Corona News Highlights: Delhi records 1,354 new COVID-19 cases, one fatality; positivity rate climbs to 7.64%

Dehradun's Welham Girls' School was declared a micro-containment zone on Wednesday as 16 students tested positive for COVID-19.

“Six of these students tested positive on Tuesday and the rest over the past one week,” Dehradun District Magistrate R Rajesh Kumar said.

The girls who have contracted the viral infection have been kept in isolation in a Covid cell built inside the school premises, he said.

Welham Girls' School is a famous residential school in Panchpuri colony of Dalanwala, Dehradun.

It was converted into a micro-containment zone at the recommendation of Dehradun's chief medical officer, officials said.

On Wednesday, Uttarakhand reported 23 new Covid cases, with Dehradun alone accounting for 14 of them. Covid infections had dropped to single digit in the state in recent months. (PTI)

Delhi records 1,354 fresh COVID-19 cases, one fatality; positivity rate 7.64 per cent: Authorities (PTI)

Jammu and Kashmir reported one new Covid case on Wednesday, taking the infection tally in the Union Territory to 4,54,073, officials said.

The lone case was reported from the Jammu district, they said.

Jammu and Kashmir has 59 active cases of the viral disease while the number of recoveries has reached 4,49,263, the officials said.

The COVID-19 death toll in the Union Territory stands at 4,751 as no fresh fatality was reported.

The officials said there were 51 confirmed cases of mucormycosis commonly known as black fungus. (PTI)

Delhi Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday handed over cheques of Rs 1 crore each to the family members of nursing officer ChinniChing and safai karamchari Seema, who lost their lives to COVID-19, an official statement said.

Gahlot said both used to work at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital here.

“Both the 'Covid warriors' put their lives at risk and served the citizens of Delhi during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though the ex-gratia amount cannot compensate the loss caused to the families, I hope that with this financial assistance from the Delhi government, the family members will get some help in building their lives ahead,” the minister said in the statement.

He said the Arvind Kejriwal government was providing financial assistance of Rs 1 crore each to the families of 'Covid warriors' who lost their lives due to the pandemic.

Gahlot also assured them of all possible help.

He said ChinniChing succumbed to the infection on May 7, 2021, while Seema passed away on June 8, 2020. (PTI)

Gujarat on Wednesday reported 18 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally of infections to 12,24,404, an official from the state health department said.

With 16 patients getting discharged, the count of recoveries reached 12,13,351, while the toll stood at 10,943, as no new casualties were reported during the day, the official said.

The state is now left with 110 active cases, with two patients on ventilator support, he said.

Of the latest infections, Ahmedabad recorded eight, Vadodara seven and Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar and Morbi saw one case each, the official said.

As many as 38,215 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 on Wednesday, increasing the total number of doses administered so far to 10.80 crore.

Gujarat's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 12,24,404, new cases 18, death toll 10,943, discharged 12,13,351, active cases 110, people tested so far – figures not released. (PTI)

Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded 188 fresh coronavirus positive cases, but did not report any fatality linked to the infection, the health department said.

With fresh cases, the state's COVID-19 tally rose to 78,78,363, while the death toll remained unchanged at 1,47,845.

On Tuesday, the state had recorded 182 cases and one fatality.

There are 1,049 active cases in the state, but Sangli, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Beed, Latur, Hingoli, Osmanabad, Amravati, Akola, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia district do not have any active case.

The state's COVID-19 fatality rate stands at 1.87 per cent.

The health department said that 166 patients recovered from the infection during the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative recovery count to 77,29,469. The recovery rate in the state stands at 98.11 per cent.

It said that 20,168 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative tests conducted in the state to 8,02,70,696.

Maharashtra's coronavirus figures are as follows: Positive cases: 78,78,363; new cases: 188; fatalities: 1,47,845; active cases: 1,049; tests conducted so far: 8,02,70,696. (PTI)

Mumbai, May 4 (PTI) Mumbai on Wednesday reported 117 new coronavirus positive cases, its highest on-day tally since February 25, which took its overall count to 10,60,187, the city civic body said.

The death toll in the metropolis remained unchanged at 19,563 as nobody succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in its bulletin.

This is for the second consecutive day that the country's financial capital witnessed the number of cases running into three digits. On Tuesday, the city had logged 100 new cases.

Last week also, Mumbai had reported more than 100 infection cases in a row – on April 26 and 27.

On February 25 this year, the megalopolis had reported 128 cases.

