Name: Migrant crisis: buses head to rural India, trigger Covid-19 fears
Uploaded: 2020-03-28T10:56:19.fff+05:30
Duration: T01M09S
Channel: editorji

These scenes at the Anand Vihar Bus Stand in the national capital New Delhi. With India locked down over the coronavirus and no way to earn money, migrants face a grim

Chaos unfolds as migrant workers throng Delhi bus stand

These scenes at the Anand&nbsp;Vihar&nbsp;Bus Stand in the national capital New Delhi. With India locked down over the coronavirus and no way to earn money,&nbsp;migrants&nbsp;face a grim choice: either walk home or die hungry.&nbsp;The govt has now offered them buses to leave the capital. The 21-day lockdown&nbsp;has sparked an exodus from major cities.&nbsp;Thousands are walking long distances back to their home villages after all transport was stopped except for essential services as authorities struggle to contain the&nbsp;outbreak. There are usually around 100 million unskilled or semi-skilled migrant workers in India, according to a government survey for 2016-17 -- around a fifth of the country's workforce.&nbsp;These&nbsp;congregations&nbsp;like the one at&nbsp;Anand&nbsp;Vihar&nbsp;are a setback for the government which is focusing on social distancing as a major&nbsp;deterrent&nbsp;against the deadly virus.&nbsp;

These scenes at the Anand Vihar Bus Stand in the national capital New Delhi. With India locked down over the coronavirus and no way to earn money, migrants face a grim choice: either walk home or die hungry. The govt has now offered them buses to leave the capital. The 21-day lockdown has sparked an exodus from major cities. Thousands are walking long distances back to their home villages after all transport was stopped except for essential services as authorities struggle to contain the outbreak. There are usually around 100 million unskilled or semi-skilled migrant workers in India, according to a government survey for 2016-17 -- around a fifth of the country's workforce. These congregations like the one at Anand Vihar are a setback for the government which is focusing on social distancing as a major deterrent against the deadly virus.

Fear among locals in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh after over 100 bodies were found floating in the Ganga over the last few days. The bodies are suspected to be of Covid-19

Fear among locals in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh after over 100 bodies were found floating in the Ganga over the last few days.
The bodies are suspected to be of Covid-19 patients and have sparked concerns about transmission of the virus through the river water.
Such incidents have been reported from Patna and Buxar in Bihar, Ghazipur, Hamirpur and Ballia in Uttar Pradesh.
The locals say while disposing of dead bodies in the river water is not a new practice, the sheer number of bodies and the scare of a pandemic has them worried.
A number of experts have however said that transmission of the virus through water is not a matter of concern.
Satish Tare, a professor at IIT-Kanpur who is part of Centre&rsquo;s National Mission for Clean Ganga has said that dumping of dead bodies in the Ganga or any river is a serious matter but however stressed that it won&rsquo;t have significant impact on transmission. Such practices lead to water pollution and rivers are a direct source of drinking water for a lot of locals.
Experts say the virus gets diluted it the water.
Dr Sylvie Briand who heads the World Health Organistation&rsquo;s Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness department too has specified that water cannot transmit COVID-19. The global health body has said that if someone goes swimming they won&rsquo;t contract the virus from the water but from other people in the pool who are infected.
The Govt has meanwhile asked states to ensure strict vigilance and check future incidences of people dumping bodies in rivers but what is leading to such incidences in the first place is lack of space for people to lay their dead.
Investigations have also been ordered to find out where the bodies came up from with Bihar and UP govts playing the blame game but locals are not worried about where the bodies came from, they are worried about their lives. &nbsp;

West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was on Thursday shown black flags at Sitalkuchi, where four villagers died after firing by central forces during the assembly elec

West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was on Thursday shown black flags at Sitalkuchi, where four villagers died after firing by central forces during the assembly elections, while &ldquo;go back&rdquo; slogans were raised at Dinhata during his visit to Cooch Behar district to meet people allegedly affected in post poll violence.
Earlier in the day, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar who is on a controversial visit to assess post-poll violence in the district said he was shocked by incidents of attacks following the West Bengal assembly elections.
The run up to the visit was marked by a war of words between the Governor and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with the chief minister writing a letter on Wednesday claiming the visit violated established norms as it was being undertaken unilaterally without consultations with the state government.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday acknowledged that the double mutant variant of coronavirus, known as the B.1.617 or the Indian variant, was behind th

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday acknowledged that the double mutant variant of coronavirus, known as the B.1.617 or the Indian variant, was behind the surge in Covid-19 cases witnessed in the country over the past one and a half months.
Briefing the press after chairing a meeting via video conferencing with health ministers of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Delhi on the prevailing Covid-19 situation there, Vardhan said data from genome sequencing suggests the spread of the B.1.617 strain of coronavirus was responsible for the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases.

