Covid-19 Archives - Page 4 of 8 - Lokmarg

Two Covid Positive Detected At Kolkata Airport

By LokMarg 26th December 2022

Two persons returning from abroad have tested positive for the Coronavirus infection at the Kolkata Aiport, airport sources said on Monday.

Both samples have been sent for genome sequencing.
According to sources, one of the positive passengers came from Dubai on Saturday while another came from Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur.

Patients are kept in quarantine in Beliaghata ID Hospital.

Following the advisory ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’, issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has commenced random post-arrival testing for International arrivals at Delhi Airport, said Dr. Gauri Agarwal, Founder of Genestrings Diagnostic Center on Sunday.

According to the new instructions by the government, 2 percent of all passengers arriving at international airports have to undertake random post-arrival testing at the Delhi Airport from December 24. This is being done to reduce the risk of ingress of the new COVID-19 variant BF.7 in India.

Earlier in the day, four international travellers from Myanmar tested positive for the Coronavirus infection at the Delhi airport.

It is pertinent to mention that Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a virtual meeting with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) at 4 pm today for the Covid-19 preparedness, situation.

Recently, the IMA also issued an advisory and appealed to the public to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour with immediate effect.

“In view of the sudden surge of COVID cases in different countries, the Indian Medical Association alerts and appeals to the public to follow COVID appropriate behaviour with immediate effect.”

“As per available reports, nearly 5.37 lakhs new cases have been reported in last 24 hours from major countries like USA, Japan, South as per the available reports, nearly 5.37 lakhs new cases have been reported in last 24 hours from major countries like USA, Japan, South Korea, France, and Brazil,” read the statement of IMA.

The entire country is gearing up for a possible fourth wave of Covid-19, with the new Omicron sub-variant BF.7, which is said to be the reason behind the surge in Covid cases in China, being detected in India. (ANI)

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Multiple Regions In China Face Blood Shortage Amid Covid Surge

By LokMarg 25th December 2022

Multiple regions across China have called on residents to actively donate blood under strict personal protection guidelines as they face a shortage of blood caused by many factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged cold weather, The Global Times reported.

Due to an increase in the number of hospital outpatient and surgical patients as well as optimized measures, Jinan with the most concentrated medical resources in the province is facing unprecedented pressure for blood collection and supply, the Shandong blood center said.

According to the Shandong blood center, the stock of blood group A and O have been kept at a red alert level for several days. According to the center, it is predicted that the gap in clinical blood use will reach an all-time high along with the upcoming New Year and Spring Festival holidays with the clinical operation and medical blood transfusion likely to face severe difficulties due to the extreme shortage of blood, according to Global Times report.

The blood shortage has threatened the rescue of pregnant women and critically ill patients in some parts of the country, Global Times cited financial media platform Yicai.com. Guangdong province needs about 1,200 blood donors each day to meet the demand for clinical blood use.

The Guangzhou Blood Center said that the blood inventory has fallen to critically low levels due to an increase in COVID-19 cases as well as cold weather. The blood center even prepared rewards for donations, including N95 facing masks and antigen testing kits for those residents who want to donate their blood to people in need as a token of appreciation, as per the Global Times report.

On Wednesday, the Shangqiu region in China’s Henan province called on residents to donate blood in tackling the difficulties. Mianyang in Sichuan province and Jincheng in Shanxi province also called on residents to donate blood.

Furthermore, China’s National Health Commission announced revised guidelines on blood donation on December 17. The new guidelines permitted close contacts, secondary contacts of COVID-19 cases, and recovered COVID-19 patients to donate blood provided they meet certain conditions.

China’s National Health Commission (NHC), which used to issue the country’s COVID-19 case figures on a daily basis, starting Sunday stopped publishing the update, according to The Global Times.

“The NHC will no longer release daily epidemic data from Sunday. China’s CDC will release relevant COVID-19 information for study and reference,” the NHC said in a brief statement.

The National Health Commission on Saturday gave the COVID case figures of Friday. China mainland reported 4,128 new cases of confirmed infections. On December 23, 1,760 patients were released from the hospital after being cured and 28,865 people who had had close contact with infected patients were freed from medical observation. The number of serious cases increased by 99. (ANI)

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Five Things That Happened Last Week (And What To Make Of Them)

By Sanjoy Narayan 25th December 2022

Will Covid’s resurgence in China spread to India

Public memory is notoriously short-lived. As a new and highly contagious Covid virus strain spreads in China with fears that it might kill more than a million people in the coming months, the response in India has ranged from being blase and indifferent to moderate concern. Some reactions to the situation in China can even seem downright smug. Adar Poonawala, CEO and founder of Serum Institute of India, said in a tweet that “we need not panic given our excellent vaccination coverage and track record. We must continue to trust and follow the guidelines set by the Government of India.”

