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COVID: Taiwan wants to know if China told WHO about human transmission

New Delhi (NVI): Suspecting a “cover up”, Taiwan is vigorously trying to find out whether or not China notified the World Health Organisation (WHO) in December last year that coronavirus could be transmitted from human to human after detection of some cases in Wuhan.

Taiwan insists that it had warned WHO of the possibility of human-to-human transmission in an email sent to the WHO on December 31, when the COVID-19 outbreak first came to public knowledge.

According to Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang, it had learned about the emergence of atypical pneumonia cases in Wuhan on December 31, 2019, which was later known as COVID-19, and immediately alerted the WHO and the Chinese side through email, requesting them to verify.

Atypical pneumonia is what China commonly referred to as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Chuang said, stressing that the disease itself, also caused by coronavirus, is transmittable from human to human.

Taiwan’s Health Minister Chen Shih-chung asked whether China, as a WHO member, informed the world health body of the seven cases and human-to-human transmission, Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

He asked that If the Chinese did not notify the WHO, “what else would be called a cover up?” and “If (the Chinese) did report it, what else would be deemed a dereliction of duty (on the part of the WHO)?”

The WHO has rejected Taiwan’s claims that it had warned the global health body that the novel coronavirus may be transmitted from human to human.

An agitated Taiwan’s government has now released the email it wrote to the WHO on December 31 last year.

“News resources today indicate that at least seven atypical pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan, CHINA. Their health authorities replied to the media that the cases were believed not SARS; however the samples are still under examination, and cases have been isolated for treatment. I would greatly appreciate it if you have relevant information to share with us. Thank you very much in advance for your attention to this matter,” it read.

Chen, who is also head of Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), argued that while Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control did not actually mention “human-to-human” transmissions in the email, it had “strongly hinted” at the possibility, the CNA reported.

He said the letter clearly indicated that health authorities in China confirmed seven patients with atypical pneumonia had been isolated for treatment.

“If being isolated for treatment is not a warning, what situation will constitute a warning?” Chen said.

On Friday, international media, including the Agence France-Presse, a news agency based in Paris, reported that the WHO denied Taiwan’s claim that it mentioned the possibility of human-to-human transmission in its email.

Responding to this, Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) accused the WHO of “garbling the email content” in a phone interview with CNA Friday night.

Although Taiwan did not “directly” point out the possibility for human-to-human transmission in that email due to confused information at that time, its email “strongly hinted” of such a scenario based on the characteristics of SARS and observations that patients in China were isolated, Chuang said.

The WHO’s website states that on Dec. 31, WHO’s China office was informed of several cases of unknown pneumonia, and by Jan. 3, Chinese authorities had informed the WHO of 44 cases: https://www.who.int/csr/don/05-january-2020-pneumonia-of-unkown-cause-china/en/

U.S. officials and others have also criticized the WHO for saying there was only limited human-to-human transmission as late as Jan. 14 and not announcing the virus could be transmitted from person to person until 10 days later.

The WHO, however, has argued that it actively dealt with the outbreak, getting information from China and seeking details on its own, while also passing on findings to the global community.

Taiwan is not a member of the WHO because of China’s objections and it lost its observer status in the WHO’s World Health Assembly in the past few years due to tense relations between the current administration and Beijing.

Taiwanese officials have argued that its exclusion means it cannot easily obtain information from or share its expertise with the WHO about disease outbreaks or other health issues.

COVID-19 deaths reach 100 in Pakistan; cases top 5,800

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan has reached 5,829, while 100 people have died of the disease so far, according to Geo news.

Around 1,100 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the virus in the country, including Sindh and Punjab province.

Nearly half of the total confirmed cases are from Punjab province alone, at 2,856.

Looking at the breakdown of cases, the Sindh province has reported 1,518 cases while Balochistan has 248 cases so far. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province has 800 cases, Islamabad 131, Gilgit Baltistan 233 and 43 in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Meanwhile, the Pakistan government delayed the decision on extention of lockdown in the country till today, in a meeting of the National Coordination Committee chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan held on Monday.

