Citizens who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 can now get their vaccination certificate through WhatsApp within seconds, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya's office said on August 8.
Covishield-Covaxin mix gives better protection, says Indian Council of Medical Research.
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 :
Foreign nationals can get vaccination in India
Foreign nationals residing in India have been allowed to register on the CoWin portal to take COVID-19 vaccines. The Health Ministry on Monday said foreign nationals can use their passport as an identity document to register.
“A significant number of foreign nationals are living in India, especially in large metropolitan areas. In these areas, the potential of spread of COVID-19 is high due to higher population density. To counter any possibility of such occurrence, it is important to vaccinate all eligible persons,” the Ministry said in a release.
It added that the initiative will ensure the safety of foreign nationals residing in India and also bring down the possibility of further transmission from unvaccinated persons. “It will also ensure overall safety from further transmission of COVID-19 virus,” said the Ministry.
Govt. grants ₹9.5 cr. for PHCs’ makeover in Mandya
Amidst the fears of an impending third wave of pandemic, healthcare infrastructure in Mandya is getting a makeover to overcome the hurdles faced while handling the devastating second wave early this year and tackle the ensuing pandemic situations successfully.
Six primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in K.R. Pet taluk, which was one of the worst affected by COVID-19 in the previous wave, are being upgraded at a cost of ₹9.5 crore. The grant for their remodelling has been released by the government and the work is expected to start soon.
COVID-19 can't harm MP where 'Shiv' is CM: BJP gen secy Chugh
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary Tarun Chugh said that the coronavirus cannot harm Madhya Pradesh where the Chief Minister is 'Shiv' and the state party unit chief is 'Vishnu'.
Currently, Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, while Vishnu Dutt Sharma is the state BJP president.
The Congress claimed that the BJP leaders were only engaged in seeking applause from their party workers by making such statements, despite 3.28 lakh deaths due to COVID-19 were recorded in the state from January to May, which the opposition party said was much higher than the normal fatality rate in the state.
SC seeks Centre's action taken report on recommendations of National Task Force on Oxygen
The Supreme Court on August 9 asked the Centre to submit the action taken report within two weeks on the recommendations of court-appointed National Task Force (NTF) on allocation of oxygen to states and Union Territories amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The top court said that since the NTF consists of senior doctors and experts from all over the country, it is imperative for the Centre to take steps to ensure that recommendations are duly implemented at the policy level to meet any exigencies in present and foreseeable future.
COVID-19 curbs relaxed for shops, restaurants in Nagpur
The Nagpur civic body has allowed shops and establishments, including malls, to operate till 8 pm on all days with effect from Monday.
Restaurants here in Maharashtra are now allowed to remain open with 50 per cent capacity for dining till 10 pm on all days, Nagpur Municipal Commissioner B. Radhakrishnan said in an order issued on Sunday. However, cinema halls, multiplexes, religious places and swimming pools will remain closed.
Social, cultural, political gatherings and marriage functions are allowed with 50% capacity of the venue or 50 people, whichever is less, till 8 pm on all days, while funerals are restricted to a maximum of 20 people.
Salons, beauty centres and wellness centres are allowed to open till 8 pm on all days. Coaching classes and competitive exam training centres will follow the same timings, at 50% capacity, the civic body said in the order. - PTI
CM Bommai to visit border districts with more COVID-19 cases
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on August 9 said he has decided to visit all the border districts of the state that have more COVID-19 cases and review the situation there in the days to come.
"I will be traveling in Mysuru district today. I will have a discussion with officials on the COVID-19 situation there.
In the same way I have decided to visit all the border districts, where there are more COVID-19 cases," he said. - PTI
India records 35,499 new cases, 447 deaths
With 35,499 more people testing positive for COVID-19, India's infection tally now stands at 31,969,954 while the death toll climbed to 4,28,309 with 447 fresh fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry on August 9.
