LIVE! Pak trust offers aid to India's Covid fight

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Fri, 23 April 2021

Pak trust offers aid to India's Covid fight

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23:51 Pak trust offers aid to India's Covid fight

Pakistan's philanthropist organisation Edhi Welfare Trust on Friday offered to send 50 ambulances and support staff to India to help the country in combating the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

Faisal Edhi, who heads the trust, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said the organisation was closely following the COVID-19 situation in India.

"We are very sorry to hear about the exceptionally heavy impact that the pandemic has had on your country, where a tremendous number of people are suffering immensely," Faisal wrote in the letter made public to the media.

Faisal, who offered to lead the team to India, said the Edhi trust sympathised with the Indian people in difficult times and they could send 50 ambulances and staff to help the people of India.

He said the trust would provide fuel, food, and other necessary amenities that their team will require.

-- PTI

23:33 Delhi sees record 348 COVID-19 deaths

Delhi logged 24,331 fresh COVID-19 cases and a record single-day jump of 348 deaths on Friday while the positivity rate stood at 32.43 per cent, according to the latest health bulletin.

The city has reported around 2,100 deaths due to the deadly virus in the last 11 days.

It had recorded 306 COVID deaths and 26,169 cases with a positivity rate of 36.24 per cent, the highest since the pandemic began a year ago, on Thursday. On Wednesday, 24,638 cases and 249 deaths were registered with a positivity rate of 31.28 per cent.

The capital had witnessed 28,395 cases, the highest single-day jump so far, with a positivity rate of 32.82 per cent on Tuesday. Authorities logged 306 deaths on Thursday, 249 on Wednesday, 277 on Tuesday, 240 on Monday, 161 on Sunday, and 167 on Saturday.

With the fresh cases, the national capital's cumulative tally climbed to 9,80,679 on Friday. The death toll stands at 13,541, the bulletin stated.

A total of 75,037 tests, including 43,711 RT-PCR tests, were conducted the previous day, it said.

-- PTI

23:14 Health minister should resign: Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan should resign for the callous negligence of not taking earlier the steps that are now being taken in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

"Despite warnings in April 2020 (by the Empowered Group) and in Oct-Nov 2020 (by the Parliamentary Committee), why did the government not take the steps it is taking since yesterday?

"Is this not gross and callous negligence? Will no one be held accountable? Should not the Health Minister and the Health Secretary be asked to resign?" he asked on Twitter.

The former Union minister said people are crying to get patients admitted in hospitals, pleading with doctors to examine the patients, carrying oxygen cylinders on their back while bringing the patients and hospitals are rushing to high courts seeking oxygen supply.

"If anyone including the Health Minister has any conscience, he should resign forthwith," Chidambaram said.

-- PTI

22:59 US will help India with surging virus cases

Officials say the US is trying to help India deal with its coronavirus surge, which is straining that country's health care system amid a record number of infections.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the Biden administration's top medical adviser on the pandemic, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with its counterpart agency in India to provide technical support and assistance.

"It is a dire situation that we're trying to help in any way we can," Fauci said at the White House coronavirus briefing.

"They have a situation there where there are variants that have arisen. We have not yet fully characterised the variants and the relationship between the ability of the vaccines to protect. But we're assuming, clearly, that they need vaccines."

White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients says the US is "committed to sharing vaccine supply" and "as our confidence around our supply increases, we will explore those options".

With several states flagging scarcity of medical oxygen amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, the government is in talks for the import of high-capacity oxygen-carrying tankers from Singapore and the UAE and directed states to revive closed oxygen plants for augmenting its production.

The move came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the coronavirus situation in the country on Friday, a home ministry statement said.

In separate letters, the Centre asked all states to prepare a list of oxygen producers in their respective jurisdiction and directed them to ensure uninterrupted supply and transport of oxygen in the places where there is a demand.

With a view to make available additional tankers for movement of oxygen, the home ministry is coordinating lifting of high-capacity tankers from abroad, including Singapore and the UAE, by Indian Air Force transport planes, the statement said.

-- PTI

22:15 Army begins process to acquire 350 light tanks

The Indian Army on Friday began the process to procure around 350 light tanks in a phased manner as part of its efforts to strengthen combat capability in mountainous regions.

The Army issued a Request for Information for procurement of the tanks which are planned to be procured under the 'Make-in-India' initiative.

"The light tank must have the versatility to execute operations in varying terrain conditions across diverse threats and equipment profiles of the adversaries," according to the RFI.

Earlier, sources in the defence and security establishment said the tanks are being procured for deployment in mountainous border areas including in some sectors along the Line of Actual Control with China.

The RFI said the defence ministry is desirous of acquiring comprehensive technologies including detailed manufacturing know-how of the tank platform.

"The Indian development agency will retain the ownership of the design and technologies for the platform to ensure achievement of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self reliant India)," it said.

-- PTI

21:56 Oxygen Express reaches Maharashtra

The first Oxygen Express carrying seven tankers filled with liquid medical oxygen from Visakhapatnam reached Maharashtra on Friday.

The train arrived at Nagpur at 8.10 pm, bringing some relief to the state which is reeling under a surge in coronavirus cases and shortages of medical oxygen.

Three of the seven tankers will be unloaded at Nagpur station and remaining will be unloaded at Nasik Road station.

"Oxygen Express is expected to reach Nasik Road station in the morning tomorrow," Shivaji Sutar, chief central railway spokesperson said.

The train departed from Visakhapatnam on Thursday night.

The flat-wagon goods train had left for Visakhapatnam from Kalamboli near Mumbai on April 19, around 8 pm.

After more than 50 hours' journey, it reached the destination, passing through Vapi, Surat, Nandurbar, Bhusawal, Akole, Nagpur, Gondia, Raipur and Titagarh.

Last Sunday, the Railways had announced it will run "Oxygen Express" trains over the next few days to transport liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders across the country.

Empty tankers will be loaded with medical oxygen from Visakhapatnam, Jamshedpur, Rourkela and Bokaro, it had said.

Amid spiralling coronavirus cases in the country, the demand for medical oxygen has gone through the roof.

-- PTI

Mahindra Group Managing Director and CEO Anish Shah on Friday said the group has signed letters of intent with multiple hospitals to explore setting up of vaccination centres in open spaces.

Earlier on Thursday, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra had said till the time corporates can get COVID-19 vaccine supplies directly they can support hospitals in setting up vaccination camps in open spaces to reduce risk of infection at hospital venues.

Responding to Anand Mahindra's tweet, Shah said, "We have signed letters of intent with multiple hospitals, we are working with them (and the government) to explore how we can set up such centres @MahindraRise".

He, however, did not elaborate the details.

In a series of tweets, Mahindra had said having such open vaccination camps allows efficient handling of a larger number of people while also preventing the vaccine drive from intruding on the hospital's regular activities.

India is currently reeling under a devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

-- PTI

21:15 'India could see 5,000 Covid deaths per day'

India's daily tally of coronavirus-induced deaths could peak by mid-May at 5,600 deaths, an American study has warned.

