Covid LIVE: Delhi mulls extending lockdown amid surge in cases, say sources
Coronavirus live updates: India cases stand at 16,610,481. Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Karnataka, UP, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal remain among the worst-hit states. Stay tuned for corona-related news
 "mumbai covid")
Substantial increase in remdesivir production, allotment to states: Gowda
Uttarakhand CM holds all-party meeting to discuss COVID-19 situation
Mumbai records lowest rise in COVID-19 cases in 25 days
Mumbai on Saturday recorded 5,888 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily rise in infections since March 30.
Increased testing and isolation of patients alongwith the exodus of migrant labourers may have led to the decline, said an official.
Also, for the first time since April 12, when the city had reported 6,905 cases, the daily rise in infections in the country's financial capital fell below 7,000 on Saturday.
The caseload in the city stands at 6,22,109.
The city on March 30 had reported 4,758 COVID-19 cases, after which the figures had risen.
"Apart from increased testing and tracing and early isolation, the migration of over six lakh workers may have played a role in the reduction of numbers," said a senior civic official.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had given several hints that the state was considering the reintroduction of lockdown-like measures which prompted migrant labourers to leave the city, he added.
Rs 880 cr to be spent on COVID-19 vaccination of people above 18 years in Haryana: Khattar
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday informed that about 1.1 crore people above the age of 18 years will be administered COVID-19 vaccination across the state from May 1 and an amount of Rs 880 crores would be spent on the vaccine administration, which would be borne by his government.
Registration for the vaccination would start from April 28, 2021.
The Chief Minister said this while presiding over the meeting of the state-level COVID Monitoring Committee held in Chandigarh today.
The Chief Minister said that the administration of vaccination in the government hospitals would be done free of cost, while in private hospitals people would have to pay some amount for getting the vaccination.
He said that in view of the spurt in COVID-19 cases across the country and the state, an appeal would be made to corporate houses to get their workers and labourers vaccinated while bearing the expenses.
Rajasthan govt to launch COVID help desk, officers shifted to health dept to tackle surge in cases
With the healthcare system in Rajasthan struggling to cope with the rising number of coronavirus cases, the state government will launch a help desk on Sunday to resolve problems like the unavailability of oxygen cylinders or medicines faced by people.
The 'Medical Minister's Help Desk', set up in Swasthya Bhawan in state capital Jaipur, will function round the clock, officials said.
Director of Public Health Dr KK Sharma said that in view of the increasing number of coronavirus patients in the state, the help desk is being started from Sunday on the instructions of Health Minister Raghu Sharma.
Anyone in the state can call on 0141-2225624 or 2225000 to report their problem. A complaint will be registered and resolved soon, he said.
Haryana govt authorises DCs of six districts to impose gathering curbs, work from home
In a bid to tackle the coronavirus situation, deputy commissioners of six worst-hit districts in Haryana may prohibit the gathering of four or more people and order "work from home" in all corporate and IT offices, an official statement said.
Deputy commissioners of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Hisar, Karnal, Sonipat and Panchkula have been asked to impose, if needed, Section 144 of the CrPC to control the COVID surge, CM Manohar Lal Khattar told reporters after chairing a state-level meeting of the coronavirus control committee here.
He, however, ruled out the imposition of a lockdown in the state but said there will be "lockdown-like conditions" in place in the worst-hit six districts, if needed.
IT and corporate offices should avoid crowding, he said, asking employees to adopt the "work from home culture" to break the chain of the coronavirus infection.
The CM also ordered a restriction on gatherings in functions with the maximum limit fixed at 50 people for both indoor and outdoor events in the state, the statement said.
Nagaland's COVID-19 tally crosses 13,000-mark with record 114 fresh cases
Nagaland's COVID-19 tally crossed the 13,000-mark as the state reported its highest single-day spike of 114 new cases in the last 24 hours, Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom said.
The fresh infections pushed the caseload of the northeastern state to 13,003, he said.
The death toll rose to 98 after three more COVID-19 patients from Dimapur died during the period, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme's State Nodal Officer Dr Nyanthung Kikon said.
Of the fresh cases, 101 were reported from Dimapur, four from Kohima, seven from Phek and two from Mokokchung , the minister said.
Nagaland now has 555 active cases, while 12,117 people have so far recovered from the disease and 233 patients have migrated to other states.
The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state stands at 93.2 per cent.
