Coronavirus updates | April 3, 2021

Delhi Capitals player Axar Patel tests positive for COVID-19; Tokyo-bound archers' second dose of vaccine next week

April 03, 2021 09:04 am | Updated 10:12 pm IST

A man walks past a Covid-19 coronavirus awareness mural in New Delhi on April 2, 2021.

A man walks past a Covid-19 coronavirus awareness mural in New Delhi on April 2, 2021.

India recorded the highest single-day rise in coronavirus cases in six months with 89,129 new infections in a span of 24 hours, taking the COVID-19 tally of cases to over 1.23 crore, according to State Health Departments and Ministries on Saturday.

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:

Maharashtra

Maharashtra may divert all oxygen supply for medical use: Uddhav Thackeray

With Maharashtra recording over half of the daily coronavirus cases in India, the State government is considering diverting all industrial use oxygen supply for medical use, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Saturday.

In an online interaction with newspaper owners, editors and distributors, Mr Thackeray said a decision on imposing stringent measures to tackle the pandemic will be taken soon but did not confirm if there will be a statewide lockdown.

Maharashtra on Friday reported 47827 new cases, the highest daily rise in around six-and-a-half-months, and a big chunk of the 89,129 new cases in a day recorded in India.

 

Puducherry

'Second wave of COVID-19 spreading fast in Puducherry'

An appeal was made by the Director of Health and Family Welfare Services S. Mohan Kumar to the people to adhere to safety protocols as, he said, the second wave of coronavirus is spreading fast in Puducherry.

In his video address, Mr. Kumar said the virus was spreading at an alarmingly large-scale and people should not lower their guard. Basic measures such as wearing of masks, washing hands and maintaining social distance should be followed.

Mr. Kumar said a free COVID-19 vaccination camp was inaugurated earlier in the day by Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan at the Venkateswarar Medical College at Ariyur on the Puducherry-Villupuram route, adding that as many as 1,000 people received the first dose of vaccine within three hours of commencement of the camp at 8 a.m. — PTI

United Kingdom

U.K. regulator reports 30 clot cases linked to AstraZeneca jab

Britain's medicines regulator said it has identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events associated with the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine but stressed the benefits “continue to outweigh any risks.” The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said the risk associated with this type of blood clot is “very small” and that the public should continue to take up the vaccine when offered it.

The agency said late on Saturday the cases relate to the period up to March 24, during which 18.1 million doses of the vaccine had been administered and that it hadn't received any similar reports with regard to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Concerns over the AstraZeneca vaccine prompted some countries including Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands to restrict its use to older people.

The World Health Organization has urged countries to continue using the jab. - AP

New Delhi

Delhi Capitals player Axar Patel tests positive for COVID-19

Delhi Capitals' and India all-rounder Axar Patel has tested positive for COVID-19 and kept in isolation, the IPL franchise said on April 3.

Patel is the second IPL player to have returned a positive report after Nitish Rana. The left-handed Kolkata Knight Riders batsman had initially tested positive for COVID-19 but later returned a negative report. — PTI

 

Karnataka

No relaxation in new COVID-19 guidelines: Karnataka Health Minister

Hinting at no relaxation in the new set of guidelines issued by the State government, amid pressure from various sectors, Karnataka Health Minister K. Sudhakar on April 3 said it was inevitable to take certain strict measures so that things don't go out of control.

"The government is not happy by restricting activities. I have been requesting through the media for the last one month that a second wave is at our doorstep and if we don't understand and take precautionary measures, the government will have no other options and may have to take serious measures," Karnataka Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on April 3.

"The technical advisory committee has said this will be there for another two months, till the May-end and the graph will start declining from June first week. If we don't take measures and something untoward happens, won't it be the government's responsibility?" he asked. — PTI

Pune

Tokyo-bound archers' second dose of vaccine next week

Olympic-bound Indian archers, who are based at the Army Sports Institute in Pune, will get their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine next week before leaving for the upcoming World Cup Stage I in Guatemala City.

