CAUSE FOR CONCERN: 533 DISTRICTS REPORTING OVER 10% POSITIVITY

As many as 533 of the country’s 700-plus districts are now reporting a test positivity rate of more than 10 per cent, the government said on Tuesday, underlining the massive spread of the coronavirus infection in rural India in the second wave.

“Since the second wave is raging”, it is time to dilute the Health Ministry’s earlier recommendation that no more than 30 per cent of all Covid-19 tests should be Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT), Dr Balram Bhargava, director general of the ICMR, said yesterday.

Instead, to increase access and availability of testing in rural areas, RAT needs to be used aggressively by setting up testing centres in schools and community centres, Dr Bhargava said.

Rapid Antigen Tests are easier to give and provide quick results, but are significantly less accurate than the RT-PCR tests, considered the gold standard of testing for the virus.

Given that only a limited number of facilities were offering RT-PCR tests, Dr Bhargava said tests must not be repeated in individuals who have tested positive once either in a RAT or RT-PCR test; no testing is required for recovered individuals at the time of discharge from hospital; and there is no need for an RT-PCR test in healthy individuals undertaking inter-state domestic travel.

“Virus is made of RNA particles; it can stay in the system for many days. RT-PCR tests only detect RNA. The test can come positive for many days after symptoms and infectivity have subsided. In these recovered patients, the live virus is not there. So there is no testing required at the time of hospital discharge,” Dr Bhargava said.

“We have already told states that in districts that are reporting more than 10 per cent positivity, strict containment measures have to be undertaken. Currently, there are 533 such districts in the country, where stringent action needs to be implemented,” Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the Ministry of Health of Family Welfare, said.

The Centre said that for the week May 5-11, 26 states have reported more than 15 per cent positivity; six states have reported 5-15 per cent positivity; and only four states, less than 5 per cent positivity.

Six states and three Union Territories have an alarmingly high case positivity of more than 25 per cent, the Centre said : Goa (49.6 per cent), Puducherry (42.8 per cent), West Bengal (34.4 per cent), Haryana (34.3 per cent), Karnataka (32.4 per cent), Rajasthan (30 per cent). Chandigarh (27.5 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (26.2 per cent), and Delhi (25.7 per cent).

Fourteen states and two UTs continue to report an increasing trend in daily new cases: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Chhattisgarh were among 18 states and union territories showing continued plateauing or decrease in daily new COVID-19 cases.

NEW COVID-19 CASES IN INDIA HAVE PEAKED, SHOWS CAMBRIDGE TRACKER

The number of new coronavirus infections in India has peaked, according to a new tracker developed by researchers at Cambridge Judge Business School and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. “But there is substantial variation among states and union territories in their trajectories, with cases continuing to increase over the next two weeks in areas such as Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Tripura,” the researchers wrote.

The projections are in line with those from some other experts, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advisers.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 36,99,661

New Cases in last 24 hours: 3,48,409

Recovered in last 24 hours: 3,55,444

Increase in Active cases in last 24 hours: -(minus) 11,235

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 4,200 (2,54,225)

Daily Tests: 18,50,110

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 17.8%

Most Affected States:

(S. No. / State / No. of Active Cases / New Cases in last 24 Hrs / Deaths in Last 24 Hrs)