Total number of COVID-19 cases in Nepal climbs to 16

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): Two of three from a family in Kathmandu have tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of cases to 16, according to Nepal media.

With confirmation of transmission in two more people, the mother and son had shown traces of infection in Rapid Diagnostic Test carried out on Monday.

Both the patients were taken to Patan Hospital on detection of antibodies and their samples were sent for further testing through PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) method.

Further, a swab test at National Public Health Laboratory confirmed transmission in two of the samples while the result for the third sample is awaited, as per media reports.

However, the Ministry of Health and Population, Nepal, in its latest update informed that while the two people tested positive, the result of the third sample came out as negative.

Earlier on Monday, authorities also sealed the apartment building as a precaution after they were confirmed positive in RDT.

So far, there are 15 active cases of coronavirus in Nepal and 1 person has recovered, with no deaths reported till now.

Coronavirus cases top 1,000 in Bangladesh; 46 dead

New Delhi (NVI): Bangladesh saw an alarming rise in coronavirus cases today as 209 more cases were reported with COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, raising the total number of infected people to 1,012.

Besides, 7 more people died from the virus raising the number of total deaths to 39, according to United News of Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, no new recoveries from the disease have been reported in the last 24 hours.

In addition to this, young people have joined the government, political parties and other social organisations to extend support to thousands of low-income people, especially those living from hand to mouth, during the country’s lockdown to curb the transmission of coronavirus, according to media reports.

The low-income group is the worst sufferer as economic activities have almost come to a grinding halt after the government announced holidays since March 26.

YouTube removes NVI video having message of peace

New Delhi: A video, with a message of peace, has been removed by YouTube from the News Vibes of India (NVI) account, by making a bizarre claim that it violates its “community guidelines”.

In the video, a Kashmiri woman is seen desperately urging her militant son to shun the path of violence and return home to his family.

The woman, a resident of Kakapore in Pulwama district of Kashmir, is the mother of Asif Majid Dar, who has recently joined militancy.

The woman, with the photo of her son in a mobile phone, is heard saying that the family is very disturbed ever since Asif joined militancy. She says that everyone in the family is worried.

“If he is with anyone, please send him back home…We are left with nothing,” the woman pleads.

Indian Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps has urged Asif to listen to his mother’s appeal and assured him that it will assist and help him in every way possible to safely return home.

The NVI posted the video on YouTube on April 12 with the objective of spreading the message of peace and the hope that someone may see it and help the distraught woman.

The YouTube, however, removed it and sent an email to the NVI, saying the video was “flagged to us for review” and “Upon review, we’ve determined that it violates our guidelines and we’ve removed it from YouTube.”

It, however, did not specify as to which guideline was violated. It only gave a link for studying its Community Guidelines.

It added that “if you believe this was a mistake, we’d like to hear from you.”

To appeal the removal, it gave a link to a “form”, which has a Feedback section. NVI sent its appeal on the ‘Feedback’ section yesterday but there has been no response to it.

A reply to the email address, from which the message from YouTube was received, bounced, with a message ‘Address not found’.

In its appeal, the shocked NVI contended that “by posting the video, we were just trying to spread the message of peace”. It questioned “Does spreading the message of peace go against the guidelines of YouTube?”

It wrote that “for the sake of fairness, YouTube should have heard us, before removing the video through an ex-parte action.”

OFB to manufacture ISO Class 3 coveralls

New Delhi (NVI): Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has started supply of coveralls conforming to ISO Class 3 exposure standards, Ministry to Defence said today.

“Manufacture of initial order of 1.10 lakh from HLL Lifecare Limited (HLL) is in full swing. The order will be completed within 40 days,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Factories Board has also developed special two-metre tents that can be used for medical emergency, screening and quarantine purposes. These are made up of waterproof fabric, mild steel and aluminium alloy and their supply has already started.

Apart from this, the production of hand sanitiser is on war footing more than 70,000 litres have already been supplied to different agencies, the ministry said.

