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The latest data by Indian Medical Association (IMA) revealed that India has lost as many as 270 doctors in the ongoing second wave of COVID-19 which is wreaking havoc across the country.&nbsp;

India reported a total of 2,63,533 new Covid&nbsp;cases on Tuesday, the second consecutive day when cases have come below the 300,000 mark for India.&nbsp;

The list of the deceased doctors includes former IMA president Dr K K Aggarwal, who succumbed to the deadly virus on Monday.&nbsp;

Bihar saw the maximum number of 78 deaths of medical practitioners, followed by Uttar Pradesh (37), Delhi (29) and Andhra Pradesh (22).&nbsp;

According to the IMA COVID-19 registry, 748 doctors succumbed to the disease in the first wave of the pandemic. "Last year, 748 doctors across India succumbed to COVID-19, while in the current wave, in a short period, we have lost 270 doctors.&nbsp;

"The second wave of the pandemic is turning out to be extremely fatal for all and especially for the healthcare workers who are at the forefront," IMA president Dr JA Jayalal said.

(With inputs from agencies)

The latest data by Indian Medical Association (IMA) revealed that India has lost as many as 270 doctors in the ongoing second wave of COVID-19 which is wreaking havoc across the country.

The latest data by Indian Medical Association (IMA) revealed that India has lost as many as 270 doctors in the ongoing second wave of COVID-19 which is wreaking havoc across the country. India reported a total of 2,63,533 new Covid cases on Tuesday, the second consecutive day when cases have come below the 300,000 mark for India. The list of the deceased doctors includes former IMA president Dr K K Aggarwal, who succumbed to the deadly virus on Monday. Bihar saw the maximum number of 78 deaths of medical practitioners, followed by Uttar Pradesh (37), Delhi (29) and Andhra Pradesh (22). According to the IMA COVID-19 registry, 748 doctors succumbed to the disease in the first wave of the pandemic. "Last year, 748 doctors across India succumbed to COVID-19, while in the current wave, in a short period, we have lost 270 doctors. "The second wave of the pandemic is turning out to be extremely fatal for all and especially for the healthcare workers who are at the forefront," IMA president Dr JA Jayalal said. (With inputs from agencies)

COVID-19 second wave: 270 doctors have lost their lives in the line of duty in India

The Indian Navy (IN) has managed to rescue at least 146 of the 273 personnel of the Oil &amp; Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) from the drifting Barge P-305 near the Bombay High Fields, and augmented its efforts by dispatching a helicopter, officials said here on Tuesday. 
 
The first lot of 60 personnel was rescued around 11 p.m. on Monday jointly by INS Kochi and OSV Energy Star in extremely challenging conditions in the Arabian Sea, around 175 kms off Mumbai, which fell directly in the path of the Cyclone Tauktae which made landfall in Gujarat late Monday night. 
 
During the harrowing night with Cyclone Tauktae passing overhead, INS Kolkata, Great Ship Ahalya, OSV Ocean Energy, joined the rescue mission to save a total of 146 people till dawn on Tuesday, said an official. 
 
The Indian Navy also launched a helicopter mission on Tuesday morning from INS Shikra for the massive rescue efforts in the Bombay High Fields, which is spread across over 100 sq kms in the Arabian Sea. 
 
As the raging Cyclone whirled towards the south Gujarat coast, carrying heavy rains and windspeeds of over 200 km/hr, the Barge P-305 with 273 onboard sent an SOS on Monday from the Heera Oilfields where it was drifting in the choppy waters. 
 
In another SOS, a drifting Barge Gal Constructor with 137 people around 15 kms off Mumbai, has now run aground around 89 kms north from Colaba Point. 
 
The Indian Coast Guard has sent a ship, ICGS Samrat, an emergency towing vessel `Water Lily`, and two support vessels, to help evacuate the people on board as the weather remains extremely stormy. 
 
The Barge, which had suffered engine troubles on Monday, continued to drift northwards in the extreme sea conditions. 
 
The ICGS` efforts shall be augmented with Indian Navy aircraft and helicopters joining the rescue mission this morning despite strong winds, incessant rains, low visibility and high waves in the sea.