Serum Institute of India, an Indian company, is the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines and the chief supplier of Covid vaccines in India. In late 2021, the Serum Institute announced that it had produced more than 1.25 billion doses of the Covishield vaccine (an Oxford/Astra-Zeneca formulation). That number of doses is a highly laudable achievement but how effective have Covid vaccines been? The instances of people who have been vaccinated with multiple doses of anti-Covid vaccines succumbing to the virus run into millions globally and as of now the efficacy of different vaccines in preventing infection is largely unproven. Some theories suggest that “fully vaccinated” people can still get infected by the virus but the symptoms can be mild. To be sure, however, there have been significant numbers of vaccinated individuals who have required serious medical care when they got infected by the virus.

Meanwhile, the Covid virus has been mutating continuously. The current strain that is spreading in China has been called the BF.7 and is a sub-variant of the Omicron strain. BF.7 first emerged a few months ago when it started replacing earlier variants.

What do we know about the BF.7 strain? First, the fact that it is less likely to be neutralised by antibodies from vaccinated people or those infected by the virus than say the original virus emanating from Wuhan in 2020 was. Second, the new variant has an R-value of 10-18. That means one infected person can transmit the strain to 10 to 18 other people. Third, BF.7 is more likely to spread quickly and infect or re-infect people, including those who are vaccinated.

Last week, a CNN report based on leaked notes from Chinese health officials suggested that “almost 250 million people in China may have caught Covid-19 in the first 20 days of December”. If that is right, it means around 18% of China’s 1.4 billion people have been infected by Covid. That is a staggering number and the rest of the world needs to take note of that as countries cobble together strategies to prevent a resurgence of the virus in their regions.

In India, when the virus first broke out in 2020, it spread mainly because of unpreparedness. Isolation, lockdowns and administering vaccines is a daunting tasks in a country with a population that rivals China’s but has health and other infrastructure that may arguably be much less efficient than in China, which is economically far stronger than India.

Last week India’s health minister advised people to take precautions against Covid-19, including getting vaccinated and wearing masks. Random testing of international travellers arriving at Indian airports has also been mandated. The second phase of Covid’s spread in India took a huge toll on lives, livelihoods and the economy in India. We also witnessed how difficult it is to implement and ensure restrictions aimed at containing the spread of the virus. It is time for the central government and local authorities to devise strategies well in advance to check the virus’ spread instead of waiting till it is too late or being complacent about the vaccine coverage that the country has achieved.

Meanwhile, in China…

After spreading in China’s bigger cities and towns, the new variant of the Covid virus could now spread in rural areas as migrant workers go back to their villages for the Chinese New Year in late January. More than 500 million Chinese live in rural China and after the country removed the restrictions on the movement of people, they could face the risk of infection as workers come back from the cities.

The risk of the virus spreading in rural China is higher because of the lack of adequate healthcare infrastructure and already there are estimates that cases are surging in the rural areas.

The Nordics beckon Indian techies

India’s information technology professionals have now become so ubiquitous globally that much of the international perception of India’s human resource skills centres only around that: India is almost synonymous with software coders… of, if you like, coders who are cheaper than those in most other parts of the world. The number of coders in India is roughly estimated to touch 10 million in 2023. Little wonder that the world looks at India’s skilled professional hordes of software coders and programmers huddled in front of screens busy coding. In many parts of the world, it represents a cheap source of software professionals. The latest to focus on that pool of skills is tiny Finland.

With a population of 5.5 million, Finland is a tiny country but its technology needs are big. Recently, Finland’s employment minister Tuula Haatainen visited India and signed an agreement that is aimed at making it easier for Indian software techies to move to Finland and live and work there. The Hindu quoted Ms. Haatainen who said: “We see that India has such a pool of professional talent that we need in Finland. We need more workforce, we need talent, we need professionals, skilled people. If they want to enter Finland, I see that it is valuable for both sides, that people go abroad, and also earn and learn something there.”

