INDIA BREACHES 70K COVID MARK, VACCINATION ON ALL DAYS IN APRIL

India reported over 72,000 Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday, the highest daily spike since 11 October 2020. Maharashtra accounted for 39,544 of the total 72,330 new infections, the state’s highest tally so far.

With the additional cases, the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country reached 1,22,21,665 while the death toll soared up to 1,62,927. India’s total active caseload reached 5,84,055. It now comprises 4.78 percent of the country’s total positive cases.

According to the health ministry, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Punjab, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh continue to show a steep rise in daily new Covid cases, accounting for 84.61 percent of the cases reported in a span of 24 hours. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Punjab cumulatively account for 78.9 percent of the total active cases in the country. Maharashtra alone accounts for more than 61 percent of India’s active caseload. With 227 deaths, Maharashtra also saw the maximum casualties followed by Punjab with 55 deaths.

Meanwhile, the third phase of the Covid-19 vaccination, which covers everyone above the age of 45 years, was kicked off on Thursday with the Centre deciding to conduct the drive on all days of April, including gazetted holidays, and at all public and private centres. The Union government wrote to all the states and union territories and asked them to make necessary arrangements for this, the health ministry said. The Centre has also warned that the situation is going from “bad to worse” and urged states to achieve 100 percent vaccination coverage of those above 45 in surge districts within the next two weeks.

“This decision is in line with the graded and proactive approach employed by the government of India along with the states and UTs for Covid-19 vaccination,” the ministry said. The vaccination exercise will continue to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, it mentioned.

More than 6.5 crore vaccine doses have been administered across the country so far to frontline workers, healthcare workers, people above 60 and those above 45 years but with specified co-morbid conditions.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka and Africa have claimed a delay in vaccine supplies from India. Sri Lanka will not receive its due of a million doses of Covishield from the vaccine manufacturing company Serum Institute of India (SII) within the timeline earlier pledged, The Sunday Times reported on Thursday. “We are unable to meet that commitment, leave alone in mid-March and April,” a top source from the Pune-

based Institute told The Sunday Times on conditions of anonymity. “This (agreement) is one of several additional capacities we were to fulfil on behalf of AstraZeneca and the Indian government. The fire did not affect production as such, but due to increasing commitments, we need to ramp up our capacity. Hence this delay.”

Africa CDC also alleged that the delays in vaccine supply from India could be ‘catastrophic’. Briefing the media, Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Dr John Nkengasong said that officials hope the problems at the SII will only be temporary otherwise it would definitely impact the continuity in the vaccination drive in Africa.

Meanwhile in Delhi, following a surge in Covid cases, schools will remain closed for all classes in the new academic session till further orders. “It is clarified that students of any class should not be called physically in school for the academic session 2021-22 till further orders. However, teaching learning activities may be commenced from 1st April 2021 for the students through digital modes for the new academic session,” the Directorate of Education (DoE) said in an official order.