The week-long lockdown in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts, from Tuesday night, will have more restrictions than the previous lockdown.
- Shops selling essential items will be open only till noon
- Pharmacies and all other health-related services will remain open all day
- Only emergency trips are allowed within the city
- Examinations already scheduled will be held as planned and students can use their admission tickets as travel passes.
- Inter-district and inter-State travel will be restricted.
- People will be permitted to travel only in cases of emergency after availing themselves of passes on the Seva Sindhu portal.
Also read:Thousands leave Bengaluru in the hope of avoiding lockdown
Here is a list of State Helpline numbers . You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here .
Here are the latest updates:
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister announces ₹15k for last rites of COVID victims
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday announced Rs 15,000 for the final rites of those who died of COVID-19, a decision taken after the Opposition TDP criticised the government for alleged inhuman handling of bodies of coronavirus victims.
The Chief Minister also warned that the government would take strict action against COVID hospitals if they were found denying medical treatment to patients.
Bihar government clamps lockdown from July 16-31 to halt sharp rise in COVID cases
Rattled by an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases, the Bihar government on Tuesday announced a 15-day lockdown that would come into force later this week and remain in effect till the end of July.
A government order said restrictions between July 16 and July 31 will remain applicable to all district, sub-division and block headquarters and municipal areas. Government offices, private and commercial establishments, barring some exceptions, and places of religious worship and educational institutions will remain closed.
The announcement came as the state registered its worst daily increase in COVID-19 patients with 1,432 cases.
West Bengal extends total lockdown in containment zones till July 19
The West Bengal government on Tuesday extend the total lockdown in containment zones till July 19.
According to a notification by the Home Department, the rigorous containment in these areas would be extended from July 15 to July 19.
These zones are located in and around Kolkata, besides Jalpaiguri, Malda, Cooch Behar, Raiganj and Siliguri, it said
Madhya Pradesh reports 798 new cases
Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday recorded 798 new COVID-19 cases, its steepest single-day surge. The tally has climbed to 19,005. The number of active cases stands at 4,757. Ten patients died of the illness on the day, taking the State-wide death toll to 673. As for recoveries, 367 patients were discharged from hospitals on the day. So far, 13,575 persons have been cured of the illness, says the State Directorate of Health Services.
Human clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccine initiated in India: ICMR
Human clinical trials for a vaccine for COVID-19 has been initiated in the country with approximately 1,000 volunteers participating in the exercise for each of the two indigenously developed vaccine candidates, the ICMR said on Tuesday.
Since India is one of the largest vaccine producers in the world, it is the country’s “moral responsibility” to fast-track vaccine development process to break the chain of coronavirus transmission, ICMR Director General Dr. Balram Bhargava said referring to the two vaccine candidates developed indigenously.
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has permitted two vaccines -- one developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and another one by Zydas Cadila Healthcare Ltd to go in for the first and second phase of human clinical trials.
Tamil Nadu government includes Yoga & Naturopathy in battle against COVID-19, says over 61,000 benefited
The Tamil Nadu government, which has included Yoga and Naturopathy in addition to Siddha as add on for COVID-19 treatment has found this method improves the lung health and enhances immunity of the persons concerned.
Over 61,000 people have already benefited through Yoga and Naturopathy treatment and if the need arises, this treatment facility would be widely expanded, Health minister Dr C Vijaya Bhaskar said on Tuesda
Gujarat reports 915 new cases
Gujarat records 915 new COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths, increasing its numbers to 2071 deaths and 43723 infections. So far, 30555 patients discharged while 11097 active cases.
Punjab Minister tests COVID-19 positive
Punjab cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, the first minister in the state to contract the infection, a health official said.
The Rural Development and Panchayats minister had undergone a COVID-19 last Friday after his department’s director tested positive for the disease.
Odisha to launch plasma therapy in three COVID hospitals from Wednesday
The Odisha government on Tuesday decided to start plasma therapy to treat critically ill patients in three dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, officials said.
The decision was taken at a review meeting presided by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The plasma therapy will be introduced in SUM Hospital and KIIMs hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Ashiwini Hospital in Cuttack, they said.
