The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the COVID-19 guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act till February 28.
In a letter to the states, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla said that due to the current COVID wave led by the new version, Omicron, there has been a steady increase in the number of COVID cases in the country and active cases. have increased. more than 22 lakhs.
you can track coronavirus Cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and state levels Here, a list of state helpline number also available.
here are the updates,
India
95% of India’s adult population given first dose of COVID vaccine, 74% fully vaccinated: Health Ministry
The Union Health Ministry on Thursday said that 95% of India’s eligible adult population has been given the first dose of COVID vaccine, while 74% have been fully vaccinated, as the total vaccine dose administered has crossed 164.35 crore. Till 7 pm, 49,69,805 doses of vaccine have been given.
Health care and frontline workers and people aged 60 years and above with comorbidities have been given 1,03,04,847 precautionary doses.
Also 4,42,81,254 adolescents in the age group of 15-18 have been given the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. , PTI
England
England lifts COVID-19 restrictions as Omicron threat looms
Britain’s government said most coronavirus restrictions, including mandatory face masks, were lifted in England on Thursday after its vaccine booster rollout had successfully reduced serious illness and COVID-19 hospitalizations.
As of Thursday, face coverings are not required by law anywhere in England, and the legal requirement for a COVID-19 pass has been abolished for entry into nightclubs and other large venues.
The government last week advised people to work from home, while also providing guidance on face coverings in classrooms. From next week, the ban on the number of people coming to the nursing home will also be lifted. , AP
India
Mandaviya to review the status of Kovid in eight states, union territories on Friday
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday will review the COVID situation and public health preparedness to deal with the omicron spread in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The review meeting to be held through video conferencing is scheduled at 2.30 pm on Friday.
Earlier this week, the Indian SARS-COV-2 genomics consortia INSACOG said that Omicron is in the community transmission stage in India. , PTI
Delhi
Omicron sequenced in 79 percent of samples in Delhi in January
According to government data, 79% of the samples taken from Delhi between January 1 and January 23 have been found to have the omicron version of the coronavirus. The delta variant, which triggered a brutal second wave of COVID-19 infections in April and May last year, was found in 13.70% of the 2,503 samples sequenced during this period. The data showed that of the 863 samples sequenced between December 25 and December 31, about 50% (433) contained the omicron, while 34% (293) had the delta variant. Across India, omicrons accounted for 75% of the total samples sequenced in January, according to the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC). – PTI
Germany
German parliament approves climate spending with unused COVID support funds
Germany’s lower house on Thursday suspended constitutional limits on new borrowing for another year and approved a supplementary budget to fund investments needed to shift the economy toward carbon neutrality.
The $66.92 billion debt-financed supplementary budget was passed in a vote of 382–283 in the Bundestag, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) hold a majority.
The conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavaria-based Christian Social Union (CSU) sister party want to petition the Constitutional Court to scrap the budget. , Reuters
Australia
Australia drug regulator approves COVID-19 booster for 16 and 17-year-olds
Australia’s drug regulator on Friday approved the use of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for 16- and 17-year-olds, as authorities soon receive their third dose to reduce the risk of the Omicron coronavirus infection from people. urged to do.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said it has approved Pfizer’s vaccine for use as a booster in youth aged 16-17, joining the United States, Israel and Britain.
Australia is among the countries most vaccinated against COVID-19, according to official figures, with more than 93% of its adult population doubling and nearly 35% of people above 18 having received a booster dose. It started giving vaccines to children aged 5-11 years earlier this month. , Reuters
India
Center extends COVID-19 guidelines till February 28
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the COVID-19 guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act till February 28.
In a letter to the states, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla said that due to the current COVID wave led by the new version, Omicron, there has been a steady increase in the number of COVID cases in the country and active cases. have increased. more than 22 lakhs.
“Though most of the active cases are recovering rapidly and a low percentage of cases are in hospitals, it is still a matter of concern that 407 districts across 34 states and union territories are reporting positivity rates of more than 10%. Hence, there is a need to exercise caution and vigilance in view of the current trends of COVID-19,” the letter said. The states were asked to follow all the precautions and not to let the guard down.
India
India reports 2.4 lakh new COVID-19 cases as on January 27, 2022
The country recorded 2,40,495 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. The total number of infected has reached 4.03 crores and active cases have crossed the 33.5 lakh mark.
The figures are based on the state bulletin issued till 9.30 pm on Thursday. However, Ladakh, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jharkhand and Lakshadweep were yet to release data for the day.
Kerala recorded 51,739 infections on Thursday, followed by Karnataka (38,083) and Tamil Nadu (28,515).
Focus on successful COVID-19 infections, says study
The mechanisms by which virus variants evade vaccine-induced immunity should be well studied in the near future. A paper in the International Journal of Scientific Studies, which studied post-vaccination infections among diabetics in Chennai, called for extensive research into the nature of these infections and how and why they are possible.
V. Balajik’s article and othersDr. V. Balaji showed successful transfusions in patients with type 2 diabetes, concluded his study conducted at the Dr. V. Seshaiya Diabetes Care and Research Institute, Chennai.
Of the 3,243 patients who stepped into the hospital and were vaccinated (either fully or partially), Dr Balaji says, more than 1% reported being infected with COVID-19 after being vaccinated. gave information. Of this, in 1%, 11 patients had severe to severe illness and required hospitalization. Mild to moderate infection was observed in 25 of the quarantined patients, and one person had no symptoms and a casual test showed him to be COVID-19 positive.
Delhi
Petition in Delhi High Court to postpone elections in five states
A petition filed before the Delhi High Court has sought a direction to the Election Commission to postpone the upcoming elections in all the five states by a few months or weeks in view of the ongoing wave of COVID-19.
The petition, filed by Congress leader Jagdish Sharma, said there is growing concern about new variants posing a serious risk of infection, especially in Delhi.
Mr Sharma said: “Our health infrastructure is dangerously stretched, under-staffed and under-resourced”. He claimed that several state governments and the central government had given assurances to the people that they would create an infrastructure that could withstand any pandemic situation to come.
Delhi
Traders relieved as Delhi govt eases COVID restrictions
Traders and market union heads heaved a sigh of relief after the Delhi Disaster Management Authority announced weekend curfew and lifting of the odd-even rule for shops in the capital.
However, most of them said the authorities concerned should “consult with stakeholders” before imposing restrictions, which “could lead to economic distress”.
Cinema halls and restaurants have been allowed to reopen at 50% capacity, while the maximum limit for guests at weddings is now 200. However, the night curfew will remain in effect while educational institutions will remain closed.
West Bengal
Pressure to reopen schools in West Bengal
The COVID-19 situation in West Bengal has improved significantly with the state registering a positivity rate of less than 10% – it was 9.02% on Thursday – over the past few days. In the last 24 hours, the number of new infections stood at 3,608 and active cases decreased to 55,725 but the number of deaths remained high. While 36 people have died due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the state has recorded over 30 deaths in the last few days.
There is increasing pressure on the state government to reopen educational institutions as the situation shows signs of improvement. For the past few days, supporters of leftist student organizations have demonstrated on the streets demanding the reopening of schools. During the day, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari along with BJP MLAs staged a sit-in in front of Vikas Bhawan, the headquarters of the School Education Department. Mr Adhikari said that he wants to meet the officials to know the reason for not opening the educational institute.
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