BELOW 5% POSITIVITY RATE IN 531 DISTRICTS

Govt experts on Friday said there was no clear evidence yet on what levels of herd immunity in a population would be sufficient to ward off Covid-19 virus, warning people against laxity amid massive disease spread and progressive fall in infection rates.

In a significant marker of disease reduction, 70 per cent of India (531 districts) reported less than 5 per cent positivity rate on Friday.

However, the govt urged people not to lower their guard noting, “Although 531 districts have less than 5 per cent positivity rate as of today, variants can keep coming. Prevention tools against all kinds of mutations are the same — vaccination and Covid-appropriate behaviour.”

Commenting on the AIIMS, New Delhi, study which revealed that more than 55% children and more than 63% adults may have already been infected by Covid during the second wave, Member, Health, NITI Aayog, VK Paul said, “So far as the study findings regarding vast proportions of the population showing antibodies go, the fact is we cannot take anything for granted on herd immunity. The evidence on this is not clear. Brazil had a 70% infection prevalence rate but a new variant caused massive devastation. Likewise in Delhi, we knew the sero positivity rate was around 56% before the Delta variant came and played havoc.”

HEALTHCARE WORKERS’ DATA SHOWS VACCINE EFFECT

Preliminary data from the Covid vaccination drive among healthcare workers facing the severe second wave show a reduced need for hospitalisation, oxygen therapy, and ICU admission, according to Dr V K Paul who heads the country’s task force on the pandemic.

Referring to data from Christian Medical College, Vellore — 8,991 vaccinated healthcare workers, including those who received only one dose — Paul underlined that the role of vaccines in preventing ICU admission was as high as 94 per cent, which shows that vaccines offer protection against severe infection among high-risk groups.

“There are studies emerging from India that show protection after vaccination. There are two such studies on healthcare workers, who are the high-risk groups. Studies show that after vaccination, the need for hospitalisation reduces by 75-80 per cent. Even after you get an infection after receiving the dose, according to the data, the chance of hospitalisation was just around 20 per cent,” Paul said.

“The possibility of the requirement of oxygen was just 8 per cent, and the data on serious ICU admission shows that the risk was just 6 per cent. Therefore, the protection becomes 94 per cent. This is powerful data from a reasonable size study because it was done where the risk of getting the infection was highest. And in one study, out of the 7000, there was just one death; even that person had comorbidities. It clearly shows vaccines offer protection, especially from serious disease,” Paul said.

The findings of CMC, Vellore are in line with surveys conducted by other top hospitals.

On Wednesday, 43 units in 24 cities of Apollo, the country’s largest private chain of hospitals, reported zero mortalities in 31,000 vaccinated healthcare workers. The study found that from January 16 to May 31, 1,355 healthcare workers were infected with Covid: of these, only 90 required hospitalisation, and three ICU care.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 7,54,980

New Cases in last 24 hours: 60,776

Recovered in last 24 hours: 97,858

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: -38,728

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 1,646 (3,85,167)

Daily Tests (Thursday): 19,29,476

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 3.2%

Percentage of Population Vaccinated (At Least One Dose / Two Doses): 16.4% / 3.8%

Most Affected States:

