Coronavirus India Highlights: To cover more individuals, Modi govt orders vaccination throughout April; check details

Seeking to overcome vaccine hesitancy, the Biden administration is unveiling a coalition of community, religious and celebrity partners to promote COVID-19 shots. The Department of Health and Human Services’ ‘We Can Do This’ campaign features television and social media ads, but it also relies on a community corps of public health, athletic, faith and other groups to spread the word about the safety and efficacy of the three approved vaccines. The campaign comes amid worries that reluctance to get vaccinated will delay the nation’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. – PTI

Filmmaker and TV personality Rohit Shetty on Thursday received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Shetty, known for action films like the “Singham” and “Golmaal” franchise and hosting stunt reality TV series “Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi”, posted pictures of himself getting vaccinated at the Nanavati hospital here on social media. “Action and stunts are for movies, don’t try to be a ‘khatron ke khiladi’ (daredevil) in real life. Get vaccinated. It is the only way to fight COVID. Got myself vaccinated today. “Thanks to the staff of Nanavati hospital, the procedure was very well organised,” the 48-year-old director wrote on Instagram and tagged the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). – PTI

Madhya Pradesh: Jabalpur MP Rakesh Singh takes his first dose of the COVID19 vaccine. – ANI

Malawi is vaccinating health care workers, the elderly and those with health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19, using the AstraZeneca doses that arrived early in March. People are lining up to get the jabs at hospitals and clinics in Blantyre, the southern African country’s largest city, in the first phase of the inoculation drive. Malawi, one of the world’s least developed countries, has launched its vaccine drive with the 360,000 doses that it received through the global COVAX initiative, which aims to ensure that low- and middle-income countries have fair access to vaccines. Malawi aims to vaccinate about 11 million people of its population of 19 million. Malawi has recorded a cumulative total of 33,525 cases of COVID-19 including 1,116 deaths, accoding to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. – Reuters

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said the number of beds in district hospitals of the state are being increased by over 15,000 for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The move comes in the wake of a rise in cases of coronavirus in the state. During a meeting on Wednesday evening to review measures being undertaken in every district of the state for the treatment of coronavirus, Chouhan also directed for speeding up the vaccination drive, which has now been opened up for people above the age of 45. – PTI

South Korea is reviewing whether to approve rapid coronavirus tests that can be taken at home and produce near-immediate results as another tool to fight the pandemic. Kwon Jun-wook, director of South Korea’s National Health Institute, said Thursday there’s a need to provide convenient and accessible tests that people can use regularly because the virus is often transmitted by people with no or mild symptoms. Health authorities had previously been reluctant to expand the use of rapid antigen tests and other forms of fast testing, which could produce results within 30 minutes but are less accurate than standard laboratory tests. –PTI

The COVID-19 situation in Pakistan is getting worse with hospitals in the country on the verge of saturation with more patients contracting the deadly virus, according to a media report on Thursday. Pakistan reported 4,974 coronavirus cases and 98 deaths on Thursday during the last 24 hours. This is the highest number of daily infections reported since June 20, 2020, when 5,948 cases were reported. The number of cases in the country have reached 672,931 with over 14,530 deaths and 605,274 recoveries, the ministry of National Health Services (NHS) said on Thursday. Hospitals in the country are on the verge of saturation and the situation at several places including Islamabad, the federal capital, is worsening with each passing day, the Dawn newspaper reported. – IPL

As many as 1,542 persons tested positive for coronavirus, while 19 died of the infection in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district, an official said on Thursday. With the latest cases and fatalities recorded on Wednesday, the tally of infections in the district has reached 82,679 and the toll has risen to 1,670, the official said. Of the fresh cases, 1,090 patients are from Aurangabad city, while 452 are from the rural parts of the district, he said. A total of 65,438 patients have recovered from the infection so far, leaving the district with 15,571 active cases, he said. –PTI

Scientists have developed a new portable, pocket-sized test that can not only diagnose COVID-19 in minutes but also sequence the coronavirus to track the spread of mutations and variants. The test, dubbed NIRVANA, can simultaneously test for other viruses such as influenza that might be mistaken for the coronavirus, the researchers said. “This is a virus detection and surveillance method that doesn’t require an expensive infrastructure like other approaches,” said Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the US. – PTI

