Category: National

PTI

New Delhi: India registered over 10,000 new COVID-19 cases for the fifth day in a row pushing tally to 3,43,091 on Tuesday, while the death toll rose to 9,900 with 380 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The country recorded 10,667 coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours.

The number of active cases stands at 1,53,178, while 1,80,012 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, according to the officially updated figure at 8 am.

“Thus, around 52.46 per cent patients have recovered so far,” an official said.

India is the fourth worst-hit nation by the pandemic after the US, Brazil and Russia.

According to the Johns Hopkins University, which has been compiling COVID-19 data from all over the world, India is in the eighth position in terms of death toll.

The total number of confirmed cases include foreigners.

Of the 380 new deaths, Maharashtra accounted for the highest 178 fatalities followed by Delhi at 73, Tamil Nadu at 44, Gujarat 28, Haryana 12, West Bengal 10, Rajasthan 9 and Madhya Pradesh 6.

Andhra Pradesh and Punjab have reported 4 fatalities each, Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka 3 each, Telangana 2 and Bihar, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala 1 each.

Of the total 9,900 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 4,128 fatalities followed by Gujarat with 1,505 deaths, Delhi with 1,400, West Bengal with 485, Tamil Nadu with 479, Madhya Pradesh with 465, Uttar Pradesh with 399, Rajasthan with 301 and Telangana with 187 deaths.

The death toll reached 100 in Haryana, 89 in Karnataka, 88 in Andhra Pradesh, and 71 in Punjab. Jammu and Kashmir has reported 62 COVID-19 fatalities, Bihar 40, Uttarakhand 24, Kerala 20 and Odisha 11.

Jharkhand, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh have registered 8 deaths each while Chandigarh has reported 6, Puducherry 5, while Meghalaya, Tripura and Ladakh have reported 1 fatality each, according to the health ministry.

More than 70 per cent deaths have happened due to comorbidities, the ministry said.

Maharashtra has reported maximum number of cases at 1,10,744 followed by Tamil Nadu at 46,504, Delhi at 42,829, Gujarat at 24,055, Uttar Pradesh at 13,615, Rajasthan at 12,981 and West Bengal at 11,494, according to the health ministry’s data updated in the morning.

The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 10,935 in Madhya Pradesh, 7,722 in Haryana, 7,213 in Karnataka and 6,650 in Bihar.

It has risen to 6,456 in Andhra Pradesh, 5,220 in Jammu and Kashmir, 5,193 in Telangana, 4,158 in Assam and 4,055 in Odisha.

Punjab has reported 3,267 novel coronavirus cases so far, while Kerala has 2,543 cases.

A total of 1,845 people have been infected by the virus in Uttarakhand, 1,763 in Jharkhand, 1,756 in Chhattisgarh, 1,086 in Tripura, 592 in Goa, 556 in Himachal Pradesh, 555 in Ladakh and 490 in Manipur.

Chandigarh has registered 354 COVID-19 cases, Puducherry has 202 cases, Nagaland has 177, Mizoram has 117, Arunachal Pradesh has 91, Sikkim has 68, Meghalaya 44, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands has registered 41 infections so far.

Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu together have reported 36 COVID-19 cases.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR’s,” the ministry said, adding 7,684 cases are being reassigned to states. State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added.

New Delhi: Vaccine design is still an empirical, trial and error process and a preventive against COVID-19 could be at least a year away, say scientists as information on developments in therapeutics to combat the infection flows in a steady trickle from across the world.

While quelling the buzz of a quick breakthrough, the scientists also hold out hope that the process might be cut short by a few months if testing approvals and scale-ups in manufacturing happen simultaneously.

According to the World Health Organisation, 10 candidate vaccines for COVID-19 are in the clinical evaluation and 126 are in the preclinical stage.

Preclinical development is a stage of research during which important feasibility, iterative testing and drug safety data are collected, while clinical trials are research studies performed on people.

There are different broad strategies by which SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are being developed the world over, explained immunologist Satyajit Rath.

While all are well-known strategies — some almost two centuries old and some almost two decades old — none are ‘guaranteed’ to yield a usable vaccine, the scientist from the National Institute of Immunology (NII) in New Delhi told PTI.

Vaccine design still remains mostly an empirical, trial and error process, rather than an innovative knowledge-driven one. This is why, while any of these approaches is being put through trial and error, it remains a ‘vaccine candidate’ rather than a ‘vaccine’, he added.

According to Robert Gallo, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland in the US, What’s being confused — and scientists and politicians are contributing to the confusion — is the difference between a candidate and a vaccine.”