Two test facilities for blood penetration test has been established, one at Chennai and another at Kanpur, the ministry added.

Around 280 beds in 10 hospitals have been set aside for isolation. This has been done as per the requirement of Health Ministry, it said, adding that OFB is also trying to produce face masks as per order placed by HLL.

At present, more than 90,000 non-medical masks have been manufactured and distributed, while testing for medical masks would also be in place by this week, read an official statement.

Sufficient stock of essential supplies, no need to worry: Amit Shah

Amit Shah meets farmer leaders
File Photo: Union Home Minister Amit Shah

New Delhi (NVI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said that there is a sufficient stock of essential commodities in the country like food and medicines and no one should worry about the extended lockdown.

The assurance by Home Minister came just after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of lockdown till May 3 in view of the coronavirus situation in the country.

“As the home minister of the country, I assure the people again that there is enough stock of food, medicines and other commodities in the country. No citizen should worry about that,” Shah said.

Shah, in a series of tweets, also appealed to the affluent people to help the needy living nearby.

“We have to intensify this coordination so that all citizens follow the lockdown properly and no citizen should have the problem of the things they need,” he added.

Shah also lauded the contribution of doctors, healthcare workers, sanitation workers, police and all the security personnel.

He tweeted, ” Appreciate the way state governments are working in close coordination with the Centre to combat the virus. This support should be strengthened and it should be made sure that every citizen is following the lockdown guidelines and no person is deprived of the essential goods and commodities.”

Hindus, Christians being denied food aid in Pakistan

(Source: Twitter)

New Delhi (NVI): Hindus and Christians are being denied food aid amidst the ongoing coronavirus lockdown in Pakistan, whose Prime Minister Imran Khan and other leaders claim to be the champions of minority rights.

The latest revelation comes against the backdrop of umpteen cases of religious discrimination and persecution of minorities witnessed in the country.

The fact about denial of food aid to these minorities in Pakistan has been highlighted by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which termed such actions as “simply reprehensible”.

To highlight the discrimination, the USCIRF referred to reports emanating from Karachi, which said that Sayali Welfare International Trust, an NGO established to assist the homeless and seasonal workers, “has been refusing food assistance to Hindus and Christians, arguing that the aid is reserved for Muslims alone”.

USCIRF Commissioner Arunima Bhargava said, “These actions are simply reprehensible”, according to a statement issued by the American body.

“As COVID-19 continues to spread, vulnerable communities within Pakistan are fighting hunger and to keep their families safe and healthy. Food aid must not be denied because of one’s faith. We urge the Pakistani government to ensure that food aid from distributing organisations is shared equally with Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities,” Bhargava said.

USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore referred to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent statement that developing countries have a challenge of not letting people die of hunger amidst coronavirus crisis and asked him to lead the way in this regard.

The Imran Khan government should “not leave religious minorities behind, otherwise they may add on top of it all one more crisis, created by religious discrimination and inter-community strife,” Moore said.

The USCIRF noted that in its 2019 Annual Report it had said that Hindus and Christians in Pakistan face continued threats to their security and are subjected to various forms of harassment and social exclusion.

Urgent package needed for industry, trade, employees: ASSOCHAM

Indian economy

New Delhi (NVI): The Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM) today supported the Central Government’s move to extend lockdown and save people from the unprecedented global pandemic while seeking urgent financial help for industry, trade and employees, observing that “the pain of the crisis will be felt more in coming weeks and months”.

ASSOCHAM secretary general, Deepak Sood said that the body has fully supported PM Modi’s decision to extend the lockdown, with a firm conviction that the government would soon be announcing a large and effective financial package for protecting agriculture, industry, trade with a particular focus on the MSMEs and millions of jobs.

“Prime Minister’s decision to consolidate gains from the earlier 3-week lockdown is a wise move, even though it has economic costs, as Shri Modi has talked about in his address to the nation,” Sood said, adding that PM’s call to the people and the state and local authorities to strictly enforce the lockdown till April 20 for qualifying to get relaxation is a double-edged tool for effective results.

