New Delhi, 26 April 2021:

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#IndiaFightsCorona

India’s Cumulative Vaccination Coverage exceeds 14.19 Crore as the Largest Vaccination Drive completes 100 days

• The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 14.19 Cr today as part of the world’s largest vaccination drive
• India’s cumulative recoveries stand at 1,43,04,382 today. The National Recovery Rate is 82.62%.
• 2,19,272 recoveries were registered in the last 24 hours.
• Ten states account for 78.98% of the new recoveries.
• 3,52,991 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours.
• The National Mortality Rate has been falling and currently stands at 1.13%.
• Five States/UTs have not reported any COVID19 deaths in the last 24 hours. These are D&D & D&N, Tripura, Lakshadweep, Mizoram and A&N Islands.

For details: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1714035

Prime Minister reviews preparations by Armed Forces to assist in Covid management

The Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat today called on the Prime Minister. They reviewed the preparations and operations being undertaken by the Armed Forces to deal with the pandemic.PM was also informed that all medical officers on staff appointments at Command HQ, Corps HQ, Division HQ & similar HQ of Navy and Air-Force will be employed at hospitals.The CDS informed the PM that nursing personnel are being employed in large numbers to complement the doctors at the hospitals. PM was also briefed that oxygen cylinders available with armed forces in various establishments will be released for hospitals.The CDS also said that they are creating medical facilities in large numbers and where possible military medical infrastructure will be made available to civilians.PM also reviewed the operations being undertaken by IAF to transport oxygen and other essentials in India and abroad.

For details:https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1714112

Phone call between Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and H.E. Mr. Suga Yoshihide, Prime Minister of Japan

The two leaders discussed the COVID-19 situation in the respective country and exchanged views on various regional and global challenges posed by the pandemic. Prime Minister Modi also thanked Prime Minister Suga for providing assistance to India for combating the pandemic. He also expressed hope that he would be able to receive Prime Minister Suga in India at the earliest in the near future once the COVID-19 situation stabilizes.

For details: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1714094

3131Metric Tonnes of Liquid Medical oxygen supplied by Steel plants

Steel Plants in Public & Private Sector supplied 3131.84 Metric Tonnes of Liquid Medical oxygen (LMO) to various states on the 25^th April 2021,ascompared to 2894 tonnes dispatched on the previous day.A week earlier, on an average 1500/1700 Metric tonnes /Day was being dispatched. The production on 25^th April was 3468.6 MT.Steel plants have been able to enhance the supply of LMOby taking various initiatives, which include reduction in the production of Nitrogen and Argon and only producing LMO in most plants.

For details:https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1714148

Operationalisation of DGFT ‘COVID-19 Helpdesk’ for International Trade related Issues

Department of Commerce, Government of India and Directorate General of Foreign Trade(DGFT) have undertaken to monitor the status of exports and imports, and difficulties being faced by trade stakeholders in view of the surge of COVID-19 cases

For details: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1714061

Dedicated Helpdesk by CBIC for Handholding Trade, Industry and Individual , to expedite Customs Clearance of Imports related to COVID including Oxygen and oxygen related equipmentsetc
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has set up dedicated helpdesk to handle queries related to Covid related Imports and handhold the trade, industry and individuals for expeditious customs clearance.

For details: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1714090

CSIR-CMERI indigenously developed Oxygen enrichment technology may effective for treating COVID-19 patients: Dr. V R Sirsath

The CSIR-CMERI indigenously developed Oxygen enrichment technology may effective for treating COVID-19 patients. This Technology has tremendous potential. He urged all the participant industries/Entrepreneurs to come forward in this crucial juncture & manufacture the device at earliest.

