Reconsider even symbolic Kanwar Yatra: SC to UP government
The Supreme Court asked the Uttar Pradesh government Friday to reconsider even allowing a symbolic physical Kanwar Yatra given the fear of a third Covid-19 wave.
Underlining that “the health of the citizenry of India and their right to ‘life’ are paramount,” it said, “all other sentiments, albeit religious, are subservient to this most basic fundamental right”.
The bench of Justices R F Nariman and B R Gavai, which had sought responses from the Centre, UP and Uttarakhand after taking suo motu cognisance of a report in The Indian Express on UP’s decision to allow the Kanwar Yatra during the pandemic, was told by told Senior Advocate C S Vaidyanathan, who appeared for the UP government, that the state will hold only a “symbolic physical” Kanwar Yatra keeping religious sentiments in mind — it starts July 25.
Schools shut, Gujarat municipal teachers hold classes in parks, bridge digital divide
Class 8 has assembled for their English grammar lesson. Not in their classroom, not on screen, but in an open park in the Naranpura area of Ahmedabad.
The white board is propped up on a concrete bench, facing a group of around 15 children, all from the Naranpura Hindi-medium school run by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). A group of elderly regulars at the park pause to watch the children and their teacher at work. Some distance away, a group of bhajan singers periodically strike discordant notes — about the only time the children look up from their books.
The open classes are part of the Gujarat education department’s sheri shikshan (street education) initiative that was launched in the last week of June for children who had been left out of the virtual learning programme. With the pandemic forcing schools shut since last year, teachers are now holding classes for smaller groups in open spaces — in public parks and in temple complexes.
Chhattisgarh on Sunday reported 165 COVID-19 cases and two deaths, taking the tally to 9,99,853 and the toll to 13,496, a health official said. The number of recoveries reached 9,82,638 after 53 people were discharged from hospitals and 228 completed home isolation during the day, leaving the state with 3,719 active cases, the official informed. "Raipur district recorded 16 new cases, taking its caseload to 1,57,534, including 3,136 deaths. Janjgir-Champa saw 17 cases, Bastar 14 and Bijapur 12. With 26,833 samples being examined on Sunday, the number of tests in the state went up to 1,09,15,132," he said. The official said more than 1.11 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the state till Saturday, with 90,92,377 people getting the first jab and 20,16,679 receiving the second one as well. --PTI
Tamil Nadu reported 2,079 new COVID-19 cases, including a returnee from Andhra Pradesh, pushing the tally to 25,35,402, the Health department said on Sunday. The number of fatalities mounted to 33,724 with 29 more people succumbing to the virus in the last 24 hours. Recoveries outnumbered new coronavirus infections with 2,743 people getting discharged, aggregating to 24,73,781 leaving 27,897 active cases in the state, a medical bulletin said. As many as 30 districts reported new infections in double digits, while there were no fresh deaths in 21 districts. Chennai added 150 new cases, taking the overall count to 5,36,206, while the death toll mounted to 8,296 in the state capital. --PTI
In view of Covid-19, Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has cancelled the organisation of the Kanwar Yatra in Delhi, news agency ANI reported.
Uttarakhand reports 19 new Covid cases, 52 recoveries, and zero deaths today.
The Assam government has tightened its screening procedure for people entering the state, with no exemption for even those who have received both doses of the COVID vaccine, an official said on Sunday. With about five per cent of the fresh COVID-19 cases reported in Assam in the last few months being of fully vaccinated people, testing of everyone irrespective of their inoculation status has been made mandatory, he said. The Assam government had on July 15 withdrawn its earlier order, dated June 25, 2021, in which it had exempted fully vaccinated air and train passengers from undergoing mandatory COVID tests. --PTI
The Karnataka government has allowed cinema halls and theatres across the state, including Bengaluru, to function from Monday (July 19) while colleges have been permitted to allow students on campuses from July 26. These were among several relaxations announced to the curbs that were in place in the state to mitigate the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic since the second wave began months back. Here are the full guidelines
The Haryana government on Sunday extended the lockdown by a week, it will now stay in effect till 5 am on July 26. The state however introduced more relaxations and allowed restaurants, malls etc to be open till 11 pm with 50 per vent capacity.
