Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a virtual meeting with Chief Ministers during a Covid-19 review meeting. (Source: Narendra Modi/ YouTube) Urging all the state authorities to increase testing and ensure that people maintain Covid protocols, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday told state CMs to focus on night curfews and micro-containment zones while following the formula of ‘test, track and treat’ to bring the Covid situation under control.
Coronavirus in India April 9 Live Updates
PM Modi, who chaired a virtual meet with the state chief ministers in the wake of surge in coronavirus cases, said of late, both the people and state administration are exhibiting casual approach towards the virus. Stating that India had successfully brought down the number of infections when even vaccines were not available, he said that following Covid-specific SOPs is the only way to keep the virus away.
PM Modi also proposed to observe ‘Tika Utsav (vaccine festival)’ for COVID-19 from April 11 (Jyotirao Phule’s birth anniversary) to April 14 (B R Ambedkar’s birth anniversary) and asked everyone, including civil society members, youths, to come forward and help more and more people eligible for vaccination to get immunised during the period.
Centre, amid complaints of shortage in vaccine by Maharashtra, has decided to send 17 lakh doses instead of the earlier-promised 7.3 lakh. Informing about this, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the state should get more of the vaccine as Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are getting over 40 lakh does, Gujarat over 30 lakh and Haryana over 24 lakh.
Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday announced a weekend lockdown from 6 pm on Friday to 6 am on Monday in a move to control the steep surge in coronavirus cases in the state. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said “appropriate action” will be taken for cities witnessing a rise in cases after a meeting. “For cities where cases have increased, appropriate action will be taken after meeting of crisis management group. We are making containment areas in big cities,” he added.
India detected 1,26,789 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the highest so far. Of the total, Maharashtra recorded a new high of 59,907 cases, while Chhattisgarh’s count went past the 10,000-mark for the first time. Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, too, reported more than 6,000 cases. The country also recorded 685 related deaths. India’s caseload now stands at 1,29,28,574, of which 8,43,473 are active cases and 1,18,51,393 people have recovered from the virus.
A queue outside Patel Chowk Metro station in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)
As Covid-19 cases in India hit a record high, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday held a meeting with state chief ministers to discuss the situation and the ongoing vaccination drive. Modi told chief ministers that the administration appeared lax in many states and urged them to strengthen their efforts for the next 2-3 weeks to check the spread of the virus on a “war-footing”.
In Punjab, every second infected person below 40
Every second person infected by Covid-19 in Punjab, which is witnessing a second wave of the contagion, is below 40 years of age. An analysis by the state health department of the Covid-19 data for 2021 has also revealed that at least 31 per cent of those who contracted the virus were aged 30 or less. However, a majority 60 per cent of those who died of Covid in Punjab were aged 61 or above.
Uttar Pradesh: Noida, Ghaziabad impose night curfew till April 17
In wake of rising Covid cases, the Noida and Ghaziabad administrations have announced a night curfew in the cities.
As per officials, the curfew will be in place between 10 pm to 5 am till April 17th. However, the movement of essential goods and services will be exempted from the order, officials said. Read more here
PM Modi urges people to observe 'teeka utsav' (vaccination festival) from April 11 to April 14. He asks all including civil societies, youths to come forward and help more and more eligible people to take vaccines during the period.
"People and authorities have become more casual than before. This has aggravated the Covid situation," said PM Modi.
With a number of states witnessing a second wave of coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding a virtual meeting to discuss the COVID-19 situation and vaccination drive with chief ministers. During the meet, PM Modi told the CMs to focus on micro-containment zones and endorse ‘night curfews’ as ‘corona curfew’. Test, track and treat should be the formula to fight the virus, he said. “We should not take testing lightly. We should aim to bring down the positivity rate to below 5% everywhere,” he said.
With a number of states witnessing a second wave of coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding a virtual meeting to discuss the COVID-19 situation and vaccination drive with chief ministers.
Chandigarh reports 324 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 29,521.
Mumbai reports 8,938 new Covid-19 cases, 4,503 recoveries and 23 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Delhi records 7,437 fresh positive cases and 24 deaths in the last 24 hours; active cases at 23,181, case tally 6,98,005.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa attends the virtual meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss Covid-19 situation with state chief ministers.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tested positive for Covid-19, CMO Kerala tweeted on Thursday. "He will be treated at the Government Medical College, Kozhikkode. Those who have been in contact with him recently should go into self observation." it added.
