Rahul Gandhi, in a letter to PM Modi, called for vaccination for "everyone who needs it"
Rahul Gandhi, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calls for vaccination for "everyone who needs it" and an immediate halt on vaccine exports. The Congress leader also urges the government to fast-track other vaccines.
The efforts of the scientific community and vaccine makers had been undermined by the "centre's poor implementation and oversight".
The Congress MP has written to the PM against the backdrop of a record surge in Covid cases and a fierce row between the Centre and some states over vaccine supply.
India has set another record of daily Covid cases with 1,31,968 infections in the last 24 hours, pushing the total case count to over 1.3 crore. The surge, much steeper than last year's first wave, has forced many states have imposed tight curbs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday discussed the alarming growth in coronavirus infections across the country with Chief Ministers, listing measures that he said needed to be taken on "war footing".
He stressed on the need for creating micro-containment zones and extensive testing as a means to combat the second wave of coronavirus. The state governments, he said, should not cut corners when it comes to this.
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Arvind Kejriwal Meets Chairman Of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital After 37 Doctors Test Covid PositiveDelhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday met the head of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital after 37 of its doctors tested positive for coronavirus since the recent surge in coronavirus cases, officials said, reported news agency PTI.
Mr Kejriwal met Dr DS Rana, the chairman of the board of management of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, at his residence and enquired about the health of the infected doctors.
Rajendra Nagar MLA Raghav Chaddha was also present at the meeting.
Chhattisgarh Issues Fresh Covid Guidelines For Passengers Travelling By AirChhattisgarh has issued fresh Covid guidelines for passengers coming to the state by air.
- Fliers must carry a negative RT-PCR test report conducted with within 72 hours of reaching the airport
- Those without a Covid report will be tested at the airport
- If they test positive, they will be kept in institutional quarantine, or at a Covid care center, or a hospital according to the Standard Operating Procedure issued by the health department.
- If they do not consent for a Covid test, they will have to quarantine for 7 days at their own expense.
- Permission will be sought from parents and guardians before children are tested
- Fliers with a Covid negative report will be advised to stay in home isolation for seven days and follow the rules of home quarantine rule. The Collectors of the respective districts will also ensure necessary arrangements for following up on such passengers.
- Instructions have been given to take action according to the SOP prescribed for contact tracing of a Covid positive passenger in flight
Dehradun Imposes Night Curfew As Covid Cases Spike
Night curfew will be imposed in Dehradun from 10 pm to 5 am as Covid cases continue to rise. Schools in the plane lands will also remain shut for classes 1 to 12.
Maharashtra Reports 58,993 New COVID-19 Cases
Maharashtra reported 58,993 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, taking the tally to 32,88,540. The death count went up by 301 to 57,329, the Health department said, reported news agency PTI.
Bengal Assembly Polls: Trinamool, BJP Fight For North Bengal Amid Changing Political EquationsNorth Bengal, with its 54 seats spread across seven districts, has the capability to become a game-changer this election as the BJP strives hard to hold onto its fort in the region and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) seeks to recover its lost ground amid changing political equations.
Once considered a bastion of the Congress and the Left Front, north Bengal districts - mostly dominated by tribal and minority communities -- have largely remained out of bounds for the TMC, barring a brief period of time.
The ruling camp had managed to fare well in the 2016 state polls, when it won 25 seats in the region. But the subsequent general election in 2019 changed the course of the wind in favour of the BJP, which won seven of the eight Lok Sabha seats and stayed ahead in 35 assembly segments.
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Omar Abdullah Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Under Home IsolationNational Conference leader Omar Abdullah has tested positive for the coronavirus. In a tweet, he said he was asymptomatic and was under home isolation. Mr Abdullah's father Farooq Abdullah had tested positive last month and has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar.
32 Including Doctors From Delhi's AIIMS Test Positive Within A WeekAs many as 32 healthcare workers, including doctors, have tested positive for coronavirus in a week in Delhi's AIIMS hospital amid a huge surge in COVID-19 cases in the country. Some of the staff members who contracted the virus have not taken the vaccine, sources working in the premier hospital told NDTV.
AIIMS is the second major hospital in the city where over 30 staff members have contracted the deadly disease. On Thursday, 37 doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital tested positive for coronavirus.