Maharashtra government orders probe into mention of COVID-19 on marksheets
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday ordered an inquiry after marksheets of agriculture universities in the state were found to have the words “promoted COVID-19” stamped on them.
Agriculture minister Dada Bhuse ordered inquiry after BJP leader Ashish Shelar raised the issue.
“It has come to light that marksheets of agriculture universities have ‘promoted COVID-19’ stamps. This is wrong and unjust for students,” tweeted Mr. Shelar, a former Minister.
In a letter to the director general of Maharashtra Council of Agriculture Education and Research and vice- chancellors of agriculture universities, Mr. Bhuse said the government had not given any instruction that marksheets should mention that the student has been promoted (without holding examination) due to the pandemic.
The Minister ordered an inquiry into the matter and action will be taken against those found responsible, an official statement said.
Eight held for black marketing of COVID-19 drugs
Eight people who allegedly indulged in black marketing of emergency drugs used for COVID-19 patients were taken into custody here on Tuesday.
Based on specific information, police teams nabbed the eight, who were black marketing generic versions of Remdesivir and other drugs which are being used as anti-viral medicine for COVID-19 patients, Hyderabad Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar told reporters.
Hotels in Kolkata offer rooms to house asymptomatic COVID-19 patients
Some budget hotels in Kolkata have proposed to act as satellite centres for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to meet the demand for beds in overburdened hospitals and at the same time tide over dwindling footfalls in their properties due to the pandemic, an umbrella body for hotels said.
The hotels have put forward a proposal to the hospitals about offering 200 rooms which will house asymptomatic coronavirus patients.
ITBP’s COVID-19 positive personnel to help in Delhi’s largest corona centre; helpline number issued
About a dozen coronavirus affected Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and some other CAPFs personnel have been admitted to the Delhi’s largest COVID care centre so that they can get cured and also help in better management of patient health services at the sprawling complex, officials said on Tuesday.
The ITBP, that runs the centre, also publicised telephone helpline numbers and an email id that can be used by coronavirus infected people to get admission at the newly created Sardar Patel centre located at the Radha Soami Beas campus in south Delhi’s Chhattarpur area.
The officials said about a dozen COVID-19 positive ITBP and some other Central Armed Police Forces personnel have been admitted to this over 10,000 bed facility keeping in mind the two goals of not only getting them cured but also getting their help in being the ‘eyes and ears’ of the healthcare staff deployed there.
80 Metro Rail workers test positive in Karnataka, shifted to COVID centre
About 80 workers associated with the Metro Rail work have been found infected with the coronavirus, a Bangalore Metrol Rail Corporation Limited official said on Tuesday.
“About 80 workers working at the Reach-6 underground work tested positive for coronavirus last week,” BMRCL chief public relations officer B L Yashwanth Chavan told PTI.
Jitendra Singh, Ram Madhav in self-quarantine
Union minister Jitendra Singh and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav have gone into self-quarantine after party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit president Ravinder Raina, who had accompanied them to the residence of a slain party leader, tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday.
Guidelines for online classes
Schools can have live online classes for a maximum of 1.5 hours per day for Classes 1-8, and 3 hours per day for Classes 9-12, according to the Pragyata guidelines for digital education released by the HRD Ministry today. For kindergarten, nursery and pre-school, only 30 minutes of screen time per day for interacting with parents is recommended.
More than 20 persons test positive at BJP's Bihar headquarters
More than 20 people, including four senior office-bearers of the BJP, have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Party’s headquarters, said its Bihar unit chief Sanjay Jaiswal on Tuesday.
Reports in a section of the medi, however, stated that the number of people found infected was as high as 75.
Mr. Jaiswal, nonetheless, maintained “only 24 samples are positive. These reports are of preliminary rapid tests and we are still awaiting the results of the comprehensive QT-RPR. None of those who have tested positive are having any symptoms. Yet, by way of abundant caution, they have all quarantined themselves at home“.
He said the samples were collected on Monday upon the request of the Party office, after it was learnt that a person who visited the premises recently had tested positive.
- PTI
J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina tests positive
Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, who had visited slain colleague Waseem Bari’s residence along with several leaders in Bandipora, on Tuesday said he has tested positive for COVID-19. Mr. Raina said he visited north Kashmir’s Bandipora area to take part in last rites of former BJP district president Waseem Bari, his father and brother, who were killed by terrorists last week outside their home.
