Coronavirus India lockdown Day 181 updates | September 23, 2020

The Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Limited, which is developing a vaccine candidate, Covaxin, based on an inactivated virus, reported that its tests on animals showed no presence of the virus.

September 23, 2020 09:49 am | Updated 10:13 pm IST

Security personnel wearing protective face masks stand guard in front of Taj Mahal after authorities reopened the monument to visitors, amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Agra on September 21, 2020.

Security personnel wearing protective face masks stand guard in front of Taj Mahal after authorities reopened the monument to visitors, amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Agra on September 21, 2020.

With India recording the highest number of COVID-19 recoveries in the world , the government on Tuesday said that for the past four consecutive days the number of daily recovered cases surpassed the new infections reported per day.

Addressing a press briefing, Union Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said India has the highest number of recovered cases in the world at 44,97,867.

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:

9.40 pm | Tamil Nadu

Increase COVID-19 assistance to Tamil Nadu: CM tells PM Modi during review meet

To tackle the coronavirus pandemic in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to increase the assistance to ₹3,000 crore under a package and sought a ₹1,000 crore adhoc grant.

Taking part in a virtual meet chaired by Mr. Modi to review the COVID-19 situation, he also thanked the Prime Minister for enacting three “pro-farmers legislations, which would go a long way in bringing stability to the agriculture sector.”

"Agriculture activities, food processing and other industries are almost back to full operation throughout the State," he said.

The State has received ₹511.64 crore from the Centre in two tranches under the Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness package out of an envelope of ₹712.64 crore allotted to it, the Chief Minister said.

“I request this package for Tamil Nadu may be stepped up to ₹3,000 crore as per my earlier request. This will help us to further strengthen our health infrastructure,” he told Mr. Modi.

Noting that Tamil Nadu has fully exhausted the State Disaster Response and Mitigation Fund, the Chief Minister requested an adhoc grant of ₹1,000 crore from the National Disaster Response Force funds immediately to fight the pandemic.

“Releasing pending Custom Milled Rice (CMR) subsidy of ₹1,321 crore at this time, will facilitate paddy procurement,” an official release quoted him as having said at the meeting.

Mr. Modi reviewed the COVID-19 pandemic situation with Chief Ministers and other representatives of seven high-caseload States (Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Punjab) through video-conference. - PTI

9:20 pm | Nashik

Maharashtra: Nashik sees single-day spike of 1,436 COVID-19 cases

With single-day addition of 1,436 new cases of COVID-19, the count in Maharashtra’s Nashik district has reached 67,653 on Wednesday, a health official said.

Apart from this, 20 more casualties have taken the toll in the region to 1,225, the official said.

Of the latest fatalities, seven were reported from within Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) limits and 13 from other parts of the district, he said.

Of the total number of cases reported so far, 46,098 were from Nashik city, 17,617 from other parts of the district, 3,525 from Malegaon and 413 from outside the district, the official said.

A total of 1,399 patients were discharged on Wednesday, taking the number of recoveries to 57,988, in the district, he added.

- PTI

9.00 pm | New Delhi

Delhi Deputy CM Sisodia hospitalised due to COVID-19

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was admitted to the ICU of the Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital on September 23 due to coronavirus infection, and his condition is stable, officials said.

The 48-year-old Aam Aadmi Party leader was admitted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital at around 4 p.m. after he complained of fever and low oxygen level, an official said, adding that he is under observation.

The official said that the Deputy Chief Minister has no comorbidities.

“He [Sisodia] was admitted to hospital as a precautionary measure since he was continuously having a little higher body temperature and his oxygen level dropped slightly.

“The doctors are assessing his condition, but there is nothing serious,” another official said.

According to officials, Mr. Sisodia is being kept in the Intensive Care Unit as a precautionary measure and is on oxygen support.

Mr. Sisodia had tested positive for the infection on September 14 and was in home isolation.

He was unable to attend the one-day Assembly session on September 14 since he had tested positive.

Earlier on Wednesday, he had extended birthday wishes to Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar’s daughter on Twitter.

