Coronavirus live updates | Night curfew imposed in four Punjab districts

New coronavirus infections reported on Saturday crossed 18,000, for the primary time since January.

Last week, a Health Ministry team had visited Maharashtra and reported that among the many attainable causes for the rising variety of circumstances in town have been — COVID inappropriate behaviour as a consequence of “lack of fear of disease,” pandemic fatigue, missed circumstances, tremendous spreading occasions and crowds as a consequence of current gram panchayat elections, marriages, re-opening of faculties, and crowded public transport.

However, the report burdened that the state of affairs in Maharashtra was not distinctive and the same mixture of occasions was accountable for a surge in different States too.

You can observe coronavirus circumstances, deaths and testing charges on the nationwide and State ranges here. A listing of State Helpline numbers is accessible as properly.

Here are the newest updates:

Karnataka

Karnataka authorities could not allow huge protests, gatherings: Minister

Following suggestions from the State’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), Karnataka is likely to stop giving permission to carry mass protests involving over 500 folks.

Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar advised presspersons on Saturday that he would communicate to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in this regard. “The TAC has warned that the next two months are crucial for the State, especially as the neighbouring Maharashtra and Kerala are witnessing a spike in cases. Along with strict enforcement of measures on the borders, restrictions on large gatherings, including protests/agitations, social, religious, and political gatherings, and weddings, will be tightened,” he stated.

Asked if this meant that the federal government would cease giving permission for protests, the Minister stated, “Yes, I will speak to the Chief Minister in this regard. The TAC has recommended that not more than 500 people should be allowed at large gatherings. I appeal to people, all religious heads, and political leaders and parties to follow these guidelines strictly and stop coming to Bengaluru for protests for at least the next two months.”

Tamil Nadu

Year after first case, there may be nonetheless trigger for concern

It has been a 12 months since Tamil Nadu recorded its first case of COVID-19 on March 7, 2020. The State has come a great distance in the management and administration of the pandemic. But a rise in the number of fresh cases in a few districts has raised the level of alert.

As a way of complacency has set in among the many public, the emergence of clusters and persevering with non-adherence to security norms is posing a problem for public well being authorities. The journey has not been simple. In March 2020, the State’s positivity fee was 5.2%.

This rose to 10.5% in June, and went on to say no steadily from September, reaching 1.7% in December. After dropping beneath 1% in February 2021, for the primary time since final March, the positivity fee is at present 1%. Today, the State accounts for 8,54,554 circumstances, with 8,38,085 recoveries, 12,517 deaths and three,952 energetic circumstances. Between 50,000 and 55,000 checks are being completed on daily basis in the State.

“The last one year was a 360-degree challenge as it was not just a pandemic affecting the health sector but all sectors and individuals one way or the other. Initial phases of the lockdown helped in ramping up the health infrastructure. Clinical management improved tremendously, reducing the case fatality. Sticking to RT-PCR testing was unique to the State and helped in restricting the spread,” Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan stated.

Andhra Pradesh

As marketing campaign picks up, folks worry enhance in COVID circumstances

With the municipal election marketing campaign selecting up momentum, people in Visakhapatnam fear increase in number of COVID-19 circumstances. Numerous public conferences and rallies are being organised as a part of the election marketing campaign in which security norms are completely ignored.

“We were confined to our houses for almost two months, when the pandemic was at its peak last year. Smell of sanitisers and bleaching powder emanated from our colonies. Over 100 people were affected due to the virus and more than 10 persons died. We hope those dreadful days didn’t recur. But the news of second COVID wave is frightening us,” stated K. Sagar, a resident of Kobbarithota, which was a hotspot final 12 months.

A couple of areas, which have been witnessing vigorous election marketing campaign, have been earlier containment zones. After a couple of States like Maharashtra began to witness the second wave, a couple of locals, particularly these from containment zones, are in a panic mode.

Karnataka

Schools in Karnataka to check lecturers extra ceaselessly

In the wake of an outbreak of COVID-19 circumstances in two authorities colleges in Karnataka on Friday, managements of government and private schools are stepping up monitoring to make sure that their campuses don’t turn out to be clusters.