The city's COVID-19 test count increased to 1,69,22,334 as 7,035 tests were carried out during the day, over 1,400 less than the previous day.

As per the bulletin, 114 out of the 117 new patients were asymptomatic. The symptomatic patients were hospitalised, but only one of them is on oxygen support.

Only 15 out of the total 26,009 hospital beds are occupied, the bulletin said, adding that the number of recoveries jumped to 10,39,982 as 112 more patients were discharged from hospitals during the day.

Currently, there are 642 active COVID-19 patients in the city.

Mumbai's average recovery rate of such patients is 98 per cent and the overall growth rate of these cases is 0.008 per cent between April 27 and May 2, the bulletin said, adding that its case doubling rate is 8,003.

At present there is no sealed building or containment zone in the city. (PTI)

The Omicron subvariants may burn themselves out in the next couple of months and there could be another outbreak of Delta or a different coronavirus strain this summer, according to a modelling study conducted in Israel.The findings, published last week in the journal Science of the Total Environment, suggests that while Delta wiped out the variants that preceded it, Omicron has not eliminated the deadly variant which could re-emerge.

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel developed sensitive arrays that can differentiate variants from each other in wastewater which continues to give indications of where the coronavirus is active, even when PCR and rapid testing of people declines.They monitored sewage in Beer-Sheva city of Israel from December 2021 to January 2022 and noticed a “disturbing interaction” between the Omicron and Delta variants. | READ MORE

Cognitive impairment as a result of severe COVID-19 is similar to that sustained with 20 years of ageing, between 50 and 70 years of age, and is the equivalent to losing 10 intelligence quotient (IQ) points, according to a study.

Cognitive impairment occurs when a person has trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating, or making decisions that affect their everyday life.

The latest findings, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, suggest that the effects are still detectable more than six months after the acute illness, and that any recovery is at best gradual.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, UK, noted that there is growing evidence that COVID-19 can cause lasting cognitive and mental health problems.

COVID-19 recovered patients report symptoms including fatigue, 'brain fog', problems recalling words, sleep disturbances, anxiety and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) months after infection, they said. | READ MORE

Odisha recorded 10 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the health department said.

There are 92 active cases in the state at present with eight more patients recovering in the last 24 hours, it said.

The positivity rate was 0.06 per cent as the new cases were detected after testing 17,628 samples, it said.

The toll remained at 9,126 with no new deaths reported, it added.

So far, the state reported 12,88,085 cases. (PTI)

China's capital Beijing on Wednesday shut down several metro stations besides schools, restaurants and businesses and ordered daily COVID-19 testing of its 21 million people as it ramped up measures to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant which has brought the financial hub Shanghai to halt for over a month.

Beijing reported 53 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to over 500 cases as the capital continues enforcing strict anti-virus measures and postponed school reopening for a week as a precautionary measure.

The capital city on Wednesday closed over 40 subway stations, about 10 per cent of the total, and 158 bus routes.

Most of the suspended stations and services are in the Chaoyang district, the prominent area in the city housing the top leaders as well as diplomatic enclaves.

All kindergartens, primary and middle schools and secondary vocational schools in Beijing have postponed resuming classes for a week until May 11, official media reported. When students will return to schools would be based on the COVID-19 situation, Beijing authorities said.

Those who really need to leave Beijing must present a nucleic acid test negative certificate taken within 48 hours and a green health code before boarding a plane or a train.

Airports and railway stations will strengthen inspection, and spot checks will also be carried out on those leaving Beijing by road. Anyone who is unable to present a green health code will not be allowed to enter or leave Beijing, officials confirmed at the press conference, state-run Global Times reported. (PTI)

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has sought DCGI approval for phase 2 and 3 trials among the younger population. The latest reports say that the trials will be focused on the gae group between 2-year-olds and 18-year-olds.

The Omicron subvariants may burn themselves out in the next couple of months and there could be another outbreak of Delta or a different coronavirus strain this summer, according to a modelling study conducted in Israel. – PTI

Puducherry added no new case to its Coronavirus tally during the last 24 hours ending 10 a.m. on Wednesday and the aggregate remained 1,65,794. – PTI

Beijing on Wednesday closed around 10% of the stations in its vast subway system as an additional measure against the spread of coronavirus. The subway authority in a brief message said only that the measure to shut 40 mostly downtown stations was being taken as part of epidemic control measures. No date for resumption of service was given. AP

Keeping an eye on Covid situation in national capital; current scenario doesn't warrant major curbs: Delhi Health Minister on rise in cases. PTI

Mizoram on Wednesday reported 44 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 2,27,600, a health official said. The toll remained at 697 as no new death was reported in the last 24 hours, he said. The positivity rate dipped to 7.57 per cent from 10.96 per cent on Tuesday as the fresh cases were detected after testing 581 samples, he said.There are 433 active cases in the state at present. So far, 2,26,470 people have recovered from the infection, including 86 on Tuesday, he said. PTI

Latest govt data shows that India's active case count stands at 19,509.

