Modi's Covid-19 meet with CMs highlights: Punjab CM urges Centre to review immunisation strategy

Amid rising coronavirus cases in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday urged the Centre to review its Covid-19 immunisation strategy and vaccinate all age groups in selected areas.

During a virtual interaction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with chief ministers over the pandemic situation and the ongoing vaccination drive, Singh sought occupation-based immunisation.

. India needs to take quick and decisive steps soon to stop an emerging second "peak" of Covid-19 infections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday.

. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday directed the state government to focus on three districts— Bengaluru Urban, Kalaburagi, Bidar and chalk out separate action plans to contain the rising Covid-19 cases and prevent the possible surge of second wave in Karnataka.

In a video conference with all the states’ CMs, Modi directed the state government to scale up testing and vaccination drive across the state. According to CM Yediyurappa, Bengaluru alone reported a positivity rate of 1.65% in the last three days.

CM Yediyurappa revealed that the PM has directed the state government to strictly enforce the Covid rules in all places especially the public gatherings. - DHNS

. It is a matter of contemplation that why is there less testing in some areas. Why is there less vaccination in these areas? I think it's a time of test for good governance. Our confidence should not turn into overconfidence. Our success should not turn into negligence: PM Modi

. States request more vaccine doses for those above 45: media reports

. Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati called for providing coronavirus vaccine to the poor free of charge, ahead of a meeting between the prime minister and chief ministers on the pandemic situation and the ongoing inoculation drive on Wednesday.

In a tweet in Hindi, Mayawati said that if the coronavirus vaccination is expedited by the central and state governments as a national policy, it would be better. "The BSP once again appeals to the Centre and state governments to make the vaccine free for families of poor," she said in another tweet. -PTI

. Millions of people in dozens of countries have received the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine with few reports of ill effects, and its prior testing in tens of thousands of people found it to be safe.

. Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu continue to report a high number of daily Covid-19 cases, accounting for 71.10 per centof the 28,903 new infections, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

. Odisha's Covid-19 caseload on Wednesday mounted to 3,38,405 after 82 more people tested positive for the infection, a health department official said.

The new cases were detected in 20 of the state's 30 districts, with 48 reported from different quarantine centres and the remaining 34 local contact cases.

Mayurbhanj district recorded the highest of 11 new cases followed by Khurda (9), Bargarh and Sundergarh (7 each).

Odisha's coronavirus death toll remained at 1,918 as no fresh fatality was reported since March 13, he said. - PTI

. With the addition of 1,271 new cases of coronavirus, the tally in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district has gone up to 60,100, an official said on Wednesday.

Besides these new cases reported on Tuesday, seven more people also succumbed to the viral infection, raising the death toll in the district to 1,351, he said.

So far, 52,073 people have recovered from the infection, while there are 6,676 active Covid-19 cases in the district at present, he said. - PTI

. Governance has never been Mamata Banerjee’s priority. She has always chosen confrontation over co-operation with the Center, and that has kept West Bengal back! How could a Chief Minister not make time to discuss Corona pandemic and vaccine related issues! Skewed priorities? - Amit Malviya.

. A total of 5.94 crore doses of Indian-made Covid-19 vaccine has been exported to 72 countries till March 15 but it is in no way being sent at the expense of the people of India, Health Minister Harvardhan informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

. The Odisha government has urged the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct the All- India NEET UG 2021 examinations in all the 30 districts of the state instead of selected seven cities.

The request was made by Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, P K Mohapatra in view of the Covid-19 pandemic situation still prevailing in the state.

. Thane has added 1,359 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 2,78,928, an official said on Wednesday.

The virus also claimed the lives of six more persons, pushing the death toll in the district to 6,349, he said.

. A 73-year woman who was administered a Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday afternoon died two hours after receiving the jab.

. The cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 3.48 crore with 19,11,913 people inoculated on Tuesday till 7 pm, the Union health ministry said.