This would mean that close to three lakh people may lose their lives to Covid-19 in the country between April and August alone.

The study, titled 'COVID-19 projections' was conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. Published on April 15 of this year, the study pinned India's hope on effective vaccination rollout to tide over the second wave of the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic in India is going to get worse in the coming weeks, warned the study by IHME experts. For the purpose of this study, experts assessed the current rate of infections and deaths in India.

In the study, it has been predicted that India's daily tally of Covid-induced deaths will peak at 5,600 on May 10 of this year. With an additional 3,29,000 deaths projected between April 12 and August 1, the cumulative death toll could rise up to 6,65,000 by the end of July.

Another projection in the study says universal mask coverage (95 per cent) by the end of the third week of April could bring down this figure by 70,000.

The study by the University of Washington says that there was a declining trend in the number of daily Covid-19 cases and deaths in India from September 2020 to mid-February 2021.

20:39 Covid report mandatory for flyers to Bengal

Air passengers from Delhi and four other states will have to carry Covid-negative certificates, not older than 72 hours, to enter West Bengal from April 26, the state government has informed the Centre.

In a letter to the civil aviation department, the Bengal government wrote that passengers from Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh -- all badly hit the coronavirus pandemic's second wave -- will have to produce a negative RT-PCR test report to travel to the state.

The rule already exists for passengers from worst-hit Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana.

Sixty-five healthcare personnel, including doctors, deployed on Kumbh duty have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said here on Friday.

All of them have been kept in isolation, they said.

A total of 751 healthcare personnel -- 336 doctors and 415 nurses and paramedics -- had been deployed in the Kumbh Mela area after being vaccinated.

The Kumbh Mela area is spread over 641 hectares.

-- PTI

19:55 Mumbai sees 7,221 Covid cases in a day

The tally of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai increased by 7,221 cases, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, taking the total to 6,16, 221 cases.

The city also recorded 72 deaths.

On April 4, Mumbai had reported its highest 11,163 COVID-19 cases, but since April 16, the daily spike is below 9,000.

The number of recovered patients in the last 24 hours was 9,541.

The city's rate of recovery is 84 per cent, while the overall growth rate of COVID-19 cases is 1.35 per cent and average growth rate is 52 days.

As India battles a massive spike in coronavirus cases amid an oxygen shortage, the European Union and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with the country on Friday and offered their support to it in dealing with the situation.

"I want to send a message of solidarity to the Indian people, facing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. France is with you in this struggle, which spares no-one. We stand ready to provide our support," Macron said.

His message was posted on Twitter by French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain.

President of the European Council Charles Michel said India and the EU will discuss possible cooperation in fighting the pandemic at a virtual summit between the two sides on May 8.

"The #EU stands in solidarity with Indian people amidst resurgent #COVID19 pandemic. The fight against the virus is a common fight. We will discuss our support and cooperation at EU-India Leaders' meeting on 8 May with

@narendramodi and @antoniocostapm," he said in a tweet.

The 16th India-EU summit will be held virtually on May 8.

In a separate development, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a virtual meeting on Friday with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager, on preparations for the summit

In a tweet, Jaishankar described the meeting as "warm and productive".

"Appreciated the support offered by EU on Covid challenges currently faced by India. Confident that EU will help strengthen our capabilities at this critical juncture," he said.

-- PTI

19:20 Maha: E-pass system reintroduced for travel

With strict restrictions for containing the COVID-19 pandemic coming into force in

Maharashtra, the police on Friday reintroduced the e-pass system for inter-state and inter-district travel in "extreme emergency" situations.

Fresh restrictions on travel, attendance in offices and weddings came into force on Thursday night. The state, which is facing an unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases, was already under several restrictions since April 14.

"The e-pass system has been reintroduced from Friday and citizens should use it in the case of absolute emergency," said Director General of Police Sanjay Pandey.

"People have to apply on https://covid19.mhpolice.in/ and submit the necessary documents and mention the reason," he added.

Those who can not access the online system can visit the nearest police station to procure it, he said.

E-passes are meant for use only in emergency, the DGP said.

-- PTI

Amid surging Covid-19 cases, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday urged the Centre to supply 1,471 tonnes of oxygen and two lakh doses of Remdesivir.

The CM made this request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the PM's video conference with chief ministers of

"The state needs 1,142 tonnes of oxygen from April 25 and 1,471 tonnes of oxygen after April 30.The chief minister appealed to the Prime Minister to rectify the shortage of oxygen and immediately allocate 1,471 tonnes of oxygen," the Chief Minister's office said in a statement.

18:11 Losers and gainers as Sensex slumps

After a volatile session on Friday, the 30-share BSE Sensex ended 202.22 points or 0.42 per cent lower at 47,878.45.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty dropped 64.80 points or 0.45 per cent to close at 14,341.35.

M&M was the top loser among the Sensex constituents, skidding 2.63 per cent, followed by Dr Reddy's, Tech Mahindra, HUL, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Titan and Infosys.

On the other hand, PowerGrid, NTPC, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, HDFC and Bajaj Finserv were among the gainers, climbing up to 3.51 per cent.

During the holiday-truncated week, the Sensex slumped 953.58 points or 1.95 per cent, while the Nifty tanked 276.50 points or 1.89 per cent.

18:08 Sonu Sood tests negative for COVID-19

A smidgen of positivity in these dismal times.

Good Samaritan and Bollywood actor Sonu Sood on Friday announced that he has tested negative for COVID-19 after contracting the virus earlier this week.

The 'Dabangg' actor, who tested positive for the virus on April 17, took to his Twitter handle to announce the news. Sonu posted a picture in which he is seen wearing a white coloured while striking a victory pose for the camera. With a green colour graphic paintbrush, he drew '-ve' on his victory pose snap.Keeping the caption short yet apt, he wrote, "Tested: COVID-19 Negative".

The double and triple mutant strains detected in India are one and the same variant of the coronavirus, and the available vaccines are effective on it, National Institute of Biomedical Genomics Director Soumitra Das said on Friday.

Speaking at a webinar on 'Genome Sequencing of SARS-CoV-19', Das said double mutant and triple mutant terms are "colloquial" and both refer to the same variant -- B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus.

"Double and triple mutants are one and the same. Double and triple mutants are over-lapping terms and have been used differentially in different context," he said.

The National Institute of Biomedical Genomics in Kalyani is an institute under the Department of Biotechnology and is one of the 10 laboratories across the country involved in the genome sequencing of the coronavirus.

"In fact, these variants harbour 15 lineage defining mutations. B.1.617, initially termed double mutant, has three new spike protein mutations," he said.

Two mutations -- E484Q and L452R -- are in the area important for antibody-based neutralisation. "Initially we were signifying two mutations which are important for escape (the vaccine escape and antibody escape). That is why it is called the double mutant," he said.