The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh reached 10,41,540 on Tuesday after the detection of 23 cases, while the death toll remained unchanged at 10,735, an official said.

The positivity rate stood at 0.4 per cent, while the recovery count increased by 13 to touch 10,30,602, leaving the state with 203 active cases, the official informed.

With 5,330 samples examined during the day, the number of tests in MP went up to 2,91,04,621, he added.

A government release said 11,78,47,475 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in the state, including 3,549 on Tuesday.

Coronavirus figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 10,41,540, new cases 26, death toll 10,735, recoveries 10,30,602, active cases 203, number of tests so far 2,91,04,621. (PTI)

The total number of deaths that occurred due to COVID19 is 5,23,693 (as on 28th April,2022): CRS Report 2020 (ANI)

Chandigarh administration abeyance its order of restricting unvaccinated children in the age group of 12 to 18 years from attending the classes in physical mode from May 4. (ANI)

SC asks Centre to decide on plea seeking re-vaccination for people who received Sputnik V (ANI)

Karnataka reports 107 new Covid19 cases today; Active caseload stands at 1,815 (ANI)

A day after its Covid shot Covovax was included on the CoWIN portal for inoculation of children aged 12-17 years at private vaccination centres, the Serum Institute of India (SII) on Tuesday reduced the price of each dose of the vaccine from Rs 900 to Rs 225, excluding taxes. Following recommendation of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) the provision of the vaccine option was included on the portal on Monday. On Tuesday, Director for Government and Regulatory Affairs, SII, Prakash Kumar Singh, is learnt to have communicated to the government that the firm is reducing the price of each dose from Rs 900 to Rs 225 plus goods and services tax (GST) for private hospitals. In addition, a private hospital can charge up to Rs 150 as service charge. (PTI)

Serum Institute of India's coronavirus vaccine Covovax is now available for children across the country, company CEO Adar Poonawalla said on Tuesday. In a post on Twitter, he said Covovax, which has been developed by Novavax, “is now available for children in India”. He further said, “This is the only vaccine manufactured in India that is also sold in Europe and has an efficacy of > (more than) 90%.” This is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “vision of providing yet another vaccine to protect our children”, Poonawalla said. Official sources on Monday had said children aged 12 to 17 years could henceforth now get the Covovax at private centres with a dose costing Rs 900 plus GST, in addition to hospital service charge of Rs 150. (PTI)

Observing that the Court cannot sit in judgement of leading scientific analysis relating to the safety of paediatric vaccination, the Supreme Court has said that the decision taken by the Centre to vaccinate children in the country is in tune with global scientific consensus and expert bodies. A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai also said that data shows vaccine does not pose any threat to children. “Experts in science may themselves differ in their opinions while taking decisions on matters related to safety and allied aspects, but that does not entitle the Court to second-guess expert opinion, on the basis of which the Government has drawn up its policies. “The decision taken by the Union of India to vaccinate paediatric population in this country is in tune with global scientific consensus and expert bodies like the WHO, the UNICEF, and the CDC has also advised paediatric vaccination,” the bench said. (PTI)

The spurt in Covid cases and test positivity rate in Delhi over the last few weeks does not suggest the onset of a new wave, but people should keep basic mitigation measures in place to prevent the spread of the infection, experts said on Tuesday. Eminent epidemiologist Dr Chandrakant Lahariya said the test positivity rate is stagnant and it means the infection is spreading at the same rate and there is no wave. There is a subtle change in the hospitalization rate which also proves that there is no wave, Lahariya said. Absolute numbers have no meaning. The number of cases will be more if you do more tests, he said. (PTI)

Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel says he has tested positive for COVID-19. Kimmel took to Twitter on Monday to share his diagnosis, assuring fans that he was feeling fine as he is “double vaxxed and boosted”. “Our daughter brought us covid (even though we specifically asked her not to),” he quipped. The 54-year-old TV personality, who hosts “The Jimmy Kimmel Live”, was due to interview Tom Cruise and comic Iliza Shlesinger along with musical guest Parquet Courts on his show. (PTI)