COVID-19: Recoveries outnumber new cases; active cases down by 31,091

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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For the fourth time in the last five days, India’s daily COVID-19 recoveries outnumbered new cases, taking the total recoveries to nearly 2.5 crores, the Union health ministry said on Saturday.

The number of people who recovered from the infection in the last 24 hours was 3.5 lakh, while the number of new cases recorded in the same period was 3.2 lakhs, according to ministry data updated at 8 am.

The national recovery rate stands at 83.83 percent, it said. “It (the daily recoveries) outnumbers India’s daily new COVID-19 cases for the fourth time in the last five days. Ten states account for 70.49 percent of the new recoveries,” the ministry said.

The data showed that Maharashtra recorded the highest number of recoveries at 53,249 followed by Karnataka (35,879), Kerala (31,319), Uttar Pradesh (26,179), Tamil Nadu (20,037), Andhra Pradesh (19,177), West Bengal (19,131), Gujarat (15,365), Haryana (14,577) and Delhi (14,140).

The total tally of cases in the country stands at 2.43 crore, while 3,890 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 2.66 lakh, the ministry said.

It said that the number of active cases has decreased to 36.7 lakhs and comprises 15.07 percent of the total infections. There has been a net decline of 31,091 in the number of active cases in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.

The data showed that 11 states cumulatively account for 77.26 percent of India’s total active cases.

Karnataka has the highest active cases at nearly 6 lakh cases, followed by Maharashtra (5.21 lakhs), Kerala (4,42 lakhs), Rajasthan (2.12 lakhs), Andhra Pradesh (2.03 lakhs), Tamil Nadu (1.95 lakhs), Uttar Pradesh (1.93 lakhs), West Bengal (1.31 lakhs), Gujarat (1.17 lakhs), Chhattisgarh (1.15 lakhs), and Madhya Pradesh (1.04 lakhs).

The national mortality rate currently stands at 1.09 percent, the ministry said, adding that the 3,890 deaths were reported in a span of 24 hours.

Ten states account for 72.19 percent of the new deaths and Maharashtra has the highest number of fatalities at 695 followed by Karnataka with 373 fresh deaths, the data showed.

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 18 crore, the ministry said.

It said 18 crore vaccine doses have been administered through 26 lakh sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am.

These include nearly 96 lakh health care workers (HCWs) who have taken their first dose and approximately 66 lakh HCWs who have taken the second dose, and 1.43 crore front line workers (FLWs) who have taken their first dose and 81.5 lakh FLWs who have taken their second dose.

The ministry said 42.5 lakh beneficiaries in the 18-45 age group have taken the first dose since the start of phase-3 of the vaccination drive against COVID-19 with nearly 3 lakh beneficiaries receiving their first dose in the last 24 hours.

In the 45-60 age group, 5.6 crore people have received their first dose while 87.5 lakh beneficiaries have got their second dose, and among beneficiaries above 60 years of age, 5.4 crore have got their first dose while 1.75 crore has taken their second dose.

More than 11 lakh vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours, the ministry said. It said that as on Day-119 of the vaccination drive (May 14), over 11 lakh vaccine doses were given.

Across 11,628 sessions, over 6 lakh beneficiaries were vaccinated with the first dose and over 4.5 lakh beneficiaries received their second dose.

The Centre also said that cumulatively, 10,796 oxygen concentrators; 12,269 oxygen cylinders; 19 oxygen generation plants; 6,497 ventilators/Bi-PAP and nearly 4.2L remdesivir vials have been delivered or dispatched through road and air so far.

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Airtel rolls out Covid support initiatives for customers on its digital platform

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Bharti Airtel has rolled out a range of Covid support initiatives for customers by leveraging its digital platform. With this, the telco joins a growing list of companies that have introduced digital tools to help people amid the deadly second wave of the pandemic.

Airtel has integrated easily accessible bouquet of Covid support resources and related information in the Airtel Thanks app’s Explore section, the company said in a statement.

“Covid SOS aggregates verified and updated contacts for important supplies such as medicines, oxygen, plasma donors, ambulance, hospital beds, and testing centres. With a few clicks, the platform connects users to these service providers/resources and tries to ensure that users do not have to waste precious time to access this data,” the statement said.

The information available on ‘Covid SOS’ is verified by their teams, it said and added the platform is powered by Airtel IQ.

