Coronavirus News Highlights: India recorded less than 30,000 fresh COVID-19 cases after 132 days while its active caseload fell below 4,00,000 after 124 days on Tuesday, according to Union health ministry data. India recorded 29,689 new coronavirus infections that pushed its tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,14,40,951 while the death toll climbed to 4,21,382 with 415 daily fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. The active cases have declined to 3,98,100 and comprise 1.27 percent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 97.39 percent, it stated. The number of active cases fell by 13,089 in a span of 24 hours. As many as 17,20,110 COVID-19 tests were conducted on Monday, taking the total number of tests conducted so far to 45,91,64,121. The daily positivity rate has declined to 1.73 percent. The total number of vaccine doses administered so far has reached 44.19 crore under the nationwide vaccination drive. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20, and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. India crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore on May 4 and 3 crore on June 23.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Britain reports highest deaths from COVID-19 since March as Johnson urges caution
Britain reported its highest number of deaths and people in hospital with coronavirus since March on July 27, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging caution despite a week of lower reported numbers of infection.
Britain reported 131 new deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily total since March 17, though it came after just 14 deaths were reported on Monday, suggesting the weekend might have impacted when deaths were reported.
The number of COVID-19 patients in British hospitals has also steadily risen to 5,918, also the highest since March, following a spike in cases earlier this month.
The number of new infections has fallen each day for the last seven days, though Johnson stressed the pandemic was not over.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Till July 16, govt sought procurement of 100.6 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses: MoS Health
The government on Tuesday informed Parliament that till July 16 it has sent communications to HLL, the procurement agency, for buying about 100.6 crore doses of Covaxin and Covishield vaccines.
In response to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pawar said a team of officials deals with various issues related to the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines from foreign manufacturers and is in continuous dialogue with them. According to the data shared by her, from January 10 to July 16 this year the government has issued communications to HLL for procuring COVID-19 vaccines of Covishield and Covaxin.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | COVID-19: Iran hits new record for 2nd straight day
Iran recorded over 34,900 new coronavirus infections on July 27, setting the nation's single-day record for cases as vaccinations lag and public complacency deepens. The previous record of 31,814 infections had been set only a day earlier, providing a sense of how quickly Iran's latest surge, fuelled by the contagious delta variant, is mounting. Health authorities recorded 357 COVID-19 fatalities on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to 89,479 the highest in the Middle East.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | COVID-19: One death, 15 new cases in Rajasthan
Rajasthan on July 27 reported one more COVID-19 death, which pushed the toll to 8,953, while 15 new cases pushed the tally in the state to 9,53,575, according to an official report. Of the fresh cases, five were reported from Udaipur and three from Jaipur besides other cities.
The report said that 9,44,344 persons have recovered from the infection and the number of active cases in the state is 278.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Gujarat reports 30 new COVID-19 cases; active infections at 285
Gujarat's COVID-19 caseload rose to 8,24,774, after 30 people tested positive for the infection on July 27, an official from the state health department said. Apart from this, 57 patients were discharged from hospitals, raising the count of recoveries to 8,14,413, while the toll stood at 10,076, as no casualties were reported during the day, the official said. Apart from this, 57 patients were discharged from hospitals, raising the count of recoveries to 8,14,413, while the toll stood at 10,076, as no casualties were reported during the day, the official said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Centene says COVID-19 costs could rise in coming quarters as Delta poses threat
Centene Corp on Tuesday became the latest US health insurer to warn of higher COVID-19 costs in the coming quarters due to the impact of the Delta variant, which has become the dominant coronavirus strain globally.
The company's shares were down about 3 percent at $70.50 after Centene reported a jump in medical costs in the second quarter, as COVID-19 vaccinations led to a recovery in demand for elective medical care that had been postponed during the height of the pandemic.
Continued uncertainty caused by the emergence of coronavirus variants and new infection outbreaks in parts of the United States-led rivals, such as UnitedHealth Group Inc and Anthem Inc, to be prudent about their 2021 growth forecasts.
Centene said its COVID-19 costs could reverse course from a decline in June, based on trends related to the Delta variant, which in recent weeks caused new COVID-19 cases to flare up in some parts of the country with low vaccination rates. (Reuters)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Delhi reports 77 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths
Delhi reports 77 new COVID-19 cases, 42 recoveries, and two deaths in the last 24 hours.
