As the active Covid-19 cases in India registered the highest jump in about three months on Thursday, the Cabinet secretary has scheduled a review meeting with seven states. 

NEW DELHI:  As the active Covid-19 cases in India registered the highest jump in about three months on Thursday, the Cabinet secretary has scheduled a review meeting with seven states.  The country recorded 16,738 new cases in 24 hours and the active caseload stood at 1,51,708 on Friday morning, comprising 1.37 per cent of the total positive cases. “This is largely attributable to the upsurge in daily new cases in some states,” said the Union Health Ministry in a statement. 

Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh have recorded a rise in daily new cases, prompting top bureaucrat Rajiv Gauba to call for a meeting with the chief secretaries of the states to review the situation. These states have contributed 89.57 per cent of the new cases registered on Thursday.Maharashtra continues to report the highest daily new cases at 8,807 and was followed by Kerala with 4,106 cases, while Punjab reported 558 new cases.

The Centre has already deputed high-level multi-disciplinary teams to Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and J&K to ascertain reasons for the surge and coordinate with the state health departments in Covid-19 control and containment measures.

The Centre has also directed states and UTs to increase testing in a focussed manner in the affected districts with the appropriate split of RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests and to also ensure that all symptomatic negatives of antigen tests are compulsorily tested via RT-PCR tests. “The positive persons are to be promptly isolated or hospitalised, all their close contacts be traced and also tested without delay,” said the ministry.

MUMBAI:  The Maharashtra education department has asked the district authorities to take a call over shutting down schools from March 1 following a sudden rise in Covid cases among students. Schools and Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said it was up to the local authorities to decide whether to keep schools open in view of Covid 19 cases in their areas. 

“In rural Maharashtra, primary schools were recently allowed to start classes. Since in the last few days Covid 19 cases are surging, the local authorities should take the call of shutting the schools keeping the safety of the students and teachers as top priority. Wherever the cases are rising, the authorities should disinfect those premises,” Gaikwad told the media.

At Latur’s MIDC boys’ hostel, 325 students were detected Covid positive on Wednesday, while 229 students from Washim district tested positive on Thursday. Many students and teachers are kept in isolation across the state.The rising Covid cases have also led the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government to curtail the Assembly budget session from March 1 to 10 against the earlier schedule of March 1 to 28. The state’s budget will be presented on March 8 by Finance Minister Ajit Pawar.

The opposition has criticised the government for cutting short the session. Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Devendra Fadnavis alleged that the Covid situation was an excuse for the Uddhav Thackeray government to curtail the session as it was not interested in discussing public issues. The state continued to report over 8,000 cases for the second consecutive day, which pushed its overall infection count to 21,29,821. There were 8,702 cases on Thursday.

This figure was 8,807 on Wednesday. With 56 deaths reported during the day, the state’s fatality count went up to 51,993. A total of 3,744 patients were discharged during the day after recovery. The number of active cases is now 64,260, the official said. Since Wednesday, Mumbai, Akola, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik divisions have been witnessing a spike in single-day infection count. 

Mumbai city reported 1,145 cases on Thursday, which took its cumulative figure to 3,22,844. Five persons died due to the infection in the metropolis, which pushed the toll to 11,463. With 864 new cases, Nagpur ranked second in the state in terms of daily cases

NEW DELHI: The Union health ministry on Tuesday asked Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh to expedite the vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers so as to confer immunity in the shortest possible time-frame in the wake of a rising trend of COVID-19 cases and positively rate in some districts.

In a letter to the Maharashtra government, Additional Secretary in the health ministry Manohar Agnani said a rising trend of COVID-19 cases and the positivity rate has been observed in six districts — Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai and Suburban, Amravati, Thane and Akola — over the past few days.

Similarly, in a letter to the Madhya Pradesh government, he said a surge in the number of cases and the positivity rate has been observed in three districts — Indore, Bhopal and Betul.