He was speaking at a virtual meeting earlier this month when scientists at the University of California (UC) Davis and from other institutes in the US gathered to lay out a full picture of the complexities of developing and distributing a COVID-19 vaccine — which they generally agreed won’t happen until some time in 2021.

“We are not expected to return to a fully normal life until a vaccine is developed. But how long will that take? UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May asked in the meeting.

About a year, maybe more, was the consensus.

In India, where the number of COVID-19 cases on Tuesday rose to 3,43,091 and the death toll to 9,900, scientists agreed with their counterparts abroad
With at least six Indian companies working on a vaccine for COVID-19 and the Serum Institute of India last week announcing a deal with the company Astra Zeneca to supply one billion doses of vaccine for low and middle-income countries to combat the coronavirus, the buzz has been growing louder.

“We finally have a deal signed with @AstraZeneca, to exclusively manufacture their product for India and @gavi countries, up to a billion doses annually. This will ensure supply and access to all Indians,” Adar Poonawala, the CEO of the Serum Institute, tweeted on June 13.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged USD 15 million as India’s contribution to the vaccines alliance GAVI at the Global Vaccine Summit hosted by the UK.

But that does not translate into a vaccine anytime soon, scientists said.
My guess for that is, not before the middle of the next year, Rath said.

However, he noted that the time estimates might be pruned by a couple of months with simultaneous movements on testing-approval and manufacturing scale-up, and also by exception-shortcuts from regulatory authorities.

He explained that there are several challenges that will arise once such vaccines are ready to go into the market, since ‘going into the market’ and going into the ‘public health system’ are not the same thing.

Questions will remain on the ‘availability’ at a large scale, especially to the poor.
One limitation, of course, is the scale of manufacturing. Huge numbers of doses will have to be manufactured in very short times to reach everyone. A number of governmental and non-governmental organisations are trying to set up industrial partnerships to address this issue,” he said.

A second issue, the scientist said, will be the cost of vaccines, with the linked issue of intellectual property rights.
A final issue, he noted, is of actual implementation and delivery of vaccination.

“The resources and the technical-administrative structures needed for such a vaccination campaign are massive. It is not clear if any national governments have the understanding and the practical commitment to them. That might end up being the biggest roadblock of all, Rath said.

Umashankar Singh, assistant professor, Biological Engineering, IIT-Gandhinagar, said he is hoping a candidate vaccine may be available by the end of 2020, even if it is for a limited set of the population.

Two facets of vaccine production, in his view, need to be considered mass production of the lab product and also ensuring that the product is actually effective enough to justify mass production.

There are other challenges too, he said, adding that there is evidence for a range of virulence, variable infection rates and asymptomatic infections and emergence of multiple strains.

The uncertainty posed by these issues is likely to throw spanner in the works towards mass production of vaccines. This vaccine development is like chasing a moving target, a target we don’t know well enough. The question we should be asking is, even if a vaccine were to be available, how long would its effectiveness last? he told PTI.

Singh noted that the emergence of a vaccine may or may not allow real protection against a rapidly evolving pathogen, but it would certainly allow us a psychological relief of being immune to the virus.

“That would allow us to move on to the issues of economy, social interactions and ease of governance, he said.
Even if by end of the year 2020 a candidate vaccine gets regulatory approval, mass production and supply chain is going to be a challenge, added an Indian virologist who didn’t wish to be named.

If it is a single dose vaccine, the world will need at least eight billion doses, a task that might several months and maybe years. If it is a two dose vaccine, the challenge becomes bigger. (PTI)

It follows inputs from Interpol.

The CBI has alerted the police in all States and Union Territories on online advance payment scams and use of methanol for making spurious sanitisers. The alert follows inputs from the Interpol.

“Such scams involve instances of criminals approaching as vendors of PPE and other protective equipment related to the COVID-19 pandemic and entering into business transactions with clients online”, the CBI said.

After receipt of payment via bank transfers, the fraudulent vendors do not make any delivery of items. Besides, there have been instances in other countries wherein methanol has been used for preparing spurious hand sanitisers. The modus operandi has been devised to exploit the huge demand for sanitisers.

“Methanol can be highly toxic and dangerous for the human body,” said the CBI in a statement.

Based on information received from the Interpol, the CBI last month sent alerts to all the States, Union Territories and the Central agencies, cautioning them against a malicious software threat that used messages purportedly related to the pandemic.

The banking Trojan, Cerberus, sent SMS using the lure of coronavirus (COVID-19) related content to download the embedded malicious link. It deployed its application usually spread via phishing campaigns to trick users into installing it on their smartphones.

The Trojan also tricked the victims into providing personal information and could capture two-factor authentication details of online accounts.