But this mutant or variant also has another mutation which is called P681R. That mutation allows the virus to enter the cell little better. "If you now take both the context, the escape variant, plus the entry or infectivity, then it is a triple mutant, but if you only consider about a new variant or escape variant, then it is a double mutant. If you take double and triple mutants, (they) are over-lapping and are one and the same, Das added. There is apprehension among experts that the new variant could also increase infection rates and easily surpass immune defences. Variants found in India are not really escaping our vaccinated sera," Das said, suggesting that the available vaccines are effective on them.

PM Narendra Modi back in election mode. Modi is addressing rallies in Suri, Malda, Berhampore, and Bhawanipur via video conferencing. "Due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, I was busy in important meetings since this morning. I am connecting with you now through technology," the PM said. "The elections are not just for a change in the govt, I can see the rise of an aspirational and optimistic West Bengal in these polls. Be it villages or cities, I can see yearning for a better life, better education, better employment and better option everywhere. WB is waiting for governance where every department of the govt works honestly and carries out its duty. free of discrimination and full of harmony. Bengal is voting for such a govt."

The Election Commission on Thursday banned roadshows, vehicle rallies, and public meetings of more than 500 people in West Bengal, noting that political parties and candidates were still not adhering to the prescribed safety norms during campaigning. Permissions already given for such events stood withdrawn, the Commission said.

Waiting to inhale

17:22 India to import oxygen making units from Germany

Amid reports of shortage of oxygen in the hospitals during the second wave of COVID-19 across the country, the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) has decided to import oxygen generation plants and containers from Germany to cater to the shortage.

The Defence Ministry informed on Friday that 23 mobile oxygen generation plants are being airlifted from Germany. These will be deployed in AFMS hospitals catering to COVID patients. These oxygen-generating plants are expected within a week, the ministry said.

Earlier this week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting to review the Ministry of Defence's preparations and response to the COVID-19 situation. -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met with the Chief Ministers of the 11 states worst hit by the deadly second wave of Covid on a day India touched a new record of 3.32 lakh cases and 2,263 deaths in 24 hours.

His discussion with Arvind Kejriwal, which went live on TV for some time, became controversial as the Delhi Chief Minister talked about the capital's crippling oxygen crisis and the central government later accused him of using the platform to "play politics" and "spread lies".

As PM Modi objected to an "in-house meeting" being telecast live, Kejriwal expressed "regret".

In parts of the meeting beamed live, Arvind Kejriwal said a "big tragedy" could happen because of the oxygen shortage in Delhi hospitals and said to the Prime Minister: "Please sir, we need your guidance."

He said oxygen tankers were being stopped from entering the city.

"People in major pain due to oxygen shortage. We fear a big tragedy may happen due to oxygen shortage and we will never be able to forgive ourselves. I request you with folded hands to direct all Chief Ministers to ensure smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to Delhi," Kejriwal said.

"Will people of Delhi not get oxygen if there is no oxygen-producing plant here? Please suggest whom should I speak to in the central government when an oxygen tanker meant for Delhi is stopped in another state," he said.

Kejriwal urged PM Modi to facilitate the airlift of oxygen from West Bengal and Odisha to resolve the shortage in Delhi.

"PM Sir, please, do make a phone call to the Chief Minister of the state where maximum trucks (tankers carrying oxygen) are being stopped so oxygen can reach Delhi." T

The Chief Minister called for a national policy to tackle the crisis.

.Government sources said the interaction was not meant to be televised and accused Kejriwal of "descending to a new low". "For the first time, private conversations of PM's meeting with Chief Ministers is being televised. His entire speech was not meant for any solution but for playing politics and evading responsibility," said the sources.

PM Narendra Modi met with the Chief Ministers of the 10 states worst hit by Covid.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met with the Chief Ministers of the 11 states worst hit by the deadly second wave of Covid on a day India touched a new record of 3.32 lakh cases and 2,263 deaths in 24 hours. His discussion with Arvind Kejriwal, which went live on TV for some time, became controversial as the Delhi Chief Minister talked about the capital's crippling oxygen crisis and the central government later accused him of using the platform to "play politics" and "spread lies".

As PM Modi objected to an "in-house meeting" being telecast live, Mr Kejriwal expressed "regret".

He said oxygen tankers were being stopped from entering the city.

Mr Kejriwal urged PM Modi to facilitate the airlift of oxygen from West Bengal and Odisha to resolve the shortage in Delhi.

"PM Sir, please, do make a phone call to the Chief Minister of the state where maximum trucks (tankers carrying oxygen) are being stopped so oxygen can reach Delhi." The Chief Minister called for a national policy to tackle the crisis.

Government sources said the interaction was not meant to be televised and accused Mr Kejriwal of "descending to a new low".

"For the first time, private conversations of PM's meeting with Chief Ministers is being televised. His entire speech was not meant for any solution but for playing politics and evading responsibility," said the sources.

Top sources said Mr Kejriwal raised the point of airlifting oxygen but "did not know" it is already being done. The centre, they said, had done more to provide beds and oxygen than the Delhi government.

"He chose to spread lies on vaccine prices despite knowing that centre does not keep even one vaccine dose and shares with states only," they said.

"All Chief Ministers spoke about what they are doing to improve the situation. However Kejriwal had nothing to speak on what he is doing."

They also accused the Delhi Chief Minister of "yawning and laughing" during a previous meeting on Covid with PM Modi.

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On the point about the telecast, the Chief Minister's office said: "Today, the chief minister's address was shared live because there has never been any instruction, written or verbal, from the central government that the said interaction could not be shared live. There have been multiple occasions of similar interactions where matters of public importance which had no confidential information were shared live. However, if any inconvenience was caused we highly regret that."

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday announced that it has fixed a procedure to prevent any emergencies due to oxygen supply amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BMC has asked all hospitals in the city and various departments of the civic administration to strictly follow the protocol, an official release stated.

As per the procedure, chief engineers of the mechanical and electric departments will prepare a data sheet containing ward-wise details of all private COVID-19 hospitals, their oxygen suppliers and types of cylinders they have. The release further stated that the information will be made available to the BMC's ward controls and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

Hospitals will have to register their demand for oxygen at least 24 hours before or as per their agreement, whichever is the earliest, it was stated.

"Hospitals will have to inform ward control rooms if the oxygen supply is not made available within 16 hours," the release stated. The procedure also contains detailed information about what needs to be done if suppliers failed to deliver oxygen well within the stipulated time, it was stated.

COVID-19 survivors -- including those not sick enough to be hospitalised -- have an increased risk of death in the six months following diagnosis with the virus, according to the largest comprehensive study of long COVID-19 to date.

The research, published in the journal Nature on Thursday, reveals the massive burden this disease is likely to place on the world's population in the coming years, they said.

The researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in the US also have catalogued the numerous diseases associated with COVID-19, providing a big-picture overview of the long-term complications of COVID-19.

They confirmed that, despite being initially a respiratory virus, long COVID-19 can affect nearly every organ system in the body. The study involved more than 87,000 COVID-19 patients and nearly five million control patients.

