Some media reports citing government sources suggest Covid-19 cases in India may see a sharp uptick next month but may not cause severe symptoms or death, citing past trends. The worry stems from China’s U-turn on travel curbs at a time when it is grappling with a massive surge in infections. China has already witnessed a peak in Covid-19 cases about 10 days ago and there is now a rising trend in the US. The UK, meanwhile, is mulling imposing COVID-19 restrictions for arrivals from China, including requiring tests for the coronavirus. Officials from the Department for Transport, Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) are expected to decide today whether the UK should follow the United States and Italy in imposing COVID restrictions for travellers from China. Track this space for more Covid updates
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Restaurants gear up for New Year celebrations, expect bumper business after 2-year Covid lull
From decking up their outlets to hiring extra staff and setting things up for live musical performances, restaurants across the national capital are gearing up to welcome guests for the New Year celebrations.
With 2023 just two days away, therestaurantersare excited for what they expect to be a bumper week for the hospitality industry, which was one of the worst-hit by the multiple waves of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. (PTI)
Coronavirus updates: Maharashtra reports 27 new COVID-19 infections taking the tally in state to 81,36,615.
Govt asks pharma firms to ensure adequate stocks, availability of all drugs including those for Covid management
Amid surge in COVID-19 cases across the globe, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has asked pharma companies to ensure adequate stocks and availability of all drugs, including those for Covid management, in the supply chain up to the retail level amid rise in coronavirus cases in some countries.
He reviewed the status, adequacy of COVID-19 management drugs and production capacities with representatives of pharma companies through a virtual conference here so that India is equipped to effectively handle any situation.
Coronavirus updates: Lack of info on China''s COVID-19 surge stirs global concerns
There have been no reports of new variants to date, but China has been accused of not being forthcoming about the virus since it first surfaced in the country in late 2019.
The worry is that it may not be sharing data now on any signs of evolving strains that could spark fresh outbreaks elsewhere.
The US, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan and Italy have announced testing requirements for passengers from China. (Associated Press)
Coronavirus In India: One COVID hospital in each districts of Bengal
-If Corona increases, the affected people can be admitted to 3 hospitals in Kolkata. 3 hospitals that have been identified by the West Bengal Health Department are Beleghata ID, MR Bangur, Sambhunath Pandit Hospital. Apart from this, it was decided in a meeting with government hospitals that one COVID hospital would be kept in each district. District Chief Health Officers are also directed to identify hospitals.
(Zee news)
Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the status of essential medicines with pharma companies amid Covid19 alert
-Union Health Min Dr Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the status of essential medicines & drugs with pharma companies amid Covid19 alert.
-Pharma companies have been asked to keep close watch on global supply chain scenario & to ensure adequate stocks & availability of all drugs including COVID drugs, stated MoHFW.
Mansukh Mandaviya holds a virtual meet with drug manufacturing pharma companies for covid management
-Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya is holding a virtual meeting with drug manufacturing pharma companies for advance preparedness for Covid-19 management, stated Official sources
Health officials from EU are in talks to review and respond to China's decision to lift Covid curbs amidst high infections
-The scale of the outbreak in China and doubts over official data have prompted countries including the United States, India, and Japan to impose new travel rules on Chinese visitors while others including Britain said they had no plan to bring back Covid testing for those coming into the country.
(TOI)
No need for French border controls over China Covid surge: Health official
-There is no need for France to impose border controls in reaction to a surge of Covid infections in China, stated the head of France's health risks committee said on Thursday
-China is currently recording a sharp rise in the covid cases since the country decided to relax measures in order to stop the spread of the virus. This, in turn has prompted other countries like the United States, India, Japan and more to impose retrictions on travellers arriving from China.
RT-PCR mandatory for flyers from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from Jan 1
-RT-PCR test has been made mandatory for flyers coming from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from 1st January 2023.
-They will have to upload their reports on the Air Suvidha portal before travel, tweeted Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.
