Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give an ex gratia of Rs. 4 lakh to the kin of those who died of COVID-19, saying mere Rs. 50,000 compensation is insufficient.
Read | Centre pulls up Kerala for ‘opaque’ reporting of COVID-19 deaths
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Second dose COVID-19 vaccine for 100 per cent adult population in Himachal by next week
Himachal Pradesh is likely to vaccinate 100 per cent of its eligible adult population with the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by next week, state Health Secretary Amitabh Avasthi said on Thursday. Himachal Pradesh is close to administering the second dose of its vaccination to 90 per cent of the population as on date, he told PTI.
Himachal Pradesh became the first state three months ago to achieve 100 per cent first-dose vaccination of eligible adult population
ADB approves USD 1.5 bn loan to India for purchasing COVID-19 vaccines
The Asian Development Bank has approved a USD 1.5 billion (around Rs 11,185 crore) loan to India for COVID-19 vaccine procurement.
"ADB today approved a USD 1.5 billion loan to help the Government of India purchase safe and effective vaccines against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)," ADB said in a statement on Thursday.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is expected to co-finance an additional USD 500 million for the project, it said.
Three days after his granddaughter's wedding, Telangana Speaker tests positive for COVID-19
Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy has been tested positive for COVID-19 and has got himself admitted to a private hospital on Wednesday night on the advice of doctors.
According to the Speaker’s office, he has no health issues and went to the hospital on Wednesday night as part of his periodic regular/general check-up. He was tested positive for COVID-19 when the test was conducted as part of other tests.
The Speaker suggested all those who came in contact with him during the last four-five days to get tested for the pandemic.
66 medical students in Dharwad test positive for COVID-19
As many as 66 medical students in Dharwad, Karnataka have tested positive for COVID-19 following which two hostels have been sealed.
Confirming the development, Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Nitesh Patil said that the number might go up as the students had participated in an event in the college recently. All those who tested positive are first-year students. Many of the students enrolled in the college are from other States.
Central Railway rolls back platform ticket price hike in Mumbai
The Central Railway has decided to reduce the price of platform ticket at key stations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region from Rs 50 to Rs 10 from Thursday, an official said.
The platform ticket price will be reduced at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Dadar, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Thane, Kalyan and Panvel railway stations, he said.
Earlier this year, Mumbai division of the Central Railway had increased the price of platform ticket from ₹10 to ₹50 at these stations to discourage overcrowding amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Active COVID-19 cases in country lowest in 539 days
India logged 9,119 new coronavirus infections taking the country's total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,45,44,882, while the active cases declined to 1,09,940, the lowest in 539 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.
The death toll climbed to 4,66,980 with 396 fresh fatalities, including 308 from Kerala, according to the data updated at 8 am.
The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 48 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 151 consecutive days now.
The active cases comprise 0.32% of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.33%, the highest since March 2020, the Ministry said.
A decrease of 1,541 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. -PTI
Delhi reports 35 Covid cases, positivity rate at 0.06%
Delhi reported 35 COVID-19 cases at a positivity rate of 0.06 per cent and zero fatality due to the infection, according to data shared by the health department here Thursday.
With the fresh cases, the infection tally rose to 1,440,754 while the death toll remains at 25,095.
Over 1,000 anti-vaccine protesters rally in Ukraine capital
More than 1,000 anti-vaccine demonstrators rallied in the Ukrainian capital Wednesday to denounce coronavirus restrictions, in the second such protest this month.
The protesters, many of them members of radical nationalist groups, gathered outside the parliament building and marched across downtown Kyiv carrying placards reading “Down with anti-constitutional bans!” and “The pandemic of lies!" -AP
Italy tightens screws on COVID unvaccinated, extends shot mandate
Italy on Wednesday tightened the screws on people unwilling to take an anti-COVID vaccine, sharply restricting access to an array of services and making vaccines mandatory for a wider group of public sector workers.
Italy acted as much of Europe is increasing restrictions to try to grapple with a new wave of the pandemic. -Reuters
Ecuador to administer COVID-19 booster shots to general population in 2022
Ecuador will administer booster shots against COVID-19 to the general population starting January 2022, the government said on Wednesday, acknowledging a rise in cases in the Amazon region due to difficulties in carrying out vaccinations.
Some 68% of Ecuador's population has received two vaccine doses, and the government hopes to vaccinate 85% of the country's 17.8 million people. -Reuters
Russia to export nasal form of COVID-19 vaccine that Putin took as booster
Russia said on Wednesday it planned to export a nasal form of its Sputnik vaccine against COVID-19, which President Vladimir Putin said he had taken as a booster.
Putin said in televised comments that he had been re-inoculated six months after his initial dose of the Sputnik V vaccine because his antibody levels had dropped. -Reuters
Dutch set to impose stricter COVID-19 curbs by Friday
The Dutch government will announce on Friday new measures to fight a record surge in coronavirus infections that is putting pressure on hospitals, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said.
Although some 85% of the adult Dutch population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, new cases jumped almost 40% in the past week to 154,000, official data showed on Tuesday. -Reuters
Canada allows import of J&J COVID-19 vaccine doses made at Emergent facility
The Canadian health regulator said on Wednesday it would allow Johnson & Johnson to import its COVID-19 vaccine made at contract manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions Inc's plant in Baltimore, Maryland.
Health Canada said the decision came after it completed an inspection of the facility, along with the European Medicines Agency and South African Health Products Regulatory Authority. -Reuters