“Airtel Thanks users can also book a vaccination slot for themselves and their loved ones through the app,” the statement said.

With the Cowin platform APIs (Application Programming Interface) integrated with the Airtel Thanks app, information on nearest vaccination centres and available slots are updated on a real-time basis.

To avail relevant resources, users would need to download the latest version of the Airtel Thanks app (iOS, Android), go to the ‘Explore’ section and click on the Covid support banners. Another feature allows businesses to create a free helpline for employees with Airtel IQ.

“Business of all sizes can set up free Covid Helpline for their employees within two minutes with Airtel IQ a cloud communication platform. Airtel is giving 5,000 minutes with each Helpline account so that businesses can stay connected with their employees and organise their efforts,” it said.

The feature is expected to be particularly useful for medium to small-sized companies that can set up a secure helpline instantly without any in-house telco infrastructure.

India in a day recorded 3,26,098 COVID-19 cases that took the tally to 2,43,72,907, while 3,890 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 2,66,207, according to Union health ministry data updated on Saturday.

A massive rise in infections during the second deadly wave of the pandemic has led to hospitals in several states reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen, beds, and other critical infrastructure.

The vaccination drive in India was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers getting inoculated and the vaccination of frontline workers started on February 2. Subsequently, it was opened for different age groups.

The total number of Covid vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed the 18 crore mark.

While people have rushed to register for the jab, certain states have flagged limited availability of vaccines.

Right from giants like Facebook and Google to startups such as HealthifyMe have introduced a slew of tools over the past few weeks to help people find slots for vaccination appointments.

Drawing on the country’s proven tech prowess and massive reach of social media platforms, many companies and developers are also enabling people looking for resources like hospital beds, ventilators and oxygen cylinders.

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PM Modi to review preparations to deal with Cyclone Tauktae

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold an important meeting on Saturday to review preparations to deal with impending Cyclone Tauktae, government sources said.

Top officers from across government departments, including the National Disaster Management Authority, will attend the meeting, they said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had said on Friday that the depression in the Arabian Sea is likely to intensify into a “very severe cyclonic storm” on May 17 and cross the Gujarat coast a day later.

The weather condition has intensified into a deep depression. It is very likely to further intensify into cyclonic storm ‘Tauktae’ by Saturday morning and very likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm by Saturday night, it had said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has earmarked 53 teams to tackle possible after effects of Cyclone ‘Tauktae’ that is developing in the Arabian Sea.

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Google leads efforts to support spouses of H-1B visa holders to get to work

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Google is leading a determined effort by US tech giants to support a programme that gives work authorisation for spouses of those possessing H-1B foreign work visas, the most sought after among Indian IT professionals.

Goggle is joined by 30 other companies to support the H-4 EAD ((Employment Authorisation Document) programme.

An H-4 visa is issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to immediate family members (spouse and children under 21 years of age) of the H-1B visa holders.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

“Google is proud to support our nation’s immigrants. We joined 30 other companies to protect the H-4 EAD programme which spurs innovation, creates jobs and opportunities, and helps families,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted.

Google on Friday filed a legal brief in a lawsuit called Save Jobs USA vs US Department of Homeland Security.

Tech companies that signed onto the amicus brief include Adobe, Amazon, Apple, eBay, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, PayPal and Twitter.

“To support this important programme, we are leading an amicus brief with over 40 companies and organisations to preserve and protect the H-4 EAD programme,” Catherine Lacavera, Vice President, Legal, Google, said in a blog post.

“This builds on an amicus brief we recently joined in support of a lawsuit filed by the American Immigration Lawyers Association to expedite the delayed processing time of H-4 work authorisations,” she said.

Kent Walker, Senior Vice President, Global Affairs, Google, said H-4 EAD authorisations for the spouses of high-skilled workers help American companies recruit and retain the world’s best talent.

“Today we led a business coalition filing on behalf of 30 companies to preserve and protect the programme,” Walker said.

“H-4 EADs provide work authorisation to more than 90,000 H-4 visa-holders–more than 90 per cent women. COVID has disproportionately affected women. Ending this programme would make things worse, disrupting careers and reducing wages,” he said.

“It doesn’t make sense to welcome a person to the US to work but to make it harder for their spouse to work. That hurts their family and hurts our economy now and in the future,” he added.

