Coronavirus News Highlights: With a single-day rise of 35,342 cases, India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 3,12 93,062 on Friday, while 483 more fatalities pushed the death toll due to the viral disease to 4,19,470, according to the health ministry. The number of active cases has declined to 4,05,513, accounting for 1.3 percent of the total caseload, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.36 percent, the ministry's data updated at 8 am showed. A decline of 3,881 cases was recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. Also, 16,68,561 tests to detect the infection were carried out on Thursday, taking the total number of such tests conducted so far in the country to 45,29,39,545, while the daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.12 percent. It has been less than three percent for 32 consecutive days, the ministry said. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.14 percent. The cumulative number of Covid vaccine doses administered so far in the country has reached 42.34 crore. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30-lakh mark on August 23, 40-lakh mark on September 5 and 50-lakh mark on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28 last year, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and the one-crore mark on December 19. India crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid cases on May 4 this year and the three-crore mark on June 23.
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Coronavirus LIVE Updates | AYUSH-64 helpful in treating asymptomatic, mild and moderate COVID-19 as adjunct: Govt
Scientists of reputed research institutions of the country have found AYUSH-64, a polyherbal formulation, helpful in the treatment of asymptomatic, mild and moderate COVID-19 infection as an adjunct to standard care, the government said on Friday.
In a written response to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for AYUSH Dr Mahendra Munjapara said the Ministry of Ayush-Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) collaboration has recently completed a robust multi-centre clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AYUSH-64 in the management of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
Bharat Biotech announces termination of its MOU with Precisa Medicamentos & Envixia Pharmaceuticals to sell COVAXIN in Brazil. "We'll continue to work diligently with ANVISA, the Brazilian drug regulator to complete the regulatory approval process for the vaccine," said thebiotechnology company.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
India’s cumulative COVID vaccination has exceeded 42.75 crore till 7pm today. Nearly 39 lakh doses have been administered on July 23, says governmnet.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Madhya Pradesh sees 11 new COVID-19 cases; active infections at 172
Madhya Pradesh on Friday recorded 11 COVID-19 cases that raised its tally of infections to 7,91,732, an official from the state health department said.
The count of recoveries reached 7,81,048, while the toll stood at 10,512, as no fresh fatalities were reported, the official said, adding that the central state currently has 172 active cases.
With the addition of 73,709 swab samples tested during the day, the total number of tests conducted in the state rose to 1,38,53,243, the official said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Goa records 73 new coronavirus cases, 3 deaths, 139 recoveries
Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 73 and reached 1,70,272 on Friday, while 139 patients recovered from the infection, a health department official said. The death toll rose to 3,126 as three more patients succumbed to the infection during the day, he said. The number of recovered cases increased to 1,65,839 after 139 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the official said. Goa now has 1,307 active cases. "With 3,031 new tests, the total number of tests conducted in the state has gone up to 10,21,344,” he added. Goa's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 1,70,272, new cases 73, death toll 3,126, discharged 1,65,839, active cases 1,307, samples tested till date 10,21,344.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | European agency is 1st to approve Moderna jab for children
The European Medicines Agency has recommended approving Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 17, the first time the shot has been authorised for people under 18.In a decision on Friday, the EU drug regulator said research in more than 3,700 children aged 12 to 17 showed that the Moderna vaccine — already given the OK for adults across Europe — produced a comparable antibody response.Until now, the vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech has been the only option for children in North America and Europe.The US Food and Drug Administration is currently considering whether to extend the use of the Moderna vaccine for children under 18.With global vaccine supplies still tight, much of the world still is struggling to immunize adults. US and European regulators do caution that both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines appear linked to an extremely rare reaction in teens and young adults — chest pain and heart inflammation.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | At least 100 US athletes unvaccinated as Olympics begin
About 100 of the 613 U.S. athletes descending on Tokyo for the Olympics are unvaccinated, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee's medical chief said hours before Friday night's opening ceremony.Medical director Jonathan Finnoff said 567 of the American athletes had filled out their health histories as they prepared for the trip, and estimated 83% had replied they were vaccinated.Eighty-three percent is actually a substantial number and we're quite happy with it, Finnoff said.Nationally, 56.3% of Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Jharkhand reports 22 new COVID cases;zero virus-induced deaths
