Coronavirus updates: ICMR asks states not to use rapid test kits for 2 days...... India cases 18,985, total deaths 603; Delhi govt to conduct virus test on journalists; ICMR-NICED virus test kits from Bengal labs

PTI , 21.04.20, New Delhi: Amid complaints about faulty rapid test kits, the Indian Council of Medical Research on Tuesday advised states not to use them for the next two days, saying it will issue an advisory after their teams carry out field validation of these equipment.

At the daily government briefing on the coronavirus situation in the country, ICMR's Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar was asked about the faulty rapid testing kits.

"We have received complaint from a state yesterday and so far discussed with three states. Too much variations have been reported in results of rapid test kits and RT-PCR kits. We advise states not to use them for the next two days, he said.

These kits will be tested and validated in the field by our teams. We will issue a clear-cut advisory in two day. If problems are detected in batches, we will tell the companies for replacement," he said.

He said that a total of 4,49,810 samples for Covid-19 infection have been tested till Tuesday of which 35,852 were done on Monday.

As many as 29,776 samples have been tested in 201 labs under the ICMR network, and 6,076 at 86 private laboratories, he said.

The Chairman of the 4th Empowered Group (to tackle Covid-19) said that the government has created a portal with the master database of healthcare professionals and volunteers.

"Till now, details of 1.24 crore human resources of various kinds have been added to it, he said.

Details of corona warriors in 20 categories and 49 sub-categories, who can contribute to Covid-19 management efforts, are available to states and union territories on the portal, he said

Lav Agrawal, the Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry, told the press conference that 18,601 positive cases have been reported across the country so far. As many as 3,252 people have been cured till now, he said, adding 705 of them recovered on Monday.

This takes our recovery percentage to 17.48, he said.

Centre asks states to be cautious during Ramzan

The Union government has asked the states and union territories to remain cautious and ensure that there are no prayer gatherings during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan beginning Thursday in view of the ongoing lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, officials said.

The central government has also asked the state governments and UT administrations to urge Muslim leaders to ask their followers to remain at home.

"Prayers and gatherings at any religious place are prohibited during lockdown and we hope that everyone will abide by the directive," a senior government official told PTI.

The state governments have been told to be in touch with Muslim leaders to ensure that there are no gatherings in mosques and people must pray at home, the official said.

The central government conveyed this to the states and UTs after receiving inputs that people may gather in mosques in some parts of the country for 'Taraweeh' prayers, which are normally conducted in mosques in the evening.

According to the revised consolidated guidelines issued by the Home Ministry on April 15, all religious places and places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited during the lockdown, which will continue till May 3.

The state governments were also told to reach out to mosque management committees and community leaders through local police so that no one visits mosques for prayers, another official said.

India cases 18,985, total deaths 603

The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 18,985 on Tuesday, 21 April, including 15,122 active cases, 603 deaths, 3,259 cured/discharged patients and one migrated patient.

Centre asks states to be cautious during Ramzan

The Union government has asked the states and union territories to remain cautious and ensure that there are no prayer gatherings during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan beginning Thursday in view of the ongoing lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, officials said.

The central government has also asked the state governments and UT administrations to urge Muslim leaders to ask their followers to remain at home.

"Prayers and gatherings at any religious place are prohibited during lockdown and we hope that everyone will abide by the directive," a senior government official told PTI.

The state governments have been told to be in touch with Muslim leaders to ensure that there are no gatherings in mosques and people must pray at home, the official said.

The central government conveyed this to the states and UTs after receiving inputs that people may gather in mosques in some parts of the country for 'Taraweeh' prayers, which are normally conducted in mosques in the evening.

According to the revised consolidated guidelines issued by the Home Ministry on April 15, all religious places and places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited during the lockdown, which will continue till May 3.

The state governments were also told to reach out to mosque management committees and community leaders through local police so that no one visits mosques for prayers, another official said.

 Mumbai containment zones increased by 113 per cent

The number of containment zones in Mumbai increased by 113 per cent from 381 to 813 between April 9 and 20, despite the metropolis being under lockdown for almost a month now, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials said on Tuesday.

The metropolis had 3,090 Covid-19 cases as on Monday, while this number was 775 on April 9.

Areas where one or more Covid-19 patients or suspected cases are found have been earmarked as containment zones with strict implementation of the lockdown, including restriction on movement and entry and exit.

Containment zones include isolated buildings, housing clusters, slum localities and hospitals, officials informed.

"The number of containment zones in the city's 24 administrative wards increased to 813 on April 20 from 381 on April 9, an addition of 432 new zones in about 10 days. Till March 31, there were 146 containment zones," a BMC official said.

According to the BMC's containment area list, the highest, at 82, is in G South ward covering Haji Ali to Worli in central Mumbai, followed by H-East, K-West, L and E wards which have 72, 72, 69, and 62 zones respectively.

SpiceJet operates maiden freighter flight carrying medical supplies between Delhi and Myanmar

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, SpiceJet said it operated its maiden freighter flight carrying medical supplies between Delhi and Myanmar on Tuesday.

