Coronavirus HIGHLIGHTS: Maharashtra Records 14,152 New Covid Cases, 289 Deaths In Last 24 Hrs
Coronavirus HIGHLIGHTS, Friday, June 4, 2021: While the Modi government is working to ramp up vaccine production in the country to battle the shortage, the Biden administration said that increase in the manufacturing capacity of COVID-19 vaccines in India has the potential to be a game-changer well beyond its borders. America's top infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci also said that his country is eager to involve Indian investigators in global clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 therapeutics.
Jammu and Kashmir on Friday recorded 1,723 fresh COVID-19 cases, raising its tally to 2,97,602, while 34 more deaths pushed the fatality count 4,026 in the union territory, officials said. Of the fresh cases, 599 were from the Jammu division and 1,124 from the Kashmir division.
In a strong indication of the let-up in COVID-19 second wave across Bihar, the state on Friday reported less than 1,000 fresh cases, slightly over a score of fatalities, and was left with an active caseload a little above 10,000.
According to the health department, the number of fresh cases was 991, the lowest daily rise in the tally for the last couple of months during which close to five lakh people caught the contagion in the state.
Active cases: 1,96,894
Total cases: 58,05,565
Total discharges: 55,07,058
The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has cancelled all 9 global bids it received for supply of Covid-19 vaccines, but Mumbaikars may soon get the Sputnik V jabs, top officials said here on Friday.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that in early May, in view of the shortages of the life-saving doses, the BMC had floated global tenders for supply of around one crore vaccines which would be administered free to Mumbaikars, and the tender deadlines were extended twice.
Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, and CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), have collaboratively sequenced genomes of coronavirus variants in the temple town and adjoining areas.
Their study reports at least seven major strains of coronavirus circulating in these regions, a press release from the CCMB said on Friday.
Maharashtra has so far reported 6003 cases of Mucormycosis. 4024 patients are under treatment while 1450 have recovered from the disease. 503 patients have died due to mucormycosis in the state
With the second wave of coronavirus infections slowly declining, migrant workers have started returning to Delhi in search of employment. With the capital announcing the unlock phase, all migrant workers are quite hopeful of life returning to normal again.
A large number of migrant workers have started coming back from their native villages in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states at two of the busiest bus terminals -- Delhi's Anand Vihar and Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi bus terminal.
The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the stand of the Centre and the city government on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the death of 21 Covid patients at the Jaipur Golden Hospital here last month allegedly due to oxygen shortage.
Justice Rekha Palli issued a notice to the Union ministries of home and health and the Delhi government seeking their response by August 20 on the plea filed by the families of some patients who died on the intervening night of April 23 and 24.
The plea, filed through advocate Utsav Bains, contends that the cause of death of the patients was respiratory failure due to insufficient supply of oxygen and not comorbidities, as stated by a Delhi government committee in its report.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday asked the Centre to supply Amphotericin B injections used for the treatment of black fungus in a time-bound manner.
"Like Remdesivir injections, the Central government has taken the responsibility of allocating Amphotericin B injection to states. But the states are not getting the injections on time which is causing a lot of trouble to the patients," he said in a tweet in Hindi.
If this injection is given to the patient in time, then their life can be saved, he added.
Gehlot appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to ensure the availability of Amphotericin B injections so that patients can be treated on time
Government caps Trade Margin up to 70% on price to distributor level on oxygen concentrators. National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has instructed manufacturers/importers to report revised MRP within three days. Revised MRPs will be informed in public domain within a week by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA): Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers
The Gujarat government has announced that all the offices private or govt will operate with 100 per cent capacity from Monday onwards. The offices were restricted with 50 per cent staff considering the covid scare
Rahul Gandhi should first look after his (Congress) state rather than giving lectures to others. Punjab govt has been provided more than 1.40 lakh doses of Covaxin at Rs 400 & they've given it to 20 private hospitals at Rs 1000: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar
B.1.617 variant & its lineage B.1.617.2 were primarily responsible for surge in cases with high transmissibility of 50% more than Alpha variant (B.1.1.7), as per study by INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genome Sequencing Consortia ) & National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
Delta variant primary cause behind second COVID wave, finds a study carried out by scientists of INSACOG (the consortium of labs undertaking genome sequencing in India) and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on the reasons behind the second wave
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called two meetings on Friday to discuss preparations for the possible third wave of coronavirus.