Jharkhand reported 22 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, which pushed the tally to 3,46,846, a health department bulletin said on Friday.The COVID-19 death toll remained at 5,122 as no new fatality due to the contagion was reported in the last 24 hours, it said.Of the 22 new cases, a maximum of 5 new cases were reported from Deoghar followed by three cases from state capital Ranchi and two cases each from Dhanbad, Koderma, Ramgarh, Saraikela and Simdega.No new COVID-19 case was reported from Chatra, Dumka, Garhwa, Giridih, Godda, Gumla, Hazaribag, Jamtara, Khunti, Latehar, Lohardaga, Pakur, Sahebganj and West Singhbhum.Jharkhand now has 305 active COVID-19 cases, while 3,41,419 patients have recovered from the disease including 32 during the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.The mortality rate in the state remained at 1.47 per cent, higher than the national average of 1.30 percent.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Karnataka reports 1,705 new cases, 30 deaths and 2,243 recoveries today; active caseload at 24,127
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Medical oxygen demand peaked to nearly 9,000 MT in 2nd Covid wave compared to 3,095 MT in 1st: Govt
The demand for medical oxygen in the country peaked to nearly 9,000 MT in the second Covid wave as compared to the peak requirement of 3,095 MT during the first wave, Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.To a question on shortage of medical oxygen in the country during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Union Minister Bharati Pravin Pawar said supply of medical oxygen to hospitals is determined by contractual arrangements between the hospital concerned and the supplier."However, due to an unprecedented surge in demand of medical oxygen across the country during the second wave of COVID-19 -- the demand in the country peaked to nearly 9,000 MT (metric tonnes) as compared to the peak requirement of 3,095 MT during the first wave," she said in a written reply.It was in this context that the central government stepped in and took all possible measures to increase production and to facilitate equitable distribution to states, the minister of state for health said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Mumbai reports 374 new COVID-19 cases, 482 recoveries, and 08 deaths in the past 24 hours
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | States floated global tenders for Covid vaccines but none materialised into procurement: Mansukh Mandaviya
Some states had floated global tenders for COVID-19 vaccines in May but none of these materialised into procurement, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed Lok Sabha on Friday.Multiple and repeated demands were made by states and union territories to the government of India that they be allowed to procure vaccines directly and administer them as per their requirements, and such global tenders were placed by them in May 2021, Mandaviya said in a written reply."However, none of the tenders floated by any state government materialised into procurement of Covid vaccines from any vaccine manufacturers, including offshore manufacturers," he said.Later on, many states communicated to the government of India that they were facing difficulties in managing the funding and logistics of direct procurement of Covid vaccines."This in turn impacted the pace of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Program. Keeping in view the repeated requests received from states, and the experience gained, the Guidelines for National COVID Vaccination Program were reviewed and ''Revised Guidelines for Implementation of National COVID Vaccination Program'' were issued on June 8, 2021, to be effective from June 21," he said in the written reply.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Decline in Covid vaccine doses during implementation of liberalized vaccination strategy: Govt
During the implementation of "Liberalized Pricing and Accelerated National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy" from May 1 to June 20, the total number of doses administered declined with states saying they faced difficulties in managing the funding and logistics of direct procurement of vaccines, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.The total number of doses administered declined from 8.99 crore in April to 6.10 crore in May, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a written reply.States through multiple communications intimated that they were facing difficulties in managing the funding and logistics of direct procurement of vaccines, he said.This in turn had an impact on the total number of doses administered, he said.Multiple states had repeatedly demanded that they be allowed to procure vaccines directly and administer them as per their requirements,he said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | New Covid variant 'probable' this year: top French expert
The French government's top advisor on Covid-19 warned Friday that a new variant of the disease would "probably" emerge in the winter months this year.The country is currently battling an unprecedented spike in new cases caused by the more infectious Delta variant, which was first recorded in India."We will probably have another variant arrive during the winter," Jean-Francois Delfraissy, head of the French government's scientific council, told the BFM news channel. (AFP)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | There has been no shortage of vaccines, govt providing free jabs to states, UTs, Lok Sabha told
There has been no shortage of vaccines and the Government of India has been supplying the jabs to states and Union Territories for free to be given to prioritized beneficiaries as recommended by NEGVAC, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.Advance visibility of vaccine allocation -- total doses that would be available for states and UTs -- are provided 15 days in advance to enable them to plan for acceleration of vaccination coverage while being cognizant of the available vaccines, she said in a written reply.Asked whether the government is aware that many inoculation sites got closed down due to non-availability of vaccines there, Pawar said, "There has been no shortage of vaccines and the Government of India has been providing free supply of vaccines to states and UTs for administration to prioritised beneficiaries as recommended by NEGVAC (National Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration against COVID-19)."On whether the government is aware that less than 10 per cent of Indians have got single dose of Covid vaccine despite India being the world''s leading vaccine manufacturer, the minister said as of July 20, around 34.5 per cent of the estimated population aged 18 years and above has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.As of July 20, 2021, a total of 32.64 crore first doses and 8.55 crore second doses have been administered across the country. A total of 2.15 lakh COVID-19 Vaccination Centres have been operational across the country, Pawar said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Kerala reports 17,518 new cases, 132 deaths and 11,067 recoveries today: Pinarayi Vijayan
