Archives for August 2020

The total COVID-19 caseload rises to 31,06,349 including 23,38,036 cured/discharged/migrated cases & 57,542 deaths, as per the latest Union Ministry of Health data.

Health workers conduct COVID-19 antigen tests for migrant workers in New Delhi, India, Aug. 18, 2020. (Photo | PTI)By Online Desk
A single-day spike of 61,408 COVID-19 cases took India’s virus caseload past the 31-lakh mark on Monday, a day after it crossed 30 lakh, while recoveries surged to 23,38,035 pushing the recovery rate to over 75 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

India’s COVID-19 caseload mounted to 31,06,348, while the death toll climbed to 57,542 with 836 fatalities being reported in a span of 24-hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate has declined to 1.85 per cent, while the recovery rate has risen to 75.27 per cent.

There are 7,10,771 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 22.88 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 3,59,02,137 samples have been tested up to August 23 with 6,09,917 samples being tested on Sunday.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 3,59,02,137 samples have been tested up to August 23  with 6,09,917 samples being tested on Sunday.

India’s COVID-19 caseload mounted to 31,06,348, while the death toll climbed to 57,542 with 836 fatalities being reported in a span of 24-hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate has declined to 1.85 per cent, while the recovery rate has risen to 75.27 per cent.

There are 7,10,771 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 22.88 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 3,59,02,137 samples have been tested up to August 23  with 6,09,917 samples being tested on Sunday.

Of the 836 fresh deaths, 258 are from Maharashtra, 97 from Tamil Nadu, 93 from Andhra Pradesh, 68 from Karnataka, 59 from Uttar Pradesh, 57 from West Bengal, 50 from Punjab, 23 from Madhya Pradesh, 16 from Delhi, 14 from Gujarat, 11 from Rajasthan and 10 from Odisha.

Nine fatalities have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir, eight each from Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry, six each from Haryana and Telangana, five each from Kerala and Uttarakhand, four each from Chandigarh, Jharkhand and Goa, two from Ladakh, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Meghalaya and Tripura have registered one fatality each.

Of the total 57,542 deaths, Maharashtra has reported the maximum at 22,253 followed by 6,517 in Tamil Nadu, 4,683 in Karnataka, 4,300 in Delhi, 3,282 in Andhra Pradesh, 2,895 in Gujarat, 2,926 in Uttar Pradesh, 2,794 in West Bengal and 1,229 in Madhya Pradesh.

So far, 1,086 people have died of COVID-19  in Punjab, 955 in Rajasthan, 761 in Telangana, 617 in Jammu and Kashmir, 603 in Haryana, 511 in Bihar, 409 in Odisha, 312 in Jharkhand, 242 in Assam, 223 in Kerala and 200 in Uttarakhand.

Chhattisgarh has registered 197 deaths, Puducherry 159, Goa 144, Tripura 73, Chandigarh 37, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 33, Himachal Pradesh 29,  Ladakh 23,  Manipur 22, Nagaland nine, Meghalaya eight, Arunachal Pradesh five, Sikkim three and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu  two.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its  website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

Sahdev Singh, an ambitious name and an inspiration to many was born in April, 1968. Mr. Singh has been serving the Indian Government from the past over 20 years with an excellent service. He joined the Indian Government services immediately after qualifying the 10th matrix. He served as Person Assistant, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and later on as a Section Officer in the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India.
He did his MA in History and LLB from Delhi University. Then he went to Malta & London to do his LLM in International Maritime Laws from IMO – IMLI. He has also done Post Graduate Diplomas in- Constitutional Law, Parliamentary Procedures & Institutions and International Law and Diplomacy. Being so much educated and an intellect he has attended many short courses, meetings, workshops and conferences at various renowned institutions and educational centres. He visited about 10 countries. In recent past, he was working as Under Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development. He was now on deputation as Assistant Commissioner/Deputy Assessor & Collector, South Delhi Municipal Corporation. And at any time likely to be promoted as Deputy Secretary to the Government of India.

Swab samples of the JMM Chief and his wife were taken as Shibu Soren was not feeling well for the last few days.

RANCHI: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief and former Chief Minister Shibu Soren, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, has tested positive for coronavirus.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren informed that both of his parents have tested positive for coronavirus. “Test reports of my father Shibu Soren and mother Rupi Soren came last night where they have been found positive for coronavirus. Both of them have been put in home isolation for faster recovery,” said Soren on his twitter handle.

With the blessings of the people of Jharkhand and the countrymen, he will soon be among us, he added.

Swab samples of the JMM Chief and his wife were taken as Shibu Soren was not feeling well for the last few days.

76-year old Shibu Soren had also undergone coronavirus tests a few days back but was found negative. Earlier on August 7, 12 security guards posted at Soren’s official residence at Morhabadi ground in Ranchi had tested positive for the virus. 

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is currently in home isolation, will also be undertaking coronavirus test for the third time on Monday after coming in contact with his Cabinet colleague Banna Gupta, who was tested positive earlier on Tuesday.

After Gupta tested positive for coronavirus, the entire Jharkhand Cabinet, including the Chief Minister, has gone into home quarantine.

Notably, before his test results came on Tuesday, Gupta had attended the Cabinet Meeting held at the Project Building in Ranchi due to which the entire Cabinet Secretariat has been put under the scanner of COVID-19.

