India now has over 25 lakh active cases of Covid-19 as a second wave of infections continues to put tremendous pressure on the country’s tired health infrastructure. All central and state governments are acting on a war basis to prevent the resurgence of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has killed another 2,624 people in the past 24 hours alone.
Maharashtra, the worst hit state, reported 67,000 new confirmed cases and 676 more deaths on Saturday.
A total of 38,000 new cases and 223 more deaths were recorded in Uttar Pradesh, followed by 26,000 new cases in Kerala and more than 24,000 new cases of infection in Delhi, with an additional 357 Covid deaths.
Mass cremation of Covid-19 victims in a crematorium in Delhi on Saturday (Photo credit: PTI)
Chhattisgarh, one of 10 states that accounted for 74.15 percent of the new Covid-19 cases reported by the Department of Health on April 24, added 16,000 new cases to its case count.
Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal each recorded 14,000 new cases, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar 12,000 each, and Andhra Pradesh 11,000 new confirmed cases on Saturday.
Vaccines in India
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), India administered 14 crore doses of the two emergency-approved vaccines in 99 days. All over 18-year-olds can register for the third vaccination phase from April 28th. However, the vaccines will be given from May 1st.
According to UP, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, Telangana State and UT Jammu and Kashmir also announced free vaccination for all eligible recipients.
A health care worker giving the Covid-19 vaccine to an elderly woman on an e-rickshaw during a special vaccination drive in Punjabs Patiala on Saturday (Photo credit: PTI)
On Saturday the The Serum Institute of India (SII) issued a clarification on the pricing of its coronavirus vaccine Covishield. In the statement, Pune-based SII said only a limited number of doses will be sold to private hospitals at a cost of Rs 600 per dose.
Bharat Biotech also announced the Awards for its local stitch Covaxin. It will be sold at a price of Rs 600 per dose to state governments and Rs 1,200 per dose to private hospitals, the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker said.
Lack of medical oxygen, oxygen cylinders
Social media is flooded with SOS calls from hospitals and doctors are warning authorities of the acute shortage of medical oxygen for Covid-19 patients.
In the early morning hours of Saturday, 20 patients died on Jaipur Golden Hospital in New Delhi Reportedly due to a lack of medical oxygen. Less than 24 hours later, the same hospital sent a tweet saying the lives of nearly 200 patients were at stake and the facility was running out of medical oxygen.
A similar turn of events took place in a private hospital in Punjab’s Amritsar where a lack of medical oxygen resulted in the death of six patients. While hospital authorities claim they reported the problem to the administration, the Punjab government said no such request was forwarded to them.
Family members of Covid-19 patients wait outside an oxygen refueling station in UP’s Kanpur (Photo credit: PTI)
Two other patients died Lack of medical oxygen at Sardar Patel Hospital in Delhi, which is now no longer accepting new patients.
The GTB Hospital and the Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital in Delhi reduced the number of beds for Covid-19 patients by half on Saturday, citing an unstable supply of liquid medical oxygen (LMO).
In West Bengal, the state government has issued a number of rules for dispensing / refilling oxygen cylinders. These rules make it mandatory for anyone looking to purchase or refill a medical oxygen cylinder to show a doctor’s prescription.
Courts warn officials, center on war basis
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Saturday, at which it was decided Liberate all oxygen and oxygen-related devices, including cylinders, from basic duty and health tax. Similar steps have been taken with regard to the import of Covid-19 vaccines.
A bank in the Delhi Supreme Court convened a special hearing on public holidays to resolve the issue, saying that any official who obstructed the supply of medical oxygen would be “hanged”. Regarding government officials holding medical oxygen tankers in various states / UTs, the bank told Judges Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli during the three-hour hearing that “no one is spared.”
Oxygen Express, an Indian Railways initiative, arrived in Nashik, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh with medical oxygen, which is in short supply in this time of crisis.
Oxygen Express reaches Nashik by LMO tankers from Vishakhapatnam (Image credit: PTI)
The Indian Air Force (IAF) was also harnessed to carry medical oxygen. Four cryotanks were flown in from Singapore with a C17 heavy lift aircraft. This plane also brought empty oxygen tanks from Pune and another one from Indore to gas stations in Gujarat’s Jamnagar.
States are moving in to curb the spread of infections
On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu government ordered cinemas, places of worship, shopping malls, bars, restaurants, gyms and salons to be closed until further notice.
The government in Andhra Pradesh imposed a curfew between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. with immediate effect. At the same time that The government of Jammu and Kashmir opted for a weekend curfew.
The government of Uttarakhand has ordered the closure of all government offices for the time being.
Similar restrictions are already in place in Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and a number of other states and UTs to curb the spread of infection.
A street in Thiruvananthapuram looks deserted during Saturday’s weekend lockdown (Image credit: PTI).
Members of Karnatakas Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Covid-19 predict a third wave of coronavirus infections in October and November this year. Based on this prediction, the (TAC) has advised the government of Karnataka to complete the vaccination of vulnerable groups before the next wave hits the state.
A total of 1,38,67,997 patients have recovered from Covid-19 since the pandemic started last year in India. At the same time, the virus killed 1,89,544 people across the country.
एक टिप्पणी भेजें