Active cases: 570
Total recoveries: 14,10,410
Death toll: 25,046
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | No recommendation on booster dose from WHO yet: MoS Health says in Parliament
No specific recommendation regarding COVID-19 vaccine booster dose has been made by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) and National Expert Group on vaccine administration for Covid (NEGVAC) or the World Health Organization (WHO): MoS Health said in response to a question in Rajya Sabha
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
Covaxin is conducting their studies and Zydus Cadila has given their study data for their vaccine. We are also encouraging Biological E, Novavax to conduct paediatrics study, once found safe in adults: Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Gujarat govt planning compensation scheme for kin of artists who died of COVID-19
The Gujarat government is considering awarding compensation to kin of artists, such as painters and theatre actors, who died of COVID-19, with a condition that the annual income of the deceased should be less than Rs 2 lakh, an official said on Tuesday.While this proposal is in the primary stage and the amount of compensation has not been decided yet, authorities have already instructed district-level officers to start collecting information about potential beneficiaries.'A proposal to compensate the kin of artists who died due to coronavirus is under consideration of the state government. Though the details are still being worked out and the amount of compensation is not finalised yet, officials at district-level are already instructed to collect the information about such artists' said PR Joshi, Commissioner, state Youth Services and Cultural Activities.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Uttar Pradesh reports 36 new COVID cases, 73 recoveries and 04 deaths in the past 24 hours
Active cases: 798
Total recoveries: 16,84,674
Death toll: 22,754
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Karnataka records 1,501 new COVID-19 infections, 32 deaths and 2,039 recoveries in the last 24 hours
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Sikkim reports 277 new COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 25,616
Sikkim has reported 277 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the caseload to 25,616, a health department bulletin said on Tuesday. With two more patients succumbing to the disease in the past 24 hours, the death toll has risen to 333. West Sikkim reported 101 new cases, followed by East Sikkim (98), and South Sikkim (78). Sikkim at present has 3,075 active cases, while 267 COVID-19 patients have migrated to other states, and 21,941 people have recovered from the disease, the bulletin said. The Himalayan state has thus far tested 1,93,185 samples for COVID-19, including 1,789 in the past 24 hours. Sikkim's COVID-19 positivity rate and recovery rate stood at 15.5 per cent and 86.5 per cent, respectively.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter:
Ministry will provide data template to ICMR for compilation of relevant vaccination data for participants of an unblinded trials, so that necessary details required for issuing certificates can be captured on Co-WIN.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter:
Vaccination certificates shall be issued for only such vaccines which are approved for emergency use in India and to only such volunteers who participated in the trials for such vaccines.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Kerala reports 22,129 new cases and 156 deaths today
Active caseload reaches 1,45,371
Positivity rate rises to 12.35%
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Private hospitals directly procured over 1.27 crore Covid vaccine doses in May: Govt
Under the "Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy", over 1.27 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines were directly procured by private hospitals in May, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.The strategy came into effect from May 1.In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said a total of 83.61 lakh doses of the vaccines were administered at the private Covid vaccination centres (CVCs) from May to June 15."Under the ''Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy'', which came into effect from May 1, a total of 127.34 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines were procured directly by private hospitals in May," she said in response to the question on the number of doses made available to private hospitals till May."A total of 83.61 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered at private Covid Vaccination Centres (CVCs) from May to 15th June, 2021," Pawar said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog:
Study was conducted on 15 lakh doctors & frontline workers in AFMC who were administered with Covishield. It revealed that there was 93% reduction in infection during 2nd wave which was driven by the Delta variant & 98% mortality reduction
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Lav Agarwal, Jt Secy, Health Ministry:
If we look from a global perspective, the Pandemic is far from over. There's a noticeable increase in number of cases across the world, which remains the area of concern. We've to work on containing the spread of the virus with strictness.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | In past few weeks, there has been slowdown in rate of decline of avg daily Covid cases: Govt
In the past few weeks, there has been a slowdown in the rate of decline of average daily Covid cases, which is a cause of concern, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.It also said that there are 54 districts in 12 states and Union Territories, which reported over 10 per cent Covid positivity rate for the week ending July 26."The average daily new cases declined from 3,87,029 cases between May 5-11 to 38,090 cases between July 21- 27. In the past few weeks, there has been a slowdown/reduction in the rate of decline, which remains an area of concern," joint secretary in the health ministry, Lav Agarwal, said.Twenty-two districts in seven states have reported an increasing trend in daily Covid cases for the last four weeks and this is also a cause of concern, the ministry said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | 37 new cases push Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally to 3,46,983
Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally rose to 3,46,983 on Tuesday as 37 more people tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said.The coronavirus death toll remained unchanged at 5,124 as no fresh fatality was reported.Bokaro district registered the highest number of new cases at nine, followed by Simdega (seven) and Koderma (six), it said.Jharkhand now has 246 active cases, while 3,41,613 people have recovered from the disease thus far, including 45 in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state has improved to 98.45 per cent.The state has tested over 1.13 crore samples for COVID-19 so far, including 54,215 in the last 24 hours.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Over 60% tourism jobs lost during the first wave of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for people across the globe. Of the many industries impacted, tourism is among the worst affected with millions of people losing their jobs and livelihood due to lockdowns and travel restrictions.In India, about 14.5 million jobs during the first quarter of FY2020-21, 5.2 million during Q2 and 1.8 million jobs during Q3 are expected to have been lost as compared to estimated 34.8 million jobs in the pre-pandemic period of 2019-20 (Direct jobs), Minister of Tourism, Kishan Reddyinformedthe Lok Sabha in his reply on July 26.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Bhutan vaccinates most of population after donations
Bhutan has inoculated most of its eligible population with second doses of Covid-19 vaccinations in a week, in a speedy rollout hailed by UNICEF on Monday as a "success story" for international donations.More than 454,000 shots were administered over the past week in the remote Himalayan kingdom -- just over 85 percent of the eligible adult population of more than 530,000 people -- after a recent flood of foreign donations.UNICEF's Bhutan representative, Will Parks, hailed the ambitious vaccination drive as a "great success story for Bhutan"."We really need a world in which the countries which have surplus vaccines really do donate to those countries that haven't received (shots) so far," he told AFP in the capital Thimpu."And if there's anything that I hope the world that can learn, is that a country like Bhutan with very few doctors, very few nurses but a really committed king and leadership in the government mobilising society -- it's not impossible to vaccinate the whole country."The tiny nation had quickly used up most of the 550,000 AstraZeneca jabs donated by India in late March and early April for first jabs, before the neighbouring country halted exports over a massive local surge in infections.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Puducherry govt to hold fourth vaccination festival from July 29
The Health Department of Puducherry on Tuesday announced one more free vaccinationprogramme would be held for three days from July 29 in theunion territory to inoculate all those above 18 years againstCOVID-19 apparently buoyed by the good response from the public.Health Secretary T Arun said in a release that this would be the fourth vaccination festival and inoculation wouldbe done in all government hospitals, primary health centres and in one hundred designated centres.He said the government was keen that Puducherry emerged a totally vaccinated union territory by August 15(Independence Day). The first vaccination festival was held for six daysfrom June 16, he said, adding this was followed by second and third festivals for three days from July 10 and a two-dayfestival on July 23 and 24. Arun said the vaccination would be done free of cost.He appealed to the eligible people to make use of the free festivals.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Krunal Pandya tests positive for Covid-19, India vs Sri Lanka 2nd T20I postponed
The second Twenty20 International between India and Sri Lanka has been postponed to July 28after Krunal Pandya tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to ANI. The teams are in isolation currently, and the game will take place tomorrow if all test negative.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | COVID-19 vaccine for children likely by August: Report
COVID-19 vaccine for children is likely to be available by August, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is said to have told Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a meeting on July 27. At the BJP parliamentary party meeting, the union health minister said vaccination for children against COVID-19 will begin from August, according to a report by NDTV citing sources.
According to experts, to reach herd immunity it is imperative for children and teens to get coronavirus vaccines. India vaccine makers such as Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute of India and Zydus Cadila have either initiated clinical trials or are in the process of doing so for their COVID-19 vaccine for children. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that clinical trials in children need to pass rigorous ethical evaluations and meet certain standards before being allowed to recruit patients.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Uttarakhand to reopen schools for classes 6-12 from August 1
The Uttarakhand government on July 27 approved the re-opening of schools in the state, for students of classes 6-12 from August 1, according to an ANI report. The government on July 26 also extended the curfew imposed in the state to curb the spread of Coronavirus till August 3. All restrictions in the state have been lifted except the night curfew. The government offices will be allowed to function with 100 percent capacity.
Other relaxations that have been granted already are going to continue, the government said. Earlier, TOI had reported that the state teachers’ association had asked the education department officials to consider reopening schools for at least classes 6 and above. The state education minister Arvind Pandey said that he will take up the issue and discuss with the chief minister. Meanwhile, states like Odisha, Punjab reopened for classes 10-12 from July 26, while Gujarat reopened for classes 9-11. Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh to reopen schools and colleges for classes 10-12 from August 2, while Andhra Pradesh will reopen from August 16 - including schools under 'Nadu-Nedu' scheme.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Govt trashes reports on missing target of administering 50 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses by July-end
The government on Tuesday dismissed media reports that claimed that India will miss the end-July target of administering 50 crore Covid vaccine doses as "ill-informed and misrepresenting" and asserted that over 51.60 crore vaccine doses will be supplied from January to July 31. The health ministry issued a statement referring to recent media reports alleging that the country will miss the target of administering half-a-billion (50 crore) doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by July-end, while pointing out that the government had stated in May that it would make 516 million (51.60 crore) vaccine shots available by the end of this month.