Mr. Sisodia is the second Cabinet Minister in the Arvind Kejriwal government to get COVID-19 infection after Health Minister Satyendar Jain. — PTI

8.40 pm | Gujarat

Gujarat government orders action against private labs flouting SOP

The Gujarat government on Wednesday said strict action will be taken against private laboratories engaged in COVID-19 testing if they are found violating the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani directed the State Health Department to conduct a State-wide investigation on private laboratories, after a report in a Gujarati daily stated that several of them were offering “bogus negative certificates” without collecting samples or providing details of tests.

As per a government release, the issue was discussed in a State Cabinet meeting chaired by Mr. Rupani in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.

The State government has taken a serious note of the reports published in the media and immediate action has been taken against Surat’s Tejas Lab under the Epidemic Diseases Act and its licence cancelled, Principal Health Secretary Jayanti Ravi said.

Orders have been issued to take strict action, including police action, against private laboratories that were giving bogus reports, she said. - PTI

8:20 pm | Nashik

Doctors help pregnant woman with COVID-19 give birth, recover

A few days before her 28th birthday on August 27, a pregnant woman here found she had contracted COVID-19, but what was her greatest worry was what lay in store for her baby.

Displaying grit while going through an induced coma, Priyadarshini was delivered of a pre-term girl, but the woman’s anxiety and pain was she could not see her infant immediately after birth. She was forced to wait for a month to feed her loved one.

Priyadarshini’s determination earned the praise of doctors at the city’s Kauvery Hospital where she was brought in the early hours of August 21 with complaints of breathlessness and discomfort.

This was four days after she tested positive for COVID-19.

With her family members under home isolation, she was alone at the hospital and did not know whether she would survive to see her soon-to-be-delivered baby, and began to worry about its fate too.

- PTI

8.00 pm | New Delhi

India’s current COVID-19 testing rate six times the WHO recommendation: Govt

India is conducting COVID-19 tests at a rate of 875 per million population per day, which is more than six times the figure recommended by the WHO, the Lok Sabha was informed on September 23.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended testing of 0.14 samples per day per 1,000 population or 140 tests per day per million population, Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

In response to another question, Mr. Choubey said that average test conducted by a district in a day is 1,053.

“Presently, the rate of COVID-19 test conducted per 1,000 persons in India is 0.875 test per day (as on September 19),” he said in response to a question on whether the rate of tests is commensurate with testing levels in countries with similar number of active COVID-19 cases.

On whether the government is tracking the testing numbers at the district level, the minister said that tests conducted for detection of COVID-19 are being reported to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data portal by laboratories, including the details of district where the sample was collected and tested.

7.35 pm | New Delhi

Extreme air pollution in Delhi during winter likely to aggravate COVID-19 situation: Doctors

Doctors and environment experts believe that extreme levels of air pollution in the national capital during winter is likely to aggravate the COVID-19 situation in the city and pose a serious challenge to the government.

Every winter, Delhi’s air quality dips to a dangerous low due to many reasons, including the city’s geographic location, unfavourable weather, stubble burning and local sources of pollution. A Supreme Court-mandated pollution control body had in November last year declared a public health emergency and ordered the closure of schools, construction activities and diesel generators in Delhi-NCR after a toxic haze shrouded the region.

Dr. Akshay Budhraja, Consultant in Department of Pulmonology, Aakash Healthcare Super Specialty Hospital, said air pollution poses a serious threat to people suffering from chronic bronchitis and inflammation of lungs and such patients are more prone to COVID-19. The severity is more if they contract the viral disease, he said.

“Air pollution makes asthma worse. It will be a challenging time for us too, as it takes 10-12 hours to conduct a radiological examination and an RT-PCR test to determine whether it’s a case of asthma flare-up or coronavirus,” he said.

Dr. Laxmikant Kaotekwar, Consultant, Pulmonology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Pune, said, “If there is a previous history of dust allergies, it points towards asthma flare-up. Asthma patients are more prone to COVID-19. Such people should get evaluated beforehand so they can keep their asthma under control.”

High air pollution-level will aggravate the situation as it seriously compromises the respiratory system and the immune system. There will be serious complications among COVID-19 patients, said Sunil Dahia, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. - PTI

7.30 pm | New Delhi

 

Modi reviews COVID-19 situation in seven States

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 23 reviewed the COVID-19 pandemic situation with Chief Ministers and other representatives of seven high case load States.