The Indian Navy (IN) has managed to rescue at least 146 of the 273 personnel of the Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) from the drifting Barge P-305 near the Bombay High Fields, and augmented its efforts by dispatching a helicopter, officials said here on Tuesday.

The Indian Navy (IN) has managed to rescue at least 146 of the 273 personnel of the Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) from the drifting Barge P-305 near the Bombay High Fields, and augmented its efforts by dispatching a helicopter, officials said here on Tuesday. The first lot of 60 personnel was rescued around 11 p.m. on Monday jointly by INS Kochi and OSV Energy Star in extremely challenging conditions in the Arabian Sea, around 175 kms off Mumbai, which fell directly in the path of the Cyclone Tauktae which made landfall in Gujarat late Monday night. During the harrowing night with Cyclone Tauktae passing overhead, INS Kolkata, Great Ship Ahalya, OSV Ocean Energy, joined the rescue mission to save a total of 146 people till dawn on Tuesday, said an official. The Indian Navy also launched a helicopter mission on Tuesday morning from INS Shikra for the massive rescue efforts in the Bombay High Fields, which is spread across over 100 sq kms in the Arabian Sea. As the raging Cyclone whirled towards the south Gujarat coast, carrying heavy rains and windspeeds of over 200 km/hr, the Barge P-305 with 273 onboard sent an SOS on Monday from the Heera Oilfields where it was drifting in the choppy waters. In another SOS, a drifting Barge Gal Constructor with 137 people around 15 kms off Mumbai, has now run aground around 89 kms north from Colaba Point. The Indian Coast Guard has sent a ship, ICGS Samrat, an emergency towing vessel `Water Lily`, and two support vessels, to help evacuate the people on board as the weather remains extremely stormy. The Barge, which had suffered engine troubles on Monday, continued to drift northwards in the extreme sea conditions. The ICGS` efforts shall be augmented with Indian Navy aircraft and helicopters joining the rescue mission this morning despite strong winds, incessant rains, low visibility and high waves in the sea.

India cyclone fallout: Navy rescues 146 from barge near Bombay High

The United States will continue to provide a range of assistance to India, as its "important partner" continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House said Monday.

President Joe Biden, who has announced a USD 100 million worth of COVID-19 assistance to India, is deeply engaged with the assistance program, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.

"The President is, of course, keeping abreast of the COVID pandemic - how it's impacting different regions in the world, including our important partners in India. And he has been deeply engaged as we've made determinations about the type of relief and assistance that we can and should provide," Psaki said.

Responding to a question on India's COVID-19 situation, Psaki said the United States will continue to work through how it can provide assistance to its important partner during this difficult time.

"We expect our assistance to be about USD 100 million. We've sent seven air shipments funded by the US Agency for International Development to India. The seventh flight, carrying additional oxygen concentrators via commercial shipping centre, arrived today, and that is critical for a number of the patients who have already been - are already battling COVID," she said.

"We will continue to provide a range of assistance. We will remain in touch about what the direct needs are on the ground, and hope that we can play a constructive role in reducing the numbers and bringing some relief to the people of India," Psaki said.

The United States will continue to provide a range of assistance to India, as its "important partner" continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House said Monday.

The United States will continue to provide a range of assistance to India, as its "important partner" continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House said Monday. President Joe Biden, who has announced a USD 100 million worth of COVID-19 assistance to India, is deeply engaged with the assistance program, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference. "The President is, of course, keeping abreast of the COVID pandemic - how it's impacting different regions in the world, including our important partners in India. And he has been deeply engaged as we've made determinations about the type of relief and assistance that we can and should provide," Psaki said. Responding to a question on India's COVID-19 situation, Psaki said the United States will continue to work through how it can provide assistance to its important partner during this difficult time. "We expect our assistance to be about USD 100 million. We've sent seven air shipments funded by the US Agency for International Development to India. The seventh flight, carrying additional oxygen concentrators via commercial shipping centre, arrived today, and that is critical for a number of the patients who have already been - are already battling COVID," she said. "We will continue to provide a range of assistance. We will remain in touch about what the direct needs are on the ground, and hope that we can play a constructive role in reducing the numbers and bringing some relief to the people of India," Psaki said.

