The Union Ministry of Health has advised Union states and territories to conduct more COVID-19 testing to track undetected and missing patients. In an order issued Friday, the Ministry recommended that they adopt an aggressive and widespread testing strategy for rapid detection of infection for effective tracing, containment and treatment.
The order comes a day after the Center swiftly dispatched high-level teams to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Manipur to visit the districts that reported large numbers of cases and to support those states’ control efforts.
You can track national and state coronavirus cases, deaths, and testing rates here. A list of State Help Line numbers is also available.
Here are the updates:
New Delhi
So far 13 crore of COVID-19 tests have been carried out, the cumulative positivity rate is constantly falling: Ministry of Health
The total number of tests performed in India for the detection of COVID-19 infection has crossed the 13 crore mark with the last crore performed in just 10 days, while the cumulative positivity rate remained low and continues on a trajectory. descending, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.
According to the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), as of November 20, more than 13.06 crore of samples have been analyzed and 10.66.022 have been analyzed on Friday.
The national cumulative positivity rate for COVID-19 has decreased to 6.93% to date, while the daily positivity rate on Friday was just 4.34%.
Higher test volumes eventually lead to a low positivity rate, the ministry said.
Gujarat
India Enters Crucial Phase in Fighting COVID-19; I can’t let my guard down: Mukesh Ambani
Reliance Industries President and CEO Mukesh Ambani said on Saturday that India has entered a crucial phase in its fight against coronavirus and cannot afford to let its guard down at this time.
He said that the bold reforms undertaken by the government will lead to a speedy recovery and rapid progress in the coming years.
Punjab, Delhi
Ready to help Delhi fight pandemic, says Amarinder Singh
Punjab’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Saturday that the state was ready to help Delhi manage its growing COVID-19 cases.
“Delhi is fighting a tough battle and we are there to help if necessary. I’ve said this before, too, ”he said. “While no one knows when the second wave of the epidemic will hit Punjab, the experience of the national capital region and other states shows that it is an almost certain eventuality.” He assured people that the government was taking all possible measures to deal with the situation.
He spoke after digitally launching 107 health and wellness centers to boost the health care infrastructure in the state and deliver health services to patients at its doorstep, in both rural and urban areas.
Uttar Pradesh
A quarter of Uttar Pradesh’s active COVID-19 cases are in eight NCR districts
The eight districts of Uttar Pradesh that are in the National Capital Region (NCR) account for more than 25% or a quarter of the state’s active COVID-19 cases and nearly 11% of the disease-related deaths. , according to official data.
The Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat and Shamli districts of Uttar Pradesh are part of the NCR, a larger region that also includes districts of Haryana, Rajasthan and all of Delhi.
New Delhi
Unilever to introduce mouthwash formula in India, claims to reduce 99.9% crown after rinsing
Unilever, a global consumer goods major, said on Saturday that it will bring its mouthwash formulation to India, which it claims will reduce 99.9% of the coronavirus after 30 seconds of rinsing.
“Unilever has confirmed that preliminary laboratory test results show that the mouthwash formulation containing CPC technology reduces 99.9% of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, after 30 seconds rinse, “the company said in a statement.
India
Private hospitals charge exorbitant fees; Abysmally Low Health Spending: Parliament Panel on COVID-19
Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases, inadequate beds in government hospitals and the absence of specific guidelines for treating COVID resulted in private hospitals charging exorbitant fees, a parliamentary panel said Saturday, stating that a sustainable pricing model could have prevented many deaths.
The president of the permanent parliamentary health commission, Ram Gopal Yadav, presented the report on the “Outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and its management” to the president of Rajya Sabha, M. Venkaiah Naidu.
This is the first report by any parliamentary committee on the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
World
Singapore and Hong Kong to forge ahead with air transport bubble
Singapore has said an air travel bubble with Hong Kong would proceed as planned on Sunday, but additional precautionary measures will be imposed as new coronavirus cases rise in the semi-autonomous global financial center ruled by China.
Flights will continue on Sunday with an additional COVID-19 test for travelers from Hong Kong. Channel News Asia reported on Saturday.
Singapore’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung told reporters that both cities were “still considered low risk.”
World
Recent Advances In COVID-19 Vaccines Offer A Ray Of Hope: UN Chief Guterres
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, described the recent progress towards the development of COVID-19 vaccines as a “ray of hope that must reach all and called on the G-20 nations to support global collaboration to accelerate the development of treatments and drugs for coronavirus.
This week, global drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech said their COVID-19 vaccine candidate is 95% effective, even in adults over 65.
“Recent advances in COVID-19 vaccines offer a ray of hope. But that ray of hope must reach everyone, ”Guterres told a news conference on Friday.
“That means ensuring that vaccines are treated as a global public good, accessible and affordable for everyone, everywhere. Vaccine of a people. This is not an exercise in “doing good.” It is the only way to stop the pandemic in its tracks, “he said.
Karnataka
COVID-19 testing approaching one crore in the state
Karnataka is poised to create another milestone in its pandemic control measures with testing for COVID-19 approaching the one crore mark. With 1,21,612 new samples tested in the last 24 hours, the total number of tests reached 99,81,137 on Friday.
This number includes 68,07,043 RT-PCR tests. With this, the cumulative test positivity rate (TPR) touched 8.71% on Friday. From an average of 80 tests per day in March, the state is now testing an average of more than one lakh of samples per day.
Gujarat
After Ahmedabad, night curfew was imposed on Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot
After imposing a weekend curfew in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat government decided on Friday to impose a night curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot, and authorities stepped up efforts to contain the cases. of COVID-19.
Chief Deputy Minister Nitin Patel, who also has the Health portfolio, told the media that the four main cities would observe the night curfew to break the transmission chain in a second wave that recorded the highest number of daily cases of 1,420 new cases on Friday.
Delhi
Delhi police collect ₹ 26 crore in fines for COVID-19
Delhi police have collected 26.72 million rupees in fines for people not wearing masks or following social distancing rules in public places from June 15 to November 19.
A total of 5.35,167 people have been fined for violating social distancing rules, not wearing masks or spitting in public places. The maximum number of offenders were those who were wandering in markets or traveling in cars without wearing a mask. A senior police officer clarified that people traveling alone in a car must also wear a mask, something that the Delhi High Court has also recently confirmed.
Karnataka
Private hospitals call for a single nodal agency to handle COVID-19 problems
Anticipating what is largely touted as a ‘second wave’ seen in many parts of the world, private hospitals and nursing homes are calling for a single nodal agency to streamline the management of COVID-19 at the state level. At present, there are too many agencies and departments with little coordination between them, they allege.
(With contributions from agencies)
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