“His concern for the most vulnerable sections of the society and the agriculture is highly appreciated and would help revive the economy after Coronavirus is gone,” Sood said.

The ASSOCHAM secretary-general said the trade body has been in constant touch with the Centre, states and other institutions like the RBI, sharing ground reports on the state of industry, trade and the broader economy.

“The situation is quite challenging, but somehow, the industry is managing to stay afloat and pay salaries and other essential disbursements in the supply chain. However, the situation may become unsustainable in the coming weeks, making it extremely important for the Government to announce an effective and sizeable package for the economy,” he said.

“There is a broad national consensus that the Government can go in for a wider fiscal deficit, even though the unconventional tool of monetising it by direct bond buying by the RBI. The subsistence funds are required both for the industry and trade as also their employees,” he said.

Besides, the massive health infrastructure, so urgently needed to fight the health battle requires large resources. There is not much alternative but to spend our way through this crisis on keeping the economic lifeline alive and robust. The FRBM Act has a provision for such a window, he added.

ASSOCHAM further added that the RBI needs to keep a strict watch on currency movement in the foreign exchange market to guard against any volatility. “Large foreign exchange reserves in excess of USD 450 billion are a great source of comfort at this critical time,” said Sood.

The chamber has also worked out and shared with the government a plan for graded re-opening of the economy with the mantra of social distancing. “We hope that when guidelines for selective opening of the sectors and the areas are issued, our suggestions would find value in the same,” added the secretary general.

Sood further stated that the Indian economy has an inherent strength that is enabling the uninterrupted supply chain of essentials. “However, going forward, this supply chain may face challenges if quick and effective steps are not taken. These include smooth operation of truckers with adequate manpower, reaching out to farmers and their produce for perishable commodities. There are several industries which are part of the crucial supply chain, and the same must be kept in operation,” he said.

ASSOCHAM had approached the government yesterday also for an immediate and an impactful stimulus package without getting weighed in by any possible downgrade by global rating agencies.

In a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the industry body, having assessed the ground impact of the three-week lockdown on the industry, trade and the broader economy, had stressed that the fiscal stimulus is a must for saving both ‘Jaan’ and ‘Jahan’, “as has been so rightly emphasised by the Prime Minister”.

Railways suspends all passenger train services till May 3

New Delhi (NVI): The Indian Railways today extended the suspension all passenger trains till May 3, in view of the nationwide lockdown extension by 19 days.

Earlier, the Railways had suspended its passenger trains till April 14, under the 21-day lockdown.

“All passenger train services on Indian Railways including Premium trains, Mail/Express trains, Passenger trains, Suburban Trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc shall continue to remain cancel till the 2400hrs of 3rd May 2020,” the Indian Railways said in a tweet.

After the lockdown extension announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, the Railways said that all ticket bookings will remain suspended till further orders.

It said that a full refund for reservation will be made for trains cancelled till May 3 and advance bookings for further dates.

No advance reservation of trains tickets, including e-tickets, till further orders, the Railways said, adding that online cancellation facility remains functional.

However, the special freight and parcel services of the Railways, which were active in the last 21 days, will continue in the extended lockdown phase.

Railways continue to run its freight trains to transport essential commodities like medicine and food across the country, amid the COVID-19 situation.

The rail ministry yesterday said that in the first 12 days of April, the Railways loaded and carried 36,724 wagons of foodgrain, 861 wagons of sugar, 1,753 wagons of salt, 606 wagons/tanks of edible oil and 14,317 wagons of fertilizers. One wagon contains 58-60 ton consignment

In a statement, the Ministry of Railways said that this was done “to ensure that kitchens of all Indian homes continue to run normally and farmers in agriculture sector continue to get all necessary inputs for farming.”

Meanwhile, all international and domestic flights also remain suspended till May 3, in view of the extended lockdown.

Both train and flight services were suspended till May 14, under the 21-day lockdown, earlier.

In his address to the nation today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Government has decided to extend the lockdown till May 3, on the basis of suggestions from the state governments and experts on the current coronavirus situation in the country.

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