Shops in Kerala malls have been permitted to open from August 11 on the same conditions stipulated for other outlets and after making all precautionary arrangements, the government said on August 7.
Thousands of people marched in Paris and other French cities on August 7 during a fourth consecutive week of protests against the COVID-19 health passes that everyone in the country will need shortly to enter cafes, trains and other venues.
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the latest updates:
Delhi recorded 1,858 black fungus cases so far; 686 active as on Aug 5: Health department
The national capital has so far recorded 1,858 mucormycosis (black fungus) cases, 686 of which were active as on August 5, the Delhi health department said on Sunday.
It said in a statement that the city has been allocated a total of 51,540 vials of Amphotericin-B for the treatment of the disease, out of which 42,960 vials "have been received and distributed to hospitals, and 8,080 vials are awaited".
"(The) Government of India has now discontinued the allocation and directed all State Governments to procure Amphotericin B Injection from the manufacturers directly as per their requirement," the statement said. - PTI
50 crore people already vaccinated in the country, says Nirmala Sitharaman
About 50 crore people in the country have been vaccinated and the vaccination programme is going in the right direction, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
She was addressing the press after visiting a vaccination centre in Chinna Waltair area in Visakhapatnam city on Sunday.
According to Ms. Sitharaman, by July end about 50 crore people in the country have received either the first dose or both the doses of COVID-19 vaccination. Now, the focus is on getting the rest inoculated, she said.
"Initially, we focused on the frontline workers and people above 45 years with or without co morbid conditions. And now the focus is on 18-plus age group and women with small children,” she said.
50 crore people already vaccinated in the country, says Nirmala Sitharaman
Covishield, Covaxin combination brings better immunogenicity than 2 doses of same vaccine: Study
A study by ICMR involving 98 people, 18 of whom had inadvertently received Covishield as first dose and Covaxin as the second in Uttar Pradesh, showed that combining these two COVID-19 vaccines elicited better immunogenicity than two doses of the same vaccine.
The study also found that immunisation with combination of Covishield and Covaxin was safe and the adverse effects were also found to be similar when compared to the same dose regimen.
"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which reports the effects of heterologous prime-boost vaccination with an adenovirus vectored vaccine followed by an inactivated whole virus vaccine," the researchers said.
Kerala enters a new phase of COVID-19 mitigation
Kerala has narrowed COVID-19-impelled weekend lockdown to Sunday alone.
It marks a new phase of pandemic management that strives to balance pestilence control and economic revival by restricting stringent regulations to hotspots. More relaxations are likely from August 11 even as the virus spread remained high in 266 wards spread across 52 local self-government jurisdictions.
The administration has imposed triple lockdown curbs on the high spread localities. Only essential services are allowed in the micro containment zones. Police have fenced off the hotspots and permitted entry and exit only through a single corridor.
Once lagging, Europe catches up to the US in vaccinations
Despite a sluggish start, the European Union's COVID-19 vaccination drive has caught up to that of the United States, where the slowdown of the country's once-vaunted campaign has contributed to the virus's deadly comeback.
In mid-February, less than 4 per cent of people living in the 27-nation EU were at least partially vaccinated against the coronavirus, compared with nearly 12 % in the US, according to Our World in Data, an online science publication connected to the University of Oxford.
Now the EU has surpassed the US by that same measure, with some 60 % of the bloc's residents receiving at least one dose, versus less than 58 per cent of Americans. - AP
In U-turn, Centre denies existence of panel to oversee supply of medical oxygen
The Centre has denied the very existence of a committee set up to oversee medical oxygen supply during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The statement comes just two weeks after it argued strenuously before the Central Information Commission (CIC) against disclosing information about this committee on the grounds of strategic interests, commercial confidences, intellectual property and Cabinet papers.
Last week, the CIC slammed the government’s rationale for a blanket denial of information as “far-fetched” and “unjustified”, and directed a response within 10 days.
Now, the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) says the committee does not even exist. On Friday, he claimed an “inadvertent error” due to an earlier “misreading” of the RTI application.
India records 39,070 new cases
With 39,070 people testing positive for coronavirus infection, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,19,34,455, while the death toll climbed to 4,27,862 with 491 fresh fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on August 8.
The active cases have declined to 4,06,822 and comprise 1.27% of the total infections and the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 97.39%, the data updated at 8 am showed.
U.K. eases travel restrictions for India
The U.K. on August 8 eased travel restrictions for India by moving the country from its "red" to "amber" list, which means fully vaccinated Indian passengers will no longer be subjected to a compulsory 10-day hotel quarantine on their arrival in Britain.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed that all arrivals from India who have been vaccinated in India, which is on the amber list as at 4 am local time on August 8, are required to isolate at home or their designated location mentioned on the compulsory locator form.
While the requirement for a compulsory 10-day self-isolation in a government-approved facility at an additional cost of 1,750 pounds per head will no longer apply, only travellers vaccinated in the U.K. or Europe would qualify for an exemption of the home quarantine requirement.
Many eateries stay open beyond permitted time in Chennai
While the COVID-19 restrictions stipulate that eateries can function only till 9 p.m., a number of them flout the rules by remaining open well beyond the deadline.
A visit by The Hindu showed that while a majority of eateries and all other shops closed at 9 p.m., a good number of them, particularly the small ones in interior roads and lanes, served customers till 11.30 p.m.
A few of the big restaurants on Anna Salai and Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar Road also remained open till late.
The violations were not observed across the city, including in Arumbakkam, Anna Nagar and Teynampet.
Opponents of virus certificates protest for 4th week
Thousands of people marched in Paris and other French cities Saturday during a fourth consecutive week of protests against the COVID-19 health passes that everyone in the country will need shortly to enter cafes, trains and other venues.
The demonstrations came two days after France's Constitutional Council upheld most provisions of a new law that expands the locations where health passes are needed to enter.
Starting Monday, the pass will be required in France to access cafes, restaurants, long-distance travel and, in some cases, hospitals. It was already in place for cultural and recreational venues, including cinemas, concert halls and theme parks with a capacity for more than 50 people.
Shops in malls in Kerala to open from August 11: Govt
Shops in malls have been permitted to open from August 11 on the same conditions stipulated for other outlets and after making all precautionary arrangements, the Kerala government said on August 7.
In an order issued by the Disaster Management department of the state, persons have to be deployed at all entry points of malls to ensure COVID-19 protocols, like wearing of masks, use of hand sanitisers, temperature checks and social distancing, and other conditions are strictly followed before people enter the shops.
The present order is in addition to the one issued on August 4 permitting opening of shops, markets, banks, offices, financial institutions, factories, industrial establishments, open tourist spaces and other establishments six days in a week from Monday to Saturday.
