Coronavirus India Highlights: Ban on international flights extended till Dec 31; Delhi’s Gopal Rai tests positive

The COVID-19 caseload in Maharashtra's Nagpur district rose to 1,10,332, after 452 persons tested positive for the infection on Thursday, an official.

The district also recorded eight casualties, which took the toll to 3,628, the official said.

Of the casualties reported so far, 2,515 were from Nagpur city alone, while 1,113 were from rural areas and outside the district, he said. As many as 158 COVID-19 patients were discharged from various hospitals during the day, raising the number of recoveries to 1,01,889 in the district, the official said.

There are currently 4,815 patients undergoing treatment for the infection in the districts, he added.

Fifty more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Tripura on Thursday, pushing the coronavirus tally in the state to 32,578, a health department official said. The COVID-19 fatalities of the northeastern state remained at 367, with no person succumbing to the infection since Wednesday, he said.

West Tripura district, under which Agartala falls, has reported 185 coronavirus fatalities so far, the official said. Eighty-five patients were released from GB Pant hospital, the main referral hospital for COVID 19 in the state, on Wednesday.

Tripura now has 770 active coronavirus cases, while 31,418 people have been cured of the disease and 23 patients have migrated to other states, he said. The state has conducted 5,19,865 COVID-19 tests so far, including 2,03,369 RT-PCR and 3,16,496 rapid antigen tests, the official added.

Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said the testing capacity for COVID-19 has reached the "saturation level" in the national capital and laboratories here are finding it difficult to release results of all RT-PCR tests within a day.

As many as 61,778 tests, including 26,080 RT-PCR -- the highest till date for the city -- and 35,698 rapid antigen tests, were conducted on Tuesday for the detection of COVID-19.

"The testing has reached the saturation level? Many people now say they were tested just two to three days ago," Jain told reporters.

The minister said the government had issued directions to increase the number of RT-PCR tests to 35,000, but the laboratories are now finding it difficult to release all test results within a day.

The national capital has witnessed 2,364 deaths due to coronavirus since October 28, when the daily rise in infections breached the mark of 5,000 cases for the first time, according to official data.

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths, 99 more fatalities on Wednesday pushed the city's total death toll due to the disease to 8,720. It was after five days that Delhi recorded single-day deaths below 100.?

The city reported 98 deaths on November 19, 118 on November 20, 111 on November 21, 121 each on November 22 and 23, and 109 fatalities on November 24, according to official data.?

While 131 COVID-related deaths were recorded on November 18, the highest till date, Delhi registered its highest single-day spike of 8,593 cases on November 11.?

On Thursday, Delhi had recorded 7,546 cases, followed by 6,608 on Friday, 5,879 on Saturday, 6,746 on Sunday, 4,454 on Monday, 6,224 on Tuesday and 5,246 on Wednesday, according to the government data.

The total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi climbed to 5,45,787 on Wednesday, of which 4,98,780 have recovered from the virus, the data shows.

Schools in the national capital will not reopen till the government is convinced about students' safety, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said on Thursday.

Universities and schools across the country were closed on March 16, when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. A nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25.

"There is no plan to reopen schools (in Delhi) as of now. We are hopeful that a vaccine will be available soon. Schools will not be reopened till the time we are convinced that students will be safe," Jain told reporters.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had on Tuesday said reopening of schools is unlikely till a vaccine is available.

While several restrictions have been eased in different 'unlock' phases, educational institutions continue to remain closed. (PTI) 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday stressed on the need to increase COVID-19 testing in rural areas of the state and directed officials to intensify awareness programmes on the coronavirus.?

The chief minister issued the directions during a meeting to review the COVID-19 situation of the state.

He asked officials to further intensify public awareness campaigns on COVID-19, especially in rural areas. Testing for the coronavirus should also be increased in villages, the chief minister said.

The Centre's guidelines on COVID-19 were also discussed in the meeting.

The chief Minister reviewed the implementation of the measures such as night curfews put in place to check the spread of the coronavirus.

The Delhi High Court Thursday said the police and the authorities concerned should avoid collecting fines in cash for violation of COVID-19 norms and the AAP government should create a portal for it. On the Delhi government's decision to bring down the number of attendees at weddings to 50, the high court asked as to how the rule was being enforced and whether there were any protocols in place to implement it as a lot of weddings are held during this time of the year. A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad said that in the present day and time, "cash transactions need to be avoided" and there should be a provision for paying the fines electronically. It said the government should have a portal for collecting fines, in case it is not there already.