Will keep providing assistance to India in fight against COVID-19: US

As the oldest conflict in West Asia rages again, over the last few days social media enthusiasts in India have enthusiastically thrown themselves on either side of the conflict.

But if we put the trends and&nbsp;counter-trends aside - what is India's official stance?

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-israel-or-palestine-who-does-india-support-385715/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Historically, India has supported the Palestinian cause but today, India views the conflict as an internal matter of Israel and Palestine.

New Delhi follows what is called a "de-hyphenation policy". It maintains an independent relationship with Israel and an independent relationship with Palestine - both are separate and both stand on their own merit.

This stance reflects in India's latest statement at the UNSC. New Delhi has called upon both sides to de-escalate and resume direct dialogue. It has expressed "strong support" for the just Palestinian cause and opposed Hamas rocket fire against Israel while underlining an "unwavering commitment" to the two-state solution.

Interestingly, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has not included India in the list of 25 countries that he has thanked for standing by Israel's side in its hour of crisis.

"They say when the Janta Party forms a government, it won't support Arabs but Israel. We have made our stance clear, to remove any doubts, I want to say this that we will view every angle based on facts but the situation is absolutely clear that Israel will have to vacate the land of Arabs which it has captured," Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India's former prime minister had said.

India was earlier a major champion of the Palestinian cause. The only non-Arab country to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the legitimate representative of the Palestinians.

In 1975, the PLO was even allowed to open an office in New Delhi and five years later in 1980, this office was given full diplomatic status.

In 1948, India voted against the creation of Israel until 1992, India did not establish diplomatic ties with Israel but behind the scenes, the two sides were collaborating.

Israel had helped India in the 1971 war against Pakistan for the liberation of Bangladesh. It took another two decades for India to recognise Israel and&nbsp;since then&nbsp;the relationship has blossomed at all levels.

Israel helped India with defence technology during the Kargil war and by 2013, India had become Israel's third-largest trading partner in Asia. The proximity between India and Israel did not come at the cost of India's relationship with Palestine.

In 2003, India voted for a UN resolution against the construction of the West Bank wall by Israel. In 2011, it voted in favour of accepting Palestine as a full member of UNESCO and in 2014, India supported a UNHRC resolution to probe Israel's offensive in Gaza.

However with time, the balancing act has become tougher but pragmatism and non-alignment have continued to drive India's approach as it dealt with Israel and Palestine independently.

It was underpinned by PM Narendra Modi's visit to Israel in 2017.

"It's my singular honour to be the first-ever prime minister of India to undertake this groundbreaking visit to Israel," PM Modi had said.

The Indian prime minister subsequently visited Palestine in 2018.

"India hopes for peace and stability in this region," the Indian prime minister said.

In February 2019, India used Israeli made Spice-2000 bombs to strike Pakistani terror launchpads in Balakot. In December 2019, India voted against America's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

For India, the capital is the city of Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem which remains contested.

The trend is clear - India's decisions are based on a mature understanding and evaluation of the Israel-Palestine issues and New Delhi is following the same approach now as Israel and Palestine exchange rocket fire.

India has refused to pick a side and called for de-escalation and dialogue.

As the oldest conflict in West Asia rages again, over the last few days social media enthusiasts in India have enthusiastically thrown themselves on either side of the conflict.

