Coronavirus News Highlights: Tamil Nadu makes RT-PCR report mandatory for people coming from Kerala; 20,728 new cases recorded in Kerala

South Goa district administration extends COVID-induced curfew till August 9; prohibiting functioning of establishments/facilities including cinema hall, casinos, auditoriums and weekly markets (ANI)

Uttar Pradesh on Sunday reported 36 fresh Covid cases, which took the tally to 17,08,476, according to an official statement. No fatality from the infection was registered in the state and the death toll stands at 22,763, the statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh government said. Of the fresh cases, four were reported from Sultanpur, while three each were reported from Allahabad, Varanasi and Gorakhpur, it said.

In the past 24 hours, 76 people have recovered from the disease, taking the total number patients discharged so far in the state to 16,85,049. The count of active COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 664, the statement said. In the past 24 hours, more than 2.48 lakh samples have been tested in the state, while so far, over 6.57 crore samples have been tested in the state, it said. (PTI)

The Delhi health department on Sunday issued fresh orders asking district authorities to restrict 20 per cent doses of Covishield and 40 per cent doses of Covaxin for the first shot, officials said. The remaining doses will be reserved for the second shot till the supply situation improves, an official said.

“We have issued fresh orders today (Sunday). The first and second dose of Covishield and Covaxin will now be administered in 20:80 and 40:60 ratio, respectively, at government centres” the official said. The Delhi government had on July 22 ordered that only the second dose of Covishield vaccine will be administered at government inoculation centres till July 31 due to limited supply.

Also, only 20 per cent of the Covaxin stock was being used for the first dose due to its “irregular delivery cycles’. The cumulative number of doses administered in the city so far has reached 1,01,04,760, of which 26,71,681 are second doses. According to government data, 42,98,825 women have received at least one dose of Covid vaccines, while 58,03,764 men have been inoculated with at least one jab.

Over 76.40 lakh doses of Covishield have been administered while 24,27,311 doses of Covaxin have been given till now. As on Sunday morning, the national capital had 4,76,610 doses of Covishield. It received 1,18,490 doses of Covaxin Saturday, taking the total number of doses available to 3,65,130. (PTI)

West Bengal’s COVID-19 tally rose to 15,28,720 on Sunday as 701 more people tested positive for the infection, while 13 fresh fatalities pushed the state’s coronavirus death toll to 18,149, a health bulletin said.    North 24 Parganas district registered the highest number of new cases at 93, followed by Darjeeling (64) and Kolkata (60).
    
North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts recorded the highest number of fresh fatalities at three each, followed by two in Howrah.    The total number of active cases came down by 139 to 10,974, while 827 more people were cured of the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 14,99,597, it said.

The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state has improved to 98.09 per cent. The state has thus far tested over 1.57 crore samples for COVID-19, including 43,617 in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said, adding that the positivity rate stands at 1.61 per cent. West Bengal has vaccinated over 2.93 crore people so far, including 3.71 lakh during the day. (PTI) 

Nearly 11,000 Covid vaccine doses were administered in the national capital Sunday, according to information updated on the Cowin portal.  According to a bulletin by the Delhi government, 83,042 doses were administered on Saturday, of which 62,863 were the second doses. Delhi had five days of vaccine stocks left as of Sunday morning.

According to the Cowin portal, 10,882 doses were administered Sunday, the low numbers on account of it being a holiday when the Delhi government’s centres remain closed. The cumulative number of doses administered in the city so far has reached 1,01,04,760 of which 26,71,681 are the second doses. The data showed that 42,98,825 women have received at least one dose of Covid vaccines, while 58,03,764 men have been inoculated with at least one jab.

Over 76.40 lakh doses of Covishield have been administered while 24,27,311 doses of Covaxin have been given till now. As on Sunday morning, the national capital had 4,76,610 doses of Covishield. It received 1,18,490 doses of Covaxin Saturday, taking the total number of doses available to 3,65,130. The total number of vaccine doses administered in Delhi so far crossed the one-crore mark on Saturday and of the eligible population in the city 50 per cent have received at least one jab, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.  (PTI) 

Telangana records 455 new COVID-19 cases, 3 more deaths (PTI)

Himachal Pradesh reports 134 new Covid-19 positive cases, 118 recoveries, and no deaths in the last 24 hours.

