Covid

New Delhi: With five new COVID-19 variant cases having been detected in India and a resurgence in the number of new cases, state governments across the country are looking at a fresh set of restrictions and guidelines. The new strains, some imported and a few found locally have become a major cause for concern among the people. The new variants which came from outside the country include those from UK, South Africa and Brazil. Apart from these, 'N440K' and 'E484Q' variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in Maharashtra, Kerala and Telangana. Researchers are working to find out how the new strains are different from the original and if they affect infected patients in different ways. Are the symptoms of COVID-19 strains different? The new COVID-19 strains have exhibited similar symptoms to that caused by the original variant but have some new ones too. The usual symptoms of COVID-19 include continuous cough, chest pains, fever, a loss of taste and smell, aches ... » Learn More about Symptoms of new COVID-19 strains: How are they different from old variant?

Around 71.7% of healthcare workers (HCWs) targeted for the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday gave it a miss. While the Health department planned to administer the second dose to 3,892 HCWs on Saturday, only 1,108 or 28.3% took it. The COVID-19 vaccine is given in two doses with a gap of 28 days. When the daily percentage of HCWs who missed the second dose from February 13 to 20 is considered, it was the highest on Saturday at 71.7%. Senior officials from the Health department earlier listed three reasons for not taking the second dose — illness on the day they were scheduled to take the second dose; personal engagement; and developed Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI) such as fever, giddiness earlier and were hesitant to take the second dose. Health department staff will resume administering the second dose on Monday. A mop-up session for frontline workers (FLWs) who missed taking the vaccine will also be conducted on Monday. Of the 2,57,239 FLWs targeted ... » Learn More about Record number of HCWs skip second COVID jab on Saturday

Ludhiana: Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state, the Punjab government has decided to put a cap on indoor gatherings to 100 and outdoor to 200 from March 1. A tweet from Punjab Chief Minister's Office said, "Amid growing concern over rising #COVID trend, CM @capt_amarinder Singh ordered restriction on indoor gathering to 100 & outdoor to 200 from March 1, along with strict enforcement of mask, social distancing etc, with testing to be ramped to 30000 a day.'' Amid growing concern over rising #COVID trend, CM @capt_amarinder Singh ordered restriction on indoor gathering to 100 & outdoor to 200 from March 1, along with strict enforcement of mask, social distancing etc, with testing to be ramped to 30000 a day. https://t.co/03N9zss1CY — CMO Punjab (@CMOPb) February 23, 2021 The Chief Minister said a decision on reducing occupancy in cinema halls will be taken after March 1. Private offices and restaurants shall be encouraged to display the ... » Learn More about Amid spike in COVID-19 cases, this state to restrict indoor gatherings to 100, outdoor to 200 from March 1

Mumbai: Maharashtra on Thursday reported 8,702 fresh coronavirus positive cases, taking the state's cumulative count to 21,29,821. The death toll surged to 51,993 after 56 individuals succumbed to the virus. Maharashtra's case recovery rate now stands at 94.49 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.44 per cent. The state has 64,260 active cases. Here are some of the other coronavirus and vaccine-related highlights of February 25 from Mumbai , Maharashtra and the rest of the country: Mumbai reports 1,145 cases Amid a spike in Covid-19 cases, Mumbai on Thursday (February 25) reported 1,145 fresh cases. The total number of positive cases in the city now stands at 3,22,843, according to information received from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). With five new fatalities, the death toll reached 11,458. Mumbai is now a host to 8,997 active cases. Read more Kalyan-Dombivli reports highest spike in over four months The twin cities of Kalyan and ... » Learn More about COVID-19 Highlights February 25: Mumbai reports over 1,000 cases for second day; 64,260 active cases in Maharashtra

The civic body urged people to get themselves tested instead of trying out home remedies Thane: The twin cities of Kalyan and Dombivli witnessed the highest single-day jump in daily coronavirus cases in more than four months as over 200 people tested positive for the virus in the civic body limits. According to the latest data provided by Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation ( KDMC ), the areas recorded 227 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the highest in 126 days. Previously, 293 cases were reported in a single day on October 18, 2020. For latest updates about Mumbai city, click here No medicines without prescription KDMC Epidemic Officer Pratibha Panpatil informed Mirror Online that in a bid to encourage people to get themselves tested to contain the spread of the virus, the civic body has ordered all chemists and pharmacists to not sell medicines without proper prescription until further notice. Untitled Carousel Lack of adequate ... » Learn More about COVID-19: Kalyan-Dombivli reports highest spike in over four months; KDMC bans sale of medicines without prescriptions