In Punjab, Agnani said an increase in the number of cases and the positivity rate has been observed in three districts — SBS  Nagar, Kapurthala and Sri Muktsar Sahib — while the same has been witnessed in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir and Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh.

“Hence, it is advised that the vaccination of HCWs and FLWs in these districts is expedited so as to confer immunity in the shortest possible time-frame, as they are also involved in containment, surveillance and management of COVID-19 cases.

“You are requested to kindly direct the district officials concerned to immediately undertake measures for the maximum coverage of HCWs and FLWs with the COVID-19 vaccine at the earliest,” the letter stated.

Meanwhile, after slipping below 5,000 for a day, new COVID-19 cases again crossed the 6,000-mark in Maharashtra on Tuesday on the back of a spike in the Akola division, while 51 patients died, a multi-week high, in the state, the health department said.

The state reported 6,218 new COVID-19 cases, up from 5,210 on Monday, taking the tally to 21,12,312, it said.

The state — which has witnessed an upsurge in COVID- 19 cases since February 10 — reported 6,112 infections on February 19, followed by 6,281 on February 20 and 6,971 on February 21.

Also, Maharashtra on Tuesday reported one of the highest fatality counts in recent times at 51, taking the death toll to 51,857, said a health department official.

Out of these 51 deaths, 32 occurred in the last 48 hours and 12 in the last week.

Remaining seven deaths occurred in the period before the last week, he said.

The Akola division in Vidarbha reported the highest number of cases in the state at 1,392, leaving behind the Mumbai division, which usually leads the daily infection tally, at 1,250.

The Akola division, which consists of Amravati, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Washim and Akola districts, has emerged as the new COVID-19 epicentre in Maharashtra.

Mumbai city reported 643 new cases, taking the cumulative COVID-19 tally to 3,20,532.

Eight more deaths pushed the citys toll to 11,454, the official said.

With 1,250 new cases, the Mumbai divisions tally increased to 7,16,299, while 11 fresh deaths took the toll to 19,768.

The Pune division also reported higher number of cases than the Mumbai division.

With 1,288 cases, the Pune divisions tally reached 5,17,760, while the fatality count stood at 11,716.

“Pune city alone reported 679 cases, highest by a municipal corporation in the state. With this, the citys cumulative COVID-19 figures reached 2,05,437, while the death toll stood at 4,566,” the official said.

Within the Akola division, areas under the Amravati Municipal Corporation reported 515 cases and other parts of the district 271.

Akola city (121), Yavatmal (165) and Buldhana (161) were the other major contributors, the official said.

The COVID-19 tally in the Akola division rose to 88,761, while eight more deaths pushed the toll to 1,710, he said.

Also, 5,869 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, taking the state’s recoveries to 20,05,851, the official said.

Maharashtra now has 53,409 active cases, he said.

Currently, there are 2,79,288 people in home quarantine and 2,484 in institutional quarantine.

With 67,488 more statewide coronavirus tests, the number of samples examined so far rose to 1,58,60,912.

Maharashtra’s COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases: 21,12,312, new cases: 6,218, death toll: 51,857, discharged: 20,05,851, active cases: 53,409, people tested so far: 1,58,60,912.

However, deaths from the infection dropped to a two-week low of 18 on Monday.

The state reported a drop in daily cases at 5,210 on Monday, after logging over 6,000 infections for three preceding days, while 18 more patients died, the lowest in two weeks, taking the toll to 51,806.

The daily Maharashtra tally of 5,210 was the lowest in five days.

Statewide deaths from the disease rose to 51 on Tuesday.

The state — which has witnessed an upsurge in COVID- 19 cases since February 10 — reported 6,112 infections on February 19, followed by 6,281 on February 20 and 6,971 on February 21.

On Tuesday, the state reported 6,218 new COVID-19 cases.

There has been a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases in the Vidarbha region, especially in Amaravati, Akola and Yavatmal districts, forcing authorities to bring back fresh curbs to limit movement of people and some commercial activities.

