Today COVID-19 UPDATE of 20th November

The Union Government has rushed four high level teams to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Manipur. The teams will visit the districts reporting high number of COVID cases and support the State efforts towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing, infection prevention and control measures, and efficient clinical management of the positive cases. The Centre is also contemplating sending high level multidisciplinary teams to other States/UTs that are reporting a rise in the COVID-19 positive cases. India has tested total of 12,95,91,786 samples, as on date. More than 10L tests (10,83,397) were conducted in the past 24 hours. The cumulative national Positivity Rate stands at 6.95% today, less than the 7% mark. Higher volumes of testing eventually lead to low Positivity rate.34 States/UTs are performing more than 140 Tests/Day/Million population.20 States/UTs are reporting a cumulative Positivity rate lower than the national average (6.95%).In the last 24 hours, 45,882 persons were found to be infected with COVID. India’s present active caseload of 4,43,794 comprises 4.93% of India’s Total Positive Cases, and has been sustained below the 5% mark.Ten States/UTs account for 78.2% of the total active caseload. Maharashtra leads the tally with 18.19% of the share.28 States/UTs have less than 20,000 active cases, as on date.India has registered 44,807 new recoveries in the last 24 hours taking the total recovered cases to 84,28,409. The Recovery Rate has improved to 93.60% today. The gap between Recovered cases and Active cases is steadily increasing and presently stands at 79,84,615.78.02% of the new recovered cases is contributed by ten States/UTs.With 6,860 persons recovering from COVID, Kerala saw the most number of recoveries followed by Delhi with 6,685 daily recoveries. 81.85% of the 584 case fatalities that have been reported in the past 24 hours are from Ten States/UTs.

India has crossed a landmark milestone on the journey of universal healthcare. More than 50,000 (50,025) Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) are now operational across the country. Aiming at providing Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) services to the communities closer to their homes, 1.5 lakh AB-HWCs are to be established by December 2022. With more than 50,000 having been established, 1/3 of the target has been met. This has led to improved access to affordable primary healthcare services for more than 25 crore people.Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare congratulated the States/UTs for their efforts in operationalising the HWCs despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. “This has been possible due to the joint efforts of the Center and the States/UTs in planning, monitoring at all levels, standardization of processes, the flexibility for adaptation provided to the States/UTs, and building on the health systems created thus far”, he stated. The HFM specially thanked the frontline health workers, the Medical Officers, the Community Health Officers and ASHAs for their dedication to the cause of providing Comprehensive Primary Health Care services and for supporting millions of people with necessary services in these difficult times.

India has seen a landmark achievement in the space of digital health initiatives. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s eSanjeevani, the national telemedicine initiative, has completed 8 lakh consultations today. This is fast emerging as a sought after and popular means of seeking health care, especially during the COVID times in order to avoid physical contact while still benefitting by quality services. Over 11,000 patients are seeking health services on a daily basis in 27 States/UTs. eSanjeevani is also facilitating some states as a model that can serve patients throughout the year, especially in the far flung and remote areas. The top ten States which have registered highest consultations through eSanjeevani and eSanjeevaniOPD platforms are Tamil Nadu (259904), Uttar Pradesh (219715), Kerala (58000), Himachal Pradesh (46647), Madhya Pradesh (43045), Gujarat (41765), Andhra Pradesh (35217), Uttarakhand (26819), Karnataka (23008), Maharashtra (9741).

The first animal study in India on SARS-CoV-2 virus (the cause of Covid-19)which arose out of a collaboration between Ministry of AYUSH and Department of Bio-Technology (DBT), has moved into its final stages. One among the most sophisticated research projects in the Covid-19 context in the country, this concerns pre-clinical studies on four oral interventions have already been taken up for clinical studies through another collaboration of the Ministry of AYUSH, the partner in this one being the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).The MoU relating to the animal study (in-vivo study) was signed between the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) of the Ministry of AYUSH and the DBT, and is based on the concept of reverse Pharmacology (PH) which explores the scientific reasoning behind established medical practice like those of Ayurveda. Through this study, the country has registered a land mark in SARS-CoV-2 virus / COVID-19 research,this being India’s first in-vivo anti-SARS-CoV-2 virus study using oral interventions.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry has commended the hospitals, doctors & corona warriors, saying that they really deserve the highest accolades that we as a nation can offer them. Addressing the Asia Health 2020 summit of Confederation of Indian Industry, he said that their sacrifice will not go in vain.Speaking about the COVID vaccine, Shri Goyal said that our home-grown vaccine is progressing at rapid speed.He added that We will work in a public-private partnership to engage & ensure the availability of proper COVID healthcare to over 1.3 billion Indians. This will ensure the success in the battles that lie ahead, he added. Shri Goyal stressed on the importance of ensuring vaccines at an affordable price to all, including less developed countries & poor, saying that this is going to be a collective responsibility of all of us. India will play an important role in ensuring cost-effective & innovative healthcare solutions for future, he added.

