the schools in Pauri Garhwal district’s four affected blocks for five days and ordered contact-tracing to check if the infection had spread among students who attended classes taken by the teachers who tested positive.
BJP MLAs Narpat Singh Rajvi and Madan Dilawar have tested positive for Covid-19. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot wished them a speedy recovery. "I have come to know, BJP MLAs Narpat Singh Rajvi ji and Madan Dilawar ji have tested positive for #COVID?19. My best wishes for their speedy recovery," Gehlot tweeted.<
The vaccine against the novel coronavirus, when it arrives, will be prioritised on the principle of “protecting the health system and pandemic control system”, and those who have “excessive risk of mortality”, NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul, who chairs the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19, has said.
Resources will not be a problem in providing the vaccine to the people, Dr Paul said.
“There are three vaccines being tested in India. Two additional ones have recently been given permission for trial. That work is yet to start, but three are already being subjected to human trials,” Dr Paul said. “Two of them — the ICMR Bharat and the Cadila vaccines are Indian, indigenous vaccines. Both are in the final stages of phase II and the results should be available very soon, and then they will move to phase III.”
Daily new cases of coronavirus crossed the 50,000-mark again with India reporting 50,356 cases in the last 24 hours. With 7,178 cases, Delhi became the top contributor for the first time, ahead of Kerala and Maharashtra. About 54,000 people were declared to have recovered on Friday and active cases have come down to 5.16 lakh. India's Covid-19 cases have risen to 84,62,081 and with 577 new deaths, the death toll has surged to 1,25,562.
A fortnight after Dr Reddy’s Laboratories said it had “isolated” its data centre services after a cyber attack, Mumbai-based Lupin became the second major Indian pharmaceutical company to be hit by a similar attack.
Several industry executives told The Indian Express on Friday that while cyber attacks are not new, at least in the West, they have become more common as the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic. Indian pharma companies, currently plugged into the global supply chain for potential Covid-19 vaccines, have become more vulnerable, the experts said. More such attacks could be on the way, they warned.
Indian pharma companies have moved most of their documentation and manufacturing processes data to the digital space over the last decade, said the executive of an Indian vaccine firm on condition of anonymity. The threats from such digitisation were flagged last year, when cyber security solutions firm Kaspersky had reportedly ranked India as the sixth most vulnerable country where drugmakers were open to attacks from cyber criminals.
Tamil Nadu reports 2,370 new Covid-19 cases, 2402 discharges and 27 deaths today. Total cases in the state rise to 7,39,147, including 7,08,846 discharges and 11,299 deaths. Active cases stand at 19,002.
Maharashtra reports 5,027 new COVID cases, 161 deaths and 11,060 discharges today. Total cases in the state rise to 17,10,314, including 15,62,342 recoveries and 44,965 deaths. Active cases stand at 1,02,099.
With 2,187 fresh cases, the total COVID-19 tally in Uttar Pradesh went up to 4,93,527 while the death toll rose to 7,155 with 25 casualties on Friday. The number of active cases in the state stood at 23,132 of which 10,218 are in home isolation, said Principal Secretary, Medical and Health, Alok Kumar. So far, 4,63,240 people who had contracted the coronavirus have been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and the recovery rate in the state has now come to 94 per cent, he said. On Thursday, over 1.53 lakh tests were done and now a total of 1.57 crore tests have been conducted in the state, the official said. --PTI
India on Friday conveyed to several countries that it will use its strength in vaccine production and delivery to help humanity in fighting the coronavirus crisis. The message was delivered by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla during an interaction with ambassadors and high commissioners of foreign missions in India.
"Several countries have been approaching us for receiving vaccine supply. I reiterate our Prime Minister's commitment that India's vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting this crisis. India will also help interested countries in enhancing their cold chain and storage capacities for the delivery of vaccines," he said. --PTI
With Delhi facing the third wave of COVID-19, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that there was a need to promote wearing of face masks as a movement to check the spread of virus. Inaugurating a PWD project to strengthen Rohtak road in Mundka, the chief minister said he hoped that just as people faced the first two waves of coronavirus, they would face the third wave too and that it will end soon. "Till there is a medicine for corona, face masks are the medicine. These are the biggest protection against COVID-19 infection. We need to promote wearing face masks as a movement," he said. --PTI
Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad on Friday said the examinations of Class X and XII conducted by the state board will not be held before May 2021 due to the prevailing coronavirus situation. She told this to reporters here. "The current situation of coronavirus is likely to last for a longer period. We have discussed the issue of completion of syllabus and holding of exams," she said. "The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education will not be able to conduct the exams of Class X and XII before May," Gaikwad said. "I have also discussed the issue of how much curriculum can be omitted so that teachers can complete the remaining part. We will have to cut at least 25 per cent of the curriculum," she added. (PTI)
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday said the state government will be issuing an order banning the use of firecrackers during Deepavali, due to prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation. "We have discussed it (cracker ban), we are taking a decision to ban the use of firecrackers during Deepavali..the government will soon be issuing an order to this effect," Yediyurappa said. (PTI)
A new analysis of more than 3,000 counties in the US has found that people with long-term exposure to fine-particle pollutants may be more likely to die from COVID-19, findings which may make policymakers reexamine the harms of air pollution and help reduce deaths during the pandemic. The research, published in the journal Science Advances, investigated the impact of long-term exposure to PM 2.5 pollutants -- tiny particles in the air that are two and one half microns or less in width -- on COVID-19 mortality rates in 3089 counties in the US, "covering 98 per cent of the population." It found that "higher historical exposure" to these particulate pollutants is associated with greater county-level COVID-19 mortality rates after accounting for several area-level risk factors. (PTI)
A new study that evaluated the availability, prices, and affordability of essential medicines for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes in Kerala has found that the state has fallen short of the World Health Organisation’s 80 per cent target, in both public and private sector. Kerala has one of the highest burdens of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in the country, while the health system in the state is considered among the better-performing ones. Recently, the Kerala government’s efforts to prevent and control non-communicable diseases were recognised by the United Nations. Read the report here
Scientists have found a new method to extract tiny but extremely powerful novel coronavirus antibody fragments from llamas, which they say could be fashioned into inhalable therapeutics with the potential to prevent and treat COVID-19. These special llama antibodies, called nanobodies, are much smaller than human antibodies, according to the researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the US.
