Page 35 - Health Ministry

India logs highest single day rise in Covid-19 cases in 10 months

Global health body World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the JN.1 variant as a separate variant of interest apart from its parent lineage BA.2.86, due to its rapid increase in prevalence

Sub-standard drugs: Delhi minister seeks suspension of health secretary

Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday recommended to the Lt Governor and the Centre the immediate suspension of the health secretary over the supply of "sub-standard" drugs to Delhi government hospitals. He also demanded strict action against the former director general of the Directorate General Of Health Services (DGHS). Addressing a press conference here, Bharadwaj said Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has not taken any firm action against the officials concerned. He said upon assuming office in March 2023, he ordered an audit of medicines, equipment, and consumables but despite his repeated reminders to the health secretary, no action was taken. "The health secretary did not take any notice of this and did not initiate any audit related to the procurement of medicines," the minister claimed. Bharadwaj said in July, he sent a reminder to the senior official questioning why the orders had not been implemented and why there had been no audit of medicines and other items purch

162 JN.1 sub-variant cases reported across 9 states, Kerala leads with 83

Karnataka reported 158 fresh cases, taking the state's active case tally to 568. The state government has already announced a seven-day mandatory isolation for those who test positive for Covid-19

Health min Mandaviya inaugurates integrated public health labs in Andhra

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated seven integrated public health laboratories in various districts of Andhra Pradesh here on Friday. He also laid the foundation stone for two critical care blocks and a Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory in Vijayawada, which are aimed at giving a boost to the healthcare infrastructure in the state. "The BSL laboratory, seven integrated public health laboratories and the two critical care blocks once operational will play a pivotal role in providing quality medical services to the people of Andhra Pradesh," said Mandaviya, addressing officials and media. The Union Minister noted that the Central government is following a holistic approach towards health by upgrading and expanding healthcare infrastructure in the country, which also includes building more medical and nursing colleges. He said that now there are 23 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) while MBBS and nursing seats have doubled. Mandaviya said collective .

Govt well prepared: Health Minister on 34 cases of JN.1 variant in K'taka

Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar urged the public to not panic while assuring that everything is fine so far

Covid-19 back this winter but vaccine makers have limited stockpiles

Gennova has 1 mn doses of Omicron-specific vax; Serum's Covovax available at vaccination centres, shows CoWIN

Private hospitals hesitate to procure Covid-19 vaccine amidst JN.1 surge

Executives reveal depleted vaccine stocks and express the need for government guidelines before initiating procurement

Delhi seeing 3-4 Covid cases every day: State health minister Bharadwaj

Delhi Health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday said that the national capital is seeing three to four Covid cases on average every day and asserted that the city is well equipped to fight the virus resurgence. Sixty-three cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 had been reported in the country till Sunday, including 34 in Goa, official sources said on Monday. Nine cases have been detected in Maharashtra, eight in Karnataka, six in Kerala, four in Tamil Nadu, and two in Telangana, they added. "There was a meeting with the Centre over COVID-19 situation and we were informed that the cases are increasing more in southern states like Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu," Bharadwaj told reporters on the sidelines of an event. "We have been conducting tests and we have receiving on an average three to four cases per day which is less than even one per cent. We have conducted mock drills and made all necessary arrangements," he said. States have been asked to monitor and report district-wise

MedTech Mitra: Health minister launches online portal for medtech startups

Noting India's medtech sector is import-dependent, with imports accounting for up to 80% in some cases, Mandaviya said the govt had taken steps to ensure medical devices were supplied within India

63 JN.1 variant cases detected in India, as active cases cross 4,000

India reported one death and 312 fresh cases, taking the number of active cases in the country to 4,054, according to data updated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare till Monday morning

Kerala records 128 new COVID-19 cases, one death

Kerala reported 128 fresh COVID-19 cases and one death due to the disease in the last 24 hours, according to data on the Union Health Ministry website on Monday. Of the 315 active coronavirus infections reported nationwide till 8 am today, 128 were from Kerala, taking the active cases in the state to 3,128, as per the website. With one death reported in the state, the total number of people who have died due to coronavirus in Kerala since its outbreak three years ago reached 72,064. The number of people who were cured, discharged, or migrated in the last 24 hours after being diagnosed with the infection stood at 247. With that, the total number of cases under this category rose to 68,38,529 till date. On Tuesday, Health Minister Veena George reassured the people of the state that despite the rise in COVID cases in Kerala, there is no cause for alarm. The hospitals are adequately equipped to manage viral infections, she said.

India logs 656 new Covid-19 infections; active cases rise to 3,742

India saw a single-day rise of 656 Covid infections while the active cases have increased to 3,742, according to Union health ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll was recorded at 5,33,333 with one new death reported from Kerala in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The country's Covid case tally is 4.50 crore (4,50,08,620). The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,44,71,545, and the national recovery rate stands at 98.81 per cent, according to the health ministry's website. The case fatality rate stands at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in the country so far.

Will Covid sub-variant JN.1 bring mask mandates? Here's what experts say

Health experts suggest that people should consider wearing masks, especially in public places, to contain the spread of the new variant of Covid-19, JN.1

Serum Institute of India to apply for licence of JN.1 Covid variant vaccine

Covid cases in India: On Friday, India recorded 640 fresh Covid-19 infections and the number of active cases now stands at 2,997

JN.1 outbreak: As new cases rise, 10 things you must know about new variant

JN.1 Covid variant: On Friday, a new Covid-19 case was reported in Noida, the first in many months. The patient, a 54-year-old male who lives in Noida, works at a multinational firm in Gurugram

6 deaths reported as Covid cases rise to 2,669, Kerala tops list: Govt

Karnataka forms sub-committee to oversee Covid preparation

India records 594 fresh Covid-19 cases, active caseload rises to 2,669

The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday held a meeting to review the sudden jump in Covid-19 cases and deaths in several parts of the country

Centre may set up regulator for healthcare to expand insurance coverage

A regulator for the healthcare sector is expected to bring in standardisation and lower the costs

2 Covid-related deaths reported in Karnataka; 92 active cases in state

Two Covid-19 related deaths and 20 fresh cases were reported in Karnataka, according to a Health bulletin issued on Wednesday. The bulletin stated that the deceased - both male aged 44 and 76 - died on December 16 and December 17 respectively in Bengaluru. One of them was asymptomatic while the other patient complained of breathlessness. Earlier in the day, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that a 64-year-old man died in the city due to Covid-19 infection five days ago. Asked if the cause of death was the new subvariant JN.1 of the SARS CoV-2 virus, he said it was not known so far. The person, who had comorbidities, was a resident of Chamarajpet and died on December 15, the Minister told reporters. In the last 24 hours, a total of 808 tests were done across various districts in the state, out of which 407 were RT-PCR and 401 were Rapid Antigen Tests. The covid positivity rate in the state stood at 2.49 per cent while the case fatality rate stood at 10 per cent, it .

India records 614 new coronavirus infections, active cases at 2,311

India recorded 614 new coronavirus infections, the highest since May 21, while the active cases have increased to 2,311, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The death toll was recorded at 5,33,321 with three deaths reported from Kerala in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The country's Covid case tally is 4.50 crore (4,50,05,978). The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,44,70,346, and the national recovery rate stands at 98.81 per cent, according to the health ministry's website. The case fatality rate stands at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in the country so far.