Kerala reports 17,518 new cases, 132 deaths and 11,067 recoveries today; Test positivity rate is at 13.63%, saysChief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on COVID-19 situation.To avoid the possibility of the COVID third wave, we are speeding up vaccination. If we get an adequate number of vaccines from the Centre, at the pace of vaccination carried out in the state, 60% of Kerala's population can be vaccinated.The campaign for vaccinating all pregnant women has started in the state. So far about 40,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Covid vaccines being used in country required to be stored within 2-8 Deg C temp range: Govt
COVID-19 vaccines, currently being used in the country, are required to be stored within the temperature range of two to eight degrees Celsius, Union Minister Bharati Pravin Pawar informed Lok Sabha on Friday.In a written reply, the minister of state for health also said that there are 296 walk-in coolers and 57,640 ice-lined refrigerators in the country.These are sufficient to meet the vaccine requirement of both COVID-19 vaccination as well as routine immunisation, Pawar said.To a question on whether the government has made any assessment that the existing cold storage facility is sufficient to store anti-Covid vaccines, she said the National Cold Chain Management Information System is a digital database of cold chain equipment supplied to states and union territories."The cold chain space requirement is assessed using this database to strengthen additional cold chain space required for storing Covid vaccine over and above the cold chain space required for storing routine immunisation vaccines at temperature range of two degrees Celsius to eight degrees Celsius and at temperature range of -15 to -25 degrees Celsius," the minister said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | COVID-19: No deaths in Maharashtra due to oxygen shortage, says Rajesh Tope
Maharashtra faced a shortage of medical oxygen but it did not report any COVID-19 death due to it, state health minister Rajesh Tope said on Friday.He was speaking to reporters at the inauguration of a hostel of the National Cold Chain Research Centre."There are no deaths in the state due to shortage of medical oxygen. Such deaths may have occurred in other states," he said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Health ministry aware of media reports about ''some'' controversy around Covaxin supply to Brazil: Govt
The health ministry is aware of media reports about "some" controversy around contracts and regulatory approvals for supply of Covaxin to Brazil, but this relates exclusively to an agreement between a commercial entity Bharat Biotech and another country, Lok Sabha was told on Friday.Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar stated this in a written reply to a question on whether the government has received reports about a "huge" controversy between Bharat Biotech and the Brazilian government over the supply of Rs 2 crore worth of anti-Covid vaccine Covaxin."The health ministry is aware of media reports of some controversy around contracts and regulatory approvals for supply of Covaxin to Brazil. This, however, relates exclusively to an agreement between a commercial entity i.e. M/s Bharat Biotech and a foreign country," she said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Vaccination drive starts for pregnant women in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Medical fitness checkups will be done by gynecologists. Follow up will also be taken for the next 20 days: Rakesh Srivastava, Civil Surgeon, Bhopal's JP Hospital
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Andhra Pradesh logs 1,747 new COVID-19 cases, 14 deaths push toll to 13,223
The cumulative coronavirus positives shot up to 19.50 lakh in Andhra Pradesh with the addition of 1,747 afresh on Friday.With 2,365 more patients getting cured in 24 hours, the total recoveries went up to 19,14,177.The latest bulletin said 14 people succumbed to Covid-19 in the state in 24 hours ending 9 AM on Friday, taking the gross toll to 13,223.The state now has 22,939 active cases, it said.Chittoor district reported the highest number of 293 fresh cases, followed by SPS Nellore (239), East Godavari (234), Prakasam (223), West Godavari (215), Krishna (127) and Visakhapatnam (109) in a day.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Railways lost 2,903 employees due to COVID-19: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
The Railways has lost 2,903 employees due to COVID-19, minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on Friday.In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, he said settlement of dues has been made with families of deceased Railway employees in 2,782 cases."Indian Railways has a policy for giving appointment on compassionate ground to dependents of Railway servants who lose their lives in the course of duty or die in harness or are medically incapacitated."
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | redBus announces roll-out of ''vaccinated bus'' service
Online bus ticketing platform redBus on Friday announced the launch of ''vaccinated bus'' service across 600 major routes in the country that guarantees passengers to travel with vaccinated co-passengers and crew.Booking a ticket on this service requires the travellers to have received at least the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine and they must submit proof of the same at the time of boarding, redBus said in a statement.''Vaccinated bus'' is being introduced in collaboration with private partner bus operators that have a customer rating of more than four stars out of five on the platform.redBus Chief Executive Officer Prakash Sangam said, "According to a survey that we recently undertook with our customers, 89 per cent of the respondents said that they prefer to travel in a bus which had all the bus staff and co-passengers vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine."Sangam added that it is, therefore, evident that a ''vaccinated bus'' rids passengers of their anxiety to a large extent and restores their confidence to undertake travel. "At the moment, these services are spread across 600 routes in the country and we will look at further scaling this initiative based on the response to it."