The Union health ministry on Thursday said 60.72 per cent of the 44,489 fresh COVID-19 cases registered in a span of 24 hours have been contributed by six states and UTs, with Kerala leading the tally followed by Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It said 60.50 per cent of the 524 latest fatalities are concentrated in six states and Union territories-- Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Kerala leads the tally with 6,491 new COVID-19 cases registered in a span of 24 hours, while Maharashtra has reported 6,159 new cases followed by Delhi with 5,246 new cases. Delhi with 99 deaths reported the maximum new fatalities. Maharashtra saw a fatality count of 65 followed by West Bengal with 51 deaths, the ministry said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold a news conference on Thursday to explain local COVID-19 restrictions, emerging from self isolation two weeks after attending meeting with a lawmaker infected with the novel coronavirus. Downing Street announced on Nov. 15 that Johnson, who was admitted to intensive care in a London hospital earlier this year with the coronavirus, was self isolating.

Johnson on Thursday will chair a cabinet meeting and later give a news conference to explain which areas in England will continue to local restrictions after the end of the monthlong national lockdown next month, finance minister Rishi Sunak said. The details of the curbs are due to be announced with many parts of England expected to continue to face a ban on indoor socialising when national restrictions end next week.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the Serum Institute of India — which has an agreement with AstraZeneca to manufacture the Oxford University vaccine — on Saturday to understand the process of vaccine production and distribution.

"Honourable Prime Minister's visit to Pune has been confirmed and he will visit Serum Institute. The minute-to-minute programme is expected soon," Pune Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao said. Top administrative and police officials from Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad have already held meetings for various arrangements to be made for the visit of PM Modi.

In view of this, a 'familiarisation visit' to Pune of foreign ambassadors and high commissioners on November 27 has been postponed to December 4.

Pakistan's leading opposition politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. The 32-year-old chief of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and son of former two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto went into isolation after being infected with the virus. “I have tested positive for #COVID-19 & am self-isolating with mild symptoms. I'll continue working from home & will be addressing PPP foundation day via video link. Wear a mask everyone, see you on the other side IA (Insha Allah),” Bilawal tweeted. On Wednesday, he decided to stay away from any political activity after his political secretary Jamil Soomro was tested COVID-19 positive.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Thursday extended a recommended self-isolation period for residents older than 65 and those in COVID-19 risk groups through New Year until Jan. 15 as a precaution against the coronavirus pandemic. Virus cases have surged nationwide since September, but authorities have resisted imposing a stringent lockdown, saying that targeted measures should be enough. Sobyanin also said at least that 30% of staff at companies in the capital who had already been told to work remotely as a precaution should continue to do so until Jan. 15. Moscow, a bustling city of more than 12.5 million people, reports thousands of new coronavirus cases on a daily basis.

The Centre Thursday extended the ban on international flights till December 31. A notification issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry said all scheduled international commercial passenger services to and from India will remain suspended till 11.59 pm on December 31, 2020. The restriction does not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

With Punjab continuing to reflect the worst fatality rate of Covid-19 patients in the country, the advisor to Punjab government on Health, Medical Education and Research, Dr KK Talwar, has sounded a word of caution that the month of December will be critical in the fight against the virus and that the people should not let their guard down by ignoring precaution measures.

With the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of Covid patients still almost double the national rate at nearly 3.2 per cent and not showing any signs of going down, the Centre has once again deputed a team of doctors to advise the state government on measures to tackle the pandemic. Punjab has a recovery rate of 92.5 per cent even as certain districts such as Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala and Ludhiana continue to record a very high death rate - much higher than the national average.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai tests positive for COVID-19, news agency PTI reported. 

Colombia's government will extend its health state of emergency by three months, President Ivan Duque said on Wednesday, as he urged people to avoid crowds and keep up safety measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Andean country has had over 1.27 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and nearly 36,000 deaths. Active cases number 57,260. It held a gradually-loosened national quarantine for five and a half months earlier this year, sending economic growth into negative territory and unemployment soaring. Most economic activities are now allowed, as are international flights, but face masks are required in public. Concerts and other large events are banned.

With 44,489 new cases, there are over 92 lakh coronavirus infections in the case. As many as 524 deaths were reported in 24 hours, toll mounts to 1,35,223. Of the 92.66 lakh cases, over 4.52 lakh infections are active, while recoveries stand at 86,79,138 with 36,367 new discharges in the last 24 hrs

South Korea reported more than 500 new coronavirus cases, the highest since March, as the country grapples with a third wave of infections, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said on Thursday. Park did not specify the exact daily tally, but said it was the first time it exceeded 500 since March 6, when South Korea battled the first major COVID-19 epidemic outside China. The government re-imposed tough social distancing rules on the capital Seoul and surrounding regions this week after the daily numbers began hovering above 300 new coronavirus cases last week.

