COVID-19 Archives - The Gulf Indians

Over 130 foreign students sue US Govt over abrupt visa revocations

The Gulf Indians — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 06:02:22 +0000

WASHINGTON : The legal action, initially filed by 17 students in Georgia on April 11, has since drawn 116 more students from various universities nationwide. The lawsuit claims that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency illegally terminated students’ status in the government-run Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), without clear reasons or due process.

The revocations, according to court documents, have left many scrambling to understand why their legal status was canceled, with no prior warning. The complaint, which avoids naming the students due to fear of retaliation, paints a picture of arbitrary enforcement. Each plaintiff offers a possible explanation for their targeting—ranging from minor traffic violations to dismissed criminal charges.
One example cited is a Chinese doctoral student at Georgia Tech, who was informed of his visa revocation after an unspecified criminal records check, possibly linked to a closed traffic offense. Another case involves an Indian student at the New York Institute of Technology, who had been acquitted in a shoplifting case that was dismissed, yet still faced visa cancellation.
The lawsuit names high-profile federal officials as defendants, including US Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons. It calls for the reinstatement of the students’ visas and criticizes the broader immigration crackdown under the Trump administration that has increasingly targeted foreign students.

The post Over 130 foreign students sue US Govt over abrupt visa revocations appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Active Covid cases decline in country

The Gulf Indians — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 04:27:32 +0000

A decrease of 2,335 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours

New Delhi: India logged 20,409 new coronavirus infections pushing the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,39,79,730, while the active cases declined to 1,43,988, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

The death toll climbed to 5,26,258 with 32 new fatalities

The active cases comprise 0.33 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.48 per cent, the ministry said.

A decrease of 2,335 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed the four-crore mark on January 25 this year.

The post Active Covid cases decline in country appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Japan struggles with record-setting seventh wave of Coronavirus

The Gulf Indians — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 10:12:57 +0000

After some short-lived optimism that the worst of the Covid pandemic might be over, health experts are warning that the peak of the seventh wave has yet to arrive.

Tokyo: Just a few short weeks ago, coronavirus infections in Japan were hovering around the 10,000-cases-a-day level, and there was optimism across the nation that the worst of the health crisis was over and that the summer holidays would be more carefree than the last two years.

As it has done in the past, however, the virus has mutated and caused a spike in infections. On Saturday, authorities recorded a record 200,975 new cases.

Health experts say the seventh wave to wash over Japan is of the highly transmissible BA.5 omicron sub-variant of the virus, with 17 of the nation’s 47 prefectures reporting record-high case loads.

On Monday, officials confirmed that there have been a total of 11.39 million confirmed cases in Japan, a nation of 125.8 million, and 31,902 fatalities.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called for “maximum caution” among the public, but his government has stated that there are no plans at present to reintroduce the states of emergency that punctuated the first two years of the outbreak in Japan.

With the lethality of the virus declining since the earliest months of the crisis, the government is trying to balance public health concerns with the need to get the national economy back on track.

The post Japan struggles with record-setting seventh wave of Coronavirus appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Kerala following COVID protocol, contrary statements by Centre ‘unfortunate’: Health Minister

The Gulf Indians — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 09:51:49 +0000

Preventive measures, like wearing of face masks, use of sanitisers, washing of hands with soap and maintaining social distancing, were the same for COVID-19 and monkeypox in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is continuing to strictly follow all COVID-19 protocols and the reporting of monkeypox has not led to any slack in the preventive measures against the pandemic, state Health Minister Veena George said

Any remarks to the contrary by the Centre were “unfortunate” and political in nature, she said.

The minister said preventive measures, like wearing of face masks, use of sanitisers, washing of hands with soap and maintaining social distancing, were the same for COVID-19 and monkeypox and therefore, there have been no slack in them.

Speaking to reporters here, George said it was unfortunate if the central government was saying that the state was not adhering to COVID-19 protocols due to the reporting of monkeypox cases.

“It is unfortunate if the Centre is making such political statements,” she said in response to a query by reporters regarding the Centre having allegedly said that Kerala was not properly following COVID-19 protocols after the monkeypox cases were reported.

She reiterated that the state was strictly following the COVID-19 protocols and preventive measures.