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Delhi reports 58 new cases, 1 death and 69 recoveries in the past 24 hours
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | 11% of total COVID cases in country reported in persons aged below 20: Govt
Around 11 percent of the total COVID-19 cases in the country have been reported in persons aged less than 20, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar told the Lok Sabha on Friday.The minister was responding to a question on the number of children up to 18 years of age who have contracted COVID-19 as of July 2021.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Chinese COVID shot may offer elderly poor protection, study shows
A new study suggests that a Sinopharm vaccine offers poor protection from COVID-19 among the elderly, raising questions for dozens of countries that have given the Chinese company’s shots to their most vulnerable populations.A survey of blood samples taken from 450 people in Hungary at least two weeks after their second Sinopharm dose found that 90% under 50 years old developed protective antibodies. But the percentage declined with age, and 50% of those over 80 had none.The study by two Hungarian researchers wasposted onlinethis week but not yet reviewed by other scientists. Three outside experts said they had no problems with the methodology of the study of the vaccine developed by Sinopharm’s Beijing Institute of Biological Products.“This is very, very worrying that these people, who are high-risk, have a poor antibody response,” said Jin Dong-yan, a Hong Kong University virologist who was not affiliated with the study. (AP)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Odisha logs 1,917 new COVID-19 cases, 69 fresh fatalities
Odisha’s COVID-19 tally mounted to 9,63,851 on Friday as 1,917 more people tested positive for the infection, while 69 fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 5,377, a health department official said. Of the fresh cases, 1,109 were reported from quarantine centres and the remaining 808 detected during contact tracing, he said. Khurda district recorded the highest number of new cases at 518, followed by Cuttack (256) and Puri (118). At least 2,210 people were cured of the disease on Thursday, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 9, 39,160, he said. Khurda district recorded the maximum number of fresh fatalities at 26, followed by Balasore (10), Sambalpur (seven), Kendrapara (six), Bargarh (five), Sundargarh (four), Balasore, Jharsuguda, Kandhamal and Rayagada (two each). One patient each succumbed to the infection in Dhenkanal, Nuapada and Subarnapur. Fifty-three other COVID-19 patients have died due to comorbidities, he said. Of the total 5,377 fatalities reported so far, Khurda district, which comprises state capital Bhubaneswar, accounted for 1,003 deaths, followed by Sundargarh (462) and Ganjam (424). Odisha now has 19,261 active cases.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Be watchful, next 3 months important, Niti Aayog's V K Paul tells Delhi govt
Niti Aayog member V K Paul has told the Delhi government to remain watchful as the next three months are important and unlocking activities can lead to an increase in coronavirus cases.At a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on July 9, he also suggested that the city government consult the Centre before imposing any travel restrictions in the capital.Dr Paul said that "unlock activity could lead to an increase in cases, though at present the positivity rate of cases is at its lowest point", according to the minutes of the meeting made public on July 20."The next three months are important; we need to be watchful," the Niti Aayog member of health said.Chief Secretary Vijay Dev flagged the presence of the Delta Plus -- a coronavirus variant of concern -- in 12 states and referred to the high case positivity rate in northeast India.He recalled that Delhi had earlier imposed some restrictive measures such as carrying negative RT-PCR reports for people coming from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.Paul suggested that the "advice of the Government of India should be taken before imposing any restrictions on the movement of inter-state travel with Delhi being the capital of the country".
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Premature to conclude health complications due to COVID-19 rising: Govt
It may be premature to conclude that complications like lung fibrosis and increased thrombotic events due to COVID-19 are on the rise. However, a larger number of cases of fungal infections have been found linked with the coronavirus infection during the recent surge, the government informed Parliament on Friday.In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said the Indian Medical Association (IMA), in a letter dated June 7 addressed to the prime minister, mentioned that post-Covid complications such as lung fibrosis, thrombotic events and fungal infections are on the rise and there is a need to prepare for the same.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Bharat Biotech commits to supply 500 million doses of Covaxin to Centre for immunisation programme
Bharat Biotech on Friday said it has committed to supply over 500 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin to the Centre under the countrywide immunisation programme. Speaking at a virtual conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Suchitra Ella, joint Managing Director of the city-based vaccine maker, said the companys facilities in four cities - Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune and Ankaleshwar - are currently producing Covaxin.
"In a nutshell if I have to tell you, this is the journey of Covaxin from April 2020 until June 2021. And it is still ongoing as we continue to manufacture, taking a commitment of more than 50 crore (500 million) of doses to be submitted to the government of India for its immunisation programme," she said narrating the journey of Covaxin.
Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar had said in Parliament on Tuesday that from January to July 16, 5.45 crore (54.5 million) doses of Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and 36.01 (360 million) crore doses of Covishield have been supplied by the Serum Institute of India to the Centre.
Suchitra Ella said the data of Phase 3 trials has been submitted to the Drug Controller General of India for its perusal and efficacy of the vaccine against many of the coronavirus variants was also tested. Covaxin demonstrated 77.8 per cent effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 and 65.2 per centprotection against the B.1.617.2 Delta variant, Bharat Biotech said recently, while announcing the final analysis of the jab.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | No delay in entering into purchase pacts with domestic COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers: Govt
There has been no delay in entering into purchase agreements with domestic Covid vaccine manufacturers and advance payments have also been made for the supply orders placed with them, the government informed Parliament on Friday. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha from Congress member Rahul Gandhi and TMC's Mala Roy, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said a total of 135 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are expected to be available between August and December, and though no fixed timeline can be indicated for the completion of the vaccination drive, it is expected that all beneficiaries aged 18 years and above will be inoculated by December.
