India’s tally on Tuesday mounted to 71,75,880 with a spike of 55,342 coronavirus cases, the lowest since August.
India recorded around 55,000 cases on July 31 (55,078), August 4 (52,050) and August 18 (55,079).
India is showing a trend of declining average daily cases over the past five weeks. After a month, on October 9, active cases fell below the 9 lakh mark and have steadily followed a downward slope since, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said.
Out of the total cases so far, 8,38,729 are currently active, 62,27,295 have been discharged, while 1,09,856 lost the battle against the pandemic.
While the recovery rate stands at 86.78 per cent, the fatality rate is 1.53 per cent, the data from the Ministry data showed.
Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit with a total of 15,35,315 cases including 40,514 deaths; followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
According to the data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India conducted 10,73,014 sample tests in a single day on Monday, taking the total number of samples tested so far to 8,89,45,107.
The Liverpool City Region will be placed in the “very high” level from Wednesday, the Prime Minister said, adding that following talks with local leaders, gyms, leisure centres, betting shops and casinos will also close in the region…reports Asian Lite News
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled a new three-level Covid-19 alert system that will be implemented across England, with the levels being decided according to the infection rates.
“We must act to save lives,” Xinhua news agency quoted Johnson as saying while addressing while the House of Commons, or the Lower House of Parliament, on Monday evening.
“We cannot let the virus rip.”
The current set of rules are “complex to understand and enforce”, he said, so the new system is designed to “simplify and standardize” the curbs.
The alert system comprises three levels: “Medium”, “High” and “Very High”.
“Medium” includes the current restrictions already in place, including the Rule of Six and the 10 hospitality curfew, Johnson said.
Most areas currently under local restrictions will “automatically” enter this level, he said.
“High” level reflects the local lockdown rules that are in place in parts of England currently, which primarily prevents people from socializing with other households indoors, but the so-called “support bubbles” will still be permitted.
“Very High” level is for places where “transmission rates are rising most rapidly” and the National Health Service (NHS) “could soon be under unbearable pressure”.
This level will see venues such as bars and pubs closed unless they can operate as restaurants, while people are also banned from socializing with other households both indoors and in private gardens, with local residents being advised against travelling in and out of these areas.
Further restrictions on hospitality, leisure, entertainment, and personal care sector could follow, but retail and education will stay open, Johnson said.
The Liverpool City Region will be placed in the “very high” level from Wednesday, the Prime Minister said, adding that following talks with local leaders, gyms, leisure centres, betting shops and casinos will also close in the region.
Johnson added that the number of confirmed cases had quadrupled over the past three weeks and there were more people in hospital now with the virus than when the country went into lockdown in March.
On Monday, the UK reported 13,972 new cases, which increased the overall tally to 617,688, according to official figures. The death toll currently stood at 42,965.
Meanwhile, further restrictions for London may be announced within days as the number of coronavirus cases in the city hit more than 7,700 a week.
Explaining the government’s move, Johnson said that this is “not how we want to live our lives”, but is “the narrow path we have to tread between social and economic costs of a full lockdown and the massive human and indeed economic cost of an uncontained epidemic”.
For those who will be affected by the new measures, Johnson also set out relevant financial support plans.
For example, the government will provide about 1 billion pounds of new funding to local authorities across the UK on top of the 3.6 billion-pound Towns Fund.
Meanwhile, responding to the new Covid-19 tier system announced by the Boris Johnson, Labour leader Keir Starmer said that he was “deeply sceptical” that Johnson had a plan to “get control of the virus, to protect jobs or regain public trust.”
Sir Keir Starmer
“We have tried to give the prime minister the benefit of the doubt, but it increasingly feels like he is several steps behind the curve and running to catch up with a virus that he has lost control of long ago,” Sir Keir said.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said that the prime minister has failed the north of England and the whole country.
“People across this country have endured terrible hardships over the past six months, losing loved ones, losing livelihoods and isolating from friends and family. That’s why people are so angry to see their hard work and sacrifices utterly wasted by the incompetence of Boris Johnson,” he said.
“The priority now has to be keeping people safe and ensuring no one is left behind, particularly in the north of England, which is bearing the brunt of the government’s shambles. Boris Johnson must get testing, tracing and isolating right, and provide proper economic support to save jobs and livelihoods. If the Government does not do more to help, it risks pushing millions of families into poverty.”
