India Coronavirus Dispatch: Kerala's case rise may not be start of 3rd wave

Health ministry blames states for fall in vaccination numbers, Delta sub-lineages unlikely to be more transmissible than main variant, and more-news relevant to India's fight against the pandemic

Over 41,806 fresh cases reported

India reported 41,806 fresh coronavirus infections on Thursday, taking the cumulative caseload to nearly 3.9 million, according to central health ministry data. The country saw 581 more deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 411,989. The active caseload is at 432,041, while the total recoveries have surged to 3.01 million. As many as 391 million vaccine shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 3.4 million were given on Wednesday. Read more

Kerala’s rising Covid cases may not be the start of India’s third wave 

Health experts say the recent rise in Covid infections in Kerala may not be signalling the start of the third wave in India, a report in IndiaSpend said. Experts pointed to the absence of a steep rise in infections. Cases are increasing at a slow rate in Kerala, despite the relaxation of lockdown restrictions and the rise of the more transmissible Delta variant in the state, they tell us. “Mobility is up, people are mixing and with Delta [variant dominating], the numbers should be shooting up, not stabilising,” Rajeev Sadanandan, the chief executive of Health Systems Transformation Platform, a New Delhi-based nonprofit, and Kerala’s former additional chief secretary of health, told IndiaSpend. Read more

65% of those polled in a survey said they know someone who couldn’t get a vaccine shot in last 30 days

As many as 65% of Indians polled in a survey by LocalCircles said they knew someone in their social circles who could not get a Covid dose when they went out for vaccination in the last 30 days, a report in ThePrint said. To the question if anyone in their social network — extended family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, etc. — faced a scenario in the last 30 days where vaccines at the centre were out of stock, 20 per cent said it happened with “4 or more individuals” in their social network,” 26 per cent said it “happened with 2-3 individuals” in their social network, while 19 per cent said it “happened with 1 individual”, the report said. Read more

Health ministry blames states for fall in vaccination numbers

The central government has blamed the states for the fall in vaccination numbers from the peak at the end of June when the Centre took over vaccine procurement, a report in The Indian Express said. Newly-appointed Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya blamed “mismanagement” for the long queues outside vaccination centres, saying the Centre had passed along advance information to states on vaccine availability. “If… long queues of vaccination beneficiaries are being seen, it is clearly evident what the real issue is and who is responsible for this state of affairs.” Read here

Delta sub-lineages unlikely to be more transmissible than main variant: Panel

The Indian Sars-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium, or INSACOG has said the Delta variant's sub-lineages are unlikely to be more transmissible than the Delta strain itself, a report in the Scroll said. The body is a consortium of 10 laboratories that conducts genome sequencing of Covid-19 infections. Read here