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Tag: INDIA covid situation

  • Nation shaken, says PM; US, UK, EU pledge assistance on vaccines to oxygen

    With the Covid-19 surge crippling the nation’s healthcare system, United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan referred to as up his counterpart NSA Ajit Doval Sunday and conveyed to him that “just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, the United States is determined to help India in its time of need”.
    From vaccines to its components, oxygen tankers to oxygen concentrators — US, UK and EU pledged assist to India. This comes the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Mann ki Baat radio deal with, mentioned that the Covid storm had “shaken” the nation and was “testing our patience.”
    More than 600 items of significant medical gear shall be despatched to India to assist the nation in its struggle towards Covid-19, the UK Government mentioned.
    “The United States has identified sources of specific raw material urgently required for Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine that will immediately be made available for India,” a White House assertion mentioned, after the Sullivan-Doval name.

    “To help treat Covid- 19 patients and protect front-line health workers in India, the United States has identified supplies of therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that will immediately be made available for India. The United States also is pursuing options to provide oxygen generation and related supplies on an urgent basis,” it mentioned.

    According to the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), an industry-led assume tank and foyer group, “India will soon receive at least a dozen ISO containers that will help transport oxygen within the country. These containers are being shipped or airlifted from different parts of Asia. Another dozen containers have already been identified for shipment to India and efforts are on to triple this number.”
    “Members are working on airlifting oxygen cylinders into Delhi and a few other states that face shortage of oxygen supply,” USISPF mentioned.
    Through beneficiant donations of its member firms, USISPF has positioned orders to supply 1 lakh transportable oxygen concentrators to be used at dwelling and hospitals to be shipped to India instantly. USISPF is already in contact with producers in US, Mexico, Malaysia and China. Sourcing of those concentrators is a problem as a result of provide aspect constraints.
    “India will soon also receive a significant shipment of vaccine directly from pharmaceutical companies,” it mentioned.
    The USISPF has approached firms within the US to provide and/or donate ICU beds, Covid-Test kits, N-95 Masks and different medical gear. “We expect the shipments to begin as early as Tuesday/Wednesday of the coming week”, it mentioned.

    The US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is funding a considerable growth of producing functionality for BioE, the vaccine producer in India, enabling BioE to ramp as much as produce a minimum of 1 billion doses of vaccines by the top of 2022.

    Additionally, the United States is deploying an professional staff of public well being advisors from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and USAID to work in shut collaboration with the US Embassy, India’s well being ministries, and India’s Epidemic Intelligence Service employees. USAID will even shortly work with CDC to assist and fast-track the mobilization of emergency sources accessible to India by way of the Global Fund.
    From the UK, 9 airline container a great deal of provides, together with 495 oxygen concentrators, 120 non-invasive ventilators and 20 guide ventilators, shall be despatched to the nation this week.
    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned: “Vital medical equipment, including hundreds of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, is now on its way from the UK to India to support efforts to prevent the tragic loss of life from this terrible virus.”
    Earlier within the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted: “Our hearts go out to the Indian people in the midst of the horrific COVID-19 outbreak. We are working closely with our partners in the Indian government, and we will rapidly deploy additional support to the people of India and India’s health care heroes.”

    Indian ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu thanked each Blinken and Sullivan for his or her “reach out and support”.
    The EU commissioner for disaster administration, Janez Lenarcic, mentioned that the 27-nation bloc will do its utmost to mobilise help to assist folks of India. Lenarcic, the European Emergency Response Coordinator, mentioned, “Upon request for assistance by India, we have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The EU will do its utmost to mobilise assistance to support people of India.”

     
    He mentioned the bloc is already coordinating and is able to present “urgently needed oxygen & medicine rapidly”.
    Meanwhile, the union’s ambassador to India Ugo Astuto mentioned that the EU, together with member nations, will do its “utmost to support India in this difficult moment”.
    A prime Canada Foreign Ministry official mentioned that also they are mobilising sources to assist India. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif additionally expressed solidarity with India and mentioned that “global cooperation is imperative to end this global tragedy”.