While strict measures have been taken in the last couple of days to curb the COVID-19 spread, health officials have not ruled out further rise in cases in the coming days.

I S Chahal, Mumbai civic commissioner, said, “Daily figures could rise in the coming days. We are taking steps to educate people about the importance of wearing face masks and following physical distancing norms.”

Travel restrictions to Parbhani district and closure of places of worship were among the measures taken on Tuesday by the Parbhani district administration to stem the recent spike of COVID-19 cases, a senior official said.

Travel from 11 districts in Vidarbha to Parbhani has been placed under certain restrictions so that the spike in cases in that part of the state does not have an impact here, Collector Deepak Muglikar told PTI.

“We have told private buses as well as those of MSRTC to not bring passengers from these parts to Parbhani. We have also ordered the closure of places of worship till February 28,” he said.

As per the order issued by the collectorate, the travel restrictions are applicable for people from Nagpur, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Yavatmal, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Bhandara, Gondia and Wardha etc though emergency movement will be permitted.

On the other hand, educational institutions were ordered to remain shut till March 31 in Jalna in view of rising COVID-19 cases in the district, an official said on Tuesday.

The decision was taken after a meeting during the day chaired by district collector Ravindra Binwade, he added.

However, school for classes XI and XII will function as usual, the official informed.

Permission for social, religious and political gatherings have been withdrawn, he added.

The district recorded 117 cases, including 28 in Jayde Wadi village in Bhokardan tehsil, taking the overall caseload to 14,782.

There are 112 cases in the village currently, the official said.

The administration ordered the closure of the famous Shri Rajur Ganpati temple in Bhokardan tehsil as part of measures to contain the spike.

Meanwhile, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday directed private hospitals in the city to reserve around 2,000 to 3,000 beds for infected patients.

In a virtual meeting with private hospitals, PMC commissioner Vikram Kumar and civic health officials instructed hospitals to reserve maximum beds for COVID-19 patients and not to turn any patient away.

“We have instructed hospitals to keep at least 2,000 to 3,000 beds for COVID-19 patients and also asked them not return anyone away,” civic health chief Dr Ashish Bharati, said.

Private hospitals will notify the civic body about the number of beds they have reserved and accordingly, the dashboard will be updated, he said.

Currently, the PMC has over 1,200 to 1,500 beds available at civic and government-run hospitals, the official said.

Apart from this, COVID-19 care centres in Pune are also being readied.

As many as 661 new cases and four casualties were reported in Pune city on Tuesday, a civic official said.

NEW DELHI: India has reported 13,742 new cases of coronavirus and 104 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday.

In an official statement, the Health Ministry said that India has reported 13,742 new COVID-19 cases, 14,037 discharges and 104 deaths in the last 24 hours.

With this, the total number of COVID-19 cases in India stands at 1,10,30,176 and the active cases tally is 1,46,907.

While as many as 1,56,567 deaths have been reported, a total of 1,07,26,702 people have been discharged.

As per the Health Ministry, 1,21,65,598 vaccine doses had been given.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16, 2021. The vaccination of the frontline workers started on February 2. 

NEW DELHI: Travellers from five states, including Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab, will have to show negative COVID-19 test report before entering the national capital, officials said on Wednesday amid a spike in coronavirus infections in some states.

They said an official order will be issued later in the day and it will be effective till March 15.

The issue had also been discussed in a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Monday.

The requirement of the negative COVID-19 test report is likely to be implemented from Friday night, officials said.

Maharashtra is showing a daily surge in COVID-19 cases, according to an official of the Union Health Ministry.

Kerala is showing an incremental decline, but the daily cases in absolute numbers is still high over there.

Punjab, with its daily increase in cases, is also a cause of worry.

Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are also showing an increase in daily cases, the central official had said on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases surged to 1,10,16,434 with 10,584 new infections being reported in a day, while the recoveries have crossed 1.07 crore, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.