On the quantum of funds spent on the vaccination programme, she said Rs 9,725.15 crore have so far been spent on it, including for procurement of vaccines and the operational cost for vaccination. On whether the government proposes to complete the exercise of full Covid vaccination of all adults by the end of the year, Pawar said it is an ongoing and dynamic process, which is being guided by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) on the basis of concurrent scientific evidence.
"In view of the dynamic and evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, no fixed timeline at present can be indicated for the completion of the vaccination drive, however, it is expected that beneficiaries aged 18 years and above will be vaccinated by December 2021," she said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | 67.6% population above 6 years found to have COVID-19 antibodies in 4th national serosurvey
Of India's population above the age of six, 67.6 percent have developed antibodies against COVID-19, found the Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) fourth national serosurvey done between June 14 and July 6, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. Also, 85.2 percent of the surveyed healthcare workers had antibodies against COVID-19.
Asked whether the government is planning a nationwide Covid serosurvey to determine the prevalence of coronavirus antibodies in the community, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar, in a written reply, said four rounds of COVID-19 national serosurveys have been conducted by the ICMR. The fourth round of the survey covered 36,227 individuals to estimate seroprevalence among children aged 6-17 years, adults and healthcare workers. It was conducted in the same 70 districts from 20 states and a Union Territory selected during the previous three serosurveys.
"The seroprevalence estimates from the surveys has helped to track the extent of spread of infection in age groups and geographical locations (such as districts, rural/urban areas) over time as well as guide the response. The results of the serosurvey were widely disseminated to the respective state and district authorities," Pawar said in the reply.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | India's economic rebound faces rising risk from virus variants: Poll
India’s economic rebound, already weakened in recent months, could lose further momentum as coronavirus variants pose the greatest threat and inflation rises, a Reuters poll of economists found. The latest survey results suggest difficult policy decisions lie ahead for the Reserve Bank of India, which has already seen two consecutive months of inflation above the 6% upper limit of the range it tolerates.
The RBI said last week that prospects for the economy had brightened and the inflation rise would be transitory, echoing the views of most major central banks. But the fast spread of the Delta variant in some states – and it is becoming dominant around the world – has raised doubts as the country contends with a devastating wave of COVID-19.
The July 15-22 poll of 52 economists showed a third consecutive downgrade to the growth outlook for the current fiscal year 2021-22, but also the third such upgrade to the following year. About two-thirds of economists, or 23 of 36, who responded to an extra question said virus variants were the biggest risk, while only a handful cited high inflation. ”Resurgence in cases and (any) emergence of fresh variants are notable risks for the economy for the rest of the year, particularly at a time when vaccination coverage is short of achieving a critical mass,” said DBS economist Radhika Rao.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Don't indulge in politics over COVID-19 vaccines: Mansukh Mandaviya tells Opposition
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday appealed to Opposition parties not to play politics on the issue of COVID-19 vaccines and asserted that everyone should work together to ensure people are vaccinated against coronavirus. Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour in Lok Sabha, the minister said the government is still in talks with US company Pfizer with respect to making its vaccine available in India.
"There should be no politics on the issue of COVID and vaccination. The prime minister has said this several times," Mandaviya said in response to a question asked by Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale. "I will also not want to indulge in politics on this issue but I want to present the facts," he said, adding that the prime minister till date has held over 20 meetings and discussions with the state governments and chief ministers.
He said some opposition-ruled states raised the issue that health is a state subject and they should be taken into confidence. "Many said Health is a state subject, states said we also need permission to buy vaccines. We said that we have no problem with this. The states said that we want to go out for tender to buy the vaccine. Modi ji said that we are ready to do whatever help is needed," the Health minister said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Over 2.75 crore unutilised vaccine doses still available with states, private hospitals: Govt
More than 2.75 crore balance and unutilized COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states, UTs and private hospitals to be administered, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. Over 43.87 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far through all sources and a further 71,40,000 doses are in the pipeline, it said. Of this, the total consumption including wastage is 41,12,30,353 doses. The new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from June 21.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | All citizens aged 18 and above to be vaccinated by December 2021: Health Ministry tells Parliament
The Health Ministry informed Parliament on July 23 that all citizens aged 18 years and above will be vaccinated against COVID-19 by December. However, the government stressed on the dynamic and evolving nature of the coronavirus pandemic, indicating that a fixed schedule may not be adhered to if circumstances change. In a written response submitted to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Health, Bharati Pravin Pawar, said the nationwide vaccination exercise is also an ongoing and dynamic process.
"It is being guided by National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) on the basis of concurrent scientific evidence," Pawar said in response to a question raised by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Mala Roy. The government also gave an estimate of how many vaccine doses it expects to receive over the rest of the year. "Between August 2021 to December 2021, a total of 135 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine are expected to be available," the minister said.