7:20 pm |  New Delhi

Extreme air pollution in Delhi during winter likely to aggravate COVID-19 situation: Doctors

Doctors and environment experts believe that extreme levels of air pollution in the national capital during winter is likely to aggravate the COVID-19 situation in the city and pose a serious challenge to the government.

Every winter, Delhi’s air quality dips to a dangerous low due to many reasons, including the city’s geographic location, unfavourable weather, stubble burning and local sources of pollution.

A Supreme Court-mandated pollution control body had in November last year declared a public health emergency and ordered the closure of schools, construction activities and diesel generators in Delhi-NCR after a toxic haze shrouded the region.

Dr. Akshay Budhraja, Consultant in Department of Pulmonology, Aakash Healthcare Super Specialty Hospital, said air pollution poses a serious threat to people suffering from chronic bronchitis and inflammation of lungs and such patients are more prone to COVID-19.

The severity is more if they contract the viral disease, he said.

“Air pollution makes asthma worse. It will be a challenging time for us too, as it takes 10-12 hours to conduct a radiological examination and an RT-PCR test to determine whether it’s a case of asthma flare-up or coronavirus,” he said.

Dr. Laxmikant Kaotekwar, Consultant, Pulmonology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Pune, said, “If there is a previous history of dust allergies, it points towards asthma flare-up.”

“Asthma patients are more prone to COVID-19. Such people should get evaluated beforehand so they can keep their asthma under control.”

Santosh Harish, a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, said pollution levels will be relatively lower this year due to subdued economic activity. - PTI

7.00 pm | Time

Cong MLA with COVID-19 infection critical:Hospital

Congress MLA B. Narayan Rao, who was admitted to a private hospital after contracting COVID-19, is in a critical State, the hospital said on September 23.

Mr. Rao was admitted to the Manipal Hospital on September 1 with diagnosis of severe COVID-19 infection, hospital director Dr. Manish Rai said.

“Currently, he is in a very critical state with multi-organ failure, on multiple supports including ventilator, and dialysis,” Dr. Rai said.

He added that a multi-disciplinary team of expert doctors are involved in his treatment and monitoring the situation. — PTI

6.40 pm | India

10 States contributing 75% of active cases suggest COVID-19 still limited in spread: Centre

India has reported large outbreaks of COVID-19 in certain districts and only 10 States are currently contributing to 75% of the active cases in the country, which suggests that coronavirus is still limited in its spread, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a query in Lok Sabha on whether there is community transmission of COVID-19 in the country, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey said the current phase of the pandemic in India is on multiple trajectories across urban and semi-urban areas of the country.

The epidemic curve of any pandemic goes through an ascending, peaking and descending phase, he said.

India has one of the lowest cases and deaths per million population among similarly affected countries. This is further corroborated by the fact that the nationwide sero-prevalence for COVID-19 conducted in May 2020, was found to be less than 1%, Mr. Choubey said.

The top 10 States with most active cases as on September 20 are Maharashtra 2,97,866 (29.47%), Karnataka 98,583 (9.75%), Andhra Pradesh 81,763 (8.09%), Uttar Pradesh 66,874 (6.62%), Tamil Nadu 46,453 (4.60%), Kerala 37,535 (3.71%), Chhattisgarh 37,489 (3.71%), Odisha 33,202 (3.28%), Delhi 32,064 (3.17%) and Telangana 30,573 (3.02%), the Minister said.

The Government of India has adopted a containment strategy for containing the spread of COVID-19 by suppressing and breaking the cycle of transmission in the country, Mr. Choubey said. - PTI

6.20 pm | New Delhi

1,100 indigenous manufacturers of PPE kits developed by Centre till date: Choubey

A total of 1,100 indigenous manufacturers of personal protection equipment (PPE) kits have been developed by the government till date, most of them being from the MSME sector, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

In a written reply, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey told the Lower House that the production capacity of PPE coveralls is nearly 5 lakh per day with potential for additional capacity creation to meet the demand.

He was talking about increase in the production capacity of PPE kits in the country since the beginning of the lockdown.