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

1          Karnataka         1,37,050           /           5,783    /           168

2          Maharashtra     1,34,747           /           9,798    /           648

3          Kerala  1,07,681           /           11,361  /           90

4          Tamil Nadu       89,009  /           8,633    /           287

5          Andhra Pradesh            67,629  /           6,341    /           57

6          Odisha 37,086  /           3,806    /           37

7          Assam  35,631  /           3,706    /           33

8          West Bengal     22,691  /           2,788    /           58

9          Telangana        19,029  /           1,417    /           12

10        Jammu and Kashmir     10,094  /           671       /           8

11        Chhattisgarh     10,062  /           509       /           7

12        Manipur            9,246    /           603       /           12

13        Punjab  8,829    /           612       /           33

14        Gujarat 7,230    /           262       /           5

15        Uttar Pradesh   5,343    /           149       /           51

16        Tripura 4,910    /           467       /           3

17        Meghalaya        4,819    /           650       /           9

18        Puducherry       4,125    /           353       /           4

19        Rajasthan         3,783    /           150       /           9

20        Goa      3,599    /           315       /           6

21        Bihar    3,547    /           347       /           9

22        Mizoram           3,503    /           302       /           1

23        Uttarakhand      3,231    /           222       /           6

24        Himachal Pradesh         3,193    /           344       /           5

25        Haryana           2,940    /           209       /           36

26        Sikkim  2,900    /           162       /           3

27        Madhya Pradesh           2,727    /           110       /           28

28        Arunachal Pradesh        2,599    /           209       /           1

29        Delhi    2,445    /           165       /           14

30        Nagaland          2,059    /           56        /           1

31        Jharkhand        1,811    /           141       /           2

32        Chandigarh       431       /           48        /           2

33        Lakshadweep    347       /           15        /           Nil

INDIA'S PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN PERHAPS 'LARGER THAN IT OUGHT TO BE', SAYS PAKISTAN

With India stepping up its diplomatic activities in Afghanistan's peace process as the U.S. prepares for the troops withdrawal, a jittery Pakistan has said that at times it feels that New Delhi's presence in the war-torn country is perhaps "larger than it ought to be".

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's remarks to Afghanistan's Tolo news channel comes days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar’s capital Doha on Tuesday and exchanged perspectives on the war-ravaged nation and the region.

"Obviously, you have sovereign relations and you have bilateral relations and you have every right to have sovereign and bilateral relations with India. You have trade with India. They come and carry out development work there, that’s completely fine with us," Qureshi said during the interview. “But at times we feel that their presence is perhaps larger than it ought to be because they...don’t share a border with you,” he said.

When asked whether India's presence in Afghanistan bothers Pakistan, Qureshi said, "Yes, If they use your (Afghan) soil against us, it bothers me." Asked how India is using Afghan soil for anti-Pakistan activities, he alleged: "Yes, they are...By carrying out terrorist activities." During the interview, Qureshi also sought to absolve the Taliban for the spike in violence in Afghanistan, saying it would be an "exaggeration" to blame the insurgent group for the bloodshed.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

INDIA ABSTAINS FROM VOTING ON UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION ON MYANMAR

India has abstained on a UN General Assembly resolution on Myanmar, saying its views have not been reflected in the draft resolution and a "consultative and constructive" approach involving Myanmar's neighbouring countries is important as the international community strives for the peaceful resolution of the issue.

The UNGA adopted a resolution on Myanmar on Friday that called "upon the Myanmar armed forces to respect the people's will as freely expressed by results of the general election of November 8, 2020, to end the state of emergency, to respect all human rights of people of Myanmar and to allow the sustained democratic transition of Myanmar, including the opening of the democratically elected parliament, and by working towards bringing all national institutions, including the armed forces, under a fully inclusive civilian govt that is representative of the people's will".

The resolution was adopted with 119 countries voting "yes", Belarus voting "no" and India along with 35 other countries abstaining, including China and Russia.

DELTA BECOMING GLOBALLY DOMINANT: WHO

The Delta variant, first identified in India, is becoming the globally dominant variant of the disease, the WHO’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Friday. According to the Covid-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update issued by the WHO on June 15, the Delta variant is now being reported in about 80 countries around the world. Another 12 countries and areas are “reporting the detection of B.1.617 without further specification of lineage at this time.”

Her remarks came hours after Public Health England said that the number of Delta variant cases has jumped by 33,630 in a week to hit a total of 75,953 in the UK, with the highly transmissible variant now making up 99% of all cases in the country. The rise was a 79% increase on the previous week’s tally.

The Kremlin in Russia blamed a surge in cases on reluctance to have vaccinations and “nihilism” after a record 9,056 new infections in Moscow, mostly with the Delta variant, fanned fears of a third wave. “According to the latest data, 89.3% of Muscovites (recently) diagnosed with Covid-19 have the mutated, so-called Delta or Indian variant,” the news agency TASS quoted Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin as saying.