Till July 24, Kerala has recorded a total of 67,10,792 COVID-19 cases with 1,700 fresh cases being reported on Sunday according to data on the state government’s COVID dashboard.

The state has also reported 70,394 deaths till Sunday and the active cases till then in Kerala were — 17,992, according to the data.

The post Kerala following COVID protocol, contrary statements by Centre ‘unfortunate’: Health Minister appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Active Covid cases in country rise to 1,32,457

The Gulf Indians — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 09:49:10 +0000

The death toll climbed to 5,25,519 with 45 new fatalities.

New Delhi:India logged 16,906 new coronavirus infections pushing the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,36,69,850, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The death toll climbed to 5,25,519 with 45 new fatalities.

The active Covid cases have increased to 1,32,457. The active cases comprise 0.30 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.49 per cent, the ministry said.

An increase of 1,414 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed the four-crore mark on January 25 this year.

The post Active Covid cases in country rise to 1,32,457 appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

India records 18,840 Covid cases, 43 deaths in a day; active case count up by 2,693

The Gulf Indians — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 13:02:33 +0000

The death toll has climbed to 5,25,386 with 43 more people succumbing to the viral disease, the data updated at 8 am stated

New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 18,840 in a day to reach 4,36,04,394 while the number of active cases increased to 1,25,028, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday

The death toll has climbed to 5,25,386 with 43 more people succumbing to the viral disease, the data updated at 8 am stated

The active case count increased by 2,693 in a day and now comprises 0.29 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.51 per cent, the health ministry said

The daily positivity rate was 4.14 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 4.09 per cent, according to the health ministry

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,29,53,980, while the case fatality rate was 1.20 per cent

According to the ministry, 198.65 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far

India’s COVID-19 case tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020; 30 lakh on August 23; 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11; 80 lakh on October 29, and 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed one crore on December 19

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid infections on May 4, three crore on June 23 last year and four crore on January 25 this year

The 43new fatalities include 19 from Kerala, seven from Maharashtra, three each from Delhi and West Bengal, two each from Assam and Uttar Pradesh and one each from Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim and Uttarakhand

A total of 5,25,386 deaths have been reported so far in the country including??1,47,971?from Maharashtra, 70,108 from Kerala, 40,123 from Karnataka, 38,028 from Tamil Nadu, 26,280 from Delhi, 23,547 from Uttar Pradesh and 21,236 from West Bengal

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and?reconciliation.

The post India records 18,840 Covid cases, 43 deaths in a day; active case count up by 2,693 appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Active Covid cases in country rise to 1,13,864

The Gulf Indians — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 05:37:36 +0000

An increase of 2,153 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

New Delhi: India logged 16,135 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,35,18,564, while the active cases increased to 1,13,864, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

The death toll climbed to 5,25,223 with 24 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 0.26 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.54 per cent, the ministry said.

An increase of 2,153 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

A total of 3,32,978 samples were tested on Sunday, taking cumulative samples tested till date to 86,39,99,907.

A total of 1,97,98,21,197 vaccination jabs have given till now.

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed four crore on January 25 this year.

The 24 new fatalities include nine from Kerala, six from Maharashtra, five from Delhi and three from West Bengal.

A total of 5,25,223 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,47,940 from Maharashtra, 70,046 from Kerala, 40,119 from Karnataka, 38,026 from Tamil Nadu, 26,271 from Delhi, 23,540 from Uttar Pradesh and 21,225 from West Bengal.

The ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

The post Active Covid cases in country rise to 1,13,864 appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

India sees 45% jump in a day with 17,073 new Covid cases

The Gulf Indians — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 10:02:53 +0000

Covid cases in India June 27, 2022: The active cases in the country have climbed to 94,420 and constitute 0.21% of the total cases. Monday’s cases have seen a 45% jump from Sunday when 11,739 people tested positive for Covid.

