Union Health Minister Harsh VardhanCoronavirus India News Highlights: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday said a digital platform used in the Universal Immunisation Programme was being repurposed to digitally track movement of stocks of COVID-19 vaccines, once available, and also trace those who will receive the shots thus ensuring last-mile vaccine delivery.
Interacting with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) via a video link, Vardhan mentioned that under Mission Indradhanush, the government has already ramped up its immunisation capability with an elaborate cold storage chain for inoculating children from 12 diseases.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held a review meeting today to discuss India’s vaccination strategy. Several issues related to the progress of vaccine development, regulatory approvals and procurement were discussed.
India’s COVID-19 caseload surpassed the 90-lakh mark on Friday with 45,882 new cases, while the recoveries surged to 84.28 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 93.6 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 90,04,365 and the death toll climbed to 1,32,162 with the novel coronavirus virus claiming 584 lives in a span of 24 hours in the country, the data updated at 8 am showed. The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.46 per cent. There are 4,43,794 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 4.92 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
A woman passenger, wearing a protective suit, waits for train at New Delhi Railway Station (Express Photo: Amit Mehra)
Even as Gujarat reported 1,420 fresh Covid-19 cases on Friday – nearing the September 19 peak when the state reported the highest single-day spike of 1,432, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said sufficient beds are available across the state. Patel also directed the government-bonded MBBS doctors to join duty or face action under the Epidemic Diseases Act. Read More
In the last 24 hours, Haryana has reported another 3,104 new cases of infections — one of the highest single day spike till date — and 25 deaths. Read More
World Health Organisation (WHO) chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan on Friday said that antiviral drug Remdesivir, often used in the treatment of coronavirus infection, has been dropped from the prequalification list – an official list of medicines – because of negative recommendations. Read More
To combat fresh surge of coronavirus infections in the state, Haryana has decided to ramp up Covid-19 testing across the state, especially in the seven worst-affected districts. Read More
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday said a digital platform used in the Universal Immunisation Programme was being repurposed to digitally track movement of stocks of COVID-19 vaccines, once available, and also trace those who will receive the shots thus ensuring last-mile vaccine delivery.
Interacting with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) via a video link, Vardhan mentioned that under Mission Indradhanush, the government has already ramped up its immunisation capability with an elaborate cold storage chain for inoculating children from 12 diseases.
"The entire eVIN platform is being repurposed as COVIN Network. All movement of stock can be digitally tracked and those receiving vaccines can also be traced after two to three weeks if the vaccine requires two shots. This will ensure last-mile vaccine delivery," Vardhan was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
All except one of the 42 residents of Thorang village in Himachal’s Lahaul-Spiti district have tested positive for COVID-19 with 2.83 per cent population of the sparsely-populated tribal district itself having been infected.
While 41 people have tested positive in the Thorang village, a total of 890 people of Lahaul-Spiti district, accounting for about 2.83 per cent of its population of around 31,500, have been found infected with coronavirus so far, an HP Health Department data showed on Friday. Read the full report here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a review meeting to discuss India’s vaccination strategy. Important issues related to progress of vaccine development, regulatory approvals and procurement were discussed.
"Reviewed various issues like prioritisation of population groups, reaching out to HCWs, cold-chain Infrastructure augmentation, adding vaccinators and tech platform for vaccine roll-out," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet.
The Delhi government on Friday launched the Jeevan Seva app to aid city's Covid-19 patients and their families for safe commute to hospitals and health care facilities in the city. The app, launched in collaboration with EVERA will use Electric Vehicles as an ambulance to transfer non-critical cases to health care facility within Delhi free of cost.
'We are launching the Jeevan Seva app today to facilitate Delhi citizens in home isolation in case of need. From health checkups, ambulance requirements to admission in hospitals, health amenities are now just a click away. With this app, you will get access to an e-vehicle which will provide for free pick up and drop services. The vehicles will be properly sanitized after every ride,” Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said at the launch.
