Daily Archives: May 9, 2021

Delhi and Uttar Pradesh extended their ongoing lockdown till May 17 as a large part of the country remained under strict curbs due to the raging COVID pandemic. Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Puducherry will also have a two-week shutdown starting Monday.

In the Northeast, Mizoram government has imposed a seven-day complete lockdown from Monday and Sikkim has lockdown-like restrictions till May 16.

Requirement of a positive test for the COVID-19 virus is not mandatory for admission to a COVID-19 health facility and no patient will be refused services on any count, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, announcing the revised national policy for admission to various categories of COVID-19 facilities.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday chaired the 25th meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19 and reiterated the importance of full protection through two COVID-19 vaccine doses.

You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.

Here are the latest updates:

Delhi and Uttar Pradesh on Sunday extended till May 17 their ongoing lockdown and corona curfew respectively as a large part of the country remained under strict curbs due to the raging COVID pandemic with 4,03,738 new cases and 4,092 deaths recorded in a day.

Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Puducherry will also have a two-week shutdown starting Monday, while in Karnataka stringent lockdown-like restrictions will come into effect till May 24 . On Saturday, Kerala came under a nine-day complete lockdown.

In the Northeast, Mizoram government has imposed a seven-day complete lockdown from Monday and Sikkim has lockdown-like restrictions till May 16.

-PTI

New Delhi

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on May 9 said GST exemption to domestic supplies and commercial import of COVID-19 drugs, vaccines and oxygen concentrators would make these items costlier for consumers as manufacturers would not be able to offset the taxes paid on inputs.

Earlier in the day Ms. Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider exempting organisations, agencies and individuals supplying equipment and drugs related to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic from customs duty and other Central taxes. Vikas Dhoot

New Delhi

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday attacked the Centre over the export of coronavirus vaccines, saying a large number of lives could have been saved in India if the doses were given to people in the country first.

He said When the vaccine was developed, we all thought that people would not die and hoped that this would get better soon.

Mr. Sisodia said Indian vaccines have been sold to foreign countries when people are dying at home. This is being done by the Modi government to build its image in the world instead of saving people at home. Nikhil M. Babu

Uttar Pradesh

Alarmed by deaths in recent days among AMU teachers due to COVID and COVID-like symptoms, Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor wrote to the ICMR on May 9, urging it to study the infection variant circulating around the university campus.

In a letter to the director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the V-C said 16 serving and 18 retired teachers besides other employees of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) have succumbed to the infection in the past 18 days.

There is a possibility that "a particular variant may be circulating in areas around the AMU campus and surrounding localities, which has led to these deaths", he said, stressing the need for the study to control the spread of the virus. PTI

Maharashtra

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday stressed on the role of private doctors, specially family physicians, in the fight against COVID-19, saying they can help in early diagnosis of the infection in their patients and facilitate timely treatment for them.

Addressing around 700 private doctors from across the state during a meeting held via video conference, Mr. Thackeray appealed to them to join hands with the state administration to curb spread of the viral infection. PTI

Madhya Pradesh

The district administration extended the COVID-19 induced curfew in the Madhya Pradesh capital till May 17, an official said.

The curfew was supposed to be lifted at 6 am on May 10.

Enforced on April 12 given the rise in coronavirus positive cases, the curfew was later extended subsequently after every one week till May 10.

"The corona curfew is extended in the areas under the Bhopal Municipal Corporation and Berasia town till 6 am on May 17 as per the order issued by district collector Avinash Lavaniyam," the official said.

He said essential services and emergency travel are exempted from the purview of the restrictions on the movement of people. PTI

South Africa

South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has said that four cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus have been detected in the country, but there was no cause for panic as all such cases were quarantined.

The four cases of B.1.617.2 [Indian variant of coronavirus] have been detected in Gauteng [2] and KwaZulu-Natal [2] and all have a history of recent arrival from India. All cases have been isolated and managed according to the national COVID-19 case management guidelines and contact tracing has been performed in order to limit the spread of this variant, Mr. Mkhize said in a statement on May 8.

Kerala

To address the growing need for medical oxygen in the wake of the rise in COVID-19 cases, the Kasaragod district administration with the support of local bodies is setting up an oxygen plant in the district.