Sachin Tendulkar discharged from hospital after recovering from COVID-19. He will be in home quarantine for few days.
Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil wrote to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Thursday demanding setting up of a state helpline desk that people can be urged to approach. Gohil claimed that he has been getting several calls from patients seeking help and information regarding availability of ventilators, ICU beds and medicines for Covid treatment in Gujarat.
Gohil released a video statement on Wednesday claiming that there is a shortage of beds in ICU facilities and ventilators at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Covid Hospital and other private Covid designated hospitals in Ahmedabad. Deputy Chief Minister and state Health Minister Nitin Patel had released a statement on Wednesday evening accusing the Congress of doing politics during the pandemicand “trying to mislead the people”. Read more
Union minister and senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar alleged on Thursday that five lakh doses of the COVID-19 vaccines were wasted in Maharashtra due to a lack of planning by the state government. Addressing a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office here, Javadekar, who himself hails from Maharashtra, said he has taken all the information and 23 lakh doses of the vaccines are available with the Maharashtra government. His remarks came after Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said many inoculation centres in the state are being shut due to a shortage of the vaccines and that the state now has 14 lakh doses, which would only last for three days.
"I want to make it clear that the Maharashtra government has 23 lakh doses of the vaccines with it...which is a stock for five to six days. Now, to distribute in villages and districts is the responsibility of the state government," Javadekar said. --PTI
The Mysuru district administration on Thursday issued an advisory stating that it was "appropriate" for all those travelling to Mysuru from Bengaluru to have COVID-19 negative reports, not older than 72 hours at the time of travel. An advisory to this effect signed by Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri was issued on Thursday. Noting the surge in COVID cases in Bengaluru city and district, it said, many people commute between Mysuru and Bengaluru on a daily basis for job and business reasons, also it being a tourist spot many tourists travel to the district from the state capital. --PTI
Noida and Ghaziabad administrations announced a night curfew in the wake of rising Covid cases in the state. According to officials, the curfew will be in place between 10 pm and 5 am till April 17. The movement of essential goods and services will be exempted from the order, said officials. The decision was taken by the administrations after a review meeting on the current Covid situation. The state government on Wednesday had authorised DMs in districts with more than 500 active cases to decide a further course of actions. The exceptions to the night curfew in Gautam Buddh Nagar will be according to the same order issued during last year's lockdown. People working for the government including police, hospital, fire and other essential departments will have to present their IDs upon checking. Media persons, grocery shop owners, petrol pump employees, telecommunication personnel, bank workers, ATM operators and other private institutions involved in essential work will also be allowed to move during the night if they carry authentic identification. -- Amil Bhatnagar reports
Passengers coming from Mumbai and Karnataka via flight will have to undergo mandatory Covid-19 tests in Assam even if they have got themselves tested elsewhere. There is no need of a night curfew at the moment: Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. (ANI)
Vaccination has been stopped at Satara, Panvel, Sangli districts citing no stock.
It's right and worrisome that mortality is increasing in the state but saying that vaccination isn't being done here is false. Centre's data show that Chhattisgarh is one of the top 4 states of the nation that have vaccinated more than 10% of its population: Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singhdeo. (ANI)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not attend the virtual meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the Covid-19 situation with CMs, sources in the state government said on Thursday. Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay will be present in the meeting, they said. (PTI)
In the wake of rising coronavirus cases, the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday imposed new restrictions, including a ban on public celebration of religious events and gatherings from April 10. Multiplexes and cinema halls to function with 50% occupancy.
A day after the Maharashtra government levelled allegations of discrimination against it by the Centre over sending vaccines, the Centre confirmed that it will now send 17 lakh doses instead of 7.43 lakh that was promised earlier.
"We have double the population of Gujarat, our active cases are much higher than Gujarat. But we are not getting priority in vaccine doses," Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday, while replying to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan's claim that Maharashtra's allegations were "baseless".
DMK general secretary Duraimurugan tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday and is reportedly isolating himself at his home in Chennai. Ahead of the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Duraimurugan had been actively participating in various party initiatives. Sources said on Wednesday evening, he experienced slight discomfort and took a Covid-19 test at a private hospital in Nungambakkam. The result on Thursday confirmed that he has been infected with the virus.
With an average of 34,30,502 anti-coronavirus doses being given per day, India has topped globally in terms of the number of jabs administered daily, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.
