COVID Delhi

Covid Empowered Groups To Conduct Review Meet In Delhi

The COVID-empowered groups review meeting would be in Delhi at 4.30 pm on Wednesday, said official sources.

Dr. V K Paul, Director General Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Rajiv Bahl and other senior health officials will attend this meeting, added the official sources.
According to the sources, this is a review meeting to know the Covid-19 situation and preparedness in the country.

The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) will also attend the meeting.

A total of 4,435 fresh COVID-19 infections were reported across the country in the last 24 hours, a significant jump from Tuesday’s tally of 3038 cases, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Wednesday.

It is the highest single-day rise in the last nearly six months, the ministry said.

India’s active Covid caseload currently stands at 23,091 with a daily positivity rate of 3.38 per cent, the ministry said

The COVID-19 cases in India have seen an upward trend in the past few days with the daily fresh infections ranging between 2,994 on April 1 to 3,824 on April 2 and 3,641 on April 3 and 3038 on April 4.

With 2,508 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the total number of recoveries stands at 4,41,79, 712. India’s recovery rate currently is at 98.76 per cent, the union ministry further stated.

Under the Nationwide Vaccination Drive, India has so far administered 220.65 crore Covid vaccine doses of which 1,979 doses were administered in the last 24 hours.

The ministry further stated that the weekly positivity rate currently stands at 2.79 per cent.

In the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said that Omicron’s sub-variant which is circulating in the country has not led to an increase in hospitalisations and there is no need to worry.

“We need to remain alert but there is no need to worry. Currently, the sub-variant of Omicron which is circulating in the country hasn’t increased hospitalisations,” Mandaviya said.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued revised guidelines for Covid in the wake of the surge of cases in the past week across the country. (ANI)

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Voice of America (VOA) China

No Decision Yet To Stop Flights To-From China

Amid demand by Opposition parties to immediately stop all international flights from China, government sources said that there is no order issued by the central government to curb incoming flights from the country where a wave of Covid cases has been reported.

‘We don’t have any direct flights from China to India or from India to China but as of now, there is no such order issued to stop connecting flights to India which are arriving via China. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is an executing ministry, the final decision will come from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW),” government sources told ANI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to chair this afternoon a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation and its related aspects in the county.

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

According to the people aware of the matter, there are currently 10 different variants of Covid-19 in the country, with the latest being BF.7.

“Given the grave COVID-19 situation in China, the government must immediately ban all flights to and from China. Given the increase in the US, Japan, and South Korea as well as the potential for the emergence of a new lethal variant, India should think about restoring COVID-19 guidelines,” Congress leader Manish Tiwari had tweeted.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country and the preparedness of the public health system for surveillance, containment, and management of the pandemic.

He urged people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Also, after the meeting chaired by Mandaviya, Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog said that “there is no change with regard to aviation as of now.”

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday called on China to share the data requested by the world health body to better understand the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We continue to call on China to share the data and conduct the studies we have requested, and which we continue to request. As I have said many times before, all hypotheses about the origins of this pandemic remain on the table,” he added.

Tedros also expressed concern about the over the evolving situation in China, with increasing reports of severe disease.

“In order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground, WHO needs more detailed information on disease severity, hospital admissions and requirements for intensive care units support,” the WHO chief said. (ANI)

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