The plaintiff is Save Jobs USA, a group of computer workers formerly employed by Southern California Edison and replaced by foreign workers imported on H-1B guest worker visas.

Save Jobs USA filed the lawsuit in 2015. It was delayed as former president Donald Trump’s administration considered rescinding the H-4 work rule. A week after his inauguration on January 20, US President Joe Biden withdrew a Trump-era rule rescinding work authorisation for H-4 visa holders.

Now, both the plaintiffs and the Biden administration are seeking summary judgment.

In the amicus brief, Google said: “The regulation at issue herethe H-4 Rule, US Department of Homeland Security, Employment Authorization for Certain H-4 Dependent Spouses, 80 Fed. Reg. 10,284 (Feb. 25, 2015) provides work authorization to more than 90,000 H-4 visa holders (spouses of certain H-1B visa holders), more than 90 percent of whom are women.

“Invalidation of this rule would result in these talented individuals being barred from the workplace, forcibly severing tens of thousands of employment relationships across the country,” it said.

The results would be utterly destructive for the families impacted; by just one measure, about 87 per cent of these families have made crucial life decisions on the promise of H-4 employment, including whether to have a child and whether to buy a house, it said.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Vaccine passports: Why are they good for society?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As more and more people get vaccinated, some governments are relying on vaccine passports as a way of reopening society.

Vaccine passports are essentially certificates that show the holder has been immunised against COVID-19, which restaurants, pubs, bars, sports venues and others can use to grant them entry.

Israel currently operates a green pass system, which allows vaccinated people access to theatres, concert halls, indoor restaurants and bars.

The UK government had to roll back plans to trial vaccine passports after some of the venues involved experienced significant backlash against the proposals.

This is perhaps not surprising vaccine passport schemes are controversial, with some arguing that they will reinforce inequalities. But there is an ethical case for using some form of certification of COVID status, as long as it is designed properly and as long as everyone has access to vaccines.

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Let’s look at the ethics of vaccination and certification.

The duty of easy rescue has been used to make the case for public health measures, including the use of health records and the donation of blood. As a society, we have a collective duty of easy rescue.

For example, if every person in the population who was eligible could donate a few millilitres of blood easily (say some vial was created that could be posted to each person), and collectively this would solve the blood supply shortage, then each person ought to donate a few millilitres of blood. Doing so would literally be life-saving, at no cost and minimal discomfort to the donors.

The duty of easy rescue is what is known as a minimal theory of moral obligation. To understand this theory, philosopher Peter Singer famously described the following thought experiment: If you are walking past a shallow pond and see a child drowning in it, you ought to wade in and pull the child out. This will mean getting your clothes muddy, but this is insignificant, while the death of the child would be a tragedy. The thought experiment illustrates a situation in which a person can benefit another greatly at a minimal cost.

This is currently the case for COVID-19 vaccinations. There is an extremely low risk of serious side effects with the COVID-19 vaccines. So it is not just safety for oneself and kindness to others, but a moral obligation to be vaccinated.

Equally, vaccination passports are a minimal cost for returning to normal daily life and for reducing anxiety for those you come into contact with on aeroplanes or in theatres, restaurants or public stadiums. They are a small sacrifice for the greater good.

A duty to ensure health

Governments also have a duty to ensure good public health. For example, in the UK, the US and elsewhere, governments have made smoking illegal in enclosed places because of the risk to public health due to passive smoking.

Studies have shown that smoke-free legislation has been associated with reduced heart attacks related to passive smoking. The danger of being enclosed with individuals with COVID-19 in close environments is similar in fact, COVID-19 presents a far greater danger to life than passive smoking.

Making room for exceptions

The relatively small group of people who are unable to have vaccinations for health reasons should still be given a form of passport that indicates this is the case, and this should not be the basis for refusing them access to events or venues.

In fact, as with vaccination in general, the existence of these excepted groups makes it even more important that those of us who can get vaccinated do so to protect the whole community.

More than simply helping to reopen the economy, vaccination passports provide a way to allow those who have had to shield during the pandemic, and may have experienced social isolation and loneliness, to have social contact with other members of society without fear.

They will also facilitate access to care homes to allow for ease of visitation for families who have been separated for too long.

