Tag: Tamil Nadu

Eight States Showing Rising Trajectory in Covid-19 Cases: Health Ministry

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A rising trajectory of daily new cases is visible in eight states and UTs, including Delhi and Maharashtra, while Kerala is showing a declining trend, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. The ministry said Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab cumulatively account for 76.22 per cent of India’s total active caseload, with Maharashtra contributing to 62 per cent of such cases, while Kerala and Punjab account for 8.83 per cent and 5.36 per cent of active cases respectively.

The top five districts in Maharashtra recording the highest number of cases are Pune (37,384), Nagpur (25,861), Mumbai (18,850), Thane (16,735) and Nashik (11,867). The top five districts in Kerala recording the highest number of cases are Ernakulam (2,673), Pathanamthitta (2,482), Kannur (2,263), Palakkad (2,147) and Thrissur (2,065).

The top five districts in Punjab recording the highest number of cases are Jalandhar (2,131), SAS Nagar (1,868), Patiala (1,685), Ludhiana (1,643) and Hoshiarpur (1,572). “A rising trajectory of daily new cases is visible in eight states. These are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka and Haryana. Kerala is showing a consistently declining trend,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry further said that five states account for 81.38 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties at 70, Punjab followed with 38 daily deaths and Kerala reported 17 deaths in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, fifteen states and UTs have not reported any COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours. These are Assam, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Ladakh, Manipur, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.

The ministry further said India has scaled a significant peak in its battle against COVID-19 pandemic. The total vaccination coverage has surpassed 4 crore. “About 4,20,63,392 vaccine doses have been administered through 6,86,469 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today. These include 77,06,839 healthcare workers (HCWs) (first dose), 48,04,285 HCWs (second dose), 79,57,606 frontline workers (FLWs)(first dose) and 24,17,077 FLWs (second dose), 32,23,612 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities (first dose) and 1,59,53,973 beneficiaries aged more than 60 years,” it said.

As on day 63 of the vaccination drive (March 19), 27,23,575 vaccine doses were given. Eighty per cent of the 27.23 lakh vaccine doses administered in the last 24 hours are from 10 states. Of the total, 24,15,800 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 38,989 sessions for first dose (HCWs and FLWs) and 3,07,775 HCWs and FLWs received second dose of vaccine.

The ministry said eight states account for 60 per cent of the cumulative vaccine doses given so far. They are Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

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Eight states showing rising trajectory in Covid-19 cases: Health ministry | India News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: A rising trajectory of daily new cases is visible in eight states and UTs, including Delhi and Maharashtra, while Kerala is showing a declining trend, the health ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry said Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab cumulatively account for 76.22 per cent of India’s total active caseload, with Maharashtra contributing to 62 per cent of such cases, while Kerala and Punjab account for 8.83 per cent and 5.36 per cent of active cases respectively.
The top five districts in Maharashtra recording the highest number of cases are Pune (37,384), Nagpur (25,861), Mumbai (18,850), Thane (16,735) and Nashik (11,867).
The top five districts in Kerala recording the highest number of cases are Ernakulam (2,673), Pathanamthitta (2,482), Kannur (2,263), Palakkad (2,147) and Thrissur (2,065).
The top five districts in Punjab recording the highest number of cases are Jalandhar (2,131), SAS Nagar (1,868), Patiala (1,685), Ludhiana (1,643) and Hoshiarpur (1,572).
“A rising trajectory of daily new cases is visible in eight states. These are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka and Haryana. Kerala is showing a consistently declining trend,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry further said that five states account for 81.38 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties at 70, Punjab followed with 38 daily deaths and Kerala reported 17 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, fifteen states and UTs have not reported any COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours. These are Assam, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Ladakh, Manipur, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.
The ministry further said India has scaled a significant peak in its battle against COVID-19 pandemic. The total vaccination coverage has surpassed 4 crore.
“About 4,20,63,392 vaccine doses have been administered through 6,86,469 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today. These include 77,06,839 healthcare workers (HCWs) (first dose), 48,04,285 HCWs (second dose), 79,57,606 frontline workers (FLWs) (first dose) and 24,17,077 FLWs (second dose), 32,23,612 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities (first dose) and 1,59,53,973 beneficiaries aged more than 60 years,” it said.
As on day 63 of the vaccination drive (March 19), 27,23,575 vaccine doses were given. Eighty per cent of the 27.23 lakh vaccine doses administered in the last 24 hours are from 10 states.
Of the total, 24,15,800 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 38,989 sessions for first dose (HCWs and FLWs) and 3,07,775 HCWs and FLWs received second dose of vaccine.
The ministry said eight states account for 60 per cent of the cumulative vaccine doses given so far. They are Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

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At 73, she keeps traffic in order

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E. Molly Elliott has stood the Nilgiris police in good stead since the 1970s.