Pawar added there has been no delay in entering into purchase agreements with the domestic vaccine manufacturers. "Advance payments have also been made to manufacturers for the supply orders placed with them," she said. A total of Rs 9,725.15 crore have been spent so far on the COVID-19 vaccination programme including procurement of vaccines and operational cost for vaccination, the Health Ministry informed Parliament.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | 135 crore doses to be available between August and December, Rs 9,725 crore spent on vaccination: Govt tells Rahul Gandhi
Over 41 lakh extra Covid-19 vaccine doses were extracted by the states with Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Gujarat performing the best on this count but Bihar accounts for half of the 2.5 lakh doses wasted across the country. These figures have been furnished by the government for the period between May 1 and July 13 by the Union Health Ministry. Tamil Nadu was able to extract 5.88 lakh extra doses, West Bengal could extract 4.87 lakh extra doses while Gujarat figure was at 4.62 lakh.
The maximum wastage of doses was in Bihar at 1.26 lakh doses, half of the national wastage of vaccines in the country. Each vial of the Covid-19 vaccine contains quantity enough for 10 doses but states were able to extract extra doses from a vial.
A total of Rs 9725.15 crore have been spent so far on the COVID-19 vaccination programme including procurement of vaccines (Rs 8071 crore) and operational cost for vaccination out of the total budget outlay of Rs 35,000 crore, the government said to a question posed by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. The government has also said it has placed orders for supply of 100.6 crore doses up to December 2021. “Between August to December 2021, 135 crore doses are expected to be available,” the government said.
The government replied to Rahul Gandhi that it was expected that beneficiaries aged 18 years and above will be vaccinated by December 2021 but said no fixed timeline at present can be indicated for the completion of vaccination drive given the dynamic and evolving nature of the pandemic. “There has been no delay in entering into purchase agreements with the domestic vaccine manufacturers. Advance payments have been made to manufacturers for supply orders placed with them,” the government said.
Out of the orders for 100.6 crore doses for Covid-19 vaccines, orders for 64.1 crore vaccines have been placed for Covishield and 36.5 crore for Covaxin. “A total of 3.84 crore doses of Covaxin from Order dated 5th May 2021 are still being delivered,” the government said, saying as on July 20, 2021, a total of 42.52 crore doses of Covishield and Covaxin have been supplied for the COVID-19 vaccination drive in India.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Vaccinated people in Singapore make up three-quarters of recent COVID-19 cases
Three quarters of Singapore's COVID-19 infections in the last four weeks were among vaccinated individuals, government data shows, as a rapid ramp-up in the city state's inoculations leaves fewer people unvaccinated. Singapore has already inoculated nearly 75% of its 5.7 million people, the world's second highest after the United Arab Emirates, a Reuters tracker shows, and half its population is fully vaccinated.
It reported 1,096 locally transmitted cases in the last 28 days, of which 484, or 44%, were fully vaccinated people, while 30% were partially vaccinated and the remaining 25% were unvaccinated. There were only seven severe cases requiring oxygen support and six of them were unvaccinated and one was partially vaccinated, the health ministry said.
"There is continuing evidence that vaccination helps to prevent serious disease when one gets infected," the ministry said, adding all of the fully vaccinated and infected people showed no symptoms or mild symptoms. Experts said infections reported by vaccinated people do not mean vaccines are ineffective. "As more and more people are vaccinated in Singapore, we will see more infections happening amongst vaccinated people," Teo Yik Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Tilak Nagar market in Delhi closed for Covid protocol violations
Several markets in the Tilak Nagar area have been closed by the sub-divisional magistrate till July 27 following violations of Covid protocols, officials said on Friday. Jitender Singh, the sub-divisional magistrate of Patel Nagar, on Thursday ordered the closure of Tilak Nagar markets comprising Mall road, main market, Mangal Bazar road, old market and fruit market area following reports of shopkeepers and customers not following Covid-appropriate behaviour.
''It was reported that general public/shopkeepers of the market are not adhering to health protocol which may accelerate the Covid positivity rate in multiple ways and the market may be the hotspot in future for spreading COVID-19,'' the order said. It also noted that an additional report was received from the SHO of Tilak Nagar that a physical inspection on July 22 revealed that the ''DDMA guidelines/covid protocol was not followed in Tilak Nagar markets'', and it was recommended that the markets be closed ''for at least three to five days to avoid the spread of the virus again''.
