Coronavirus Variants and Vaccinations, Coronavirus Active Cases in India Today September 24 News Highlights: India on Thursday achieved another milestone in vaccination. As many as 84 crore doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered in the country so far, the fastest in the world. In order to make vaccination easier, the government, almost eight months after its roll-out, on Thursday allowed Covid jabs at home for those with restricted mobility, differently-abled, and those with special needs.
According to data from the Union Health Ministry, as many as 66% of the country’s adult population has been administered with at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine; 23% with both doses.
Ahead of the festive season, India reported a sharp spike in daily Coronavirus infections as new cases surged above 30,000 again on Friday. India reported 31,382 new Coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, taking its overall Covid-19 tally to 3,35,94,803, while the active cases declined to 3,00,162, the lowest in 188 days, according to data from the Union Health Ministry on Friday. With 318 fresh fatalities, the Covid-19 death toll also climbed to 4,46,368. According to health ministry data, the active cases now comprise 0.89% of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020.
The country is still in the midst of the second wave of COVID-19 even though the number of daily new cases is declining, officials from the health ministry said at a press conference on Thursday. Thirty-three districts in the country are now reporting over 10% weekly positivity rate, while 23 are recording between 5-10%. However, 62.73% of total infections reported last week were from Kerala alone, according to data from the health ministry. Kerala is also the only state with over 1 lakh active Covid cases. The government and experts have been asking people to adhere to Covid protocols during festivals and avoid crowding in order to trigger any spike in Coronavirus infections.
Here are the newest, verified Covid updates from India and across the world.
Navratri 2021: Gujarat government relaxes night curfew by one hour in eight cities, permits organisation of ‘garba’ events in housing societies and on streets with certain restrictions during nine-day festival next month (PTI)
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 84.82 crore on Friday, the Union health ministry said. More than 64 lakh (64,58,806) vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm, it said.
The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night, the ministry said. | Read More
Andhra Pradesh recorded 1,246 fresh COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Friday, taking the caseload to 20,44,490.
A total of 2.79 crore samples have been tested till date and the overall infection positivity rate is 7.32 per cent, down from 7.42 per cent the previous week
The total recoveries increased to 20,16,837 at the rate of 98.64 per cent (up from 98.59 per cent).
During the period, 1,450 infected persons got cured of coronavirus.
The overall mortality rate, after a total of 14,118 deaths, including 10 in a day, remained stable at 0.69 per cent.
The state is now ranked fourth in the country with 13,535 active cases.
Only three districts showed a considerable increase in Covid-19 positivity rate while the remaining 10 had seen a slide in Andhra Pradesh week-on-week.
East Godavari topped the list with increase in positivity rate from 4.12 to 5.20 per cent, the only district in the state above the five per cent mark.
Prakasam’s positivity rate climbed up from 2.36 to 3.69 per cent and Krishna’s from 2.14 to 2.30 per cent, according to the Medical and Health Department data.
SPS Nellore, which saw a spurt in Covid-19 cases in the previous two weeks, seemed to have slowed down as the positivity rate fell from 4.88 to 3.80 per cent.
Other hotspot districts like Chittoor and West Godavari too witnessed a slide from 3.07 to 2.48 and 2.58 per cent respectively.
While Guntur’s graph remained stable at 2.5 per cent, Visakhapatnam saw a dip from 2.25 to 1.61 and Kadapa from 2.05 to 1.84 per cent.
Kurnool district’s Covid-19 positivity rate almost fell to nil at 0.09 per cent, the data showed.
The weekly average number of cases in the state dropped marginally from 1,255 to 1,208. (PTI)
The Kerala government on Friday issued draft guidelines for the reopening of schools in the state which includes allowing only two students to sit in a bench and scrapping of mid-day meals for children.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty said the draft guidelines will be finalised within five days after holding discussions with health and other concerned departments.
“The draft guidelines include allowing only two students on a bench and scrapping of mid-day meals. Instead mid-day meals allowance will be given to the students. The body temperature of the students will be regularly measured. Gatherings will not be allowed,” the minister told the media here. He also said that online classes would continue along with offline classes.
Sivankutty said differently abled students need not attend the schools in the initial phase and online awareness classes will be held for the parents of the children.
The minister added that hand washing facilities, sanitisers and masks would be arranged in the schools and the classes sanitised every day.
The government also has plans to issue directions not to allow eateries including bakeries near schools to sell items to the students.
Meanwhile, state police chief Anil Kant issued directions to all Station House Officers (SHOs) to convene a meeting of the head of institution and school managements under their jurisdictions to discuss the safety and health matters of the students.
The DGP asked the SHOs to ensure that the school buses are in good condition and ask the school management to complete the repairs by October 20.