"Our study demonstrates that up to six months after diagnosis, the risk of death following even a mild case of COVID-19 is not trivial and increases with disease severity," said study senior author Ziyad Al-Aly, an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. "Physicians must be vigilant in evaluating people who have had COVID-19. These patients will need integrated, multidisciplinary care," Al-Aly said.

The researchers were able to calculate the potential scale of the problems first glimpsed from anecdotal accounts and smaller studies that hinted at the wide-ranging side effects of surviving COVID-19. These side effects include breathing problems, irregular heart rhythms, mental health issues and hair loss, they said.

15:51 Free foodgrains for poor in May, June

The government will provide free food grains to the poor under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana in May and June, officials said on Friday. They said 5-kg free food grains per person per month would be given to around 80 crore people for the two months.

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to the poor, the government has decided to provide free food grains to about 80 crore beneficiaries as was done during the coronavirus-induced lockdown last year, the officials said.

PM Modi stressed that it is important that the poor have nutritional support when the country is facing a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.

Food and Public Distribution secretary Sudhanshu Pandey told PTI that 80 crore PDS beneficiaries will get the benefit to tide over the impact of the pandemic. The Government of India would spend more than Rs 26,000 crore on this initiative, they said. PTI

Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) approves emergency use for Zydus Cadila's Pegylated Interferon alpha-2b, 'Virafin' for treating moderate COVID19 infection in adults.

15:18 Centre sets up committee to allot oxygen

PM Narendra Modi chaired high-level meeting on COVID-19 situation with CMs of 11 states and UTs which have reported maximum number of cases recently. PM assured Centre's full support to all states.

A Coordination Committee will ensure that as soon as there is allotment of oxygen from the centre, it can deliver oxygen as per requirement in different hospitals of the state immediately.

PM Modi stated that Centre is working on all possible options to reduce the travel time and turnaround time of oxygen tankers. For this, railways has started Oxygen Express. Empty Oxygen tankers are also being transported by the Air-Force to reduce one way travel time.

The defence ministry said 23 mobile oxygen generation plants are being airlifted from Germany. These will be deployed in AFMS hospitals catering to COVID patients. These oxygen generating plants are expected within a week.

14:59 Chhattisgarh receives Remdesivir tranche

15,000 vials of Remdesivir reached Raipur airport today, says Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo "It has been sent to CGMSC godown for counting and storage. Distribution of the same will follow immediately, later in the day," he adds.

Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patel

14:52 'Viral video heavily edited to show minister in poor light'

A day after a video surfaced purportedly showing Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patel telling a man who sought oxygen cylinder for his ailing mother that he would get "two slaps", his office on Friday said the clip was heavily edited to portray him in bad light.

Sharing the full video of the incident, a representative of the minister said Patel was only placating the man and reprimanding him for using an expletive.

In the full video, the minister is seen asking the man not to use abusive language and telling him that he would get a slap if he kept on abusing.

He is also seen asking the man who denied him the oxygen cylinder.

While the opposition Congress has took swipes at Patel over the incident after the edited clip was shared widely, the Union minister did not react to the accusations. Patel, who is the MP from Damoh, was inspecting the district hospital there on Thursday, two days after oxygen cylinders were looted from the facility, his office said.

In the video, the man is seen approaching him and saying that his mother, a COVID-19 patient, needed oxygen cylinder. She was told she would get one after 36 hours, but it is yet to be provided, the man can be heard telling the minister. The man is next seen raising a finger at Patel and using an expletive, to which the minister gestures at him to lower his finger, and said, "If you spoke in this manner, you will get two slaps (Aisa Bolega Toh Do Khayega)."

The man then replies that he is ready to accept the slaps. "Tell me what to do," he is heard asking.

"Calm down. Is anyone refusing you (the oxygen)," the minister asks. To this, the man is heard replying in a feeble voice that he had indeed been denied an oxygen cylinder.

As the edited clip began to circulate on Thursday, MP Congress chief spokesperson K K Mishra tweeted, "Before the by-poll, each virus patient of Damoh was driven to Bhopal or Jabalpur by the cars of MP ministers and admitted to hospitals."

"Now when a BJP activist was requesting for oxygen to save the life of his mother, Union Minister Prahlad Patel was talking about slapping him twice as the work is accomplished (election is over)," he said.

On Tuesday night, family members of patients admitted to the Damoh district hospital forcibly took away oxygen cylinders from the facility. The hospital management had to call in police to bring the situation under control. No restrictions on movement or gatherings had been imposed in the district which had an Assembly by-election on April 17. On April 19, a curfew was imposed.

The ongoing second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India may peak between May 11-15 with 33-35 lakh total 'active' cases and decline steeply by the end of May, according to a mathematical module devised by IIT scientists.

On Friday, India saw a single-day rise of 3,32,730 (3.32 lakh) COVID-19 infections and 2,263 fatalities with 24,28,616 (24.28 lakh) active cases.

In predicting that the active cases would go up by about 10 lakh by mid-May before sliding, scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur and Hyderabad applied the Susceptible, Undetected, Tested (positive), and Removed Approach' (SUTRA) model.

The scientists also said Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Telangana may see a high of new cases by April 25-30, while Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh might already have reached their peak in new cases.

"We have found that there is a reasonable chance that the active cases in India could peak sometime between May 11-15 with 33-35 lakh cases. It is a sharp slope, but on the way down, it would likely be equally sharp, coming down very fast and by end of May may see a dramatic reduction," Manindra Agrawal, professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT-Kanpur, told PTI.

The scientists in the as yet unpublished study said there are several novel features in the SUTRA model. Whereas previous papers divided the patient population into asymptomatic and infected, the new model also accounts for the fact that some fraction of asymptomatic patients could also be detected due to contact tracing and other such protocols.

Earlier this month, the mathematical modelling approach predicted that active infections in the country would peak by April 15 but this didn't come true.

"The parameters in our model for the current phase are continuously drifting. So it is hard to get their value right," said Agrawal.

"Even a little bit of change each day causes the peak numbers to change by several thousand," he explained.

The IIT Kanpur professor added that the SUTRA model's prediction of the new peak is sensitive to the daily new infections data. -- PTI

A tanker carrying liquid oxygen, which was travelling from Panipat to Sirsa in Haryana, has gone missing after which police have registered a case and launched investigations. Panipat police said on Friday a case has been lodged on the complaint of district drug controller.

After being filled with liquid oxygen from Panipat plant on Wednesday, the truck had left for Sirsa, but it did not reach the destination, Station House Officer (SHO), Matlauda, Panipat, Manjeet Singh said. "We are investigating the matter," he said.