For over 50 years, E. Molly Elliott, a Coonoor resident, has assisted the Nilgiris police in regulating traffic and other minor duties. Now 73, Ms. Elliott has been made a honorary traffic warden.

Ms. Elliott grew up in Coonoor and began assisting the police in the 1970s. “When I first started helping the police, it was just with minor police work, when there were very few women in the force. So, I used to help in keeping the roads safe and assist people who visited Coonoor,” she recalled.

Ms. Elliott does not have a house of her own or a job, but she reports for duty on time every day.

“She doesn’t complain about the work assigned to her, nor does she expect anything in return. She likes doing the job of a traffic warden,” said Coonoor DSP D. Suresh.

Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Ottupattarai, has known Ms. Elliott since he was a child. “I have seen her around town for as long as I can remember, and she has become one of the most recognisable people with her signature camouflage cap,” he said.

As she does not have a full-time job, Ms. Elliott depends on the kindness of strangers for food. “I don’t need much food, but I love biscuits,” she said. She is well-known throughout the town and people offer her free meals. “Even then, I mostly turn them down and accept meals only from people whom I consider my very close friends.”

Two badges

She points proudly to her two badges — one reads E. Molly Elliott, social worker, and the other reads ‘honorary traffic warden’. Working for the police gives Ms. Elliott a sense of fulfilment and meaning.

“Especially during the peak tourist season, I really enjoy helping the police in their duties. I always take part in awareness campaigns that the police and the municipality conduct,” she said.

Among Ms. Elliott’s most prized possessions are photos she has taken with top IPS officers who have visited the Nilgiris.

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AIADMK Leader Caught on Camera Distributing Cash for Votes in Tamil Nadu’s Chepauk, DMK to Approach EC

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Video grab of the AIADMK leader distributing cash for votes

Video grab of the AIADMK leader distributing cash for votes

DMK has fielded party supremo MK Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin from the Chepauk constituency. A report said that the junior Stalin is expected to approach the EC in the matter.

In a shocking case reported from Tamil Nadu’s Chepauk constituency, an AIADMK leader was seen distributing cash for votes. The video, viral in the internet, shows the leader distributing Rs 500 to voters in the constituency.

DMK has fielded party supremo MK Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin from the Chepauk constituency. A report in Times of India said that the junior Stalin is expected to approach the Election Commission in the matter.

The video is said to be shot by some locals where the AIADMK leader was seen as verifying ID cards and then handling over the cash to the people.

Last Wednesday, the EC Flying Squd seized Rs 3.21 crores of unaccounted cash in Srivilliputhur Assembly constituency.

Madras High Court recently refused to entertain a PIL which said that voters should be administered an oath at the polling booth, swearing that they have not received any cash or any other incentive from candidates or parties before voting.

The court observed that it cannot be called upon to pass impractical orders and that it was for the legislators to take a call on such issues.

Elections to the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly will be held on April 6 and the counting of votes will take place on May 2.

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Govt departments under scanner as CBI conducts surprise checks at 100 locations | India News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: The CBI on Friday carried out preventive surprise checks at around 100 locations in over 15 states to identify central government offices where corrupt practices could be taking place, officials said.
The operation is going on at the offices of railways and income tax department among others in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and other places, they said.
The agency has coordinated with the vigilance teams of various departments to carry out the checks, they said.

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Morning Digest: Roads to be freed of toll booths in a year, says Nitin Gadkari; EU drug regulator backs AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 after safety investigation, and more

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India will implement a GPS-based toll collection system and do away with all toll booths within a year, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday. He also shared details of the vehicle scrapping policy, first announced in the Union Budget for 2021-22, according to which the automobile industry in India will see a jump in turnover to ₹10 lakh crore from ₹4.5 lakh crore.

Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde agreed with advocate Prashant Bhushan on Thursday to urgently hear a plea by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms to stay the sale of a new set of electoral bonds on April 1, before Assembly elections in crucial States such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Top U.S. and Chinese officials offered sharply different views of the world on March 18 as the two sides met face-to-face for the first time since President Joe Biden took office. In unusually pointed remarks for a staid diplomatic meeting, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Communist Party foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi took aim at each other’s policies at the start of two days of talks in Alaska.

The EU’s drug watchdog said on March 18 it is still convinced the benefits of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks following an investigation into reports of blood disorders that prompted more than a dozen nations to suspend its use.

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Insurance Amendment Bill 2021 that increases the maximum foreign investment allowed in an insurance company from 49% to 74%, amid criticism from the Opposition parties on the clause enabling “control and ownership” by foreign investors.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday forbade judges from making gender stereotypical comments like “’good women are sexually chaste”, women who drink and smoke ‘ask’ for sexual advances or presume that a sexually active woman consented to rape while hearing cases of sexual offence.