Finland is an ageing country where the workforce is only around 2.5 million. But the needs on the technology front are high. But Finland isn’t the first choice of Indian techies. There are just around 1500 Indian students in the country and 15,000 Indians living there. But Finland wants to see the number of work-related Indian immigrants double and that of students treble by 2030.

Was the World Cup 2020 final the best ever?

Well, many think so. When Argentina won this year’s FIFA World Cup in a nail-biting final against France, and the image of the team’s captain and superstar Lionel Messi being hoisted on the shoulders of his teammates while carrying the trophy became iconic, many things were achieved altogether. Messi, 35, capped his career (he is to retire soon) by winning the sport’s topmost trophy; Argentina wrested the title of world champions from dominance by European countries since 2006; and, on a more personal front, it was the victory of Messi against his Paris Saint-Germain club teammate Kylian Mbappé, another top star of this year’s tournament.

The Argentina-France final was won on penalty kicks after the two teams drew 3-3 in regular play. The results: Argentina won 4-2 on the kicks. Several analyses of finals over the past years have suggested that this year’s finals have been the best both in terms of the run-up to the finals as well as the final match itself.

Imran Khan in a sex tape “scandal”

Fake or not, Pakistan’s former president and one-time star cricketer who enjoyed a high glamour quotient in his younger days is caught in the midst of a “scandal”. Audio clips have been leaked on YouTube by a Pakistani journalist that purportedly depicts Khan in intimate conversations with a woman.

Khan lost power earlier this year and his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has alleged that the leaked conversations are fake and aimed at discrediting him. There are allegations that the tapes may have emanated from the current prime minister and Khan’srival, Shebaz Sharif’s office.

The said audio clips are graphic and the conversations, allegedly between Khan, 70, and two identified women refer to intimate acts of sex and some crude references.

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Mock Drills To Be Conducted At All Health Facilities In Wake Of COVID Alarm

By LokMarg 25th December 2022

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday decided to hold mock drills at all health facilities across the country on December 27 in the wake of the COVID alarm due to a surge in infection in many countries.

This is to ensure readiness in the availability of oxygen support, and ICU beds among other preparedness measures in case of a surge of COVID cases in India.
In a letter duly signed by Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan dated December 24, the Ministry said that it is necessary that in all States/UTs requisite public health measures are put in place to meet any exigencies, adding that preparedness of COVID health facilities to ensure that the states are in a state of readiness to meet the increase in clinical care needs due to any spurt in cases.

“It has therefore been decided to hold the mock drill at all health facilities (including identified COVID-dedicated health facilities) across the country on Tuesday, 27th December 2022,” the Ministry said.

According to the Ministry, the objective of the exercise is to ensure the operational readiness of these health facilities for the management of COVID.

Detailing the focus on the parameters during the mock drills, it said that the main focus will be on the bed capacities including isolation, oxygen-supported, and ICU beds at the health facilities.

“Geographically representative availability of health facilities — covering all districts. Bed capacities — Isolation beds, oxygen-supported isolation beds, ICU beds, and ventilator-supported beds.

The focus will also be on the optimal availability of human resources which include doctors, nurses, and paramedics. AYUSH doctors, other frontline workers including ASHAs, Anganwadi workers, etc.

“Human resource capacity. Healthcare professionals trained in COVID-19 management, Healthcare professionals trained in ventilatory management protocol for severe cases, healthcare workers trained in the operation of PSA plants, etc. Referral services: Availability of Advanced and Basic Life Support (ALS/BLS) ambulances, availability of other ambulances (under PPP mode or with NGOs), availability of functional ambulance call centre,” it said.

Boosting the testing capacities and availability of RT-PCR and RAT kits, availability of testing equipment and reagents will also be the focus.

“Logistics availability. Availability of essential drugs. ventilators, BIPAP. SPO2 systems, PPE kits, N-95 masks. etc” the Ministry said.

“Medical oxygen: Oxygen Concentrators, Oxygen Cylinders, PSA Plants. Liquid Medical Oxygen Storage Tanks, Medical Gas Pipeline Systems, etc,” it added.

The Ministry informed that the mock drill may be conducted under the guidance of respective district collectors, and district magistrates in close consultation with officers of the Health Department of the State/UT.

Earlier, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday announced that the RT-PCR test has been made mandatory for passengers coming from five countries including China.