Poles rushed to sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations on Thursday morning after the government unexpectedly opened registrations for people aged over 40 overnight, in a sudden shift that led to so many applications that an online system crashed.Over 2 million Poles have so far received both shots of a vaccine, but the prime minister’s top aide, who has been put in charge of the vaccination programme, said slower rates of registration among older Poles meant the government had decided to widen access.”At the moment, we have registration open for all people over 60 years of age,” Michal Dworczyk told private radio station RMF FM. – Reuters

Russia reported 9,169 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, including 2,151 in Moscow, pushing the infection tally in the country to 4,554,264 since the pandemic began.The government coronavirus taskforce said that 383 people had died in the last 24 hours, taking Russia’s death toll to 99,233.Russia’s statistics service, which is keeping a separate tally, has reported a much higher toll and said that more than 200,000 Russians died of COVID-19 through January. – Reuters

Hong Kong authorities said on Thursday they would resume the use of BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine next Monday after abruptly halting inoculations nine days ago due to defective packaging. A 300,000 dose batch is due to arrive in Hong Kong on Friday that was produced and packaged at a different plant to the two batches whose use was halted by authorities. The announcement comes as the city’s government seeks to convince residents to get vaccinated after a sluggish take-up due to dwindling confidence in a rival vaccine from China’s Sinovac and fears of adverse reactions. “We want to enhance public confidence in the vaccine program,” Patrick Nip, secretary for the Civil Service, told a briefing on Thursday. – Reuters

Taiwan and the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau launched a coronavirus travel bubble Thursday to promote tourism, in recognition of their success in stamping out the pandemic locally. Passengers must take a polymerase chain reaction test for the virus before being allowed to board their flights but will not be required to undergo quarantine. Taiwanese Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said the bubble was made possible because ‘both sides have controlled the epidemic well.’ Palau President Surangel Whipps is in Taipei for the inaugural flight, wrapping up a five-day visit to Taiwan. Palau is one of only 15 countries that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which China claims as its territory with no right diplomatic recognition. China has banned its citizens from visiting Palau. – PTI

The district court here was closed for three days from Thursday after two judges and one staff person were found positive for coronavirus. Chief Medical Officer PN Chaturvedi said that Additional Civil Judges– Sumit Kumar and Abhishek Gupta — and one staffer Pankaj Kumar were found positive for conronavirus While Judge Sumit Kumar and Pankaj are undergoing treatment in Allahabad, Judge Abhishek is being treated in district hospital here, he said. He said that on Wednesday testing was done in court, which has been closed for next three days and entire court is being sanitised. – PTI

As the state geared up to vaccinate everyone above 45 years of age from Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar appealed to the eligible people to make use of this protective cover against coronavirus. Cautioning people not to underestimate the danger posed by Covid, Yediyurappa tweeted, “Our protective cover is the vaccine against corona. Everyone over the age of 45 can get the vaccine today. Go to your nearest vaccination centre and get the vaccine. Together we can defeat coronavirus.” Health Minister Sudhakar too tweeted, “As we begin vaccinating all citizens aged above 45 years from today, 5,500 vaccination sites will be operational across the state including 650 private and 4,850 government facilities.” – PTI

The COVID-19 caseload in Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 5,083 as two more persons have tested positive for the disease in the Union Territory, a health department official said on Thursday. The fresh cases were detected during contact tracing, he said. The death toll remained at 62 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours. No one was cured of the disease during the period, and the total number of recoveries in the archipelago stood at 4,976, the official said.- PTI

Two positive tests at an interval of at least 102 days with one interim negative test have been defined as SARS-CoV-2 re-infection by Indian scientists for establishing surveillance systems, according to an ICMR study. But a confirmation of the re-infection will require a whole genome sequencing, it stated. While SARS-CoV-2 re-infection is still a rare phenomenon, Indian scientists have developed an easy-to-use epidemiological definition of re-infection for establishing surveillance systems. Read the detailed report here – PTI

Vaccination to be done on all days of April at all public and private COVID19 vaccination centres, including gazetted holidays: Government of India – ANI

Natural temperature differences which exist in the upper and lower respiratory tract influence the replication of the novel coronavirus and the subsequent activation of the immune system, says a new study that may lead to the development of new therapeutics and preventive measures against COVID-19. The study, published in the journal PLOS Biology, assessed the growth of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and activation of the immune system’s cellular defense mechanisms. In the research, scientists, including those from the University of Bern in Switzerland, compared the infection pathways of the novel coronavirus and the 2002-03 SARS-CoV pandemic virus in special cell cultures mimicking the respiratory tract. –PTI

22 resident doctors of Obstetrics & Gynecology Department have tested positive for COVID-19 in last 14 days. Of these 22 doctors, 14 had taken vaccine: Dr Pushpa Dahiya, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak.  – ANI

Despite COVID-19 challenges, Railways has registered highest ever freight loading of 1232.64 MT (million tonne) in 2020-21 & grew by 23.32 MT (million tonne) over 2019-20: Ministry of Railways – ANI

Maharashtra: Murlidhar Mohol, Pune Mayor takes his first dose of the COVID19 vaccine. – ANI

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy and his wife YS Bharati take their first dose of the COVID19 vaccine in Guntur. – ANI

Johnson & Johnson said that it had found a problem with a batch of the drug substance for its COVID-19 vaccine being produced by Emergent Biosolutions, and said the batch did not advance to the final fill-and-finish stage. J&J did not say how many vaccine doses the batch would have produced. The New York Times reported that about 15 million doses were ruined, without citing a source. The Times said that workers had conflated ingredients for the J&J vaccine and a coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca Plc, which is produced at the same plant, several weeks ago. The manufacturing misstep follows manufacturing issues at J&J, which is seen as one of the most important COVID-19 vaccines globally, because its vaccine is a single dose and requires relatively little special handling. – Reuters

New Zealand said on Thursday it wants to independently analyse the World Health Organization’s (WHO) report on the origins of the novel coronavirus before it commented, explaining its reluctance to join others in expressing concern. Thirteen countries including New Zealand’s Five Eyes alliance partners the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada, cast doubt on the WHO report saying it was delayed and lacked access to complete data. New Zealand was invited to sign a joint statement with those countries, but did not do so. – Reuters

Australia ended a lockdown of its third-biggest city Brisbane on Thursday, just in time for Easter holidays, as only one new locally transmitted COVID-19 case in Queensland state eased fears of a widespread outbreak. Video and photos on social media showed people wearing masks checking in at cafes and restaurants for lunch or having beer at bars as Brisbane emerged from its three-day snap lockdown at noon local time (0200 GMT). Residents are, however, still required to wear masks in public and some social distancing restrictions will remain in place, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said earlier in the day as she announced the easing of curbs. – Reuters

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 24,300 to 2,833,173, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Thursday. The reported death toll rose by 201 to 76,543, the tally showed. – Reuters

Some of the world’s best surfers, including twice world champion John John Florence, are enjoying the relative freedom of life in Australia as they resume their preparations for surfing’s Olympic debut at a World Surf League event this week.The surfers underwent two weeks of quarantine after arriving Down Under and finally got back to competition in the Newcastle Cup on Thursday — the first of four tour events being held in Australia over the next two months. Australia has been more successful than most countries in containing the new coronavirus and Florence was very much enjoying the lack of restrictions in the port city northeast of Sydney. – Reuters

Cuba’s homegrown vaccine candidates have made headlines worldwide. Less well-known is its production of medical gear such as ventilators and CT scanners for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in a bid to achieve “technological sovereignty” during the pandemic. During a tour of production facilities in Havana on Wednesday, officials touted the medical gear that had enabled them to save money and keep the mortality rate from COVID-19 low even as other countries had struggled to import such equipment. “Our country is saving money and could save many millions of dollars thanks to all the results of sovereignty we have achieved,” said Eduardo Martínez, head of state-run biopharmaceutical corporation BioCubaFarma. The Communist-run island nation has sought to develop such manufacturing in part in response to the decades-old U.S. trade embargo, tightened by former President Donald Trump, which hampers the import of medical equipment.Daily coronavirus cases hit a new record of 1,051 on the island of 11 million inhabitants on Wednesday, bringing the total to more than 75,000. – Reuters

Papua New Guinea’s health minister said misinformation shared on Facebook was the biggest threat to its COVID-19 vaccine plans, saying the social media giant must take steps to “stop it”. Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and the efficacy of vaccines are so entrenched that even frontline health workers are hesitant to take the shot, Jelta Wong said at a talk with an Australian think tank that was streamed online on Thursday. “Facebook is our biggest conspiracy theorist platform,” Wong said at the Lowy Institute talk, adding people should not rely on information on Facebook to guide their approach to vaccines. “Facebook has a lot of influence here. They’re supposed to have programmes where they stop these types of things. Facebook must take responsibility of this and stop it.” Facebook was not immediately available for comment. – Reuters