Many of those who have been infected at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital are young and most of them had taken the vaccine. A majority of them have mild symptoms, hospital authorities said.
Rahul Gandhi Writes To PM: 'Vaccine For Those Who Need It, Halt Export'Rahul Gandhi, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calls for vaccination for "everyone who needs it" and an immediate halt on vaccine exports. The Congress leader also urges the government to fast-track other vaccines.
The efforts of the scientific community and vaccine makers had been undermined by the "centre's poor implementation and oversight".
The Congress MP has written to the PM against the backdrop of a record surge in Covid cases and a fierce row between the Centre and some states over vaccine supply.
Telangana reports 2,478 new COVID-19 cases
Telangana reported 2,478 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest single day spike this year,
pushing the tally to over 3.21 lakh, while the death count rose to 1,746 with five more fatalities, the state government said on Friday.
US Navy Holds Op Inside India's Exclusive Economic Zone "Without Consent"
In a statement being looked at closely by the Indian government, the US Navy's 7th Fleet has said it conducted Freedom of Navigation Operations within India's exclusive economic zone off the Lakshadweep Islands without India's permission. This is in dissonance with India's maritime security policy of such exercises requiring its authorisation.
"On April 7, 2021 (local time), the USS John Paul Jones asserted navigational rights and freedoms approximately 130 nautical miles west of the Lakshadweep Islands, inside India's exclusive economic zone, without requesting India's prior consent, consistent with international law. India requires prior consent for military exercises or manoeuvres in its exclusive economic zone or continental shelf, a claim inconsistent with international law," said a statement by the US 7th Fleet Public Affairs.
The statement would be jarring for New Delhi since the US is among India's closest strategic partners with both sides having repeatedly opposed China's maritime expansionism, particularly in the South China Sea. India and the US hold Naval exercises throughout the year.
"We conduct routine and regular Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs), as we have done in the past and will continue to in the future. FONOPs are not about one country, nor are they about making political statements," the statement said.
In the Quad group meeting held in February this year, the first since a new US administration took over, the partners pledged "to strengthen cooperation on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including support for freedom of navigation and territorial integrity".
The Quad grouping consists of the US, India, Japan, and Australia, and is viewed as a buffer against an increasingly assertive Beijing.
Vaccine Shortage A Serious Issue, Not "Utsav": Rahul Gandhi Slams PM's CallThe shortage of vaccine doses against coronavirus is a serious issue and not an "utsav", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said today, slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to observe a "tika utsav", or ''vaccine festival'', between April 11 and 14 to inoculate the maximum number of eligible beneficiaries across states.
Australia's most populous state suspends AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccineAustralia's most populous state said on Friday it has temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine following updated advice from the federal government.
New South Wales said inoculations using the AstraZeneca vaccine will be paused for a few hours while it updates its advice to patients allowing them to give informed consent
Australia to purchase 20 million more doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine
Australia will purchase another 20 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.Australia on Thursday said it now recommended people under 50 are inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine in favour of that produced by AstraZeneca citing rare blood clots. Australia last year purchased 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Australian PM holds national cabinet meeting amid vaccine upheaval Australia is holding a national cabinet meeting on Friday to devise a new COVID-19 vaccination programme after abruptly changing policy and recommending people under 50 take the Pfizer vaccine not AstraZeneca due to the risks of blood clots.
The move sees Australia joining countries around the world which have put restrictions on one of the most widely accessible vaccines against the coronavirus over concern about links to very rare blood clots.
Australia will now seek tens of millions more doses of Pfizer's product.Plans to vaccinate Australia's 25 million population by the end of October would be pushed back, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday in announcing the change.
"Today we need to work through what the implications are for that changed circumstance," Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told cable television station Sky News.
BJP Chief JP Nadda To Hold 3 Roadshows In West Bengal Today
Bharatiya Janata Party national chief Jagat Prakash Nadda will hold three roadshows in poll-bound West Bengal today.
The first roadshow will take place from Baghupati VIP to Satgachi Jessore Road from 11:30 AM.
The second roadshow will take place from Chakdaha Chowrasta to Chakdaha Rathtala, the statue of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay at 1 PM.
The third roadshow will take place from Vijay Ram to Baje Pratappur at 3 PM.
The fourth phase of assembly elections will be held in 44 assembly seats on April 10.