From no indigenous manufacturer to begin with... 1,100 indigenous manufacturers of personal protection equipment (PPE) kits have been developed by the government till date, most of them being from the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, Choubey said.

He said the Ministry of Health, in its guidelines, on rational use of PPE kits has issued specifications and standards to be followed, including medical masks for use by healthcare workers and other front line workers.

These specifications are available in public domain through the website of Ministry of Health, he said. - PTI

6.05 pm | Maharashtra

Dharavi adds 22 new COVID-19 cases; tally 3,087

The COVID-19 tally in Dharavi slum colony in Mumbai rose to 3,087 on September 23 with detection of 22 fresh cases, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.

Dharavi has been reporting new cases in double digits since the last seven days, he said.

Of the total 3,087 cases, 2,625 people have already recovered from the COVID-19 disease, the official said.

The slum sprawl has been witnessing a rapid increase in active cases since the beginning of this month, he said, adding that there are 182 active cases as of now. — PTI

5.30 pm | Odisha

Odisha asks hospitals to avoid COVID-19 tests after patients’ death

The Odisha government has asked both state-run and private hospitals to avoid conduct of coronavirus tests on the bodies of patients dying while undergoing treatment for non-COVID ailments, an official said on Wednesday.

The directive was prompted by incidents of relatives and neighbours abstaining from funerals of people testing positive for the infection after their death, he said.

The Health and Family Welfare Department, in a notification issued on Tuesday, asked the hospitals to avoid undue delay in releasing patients’ bodies to prevent harassment of bereaved family members.

The department has also directed all hospitals treating COVID-19 patients to submit the death report along with the copy of bedhead tickets, investigation reports and coronavirus test status to the Director of Health Services, Odisha within 48 hours of the death of a patient for a state- level death audit.- PTI

5 pm | New Delhi

14 States, UTs have higher tests per million, lower positivity than national average: Centre

India’s total tests for detection of COVID-19 has reached over 6.6 crore and tests per million have risen to 48,028 as on date with the national cumulative positivity rate being recorded at 8.52%, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday.

The country’s testing capacity has surged to more than 12 lakh tests daily. Up to September 22, a total of 6,62,79,462 samples have been tested with 9,53,683 samples being tested on Tuesday.

Fourteen states and Union Territories, including Gujarat, Odisha, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Assam, Haryana and Tripura, have demonstrated better COVID-19 response with higher tests per million and commensurate lower positivity rate than the national average, the ministry highlighted.

“A high level of testing leads to early identification of positive cases. As evidence has revealed, eventually the positivity rate will fall. The national cumulative positivity rate is 8.52% and tests per million stand at 48,028 today,” it said. - PTI

4.30 pm | New Delhi

Saudi Arabia bans flights to and from India

Saudi Arabia has banned flights to and from India from Tuesday amid a surge in coronavirus cases, according to an official document.

In a circular issued on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said it was “suspending travel to and from the following countries: (India, Brazil and Argentina) including any person who has been in any of the mentioned countries above in the last 14 days prior to their arrival to the Kingdom.”

However, it excluded “passengers who have official government invitations.”

The GACA circular -- titled: ‘Suspension of travel to countries where the COVID-19 virus has outbreak’ — was marked to all the airlines and chartered flight companies operating at the Saudi Arabia’s airports.

 

4 pm | Hyderabad

Bharat Biotech to collaborate with Washington University School of Medicine on COVID-19 nasal vaccine

Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech has entered into an agreement with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis as part of which it will conduct trials, produce and market an intranasal vaccine for COVID-19 being developed by the latter.

It is a novel chimp-adenovirus, single dose intranasal vaccine that was found to be effective in preventing infection in mice susceptible to the novel coronavirus, the company said, announcing a licensing agreement.

While Phase I trials will take place in Saint Louis University’s Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit, Bharat Biotech, on receipt of regulatory approval, will pursue further stages of clinical trials in India. The company will also undertake large scale manufacture of the vaccine at its GMP facility located in Genome Valley, Hyderabad.

 

3.30 pm | Chhattisgarh

Private hospitals overcharging patients to face action

The Chhattisgarh government has warned of action against private hospitals if they overcharge COVID-19 patients, an official said on Wednesday.

