Coronavirus HIGHLIGHTS: Goa Govt Extends COVID-19 Curfew Till August 2
Coronavirus HIGHLIGHTS Sunday, July 25: More than 45.37 crore vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far and a further 11,79,010 doses are in the pipeline, Union Health Ministry informed.
Tamil Nadu continued to report a decline in fresh COVID-19 cases, with the state logging 1,808 infections on Sunday, including a returnee from New Delhi, pushing the tally to 25,48,497.
The state has seen a steady decline in cases since July 20 when it recorded 1,904 cases. On Saturday, 1,819 people tested positive for the virus. The number of fatalities mounted to 33,911 with 22 more people succumbing to the virus in the last 24 hours.
Recoveries continued to outnumber fresh cases with 2,447 people getting discharged, aggregating to 24,91,222 leaving 23,364 active cases, a health department bulletin said.
As many as 34 districts reported new infections in double digits, while there were no fresh deaths in 27 districts. A total of 1,44,219 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined to 3,65,34,735 till date.
The Goa government on Sunday extended the coronavirus-induced curfew in the state till August 2. The curfew, which was first imposed on May 9, has since been extended from time to time considering the number of infections in the coastal state.
"The State Level Curfew Order will be extended upto 7 am, 2nd August 2021, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant tweeted.
Goa's COVID-19 tally reached 1,70,491 on Sunday after 75 cases were detected during the day, while the death toll rose by six to touch 3,132, an official said.
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has collected a fine of Rs 3.57 crore from 70,583 people and establishments for the violation of COVID-19 norms since May last year, an official said on Sunday.
An NMMC PRO said a fine of Rs 22.88 lakh was collected from 2,442 people and establishments in the last two weeks for flouting the guidelines. He said the civic body has set up 31 special squads.
The action was also taken on pubs and restaurants for operating beyond the stipulated timings. A fine of Rs 50,000 was collected while some establishments were sealed, he added.
Six more Covid-related deaths took the toll to 16,266 in Punjab on Sunday, while 54 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 5,98,794, according to a medical bulletin.
The toll also includes two deaths which were not reported earlier, according to the bulletin. The number of active cases is 699 in the state. With 117 recoveries from the infection, the number of cured persons has reached 5,81,829, it said.
A total of 1,19,12,389 samples have been collected for testing so far in the state, the bulletin said. The infection tally stood at 61,927 in the Union Territory.
The death toll stands at 809. With four patients being discharged after they recovered from the infection, the number of cured persons has reached 61,085, it said.
Haryana on Sunday reported two Covid-related deaths, which took the cumulative toll to 9,619, while 22 fresh cases pushed the tally to 7,69,739 in the state, according to a health department bulletin. The latest deaths were reported from Hisar and Bhiwani districts, it said.
Of the fresh cases, seven were reported from Gurgaon and three from Faridabad, according to the bulletin. The total recoveries so far are 7,59,405, while the recovery rate is 98.66 per cent, it said. There are 715 active cases in the state.
Mumbai reports 362 new Covid cases, 539 recoveries and 10 deaths.
Active cases: 5,610
Total recoveries: 7,10,348
Death toll: 15,776
A total of 10,134 doses of coronavirus vaccine were administered in Delhi on Sunday, taking the cumulative number to over 96 lakh, according to the Cowin portal. The vaccines were administered at only one government centre and 76 private centres as the former remain closed on Sunday. The city administered 69,893 doses on Saturday, 21,253 out of which were first doses while 48,640 were second doses.
The vaccination bulletin issued by the Delhi government on Sunday said the city had 70,900 doses of Covishield along with 2,16,140 Covaxin shots. The government has said that only 20 per cent of Covaxin stocks can be used for the first dose, since its reserves are limited and its delivery cycles irregular. Also, on account of limited stocks of Covishield, the government has directed its stocks to be used only for the second dose till July 31 at all its centres.
The bulletin said that many in the 18-44 age group will be qualifying for the second dose in the coming weeks. The city has administered over 96 lakh doses, including 23,84,076 second doses.
Delhi reports 66 new Covid cases, 72 recoveries, and two deaths in the last 24 hours.