The centre on Sunday said that over 41.99 crore coronavirus vaccine doses have so far been provided to states and union territories.It further said that over 2.56 crore unused doses are still available with the States/UTs and private hospitals.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his finance minister Rishi Sunak have been contacted by NHS test and trace as contacts of someone who has tested positive for COVID, Downing Street said on Sunday.
“They will be participating in the daily contact testing pilot to allow them to continue to work from Downing Street," Downing Street said in a statement. “They will be conducting only essential government business during this period.”
Three athletes, two of them staying at the Olympic Village, have tested positive for COVID-19, the Games Organising Committee announced on Sunday.
It is the first instance of athletes staying at the village catching the infection. Their identities have not been revealed by the organisers. The third infected athlete is staying at a designated Games hotel.
A total of 10 cases were detected on the day, including five “Games concerned personnel”, one contractor, and a journalist, according to the COVID-19 Positive Case List uploaded by the OC here.
As countries around the world witness a surge in coronavirus cases linked largely to the highly transmissible ‘Delta’ variant, Etihad Airways announced that it was extending the suspension of flights from India and two other countries to the UAE until July 31. In a statement, Etihad Airways said that flights services have also been suspended from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Earlier, the carrier had banned air services to UAE in five countries, including India and Pakistan, until July 21. But amidst the recent concern over the Delta variant, the airline announced that it would be extending the ban even further.
Every adult in the United Kingdom has been offered a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the health ministry said on Sunday, ahead of the end of legal restrictions in England on Monday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s target was for every adult who wanted to a shot to be able to get one by July 19.So far, 87.8% of adults have received a first shot of COVID-19 vaccine, with the government also meeting a target to give two-thirds of adults two doses of vaccine by Monday.
Johnson is proceeding with the full re-opening of the economy despite a fresh surge of cases fuelled by the highly transmissible Delta variant. New infections are running at their highest level since January.
India recorded 41,157 new cases of covid-19 in the last 24 hours ending 8 am Sunday. Active cases have marginally declined to 4.22 lakh. Kerala recorded the highest new cases(16,148) in one and a half months. The country also reported 518 new fatalities on Sunday. Maharashtra reported the highest deaths followed by Kerala.
India's athletes are all set to participate in the Tokyo Olympics even as the the first Covid-19 case was detected inside the Games Village on Saturday, raising concerns ahead of the opening ceremony. Following the positive case, the Olympics organisers urged every team to be extra cautious.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday cancelled the Kanwar Yatra a day after the Supreme Court asked the state government to reconsider even allowing a symbolic physical yatra given the fear of a third Covid-19 wave.
While asking the UP government to reconsider allowing even a symbolic physical yatra this year, the apex court on Friday had underlined that “the health of the citizenry of India and their right to ‘life’ are paramount” and that “all other sentiments, albeit religious, are subservient to this most basic fundamental right”. Read the full report here
Maharashtra on Saturday reported 8,172 new Covid-19 cases and 124 deaths which took the state's infection tally to 62,05,190 and death toll to 1,26,851, the health department said in a release.
As many as 8,950 patients were discharged from hospitals, pushing the total of recovered persons to 59,74,594. The state has a recovery rate of 96.28 per cent. The case fatality rate stood at 2.04 per cent, while there are 1,00,429 active cases in the state, the release said.
Mumbai city reported 469 Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths, taking its caseload to 7,30,703 and death toll to 15,690. (PTI)
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated that India’s cumulative Covid-19 vaccination coverage surpassed 40 crore (40,44,67,526), as of 7 pm on Saturday. More than 46.38 lakh vaccine doses were administered today.
It also stated that 12,40,07,069 persons in the age group 18-44 years across 37 States/UTs have received their first dose and total 48,50,858 have received their second dose since the start of Phase-3 of the vaccination drive.