Mumbai : Amid a spike in Covid-19 cases, Mumbai on Thursday (February 25) reported 1,145 fresh cases. The total number of positive cases in the city now stands at 3,22,843, according to information received from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). With five new fatalities, the death toll reached 11,458. Mumbai is now a host to 8,997 active cases. The total number of recoveries surged to 3,01,520 with 463 new discharges today. The recovery rate of Mumbai district is 94 per cent. READ: Mumbai City LIVE Updates here The overall growth rate of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai from February 18 to February 24 is 0.25 per cent. The doubling rate is 273 days as of February 25, 2021. The number of active containment zones (slums and chawls) remain below 20 at 13. Meanwhile, Maharashtra reported 8,702 new coronavirus cases today, taking its total tally to 21,29,821. The death toll surged to 51,993 after 56 persons succumbed to the virus. The state reported ... » Learn More about Mumbai reports 1,145 Covid-19 cases; tally reaches 3,22,843

MUMBAI: On a day the Covid-19 daily tally in the city was 1,167, the highest in 119 days, the only silver lining for it was that deaths continued to be in single digits (4). Mumbai ’s total toll is now 11,458. 1 Of the 80 deaths in the state, 27 occurred in the last 48 hours and the rest are older than a week, the state update said. Intensivist Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the state Covid task force , said the rise in cases was “concerning”. “A rise in critical cases or deaths is seen 7-14 days after a surge in cases,” he said, adding that the next 10 days would be make or break for Mumbai. Dr Pandit said after almost 2 months, his hospital saw a significant rise in queries for ICU beds on Wednesday. READ: Mumbai City Updates There was a presentation in the state cabinet meeting where data on the Covid-19 surge and ongoing vaccination drive was presented. Nawab Malik, minister for skill development, said CM Uddhav Thackeray instructed all districts to ... » Learn More about COVID-19: Next 10 days make or break for Mumbai, says task force expert

India, one of the world's leading drug makers, on Tuesday said it will provide COVID-19 vaccines under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles from Wednesday, and that shipments will be sent to Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius as well on receipt of necessary regulatory clearances. Photograph: PTI Photo In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is deeply honoured to be a 'long-trusted' partner in meeting the healthcare needs of the global community and that supplies of the vaccines to several countries will commence on Wednesday, and more will follow in the days ahead. India is one of the world's biggest drug makers, and an increasing number of countries have already approached it for procuring the coronavirus vaccines. The Ministry of External Affairs said India will supply COVID-19 vaccines to partner countries over the coming weeks and months in a phased manner keeping in view the domestic requirements. In a ... » Learn More about India to supply Covid vaccines to 6 countries as aid

Mumbai: As Mumbai witnesses a surge in coronavirus cases, Siddhivinayak Temple trust announced that it has suspended offline darshan for devotees with effect from on Thursday, February 25. As per a new guideline, now people will have to mandatorily book their darshan online and present a QR code to enter temple premises. The temple administration said that people will be permitted only after the scanning of the QR code during entry inside the temple. Temple 'darshan' will be from 8 am till 9 pm. If online booking is not made then an offline registration from outside the temple premises can be made. Permission to enter will be given only when the body temperature is normal. Wearing of masks is mandatory and social distancing rule will have to be strictly followed, the administration said. The temple trust urged citizens to cooperate with the authorities and asked to avail the benefits of online service for Siddhivinayak darshan. The decision comes days ahead of ... » Learn More about Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple issues new rules amid surge in COVID-19 infections

Jerusalem: A ‘real-world’ test of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in more than half a million people has confirmed that it's very effective at preventing serious illness or death, even after one dose. Results of the test that were published on Wednesday from a mass vaccination campaign in Israel have given strong reassurance that the benefits seen in smaller, limited testing persisted when the vaccine was used much more widely in a general population with various ages and health conditions. The vaccine was 92% effective at preventing severe disease after two shots and 62% after one. Its estimated effectiveness for preventing death was 72% two to three weeks after the first shot, a rate that may improve as immunity builds over time. It seemed as effective in folks over 70 as in younger people. “This is immensely reassuring...Better than I would have guessed,” said the Mayo Clinic's Dr Gregory Poland. Vanderbilt University's Dr Buddy Creech agreed: “Even after one dose we ... » Learn More about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine found effective in big ‘real world’ test, prevents illness and death