India will have enough doses to inoculate all citizens by December, the head of the national task force on Covid-19 vaccines said on Thursday, giving hope of a final vi

India will have enough doses to inoculate all citizens by December, the head of the national task force on Covid-19 vaccines said on Thursday, giving hope of a final victory against a&nbsp;deadly virus to millions.
Between August and December, Niti Aayog member Dr Vinod Kumar Paul said, 216 crore vaccine doses would become available, which means that there would be surplus doses after every Indian is vaccinated.
Paul mentioned eight vaccines &mdash; a significant increase from the two currently in use &mdash; and the number of doses for each that are likely to be available in the country of 130 crore people in the five-month period ending December.

On today's episode of Ask The Doctor, Dr. J.A Jayalal, National President, Indian Medical Association says the govt should imposed a complete planned lockdown to break

On today's episode of Ask The Doctor, Dr. J.A Jayalal, National President, Indian Medical Association says the govt should imposed a complete planned lockdown to break the chain of the second wave, and ramp up vaccination; along with that govts have to plan well in advance ways to augment manpower at hospitals.

On today's episode of Ask The Doctor, Dr. Rakesh K Mishra, Advisor, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) against Covid, explains why plasma therapy for

On today's episode of Ask The Doctor,&nbsp;Dr. Rakesh K Mishra, Advisor, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) against Covid, explains why plasma therapy for Covid&nbsp;patients is a desperate measure. He adds, plasma therapy has been around for years but it is never considered a standard treatment, patients who are administered plasma are at risk from&nbsp;other elements that might be present in the blood of the donor.

Russia's Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V, will be available in India from early next week, the Union Health Ministry announced on Thursday. Niti Aayog’s Dr VK Paul, wh

Russia's Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V, will be available in India from early next week, the Union Health Ministry announced on Thursday. Niti Aayog&rsquo;s Dr VK Paul, who is also part of the govt's Covid-19 task force&nbsp;said, the first batch has arrived and more will be arriving from Russia.&nbsp;He added that Sputnik V will be produced in India from July onwards, and India is looking to produce 15.6 crore doses of the Russian Covid vaccine with Hyderabad-based&nbsp;Dr Reddy's Laboratories as a partner.

Ask The Doctor: Govt policy changes on vaccines hurting the Covid fight?

On today's episode of Ask The Doctor, Dr. J.A Jayalal, National President, Indian Medical Association argues that the govt should have stuck to a universal vaccination strategy with a global tender for purchasing rather than leaving it to states to procure vaccines on their own, adding that allowing differential pricing of the vaccine, can lead to more delays.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday came down heavily on Centre saying that it has been playing ‘an irritating message on the phone whenever one makes a call regardi

The Delhi High Court on Thursday came down heavily on Centre saying that it has been playing &lsquo;an irritating message on the phone whenever one makes a call regarding vaccination&rsquo; even when it does not have the vaccines. &lsquo;Who will take the jab when there are no vaccines available?&rsquo; the court asked. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked the Centre to allow more companies to manufacture Covid-19 vaccine. Most states like Maharashtra and Karnataka have suspended vaccination for the 18-44 age group due to acute vaccine shortage.&nbsp;

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday demanded a judicial probe headed by a high court judge into bodies floating in the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh and said wha

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday demanded a judicial probe headed by a high court judge into bodies floating in the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh and said what is happening is inhuman and criminal.
She tweeted, what is happening in UP is inhuman and criminal, the government is busy image building while people are suffering unimaginably. In another tweet, she wrote, bodies are floating in the ganga in Ballia and Ghazipur. Reports are coming in of mass burials on the banks of the river in Unnao. Official numbers from cities like Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Jhansi and Kanpur appear to be grossly under-reported.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said the government must be held accountable for "failing" its people badly. He tweeted, that bodies found floating in the Ganges are not a statistic, they're someone's father, mother, brother and sister. What has transpired shakes you to your core.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar announced on Thursday that the statewide lockdown imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus disease, is being extended for 10 d

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar announced on Thursday that the statewide lockdown imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus disease, is being extended for 10 days, from May 16-25.&nbsp;
The ongoing lockdown has shown a "positive impact" in controlling the situation, he added.
According to a Bihar health department bulletin on May 12, the state's Covid-19 tally stood at 6,22,433. 9,863 people tested positive for the viral disease in the last 24 hours, the overall death toll, meanwhile, reached 3,503 with 74 more people succumbing to the infection.

