The World Health Organization (WHO) has ruled out any link between AstraZeneca’s vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and reported blood clots.
“We do not want people to panic and we would, for the time being, recommend that countries continue vaccinating with AstraZeneca,” WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the latest updates:
India
We must stop “second peak” immediately: Modi
“We must stop this emerging “second peak” of Corona immediately,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells Chief Ministers.
India is seeing a robust recovery rate but we have to work together to stop emerging second wave of Corona and for this. “We have to take quick and decisive steps,” he adds.
Now, we should be not be careless and there is no need to create panic among the general public, he says.
States like Kerala, UP, Chhattisgarh overly dependent on antigen tests; RT PCR tests should make for over 70 percent of overall testing, he adds.
We have to increase testing in small cities. The pace of COVID vaccination in the country is continuously increasing. We are looking at ensuring curbing any waste of vaccine doses.
Villupuram
Government school in Villupuram closed after teacher tests COVID-19 positive
Authorities closed the Government Model Girls Higher Secondary School in Villupuram on Wednesday, after a teacher tested positive for COVID-19.
An official of the Education Department said that the teacher was deputed to handle students of two classes. On information, a Health Department team took samples from about 80 students of the two classes. The test results are awaited. The premises have been sanitised and the school will reopen on Monday.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka to continue with Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine
Sri Lanka will continue to use the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines despite its suspension in some countries over reports that the doses were causing blood clot-related complications, a government spokesman said on Wednesday.
Some nations, mostly European, suspended the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which also has a tie-up with the Serum Institute of India, after some reports of blood clotting.
Ramesh Pathirana, the Cabinet co-spokesman, said that the vaccine halted in certain European countries was limited to one batch of the vaccine and Sri Lanka had not received doses from the same batch.
“Those vaccines which are involved in that problem only belong to a certain batch in that vaccine are temporarily suspended in certain countries in Europe, that batch of vaccines was not given to Sri Lanka,” he said.
He said that the public should remain calm and not fear such reports.
His comments come in the wake of several European countries — ncluding Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway and Iceland -— pausing the administration of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab. Some Asian and African countries have expressed concern. Congo and Thailand have stopped the doses.
Telangana
Another COVID-19 cluster found in Nagole school
A day after a cluster of 14 COVID-19 cases were detected at the Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) in Mancherial, another cluster of 34 cases were detected among students of Telangana Minority Residential School located in Bandlaguda, Nagole, on Tuesday.
Medchal-Malkajgiri Health officials said after receiving information that some students at the school had developed symptoms of COVID-19, they conducted tests and found the 34 students to be positive for coronavirus. While 10 teachers were tested, their tests turned up negative. Tests on 12 teachers who were not present on Tuesday will be conducted on Wednesday.
Karnataka
Health workers tasked to report Maharashtra returnees in Mandya
Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and anganwadi workers in K.R. Pet and Nagamangala taluks in Mandya district have been assigned a new task – to alert the health authorities on coming across new persons in the households – as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 since many from these two taluks work in Maharashtra, which has reported a spike in cases triggering the scare of a second wave of infection.
These two taluks had reported the highest number of cases last year as many locals returned to their respective villages from the neighbouring State following the lockdown and for other reasons.
National
India records highest daily spike this year
India recorded its highest daily tally of coronavirus cases this year with 28,903 new infections, taking the total COVID-19 tally to 1,14,38,734, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
The death toll increased to 1,59,044 with 188 new fatalities, the highest in around two months, the data updated at 8 am showed. Registering an increase for the seventh day in a row, the total active caseload has increased to 2,34,406 which now comprises 2.05 per cent of the total infections, while the recovery rate has further dropped to 96.56 per cent, the data stated.
As many as 30,254 new infections were recorded in a span of 24 hours on December 13.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,10,45,284, while the case fatality rate has dropped to 1.39 per cent, the data stated.
Vietnam
Vietnam’s homegrown vaccine to be out by Q4
Vietnam’s domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, called nanocovax, is expected to be available by the fourth quarter of this year, the government said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Southeast Asian country has inoculated more than 16,000 people with AstraZeneca vaccines it received last month, the government said, adding that it was also in talks to buy vaccines from other producers, including Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and the Sputnik V maker.
WHO
Post-vaccine blood clots a form of rare cerebral thrombosis: EMA
Scientists at the Germany-based Paul-Ehrlich-Institut report that the blood clots observed in some of those vaccinated are a “special form of very rare cerebral vein thrombosis”. This corresponds to a deficiency in platelets and bleeding following vaccination with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The recommendations from the institute were the reason Germany put on hold ongoing vaccinations until a full review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The blood clots observed post vaccination, however, are less than the background number of such thrombosis events even without vaccination. The World Health Organization (WHO) has ruled out any link between AstraZeneca’s vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and reported blood clots. “We do not want people to panic and we would, for the time being, recommend that countries continue vaccinating with AstraZeneca,” WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
Maharashtra
State active case tally rapidly climbs
Maharashtra posted yet another record single-day jump of 17,864 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday as its active case tally rapidly climbed to 1,38,813. Just 9,510 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours with the State’s recovery rate dipping to 91.77%. As many as 87 deaths pushed the fatality toll to 52,996.
While the total case tally has reached 23,47,328, the cumulative recoveries stand at 21,54,253.
Tamil Nadu
Collectors told to impose fines on people not wearing masks in public
A senior citizen being administered the Covid-19 vaccine at a Public Health Centre in TVS colony, Chennai.
| Photo Credit:
K. Pichumani
In the light of increasing numbers of fresh COVID-19 infections in Tamil Nadu, Chief Secretary Rajeev Ranjan on Tuesday instructed District Collectors to strictly enforce guidelines and impose a fine on those not wearing a facemask while in public places.
During a meeting to review the COVID-19 scenario across the State, Mr. Ranjan instructed Collectors to strictly enforce the Standard Operating Procedures issued by the government and to impose a fine on violators under the Public Health Act. Respective local bodies, health, police and revenue department officials are to ensure compliance.
Vaccine for children
Moderna says it has started vaccine trials on children
U.S. manufacturer Moderna on Tuesday said it has started COVID-19 vaccine trials for children aged from 6 months to under 12 years old, with plans to enroll about 6,750 participants.
“We are pleased to begin this Phase 2/3 study of mRNA-1273 in healthy children in the U.S. and Canada,” said CEO Stephane Bancel in a statement.
Karnataka
Average of 4.5 contacts per patient traced in the last week
With a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the State, the COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has recommended that for every patient, 20 contacts need to be traced in districts where the positivity rate is above 1%.
However, according to data provided by the Karnataka State COVID-19 war room on an average, not a single contact has been identified in 45.3% of the cases reported in the last week.
Telangana
‘Unrestricted movement making it tough to find source’
As a second COVID-19 cluster was detected in Telangana, dreadful memories from last year started playing on the minds of State Health officials. Emerging clusters, rapid spread of coronavirus and its containment had given sleepless nights to the officials even as they clocked in extra hours to keep the situation under control.
(With inputs from our Correspondents and agencies)