The demand for medical oxygen has escalated due to a surge in coronavirus cases In another incident, Haryana minister Anil Vij had on Wednesday alleged that a tanker carrying medical oxygen for COVID patients in hospitals, which was going from Panipat to Faridabad, was ''looted'' by the Delhi government when it was passing through their territory.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had asked the PM at the Covid strategy meeting today for a national plan to deal with the crisis. "Centre government should take over all oxygen plants through the Army and every tanker coming out of the oxygen plant should be accompanied by an Army escort vehicle," he said. -- PTI

Amid a deluge of depressing news, comes this anecdote of hope. An auto driver in Ranchi offers free ride to people who need to go to hospitals, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Ravi, the driver says, "I have been doing this since 15th April when I dropped a woman at RIMS after everyone else refused. My number's on social media so people can contact me."

May your tribe prosper.

Raising alarm that a "big tragedy" may happen due to oxygen shortage in hospitals during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the Centre should take over all oxygen plants through the Army.

In a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the COVID-19 situation, Kejriwal requested him to direct chief ministers of all states to ensure smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to the national capital.

"People in major pain due to oxygen shortage. We fear a big tragedy may happen due to oxygen shortage and we will never be able to forgive ourselves. I request you with folded hands to direct all CMs to ensure smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to Delhi," he said during the meeting.

"We need a national plan to deal with the crisis. Centre government should take over all oxygen plants through the Army and every tanker coming out of the oxygen plant should be accompanied by an Army escort vehicle," he said.

"The oxygen supply scheduled to come to Delhi from Odisha and West Bengal should either be airlifted or brought through the Oxygen express started by the Centre," he said. The chief minister also objected to different rates being charged from state governments and the Centre for the COVID-19 vaccine, and said "one nation, one rate" policy should be followed. Prime Minister Modi held a meeting on Friday with chief ministers of 10 states with the most number of COVID-19 cases. The meeting via video conferencing comes amid a huge surge in coronavirus cases, which have now clocked a daily total of over 3 lakh in the country.

Chief ministers of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi are among those who attended the meeting. Modi will hold a meeting with leading oxygen manufacturers in the country via video conference amid concerns expressed by some states that their supply of the life-saving gas is running short with a number of hospitals sending out SOS.

Image: Patients wait inside ambulances in a queue to enter a COVID-19 hospital. Pic: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Pyres of people who died by Covid burn in New Delhi on April 22. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters. Siddiqui writes, "Delhi resident Nitish Kumar was forced to keep his dead mother's body at home for nearly two days while he searched for space in the city's crematoriums - a sign of the deluge of death in India's capital."

Terming the Centre's decision to allow multiple prices for vaccines "discriminatory", senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday suggested states to jointly form a price negotiation committee to work out a uniform rate with the manufacturers.

Chidambaram also accused the central government of having abdicated its responsibility and surrendering to corporate profiteering.

"The central government's decision to allow multiple prices for vaccines is discriminatory and regressive. States must unanimously reject the decision. "The best way forward is for the state governments to jointly form a Price Negotiation Committee and offer to negotiate a uniform price with the two vaccine manufacturers," the Congress leader said in a series of tweets.

He said the joint purchasing power of the state governments would force the manufacturers to agree to a uniform price. "States must take the initiative. The central government has abdicated its responsibility and surrendered to corporate profiteering," Chidambaram added.

The Centre announced on Monday that everyone above 18 years of age will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination from May 1, while private hospitals and states will be able to buy the shots from manufacturers. -- PTI

12:54 C'garh CM asks PM for vaccine price parity

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel in a meeting of CMs with PM Modi today asks that vaccines to states be provided at the same rate as the Central govt. "Please provide an action plan for vaccine availability to the states for running vaccination drive for those above 18 years of age from May 1," Baghel said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting on Friday with chief ministers of 10 states with the most number of COVID-19 cases. The meeting via video conferencing comes amid a huge surge in coronavirus cases, which have now clocked a daily total of over 3 lakh in the country. Chief ministers of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi are among those who attended the meeting.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal also asked for parity in vaccine prices and a plan for the distribution of oxygen.

12:40 SC allows Salve to recuse from Covid hearing

The Supreme Court Friday allowed senior advocate Harish Salve to withdraw as amicus curiae for the suo motu case related to distribution of essential supplies and services, including oxygen and drugs, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, who is demitting office as the CJI Friday itself, rapped some senior advocates for making statements without reading its order passed on Thursday and observed that it did not stop high courts from hearing cases related to COVID-19 management in the country.

The bench, also comprising Justices L N Rao and S R Bhat, granted time to the Centre to file response in the case and posted it for hearing on April 27. "You have imputed motives to us without reading our order, the bench told senior advocate Dushyant Dave," who was appearing in the matter. "We are also pained at reading what some senior lawyers have to say on Salve's appointment as amicus in the matter," the bench said, adding that it was a "collective decision" of all the judges at the bench.

Salve said it is a very sensitive matter and he did not want the case to be decided under the shadow that he knew the CJI from school and college days.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested Salve not to withdraw from the case as the amicus on the ground that no one should succumb to such pressure tactics.

Taking note of the grim situation created by the massive surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths, the Supreme Court had on Thursday said it expects the Centre to come out with a national plan to deal with proper distribution of oxygen and essential drugs for the patients. -- PTI

12:33 Kejriwal asks PM to ensure O2 supply to Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs a meeting with the Chief Ministers of high burden states, over the prevailing COVID-19 situation.

Delhi CM in the meeting with the PM: "There's a huge shortage of oxygen in Delhi. Will people of Delhi not get oxygen if there is no oxygen-producing plant here? Please suggest whom should I speak to in Central Govt when an oxygen tanker destined for Delhi is stopped in another state?"

Offence is the best form of defence, when you are defending the indefensible.

Govt sources tell news agency ANI that Delhi CM Kejriwal used the PM-CM conference on Covid as a platform to play politics. Govt sources say he "chose to spread lies on vaccine prices despite knowing that Centre does not keep one vaccine dose with itself and shares with states only."

Kejriwal, government sources said, raised the point of airlifting oxygen, but did not know that it is already being done. They added, "He spoke about Oxygen express by Railways but Railway sources say that he has not communicated anything about it to Railways."

Govt sources added, "Kejriwal has descended to a new low. For the first time, private conversations of PMs meeting with CM was televised. His entire speech was not meant for any solution but for playing politics and evade responsibility."

Relatives of some of the victims, who died in a fire at a hospital in Maharashtra's Palghar district early on Friday, alleged that the staffers of the facility were asleep when the blaze broke out and there was nobody to help the patients come out of the ICU. They also alleged that the hospital did not fulfil the basic fire safety requirements.

Thirteen COVID-19 patients died in the fire at the intensive care unit (ICU) ward located on the second floor of the four-storeyed Vijay Vallabh Hospital at Virar in the early hours of Friday.

After the incident, angry and distraught family members of the patients gathered outside the hospital.

"All this is hospital administration's mistake. Its staff members were asleep when the fire broke out. There was not a single employee inside the ICU to help the patients come out," a relative of one of the deceased alleged.

The hospital does not have basic fire safety equipment, like sufficient number of fire extinguishers, a family member of another patient said. "Then why did they start the hospital at all?" he asked.

