The Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra government to file an affidavit, giving details of how many mentally ill people, who were homeless or without legal guardians, have been identified and registered for vaccination against COVID-19.
Physical classes started in Jammu and Kashmir for Class 10 and 12 students
India reported 27,254 new coronavirus infections and 219 deaths in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Monday. Total cases have now climbed to 33.26 million while deaths have risen to 442,874.
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 developments:
Sikkim orders reopening of colleges and institutions of higher learning from September 14
The Sikkim government has asked colleges and other institutions of higher education in the State to reopen from September 14.
An education department circular issued by the additional chief secretary to the education department, G.P. Upadhyaya, which was made public on September 13, said that the State government has decided to reopen all colleges and institutions of higher learning from September 14 on the understanding that most of the students have got themselves either fully or partially vaccinated by now.
How many mentally ill homeless people vaccinated against COVID-19? Bombay HC asks Maha govt
The Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra government on Monday to file an affidavit, giving details of how many mentally ill people, who were homeless or without legal guardians, have been identified and registered for vaccination against COVID-19.
The bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), seeking better access to vaccination against COVID-19 for citizens, including those who were mentally ill or not in a position to give a consent for the inoculation.
The Maharashtra government's counsel, Gita Shastri, submitted an affidavit stating that a total of 1,761 mentally ill people across the state had been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The bench, however, noted that the state's affidavit was "silent" on the number of mentally ill people who were homeless, without legal guardians, and not in a position to give their informed consent for vaccination.
The court suggested that the state and the BMC could jointly set up a mechanism to identify and vaccinate such homeless and mentally ill people.- PTI
Schools reopen in J&K
Physical classes started in Jammu and Kashmir for Class 10 and 12 students. The Covid containment guidelines issued by J&K government permitted students of Class 10 and 12 to attend the schools with only 50% of the enrolled number could attend on a given day. The students would have to undergo a RAT or RT-PCR test before entering the campus.
Vaccine passports are coming to Australia. How will they work and what will you need them for?
Australian states are also preparing to require proof of vaccination for local participation in hospitality venues and events. This would very likely be different to the way one would prove their vaccination status for travelling overseas.
New South Wales is set to trial and then introduce a vaccine passport in October.
Vaccination data from the Australian Immunisation Register would be embedded in the Service NSW app, meeting hospitality industry demands for a simple process.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that the State will pursue its own version of a vaccine passport.
Nicaragua government squeezes doctors, talk of ‘health terrorism’
Vice-President Rosario Murillo, has accused doctors of “health terrorism” and of spreading “false outlooks and news” by reporting that COVID-19 has been far more widespread than officials acknowledge.
As international health organisations warn of increasing infections in Nicaragua and independent Nicaraguan doctors call for a voluntary quarantine to slow the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus, the government has made clear that comments out of step with its line are unacceptable as President Daniel Ortega seeks a fourth consecutive term.
Groups of doctors report much higher numbers than the government of virus infections and deaths from COVID-19, and they have criticised the Sandinista government for promoting mass gatherings.
Amid talk of boosters, global vaccine disparity gets sharper
Just over 3% of people across Africa have been fully vaccinated, and while more vaccines have been flowing in recent weeks, the World Health Organization’s director in Africa said on Thursday that the continent will get 25% fewer doses than anticipated by the end of the year.
The disparity comes as the U.S. is moving closer to offering booster shots to large segments of the population even as it struggles to persuade Americans to get vaccinated in the first place.
Japan passes 50% vaccination rate, may ease limits in November
Japan’s government says more than 50% of the population has been fully vaccinated.
Japan’s vaccine rollouts began in mid-February, months behind many wealthy countries due to its lengthy clinical testing requirement and approval process.
Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is in charge of COVID-19 measures, told NHK public television’s weekly talk show Sunday that about 60% of the population is expected to be fully vaccinated by the end of September, on par with current levels in Europe.
The government is studying a roadmap for easing restrictions around November when a large majority of the population is expected to be fully vaccinated. That would allow fully vaccinated people and those who test negative to travel, gather for parties or attend mass events.- AP
New Zealand buys 500,000 Pfizer doses from Denmark
New Zealand is buying an extra 500,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from Denmark as it tries to keep its coronavirus vaccination program running at full speed, the government said.
The doses are on top of New Zealand’s regular shipments from Pfizer and come a few days after officials announced a similar deal with Spain for more than 250,000 extra doses. New Zealand was slow to get its vaccination program running but has seen demand spike since an outbreak of the delta variant in Auckland last month.- AP
Single-day COVID-19 recoveries outnumber fresh cases in Arunachal Pradesh
Single-day COVID-19 recoveries outnumbered fresh cases in Arunachal Pradesh, as 57 more people recuperated from the disease while 22 new infections were registered, a health department official said here on Monday.
The new cases pushed the total caseload in the northeastern state to 53,732.
As many as 52,936 people have recovered from the disease thus far.- PTI
New Zealand extends Auckland lockdown as Delta outbreak persists
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern extended a strict lockdown in largest city Auckland as an outbreak of the delta variant of coronavirus proves difficult to vanquish.
Auckland will remain at Alert Level 4 for at least another week while the rest of the country, which exited lockdown last week, will remain at Level 2.
Ardern is persisting with an elimination strategy that has served New Zealand well to date. There are signs the lockdown is succeeding in severing chains of transmission, with daily new case numbers dropping from a peak of 83 to as few as 11.- Bloomberg
COVID-19 infections spread through gorillas at Atlanta zoo
Atlanta's zoo says at least 13 western lowland gorillas have tested positive for COVID-19, including 60-year-old Ozzie, the oldest male gorilla in captivity.
Zoo Atlanta on September 10 said that employees noticed the gorillas had been coughing, had runny noses and showed changes in appetite. A veterinary lab at the University of Georgia returned positive tests for the respiratory illness. Zoo Atlanta says it’s waiting on confirmation from the National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa. - AP
China pledges 3 million COVID vaccine shots to Vietnam
China plans to donate 3 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine to Vietnam, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said as he wrapped up a visit to Hanoi on September 11.
Mr. Yi's pledge comes amid a virus lockdown in Vietnam to contain a COVID-19 surge. About 23 million Vietnamese students started a new school year earlier this week, most of them in virtual classrooms.
Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that the two countries should use dialogue to work out any differences, state broadcaster VTV reported. - AP
New Zealand COVID-19 cases rise ahead of Auckland lockdown decision
New Zealand reported an increase in new coronavirus cases on September 13, all in its largest city Auckland which is struggling to control the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant. Health authorities recorded 33 new cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 on September 13, higher than 23 and 20 cases reported over the weekend. The new cases take the number of confirmed cases in the new outbreak to 955, most of which have been in Auckland. - Reuters