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare interacted with the National Council of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) through Video Conference today.Congratulating CII for organising and bringing together diverse platforms that have enabled the Government of India to be in constant dialogue and deliberation on the Pandemic for the welfare of one of the largest populations in the world, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “The Indian healthcare Industry is one of India’s largest sector in terms of revenue and provision of employment, and with its market projected to increase three-fold to Rs. 8.6 trillion by 2022, it is necessary that steps be taken that will allow stakeholders to converge within the industry.The need to provide healthcare, which is accessible and affordable, now more than ever, becomes a necessity especially due to the effects that COVID has had on our entire system.”

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of rural drinking water supply projects in Mirzapur and Sonbhadra districts of Vindhyachal region of Uttar Pradesh on 22nd November at 11:30 AM via video conferencing. The Prime Minister will also interact with Village Water & Sanitation Committee/ Paani Samiti Members during the event. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath will also be present on the occasion.The projects will provide household tap water connections in all rural households of 2,995 villages and will benefit about 42 lakh population of these districts. Village Water and Sanitation Committees/ Paani Samiti have been constituted in all these villages, who will shoulder the responsibility of operation and maintenance. The total estimated cost of the projects is Rs 5,555.38 Crore. The projects are planned to be completed in 24 months.

At the invitation of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will be attending the 15th G20 Summit chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the theme “Realising the Opportunities of 21st Century for All” on 21-22 November 2020. The meeting will be held in a virtual format.The upcoming summit is the second G 20 Leaders’ meeting in 2020. Following the telephonic conversation between PM and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the last G 20 Extraordinary Leaders’ summit was held in March 2020, where the leaders developed a timely understanding among the G20 countries to help contain the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic and to forge a global coordinated response.The focus of the upcoming G20 Summit will be on an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19. During the G 20 Summit, the leaders will discuss pandemic preparedness and the ways and means to restore jobs.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will grace the 8th convocation of Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University on 21st November at 11:00 AM via video conferencing. At this convocation, about 2600 students would be getting their respective Degree/Diploma.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held a Bilateral Summit with H.E. Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in virtual format yesterday. The Prime Minister expressed his condolences on the loss of lives in Luxembourg on account of COVID-19 global pandemic and complimented H.E. Xavier Bettel on his leadership in handling the crisis. The two Prime Ministers exchanged views on strengthening India-Luxembourg relationship in the post-COVID world, especially in the areas of financial technology, green financing, space applications, digital innovations and start-ups. The two Prime Ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation on realizing effective multilateralism and combating global challenges like the Covid-19 pandemic, terrorism and climate change. Prime Minister welcomed Luxembourg’s announcement to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), and invited it to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified the draft rules under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 on 19.11.2020 inviting objections and suggestions, if any, from the stakeholders. Such objections and suggestions are required to be submitted within a period of 45 days from the date of notification of the draft rules. The draft rules provide for operationalization of provisions in the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 relating to safety, health and working conditions of the Dock Workers, Building or other construction workers, Mines workers, Inter-State Migrant worker, Contract labour, Working journalist, Audio-visual workers and Sales promotion employees.

