Coronavirus updates | November 21, 2021

Karnataka crosses 7 crore mark in COVID-19 vaccination; Bengal eases restriction on movement due to India-NZ cricket match

November 21, 2021 07:40 am | Updated 07:06 pm IST

A healthcare worker administering the COVID-19 vaccine.

A healthcare worker administering the COVID-19 vaccine.

 India logged 10,488 new coronavirus infections taking the country's total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,45,10,413, while the active cases declined to 1,22,714, the lowest in 532 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

The death toll climbed to 4,65,662 with 313 fresh fatalities,  according to the data updated at 8 am.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 44 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 147 consecutive days now.

Also Read | COVID-19: Restrictive voluntary licence compromises access

Also Read | Paxlovid may be huge advancement for all coronaviruses: Gagandeep Kang

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 :

India

Lucky draw among strategies planned to improve Covid vaccine coverage

Weekly or monthly lucky draw programmes for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are among the strategies planned by the government to encourage people yet to take the first dose and those overdue for the second jab to get inoculated, sources said on Sunday.

The Union Health Ministry has planned other initiatives also such as organising workplace vaccination and providing badges to fully vaccinated employees.

States and Union Territories may soon be suggested to undertake these initiatives.

The strategies also include involving influential figures in districts or villages, who themselves are vaccinated, to motivate their peer groups in getting the anti-Covid shots.

Such people may be appointed as 'ambassadors' and oriented about the government's 'Har Ghar Dastak' initiative. They can, in turn, provide sound advice to people on the importance of taking both the doses of vaccine and completing the vaccination schedule.  The government has launched the month-long 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign for house-to-house COVID-19 vaccination of those who are yet to take a dose and those whose second jab is overdue. — PTI

 

Prolonged school closures due to Covid pose threat to gender equality: UNESCO study

Educational disruption due to prolonged closure of schools across the globe will not only have alarming effects on learning loss but also poses threat to gender equality, a new study by UNESCO has pointed out.

The global study titled "When schools shut: Gendered impacts of COVID-19 school closures" brings to the fore that girls and boys, young women and men were affected differently by school closures, depending on the context.

"At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 1.6 billion students in 190 countries were affected by school closures. Not only did they lose access to education, but also to the myriad benefits of attending school, at an unparalleled scale," said Stefania Giannini, UNESCO, Assistant Director-General for Education.

"Educational disruption of this extent has alarming effects on learning loss and school dropout. Beyond this, it poses threats to gender equality, including effects on health, well being and protection that are gender specific," Giannini said.

Drawing on evidence from about 90 countries and in-depth data collected in local communities, the report shows that gender norms and expectations can affect the ability to participate in and benefit from remote learning.

"In poorer contexts, girls' time to learn was constrained by increased household chores. Boys' participation in learning was limited by income-generating activities. Girls faced difficulties in engaging in digital remote learning modalities in many contexts because of limited access to internet-enabled devices, a lack of digital skills and cultural norms restricting their use of technological devices," the report said.

The study pointed out that digital gender-divide was already a concern before the COVID-19 crisis. — PTI

United Kingdom

Bookings open for UK's expanded COVID booster vaccines

The UK's health service will open up for over-40s to book in their COVID-19 booster vaccine dose from Monday, as the UK government warned top-up doses were important to prevent an infection spike and winter lockdowns currently being faced by many European countries.

The National Health Service (NHS) said on Sunday that following new advice from the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) this week, the vaccination programme has been expanded, with over 40s eligible for boosters and people aged 16 and 17 able to book a second COVID-19 vaccine jab.

Those eligible for a booster can book an appointment in advance – five months after their second dose – to be vaccinated as soon as they reach the six month mark, so far being offered to those aged over 50 and in medically vulnerable groups.

“Getting your COVID-19 booster vaccine is the best way to keep yourself and your loved ones safe this winter and will help reduce the pressure on the NHS,” said UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid. — PTI

India

Mandaviya to review Covid vaccination progress in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Puducherry on Monday

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a meeting on Monday to review the progress and planning of COVID-19 vaccination in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Puducherry where the first dose coverage is less than 70 %, official sources said.

The first dose coverage in Meghalaya was 56.7 %, Manipur 54.2 %, Nagaland 49 % and Puducherry 65.7 %, they said quoting government data updated on Sunday.

The government has launched a month-long 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign for house-to-house COVID-19 vaccination of those who are yet to take the first dose and those whose second dose is overdue.

According to officials, over 12 crore beneficiaries are overdue for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine after the expiry of the prescribed interval between the two jabs. — PTI

Ukraine

Ukraine's doctors pushed to the limit by COVID-19 wave

As coronavirus infections hit Ukraine, a single shift for Dr. Oleksandr Molchanov now stretches to 42 hours — 24 of them in Kakhovka's hospital, followed by another 18 hours spent visiting tents set up to care for 120 COVID-19 patients.

While vaccination rates in Eastern Europe have generally lagged, Ukraine has one of the lowest in the region. But because of its underfunded and struggling health care system, the situation has turned dire nearly two years since the virus swept into Europe.

The country is setting records almost every day for infections and deaths, most recently on Tuesday, when 838 deaths were reported. - AP

National

Active COVID-19 cases in country lowest in 532 days

India logged 10,488 new coronavirus infections taking the country’s total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,45,10,413, while the active cases declined to 1,22,714, the lowest in 532 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on November 21.

The death toll climbed to 4,65,662 with 313 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 a.m.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 44 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 147 consecutive days now. — PTI

Karnataka

Karnataka crosses 7 crore mark in COVID-19 vaccination

With the total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Karnataka crossing the seven crore mark on Saturday, the State is inching towards achieving 100% inoculation. With 2,83,338 doses administered till 6 p.m. on Saturday, the total number of doses touched 7,01,99,026. Of these 2,65,27,346 are second doses.

 

West Bengal

Bengal eases restriction on movement due to India-NZ cricket match

The West Bengal government relaxed for two hours the restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles due to the third T-20 international cricket match between India and New Zealand at Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata on Sunday.

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles are in force in West Bengal between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. - PTI

 

Netherlands

Two in hospital after police fire on Dutch COVID-19 protesters

Two people were being treated in hospital in the Dutch city of Rotterdam on Saturday after they were seriously injured when police fired shots during a violent protest against COVID-19 measures, authorities said.

Crowds of several hundred rioters torched cars, set off fireworks and threw rocks at police during the protests on Friday evening. Police responded with warning shots and water canons.

Rotterdam police said on Saturday that 51 people had been arrested, half of whom were under 18.

"Two rioters where wounded when they were hit by bullets, they remain in hospital," police added. - Reuters

International

Protests erupt over virus rules in Austria, Italy, Croatia

Tens of thousands of protesters , many from far-right groups, marched through Vienna on Saturday after the Austrian government announced a nationwide lockdown beginning Monday to contain skyrocketing coronavirus infections.

Demonstrations against virus restrictions also took place in Switzerland, Croatia, Italy, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands on Saturday, a day after Dutch police opened fire on protesters and seven people were injured in rioting that erupted in Rotterdam. Protesters rallied against coronavirus restrictions and mandatory COVID-19 passes needed in many European countries to enter restaurants, Christmas markets or sports events, as well as mandatory vaccinations.

The Austrian lockdown will start Monday and comes as average daily deaths have tripled in recent weeks and hospitals in heavily hit states have warned that intensive care units are reaching capacity. The lockdown will last at least 10 days but could go up to 20, officials said. People will be able to leave their homes only for specific reasons, including buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising. - AP

 

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