New Delhi: India’s daily Covid tally surged again on Monday as 17,073 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, pushing the overall cases to 4,34,07,046, according to the health ministry dashboard. Twenty-one more patients died and 15,208 recovered from the virus in the last 24 hours. With this, the cumulative count of deaths and recoveries stands at 5,25,020 and 4,27,87,606. The active cases in the country have climbed to 94,420 and constitute 0.21% of the total cases. Monday’s cases have seen a 45% jump from Sunday when 11,739 people tested positive for Covid. On the other hand, 25 deaths and 10,917 recoveries were reported on this day.

Maharashtra saw a huge rise in tally with 6,493 fresh infections reported. The state has the highest overall cases in the country. (over 79 lakh).Delhi saw yet another jump in cases with 1,891 cases recorded on Sunday as compared to 666 infections recorded a day before. Kerala has been another state where the rise in cases has been worrying.India’s overall Covid recovery rate in India stands at 98.57%, the Union health ministry said on Monday.

The daily and weekly positivity rates stand at 5.62% and 3.39% respectively, the ministry added.The overall vaccination coverage in India has exceeded 197.11 crore with 2,49,646 doses administered to eligible beneficiaries in the last 24 hours.Of the total doses administered, over 4.41 crore beneficiaries have been inoculated with the precautionary dose. The health ministry also said on Monday that 193.53 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states and Union Territories (UTs) through the Centre’s free-of-cost channel and direct state procurement category. Nearly 12 crore doses balance and unutilised doses are still available with the States and UTs to be administered.

The post India sees 45% jump in a day with 17,073 new Covid cases appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

India adds 12,249 coronavirus infections, 13 deaths; active cases up by over 2300

The Gulf Indians — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 11:08:42 +0000

The latest updates pushed the country’s overall Covid numbers to 4,33,31,645 cases, 5,24,903 deaths and 81,687 active cases

New Delhi: India reported 12,249 new coronavirus infections and 13 deaths, while active cases went up by over 2,300 in a 24-hour span, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The latest updates pushed the country’s overall Covid numbers to 4,33,31,645 cases, 5,24,903 deaths and 81,687 active cases, the data released at 8 am showed.

The number of active cases rose by 2,374 from Tuesday to stand at 81,687, and now constitute 0.19 per cent of the total infections, the ministry said.

The country’s COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.60 per cent as the number of people who have recuperated from the disease increased to 4,27,25,055. The case fatality rate was recorded at 1.21 per cent.

According to the ministry, 196.45 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020. It surpassed the grim milestone of four crore cases on January 25 this year.

The 13 new fatalities include eight from Kerala and one each from Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

The post India adds 12,249 coronavirus infections, 13 deaths; active cases up by over 2300 appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Two doses of Covishield protected patients above 45 from Delta, says new study

The Gulf Indians — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 09:44:47 +0000

Researchers recommend linkages between disease surveillance and vaccination databases to enable in-depth, real time analysis of vaccine effectiveness

Pune: A new study by the National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai and National Institute of Virology, Pune has demonstrated how two doses of Covishield (ChAdOx1) vaccine have been effective against the Delta variant among the general population of Chennai.

“Our primary objective was to understand the protective effect of Covid-19 vaccines irrespective of the severity of the disease in the general population. Two doses of Covishield effectively protected the population above 45 years from Covid-19 infection,” the study researchers have said.

The study, titled “Effectiveness of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Coronavirus Vaccine (CovishieldTM) in Preventing SARS-CoV2 Infection, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 2021,” and published in Vaccines (June 17 ,2022), supports that a high vaccination coverage with two doses should be ensured to maintain immunity against Covid-19 infection. “The study included all sections of the population, hence generating data closer to a real-world setting,” Dr Prabhdeep Kaur , senior scientist at NIE and principal investigator of the study, told The Indian Express.

“It was challenging to develop a community cohort in a pandemic setting due to the high burden on healthcare workers in the field, apprehensions among the population and poor linkages between disease and vaccination data. Our study reiterates the protective effect of vaccines against RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection as reported in three other studies from India,” Dr Kaur said.

The community-based cohort study in Chennai was conducted during the declining phase of the second wave (June–September 2021) of Covid-19 in Chennai. The vaccination coverage among the eligible population (18+) was picking up rapidly and by May 22, 2021, about 20 per cent of individuals ≥45 years received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. The study’s estimated sample size was 10,232. Researchers enrolled 69,435 individuals, of which 21,793 were above 45 years.