Businesses unhappy
Richard Burge, Chief Executive of London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “Bringing in a simplified system to manage and understand Covid-19 restrictions makes sense in theory, but it must be accompanied by evidence that explains clearly why certain businesses and sectors are the target of increased restrictions.
“Businesses have proven throughout this crisis that they will put the health of their staff and customers first, but after their valiant attempts to trade through this challenging climate and keep people employed, as the tiers change, they deserve a specific explanation of why and how their sacrifice will lower transmission rates.
For example, many London businesses question the basis of the 10pm curfew, especially when we see scenes of masses of people packing into public transport at once after.
“In London, businesses will also still be pondering whether any changes will be delivered city-wide or more locally.”
Donald Trump has tested negative for the novel coronavirus “on consecutive days”, White House doctor Sean Conley said in the first public disclosure about the US President’s health status after his October 2 announcement that he and the First Lady has contracted the disease.
Conley made the revelation in a memo on Monday shortly before Trump left for a re-election campaign rally in Sanford, Florida, his first since the announcement.
The physician said that Trump’s latest Covid-19 results came from an antigen test from Abbott Laboratories, adding that a variety of laboratory data have all indicated that the virus was no longer active in the President’s body, CNBC News reported.
“Repeatedly negative antigen tests, taken in context with additional clinical and laboratory data, including viral load, subgenomic RNA, and PCR cycle threshold measurements, as well as ongoing assessment of viral culture date, all indicate a lack of detectable viral replication,” Conley wrote.
The memo, however memo did not specify on which consecutive days Trump had tested negative.
After the Florida rally, Trump will campaign in Pennsylvania on Tuesday and Iowa the following day.
Monday’s development came after Trump made his first public appearance at a White House event on October 10.
At the South Lawn event, titled “Peaceful Protest in Support of Law and Order”, the President addressed the attendants, many who did not wear masks or were socially distancing, from the Blue Room Balcony.
Trump wore a face mask but took it off later when he started addressing the gathering.
On October 8, Conley cleared the President for public engagements “based on the trajectory of advanced diagnostics the team has been conducting”.
Gopichand HInduja at Sanskruti's Shaandaar Sindhi event
Renu Gidoomal at Shaandaar Sindhi event
In continuation of highlighting the rich cultural diversity of India, Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence organised “Shaandaar Sindhi” on the virtual platform recently, spotlighting incredible Sindhi performing arts, language promotion and cuisine.
Singer, Songwriter, Composer, Guitarist, Producer and MD of music & events company Atmasphere Renu Gidoomal kickstarted the high-spirited event with an invocation and presented Sindhi songs Nangda Nimani Da, Sindhi Abani Boli and climaxed with Mast Kalandar.
Hinduja brothers of the business conglomerate Hinduja group have all spoken passionately on the occasion. While Gopichand P Hinduja accentuated Sindhu civilisation, Sindhi heritage and culture, Prakash P Hinduja and Ashok P Hinduja have outlined Hinduja Foundation’s contributions to the social sectorand philanthropy.
Gopichand Hinduja at Sanskruti’s Shaandaar Sindhi event
Opening his message with “Jai Jhulelal”, GP Hinduja said “Dr. Ram Jawhrani, Dr. Nandakumara, Ragasudha Vinjamuri– thank you for allowing my brother AP and I to say a few words for this celebration of our Sindhi culture. Sindhiyat or the Sindhi culture is one of the oldest in the world dating back to the times of Sindhu civilisation or Indus valley civilisation. That our culture is the oldest and traces its roots to Vedic period, is a fact not known to many, including Sindhis themselves. Sindhu civilisation prospered around Sindhu Darya (Sindhu river leading to the sea), the backbone of the economy, we have had close affinity with water as we were sea travellers and merchants. That’s how the mercantile system (finance and trade) runs in our DNA”.
Emphasising on the importance of preserving the identity, he said “For the survival of Sindhiyat, or Sindhi culture, three things must be passed on to our next generation – one, our language, two- our cuisine and three, our festivals and traditions. Because the main ingredients of any culture are its language, food and traditions. Jeko Chavando Jhulelal, Tehnja theenda Bedapaar!” Prakash P Hinduja reminisced of Sindhi programs he attended in South East Asia, the cruise organised by Sateesh Raisinghani in Spain and the Sammelans organised by American Sindhis, that brought Sindhi people together.