The markets have been ordered to remain shut with effect from July 23 to July 27, in ''overall imminent public interest''. Delhi was under a complete lockdown from April 19 to May 30 in view of the second wave of the pandemic. Phased unlock of the city started as the COVID-19 situation improved. Markets were allowed to reopen on June 7. However, repeated incidents of Covid protocol violation have led to temporary closing down of several market areas across the city, including those in Laxmi Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Janpath, Kamla Nagar and Sarojini Nagar.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | In venue fit for head of state, Japan PM seeks Pfizer dose
Japan’s prime minister met with Pfizer’s CEO in an unusually high-profile setting Friday to make sure the drugmaker would deliver the COVID-19 vaccine as promised by this fall as the nation faces supply concerns and a growing outbreak. Pfizer Inc. CEO Albert Bourla, who is in Tokyo to attend Friday’s opening ceremony of the Olympics, was greeted by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the Akasaka Palace state guest house, usually used to welcome heads of state. Suga’s special hospitality for Pfizer’s leader comes as Japan is seeing its vaccination drive slow as local officials pressure the central government for speedier and stable deliveries.
During their nearly one-hour breakfast meeting, Suga explained Japan’s ongoing virus resurgence and vaccine status. Suga and Burla discussed a stable shipment of the vaccine, and Suga stressed that vaccines are the “trump card” in restoring social and economic activities, officials said. Suga also thanked Burla for donating tens of thousands of doses of Pfizer vaccine for Olympic athletes and participants to ensure their health during the pandemic-delayed games, government officials said.
Taro Kono, a state minister in charge of vaccinations, joined the two at the state guest house, Japanese media reported. Japan has signed with Pfizer to receive 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by June, and additional 70 million between July and September. About 23% of its population of more than 126 million has been fully vaccinated, a number that has picked up since May but is still far short of where Japan’s government had hoped to be before the Olympics. Younger people are largely unvaccinated.
Suga asked Burla to push forward a delivery of 20 million doses planned for around October, Kyodo News reported, quoting unidentified officials. Burla, who has Greek and Jewish background, thanked Suga for the warm hospitality and wished Japan a successful Olympics. Their meeting came the day after Olympic organizers dismissed the opening ceremony director over a joke he made about the Holocaust.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Over 54.76 lakh doses administered in India on July 22
More than 54.76 lakh vaccine doses were administered in India on July 22, according to the Union Health Ministry's latest provisional report. With that, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 42.34 crores. On the 188th day of the vaccination drive on July 22, a total of 54,76,423 lakh jabs were administered across the country.
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have administered more than a crore cumulative doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the age group 18-44 years, the Health Ministry said. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Uttarakhand and West Bengal have vaccinated more than 10 lakh beneficiaries of the age group 18-44 years for the first dose of COVID vaccine, it added.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Myanmar to use Chinese vaccines to fight COVID-19 in border area
China is delivering two million COVID-19 vaccine shots to Myanmar this week to help fight a growing outbreak in the border area, officials said, as a spike in infections in the Southeast Asian country spills over into parts of southern China. Myanmar has seen a surge in coronavirus infections since June and on Thursday reported 6,701 new cases and 319 deaths, both record highs.
Medics and funeral services say the real toll is far higher, and the outbreak has also been linked to scores of new cases in China's Yunnan province that borders Myanmar. "Currently, the numbers of newly infected patients are increasing at the Chinese-Myanmar border," China's ambassador in Myanmar Chen Hai said on the embassy's Facebook page, noting pressure on authorities to contain infections in Yunnan.
The ambassador said he believed the countries would be able to cooperate effectively on prevention and control of the virus on the border. The current outbreak in Yunnan started on July 4, and has been concentrated in Ruili and Longchuan, two cities on China's border with Myanmar. The outbreak marks the second cluster of infections in China involving the highly contagious Delta strain, following an outbreak in southern Guangdong province through May and June.
Yunnan vice-governor Zong Guoying promised this week to establish a "fortress of iron" to stop further transmissions as he visited Ruili. The United Nations said in a report on Monday it was stepping up efforts to combat an "alarming spike" in COVID-19 cases in Myanmar and expected the country to receive enough vaccines via the COVAX facility this year for 20% of the population.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Over 2.75 crore unutilised vaccine doses still available with states, private hospitals: Govt
More than 2.75 crore balance and unutilized COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states, UTs and private hospitals to be administered, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. Over 43.87 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far through all sources and a further 71,40,000 doses are in the pipeline, it said. Of this, the total consumption including wastage is 41,12,30,353 doses. The new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from June 21.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Govt should consider re-opening travel for fully vaccinated people: EaseMyTrip CEO Nishant Pitti
In a bid to help India’s tourism industry recover from the impact of COVID-19, the government should consider easing travel restrictions for fully vaccinated people, EaseMyTrips’s chief executive officer and co-founder Nishant Pitti told Moneycontrol in an interview. The government should set up funds, and not just provide guarantees for loans as there is a lot of joblessness in the sector currently, Pitti said. In the past year, his company has worked towards improving its operating margins and commissions, and has also reduced operational expenses, Pitti added.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Puducherry logs 98 new COVID-19 cases, three deaths
Puducherry reported 98 fresh coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours taking the overall tally to 1,20,101, a senior Health Department official said on Friday. The union territory logged less than 100 cases for a second straight day. It had seen the number of new infections dip below the 100 mark on Monday and Tuesday before 112 were added on Wednesday. Puducherry recorded 69 of the new cases followed by Mahe (13), Karaikal (12) and Yanam (4).