“The RT-PCR test to be mandatory for international arrivals from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand. On arrival, if any passenger from these countries is found symptomatic or tests positive for Covid-19 infection, then he/she will be put under quarantine,” Health Minister Mandaviya said in a conversation with ANI.

He also said that the Air Suvidha form filling to declare the current health status will also be made compulsory for international passengers arriving from these Asian countries.

Taking note of the rising cases of COVID globally, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday said that the Centre and States need to work in “tandem” and in a “collaborative spirit” as was done during the previous surges.

Mandaviya, while chairing a virtual meeting Friday with the health ministers of the states, Principal Secretaries, Additional Chief Secretaries, and Information Commissioners, said that the country needs to be on the alert and be fully prepared for COVID management.

The meeting was held in view of the recent upsurge in cases in some countries like China, Japan, Brazil, and the United States in the presence of Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar, NITI Aayog member V K Paul to review the public health preparedness for containment and management of COVID-19 and progress of national COVID-19 vaccination campaign. (ANI)

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China In A Bind: To Recover Economy Or Control Covid-19

By LokMarg 23rd December 2022

Beijing is struggling to choose between economic recovery and Covid control and if China reimposes the ‘Zero-Covid’ policy to contain damages by upcoming Covid waves, there will be a huge impact on its economy. If not, people’s lives will be in danger. It is a double whammy for the country, writes Federico Giuliani in Insideover.

China is facing a double whammy of Covid infections and economic crises, which are interlinked, and one gets worse if another is tried to be addressed.

The number of new Covid cases is rising rapidly while businesses and industries are facing losses and shutdowns. There are predictions that China is expected to see more than one million Covid-related deaths in the coming days, reported Insideover.

At the same time, the Chinese government is struggling to impose curbs thanks to a negative impact on the country’s economy.

Analysts have forecast China’s economic growth to slump to 2.8-3.2 percent this year, which would be the lowest in five decades.

China has, for the first time, officially acknowledged Covid deaths in recent weeks. This has given credibility to reports of a heavy death toll in the country due to Covid infections, said Giuliani.

Crematoriums are busy and dead bodies covered in yellow bags can be seen lying on the floor. Even health workers are getting infected with coronavirus, leading to disruption of emergency and crematorium services. Bodies had to be kept waiting for three days before they are cremated.

This gives a glimpse into the deteriorating situation in China. Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has projected over a million deaths in the next year while a third of China’s population is expected to be Covid positive by April 1, reported Insideover.

Beijing has sounded alarmed over new three waves of Covid infections in the coming months. Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said there are likely to be three successive waves until March 2023.

The rush at hospitals, crematoriums, and social media posts are revealing that China is facing a huge health crisis that is likely to be bigger than the previous waves of Covid.

“We cremated 150 bodies [in a day], many times more than a typical day last winter,” said an employee at Beijing Dongjiao Funeral Home.

Another employee at Tongzhou Funeral Home said the demand was largely due to Covid deaths. “We’re burning from morning until 10 pm. The furnaces can’t take it,” he said.

A few weeks ago, different cities in China had seen unprecedented protests from people over the failure of the ‘Zero Covid’ policy.

Protestors raised concerns over inhuman conditions during quarantines and over the loss of livelihoods. It also saw calls being made to overthrow Xi and the communist regime.

While the ‘Zero Covid’ policy appears to have failed in containing Covid infections, it dealt a severe blow to China’s economy, said, Giuliani.

The retail sale has fallen by 5.9 percent in November year-on-year while the slump for property investment is a whopping 19 percent, while the industrial output and fixed asset investment have slowed down to 2.2 percent and 5.3 percent respectively, reported Insideover.

The abrupt shutdown of factories and even small businesses including restaurants led to huge livelihood losses. Major international companies, including US-based Apple and Japan’s Renesas Electronics, were forced to suspend their operations.

The unemployment rate has reached 5.7 percent while it jumped to 17.1 percent for young people aged 16 to 24. Yet, the Beijing government continued with strict restrictions under the Zero Covid policy.

Following the public protest, it has relaxed some restrictions. However, the warnings of new and dreadful covid waves have created a catch-22 situation, said Giuliani.

Earlier, analysts had warned Beijing that its Zero Covid policy was hurting its economy and jobs in China as the restrictions reduced demand.

“Some companies, affected by the drop in orders, laid off workers to lower costs,” said Wang Zhe, senior economist for Caixin Insight Group.