In Germany, top public health official predicted Delta would rapidly become the dominant variant there despite rising vaccination rates.

Meanwhile, the European Union lifted travel restrictions for U.S. residents, in the latest step toward a return to normal flying despite concerns over the spread of potentially dangerous coronavirus variants. Albania, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Taiwan were also added to a so-called “white list” of countries from which non-essential travel is allowed.

THE REST

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MILKHA SINGH, INDEPENDENT INDIA’S FIRST SPORTING SUPERSTAR, DIES AT 91

Missing what could have been India’s greatest track and field medal — a bronze at the Rome Olympics in 1960 by 0.1 seconds — independent India’s first sporting superstar taught a nation entering its teens what a heartbreak felt like.

An Army man, who impressed a Pakistan General so much that he gave him the famous moniker “Flying Sikh”; a track legend who put India at the starting blocks of the biggest sporting stage; and a trailblazer who demanded excellence from all those who represented the country — Milkha Singh passed away from Covid-related complications late Friday at the age of 91.

Five days ago, Milkha’s wife, Nirmal Kaur, a former India volleyball captain, had lost her battle with the virus at the same Mohali hospital where the legendary runner breathed his last.

One of Milkha’s more famous wins was his historic 400m gold at the then British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, UK. Milkha pipped the then world record holder, South Africa’s Malcom Spence, clocking 46.6 seconds to make history. After the race, as he told the BBC that he had fulfilled his duty towards his motherland, a young nation learned to strut around overnight.

STUDENT ACTIVISTS CASE: BAIL STANDS, BUT WILL STUDY HC’S INTERPRETATION: SC

Taking exception to the Delhi High Court reading down the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) while granting bail to three student activists facing charges under the anti-terror law in the Delhi riots conspiracy case, the Supreme Court on Friday said the order can’t be treated as a precedent.

“In the meantime, the impugned judgment shall not be treated as a precedent and may not be relied upon by any of the parties in any of the proceedings,” a Bench led by Justice Hemant Gupta said. However, it clarified that the release of the three activists — Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal and Asif Iqbal Tanha — who walked out of Tihar Jail on Thursday on bail would not be interfered at this stage.

“It’s troubling that the High Court has gone on to narrow down the scope of the UAPA in a bail application when there was no challenge to the statute,” it noted. Terming it an “important issue” that can have pan-India ramifications, the top court issued notices to the accused trio, asking them to respond to the Delhi Police petition challenging the Delhi High Court’s order and posted the matter for hearing in the week starting from July 19.

“In a bail application, 100 pages of judgment and judges discussing all laws... that’s what is surprising us...The way UAPA has been interpreted by the high court, probably will require examination by us,” it said.

The order came after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the high court’s findings called for acquittal of the accused and others were also moving for bail based on this judgment.

RULE OF LAND SUPREME, MUST ABIDE BY LAWS: HOUSE PANEL TO TWITTER

Even as it is caught in a tussle with the Union govt over the new Information Technology rules, Twitter was on Friday pulled up by the parliamentary Standing Committee on IT, which told the social media firm that the rule of the land was supreme and it must abide by Indian laws.

Twitter India’s public policy manager Shagufta Kamran and legal counsel Ayushi Kapoor deposed for 90 minutes before the panel, chaired by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. Twitter is learnt to have said that it had no intention to defy Indian laws and was already taking steps to comply with them, while apologising to MPs for the delay in this.

At the hearing, Twitter reiterated its stand on the ‘manipulated media’ tag, saying this was not a subjective call but entirely the function of an algorithm. Recently, the tag had appeared on accounts of some BJP leaders and others that accused the Congress of a “toolkit” over Covid protests against the Modi govt.

In a statement after the hearing, a Twitter spokesperson said they welcomed the chance to appear before the panel and said the company “stands prepared to work with the Committee on the important work of safeguarding citizens’ rights online in line with our principles of transparency, freedom of expression, and privacy”. It said it will also “continue working alongside the Indian Govt as part of our shared commitment to serve and protect the public conversation”.

