-SURESH RATHOD

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This exponential surge in the daily testing capacities strongly demonstrates the determined escalation of the testing infrastructure in the country.

The last one crore tests were conducted in merely 9 days. The Tests Per Million (TPM) stand at 49,948 as of today.

Evidence has revealed that higher numbers of testing subsequently leads to lowered positivity rate. States that are testing the highest numbers are also reporting a gradual decline in the positivity rate.
The national cumulative positivity rate stands at 8.44% today.

With the expansion of testing infrastructure, the daily testing by States/UTs has also increased. 23 States/UTs have better tests per million than the national average (49,948).

As reiterated by the Prime Minister, as he reviewed the status and preparedness of 7 States/UTs with high burden of caseload recently, testing forms an integral pillar of COVID response and management.

The Centre’s three-pronged strategy of ‘TEST TRACK TREAT’ begins with testing. CHASE THE VIRUS approach of the Union Government aims to catch every missing person through testing to curb spread of the infection. Several measures have been taken by the Union Government through calibrated steps to widen the testing net and ensure easier and more accessible testing by all across the country.

States/UTs have been empowered with flexibility to ensure higher testing. They have been advised that all symptomatic negatives of Rapid Antigen Tests are mandatorily subjected to RT-PCR.

Expanded diagnostic lab network has given a sharp boost to the enhanced testing numbers.

The testing network has grown to 1818 labs today, including 1084 labs in the government sector and 734 private labs. These include:
• Real-Time RT PCR based testing labs: 923 (Govt: 478 + Private: 445)
• TrueNat based testing labs: 769 (Govt: 572 + Private: 197)
• CBNAAT based testing labs: 126 (Govt: 34 + Private: 92)

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Election will be held in 3 phase and counting will be on 10th November .

Sunil Arora said that the poll body has held several interactions with CEO of Bihar and these are some of the arrangements being made for the conduct of assembly elections amid coronavirus pandemic:
– 7 lakh sanitizers
– 46 lakh masks
– 6 lakh PPE kits
– 7.6 lakh units of face shields
-23 lakh unit of hand gloves will be distributed during election .

As days and months passed and Covid-19 showed no signs of abetting, it was realised that some way would have to be found to balance the democratic rights of the electorate while also making sincere and systematic efforts to protect health amd safety of people,” CEC Sunil Arora during press conference to announce the election schedule for Bihar assembly polls.

To further decongest polling stations and allow more free movement of voters, polling time has been increased by 1 hour. It’ll be held from 7 am-6 pm, instead of 7 am-5 pm earlier. However, this will not be applicable to Left-wing affected areas,” CEC Sunil Arora said.

Elections entail large scale deployment of security forces. We have tried to minimise their movement over long distances. This is due to their fatigue as well as Covid-19. We have reduced the number of phases to three due to this,” said Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora while addressing the press in New Delhi.

Amid the pandemic, several measures have been taken for campaigning and polling to ensure safety of leaders and voters. Polling has been extended by one hour from 7 am to 6 pm. The last hour will be reserved for those with Covid-19 and who are quarantined.

Several countries have held elections amid the pandemic. However, CEC Arora said the Bihar polls are likely to be the largest elections conducted during the pandemic given there are with 72.9 million electors in the state.

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An infodemic is an overabundance of information, both online and offline. It includes deliberate attempts to disseminate wrong information to undermine the public health response and advance alternative agendas of groups or individuals. Mis- and disinformation can be harmful to people’s physical and mental health; increase stigmatization; threaten precious health gains; and lead to poor observance of public health measures, thus reducing their effectiveness and endangering countries’ ability to stop the pandemic.

Misinformation costs lives. Without the appropriate trust and correct information, diagnostic tests go unused, immunization campaigns (or campaigns to promote effective vaccines) will not meet their targets, and the virus will continue to thrive.

Furthermore, disinformation is polarizing public debate on topics related to COVID-19; amplifying hate speech; heightening the risk of conflict, violence and human rights violations; and threatening long-terms prospects for advancing democracy, human rights and social cohesion.

In this context, the UN Secretary- General launched the United Nations Communications Response initiative to combat the spread of mis- and disinformation in April 2020. The UN also issued a Guidance Note on Addressing and Countering COVID-19 related Hate Speech (11 May 2020).

At the World Health Assembly in May 2020, WHO Member States passed Resolution WHA73.1 on the COVID-19 response. The Resolution recognizes that managing the infodemic is a critical part of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic: it calls on Member States to provide reliable COVID-19 content, take measures to counter mis- and disinformation and leverage digital technologies across the response. The Resolution also calls on international organizations to address mis- and disinformation in the digital sphere, work to prevent harmful cyber activities undermining the health response and support the provision of science-based data to the public.

The UN system and civil society organizations are using their collective expertise and knowledge to respond to the infodemic. At the same time, as the pandemic continues to create uncertainty and anxiety, there is an urgent need for stronger action to manage the infodemic, and for a coordinated approach among states, multi-lateral organizations, civil society and all other actors who have a clear role and responsibility in combatting mis- and disinformation.