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Raina and other party leaders had later on Sunday visited Bari’s residence.
- PTI
Bihar records highest single-day spike of 1,432 cases
Bihar recorded the worst single-day spike of 1,432 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, which pushed the total tally in the State to 18,853, the Health Department said.
Of the 1,432 cases, Patna reported the maximum number of patients at 162, followed by East Champaran at 124, Begusarai at 114, Nalanda at 107, Nawada at 92, Bhagalpur at 61, West Champaran at 58, Siwan at 55 and Muzaffarpur at 54.
Tuesday marked the third consecutive day when Bihar reported fresh COVID-19 cases in four digits.
- PTI
CSIR-CCMB awaits ICMR approval to scale up COVID-19 testing three-fold with dry swabs
CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has asserted that the current testing capacity of 2 lakh tests a day across the country can be quickly scaled to 6 lakh tests a day by collecting dry swabs from patients for safer, cheaper and faster COVID-19 testing, said Director Rakesh Mishra on Tuesday.
“This method has been validated and tested by two other institutions - Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) here and Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Berhampur, Odisha. We had approached the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for approval in June first week and an appropriate advisory is expected soon which will help in getting more tests done at much lower costs giving us a better chance at managing the pandemic,” he said in an exclusive interaction.
A shift towards dry swab testing will immediately entail a saving of up to ₹75 crore a day.
Health Ministry issues guidelines for prescription of medicines
At a press conference on COVID-19 situation in the country, Rajesh Bhushan, OSD, Health and Family Welfare, said that based on advice given by technical experts, the Health Ministry has issued standard clinical protocol , which lays down the medicines to be used and other measures to use taken at the three stages: mild, moderate and critical. The indigenously produced medicines are subject to price control.
There is also a separate category of investigational therapy included in the standard clinical protocol. Under this, we have plasma therapy, use of remdesivir and tocilizumab...these are the drugs produced by certain specified manufacturers which are limited in number and therefore, they have a relatively higher price.
As a proactive measure, the Drug Controller General of India has written to the manufacturers on guidelines to be followed while publicising helpline numbers and other necessary information on their websites for those requiring the drugs
- Devesh. K. Pandey
'India has a role to play in vaccine production'
Close to 60% of the vaccines supplied in the world are of Indian origin. India is perceived as an important vaccine supplier in the world. So, any vaccine candidate which is produced or developed in any part of the world will ultimately have to be scaled up by India or China, since they are the major producers of vaccines in the world, DG ICMR Balram Bhargava said at the Covid-19 press conference.
Any developed nation developing a vaccine is aware of that and they are in communication with India for distribution.
Meanwhile, there are two Indian indigenous vaccine candidates which have successfully completed toxicity studies in rats, mice and rabbits. The results were submitted to the Drug Controller General of India, which gave approval for phase 1 and II human trials.
Sites for tests are ready and about 1,000 human volunteers each, at different sites, would be covered for early clinical testing. Pre-clinical experiments on the vaccine candidates, and others, are also being conducted.
- Devesh. K. Pandey
22 States adhering to WHO's 'comprehensive' testing guidelines
WHO released a guidance note on public health criteria in the context of Covid-19, as per which it underlines the need for comprehensive surveillance and testing of suspected cases. The note elaborates the concept of "comprehensive" saying if you are testing 140 people per day per million, that would be indicative of comprehensive.
22 States are conducting more than 140 tests per day per million. The maximum of 1,058 was conducted by Goa, while the minimum value of 149 was recorded in Mizoram. We advise the other States/UTs to follow the WHO guideline on number of testing, said Secretary ( Health) Rajesh Bhushan, at the COVID-19 press conference.