"These reports are ill-informed and have clearly misrepresented the facts," the statement said. The figures of 516 million vaccine doses might have been picked up from various sources which informed about the likely availability of the vaccine doses from January to July-end, it added. "The facts are that a total of more than 516 million vaccine doses will indeed be supplied from January 2021 to 31st July, 2021," the ministry said.
It added that the vaccine doses are supplied to the states in accordance with the advance allocation plan and they are informed about it in advance. The vaccines are supplied to the states in various schedules throughout the month. "Therefore, availability of 516 million doses till end of a particular month does not mean that every dose supplied till that month is going to be consumed/administered.
"There would be supplies in pipeline, which should be available for next few days till the next supplies of vaccine doses materialise in a particular state/district/sub-district to keep vaccination going on," the statement said. A total of 45.7 crore doses have been supplied to the states and Union territories from January till date and an additional 6.03 crore doses are expected to be supplied by July 31. This will amount to a total of 51.73 crore doses supplied from January to July 31, it added.
"It should be appreciated that India has crossed the landmark of 440 million (44.19 crore) doses administered, which is the largest number achieved in the world and has been done at quite a brisk pace too. Out of these, 9.6 crore are cases where both the doses have been administered," the statement said. A total of 11.97 crore Covid vaccine doses were administered in June. For the month of July (as on July 26), a total of 10.62 crore doses have been administered. It is the endeavour of the government to provide vaccination to the eligible citizens in the shortest possible time according to the availability of the vaccines, the statement said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Gujarat govt to give Rs 2,000 monthly aid to children who have lost a parent to COVID-19
The Gujarat government on Tuesday announced that children who have lost a parent to COVID-19 will get a monthly assistance of Rs 2,000 under the existing scheme of Mukhya Mantri Bal Seva Yojna. Earlier, only children who had lost both their parents to the disease were covered under the scheme and were eligible to get a monthly assistance of Rs 4,000 till they turn 21, and if they chose to go for higher studies after the age of 21, they would receive Rs 6,000 per month till they turn 24.
At least 776 children, who lost both parents to the infection, received the first monthly instalment of Rs 4,000 each under the Bal Seva Yojna, earlier this month. The state government has now decided to extend the benefit of this scheme to children who have lost one of their parents to COVID-19, said Sunaina Tomar, additional chief secretary of the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, in a written communication to district collectors.
On August 2, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will launch this scheme for such children, by transferring the first monthly instalment of Rs 2,000 into the bank accounts of each beneficiary child identified by the authorities, Tomar stated in the letter. She further asked the district collectors to open bank accounts for eligible children within three days.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Tokyo hits record 2,848 virus cases days after Games begin
Tokyo reported its highest daily number of new coronavirus infections Tuesday, days after the Olympics began. The Japanese capital reported 2,848 new COVID-19 cases, exceeding the earlier record of 2,520 cases from Jan. 7. It brings Tokyo''s total to more than 200,000 since the pandemic began last year. Tokyo is under its fourth state of emergency that will last through the Olympics and into the Paralympics next month. Experts have warned the more contagious delta variant could cause a surge during the Olympics, which started Friday.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | From Rio to Tokyo Olympics, IOA's sponsorship revenue would have doubled if not for COVID-19
While the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has seen a 40 percent jump in sponsorship money for the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, revenues could have doubled as compared to the 2016 Rio Olympics had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Neerav Tomar, MD and CEO, IOS Sports, a sports marketing firm that looks at getting such deals for the association, the sponsorship revenue would have been higher if things were normal and if Tokyo Olympics would have happened as planned.
The Summer Olympic Games happening in Tokyo were scheduled for 2020 and had to be postponed due to rising cases of COVID-19 across the world. And the uncertainty due to coronavirus pandemic made many brands unsure about associating with the event which made things difficult in terms of closing sponsorship deals.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Over 2.28 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses still available with states, UTs: Govt
More than 2.28 crore Covid vaccine doses are still available with states, Union Territories and private hospitals for inoculation, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Over 45.73 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states and Union Territories so far through all sources and 24,11,000 additional doses are in the pipeline. Of this, the total consumption, including wastage, is 43,80,46,844 doses, according to data available at 8 am on Tuesday.