Active cases: 1229
Total positive cases: 2,06,161 (ANI)

Manipur reports 832 new COVID cases, 957 recoveries & 10 deaths in the last 24 hours. 

Active cases: 10,405
Total recoveries: 87,360
Death toll: 1,566 (ANI) 

Tamil Nadu reports 1,990 new COVID cases, 2,156 recoveries, and 26 deaths today.

Active cases: 20,524
Total recoveries: 25,06,961
Death toll: 34,102 (ANI)

36 new cases take Jharkhand’s COVID-19 tally to 3,47,173 (PTI) 

Himachal Pradesh reports 134 new Covid-19 positive cases, 118 recoveries, and no deaths in the last 24 hours.

Active cases: 1229
Total positive cases: 2,06,161 (ANI)

Delhi records 85 coronavirus cases and one death in a day; positivity rate stands at 0.12 percent: Health Bulletin (PTI)

COVID-19 | Karnataka reports 1,875 new cases, 25 deaths and 1,502 recoveries. Total positive cases at 29,06,999 and Active cases at 24,144 (ANI)

Classes 10 and 12 of government-run and private schools in Chhattisgarh will reopen from Monday with 50 per cent attendance, for which the prerequisite is that the COVID-19 positivity rate of the district concerned should be one per cent for last seven days. However, a state-level body of parents of school students has opposed the move saying the government should have waited for some more time before allowing the schools to reopen, in view of the possible third wave of the pandemic.  

Colleges and schools were shut in the state after the second wave of coronavirus began in March this year. The decision to reopen schools was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel recently. The school education department had last week announced that the offline classes for Classes 10 and 12 in all private and government schools will begin from August 2. It had said that these classes will start only in those districts where the positivity rate of coronavirus was one per cent for seven days.
 
The government has also allowed resumption of schools for Classes 1 to 5 and Class 8 subject to certain conditions.  But physical Classes for Classes 6, 7, 9 and 11 will not be started immediately. The students attending physical classes will have to do so on alternate days and those suffer from cough, cold and fever will not be allowed to attend the school. Online classes will also be run for school students and there will be no compulsion to attend the off-line classes, it had said.

In order to restart the physical classes for the students of Classes 1 to 5 and Class 8, it is necessary to get the recommendation from the gram panchayats concerned and the parents committees of respective schools in rural areas, and similar recommendation from local corporators and parent committees is compulsory in urban areas, the order had said. However, the decision has not gone down well with the parents’ association, which said the state government should reconsider the decision.

“The third wave of coronavirus is likely in August and therefore the decision to reopen schools should have been taken next month,” said Kristopher Paul, President of Chhattisgarh Parents Association (CPA). Besides, the ongoing monsoon season also causes viral diseases among children and therefore, the government should have waited, he said.

He alleged that the government has taken the decision in haste to benefit the private school owners. Paul said if the state government really wanted to reopen the schools, then it should do so for all classes. Renuka Bhuwal, whose daughter studies in Class 5 and son in Class 10 in a private school in Raipur, said that she would not send her children to school as it was not mandatory. “Till the picture about the third wave of coronavirus gets clear, we prefer offline classes,” she added. (PTI)

Kerala recorded 20,728 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday, pushing the infection caseload to 34,11,489, while 56 more deaths took the toll to 16,837. It is for the sixth day running that the state has recorded more than 20,000 fresh cases.

Since July 27 there have been 1,28,373 more infections in the state. As many as 17,792 people have been cured of the infection since Saturday, taking the total recoveries to 32,26,761, leaving 1,67,379 active cases,a state government release said. | Read More

Sikkim’s COVID-19 caseload rose to 26,754 on Sunday as 206 more people tested positive for the infection,  while one more fatality pushed the state’s coronavirus death toll to 345, a health department bulletin said. West Sikkim registered the highest number of new cases at 100, followed by East Sikkim (65), South Sikkim (37), and North Sikkim (4). 

The Himalayan state now has 3,454 active cases, while 22,686 people have recovered from the infection, and  269 patients have migrated to other states thus far. The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state stands at 85.7 per cent. 