- Devesh. K. Pandey
Recovery rates on the rise: Centre
At the national level, the recovery rate has increased to 63.02%. Meanwhile, in 20 States the recovery rate is much higher than that, Secretary ( Health) Rajesh Bhushan said at the Covid-19 press conference. Ladakh had the maximum recovery rate at 87%. Recovery rates of some of the other States are:
Uttarakhand - 79%, Chhattisgarh - 76%, Haryana -76%, Himachal Pradesh - 76%, Rajasthan - 75%, M.P. - 73%, Chandigarh - 72%, Tripura - 71%, U.P. - 64%, Odisha - 67%, Assam - 65%, Gujarat - 70%, Tamil Nadu - 65%
- Devesh. K. Pandey
There is a progressive increase in recoveries in comparison to active cases: Centre
At a press conference on the COVID-19 situation in the country, Secretary ( Health) Rajesh Bhushan says recoveries are 1.8 times the number of active cases. There are currently 3,11,565 active cases, as against 5,71,459 recovered cases. 86% of the total active cases is limited to only 10 States.
50% of the cases are from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, and 36% cases from Karnataka, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Assam.
From May 2 to 30, active cases were more than the recovered cases. After that, the trend has changed, now recovered cases are 1.8 times the currently active cases.
- Devesh. K. Pandey
There is a progressive decline in growth of new cases: Centre
In a press conference on COVID-19 situation in the country, Secretary ( Health) Rajesh Bhushan says there is a there is a progressive decline in growth of new cases in the country.
The current situation is that there are 657 cases per million population in India, compared to 1,638 in the rest of the world. Death per million population in India is 17.2, compared to 73 in the rest of the world. The maximum deaths per million population is 660 in the U.K., he adds.
The daily growth rate of new cases has reduced from over 35% around March 22 to 3.24% on July 12, he says.
- Devesh. K. Pandey
IIT Delhi’s low-cost testing kit to be launched commercially tomorrow
A low-cost COVID-19 testing kit developed by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi that uses an alternative testing method will be launched on Wednesday, according to the institute's director.
IIT Delhi, which became the first academic institute to develop a COVID-19 testing method, gave non-exclusive open licence to companies for commercialising the test, but with a price rider.
While the institute had kept a price rider of Rs 500 per kit, the company Newtech Medical Devices, which is launching the kit named ‘corosure’ on Wednesday, has not announced the price yet.
- PTI
Amid rising cases on premises, Gujarat High Court to hear only fresh and urgent matters for next three days
With the number of coronavirus positive cases on the premises of the Gujarat High Court rising to 17 from seven reported last week, its Chief Justice on Tuesday ordered listing for hearing only fresh matters of urgent nature from Wednesday to Friday this week.
The judicial functioning of the High Court was suspended for three days last week after detection of seven cases.
In view of the recent developments and the need to strike a balance between the interests of all the stakeholders, only fresh matters of urgent nature like those relating to bails, parole-furlough matters, Habeas Corpus, detention, and urgent fresh civil matters shall be listed during this period, stated a circular issued by the Registrar General of the High Court.
- PTI
Haryana likely to introduce curbs to check spread of virus
With some Haryana districts falling in the National Capital Region seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, Home Minister Anil Vij on Tuesday indicated that stricter curbs may be imposed in the worst-affected areas to contain spread of the infection.
Of the over 22,000 cases in the State as of Tuesday, three districts alone--Gurgaon, Faridabad and Sonipat, all of which fall in the NCR, contributed to nearly 15,000 of the cases and also to nearly 75 per cent of the total fatalities.
“Eighty per cent of our total cases come from these districts (Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat, Jhajjar). If need arises, in the interest of Haryana, if we have to impose stricter curbs to contain spread of infection we will not hesitate to do so, Mr. Vij said.
When asked if the State government could impose lockdown and other stricter measures in the worst-affected areas, Mr. Vij replied, in Haryana’s interest, whatever is required to be done, I will do that.
- PTI
West Bengal didn’t handle migrants' issue properly, says Bombay High Court
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said the migrants’ issue was not handled properly in West Bengal amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government there at one point of time even refused to permit labourers from other parts of the country to return to their homes.
A division Bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Anuja Prabhudessai made the observation while hearing a petition filed by Centre of Indian Trade Unions, a Mumbai-based trade union body, raising concerns over the plight of migrant workers stranded in Maharashtra in the wake of the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
“Do you know the situation in West Bengal? The government there at one point did not even permit migrant labourers to return...we do not want to say anything against anyone but the situation there was not handled properly, Chief Justice Datta said.