Health authorities have warned the current wave might be tougher to control than earlier infections as most of the second wave has occurred in offices, schools, gyms and small gatherings in the wider general community around Seoul. Park also expressed concerns that the rate of confirmed patients in their 20-30s had spiked to 28% of total cases over the past month.

Madhya Pradesh reported 1,773 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 1,98,284. With 14 more people succumbing to the viral infection, the state's death toll rose to 3,197.

Karnataka added 1,630 new cases of coronavirus and 19 deaths taking the total infections to 8,78,055 and the toll to 11,714,

Maharashtra reported 6,159 fresh cases, taking the count of infections to 17,95,959 With 65 more people succumbing to the viral infection, the cumulative toll in the state mounted to 46,748.

Haryana recorded 42 more coronavirus-related deaths, its highest single-day fatality count so far, pushing the toll to 2,291 while 2,197 fresh cases took the state's infection tally to 2,24,489.


Delhi records 99 more COVID-19 deaths; 5,246 new cases take infection tally to 5.45 lakh

BJP MP from Kheda Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat, Devusinh Chauhan, tested coronavirus positive on Wednesday afternoon, soon after attending the inaugural ceremony of Speakers' Conference at the Tent City near Kevadia in Narmada district of the state. The two-day 80th All India Presiding Officers' Conference was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind. "My coronavirus report came positive. I urge people who came into my contact to get themselves tested and take care of their health," Chauhan tweeted at 3.49 pm. He visited the rapid antigen testing booth created at the tent city for the guests, after the inaugural event in the afternoon, officials said. He along with several other MPs and other dignitaries from Gujarat were in Kevadia for the inaugural session of the conference.

Amid a spurt in coronavirus cases in some regions, the Centre on Wednesday said states and union territories can impose local restrictions like night curfew to check the spread of COVID-19 but made it clear that they will have to consult it before imposing any lockdown outside the containment zones. While issuing guidelines for "Surveillance, Containment and Caution" for December, the MHA also said that the listing of contacts shall be carried out in respect of all persons found positive, along with their tracking, identification, quarantine and follow up for 14 days and 80 percent of contacts should be traced within 72 hours.

West Bengal's Leader of Opposition Abdul Mannan tested positive for COVID-19, following which he was admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata, state Health Department officials said on Wednesday. Mannan (68), a veteran leader of the Congress in the state, got himself tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday after noticing some symptoms, they said. "He tested positive for the disease on Tuesday and was admitted to a private hospital in the night. He is having several comorbidities and high blood sugar, which are obviously matters of concern. His condition is stable at the moment," he said.

There shall be no restriction on inter-State and intra-State movement of persons and goods including those for cross land-border trade under Treaties with neighbouring countries. No separate permission/ approval/ e-permit will be required for such movements.

All activities have been permitted outside Containment Zones, except for the following, which have been permitted with certain restrictions:

*International air travel of passengers, as permitted by MHA.

*Cinema halls and theatres, with upto 50 percent capacity.

*Swimming pools, only for training of sports persons.

*Exhibition halls, only for business to business (B2B) purposes.

*Social/ religious/ sports/ entertainment/ educational/ cultural/ religious gatherings, with upto a maximum of 50 percent of the hall capacity, with a ceiling of 200 persons in closed spaces; and keeping of the size of the ground/ space in view, in open spaces.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) on Wednesday released a fresh set of guidelines for surveillance, containment and caution against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The fresh norms will be effective from December 1, 2020 and will remain in place till December 31. The Ministry has asked states and UTs to ensure careful demacation of Containment Zones by the district authorities, at the micro level, taking into consideration the guidelines prescribed by MoHFW in this regard. 

The guidelines include

*Only essential activities shall be allowed in the Containment Zones.
*Intensive house-to-house surveillance
*Quick isolation of COVID-19 patients in treatment facilities/ home (subject to fulfilling the home isolation guidelines).

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, some district authorities have been setting up micro-containment zones where two or more infections have been reported for better management of the pandemic, officials said on Wednesday. Normally, an area is marked containment zone where three or more COVID-19 cases are detected. But it is a dynamic exercise, conducted by district authorities on a need-based manner, they said. The Delhi Epidemic Disease COVID-19 Regulation, 2020, authorises district magistrates to seal off a geographical area, banning entry and exit of the population from the containment zone and to take any measures directed by the health department to prevent the spread of the disease.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh orders night curfew in all towns and cities from 10 pm to 5 am and doubles fine for flouting Covid-19 appropriate behaviour to Rs 1000, with effect from December 1. All hotels, restaurants and wedding venues to close at 9.30 pm, starting December 1. Curbs to be reviewed on December 15.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tuesday, held a video conference with heads of all the states and Union territories to discuss their preparedness on Covid-19 vaccination programme in India, expected to take place early next year, and also sought their suggestions on its priority beneficiaries. During the conference, it was informed that the government is using eVIN – Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network in association with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to identify primary beneficiaries and vaccine distribution networks.

Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network is an indigenously developed technology that digitises vaccine stocks and monitors the temperature of the cold chain through a smartphone application. The innovative eVIN was first launched across 12 states in 2015 to support better vaccine logistics management at cold chain points. eVIN supports the central government’s Universal Immunization Programme by providing real-time information on vaccine stocks and flows, and storage temperatures across all cold chain points across states and UTs.

To cope with the effects of the lockdown, the Maharashtra government has decided to give financial aid and 5-kg ration to 5,600 sex workers of Mumbai every month till the Covid-19 pandemic is over.

But even as Maharashtra became the first state in October to issue a government resolution to this effect, NGOs have pointed that a larger share of sex workers – including some with no proof of identity like ration card, Aadhaar card or bank account – are missing from government’s list of beneficiaries to get the financial aid.

Each sex worker will receive Rs 5,000 per month along with three kg of wheat and two kg of rice. Children of sex workers who go to school will receive Rs 2,500 per month to support their online education.

In an online interaction with Chief Ministers on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned against any laxity in fighting the pandemicand called for measures to reduce the positivity and fatality rates. The Indian Express takes a look at what the states told the Prime Minister:

Maharashtra: Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to instruct all the political parties to refrain from holding political protests and not to play politics with lives of people during the pandemic. “All our efforts may fail and it may invite the Covid wave,” he said. Thackeray’s request comes against the backdrop of the protests that the BJP organised across the state over the reopening of places of worship and on inflated power bills in Maharashtra. He said the government is working as per the Centre’s instructions and a task force has been set up to manage vaccination in the state.

Kerala: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan pointed to the financial crisis being faced by Kerala and demanded the Centre to allot funds to give financial assistance for the families of those who have died of Covid-19. He said the delay in allotting GST compensation to the state should be avoided and the demands of the states should be factored in the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission, he said, according to a statement. The states should be given more freedom in the utilisation of the state disaster response fund, said Vijayan.

As multiple vaccines against COVID-19 gets ready to hit the market, concerns over a proper countrywide cold chain infrastructure for maintaining the integrity of these live/inactivated viruses or DNA/RNA genetic material have cropped up. But policymakers and public health professionals can probably learn a lesson or two here from the dairy industry. And no, it isn’t about low/sub-zero temperature transport and storage of milk, butter, curd or ice-cream, but about bull semen.

Almost 8 crore artificial inseminations (AI) are performed annually in India. These AIs involve transport of semen, collected as raw ejaculate from elite bulls and packaged after freezing in vials or “straws”, for inserting into the reproductive tracts of cows and female buffaloes. This semen – originating from animals in 56 bull stations and used to inseminate female bovines belonging to farmers across the length and breadth of the country – is preserved throughout its journey at minus 196 degrees Celsius. This is way lower than the minus 20 to minus 70 degree requirements of the Moderna and Pfizer Covid vaccines!

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel passed away Wednesday morning due to multiple organ failure, more than a month after he tested positive for Covid-19. Patel passed away at 3.30 am this morning. He was 71.

Announcing his father’s demise on Twitter, Faisal Patel said, “I regret to announce the sad and untimely demise of my father, Mr. Ahmed Patel at 25/11/2020, 3:30 AM. After testing positive for Covid-19 around a month back, his health worsened further due to multiple organ failures.”

Patel, who tested positive on October 1, was battling with Covid-19 related complications and was placed under critical care Sunday at a hospital in Gurgaon. He was one of the closest aides of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her political adviser for a long time. Known as the party’s trouble-shooter, he had steered the Congress out of difficult situations many a time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cautioned states and union territories against any laxity in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and called for reducing the positivity and fatality rates by focusing on curbing the virus transmission. Interacting with chief ministers, the prime minister also called for more RT-PCR tests, even as he underlined that India's COVID-19 situation is more stable than other countries in terms of recovery and fatality rates. Modi asked them to work towards bringing the positive rate to less than 5 per cent and the fatality rate to under 1 per cent and called for more RT-PCR tests.

Welcome to our Coronavirus LIVE blog. India reported 44,376 new cases of coronavirus infections and 481 deaths on Tuesday. With this, the total number of Covid-19 cases in India rose to over 92.22 lakh, out of which more than 86.42 lakh people have recovered. At present, active cases stand at 4.44 lakh. Follow this space to get all the latest updates