PIB’S DAILY BULLETIN ON COVID-19

PIB’S DAILY BULLETIN ON COVID-19

Contains Press releases concerning Covid-19, issued in last 24 hours, inputs from PIB Field Offices and Fact checks undertaken by PIB)

Dr Harsh Vardhan chairs 18th meeting of Group of Ministers on COVID-19

The 18th meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19 was held under the chairpersonship of Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare by a video-conference today.The GoM was briefed that as on today, there are total 3914 facilities in the country with 3,77,737 Isolation beds (without ICU support), 39,820 ICU beds and 1,42,415 oxygen supported beds along with 20,047 ventilators. In terms of healthcare logistics, cumulatively 213.55 lakh N95 masks, 120.94 lakh PPEs and 612.57 lakh HCQ tablets have been distributed.The global comparison between the five most affected countries clearly depicted that India has one of the lowest cases per million (538) and deaths per million (15) compared the global average of 1453 and 68.7, respectively. Within the country, eight states (Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat) contribute to around 90% of the active caseload and 49 districts account for 80% of active caseload, as of today. Moreover, six states (Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) account for 86% of total deaths, and 32 districts account for 80% deaths.

PM addresses the inaugural session of India Global week; India is playing a leading role in the global revival: PM

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today addressed the inaugural session of India Global week via video-conference.Referring to the current times of crisis, the Prime Minister said India would play a leading role in the global revival. He said that this is closely linked with two factors. First is – Indian talent and second is India’s ability to reform and rejuvenate. He elaborated that world over, the contribution of India’s talent-force is highly recognised, especially the contribution of the Indian tech industry and tech professionals.He described India as a power-house of talent that is eager to contribute. He added that Indians are natural reformers and history has shown that India has overcome every challenge, be it social or economic.He said that when India talks of revival it is: Revival with care, Revival with compassion, Revival which is sustainable – both for the environment and the economy.

PM interacts with representatives from Varanasi based NGOs

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today interacted via video-conference with various NGOs in Varanasi who are providing relief during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Prime Minister praised the people of the holy & blessed city of Varanasi for brimming with hope and enthusiasm, notwithstanding the Corona Pandemic. Shri Modi said he was receiving information on various steps being taken to prevent infection, the condition of various hospitals, the quarantine arrangements and the welfare of the migrant workers. He said, despite a halt on various religious activities in the holy city, the people of Varanasi have proved that they are second to none in their fight against Corona and supporting the poor and needy with continuous food & medical supply. Prime Minister praised the efforts of the NGOs for working in tandem with various Government and Local Administration Bodies. Prime Minister said that creating an extensive network of food helplines and community kitchens in a short span of time, developing helplines, taking the help of data science, making full use of the control and command center of Varanasi Smart City, everyone has full potential to help the poor at every level.

Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah hailed the key decisions taken by Union Cabinet, expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah has said the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s resolve to ensure nobody stays hungry during the Corona disaster is praiseworthy. In a tweet, Shri Amit Shah expressed his gratitude and thanked the Prime Minister on the decisions taken yesterday at the Cabinet meeting to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) till November which will provide rations to crores of poor people. Shri Amit Shah said that extension of scheme to provide three free cylinders to poor women under the Ujjwala Yojana till September would benefit 7 crore and 40 lakh women.

Envoys of three Nations Present Credentials through Video Conference

President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind accepted credentials from Heads of Mission from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan today. This was the second time that credentials presentation in Rashtrapati Bhavan happened through video-conference in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking on the occasion, President Kovind conveyed his warm wishes to the envoys on their appointment. He noted that India had deep rooted ties with all the three countries and was privileged to share a common outlook on key global issues with them. The President noted that enhancing global cooperation was the need of the hour to effectively tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, he stated that India was in the forefront of ongoing international efforts to defeat the pandemic.

Indian Navy Completes “Operation Samudra Setu”

Operation Samudra Setu, which was launched on 05 May 2020 as part of the national effort to repatriate Indian citizens from overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic, has culminated after successfully bringing 3,992 Indian citizens back to their homeland by sea. Indian Naval Ships Jalashwa (Landing Platform Dock), and Airavat, Shardul and Magar (Landing Ship Tanks) participated in this operation which lasted over 55 days and involved traversing more than 23,000 kilometers by sea. Indian Naval IL-38 and Dornier aircraft have been used for ferrying of doctors and COVID-19 related material across the country.

INPUTS FROM PIB FIELD OFFICES

• Kerala: The triple lockdown which has been imposed in Thiruvananthapuram city has entered the fourth day. The authorities are taking necessary measures in Poonthura fishing village by implementing a special action plan drawn out to contain the spread. Three wards have been designated as critical containment zones and four others as buffer zones; fishing has been banned and testing ramped-up. The situation in Pathanamthitta is also getting serious with 4 more cases with unknown source being reported. With contact cases increasing, government has decided to give more focus to stepping up treatment facilities and reverse quarantine. 301 new active cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the state yesterday, the highest single-day tally so far. Of this 90 are cases of local transmission.