Till hours before the first announcement of a weekend curfew by Additional Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar Gupta through a tweet late Thursday night, the Gujarat government, as well as the Ahmedabad administration, were refuting as “rumours” messages doing the rounds about an impending lockdown following the reopening of businesses post Diwali on Labh Pancham day. Late Thursday night, within hours of announcing a 9 pm to 6 am night curfew in Ahmedabad city till the Covid situation improves, Gupta announced a ‘complete curfew’ from Friday 9 pm till Monday 6 am, allowing only milk and medicine shops to stay open. So, why Ahmedabad administration had to hurriedly impose a weekend curfew? Read our Explainer to know.
Following a spike in Covid-19 cases, the Madhya Pradesh government has decided to impose night curfew – from 10 PM to 6 AM– in five cities including Bhopal, Indore, Ratlam, Vidisha and Gwalior.
To stem the Covid-19 spread in the state, the Gujarat government Friday announced that night curfew– from 9 PM to 7 AM- will be imposed in Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat everyday. The decision comes a day after the government had announced a "complete curfew" in Ahmedabad city from Friday night till Monday morning with only allowing the opening of milk and medicines shops.
The first animal study in India on coronavirus, which is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of AYUSH and Department of Bio-Technology (DBT), has moved to its final stage.
This concerns pre-clinical studies on four oral interventions which have already been taken up for clinical studies, the AYUSH ministry said.
In a statement, it describes the study as one of the most sophisticated research projects in the country in the COVID-19 context.
The clinical studies are being pursued through another collaboration of the Ministry of AYUSH, the partner in this one being the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). (PTI)
Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the number of containment zones has gone up to over 4,550 in the national capital, with the maximum 743 in southwest district and the lowest 148 in northeast district, news agency PTI reported. According to official data, six districts out of the total 11 have more than 400 COVID-19 containment zones - 743 (southwest), 705 (south), 587 (west), 543 (southeast), 490 (central Delhi) and 445 (northwest).
Amid rising Covid-19 cases in students, Haryana government Friday again ordered that all private and government schools across the state shall remain shut till November 30.
Till Thursday evening, over 300 school students were found to be infected with Covid-19 across various districts of Haryana. According to the state health department’s officials, majority of the students who were found positive were asymptomatic. Only a few had mild symptoms of cold, cough and low-grade fever.
Haryana health minister Anil Vij, who was Friday administered a trial dose of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, attended office two hours after he was vaccinated.
After the vaccination, Vij told mediapersons: “It is a matter of pride for every Indian that Bharat Biotech is coming up with an indigenous vaccine for Covid-19. I volunteered to become one of the participants for the third phase trial so that people shed their fears and come forward to volunteer. That will expedite the entire process of developing the vaccine. “
Vij is 67-year-old and a diabetic. He is the first volunteer in the state for the third phase trial of the potential coronavirus vaccine. Read the full report here.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday urged AAP leaders and volunteers to distribute free masks to the public. The Delhi government had recently increased the penalty for not wearing masks in public from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday expressed optimism that the international community was very close to finding a solution to the coronavirus pandemic and will emerge stronger and more resilient from the crisis.
According to an official statement, President Kovind, while addressing an event, remarked that the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates enhanced global cooperation to ensure collective health and economic well-being of humankind.
"He further expressed his optimism that the international community was very close to finding a solution to the pandemic and will emerge stronger and more resilient from the crisis," the statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. (PTI)
Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij was on Friday administered a trial dose of potential coronavirus vaccine Covaxin in Ambala, becoming the first volunteer in the state for the third phase trial of the vaccine.
The gradual reduction in the number of new COVID-19 cases and the positivity rate is a "clear indicator" that the spread of the virus is decreasing in the national capital, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Friday. The minister announced that government rates would apply to the normal, non-ICU beds reserved in private hospitals by the Delhi government for COVID-19 patients.
