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109 people infected with mutant UK strain of Covid-19 in India: Health Ministry

COVID cases

New Delhi (NVI): A total of 109 people have been found infected with the new mutant UK strain of Covid-19 in India so far, the Ministry of Health said today. The number was 102 yesterday.

The Health Ministry has said that genome sequencing on other specimens in going on, adding that regular advice is being given to states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) labs.

Notably, the new strain of Covid-19, initially detected in the UK, is known to be far more contagious. Those who have been found infected with the virus have been kept in single-room isolation at designated healthcare facilities by the respective states.

The presence of the new variant of the virus has been reported from several countries including Australia, Canada, Japan, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, France, Spain, Lebanon, Singapore, Switzerland and Germany.

In the wake of new Covid strain, the Government had banned flights to and from the UK on December 22. However, the flight operations resumed from January 8 as the Government laid new rules and guidelines for passengers arrivig from the UK.

Under the new guidelines, will have to undergo an RT-PCR test both in the UK before boarding their flight and after arriving in India. The test will be self-paid.

-ARK

Nat’l polio drive rescheduled to Jan 31

Polio
Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): As the massive COVID-19 vaccination drive is beginning January 16, the Ministry of Health has rescheduled the National Polio Immunisation Day from January 17 to January 31.

“In the view of world’s largest immunisation exercise, it has been decided by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) in consultation with the office of the President of India to reschedule the Polio vaccination day, also known as the National Immunisation Day (NID) or “Polio Ravivar” to January 31 (Sunday),” the Health Ministry said in a statement.

It added that President Ram Nath Kovind will launch the Polio National Immunisation Day by administering Polio drops to some children at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on January 30.

The decision is in keeping with the stated policy of the Health Ministry to ensure that COVID-19 management and vaccination services, as well as non-COVID essential health services, proceed in tandem without adversely impacting each other, the statement noted.

Earlier this month, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said that polio immunisation drive will be carried out on January 17 across the country.

-RJV

3rd phase of PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana to be launched tmrw

PMKVY 3.0

New Delhi (NVI): The third phase of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY 3.0) will be launched tomorrow in 600 districts across the country, the government said today.

According to an official statement, this phase, spearheaded by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), will focus on new-age and COVID-related skills.

“Skill India Mission PMKVY 3.0 envisages training of eight lakh candidates over a scheme period of 2020-2021 with an outlay of Rs 948.90 crore,” the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said in a statement.

The 729 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs), empaneled non-PMKK training centres and more than 200 ITIs under Skill India will be rolling out PMKVY 3.0 training to build a robust pool of skilled professionals, it said.

On the basis of the learning gained from Phase 1 and Phase 2, the ministry has improved the newer version of the scheme to match the current policy doctrine and energize the skilling ecosystem affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry also said that, ‘Skill India Mission’ launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 15, 2015, has gained tremendous momentum through launch of its flagship scheme PMKVY to unlock the vision of making India the ‘Skill Capital’ of the world.

Furthermore, the PMKVY Phase 3 launch will be done by the Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Mahendranath Pandey, in the presence of the Minister of State, Raj Kumar Singh.

The event will also be addressed by the State Skill Ministers and Members of Parliament, the statement added.

-RJV

State-wise details of Covid-19 cases in India

COVID-19 cases
Representative image

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases in India have crossed the 10.5 million-mark and currently stands at 10,512,093 after 16,946 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The country’s death toll stands at 1,51,727 after 198 new fatalities were reported during the same period.

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (19,78,044), Karnataka (9,29,552), Andhra Pradesh (8,85,437), Tamil Nadu (8,28,287), Kerala (8,25,769).

Total positive cases in States/UTs:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 4,969

Andhra Pradesh- 8,85,437

Arunachal Pradesh- 16,783

Assam- 2,16,743

Bihar- 2,56,587

Chandigarh- 20,415

Chhattisgarh- 2,91,484

Dadra and Nagar Haveli– 3,383

Delhi- 6,31,249

Gujarat- 2,53,744

Goa- 52,079

Haryana– 2,65,616

Himachal Pradesh- 56,689

Jammu and Kashmir- 1,22,885

Jharkhand- 1,17,240

Karnataka- 9,29,552

Kerala- 8,25,769

Ladakh- 9,639

Madhya Pradesh- 2,50,009

Maharashtra- 19,78,044

Manipur- 28,769

Meghalaya- 13,669

Mizoram- 4,310

Nagaland- 12,003

Odisha- 3,32,541

Puducherry- 38,524

Punjab- 1,69,737

Rajasthan- 3,14,091

Sikkim- 6,004

Tamil Nadu- 8,28,287

Telangana- 2,90,916

Tripura- 33,320

Uttarakhand- 94,170

Uttar Pradesh- 5,94,641

West Bengal – 5,62,795

State/UT wise total death toll:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 62