The two-dose coverage of Covishield in the 18+ and 45+ age group was 18 per cent and 31 per cent, respectively. Genomic analysis of 74 out of the 90 aliquots collected from the 303 Covid-19 positive individuals in the 45+ age group showed Delta variants and their sub-lineages. The vaccine’s effectiveness against Covid-19 disease in the ≥45 age group was 61.3 per cent at least two weeks after receiving the second dose of Covishield.

“Our study findings support the hypothesis that two doses of the Covishield (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine protected the adult population from Covid-19 infection in Chennai. We may require similar VE studies at the population level in the context of changing variants and newer vaccines and boosters,” Dr Kaur noted.

The disease surveillance (including hospitalisation) and vaccination programme databases are currently unlinked, limiting the opportunities for systematic periodic analysis of vaccine effectiveness. Effective linkages between databases help countries such as the United Kingdom report real-time vaccine effectiveness analyses, the study has said. Researchers have strongly recommended linkages between the disease surveillance and vaccination databases at the national and state levels to enable regular, in-depth, real-time analysis of vaccine effectiveness.

The post Two doses of Covishield protected patients above 45 from Delta, says new study appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin safe, highly immunogenic in children aged 2-18: Lancet study

The Gulf Indians — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 09:29:29 +0000

In a statement, Dr Krishna Ella, chairman and MD of Bharat Biotech, said “We have now achieved our goal of developing a safe and efficacious Covid-19 vaccine for adults and children, for primary immunization and booster doses, making Covaxin a universal vaccine.”

Covaxin (BBV152) was well tolerated in children aged 2-18 years and induced higher neutralising antibody responses than those observed in adults in whom its efficacy (ie, the prevention or decrease in severity of Covid-19 infection) has been demonstrated. Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), on Friday announced that BBV152 (Covaxin), its whole-virion inactivated Covid-19 vaccine candidate, has proven to be safe, well-tolerated, and highly immunogenic in paediatric subjects in phase II/III study.

The study was published online in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, a peer-reviewed high-impact journal, on June 16.

Bharat Biotech had conducted phase II/III, open-label, and multicentre study to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of Covaxin in healthy children and adolescents in the 2-18 age group. The clinical trial conducted in the paediatric population between June 2021 to September 2021 has shown safety, less reactogenicity and robust immunogenicity.

The data was submitted to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) during October 2021 and received a nod for emergency use in children aged 6-18 years.

Dr Krishna Ella, chairman and managing director of Bharat Biotech, said in a statement issued on Friday: “Safety of the vaccine is critical for children and we are glad to share that Covaxin has now proven data for safety and immunogenicity in children. We have now achieved our goal of developing a safe and efficacious Covid-19 vaccine for adults and children, for primary immunization and booster doses, making Covaxin a universal vaccine. It has proven to be a highly safe vaccine based on data from more than 50 million doses administered to children in India. Vaccines are a great preventive tool; the power of vaccines can only be harnessed if used prophylactically.”

No serious adverse event was reported in the study. A total of 374 adverse events were reported, and the majority of them were mild in nature and resolved within a day. Pain at the injection site was the most commonly reported adverse event.

Covaxin is a ready-to-use liquid vaccine, stored at 2-8°C, with a shelf life of 12 months and a multi-dose vial policy.

Whole-virion inactivated vaccines have proven to be safe, tolerable with a safety record of several decades. Several paediatric vaccines manufactured using this platform are utilized in routine immunization for primary immunization and booster doses. Several flu vaccines also utilize this manufacturing platform technology, which is safe and effective for repeated annual immunization doses and boosters.

The post Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin safe, highly immunogenic in children aged 2-18: Lancet study appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Beijing warns of ‘explosive’ COVID outbreak as Shanghai begins mass testing

The Gulf Indians — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 14:52:55 +0000

While China’s infection rate is low by global standards, President Xi Jinping has doubled down on a zero-COVID policy that authorities say is needed to protect the elderly and the medical system, even as other countries try to live with the virus

Beijing :China’s capital Beijing is facing an “explosive” COVID-19 outbreak connected to a bar, a government spokesman warned on Saturday, as the commercial hub of Shanghai began mass testing to contain a jump in cases tied to a popular beauty salon.

