Coronavirus India lockdown Day 130 updates | August 1, 2020

Impact of coronavirus will be felt for decades to come, says WHO.

August 01, 2020 08:33 am | Updated 10:23 pm IST

Greater Chennai Corporation in collaboration with an NGO, organised a mime show to spread  awareness on COVID-19 at Chennai's T.P. Chathiram Main Road on Friday

Greater Chennai Corporation in collaboration with an NGO, organised a mime show to spread awareness on COVID-19 at Chennai's T.P. Chathiram Main Road on Friday

As countries across the world debate reopening of schools, a new study has found that children younger than five years with mild to moderate COVID-19 have much higher levels of the novel coronavirus genetic material in the nose compared to older children and adults.

The findings, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics , shed light on the possibility that the youngest children transmit the virus as much as other age groups.

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:

10:20 p.m. | Rajasthan

14 people succumb to COVID-19 in Rajasthan, 1,160 fresh cases detected

Rajasthan reported 14 deaths due to COVID-19 and 1,160 fresh cases on Saturday taking the total number of fatalities and positive cases to 694 and 43,243 in the state, official data showed.

Jaipur saw seven deaths while Bhilwara and Nagaur recorded two deaths each followed by one each in Jodhpur, Kota and Pali.

9:55 p.m. | Karnataka

110-year-old woman wins battle against COVID-19 in Karnataka

In a cause for cheer, a woman, said to be 110 years old, has recovered from COVID-19 and was discharged on Saturday in Chitradurga district of Karnataka.

According to health officials, Ms. Siddamma, who stays in the police quarters, has five children, 17 grand children and 22 great grandchildren.

On July 27, she tested positive for coronavirus along with a few other family members and accordingly she was brought to the COVID designated hospital in Chitradurga where she completely recovered from the disease.

9:35 p.m. | West Bengal

West Bengal’s daily rise in COVID-19 cases cross 2,500-mark, record 48 new deaths

West Bengal reported highest single-day COVID-19 fatality of 48 on Saturday, even as the daily rise in cases crossed the 2,500-mark for the first time, as per a bulletin issued by the state Health Department.

The state detected 2,589 fresh cases, taking the tally to 72,777, it said.

The toll rose to 1,629 with the new deaths, it added.

9:20 p.m. | Tamil Nadu

Fleecing COVID-19 patient: TN govt. penalises private hospital

The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday temporarily revoked COVID-19 treatment permission granted to a private hospital here for allegedly charging a coronavirus patient Rs 12 lakh for 19 days of treatment.

The permission was withdrawn after it came to light during an inspection by the authorities concerned that the hospital had charged ₹12.20 lakh from the patient for the 19-day treatment.

9:00 p.m. | Maharashtra

Maharashtra adds 9,601 new COVID-19 cases

Maharashtra’s COVID-19 tally spiked by 9,601 new cases to 4,31,719 on Saturday, the state health department said.

With 322 fatalities, the toll went up to 15,316, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.

A total of 10,725 patients were discharged in the day, raising the count of recovered cases to 2,66,883.

8:45 p.m. | West Bengal

West Bengal govt. issues new guidelines on treating COVID-19 patients with comorbidities

The West Bengal government has issued a new set of guidelines on treating COVID-19 patients with comorbidities, usage of repurposed drugs and post- discharge care.

The new protocols, issued by the health department, was prepared following recommendations of experts who have been visiting several private and state-run COVID facilities, officials said.

It is aimed at ensuring uniformity in the treatment of coronavirus patients, they said.

8:25 p.m. | New Delhi

Number of COVID-19 containment zones down to 496 in Delhi

The number of COVID-19 containment zones has come down to 496 in Delhi after an extensive review by the AAP government, providing relief to thousands of people living in such restricted areas.

The number of containment zones was 715 in Delhi by the end of July, affecting nearly 3.5 lakh people. With the number going down to 496, the movement of only about one lakh people will be affected, Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot said in a statement on Saturday.