Many managements stated they have been keen to bear the price of vaccination for his or her lecturers.

Mansoor Ali Khan, member, board of administration, Delhi Public Group of Schools, stated that they’ve been conducting COVID-19 checks for his or her lecturers as soon as a month since their colleges reopened in January. “From now on, we will conduct tests on teachers and our staff every fortnight to ensure that our students and staff are protected,” he stated.

D. Shashi Kumar, General Secretary of Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, stated that he would advise managements to bear the price of vaccination. “Ideally, it is the responsibility of the government to bear the cost and ensure that teachers are vaccinated. But as this has not been done, we have asked schools to take up this responsibility and bear at least 50 % of the cost,” he stated.

Karnataka

BBMP maps out plan to extend testing and enhance contract tracing

With the detection of extra clusters, considered one of them a authorities college, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad, at an emergency meeting on Saturday, directed zonal officers to take proactive steps to stop additional unfold of COVID-19, particularly in outer areas of town.

Officials have been directed to check COVID-19 reviews of the previous two months to determine localities, areas and wards the place extra circumstances had been detected and look into the measures in place to curb the unfold. More residents ought to be recognized for testing, stated Mr. Prasad.

The variety of checks has dropped over the weeks with solely round 38,000 carried out on Friday.

Health officers have been directed to determine folks with signs of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), and guarantee they get examined for COVID-19. The variety of checks ought to enhance in areas the place extra circumstances have been being reported, the civic chief stated.

Karnataka

Vaccination cubicles devoted to girls on March 8

On International Women’s Day (March 8), C.V. Raman Hospital in Bengaluru and designated hospitals in different districts shall be designated ‘pink booths’, which shall be devoted for vaccination of ladies who match the age standards.

In order to ramp up COVID-19 vaccination from Monday, an motion plan has been ready to have roughly 3,000 session websites throughout all districts, together with in BBMP jurisdiction, stated a launch. District management rooms have been sensitised to deal with any subject associated to the CoWIN portal, and the 104 workforce has been educated to deal with queries associated to COVID-19 vaccination.

As on Saturday, cumulatively, 9,39,415 individuals had been vaccinated throughout Karnataka. Of these, 28,725 have been vaccinated on Saturday.

New Delhi

More front-line staff than healthcare staff immunised

Despite the vaccination drive for front-line staff beginning virtually a month after healthcare staff, extra front-line staff have been immunised, according to official data. While vaccination of healthcare staff began on January 16, front-line staff, which incorporates police, paramilitary and authorities officers, began getting vaccinated from February 13.

Over 2,30,073 of three,38,251 (68%) front-line staff had taken the vaccine until Thursday and just one,49,910 of two,38,256 (62.9%) healthcare staff had been vaccinated.

Officials stated that many healthcare staff have been contaminated by the virus and that is without doubt one of the causes for the lesser turnout.

Enthusiasm is extra due to “better awareness and communication” amongst front-line staff, stated Delhi authorities officers. But there have been circumstances of them being beneath some degree of “pressure” to take the vaccine, as per officers.

New Delhi

As interim bails issued throughout Covid-19 expire, Delhi HC asks undertrial prisoners to give up

The Delhi High Court has directed 3,499 undertrial prisoners, who have been granted interim bails to de-congest jails right here amid the COVID-19 pandemic, to give up on expiry of their interval.

The choice of the courtroom was primarily based on the advice of the excessive powered committee (HPC) constituted on the route of the Supreme Court to decongest jails to stop the unfold of COVID-19.

A Bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh stated it was “not inclined” to additional prolong the interval of interim bail granted to those undertrial prisoners (UTP) beneath numerous standards laid down by the HPC in its a number of conferences.

Tamil Nadu

IOCL donates truck to hold vaccines

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) has donated a refrigerated truck to the State authorities for transporting COVID-19 vaccines to varied elements of the State. The refrigerated compartment would preserve a temperature in the vary of two levels Celsius to eight levels Celsius.