Now, even as Beijing has finally abandoned the ‘Zero Covid’ policy, experts do not expect an economic recovery anytime soon. Rather it continues to deteriorate, reported Insideover.

“I am expecting a big collapse in industrial production in December,” said Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist of Asia-Pacific at Natixis.

Highlighting the slowdown in the Chinese economy, a report by the World Economics Sales Managers Survey has expressed the possibility of a recession in 2023.

“(Chinese economy) may be heading for a recession in 2023. The lights may not have gone out, but prospects for economic growth in 2023 have certainly dimmed,” the report read. (ANI)

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Across Country Covid Response Mock Drill On Dec 27

By LokMarg 23rd December 2022

A mock drill to test Covid emergency preparedness would be conducted in hospitals across the country on Tuesday, 27th December.

“A mock drill for an emergency response to deal with Covid 9 cases will be conducted at hospitals across the country on Tuesday, 27th December, the Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya will also be participating in the Mock drill,” official sources to ANI
The mock drill is being conducted amid fear of a Covid surge in the country in the wake of a spurt of Covid cases reported in China and other countries. The Union Ministry in India has started taking several proactive steps in this direction.

The Union Ministry of Health advised States on December 20 to significantly increase genome sequencing. A high-level meeting was also chaired by Union Health Minister on December 21 to review the COVID-19 situation & preparedness of the public health system for surveillance, containment & management of COVID-19.

On Thursday Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting to review status and preparedness and guided on Cautions against Complacency, advised maintaining Strict Vigil, and emphasized the need for strengthened Surveillance with a focus on Genome Sequencing and increased Testing.

During the high-level meeting, States were advised to ensure the Operational readiness of Hospital Infrastructure, and adherence to Covid appropriate Behavior including Wearing Of Masks.

The Union Health Ministry has also appealed for Precaution Dose Vaccination, especially for Elderly and Vulnerable Population Groups.

According to officials, Travel guidelines have been revised and issued. 2% Random Screening of International Passengers to be re-initiated from Saturday, December 24, the random screening charges will be charged to the passengers. (ANI)

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China: Shanghai Hit By A Surge In Coronavirus Cases

By LokMarg 23rd December 2022

Shanghai, China’s megacity with a 25 million-strong population has been hit by a surge in coronavirus cases, reported NHK World.

Case numbers have been growing since last week in Shanghai, where staff shortages are causing delays in delivery services.
Shanghai has the largest Japanese population among cities in China. The city’s Japanese consulate-general said the virus is spreading among employees at Japanese and other businesses, reported NHK World.

This comes months after Shanghai endured a brutal lockdown to stop the spread of Covid. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of infected patients, pharmacies are turning customers away empty-handed, businesses are shutting because the staff is off sick, most schools have closed and usage of public transport is plummeting, the report claimed.

But officials at the mission said there have been no reports suggesting production lines or distribution have been severely affected by the surge. They say this is partly because there are no longer restrictions on people’s movements, reported NHK World.

A surge of coronavirus cases has been sweeping across China since the government eased its strict lockdowns and measures to contain the spread of the virus, on December 7.

Meanwhile, Chinese media outlets reported that infections are spreading among civil servants in several provinces, including Henan and Shandong. They said local authorities have closed their offices to the public and are calling on citizens to use online services instead, reported NHK World.

Officials of Chengdu in the inland province of Sichuan said at a news conference on Thursday they have set up 300 fever clinics across the city. They said up to 42,000 people are visiting the facilities every day.

People in China have also raised a fresh chorus for the resignation of Premier Xi Jinping over his failure to rein in the pandemic in the country.

The people have also demanded an end to the one-party rule of the Communist Party of China (CCP), with many raising slogans such as ‘Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!’ and ‘We don’t want lifelong rulers. We don’t want emperors’, as per an Insideover news report.

China’s sudden Covid surge also points towards a lack of effectiveness of its vaccines. This acts as a cause of concern, especially for countries to which China supplies its vaccines, reported Tibet Press.

According to a recent report by Voices Against Autocracy, Chinese citizens have been left to fend for themselves after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), amid widespread protests against the government’s ‘Zero-Covid’ policy, suddenly lifted its stringent Covid regulations.

Covid has been rapidly spreading in China. Unofficial reports claim that about 40 percent of Beijing’s residents are currently infected with Covid. The CCP, according to reports, has shifted its stance on Covid, claiming it to be a mere flu.