For details:https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1714106

INPUTS FROM PIB FIELD OFFICES

Maharashtra: Maharashtra received 44 tonnes of Liquid Oxygen via ‘Oxygen Express’ today. Indian Railways’ Ro Ro service carrying three tankers of Liquid Medical Oxygen from Hapa in Gujarat reached Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai. From these three tankers, one each will be sent to Mumbai, Thane and Pune. Nagpur in Maharashtra had received three tankers yesterday evening itself. Nine hospitals in Nashik are to set up their own oxygen production plants. The district has got an administrative approval of Rs 10 crore 88 lakhs for the project from the district annual plan.

Gujarat: A 900 bed DhanvantariCovid Care Hospital jointly set up by the DRDO and the state government at Gujarat University Convention and Exhibition Centre in Ahmedabad has become operational. The hospital started admitting patients yesterday. The State has recorded 14,296 new cases of Covid19 yesterday. 6727 patients recovered during the last 24 hours and were discharged from the hospitals.

Madhya Pradesh: TheMadhya Pradesh govt extended the ‘corona curfew’ in Bhopal till May 3. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the ‘corona curfew’ imposed in the state had stabilised the covid positivity rate. From 24.29 % on April 22nd, it had came down to 23.01 % on April 25. Number of patients recovering and returning home had also gathered pace. On April 19, this number was 6,836, which increased to 11,324 yesterday.

Chhattisgarh:Chhattisgarh government has extended lockdown till May 6. All government and private offices are to remain closed during the lockdown period. Apart from this, entry of public in religious and tourist places will also be banned.

Rajasthan: Two oxygen tankers have reached Rajasthan’s Jodhpur. These tankers reached the city through green corridor and later the gas was transferred to the Liquid Oxygen Plants in Mathura Das Mathur Hospital and Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Jodhpur. The State Government has started a COVID-19 Helpdesk (2225624 , 2225000) that will function 24*7 from today.

Goa: North Goa shacks begin winding up business ahead of season end as Covid-19 cases continue to surge. One of the most turbulent of all seasons for beach shack owners in the Calangute-Candolim beach-belt has practically come to an end.

Kerala: An all-party meeting held today has decided not to impose a complete lockdown in the state for time being; curbs in containment zones will be strictly enforced; lockdown like restrictions on weekends will continue; shops will be allowed to operate only till 7:30pm. Strict restrictions will be in place on the counting day, May 2, to prevent victory celebrations. The practical exams for HSE and VHSE have also been postponed. The state has meanwhile revised guidelines for discharge of Covid-19 patients. Kerala logged its highest single day spike with 28,469 new Covid cases on Sunday. The test positivity rate is at 22.46. Yesterday 1,94,427 persons were vaccinated.

Tamil Nadu:TN political parties gave green signal to reopen Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi for oxygen production: the unanimous decision was taken at the all-party meeting chaired by CM Edappadi K Palaniswami at the secretariat today. Puducherry logged 747 fresh Covid-19 cases and 10 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the overall tally in the Union territory to 54,026 and pushing the total death toll to 758. Tamil Nadu on Sunday reported 15,659 fresh Covid-19 cases and 82 deaths. The state vaccinated 22,573 people on Sunday. With this a total of 53,51,384 have been vaccinated across the state.

Karnataka:Karnataka has announced a two-week curfew from Tuesday 6pm to reduce the number of infections and to break the chain of the virus. Essential services will be allowed between 6 am and 10 am. There will be no public transport during the curfew, the Chief Minister said. Cabinet resolved to write to state election commission to defer all upcoming polls for at least three months. New Cases Reported: 34804; Total Active Cases: 262162. Around 60,693 were vaccinated yesterday with a total of 86,61,038 having been vaccinated in the state till now. “A 100 to 150-bedded makeshift hospital will be set up in Bengaluru and in the premises of medical colleges at district centres,” said State Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar. Union Minister Prahlad Joshi said that Centre on Saturday sent an estimated 800 metric tonnes of medical oxygen and 1.22 lakh vials Remdisivir injections to the state.