The warning followed a renewed tightening of COVID curbs in Beijing since Thursday, with at least two districts – including its most populous, Chaoyang – closing certain entertainment venues after a flare-up in a busy neighbourhood known for its nightlife, shopping and streets of embassies.

While China’s infection rate is low by global standards, President Xi Jinping has doubled down on a zero-COVID policy that authorities say is needed to protect the elderly and the medical system, even as other countries try to live with the virus. So far the country of 1.4 billion has seen a total of just 5,226 fatalities.

The post Beijing warns of ‘explosive’ COVID outbreak as Shanghai begins mass testing appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

India reduces gap between second Covid shot, booster dose for those travelling abroad

The Gulf Indians — Thu, 12 May 2022 11:14:33 +0000

With Thursday’s decision, Indians travelling abroad don’t need to wait for nine months after the administration of the second dose to access the precautionary dose.

New Delhi: Indian citizens and students travelling abroad can soon take the third precautionary dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 as per the travel guidelines of the destination country, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced Thursday.

“Indian citizens & students travelling overseas can now take the precaution dose as required by the guidelines of the destination country. This new facility will be available soon on the CoWIN portal,” tweeted Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

At present, in India, the third precaution dose of Covid-19 vaccines has been made available to the 18+ population groups at private vaccination centres. However, according to the current guidelines, only those adults who have completed nine months after the administration of the second dose would be eligible for the precaution dose.

However, with Thursday’s decision, Indians travelling abroad don’t need to wait for nine months after the administration of the second dose to access the precautionary dose.

According to the official data, 12.21 lakh in the 18-59 age group have received the precautionary dose available at the private vaccination centres. Also, the country administered 2.89 crore precautionary doses to the priority groups—frontline workers, healthcare workers, and the elderly population above the age of 60 years. The precautionary dose for the priority group is available for free at the government vaccination centres.

The post India reduces gap between second Covid shot, booster dose for those travelling abroad appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Speakers at health conference object to WHO report on Covid deaths in India

The Gulf Indians — Fri, 06 May 2022 13:41:14 +0000

According to the report, there were 4.7 million Covid deaths in India — 10 times the official figures and almost a third of Covid deaths globally.

KEVADIA: The ongoing 14th conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) strongly objected to a WHO report estimating 4.7 million (47 lakh) Covid-related fatalities in India as baseless and devoid of facts, sources said.

In its report released on Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that nearly 15 million people were killed either by the coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems in the past two years, more than double the official death toll of six million

Most of the fatalities were in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas.

According to the report, there were 4.7 million Covid deaths in India — 10 times the official figures and almost a third of Covid deaths globally.

The three-day conference of the CCHFW, an apex advisory body of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), began here on Thursday.

It is being chaired by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

Around 20 health ministers and representatives of some states are attending it.

The Union health ministry on Thursday strongly objected to the use of mathematical models by the WHO for projecting excess mortality estimates linked to the coronavirus pandemic in view of the availability of authentic data, saying validity and robustness of the models used and methodology of data collection are questionable.

India is likely to raise the issue at the World Health Assembly and required multilateral forums, sources in the ministry said.

India has been consistently objecting to the methodology adopted by the WHO to project excess mortality estimates based on mathematical models, the ministry said in a statement.

“Despite India’s objection to the process, methodology and outcome of this modelling exercise, WHO has released the excess mortality estimates without adequately addressing India’s concerns,” it said.

India had also informed the WHO that in view of the availability of authentic data published through the Civil Registration System (CRS) by the Registrar General of India (RGI), mathematical models should not be used for projecting excess mortality numbers for India.

“India firmly believes that such robust and accurate data generated through Legal Framework of a Member State must be respected, accepted and used by WHO rather than relying on less than accurate mathematical projection based on non-official sources of data,” the statement added.

The post Speakers at health conference object to WHO report on Covid deaths in India appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

No One Can be Forced to Get Vaccinated: Supreme Court

The Gulf Indians — Mon, 02 May 2022 14:37:36 +0000

Covid-19 Vaccination: Restrictions imposed on individuals through vaccine mandates cannot be called to be proportionate, the court said.