1          Karnataka                     5,87,452                       39,510              480

2          Maharashtra     5,58,996                       40,956              793

3          Kerala              4,23,955                       37,290              79

4          Uttar Pradesh   2,16,057                       20,445              301

5          Rajasthan                     2,05,730                       16,080              169

6          Andhra Pradesh            1,95,102                       20,345              108

7          Tamil Nadu       1,62,181                       29,272              298

8          Gujarat             1,31,832                       10,990              118

9          West Bengal     1,27,673                       20,136              132

10        Chhattisgarh     1,21,836                       9,717                199

11        Madhya Pradesh           1,11,366                       9,754                94

12        Haryana                       1,08,997                       11,637              144

13        Bihar                1,02,099                       10,920              72

14        Odisha             87,265              9,793                18

15        Delhi                83,809              12,481              347

16        Punjab              76,856              8,594                214

17        Uttarakhand      76,500              7,120                118

18        Telangana                    60,136              4,801                32

19        Jharkhand        54,533              4,365                103

20        JnK                  50,701              4,352                65

21        Assam              39,264              6,258                85

22        Himachal Pradesh         36,232              4,977                64

23        Goa                  32,836              3,124                75

24        Puducherry       14,829              2,049                30

25        Chandigarh       8,625                787                   10

26        Manipur                        4,981                592                   20

27        Meghalaya        3,297                450                   9

28        Tripura             3,098                466                   3

29        Nagaland                      3,081                269                   6

NADDA WRITES TO SONIA GANDHI, ASKS HER TO STOP CREATING 'FALSE PANIC' OVER COVID

BJP president J P Nadda on Tuesday accused the Congress of "misleading" people and creating "false panic" in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and alleged that the conduct of its leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, will be remembered for "duplicity and pettiness".

Nadda wrote a four-page letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, a day after the Congress Working Committee hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government over the handling of the coronavirus crisis.

The BJP president also accused Congress leaders, including a chief minister, of trying to actively create vaccine hesitancy during the once-in-a-century pandemic.

Under Modi, the fight against the pandemic is driven by unwavering belief in science, support to innovation, trust in COVID warriors and cooperative federalism, he said.

Nadda said he is saddened but not surprised by the conduct of the Congress during these challenging times.

The Congress responded that Nadda's letter was an example of sheer arrogance and accused the ruling party of playing politics over the pandemic. “You are doing politics, not us, because not just the Opposition but also science journals and the IMA are criticising your management," Congress leader Ajay Maken said.

PM MODI CALLS OFF UK VISIT IN JUNE FOR G-7 CONCLAVE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called off his visit to the UK next month for an in-person visit to attend the G-7 summit.

This is the second overseas visit cancelled by the Prime Minister after he put off his in-person summit with EU leaders on May 8 and instead had to settle for a hybrid conference.

“While appreciating the invitation by UK PM Boris Johnson to attend the G7 Summit as a Special Invitee, given the prevailing Covid, it has been decided that PM Modi will not attend the G7 Summit in person,” said a MEA statement.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

======================

SUEZ CANAL AUTHORITY SLASHES EVER GIVEN COMPENSATION CLAIMS BY $300M

The Suez Canal Authority has slashed its Ever Given compensation claims by a third. The Egyptian body is now seeking $600m rather than $916m as negotiations stretch into another week to get the 400 m long vessel freed and able to get to its European destinations, seven weeks after it grounded, blocking the key waterway for six days.

CHINA WARNS BANGLADESH OF ‘SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE’ IF IT JOINS US-LED QUAD

China has warned Bangladesh against joining the US-led Quad alliance, saying that Dhaka’s participation in the anti-Beijing “club” would result in “substantial damage” to bilateral relations.

The unusual warning from Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming came weeks after visiting Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe emphasied to Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid that Beijing and Dhaka should make joint efforts against powers from outside the region establishing a “military alliance” in South Asia and practising “hegemonism”.

“Obviously, it will not be a good idea for Bangladesh to participate in this small club of four (Quad) because it will substantially damage our bilateral relationship,” Ambassador Li said at a virtual meeting organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh on Monday.

Reacting to the Chinese envoy’s controversial remarks, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Dhaka maintained a non-aligned and balanced foreign policy and it would decide what to do according to those principles.

ISRAEL CLOSES TEL AVIV AIRPORT AFTER ROCKET FIRE FROM GAZA

Israels transportation authority says it is closing the country’s main international airport following a barrage of rocket fire on the Tel Aviv metropolis area

It said there would be no outgoing flights to allow the defense of the country’s skies.