There have been complaints that some private hospitals, which are designated as COVID-19 treatment facilities, are charging hefty amounts from patients.

Chhattisgarh Health Services Director Neeraj Bansod on Tuesday issued a directive to all district chief medical and health officers (CMHOs), asking them to take action if they get complaints against private hospitals of charging more than the fees fixed by the State government for COVID-19 treatment.

Such hospitals will face action under the Epidemic Diseases Act, the Chhattisgarh Public Health Act, 1949, and the Chhattisgarh Epidemic Diseases COVID-19 Regulations, 2020, a public relations department official said on Wednesday.

The CMHOs have also been directed to inform the district collector concerned about such complaints and if necessary, cancel the permission for COVID-19 treatment of those private hospitals, he said.

The Chhattisgarh government on September 5 fixed the rates of COVID-19 treatment in private hospitals after classifying them in three categories. - PTI

3 pm | Bengal

3,000 IT professionals, who returned to Bengal due to COVID- 19, given job offers

West Bengal Finance and IT Minister Amit Mitra said on Wednesday that 3,000 information technology professionals, who have returned to the State from other parts of the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have been given job offers through the ‘Karmo Bhumi’ initiative.

The job portal, launched on June 8, witnessed around 37,000 registrations, while more than 24,000 have been processed, he said. ‘Karmo Bhumi’ is an initiative of the State government to collaborate between job seekers and employers in the IT and ITeS sector.

“It was launched as a skill registration platform for those who have returned to West Bengal from other states on account of the pandemic.

“So far, 3,000 IT professionals have been selected for jobs under the scheme within three months from its launch,” Mitra said addressing a webinar organised by CII.

- PTI

2.30 pm | Madhya Pradesh

Watch | Therapies for disabled children hit due to COVID-19 in Bhopal

As centres for the disabled remain shut and the pandemic scare looms, continuing therapies for children born with disabilities whose parents or grandparents survived the tragedy and those affected by poisoned water bodies owing to reported unscientific disposal of chemical waste by the pesticide plant, have been hit. Autistic children are more restless and irritable now, while those with cerebral palsy have regained muscle tightness, say experts.

 

2 pm | New Delhi

Daily recoveries exceed daily cases for 5th day: Health Ministry

Daily Covid-19 recoveries have exceeded the new cases for the fifth consecutive day, the Union Health Ministry said Wednesday, as the total recoveries surged to 45,87,613 pushing the national recovery rate to 81.25%.

A total of 89,746 recoveries have been registered against 83,347 new coronavirus cases in a span of 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry data.

With its focussed strategies and coordinated and proactive measures, India is reporting a steep increase in recoveries, the ministry said.

“New recoveries in India have exceeded the new cases for the fifth consecutive day,” it said, adding, “India has the highest recovered cases in the world. It contributes 19.5 per cent to the global recoveries.”

Seventeen states and UTs have more new recoveries than new cases. - PTI

 

1.30 pm | Mumbai

KEM Hospital starts trials of Covishield vaccine

The civic-run King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday began phase II and III trials of the Oxford Covishield vaccine for COVID-19, an official said.

The hospital, located in Parel area, on Tuesday got the approval of the Maharashtra ethics committee for conducting the vaccine trials.

KEM Hospital Dean Dr. Hemant Deshmukh told PTI that the hospital has started screening volunteers for the trials.

The medical facility will be conducting the trials on 100 volunteers, he said.

The city-based B.Y.L. Nair Hospital, another facility run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, has also received approval for conducting trials of the vaccine.

Both the KEM and Nair hospitals will be conducting the trials collectively on over 200 volunteers, sources said.

As part of the trials, volunteers who are found negative for coronavirus in both RT-PCR and antigen tests will be given the vaccine, they said.

Trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate are being conducted in Pune also.

The Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has partnered with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca for manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine candidate, being developed by the University of Oxford, U.K.

- PTI

12.40 pm | Kerala

Kerala Agriculture Minister tests positive

Kerala Agriculture Minister V. S. Sunil Kumar has tested positive for COVID-19.