The ₹35-lakh custom-made truck was handed over to Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan by P. Jayadevan, Executive Director, IOCL, Tamil Nadu, in the presence of T.S. Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and Arun Kumar, Economic Advisor, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The truck is a part of the tools value ₹3.24 crore being given by IOCL and Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd. beneath their company social duty programme to the State authorities.

Punjab

Night curfew imposed in four Punjab districts

A night curfew was imposed in Punjab’s four districts from Saturday to sort out a current surge in COVID-19 circumstances.

The orders got here after Punjab Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan and Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta held a gathering to assessment the COVID-19 state of affairs with all Deputy Commissioners, district police chiefs and civil surgeons by a videoconferencing. The districts the place the night time curfew has been imposed are Jalandhar, SBS Nagar, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala.

The night time curfew will stay in place in the districts from 11 p.m. to five a.m.

Kerala

No surge in every day circumstances in Kerala, in contrast to in different States implicated by Centre

From mid-February, a spike in every day new circumstances was reported from a couple of States together with Maharashtra. For days on finish, the Health Ministry saved repeating the message that Kerala too was “witnessing an upsurge of daily new cases”. Even as not too long ago as March 6, the Health Ministry wrongly implicated Kerala for the surge in circumstances when it stated “Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka continue to report a surge in the COVID-19 daily new cases.”

Kerala continues to contribute a excessive variety of circumstances each day. However, there has not been any surge or spike in daily cases, as seen in different States. In actuality, Kerala has been witnessing a gentle decline in every day circumstances since end-January.

“From a second peak of 6,078 seven-day moving average of daily cases as on January 23, we have been seeing a steady decline in cases in Kerala. There has been a 50% decline in the seven-day moving average of daily cases from the fourth week of January to March 4,” says Dr. Rijo John, Health Economist and Consultant primarily based in Kochi, Kerala. “The seven-day moving average of daily cases in Kerala as on March 4 was 2,996. The absolute number of daily cases on March 4 was 2,616.”

While different States have lowered the variety of every day checks in current months, Kerala has been persevering with with the identical variety of every day checks.

New Delhi

Number of inoculations cross 20 million

More than 20 million vaccine doses have been administered because the programme started on January 16 with 7.6 lakh senior residents and 1.4 lakh individuals above 45 and with comorbidities, getting their first dose on Saturday.

Nearly 70 lakh healthcare staff (HCWs)have been vaccinated with at the very least one dose of both Covaxin or Covishield and greater than 35 lakh of them have gotten their follow-up doses after at the very least four weeks, the beneficial schedule. Nearly 63 lakh frontline staff (FLWs) have been inoculated with one dose with 14 lakh getting a second dose.

The second part of the vaccination drive seems to be inoculating extra folks than throughout the first part of the train. Close to 7-8 lakh have been inoculated for many days final week versus the 1-3 lakh HCWs staff in the early weeks of the vaccination programme.

USA

Joe Biden’s COVID-19 rescue plan clears essential Senate hurdle

The U.S. Senate on Saturday voted to approve a $1.9 trillion relief package that President Joe Biden vows will revive the nation’s pandemic-stricken economic system, capping hours of debate, frenzied negotiations and a marathon in a single day voting session.

Passed by 50 votes to 49 in a party line vote, the sweeping laws now heads again to the Democratic-majority House of Representatives, the place it’s anticipated to be adopted barring a last-minute setback.

Even with out the progressive precedence of a minimal wage enhance to $15 an hour, the stimulus invoice marks a victory for Mr. Biden’s Democrats as they put their stamp on the restoration from a pandemic that has killed over 500,000 in the United States and hobbled its economic system.

“I promised the American people help was on the way,” stated Mr. Biden in an tackle from the White House, after the plan was authorised alongside strict occasion traces. “Today, I can say we’ve taken one more giant step forward in delivering on that promise,” he stated. “It obviously wasn’t easy. It wasn’t always pretty. But it was so desperately needed.”