Andhra Pradesh- 7,134

Arunachal Pradesh- 56

Assam- 1,065

Bihar- 1,445

Chandigarh- 329

Chhattisgarh- 3,527

Dadra and Nagar Haveli- 2

Delhi- 10,718

Goa- 750

Gujarat- 4,354

Haryana- 2,966

Himachal Pradesh- 963

Jammu and Kashmir- 1,912

Jharkhand- 1,048

Karnataka- 12,152

Kerala- 3,373

Ladakh- 128

Madhya Pradesh- 3,732

Maharashtra- 50,221

Manipur- 365

Meghalaya- 144

Mizoram- 9

Nagaland- 86

Odisha- 1,895

Puducherry- 639

Punjab- 5,463

Rajasthan- 2,742

Sikkim- 129

Tamil Nadu- 12,242

Telangana- 1,572

Tripura- 389

Uttar Pradesh- 8,529

Uttarakhand- 1,593

West Bengal- 9,993

However, a total of 10,146,763 people have been cured and discharged, while the total active cases stands at 2,13,603 in the country.

-CHK

India reports less than 20,000 daily Covid cases in last 7 days

COVID cases
File photo

New Delhi (NVI): The ongoing trend of contraction of India’s daily new coronavirus cases continues, as the country recorded less than 20,000 daily cases since the last 7 days, Union Health Ministry said.

In the last 24 hours, only 16,946 persons were found to be infected with COVID-19 in India.

During the same period, the country also registered 17,652 new recoveries ensuring a net decline of 904 cases in the active caseload, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

“Daily deaths in India are also on a sustained decline, with less than 300 daily deaths have been registered for the last 20 days. At present, the country’s case fatality rate stands at 1.44 per cent,” it added.

In addition, 22 States and Union Territories have cases fatality rate less than the national average.

Meanwhile, the active COVID-19 caseload of the country stands at 2,13,603. The share of active cases in the total positive cases has further shrunk to 2.03 per cent, the ministry said.

As many as 25 States and UTs have less than 5,000 active cases. The country’s total recoveries stand at 10,146,763. With this, the recovery rate has also increased to 96.52 per cent.

82.67 per cent of the new recovered cases are observed to be concentrated in 10 States and UTs. Kerala has reported the maximum number of single day recoveries with 5,158 cases, while 3,009 people recovered in Maharashtra in the past 24 hours followed by 930 in Chhattisgarh.

About 76.45 per cent of the new cases are from seven States and UTs. Kerala continues to report the highest daily new cases at 6,004, followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka with 3,556 and 746 new cases, respectively.

Furthermore, 198 case fatalities have been reported in the past 24 hours.

Out of these, six States and UTs account for 75.76 per cent of new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (70). Kerala and West Bengal follow with 26 and 18 daily deaths, respectively.

-RJV

 

WHO team reaches China’s Wuhan to trace coronavirus origins

WHO team
WHO's team of researchers has arrived in Wuhan, China

New Delhi (NVI): A global team of researchers led by the World Health Organization (WHO) have reached China’s Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus pandemic first surfaced in late 2019, to conduct an investigation into its origins.

The 10-member team will spend about a month in the city, including two weeks in quarantine.

The members include virus and other experts from the United States, Australia, Germany, Japan, Britain, Russia, the Netherlands, Qatar and Vietnam, CGTN reported.

Peter Ben Embarek, the WHO’s top expert on animal diseases that cross to other species, who went to China on a preliminary mission last July, is leading the 10 independent experts, a WHO spokesman said.

After completing quarantine, the team will spend two weeks interviewing people from research institutes, hospitals and the seafood market in Wuhan where the new pathogen is believed to have emerged, according to media reports.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian had on Tuesday said that the team will fly from Singapore to Wuhan.

Scientists suspect the virus that has killed 1.9 million people since late 2019 jumped to humans from bats or other animals, most likely in China’s southwest.

Currently, China battles a resurgence of cases in its northeast after managing for months to nearly stamp out domestic infections.

Last week, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus said he was “very disappointed” that China had still not authorised the team’s entry for the long-awaited mission, but on Monday, he welcomed its announcement of their planned arrival.

According to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker, so far, over 92,313,000 people have been confirmed with the disease across the world and more than 1,977,000 people have died.

-CHK

Portugal announces month-long lockdown amid virus surge

Lockdown

New Delhi (NVI): After Portugal registered its highest daily surge of COVID-19 deaths and infections on Wednesday, the country’s prime minister, Antonio Costa, has announced a fresh month-long nationwide lockdown.

During the lockdown, which will come into effect on Friday, no one will be allowed to leave their homes for unjustified reasons.

Portugal has witnessed a record-breaking surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases since it eased restrictions for the Christmas holiday.

“A sense of hope prompted by the recent COVID-19 vaccine rollout encouraged people to drop their guard and makes the pandemic even more dangerous,” Costa said during a press conference.

Under the terms of the lockdown, staying at home will be mandatory, including for work, and fines for not complying with rules such as wearing masks in the street will double, the PM added.

Furthermore, schools are to remain open, along with companies providing essential services. Financial help will be provided for businesses that have to close, such as restaurants, cinemas and hair salons.

Portugal, which began a vaccination program in the last week of December, has officially recorded more than 8,200 deaths from the coronavirus.