- PTI
From foot operated flushes to ionised A.C. air, Railways customises coaches for post COVID times
From foot-operated soap dispensers and toilet flushes to door handles manoeuvred with the forearm and handrails coated with anti-microbial copper, the Railways’ new coaches for post corona travel launched on Tuesday come packed with features to help stave off infection.
The first two coaches that rolled out from the Railway Coach Factory in Kapurthala also have fixtures coated with titanium dioxide and the provision for plasma air equipment in AC ducts to sterilise interiors using ionised air, officials said.
Giving details of the two coaches, one air-conditioned and other non-air conditioned, they said the use of hands to navigate washrooms and other parts has been brought down to a minimum, making them almost hands-free .
- PTI
Bihar extends lockdown till July 31
With a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, the Bihar government on Monday decided to impose a complete lockdown till July 31. Essential services, however, will be exempted.
Over 15 district, including capital Patna, are currently under lockdown for different time periods.
Meanwhile, as many as 24 State BJP leaders and workers have been found infected with COVID-19 in Patna.
- Amarnath Tewary
Andhra Pradesh adds Telangana, Karnataka to high-risk category States, issues fresh guidelines for travellers
The Andhra Pradesh government has added Telangana and Karnataka in the high-risk category States and have issued fresh guidelines for home and institutional quarantine for both domestic and international travellers.
Telangana and Karnataka - classified as low-risk in the earlier categorisation - join New Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu as States with a COVID-19 high-risk.
43 people booked for not wearing masks in Uttar Pradesh
The police booked 43 people for not wearing protective masks while stepping out in Kairana town of Shamli district, an official said on Tuesday. As part of a drive against violation of safety norms amid the coronavirus outbreak, the police have been cracking down on people wandering without wearing face masks.
— PTI
MHRD issues guidelines on education of children of migrant workers
HRD Ministry has issued guidelines to States and UTs about education of children of migrant workers who have returned home. States must ensure that names of children who have migrated to other areas during COVID-19 pandemic are not struck off school rolls, it said.
— PTI
Another policeman in Chennai dies of COVID-19
On Tuesday, yet another policeman succumbed to COVID-19 in Chennai. He is fourth member of the police to have lost his life due to the disease, in the city police.
The victim has been identified as Gurumurthy, 54, a sub-inspector who was attached to the Meenambakkam Police station. Following an illness, he was admitted to the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital in Omandurar last month. He died on Tuesday, without responding to treatment.
— Special Correspondent
Biophore India gets DCGI nod to manufacture COVID drug Favipiravir
Biophore India Pharmaceuticals, a city-based firm, has received license from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to manufacture Favipiravir, a drug used in the finished formulation to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.
Besides DCGI’s nod to produce the active pharmaceutical ingredient in India, it has been cleared for exports as well.
— PTI
No home quarantine for those coming to Punjab for less than 72 hours
Travellers coming to Punjab for less than 72 hours will be exempt from the mandatory 14-day home quarantine requirement, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Tuesday.
Singh said it has been decided to provide this concession to facilitate students wishing to come for examinations or business travellers etc, whose stay in the state is less than 72 hours from the time of their arrival.
— PTI
One more dies of COVID-19 in Jammu, toll reaches 18
A 47-year-old man died of COVID-19 at a hospital here on Tuesday, taking the death toll due to the disease in the Jammu region to 18, officials said.
This was the third death related to COVID-19 at Government Medical College (GMC) hospital here in the past four days.
— PTI
Indian Railways float fresh tender for coronavirus surveillance cameras
The Railways on Tuesday floated a fresh tender for coronavirus surveillance thermal cameras, removing a provision that led to Indian firms alleging that it favoured a Chinese firm while making it mandatory for vendors to list the country of origin of each item.
RailTel, a Railway PSU had floated the tender last month for AI-based surveillance cameras that measure body temperatures of individuals and even detects whether a person is wearing a mask or not.
— PTI
Tope warns of action against hospitals overcharging patients
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope has said strict action would be taken against private hospitals charging exorbitant fees from COVID-19 patients and for other treatments.
Mr. Tope was talking to reporters after a meeting with private doctors in the state’s Jalna district on Monday.