He is the third minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan Cabinet to be diagnosed with COVID-19 after Finance Minister T. M. Thomas Isaac and Industries Minister E. P. Jayarajan.

 

12.00 pm

Amid COVID-19 impact, Indian economy forecast to contract 5.9% in 2020: U.N.

Impacted by disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic , India's economy is forecast to contract by 5.9% in 2020, the U.N. has said in a report, warning that while growth will rebound next year, the contraction is likely to translate into a permanent income loss.

11.30 am | Karnataka

Expert panel has not performed its duty: HC

The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday said that the State-level expert committee, set by the State government on the direction of the Supreme Court to monitor COVID-19 hospitals, has not performed the duties assigned to it.

If the committee was not able to perform its duties, then the State government would have to revamp the committee to activate it, the HC made it clear in its order.

 

11.00 am | Karnataka

ASHA workers to stage State-level protest at Freedom Park

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers are on a warpath again. After withdrawing their 20-day strike in July following an assurance from the Health Minister B. Sriramulu that their demand for a fixed monthly honorarium of ₹12,000 would be considered, ASHA workers will stage a massive State-level protest at Freedom Park on Wednesday.

 

10.30 am | Sikkim

Sikkim CM’s wife test positive for COVID-19

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang’s wife Krishna Rai and some of her family members have tested positive for COVID-19.

In a Facebook post she said: “We made all possible efforts to keep corona at bay but unfortunately we got infected. I appeal to those who came in contact with us to get themselves tested and my close contacts to go into quarantine.”

Meanwhile, an order issued by the Health department said that doctors and nurses have been deputed to Mintokgang, the official residence of the Chief Minister which has now been turned into a Corona Care Centre.

The chief minister is staying in another house.

- PTI

10.00 am | Karnataka

Deputy CM tests positive

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Govind M. Karjol tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.

He is the second Deputy Chief Minister to have tested positive for the virus. Earlier, C.N. Aswath Narayan also announced that he had tested positive and is currently under home isolation.

 

9.30 am | Maharashtra

Varsha Gaikwad tests positive

Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. Ms. Gaikwad represents Dharavi constituency and was instrumental in bringing down the number of novel coronavirus patients in one of the biggest slums in the country.

“I request everyone who has come in my contact to be careful and follow protocol. Stay safe. Take care,” she tweeted.

9.00 am | Tamil Nadu

Health department deputy directors told to prepare micro plan for COVID-19 vaccination

The Director of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine has instructed all Deputy Directors of Health Services to prepare a micro plan, at the level of health sub-centres (HSC), primary health centres (PHC) and districts, for carrying out vaccination against COVID-19 in the near future.

8.30 am | Andhra Pradesh

COVID-19 curve shows downward trend in Kurnool

Devotees wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus offer prayers at Shakti Ganesh temple in Hyderabad on Sept. 22, 2020.

Devotees wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus offer prayers at Shakti Ganesh temple in Hyderabad on Sept. 22, 2020.

 

With the number of active COVID-19 cases falling by the day, and the number of new positive cases also showing a downward trend, the Government General Hospital in Kurnool, designated as a State COVID-19 Hospital, will now revert to its original oeperations, officials said, adding that cleaning and sanitising of different super-specialty wards will be taken up.

8.00 am

COVID-19 vaccines must have at least 50% efficacy, says Drug Controller

A potential COVID-19 vaccine ought to confer at least 50% protection and be able to either prevent infection or disease — but not necessarily both — according to draft guidelines issued by the Central Drugs and Standards Control Organisation, the apex regulator of drug and vaccine trials.

7.00 am | Kerala

Children form 8.9% of COVID cases in Kochi

A girl wears a protective mask amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mumbai on September 20, 2020.

A girl wears a protective mask amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mumbai on September 20, 2020.

 

Of the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the district, 8.9% or 300 patients, are children below the age of 10, going by data till Tuesday morning from the district information office.

“The exposure of children in this age group to the virus has been kept low since they are unlikely to go out, though they might contract it from family members in the age group of 20 to 50, in which the maximum number of cases are concentrated,” said Dr. N. K. Kuttappan, District Medical Officer.

 

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