With inputs from The Hindu

At least two States also record a sizeable rise in weekly cases

In the past two weeks (June 1-14), 4,122 new COVID-19-related deaths were recorded in India, up from 2,380 deaths in the preceding two weeks. While Maharashtra continues to record the highest number of new deaths, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh registered significant increases in the past week.

Tamil Nadu and Delhi also recorded a surge in the number of new cases in the past week.

Weekly deaths

The chart below show the number of weekly COVID-19-related deaths between March 10, when the first death was recorded, and June 14. The darker the colour of the rectangle, the higher the number of deaths that week.

For the fourth week in a row, Maharashtra recorded more than 400 deaths. Delhi recorded over 500 deaths in the past week, while Gujarat recorded more than 200 deaths in each of the past two weeks. T.N. and U.P. recorded a significant uptick, with more than 100 deaths in the past week. Haryana also registered a sizeable increase in new deaths.

Weekly cases

The chart shows the number of weekly COVID-19 cases between January 30, when the first case was recorded in Kerala, and June 14. The darker the colour of the rectangle, the higher the number of deaths that week.

For the fifth week in a row, Maharashtra recorded more than 10,000 cases. T.N. and Delhi recorded a drastic upsurge in new cases over the past week, with more than 12,000 new cases each up from around 9,000 cases each in the previous week.

With inputs from The Hindu

PTI

Kolkata: India will witness a solar eclipse on June 21 and it will be annular in some parts of the country, where skygazers will get an opportunity to observe the “ring of fire” during the phenomenon, an official said on Monday.

However, for most parts of the country, the eclipse will be partial.

The path of the annular solar eclipse will start near Gharsana in Rajasthan around 10:12 am and the phase of annularity will begin around 11:49 am and end at 11:50 am, Director of the M P Birla Planetarium Debi Prasad Duari said.

The ring of fire will be visible for that one minute from places such as Suratgarh and Anupgarh in Rajasthan, Sirsa, Ratia and Kurukshetra in Haryana, and Dehradun, Chamba, Chamoli and Joshimath in Uttarakhand.

However, the ring of fire will not be as prominent this time as it was on December 26 last year and will be a little narrower, Duari said in a statement.

“The annular solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon and the earth come in a straight line and almost on the same plane.

“At that moment, the moon must be farther away from the earth in its elliptical orbit and hence, cannot cover the disc of the sun completely, resulting in a narrow band of light around the dark silhouette of the moon, making the ring of fire visible,” the statement said.

But from a much wider-region country, people can observe a partial solar eclipse of a different magnitude.

In Kolkata, the partial eclipse will begin at 10:46 am and end at 2:17 pm, while the timing will be from 10:20 am to 1:48 pm in New Delhi, from 10 am to 1:27 pm in Mumbai, from 10:22 am to 1:41 pm in Chennai and between 10.13 am and 1.31 pm in Bengaluru.

On June 21, the annular eclipse will first start for the people of Congo in Africa and progress through South Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the Indian Ocean and Pakistan, before entering India over Rajasthan.

It will then move on to Tibet, China, Taiwan, before ending at the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

India had provided overflight to flights to Nepal from several other countries, including China as well, the sources pointed out.

Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s move to bring a constitutional amendment that alters Nepal’s map to include territory in India, has “prejudged” any future discussions, said New Delhi, virtually ruling out talks with Kathmandu for the moment.

With the vote on changing the map depicted in the Nepali national symbol to include Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura being passed unanimously in the lower house of the Nepal parliament on Saturday, and another one expected to go through the upper house this week, the Modi government appeared to take a tougher stand with Kathmandu than it has in the past few weeks.

However, the comments by sources, who refused to be identified, were at variance with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s comments, at a party address on Monday, that the issues would be resolved through dialogue.

“We have always conveyed our willingness to talk,” sources said refuting Mr. Oli’s allegation that the Modi government had not responded to calls for Foreign Secretary-level talks on the Kalapani dispute and claiming that it had even offered talks last month.

“We had offered talks and a video-conference before the tabling of the [constitution amendment] bill (on June 1) also. However, the unilateral act of PM Oli has created a difficult situation and prejudged the outcome of any future talks. It is now for Nepal to create a conducive atmosphere for dialogue,” the sources added, claiming that the Nepal PM had hidden India’s offer from his parliament and party colleagues.

The sources, however, declined to give precise dates of the offer made by New Delhi. An official in the Nepali government “outrightly rejected” the Indian claim that there had been any offer.

Visibly upset by Mr. Oli’s suggestion during the debate in parliament that “85% of Nepal’s COVID-19 cases had come from India”, the sources said the accusation was “false and distorted”.

