China sends doctors, military to test 26 mn Shanghai residents for Covid

 Multiple provinces such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Beijing have sent healthcare workers to the megapolis.

China sent the military and thousands of healthcare workers into Shanghai to help execute COVID-19 tests for all of its 26 million residents on Monday, in one of its biggest ever public health responses. Some residents were asked to wake up before dawn for nucleic acid testing at their housing compounds, many queuing up in their pyjamas. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday dispatched more than 2,000 medical personnel recruited from across the army, navy and joint logistics support forces to Shanghai, an armed forces newspaper reported.

Multiple provinces such Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Beijing have sent healthcare workers to Shanghai, according to media reports, with some estimates putting the total number at more than 10,000. It is China’s largest public health response since it tackled the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus was first discovered in early 2020. The State Council said the PLA dispatched over 4,000 medical personnel to the province of Hubei, where Wuhan is, back then.

India’s Covid-19 cases set for new highs as Omicron spreads rapidly

 Government officials have privately said they are working under the assumption that daily infections will surpass the record of more than 414,000 set in May

India’s daily Covid-19 cases jumped to 117,100 on Friday, a five-fold increase in a week and on course to overtake its previous infection peak as the fast-spreading Omicron variant replaces Delta in cities.

Government officials have privately said they are working under the assumption that daily infections will surpass the record of more than 414,000 set in May, given what has happened in countries such as the United States where daily cases recently rose past 1 million. “We will clearly surpass our record shortly and reach a new peak by early February,” M.D. Gupte, a former director of the state-run National Institute of Epidemiology and an immunisation adviser to the government, told Reuters.

“Given the size of our population, we will report more daily cases than the U.S. But what we have seen is that these cases are much more mild, so the need for hospitalisation and oxygen and all that is not picking up.” He said India’s high rate of infection during a previous major wave in April and May, as well as vaccinations, would mean a reduction in the severity of the illness for those infected by the Omicron variant.

Customs department asked to dispose of hazardous goods after Beirut blasts

Revenue department sends letter after report last week 740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was lying in storage near Chennai.

The Customs department must ensure “hazardous, explosive” goods lying in stores are disposed of safely, the revenue department has said after a devastating explosion on Friday killed more than a 100 people in Lebanon’s capital Beirut.

The department started a safety campaign Tuesday to dispose of “un-claimed/un-cleared/seized/confiscated goods” by August l. It was launched after reports last week that 740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate—the explosive material in the Beirut blasts–were stored in a Container Freight Station (CFS) near Chennai. Customs seized the material in 2015 after the company importing it failed to show a licence. A letter signed by Kevin Boban, Officer on Special Duty (Customs) at the Central Board of Indirect Taxes, was sent to all the Principal Chief Commissioner of Customs/ Custom (Preventive, Cental Tax and Customs on Monday.

“Expeditious disposal of goods that are of hazardous or explosive nature is especially necessary to prevent any damage to life and property that may arise. Needless to state, till the un-claimed/un-cleared/seized/confiscated goods are disposed as per law, they need to be kept securely and safely in accordance with all extant instructions,” said the letter. The revenue department asked the Commissioner of Customs to work with the Pollution Control Board or fire safety departments to ensure safe storage and handling of hazardous and explosive materials in a Customs area.

Record single-day spike of 9,983 Covid-19 cases, death toll at 7,135

The number of active novel coronavirus cases stands at 1,25,381 while 1,24,094 people have recovered

Indian on Monday reported a spike of 9,983 coronavirus cases as the tally rose to 2,56,611 while the death toll jumped to 7,135, according to Health Ministry The number of active novel coronavirus cases stands at 1,25,381 while 1,24,094 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said. “Thus, around 48.36 per cent patients have recovered so far,” a senior health ministry official said.

The total number of confirmed cases include foreigners.Of the 206 deaths reported since Sunday morning, 91 were in Maharashtra, 30 in Gujarat, 18 each in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, 13 each in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, nine in Rajasthan, four in Haryana, two each in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand, and one each in Odisha and Punjab.

The total number of confirmed cases include foreigners. Of the 206 deaths reported since Sunday morning, 91 were in Maharashtra, 30 in Gujarat, 18 each in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, 13 each in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, nine in Rajasthan, four in Haryana, two each in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand, and one each in Odisha and Punjab.