The Union government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The new phase of universalisation of vaccination commenced from June 21. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to states and Union Territories for enabling better planning by them and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Government of India has been supporting the states and Union Territories by providing them covid vaccines free of cost. In the new phase of the universalisation of the vaccination drive, the Union government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to states and Union Territories.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Can nasal Covid vaccines be a gamechanger? What Apollo Hospitals MD says
Will nasal vaccine be a gamechanger for the Covid-19 pandemic? Well, experts believe so. According to them, the intranasal vaccine can secure an immune response at the site of infection. In the case of the novel coronavirus, the site of infection is the nose. "Given their remarkable allure to block COVID-19 transmission we do need on priority an all hands on deck approach to manufacturing," Apollo Hospitals MD Sangita Reddy said in a tweet. "The case is very well explained below," she added sharing an article titled 'Scent of a vaccine' on sciencemag.org.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | US veterans department becomes first agency to adopt COVID-19 vaccine mandate
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced Monday it would require more than 100,000 health care personnel to get Covid-19 vaccines, signaling a change in the Biden administration's attitude to mandates as the Delta variant fueled a new nationwide wave. The move came as part of a broader shift as California and New York City said official workers would need to get vaccinated or take weekly tests, with California extending the requirement to private-sector health jobs.
"Whenever a Veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from Covid-19," said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. "With this mandate, we can once again make — and keep — that fundamental promise." The VA is the first federal agency to impose a mandate, a step President Joe Biden's administration had been reluctant to take until now.
The statement added that four unvaccinated VA employees had died in recent weeks. Personnel such as physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses and others now have eight weeks to be fully vaccinated. Earlier this month, VA officials said more than 70 percent of the agency's 300,000 employees were fully vaccinated. The new order applies to 115,000 people, according to the Military Times.
California's order will apply to almost 240,000 state workers and hundreds of thousands more private-sector health workers, with full compliance required by August 21, according to a news release by Governor Gavin Newsom's office. New York's order will go into effect from September 13 and apply to more than 300,000 city personnel, including police, fire fighters and teachers, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. San Franciso Mayor London Breed meanwhile said anyone hired by the city or county would need a vaccine before they can begin their job, extending the scope of a mandate on existing city workers announced last week.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | COVID-19 vaccine for children likely by August: Report
COVID-19 vaccine for children is likely to be available by August, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is said to have told Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a meeting on July 27. At the BJP parliamentary party meeting, the union health minister said vaccination for children against COVID-19 will begin from August, according to a report by NDTV citing sources.
According to experts, to reach herd immunity it is imperative for children and teens to get coronavirus vaccines. India vaccine makers such as Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute of India and Zydus Cadila have either initiated clinical trials or are in the process of doing so for their COVID-19 vaccine for children. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that clinical trials in children need to pass rigorous ethical evaluations and meet certain standards before being allowed to recruit patients.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Need effective mechanism to address global vaccine inequity: India in UNSC
Underlining the need for an effective mechanism to address global inequity of COVID-19 vaccines, India has said that vaccination drive is needed to address further mutation and offered to share its CoWIN platform as 'digital public good to the world'. The UN Security Council, under the French Presidency, held closed consultations on Resolution 2565 on the COVID-19 situation on Monday.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti tweeted that in the Security Council consultations on COVID-19, he said “need effective mechanism to address global #vaccine inequity; need #vaccination drive to address, interalia, further mutation; address public resistance through facts and India offers #COWIN as digital public good to the world.” COWIN is India's technology platform for COVID vaccination.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that CoWIN is being prepared to be made open source so that it will be available in any and all countries. Modi had said that India has been committed to sharing its expertise and resources with the global community in combating the pandemic. The COVID-19 resolution, adopted by the Security Council in February this year, calls for the strengthening of national and multilateral approaches and international cooperation, such as the COVAX facility, to facilitate equitable and affordable access to COVID-19 vaccines in armed conflict situations, post-conflict situations and complex humanitarian emergencies.
It also stressed the need to develop international partnerships particularly to scale-up manufacturing and distribution capabilities, in recognition of differing national contexts, and noted the need to maintain incentives for the development of new health products. The resolution recognised the role of extensive immunisation against COVID-19 as a global public good for health.
Permanent Representative of France to the UN Nicolas de Riviere tweeted that one year after the adoption of Resolution 2532, the Security Council met on the COVID-19 situation. Resolution 2532, adopted by the Security Council in July 2020, had expressed grave concern about the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world, especially in countries ravaged by armed conflicts, or in post-conflict situations, or affected by humanitarian crises and had demanded a “general and immediate cessation of hostilities in all situations on its agenda.”