The direction also includes allowing only people with over ten years of experience to drive the school buses and to install speed governors.
After being closed since March last year, the Kerala government last week decided to reopen the schools from November 1. (PTI)
Jammu and Kashmir recorded 148 fresh COVID-19 cases on Friday that took the infection count to 3,28,738, while one more fatality pushed the death toll to 4,420, officials said.
Of the new cases, 28 were from the Jammu division and 120 from Kashmir division, they said.
Srinagar district recorded the highest 66 new cases followed by 17 cases in Baramulla district, officials said.
There are 1,605 active cases in the Union Territory, while the overall recoveries has reached 3,27,163, the officials said.
The death toll has reached at 4,420 after one more fatality was reported in the past 24 hours, they said.
Meanwhile, officials said, there were 46 confirmed cases of Mucormycosis (black fungus) in the Union Territory and no fresh case was reported since Thursday evening. (PTI)
The Maharashtra government on Friday announced reopening of all religious places from October 7 in the state with COVID-19 protocols, a move that comes amid indication that the second wave of the pandemic is ebbing.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who made the announcement, urged people not to drop guard and continue COVID-19-appropriate behaviour in view of a possible third wave of the pandemic.
“All religious places will be opened from October 7 in the state. The Maharashtra government has prepared itself for a third wave, but with all precautions, the state is allowing relaxations in various activities,” he said.
The CM said though infections are declining in the state the coronavirus threat persists.
“Although daily COVID-19 cases are showing a declining trend, everybody should take care and follow COVID-19 protocols,” he said.
“While religious places are going to be opened, people still need to wear face masks and use hand sanitizers. The management of religious places will be responsible for implementation of such measures,” Thackeray said.
For long, the opposition BJP had been demanding reopening of temples and other places of worship in Maharashtra. Last month, the BJP had staged protests in several cities of Maharashtra in support of their demand.
After the first coronavirus wave waned, places of religious worship were reopened in Maharashtra in November last year, but they were shutdown again for people after the second wave started in the state in March 2021.
Maharashtra on Friday reported 3,286 new coronavirus cases and 51 deaths, which took the state’s infection tally to 65,37,843 and the toll to 1,38,776, a health department official said.
With 3,933 patients discharged from hospitals, the number of recovered cases rose to 63,57,012. Maharashtra now has 39,491 active cases. (PTI)
Children have been less severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and their chances of recovery are very well, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Friday.
She, however, said SARS-CoV2 virus may not disappear, but it is not going to cause the kind of impact and panic it caused over the last two years. | Read More
Tamil Nadu reports 1,733 new COVID-19 cases, 1,631 recoveries and 27 deaths in the last 24 hours
Total cases: 26,53,848
Total recoveries: 26,01,198
Death toll: 35,454
Active cases: 17,196 (ANI)
This morning I’m hosting Indian PM Narendra Modi at the White House for a bilateral meeting. I look forward to strengthening the deep ties between our two nations, working to uphold a free & open Indo-Pacific, and tackling everything from COVID-19 to climate change: US President (ANI)
All temples in Maharashtra to be reopened from October 7th -the first day of Navratri: Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) (ANI)
Education Dept allowed to open schools from class 9th onward from 27th Sept. Dept shall bring out SOP to ensure classes are staggered in such a manner to avoid congestion & take required steps as necessary to adhere to safety guidelines as per COVID protocols: Himachal Govt (ANI)
The majority of Americans who were fully vaccinated with Pfizer can receive a booster shot at least 6 months after their second shot. This includes people over 65, those with underlying medical conditions, and those in frontline jobs: US President Biden (ANI)
Maharashtra on Friday reported 3,286 new coronavirus cases and 51 deaths which took the state’s infection tally to 65,37,843 and death toll to 1,38,776, a health department official said.
With 3,933 patients discharged from hospitals, the number of recovered cases rose to 63,57,012. | Read More
Pubs permitted to operate from Oct 3. Classes from 6th to 12th std permitted to operate for 5 days a week with full strength in districts with positivity rate less than 1%. Strict surveillance at border posts in districts adjoining Kerala & Maharashtra to continue: Karnataka govt (ANI)
Kerala on Friday logged 17,983 new COVID-19 cases and 127 deaths, taking the infection count to 45,97,293 and the death toll to 24,318. State Health Minister Veena George said 1,10,523 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.
According to her, there are 841 wards across 422 local self government bodies with the weekly population infection ratio (WIPR) above 10 per cent.
“There are 1,62,846 active COVID-19 cases of which only 12.6 per cent are admitted to hospitals,” the minister said. Meanwhile, 15,054 persons recuperated from the disease on Friday, taking the total cured to 44,09,530.
