ICYMI: 50 Coronavirus updates from across India today
Here is a roundup of all the Covid-19 updates from across the country. Read and be informed.
Follow1) Thirteen patients at the Covid centre in Virar in Maharashtra's Palghar district have been killed after a fire broke out at the facility. The mishap comes days after 24 Covid patients lost the lives after an oxygen leak at the Zakir Hussain municipal hospital in Nashik.
2) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday chairing high-level meetings to review the prevailing Covid-19 situation.
3) At 9 AM on Friday, Prime Minister Modi will review the Covid-related situation in an internal meeting. At 10 AM, he will interact with chief ministers of high burden states. At 12:30 PM, he will hold a meeting with leading oxygen manufacturers in the country via video conference.
4) The All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi has issued a notification which reads: "In view of the current situation of Covid-19 leading to insufficient resources for contact tracing and shortage of staff, only symptomatic health care workers should be tested and only those testing positive be isolated and managed as per the clinical condition.
5) Music composer Shravan Rathod of Nadeem-Shravan fame passes away due to Covid-19. He was 66.
6) Oxygen Express with loaded seven tankers is enroute to Maharashtra from a steel plant Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
7) 300 air passengers fleed Silchar air terminal in Assam without essential Covid-19 Test. Authorities said, "They are traceable as airport authorities have their contact details. FIR will be lodged on Friday and tracing of all the passengers are underway."
8) PM Narendra Modi yesterday chaired a high-level meeting to review the oxygen supply across the country and discussed ways and means to boost its availability.
9) PM Narendra Modi has directed officials to ensure that oxygen supply to various states happens in a smooth and unhindered manner. He also spoke about the need to fix responsibility with the local administration in cases of obstruction.
10) Union Home Ministry has said that no restriction shall be imposed on the movement of Medical Oxygen between the states and transport authorities shall be instructed to accordingly allow free inter-state movement of oxygen-carrying vehicles.
11) Indian Air Force has been pressed into action for Covid management. The IAF has started airlifting oxygen containers, cylinders, essential medicine, equipment and medical personnel to assist the government in combating the pandemic.
12) The Indian Air Force also airlifted doctors and nursing staff from Kochi, Mumbai, Vizag, and Bengaluru for the establishment of a DRDO Covid-19 makeshift hospital in Delhi.
13) Haryana says all shops will remain closed from 6 pm onward in the state from Friday. All non-essential gatherings are banned. Anybody holding any function within the prescribed limit will have to seek permission from the concerned SDM.
14) The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board has temporarily halted registration for the Amarnath Yatra due to the evolving Covid-19 situation. The Board said that the situation was being constantly monitored and that the registrations will be reopened as soon as the situation improves.
15) Madhya Pradesh has reported that around 41,200 Covid-19 patients are in home isolation in the state. Every home isolated patient receives a medical kit delivered to their home. So far, 136 Covid Care Centers have been formed in all 52 districts of the state.
16) India has gifted 39 ambulances equipped with ventilators, ECG, Oxygen monitor and other emergency medical equipment to the government and NGOs in Nepal.
17) Centre has allocated supply of Remdesivir to 19 States/UTs with a high burden of Covid-19 cases. States which are not yet covered in this allocation will be taken into consideration when their supply orders are placed with the manufacturers.
18) Uttarakhand makes it mandatory for tourists, devotees and others coming from outside the state to register on the Smart City Portal. Entry will be allowed only after registration. A negative RT-PCR report, not older than 72 hours, is necessary. People returning to the state will have to undergo 7-day quarantine.
19) Panchayat Elections in Bihar have been postponed for 15 days due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. Election Commission would assess the situation in 15 days to determine the next course of action for conducting Panchayat elections.
20) CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury's elder son, Ashish Yechury passed away due to Covid-19.
21) Senior Congress leader and former Delhi minister Dr AK Walia passed away due to Covid-19 at the Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.
22) Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has approved the purchase of 1 crore doses of Covishield vaccines at a cost of Rs 400 crore, in the first phase. This will be used for the vaccination of persons between 18 to 44 years.
23) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has cancelled all her prescheduled meetings, in view of EC's order and surge in Covid cases. EC has banned roadshows, vehicle rallies and public meetings with more than 500 people.
24) Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has written to all states and Union Territories with regard to seamless supply and transport of Remdesivir. He has asked authorities to personally monitor this.
25) Delhi Disaster Management Authority has issued new directives regarding the supply and allocation of oxygen supply across Delhi. Allocation and oxygen supply to all health establishments will be strictly regulated as per allocation orders issued by the government from time to time.
26) Mumbai reported 7410 fresh Covid cases, 8090 recoveries and 75 deaths in the last 24 hours.
27) Maharashtra, meanwhile, reported 67,013 new Covid cases, 62298 recoveries and 568 deaths in the last 24 hours.
28) Election Commission has expressed anguish over many political parties and candidates not adhering to prescribed safety norms during public gatherings. Following this, permission for roadshows, cycle/bike/vehicle rallies, if granted already, has been withdrawn.
29) Around 1,500 personnel of the Delhi Police force have tested positive so far amid the prevailing second wave of Covid-19.
30) Kerala has reported 26,995 new Covid cases and 28 deaths in the last 24 hours.
31) Amid rising Covid-19 cases, Kathmandu's Pashupatinath Temple will remain closed from Friday until further notice.
32) Gujarat has reported 13105 fresh Covid cases and 137 deaths in the last 24 hours.
33) Civil Aviation Ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation have granted a conditional exemption to the Indian Council of Medical Research for conducting a feasibility study of Covid-19 vaccine delivery using drones in collaboration with IIT Kanpur.
34) Tamil Nadu has reported 12652 fresh Covid-19 cases and 59 deaths.
35) Union Health Ministry has termed as fake media reports suggesting that Serum Institute of India has contracted all its production till May 25 to Centre and state governments will not be able to procure vaccine till that date.
36) West Bengal government announces free vaccination for all above the age of 18 years after May 5.
37) Karnataka has reported 25795 fresh Covid-19 cases and 123 deaths in the last 24 hours.
38) Union Home Ministry announces that an adequate number of medical officers and para-medical staff will be provided to man 500 oxygenated beds at Sardar Patel COVID centre at Chhattarpur in Delhi.
39) Addressing the Leaders' Summit on Climate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that humanity is battling a global pandemic right now and this event is a timely reminder that the grave threat of Climate Change hasn't disappeared, but is a living reality for millions around the world.
40) In view of rising Covid-19 cases in Uttarakhand, all offices in the state, except those for essential services, will be closed for three days from April 24 to April 26.
41) Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, in a letter to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, alleged that police and senior officials of administration in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are stalling the tankers carrying oxygen, delaying the tankers to reach Delhi hospitals on time.
42) Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee President Bibi Jagir Kaur said that some devotees who came back from Pakistan after celebrating Baisakhi have tested positive for Covid. As per the health department's instructions, all of them will be quarantined.
43) Pune Municipal Corporation has ordered all private hospitals under its jurisdiction to conduct an audit of the oxygen supply system, oxygen storage, and other related things. The Corporation has asked the hospitals to submit a report on it immediately.
44) Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, today told Supreme Court that the country is in dire need of oxygen. Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance on supply of oxygen and essential drugs issue. CJI SA Bobde says that the court will hear the matter on Friday.
45) Congress President Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Modi over the new vaccination policy for inoculation of people between 18-45 yrs of age. In the letter, Sonia Gandhi claimed that the policy implied that the Centre has abdicated responsibility to provide free vaccination for citizens. The Congress chief urged the prime minister to intervene and reverse the ill-considered decision.
46) Emirates to suspend flights between Dubai and India for 10 days from April 25, in view of the surge in Coronavirus cases.
47) NITI Ayog member Dr VK Paul clarifies that Remdesivir is an experimental drug and not a miracle drug, and its usage at home without a doctor's prescription is prohibited.
48) Jharkhand government announces that it will provide free Covid-19 vaccine to all above 18 years of age.
49) CSIR-CMERI has developed an 'Oxygen Enrichment' technology to meet oxygen demand in the country. It is capable of delivering medical air in the range of up to 15 LPM with oxygen purity of more than 90 per cent and can safely be placed in the isolation ward of a hospital.
50) Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov has postponed his visit to India, which was scheduled later this month, for India-Russia intergovernmental commission for trade, economic, cultural, and scientific cooperation.
