Covid-19 live updates: Over 14.19 crore vaccine doses administered in India; 3,52,000 new cases

Urging the people not to panic over the pandemic situation, the government on Monday said it was trying to address the problem of transportation of medical oxygen to high-demand areas and roped in retired medical personnel of the armed forces to work in COVID-19 facilities as daily cases hit a new peak at 3,52,991 with a record 2,812 more fatalities.

Read the full story here: Wear mask even at home, says Govt as it goes all out to improve oxygen supply: Top points

The pre-clinical trial of the nasal Covid-19 vaccine candidate, BBV154 has already started. If all goes as expected, the clinical trial would be completed by June and it could become available in the market by August.

Read the full story here: Bharat Biotech's nasal vaccine can be a gamechanger in fight against Covid: All you need to know

COVID-19 Update:

• The COVID-19 cases this year have spiked more than those reported last year at the peak time, in September.
• It is safe to take COVID-19 vaccine during menstruation: Government 
• Don't fall for rumours! All people above 18 should get vaccinated after May 1   

Ministry of Health says 'Over 14.19 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India' 

- India recorded 3,52,000 new COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.

- Maharashtra recorded the highest number of fresh covid-19 cases.  

- Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala recorded a higher of Covid-19 cases.

- 82% of all Covid cases in India have recovered

- It is important to follow covid protocol to break the chain of transmission.

- Follow government's home isolation guidelines for covid-19 patients.

Press briefing on actions taken, preparedness and updates on COVID-19 at National Media Centre, New Delhi.

Since you are working from home, you practically work all the time. People have reported suffering from a "work breakdown" this year while working from home, which is known as "burnout".

READ MORE about the signs if you are suffering from burnout and how can you make it right.

In the fight against COVID-19, Microsoft, Google and Amazon have decided to help India in many ways.

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AIIMS Director Dr. Randeep Guleria on Sunday while addressing issues related to coronavirus said, "If we talk about the current situation of COVID-19, there is panic in public, Due to this panic, people are putting injections in their houses, hoarding of the Remdesivir drug and oxygen cylinder has started with this. And because of this, we are facing a shortage of supply and unnecessary panic is being created,” Guleria said.

He further said, “The COVID-19 infection is a normal infection. 85 to 90 percent of people are witnessing normal symptoms like fever, cold, body ache, and cough and in these cases, one doesn't need Remdesivir or other large numbers of medicines. You can take medicines for these normal infections or treat yourself with home remedies and yoga. You will get well within seven or 10 days. You don’t need to put Remdesivir or oxygen in your house.”

A recent survey conducted by CSIR (Council of Scientific Industrial Research), Government of India, has revealed that smokers and vegetarians are less likely to contract Covid-19 infection. The survey suggested smoking may be protective, despite Covid-19 being a respiratory disease, due to its role in increasing the mucous production that may be acting as the first line of defence among the smoking population. It indicated that vegetarian food rich in fibre may have a role to play in providing immunity against COVID-19 due to its anti-inflammatory properties by modification of gut microbiota.

The pan India survey was conducted by an eminent team of 140 doctors and research scientists to study the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, and their neutralization capability to infer possible risk factors for infection. The study assessed 10,427 adult individuals working in more than 40 CSIR laboratories and centers in urban and semi-urban settings spread across and their family members. These people voluntarily participated in the study.

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 The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are safe for use during pregnancy and may also protect the baby from infectious disease, according to a large study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC "recommends that pregnant people receive the Covid-19 vaccine", NPR.org reported CDC Director Rochelle Walensky as saying. For the study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the team evaluated data from more than 35,000 pregnant women who received the mRNA vaccines between December 14 and February 28.

The preliminary findings showed no obvious safety concerns. "Importantly, no safety concerns were observed for people vaccinated in the third trimester, or safety concerns for their babies," Walensky said. "As such, CDC recommends that pregnant people receive the Covid-19 vaccine," she added. However, the decision to get vaccinated while pregnant is a "deeply personal" one, said Walensky.

Bollywood actor Salman Khan has swung into action to help frontline workers in Mumbai as the COVID-19 crisis continues to escalate in India.