Earlier, a confrontation between Israel and Hamas sparked by weeks of tensions in contested Jerusalem escalated Tuesday as Israel unleashed new airstrikes on Gaza while militants barraged Israel with hundreds of rockets The exchange killed a number of militants and civilians in Gaza and at least two Israelis

The barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip and airstrikes into the territory continued almost nonstop throughout the day in what appeared to be some of the most intense fighting between Israel and Hamas since their 2014 war The fire was so relentless that Israels Iron Dome rocket defense system seemed to be overwhelmed Columns of smoke rose from many places in Gaza

By late Tuesday the violence extended to Tel Aviv which came under fire from a barrage of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip The outgoing volleys set off air raid sirens across the city.

THE REST

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71 BODIES RETRIEVED FROM GANGA, BURIED IN BIHAR

A day after several bodies of suspected COVID-19 victims were found washed up along the banks of the Ganga at Mahadeo ghat in Chausa in Bihar, 71 of them were retrieved and disposed of by the district administration after post-mortem on Tuesday. Tissue and other samples have also been preserved.

“We retrieved 71 dead bodies and disposed them after post-mortem. DNA samples has been preserved. The district administration is on alert to prevent such incidents in future. Officials have been directed to be vigilant and patrol the banks of the river,” a release issued by the Buxar district administration said on Tuesday.

The release also said that there was “sufficient fire wood at the Chausa cremation ground for funerals”. The clarification came allegations from villagers that the high cost of firewood had led to many families jettisoning bodies in the river rather than cremating them.

On Monday, several bodies were found floating in the Ganga at Mahadeo ghat in Chausa of Buxar in Bihar. Buxar shares its border with districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The district officials had said the bodies might have floated in from eastern Uttar Pradesh like Varanasi and Allahabad.

Officials of Bihar and UP engaged in a blame game over which state was responsible for dumping bodies in the river.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Jal Shakti and MP from Jodhpur Gajendra Singh Shekhawat posted a tweet tagging the chief ministers of both Bihar and Uttar Pradesh — Nitish Kumar and Yogi Adityanath — to take immediate cognizance of such incidents.

“The incident of dead bodies found floating in river Ganga in Bihar’s Buxar area is unfortunate. This is certainly an issue of investigation. The Modi (PM Narendra Modi) government is committed to Mother Ganga’s purity and free flow. This incident is unexpected. The concerned States should take immediate cognisance of it,” tweeted Shekhawat.

MANY DYING DUE TO OXYGEN SUPPLY PROBLEMS IN THE EARLY HOURS EVERY MORNING, CLAIMS GOA HEALTH MINISTER

Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane made a startling announcement on Tuesday—that many Covid patients were dying due to oxygen supply problems in the early hours of every morning at Goa Medical College, and that 26 had died between the same hours on Tuesday. The minister asked the Bombay high court to probe goings-on at GMC.

“Due to interrupted supply of oxygen, we feel that between 2am and 6am many people are dying in GMC. There is a need for an inquiry directly by the high court. There are petitions pending before it. The HC can appoint an expert committee to find out why deaths are happening between 2am and 6am and come out with a white paper,” he said.

Rane’s statement came on a day that Goa recorded 75 Covid deaths, its highest-ever single-day tally, of which 48 patients died at GMC.

BLANKET CENTRAL SECURITY FOR BJP BENGAL MLAs

In an unprecedented move, the Centre has accorded personal security to all 77 BJP MLAs in West Bengal following an assessment of threat to the party’s elected representatives. While 16 of these MLAs had various levels of central security even before the Assembly polls, 61 were accorded X-category security of CISF on Monday.

The BJP MLAs will enjoy their security in only West Bengal, not all over India. X-category security entails one gunman providing security to the protectee round the clock and may involve three or four security personnel on rotation.