So far, Portugal gas recorded 5,07,108 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

-CHK

India’s Covid tally rises by 16,946 cases; 198 deaths in last 24 hours

COVID tally
File photo

New Delhi (NVI): India registered 16,946 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 10,512,093, according to Union Health Ministry data.

The country’s death toll has gone up to 1,51,727 with 198 fatalities registered during this period.

Meanwhile, more than 10.1 million people have recovered from the virus and the total recoveries currently stands at 10,146,763 while active Covid-19 cases have dropped further to 2.1 lakh mark and stands at 2,13,603.

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (19,78,044), Karnataka (9,29,552), Andhra Pradesh (8,85,437), Tamil Nadu (8,28,287), Kerala (8,25,769).

Reportedly, less than 2 days before India starts its nationwide inoculation drive, about 95 per cent of 1.1 crore Covishield vaccine doses purchased by the government have been delivered across the country and the remaining 1 lakh vials will be delivered shortly

Furthermore, the first batch of Bharat Biotech’s covaxin, the second vaccine approved for restricted emergency use, was dispatched from Hyderabad and flown to 11 cities on Wednesday.

Notably, the government had announced a purchase agreement for 55 lakh doses of Covaxin and 110 lakh doses of Covishield.

-CHK

Coronavirus cases exceed 92.3 mn globally; US tally tops 23 mn

Coronavirus

New Delhi (NVI): More than 92.3 million people around the world have been confirmed to have the coronavirus, while the death toll has crossed 19,77,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. Over 50.9 million patients have recovered from the deadly disease globally.

The number of coronavirus infections in the US have surpassed 23 million, while the number of fatalities caused due to the deadly contagion have exceeded 3,84,000 in the country.

Brazil’s coronavirus cases have crossed the 8.2 million-mark and stands at 8,256,536 while the number of deaths have surged past 2,05,000.

Meanwhile, China reported its first death from Covid-19 in eight months, according to National Health Commission. Health authorities gave no details about the latest death except that it occurred in Hebei province.

Indonesia has started vaccinating health workers and public servants for Covid-19, a day after President Joko Widodo received the first shot of China’s Sinovac Biotech vaccine.

Furthermore, Japan is set to expand its state of emergency in greater Tokyo from today to seven more regions including major cities Osaka and Kyoto and also to tighten border restrictions as cases surge.

A new lockdown to bring a worrying rise in coronavirus cases under control will come into force in Portugal from Friday, prime minister António Costa announced, urging people to stay indoors and protect themselves.

In addition to this, more than 100,000 deaths involving coronavirus have occurred in the UK since the disease first appeared in the country almost a year ago

Spain has reported 38,869 new cases, its highest single-day rise in infections. The country also recorded 195 further deaths, while the number of cases per 100,000 people rose from 452 to 493.

-CHK

J&K Govt seeks GI tag for ‘Doda Gucchi mushroom’

Doda Gucchi mushroom

Jammu (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir administration has pushed for Geographical Indication (GI) tagging of Doda Gucchi mushroom, especially found in forest and hilly areas of Jammu like Kishtwar, Doda and Reasi.

Marking a new age of heirloom crops and products, Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare, Navin Kumar Choudhary has taken the historical initiative.

Great Mission Group Consultancy, Pune has submitted the application through Adhik Kadam, Chairman of the Borderless World Foundation, facilitated by the Department of Agriculture Production & FW, for the mushroom variety’s registration for GI tag registry in Chennai, as per an official statement.

Prof Ganesh S Hingmire, Chairman of the Consultancy group presented the copy of GI application to Naveen Choudhary, who lauded his efforts and also appreciated Dr. Sagar D. Doifode, Deputy Commissioner Doda, for his efforts in projecting Doda Gucchi Mushroom for a global niche. He said that Gucchi mushroom holds a special place among the costlier food items because of its high cost and exotic nature.

The Principal Secretary said that Doda Gucchi Mushroom is one of the most popular, flavorful, medicinally beneficial mushroom species found in the nearby forest areas of the Doda.

This mushroom variety is among the world’s costliest food items that grow wild and collected manually. The farming community in the district traditionally collects the mushroom from forested areas through a well-managed community approach. Locally known as “thunthoo”, it is a familiar commodity among natives spread in the entire areas of the district.

Choudhary said that GI tagging shall prevent unauthorized use of a Registered Geographical Indication by others. “It (Geographical Indication) will provide legal protection to Doda Gucchi Mushroom, which in turn will boost its export, he added. It will also promote economic prosperity of locals in the geographical territory as the farming community follows the practice of collecting Gucchi in the district from the forest areas for generations together. They penetrate deep inside dense forests for its collection,” he said.

On the occasion, Prof Ganesh S Hingmire expressed gratitude to the officers of Department of Agriculture Production & FW Jammu and KVK Bhaderwah for extending all necessary support in documentation of the GI application which has been accepted for further necessary action.

Inderjeet, Director Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare Jammu, K K Sharma, Joint Director Agriculture Marketing Jammu and Shahid Iqbal Sheikh, Joint Director of Agriculture (Extension) Jammu were also present.

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