District Collector D. Sajith Babu told The Hindu that the plant which would be set up on the Chattanchal Industrial Estate would provide 200 oxygen cylinders a day.

He said the plant would be a public sector undertaking managed by the district panchayat.

New Delhi

Delhi received just 499 metric tonnes of oxygen on May 8 against the average supply of 700 MT ordered by the Supreme Court, AAP MLA Raghav Chadha said on May 9.

Over the last week, the city got an average of 533 MT oxygen daily, which is 76% of the quantity directed by the SC.

On May 8, only four healthcare facilities in the national capital, with 1,271 oxygen beds, sent out oxygen shortage SOS calls, the city government said.

The Delhi government supplied 15.50 MT of oxygen to these hospitals, according to official data. PTI

Gujarat

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Sunday said he has recovered from COVID-19 infection and got discharged from a hospital, where he was admitted over two weeks back.

Mr Patel, 64, was on April 24 admitted to Ahmedabad's UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre after testing positive for coronavirus.

"After 15 days of treatment at UN Mehta Hospital, I have been discharged today. With the blessings of God and your best wishes, I am recovering fast," Mr Patel, who is also the state Health Minister, said in a post on Twitter.

He said he was thankful to people, doctors and staff members of the hospital for their "best wishes and affection".

"I need more rest as per the advice of the doctors, and hence I request your kind support," Patel added. - PTI

Gujarat

Gujarat Congress working president Hardik Patel's father died on Sunday at a hospital in Ahmedabad where he was beingundergoing treatment for COVID-19, a party leader said.

Later, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani spoke to Mr. Patel over phone and conveyed his condolences, a government release said. - PTI

Uttar Pradesh

Some hospitals in Uttar Pradesh are consuming oxygen several times higher than the average, the State government said on Sunday based on the preliminary report of an oxygen audit conducted by it.

Taking note of it, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the health and medical education departments to coordinate with such hospitals and take action to balance the consumption. - Omar Rashid

Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Cabinet led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin advised authorities to ensure that medical oxygen supplied to government and private hospitals is being utilised properly and to make sure that it is not wasted as the State is supplying it amidst several constraints.

During the meeting, Mr. Stalin also advised the authorities to increase awareness of the benefits of vaccination and take steps to fully utilise the vaccines available across the State. - T.K. Rohit

Kerala

The State police actively dissuaded inessential travel on the second day of the lockdown on Sunday.

Law enforcers flagged down vehicles and challenged drivers and passengers to state their reason for travel. The clampdown on journeying will continue till May 16. - G. Anand

West Bengal

West BengalChief Minister Mamata Banerjeeon Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to waive all forms of taxes and customs duty on equipment and drugs being used to fight theCOVID-19 pandemic.

Ms. Banerjee also urged Modi to strengthen health infrastructure and augment supplies of equipment, medicines and oxygen for treatment of coronavirus-positive patients.

Jammu and Kashmir

The Border Roads Organization (BRO) conducted several cycling expeditions over eight days, covering 900 kms, in Ladakh to spread awareness on measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The event was organised as part the "Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav" and its 61st Raising Day.

Such expeditions foster a spirit of adventure, sportsmanship and camaraderie, in addition to reinforcing a connect with the local population, BRO officials said. Members of Project Himank and Project Vijayak carried out these cycling expeditions in Ladakh from April 30 to May 7.

Uttar Pradesh

With the arrest of seven persons, the Noida police on Saturday claimed to have busted a gang that sold vials of injections used in pneumonia treatment packaged as remdesivir.

Remdesivir is an antiviral drug that is being used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Due to its high demand, it is not easily available in the market.

While some of the accused work as nursing staff with hospitals in Delhi-NCR, others are medical representatives of pharmaceutical companies, police said. The accused used their credentials to target gullible people who needed remdesivir injections in hospitals and at pharmacies, they said.

The accused sold a vial between 40,000 and 45,000 when it normally does not cost more than 3,500 depending on the manufacturer, the police said.

New Delhi

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said the lockdown in the national capital has been extended by another week.

Cases have come down but we need to extend the lockdown. If we do not, we will lose what we have gained. We need to save lives at this point despite the hardships and will extend it by another week, said Mr, Kejriwal.

Because of the lockdown, new cases have started coming down with positivity rate coming below 25% over the past few days.