Covid-19 can make a person more susceptible to developing active tuberculosis as it is an "opportunistic" infection like black fungus but currently there is not enough evidence to suggest TB cases have risen due to the viral disease, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry said notification of tuberculosis cases had decreased by about 25 per cent in 2020 due to Covid-related restrictions and special efforts are being made to mitigate this impact through intensified case findings. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu on Saturday reported 2,205 new Covid-19 cases and 2,802 recoveries. The state also recorded 43 deaths today.
Karnataka reported 1,869 fresh Covid-19 cases on Saturday along with 3,144 recoveries, and 42 deaths. (ANI)
Delhi on saturday reported 59 new Covid cases and 91 recoveries, and 4 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Kerala on Saturday recorded 16,148 fresh Covid -19 cases, pushing the infection caseload to 31,46,981, while the toll rose to 15,269 with 114 more deaths. The Test Positivity Rate (TPR) stood at 10.76 per cent.
As many as 13,197 people were cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to 30,06,439, leaving 1,24,779 active cases, a state government release said.
Kozhikode logged the most number of cases (2105), followed by Malappuram (2033), Ernakulam (1908), Thrissur (1758), Kollam (1304), Palakkad (1140), Kannur (1084) and Thiruvananthapuram (1025). (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh on Saturday reported 2,672 fresh Covid cases and 2,467 recoveries. The state also reported 18 deaths in the past 24 hours. (ANI)
A conglomerate of major churches in Mizoram has called for a state-wide prayer on Sunday to contain the spread of Covid-19 as the Northeastern state grapples with the second wave of the pandemic. The Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC) asked people to hold the prayer in their homes at 7 pm, a church leader said on Saturday.
A prayer programme will be organised at Zarkawt Presbyterian Church building in Aizawl, which will be aired live through local cable televisions, he said. (PTI)
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday recommended Tuberculosis screening for all Covid-19 positive patients and Covid-19 screening for all diagnosed TB patients.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday asked film and television producers, who demanded an extension of the duration of shootings beyond the 4 pm deadline, to coordinate with the police about the place and timing of their shooting schedules in and around Mumbai.
Addressing members of the Film Producers Guild virtually, the CM told them to ensure that regular COVID-19 detection tests are conducted, guidelines followed, and vaccination of cinema artists and workers is expedited. (PTI)
France will allow international travellers who have had AstraZeneca’s Indian-manufactured vaccine – Covishield - into the country starting Sunday. At the same time, France is tightening border checks to control the spread of the delta variant and protect hospitals according to a statement from the prime minister.
The move to accept visitors vaccinated with AstraZeneca’s vaccine made by India’s Serum Institute came after a global outcry over the fact that the European Union’s Covid-19 certificate only recognizes AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured in Europe. (AP)
Odisha's Covid-19 caseload surged to 9,52,111 on Saturday after 2,182 more people tested positive for the virus, while 67 fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 4,992, a health department official said. The state now has 21,540 active cases, and 5,25,526 patients have so far recovered from the disease, including 2,317 since Friday. A total of 53 other Covid-19 patients have also died due to comorbidities, the official said.
Meanwhile, the Health and Family Welfare Department has asked all district collectors and commissioners of municipal corporations to ensure 100 per cent vaccination of transgenders. (PTI)
Delhi's drugs control department has told the Delhi High Court that it has launched prosecution against Gautam Gambhir Foundation and AAP MLAs, Imran Hussain and Praveen Kumar, before a court for allegedly illegally stocking and distributing Covid drugs during the infection's second wave.
Based on inquires made by the investigating team, a prosecution in the court of law was launched against Gautam Gambhir Foundation, its trustees and CEO on July 8 for 'contravening the provisions of section 18(c) read with section 27(b)(ii) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940', the Delhi Drugs Control Department (DDCD) said in a response which wasa in the form of a status report. (PTI)
The Mizoram government has reimposed a seven-day complete lockdown in Aizawl Municipal Corporation area in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases, over two weeks after easing restrictions, officials said.