7:55 p.m. | Gujarat

Gujarat records 1,136 cases

Gujarat records 1136 new infections and 24 new deaths, increasing its COVID-19 tally of fatality to 2465 and caseload to 62574. Number of active cases have gone to 14327 while number of discharged stand at 45782.

- Mahesh Langa

7:40 p.m. | Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu records 5,879 new COVID-19 cases, 99 deaths

Tamil Nadu continued to record a slight dip in number of fresh COVID-19 cases with 5,879 patients contracting the infection on Saturday, taking the tally to 2,51,738, the health department said.

The number of active cases was at 56,738.

The death toll rose to 4034 with the addition of 99 fatalities, a department bulletin said.

7:20 p.m. | Punjab

Two jails converted into COVID care centres in Punjab

The Punjab government on Saturday said two jails in Gurdaspur and Malerkotla have been converted into COVID care centres to house infected inmates.

Jails in Barnala, Patti, Bathinda, Pathankot, Ludhiana and the women cell in Ludhiana are already being used as quarantine centres for new inmates, Jails minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said in a statement here.

The Minister informed that 11,500 prisoners have been released on parole since March.

7:00 p.m. | Andhra Pradesh

COVID-19 cases breach 1.50 lakh mark in Andhra Pradesh

Coronavirus cases crossed the 1.50 lakh mark in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday as another 9,276 were added but a record high of 12,750 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours.

According to the latest government bulletin, the states Covid-19 cumulative tally showed 1,50,209 confirmed cases, 72,188 active, 76,614 recoveries and 1,407 deaths till 9 am on Saturday.

6:45 p.m. | New Delhi

Delhi reports 1,118 new COVID-19 cases

1,118 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 1,36,716, according to a health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Saturday.

Also, 26 more deaths have been reported, taking the total number of deaths to 3,989.

Of the total cases, 1,22,131 people have recovered and there are 10,596 active cases .

- Nikhil M. Babu

6:30 p.m. | New Delhi

Manish Sisodia writes to Amit Shah, seeks directions to L-G to allow hotels, weekly markets in Delhi

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking directions to LG Anil Baijal to allow hotels and weekly markets in the city.

Sisodia’s letter comes a day after Baijal rejected the Arvind Kejriwal government’s decision to allow hotels and weekly markets to reopen in the national capital, saying the COVID-19 situation continues to be “fragile” and the threat is still “far from over“.

6:05 p.m. | West Bengal

Belur Math closes gates for devotees as COVID-19 rages in Bengal

Belur Math, the global headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Saturday announced that entry of devotees will be banned in its premises from August 2 as the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging.

The Secretary of Belur Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Swami Suvirananda said in a video message on Saturday that the Math is being closed for visitors for the second time from August 1.

5:45 p.m. | Amaravati

Former minister Manikyala Rao succumbs to COVID-19

 BJP State general secretary and former MLA Pydikondala Manikyala Rao died of COVID at a private hospital here on Saturday. He was 60. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Tadepalligudem constituency in West Godavari district in 2014 when his party was in alliance with the TDP.

He was one of the two BJP MLAs (Kamineni Srinivas is the other one) who were inducted into the Cabinet. He held Endowments portfolio.

— Staff Reporter

5:35 p.m. | New Delhi

Centre decides to allow export of indigenous ventilators after fall in COVID-19 fatality rate

The high-level Group of Ministers (GOM) on COVID-19 has agreed to the health ministry’s proposal to allow the export of indigenously made ventilators.

The decision was taken as India continues to maintain a progressively declining low rate of fatality among COVID-19 patients, which currently stands at 2.15%, “which means fewer numbers of active cases are on ventilators”, the Union health ministry said in a statement.

— PTI

5:25 p.m. | Delhi

Nearly 1 lakh challans issued by Delhi Police between June 15 and July 31

The Delhi Police has issued nearly one lakh challans between June 15 and July 31 for not wearing masks, spitting in public places and violating social distancing norms in the national capital, officials said on Saturday. As many as 97,417 challans were issued in 15 police districts during this period, they said.