At least 14 senior doctors posted as in charge of primary and community health centres in UP’s Unnao district resigned, alleging that they were being subjected to

At least 14 senior doctors posted as in charge of primary and community health centres in UP&rsquo;s Unnao district resigned, alleging that they were being subjected to indecent behaviour and non-cooperation by the senior officials in the administration.
11 doctors signed on a joint resignation letter and visited the office of Unnao&rsquo;s chief medical officer on Wednesday evening to hand it over.
The doctors claimed that despite slogging hard during the ongoing pandemic, they&rsquo;re being subjected to punitive action. They also claimed that the administrative officials had adopted a dictatorial attitude and were taking penal action against their colleagues without any explanation or discussion.

A huge crowd thronged Hyderabad's Charminar ahead of Eid celebrations on Friday, completely disregarding the restrictions imposed to contain the Covid spread in Telanga

A huge crowd thronged Hyderabad's Charminar ahead of Eid celebrations on Friday, completely disregarding the restrictions imposed to contain the Covid spread in Telangana. The state is currently under a 10-day lockdown from Wednesday, with a four-hour break between 6 and 10 in the morning to allow people to buy essentials.
At Charminar in the old quarters of Hyderabad, tens of thousands of people were seen at the Madina market, shopping for the Eid festival. &nbsp;People flouted Covid protocols- masks were missing and social distancing went for a toss. A traffic jam also built up in several parts of the old city.
Anticipating festival crowds, Telangana Home Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali barred public gatherings in open places and said&nbsp;people must offer prayers inside their homes.

Even as world is vaccinating the adults against Covid-19... the big question on everyone's mind is when will we have a vaccine for children? ((When will we have a

Even as world is vaccinating the adults against Covid-19... the big question on everyone's mind is when will we have a vaccine for children?&nbsp;
Second wave in India has seen more children getting infected.
Nearly 11.5% of the 56 lakh Covid-19 cases reported between January and April this year were in the age group zero to 20 years, government data shows.&nbsp;
Parents, school administrators and public health officials have eagerly awaited approval for the shot to be made available to more kids.
A group of parents have launched a tweetathon to demand vaccine for children at the earliest
In a big move drug regulator on Thursday cleared clinical trials for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin in 2 to 18 years age group.
Bharat Biotech will conduct trials in 525 healthy volunteers...
Till now only US and Canada have started giving Pfizer vaccine to children 12 years and older.
The US Food and Drug Administration declared that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on testing of more than 2,000 US volunteers aged 12 to 15.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Outside of the US, AstraZeneca is studying its vaccine among 6- to 17-year-olds in Britain. And in China, Sinovac recently submitted preliminary data to the regulators showing its vaccine is safe in children as young as 3.
Moderna and Johnson &amp; Johnson are currently testing their vaccines on those aged 12-18.
Moderna and Pfizer are also testing their jabs on younger children between six months and 11 years old.
&nbsp;

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Thursday postponed the civil services preliminary examination in wake of the alarming COVID situation. A statement issued

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Thursday postponed the civil services preliminary examination in wake of the alarming COVID situation. A statement issued by the commission said the exam scheduled to be held on June 25 will now be conducted on October 10.
The commission conducts civil services examination annually in three stages - preliminary, main and interview&nbsp; to select officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.
After two days of slight decline, active Covid-19 cases again increased on Thursday. India recorded 3.62 lakh fresh cases and 4,120 deaths in 24 hours.