While the aircraft carried "medical supplies" in its first leg, it will carry "medical equipment" on its return journey, the budget carrier said in its press release.

The airline said it also conducted its maiden "cargo-on-seat international flight" from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi, carrying 15 tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables, on Tuesday.

As India has been under the coronavirus lockdown, aviation regulator DGCA has permitted airlines to use their commercial passenger aircraft along with their freighter aircraft to transport cargo.

Bombay High Court cancels summer vacation

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday decided to cancel its month-long summer vacation scheduled to begin on May 7 if the nation-wide lockdown imposed due to Covid-19 is lifted on May 3.

The high court summer vacation is scheduled from May 7 to June 7.

If the lockdown is lifted on May 3 then the summer vacation, that is to begin on May 7, will be cancelled and normal courts will function at the principal seat in Bombay and its benches at Aurangabad and Nagpur, a HC official said.

The official added that the courts would then function from 10.30 in the morning instead of the normal time of 11 am.

If the lockdown is extended beyond May 3, then the high court will function as per the present arrangement where special benches convene twice a week to hear extremely urgent matters via video-conferencing, he added.

Mamata Banerjee visits several areas of Kolkata, tells people to stay indoors 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday visited a number of places in the city and urged people to stay indoors and exercise necessary precaution to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

Banerjee's short tour of the metropolis in the afternoon included the minority-dominated areas of Park Circus, Topsia and Rajabazar, and came amid the visit by central teams to the state to assess the Covid-19 situation.

"I would request all my brothers and sisters to please stay indoors as this is the only way to stop the spread of this contagion. We have never witnessed such a lockdown, but it is needed to fight this disease.

"If you face any problem, please let the police know about it. They will help you out," Banerjee said through public address system from inside her car.

The Union home ministry said on Monday morning the Covid-19 situation is "especially serious" in Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata and a few other places in West Bengal, and that the violation of lockdown measures risk the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The central government has constituted six Inter- Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) to make an on-spot assessment of the Covid-19 situation in these places.

UP starts issuing online clearances to industry to minimise human interface

Amidst challenges of Covid-19, the Uttar Pradesh government has begun issuing clearances to enterprises for resumption of units and new investment through its Nivesh Mitra portal to further minimise human interface, a minister said.

As many as 21 new online services of UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) are integrated in the Nivesh Mitra, industrial development minister Satish Mahana said.

"With a view to kickstart resumption of industrial units and investment attraction for setting up of new industries in the state for much-needed economic revival and job creation, we are issuing clearances with Nivesh Mitra portal," Mahana said.

The web launch of the services was done on Monday in which the minister also interacted with more than 80 industrialists and apprised them about features of the web portal, which will ease out and fasten the process of acquiring various approvals from the UPSIDA.

Infrastructure and industrial development commissioner Alok Tandon said that integration of above 21 new services of UPSIDA with Nivesh Mitra will enable additional one stop accessibility of services to entrepreneurs.

It will accelerate the new economic opportunities within the state and shall trigger the rapid industrial development to augment the Gross State Domestic product (GSDP) of Uttar Pradesh.

A new online grievance redressal facility will soon be integrated with Nivesh Mitra portal to ensure swift resolution of issues at district, division and state level Udyog Bandhu, he said.

These new services are provided by to enterprises and industries within its industrial areas across the state.

ICMR-NICED virus test kits from Bengal labs

The National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) has withdrawn the consignment of defective Covid-19 testing kits from some of the state-run laboratories in West Bengal, a senior official of the medical body said on Tuesday.

The faulty kits were replaced by those provided by the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV), she said.

The West Bengal government alleged that the Covid-19 testing kits supplied by the NICED, the Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) nodal agency in the state, a fortnight ago were "apparently defective" as they showed inconclusive results leading to repeated confirmatory tests and delay in diagnosis.

The ICMR-NICED authorities said it could be possible because the kits have not been standardised and it is considering the matter "very seriously".

These materials (kits) had the approval of the US Food and Drug Administration, but it was learnt that these kits show error results when kept above 20 degrees Celsius. We are investigating the matter, the official said.

Similarly, Rajasthan too has stopped the use of rapid testing kits after results were found invalid, state health minister Raghu Sharma said.

The kits were giving mere five per cent correct or valid results and a report has been forwarded to ICMR in this regard, Sharma said. 

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100 families at President's Estate in self-isolation

Over 100 families residing at the President's Estate are under self-isolation as a preventive measure after a sanitation worker's relative tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Tuesday.

The relative of the sanitation worker, who is a resident of the estate that houses Rashtrapati Bhavan, has been admitted to a hospital in the national capital for treatment, they said.

The move comes after the sanitation worker's mother died of Covid-19 infection a few days back at the B. L. Kapoor hospital, the officials said.

"The mother used to live outside the President's Estate. After she was tested positive, all her relatives were quarantined and their test was done. The test report came negative," an official said.