“Despite some progress, it is far from satisfactory. We must continue to focus our efforts on a cessation of hostilities, a humanitarian pause & equitable access to vaccines,” the French envoy said. The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 194 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 4.16 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Delhi govt will recommend names of doctors, healthcare workers for Padma awards to Centre: Arvind Kejriwal
The Delhi government will recommend the names of doctors and health workers, who fought against the Covid pandemic, to the Centre for the Padma awards this year, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday. Kejriwal has asked the public to recommend names of doctors and healthcare workers for Padma awards on padmaawards.delhi@gmail.com by August 15.
A search and screening committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will take a final call on the recommendations received from the people and will send them to the central government. "We want the doctors and health workers to be felicitated with the Padma awards in recognition of their work and a gesture of gratitude towards them,” Kejriwal said. "Many doctors and health workers contracted Covid and lost their lives while saving people from the virus. The whole country and humanity is indebted to them,” he added.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | COVID-19 curbs to end in Australian state, though cases in Sydney rise
Australia's Victoria state said on Tuesday it will lift a strict lockdown after curtailing the spread of Covid-19, while neighbouring New South Wales faces an extension of restrictions after daily new cases spiked to a 16-month peak. More than half of Australia's near 26 million population has been in lockdown in recent weeks after an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant took hold in the New South Wales capital of Sydney and spread to three states. New South Wales reported 172 Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, up from 145 a day earlier, with at least 60 spending time in the community while infectious.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | COVID-19 vaccines for children likely by August, Health minister tells meeting attended by PM, BJP MPs
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Can nasal Covid vaccines be a gamechanger? What Apollo Hospitals MD says
Will nasal vaccine be a gamechanger for the Covid-19 pandemic? Well, experts believe so. According to them, the intranasal vaccine can secure an immune response at the site of infection. In the case of the novel coronavirus, the site of infection is the nose. "Given their remarkable allure to block COVID-19 transmission we do need on priority an all hands on deck approach to manufacturing," Apollo Hospitals MD Sangita Reddy said in a tweet. "The case is very well explained below," she added sharing an article titled 'Scent of a vaccine' on sciencemag.org.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Won't take elitist view of banning beggars from streets, says SC on plea for their rehab amid COVID
Making clear it will not take an "elitist view" that no beggars be allowed on the streets, the Supreme Court Tuesday asked the Centre and Delhi government to respond to a plea seeking vaccination and rehabilitation of beggars and vagabonds in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The apex court said begging is a “socio-political problem” and people are compelled to beg on the streets to eke out some elementary livelihood in the absence of education and employment.
A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah told the counsel appearing for the petitioner that it would not consider one part of the prayer which sought direction to the authorities to restrain beggars, vagabonds and homeless persons from begging at public places or traffic junctions. The bench said it would issue notices to the Centre and the Delhi government seeking their responses on the prayer made in the petition for rehabilitation, vaccination and providing food and shelters to beggars and vagabonds amid the pandemic.
"As the Supreme Court, we would not want to take an elitist view that no beggars should be there on the streets," the bench said. While referring to a part of the prayer made in the plea, the bench said it is seeking to restrain people from begging on the streets. “This is a socio-economic problem of poverty. The idea is to rehabilitate them, give them and their children education,” it said, adding that such people have no choice and nobody wants to beg.
The bench said it is a “wider issue” of social welfare policy of the government and the apex court cannot say that such persons should be kept away from our eyes. The counsel appearing for the petitioner said the object and purport of the prayer is to rehabilitate them and ensure that they are provided vaccination, food and shelter amid the pandemic situation.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Pfizer, AstraZeneca vaccine antibody levels may decline after 2-3 months: Lancet study
Total antibody levels start to wane six weeks after complete immunisation with Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, and can reduce by more than 50 per cent over 10 weeks, according to study published in The Lancet journal. The researchers from University College London (UCL) in the UK noted that if the antibody levels carry on dropping at this rate, there are concerns that the protective effects of the vaccines may also begin to wear off, particularly against new variants. However, they said, how soon that might happen cannot be predicted yet.
The UCL Virus Watch study also found that antibody levels are substantially higher following two doses of the Pfizer vaccine than after two shots of the AstraZeneca preventive, known as Covishield in India. Antibody levels were also much higher in vaccinated people than those with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, they said. "The levels of antibody following both doses of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine were initially very high, which is likely to be an important part of why they are so protective against severe COVID-19," said Madhumita Shrotri from UCL Institute of Health Informatics.