The number of active cases has declined to 4,02,188 which comprise 1.27% of the total infections, and the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 97.39%, data updated by the ministry at 8 am showed.
A decrease of 4,634 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours, it showed.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,11,39,457, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.34%, the data stated. - PTI
Schools, parents in a tussle over fee structure
School managements and parents are involved in a tussle over the fee structure for the 2021–22 academic year. While school managements are charging a higher fee when compared with that collected in the year when the pandemic hit, parents say they are finding it difficult to pay as they have faced salary cuts or financial losses during the second wave of COVID-19.
In the 2020–21 academic year, the State government issued an order stating that schools can charge 70% of the tuition fee charged for the academic year before the COVID-19 outbreak. They had stated that no other fee can be charged under any other subheads.
Class 10 to 12 students in Delhi can visit schools from August 9 for admission, board practicals
The Delhi government on August 8 allowed students of class 10 to 12 to visit schools from August 9 for work related to admission and practical activities for board exam, and also said that health checkup camps situated on school campuses can resume.
Through an order issued on August 8 evening, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) also permitted the opening of weekly markets across the city from Monday with a rider that the vendors and visitors shall follow Covid-appropriate behaviour.
The DDMA, however, specified that schools, coaching centres and colleges will remain closed for teaching purposes. -PTI
Beijing bans people travelling from high risk COVID-19 Chinese provinces
China's capital city on Sunday stepped up measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus cases by virtually banning people from travelling to Beijing from provinces with the high COVID-19 transmission rates.
To further reinforce the shield against the COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing has rolled out a range of measures to strengthen the management of personnel returning from regions with relatively high virus transmission rates, including imposing restrictions on their purchase of railway tickets and air services, state-run Global Times reported. -PTI
Fully vaccinated Mumbaikars can travel in local trains from August 15: CM
Fully vaccinated citizens of Mumbai can travel in local trains from August 15, but a gap of 14 days from the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine is necessary to avail the facility, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on August 8.
Speaking in a live webcast, he also said that his government was considering to grant relaxations to shops, malls, restaurants and places of religious worship, and a decision would be taken following a meeting of the coronavirus task force on August 9.
"Fully vaccinated people will be allowed to travel on local trains from August 15. Those who have completed 14 days after their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine can apply on a specially-created app to get a special railway pass and they can collect it from the local ward offices," he said, adding that those who do not have smartphones, can obtain the pass offline. -PTI
Odisha relaxes weekend shutdown timings in 3 towns for Independence Day
The Odisha government has relaxed weekend shutdown in three towns for a few hours for celebrating Independence Day. A notification issued by the chief secretary on August 6 said the weekend shutdown imposed in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Puri towns will be relaxed up to 11.00 AM on August 15 to allow citizens to hoist the National Flag at their premises.
Earlier, the government had imposed a shutdown during weekends in the three towns for the entire month of August to contain the spread of COVID-19.
In the three towns, not more than ten people will be allowed to assemble at any place for participating in the Independence Day celebrations, the notification said. -PTI
Covid vaccination certificate now available through WhatsApp
Citizens who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 can now get their vaccination certificate through WhatsApp within seconds, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya's office said on August 8.
Presently, people have to download their vaccination certificates by logging into the CoWin portal.
"Revolutionising common man's life using technology! Now get COVID-19 vaccination certificate through MyGov Corona Helpdesk in 3 easy steps. Save contact number: +91 9013151515. Type & send 'covid certificate' on WhatsApp. Enter OTP. Get your certificate in seconds," Mandaviya's office tweeted.
Curfew extended till August 16
The Goa government on August 8 extended the ongoing coronavirus-induced curfew in the State till August 16.
The curfew was supposed to end on August 9 as per the previous order.
In the order issued on August 6, the State administration said that the curfew will continue to remain in force till 7 am on August 16. A detailed order, however, is awaited.
The State government had earlier opened a majority of activities in the State with several curbs in place, but casinos are yet to be opened. -PTI