  • Paul panel mentioned discover ‘Plan B’: Ramp up oxygen for six lakh new instances a day

    JUST TEN days in the past, an Empowered Group of Officers below Niti Aayog Member Dr V Ok Paul, had instructed authorities, together with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW), to take pressing measures for oxygen provision to fulfill a surge of three lakh new instances a day by April 20, and a surge of 5 lakh new instances a day by finish of April.
    This Empowered Group-1 on ‘medical infrastructure and Covid management plan’, below Dr Paul, who’s a member of the federal government’s core group responding to the pandemic, had additionally really helpful “extraordinary measures to ramp up oxygen provision” below a ‘Plan B’ to fulfill a surge of 6 lakh new instances a day.
    “The urgency of the worsening pandemic situation with implication for oxygen availability should be conveyed to EG-2,” it mentioned. The main accountability of this Empowered Group-2 EG-2 below Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), is to make sure important medical gear together with medical oxygen to affected states.

    Sources mentioned that after a gathering within the first fortnight of April, the Empowered Group-I, headed by Dr Paul, really helpful to the federal government to discover the “Plan ‘B’.

    In a press assertion, the MoH&FW mentioned the Centre has expressed the pressing want for states to contemplate strict Covid administration and management measures in surge areas to carry the state of affairs below management. “The existing infrastructure may not be able to cope with this kind of surge,” it mentioned.

    But the federal government had an thought of its infrastructure through the peak of the primary wave in September final yr too. The EG-1 on ‘medical infrastructure’ had final September mentioned that to fulfill a surge of three lakh new instances a day, the nation wanted 1.6 lakh ICU beds, and three.6 lakh non-ICU beds. It additionally mentioned 75 per cent of non-ICU beds ought to be enabled for oxygen supply.

    In its third report on ‘Health System Preparedness Needs’ for September-November 2020, the Group had mentioned until containment methods had been intensified, India would face surges of about 3 lakh new instances by the second week of November/ early December.
    Stating India can’t deal with surges of over 2 lakh instances a day, it had underlined the necessity for scaling-up non-Covid Care and different measures.

  • India faucets channels for pressing provides, US hints prepared to assist

    With the Covid-19 surge crippling the healthcare system, hectic diplomacy is on with main nations for pressing provide of vaccines, oxygen-related tools comparable to tankers, ventilators and different vital life-saving gadgets.
    The Sunday Express has learnt that conferences are underway in Washington DC over the weekend with key stakeholders, together with within the authorities and personal sector. Sources in New Delhi stated they had been “cautiously optimistic” of optimistic outcomes of these conferences.
    Earlier this week, Washington had indicated that it could not be a lifting a ban on exports of key elements required in vaccine manufacture, a setback for Delhi from a “close strategic partner”. But there was a change in strategy within the final 24 hours, and a choice to assist India is predicted within the subsequent couple of days, The Sunday Express has learnt.
    Many in Washington DC’s political and enterprise elite are in favour of serving to India, sources stated. On Saturday, the US Chamber of Commerce made a vocal pitch, calling on the White House to launch “the millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses in storage” — other than life-saving tools — to India, Brazil, and different nations hit arduous by the pandemic.
    On Friday, US Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted, “Heartbreaking scenes from India… We stand ready to help fight this awful virus.” Top medical advisor to the US President Dr Anthony Fauci additionally stated the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) was in talks with Indian counterparts for technical help, including, “we’re trying to help in any way we can”. “Obviously they need to get their people vaccinated because that’s the only way we’re going to turn that around,” Dr Fauci stated.
    White House spokesperson Jen Psaki stated the US is “working closely with Indian officials at political and experts’ level for ways to help address the crisis”.

    While no dedication was made for any particular assist, New Delhi is studying these as indicators of softening of the US place on vaccines and its elements. Several US lawmakers have additionally advocated serving to India.
    For a month now, vaccine producers and upstream suppliers have been reporting scarcity of uncooked and packaging supplies, vital consumables and tools. Over time, such shortages can result in scarcity of vaccines and impression supply commitments, in addition to delay regulatory clearances for some merchandise, consultants stated.