Prakash Hinduja at Sanskruti’s Shaandaar Sindhi event
He also hailed the Sindhis’ contribution in business and spiritual sector, including Brahma Kumaris and referred to Sindhi community leaders in Dubai and other places. Echoing the sentiments of his brothers, Ashok P Hinduja has emphasised on economic growth so that more charitable and cultural activities can be promoted.
Chairman of Global Sindhi Council and Sahyog Foundation Dr Ram Jawhrani spoke on what Sindhiyat means, and stressed on taking pride and celebrating Sindhi identity by preserving the unique Sindhi culture and restoring the lost Sindhi traditions among the young. Executive Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan London Dr M. Nandakumara exalted Sindhu civilisation, recited the Sanskrit poem that mentions Sindhu River, acknowledged the support of people of Sindhi community to Bhavan and recalled Sindhi language classes held on the premises by Chandroo Malkani.
Dr Ram Jawhrani speaking at Shaandaar Sindhi event
He stressed on identifying scholars and recording their works for posterity. Author of Shattered Sindh Scattered Sindhis and Co-Founder of Sindhi Association of UK Raj Daswani recounted the formation of SAUK and highlighted the Sindhi drama & theatre arts, mentioning his wife Geeta Daswani holds the distinction of the first lady to have participated in Sindhi drama in India.
Gulshan Makhija, Hero Parwani and Kishan Ramnani of Sindhu Sakha Sangam presented the beautiful Sindhi Bhagat performance, which added to the vibrancy of the event. Chair of Harrow Interfaith and recipient of 2009 Mayor’s Award for Service to the Community in Harrow Sonoo Malkani presented some of the mouthwatering Sindhi dishes such as Pakwaan Daal, Sayee Bhajee and Besan Kadhee.
Bhagat Performance by Sindhu Sakha Sangam
The event was conceived and conducted by Ragasudha Vinjamuri, Founder of Sanskruti Centre, in collaboration with Sindhi Association of UK and supported by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, while technical support was rendered by Sushil Rapatwar. All have commended with one voice the efforts of Sanskruti Centre for organising this event.
Several political parties, mainly the Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party (STTP), launched protests across the country against the Imran Khan government’s plan to develop the twin islands of Dingi and Bhundar. There are allegations that China might undertake construction activities in these islands.
The port city of Karachi was rocked by the protest. A group of thousands of people, Sindh writers, poets, nationalists, intellectuals, and people of every thought denounced the occupation of the islands.
Another major rally started from Malir and ended near the Governor House where the party leadership submitted a letter for President Arif Alvi, showing the party’s concerns on the federal government’s recently promulgated ordinance to form the Pakistan Islands Development Authority (PIDA), which aims at developing the barren islands in the territorial waters of the country.
STTP chief Dr Qadir Maqsi, who led the rally, told the protesters that Sindh had been expressing their dismay and anger over the presidential ordinance.
“Despite differences in ideologies and party programmes, the Sindhis are united to protect their rights,” he said.
Mr Maqsi said the Sindhi community would not remain silent on the usurpation of Sindh’s rights. Other leaders said the development of Dingi and Bhandar islands was tantamount to destruction and would snatch the livelihood of at least 800,000 fishermen.
In the letter addressed to Alvi and submitted at the governor house, the STTP said Sindh had been victimised time and again by the federal government under the false pretence and unfound reasons.
Addressing Alvi, the letter said, “Sir, you must admonish the establishment to full its obligation under the constitutional domain in the distribution of fair share of NFC awards, as well as cooperation in administrative autonomy in Sindh.”
The letter regretted that instead of fulfilling such an honourable role as the head of the state, he had been acting as a spokesperson for the prime minister and conducting “extra-constitutional affairs”. The STTP said in the letter that PIDA’s establishment was an act against the country’s constitution.
London, Sept. 15, 2020 (Xinhua) -- People sit on the lawn at Potters Fields Park in front of Tower Bridge in London, Britain, on Sept. 14, 2020. In order to curb the rise in coronavirus cases, tough new limits on social gatherings came into force in Britain on Monday, meaning that in most regions, it is now illegal for groups of more than six to meet up. The "rule of six" kicked off at midnight across England, Wales and Scotland in the latest push to curb the recent surge in coronavirus infections. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua/IANS)
A top UK scientist has said that a second nationwide lockdown was a possibility in the face of a worsening situation of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In a BBC interview on Sunday, Peter Horby, chair of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) and a government adviser, said the UK was at a “precarious point” as Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions have continued to increase.