We call on Member States to develop and implement action plans to manage the infodemic by promoting the timely dissemination of accurate information, based on science and evidence, to all communities, and in particular high-risk groups; and preventing the spread, and combating, mis- and disinformation while respecting freedom of expression.

We urge Member States to engage and listen to their communities as they develop their national action plans, and to empower communities to develop solutions and resilience against mis- and disinformation.

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Public Health and Hospitals is a State subject, as such responsibility for timely payment of incentive to ASHAs lies with the respective States/UTs. Howe The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, requests the States/UTs time and again, to ensure that incentives are paid to ASHAs without any delay.

A statement showing, State/UT-wise, numbers ASHAs died during COVID 19 activities as reported by the States/UTs under “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package: Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID 19”, is given at Annexure-I.

A statement showing details of claim filed and processed for ASHA workers under “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package: Insurance Scheme for Health workers fighting COVID 19” is given at Annexure-ll.

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The Prime Minister said, “Shri Suresh Angadi was an exceptional Karyakarta, who worked hard to make the Party strong in Karnataka. He was a dedicated MP and effective Minister, admired across the spectrum. His demise is saddening. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this sad hour. Om Shanti.”

He started as BJP vice president in Belgaum in 1996, and worked his way up.

He was elected MP in the Lok Sabha election in 2004, and again in 2009. He was elected for a third term in 2014, when the BJP came to power in the centre, and for a fourth term in the general election last year, after which he was made Union Minister of State for Railways.

President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted, “Shocked to know the passing away of Shri Suresh Angadi, Union Minister of State of Railways. An amiable leader Shri Angadi worked tirelessly for the people of his constituency, Belagavi and Karnataka.”

Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief HD Deve Gowda tweeted, “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the demise of Union Minister of State for Railways and four-term MP from Belagavi Shri. Suresh Angadi. He was like a younger brother to me. I feel terrible losing him. This is an unbearable loss to our nation.”

Mr Angadi was a law graduate. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

India has been reporting coronavirus cases upwards of 70,000 daily for the past few weeks. Other MPs who have died due to coronavirus infection are H Vasanthkumar, Ashok Gasti and Balli Durga Prasad Rao.

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Prime Minister remarked that the day marks the second anniversary of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana, and noted that in these two years, more than 1.25 crore poor patients have received free treatment under the scheme. He lauded the doctors and medical staff who are continuously engaged in serving the poor.

Review of States

Prime Minister said that coordination between the people and Government of Andhra Pradesh has resulted in the condition becoming better in the State. He expressed faith that the State will continue to keep up effective testing and tracing, and asked that a robust system of regular monitoring of patients in home isolation be developed. Stressing on the importance of saving each and every life, Prime Minister said that special focus is needed in 20 districts of Maharashtra with a greater number of cases. He suggested increasing RT-PCR testing in the State to five times of the current level.
Prime Minister said that Karnataka had developed a scientific mechanism of tracing and tracking, which has proved to be of immense benefit to the State. He noted that 9 districts of the State have a high fatality rate, which needs urgent attention. He suggested increasing RT-PCR testing to three times of the current level, effective surveillance and contract tracing, along with focussing on behaviour change with regards to mask and sanitation. Talking about the situation in Delhi, Prime Minister said that with the combined effort of the people, the State government and the Central government, the situation was brought under control. He stressed on increasing RT-PCR tests and also conducting these tests for all symptomatic people who have tested negative through Antigen test. Prime Minister noted that while Punjab had initially managed to control the infection, but now most deaths due to COVID are happening in the State, a big reason for which is the delay in patients reaching hospitals. He said that the State needs to come up with an awareness campaign to tackle the challenge. He expressed faith that the State will be able to bring down test positivity rate and case fatality rate.
Prime Minister said that the State of Tamil Nadu has come up as an example worth emulating, with its strategy of large scale testing and tracing, which has resulted in stabilization and reductions of daily cases. He noted that greater focus on reducing case fatality rate is needed in 7 districts of the State. He said that for telemedicine, the State has made good use of the e-Sanjeevani application, and added that the experience of Tamil Nadu will definitely prove beneficial for other States as well. Noting that Uttar Pradesh is the most populous State and witnessed the return of a huge number of labourers, Prime Minister said that the State still managed to effectively control the situation through widening the testing net. He expressed faith that the State will further strengthen contact tracing on a war footing. He noted that there are 16 districts in the State where more than 100 cases are being reported daily, adding that mapping of infected regions and greater focus is necessary, along with continuously making people aware of using masks and maintaining do gaz doori.

More funds to fight the virus

Noting that while the number of cases is increasing, the Prime Minister said that the country is also conducting more than 10 lakh tests daily, and the number of patients recovering is fast increasing. He said that there is a need to further strengthen health infrastructure to tackle COVID, improve the network of tracking and tracing, and ensure better training. He announced that the limit of using the State Disaster Response Fund for COVID specific infrastructure has been increased from 35% to 50%, noting that the decision will help States have more finances at their disposal to fight the virus.