Director of the Department of Health S Mohan Kumar said the new cases were identified at the end of the examination of 6,255 samples. He said the active cases stood at 918 with 152 undergoing treatment in hospitals and 766 in home isolation. The Director said 132 patients recovered and were discharged in the last 24 hours and the total recoveries rose to 1,17,397. He said 14,54,997 samples have been examined so far and it was found that 12,43,054 of them turned out to be negative.
The Health department Director said three more people (two men and one woman) succumbed to the virus during the last 24 hours as the toll went up to 1,786. The deceased were in the age group ranging between 55 years and 84 years. He said the test positivity rate was 1.57 per cent while the fatality and recovery rates were 1.49 per cent and 97.75 per cent respectively. The Department has so far vaccinated 37,724 healthcare workers and 22,953 frontline workers.
As many as 4.65 lakh people coming under the category of either senior citizens or those above 45 years with comorbidities have been vaccinated against the pandemic. In all, 6.59 lakh people have been vaccinated so far and it included those who received the second dose, he said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Taiwan’s COVID-19 curbs drive spike in food packaging waste
Taiwan has become inundated with waste after a surge COVID-19 cases prompted movement curbs that led to a spike in online shopping and food deliveries and that is threatening to set back efforts to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic. Taiwan has been dealing with an outbreak of community COVID-19 transmissions since April after months of few domestic infections and has since mid-May been under curbs that limited personal gatherings and curtailed restaurants to take-out service.
Lin Yu-huei, head of recycling at Taipei’s Department of Environmental Protection, said the amount of discarded take-out containers in the capital Taipei between January and May increased by 85 percent compared to the same period last year. In May alone, Taipei produced 10.79 tonnes of recyclable waste versus 7.05 tonnes a year earlier, the environmental protection department reported. Much of that is single-use tableware, both paper and plastic, and that concerns environmentalists.
“We can’t go back to using single-use tableware every time there is an epidemic outbreak,” said Tang An, a campaigner at Greenpeace Taiwan. “This would mean that all the past efforts at decreasing plastic waste would have been for nothing.” New Taipei, the municipality surrounding the capital, had a 50 percent jump in recyclable waste in May versus a year ago, said Tang. While single-use table ware and plastic items are banned in mall food courts and supermarkets, most small restaurants and beverage shops, who are also the biggest source of single-use plastic, are exempt from the policy.
Those are also the businesses who have seen the biggest increase in delivery orders. Chef Pan Yen-ming at Taipei’s An-Nyeong Korean restaurant said he spent about T$20,000 ($713.75) on single-use tableware just in June, increasing his raw materials costs by up to 14 percent. “I have to confess that I choose to close my eyes to this, I have to forward the social responsibility for this to others, pretending that I don’t know,” he said. “If you don’t package the food in a beautiful way, no one will pay attention to you.”
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | COVID-19 cases in Pakistan crosses over a million; deaths at 22,939: Health Ministry
Pakistan has reported 1,425 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the country to over a million, the health ministry said on Friday. The Ministry of National Health Services said that the total number of infections as of now in the country stands at 1,000,034 while the total deaths happened so far is 22,939 after 11 more people with the disease died in the last one day.
“The total infections figure for coronavirus in Pakistan currently stands at 1,000,034 while deaths at 22,939,” said the ministry in a statement.The authorities performed 25,215 tests in the last 24 hours, recording a 5.56 per cent positivity rate, which is slightly lower than 6.31 per cent a day earlier. Pakistan has been battling the fourth wave of the pandemic that hit the country earlier this month.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Pfizer's Covid-19 jab is just 39% effective in halting Delta variant: Israel
Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine was just 39% effective in keeping people from getting infected by the contagious delta variant in Israel in recent weeks, according to the country’s health ministry, but provided a strong shield against hospitalization and more severe forms of the virus. The vaccine provided 88% protection against hospitalization and 91.4% against severe illness for an unspecified number of people studied between June 20 and July 17, according to a report Thursday from the health ministry.
The report said that the data could be skewed because of different ways of testing vaccinated groups of people versus those who hadn’t been inoculated. The delta variant first emerged in India and is spreading around the globe as governments race to inoculate people, sometimes infecting those already fully vaccinated against Covid. The mutation has forced some countries to delay or rethink plans to loosen curbs on businesses, activity and travel.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Over 54.76 lakh doses administered in India on July 22
More than 54.76 lakh vaccine doses were administered in India on July 22, according to the Union Health Ministry's latest provisional report. With that, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 42.34 crores. On the 188th day of the vaccination drive on July 22, a total of 54,76,423 lakh jabs were administered across the country.
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have administered more than a crore cumulative doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the age group 18-44 years, the Health Ministry said. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Uttarakhand and West Bengal have vaccinated more than 10 lakh beneficiaries of the age group 18-44 years for the first dose of COVID vaccine, it added.