The World Cup Stage I, to be held from April 19, will be the first tournament for the senior archers in COVID-19 era. The archers will compete in three World Cups, with the third being a Olympic qualification before the Tokyo Games in July.

As part of their vaccination drive, the ASI inoculated all the archers, which included the eight frontline Indians -- Atanu Das, Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav and B Dhiraj (reserve) in men's and Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, Komolika Bari and Madhu Vedwan (reserve) in women's. — PTI

New Delhi

Nearly 12,000 challaned in two weeks for COVID norm violations: Delhi Police

Cracking the whip against the violators of coronavirus-related protocols, the Delhi Police issued 11,800 challans for not following the face mask rule and 125 for not maintain social distancing in the last two weeks amid a recent spike in the cases.

According to data shared by the Delhi Police, a total of 5,78,324 challans have been issued since June 15 till Friday, including 5,36,256 for not wearing face masks and 38,631 for not maintaining social distancing.

A total of 2,720 challans were issued to people for not wearing face masks from March 10 to March 19, which translates to an average of 272 challans per day. Thirty-three challans have been issued in the same period for violating social distancing, the Delhi Police data said. — PTI

Mumbai

Eight groundsmen at Wankhede Stadium test positive

Eight groundstaff members at the Wankhede Stadium have tested COVID-19 positive during the tests conducted ahead of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL’s) 2021 edition. The Wankhede is scheduled to host 10 league games from April 10 to 25.

The Hindu understands all the 19 groundstaff members at the Wankhede Stadium underwent RT-PCR tests over the last week. While three were confirmed to have contracted the virus during the tests conducted on March 26, five more test reports conducted on April 1 returned positive on Friday. — PTI

Bangladesh

Bangladesh to impose 7-day nationwide lockdown from April 5

The Bangladesh government has decided to impose a week-long nationwide lockdown from April 5 as COVID-19 cases and deaths surged across the country.

Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader made the announcement at a media briefing in Dhaka on April 4, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

In a bid to arrest the spread of the coronavirus, the government has decided to enforce a seven-day lockdown from Monday as the coronavirus cases and deaths are surging across the country, Quader, also the general secretary of the ruling Awami League, said.

However, the order does not apply to utility and emergency services. — PTI

New Delhi

Delhi Dy CM Sisodia gets COVID vaccine shot

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday took the coronavirus vaccine jab at the Maulana Azad Medical College here.

He thanked doctors and scientists in a tweet after being administered the vaccine, and said the Centre should allow the vaccination without age restrictions.

Karnataka

Bengaluru police intensify patrolling to enforce new restrictions

Bengaluru police have stepped up patrolling to ensure strict implementation of the new restrictions and guidelines imposed by the Karnataka government. Gyms shut their doors on April 3 while many churches have restricted the attendance of people for Easter services on April 4. Sanjeev Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) held a meeting on April 3 morning and directed the sub-divisional in charge officer to supervise enforcement. As part of the enforcement drive, jurisdictional police visited public places, shops and commercial establishments to put up social distancing markers for people waiting in queues. In several neighbourhoods, patrolling personnel used public address systems to remind people to wear masks and follow COVD-19 appropriate behaviour. “We are monitoring public places and areas that usually see heavy footfall to ensure enforcement of fresh guidelines. Any violations will be dealt with strictly and those failing to follow the rules will be penalised,” a senior officer said. — Anjali Thomas

Surge in 8 States

8 states witness steep rise in COVID-19 cases

Eight states witnessed a steep rise in daily new COVID-19 cases and accounted for 81.42 per cent of the infections reported on Saturday, the Union Health Ministry said.

These eight states are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.

India's tally of COVID-19 active caseload also increased to 6,58,909 and now comprises 5.32 per cent of the total infections. In a day, there has been a net rise of 44,213 active cases.

 

J&K

Farooq Abdullah hospitalised for better care

Veteran politician and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, who tested positive for COVID-19 recently, was on April 3 admitted to a hospital as a precautionary measure.

Taking to Twitter, his son Omar Abdullah said Farooq Abdullah has been admitted to hospital in Srinagar based on the advice of doctors "to enable them to better monitor" him.