Prime Minister exhorted the States to assess the efficacy of local lockdowns of 1-2 days in controlling the spread of the virus, asking if the decision is preventing kickstart of economic activities in the States. He said that the country needs to not only keep fighting the virus, but also move ahead boldly on the economic front.

Testing, tracing, treatment, surveillance and messaging

Prime Minister stressed on the need to increase focus on effective testing, tracing, treatment, surveillance and clear messaging. He noted that effective messaging is necessary due to the asymptomatic nature of the infection which may lead to doubts about the efficacy of tests. He also laid emphasis on developing the habit of using masks on a daily basis.

Prime Minister underlined the importance of ensuring smooth movement of goods and services between States. He noted the difficulties faced by some States recently in procuring oxygen supply, adding that ensuring availability of medical oxygen is of utmost importance. He also talked about facilitating movement to ensure availability of medicines across States.

In the meeting, Home Minister noted that the country strengthened its health infrastructure during the lockdowns to fight the virus. He said that both States as well as Districts need to be prepared and ready to fight the virus, adding that guidelines will be prepared for the same, for which inputs received during the meeting will prove handy.

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These States/UT are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Punjab.
More than 63% of the Active Cases of the country are concentrated in these seven States/ UT. They also account for 65.5% of the total confirmed cases and 77% of the total deaths. Along with the other five States, Punjab and Delhi have reported an increase in the number of cases being reported recently. Maharashtra, Punjab and Delhi are reporting high mortality with more than 2.0% Case Fatality Rate (CFR). Other than Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, their positivity rate is observed to be above the national average of 8.52%.

The Centre has been leading the fight against COVID in the country in effective collaboration and close coordination with the State/UT governments. The Union Government is supporting them to ramp up the healthcare and medical infrastructure. The clinical management capacities of the doctors manning the ICUs have been substantially upgraded through the e-ICU tele-consultation exercise undertaken by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in collaboration with AIIMS, New Delhi. High level review with the States/UTs has ensured adequate availability of medical oxygen in the hospitals and COVID healthcare facilities.

The Centre is also regularly deputing multi-disciplinary teams to States/UTs to support and handhold them in matters of containment, surveillance, testing and efficient clinical management of the positive cases. The Central teams also guide the local authorities in effectively managing the challenges related to timely diagnosis and needed follow up.

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With over one lakh patients cured in last 24 hours, India has continued the consistent growth of single-day COVID-19 recoveries during the last four days with over 90,000 recovered each day for the last four days, said Union Health Ministry on Tuesday. India cured record 1,01,468 patients in a day, dragging the active cases below 10-lakh mark.

India’s Coronavirus case tally crossed 55-lakh mark on Tuesday with a spike of 75,083 new cases and 1,053 deaths in last 24 hours.

The total case tally stands at 55, 62,664 including 9,75,861 active cases, 44,97,868 cured/ discharged/ migrated and 88,935 deaths, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) has tested 6,53,25,779 samples tested up to 21st September for coronavirus. Of these, 9,33,185 samples were tested yesterday, reports ICMR web portal.
With this, the total number of recoveries are nearly 45 lakh (44,97,867). This has resulted in the Recovery Rate touching 80.86%.

79% of the new recovered cases are being reported from ten States/UTs, viz. Maharashtra, Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Delhi, Kerala, West Bengal and Punjab.
Maharashtra continues to lead with more than 32,000 (31.5%) new recovered patients. Andhra Pradesh contributed more than 10,000 to the single day recoveries.

India’s landmark achievement of recording the maximum number of recoveries has positioned it as the top country globally.

The continuous streak of very high level of recoveries in the country is a testimony of the Centre-lad proactive and graded strategy of TEST TRACK TREAT. The effective clinical management and treatment protocols issued by the Union Government have been updated from time to time with the emergence of new medical and scientific evidence.

The Union Government has also allowed for rational use of ‘Investigational Therapies’ like Remdesevir, convalescent plasma and Tocilizumab. Adoption of measures such as proning, use of high flow oxygen, non-invasive ventilation, and use of steroids and anti-coagulants have resulted in a high recovery rate in COVID patients. Other measures have supplemented the effective COVID management through supervised home/facility isolation for mild/moderate cases, improved ambulance services of for ferrying patients for prompt and timely treatment.

Ministry of Health in active collaboration with AIIMS, New Delhi has been conducting the ‘National e-ICU on COVID-19 Management’ exercise which handholds ICU doctors of State/UT hospitals through the Centers of Excellence. Held twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday, these tele-consultation sessions have played a crucial role in India’s high recoveries and steadily declining case fertility rate. So far, 20 such National e-ICUs have been held covering 278 hospitals of 28 States/UTs across the country.

The Centre has been deputing multi-disciplinary teams to support and assist efforts of the State/UT Governments. Regular high level review has ensured adequate availability of medical oxygen in hospitals and health facilities across the country. These have together have played a critical intervention role in India’s high recoveries and maintained low Case Fatality Rate (CFR), which currently stands at 1.59%

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