New Delhi: No one can be forced to take the vaccine, the Supreme Court said today in a landmark decision on India’s Covid vaccine policy, also directing the central government to publish reports on the adverse effects of vaccination.”Bodily integrity is protected under the law and nobody can be forced to be vaccinated,” the Supreme Court said. The court asserted, however, that “certain limitations on individual rights” could be imposed in the interest of community health.

“Barring Covid-appropriate behaviour, we suggest no curbs on unvaccinated individuals in access to public places, services and resources if cases are low,” the Supreme Court said.

Restrictions imposed on individuals through vaccine mandates cannot be called to be proportionate, the court said – a refence to many states making it essential for people to get the Covid shot to access public places. “Till infection numbers are low we suggest that no restriction is imposed on individuals on access to public places, services and resources. Recall the same if already done,” the Supreme Court ordered.

Supreme Court Justices LN Rao and BR Gavai added that their directives did not extend to Covid-appropriate behaviour, but was limited to vaccines in the “rapidly evolving situation”.

The Supreme Court also directed the Centre to publish reports on adverse events of vaccines from people and doctors on a publicly accessible system, without compromising the details of the individuals reporting them.

“Regarding segregation of vaccine trial data, subject to the privacy of individuals, all trials already conducted and to be subsequently conducted, all data must be made available to the public without further delay,” the court said.

“Regarding vaccine for children, it is not possible for us to second guess the opinion of experts and the vaccination indeed follows the global standards and practices. However, data of adverse reactions should be published at the earliest.”

AGI), had argued that states mandating vaccination for accessing benefits or services is a violation of citizens’ rights, and therefore, unconstitutional. Many states, said the petition, had made vaccines necessary for state government employees, for travel in public transport and to access subsidised food grains.

The petition called for clinical trial data of Covid vaccines to be made public and alleged that vaccines being administered had not been adequately tested for safety or efficacy and were licensed under emergency use authorisation without trial data being disclosed to the public.

The Centre had argued in court that the petition was “against national interest” and would create vaccine hesitancy. It had also said vaccination is voluntary but states had enforced mandates “based on potential hazards”.

Vaccine makers like Adar Poonwalla’s Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech had told the court that all trial data was already in the public domain. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh defended their vaccine mandates, calling them essential for the safety of every person, especially those using public spaces and transport.

The post No One Can be Forced to Get Vaccinated: Supreme Court appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

China Covid-19 surge: Beijing tightens curbs

The Gulf Indians — Sun, 01 May 2022 09:51:48 +0000

All restaurants in Beijing are closed to dine-in customers from Sunday through the end of the holiday on Wednesday, to stem the transmission of the coronavirus.

Beijing: Many Chinese are marking a quiet May Day holiday this year as the government’s zero-COVID approach restricts travel and enforces lockdowns in multiple cities.

All restaurants in Beijing are closed to dine-in customers from Sunday through the end of the holiday on Wednesday, open only for takeout and delivery. Parks and tourist attractions in the Chinese capital are limited to 50% of their capacity. The Universal Studios theme park in Beijing, which opened last year, said it had shut down temporarily.

The pandemic situation varies across the vast nation of 1.4 billion people, but the Transport Ministry said last week that it expected 100 million trips to be taken from Saturday to Wednesday, which would be down 60% from last year. Many of those who are travelling are staying within their province as local governments discourage or restrict cross-border travel to try to keep out new infections.

China is sticking to a strict zero-COVID policy even as many other countries are easing restrictions and seeing if they can live with the virus. Much of Shanghai “China’s largest city and a finance, manufacturing and shipping hub” remains locked down, disrupting people’s lives and dealing a blow to the economy.

The post China Covid-19 surge: Beijing tightens curbs appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Vaccinating children a priority, Covid-appropriate behaviour in public places must, says Indian PM Modi

The Gulf Indians — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 09:19:24 +0000

86% of India’s adult population fully vaccinated against Covid,

Interacting with the chief ministers of several states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday warned that the “Covid challenge” has not yet been surpassed. “Despite managing the Covid crisis well as compared to other countries, we can see an uptick in cases in states now. We have to stay alert,” Modi said. He added that administering vaccine to every eligible child at the earliest is our priority, while stressing the need to ensure Covid-appropriate behaviour in public places.