Andhra Pradesh: The State reported 12,634 new cases of Covid-19 with 69 deaths, while 4304 got discharged during the last 24 hours. A total of 56,78,628 doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the state as on Sunday. A total of 4 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine arrived from Serum Institute of India, Pune on Sunday and the state received one lakh doses of the vaccine a day ago. For adequate supply of Remdesivir the government has appointed nodal and assistant nodal officers for all the 13 districts. Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh government has issued special directives to hospitals and labs on CT scans. The government has fixed the price of CT scan at Rs 3,000.

Telangana: A total of 56,499 people received the first dose of Covid vaccine and 11,457 second dose on Sunday in the state. Now, the cumulative number of people received first dose in the state stands at 35,71,172 and second dose at 5,03,135. Meanwhile, a total of 6,551 new daily cases and 43 fatalities were reported in the state yesterday. Number of Active cases in the state now has gone up to 65,597 The state Health Department has decided to fill 755 posts of various categories including doctors on contract basis and through outsourcing as Covid cases are increasing sharply. The Covid cases among children are increasing in the state and about 2.7 percent of the total cases are of below 10 years children only.. In the wake of surge in Covid cases the State Govt has declared summer holidays for all schools and junior colleges in the state from April 27 to May 31

Assam: 14 COVID-19 patients succumbed to their infection on Sunday, even as 1,844 new cases were detected in the State, at a positivity rate of 5.48 percent. With the COVID-19 infection spreading fast, the Assam health department is exploring the idea of setting up 10 to 15 more mini oxygen plants in the State. Assam installed 8 oxygen generation plants, 3 at GMCH, 2 at JMCH and one each at Tezpur, Barpeta and Diphu medical colleges after the COVID crisis hit the state and these are now producing 5.25 MT oxygen per day.

Manipur:Manipur has logged the year’s highest daily COVID-19 positive cases at 140. Manipur’s COVID-19 caseload surged to 30,421 and the death toll rose to 385 as two more succumbed to the disease on Sunday. The total number of people who have been vaccinated against the virus in the State has reached 1,29,099.In all, 24 district level medical officers have been appointed as District Nodal Officer (DNO) for contact tracing activities.In continuous effort to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, the state government has installed five oxygen generators that could produce 10 jumbo cylinders on Sunday.

Meghalaya:The state recorded 208 fresh cases on Sunday – the highest single-day spike in 2021. The number of active cases in the state stands at 1,338.
Also, two more COVID-related deaths on Sunday took the total number of fatalities to 160.Overcoming the fear surrounding the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, people in Shillong have started coming out in large numbers to get vaccinated..

Sikkim: A 100-bed Covid ward is to be set up at Paljor Stadium to house Covid Care Centre.148 Covid new cases, one death in Sikkim.

Tripura:One death yesterday due to COVID in Agartala. While the state added another 100 cases in last 24 hours in Agartala.Board varsity exam cancelled in Tripura owing to surge in COVID cases.

Nagaland: Nagaland registered 180 new Covid cases on Sunday taking total to 13,183. Dimapur alone reported 154 new cases. Active cases are 679.
A total of 1,80,437 beneficiaries have been inoculated in Nagaland so far.

Punjab: The total number of patients tested Positive is 339090. Number of active cases is 48154. Total Deaths reported is 8432. Total COVID-19 Vaccinated with 1st dose (Healthcare + Frontline Workers) is 582275. Total COVID-19 Vaccinated with 2nd dose (Healthcare + Frontline Workers) is 169344. Total above 45 Vaccinated with 1st dose is 2092480. Total above 45 Vaccinated with 2nd dose is 142269.

Chandigarh: Total Lab confirmed COVID-19 cases is 38692. Total number of Active Cases is 5236. Total number of COVID-19 deaths till date is 435.

Himachal Pradesh: Total number of patients tested Covid positive till date is 87501. Total number of Active Cases is 13577. Total deaths reported till date is 1323.

PIB FACT CHECK