Coronavirus live updates | Over 169 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in India: Government

The country recorded 1,06,953 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday. The total number of infections has reached 4.21 crore, and the active cases have crossed the 13.4 lakh mark.

Read | Fighting post-COVID weakness

You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.

Here are the updates::

Delhi

Most fitness centers in Delhi to reopen from Monday

Most gym and spa owners in the national capital have said they will open their establishments from Monday ensuring that all COVID-19 protocols are in place and sanitisation of the premises is conducted properly.

The Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had on Friday announced the reopening of gyms after over a month of being shut on account of rising COVID-19 cases in the city.

The decision comes as a sigh of relief for fitness center owners who have been staging protests and urging the government to allow them to resume businesses which have registered a major slump due to successive coronavirus-induced lockdowns. PTI

India

Over 169 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in India: Government

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 169 crore on Saturday, the Union health ministry said.

More than 40 lakh vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm on Saturday, it said, adding that the daily vaccination tally is expected to go up with the compilation of the final reports by late night.

More than 1.46 crore (1,46,98,311) precaution doses have been administered to healthcare workers (HCWs), frontline workers (FLWs) and those aged 60 years and above, the ministry said. PTI

Mumbai

Lata Mangeshkar back on ventilator, under aggressive therapy: Doctor

Singing legend Lata Mangeshkar is back on the ventilator after her health deteriorated and is undergoing “aggressive therapy”, a doctor treating her said on Saturday.

The 92-year-old singer tested positive for Covid with mild symptoms and was admitted on January 8 to Breach Candy Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) where she is being treated by Dr. Pratit Samdani and his team of doctors.

“Lata Mangeshkar didi is in Breach Candy Hospital, in the ICU. She continues to be under aggressive therapy and is tolerating the procedures well at this moment,” Dr. Samdani told reporters outside the south Mumbai hospital. PTI

Haryana

Haryana further eases Covid restrictions, allows all offices to function at full capacity

The Haryana government further eased some COVID-19 restrictions in the state on Saturday, allowing all offices including the private ones to function at full capacity while entertainment parks and B2B exhibitions are now allowed to open at 50% capacity.

“All offices are allowed to function with their full capacity while adopting regular sanitisation and COVID-19 appropriate behavioral norms,” ​​according to an order issued by the Haryana State Disaster Management Authority (HSDMA).

Earlier, only 50% of the staff was allowed to physically attend offices.- PTI

Canada

Protests against COVID-19 measures spread across Canada

Protesters opposed to vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions held rallies in cities across Canada on Saturday in a show of solidarity with a week-long demonstration in the national capital.

Officials in Ottawa and numerous provincial capitals worked to ensure that escalating protests against pandemic-related public health measures remained peaceful Saturday.

By midday Saturday in Ottawa, thousands of demonstrators mingled near open fires on the snow-plastered lawn in front Parliament Hill. Participants roasted hotdogs and doled out baked goods under tarps, while two men on horseback traipsed through the town, one carrying a flag in support of former US President Donald Trump.- AP

Delhi

Violations on the rise yet again in Delhi as COVID restrictions turn lax

After a brief lull — thanks to strict enforcement — daily violations of COVID Appropriate Behavior (CAB) are on the upswing in the Capital yet again. Almost all fines issued were for offences related to masks and non-adherence to social distancing norms.

With most restrictions aimed at breaking the chain of COVID infection having been lifted now, both violations and fines issued for them, are expected to spike over the coming days, according to government sources.

As the city unlocked progressively, fines worth around י19 crore were issued during a recent 19-day period, government records posit.

India

India reports fewer COVID-19 deaths than during last week

The country recorded 1,06,953 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday. The total number of infections has reached 4.21 crore, and the active cases have crossed the 13.4 lakh mark.

The figures are based on the State bulletins released until 10 pm on Saturday. However, Ladakh, Tripura, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Jharkhand, and Lakshadweep had not yet released data for the day.

Kerala recorded 33,538 infections on Saturday, followed by Karnataka (12,009) and Maharashtra (11,394).

Kerala

Kerala government issues new COVID-19 testing norms for international travelers

Kerala has issued new guidelines for international travelers in the context of the SARS-CoV2 variant Omicron.

If they develop symptoms, they will undergo RT-PCR testing at their own cost and undertake further action as per test results. However, random testing of 2% of international travelers currently done by the State will continue.

Home quarantine is advised for international travelers. They should continue self-monitoring for seven days from the date of arrival, and if they develop symptoms, should undergo testing. The samples of all international travelers who are tested RT-PCR positive will be sent for whole genomic sequencing.

RT-PCR: Cycle threshold value does not hold clinical relevance

The art of medicine is taught by the bedside. It involves detailed history-taking, followed by a physical examination which employs the senses of the physician. Humans, however, prefer concrete numbers to abstract skill and intuition. Unfortunately, most of these numbers do Not have any clinical relevance. Yet, they continue to be used indiscriminately to drive irrational and often expensive treatments, including unnecessary hospitalisations. At present, the most often repeated number appears to be the cycle threshold value (Ct value) reported on an RT- PCR at the time of diagnosis.

Delhi

IGIB develops future-proof primers, kits for RT-PCR test

Using its expertise in genome sequencing and analysis pipeline of genome sequence data, the Delhi-based CSIR lab Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) has successfully developed a unique pool of primers and kits to be used in RT-PCR testing of SARS- CoV-2 virus. The most distinguishing aspect of the work carried by a team led by Dr. Sridhar Sivasubbu and Dr. Vinod Scaria at IGIB that was developing primers that will not be affected by mutations seen in SARS-CoV-2 variants. may allow the primers to detect any new SARS-CoV-2 variants that might emerge immaterial of the novel mutations that the variants might have. The primers developed in a way future-proofs the ability to detect without fail any new SARS-CoV-2 variants that may emerge.

Delhi

82% adolescents vaccinated with first COVID-19 dose in Delhi

With schools gearing up to reopen for classes 9 to 12 from Monday, authorities have inoculated 82% adolescents in Delhi with the first dose since the exercise to vaccinate them against coronavirusstarted from January 3.

According to official data, 8.33 lakh adolescents have received the first dose and 0.39 lakh have been jabbed with the second dose.

Delhi has around 10.14 lakh beneficiaries in the 15-18 age group.