DISMISS PLEA AGAINST CENTRAL VISTA PROJECT WITH ‘EXEMPLARY COSTS’: CENTRE TO DELHI HC

The centre on Tuesday sought dismissal of a petition seeking an interim stay on the ongoing construction at Central Vista Avenue amid the Covid-19 pandemic, telling the Delhi High Court that the petition was “one more attempt” to stall the project. The court on Tuesday said it will hear the case on Wednesday.

“Such attempts are going on since the inception of the project under one pretext or the other and in one name or the other,” said the Union government, adding the petition deserves to be dismissed with “exemplary costs” on the ground “that it is an abuse of the process of law”.

The petition filed by Anya Malhotra, a translator, and Sohail Hashmi, historian and documentary filmmaker, states that they are concerned over the “super spreading potential and threat” posed by the continuing construction at the project site and the plight of the workers who are being exposed to the infection on a daily basis.

The government, in a written reply, said that 400 workers for redevelopment of the Central Vista Avenue were engaged “well before” the imposition of curfew in Delhi and the workers are staying at the site in compliance of the Delhi government’s Covid-19 guidelines. The Centre argued that according to Para 8 of the April 19 order of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, construction activities during curfew are permitted where labourers are residing on-site.

“The petitioners are also questioning why or how the project constitutes an ‘essential service’ merely because some executive mandated contractual deadline has to be met,” the petition said.

The Supreme Court has in a 2-1 majority decision in January allowed the Central Vista project to go ahead.

UP GOING THE LAST MILE TO STOP COVID-19: A WORD OF PRAISE FROM WHO

The World Health Organisation on Tuesday quoted the Uttar Pradesh model of door-to-door Covid surveillance on its website and Twitter pages saying India’s most populous state was going the last mile to stop COVID.

“The Uttar Pradesh state government has initiated house-to-house active case finding of COVID-19 in rural areas to contain transmission by testing people with symptoms for rapid isolation, disease management and contact tracing,” said WHO which is helping the state with containment.

The WHO said UP Government teams moved across 97,941 villages in 75 districts over five days for this activity, which began on May 5 in India’s most populous state with a population of 230 million.

Each monitoring team had two members, who visited homes in villages and remote hamlets to test everyone with symptoms of COVID-19 using Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) kits. Those who tested positive were quickly isolated and given a medicine kit with advice on disease management.

All the contacts of those who tested positive were quarantined and tested using an RT-PCR at home by a rapid response team. Two mobile vans have been allocated to each Block within a District in the state to test people with symptoms, even as routine sample collection and testing continues in Community Health Centres.

“The state government has deployed 141,610 teams and 21,242 supervisors from the state health department for this activity to ensure all rural areas are covered. WHO, which supported Uttar Pradesh government in training and micro planning for the activity, now has field officers on the ground to monitor and share real-time feedback with the government for immediate corrective action to ensure quality,” the WHO said.

JABS EFFECTIVE AGAINST INDIAN VARIANT: STUDY

After Covaxin and Covishield, Pfizer too has been found to be effective against the Indian Covid variant, a new study has found. The research, currently under peer review, concludes that Pfizer prevents severe disease in those infected with B.1.617 variant.

Though researchers have documented partial ability of the Indian variant to escape vaccine-elicited antibodies, they say these are too mild to escape jab effectiveness.

“While the Indian variant has some ability to avoid neutralising antibodies elicited by vaccination, it is very mild. The vaccine continues to be effective against the variant and prevent severe disease,” said Anurag Agarwal, Director, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. - John F. Kennedy

OFF TRACK

At a remote monastery deep in the woods, the monks followed a rigid vow of silence. This vow could only be broken once a year on Christmas, by one monk, and the monk could speak only one sentence.

One Christmas, Brother Thomas had his turn to speak and said, "I love the delightful mashed potatoes we have every year with the Christmas roast!" Then he sat down. Silence ensued for 365 days.

The next Christmas, Brother Michael got his turn, and said, "I think the mashed potatoes are lumpy and I truly despise them!" Once again, silence ensued for 365 days.

The following Christmas, Brother Paul rose and said, "I am fed up with this constant bickering!"