Active cases: 579
Total recoveries: 14,10,288
Death toll: 25,043
Jerusalem:New data from Israel and the UK is showing a contradictory picture on the effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine in fighting off the Delta variant, the media reported.
A new Health Ministry statistics from Israel indicated that, on average, the Pfizer-BioNTech shot is now just 39 per cent effective against infection, while being only 41 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic Covid-19.
Previously, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was well over 90 per cent effective against infection, reports The Times of Israel.
Meanwhile, a new UK study published this week in The New England Journal of Medicine found the same vaccine to be 88 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic Covid-19 -- more than twice the rate found in the Israeli data.
Israel's research agreed, at least, that the shot was highly effective in avoiding serious illness, at 91.4 per cent effectiveness, the report said.
Some analysts have warned that the figures on vaccine effectiveness are prone to major inaccuracies because of a range of factors, including questions over whether there is accurate data on infection levels among the non-vaccinated, which is vital for such stats.
The Israeli statistics also appeared to paint a picture of protection that gets weaker as months pass after vaccination, due to fading immunity.
People vaccinated in January were said to have just 16 per cent protection against infection now, while in those vaccinated in April, effectiveness was at 75 per cent. (IANS)
Islamabad: The Pakistan government has banned people, over the age of 18, who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 from domestic air travel, the media reported on Sunday.
According to a document issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), available with Dawn, it has been decided that no unvaccinated citizens of 18-year age and above will be allowed to undertake domestic air travel from August 1.
"Restriction is for domestic air travel and people travelling from Pakistan to abroad or from abroad to Pakistan are exempted from restriction. It is also not applicable on link flights if these are within 72 hours of arrival or departure," the document states.
However partially vaccinated individuals, foreign nationals, Pakistani nationals having documentary proof of vaccination abroad and patients who are clinically advised against vaccination due to risk of reaction are exempted from restriction.
This announcement comes as Pakistan's overall Covid-19 caseload and death toll have increased to 1,004,694 and 23,016, respectively. (IANS)
More than 45.37 crores (45,37,70,580) vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far, through all sources and a further 11,79,010 doses are in the pipeline, Union Health Ministry informed.
"During festivals and gaiety, do remember that coronavirus is not yet gone from amidst us. You don't have to forget corona-related protocols": PM Narendra Modi in 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme.
Karnataka Unlock: In view of the decreasing cases of coronavirus in Karnataka, the Karnataka government further eased restrictions and has allowed the reopening of amusement parks and other such places along with the resumption of religious activities at religious places from today.
An order issued by N Manjunath Prasad, Principal Secretary, Revenue Department (Disaster Management), said, “Amusement parks and other such places have been allowed to reopen with strict adherence to COVID rules. Guidelines have been issued in this regard by the Department of Health and Family Welfare".
The places of water sports and water-related entertainment have not been allowed to open. Apart from this, religious activities have been allowed in temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and other religious places from July 25 with strict compliance with COVID rules.
"Places of worship (Temples, Mosques, Churches, Gurudwaras, and other religious places) are allowed to open and related activities pertaining to the places of worship are permitted from July 25," the order stated.
As per the order, the holding of temple festivals, processions, and religious gatherings are not allowed. Earlier this month, the government allowed only darshan, while allowing religious places to open. There was a ban on special services or other activities.
Singapore: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has assured Singapore's senior citizens that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and urged them to get the doses, even as the city-state recorded its 37th coronavirus-linked fatality on Sunday.
An unvaccinated 83-year old woman is the latest COVID-19 fatality here. She developed a fever and cough on June 16 but did not seek medical attention until she was taken to National University Hospital on June 18, where she tested positive for COVID-19 the next day, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement.
In a video posted on social media on Saturday, Prime Minister Lee said, Don't wait till it's too late."
Most people your age are already vaccinated, including many of your friends and neighbours. Protect yourself, and your family too, said the Prime Minister.
"There is continuing evidence that vaccination helps to prevent serious disease when one gets infected," the MOH added.
Singapore reported 130 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, 127 of whom were from the community and three were imported (or people who arrived here from abroad).
As of Saturday, Singapore has reported a total of 64,057 COVID-19 cases.