Cumulatively, 9,01,98,673 vaccine doses have been given so far through 13,77,304 sessions, according to a provisional report till 7 am. These include 89,68,151 healthcare workers and 97,67,538 frontline workers who have taken the first dose and 54,18,084 HCWs and 44,11,609 FLWs who have taken the second dose. Besides, 3,63,32,851 and 11,39,291 beneficiaries above 60 years have been administered the first and second dose respectively.
According to the ministry's data, 2,36,94,487 and 4,66,662 beneficiaries aged 45 to 60 years have been given the first and second dose respectively. (PTI)
In the wake of the Covid-19 situation, there'll be lockdown from 6 pm on Friday to 6 am on Monday in all urban areas of Madhya Pradesh. For cities where cases have increased, appropriate action will be taken after meeting of crisis mgmt group. We're making containment areas in big cities: Shivraj Singh Chouhan. (ANI)
Right now, we have 5.34 lakhs doses. We administer 2.5-lakh vaccines daily. So, our stock will last for 2 more days. We've written to Centre to send us a minimum of 25-lakh vaccines for 10 days so that we can vaccinate properly. Vaccination is going on well here: Odisha Health Minister. (ANI)
As Covid-19 cases continue to surge, hospitals in the Pune Municipal Corporation areas have run out of ICU beds with ventilators once again. On Thursday morning, only five ICU beds were available in the city, and none with a ventilator.
The situation in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area is no different. Hospitals here have only three ventilator-equipped ICU beds available, although the district dashboard on hospitals showed eight are vacant. Read more
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray took his second dose of Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday. He had taken the first dose on March 11. (ANI)
Centre is cooperating with state government in this tough time of pandemic. State and Centre both have to come together and find out a way to fight the pandemic: NCP chief Sharad Pawar. (ANI)
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar takes his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at RML Hospital. He had taken the first dose on March 6. (ANI)
Doon School has been declared a restricted zone after 12 Covid-19 positive cases were detected. Entry and exit from the school has been restricted and essential goods will be supplied. Tests will be conducted to curb the spread: Dehradun DM. (ANI)
Veteran filmmaker SP Muthuraman has been admitted to a hospital in Chennai with Covid-19 symptoms. As per the release from the hospital, he is suspected to have Covid-19 pneumonia.
Coronavirus cases in Telangana breached the 2,000-markwith 2,055 fresh infections pushing the tally to over 3.18 lakh, while thetoll rose to 1,741 with seven more fatalities.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation accounted for the most number of cases with 398, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (214) and Rangareddy (174), a government bulletin said on Thursday, providing details as of 8 PM on April 7. The total number of cases stood at3,18,704 while with 303patients being cured, the total recoveries were at 3,03,601. The state has 13,362 active cases and87,332 samples were tested on Wednesday. (PTI)
India reports 1,26,789 new Covid-19 cases, 59,258 discharges, and 685 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry. (ANI)
Traders in Aurangabad have threatened to protest against restrictions imposed by the Maharashtra government to curb the spread of Covid-19. As per the state government's order of 'Break the Chain', all shops under the non-essential category will remain closed till April 30.
Expressing unhappiness over the order, the Maharashtra Nabhik Mahamandal on Wednesday said salon owners here will burn an effigy of the government on Saturday and shave off their heads as part of the 'mundan andolan' on April 22. They will also stage a 'ghantanaad' (ringing of bells) agitation outside their shops on April 14.
Representatives of the Aurangabad Jilha Vyapari Mahasangh met the district collector on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum, saying they should either be allowed to open their shops or given "permission for self-immolation". Nearly two lakh labourers are employed with about 40,000 merchants in the district, according to the traders' body. (PTI)
With the addition of 6,290 new Covid-19 cases, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has reached 3,56,267, an official said on Thursday. These new cases were reported on Wednesday, he said. The virus also claimed the lives of 21 more people, pushing the death toll in the district to 6,620. The Covid-19 mortality rate in Thane is 1.86 per cent. So far, 3,02,521 patients have recuperated from the infection in the district, which reflects a recovery rate of 84.91 per cent, the official said.