Union Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Thursday that climate activist Disha Ravi’s arrest was based on law and order and it is under judicial process. He added that the House should consider “should some people abuse social media internationally to defame India to promote secessionism.”

Former Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Arvind Subramanian resigned from Ashoka University on Thursday, days after noted columnist and political commentator Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s exit. In his resignation letter, Dr. Subramanian, said he had been “devastated” by “the circumstances involving the ‘resignation’ of Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta” two days earlier.

In a major embarrassment to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), two candidates announced by the party on Thursday for the Assembly polls from Kolkata have refused to contest on the party’s ticket.

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed suo motu proceedings before the Delhi High Court on the administration of COVID-19 vaccine and transferred the case to itself. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde said a similar case concerning the vaccination drive was already pending in the Supreme Court, and the case from the Delhi High Court could be heard along with it.

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to urgently hear a plea to release and protect over 150 Rohingya refugees reportedly “detained” in Jammu. Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde agreed to hear the application filed by a member of the Rohingya community, Mohammad Salimullah, represented by advocates Prashant Bhushan and Cheryl d’Souza, on April 25 (Thursday). Mr. Bhushan made an oral mention before the CJI for an early hearing.

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the supplementary demand for grants (second batch for 2020-21) but not before significant concerns raised by Opposition leaders on the government’s disinvestment and asset monetisation plans, and rising fuel prices.

If Ishan Kishan was unfortunate to be ruled out of the fourth T20I due to a groin strain, lady luck smiled on his replacement Suryakumar Yadav. The Mumbai cricketer, dropped for the previous outing after not having faced a ball on his debut in the second T20I, grabbed his chance and made it count.

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Govt. hospitals get ready for surge in COVID-19 cases

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With infrastructure intact, the authorities are ready to meet any exigency in the intake of patients

With the number of fresh COVID-19 infections steadily rising in the city, the government hospitals are in a state of preparedness.

The infrastructure created was in place and the hospitals are gearing up to add more facilities and manpower in case of a surge.

The major government medical college hospitals set up exclusive COVID-19 facilities last year. As the number of fresh cases started to decline, the hospitals resumed their regular activities such as elective surgeries and outpatient services since October 2020.

In the last 10 days, the number of cases had been rising in Chennai. However, hospital authorities said the treatment facilities were intact.

At the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), Tower 3 continues to be an exclusive COVID-19 facility with three floors of 120 beds each. Of these, 40 to 50 beds were allotted for intensive care units. “We have four wings on each floor, two each for ICUs and two for patients in need of oxygen and high flow nasal cannula. The hospital’s COVID-19 bed strength is 1,618,” E. Theranirajan, dean of RGGGH, said.

On an average, the COVID-19 outpatient department received 150 to 160 patients a day while there were 184 in-patients — 111 who had tested positive for COVID-19 and 73 persons with suspected symptoms of COVID-19. “On an average, we are admitting 10 to 20 COVID-19 positive patients a day,” he said. Doctors and staff nurses were adequately posted.

Well prepared

The Government Medical College Hospital, Omandurar Estate, has 258 in-patients. Of them, 178 were positive for COVID-19.

“We are in a state of preparedness. We did not dismantle the infrastructure created for COVID-19. Already, 550 beds were allotted for COVID-19. We have 300 beds in place and will increase [their number] as and when required. We have COVID-19 facility in Tower 2, while two floors in Tower 3 are available. We activated our operation theatres and all other non-COVID activities. If needed, we might slowly de-escalate non-COVID activities,” R. Jayanthi, dean of the hospital, said.

The vaccination was running simultaneously at four sites, covering 500 people a day, she said. She said that people should strictly follow COVID-19 norms such as masking, maintaining physical distancing and hand hygiene to prevent cases from rising while all those eligible should get vaccinated.

P. Balaji, dean of Government Stanley Medical College Hospital, said the COVID-19 bed strength was 1,200. “The dedicated block continues to function with 600 beds now. We held meetings with our staff , including professors and nurses, on how to be ready if there was a surge in cases. We have an adequate stock of personal protective equipment,” he said. The hospital had 60 patients with COVID-19.

At the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, dean P. Vasanthamani said the construction of a new block was under way. “We have 180 beds in a new block for COVID-19 patients. If needed, we are planning to step up the facility,” she said.