The review meeting was attended by several chief ministers including West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, Chhattisgarh’s Bhupesh Baghel and Punjab’s Bhagwant Mann.

India reported 2,927 new coronavirus cases — up from the previous day’s 2,483 — as of 8 am Wednesday, according to the Union Health Ministry. The active cases in India climbed to 16,279 from 15,636. The country also reported 32 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Tuesday granted emergency use authorisation to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for the age group 6-12 years and Corbevax for the age group 5-12 years. Zydus Cadila’s two-dose Covid-19 vaccine, meanwhile, has been approved for the 12 years and above population.

Amid a spike in Covid-19 cases across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday told chief ministers of several states that administering vaccines to every eligible child at the earliest was a priority .He warned, “It’s clear that the Covid challenge has yet not been surpassed.”

The post Vaccinating children a priority, Covid-appropriate behaviour in public places must, says Indian PM Modi appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Covaxin Cleared for 6-12 Age Group, Corbevax for 5-12-Year-Olds

The Gulf Indians — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 11:04:29 +0000

The DCGI also granted emergency use authorisation to Corbevax for children between the age of 5-12 years

New Delhi:

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) today gave emergency use authorisation to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children between the age group of 6-12 amid an uptick in the Covid cases in schools.

The approval by the DCGI comes following recommendations by the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on Covid-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation(CDSCO).

The DCGI has directed the vaccine maker to submit the safety data, including the data on the adverse events, with due analysis every 15 days for the first two months. Thereafter, Bharat Biotech has been asked to submit the data monthly for up to 5 months.

Covaxin was granted Emergency Use Listing (EUL) by the DCGI for the age group of 12 to 18 years on December 24, 2021. It’s currently being administered to those in the 15-18 age group.

The DCGI has also granted emergency use authorisation to Corbevax for children between the age of 5-12 years. The vaccine is currently being administered to those in the age group of 12-14.

The post Covaxin Cleared for 6-12 Age Group, Corbevax for 5-12-Year-Olds appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

India records 2,483 new infections, active cases dip to 15,636

The Gulf Indians — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 06:36:26 +0000

Delhi reported an increase in positivity rate on Monday at 6.42 per cent, up from the previous day’s 4.48 per cent.

New Delhi

ndia recorded 2,483 new Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours ending 8 am Tuesday — slightly lower than the previous day’s 2,541 cases. The active cases also dipped from 16,522 to 15,636, while the positivity rate declined to 0.55 per cent.

The country also reported 1,399 Covid-related deaths. Of these, 1,347 were reported from Assam to reflect the number of Covid-positive patients who died due to other reasons, the Union Ministry of Health said. The state reported zero Covid-related deaths in the last 24 hours, it added. Similarly, the 47 deaths reported in Kerala were based on reconciled figures.

On Monday, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh issued fresh guidelines, making masks mandatory again in public places. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin told the district collectors to ensure people wore masks in public places and vaccination coverage was stepped up. Kerala Health Minister Veena George, however, said there was no need for any concern. “…but we will continue to remain vigilant since other states are reporting an increase in the number of cases. Instructions have been issued to closely monitor the situation,” George added.

The post India records 2,483 new infections, active cases dip to 15,636 appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

At Delhi’s current R-value, every COVID-positive person infects two others: IIT Madras

The Gulf Indians — Sat, 23 Apr 2022 15:26:38 +0000

The ‘R’ or reproductive value indicates the number of people an infected person can spread the disease to, and a pandemic is considered to end if this value goes below one.

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s R-value, which indicates the spread of COVID-19, was recorded at 2.1 this week, implying that every infected person is infecting two others in the national capital, according to an analysis by IIT-Madras.

The ‘R’ or reproductive value indicates the number of people an infected person can spread the disease to, and a pandemic is considered to end if this value goes below one.

The preliminary analysis by computational modelling was done by IIT-Madras’ Department of Mathematics and Centre of Excellence for Computational Mathematics and Data Science headed by Prof Neelesh S Upadhye and Prof S Sundar.