A woman, who is a doctor by profession, lost her mother in the blaze. Talking to reporters, she said that the fire could have put off with the help of fire extinguisher, but nothing was done. "I lost my mother, who was recovering from the ailment. She could have been saved if the fire safety norms were followed," she said. "I had personally brought my mother to the hospital in an ambulance for better treatment. Now where should I find my mother," she said sobbing.

She said that when she went upstairs after the incident, she saw some blackened bodies lying there. Another victim's relative sought strong action against the hospital. "Whoever is guilty should be punished," the relative said. -- PTI

CJI SA Bobde

12:15 CJI designate sits with Bobde on his last day

Harish Salve to SC on being appointed amicus curiae in COVID matter: "I don't want case to be decided under shadow that I knew CJI. I did not know our bar was divided between advocates who appear for industries and against it."

As per convention, CJI designate NV Ramana to sit with current CJI SA Bobde on his last working day today

The bench will also pronounce judgment on a plea seeking cancellation of bail granted to an accused in the 2015 Azamgargh lawyer murder case under UP Gangster Act.

11:55 SC begins hearing cases on Covid crisis

Supreme Court starts hearing the suo motu cognisance case on COVID19 crisis, it will also examine the judicial power of High Courts to declare lockdown.

A three-judge bench of the Court, headed by CJI SA Bobde is hearing the case.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that it is very unfortunate that many virtual media platforms are abusing this process of appointing Harish Salve as Amicus Curiae in the case.

Chief Justice of India SA Bobde allowed Harish Salve to recuse from the case.

The Supreme Court on Thursday took suo moto cognisance of the several high court hearings underway regarding Covid-19 preparedness across the country and issued a notice to the Centre on the supply of Covid care essentials, such as oxygen and medicines.

Noting that India was currently facing a national emergency-like situation, the SC bench led by Chief Justice SA Bobde asked the Centre to submit its plan on Covid preparedness, including the details of the nationwide vaccination drive plan.

PM Narendra Modi

11:36 3 traits of Modi that led to Indias Covid crisis, as per Guha

In an interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Ramachandra Guha, one of India's most highly regarded historians and widely read political commentators, has identified three of Narendra Modi's traits which he says lie behind the mishandling of Covid-19.

The first is his "suspicion of experts and expertise'.

The second character trait Guha identified is Modi's "cult of personality'. The third character trait defined by Guha is that Modi "remains a sectarian Sanghi at heart'.

'Rounding off the interview, Ram Guha said that not only is the Prime Minister "principally to blame' for India's mishandling of Covid-19 but he is also the reason why instead of "acche din' we have "burre din' in terms of the economy, society and the country's international image,' The Wire writes, here.

11:31 SC to hear Covid-related cases today

CJI SA Bobde led bench to shortly hear the Suo Motu case pertaining to supply of essential drugs, oxygen, vaccination issues and question on lockdown. Court to also decide if it will transfer cases from all High Courts SuoMotu.

11:28 25 patients die at Ganga Ram Hospital

SOS message from Director-Medical, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, 2 hours ago: "25 sickest patients have died in last 24 hours at the hospital. Oxygen will last another two hrs. Ventilators and Bipap not working effectively. Need Oxygen to be airlifted urgently. Lives of another 60 sickest patients in peril."

The good news is that an oxygen tanker reached the hospital an hour ago.

An oxygen tanker on its way to Max Hospital

11:18 Hospitals still face acute O2 shortage: Apollo

Hospitals are suffering from acute shortage of oxygen despite strict government orders to ensure uninterrupted production and supply of medical oxygen, Apollo Hospitals Joint Managing Director Sangita Reddy said on Friday.

She was responding to a tweet from rival Max Healthcare which said that Max Smart Hospital and Max Hospital Saket were left with less than one hour's oxygen supplies.

"Hospitals continue to gasp for breath despite govt orders being issued. Its now becoming an hourly challenge for many hospitals. every minute of delay on commitments made can cost lives!! ," Reddy tweeted tagging union ministers, Delhi Chief Minister and other state ministers.

Earlier Max Healthacre tweeted: "SOS - Less than an hour's Oxygen supplies at Max Smart Hospital & Max Hospital Saket. Awaiting promised fresh supplies from INOX since 1 am. over 700 patients admitted, need immediate assistance."

Centre has directed states to ensure uninterrupted production and supply of medical oxygen and its transport along inter-state borders and said the district magistrate and superintendent of police of the district concerned will be held responsible if there is any violation of its order. On Thursday, Reddy had asked the government to tag oxygen tanks as ambulances and enable quick green corridor movement across states.

Vijay Vallabh Hospital at Virar

11:00 Hospital fire: AC unit which blew up under repairs

An employee of the private hospital in Maharashtra's Palghar district, where 13 COVID-19 patients died in a fire after a blast in an air conditioning unit, said the AC system there was not working since Thursday afternoon and some repair work was going on.

The fire broke out in the intensive care unit on the second floor of the four-storeyed Vijay Vallabh Hospital at Virar in the early hours of Friday, in which five women and eight men died. There were 90 patients in the hospital, 18 of them in the ICU, when the fire broke out after a blast in the AC unit, an official has said.

The hospital employee said the facility had been facing some problem with its AC system in the COVID-19 ward since Thursday afternoon.

"When I went to the hospital yesterday afternoon, the air conditioner was not working in the COVID-19 ward of the hospital. I saw that some repair work was going on at that time as AC panels were removed," Supriya Deshmukh, a staffer at the hospital told a regional news channel.

"Meanwhile, the hospital set up some fans as a temporary arrangement. After finishing my work and I returned home late in the evening," she said.

Meanwhile, the relatives of the COVID-19 patients who died in the incident, complained about the hospital's alleged mismanagement to Shiv Sena leader and state minister Eknath Shinde, when he went to take stock of the situation. The relatives told him that the hospital was understaffed, due to which proper attention was given to the patients. -- PTI

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope

10:50 Covid hospital fire not national news: Tope

Virar fire incident, not national news, says Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope. 13 people have lost their lives in a fire at Vijay Vallabh COVID care hospital in Maharashtra's Virar.

"In todays meeting with the PM, we will talk about Oxygen, Remdesivir, an adequate quantity of vaccines for the State... also the Virar fire incident, it is not national news. State govt will provide financial assistance to those affected," Tope said.

Equity benchmark Sensex declined over 300 points in early trade on Friday, tracking losses in index majors HDFC twins, ICICI Bank and Infosys amid concerns that the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic may derail the economic recovery of the country.

The 30-share BSE index was trading 316.81 points or 0.66 per cent lower at 47,763.86. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty dropped 75.45 points or 0.52 per cent to 14,330.70. ICICI Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 2 per cent, followed by HDFC twins, Bajaj Finance, HUL, SBI, M&M and Kotak Bank.

On the other hand, PowerGrid, Asian Paints, Titan, HCL Tech, Dr Reddy's and UltraTech Cement were among the gainers.