“Nature is our best inventor,” said Yi Shi, senior author of the study published in the journal Science on Thursday. “The technology we developed surveys SARS-CoV-2 neutralising nanobodies at an unprecedented scale, which allowed us to quickly discover thousands of nanobodies with unrivalled affinity and specificity,” Shi said. Read more here
It’s been 34 days now that the recoveries have been outnumbering detection of new infections, the strongest sign yet that the coronavirus epidemic in India is firmly on the decline. During this time, the active cases have almost halved, the daily detection of new cases has dropped to less than half of the peak achieved in September, and the growth rate has come down to just about 0.5 per cent per day.
The main drivers for this rather sudden and unexpected turnaround are still not clear, especially since it has come in the midst of festival season, Bihar elections, and a resumption in general activities. That is also the reason why health authorities and experts have been cautioning against lowering of the guard. The festival season is not yet over, and deterioration in air quality in the approaching winter is likely to be an added complication because it could worsen respiratory conditions amongst infected people.
Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain on Friday said that the state government will ask the government hospitals in the national capital to increase beds for coronavirus-infected patients. He also added that the government will also ask the private hospitals to increase the bed capacity. "In the third wave of covid, positive cases are increasing. At present 7,231 beds are occupied in Delhi and 8,572 beds are still available. We will increase beds in government hospitals and also ask private hospitals to do it," Jain said.
84 schools in five blocks of Uttarakhand's Pauri district (Garhwal division) have been closed after 80 teachers test positive for the novel coronavirus infection, news agency ANI reported. State health secretary Amit Negi says, "District Magistrates of all the 13 districts have been directed to conduct covid tests of on-duty school teachers."
India reported 47,638 new cases of the novel coronavirus infection on Friday, which took the country's total caseload to 84,11,724. With 670 new deaths, the death toll now stands at 1,24,985. There are 5,20,773 active cases in the country, after a decrease of 7,189 in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, a total of 77,65,966 have cured of the disease, while 54,157 people have been discharged in the last 24 hours.
Maharashtra government on Friday issues fresh guidelines on preventive measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus infection in the state during Diwali celebrations. It also urged citizens to avoid bursting crackers to curb noise and air pollution.
Jharkhand has not reported any fresh COVID-19 fatality in the past 24 hours, even as 355 fresh cases pushed the tally to 1,03,543, a health department official said on Friday. The coronavirus death toll remained at 894 in the state. The new infections include 99 from Ranchi district, 34 from Dhanbad and 26 from East Singhbhum, he said. Jharkhand now has 4,685 active coronavirus cases, while 97,964 people have recovered from the disease so far, the official said.
South Korean drugmaker Celltrion Inc said on Friday patients treated with its experimental COVID-19 antibody drug in a small-size early-stage trial showed at least a 44% improvement in recovery time. The result bodes well for Celltrion, which plans to seek conditional approval for the monoclonal antibody treatment, CT-P59, for emergency use by the end of this year in South Korea.
In its global Phase 1 trial that enrolled 18 patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19, 15 participants who received the treatment had a mean recovery time about 44% faster than three people in a placebo group.No patients treated with CT-P59 in the study had so far required hospitalisation or other antiviral therapy as a result of COVID-19, and the treatment was well tolerated with no clinically significant safety issues, it said. Read more here
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Thursday said that the coronavirus pandemic is the most catastrophic event after the World War II. Speaking at an event, Shringla said, "COVID-19 is the most catastrophic event after the Second World War. It's therefore inevitable that we'll experience a different world in post-pandemic era. We're in midst of trying to cope with new reality of going virtual in our daily life."
The Andhra Pradesh government will set up counselling cells in educational institutions to assist students who may be facing psychological issues to the Covid-19 situation. “The psychological impact of the Covid-19 outbreak and the consequential lockdown has been a topic of discussion internationally for the past few months. The student community happens to be one of the most vulnerable sections of the society when it comes to these tough times,” Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh said in a statement.
“The government will actively help students deal with their psychological issues emerging out of financial, career-oriented as well as any other forms of stress. The department of Higher Education has asked all government universities to set up a counselling cell on campus. Highly qualified psychology professors, a lot of whom have at some point been practising counsellors, will be responsible for addressing the issues of students,” Special Chief Secretary (Education) Satish Chandra said. Read more here