"However, we found these levels dropped substantially over the course of two to three months," Shrotri said in a statement. The findings based on data from over 600 people aged 18 and above were consistent across all groups of people regardless of age, chronic illnesses or sex, according to the researchers. The authors highlight that although the clinical implications of waning antibody levels are not yet clear, some decline was expected and current research shows that vaccines remain effective against severe disease. For Pfizer, antibody levels reduced from a median of 7506 Units per millilitre (U/mL) at 21–41 days, to 3320 U/mL at 70 or more days.
For AstraZeneca vaccine, antibody levels reduced from a median of 1201 U/mL at 0–20 days to 190 U/mL at 70 or more days, over five-fold reduction. "When we are thinking about who should be prioritised for booster doses our data suggests that those vaccinated earliest, particularly with the AstraZeneca vaccine, are likely to now have the lowest antibody levels," said Professor Rob Aldridge from UCL Institute of Health Informatics. The findings support recommendations that adults who are clinically vulnerable, those aged 70 years or over, and all residents of care homes for older adults should be prioritised for booster doses, the researchers said.
In addition, those who were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine are likely to have much lower antibody levels than those vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, they noted. "This may also need to be considered when deciding who should be prioritised when boosters are rolled out," Aldridge said in the statement. The team acknowledged certain limitations in the data, including a small sample size for some groups.
The researchers noted that that each individual only contributed one sample, so they cannot yet confirm how quickly antibody levels drop for each individual, or whether these would continue to drop or reach a stable level over the next few months. They also noted that different people will have different levels of immunity depending on the virus neutralising ability of their antibodies as well as their T-cell responses. "Even when measurable antibody levels are low, there is likely to be continuing immune memory that could offer long-term protection," the authors of the study noted. They said further research will be important to establish if there is an antibody level threshold needed for protection against severe disease.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Pondy clocks 113 new coronavirus cases, one death
Puducherry registered 113 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday raising the tally to 1,20,530 while one more person succumbed to the deadly virus taking the toll to 1,791. The new cases were identified at the end of examination of 5124 samples and the fresh cases were spread over Puducherry 75, Karaikal 13, Yanam 5 and Mahe 20. A 51-year-old man hailing from Karaikal died of the viral infection in a hospital in neighbouring Tamil Nadu during the last twenty-four hours. He had no co morbidity.
Director of Health and Family Welfare Services S Mohan Kumar said while 98 patients recovered during last 24 hours, the overall recoveries in the Union Territory so far stood at 1,17,816. He said that 14.78 lakh samples have been examined so far and of them 12.62 lakh were found to be negative. On the vaccination front, 37,779 health care workers and 22,957 front line workers have been inoculated against pandemic till date.
The Health department has vaccinated 4.83 lakh people coming under the category of senior citizens or those above 45 years with co morbidities. The test positivity rate was 2.21 percent while fatality and recovery rates were 1.49 percent and 97.75 percent respectively. In all 6.82 lakh people, including those who received the second dose, have been vaccinated in the Union Territory.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | US veterans department becomes first agency to adopt COVID-19 vaccine mandate
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced Monday it would require more than 100,000 health care personnel to get Covid-19 vaccines, signaling a change in the Biden administration's attitude to mandates as the Delta variant fueled a new nationwide wave. The move came as part of a broader shift as California and New York City said official workers would need to get vaccinated or take weekly tests, with California extending the requirement to private-sector health jobs.
"Whenever a Veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from Covid-19," said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. "With this mandate, we can once again make — and keep — that fundamental promise." The VA is the first federal agency to impose a mandate, a step President Joe Biden's administration had been reluctant to take until now.
The statement added that four unvaccinated VA employees had died in recent weeks. Personnel such as physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses and others now have eight weeks to be fully vaccinated. Earlier this month, VA officials said more than 70 percent of the agency's 300,000 employees were fully vaccinated. The new order applies to 115,000 people, according to the Military Times.
California's order will apply to almost 240,000 state workers and hundreds of thousands more private-sector health workers, with full compliance required by August 21, according to a news release by Governor Gavin Newsom's office. New York's order will go into effect from September 13 and apply to more than 300,000 city personnel, including police, fire fighters and teachers, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. San Franciso Mayor London Breed meanwhile said anyone hired by the city or county would need a vaccine before they can begin their job, extending the scope of a mandate on existing city workers announced last week.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | SC notice of Centre, Delhi govt on plea for rehabilitation, vaccination of beggars amid pandemic
The Supreme Court sought the responses of the Centre and the Delhi government on Tuesday on a plea seeking rehabilitation and vaccination of beggars and vagabonds in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The apex court, which made it clear that it would not take an "elitist view" that no beggars should be allowed on the streets as this is a socio-economic problem, asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to assist it in the matter.