He said the “critical mission” now was to protect the NHS to avoid non-essential hospital services being cancelled, as many were when the UK went into its first nationwide lockdown in March.
“We really need to provide care to everybody – those with Covid-19 and those without. The way to do that is to keep the numbers down,” the scientist said.
He warned that some hospitals in the north of England were already coming under pressure and it might not be long before intensive care beds fill up.
“I am afraid we are going to have to make some very difficult choices and act very quickly,” Horby told the BBC, adding that the country must accept more stringent measures to lower the virus transmission.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson
The scientist’s remarks came a day ahead of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement to imposed tougher local restrictions in the wake of the spike in the number of fresh cases.
In a statement to MPs, Johnson will outline plans for a three-tier system, where each region in England will be placed into a tier based on the severity of the Covid-19 situation.
It is expected that parts of the north of England and the Midlands will be placed under tougher measures as part of the Prime Minister’s announcement, the BBC reported.
Liverpool, where there are currently 600 cases per 100,000 people, is expected to be placed under the most severe set of restrictions, with all the city’s pubs forced to close.
Pubs and restaurants across Scotland have shut for at least two weeks.
On Sunday, 12,872 new cases and 65 fatalities were reported in the UK, which increased the overall tally and death toll to 606,447 and 42,915, respectively.
Inspiring Indian Women (IIW) and Hindi Shiksha Parishad UK celebrated Hindi Diwas supported by High Commission of India UK. The event was attended by Mr Ravi Shankar Attache Political, Ms Shashi Mathur, Ms Sunitaa and Ms Parveen Rani.
14 th September marked the celebration of Hindi Diwas all over the world and London was no exception. IIW invited young children from all over England to participate. The program coordinated by Anita Nayyar was delivered via zoom and children from all over UK participated from within the comfort of their homes. The enthusiastic children demonstrated their Hindi skills through poems, bhajans (religious sons), Dohas (couplets) and songs.
Young Vivaan, Prithviraj Dalal, Pulkit, Swayam Dahiya Kapur, Mihir, Siddhant, Poonam Guha were some of the kids who added a special flavor to the evening.
The programme was a great success as parents and audience watched little British born Indian Kids making effort to learn and speak Hindi, trying to connect to the roots.
There was a question answer round too where in parents interacted with the teachers as well as the High Commission representative Mr Ravi Shankar to know whether there was any recognised exam conducted in UK to qualify Hindi Language course? There was a united appeal to do something about it.
The programme ended with mixed emotions of pride and happiness, of being connected with likeminded people. It infused the feeling of being in our native country and left many teary eyed.
Kavya Ras
IIW also organised an event “Kavya Ras” – Online Kavi Sammelan a first of its kind, presented by Darshana Shah who is a poet herself. IIW encouraged budding poets to come and recite on the platform which was much appreciated. A Stupendously successful fantabulous an all women poetry evening, was hosted by Darshana Shah with women poets from USA, Germany, Bahrain, India and of course UK!!! Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Sindhi, Tamil poems echoed the atmosphere too!! It was for the first time, women who wrote but never ever recited before or got busy in family responsibilities or never took it seriously got a platform to express!!!
Chief Guest was Jai Verma, Guest of Honours Ms Mini Narang, Special Guests Ms Indu Barot and Ms Manju Lodha!!!
Special invitees -Mr Tejendar Sharma, Mr Tarun Kumar (Hindi Attaché) HCIUK, Mr Madhav. Turumella and the one and only Mr Ravi Sharma!!! This show lasted for 3 hrs!!!
Some of the upcoming poets who participated were Pratibha Pandey, Dhalia Gosh, Vini Kalia, Bhavi Ram, Aditi Tiwari, Garima Kapoor, Medha Sharma Tyagi, Dharti Vasani , Rupali Ravi, Deepika Ganesh, Swati Saxena, Mita Joshi, Purva Joshi, Parin Somani, Sanskriti Sharan and Purvi Virani. Poetries recited were on various topics from life to longing for motherland to romance to love of a mother and loss of a father. Poetries were also recited about self-love and importance of giving time to your own self and how we forget about worldly things.
It was a mesmerising evening with all these topics which left the audience enchanted and even after three hours audience wanted more. Everyone stayed online and no one left despite some poets joining from different time zones.