We have used the lockdown to improve our health infrastructure. Over the past few days our oxygen situation has also improved and we have improved the system, he said.

Vaccine stock is low but we have asked for more vaccines and hopefully the Centre will provide it, Mr. Kejriwal said, adding that the Metro services will also be shut this week.

Karnataka

Vaccination for those aged between18 and 44 will be available at all major government hospitals and medical colleges from May 10, Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar announced on May 9.

According to a release, starting May 10, COVID-19 vaccination for the 18 to 44 years age group will be provided at KC General Hospital, Jayanagar General Hospital, Sir C.V. Raman General Hospital, government medical colleges, ESI hospital and NIMHANS in Bengaluru.

In other districts, initially, the vaccination will be provided at district hospitals, government medical colleges and all taluka hospitals. The number of vaccination centres will be increased as and when more vaccines become available, the Minister said.

UAE

Dubai's long-haul carrier Emirates will begin shipping aid for free into India to help fight a crushing outbreak of the coronavirus, the airline said Sunday.

The offer by Emirates, which has some 95 flights weekly to nine cities, comes as air freight costs have skyrocketed. That's as air cargo demand has risen to its highest recorded level ever amid the pandemic, which has seen carriers including Emirates fly cargo in otherwise-empty passenger seats.

Tamil NAdu

With a view to augment the supply of medical oxygen, Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) NLC India Ltd. (NLCIL) is in the process of setting up nine Pressure Swing Adsorption Medical Oxygen Plants at its project sites, including Neyveli and Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu, and sites across the country.

Tenders have been floated for the plants and once the process is completed, they will be set up within a month.

The move is in line with the direction of the Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi to PSUs under its fold to set up oxygen plants to meet the rise in demand for medical oxygen in hospitals across the country.

Karnataka on Saturday reported 47,563 new cases of COVID-19 and 21,534 were from Bengaluru Urban, while there were 482 more deaths.

The State, with high incidence everyday, had 5,48,841 active patients. The test positivity rate (TPR) for the day stood at 30.28%.

The daily testing level stood at 1,57,027, including 1,46,586 RT-PCR tests.

Keralas COVID-19 worries persisted with 41,971 new cases recorded on Saturday from 1,48,546 samples, representing an average TPR of 28.25%. The State had 4,17,101 active cases.

A record number of 64 recent deaths were added to the State toll.

Kerala went into a nine-day lockdown on Saturday bringing normal life to a near standstill.

Tamil Nadu

The Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry has urged Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu to issue appropriate instructions to the police and make sure that they do not prevent lawyers from visiting courts or their offices during the strict lockdown to be imposed from May 10 to 24. BCTNP chairman P.S. Amalraj said there should not be any hindrance to lawyers since the judiciary and courts had been exempted from the lockdown.

Originally posted here:

Coronavirus live updates | COVID-19 induced curfew extended in Bhopal till May 17 - The Hindu

Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a news conference with India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar following a bilateral meeting in London on Monday during the G-7 foreign ministers meeting. Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a news conference with India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar following a bilateral meeting in London on Monday during the G-7 foreign ministers meeting.

MUMBAI, India India's top diplomat and his entourage have been forced to self-isolate, participating in a G-7 foreign ministers meeting only virtually from hotel rooms near the venue in London after at least two members of the Indian delegation tested positive for the coronavirus.

India is currently battling the world's biggest COVID-19 wave, and is thus on the United Kingdom's Red List, meaning travel from India into the U.K. is restricted. The rules stipulate that while regular Indians are barred from entering the U.K., diplomats may do so, but are required to self-isolate.

It appears that India's minister of external affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, was granted an exception to that rule, because he has held several in-person meetings, including with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, since arriving in London on Monday.

British media reported that two members of Jaishankar's delegation had since tested positive.

In a tweet, Jaishankar said he had been made aware of the exposure Tuesday evening. "As a measure of abundant caution and also out of consideration for others, I decided to conduct my engagements in the virtual mode," he wrote. "That will be the case with the G7 Meeting today as well."

"We deeply regret that Foreign Minister Jaishankar will be unable to attend the meeting today in person but will now attend virtually, but this is exactly why we have put in place strict COVID protocols and daily testing," a senior British diplomat was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Jaishankar's meeting Monday with Blinken was their first in-person meeting since the Biden administration assumed office. U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel also met Tuesday with Jaishankar, tweeting a photo of them wearing masks.