Of the total number of challans, a maximum of 9,524 were issued in outer district, followed by south district 9,417, southeast district 7,724 and west district 7,507, among others.

— AP

5:05 p.m. | Delhi

1,118 fresh COVID-19 cases; 26 more deaths in Delhi

The national capital recorded 1,118 fresh coronavirus cases, and 26 deaths due to the disease in the last 24 hours, authorities said on Saturday.

The city has so far recorded a total of 1,36,716 cases, of which 1,22,131 have recovered, been discharged or migrated.

— PTI

4:55 p.m. | Belgavi

Students of  Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences asked to vacate hostel premises in view of rising COVID-19 cases

Warden of the Sushruta hostel issued an order to students asking them to vacate the hostel immediately.

The order issued on Thursday, said : "One of the post graduate students has tested positive. All inmates have to vacate the hostel with immediate effect till further orders. This is to prevent the spread of the disease to others. The inmates have to make their own arrangements’’.

Members of the Karnataka resident doctors association sent a letter to the government criticising the sudden order and the lack of alternate arrangements for them.

— Special Correspondent

4:45 p.m. | Tripura

Single-day recoveries outnumber new COVID-19 cases in Tripura

For the first time since a spurt in COVID-19 cases, Tripura has registered more number of recoveries than fresh infections on a single day, a health official said on Saturday.

While the state’s COVID-19 caseload inched towards the 5,000-mark as 275 more people tested positive for the infection, a record 365 people were cured of the disease and discharged from various Corona Care Centres (CCCs) and District Corona Hospitals (DCHs) on Friday.

— PTI

4:30 p.m. | Uttar Pradesh

47 deaths, 3,807 new coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh; total count 89,068

Forty-seven more people died from coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday as 3,807 fresh cases took the state’s infection tally to 89,068.

So far, the infection has claimed 1,677 lives in the state, Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters on Saturday.

— PTI

4:20 p.m. | Kolkata

Nabanna to remain closed on Monday, Tuesday for sanitisation after sub-inspector tests COVID-19 positive

West Bengal’s state secretariat ‘Nabanna’ will be closed on Monday and Tuesday as it will be thoroughly sanitised after a sub-inspector posted in the buiding tested positive for COVID-19, an official said.

The SI was posted in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on the 14th floor, he said.West Bengal’s state secretariat ‘Nabanna’ will be closed on Monday and Tuesday as it will be thoroughly sanitised after a sub-inspector posted in the buiding tested positive for COVID-19, an official said.

The SI was posted in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on the 14th floor, he said.

— PTI

4:20 p.m. | Berlin

Berlin protesters rally against virus restrictions

Protesters against coronavirus restrictions have gathered in Berlin for a demonstration titled The end of the pandemic — freedom day. It comes amid increasing concern about an upturn in infections in Germany.

A crowd of people whistling and cheering — and with few masks in sight — marched from the Brandenburg Gate on Saturday ahead of a rally on a wide boulevard that runs through the city’s Tiergarten park.

— AP

4:10 p.m.

India's recovery rate stands at 64.53% amongst COVID-19 patients

According to a press release by the Ministry of Health, the total number of recovered cases in the country is nearly 11 lakh. With 36,569 patients discharged in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries have jumped to 10,94,374. The recovery rate stands at 64.53% amongst COVID-19 patients.

With such consistent increase in recoveries, the gap between recovered patients and active COVID-19 cases currently stands at 5,29,271. Active cases (5,65,103) are under medical supervision, the release said.

— PTI

4:00 p.m.

India’s Case Fatality Rate (CFR) lowest at 2.15% since first lockdown: Health Ministry

According to a press release , India continues to maintain the record of registering and maintaining the lowest COVID-19 mortality rate at the global platform. The Case Fatality Rate stands at 2.15% today and it is lowest since the first lockdown started. It has been continuously reducing from around 3.33% in mid-June.