Out of the total 7,135 fatalities, Maharashtra tops the tally with 3,060 deaths followed by Gujarat with 1,249 deaths, Delhi with 761, Madhya Pradesh with 412, West Bengal with 396, Uttar Pradesh with 275, Tamil Nadu with 269, Rajasthan with 240 and Telangana with 123 deaths…Read More

Day 2 of flight resumption: Over 42,000 ferried; 2 test Covid-19 positive

The air carriers also resorted to cancellation of several flights on the second day of resumption of services due to truncated schedules following requests from several states owing to the coronavirus

Domestic airlines ferried nearly 42,000 passengers on 325 flights till 5 pm on Tuesday on the second day of resumption of services.Two travellers were tested positive for coronavirus, perhaps the first time since the flights resumed, while an AirAsia flight carrying 74 people made an emergency landing in Hyderabad.

The air carriers also resorted to cancellation of several flights on the second day of resumption of services due to truncated schedules following requests from several states owing to the coronavirus crisis posing difficulties to hundreds of passengers at several airports. The number of cancellations was not immediately available though Tuesday’s passenger load indicated more travellers taking to flights compared to Monday.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus LIVE updates: India cases rise to 150,793; death toll at 4,344

Airlines also began operating from Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday while flights will resume in West Bengal from Thursday that is expected to increase the passenger traffic. Officials said several of the flights operated on Monday were half empty.

IndiGo airline said one of the passengers who travelled on its Chennai-Coimbatore flight on Monday evening has tested positive for Covid-19. The low-cost carrier said the passenger was sitting with all precautionary measures like gloves, mask and face shield and he is currently quarantined at a Coimbatore medical facility.

Lockdown 4.0: Do new govt rules pave the way for decision on IPL 2020?

I do not know why many literate people are thinking we are immune to the virus. This approach is depressing, says Dr Chatterjee

As India's cumulative figure for confirmed Covid-19 cases reached 96,169 on Monday with states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi witnessing a constant surge, medical experts have asserted that there is no point saying India has developed "herd immunity".

Dr Prasun Chatterjee, Associate Professor, Department of Geriatric Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) told ANI: "This pandemic cannot be overcome by thinking that tomorrow we will have herd immunity. Herd immunity has failed in the UK. There is no point in saying that India has developed herd immunity. We have tried to contain the virus through the lockdown."

"Mostly, we try to develop herd immunity through children because their immunity is very fresh. I do not know why many literate people are thinking we are immune to the virus. This approach is depressing," added Dr Chatterjee.He further said: "Herd immunity has a multiplier effect. If we develop it, we can protect many people but it is not so simple in the case of Covid-19. However, most importantly herd immunity can work only when there is some vaccination also."

While talking about immunity Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director, LNJP Hospital said, "When more people are exposed to any particular virus, some manifest it clinically whereas others sub-clinically and thus community starts building immunity at large."

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Coronavirus 2.0? China may test all 11 mn Wuhan residents in next 10 days

The short order came after the discovery last weekend of a cluster of six infected people at a residential compound in the city, the first new cases in more than a month

The Chinese authorities are planning to test all 11 million residents of Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus pandemic first broke out. No official announcement has been made, but district officials confirmed receiving marching orders from the city’s coronavirus task force, news agency PTI reported. It remained unclear if and how such a monumental testing campaign would happen. The short order came after the discovery last weekend of a cluster of six infected people at a residential compound in the city, the first new cases in more than a month.

China has moved quickly to snuff out new outbreaks wherever they pop up, even as it relaxes restrictions on the movement of people and reopens public attractions to limited numbers of visitors. Jilin province, which borders North Korea in China’s northeast, has suspended all public transport and imposed other restrictions as it battles a fresh outbreak. In neighbouring Heilongjiang province, which dealt with its own outbreak recently, the city of Harbin is quarantining anyone coming from Jilin for 14 days and banning them from hotels.

The sudden order appeared to confuse local officials. A man who answered the mayor’s hotline in Wuhan said that districts have 10 days to arrange the testing in their respective jurisdictions. But a woman who answered later Wednesday said the tests must be done in the next 10 days.A major state-owned news website, Jiemian, said it had obtained an implementation plan for the city’s Wuchang district that said all residents should be tested by May 20.

Covid-19 lockdown: Boozers swarm liquor shops; police warn of action

Delhi govt will impose a “special corona fee” on alcohol sale, which will be 70 per cent of the MRP

Taking a serious note of long queues outside Pune liquor shops on Monday, police have warned of strict action against such shops if they become the cause of crowding. Pune Commissioner of Police K Venkatesham directed liquor shops to ensure that social distancing norms are complied with. “Wine shops have to take steps for ensuring social distance norms & it is their duty in the red zone. If any shop becomes the reason for crowding, action will be taken,” he tweeted.