The shutdown will be in force from July 18 till the midnight of July 24, an official order said. Lockdown or other stringent restrictions may be imposed in other parts of the state by deputy commissioners depending on the coronavirus situation, it said. The Mizoram government had eased restrictions in the AMC area from June 30. (PTI)
The Centre has placed an order to procure 66 crore more doses of Covishield and Covaxin to be supplied between August and December this year, at a revised price of Rs 205 and Rs 215 per dose, respectively, excluding taxes, official sources said.
They said 37.5 crore of Covishield doses from the Serum Institute of India and 28.5 crore Covaxin doses from Bharat Biotech will be procured by December. "An order to procure 66 crore more doses of COVID-19 vaccines--Covishield and Covaxin--to be supplied between August and December, at a revised price of Rs 205 and Rs 215 per dose, respectively, excluding taxes, has been placed," the source said. The price of each dose of Covishield amounts to Rs 215.25 and Covaxin Rs 225.75, including taxes, it said.
The Union health ministry which was procuring both the vaccines at Rs 150 per dose, had indicated that the prices would be revised after the new COVID-19 vaccine procurement policy came into effect from June 21. Under the new policy, the ministry will procure 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the drug manufacturers in the country. (PTI)
THE National Technical Advisory Group (NTAGI) on Immunization had issued a notification a month back, in which a recommendation was made that all pregnant women visiting antenatal care may be informed about the risks and benefits associated with the Covid vaccines available in India.
Based on the information provided, a pregnant woman may be offered the Covid-19vaccine, which can be given anytime during the pregnancy, the NTAGI recommendations said. A recent study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical research (ICMR), underlined the importance of vaccination of pregnant and lactating women against Covid-19. The ICMR study compared pregnant and postpartum women during the first wave (April 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021) and the second wave (February 1, 2021 to May 14, 2021). Read the full report here.
Addressing the influx of tourists in Himachal Pradesh in recent weeks, the state's Chief Minister Jairam Thakur urged visitors to follow Covid protocol to prevent a surge in cases in the future.
"We've also asked hotel associations to implement SOPs for functioning of hotels. We want tourists to visit our state but they must follow COVID protocols," he told ANI.
Two vaccine doses have prevented 95 per cent Covid-19 deaths among “high-risk” policemen during the Delta variant-driven second wave, NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul said Friday citing an ICMR study.
The study assessed vaccine effectiveness among 1,17,524 police personnel in Tamil Nadu.
At a press conference in New Delhi, Paul said 67,673 of these policemen received two doses and 32,792 received a single dose; 17,059 did not get vaccinated. Read the full report here.
A person has tested positive for COVID-19 at the Tokyo Olympics athletes’ village, organisers said on Saturday, adding to concerns about infections at the Games which begin next week.
Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto confirmed that a visitor from abroad who is involved in organising the Games had tested positive. He would not reveal the person’s nationality, citing privacy concerns. (Reuters)
India reported 38,079 new cases and 560 deaths in last 24 hours ending 9 am on Saturday. The active caseload has dipped marginally to 4,24,025, while the recovery rate has gone up to 97.31%. Kerala remains the top contributor, recording 13,750 new cases. More than 3.10 crore people have been infected in India since the start of the pandemic last year.
Kerala continues with weekend lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. The state has been the highest contributor to India’s caseload for the past few weeks.
With the addition of 481 coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 5,39,876, an official said on Saturday. These cases were reported on Friday, he said. The virus claimed the lives of 12 patients, which pushed the death toll in the district to 10,892. Thane's current Covid-19 mortality rate is 2.01 per cent, he added. In neighbouring Palghar district, the infection tally went up to 1,18,825, while the death toll is 2,670 another official said. (PTI)
About 1 in 10 people who caught the coronavirus infection after being vaccinated required admission to hospital for treatment of the disease, a new study commissioned by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has shown.
Crucially, none of those admitted to hospital required ventilator or oxygen support, and none had to be put into ICU. “This is highly significant, and underlines the crucial role of vaccines in reducing severity of the disease and mortality,” Dr Samiran Panda, Head of ICMR’s Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases division, told The Indian Express. (Read Anuradha Mascarenhas's report)