As cases rise in major Chinese cities, even people with mild symptoms are rushing to hospitals. Emergency call operators are receiving 30,000 calls a day, six times the average number of calls received.

According to Voices Against Autocracy, there are queues outside fever clinics in various cities. Drugs and medicines are in short supply and hospitals are under stress as doctors and nurses catch the virus. Doctors who have tested positive or are asymptomatic are also being asked to come to work, risking further transmission. (ANI)

Shanghai, China’s megacity with a 25 million-strong population has been hit by a surge in coronavirus cases, reported NHK World.

This comes months after Shanghai endured a brutal lockdown to stop the spread of Covid. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of infected patients, pharmacies are turning customers away empty-handed, businesses are shutting because staff is off sick, most schools have closed and usage of public transport is plummeting, the report claimed.

A surge of coronavirus cases has been sweeping across China since the government eased its strict lockdowns and measures to contain the spread of the virus, on December 7.

People in China have also raised a fresh chorus for the resignation of Premier Xi Jinping over his failure to rein in the pandemic in the country.

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Two Per Cent Of Passengers To Be Tested For Infection Daily | Lokmarg

New Covid Rules For International Flights, Passengers Issued

By LokMarg 22nd December 2022

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Thursday said that at least two percent of the arriving passengers on international flights to the country as part of a precautionary measure against Covid-19.

The MoCA in an official statement said that the passengers are to be identified by the airline and will be allowed to leave the airport after sample collection. Those being tested positive for the infection will be isolated and their samples will be sent for genome sequencing.

“This arrangement should come into the practice with effect from 10:00 am on December 24,” as per the statement from MoCA.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Lok Sabha on Thursday said that the government has started random RT-PCR sampling among the passengers arriving at International airports in the country amid the recent surge of Coronavirus infection in various countries including China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United States.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also issued ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’ in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and said that the guidelines will be reviewed and revised from time to time.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare statement, the present guidelines are being revised in view of the increasing trajectory of COVID-19 cases being noted in some countries across the world.

The ministry said that all travelers should preferably be fully vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule of vaccination against COVID-19 in their Country.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has however exempted Children (under 12 years of age) from post-arrival random testing.

“In-flight announcements about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic including precautionary measures to be followed (preferable use of masks and following physical distancing) shall be made in flights/travel and at all points of entry, Any passenger having symptoms of COVID-19 during travel shall be isolated as per standard protocol i.e. the said passenger should be wearing a mask, isolated and segregated from other passengers in flight/travel and shifted to an isolation facility subsequently for follow up treatment,” read the statement from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

“However, if found symptomatic for COVID-19 on arrival or during the period of self-monitoring period, they shall undergo testing and be treated as per laid down protocol,” read the statement.

It stated that on the arrival of passengers’ de-boarding should be done ensuring physical distancing, thermal screening should be done in respect of all the passengers by the health officials present at the point of entry and the passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately isolated, taken to a designated medical facility as per health protocol (as above). (ANI)

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Use Masks, Avoid Intl Travel: IMA’s Advisory

By LokMarg 22nd December 2022

Amid the sudden surge of COVID cases in several countries, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Thursday issued an advisory and appealed to the public to follow COVID-appropriate behavior with immediate effect.

In its advisory, the IMA listed out necessary steps to overcome the impending COVID outbreak, including wearing face masks in all public places, maintaining social distancing, and washing hands regularly with soap and water or sanitizers.
The IMD has also advised people to avoid public gatherings like marriages, political or social meetings, and international travel.

It advised people to consult the doctor in case of any symptoms like fever, sore throat, cough, or loose motion and to get COVID vaccination including a precautionary dose at the earliest.

“In view of the sudden surge of COVID cases in different countries, the Indian Medical Association alerts and appeals to the public to follow COVID-appropriate behavior with immediate effect. As per the available reports, nearly 5.37 lakh new cases have been reported in the last 24 hours from major countries like the USA, Japan, South Korea, France, and Brazil. India has reported 145 new cases in the last 24 hours out of which four cases are the new China variant – BF.7,” the IMA said in a statement.

With the robust infrastructure in the public and private sectors, dedicated medical manpower, proactive leadership support from the Government, and availability of sufficient medicines and vaccines, India will be able to manage any eventualities as done in the past.

The IMA also appealed to the government to upscale the preparedness for any such situation as seen in 2021 by issuing necessary instructions to the concerned Ministries and Departments to make available emergency medicines, oxygen supply, and ambulance services.