He also asked liquor shop owners to adopt a token system with timings. “One can purchase in a neighbourhood shop only. Plying of the vehicle without a valid permit may entail seizure and fine. For companies which have factories outside the PMC limits and construction projects, the movement of the staff is allowed in dedicated vehicle ‘bus’ rather than individual vehicles,” he said.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus LIVE updates: India sees 3,900 new cases in a day; 195 deaths

Joint commissioner of police, Ravindra Shisave reminded people that lockdown is still in place and Pune is under red zone.On Monday, the Delhi government said it will impose a “special corona fee” on alcohol sale which will be 70 per cent of the MRP. In an official order issued late in night, the finance department has imposed the fee, applicable from Tuesday. “70 per cent of the maximum retail price on all categories of liquor sold through retail licencees for consumption off the premises,” the Finance Department order signed by the Deputy Secretary reads, describing the fee…

Covid-19: Stranded migrants can work during lockdown, but conditions apply

No interstate movement allowed; registration with local authorities must

The Union government on Sunday said that workers stranded in relief camps could go to work within the states they were in but didn’t give permission to let them go back to their home states or allow any interstate movement. The home ministry issued a “standard operating system for movement of stranded labour” to allow workers to resume work from April 20 when additional economic activities will begin in areas not
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designated as “containment zones”.

The government has said that migrant workers residing in relief camps in various states should be registered with the local authorities “and their skill-mapping be carried out to find out their suitability for various kinds of work”. “In the event…migrants wish to return to their place of work, within the state where they are presently located, they would be screened and those asymptomatic would be transported to their respective places of work,” the guidelines said.

However, many states in India have witnessed a surge in coronavirus disease cases that reported asymptomatic symptoms or in other words, without any symptoms associated with the disease. Also, the government did not elaborate on the procedure to screen such workers. For instance, in Maharashtra, 70-75 per cent of over 3,000 Covid-19 positive cases were asymptomatic. In Karnataka, this ratio stood at around 60 per cent. In Delhi, all 186 Covid-19 cases reported on Sunday were asymptomatic…

Covid-19 Factoid: France and Iran face similar fight, Germany stands out

Around 20 cases are being registered and at least two people are losing their lives almost every minute due to coronavirus across the globe.

The number of Covid-19 positive cases in India stands at 1,071, and globally the tally has crossed 735,000. The US registered more than 20,000 cases in a day, taking the tally to over 140,000. The US is followed by Italy, a tad below 100,000-cases mark. Spain has overtaken China to become the third most affected country from coronavirus, going by the number of cases registered.

On an average, around 20 cases are being registered and at least two people are losing their lives almost every minute due to coronavirus across the globe. There is a rapid dissemination of information flowing around the Covid-19 pandemic.

1. Challenging time ahead for France and Iran

Both France and Iran have more than 40,000 Covid-19 cases registered so far. While around 30,000 cases in France are still active, out of which more than 12 per cent of the cases are in critical condition, highest among all countries. Similarly, 8 per cent of the active cases in Iran are critically ill. Both these countries have this far witnessed a higher death rate and might witness more fatalities in coming days. On the other hand, the US, which has the most number of cases tested positive for Covid-19, has much lower share of critical cases, and it also has a low death rate. Italy, Spain and the UK have a death rate on the higher side but few cases are in critical condition as on date…Read Full Source

1 in 50 coronavirus tests in India are positive compared to Italy’s 1 in 4

As the disease spreads in India, the percentage of tests coming out positive may increase

About one in every 50 tests conducted for Covid-19 in India as of March 25, 2020, have returned positive. In comparison, about a quarter of all tests in Italy, about a sixth in Austria and a tenth in the UK were positive, our analysis of data shows.

This could be due to varying testing criteria in different countries, experts said. As the disease spreads in India, the percentage of tests coming out positive may increase, they said. India tested 25,254 samples as of 8 p.m. on March 25, of which 581 (2.3 per cent) were positive, according to the latest update from the Indian Council of Medical Research. This proportion is comparable with South Korea’s (3per cent) and higher than Taiwan’s (1 per cent).