“Of those infected today, 72 reached the state from outside while 16,918 contracted the disease through their contact. The source of infection of 877 are yet to be traced and 116 health workers are also among the infected,” the minister said in a release.
Among the districts, Thrissur reported the highest number of fresh infections–2,784, followed by Ernakulam with 2397 and Thiruvananthapuram 1,802.
There are 4,69,954 persons under observation in the state of which 22,512 are in isolation wards of various hospitals. The minister also said that 91.3 per cent of the targeted population, which is above 18 years of age, have taken the first dose of the Covid vaccine and 39 per cent of the same age group received both the doses. (PTI)
Karnataka govt issues order instructing that cinema halls, auditoriums will operate with 100% capacity from Oct 1 while adhering to COVID norms and taking minimum one dose of vaccine. Night curfew will continue to be imposed in the state from 10 pm to 5 am from Sept 25 (ANI)
Indian Immunologicals Limited which has supplied two million doses of drug substance to Bharat Biotech to make COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, is set to make ten million doses of the drug substance from December, a press release from IIL said on Friday.
Lauding the efforts of the PSU for its ability to roll out the vaccine drug substance in record time, Union Minister Parshottam Rupala formally handed over the drug substance to Bharat Biotech, makers of Covaxin, it said.
“To date, IIL has already supplied 2 million doses of the drug substance. It is learned that the drug substance produced by IIL has already been formulated into vaccines by BBIL ( Bharat Biotech) and is ready for use. IIL will produce three million doses a month and from December will increase it to 10 million doses,” the release said.
K Anand Kumar, Managing Director, IIL said, the production and delivery of Covid-19 drug substance in record time is a testament to IIL’s technical expertise, adaptability, state-of-art manufacturing capability, resilience, and above all a commitment to the larger cause in the interest of the nation.
IIL is also developing on a live attenuated COVID-19 vaccine which has many advantages and will be rolled out next year, Kumar said.
The animal studies have been completed and the results are very encouraging. Human trials are also expected to start soon, he added.
Krishna Ella, CMD, Bharat Biotech said it was essential that both competing organisations come together and support each other to a larger cause of national health.
“If the Indian companies don’t join hands, then the multinationals will take over the industry,” Ella said.
Set up by National Dairy Development Board , Indian Immunologicals Limited is one of the largest producers of vaccines in Asia. (PTI)
The seventh round of the serological prevelance survey that seeks to find presence of antibodies against COVID-19 got underway in the national capital on Friday amid lower number of coronavirus cases being reported in the city for the past several weeks.
The previous survey (sixth in the series), was conducted a few months ago, starting April 12, when Delhi had been reeling under the brutal second wave of the pandemic. | Read More
Karnataka reports 789 new COVID-19 cases, 1,050 recoveries and 23 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Total cases: 29,71,833
Total recoveries: 29,20,792
Death toll: 37,706
Active cases: 13,306 (ANI)
Kerala records 17,983 new COVID-19 cases, 127 deaths (PTI)
Indian Immunologicals Limited which has supplied two million doses of drug substance to Bharat Biotech to make COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, is set to make ten million doses of the drug substance from December, a press release from IIL said on Friday. Lauding the efforts of the PSU for its ability to roll out the vaccine drug substance in record time, Union Minister Parshottam Rupala formally handed over the drug substance to Bharat Biotech, makers of Covaxin, it said. (PTI)
The COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech will be the only one used in Mexico for at-risk children aged 12-17, Mexico’s deputy health minister said on Friday. (PTI)
The Karnataka government has “best managed” the COVID-19 pandemic in the state, and opposition Congress which ruled for long, is to be blamed for any deaths due to lack of medical facilities like oxygen, Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Friday. The Minister said this while replying to the debate on COVID-19 second wave in the assembly, amid protest by Congress members from the well of the House, forcing him to cut short and table his answer for record. (PTI)
Mizoram on Friday reported 1,257 new COVID-19 cases, 37 less than the previous day, which pushed the tally to 85,366, an official said. (PTI)
The national capital recorded zero death due to COVID-19 and 24 fresh cases of viral infection in a day with the positivity rate dropping to 0.03 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department on Friday. Three fatalities due to the coronavirus infection have been reported this month, one each on September 7, September 16 and September 17. The death toll due to COVID-19 in Delhi stands at 25,085. (PTI)
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMCC) has imposed Rs 50,000 fine each on three bars for alleged violation of COVID-19 guidelines, a civic official said on Friday. The vigilance squad of the NMMC found these bars and restaurant operating beyond the permitted time of 10 pm on Thursday, following which action was taken against them, the civic body’s spokesperson Mahendra Konde said in a release. (PTI)