 

3:45 p.m. | Gujarat

WHO suggests Ahmedabad COVID-19 measures as case study: Gujarat govt.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has appreciated the management of COVID-19 in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad and suggested to take up various measures being implemented in the city as a case study for rest of India and other countries, the state government said on Saturday.

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan has appreciated the COVID-19 management in Ahmedabad, it said.

— PTI

3:25 p.m. | Tripura

COVID-19 patient ends life by jumping off hospital building in Tripura

A 31-year-old COVID-19 patient allegedly died by suicide by jumping off the third floor of a hospital building in Tripura on Saturday, police said.

The man, a resident of Muhuripur village in South Tripura district, was admitted to the state-run Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital here on Friday after allegedly consuming poison, they said.

— PTI

3:15 p.m. | Kolkata

Kolkata gang duped people over COVID tests, arrested

Three persons were arrested in Kolkata for allegedly duping people after taking money from them for COVID-19 tests, police said on Saturday.

Two of them were working as contractual laboratory assistants at different state-run hospitals in the city, a senior officer said.

— PTI

3:00 p.m. | Karnataka

Karnataka Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil, wife and son-in-law test positive for COVID-19

Karnataka Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil on Saturday said he and his wife have been under home quarantine after they were tested positive for coronavirus.

In a video message posted on Twitter, the Minister said he and his wife Vanaja were asymptomatic and there was no need for anyone to panic.

— PTI

2:45 p.m. | Singapore

Three India-returnees test positive for COVID-19 in Singapore

Three persons, including two children who returned from India, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Singapore, the Health Ministry has said, as the number of coronavirus infections in the country rose to 52,512.

A 13-year-old boy, who is a permanent resident here, and a 28-year-old woman on a dependant’s pass arrived from India on July 19, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

— PTI

2:30 p.m. | Guwahati

'Healthy improvement' in Guwahati's COVID-19 positivity rate, testing figures: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam's Health Minister said the Guwahati's COVID-19 testing figures has increased from 2112 on July 1 to 6240 on July 31. "On July 4 total, positive cases were 777, and on 31st July it was 281. On 4th July the positivity rate was 33.5%, and on 31st July it was 4.5%.- healthy improvement," he tweeted.

2:15 p.m. | Tamil Nadu

TNPL 2020 postponed again, may be held in November or March 2021

The fifth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) has been postponed for the second time due to the COVID-19 pandemic with TNCA now hoping to host the T20 event either in November this year or March next year.

The popular T20 league tournament, which was initially scheduled to run from June 10 to July 12, was put off by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association in May as the number of coronavirus cases rose in the State.

— PTI

2:00 p.m. | Telangana

Emulate Delhi model in fight against COVID-19, Union Minister tells States

All the states in the country need to emulate the “Delhi model” for controlling the spread of the coronavirus, Union Minister of state from Home G. Kishan Reddy said here on Saturday.

“I am requesting the state government (Telangana) to focus on testing, tracing and treatment. There is a need to increase the number of tests (in Telangana)," he added.

— PTI

1:40 p.m. | Karnataka

H.C. Mahadevappa demands probe on alleged corruption by State govt. in purchasing COVID-19 equipment

Former Minister H.C.Mahadevappa has demanded judicial probe on the alleged corruption by the State government in purchasing equipments to deal with COVID 19 pandemic and also urged to publish white paper.

He was addressing at a joint press conference with another former minister and MLA Priyank Kharge in Yadgir on Saturday.

— Staff Reporter

1:20 p.m. | Tokyo

Tokyo reports 3rd day of record numbers with 472

Japan’s capital recorded 472 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the third straight day of record numbers.

Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike issued a warning Saturday in an online video, urging people to wash their hands, wear masks and visit those businesses that display the special city-backed stickers with the image of a rainbow, which indicates good social distancing.

—  AP

1:10 p.m. | Puducherry

Two elderly persons succumb to COVID-19 in Puducherry; 139 new cases take overall tally to 3,593

Two elderly persons succumbed to COVID-19 in Puducherry while 139 fresh cases were reported on Saturday, a top Health department official said.