"The positivity rate was 15 per cent on November 7. It is less than 11 per cent now. The maximum number of cases (8,593) were reported on November 10," Jain said.
"The positivity rate has come down and the number of cases is also reducing gradually. It is a clear indicator that the spread of the virus is decreasing in Delhi," he told reporters.
There is no harm in wearing a face mask inside a car, the minister said, appealing to the people of the city to ensure that they don't step outside without wearing one. The national capital reported 7,456 coronavirus cases on Thursday and the city's positivity rate was 12.09 per cent.
The AAP government had on Thursday announced sweeping measures, including a steep Rs 2,000 fine for not wearing masks, reservation of 80 per cent ICU beds in private hospitals, doubling testing centres in every district and postponement of non-critical surgeries at health facilities.
"All schools in BMC jurisdiction to remain closed till 31st December. The decision has been taken in the wake of rise in COVID19 cases in Mumbai. Schools will not re-open on November 23rd," said Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar.
Mexico passed the 100,000 mark in COVID-19 deaths, becoming only the fourth country to do so amid concerns about the lingering physical and psychological scars on survivors. Jos Luis Aloma Zegarra, Mexico's director of epidemiology, announced late Thursday that Mexico had 100,104 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, behind only the United States, Brazil and India.
The milestone comes less than a week after Mexico topped 1 million registered coronavirus cases, though officials agree the number is probably much higher because of low levels of testing. The coverage of the back-to-back milestones has raised the hackles of some government officials.
Mexico's pointman on the pandemic, Assistant Health Secretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell, bristled when asked about Mexico reaching the 100,000 deaths point, criticizing the media for "being alarmist," in the same way he has criticized those who suggest the government is undercounting COVID-19 deaths or providing contradictory and weak advice on using face masks. (AP)
After 47 days, India on Thursday reported more number of new cases of coronavirus infection than those who were declared to have recovered from the disease. The result was a minor increase in the number of active cases, which has been falling steadily for almost two months now.
A total of 45,882 new cases were detected on Thursday, slightly higher than the 44,807 who were declared to have recovered.
Amid the festive season, some major cities across India have emerged as Covid-19 hotspots, with a steep rise in the number of active cases in past few weeks. Huge rush at markets and public places during the festive season, the rise in pollution levels and the consecutive setting in of winter are believed to be behind the surge in cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad and Pune. While Delhi government has hiked the fine for not wearing masks in public places to a whopping Rs 2,000, Ahmedabad has announced total curfew from Friday night till Monday morning and an indefinite night curfew Monday night onwards to combat this upswing in cases. Read more here
A significant number of Italians who want to be vaccinated against COVID-19 should have received their shots by next September, Italy’s special commissioner for the virus emergency said Thursday.
Italy is set to receive 3.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the second half of January through the European Union’s purchase program, enough to provide the requisite two doses to 1.6 million of Italy’s 60 million people, special commissioner Domenico Arcuri said. He said elderly Italians and individuals with the most risk of exposure would get first priority.
“This will be the biggest campaign to administer a vaccine that we can remember, not just in Italy but in all of Europe and many parts of the world,” Arcuri said during a news conference in Rome.
Ahmedabad city will go under “complete curfew” from Friday night till Monday morning with only shops selling milk and medicines remaining open, in view of the steep surge in Covid-19 cases after Diwali, and night curfew will continue thereafter.
The decision came hours after Additional Chief Secretary, forest and environment Rajiv Kumar Gupta, who is in charge of the Covid situation in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), announced an indefinite night curfew from Friday.
The Gujarat government also decided to put on hold the reopening of schools and colleges from November 23. “We have withdrawn the decision to reopen schools and colleges from November 23 for the time being. It will be decided in due course,” Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama told The Indian Express.