— PTI
Kolkata's East-West Metro corridor work affected after labourers test COVID-19 positive
Work on the East-West Metro corridor in Bowbazar locality of Kolkata was partially affected due to sanitisation of the area after a few workers tested positive for COVID-19, a KMRCL official said here on Tuesday.
However, there has been no suspension of the tunnelling work being done in the area, the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (KMRCL) official said.
— PTI
India will cross 10 lakh-mark of COVID-19 cases this week, says Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the total number of coronavirus cases in the country will cross the 10 lakh-mark this week. “This week, the figure of 10,00,000 will be crossed in our country,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.
Mr. Gandhi also tagged a news report quoting the WHO chief who had said that if concrete steps were not taken, the coronavirus situation in the world would turn from bad to worse.
— PTI
Flight carrying 101 students stranded in Ukraine arrives in MP
A special Air India flight carrying 101 Indian medical students, who were stranded in Ukraine due to the coronavirus-induced curbs, landed at the Indore airport in Madhya Pradesh on July 14 morning, an official said.
The flight reached the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport in Indore at 5.08 a.m., airport director Aryama Sanyal said.
She said 101 Indian students stranded in Ukraine arrived in Indore. They were screened at the airport and their belongings were sanitised.
During the screening at the airport, none of the passengers were found having coronavirus symptoms, said Amit Malakar, the nodal officer for COVID-19 prevention in Indore.
The passengers included medical students from Madhya Pradesh, as well as from Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, Assam and Tamil Nadu who were studying in different institutes in Ukraine, he said.
The passengers included 20 students from Indore who have been sent to a quarantine facility set up in a city hotel for seven days, he said, adding that the other passengers have also been sent to their native places.
— PTI
Plasma bank inaugurated at Delhi's LNJP hospital
Delhi got its second plasma bank on Tuesday, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurating the facility at the state-run Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital here for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The chief minister had inaugurated the first such facility at the state-run Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences on July 2.
“Plasma therapy is really helpful in saving lives. We cannot say it is 100 percent successful... but the death rate has reduced in Delhi and plasma has a role in it,” the chief minister said at the launch.
— PTI
Tamil Nadu CM tests negative for Coronavirus
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami has tested negative for COVID-19, for the second time in nearly a month, the government said on Tuesday.
On Monday, the Chief Minister and officials and staff at his camp office here underwent tests for Coronavirus and the results “confirmed that he and his staff at the camp office are not infected,” an official release said.
Grama panchayat president tests positive in Kozhikode
The Health Department is reportedly gearing up to conduct more lab tests in Thooneri grama panchayat near Nadapuram in Kozhikode district of Kerala where close to 40 people including the panchayat president and a panchayat official have been tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
According to sources, antigen tests were conducted there and the results were made available on Monday. The panchayat office has been closed now.
People who visited the area in recent days and the panchayat staff have been put under surveillance. Tests would be conducted on them, the sources added.
- Jayanth S
Odisha allows home isolation for COVID-19 patients with mild or no symptoms
The Odisha government on Monday allowed home isolation for novel coronavirus patients with mild or no symptoms, and urged corporates, central agencies and PSUs to create small facilities for treatment as cases continue to surge in the state.
Stating that the existing resources can be properly utilised if the mild cases remain in home isolation, Chief Secretary A.K. Tripathy said beds at the COVID hospitals could then be available for critical patients.
As part of the state governments changed strategy, it is decided to allow home isolation of asymptomatic, mild symptomatic COVID-19 patients in urban areas, such as the 114 urban local bodies, district and sub-divisional headquarters and even block headquarters, Tripathy said during a briefing.
The chief secretary said staying at home would also help mitigate stress, and reduce the psychological burden on asymptomatic and the patients having mild symptoms. A survey also suggests that patients with mild symptoms can recover fast in home isolation, he added. The state government has also received several requests from people to allow home isolation for such patients, he said. The patients will be in home under active surveillance of the health authorities, the officer said, adding that there was less chance of secondary infection if a patient was treated at home.
- PTI
COVID-19 impact: Domestic commercial vehicle sales in India declined nearly 85% in June
Domestic wholesale passenger vehicle sales in first quarter (April-June), 2020 declined by 78.43% to over 1.53 lakh units and production was down 83.95% to over 1.44 lakh units, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said on Tuesday. It added that domestic commercial vehicle sales in April-June 2020 was down nearly 85% to 31,636 units, while production was down 87.61% to 28,939 units.