As the oldest conflict in West Asia rages again, over the last few days social media enthusiasts in India have enthusiastically thrown themselves on either side of the conflict. But if we put the trends and counter-trends aside - what is India's official stance? Watch: Historically, India has supported the Palestinian cause but today, India views the conflict as an internal matter of Israel and Palestine. New Delhi follows what is called a "de-hyphenation policy". It maintains an independent relationship with Israel and an independent relationship with Palestine - both are separate and both stand on their own merit. This stance reflects in India's latest statement at the UNSC. New Delhi has called upon both sides to de-escalate and resume direct dialogue. It has expressed "strong support" for the just Palestinian cause and opposed Hamas rocket fire against Israel while underlining an "unwavering commitment" to the two-state solution. Interestingly, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has not included India in the list of 25 countries that he has thanked for standing by Israel's side in its hour of crisis. "They say when the Janta Party forms a government, it won't support Arabs but Israel. We have made our stance clear, to remove any doubts, I want to say this that we will view every angle based on facts but the situation is absolutely clear that Israel will have to vacate the land of Arabs which it has captured," Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India's former prime minister had said. India was earlier a major champion of the Palestinian cause. The only non-Arab country to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the legitimate representative of the Palestinians. In 1975, the PLO was even allowed to open an office in New Delhi and five years later in 1980, this office was given full diplomatic status. In 1948, India voted against the creation of Israel until 1992, India did not establish diplomatic ties with Israel but behind the scenes, the two sides were collaborating. Israel had helped India in the 1971 war against Pakistan for the liberation of Bangladesh. It took another two decades for India to recognise Israel and since then the relationship has blossomed at all levels. Israel helped India with defence technology during the Kargil war and by 2013, India had become Israel's third-largest trading partner in Asia. The proximity between India and Israel did not come at the cost of India's relationship with Palestine. In 2003, India voted for a UN resolution against the construction of the West Bank wall by Israel. In 2011, it voted in favour of accepting Palestine as a full member of UNESCO and in 2014, India supported a UNHRC resolution to probe Israel's offensive in Gaza. However with time, the balancing act has become tougher but pragmatism and non-alignment have continued to drive India's approach as it dealt with Israel and Palestine independently. It was underpinned by PM Narendra Modi's visit to Israel in 2017. "It's my singular honour to be the first-ever prime minister of India to undertake this groundbreaking visit to Israel," PM Modi had said. The Indian prime minister subsequently visited Palestine in 2018. "India hopes for peace and stability in this region," the Indian prime minister said. In February 2019, India used Israeli made Spice-2000 bombs to strike Pakistani terror launchpads in Balakot. In December 2019, India voted against America's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. For India, the capital is the city of Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem which remains contested. The trend is clear - India's decisions are based on a mature understanding and evaluation of the Israel-Palestine issues and New Delhi is following the same approach now as Israel and Palestine exchange rocket fire. India has refused to pick a side and called for de-escalation and dialogue.

De-escalation and dialogue: India's policy towards Israel, Palestine

No war is successful without public support and public support is hard to win without propaganda.

It continues even today, not with posters, but on social media.

WATCH:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-israel-hamas-milking-child-casualties-385713/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Everyone has a perspective to share. In the last few days, the conversation has focussed on a certain demographic - children. They have been made the face of this tragedy.

Murdering children is the most appalling war crime and there can be no excuse for it. So far, 58 children have been killed in the&nbsp;strikes. When the dust settles, both sides must answer for this atrocity.

What's worse than killing these children is the fact that they are being used as props in a war and being milked for propaganda. People are sharing pictures and videos of slain children and their families are being forced to relive the trauma.

There is no dignity in death for the children trapped in a conflict, as their pictures are beamed across the world.

As people continue to share pictures of children in a conflict, the most common answer is to reveal the true picture and to show the world how bad the situation is but this is just an excuse.

In reality, these children are being used as props. They are pawns in a grand narrative war.

Israel accuses Hamas of using children as human shields. Hamas accuses Israel of targeting schools and shelters and both use videos to evoke sympathy.

A 10-year-old girl from Gaza surrounded by a pile of rubble, her eyes brimming with tears suddnelly has a reporter sticking a mike and camera in her face.

Another visual shows a six-year-old being pulled out from the rubble, her face covered in gashes with her parents distraught but social media is busy turning her into a poster girl.

It's a dangerous trend. Children do not understand politics. They do not understand war. The world should be shielding them from this trauma.

Instead, some people are putting them dead and centre.

In Aleppo in 2016, a boy Omran Daqneesh was pulled out from the rubble after a Russian airstrike and soon the picture was everywhere. Five-year-old Omran became the face of Syrian resistance but now Omran lives in regime territory since his family was always pro-government.

His father says Omran was used as a propaganda tool by the rebels.&nbsp;

A Syrian boy Alan Kurdi who was fleeing to Europe with his family drowned after their boat capsised. His brother and his mother were all over the internet. It is said aid donations surged after it was released but the question is: is advertising a three-year-old's tragic death the only way to get people's attention?