India’s COVID-19 caseload surpassed the 90-lakh mark on Friday with 45,882 new cases, while the recoveries surged to 84.28 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 93.6 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 90,04,365 and the death toll climbed to 1,32,162 with the novel coronavirus virus claiming 584 lives in a span of 24 hours in the country, the data updated at 8 am showed. The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.46 per cent. There are 4,43,794 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 4.92 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
Over three million Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the 'Vande Bharat' evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said phase eight of the mission, made operational from November 1, was ongoing. Under this phase, as on November 19, as many as 763 international flights have been operated from 24 countries reaching 21 airports across India and repatriating an estimated 1,40,000 people, he said. "This brings the total number of Indians repatriated as of date through different modes of the Vande Bharat Mission to 30.90 lakh," he said.
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and his family members have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, after their staff members were diagnosed with the disease, a source close to the family on Thursday said. Khan and his kin were in isolation after their driver and two household staff members were diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, the insider added. "The family was in isolation since last week after the staff members and driver had tested positive for COVID-19. Tests were conducted on all family members and the results have come today, they all have tested negative," the source said.
To ramp up Delhi's medical infrastructure, 500 isolation beds at a COVID care centre here will be converted into oxygen beds, while the number of ICU beds in the capital has gone up by 150 in the last three days, the Union home ministry said on Thursday. The government has also decided to increase the number of daily RT-PCR tests in Delhi to 60,000 by the end of November. A home ministry spokesperson said as part of the efforts to revamp the COVID care facilities, 75 doctors and 251 paramedics from the paramilitary forces have reported to duty in Delhi, of whom 50 doctors and 175 paramedics have been deployed at the Chhatarpur and Shakur Basti COVID care centres.
Mumbai reported 924 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking its tally to 2,72,449, while 1,192 more patients were discharged from hospitals following recovery, the city civic body said. This was the highest daily count so far this week. Cases have registered a steady rise after 409 new coronavirus patients were detected on November 16, the lowest daily count since April. On November 17 and 18, the city had recorded 541 and 871 new cases, respectively. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) updated data, the death toll increased to 10,624 with 12 fresh fatalities being reported in the last 24 hours. The city has conducted 17.22 lakh COVID-19 tests since February 3, 2020.
Manipur Government on Thursday started targeted Testing for COVID-19 post the by-polls held in four constituencies on November 7. The testing was initiated following widespread report of violation of SOPs during the by-polls. The targeted test was kicked off in Wangoi Assembly constituency on Thursday. As many as 95 new COVID-19 positive cases were detected of the 533 persons tested, said the state health department. Testing was initially conducted in eleven places.
Preparations are all set to begin sero-surveillance in Wangjing-Tentha and Lilong assembly constituencies in Thoubal district from Friday.
Official sources said that two separate meetings attended by MLA Paonam Brojen and Y Antas Khan were convened on Thursday at the conference hall of the district deputy commissioner of district administration Thoubal. The meeting reportedly deliberated on the exercise of sero-surveillance in both assembly constituencies.
The district administration is targeting to conduct 500 Rapid Antigen tests on a daily basis for six days minimum. To carry out the surveillance successfully, four medical teams will be conducting tests in the two assembly constituencies.
By-elections were held in Wangjing Tentha, Wangoi, Lilong and Saitu Assembly Constituencies on November 7. The election was necessitated after a spate of resignations from Congress party. The BJP won three of the four Assemblies. (Report by Jimmy Levion)
A night curfew will be imposed in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat from Friday to control the spread of coronavirus, a top government official said on Thursday. The curfew will be in force between 9 pm and 6 am from November 20 (Friday) and remain in operation till further orders, he said.(PTI)
— India recorded 45,576 new Covid-19 cases, 585 deaths; caseload now at 89.58 lakh
— Should be able to deliver a vaccine in a few month: Health Minister
— Delhi to impose Rs 2,000 fine for not wearing mask, says Kejriwal
— Odisha Chief Minister designates special hospital for frontline COVID-19 workers
— Children of COVID warriors to get reservation in MBBS, BDS admissions
— More than 56.3 million infected by Covid-19 worldwide; death toll at 1.35 million
— New York City to close public schools again as virus cases rise
— South Korea begins anti-coronavirus period ahead of college entrance exam
— Tokyo raises virus alert to highest as cases soar
— Outdoor exercise banned in South Australia amid surge in Covid-19 cases
As the third phase trial of Covaxin, Bharat Biotech International Limited’s potential vaccine candidate against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), will begin on Friday in Haryana, state Health Minister Anil Vij on Thursday offered himself as first volunteer to get vaccinated.
A potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca Plc and Oxford University produced a strong immune response in older adults, giving hope it may protect some of those most vulnerable to the disease, data from mid-stage trials showed.
The data, reported in part last month but published in full in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday, suggest that those aged over 70 – who are at higher risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19 – could build robust immunity to the pandemic disease, researchers said.
“The robust antibody and T-cell responses seen in older people in our study are encouraging,” said Maheshi Ramasamy, a consultant and a co-lead investigator at the Oxford Vaccine Group.
"We want our brothers and sisters to celebrate Chhath Puja very nicely. Please celebrate but if 200 people enter into a pond at a time, and even if just one of them has COVID-19, all of them will contract the infection. This is also the opinion of experts. You can imagine that COVID-19 will be spread on a large scale. So, celebrations are not banned. What is banned is the entering of a large number of people in a pond or river at once. Let's celebrate at homes," Kejriwal said.
Thanking the health workers for their services, Kejriwal also said that the fine for not wearing masks in the capital has been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 2000."
Addressing the media after the all-party meeting, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that all political parties have decided to come together to tackle the pandemic. "I told all parties in the meet that it's a difficult time for the people of Delhi when COVID cases are rising. It's not the time for politics, there is an entire lifetime for it. We should set aside politics & allegations for a few days. This is the time to serve people," he said, adding that hospitals have been asked to postpone all elective surgeries and that the focus is on increasing the beds in the capital
"Our scientists are well-ahead of others in terms of research around vaccine development. We're in a position that I can confidently tell Indians that in a couple of months from now, we should be able to deliver a vaccine," Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said today
Cold vs Flu vs Covid-19: Symptoms compared
South Korea kicked off a special two-week coronavirus prevention period on Thursday after the country's daily infection tallies mounted ahead of highly competitive annual college entrance exams. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 343 new coronavirus cases by Wednesday midnight, bringing the country's total infections to 29,654, with 498 deaths. The daily tally has topped 200 for five consecutive days and surpassed 300 on Wednesday for the first time since August after a large outbreak at a church political rally. Rising case numbers have fuelled worries among students and parents ahead of the annual college entrance exam, which plays a decisive role in education and career prospects.
Delhi High Court today pulled up the AAP government over its preparedness to tackle covid-19 and asked them to strictly enforce guidelines regarding the use of masks and social distancing. “We are not saying you alone are responsible, the citizens are also responsible and are supposed to take precautions. If they don’t, you are supposed to enforce it in such a way that they don’t carry infection to others. We certainly cannot be silent bystanders to a situation that is deteriorating. You were not working from Nov 1 onwards till very recently and that is getting us worried…We are not here to shake you out of your slumber,” the bench said. Delhi’s coronavirus tally on Wednesday climbed to over 500,000 after 7,486 fresh cases and 131 new fatalities were recorded in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 7,943. This is the highest number of deaths reported in the city so far.
An all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to discuss the covid-19 situation in Delhi has now ended. Delhi’s coronavirus tally on Wednesday climbed to over 500,000 after 7,486 fresh cases and 131 new fatalities were recorded in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 7,943. This is the highest number of deaths reported in the city so far.
After registering a jump in active Covid-19 cases for two consecutive days, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is bracing for the second wave of coronavirus infections, and has even warned that the number of active cases may cross 19,500.