A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah observed that people are generally compelled to beg on the streets to eke out some elementary livelihood due to the absence of education and employment. "As the Supreme Court, we would not want to take an elitist view that no beggars should be there on the streets," the bench said. The top court issued notices to the Centre and the Delhi government, seeking their responses within two weeks on the prayer made in the petition for rehabilitation of beggars and vagabonds, their vaccination and providing them with shelter and food amid the pandemic.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Need effective mechanism to address global vaccine inequity: India in UNSC
Underlining the need for an effective mechanism to address global inequity of COVID-19 vaccines, India has said that vaccination drive is needed to address further mutation and offered to share its CoWIN platform as 'digital public good to the world'. The UN Security Council, under the French Presidency, held closed consultations on Resolution 2565 on the COVID-19 situation on Monday.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti tweeted that in the Security Council consultations on COVID-19, he said “need effective mechanism to address global #vaccine inequity; need #vaccination drive to address, interalia, further mutation; address public resistance through facts and India offers #COWIN as digital public good to the world.” COWIN is India's technology platform for COVID vaccination.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that CoWIN is being prepared to be made open source so that it will be available in any and all countries. Modi had said that India has been committed to sharing its expertise and resources with the global community in combating the pandemic. The COVID-19 resolution, adopted by the Security Council in February this year, calls for the strengthening of national and multilateral approaches and international cooperation, such as the COVAX facility, to facilitate equitable and affordable access to COVID-19 vaccines in armed conflict situations, post-conflict situations and complex humanitarian emergencies.
It also stressed the need to develop international partnerships particularly to scale-up manufacturing and distribution capabilities, in recognition of differing national contexts, and noted the need to maintain incentives for the development of new health products. The resolution recognised the role of extensive immunisation against COVID-19 as a global public good for health.
Permanent Representative of France to the UN Nicolas de Riviere tweeted that one year after the adoption of Resolution 2532, the Security Council met on the COVID-19 situation. Resolution 2532, adopted by the Security Council in July 2020, had expressed grave concern about the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world, especially in countries ravaged by armed conflicts, or in post-conflict situations, or affected by humanitarian crises and had demanded a “general and immediate cessation of hostilities in all situations on its agenda.”
“Despite some progress, it is far from satisfactory. We must continue to focus our efforts on a cessation of hostilities, a humanitarian pause & equitable access to vaccines,” the French envoy said. The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 194 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 4.16 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | 1 new COVID-19 case in Andamans, tally rises to 7,530
The COVID-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 7,530 on Tuesday as one more person tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said. Two more persons were cured of the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 7,387, it said. The Union territory now has 14 active cases, while 129 patients have succumbed to the infection to date. The administration has tested over 4.32 lakh samples for COVID-19, and inoculated over 2.76 lakh people thus far, the bulletin added.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | India reports 29,689 new COVID-19 cases, lowest since March 1
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | South Korea begins COVID-19 vaccination for chip, electronics workers
Major tech companies including Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Samsung Display Co, SK Hynix Inc and LG Display Co Ltd and their suppliers began in-house vaccination for their employees on Tuesday, the companies' spokesmen told Reuters. The government approved the companies' internal vaccination plans last month. The vaccination program will target over 303,000 workers in about 40 companies with in-house clinics, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
The move occurs amid a global chip shortage that has affected manufacturers around the world, particularly automakers. Samsung and SK Hynix are the world's top two memory chip makers. Samsung, SK Hynix and LG Display said they are vaccinating their workers with the Pfizer/BioNTech shot. Samsung and its affiliates had initially planned to offer Moderna vaccines. However, Yonhap reported that the plan is now to offer Pfizer/BioNTech after supply and shipment issues.
South Korea said on Monday that Moderna informed the government of an unspecified vaccine production issue and consultations are being held to figure out details. "Moderna has notified there'll be adjustments in supply schedule due to a production issue and we're in discussion with them to confirm detailed plan for delivery and volume," Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Tuesday.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Over 66 lakh doses administered in India on July 26
More than 66.03 lakh vaccine doses were administered in India on July 26, the Union Health Ministry's latest provisional report suggested. With that, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 44.19 crore. On the 192nd day of the vaccination drive on July 25, 46.24 lakh beneficiaries received their first shot and 19.78 lakh people were given their second dose. The government has revised the gap between the two doses for the Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, to 12-16 weeks. However, the interval for the second dose of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin remains unchanged.