However, after the death of the sanitation worker's mother, initially around 25 families were under self-isolation. Now there are around 100 odd families who are observing self-isolation as a preventive measure, the official said.

47 AMU staff members quarantined

Forty-seven staff members of a medical college attached to Aligarh Muslim University were quarantined after they came in contact with a coronavirus patient, an official said on Tuesday.

The authorities at AMU's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College have also suspended a doctor for negligence after he allegedly referred the patient to the emergency wing of its hospital instead of the isolation facility.

The district authorities have served a notice to the institution to explain the lapse.

They also cancelled the licence of a diagnostic centre where the patient got his X-ray done three days ago on the recommendation of a private doctor, who was treating him for chest-related problems for the past several days.

Chief superintendent of the AMU hospital professor Shahid Siddiqi said the staff members, including eight doctors, had inadvertently came in contact with the man, who was brought to there on Monday in a serious condition.

The man,in his 40s, was referred to the hospital's emergency department by Dr Anjum Chugtai after preliminary examination, for which he has been suspended for negligence, as per a medical college notification.

At least 25 scribes test positive in Chennai

At least 25 people, including journalists, working for a Tamil news television channel tested positive for coronavirus in Chennai on Tuesday, a health department official said.

"Not less than 25 people have tested positive...(of the)...90 plus samples (for confirmatory RT-PCR test) taken," the official told PTI.

The development comes days after two journalists, including one who worked with the TV channel, tested positive for the contagion in the city.

To a question, the official said the test results of those associated with the television channel were being collated and indicated that the tally of total positives could be "27."

Virus test for Delhi journalists

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said his government will conduct Covid-19 test on mediapersons in the national capital, after 53 scribes tested positive for coronavirus in Mumbai.

Responding to a tweet in which a person requested the CM to arrange mass Covid-19 test for mediapersons in Delhi on the lines of the one carried out in Mumbai, Kejriwal said, "Sure. We will do that."

However, the chief minister did not elaborate.

During a special camp organised at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai on April 16 and 17 for Covid-19 testing of scribes, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had collected swab samples of 171 mediapersons, including electronic and print media journalists, photographers and cameramen.

"Out of the 171 mediapersons, 53 tested positive for coronavirus," BMC spokesperson Vijay Khabale said on Monday, adding that most of those who tested positive are asymptomatic at present.

On Monday, the total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi rose to 2081, with 78 fresh cases and two deaths being reported in a day.

Case doubling rate slows to 7 days in Maharashtra: Tope

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Monday said the rate of doubling of Covid-19 cases in the state has slowed down further to seven days from five days earlier.

Tope said some health experts are predicting a spurt in coronavirus cases in the state between April 30 and May 15.

"However, this will happen only if people violate lockdown norms," the minister said.

The current phase of lockdown will remain in force till May 3.

In a message issued late in the evening, Tope stated that out of the total 76,000 tests for coronavirus conducted in the state so far, Mumbai city alone accounts for more than 50,000.

"The rate of doubling of Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra has slowed down further to seven days. A few days back, it was five days," he said.

Out of the 76,000 tests carried out for Covid-19 in the state so far, 50,000 have been done in Mumbai city alone.

This is chiefly because Mumbai has a very high number of positive cases," the health minister said.

52 new cases in Rajasthan

Rajasthan recorded 52 fresh coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the state's virus tally to 1,628, an official said.

The state has so far seen 25 deaths due to the virus, with Jaipur accounting for 13 deaths.

"52 fresh cases have been reported in nine districts of the state, including 34 in Jaipur," additional chief secretary (health) Rohit Kumar Singh said.

He said test results of the backlog 4,000 samples sent to a private lab in Delhi have started coming and these are being captured in the report. Hence, number of positive cases is expected to rise today and tomorrow.

Odisha cases go up to 79

Five more persons tested positive for novel coronavirus in Odisha on Tuesday, taking the total number of such cases to 79 in the state, a health department official said.

All the fresh cases have been reported from Balasore district neighbouring West Bengal, he said.

The state health and family welfare department has not provided details of the new patients.

"Contact-tracing of all the new cases are going on and follow-up action is also being taken," the official said.

BrahMos Aerospace provides PPE kits, masks to Jabalpur

BrahMos Aerospace, the Indo-Russian joint venture known the world over for making missiles, has given 500 PPE kits and 2,500 N-95 masks to the Jabalpur district administration in Madhya Pradesh to help in the fight against coronavirus.

The missile company's chief executive officer Dr Sudhir Kumar Mishra assured that they will provide more assistance to Jabalpur whenever required, a state public relations official said on Tuesday.

"The country's prestigious BrahMos Aerospace has given 500 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, 2,500 N-95 masks and 30 thermal scanners to the Jabalpur district administration," he said.

These vital equipment were handed over to Jabalpur collector Bharat Yadav by the Red Cross Society secretary Ashish Dixit on behalf of the missile manufacturing company, the official said.