"The CM will meet the expert committee at 11 and the preparation committee at 3, the CM's office said in a tweet.
The Delhi government had on May 27 set up a 13-member committee to prepare an action plan for a possible third wave of COVID-19 after assessing the current status and projected requirement of the health infrastructure such as hospitals, oxygen plants and drug supplies in the city.
Another eight-member expert committee was set up to devise a strategy for mitigation and management of the third wave of COVID-19.
"Now everyone, even so-called "enemy", are beginning to say that President Trump was right about China virus coming from Wuhan Lab. China should pay 10 trillion dollars to US & world for death & destruction they have caused," reads the statement from former US President Trump
In a record of sets, 514 Covid deaths were reported in a single day across Karnataka, taking the state's death toll to 30,531, said the health bulletin on Thursday.
"The infection claimed 514 lives, including 347 in Bengaluru during the day, taking the state's death toll to 30,531 and the city's toll to 14,276 since the pandemic broke out in mid-March a year ago," said the bulletin.
With 18,324 new cases registered on Wednesday, the state's Covid tally shot up to 26,53,446, including 2,86,798 active cases, while 23,36,096 recovered, with 24,036 patients discharged over the last 24 hours.
As epicentre of the pandemic in the state, Bengaluru reported 3,533 fresh cases on Wednesday, taking the city's Covid tally to 11,74,275, including 1,34,384 active cases, while recoveries rose to 10,25,614, with 7,672 patients discharged during the day.
Among districts where most positive cases were reported on Wednesday are 2,078 in Hassan, 1,573 in Mysuru, 979 in Tumakur and 839 in Belagavi, with the rest in the remaining 26 districts across the state.
Out of 1,50,168 tests conducted across the state during the day, 39,567 were through rapid antigen detection and 1,10,601 through RT-PCR method.
Positivity rate was 12.2 per cent and case fatality rate 2.8 per cent across the state on Wednesday.
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party's teachers' and students' wings have both written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal requesting him to open coronavirus vaccination centres at 28 Delhi University colleges funded by the government.
They have also demanded that the students studying in these colleges be vaccinated for free before the possibility of a third wave of COVID-19.
The Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) and the Delhi Teachers' Association (DTA) on Thursday wrote to CM Kejriwal putting forth these demands.
US President Biden has announced Global Allocation Plan of 25 mn vaccines. This is 1st tranche out of total 80 mn vaccines announced earlier. Distribution under 2 categories - via COVAX initiative & directly to neighbors & partner countries. India to figure in both categories & get vaccines as per allocation under COVAX & direct supply. 1st will be COVAX initiative wherein India is included. 2nd, via direct supply to neighbors & partner countries incl India, Korea, Canada & Mexico: Indian Ambassador to the US, TS Sandhu
Increase in manufacturing capacity of COVID-19 vaccines in India has the potential to be a game changer well beyond its borders, the Biden Administration said Thursday. “It’s important to us because India has suffered immensely from the outbreak. Virtually, no element of Indian society has been left untouched by this horrible scourge. That is why we have spoken of the focus on increased manufacturing in India," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters.
“The increased manufacturing capacity in India, the volume of capacity has the potential to be a game changer well beyond India’s borders. And that’s precisely why this arrangement was reached and announced in the context of the Quad," he said. Early this year at the first virtual Quad summit composed of leaders from Australia, India, Japan and the United States, it was decided to work together to increase the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity of India.
Background
Coronavirus HIGHLIGHTS, Friday, June 4, 2021: Increase in manufacturing capacity of COVID-19 vaccines in India has the potential to be a game changer well beyond its borders, the Biden Administration said Thursday.
"It's important to us because India has suffered immensely from the outbreak. Virtually, no element of Indian society has been left untouched by this horrible scourge. That is why we have spoken of the focus on increased manufacturing in India," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters.
"The increased manufacturing capacity in India, the volume of capacity has the potential to be a game changer well beyond India's borders. And that's precisely why this arrangement was reached and announced in the context of the Quad," he said.
America's top infectious disease specialist Dr Anthony Fauci on Thursday said his country is eager to involve Indian investigators in global clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 therapeutics.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has a long history of collaboration with its counterpart agencies in India, Dr Fauci said during a conversation organised by the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum.
Under the long-standing Indo-US vaccine action programme, we will continue to work with India on research related to SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) vaccines. We also are eager to involve Indian investigators in sites in global clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of various COVID-19 therapeutics, he said.
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