A 27-year-old Indian national, who works as an engineer at Ecoxplore, and a 32-year-old Indonesian domestic worker are linked to one of the closed clusters, according to a Channel News Asia report.
The MOH said the overall number of new cases in the community has increased from 238 in the week before to 1,027 cases in the past week.
A total of 490 cases are in hospital, with most well and under observation. Six of the new cases are people above the age of 70 years who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated (first dose of injection) and are at risk of serious illness, the MOH added.
Nine people above 60-years-old, who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, have fallen very ill, said the MOH.
There are 12 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and one in critical condition in the intensive care unit. None of the 13 cases is fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, a popular Indian restaurant, Samy's Curry at Dempsey, has been shut for two weeks until August 8 for cleaning as it became a cluster of COVID-19 cases.
"Our epidemiological investigations have found that there is likely ongoing transmission at the restaurant," media reports quoted the MOH.
All staff at the restaurant have been placed on quarantine. Free COVID-19 tests will also be offered to people who had visited the restaurant between July 19 and 23.
The MOH said all visitors to the Dempsey area, where a wide range of eateries and restaurants operate, should monitor their health closely and minimise social interactions as much as possible, for 14 days from their date of visit. They are encouraged to see a doctor immediately if they feel unwell.
There are currently 26 active COVID-19 clusters in Singapore, ranging between three and 741 infections, according to the news channel's report.
Over the last 28 days, 11 local cases required oxygen supplementation and were admitted to ICU or passed away. Six are unvaccinated, five are partially vaccinated and none was fully vaccinated.
Mandatory COVID-19 testing is conducted across apartment blocks where coronavirus-linked cases are detected.
This is done to uncover community infection cases, the MOH said on Saturday. (PTI)
Background
Coronavirus HIGHLIGHTS Sunday, July 25: More than 45.37 crores (45,37,70,580) vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far, through all sources and a further 11,79,010 doses are in the pipeline, Union Health Ministry informed.
Maharashtra on Saturday reported 6,269 fresh coronavirus positive cases and 224 fatalities, taking the tally to 62,58,079 and the toll to 1,31,429, a health department official said.
A total of 7,332 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, pushing the number of recoveries in Maharashtra to 60,29,817, leaving the state with 93,479 active cases.
Maharashtra's COVID-19 recovery rate now stands at 96.35 per cent whereas the fatality rate is 2.1 per cent, the official said.
Parbhani city in the Marathwada region did not record any new coronavirus infection for the third day in a row, he said.
Mumbai saw 410 new cases and 9 deaths due to COVID-19, taking the tally to 7,33,754 and the toll to 15,827, the official said.
On the other hand, no death due to COVID-19 was recorded in Delhi on Saturday, while 66 fresh cases were reported with a positivity rate of 0.09 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.
This is the second time since the starting of the second wave of the pandemic in the national capital that zero fatality has been logged in a day. On July 18 too, no death was recorded, while 51 cases of COVID-19 were registered in the city.
Prior to that on March 2 this year, the national capital had reported zero death due to the virus. On that day, the number of single-day infections stood at 217 and the positivity rate was 0.33 per cent.
The second wave had swept the city during April-May period. The number of cumulative cases on Saturday stood at 14,35,844. Over 14.1 lakh patients have recovered from the virus.
The number of active cases increased to 587 on Saturday from 573 a day before, as per the bulletin. The number of people under home isolation decreased to 159 from 167 on Friday while the number of containment zones dropped to 317 from 322 a day before, the bulletin said.
Meanwhile, Kerala continued to lead the rest of the country in terms of daily COVID cases, as 18,531 people turned positive in the state after 1,55,568 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a statement here on Saturday.
A total of 98 persons lost their battle against COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the state's overall COVID death toll to 15,969.
In a glimmer of hope, the test positivity rate, which stood at 13 per cent on Friday, dropped to 11.91 per cent on Saturday.
According to the COVID data released on Friday, Kerala accounted for 45 per cent of the total cases in the country.
The number of active cases in the state stood at 1,38,124 on Saturday, which is higher when compared to the national figures.
The Chief Minister said that a total of 15,507 persons recovered from the disease on Saturday, taking the southern state's total number of recoveries to 30,99,469.
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