The news of Jaishankar's trip to London, as well as the positive coronavirus tests among his staff, sparked criticism back home in India. Some Indians questioned the wisdom of his travel at an all-hands-on-deck moment in the pandemic.

The country has confirmed more than 300,000 coronavirus cases daily for the past two weeks, and its health care system is collapsing. On Wednesday, India confirmed more than 382,000 new cases and 3,780 deaths its highest single-day death toll since the pandemic began.

"Man travelled to London just to hold virtual meeting with G-7 leaders. Why wasted so much money and time?" one Indian wrote on Twitter. "You should have stayed in India and held meeting virtually."

In a report issued last week, the World Health Organization said India now accounts for nearly half of all new global cases. Crematoriums in the country have been overwhelmed, and scientists say the real number of deaths may be much higher than the officially reported numbers. Meanwhile, coronavirus testing has fallen sharply in India, so it's not clear whether the surge has peaked.

In late April, the United Kingdom imposed travel restrictions on anyone arriving there after having transited India in the previous 10 days. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month called off a planned visit to India "in view of the prevailing COVID situation." The U.S. has imposed similar restrictions.

Although India itself is not a member of the G-7 which includes Britain, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan it was among the countries invited to attend the first such meeting of the group's foreign ministers in more than two years. Australia, South Korea and South Africa were also invited to the gathering, which sets the stage for the G-7 leaders summit in Cornwall, England, next month.

Jaishankar and his delegation arrived in London on Monday for a four-day visit at the invitation of British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

The Indian delegation had been expected to attend a face-to-face bilateral meeting with Raab in Kent on Thursday, but that is now expected to be held virtually, India's Economic Times reports.

NPR's Scott Neuman reported from Washington.

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India's Delegation To G7 Meeting Hit By Positive Coronavirus Tests : Coronavirus Updates - NPR

President Biden on Wednesday came out in favor of the World Trade Organization's proposed waiver of patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

President Biden on Wednesday came out in favor of the World Trade Organization's proposed waiver of patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines.

President Biden threw his support behind a World Trade Organization proposal on Wednesday to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, clearing a hurdle for vaccine-strapped countries to manufacture their own vaccines even though the patents are privately held.

"This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures," U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai said in a statement. "The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines."

The pace of vaccinating against COVID-19 in the U.S. is slowing down. In some places, there are more vaccine doses than people who want them.

Meanwhile, India is now the epicenter of the pandemic, and just 2% of its population is fully vaccinated.

The WTO is considering a proposal to address that inequity, as India, South Africa and over 100 other nations advocate to waive IP rights for COVID-19 vaccines and medications, which could let manufacturers in other countries make their own.

The consequences of not passing the waiver are "staggering," Mustaqeem de Gama, South Africa's World Trade Organization counselor, told NPR "not only on the level of the loss of human lives but also on the economic level."

"We believe that intellectual property rights constitute a very substantial barrier to ensure equitable access," he said. "We believe that if we could have a limited, targeted waiver to ensure that we can ramp up production in various parts of the world, we would go a long way to ensure that we address not only the prevention but also the treatment of COVID-19."

Previous to Wednesday's announcement, the U.S. was among several other wealthy nations including the U.K., Canada and Japan that resisted WTO negotiations about the proposal.

In response to the administration's support, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a drug industry trade group, expressed strong opposition and argued that the move represents a break in long-standing U.S. policy over medical patents amid global inequities.

"In the midst of a deadly pandemic, the Biden Administration has taken an unprecedented step that will undermine our global response to the pandemic and compromise safety," a statement from PhRMA reads. "This decision will sow confusion between public and private partners, further weaken already strained supply chains and foster the proliferation of counterfeit vaccines."

The trade group added that the decision will compromise U.S. job creation and the country's place as a leader in biomedical innovation.

The battle mirrors the one during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1990s, when drug companies warred with global health officials who sought to produce generic treatments. Drugmakers eventually retreated after former South African President Nelson Mandela accused the companies of using patents to profit from his country's health crisis.

The HIV crisis gave way to a precedent in relaxing patent restrictions: In 2001, the WTO added the Doha Declaration to its Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement to allow low-income nations to import and develop generic versions of patented medicines.