Pakistan on Wednesday said 8 lakh doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the country, as more anti-COVID jabs were being procured and the immunisation process fast-tracked. So far, COVID-19 has claimed 14,434 lives along with 6,67,957 confirmed cases in the country, with 78 fatalities and 4,757 infections reported in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of National Health Services said. Another 3,197 virus patients were in critical condition. The positivity rate stood at 10.82 per cent. Speaking to the media, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said the country was finalising orders to buy more vaccines. – PTI

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday announced a three-week nationwide school closure and a month-long domestic travel ban, as the rapid spread of the virus ramped up pressure on hospitals. In a televised address to the nation, Macron said efforts are needed as ‘the epidemic is accelerating.’ ‘We’re going to close nursery, elementary and high schools for three weeks,’ he said, adding that a nationwide 7 p.m.- 6 a.m. curfew will be kept in place. ‘If we stay united in the coming weeks … then we will see light at the end of the tunnel,’ he said. Macron said restrictions already applying in the Paris region and others parts of north and eastern France will be extended to the whole country, for at least one month. – AP

Health officials in China say six more people have become ill with COVID-19 in a southwestern Chinese city on the border with Myanmar. That brings the confirmed total in the Yunnan province city of Ruili over the past two days to at least 15, including at least four Myanmar citizens. The National Commission said Thursday that 23 other people have tested positive for the coronavirus without showing symptoms of illness. Officials say more than 20,000 tests have been administered so far. City authorities plan to test Ruili’s entire population of about 210,000 people, and require them to quarantine at home for one week. The residential compound where the infections were found has already been locked down. – AP

Music composer-singer Bappi Lahiri has been admitted to a city hospital after the veteran was detected with “mild COVID symptoms”, his daughter and singer Rema Lahiri Bansal said. The 68-year-old singer was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital as a “precautionary measure,” according to the statement issued by his spokesperson late Wednesday night. “Bappi Da has exercised immense precaution but has been detected with mild COVID symptoms. He has been admitted under the care of Dr Udwadia at Breach Candy Hospital purely as a precautionary measure due to his age. “He will be fine and home soon. Thank you for keeping him in your prayers always,” Rema Lahiri Bansal said in the statement. – PTI

Maharashtra added 6,51,513 COVID-19 cases in March this year, which accounts for 88.23 per cent of the total number of cases reported in the previous five-month period, according to official data. Between October 1 last year and February 28, 2021, the state recorded 7,38,377 cases of coronavirus. The data shows the increased pace of the viral infection in March 2021 compared to previous months. One of the main reasons for it is the people not following “COVID-appropriate behaviour”, say experts. Many people are not maintaining social distance and do not wear masks, exposing themselves to the infection, they say. – PTI

The COVID-19 tally in Maharashtra’s Thane district has gone up to 3,19,011with the addition of 3,171 new cases of the disease,an official said on Thursday. Besides these new cases reported on Wednesday, the viral infection also claimed the lives of 19 more people, pushing the death toll in the district rose to 6,469, he said. The COVID-19 mortality rate in the district is 2.03 per cent, he said. So far, 2,81,641 patients have recuperated from the infection in the district, which reflects a recovery rate of 88.29 per cent. There are 30,901 active COVID-19 cases in Thane at present, the official said. – PTI

Japan is set to designate Osaka and two other prefectures for new virus control steps Thursday as infections in those areas rise less than four months before the Tokyo Olympics. Osaka, neighbouring Hyogo and Miyagi prefecture in the north have had sharp increases in daily cases since early March, soon after Japan scaled down its partial and non-binding state of emergency that began in January. Japan lifted the state of emergency in the Tokyo area on March 21, fully ending the measures aimed at slowing the coronavirus and relieving pressure on medical systems treating COVID-19 patients. Experts have raised concerns about Osaka’s rapid spike and the burden on its medical systems. An international figure skating event is scheduled in mid-April in Osaka city, which will be placed under the new measures. – AP

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Active COVID-19 cases recorded at 5,84,055,  while 1,14,74,683 people have recovered from disease so far: Union Health Ministry