10:44 Antilia case: Crime branch cop arrested

Antilia bomb scare case: Inspector of Mumbai Police Crime Branch, Sunil Mane arrested by NIA: NIA official

With new coronavirus-induced restrictions coming into force in Maharashtra from Thursday night, the state government said only government personnel and health workers will be allowed to travel by suburban trains in Mumbai.

The fresh restrictions under the government's `Break-the-Chain' programme came into force at 8 pm on Thursday and will remain effective till 7 am on May 1.

No one else even notified as essential services or under exemptions as per earlier government orders will be allowed to use local trains during this period, said a statement issued by the office of Chief Minister Uddhav

Thackeray here.

Government entities include civic bodies of Mumbai, Thane and other corporations, zilla parishads, government authorities, statutory commissions and agencies, the statement said.

Accredited media personnel are prominent among those excluded from the use of suburban trains which are the lifeline of Mumbai and its satellite towns.

Work from home for government staff was not sanction of leave and 85 per cent of such employees must work remotely, the CMO said.

It is expected that government departments will embrace e-office as well as tele-meeting systems, it said.

A separate statement from the chief minister's office said essential services or those excluded from the curbs can display their organisation's identity card and travel by private vehicles for their work.

Offices excluded from the curbs and those falling under essential services category will have to maintain only 15 per cent attendance at work, it added.

The fresh restrictions on travel, attendance in offices and wedding functions are aimed at curbing the rising COVID-19 cases.

According to an order issued by Chief Secretar Sitaram Kunte, government offices - central, state and local authorities - will work with 15 per cent attendance except those in emergency services directly connected to management of the pandemic.

Municipal and state transport buses will operate at 50 per cent capacity with no standing passengers, it said. -- PTI

The Union health ministry on Thursday issued a revised 'Clinical Guidance for Management of Adult COVID-19 Patients' recommending the EUA/off-label use of Tocilizumab drug in case of severe diseases, preferably within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of the disease or ICU admission.

The guidelines issued by AIIMS, ICMR-COVID-19 National Task Force and the Joint Monitoring Group under the ministry stated that Tocilizumab (a drug that modifies the immune system or its functioning) may be considered in patients with significantly raised inflammatory markers and not improving despite use of steroids with there being no active bacterial/fungal/tubercular infection.

They also recommended off-label use of convalescent plasma only in the early moderate disease, preferably within seven days of symptom onset, stating that "no use after seven days" and only on availability of high titre donor plasma.

Under emergency use authorization (EUA), Remdesivir may be considered for only those patients with moderate to severe diseases (requiring supplemental oxygen) within 10 days of onset of symptoms.

It is not recommended for those with severe renal impairment or hepatic dysfunction, the guidelines stated.

"Not to be used in patients who are not on oxygen support or in home settings," the ministry underlined.

The guidance note comes in the wake of increasing demand for Tocilizumab, Remdesivir and plasma, as the COVID-19 cases continue to surge. The note specifies how and in what stages and doses should the drugs be used.

According to the guidance note, upper respiratory tract symptoms (or fever) without shortness of breath or hypoxia has been categorised as 'mild disease' and people have been advised home isolation and care.

The guidelines advise physical distancing, indoor mask use, strict hand hygiene. symptomatic management (hydration, anti-pyretics, antitussive, multivitamins), staying in contact with treating physician, monitoring temperature and oxygen saturation (by applying a SpO2 probe to fingers) for such patients.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the loss of lives in a blaze at a private hospital in Maharashtra's Palghar district and approved an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the victims.

Thirteen COVID-19 patients died in the blaze at the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Virar, police said.

There were 90 patients in the hospital, 18 of them in the ICU, when the fire broke out after a blast in the AC unit, an official said.

The dead include five women and eight men.

"The fire at a COVID-19 hospital in Virar is tragic. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon," Modi was quoted as saying by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

"PM @narendramodi has approved an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF (Prime Minister's National Relief Fund) for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the hospital fire in Virar, Maharashtra. Rs. 50,000 would be given to those seriously injured," the PMO said in a tweet.

The fire broke out in the ICU on the second floor of the four-storeyed Vijay Vallabh Hospital at Virar shortly after 3 am, an official said.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze at 5.20 am, he added. -- PTI

India today logged 3,32,730 new COVID-19 cases, once again the highest-ever daily count recorded in the world, and 2,263 deaths since yesterday.

The alarming surge has led to desperate calls for oxygen some of India's top hospitals.

Total cases: 1,62,63,695

Total recoveries: 1,36,48,159

Death toll: 1,86,920

Active cases: 24,28,616

Total vaccination: 13,54,78,420

The Canadian government has banned all passenger flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days due to the unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases in the region, the longest country-specific travel ban imposed by Canada.

The flight ban took effect from midnight Thursday, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said on Thursday.

A number of countries like the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore have banned travel to and from India due to surge in coronavirus infections.

Over 3.14 lakh new coronavirus cases were registered in India on Thursday, the highest-ever single-day count in any country. While the death toll increased to 1,84,657 with a record 2,104 new fatalities. The national recovery rate fell below 85 per cent.

Transport Minister Alghabra said the government imposed a 30-day ban, the longest travel ban Canada has put on any individual country, on passengers flights from India and Pakistan, based on advice from federal health officials in order to buy time to assess more data, and to provide certainty for Canadians considering travelling to the region, the Toronto Star reported.

However, the cargo flights are not banned and Ottawa is still hoping that India, which has suspended vaccine exports, will send the bulk of 1.5 million AstraZeneca doses Canada had purchased through the Serum Institute of India.

Those doses -- about 1 million -- are now in limbo, at least until June due to export controls in India, officials admitted Thursday.

The moves come after the Liberal government came under fire from the Conservative opposition, the premiers of Canada's two largest provinces, and even their own MPs to tighten border restrictions as COVID-19 variants continue to spread in Canada.

The government said it had taken advice from chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam, who just a day before had said "country-specific targeted measures can only go so far," and "no border measures are completely 100 per cent effective." Tam said "layers of protection" are needed, especially given most cases here arise from community transmission, not travellers.

In recent weeks, 50 per cent of travellers arriving in Canada who tested positive for COVID-19 came from India, even though those flights were only 20 per cent of all international arrivals. And an alarming number of positive cases also showed up in travellers from Pakistan.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu said those COVID-19-positive travellers were identified and required to quarantine.

The United States has advised its citizens to avoid travelling to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the Maldives due to the sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in the region.

In a series of travel advisories on Thursday, the authorities also urged Americans to reconsider travel to China and Nepal; exercise increased caution while travelling to Sri Lanka and exercise normal travel precaution to Bhutan, which has been given Level 1, the safest level for travelling overseas.

India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives have been put in Level 4, which means asking Americans not to travel to these countries.

"Do not travel to India due to COVID-19, crime, and terrorism," the State Department said in its latest travel advisory on India, days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a similar warning for India.

The CDC issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for India due to COVID-19, indicating a very high level of COVID-19 in the country.