There was unanimity in the panel, it is learnt, that the Twitter should abide by IT rules and appoint a chief compliance officer.

WON’T REPEAL FARM LAWS: TOMAR

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar yesterday again ruled out repealing the three new farm laws, reiterating that the govt “is ready to resume talks with protesting farmer unions on provisions of the legislations”.

“The GoI is ready for talks with farmers. Except for repeal, if any farmers’ union wants to talk on provisions of the Act even at midnight, Narendra Singh Tomar will welcome it,” the Agriculture Minister tweeted.

NANDIGRAM POLL PLEA: MAMATA SAYS NO FAITH IN JUSTICE CHANDA

Citing BJP antecedents of High Court Judge Kaushik Chanda and objection conveyed by her to the Chief Justice to his appointment as a Permanent Judge in the Calcutta High Court, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday expressed apprehension about the assigning of her election petition before Chanda’s court.

In a letter, Banerjee’s counsel urged the HC Chief Justice (Acting) to reassign the petition to another court as his client was apprehensive about “likelihood of bias on the part of the honourable Judge”.

Noting that High Court Judge Kaushik Chanda was an “active member of the BJP” when he was an advocate, Mamata Banerjee’s counsel questioned assigning of election petition to him. The counsel said his client also apprehends that Justice Chanda was aware of Banerjee’s objections to his appointment as Permanent Judge.

On May 21, Banerjee moved an election petition challenging the verdict of the Nandigram constituency, where she lost to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari. She accused the BJP leader of committing corrupt practices and also alleged discrepancies in counting.

Justice Chanda on Friday fixed June 24 as the date for presentation of Banerjee’s plea.

ASTRAZENECA VACCINE'S CHIEF INVESTIGATOR BACKS COVISHIELD DOSE GAP

Backing the 12-16 weeks gap between the two doses of Covishield in the country, the chief investigator of the AstraZeneca vaccine clinical trials on Friday said that the level of protection provided by one dose of the preventive significantly increases in the second and third months after the jab.

In an interview with The Wire, Professor Andrew Pollard said the immunisation policy in Britain and India should not be compared because of the different circumstances in the two countries.

"An immunisation policy that aims to vaccinate the largest number of people in the quickest possible time with at least one dose makes sense in the present circumstances in India," Pollard, who is also the Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said.

The scientist noted that in India, the vast majority of the population is unvaccinated and, therefore, unprotected at a time when the Delta variant, first identified in the country, is 'a widely spreading and increasing threat'.

Pollard said that in a situation of vaccine shortage it makes sense to ensure a measure of protection for the widest number of people rather than provide a better level of protection for a smaller number of people.

10 PLAYERS TO MAKE OLYMPICS HOCKEY DEBUT

India yesterday named 10 Olympics debutants in its 16-member men’s hockey squad, which also features seasoned performers like PR Sreejesh and Manpreet Singh, for the Tokyo Games.

Birendra Lakra, Amit Rohidas, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit, Shamsher Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay will be making their Olympics debut. Besides, the 16-member team also includes six seasoned campaigners like former skipper and goalkeeper Sreejesh, midfielder Manpreet, defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh and Surender Kumar, and forward Mandeep Singh. These players were a part of the previous Olympics squad.

WTC FINAL: FIRST DAY’S PLAY WASHED OUT, RESERVE DAY TO COME IN FORCE

The eagerly-awaited opening day of the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand was rained out in Southampton on Friday, which is set to bring the reserve day into the equation.

With puddles forming throughout the outfield, even the best drainage system couldn’t have possibly forced some action on the opening day.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. – Confucius

OFF TRACK

When the wise company president learned that his employees were tanking up on no-trace vodka martinis during their lunch hours, he issued the following memo: 

To all employees; If you must drink during your lunch hour, please drink whiskey. It is better for our customers to know you're drunk than to think you're stupid.