"Our family remains grateful to everyone for their messages of support and their prayers," he added.

The 85-year-old NC president tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. He was kept in home-isolation initially, but doctors on Saturday decided to shift him to a hospital for better medical care.

Masks

Properly fitted multilayer masks can reduce particle transmission by 96%: study

Properly fitted multilayer masks block 84% of particles expelled by a person wearing it, while two people donning these types of masks can reduce transmission by close to 96%, according to a new study.

While wearing a face mask can protect people from COVID-19, scientists, including those from Georgia Institute of Technology in the U.S., said the type of material, tightness of fit, and the number of fabric layers used can significantly affect exposure risk to the novel coronavirus.

The study, published in the journal Aerosol Science and Technology , measured the filtration efficiency of ultrasmall submicron particles passing through a variety of different materials.

"A submicron particle can stay in the air for hours and days, depending on the ventilation, so if you have a room that is not ventilated or poorly ventilated then these small particles can stay there for a very long period of time," said Nga Lee (Sally) Ng, a co-author of the study from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

National

India records 89,129 COVID-19 cases, 714 fatalities

India on Saturday recorded 89,129 new COVID-19 cases in a day, the highest daily rise in around six-and-half-months, taking the nationwide tally of infections to over 1.23 crore, according to the Union Health Ministry data on Saturday.

The death toll increased to 1,64,110 with 714 more fatalities in a day, also the highest since October 21.

The jump in cases reported on Saturday was the highest since September 20 last year when 92,605 new infections were recorded in a span of 24 hours.

 

Argentina

Argentine President tests positive

Argentine President Alberto Fernandez has tested positive for the new coronavirus, is waiting for the result to be confirmed and is in good spirits despite having a light fever, the first-term Peronist leader tweeted on Saturday.

"I am in good physical condition," the president, who turned 62 on Friday, said in a tweet. He had received Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus early this year.

Surges in States

‘Serious concern’ over COVID-19 in 11 States/UTs

The current COVID-19 case growth rate of 6.8% in March 2021 has surpassed the previous record of 5.5% (June 2020), noted a release issued by the Central government following a meeting chaired by the Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Friday.

The government has also identified 11 States/UTs as areas of grave concern — Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Haryana. These States/UTs have been reporting a surge in daily cases and daily mortality because of COVID-19 in the last two weeks. The meeting was to review and discuss the COVID-19 management and response strategy.

“Another worrisome aspect pointed out at the meeting was that Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities along with peri-urban areas have recorded a surge in COVID-19 cases. The spread of infection to the rural areas with weak health infrastructure would overwhelm the local administration,”’ noted the release.

 

India vaccine jabs

Over 7 crore vaccine doses administered so far

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed seven crore on Friday, according to the Health Ministry.The first dose has been administered to more than six crore beneficiaries so far. A total of 7,06,18,026 vaccine doses had been given till 8 p.m. on Friday, according to a provisional report.

 

Cricket

Eight groundsmen at Wankhede Stadium test positive

Eight groundstaff members at the Wankhede Stadium have tested COVID-19 positive during the tests conducted ahead of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL’s) 2021 edition. The Wankhede is scheduled to host 10 league games from April 10 to 25.

The Hindu understands all the 19 groundstaff members at the Wankhede Stadium underwent RT-PCR tests over the last week. While three were confirmed to have contracted the virus during the tests conducted on March 26, five more test reports conducted on April 1 returned positive on Friday.

 

Maharashtra

Strict restrictions in Maharashtra in the coming days: Uddhav

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that strict restrictions would be implemented in the State in the coming days, adding he did not want to impose a lockdown on the people but would be left with no option if COVID-19 cases continued to rise in the present manner.

“I have been getting calls enquiring whether a lockdown would be imposed in the State. I am only warning today; I am not announcing anything. I will be watching for the next two to three days and discussing with various stakeholders. I will announce strict restrictions in the coming few days. We have to stop this wave and ensure there is no third wave. It is not a one-way process; both sides have to work hard. I expect cooperation like last year,” said Mr. Thackeray, in his address to the State.

 

( With inputs from our Correspondent, agencies )

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.