“I appeal to Pune residents to take care and beat the virus. We have done it earlier and we will do it again,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Rubal Agarwal on Wednesday.
She said Pune city had seen the highest number of active cases — 17,781 — on September 20. But the second wave of infections may entail a higher number of active cases, pushing the number beyond 19,500.
The COVID-19 tally in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 2,20,798 with the addition of 618 new cases, an official said on Thursday. The number of deaths due to COVID-19 has reached 5,554 after 16 more fatalities were reported on Wednesday, he said. Currently, there are 6,069 active COVID-19 cases in the district, while 2,09,175 patients have recovered. The COVID-19 recovery rate in the district is 94.74 per cent, while the mortality rate is 2.52 per cent. The active cases constitute 2.75 per cent of the total infections reported so far in the district, the official said.
Kalyan in the district has so far reported the maximum number of COVID-19 cases at 52,056, followed by Thane city-49,261, Navi Mumbai-46,444 and Mira Bhayander-23,467.
More than 900 Mayo Clinic staff have contracted Covid-19 in the past two weeks, according to a report Tuesday in the TwinCities Pioneer Press. Ninety-three percent of staff who contracted the virus did so in the community and the majority of those who contracted the virus at work did so while eating in a break room with a mask off, the newspaper reported, citing a briefing with a dean of clinical practice in Rochester, Minnesota.
There will be enough capacity to vaccinate the world until the end of next year, CureVac CEO Franz-Werner Haas told Bloomberg Television in an interview. How long protection lasts and what effect vaccines have on different immune systems remain to be seen, he said, reiterating that it’s good to have more than one shot. Haas said the development of vaccine stability will increase.
Governor Yuriko Koike, speaking in a TV program Wednesday, said Tokyo will enhance virus measures with daily cases hitting 1,000 in mind. She said it’s possible the number of positive cases will rise, according to Japanese broadcaster FNN. Regarding store closures, Koike says the government needs to thoroughly assess its present effect even if it was effective at the time of the request.
New York City’s entire public school system will close Thursday, signaling that a second wave of the coronavirus has arrived as the city is still struggling to revive from its devastating spring, when it was a global epicenter of the pandemic.
The shutdown was prompted by the city’s reaching a 3% test positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average, the most conservative threshold of any big school district in the country. Schools in the nation’s largest system, with 1.1 million students and 1,800 schools, have been open for in-person instruction for just under eight weeks.
With 45,576 new COVID-19 infections, India’s total cases are now close to 90 lakh. With 585 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the toll mounts to 1,31,578. Of the 89,58,484 infections, active cases dropped to 4,43,303, while as many as 83 lakh people have been discharged.
US President-elect Joe Biden has warned that a delay in transition by the outgoing Trump administration will put behind the COVID-19 vaccination plan by "weeks or months". In a virtual roundtable with healthcare workers on COVID-19, Biden alleged on Wednesday that his transition team has not been receiving any cooperation from the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has refused to concede the November 3 US election and has filed multiple lawsuits challenging poll results in several States. "One of the problems that we're having now is the failure of the administration to recognise - the law says that the General Services Administration has a person who recognises who the winner is and then they have to have access to all the data and information that the government possesses to be prepared," he said. It does not require there to be an absolute winner, Biden said, adding that it says the apparent winner.
South Australia began one of the world’s toughest lockdowns Thursday with even outdoor exercise and dog-walking banned as the state tries to contain a cluster of Covid-19 infections. For six days, only one person from a household will be allowed to leave home each day, and only for essential reasons, authorities said. Schools, universities, cafes and restaurants are closed, weddings and funerals are banned and mask-wearing is mandatory.
Twenty-three people in the state capital Adelaide have been infected after a cleaner at a hotel used to quarantine people arriving from overseas was exposed to the virus, and health authorities say the “circuit breaker” measures are necessary to avoid a wider outbreak.