Covid 19 Latest Updates
- As UK said it has no plans to start Covid testing for travellers from China, here's the list of countries who have imposed curbs
Coronavirus Live
COVID-19 Prep | China's vast countryside in rush to bolster COVID defences
- China's sprawling and thinly resourced countryside is racing to beef up medical facilities before hundreds of millions of factory workers return to their families for the Lunar New Year holiday next month from cities where COVID-19 is surging.
- Having imposed the world's strictest COVID regime of lockdowns and relentless testing for three years, China reversed course this month towards living with the virus, leaving its fragile health system overwhelmed.
UK and COVID-19 | UK not planning COVID testing for travellers from China
- Britain has no plans to bring back COVID-19 testing for those coming into the country, a government spokesperson said on Thursday, in contrast to a growing list of countries mandating tests for travellers from China.
- "There are no plans to re-introduce COVID-19 testing or additional requirements for arrivals into the UK," the spokesperson said when asked about a Telegraph report which said the government will consider curbs for arrivals from China, Reuters reported.
- Several countries, including Italy and the United States, have this week announced mandatory testing for travellers from China, where cases are on the rise after Beijing's decision to lift zero-COVID policies.
- The report said officials from the government's Department for Transport (DfT), Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) were expected to decide whether Britain should follow other countries in imposing curbs on travellers from China.
COVID Prep | Asia's tourist hotspots prepare for boom as China relaxes COVID rules
- Asian countries are bracing for an influx of Chinese tourists as COVID restrictions are dismantled, and while some are wary, operators in others are preparing packages such as hotpot buffets to cash in on the expected spike in travel.
- Chinese tourists will no longer need to quarantine on return home starting Jan. 8, the government announced this week, a move that spurred a surge in bookings from what was the world's largest outbound travel market in 2019.
- The once $255 billion a year in global spending by Chinese tourists ground to a virtual halt during the pandemic, leaving a gaping hole in the Asian market, where countries from Thailand to Japan had depended on China as the largest source of foreign visitors.
- International flights to and from China are at just 8% of pre-pandemic levels, VariFlight data shows, but carriers are looking to ramp up capacity as authorities ease COVID-driven limits on the number of flights, Reuters reported.
Covid-19 in India | Salem businessman tests positive for COVID-19 on return from China
- A businessman from nearby Salem who arrived in Coimbatore from China via Singapore has tested positive for Covid-19, official sources said on Thursday.
- The 37-year old man, who arrived in the city by a connecting flight on Wednesday, tested positive at the airport, the sources said.
- "The man, a textile businessman hailing from Ilampillai near Salem, is asymptomatic and under follow-up of health authorities," they said.
-He is under surveillance of the health authorities and quarantined, they added. As per reports, he is the fifth person to test positive for Covid.
Pressure on China's Hospitals | COVID pressures China's hospitals as countries mandate tests for travelers
- Chinese hospitals and funeral homes were under intense pressure on Wednesday as a surging COVID-19 wave drained resources, while the scale of the outbreak and doubts over official data prompted some countries to enact new travel rules on Chinese visitors.
- In an abrupt change of policy, China this month began dismantling the world's strictest COVID regime of lockdowns and extensive testing, putting its battered economy on course for a complete re-opening next year.
- As per a Reuters report, the lifting of restrictions, following widespread protests against them, means COVID is spreading largely unchecked and likely infecting millions of people a day, according to some international health experts.
- Late on Wednesday, the United States became the fifth country after India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan to say it would require COVID tests for travellers from China.
COVID Flash
Asian shares and Covid 19 | Asian shares slip as COVID surge in China makes investors uneasy
- Asian equities weakened slightly on Thursday as soaring COVID cases in China unsettled investors and cast doubt over chances of a swift recovery for the world's second biggest economy after the relaxation of stringent COVID curbs.
- China's health system has come under heavy stress since Beijing started dismantling its zero-COVID regime at the start of the month.
- China shares fell 0.3%, while Hong Kong's stock market slid 1%. Japan's Nikkei fell more than 1% to a nearly three month low, while Australia's resource heavy S&P/ASX 200 index lost 0.94%.