The head of the World Health Organization praised the Biden administration's intent to lift the proprietary limits on COVID-19 vaccines.

"This is a monumental moment in the fight against #COVID19," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter. "The commitment by @POTUS Joe Biden & @USTradeRep @AmbassadorTai to support the waiver of IP protections on vaccines is a powerful example of leadership to address global health challenges."

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Biden Backs Waiving International Patent Protections For COVID-19 Vaccines - NPR

The Duchess of Sussex believes women should be prioritised as the world recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

The 39-year-old royal addressed viewers of the Vax Live concert on Saturday night (08.05.21) after she and husband Prince Harry acted as campaign chairs for the event, which supports COVID-19 vaccinations across the globe and featured performances from stars such as Jennifer Lopez and Foo Fighters.

In a pre-recorded message, Meghan said: "The past year has been defined by communities coming together tirelessly and heroically to tackle COVID-19. We've gathered tonight because the road ahead is getting brighter.

"But it's going to take every one of us to find our way forward. As campaign chairs of Vax Live, my husband and I believe it's critical that our recovery prioritises the health, safety and success for everyone - and particularly women, who have been disproportionately affected by this pandemic."

The former actress - making her first TV appearance since her and The Duke of Sussex's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March - told viewers that "women, and especially women of colour, have seen a generation of economic gain wiped out" during the pandemic and can only "rebuild" once jabs have been distributed fairly across the world.

Meghan said: "But if we work together to bring vaccines to every country and continent, insist that vaccines are equitably distributed and fairly priced, and ensure that governments around the world are donating their additional vaccines to countries in need, then we can begin to fully rebuild.

"Not only to restore us to where we were before, but to go further, and rapidly advance the conditions, opportunity, and mobility for women everywhere."

The duchess - who was known as Meghan Markle before she married Prince Harry - admits that the campaign is of particular importance as she and her husband are expecting a baby daughter.

Meghan - who shares son Archie, two, with Harry - said: "My husband and I are thrilled to soon be welcoming a daughter.

"It's a feeling of joy we share with millions of other families around the world. When we think of her, we think of all the young women and girls around the globe who must be given the ability and the support to lead us forward."

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Duchess of Sussex wants women to be the focus of coronavirus recovery - Inside NoVA

A large vaccination site is shown as people with preexisting health conditions are granted access to a vaccination during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Inglewood, California, U.S., March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake

The United States is closer to getting the coronavirus pandemic under control and health officials are focused on the next challenge: getting more Americans vaccinated, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said on Sunday.

"I would say we are turning the corner," Zients said in an interview with CNN's "State of the Union."

Zients said about 58% of American adults have received at least one coronavirus vaccine shot. The task now is to continue building confidence in vaccines and get enough Americans vaccinated to mitigate the spread of the virus and its variants, he said.

U.S. health officials are aiming to meet President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of American adults having at least one shot by the July 4 U.S. Independence Day.

Zients said reaching that goal could help the country reach a sustainable low level of infections.

About 46% of all Americans have received at least one coronavirus vaccine shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Graphic on global vaccinations)

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said another surge in coronavirus infections would be unlikely if the Biden goal is met or exceeded.

"The larger proportion of the population that's vaccinated, the less likelihood that in a season like the coming fall or winter you're going to see a significant surge," Fauci said on NBC' "Meet the Press."

"That's the reason why vaccinations are so important. That's the wild card that we have now that we didn't have last fall or the last winter."

Zients defended the latest masking guidelines from the CDC, which recommends that fully vaccinated people should still wear masks at crowded outdoor events or when they go indoors in public settings with other people who may not be vaccinated.

Some health experts have questioned whether the CDC guidelines are too strict, and that removing the indoor mask mandate for fully vaccinated people could encourage confidence in the vaccines. That move would not, however, protect unvaccinated people from contracting the virus from a carrier who has been vaccinated.

The CDC guidelines will over time allow more people to take off their masks, Zients said, while acknowledging Americans' mask fatigue.

"We're getting there," Zients said. "And the light at the end of the tunnel is brighter and brighter. Let's keep up our guard."

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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U.S. turning the corner on pandemic, says White House COVID coordinator - Reuters