Of the 98 fatalities, 10 people died due to comorbidities, the official said.
NDMC preparing 50 beds with piped oxygen facility at RBIPMT
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) is preparing 50 beds with piped oxygen facility for Covid patients at the Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis (RBIPMT) in GTB Nagar.
After inspecting the preparations along with municipal commissioner Sanjay Goel on Saturday, North Delhi Mayor Jai Prakash said, "Due to increasing Covid cases in the city, the NDMC has decided to start 50 beds with piped oxygen facility for Corona patients at the RBIPMT. Initially, 50 beds are being prepared, after which all efforts will be made to increase the numbers to 100. Oxygen facility will be available for the patients in each bed."
Delhi govt mulling lockdown extension: Sources
With the COVID-19 situation remaining grim in Delhi despite a mini-lockdown, the city government may consider extending it by some more days, sources said on Saturday.
On April 19, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a six-day lockdown that will be in force till 5 am on Monday, saying the step was taken to break the chain of the coronavirus infection and boost the health system that was on the verge of collapse.
"The idea behind the brief lockdown was that it will control the cases and give time to boost the health infrastructure, but the situation has gone from bad to worse. In such a situation, extending the lockdown, by maybe another week, is a possible option," a source in the Delhi government said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government decided to impose the week-long lockdown to curb the spread of the virus in the national capital, Kejriwal had said while announcing the measure.
However, the COVID-19 positivity rate is still over 30 per cent in Delhi and the number of fresh cases continues to rise. A total of 24,331 cases were reported in the city on Friday and the positivity rate was 32.43 per cent.
In an appeal to migrant workers not to leave the city due to the lockdown, Kejriwal had hoped that there might not be a need to extend it further.
6 more Covid deaths, 970 new cases in Noida, active cases cross 5,000 mark
Gujarat reports record single-day spike of 14,097 coronavirus cases
Indian High Commission in UK appeals for oxygen, medical supplies
The Indian High Commission here on Saturday issued an open appeal through social media for help to meet the rising demand for oxygen and medical supplies in India's devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It listed the required items as refillable oxygen cylinders, concentrators and the drug Remdesivir, used to treat severe COVID-19 cases. India has recorded nearly a million infections in three days, with 346,786 new cases on Saturday.
Maharashtra to get 435,000 Remdesivir vials by month-end from Centre
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said the state would get 435,000 vials of Remdesivir for the period between April 21 to April 30 from the Centre. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accepting the state's demand to increase the supply. He had highlighted the need for more doses of the key medicine, used for the treatment of COVID-19, in the prime minister's interaction with chief ministers and also written to the PM separately on the issue, Thackeray said.
Covaxin to cost Rs 1,200 per dose for private hospitals, Rs 600 for states
Serum Institute earlier said that its vaccine would cost Rs 400 per dose for state governments and Rs 600 per dose for private hospitals.
Bharat Biotech said that the vaccine not only had an excellent safety profile but it was formulated with adjuvants to improve immune response. Further, once opened, the vial could be kept at 2-8 degrees for 28 days, thus reducing wastage, it claimed.
The Phase-III clinical studies have shown that the vaccine has 78 per cent efficacy against Covid 19, and 100 per cent against a severe form of the disease. The company also noted that the manufacturing process was expensive due to low process yields, and that it was important to recover costs to invest in future R&D.
Andhra govt places order for 4.08 cr doses each of Covaxin, Covishield
The Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday placed an order for purchase of 4.08 crore doses each of Covaxin and Covishield for vaccinating 2.04 crore people in the 18-45 age group from May 1.
Government Principal Secretary (Covid Management and Vaccination) Muddada Ravichandra wrote letters to Bharat Biotech MD Krishna Yella and Serum Institute of India Limited CEO Adar Poonawalla in this regard.
Ravichandra wrote another letter to Reddy Laboratories CEO Deepak Sapra, seeking supply of 4.08 crore doses of Covid vaccine.
Asked why this much quantity of vaccine has been ordered when the total requirement for the 18-45 age group was only over 4.08 crore doses, a senior health department official said there was no guarantee that each company would supply the requested stock.
"Moreover, a booster dose is required after a year for all those who have taken Covaxin. Hence, we are preparing for the supply chain to be maintained not only for the current requirement, but also the future," the official said.
Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel
First Published: Apr 24 2021 | 6:42 AM IST