The 139 new cases took the overall tally in the union territory to3,593, Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a press release.

— PTI

1:00 p.m. | Delhi

Second round of sero survey begins in Delhi

The second round of sero-prevalence survey began in the national capital on Saturday, with the five-day exercise set to cover all districts and various demographic segments.

The exercise is being undertaken for a comprehensive assessment of the COVID-19 situation in Delhi.

— PTI

12:50 p.m. | Washington

Fauci confident virus vaccine will get to Americans in 2021

Dr. Anthony Fauci has said that he remains confident that a coronavirus vaccine will be ready by early next year, telling lawmakers that a quarter-million Americans already have volunteered to take part in clinical trials.

But if the future looks encouraging, public health alarms are still going off in the present.

— AP

12:40 p.m. | Mumbai

Mumbai hospital devises ‘kavach’ to move COVID-19 patients

In a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection among its medical staff, the state-run J J Hospital here has developed a transport chamber for contactless movement of COVID-19 patients within the premises.

Developed by the general surgery department of the hospital with the help of engineers of a firm named Indomed Devices, the patient transport ‘kavach’ aims to reduce the risk of infection among the hospital staff, visitors and other patients.

In a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection among its medical staff, the State-run J.J. Hospital here has developed a transport chamber for contactless movement of COVID-19 patients within the premises.

— PTI

12:30 p.m. | Telangana

Telangana reports 2,083 new COVID-19 cases in record single day spike

Telangana reported 2,083 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single day spike so far, breaching the two thousand mark for the first time, taking the tally of positive cases in the state to 64,786.

With 11 more deaths, the COVID-19 toll in the state rose to 530, a state government bulletin said on Saturday, providing data as of 8 pm on July 31

— PTI

12:20 p.m. | Odisha

Odisha’s COVID-19 tally rises to 33,479 with record 1,602 new cases

Odisha registered its highest single-day spike of 1,602 COVID-19 cases, pushing the state’s tally to 33,479, while the death toll rose to 187 with 10 more fatalities, a health department official said.

The deaths were reported from Ganjam, Khurda, Gajapati and Sundergarh districts, he said.

— PTI

12.10 pm | Pune

Pune Mayor alleges 400 unaccounted suspected COVID-19 deaths

Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol has alleged that at least 400 suspected COVID-19 deaths have gone unaccounted for in the city in July.

Mr. Mohol said he raised the issue during his meeting with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday, when the latter was in the city to take stock of the coronavirus situation.

Speaking on Friday, the mayor said that every month there are at least 400 to 500 deaths of suspected coronavirus patients that are going unaccounted for in Sassoon General Hospital and private hospitals in the city.

Following the allegations, Collector Naval Kishore Ram said an inquiry will be conducted into it and a report has been sought from Sassoon hospital.

11.40 am | World

Mexico now third in the world in terms of COVID-19 deaths

Mexico has become the country with the third most  COVID-19  deaths in the world, behind the United States and Brazil.

Mexican health officials said on Friday there were 688 deaths for the latest 24-hour reporting period, pushing the country’s total to 46,688. That put Mexico just ahead of the United Kingdom, which has 46,119, according to the tally by Johns Hopkins University. Mexico’s population is double that of Britain. - AP

11.10 am | Thane

Lockdown in containment zones of Thane extended till Aug 31

The coronavirus-induced lockdown has been extended till August 31 in the containment zones of Maharashtra’s Thane district, a senior official said on Saturday.

In a video address, district collector Rajesh Narvekar said concessions granted to the non-containment zones and the state government’s guidelines will be applicable to Thane rural, municipal council and Nagar Panchayat limits.

Containment zones identified by civic authorities of various towns and cities in Thane district will remain in lockdown till August 31, the collector said. - PTI

10.50 am | Kerala

Kerala police order officers above 50 off the field due to COVID-19

The death of a police officer in a hospital in Kottayam, Ajithan, 54, from complications caused by  COVID-19  early Saturday has sent alarm bells ringing in the State law enforcement.