In neighbouring Palghar district, the case count has gone up to 54,813, while the death toll stands at 1,247, another official said. (PTI)
25,26,77,379 samples tested for Covid-19, up to April 7. Of these, 12,37,781 samples were tested on Wednesday: Indian Council of Medical Research. (ANI)
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern temporarily suspends entry for all travellers from India, including its own citizens, following a high number of positive patients arriving from there. The suspension starts on April 11 and will be in place until April 28. (Reuters)
More than 9 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses administered to date, the Union Health Ministry informed. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at AIIMS, New Delhi, on Thursday. He had got his first shot of the Covaxin on March 1.
Senior Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the need of the hour is universal vaccination against Covid-19 and walk-in registrations for inoculation should be allowed for all age groups.
“IMA has called for universal vaccination. Several CMs have demanded universal vaccination. Yet the central government says there is no need for universal vaccination. The need of the hour is walk-in vaccination to all age groups without any pre-registration,” he tweeted.
Maintaining a record of visitors, extending “proactive help” to senior citizens, and “encouraging” residents to stay at home are among the “pre-emptive” measures that Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and facility managers of condominiums and gated colonies in Gurgaon will now be expected to adopt to help curb the spread of Covid-19. The city’s deputy commissioner has issued an order to this effect and similar directives have also gone out for malls, market complexes, hotels and banquet halls.
In the order issued for RWAs and facility managers, Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg has directed that apart from ensuring that masks are worn by residents, sanitising common areas “on a 2-hourly basis”, promoting the use of Aarogya Setu app and installing “Handwash facility at entrance”, they must also maintain a record of visitors at the entry and exit gate and “encourage” residents to stay at home, to the extent possible.
Several districts in Maharashtra including Navi Mumbai, Satara and Panvel will shut their Covid-19 vaccination drive from tomorrow due to a "shortage" in vaccine supply. Earlier today, the Maharashtra government had said that the state was running short of Covid vaccines, especially in urban centres, and urged the Centre to send in additional stocks.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Wednesday hit out at the Maharashtra government hours after the latter said it was running short of Covid-19 vaccines and urged the central government to supply additional doses.
In a strongly-worded response, Vardhan said allegations of vaccine shortage are “utterly baseless”. “This is nothing but an attempt to divert attention from Maharashtra government’s repeated failures to control the spread of pandemic,” he said.
“The inability of Maharashtra government to act responsibly is beyond comprehension. To spread panic among the people is to compound the folly further. Vaccine supplies are being monitored on a real-time basis, and State governments are being apprised regularly about it,” Vardhan added. More details here.
With a spurt in new Covid-19 cases, Odisha Wednesday requested the Union Health Ministry to release more doses of the vaccine while adding that the state can only conduct vaccinations for another three days with the available stock.
Odisha on Wednesday reported 791 fresh Covid-19 cases, the highest count of 2021 so far, taking the total cases to 3,44,647. The death toll stands at 1,923.
Additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Welfare), PK Mohapatra Wednesday wrote a letter to the Secretary of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, requesting more doses of the vaccine for the state. “As of April 6, we have stock of 3, 47,180 doses of Covishield and 1,36,820 doses of Covaxin vaccine with peripheral Cold Chain Points. Presently, there is NIL stock of Covishield vaccine in all Regional & District vaccine stores in the state,” the letter read.
The government will allow Covid vaccination at public and private workplaces having about 100 eligible beneficiaries from April 11.
In a letter to chief secretaries, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that a substantial proportion of population aged 45 years and above is in the organised sector of the economy and is involved in formal occupation in offices (government and private) or manufacturing and services.
"in order to increase the access of vaccine to these populations, COVID-19 vaccination sessions may be organised at workplaces (both public & private) which are having about 100 eligible and willing beneficiaries by tagging these workplaces with an existing COVID vaccination centre," Bhushan was quoted as saying in the letter by PTI.
The Centre on Wednesday allowed Covid-19 vaccination at public, private workplaces having about 100 eligible beneficiaries.
India has surpassed the United States to become the fastest vaccinating country in the world with an average daily rate of 30,93,861 vaccine doses, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday.
A case has been registered against 150 people, including Azad Samaj Party leader Chandrashekhar Azad, for allegedly taking out a roadshow in this district, in violation of the prohibitory orders issued to curb the spread of Covid-19. Police said the roadshow was held in Charthawal police station area on Tuesday evening. Azad and his supporters were booked under relevant sections for violation of prohibitory orders and Covid-19 guidelines, they said.
Keeping the Covid-19 situation in mind, the Raipur district will be declared as a containment zone from 6 pm on April 9 till 6 am on April 19. "All the borders of the district will remain sealed during this period," Raipur district collector S Bharathi Dasan was quoted as saying by ANI.