SIAM noted that two-wheeler sales in the country in Q12020 fell 74% to over 12.93 lakh units and production was down by 78.48%. This is the longest and steepest slowdown for passenger vehicles segment since FY2001, lasting for nine quarters and nose diving 78% during the time: SIAM
- Yuthika Bhargava
41 people from Meghalaya who attended wedding in Assam booked, 10 of them COVID positive
A case was filed on Monday against 41 people who attended a wedding, violating the COVID-19 protocol, officials said.
The wedding was held in Guwahati in Assam on June 27 and a reception was here on July 2.
Magisterial inquiries have revealed that all the 41 who attended the wedding and the reception violated lockdown protocols and obtained interstate passes on dubious grounds, officials said, adding that so far 10 of them have tested positive for COVID-19.
“The complaint was received from the deputy commissioner against residents of Shillong who attended the wedding at the Green Wood Resort in Khanapara in Guwahati on June 27,” East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Sylvester Nongtynger told PTI . He said the case was registered at Sardar police station under relevant sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act and the Meghalaya Epidemic Diseases COVID-19 Regulation, 2020.
- PTI
Coronavirus immunity may disappear within months of recovery, study shows
Patients who recover from COVID-19 infections may lose their immunity to reinfection within months, according to research released on Monday that experts said could have a “significant” influence on how governments manage the pandemic.
In the first study of its kind, a team led by researchers from King’s College London examined the levels of antibodies in more than 90 confirmed virus patients and how they changed over time. Blood tests showed even individuals with only mild COVID-19 symptoms mounted some immune response to the virus.
Only 15 of 147 death claims of COVID-19 workers cleared
A Medical staff with PPE suit takes nasal swab during Rapid Antigen Test for the coronavirus at the Nehru Homeopathic Medical college at Defence colony in New Delhi on Saturday, July 11, 2020.
Only 15 of 147 death claims of public health workers fighting COVID-19 have been paid out so far under an insurance scheme announced in March, according to a Finance Ministry statement.
At a review meeting on Monday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was briefed about the current status of the scheme launched as part of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna by Health Ministry officials and the New India Assurance Company.
Bengal govt. appoints senior bureaucrats to tackle COVID-19
West Bengal on Monday appointed four senior IAS officers as nodal officers for the “supervision and coordination” of different activities to control the spread of COVID-19 in the State.
Nodal officers for Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Howrah were appointed after an order from Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha. State Home Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay has been appointed the nodal officer for Kolkata that has accounted for the highest number of COVID-19 cases and more than 500 deaths.
Active cases fall by 29.6% in Delhi
People in large number seen appearing for COVID-19 virus test at North West Delhi's Adarsh Nagar.
The total number of cases in New Delhi now stands at 1,13,740, according to a Delhi government health bulletin on Monday. Also, 40 more deaths have been reported, taking the toll to 3,411.
Of the total cases, 91,312 people have recovered and there are 19,017 active cases. Though the total cases in Delhi have been increasing, the active cases have been decreasing since July 1. The number of active cases was 27,007 on July 1 and has decreased by 29.6% to reach 19,017 on Monday.
Positive cases continue to rise in Kerala
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Monday that local transmission had resulted in 51 clusters, including two large community clusters. As more cases sprang up in the community, patients might report late to hospital and risk of infection among the elderly and those with co-morbidities could push up mortality.
Restrictions reimposed in parts of J&K after spike in COVID-19 cases
Barricades put up during a lockdown imposed by the authorities in Srinagar on Monday.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday reimposed stringent lockdown restrictions in parts of the Kashmir valley following a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases here. The administration, however, has decided to unlock the tourism sector. Barricades were put up and vehicular movement, except for essential services, was restricted in Srinagar.
10-day lockdown in Raigad from midnight of July 14
A complete lockdown for 10 days will come into force in Raigad district from the midnight of July 14. Raigad Guardian Minister Aditi Tatkare, who chaired a meeting of MLAs of all parties on Monday, said with the increasing COVID-19 cases, it is necessary to break the chain and hence, the lockdown is imperative.
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