  • At PM-CMs meet: Surge peak possible mid-May, problem till July, infra gaps in key states

    The ongoing Covid surge is anticipated to peak in mid-May, with the day by day depend prone to attain 5 lakh, and should subside by June-July; closely populated states are at “particular risk”; and, well being infrastructure in states just isn’t sufficient sufficient to deal with the “very serious scenario”.
    These are the important thing factors flagged throughout a presentation made by NITI Aayog member Dr V Okay Paul, who heads a key Central panel, in the course of the Prime Minister’s assessment assembly with Chief Ministers on Friday, The Sunday Express has learnt.
    The presentation additionally notes the assorted measures taken by the Government to “break the chains of transmission”: “revised, liberal” vaccination coverage; enhancing “production and availability” of oxygen; “augmentation of availablity” of remdesivir; and, varied outreach initiatives.

    “Team India will fight this second onslaught of Corona and win the war,” it concludes. Yet, a serious portion of the presentation particulars the extent of the disaster, together with the projected variety of instances by April 30 and shortfall in essential gear in surge states (see chart). According to sources, Paul flagged evident gaps within the well being infrastructure of 10 states which have a excessive burden of instances: Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
    Of these, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi are anticipated to see the most important leap in instances by the top of this month. UP tops the checklist with 1,19,604 projected instances by the month-end, nearly 5 occasions the 20,439 registered on April 15. Delhi might see the day by day depend go as much as 67,134 by the top of this month, nearly 4 occasions of 17,282 registered on April 15.
    “No state has adequate infrastructure to deal with the surge in cases. (The) number of deaths may increase due to lack of treatment facilities,” the presentation says.
    Warning that the Covid “wave is still rising” and the “peak is away — possibly mid-May”, it estimates that “cases can go upto 5 lakh per day — or even more” within the coming days and “deaths will rise”. The “wave will take time to subside — be ready till June/July,” states the presentation, which has been shared with the states.
    It factors out that well being system capacities are “overshooting” with “shortages of oxygen” and “some drugs” – and that final December-end, there have been 81,094 ICU beds within the nation, which might meet the requirement of solely as much as 1.5 lakh instances per day. The “situation will worsen if we delay change in strategy”, it warns. Pointing out that India is “leading (the) proportion in daily new cases and deaths globally”, it notes that the nation has turn into the one nation to document the very best variety of instances — 3.15 lakh — in a single day.
    Paul, who heads the Centre’s Empowered Group of Officers on Medical Emergency Management Plan, didn’t reply to cellphone calls and messages from The Indian Express in search of his feedback on the presentation’s contents. But a state official, who attended the Prime Minister’s assembly, confirmed its contents.
    The official, from one of many 10 surge states, accepted that there are infrastructure gaps however stated the “biggest problem” is scarcity of oxygen. “Today, the problem is not health infrastructure, it is oxygen. We can ramp up the number of beds if we get oxygen,” the official instructed The Indian Express.
    The presentation additionally particulars the vaccination programme and the Government’s efforts to reinforce the provision of liquid medical oxygen and Remdesivir. The availability of oxygen has been elevated by 3,300 metric tonnes per day, it states. “India has 1,172 oxygen tankers (16,732 MT capacity)…efforts to increase to more than 2,000,” it says.

    “Guidelines have been formulated on oxygen requirement… Need for further dissemination and implementation of the guidelines at the hospital level,” it says.
    On Remdesivir, it states: “With growing demand, production ramp up started in March from a level of 27.44 lakh vials per month towards 74.10 lakh vials per month in May… Supplies are made by manufacturers through distribution channels catering to private hospitals and institutions as well as directly to Government bulk purchases… About 49.07 lakh vials have been delivered across the country” from March 1-22.

  • Kuwait, Iran be a part of checklist of countries limiting flights from India

    Kuwait and Iran grew to become the most recent nations to droop flights from India on account of the spike in variety of Covid-19 instances within the nation.
    According to knowledge from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as of Saturday morning, there have been 25,52,940 energetic coronavirus instances within the nation, 1,24,324 increased than the day past.

    With Saturday’s transfer, the 2 west Asian nations joined as many as 10 others, together with the United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, Oman and the United Arab Emirates to limit journey from India.
    Kuwait’s directorate normal of civil aviation mentioned that it had suspended all direct business flights coming from India, with impact from April 24.
    All passengers arriving from India both straight or by way of one other nation might be banned from getting into, until they’ve spent a minimum of 14 days out of India, it mentioned in a press release on Twitter.