The death toll increased to 1,56,463 with 78 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,07,12,665 which translates to a national COVID-19 recovery rate of 97.24 per cent and the case fatality rate stands at 1.42 per cent.

The active coronavirus infections in the country have reduced to 1,47,306 which comprises 1.34 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past  60 lakh on September 28,  70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

MUMBAI: In view of rising COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra government has declared partial lockdown in some parts of the Vidarbha region.

Whether the same is to be done in other parts of the state will be decided over the next eight days. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in an address to the residents of Maharashtra on Sunday evening said people have to decide whether they want the lockdown or not?

“Covid-19 cases are increasing and this could be the second wave. People should follow social distancing and use face masks if they don’t want a lockdown again. If the cases continue to rise, they have to take a call on lockdown in the next eight days,” Thackeray said.

In Amaravati, Akola and Pune, local authorities have declared partial lockdowns. Deputy Chief Minister and Guardian Minister of Pune, Ajit Pawar said except for essential services, people’s movements are restricted between 11 pm to 6 am in Pune. He said Pune schools and colleges will remain shut until February 28.

The chief minister also announced prohibition of political rallies, social gatherings and large protests for the next few days. He said every party wants to increase its base, but now they have to work to contain the spread of the virus.

“Earlier, we worked under the banner of ‘My family, my responsibility’. Now, we should follow, ‘I am responsible’. Private offices should focus more on working from home.  The government should also change office timings to avoid large gatherings,” he said.

Figures & Measures

•  Energy Minister Nitin Raut cancelled his son’s wedding reception ceremony
•  On Sunday, 6971 new positive cases and 35 deaths were reported
•  Not more than 200 to be allowed in wedding ceremonies
•  Class X and XII exams likely to be conducted online
•  Focus on hotspots and creating micro containment zones

NEW DELHI: India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases surpassed 1.10 crore with 14,199 new infections being reported in a day, while active cases registered an increase for the fifth consecutive day, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday The total coronavirus cases have increased to 1,10,05,850, while the death toll increased to 1,56,385 with 83 daily new fatalities,  the data updated at 8 am showed.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,06,99,410  which translates to a national COVID-19 recovery rate of 97.22 per cent and the case fatality rate stands at 1.42 per cent.

Active coronavirus infections in the country increased to 1,50,055 which comprises 1.36 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past  60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on  November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the ICMR,  21,15,51,746 samples have been tested up to February 21 with 6,20,216 samples being tested on Sunday.

The 83 new fatalities include 35 from Maharashtra, 15 from Kerala and 6 from Punjab, 5 from Chhattisgarh and 4 from Madhya Pradesh.

A total of 1,56,385 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 51,788 from Maharashtra followed by 12,460 from Tamil Nadu, 12,294 from Karnataka, 10,900 from Delhi, 10,249 from West Bengal, 8,715 from Uttar Pradesh and 7,167 from Andhra Pradesh.

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.

NEW DELHI: Daily COVID-19 cases in the country climbed to about 14,000 after nearly 22 days taking India’s tally to 1,09,77,387, while the recoveries surged to 1,06,78,048, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday.

A total of 13,993 new cases were registered in a span of 24 hours.

The death toll increased to 101 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

On January 29, 18,855 daily cases were recorded.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,06,78,048 which translates to a national recovery rate of 97.27 per cent and the case fatality rate stands at 1.42 per cent.

The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 1.5 lakh.

There are 1,43,127 active cases of coronavirus infections in the country which comprise 1.27 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29,  90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the ICMR, 21,02,61,480 samples have been tested up to February 19, with 7,86,618 samples being tested on Friday.

The 101 new fatalities included 44 deaths from Maharashtra, 15 from Kerala and 8 from Punjab.

A total of 1,56,212 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 51,713 from Maharashtra followed by 12,451 from Tamil Nadu, 12,287 from Karnataka, 10,897 from Delhi, 10,242 from West Bengal, 8,712 from Uttar Pradesh and 7,167 from Andhra Pradesh.

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.