Govt closely monitoring exports of products used to deal with Covid
- The government has started close monitoring of exports of products used to deal with Covid infections such as PPE kits, masks, ventilators and certain medicines like paracetamol on account of rising infections in various countries, including China, an official said.
- The move is aimed at dealing with any possible emergency situation on account of a spurt in coronavirus cases.
- "We are keeping a close watch on exports of all these products. We are monitoring the situation to take appropriate decisions, though the situation at present is not alarming. We should be prepared for everything and for that our domestic requirement should be ready," the official said. Read more here.
Coronavirus Update | Active Covid cases in country rise to 3,552
- India recorded 268 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 3,552, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.
- The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,77,915).
- The death toll stands at 5,30,698 with two fatalities with one reconciled by Kerala and one death reported from Maharashtra in the last 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated.
Covid-19 Updates | 2 International passengers found Covid positive at Mumbai airports, samples sent for genome sequencing
- Two international passengers were found Covid positive in random sampling at Mumbai International airport on Wednesday. Both the samples have been sent for genome sequencing, news agency ANI reported citing Maharashtra Health Department.
Curbs, tests and more: New rules in place for travellers from China
3 new cases of Covid detected in Thane
Three new cases of coronavirus were detected in Maharashtra's Thane district, taking its infection tally to 7,47,397. The latest infections were reported on Wednesday.
Lack of info on China's COVID outbreak stirs global concerns
Moves by the US, Japan and others to mandate COVID-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak and the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough.
Covid numbers in India | The story so far
- India recorded 268 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 3,552
- The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,77,915).
-- The death toll stands at 5,30,698 with two fatalities
-- Daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.11 per cent while the weekly positivity was pegged at 0.17 per cent
-- 2,36,919 tests for detection of Covid have been conducted in the last 24 hours.
-- An increase of 84 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
A glimpse of what the Covid situation is like today
Covid scare in Italy
About 50 per cent of passengers on two flights arriving Milan, Italy from China have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. Most of those who tested positive weren’t showing symptoms. There is also said to be growing concern among Italian health officials about new COVID variants emerging from China with sequencing already being done on the Milan tests.
2 more passengers test positive at Chennai airport
Two more passengers, who returned from Dubai and Cambodia, tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of returnees testing for the virus so far in Tamil Nadu to four. Of the two passengers who tested positive for the virus at the Chennai airport, one was from Cuddapah in Andhra Pradesh, while the second person was from Pallavaram in Chennai.
Asian share markets test positive for Covid
Asian share markets fell along with oil prices as soaring COVID cases in China unsettled investors. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 1.06%, and was set for a third straight week of losses.
Covid test to be made must for fliers from China, Japan
According to reports, 72-hour prior RT-PCR testing may be made must from next week for passengers coming from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore as part of the new Covid protocols.
Bengal may ask for more Covid vaccines, test kits
The West Bengal government will be writing to the Centre to request for more COVID vaccines and testing kits. Along with five lakh doses of nasal vaccines, the state government has decided to request the Union government to send one lakh doses of Covaxin and 15 lakh doses of Covishield.
BF.7 variant update | Delhi logs 13 fresh Covid cases
Delhi logged 13 fresh COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 0.33 per cent. No Covid-related death was reported. Hospitals across the city are being checked for availability of beds and manpower, to deal with any increase in the number of Covid cases.
US announces new Covid test mandate for fliers from China
The US announced new COVID-19 testing requirements for all travellers from China. Beginning Jan. 5, all travellers to the US from China will be required to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative test before boarding their flight. The testing applies to anyone 2 years and older.
UK mulling Covid curbs for arrivals from China
The UK is mulling imposing COVID-19 restrictions for arrivals from China, including requiring tests for the coronavirus. Officials from the Department for Transport, Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) are expected to decide today whether the UK should follow the United States and Italy in imposing COVID restrictions for travellers from China.