The head constable was dismissed from service following the incident. Surender told police that Deepak Gehlawat, the victim, was recording video while they were drinking.

NEW DELHI: A day after a Delhi Police head constable was arrested in connection with a murder case, police found that the accused fired at the victim as he was video-recording the policemen while they were drinking in uniform, officials said on Thursday.

Surender (47), posted at Shahbad Dairy police station, was arrested after he fired two shots at a 28-year-old man with his service pistol on Thursday morning, following a quarrel between them, officials said.

The head constable was dismissed from service following the incident. Surender told police that Deepak Gehlawat, the victim, was recording video while they were drinking.

He objected to being filmed in uniform and asked Gehlawat to stop recording. However, when Gehlawat continued recording the video, a quarrel broke out between them during which Surender fired bullets at him, a senior police officer said.

At the time of the incident, the accused and the victim were drunk, police said. Police said the accused did not submit his service pistol after completing his duty.

The incident took place near a hotel in Budh Vihar area on Thursday morning, when Surender was on his way home after working in night shift.

The head constable was coming back in a car along with Gehlawat, a gym owner in southwest Delhi’s Dwarka Mor.

Gehlawat suffered injuries on his left forearm and upper chest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead, police said.

The service pistol used to kill Gehlawat has been seized, they said.

The suicide of the taluk doctor at Nanjangud is only the tip of the iceberg. Stress and exhaustion have affected government healthcare workers physically and mentally.

BENGALURU: The suicide of the taluk doctor at Nanjangud is only the tip of the iceberg. Stress and exhaustion have affected government healthcare workers physically and mentally. They say they have been overworked for the past six months, in several cases without a day’s leave.

A 55-year-old woman doctor on Covid duty at a government hospital in Bengaluru said, “We haven’t had a single day off since March. I feel tired and suffer migraines often. We are ready to work but if there were more staff, we could have taken a weekly off. Doctors work extra shifts to help colleagues take off for religious festivals.

Nurses don’t even have this option and need to report each day.” Medicos feel the administration, comprising IAS and KAS officers, is not listening to the woes of the medical community. Each PHC (Primary Health Centre) has targets to meet in terms of Covid tests done per day. However, there are several practical factors that higher-ups don’t account for.

“We have to wear and remove PPE kits, enter the patient’s mobile number to generate an OTP through which the SRF ID gets assigned for the swab taken.We have to take down details of patient’s name, risk status, if they are from containment zones and other details, all this takes time,” said a PHC doctor from Bengaluru, on condition of anonymity.

Doctors have to visit containment zones, test pregnant, symptomatic and other high-risk contacts, quarantine people, send positive patients into home isolation, Covid Care Centres (CCC) or hospitals. Non-Covid patients frequent PHCs for services such as urine tests and blood tests as well, which have to be attended to.

“We get calls even at midnight to shift patients by ambulance in case of emergency, and sudden deaths too. We need rest so we can maintain our own health,” the doctor added. The rule that doctors have to be quarantined for 5 days after 10 days of Covid duty, is not followed due to excess workload. 

“I haven’t got a day’s holiday since March. I tested positive, after which my pregnant wife was also infected. We are not corona warriors but are human beings. When we reach targets, we are not appreciated and if we don’t meet them, we are reprimanded,” said Dr Vinay Manjunath who works at a PHC in Chikkaballapur, while also a CCC. Bagalkot DHO Dr Ananth Desai said health staff are under severe pressure due to testing targets. “We can perform better if the government doesn’t pressure us with targets,” Dr Desai said.

It is set to enter phase 3 trial next week involving 40,000 volunteers, it was also announced on Thursday. 

NEW DELHI:  The Russian government, days after announcing that it was going to start mass vaccination of the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine, is in talks with four Indian vaccine makers for its mass production, which may start as early as october.

Though the Indian government has, so far, been silent on any collaboration with Russia on the vaccine, top authorities in Russia at a press briefing on Thursday announced the proposed tie-ups, which was confirmed by Indian officials.

On August 11, the vaccine named ‘Sputnik V’, endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been approved by Russia even as scientists worldwide have expressed scepticism on its safety and efficacy as it has not completed human trials yet, and no data from its early stage trials have been released, so far.

The vaccine has been developed by Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian defence ministry and has been created using inanimate particles developed based on adenovirus, a class of virus that causes the common cold in primates including humans.

It is set to enter phase 3 trial next week involving 40,000 volunteers, it was also announced on Thursday. 
Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, a government body, which is financing the production of Sputnik V, said at the press briefing that “currently, we are working with 4 partners in India, we believe that they are capable of production of the Gamaleya Institute vaccine.”

Russia said while it could produce 500 million doses of the vaccine, it’s looking to churn out 1 billion doses manufactured as many other countries have also shown interest in getting it.

RFID, on its website, has also said it sees “strong global interest in the vaccine and plans to conduct Phase 3 clinical trials in different countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Brazil, India and Philippines, and start mass production in other countries in partnership with local sovereign wealth funds, including India, South Korea and Brazil, as well as, in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Cuba.”

Government officials in India confirmed that Russia has been in talks with the Ministry of External Affairs and some vaccine manufacturers, including Bharat Biotech, for mass production of the vaccine in the country.