• Tamil Nadu: CM Palaniswami asks Kerala CM to permit TN fishermen to resume fishing in Kerala from August 1; about 350 mechanised fishing boats and 750 traditional boats belonging to TN fishermen are presently berthed in various fishing harbour/fish landing centres in Kerala. Madras High Court reserves order on plea over higher power bills during lockdown in TN. The State on Wednesday recorded 3,756 fresh cases, of which 1,261 were in Chennai —a substantial dip after breaching the 2,000-mark earlier this month. 3051 recoveries & 64 deaths were also reported yesterday. Total cases: 1,22,350 Active cases: 46,480 Deaths: 1700 Active cases in Chennai: 21,766.
• Karnataka: In view of increasing Covid-19 cases, state cabinet has approved Rs 207 crore for all district and taluk hospitals to install high-flow oxygen systems and also to increase beds. State also sanctioned Rs 81crore for PHCs to purchase medical equipment and furniture. Private hospitals to run Covid Care Centres in collaboration with hotels to treat asymptomatic and people with mild symptoms. Together with hospital beds and Covid Care Centres, private hospitals will add 6000 to 7000 beds in coming days. 2062 new cases, 778 discharges & 54 deaths reported yesterday. Total positive cases: 28,877 Active cases: 16,527 Deaths: 470.
• Andhra Pradesh:State fixes ceiling rates for various packages of Covid-19 treatment in hospitals. Orders issued to include 15 Covid–19 procedures under Aarogyasri scheme. Private hospitals classified into three categories for: Category A – exclusively for Covid-19 treatment; Category B – for both Covid-19 and other cases; and Category C – for non-Covid-19 cases. With the increase number of cases in Kurnool district, officials have transformed the Kurnool Government Medical Center into a Covid-19 hospital. State releases new curriculum schedule to conduct live lessons for classes 1-10 on Doordarshan from July 13 to 31. 1555 new cases, 904 discharged and 13 deaths reported during last 24 hours. Total cases: 23,814 Active cases: 11,383 Discharged: 12,154 Deaths: 277.
• Telangana: Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao said long lockdowns are not suitable for the people in the country. Even as Covid-19 testing through antigen kits began in Hyderabad, Medchal and Rangareddy districts on Thursday, the government is still reluctant in pushing for more number of RT-PCR tests. Total cases reported till yesterday: 29,536 Active cases: 11,933 Deaths: 324 Discharges :17,279.
• Chandigarh: The Administrator, UT Chandigarh, directed Principal Secretary Health to ensure that all bio-medical waste, particularly PPEs are scientifically disposed off. He further directed health officials to ensure that the teams going for screening should carry oximeter, so that oxygen level could be checked instantly. This could help in detecting severity of infection, if any.
• Punjab: Keeping in view the ongoing threat of COVID-19, the Punjab Government has extended the timings of eSanjeevaniOPD from 8:00 A. M. to 2:00 P. M. (Monday to Saturday) for Gynaecology OPD and General OPD services. This step has been taken to provide the online tele-consultation facilities utilizing specialist doctors to be available virtually in real time for patients and to ensure the safety of people across the State.
• Haryana: Haryana Chief Secretary said that proactive strategies are being made to effectively combat the spread novel Corona virus in the State. She directed the Deputy Commissioners to further ramp up COVID-19 management preparations coupled with aggressive surveillance, stringent containment, swift contact tracing, focused clinical management along with proactive Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities. She said that Police had also been directed to monitor the entry and exit of the Containment Zones.
• Himachal Pradesh: Chief Minister said that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to think differently and work accordingly. He said that the Anganwari workers were grassroot functionaries who have played a crucial role in these testing times. He said that Anganwari workers have ensured that the coronavirus does not spread at community level. He said that they not only sensitized the people about social distancing and use of masks, but also helped in effective implementation of home quarantine norms.
• Maharashtra:  With the identification of 6,603 new positive patients the count of COVID-19 patients in the state has gone up to 2,23,724.  The number of recovered patients to 1,23,192.Total number of active patients is 91,065.Mumbai reported 1,381 new cases on Tuesday.
• Gujarat: In Gujarat, 783 new cases were reported during the last 24 hours. The total cases of COVID-19 in the state have reached up to 38,419. Also, 16 patients have lost their lives, which takes the death toll due to COVID-19 in the state to 1,995.  The maximum number of new cases, that is, 215 patients are from Surat, while Ahmedabad recorded 149 new cases. More than 4 lakh 33 thousand tests have been carried out in the state till date.
• Rajasthan:  The total number of COVID-19 positive cases has crossed 22,000. With the report of 149 new cases today morning and 659 cases on Wednesday, the state tally of COVID-19 stands at 22,212. Most of the new cases are from Nagaur, that is, 29 cases, followed by Jaipur reporting 25 cases and Alwar reporting 21 cases.
• Madhya Pradesh: With the report of 409 new cases on Wednesday, the state tally of COVID-19 has gone up to 16,036. While there are 3420 active cases, 11987 patients have recovered and 629 have lost their lives due to COVID-19 so far. A record 115 new cases are from Morena district, followed by 70 from Bhopal, then 68 from Gwalior and 44 from Indore.
• Chhattisgarh: 100 new positive cases have been reported taking the state tally of COVID-19 patients to 3,526. The number of active patients is 677.
• Goa: 136 new positive samples have been identified on Wednesday. The state tally of COVID-19 has gone up to 2,039 and the number of active cases is 824.