This was shared with PTI and according to it, Delhi’s R-value this week was recorded at 2.1.

India’s R-value, at present, stands at 1.3, the analysis found.

Asked if it can be deduced that this is the beginning of the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Delhi, Dr Jayant Jha, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, IIT-Madras, said it would be too early to declare an onset of another wave.

“We can only say right now that every person is affecting two others…. but we need to wait a bit to declare onset… we don’t know about the immunity status and whether the people who got affected during the third wave in January are getting affected or not again,” he told PTI.

For other metro cities — Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, Jha said the number of cases are too low to ascertain a trend.

Delhi is witnessing an uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases.

The city logged 1,042 fresh Covid cases with a positivity rate of 4.64 per cent on Friday.

The Omicron sub-lineage BA.2.12 has been detected in a majority of the samples sequenced from Delhi in the first fortnight of April and it could be behind the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the city, sources said on Thursday.

However, an Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) source has claimed that Omicron variant derivative BA.2.12.1 has also been found in a few samples in Delhi which is said to be contributing to the recent rise in cases in the US.

But officials have not confirmed that it indeed was found in some samples in Delhi.

An official source said, “New sub-variants BA.2.12 (52 per cent samples) and BA.2.10 (11 per cent samples) are showing high transmission and have been found in over 60 per cent of the total samples from Delhi sequenced recently.”

The post At Delhi’s current R-value, every COVID-positive person infects two others: IIT Madras appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

Tami Nadu makes wearing masks mandatory again, Rs 500 fine for violators

The Gulf Indians — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 10:50:32 +0000

The decision to collect a fine of Rs 500 from members of the public was in the backdrop of laxity shown among people in adhering to covid-19 protocols while in public places, Principal Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said.

With 2,451 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India’s total tally of Covid-19 cases rose to 4,30,52,425, while the active cases increased to 14,241

Chennai: Amid a surge in its covid-19 cases and laxity among people in following the health protocol, the Tamil Nadu government on Friday reintroduced levying penalty on those who don’t wear a face-mask and directed officials of the departments concerned to ensure that the rule was strictly followed across the state.

The decision to collect a fine of Rs 500 from members of the public was in the backdrop of laxity shown among people in adhering to covid-19 protocols while in public places, Principal Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said.

“We have directed the officials of local administration, health and police department to collect fines from those members of public who were not seen wearing a facial mask while in public places,”, he told reporters.

After showing a decline in covid trend, both daily additions. as well as the active case in the state, have been on the rise over the past few days, with the state witnessing 39 new infections on Thursday.

Admitting that collection of a fine for not wearing a mask was relaxed earlier (as new cases were waning in Tamil Nadu), Radhakrishnan said these days people were not seen wearing a face-mask while in public.

“They may be travelling in a metropolitan bus or in a public place, but they are not seen wearing a mask”, he said.

The health department has directed all the district administration to collect the fine of Rs 500 from public for not wearing mask and appealed to the people to follow the covid prevention guidelines as laid down by the government.

Radhakrishnan and senior health department officials were inspecting the premises of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, here which reported 12 coronavirus cases on Thursday, even as 18 new infections have emerged.

“From the 700-odd samples collected yesterday, 18 more people have tested positive totaling 30 till date. All of them are vaccinated and are doing well”, he said.

He said the covid-19 protocols should be strictly followed in the campus and the institute authorities have been given directions in this connection.

“All the people who tested positive were having mild symptoms like sore throat, fever and they are under isolation. They do not require hospitalisation. But, it it has been decided to keep King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research (in the city) as a reserve hospital”, the official said.

Allaying fears of the spread of the virus, he said 1,16,451 beds were allotted to treat covid-19 patients at government hospitals and only 18 people were admitted.

“Though it is good news, people are not following the covid-19 appropriate behaviour which may lead to resurgence of the virus. Therefore, our appeal is that people should wear a mask while in public places, vaccinate themselves if they are eligible”, he said.

To a query, he said the incident at IIT-M was not specific to that particular area and that it may happen anywhere if people do not follow the covid-19 protocols.

The post Tami Nadu makes wearing masks mandatory again, Rs 500 fine for violators appeared first on The Gulf Indians.