• Assam: In Assam, 175 more people tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. Total cases rise to 211040, total discharged patients 206875, active 3193 and 969 death.
• Sikkim: In Sikkim, 24 more people tested positive for COVID-19 and 1 death. Total cases rise to 4632, Cured & Discharged 4186 and Active cases 265.
• Maharashtra: All schools under the jurisdiction of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai will remain shut till 31st December, 2020, in order to contain the spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Education Minister said local administration will have to take a call while reopening schools for students of class 9 to class 11, from 23rd November. After a reduction in the number of tests during Diwali, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has increased testing again. The corporation has also started 244 new testing centres, considering the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19.The state at present has nearly 80,000 active cases.
• Gujarat: The Gujarat government has decided to impose a complete curfew in Ahmedabad during the weekend from 9 pm today. However, the night curfew will remain in force from Monday onwards until further orders. The decision has been taken to curb the rising number of Covid-19 cases in recent days. The weekend curfew will remain in force from 9 pm today to 6 am on Monday in Ahmedabad. While, 9 pm to 6 am curfew will continue from Monday onwards till further notice.The state government has also decided to postpone the reopening of schools and colleges from 23rd November. AIR correspondent reports that Ahmedabad city witnessed a spike in daily cases of infections after Diwali. There are nearly 12,700 active cases in the state at present.
• Rajasthan: In Rajasthan, 2,549 persons have been tested positive for COVID 19 during the last 24 hours. It is the highest number of infections reported in a single day so far. After the increase in Corona cases, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot interacted with representatives of private hospitals through video conference today. The number of active patients in the capital city of Jaipur has reached close to 7,000, while there are more than 20,100 active cases in the state. There is now a shortage of ICU beds in government and private hospitals. In view of the situation, the Chief Minister has urged private hospitals to increase the number of beds for COVID patients. After reports of COVID patients in Jodhpur not getting proper treatment, the State Human Rights Commission has constituted a high level committee under the chairmanship of the Divisional Commissioner, to inspect all private and government hospitals and submit a factual report.
• Madhya Pradesh: In Madhya Pradesh, there are now 9,800 active cases. The number of infected people in Bhopal has once again crossed 300 mark. The Govt. has now instructed to impose the penalty for not wearing masks, strictly on at least 100 people daily. After more than 30 employees of a jeweller got infected in Indore, now the administration is engaged in contact tracing of the customers who came in the contact in the last two-three days. The active case load of the state is now 9,800.
• Chhattisgarh: In the capital city of Raipur, the chief medical officer has sent a proposal to the district collector seeking permission for establishing COVID-19 centres at the entry points to the city, citing a surge in the infections. The medical officer said the second wave of Covid-19 was being reported in other states and hence the tests at the entry points will help in containing the infections. There are more than 19,400 active cases in the state.
• Goa: No new casualties were reported in Goa on Thursday. The coastal state currently has 1,343 active cases, while 1,621 samples were tested during the day.
• Kerala: A programme to study the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, will begin in Kerala within a week. Samples collected from each district will be examined in the comprehensive study to be carried out by the Delhi-based Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology under ICAR. A total of 1,400 samples will be taken in a month throughout the state. The state unit of the National Health Mission will carry out all activities related to the study including sample collection and isolation. Considering the population ratio, Kerala’s could be the second biggest study in the world.  The state government is also in the process of setting up a post-Covid registry to know about the long-term impact of Covid on patients. The total Covid-19 case count meanwhile reached 5,45,641 with the state reporting 5,722 fresh cases yesterday. So far, 4,75,320 people have recovered from the disease, while 68,229 patients are still under treatment. The test positivity rate has declined to 8.54%.
• Tamil Nadu: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday unveiled 86 finished projects worth Rs 123.53 crore and distributed welfare assistance worth Rs 46.32 crore to 6,832 beneficiaries. He also laid the foundation stone for 44 new projects worth Rs 118.93 crore and flagged off 10 new vehicles worth Rs 3.09 crore, meant for various departments at an event held in Vanavasi Polytechnic College near Tharamangalam in Salem. Tiruvannamalai KarthigaiDeepam festivities begin amid pandemic restrictions; a host of VIPs including Tamil Nadu Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Sevoor S Ramachandran participated at the events.
• Karnataka:  Covid curve flattening, Karnataka past first peak say experts. Experts say that the disease pattern in Europe shows second surge occurs after 2-3 months, need to wait and watch for signs in Feb, March. Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda tested covid positive. Highcourt of Karnataka seeks list of political parties to issue notice on Covid-19 norms violation.
• Andhra Pradesh: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated the sacred Tungabhadra Pushkaralu, conducting special pujas and by giving haarathi to River Tungabhadra at SankalBhagGhat in Kurnool. Despite the adverse conditions in the wake of covid, the government has decided to make the pushkaralu a success by conducting them in a traditional and scientific manner without any fanfare while respecting the sentiments of the devotees. Tungabhadra Pushkaralu will be organised for 12 days. Devotees are allowed to offer their prayers at the ghats from 6 AM to 6 PM only following covid protocol. Endowments Minister Vellampalli Srinivas said that no devotee is allowed to take a dip in the river according to the central government guidelines with respect to covid-19.
• Telangana:   894 new cases, 1057 recoveries & 4 deaths reported in the last 24 hours; Total cases: 2,61,728; Active cases: 12,515; Deaths: 1423; Discharges: 2,47,790 with a recovery rate of 94.67 per cent, while the countrywide recovery rate is 93.6 per cent.