The beneficiaries include 75,01,590 healthcare workers (HCWs) who were given the first dose, 45,40,776 HCWs who received the second dose, 75,91,670 frontline workers (FLWs) who were administered the first dose and 16,28,096 FLWs who got the second dose.

. 15 states/UTs have not reported any Covid-19 deaths in last 24 hours. These are Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu, Nagaland, Tripura, Ladakh, Manipur, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Arunachal Pradesh: Health Ministry. - ANI

. Karnataka hasvaccinated12% of itsfrontlineworkerswith theseconddoseof thevaccine. Districtslike Mandya, Ramanagar, Davanagere, Chikkaballapur and Dharwad have given theseconddoseto 3.1%, 3%, 4.8%, 5.7%, and 5.9% respectively.

The district health officials said not only those who have completed a 28-day period after the firstdosebut also those who have completed 42 days after the firstdose are eligible and hence, have time to get theseconddose.

. The Punjab School Education Board on Monday announced the postponement of the final exams of classes 10 and 12 by about a month in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases in the state.

The exams of class 10 will now start from May 4 instead of April 9, the date which was earlier scheduled, according to a statement issued by the PSEB.

. More cities continue to come under restrictions in Maharashtra as the February-March surge in Covid-19 cases threatens to disrupt the normalcy like the previous year.

In India’s worst-affected district of Pune, the government decided to shut schools till March 31 and shut hotels, restaurants, and bars after 10 pm even as the night-restrictions will continue.

. The number of Covid-19 cases in Pune district increased by 3,574 in the last 24 hours to reach 4,43,822, an official said on Tuesday.

The toll rose by 12 during the period to touch 9,440, while 677 people got discharged, he said.

Areas under Pune Municipal Corporation accounted for 1,925 of the new cases, while Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation saw 894 cases and the rest were in rural and cantonment areas, he added.

The district's caseload comprises 2,21,210 cases in Pune city, 1,15,648 in Pimpri Chinchwad and 1,06,964 in rural and cantonment areas, the official said. - PTI.

. In view of a surge in coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh, the state government announced night curfew in Bhopal and Indore city areas from Wednesday, an official said.

. With Maharashtra reporting a171 per centjump in Covid-19 cases in the last month, the Union Health Ministry has asked the state administration to give a big boost to surveillance and contact tracing besides accelerating the vaccination drive with a special focus on the eight most affected districts.

. A 33-year-old man, currently admitted at LNJP Hospital here, has become the first confirmed case of Covid-19 caused by the South Africa variant of the novel coronavirus in Delhi, sources said on Tuesday.

. With Covid-19 cases surging in the state, hopes of herd immunity are waning even as fears of reinfection are growing. On top of this, the government's surveillance systems have collapsed.

"The problem is acute in Bengaluru," said Munish Moudgil, Director of the State Covid War Room.

. A week-long lockdown with strict curbs came into force in Nagpur on Monday to contain the rise in Covid-19 cases and officials warned of stern action against those violating the protocols here in Maharashtra.

. For the first time in three months, Karnataka on Tuesday reported 1,135 cases of Covid-19 infection, with Bengaluru alone adding 710 new cases.

The last time Karnataka saw the numbers crossing the 1,000 mark was on December 25, when the state reported 1,005 Covid-19 cases.

. Congress on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Modi's government for exporting nearly twice the number of coronavirus vaccine doses than immunisations conducted at home, despite a surge in infections.

. In a massive clampdown, the Maharashtra government on Monday night asked all officesin the state to compulsorily run with only 50 per cent attendance except for health and essential services.

. Total cases: 1,14,38,734

Total recoveries: 1,10,45,284

Active cases: 2,34,406

Death toll: 1,59,044

. India on Wednesday saw a spike of28,903 Covid-19 infections, the highest since December 12, 2020, taking the nation'scase tally to 1,14,38,734, according to the latest Union Health Ministry data.

. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet all chief ministers on Wednesday amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in several states, forcing them to impose restrictions on movement of people to check further spread of the virus.

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