"Do not travel to the Maldives due to COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in the Maldives due to terrorism," the State Department said in its travel advisory for the country.

"Do not travel to Pakistan due to COVID-19. Reconsider travel to Pakistan due to terrorism and sectarian violence. Some areas have increased risk," the State Department said.

Terrorist groups continue plotting attacks in Pakistan, it said.

"A local history of terrorism and the ongoing ideological aspirations of violence by extremist elements have led to indiscriminate attacks on civilians as well as local military and police targets," the State Department said.

"Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, military installations, airports, universities, tourist locations, schools, hospitals, places of worship, and government facilities. Terrorists have targeted US diplomats and diplomatic facilities in the past," it said.

Terrorist attacks continue to happen across Pakistan, with most occurring in Balochistan and KPK (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), including the former FATA (The Federally Administered Tribal Areas).

Large-scale terrorist attacks have resulted in numerous casualties, the State Department said.

In its advisory on Afghanistan, the State Department asked its citizens not to travel to Afghanistan due to COVID-19, crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.

"Do not travel to Bangladesh due to COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Bangladesh due to crime, terrorism, and kidnapping," it said. -- PTI

Over 1,700 doses of COVID-19 vaccine that were stolen from a government hospital in Haryana's Jind district on Wednesday night were returned hours later by the unidentified thief with a note that stated that he did not know that these were coronavirus jabs.

A total of 1,270 doses of Covishield and 440 doses of Covaxin were stolen from the hospital, SHO of Civil Lines police station Rajender Singh said on Thursday.

The matter came to light after a sanitation worker of the hospital found the locks of the store and deep freezer broken this morning.

"The accused did not touch any other vaccine, medicine, cash, etc. in the store," Singh said.

Later, a man came on a motorcycle and left the vaccines at a tea stall outside the Civil Lines police station. He told people at the stall that the package contained food for a police official at the station, the officer said.

The thief also left a note in which he expressed regret over stealing the vaccines. He said that he did not know that these were COVID-19 vaccines, he added.

"It is possible that he wanted to steal some other vaccine or drug and returned what he had stolen after learning that it wasn't that," Singh said.

A case has been registered in connection with the incident, he said.

"We have got some clues and hope to make an arrest soon," he said. -- PTI

Twenty-five sickest patients have died in last 24 hours at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi due to low oxygen supply, hospital's Director of Medical said.

"Oxygen will last another 2 hours. Ventilators and Bipap are not working effectively. Need Oxygen to be airlifted urgently," he said.

He further said that lives of another 60 sickest patients in peril due to oxygen crisis.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had to delete one of his tweets announcing the demise of former Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Thursday night after Bharatiya Janata Party leaders pointed out that she was hale and hearty.

Tharoor later said he was relieved that Mahajan is doing fine and said he banked on "a reliable source" in putting out his tweet.

"I am relieved if that is so. I received this from what I thought was a reliable source.... Happy to retract and appalled that anyone would make up such news," he said in a tweet while replying to a message that she was fine.

"How am I sounding?...I am as healthy as my voice," Mahajan told a reporter, who called up to enquire about her health after Tharoor's tweet.

The former Lok Sabha speaker's son Mandar put out a video clip, saying his mother is perfectly fine and urging people not to reply on false news being spread about her.

"My mother is perfectly fine. Please do not rely on false news being spread about her. Her COVID report is negative. I met her only in the evening and she is healthy," he said in the video.

BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya tweeted back to Tharoor, informing him that Mahajan is perfectly healthy.

"Thanks @kailashOnline. I have deleted my tweet. I wonder what motivates people to invent and spread such evil news that takes in people. My best wishes for Sumitra ji's health and long life," the Congress leader said in another tweet.

"Mahajan was admitted to the Bombay hospital in Indore on Wednesday after she had mild fever. She is fine now and does not have fever. She was also tested for COVID and her RT-PCR report has come negative," Rajesh Aggarwal, a close aide of the former Lok Sabha speaker, told PTI.

Mahajan (78) was the Lok Sabha speaker from 2014 to 2019. She had earlier represented the Indore Lok Sabha constituency in Parliament for eight terms. -- PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray orders an inquiry into the fire incident at Vijay Vallabh COVID care hospital in Virar in which 13 COVID-19 patients have died.

The fire broke out in the ICU on the second floor of the four-storeyed Vijay Vallabh Hospital at Virar shortly after 3 am, an official said. Firefighters extinguished the blaze at 5.20 am, police said.

00:20 'Oxygen Express' leaves Vizag for Maharashtra

The first 'Oxygen Express' carrying liquid medical oxygen departed for Maharashtra from Visakhapatnam on late Thursday night.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal took to Twitter to inform about the Ro-Ro (roll-on-roll-off) train with seven tankers leaving for Maharashtra.

"The first Oxygen Express train loaded with liquid medical oxygen tankers has left for Maharashtra from Vizag. Railways continues to serve the nation in difficult times by transporting essential commodities and driving innovation to ensure the wellbeing of all citizens," Goyal tweeted.

With Maharashtra battling shortages of medical oxygen amid Covid-19 surge, on April 19 the train left for Visakhapatnam from Kalamboli near Mumbai. After nearly 50 hours' journey, it reached Visakhapatnam about 1 am on April 22.

Nearly 75 hours after its departure from Kalamboli, the train carrying seven tankers loaded with oxygen has started its return journey.

On Sunday, the Railways had announced it will run Oxygen Express over the next few days to transport oxygen across the country. Under the initiative, empty tankers will be loaded with liquid medical oxygen from Visakhapatnam, Jamshedpur, Rourkela and Bokaro.

A special CBI court on Thursday acquitted underworld don Chhota Rajan and his aide in connection with the murder of Hanif Kadawala, an accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case.

Rajan (62) and his associate Jaggnath Jaiswal, charged with murder and other offences under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), were acquitted by special CBI court judge A T Wankhede.

Kadawala transported weapons to Mumbai on the instructions of Tiger Memon, a key accused in the terror attack, and they were used in the 1993 blasts, which had killed more than 250 people.

Kadawala was killed on February 7, 2001, in his office by three men.

The CBI, which probed the murder case, had alleged that Rajan ordered the killing of Kadawala to gain publicity. Prior to this, Rajan had ordered the killing of several other blasts accused, the central agency had said.

Rajan and his aide were acquitted by the court for want of evidence, their lawyers said. There was no evidence against Rajan. In fact, it is on record that the contract of killing Kadawala was given by the Guru Satam gang and Ravi Pujari gang.

"Rajan's name was mentioned in this case only to misguide the investigating agency," Rajan's lawyer Tushar Khandare said.

It was for want of cogent evidence that both the accused were let off by the court, Jaiswal's lawyer said.

The prosecution had claimed that after the blasts, Rajan parted ways with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, a key conspirator of the 1993 serial bombings. It alleged that Rajan initiated the killings of people involved in the blasts to gain public sympathy.

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