At least 30 persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Mhow cantonment area in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district in the last 24 hours, a health official said on Friday. While the infected persons are asymptomatic, they have been isolated and are being treated at the Mhow military hospital, nodal officer for the prevention of COVID-19, Dr Amit Malakar said. (PTI)
The World Health Organisation is recommending a pricey antibody treatment for certain coronavirus patients in the latest update to its guidelines for treating people with COVID-19. (PTI)
More than 81.39 crore Covid vaccine doses have been provided to states and Union Territories so far, while 85,92,550 doses are in the pipeline, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. Over 4.23 crore balance and unutilised vaccine doses are still available with the states and Union Territories for inoculation, it said. (PTI)
More than 81.39 crore Covid vaccine doses have been provided to states and Union Territories so far, while 85,92,550 doses are in the pipeline, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. Over 4.23 crore balance and unutilised vaccine doses are still available with the states and Union Territories for inoculation, it said. (PTI)
Vietnamese pharmaceutical company Vabiotech plans to start commercial production of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in days, using semi-finished material shipped from Russia, a company spokesman said on Friday. (Reuters)
Vietnamese pharmaceutical company Vabiotech plans to start commercial production of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in days, using semi-finished material shipped from Russia, a company spokesman said on Friday. “The test batch we produced earlier has met Russia’s quality requirements,” the spokesman Pham Duy Long said by telephone, adding the company aimed to produce more than 1 million doses in the first month, and gradually increase its capacity. (Reuters)
WHO’s emergency use authorization to Covaxin is expected soon, says Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, MoS, Health (ANI)
Himachal Pradesh Cabinet has decided to open schools from Sept 27 for classes 9th-12th. Students of class 10th & 12th would attend schools on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, whereas students of class 9th & 11th would attend schools on Thursday, Friday &Saturday in a week: State Govt (ANI)
Ladakh has reported over five-fold increase in active Covid cases in the last 10 days, officials said on Friday. The Union Territory reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, taking the tally to 20,771, they said. On September 13, the number of active Covid cases in Ladakh was 30, including 28 in Leh and 2 in Kargil. On Thursday, the active cases increased to 164, including 161 in Leh and 3 in Kargil, they said. All the 21 new cases were reported from Leh, they said. A total of 1,620 sample reports in Ladakh, including 618 from Leh and 979 from Kargil, were found negative, they said. There was no death reported due to Covid in Ladakh on Thursday. The Union Territory has registered 207 Covid-related deaths — 149 in Leh and 58 in Kargil — since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. (PTI)
The Finance Ministry on Friday withdrew expenditure curbs on various departments and ministries imposed in June in the wake of the COVID-19 second wave, reflecting improvement in public finances and the urgency to step up growth. The expenditure restrictions are being withdrawn with immediate effect following a review of the guidelines, said an office memorandum issued by the Economic Affairs Department of the Finance Ministry. The June 30 guidelines regarding regulating the overall expenditure within 20 per cent of the Budget Estimate (BE) in the second quarter (July-September, 2021) have been reviewed, according to the office memorandum. The guidelines “stand withdrawn with immediate effect,” it said. Accordingly, it said, all ministries and departments are now permitted to spend as per their own approved monthly expenditure plan or quarterly expenditure plan (MEP/QEP) until further orders during the remaining part of this financial year. (PTI)
Even as cases of Coronavirus have largely declined in most parts of the country and vaccination footprint is on the rise, the concerns related to the Delta variant and its exposure to children remain on the minds. Can the delta mutation which proved deadly for a number of countries including India in the second wave, cause much damage to children who remain unvaccinated? Experts have maintained that there is no strong evidence which proves that the delta variant will make children sicker than its earlier variants although they maintain that the delta variant has proved more contagious and spreads quickly, Associated Press reported. READ FULL STORY
Drug firm Cadila Healthcare on Friday said it has entered into an agreement with Shilpa Medicare for the production of its COVID-19 vaccine, ZyCoV-D. The company has, “entered into a definitive agreement with Shilpa Medicare, via its wholly owned subsidiary, Shilpa Biologicals for production-supply of the ZyCoV-D vaccine drug substance from its integrated biologics R&D cum manufacturing center at Dharwad, Karnataka,” Cadila Healthcare said in a regulatory filing. The targeted production of the ZyCoV-D vaccine from this facility will be mutually agreed upon by both parties, it added. “The company will transfer the ZyCoV-D technology to Shilpa Biologicals Pvt Ltd (SBPL). Under the agreement, SBPL will be responsible for manufacture of the drug substance of the vaccine, while the company is responsible for filling / packaging / distribution / marketing of the vaccine in its marketing territories,” Cadila Healthcare said. (PTI)