It has issued an advisory to its state and local branches to take necessary preparatory steps in case of a COVID outbreak in their areas.

IMA also appealed to all its members to work proactively as done in the past to combat the outbreak.

“As of now, the situation is not alarming, and therefore there is no need to panic. Prevention is better than cure,” it said.

The Indian Medical Association with more than 3.5 lakhs medical practitioners across the county is committed to fighting the dreaded disease and assures the government of its full cooperation and participation in all activities of preventive and curative measures.

Meanwhile, Prime Narendra Modi also chaired a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation and its related aspects in the county.

Earlier in the day, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the government has started random RT-PCR sampling among the passengers arriving at International airports in the country amid the recent surge of Coronavirus infection in various countries including China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United States.

“We have also started the random RT-PCR sampling among passengers arriving at International airports in the country. We are committed to tackling the pandemic and are taking appropriate steps,” Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in his statement in the Lok Sabha while advising the States to make sure that people wear masks, use sanitizers and maintain social distancing even during the festive and the New Year season.

In the last six months, India reported four cases of the BF.7 Omicron sub-variant, which is driving the current surge of infections in China.

Sources said there are currently 10 different variants of Covid-19 in the country, with the latest being BF.7.

There has been an alarming surge in Covid cases in China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United States. The spike is being blamed on the new Omicron sub-variant BF.7, which has also been detected in four Indian states. (ANI)

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North Iikely To Witness Cold Wave, Temp To Dip Further | Lokmarg

Mandaviya To Make Statement In Parliament On Covid-19

By LokMarg 22nd December 2022

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is set to make a statement in both the Houses of Parliament on Thursday regarding Covid-19.

He is likely to make his statement at 2 pm in Lok Sabha and 2.30 pm in Rajya Sabha.
Amid the challenge posed by the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in some countries including China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United States, Mandaviya chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday to review the COVID-19 situation in India and the preparedness of public health system for surveillance, containment, and management of COVID-19. He urged people to follow COVID-appropriate behavior and get vaccinated against the virus.

Emphasizing that COVID-19 is not over yet, he asked the officials to be fully geared up and strengthen surveillance.

Meanwhile, former Health Minister Harshvardhan emphasized taking timely precautions and the effectiveness of wearing face masks.

“Masks are quite effective as far as Covid is concerned. We should take all the timely precautions. There’s no harm in wearing masks as they also protect us from pollutants in the air,” Former Union Health Minister Harshvardhan.

However, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi alleged that the Opposition had been showing “their attitude” towards the Covid guidelines.

“Both the chairs in the Parliament have requested the members to wear face masks during proceedings. But the leaders from the Opposition did not wear masks which shows their attitude towards Covid guidelines,” Pralhad Joshi said addressing the media persons.

India has in the past six months reported four cases of the BF.7 Omicron sub-variant, which is driving the current surge of infections in China. Various states have also stepped up vigil.

Notably, during the Wednesday meeting, Health Minister Mandaviya was briefed on the global COVID-19 situation and the domestic scenario. He noted the importance of being prepared and remaining alert against new and emerging strains of COVID-19, especially in view of the upcoming festive season.

Mandaviya directed the officials to be fully geared up and strengthen the surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants through the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network to ensure timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country.

“This would facilitate the undertaking of appropriate public health measures. States/UTs have been requested to send samples of all COVID-19 positive cases to INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories (IGSLs) on a daily basis, for sequencing, to track new variants, if any,” the Health Minister said.

Meanwhile, Dr. VK Paul, Member, Niti Aayog, who was present at the meeting, said that only 27-28 percent of people have taken precautionary doses. He called upon people to wear masks in crowded places.

“We appeal to others, especially senior citizens, to take the precautionary dose. Use a mask if you are in a crowded space, indoors or outdoors. This is all the more important for people with comorbidities or those of higher age,” Dr. Paul said.

As a precautionary measure, the government has from Wednesday restarted random sampling of international passengers at airports across the country for COVID-19.

Today in the Parliament, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla wore a mask as the proceedings began. A few other MPs including Raghav Chadda, Sushil Gupta, and Minister of State for skill development Rajeev Chandrasekhar were also seen wearing masks in the wake of a sudden surge in Covid cases in China and other countries. Security, Visitors, and Personal Staff also wore masks. (ANI)

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