This event was much appreciated and the motivation behind it was to give chance to upcoming women poets a platform where they can feel comfortable and recite their piece of art.
Suggestions were made to continue this kind of programme once a month.
New Delhi: Union Heath Minister Harsh Vardhan briefs the media after a review and coordination meeting on coronavirus, in New Delhi on March 9, 2020. (Photo: IANS/PIB)
“No religion or God says that you have to celebrate in an ostentatious way; that you have to visit pandals and temples and mosques to pray,” India’s Health Minister Harsh Vardhan stated…reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Union Heath Minister Harsh Vardhan briefs the media after a review and coordination meeting on coronavirus, in New Delhi (Photo: IANS/PIB)
As festivities are around the corner, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has requested people to not adhere to complacency amid the raging wrath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Minister warned people to stay away from large congregations and diligently follow the Covid guidelines issued for precautions against the deadly viral disease.
He also requested people to celebrate upcoming festivals at home, with their loved ones, instead of going out to fairs and pandals.
“Extraordinary circumstances must draw extraordinary responses.
“No religion or God says that you have to celebrate in an ostentatious way; that you have to visit pandals and temples and mosques to pray,” Vardhan stated while hosting his weekly webinar, Sunday Samvaad, where he interacts with his social media audience.
Reminding people that fighting against Covid is the foremost Dharma, Vardhan explained that his Dharma as the Health Minister of the country is to mitigate the virus and prevent deaths at any cost.
“The Bhagwad Gita condones war for the warrior class. So, there is no need to congregate in large numbers to prove your faith or your religion. If we do this, we may be heading for big trouble. Lord Krishna says concentrate on your goal..my goal and your goal. Our goal is to finish this virus and save humanity. This is our religion,” he said.
Vardhan also exhorted people to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call to take a pledge for the massive country-wide awareness campaign during the two months with an objective to contain the further spread of the pandemic.
The Minister shared the possibility of increased transmission of the Sars-CoV-2 during winters as infectivity of respiratory virus is known to increase during the colder weather.
“These viruses are known to thrive better in the cold weather and low humidity conditions. In view of these, it would not be wrong to assume that the winter season may see increased rates of transmission of the novel coronavirus in the Indian context too,” he noted.
“Adhering to the Covid appropriate behaviours of wearing masks/face covers, especially when in public places, regularly washing of hands and maintaining respiratory etiquette will help us to contain the spread of the diseases,” he reiterated.
Prioritisation of vaccine
Vardhan said that the government would look at two key considerations for prioritisation of the Covid-19 vaccine — the occupational hazard and risk of exposure to infection, and secondly, the risk of developing severe disease and increased mortality.
Besides, the supply of vaccines is anticipated to be available in limited quantities in the beginning, he added.
“In a huge country like India, it is critical to prioritise vaccine delivery based on various factors such as per risk of exposure, co-morbidity among various population groups, the mortality rate among Covid cases, and several others,” he said, while adding that India is looking at the availability of several different types of vaccines.
On the issue of emergency authorisation of Covid vaccines in India, the Minister said that the issue is being deliberated at present.
“Adequate safety and efficacy data is required for emergency use authorisation of vaccine for ensuring patient safety. Further course of action will depend on the data generated,” he added.
Harsh Vardhan also informed that Covid-19 vaccines currently in trial in India are two and three dose vaccines.
“Vaccine by the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech require two doses while the Cadila Healthcare vaccine requires three doses. For other vaccines in preclinical stages, the dosing is being tested,” he stated.
Three potential vaccines are being tested in India, including Covishield which was developed jointly by the Jenner institute of University of Oxford and pharma giant AstraZeneca.
Covishield is in Phase-2 and Phase-3 human trials and, if successful, will be mass produced by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), one of the world’s largest manufacturers of vaccines. Its trials in India are running at 17 locations across the country.
Besides, Bharat Biotech, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology, are conducting Phase-1 and Phase-2 clinical trials of its vaccine candidate COVAXIN.
The third vaccine candidate under human trial is ZyCoV-D, developed by Zydus Cadila. This candidate is now under Phase-1 and Phase-2 of clinical trials.
Meanwhile, with a single day spike of 74,383 new cases, including 918 deaths, India on Sunday crossed the 70-lakh-mark with a total of 70,53,806 so far.
Out of these, 8,67,496 are active cases; 60,77,976 cured/discharged/migrated cases and 1,08,334 succumbed to the pandemic, said the latest data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