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India adds 35,871 fresh Covid-19 cases, biggest single-day jump in 102 days | India News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: India on Thursday recorded 35,871 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day rise in over 100 days, which took the infection tally to 1,14,74,605, according to Union health ministry data.
Registering an increase for the eighth consecutive day, the active caseload reached 2,52,364, which accounts for 2.20 per cent of the total infections. The recovery rate further dropped to 96.41 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The death toll increased to 1,59,216 with 172 new fatalities, it stated.
The single-day spike of 35,871 cases is the highest in 102 days. As many as 36,011 new infections were recorded on December 6.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,10,63,025, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.39 per cent, according to the data.
India’s Covid-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 23,03,13,163 samples had been tested up to March 17 with 10,63,379 being tested on Wednesday.
The 172 new fatalities include 84 from Maharashtra, 35 from Punjab and 13 from Kerala.
So far, 1,59,216 deaths have been reported in the country including 53,080 from Maharashtra, 12,564 from Tamil Nadu, 12,407 from Karnataka, 10,948 from Delhi, 10,298 from West Bengal, 8,751 from Uttar Pradesh and 7,186 from Andhra Pradesh.
The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.
“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

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1,11,382 more people vaccinated in Tamil Nadu

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A total of 1,11,382 people received COVID-19 vaccines in the State on Wednesday. This took the overall vaccination coverage so far to 17,20,508.

This was the third day in a row when over one lakh people were inoculated on a single day. Among them, 43,543 persons were senior citizens. They were followed by 36,582 people, aged 45 to 59 years with co-morbidities, 18,643 frontline workers and 12,614 healthcare workers.

Covishield was administered to 39,530 senior citizens, 32,931 people with co-morbidities, 17,449 frontline workers and 11,237 healthcare workers. A total of 4,013 people aged above 60 years, 3,651 persons with co-morbidities, 1,194 frontline workers and 1,377 healthcare workers received Covaxin.

Till date, 5,13,022 healthcare workers, 3,97,591 frontline workers, 3,26,192 people aged 45 to 59 years with co-morbidities and 4,83,703 senior citizens have been vaccinated in the State, according to the daily report issued by the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

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India records 35,886 fresh Covid-19 infections, highest in 102 days | India News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: India recorded its highest Covid-19 tally in 102 days on Wednesday with 35,886 patients testing positive for the virus as Maharashtra continued to be the worst affected state, accounting for 64% of the daily count in the country.
Maharashtra added 23,179 fresh cases, the highest in six months since September 17 (24,619 cases). With this, Maharashtra reported a 30% increase in cases compared to Tuesday, taking the total caseload of the state to 23,70,507. From March 1-17, the daily cases in the state have risen four times.
The daily case count in several cities in Maharashtra was higher than the total case count of worst affected states like Punjab, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

For instance, Nagpur (with 2,698 cases) alone surpassed the daily count of the four states, which recorded cases in four digits — Punjab (2,039), Gujarat (1,122), Kerala (2,098), Karnataka (1,275). With 2,698 fresh cases, Nagpur city, for the first time in pandemic, registered more daily cases than Mumbai, which recorded 2,377 cases.
The tally in Mumbai was almost three times the tally on March 1 (855).
Apart from Maharashtra, as many as 17 states and Union Territories on Wednesday logged the highest count of fresh cases since January or earlier.

These were: Punjab (2,039 cases, highest since September 23), Karnataka (1,275, highest since December 9), Gujarat (1,122, highest since December 16), Tamil Nadu (945, highest since December 29), Chhattisgarh (887, highest since January 9), Madhya Pradesh (832, highest since December 31), Haryana (555, highest since December 20), Delhi (536, highest since January 6), Rajasthan (313, highest since January 13), Bengal (303, highest since January 24), UP (261, highest since January 26), Telangana (247, highest since Jan 20), Chandigarh (201, highest since September 26), Himachal (167, highest since January 1), J&K (126, highest since January 17), Uttarakhand (110, highest since January 23) and Puducherry (52, highest since December 2).

According to figures released by the Union health ministry in Delhi, daily new cases in the country are increasing at around 43% week-on-week, whereas a 37% rise in daily new deaths has been recorded.
Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said data shows that 70 districts in 16 states have registered over 150% increase in cases during March 1-15, whereas the infection is rising at 100-150% in 55 districts in 17 states.
“Most of these districts are in west and north India,” he said, adding that Maharashtra still accounts for 60% of all active cases as well as 45% of new deaths. The average daily new cases are also increasing rapidly in the state. The weekly moving average of new cases shows it has risen from 7,741 cases on March 1 to 13,527 on March 15.

The average test positivity rate at 16.4% in Maharashtra is far higher than the cumulative national average of 5%. On March 1, the positivity rate was at 10.9%. However, the tests to detect the infection have not increased proportionately with the test positivity rate, Bhushan said.
Similarly, in states like Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, tests have failed to keep pace with increasing number of cases and positivity rates.

In many states and UTs like Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, the share of RT-PCR is also significantly low.
The Centre has advised states witnessing a surge to increase tests in proportion to the positivity rate and also maintain the share of RT-PCR at a minimum of 70%.
The health ministry has also asked states to ensure strict adherence to mask wearing, physical distancing and hand hygiene along with greater vigilance and monitoring at the highest levels for all potential events where crowds gather.

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