Of 8 million Nepalese people who live and work in India, only a small number had returned over the India-Nepal border given the lockdown in both countries, they said, and they entered Nepal with the permission of their government. Hence, it was Nepal’s responsibility to ensure any returning citizen was quarantined and treated for the virus.

India had provided overflight to flights to Nepal from several other countries, including China as well, the sources pointed out, and it was unfair to single out just one country for the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, the sources questioned Mr. Oli’s motives for bringing up the dispute over Kalapani, saying it proved “the intention is to politicise the boundary dispute”. They also claimed that Nepal has itself encroached on Indian territory in Narsahi and Susta by settling its own population in disputed areas, and asked why all the claims over issues settled during the 1815 Treaty of Sugauli (Article V) were being raked up after “200 years”.

With inputs from The Hindu

Palghar: A 22-year-old man who got married three days ago tested positive for novel coronavirus on Monday leading to the bride and 63 others who attended the function being quarantined in Palghar district in Maharashtra, an official said. Jawhar Tehsildar Santosh Shinde said the man is a laboratory assistant.

“He got tested before marriage and the report had returned negative. However, his samples tested positive after marriage. The bride and 63 others who attended the ceremony have been quarantined,” he told.

With inputs from Times of India

Essential services will not be affected, says Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Monday announced a 12-day complete lockdown in Chennai and certain parts of Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts between June 19 and 30. However, the government allowed essential services to function.

Mr. Palaniswami’s announcement followed recommendations by public health and medical experts and a discussion in the Cabinet meeting held this afternoon. He said that on June 21 and 28 (Sundays) no relaxations would be offered. Only milk supply and access to medical facilities will be available on those two days.

“Provision and grocery stores and petrol bunks would be allowed to function between 6 am and 2 pm by maintaining physical distancing norms,” he said and added that mobile units selling vegetables and fruits would continue to operate during this window.

“The general public are advised to buy essential supplies without using vehicles and from stores that are located within 2 km from their residences,” Mr. Palaniswami said.

“Banks with 33% staff would be allowed to operate on June 29 and 30 alone. ATMs and related banking services and transport would function as usual,” the CM said. Public Distribution Shops would function between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Though autorickshaw, taxi and private vehicles would not be allowed during the complete downdown, “rental, autorickshaws, taxis and private vehicles for essential medical requirements would be allowed,” he said.

Restaurants and eateries could operate only for takeaway services and tea shops cannot operate with restrictions in timing. Food delivery services are allowed to operate and those employees involved should get necessary ID card from their employers.

“Amma Canteens would continue to function and so are community kitchens run by local bodies for destitutes,” he said. NGOs and other such organisations helping the general public could operate with necessary permission from authorities.

Media houses and courts too could function.”Construction activities are allowed if workers are available on site,” he said. There would not be any ban on the movement of cargo and movement of essential supplies.

“Only those who produce necessary documents for leaving Chennai for other districts for weddings, medical treatment, funerals would be granted necessary e-passes,” Mr. Palaniswami said.

The existing arrangement would continue for trains and flights arriving from other States and the same would be applicable for ships and flights from other countries, he pointed out.

Central government offices and some departments of the State government would function with only 33% staff, while those living in containment zones need not report for work and needed to take prior permission from authorities in this regard.

With inputs from The Hindu

According to a recent tweet by WABetaInfo, a fan website that tracks WhatsApp beta, the feature is currently under development. “Yes, it’s the ability to use your WhatsApp account from 4 devices at the same time. Under development, but it’s great!,” said the tweet.

IANS

New Delhi: Do you want the same WhatsApp account in all the devices that you own? This could soon be possible in a limited sense as the messaging platform appears to be trying a feature that would allow its over two billion users to access the same account simultaneously in as many as four devices.

According to a recent tweet by WABetaInfo, a fan website that tracks WhatsApp beta, the feature is currently under development.

“Yes, it’s the ability to use your WhatsApp account from 4 devices at the same time. Under development, but it’s great!,” said the tweet.

A screenshot shared along with the tweet suggests that Wi-Fi connectivity will sync data across multiple devices.

Currently one can simultaneously access one WhatsApp account both from a PC — through WhatsApp Web and a smartphone.

The update, however, left many questions, like whether it will work across platforms, unanswered.

“Would this make switching between iOS and Android easier? right now it is extremely difficult to get conversations move between platforms,” asked one user.

“Is it platform compatible? Meaning can i connect same number from an iphone and android?,” asked another user.

The same WABetaInfo website also shared that WhatsApp is testing a feature that will allow users to search messages by date.

“WhatsApp is testing a Search by date feature! The feature is under development and it will be available in future,” it tweeted.