Maharashtra on Wednesday said that the state was running short of Covid vaccines, especially in urban centres, and urged the Centre to send in additional stocks. The state has 13 lakh doses of Covaxin and Covishield in stock, which according to its estimates will be exhausted in three days.
“We do not have enough vaccine doses at multiple centres. Health workers are now turning away many people. We cannot afford to slow down the pace of vaccination. We need to generate immunity in population and we are ready to vaccinate up to 5 lakh or even 6 lakh people a day,” Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said. More details here.
The Karnataka government on Wednesday imposed Section 144 of CrPC in city limits in the wake of a rise in Covid-19 cases in the neighbouring state. The administration has also prohibited the use of swimming pools, gyms, party halls in residential complexes in the limit of Bengaluru city.
Migrant workers looking to return to their home states are queueing up at train reservation counters at Mumbai’s Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). A central railway official, requesting anonymity, said that trains to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were fully booked for the next few days.
At CSMT on Tuesday night, a group of caterers from Bihar looked disappointed and tensed as the ticket counter was shut. They will have to spend the night at the station till the counter opens the next day. One of them, Rajesh Kumar Das, 36, said, “We work in hotels and in catering service at CSMT. Our boss asked 60 of us to return home. Now what do we do? We cannot afford to stay here. I will try to go in the general compartment.” Read Jayprakash S Naidu's report here
Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has written to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, urging the government to allow everyone above the age of 18 to take the vaccine for Covid-19. She has also said Maharashtra, which ranks at the top of the table in vaccination, is running out of vaccines, and urged the Centre to supply more doses to the state.
'We need the Union government to release more vaccines to Maharashtra in time so that we can keep up the Government of India's drive to safeguard as many citizens as possible,' she said.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the state is running short of vaccine doses at various vaccination centres, and people have had to be sent back due to shortages. He added that Maharashtra has stock for the next three days, or over 13 lakh doses, and few districts may exhaust its supply sooner.
Tope said the state has appealed to the Centre to allow people in the age group of 20 to 40 to be vaccinated on priority. Further, he said the state is working to increase the number of beds in Pune, Mumbai, Nashik and other parts of the state amid the surge in cases.
As the pandemic enters the second year, the surge steeper this time, over 4,500 resident doctors across Maharashtra government medical colleges (GMC), who have been drafted in the fight against Covid-19, have started complaining about losing out on academics.
Many young doctors, who have taken admissions in specialised postgraduate courses, have claimed that the emphasis on Covid-19 work has meant that they hardly got to interact or gain practical experience in treating patients suffering from other ailments. Read Tabassum Barnagarwala's report
The squad of Indian archers, which is getting ready to travel to Japan for the Tokyo Olympics, was administered their second dose of Covid-19 vaccines today. They are now the first fully vaccinated lot of athletes from India ahead of the Games, reported news agency PTI.
There were eight senior archers, the coaches and support staff who received their doses at the Military Hospital in Pune, under an initiative of the Army Sports Institute. The eight archers included Atanu Das, Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav and B Dhiraj (reserve) in men's and Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, Komolika Bari and Madhu Vedwan (reserve) in the women's section.
Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb has tested positive for Covid-19. Taking to Twitter, he informed: "I have been tested positive for Covid-19. I have isolated myself at home as per the advice of doctors. I request everyone to please follow all the Covid appropriate behaviour and stay safe."
A day after the Centre said the aim was not to vaccinate someone who wants it but those who needed it, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called the debate "ridiculous" and said "every Indian deserves the chance to a safe life".
"It’s ridiculous to debate needs & wants. Every Indian deserves the chance to a safe life," Gandhi tweeted.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Tuesday had said, "There are suggestions that vaccination should be opened up for every adult. Whenever we conduct a vaccination during a pandemic, the basic aim is to reduce deaths among the vulnerable population and to protect the healthcare system. The aim is not to vaccinate someone who wants it; the aim is to vaccinate those who requires it the most."
Upholding the Delhi government’s decision of making it compulsory to wear masks in a personal or official vehicle even while travelling alone, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday said that a vehicle which is moving across the city would be a public place.
“A vehicle even if occupied by one person would constitute a public place and wearing a mask therein would be compulsory. The wearing of a mask or a face cover in a vehicle which may be occupied by either a single person or multiple persons is thus held to be compulsory,” said the court.