As members of a society, it is our moral obligation to get vaccinated to protect everyone in our community. Vaccination passports will help with this and also enhance the quality of life and wellbeing as we return to normal daily life.

Also Read | Backstory: When India rejected vaccine passports in the 1890s

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Fake news concerns rise as Israeli and Palestinian youth share videos of escalation on Tiktok

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israeli and Palestinian youth have turned to TikTok to share their videos of the war like escalation with the world as airstrikes rock Gaza and Hamas rockets pound Israel.

TikTok, once just intended as a dance app for young adults, has now become a social media platform capable of disseminating news far and wide.

However, it’s not just spreading news and facts, the app also being used to spread false information, rile up demographics and cause extremism.

The current escalation in violence between Israel and Palestine is the worst in the region since the 2014 Gaza war. The conflict escalated weeks after building tensions in Jerusalem as many Palestinian families in Sheik Jarrah faced alleged forced eviction from East Jerusalem and their homes were occupied by Jewish Israeli settlers.

The Palestinian families have tried to contest the decision in the Israeli Supreme Court but have received no decision yet.

As protests continued over the matter, TikTok users uploaded videos of protestors, Israeli Police and even the Palestinian families facing the threat of eviction, putting the issue on a global stage.

However, it’s not just the recent protests and tensions that have been captured on TikTok. In April, a video of teenagers in East Jerusalem slapping two Orthodox Jewish boys on public transport had gone viral on the app. As a result, police later arrested two suspects within a week.

Supporters of Israel and its defence forces have also shared videos on the app. From videos of IDF personnel shielding civilians to videos of sirens and alerts as rockets barrel down towards Israeli cities, all kind of videos are being shared on the app.

Israel Defence Force has its own account on the platform with 70,000 followers.

The instant video-sharing platform is not free from fake news during this tense period of escalation between Israel and Palestine. Videos with misleading context and old videos with false information are being circulated on the platform.

There are legitimate fears that such videos can intensify already escalating tensions in the area. Within Israel itself, clashes have broken out between Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews, something which has rarely happened during any Israeli-Palestinian conflict before.

Israel’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz has already asked Facebook and TikTok to remove posts from their sites that he says could encourage further violence.

“These are measures that will directly prevent the violence that is being intentionally stirred through social media by extremist elements that are seeking to do damage to our country,” he said. He added, “We are in a moment of social emergency, and we expect your assistance”, according to a BBC report.

Follow our live blog on the Middle East for regular updates

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West Bengal govt announces complete lockdown from May 16-30 to curb COVID spread

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The West Bengal government on Saturday announced a complete lockdown from Sunday till May 30 in order to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

“We are taking some strict measures to contain the pandemic, starting Sunday 6:00 AM till 6:00 PM of May 30,” chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said.

During this period, all government and private offices, shopping complexes, malls, bars, sports complexes, pubs, and beauty parlours will remain closed, he said. Movement of private vehicles, taxis, buses, metro rail, suburban trains will also be disallowed during the 15- day lockdown period.

“Petrol pumps will remain open and essential services like milk, water, medicine, electricity, fire, law and order, and media will not come under the purview of it,” he added. E-commerce and home delivery services will be allowed.

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Storyboard: StrawberryFrog’s Scott Goodson on moving brands to action brand purpose

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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This pandemic is a testing time for brands, as it is the time when they can strengthen their relationship with their customers by imbibing empathy in their communication. It has, therefore, become increasingly important for brands to not just have a purpose, but to activate it as well.

To find out how exactly and effectively brands can do so, Storyboard’s Shibani Gharat spoke to Scott Goodson, Founder and Chairman of StrawberryFrog.

In this hour of crisis, many popular social media influencers have come forward to lend a helping hand to the COVID-related causes. While some of them are doing it consistently and regularly, many others are doing it on and off in between their regular course and activities. Storyboard’s Ankita Saxena spoke to two popular social media influencers Chef Saransh Goila and fashion and makeup influencer Shereen Sikka on what are the kind of activities they are doing. Gharat also discusses how brands have responded to the COVID crisis and how they are engaging with their audience. She asks them whether they see a shift in the way brands communicate with their audiences.

On this week’s Noticeboard, we throw light on JK Super Cement’s #HumSeHaiSuraksha campaign. The campaign aims to encourage plasma donation to help COVID-19 patients.