Sikkim has tested over 2.02 lakh samples for COVID-19 thus far, including 1,640 in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said, adding that the positivity rate stands at 12.5 per cent. (PTI) 

All schools, colleges and other educational institutions including coaching centres shall remain closed till further orders. They are permitted to seek personal attendance of limited vaccinated staff for administrative purposes:  Govt of Jammu & Kashmir (ANI) 

All schools, colleges and other educational institutions including coaching centres shall remain closed till further orders. They are permitted to seek personal attendance of limited vaccinated staff for administrative purposes: Govt of Jammu & Kashmir pic.twitter.com/AziW3OopLV

— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2021

Sikkim reports 206 new COVID-19 cases, one more fatality (PTI) 

Classes 10 and 12 of government-run and private schools in Chhattisgarh will reopen from Monday with 50 per cent attendance, for which the prerequisite is that the COVID-19 positivity rate of the district concerned should be one per cent for last seven days. However, a state-level body of parents of school students has opposed the move saying the government should have waited for some more time before allowing the schools to reopen, in view of the possible third wave of the pandemic. Colleges and schools were shut in the state after the second wave of coronavirus began in March this year. The decision to reopen schools was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel recently. The school education department had last week announced that the offline classes for Classes 10 and 12 in all private and government schools will begin from August 2. It had said that these classes will start only in those districts where the positivity rate of coronavirus was one per cent for seven days. The government has also allowed resumption of schools for Classes 1 to 5 and Class 8 subject to certain conditions.  But physical Classes for Classes 6, 7, 9 and 11 will not be started immediately.  (PTI)

Andhra Pradesh reports 2,287 fresh #COVID cases, 2,430 recoveries, and 18 deaths in the past 24 hours.

Active cases: 21,019
Total recoveries: 19,34,048
Death toll: 13,395 (ANI)

China reported 75 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday as cities began introducing strict curbs to halt an increasingly severe outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The number of new cases in mainland China, reported as of July 31, was up from 55 reported a day earlier. The new cases included 53 domestically transmitted cases across eight provinces, bringing the total number of domestic cases in the past 10 days to 284 across 14 provinces and municipalities. The current wave of the coronavirus in China, which is thought to have originated in the eastern city of Nanjing where most of the cases have been detected, has put health officials across the country on alert following months of little to no locally transmitted cases. Officials confirmed most of the new cases are the fast-spreading Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. (Reuters)

Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc has raised the prices of their COVID-19 vaccine in the latest European Union supply contracts, The Financial Times reported on Sunday. The new price for the Pfizer shot was 19.50 euros ($23.15) against 15.50 euros previously, the newspaper said citing to the portions of the contracts seen. The price of a Moderna vaccine was $25.50 a dose, the contracts show, up from 19 euros in the first procurement deal but lower than the previously agreed $28.50 because the order had grown, the report said, citing one official close to the matter. (Reuters)

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has reportedly written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, calling for an urgent easing of COVID-19 travel curbs to aid the revival of the country’s economy. According to ‘The Sunday Times’, the senior Indian-origin Cabinet minister has warned that Britain’s border rules are damaging the economy and tourism, ahead of a ministerial meeting planned for Thursday to confirm the traffic light system upgrade for international travel. India remains on the red list, which means an effective ban on travel and compulsory 10-day hotel quarantine for returning British residents, and there are widespread hopes within the diaspora of that status easing up to amber in next week’s review. “Rishi has called time on the travel restrictions,” a source familiar with the letter to Johnson was quoted as saying by the newspaper. In the letter, Sunak has reportedly warned that the UK border policy was “out of step with our international competitors” and that the restrictions were having a damaging effect on jobs.  (PTI)

The vaccination drive in the country is set to get a major boost this month, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said Sunday as he took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for questioning the government’s vaccine delivery programme. The minister asked Gandhi to join everyone in feeling proud about the work done by the country’s health workers. In a response to Gandhi’s tweet questioning the availability of vaccines last month, Mandaviya said more than 13 crore doses were administered in July and the drive is going to accelerate this month. “More than 13 crore doses were administered in India in the month of July. It is going to accelerate this month. We are proud of our healthcare workers for this achievement. “Now you too should be proud of them and the country,” Mandaviya said in a tweet in Hindi in response to Gandhi’s post. Earlier during the day, Gandhi had tweeted in Hindi saying “July is gone, but the shortage of vaccine hasn’t gone away.” He used the hashtag #WhereAreVaccines. (PTI)