Delhi Court on Thursday refused anticipatory bail to businessman Navneet Kalra in connection with the oxygen concentrator black marketing case being probed by the

Delhi Court on Thursday&nbsp;refused anticipatory bail to businessman Navneet Kalra in connection with the oxygen concentrator black marketing case being probed by the Delhi Police.&nbsp;
During a recent raid, 524 oxygen concentrators were recovered from three restaurants owned by Kalra.
As per the prosecution case, Navneet Kalra, along with other co-accused, "hatched a conspiracy" to wrongfully make money by "inducing" the public to buy his oxygen concentrators at an "exorbitant rate" amid a raging pandemic.
Kalra has been on the run since the recovery of the oxygen concentrators. The police said that he could not be tracked despite raids being conducted in Delhi and in adjoining states.

The Delhi government has written to the Centre, offering the surplus oxygen that is being given to it to other states, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Thur

The Delhi government has written to the Centre, offering the surplus oxygen that is being given to it to other states, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday. Assessment of the COVID19 situation revealed Delhi now needs 582 MT per day.
He said the national capital earlier had a requirement of 700 MT of oxygen when the number of cases was rising but now with the dip in figures, the requirement has come down to 582 MT.
Sisodia said Delhi recorded 10,400 fresh COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period and the positivity rate has gone down to 14%.
He also informed that there are now more beds available in hospitals and oxygen situation has improved.
&nbsp;

Maharashtra government has extended the current Covid-19 restrictions in the state till 7am on 1st June to curb the spread of infection.

The Maharashtra government on Thursday&nbsp; extended&nbsp;the current restrictions put in place to curb the spread of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.editorji.com/covid-19" target="_blank">Covid-19 cases</a>.&nbsp;The restrictions will now be in place till 7 am on June 1, Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte said in an order.
The government&nbsp;has made it mandatory to carry negative RT-PCR report for entering the state.&nbsp;This rule was earlier applicable only to the travellers coming in from the states marked as sensitive origin. The rule has been now been extended for people coming into the state from any part of the country.
Maharashtra reported 46,781 new cases and 816 deaths on Wednesday.&nbsp;The positivity rate has fallen to 17.36 per cent while the fatality rate is down to 1.49 per cent, the health department said.
Also Read | <a href="https://www.editorji.com/story/govt-panel-recommends-12-16-week-gap-between-2-covishield-doses-1620886841646" target="_blank">Govt panel recommends 12-16 week gap between 2 Covishield doses</a>

The Health Ministry on Thursday agreed to extend the gap between the two doses of the Covishield covid-19 vaccine to 12-16 weeks. The announcement came after

The Health Ministry&nbsp;on Thursday agreed to extend the gap between the two doses of the&nbsp;Covishield covid-19 vaccine to 12-16 weeks. The announcement came after the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), an advisory group on the Covid-19 vaccines recommended this.
However, no change has been suggested for Bharat Biotech&rsquo;s Covaxin, whose gap between the two doses stands at four to six weeks.
The government expert panel had also recommended those testing positive for coronavirus to defer vaccination for six months after recovery. Experts have also suggested that people who have received plasma during their treatment, they should get vaccinated at least after 12 weeks. But no clear decision has been announced on these.

Migrant crisis: buses head to rural India, trigger Covid-19 fears

National

Covid fear as bodies wash up on river banks: can the disease spread through water?

Bengal Governor shown black flags during visit to Sitalkuchi

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India will produce 216 crore doses of vaccines by December end: Dr V K Paul

Ask The Doctor l IMA chief to govt: impose lockdown, get more vaccines and medical staff

Ask The Doctor l Is plasma therapy essential in fighting Covid? Dr Rakesh Mishra explains

Ask The Doctor | Gap between Covishield doses extended, but where is the data?

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine to be available in market by next week: Govt

Ask The Doctor l Govt policy changes on vaccines hurting the Covid fight?

'Who will get vaccine if not available?': HC raps Centre for ‘irritating’ phone message

Priyanka Gandhi, Akhilesh demand probe into bodies floating in Ganga

Covid-19: Bihar govt extends lockdown for 10 days till May 25

14 doctors resigned in UP's Unnao alleging 'misbehaviour'

People throng Hyderabad's Charminar ahead of Eid, Covid protocols flouted

Covid-19: When Will We Have Covid Vaccine for Kids?

UPSC postpones civil services prelims exam amid Covid-19 crisis

Delhi Court denies Navneet Kalra's bail in oxygen concentrator hoarding case

Will give surplus to states, Manish Sisodia says as oxygen situation improves in Delhi

Maharashtra extends restrictions till June 1 to curb spread of Covid

Centre accepts proposal to increase gap between 2 Covishield doses to 12-16 weeks

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