Watch this video for more.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

First repatriation flight from India arrives in Australia following end of COVID-19 travel ban

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The first repatriation flight carrying Australians stranded in India landed in Darwin on Saturday following the end of the federal government’s controversial ban on them from returning home.

The repatriation flights facilitated by the Australian government for its stranded citizens in India resumed from Friday following a two weeks ban due to the COVID-19 health crisis in India.

The Qantas jet touched down at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base shortly before 9:00 am local time. It was scheduled to carry up to 150 passengers but in the end, only carried 80 people back to Australia.

Many passengers on the first flight on Friday were grounded due to COVID-19 positive test results, Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell was quoted as saying by ABC News. A total of 70 people were barred from boarding. 46 of those tested positive to COVID-19, while 24 others were identified as close contacts.

The arrivals will be taken to the Howard Springs centre. Passengers on this flight had to undergo and return a negative result on two tests before they could get on the plane a PCR test in the two days beforehand and then a rapid antigen test.

The Australian government had introduced the travel ban for its residents and citizens a fortnight ago to mitigate the risk of high infection rate at its quarantine facilities, including the Howard Springs centre in Darwin.

The repatriation flight was the first flight after the Australian government imposed a temporary ban with a threat of criminal sanctions, including five years in jail and fines of up to 66,000 Australian dollars for people who try to return from India.

The next flight from India is scheduled in just over a week. Almost 10,000 Australians, permanent residents, and their immediate family members are seeking to return to Australia with around 1,000 who have been prioritised as ‘vulnerable’ for health or financial reasons.

The flight from Australia to India on Friday to bring back the Australians carried 1,056 ventilators, 60 oxygen concentrators, and other essential supplies, adding to medical equipment sent last week. Prime minister Scott Morrison said the controversial weeks-long pause in travel from India had worked.

Australia has delivered over 15 tonnes of medical supplies to India, including over 2,000 ventilators and more than 100 oxygen concentrators. India in a day recorded 3,26,098 COVID-19 cases that took the tally to 2,43,72,907, while 3,890 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 2,66,207, according to Union health ministry data updated on Saturday.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

COVID-19: West Bengal announces complete lockdown from May 16 to May 30

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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West Bengal Chief Secretary, Alapan Bandyopadhyay, has imposed a complete lockdown in the state with effect from May 16. All offices, both government and private the state will remain closed.

The lockdown will come into effect from 6 am on May 16 until 6 pm on May 30.

Only essential and emergency services will be allowed to operate within the lockdown period. All schools, colleges and other educational institutions will also remain closed.

Industrial activities not related to essential goods or COVID-19-related supplies will be restricted. And while tea gardens have not been put under the ambit of these restrictions, only 50 percent of the workforce will be working in the gardens.

All shops selling vegetables, fruits, milk, and bread will remain open from 7 am to 10 am. The sweets shops between 10 am to 5 pm.

State transport services like local trains, metro services, interstate bus/train services, and inland waterways will remain closed in order to prevent the movement of people within the state.

The movement of goods trucks within the state will also be restricted. Only trucks and vehicles carrying essential supplies will be allowed to ply normally.

Other vehicles like private cars, taxis, autorickshaws will not be allowed to go on the roads unless for emergency purposes. All kinds of outdoor activities have been prohibited between 9 pm and 5 am as well. No movement of people and vehicles will be allowed during the restricted period.

Banks too will only work for limited hours, from 10 am to 2 pm.

All political, religious, and cultural gatherings are banned until May 30. Marriages and funerals are, however, allowed but only with 50 and 20 attendants, respectively.

West Bengal is one of the hot spots of COVID-19 infections as massive political rallies were organised for the recently concluded assembly elections.

Many experts have blamed such political rallies for the spread of the coronavirus, not just in West Bengal but in other Indian states as well.

For West Bengal, the presence of the ‘triple mutant’ B.1.618 strain has become a serious concern. This new variant is not only thought to be even more transmissible than the B.1.617 variant but might also be able to achieve more breakthrough infections because of its particular mutations.

The state reported 20,846 new COVID-19 cases and 136 deaths on May 14. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s younger brother Ashim Banerjee also succumbed to COVID-19.

For more updates on COVID-19, follow our live blog

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3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow