Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: One-Time Financial Of Rs 50,000 Given To 21,235 Families Of… – Moneycontrol

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December 13, 2021 / 03:21 PM IST

Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: The UK on Sunday raised its Covid Alert Level due to the “rapid increase” in cases of the Omicron variant, as the government announced new measures to control its spread. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, under pressure because of claims he and staff flouted Covid restrictions last Christmas, was due to make an address to the nation at 2000 GMT.

• December 13, 2021 / 03:21 PM IST

  Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: One-time financial of Rs 50,000 given to 21,235 families of COVID-19 victims, says Delhi minister

  The Delhi government has provided a one-time financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to 21,235 families that lost their near ones to COVID-19, Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said on Monday. Separately, 9,484 of the 12,668 applications received have been approved for a monthly pension of Rs 2,500, he said at a press conference here.

  Under the “Mukhyamantri COVID-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojana”, the Delhi government has been providing a one-time financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to the families of all the coronavirus victims in the city and a monthly assistance of Rs 2,500 to households that have lost the sole breadwinner and for children orphaned due to the pandemic.

  “A total of 25,100 applications have been received for a one-time financial aid of Rs 50,000. So far, 21,235 families have been given the assistance,” Gautam said. Around 2,500 families did not avail the scheme due to various reasons, while around 1,500 will receive the aid soon, he added. The minister said the city government has approved 9,484 of the 12,668 applications received for the monthly pension of Rs 2,500.

  Of the applicants, 7,955 have already started receiving the pension, he said, adding that 1,120 applications are under verification in the revenue department. Gautam underlined that the government has been disbursing pensions as soon as the verification process is complete and the pendency is negligible.

• December 13, 2021 / 03:01 PM IST

  Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: Andaman & Nicobar reports one new COVID-19 case

  The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported one new COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, which took the tally to 7,698, a health department official said on Monday. The archipelago now has eight active COVID-19 cases and all the patients are in the South Andaman district. The other two districts North and Middle and Nicobar Islands are coronavirus free, he said. The archipelago now has eight active COVID-19 cases and all the patients are in the South Andaman district.

  The COVID-19 death toll remained at 129 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours, the official said. A total of 7,561 people have so far recovered from COVID-19, he said.  The union territory had reported one new COVID-19 case on Sunday. The administration has so far tested 6,45,188 samples for COVID-19 and the cumulative test positivity rate is 1.19 per cent.  A total of 5,74,691 beneficiaries have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccine, of which 2,98,076 have received the first dose and 2,76,615 both doses of the vaccine, he added.

• December 13, 2021 / 02:50 PM IST

  Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: China reports outbreak of COVID-19 new Delta strain sub-lineage AY.4′ cases
  
  China has reported a sudden flare-up of COVID-19 cases in Zhejiang Province which registered 138 locally-transmitted confirmed cases stated to be that of Delta strain “sub-lineage AY.4”, prompting officials to bar millions of people in the eastern province from travelling outside. Zhejiang Province has registered 138 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and one asymptomatic carrier between December 5-12, amid the latest COVID-19 resurgence, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.   The report from Hangzhou, the provincial headquarters on Sunday said of the 138 in Zhejiang 44 cases were reported in Ningbo, 77 cases in Shaoxing and 17 cases were in the provincial capital of Hangzhou. The whole-genome sequencing and analysis found that the cases in the three cities were caused by the Delta strain sub-lineage AY.4, which is stated to be more transmissible and carries a higher viral load than the original novel coronavirus, the report quoted an official with the Zhejiang provincial centre for disease control and prevention as saying.   Local authorities have imposed restrictions on public gatherings and travelling out of the province to prevent the virus from spreading further, it said. The province has a 64.6 million population. On Monday in a separate report, the National Health Commission said the province has reported 74 new reported cases on Sunday alone. It is not clear whether they are new cases.

• December 13, 2021 / 02:10 PM IST

  WHO says Omicron appears to have a growth advantage over Delta variant. ##Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: In its document on ‘technical brief & priority actions for member states’, WHO says Omicron appears to have a growth advantage over Delta variant. Therapeutic interventions are expected to remain effective, it says.

  In its document on ‘technical brief & priority actions for member states’, WHO says #Omicron appears to have a growth advantage over Delta variant

  Therapeutic interventions are expected to remain effective, it says pic.twitter.com/IuAGdEyYga

  — ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2021

• December 13, 2021 / 01:50 PM IST

  Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: SC directs Centre to reply on plea seeking revival of vaccine PSUs to boost COVID-19 vaccination

  The Supreme Court Monday directed the Centre to file reply on a plea seeking to revive the vaccine public sector units and utilise their full production capabilities by placement of purchase orders. A bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and A S Bopanna asked the Centre to respond to the plea within four weeks after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said notice is not needed in the matter as this would be in the domain of policy decision.

  “We want to know what is the policy of the government… SG appears for Centre and states that a reply will be filed by four weeks. A rejoinder may be filed within three weeks thereafter. List the matter after the pleadings are complete,” the bench said. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati also appeared for the Centre. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves appeared for the petitioners.

  The top court was hearing a plea filed by former IAS Amulya Ratna Nanda, All India Drug Action Network, Low Cost Standard Therapeutics and Medico Friend Circle to grant functional autonomy to vaccine public sector units and put these PSUs to use especially after public funds were spent to make them Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliant.

  The plea said these PSUs should be granted “full autonomy” as envisaged in the Javid Chowdhary report, on vaccine production in the public sector units, of 2010 to ensure their complete revival and smooth functioning in the future. It stated no PSUs should be excluded from producing any vaccine or from government vaccine procurement, as long as quality and affordability are ensured.

  Referring to a 2016 order of the top court, in which the government had agreed to take action to revive the PSUs, the plea said the vaccine manufacturing facilities that were catering to 80-85 per cent of the demand prior to their suspension continued to languish wastefully despite their modernisation and capacity expansion.

  “India is home to the oldest vaccine PSUs, with 25 of them set up under the British Raj. By the 1980s, 29 PSUs were set up with the sole objective of self-reliance and self-sufficiency in vaccine production for the Universal Immunisation Programme introduced in 1986 to prevent mortality and morbidity amongst children in India as part of the global effort by the World Health Organisation,” the plea said.

• December 13, 2021 / 01:20 PM IST

  Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: Ladakh reports another death due to COVID-19

  Ladakh recorded a fresh fatality due to COVID-19 and 18 new cases, taking the virus tally to 21,822 in the union territory, officials said.The COVID-19 death toll in Ladakh has climbed to 216 with 158 deaths in Leh and 58 in Kargil since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, they said The active cases in the union territory have come down to 190, officials said. All the fresh cases were reported in Leh, they said. A total of 401 sample reports in Ladakh were found negative, they said.

• December 13, 2021 / 01:01 PM IST

  Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: Covid vaccines, previous infection offer stronger than basic’ protection against Omicron, says study

  People previously infected with Coronavirus (COVID-19) and those vaccinated will have some “stronger than basic” protection against Omicron, according to one of the earliest peer-reviewed studies looking into the recently identified variant of coronavirus. However, the study conducted in a lab suggests that Omicron “exceeds” all other variants in its potential capability to evade the protection gained from previous COVID-19 infection or vaccination.

  The findings, published in the journal Emerging Microbes & Infection, also suggest that although a third-dose of vaccines can significantly boost immunity”, the protection from Omicron “may be compromised”. The researchers from the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control in China, however, noted that more research is needed to better understand the association.

  The results support recent findings in South Africa which highlight that for Omicron it was easy to evade immunity, they noted. “We found the large number of mutations of the Omicron variant did cause significant changes of neutralisation sensitivity against people who had already had COVID,” said study lead author Youchun Wang from the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control.

• December 13, 2021 / 12:50 PM IST

  Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says We’re ready to tackle the Omicron threat. If required, we will impose necessary restrictions.

  We’re ready to tackle the Omicron threat. If required, we will impose necessary restrictions. Currently, there is no such need to impose any restrictions…A decision on re-opening of schools will be taken after winter vacation for schools end, says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

• December 13, 2021 / 12:46 PM IST

  Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: Bombay HC praises Maharashtra’s handling of COVID-19 pandemic

  The Bombay High Court on Monday said the state of Maharashtra was “one of the pioneers” in successfully tackling the crisis that arose because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Referring to the deadly second wave of COVID-19, the HC expressed hope the next year would bring a new beginning and that people will never see a repeat of April 2021.

  A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik made the comment while disposing of a bunch of Public Interest Litigations filed last year, seeking several reliefs from the HC on issues pertaining to the state government’s efforts, disbursement of resources related to the pandemic. The HC disposed of the PILs after the petitioners sought permission to withdraw the pleas, saying most of the reliefs sought by them had been granted and the state government had acted upon all orders passed by the court.

  “Let us forget about the dark days. But, we must not let our guard down. We hope the New Year brings in a new beginning and we never see a repeat of April 2021,” the high court said, referring to the second wave of COVID-19. “We have no hesitation in saying that Maharashtra was one of the pioneers in tackling COVID-19. We are told that several courts in some states are still not open (for physical hearings). Our collective efforts have succeeded, but we don’t want a repeat,” the HC said.

  The court further said both the state and the Union government must continue to prioritise providing anti-COVID-19 vaccines and requisite medical aid for senior citizens and those with disabilities and co-morbidities, to ensure that citizens remained safe. “In 2020, we knew nothing of COVID-19, but in April this year, during the second wave, we did. Yet, we let our guard down and witnessed a difficult time,” the HC noted.

• December 13, 2021 / 12:10 PM IST

  Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: Arunachal Pradesh logs one new COVID-19 case, tally at 55,306

  Arunachal Pradesh on Monday registered a single fresh case of COVID-19, raising the tally to 55,306, a senior health department official said. The death toll remained at 280 as no fresh fatality was reported in the past 24 hours, State Surveillance Officer Lobsang Jampa said. The northeastern state now has 29 active cases, while 54,997 people have recovered from the disease so far.

  The Capital Complex Region, comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, has the highest number of active cases at 11, followed by West Kameng (9), Tawang (4) and Namsai (3). Over 12 lakh samples, including 92 on Sunday, have been tested for COVID-19, Jampa said, adding, the positivity rate stood at 1.08 per cent. Meanwhile, State Immunisation Officer Dimong Padung said 14,37,064 people have been inoculated thus far.

• December 13, 2021 / 12:00 PM IST

  Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: Puducherry logs 7 new cases; no fatalities for fourth straight day’

  The union territory of Puducherry witnessed a steep fall in number of fresh coronavirus cases with only seven being reported in the last 24 hours, a senior official of the Department of Health said on Monday. The seven new infections were identified at the end of the examination of 1,047 samples, Director of the Health Department G Sriramulu said, adding the overall caseload rose to 1,29,224.

  Puducherry and Karaikal regions reported three new cases of infection each while Mahe added only one. Yanam, an enclave of Puducherry in Andhra Pradesh, did not record any fresh infection, the Director said. The number of active cases stood at 183 which included 45 patients undergoing treatment in hospitals and remaining 138 in home isolation, he said.

  As many as 32 patients recovered and were discharged during the last 24 hours pushing the overall recoveries to 1,27,164. No fresh fatality was reported from any of the four regions for the fourth straight day and the toll remained at 1,877, the Health Department Director said. The department has so far tested 20,13,171 samples and has found 17,08,365 out of them to be negative.

  The test positivity rate was 0.67 per cent while the fatality and recovery rates were 1.45 per cent and 98.45 per cent respectively, Sriramulu said. The Department of Health has so far administered 13,08,227 doses which included 7,97,042 first doses and remaining 5,11,185 were second doses.

• December 13, 2021 / 11:50 AM IST

  Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates: China reports spurt of Delta strain ‘sub-lineage’ cases of COVID-19

  China has reported a sudden flare-up of COVID-19 cases in Zhejiang Province which registered 138 locally-transmitted confirmed cases stated to be that of Delta strain “sub-lineage AY.4”, prompting officials to bar millions of people in the eastern province from travelling outside. Zhejiang Province has registered 138 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and one asymptomatic carrier between December 5-12, amid the latest COVID-19 resurgence, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

  The report from Hangzhou, the provincial headquarters on Sunday said of the 138 in Zhejiang 44 cases were reported in Ningbo, 77 cases in Shaoxing and 17 cases were in the provincial capital of Hangzhou.

  The whole-genome sequencing and analysis found that the cases in the three cities were caused by the Delta strain sub-lineage AY.4, which is stated to be more transmissible and carries a higher viral load than the original novel coronavirus, the report quoted an official with the Zhejiang provincial centre for disease control and prevention as saying. Local authorities have imposed restrictions on public gatherings and travelling out of the province to prevent the virus from spreading further, it said.