The development has prompted State Police Chief Loknath Behera to order police officers above the age of 50 off the field . He has re-assigned officers in the vulnerable age group for station duty to  lessen their chance of exposure to the disease .

An initial report indicated that the Special Branch officer stationed in Idukki had contracted the infection from his wife. However, his death has spotlighted the risk of coronavirus infection faced by police officers who often worked in close proximity with each other and the public.

Also read: Why have COVID-19 cases surged in Kerala?

10.20 am | Vaccine

AstraZeneca to be exempt from coronavirus vaccine liability claims in most countries

With 25 companies testing their COVID-19 vaccine candidates on humans and getting ready to immunise hundred millions of people once the products are shown to work, the question of who pays for any claims for damages in case of side effects has been a tricky point in supply negotiations.

It is in this context that the news that AstraZeneca has been granted protection from future product liability claims related to its COVID-19 vaccine gains significance. The British-Swedish pharma company has partnered with Serum Institute of India (SII) to develop COVID-19 vaccine for India.

“This is a unique situation where we as a company simply cannot take the risk if in ... four years the vaccine is showing side effects,” Ruud Dobber, a member of Astra's senior executive team, told Reuters . “In the contracts we have in place, we are asking for indemnification. For most countries it is acceptable to take that risk on their shoulders because it is in their national interest,” he said, but stopped short of naming the countries. - Reuters

9.50 am | India

Over 57,000 new cases in the past 24 hours

India has again registered a record single-day jump of 57,118 cases in the past 24 hours, pushing India’s total COVID-19 tally to 16,95,988, the Union Health Ministry said in its daily bulletin early on Saturday.

The total death toll is now 36,511, with 764 new fatalities, it added.

The active COVID-19 case count stands at 5,65,103, while 10,94,374 people have recovered so far, according to the Union Health Ministry.

9.20 am | Noida

Prohibitory orders extended in Gautam Buddh Nagar till Aug 31

Restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which bars assembly of more than four people, have been extended till August 31 in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar district, an official order stated on Friday.

Political, social, sporting or religious congregations, protest rallies or processions will remain banned across Noida and Greater Noida during the period, the district police said.

Except for medical personnel and essential service providers, nobody would be allowed to go in or out of containment zones in Gautam Buddh Nagar, the order said. - PTI

9 am | India

Human clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ begins at Gorakhpur hospital

The human clinical trial of indigenously developed Covaxin, a possible vaccine against coronavirus, began at a hospital in Gorakhpur, officials said.

The trial began on Thursday evening at Rana Hospital and Trauma Centre, which is among the 12 institutes selected for clinical trials of the vaccine, officials said.

Those who were administered the vaccine have been kept under observation and all of them are “absolutely fine”, said Chief Administrative Officer of the hospital, Venketesh Chaturvedi. - PTI

8.30 am | Economy

Historic recessions

The eurozone registers a historic 12.1% collapse in the second quarter, according to Eurostat.

France's economy slumps a record 13.8% over the period following a strict coronavirus lockdown that slammed consumer spending, the INSEE statistics agency says.

Spain also records an 18.5% plunge in GDP, as a result of one of Europe's most stringent lockdowns which battered its key tourism industry. Portugal's economy plunges by 14.1% and Italy's an unprecedented 12.4%. - AFP

8 am | World

Large U.S. COVID-19 vaccine trials will exclude pregnant women for now

The first two COVID-19 vaccines to enter large-scale U.S. trials will not be tested in pregnant women this year, raising questions about how this vulnerable population will be protected from the coronavirus, researchers told Reuters .

Moderna and Pfizer, which has partnered with Germanys BioNTech , this week separately launched clinical trials that use a new and unproven gene-based technology. Both companies are requiring proof of a negative pregnancy test and a commitment to using birth control from women of childbearing age who enroll. - Reuters

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