In comparison, 74,386 of 324,445 tests (23 per cent) in Italy, 6,001 of 35,995 tests (16.7 per cent) in Austria, 65,497 of 484,062 tests (13.5 per cent) in the US and 9,529 of 97,019 tests (10 per cent) in the UK were positive. Data for the US are from The COVID Tracking Project, an independent project run by journalists with volunteers including scientists, visualisation specialists, designers and project managers. Testing figures cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are incomplete, and therefore, lower…Read More

Coronavirus outbreak can now be classified as a pandemic, says WHO

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was troubled by the spread and severity of the outbreak, along with a lack of action taken to combat it.

The new coronavirus episode would now be able to be portrayed as a pandemic, the leader of the World Health Organization declared Wednesday. WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was disturbed by the spread and seriousness of the episode, alongside an absence of activity taken to battle it.”WHO has been surveying this episode nonstop and we’re profoundly concerned, both by the disturbing degrees of spread and seriousness, and by the disturbing degrees of inaction,” he told a news gathering in Geneva.

“We have in this way made the appraisal that COVID-19 can be portrayed as a pandemic.” The quantity of cases in more than 100 nations around the globe has ascended to more than 124,000, with more than 4,500 passings, remembering a hop for fatalities in Iran and Italy specifically, as per an AFP count. China remains the most exceedingly awful influenced nation with in excess of 80,000 affirmed cases and more than 3,000 passings. Tedros said that in the course of recent weeks, the quantity of cases outside China had expanded 13-overlay and the quantity of influenced nations had significantly increased. He said he anticipated the quantity of cases and passings would develop in the coming days and weeks.

“Pandemic isn’t a word to utilize softly or recklessly,” he told correspondents, however he focused on that “depicting the circumstance as a pandemic doesn’t change WHO’s evaluation of the risk presented by the infection.”It should not be taken by countries as a signal to give up on efforts to contain the virus with methods like contact-tracing, he said.

Coronavirus outbreak: Airports start stringent screening to check spread

All thanks to several doctors on standby, the queues of fliers are manageable

The lines and monotony of air terminal travel just got longer, on account of another cleanliness convention at air terminals. Registration staff watch withdrawing travelers for sneezes, runny noses, and hacks. Mentors taking travelers to and from airplane are washed down every day with liquor based cleaning specialists. Infrared thermometers welcome every single worldwide traveler showing up at Indian air terminals. The screening of travelers from China had started on January 17 and was later extended to cover another 13 influenced nations yet with the identification of 39 cases, the administration has raised the preventive measures at all air terminals. Requests for all inclusive screening were given on Thursday and metropolitan and state specialists were quickly called to help with the undertaking.

Travelers showing up at Mumbai and Delhi air terminals needed to sit tight in a line for as long as 40 minutes for the pre-migration wellbeing check. By Friday, be that as it may, the lines possessed abbreviated and the hanging tight energy for most travelers had decreased to 5-15 minutes as extra specialists and paramedics were deputed for checks. Be that as it may, around the same time, the procedure was fixed further when the legislature requested separate entries at customs and movement and separate stuff belts for travelers showing up from 12 ‘helpless’ nations. The air terminals still can’t seem to execute this mandate.

“It took 10-12 minutes to finish the wellbeing screening. It was not packed however the air terminal specialists ought to give separate counters to senior residents,” said Saleel Mohidekar who showed up from the US in Mumbai on Friday. A US resident who likewise showed up on Friday said Mumbai air terminal expected to give hand sanitisers and wipes to outside nationals who are finger imprinted on appearance…

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China virus death toll reaches 1,110; world warned of ‘very grave threat’

Coronavirus is believed to have emerged last year in a market that sells wild animals in Hubei’s capital Wuhan, the city at the centre of the outbreak.

The number of fatalities from China’s new coronavirus epidemic jumped to 1,110 nationwide on Wednesday after hard-hit Hubei province reported 94 new deaths. In its daily update, Hubei’s health commission also confirmed another 1,638 new cases in the central province, where the outbreak emerged in December. There are now more than 44,200 confirmed cases across China, based on previously released figures from the government.

The new virus is believed to have emerged last year in a market that sells wild animals in Hubei’s capital Wuhan, the city at the centre of the outbreak. The virus was officially named “COVID-19” at a conference in Geneva held by the World Health Organization, where the body’s chief said countries had a chance of stopping its global spread. WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that although 99 percent of cases are in China, where it remains “very much an emergency,” it also “holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world.” He urged countries to share data in order to further research the disease.

Chinese authorities dismissed two senior health officials from Hubei on Tuesday, where tens of millions of people have been under lockdown since late last month, and tightened restrictions in its capital Wuhan.