Read the full story here: Covid-19: Salman Khan's 'Being Haangryy' initiative to feed frontline workers in Mumbai

COVID-19: Saudi Arabia to ship 80 metric tonnes of oxygen to India to meet growing demand

Read the full story here: COVID-19: Saudi Arabia to ship 80 metric tonnes of oxygen to India to meet growing demand

Here’s a step-by-step process on how to register yourself on CoWIN portal for getting #COVIDVaccination appointments. 

The PM Cares Fund had earlier this year allocated Rs 201.58 crores for installation of additional 162 dedicated PSA medical oxygen generation plants inside public health facilities in the country, the PMO noted.

Read full story here: Over 550 oxygen generation plants to be set up in govt hospitals through PM Cares Fund: PMO

The conditions of patients suffering from mental health issues in the UK deteriorated as the National Health Service (NHS) shifted the in-person care to telephone, video and text messages during the pandemic, according to a new study.

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It is important to indulge yourself in yoga and exercise if you are suffering from Covid-19. Yoga guru Swami Ramdev in a special health segment shares few pranayams which should be performed by a patient recovering from COVID.

During the course of COVID-19 recovery, your body might feel weak. There are certain food items including fruits, vegetables and dry fruits that can help your body to recover fast. Swami Ramdev, in a special segment on IndiaTV, shares all those food items that should be eaten by a COVID patient.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the second wave of COVID-19 is testing our patience and capacity to bear the pain. During the 76th episode of the 'Mann ki Baat' radio programme, the Prime Minister lauded the health workers and doctors for fighting a major battle against the infection. "I am speaking to you at a time when COVID-19 is testing our patience and capacity to bear pain. Many of our loved ones left us untimely. After successfully tackling 1st wave, the nation's morale was high, it was confident but this storm (2nd wave) has shaken the nation," PM Modi said.

"To tackle this wave of COVID, I have held meetings with experts from many fields like pharma industry, oxygen production etc," he said. "Our health workers and doctors are currently fighting a major battle against COVID-19. In the past year, they have had several kinds of experiences about the pandemic," he added.

India continues to report more than 3 lakh Covid cases fourth day in a row. The country logged a total of 3,49,691 Covid cases and 2,767 deaths in the last 24 hours, a new single-day high since the pandemic began last year, according to the health ministry's data released on Sunday.

In the latest Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Covid-19 released by AIIMS Patna, doctors have stressed that proning can help manage blood oxygen levels. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Government of India also shared self-care prone techniques.

READ MORE

It is being claimed that the end of the coronavirus is possible through inhaling steam.

 Know the truth

 India has administered 14 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine in just 99 days, the fastest in the world, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. More than 24 lakh vaccine doses were administered on Saturday till 8 pm, the ministry said. The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 14,08,02,794, according to a provisional report at 8 pm. "India became the fastest country to administer 14 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine in just 99 days," the ministry said.

The beneficiaries include 92,89,621 healthcare workers (HCWs) who have taken the 1st dose and 59,94,401 HCWs who have taken the 2nd dose, 1,19,42,233 frontline workers (FLWs) who have got the first dose, and 62,77,797 FLWs the second dose. As many as 4,76,41,992 people aged between 45-plus and 60 have got the first dose and 23,22,480 in the age group received the second dose. As many as 4,96,32,245 beneficiaries aged above 60 years have got the first dose and 77,02,025 the second dose, the ministry said.

-PTI

The government has asked social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, to remove content and posts that were found to be spreading misinformation and public panic around the pandemic, according to sources. Twitter said it has notified the impacted account holders of its action taken in response to a legal request from the Indian government but did not give details of the affected accounts. Sources said these flagged posts carried misleading information about COVID-19 pandemic, and were designed to incite public panic.

-PTI

Several messages circulating on WhatsApp and social media claim that women shouldn't take COVID 19 vaccine 5 days before and after their menstrual cycle.

Here's the truth.

Registrations for 18 plus citizens to book appointments for vaccinations will begin from April 28 while the vaccination process will be commenced from May 1.

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