From shopping vouchers and pizza discounts to Uber reminders, the UK is planning a so-called “vouchers for vaccines” scheme to encourage greater uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among the younger age groups of the country. A number of ride-hailing and food delivery apps will be offering discounted travel and meals to people who get vaccinated, with offers including free lifts to vaccine centres and cheap meals for those already inoculated. Uber, Bolt, Deliveroo and Pizza Pilgrims are among the brands in the UK that are part of the government-backed scheme. “This is the next step in helping get people vaccinated and safely back to normal,” a spokesperson for Deliveroo said. “By making getting your jab as easy as grabbing a pizza, hopefully we can help our teams and our customers get both their first and second doses as easily and quickly as possible,” added Thom Elliot, Pizza Pilgrims Founder. According to UK media reports, the details of how the scheme will work are still being finalised but people could be able to prove they have been jabbed by submitting a “selfie” photograph of themselves at a vaccine centre. (PTI)

Hackers have attacked and shut down the IT systems of the company that manages COVID-19 vaccination appointments for the Lazio region surrounding Rome, the regional government said on Sunday. “A powerful hacker attack on the region’s CED (database) is under way,” the region said in a Facebook posting. It said all systems had been deactivated, including those of the region’s health portal and vaccination network, and warned the inoculation programme could suffer a delay. “It is a very powerful hacker attack, very serious… everything is out. The whole regional CED is under attack,” Lazio region’s health manager Alessio D’Amato said. According to ANSA, Italy’s postal police and Rome prosecutors are looking into the matter and could open an investigation to find out who is behind the attack. Italy recently followed France in announcing that proof of vaccination or immunity from COVID-19 would become mandatory for an array of activities. The move triggered a series of protests across the country against the introduction of the so-called Green Pass which shows people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from COVID-19. (Reuters)

“More than 13 crore vaccines have been administered in the country in July. The number is going to accelerate this month,” tweets Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya (ANI)

Odisha’s COVID-19 caseload on Sunday surged to 9,78,705 after 1,437 more people tested positive for the infection while 64 fresh fatalities took the coastal state’s toll to 5,966, a health department official said. Of the 1,437 cases, 832 were from quarantine centres and the rest detected during contact tracing.  Khurda district, which encompasses state capital Bhubaneswar, reported 409 new cases, followed by Cuttack at 190 and Puri at 146. According to the official, eight deaths each were recorded in Bhadrak, Cuttack and Khurda districts, seven each in Puri and Sundargarh, four in kendrapara, three each in Dhenkanal and Nayagarh. The health department clarified that the “list of fatalities does not reflect deaths that have occurred on a particular day. It gives details of past deaths for which the audit process has been duly completed and the cause identified as COVID-19”. (PTI)

Sri Lanka on Sunday lifted its three-month-long inter-provincial travel ban, as the coronavirus vaccination drive picks up pace in the  country. However, the travel permission as of now will only be extended to government employees on official duty. While public buses resumed services on Sunday, public trains will resume services on Monday. Officials said over-crowding in the services will be strictly prohibited. “We will allow buses to take passengers strictly limited to their seating capacity,” said State Public Transport Minister Dilum Amunugama. The inter-provincial travel will be permitted only to those on official duty, said senior health official Asela Gunawardena. (PTI)

The July 31 deadline to complete administering the first COVID-19 vaccine dose to all eligible beneficiaries in Goa has been missed as only 87 per cent of the target has been met, a senior official said on Sunday. The July 31 deadline was set by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant with the aim of getting the state prepared to tackle a possible third wave of the infection. “Now, 87 per cent of the eligible population of Goa has been given the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, 23 per cent of beneficiaries have got both doses,” State Vaccination Officer Dr Rajendra Borkar told reporters. (PTI)

Thailand on Sunday extended tighter containment measures in the capital and high-risk provinces until the end of August, government sources said, to slow the spread of COVID-19 as the country deals with its biggest outbreak to date. The restrictions, including travel curbs, mall closures and curfews, will be expanded to 29 provinces from 13, the sources told Reuters. Restaurants in shopping malls will be allowed to open only for deliveries. (Reuters)

The Delhi Police issued fewer than 1,000 challans to people for not wearing a face mask for the sixteenth consecutive day on Saturday, officials said. According to the data provided by police, 1,113 people were prosecuted for not wearing a mask on July 15 and since then, police have issued challans in triple digits only. Police said, 988 people were penalised for face mask violation on July 16, 870 on July 18, 822 on July 19, 790 on July 20, 739 on July 21, 539 on July 22, 689 on July 23, 784 on July 24, 755 on July 25, 684 on July 26, 775 on July 27, 662 on July 28, 771 on July 29, 718 on July 30 and 738 on July 31.  On Saturday, a total of 833 challans were issued by police. (PTI)