    Kuwaiti residents, their first diploma kin and their home staff might be allowed to enter the nation.
    Iran’s choice got here into pressure from Sunday. However, India and Iran are related solely by occasional repatriation and particular flights.

  • India Covid-19 second wave in numbers: 81% of recent circumstances, 82% contemporary deaths being reported from 10 states

    India has been struggling to sort out the second wave of the novel coronavirus which has hit the nation a lot more durable than the sooner one. This week, it additionally surpassed Brazil to develop into the second worst-infected nation behind the United States.
    With over 1 lakh infections per day for the ninth consecutive day, India has added 13,88,515 circumstances in simply 9 days. The nation had first clocked over 1 lakh Covid-19 circumstances in a single day on April 5. The document surge of two,00,739 circumstances on Thursday is available in somewhat greater than every week’s time.
    Registering a gentle improve for the thirty sixth day in a row, the lively circumstances have now elevated to 14,71,877. However, the Union Health Ministry’s information does paint a grim image of the state of affairs in a number of states which have recorded an unprecedented surge in circumstances.
    10 states account for 80.76% of recent Covid-19 circumstances
    Ten states — Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan — account for 80.76% of the circumstances recorded within the final 24 hours. Maharashtra has reported probably the most variety of every day circumstances at 58,952, adopted by Uttar Pradesh at 20,439 and Delhi at 17,282.

    As many as 16 states, together with Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, have been seeing an upward tick in every day circumstances since April 1. Between April 1 and April 15, whereas states like Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have witnessed an increase in about 20,000 every day circumstances, states like West Bengal and Telangana, which have been recording under 1,000 circumstances on April 1, are registering 5,892 and three,307 circumstances respectively on April 15.

    The lively caseload of the nation at present stands at 14,71,877, 5 states — Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala — account for 67.16% of it.
    10 states additionally account for 82.27% of the brand new deaths
    Of the 1,038 deaths that India recorded on Thursday, 82.27% got here from 10 states — Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

    Maharashtra tops the record with 278 deaths adopted by 120 in Chhattisgarh, 104 in Delhi, 73 in Gujarat, 67 in Uttar Pradesh, 63 in Punjab, 51 in Madhya Pradesh, 38 in Karnataka, 31 in Jharkhand, 29 in Rajasthan, 25 in Tamil Nadu, 24 in West Bengal, 22 in Kerala, 21 in Bihar, 18 every in Andhra Pradesh and Haryana, and 13 every in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
    8 states account for 60% of vaccine given in India
    Vaccination drives have been erratic throughout the nation as is obvious from the Union Health Ministry’s information that reveals 59.76% of the vaccines administered thus far have been finished so in solely eight states.

    With Maharashtra main the inoculation drive having given photographs to over 1 crore individuals, the record additionally contains Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
    Eight extra states — Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — which have been seeing a latest surge are nonetheless lagging behind in vaccination.

  • Allow emergency use of extra COVID-19 vaccines, develop vaccination primarily based on want: Sonia to PM

    Amid a surge in coronavirus circumstances within the nation, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to permit emergency use of all of the vaccine candidates having required clearances.
    In a letter to the prime minister after her assembly with chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, she additionally sought growth of classes of individuals eligible for vaccination on the idea of want and publicity quite than age.
    “While it will be necessary on one hand to substantially ramp up our domestic production capacity, it will also be prudent to allow emergency use authorisation of all the vaccine candidates that have the required clearances, without any further delay,” she advised the prime minister in her letter.
    “Accordingly, with enhanced availability, categories eligible for vaccination should be expanded on the basis of need and exposure rather than just age. In the same vein, the numbers allocated to a state has to be based on the prevalence and projection of infection in that particular state,” she stated, noting that some states have vaccines for 3 to 5 days left.
    The Congress chief appealed to the prime minister that with restrictions being imposed to cease the unfold of the virus, he ought to put in place a minimal month-to-month assured earnings scheme and switch a sum of Rs 6,000 into each eligible citizen’s account.
    She additionally referred to as for exemption from Goods and Services Tax (GST) for all tools, devices, medicines getting used within the struggle in opposition to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    India hit a brand new coronavirus an infection report with 1,68,912 new circumstances, the very best single-day rise to this point, taking the full tally of circumstances to 1,35,27,717, in response to information up to date by the Union Health Ministry on Monday. PTI SKC