Companies spending funds on COVID vaccination for individuals other than employees and their families will be considered as a CSR expenditure. The corporate affairs ministry, which is implementing the Companies Act, 2013, has issued a clarification in this regard. In March 2020, the ministry had said that spending on COVID-19 would be considered as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. “… it is further clarified that spending of CSR funds for COVID-19 vaccination for persons other than the employees and their families, is an eligible CSR activity,” the ministry said in a circular on July 30. The activity is eligible to be considered as a CSR work under Section VII of the Act relating to promotion of healthcare, including preventive healthcare and pertaining to disaster management. (PTI)

Insurance policies Corona Kavach and Corona Rakshak have turned out to be loss-making products for most insurers, prompting them to seek for a re-pricing from the regulator as the high claims payouts are eating into their profits. “It has turned out that Corona Kavach and Corona Rakshak have been making losses for most of the insurers. All of us launched these products in July (last year). “We are severely under-priced on Corona Raksha and Corona Kavach policies,” a top executive from a general insurance company told PTI on the condition of anonymity. Based on data available till June this year, the official said comparing the peak of the pandemic of other countries and of India, the country’s peak was higher than the other countries. “Our second peak has been double of our own peak and higher than any other country in the world. And, I would be surprised if this product is making money for any of the insurers,” said the official. The official said most of the insurers and the reinsurers have asked the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai), for re-pricing of these two policies. (PTI)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin should ensure complete compliance of COVID-19 guidelines and take steps to protect people against a “third wave of coronavirus,” AIADMK top leader O Panneerselvam said on Sunday. Citing the trend of a marginal rise in fresh virus cases in Tamil Nadu from July 29, Panneerselvam said improper enforcement of norms to help prevent virus spread was the reason behind the spike. The AIADMK leader, who is also the deputy leader of opposition in the Assembly said while closure of outlets, markets in nine locations in Chennai and disallowing ‘darshan’ in some places of worship was a welcome measure, it is also important to monitor if guidelines are followed. Use of face mask, physical distancing in showrooms were among the norms the AIADMK leader outlined. In the wake of continuing rise in virus cases in Kerala, those entering Tamil Nadu from the neighbouring state should also be monitored, he said in a statement. (PTI)

Russia reported 22,804 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, including 2,484 in Moscow, taking the official national tally since the pandemic began to 6,288,677. The government coronavirus task force said 789 people had died of coronavirus-linked causes in the past 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 159,352. The federal statistics agency has kept a separate count and has said Russia recorded around 290,000 deaths related to COVID-19 from April 2020 to May 2021. (Reuters)

Puducherry reported 90 fresh cases of coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total caseload to 1,21,005. No new fatality was reported from any of the four regions of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam during last twenty-four hours. The fatalities thus remained 1,795. The new cases were identified at the end of examination of 4911 samples and were spread over Puducherry 78, Karaikal 6 Yanam and Mahe regions three cases each. The Department of Health has tested 15.04 lakh samples and has found that 12.86 lakh out of them were negative. The active cases were 982 of whom 179 were in hospitals and the remaining 803 patients were in home isolation. (PTI)

Newly reported COVID-19 cases in Tokyo came in at 3,058 on Sunday, the metropolitan government announced, as infection spreads in the Olympic host city. (Reuters)

Tokyo Games organisers said they are investigating after a group of athletes were found drinking alcohol in the Olympic village this week, violating measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The athletes were caught drinking in a park in the athletes’ village on Friday night, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto told a news conference, adding police were later present at the incident. “We are looking into the matter. We will take appropriate steps based on our findings,” he said. Police were also at the scene, he said, adding it was not clear what action they took, if any. Muto did not give details of the number of athletes involved or their nationalities. Organisers previously said athletes are permitted to drink alcohol only in their rooms and only if they are alone, as a precaution against COVID-19. Drinking and partying are normally features of life in the Olympic village, as athletes let off steam after years of gruelling training once their competitions end. But with Tokyo 2020 taking place without spectators and under tight social distancing measures because of the pandemic, athletes have been subject to daily testing and their movements limited inside a “bubble”. Some have taken to social media to complain of boredom. (Reuters)