Then there is the case of the Afghan girl who was called the third world's Mona Lisa. Her actual name is Sharbat Gula. She was clicked in a Pakistani refugee camp in 1985. For years nobody knew her name or where she lived anymore, but the picture made the front page of National Geographic.

Decades later in 2019, Sharbat Gula spoke out. She was enraged because her picture was published without her consent. It is the reality of our times. Even children are fair game in propaganda.

In 2001, when America launched its operation in Afghanistan, they dug up Sharbat Gula's picture. In the 80s she was used against Soviet occupation, and in the 2000s, against the Taliban.

The fact is, these campaigns are not out of love for children.

It's about gaining sympathy and about winning the narrative war because as they say, the smallest coffins are the heaviest.

But if you want to stop violence and safeguard children, don't use them for social media campaigns, instead blame the politicians and their governments.

If tragedy has a face, it is not of innocent children but manipulative leaders and their cunning power play.

No war is successful without public support and public support is hard to win without propaganda. It continues even today, not with posters, but on social media.

No war is successful without public support and public support is hard to win without propaganda. It continues even today, not with posters, but on social media. WATCH: Everyone has a perspective to share. In the last few days, the conversation has focussed on a certain demographic - children. They have been made the face of this tragedy. Murdering children is the most appalling war crime and there can be no excuse for it. So far, 58 children have been killed in the strikes. When the dust settles, both sides must answer for this atrocity. What's worse than killing these children is the fact that they are being used as props in a war and being milked for propaganda. People are sharing pictures and videos of slain children and their families are being forced to relive the trauma. There is no dignity in death for the children trapped in a conflict, as their pictures are beamed across the world. As people continue to share pictures of children in a conflict, the most common answer is to reveal the true picture and to show the world how bad the situation is but this is just an excuse. In reality, these children are being used as props. They are pawns in a grand narrative war. Israel accuses Hamas of using children as human shields. Hamas accuses Israel of targeting schools and shelters and both use videos to evoke sympathy. A 10-year-old girl from Gaza surrounded by a pile of rubble, her eyes brimming with tears suddnelly has a reporter sticking a mike and camera in her face. Another visual shows a six-year-old being pulled out from the rubble, her face covered in gashes with her parents distraught but social media is busy turning her into a poster girl. It's a dangerous trend. Children do not understand politics. They do not understand war. The world should be shielding them from this trauma. Instead, some people are putting them dead and centre. In Aleppo in 2016, a boy Omran Daqneesh was pulled out from the rubble after a Russian airstrike and soon the picture was everywhere. Five-year-old Omran became the face of Syrian resistance but now Omran lives in regime territory since his family was always pro-government. His father says Omran was used as a propaganda tool by the rebels. A Syrian boy Alan Kurdi who was fleeing to Europe with his family drowned after their boat capsised. His brother and his mother were all over the internet. It is said aid donations surged after it was released but the question is: is advertising a three-year-old's tragic death the only way to get people's attention? Then there is the case of the Afghan girl who was called the third world's Mona Lisa. Her actual name is Sharbat Gula. She was clicked in a Pakistani refugee camp in 1985. For years nobody knew her name or where she lived anymore, but the picture made the front page of National Geographic. Decades later in 2019, Sharbat Gula spoke out. She was enraged because her picture was published without her consent. It is the reality of our times. Even children are fair game in propaganda. In 2001, when America launched its operation in Afghanistan, they dug up Sharbat Gula's picture. In the 80s she was used against Soviet occupation, and in the 2000s, against the Taliban. The fact is, these campaigns are not out of love for children. It's about gaining sympathy and about winning the narrative war because as they say, the smallest coffins are the heaviest. But if you want to stop violence and safeguard children, don't use them for social media campaigns, instead blame the politicians and their governments. If tragedy has a face, it is not of innocent children but manipulative leaders and their cunning power play.

Children being used as propaganda tool amid Israel, Hamas conflict

Last year, Chinese manufacturers profiteered from selling faulty testing kits to India. Now, as India struggles with the new surge in Covid pandemic, Chinese have jacked up the prices of essential medical supplies and the Chinese state sees no problem with this.

Prices of everything from raw materials for drugs to oxygen concentrators have gone up. In some instances, the prices have gone up by as much as 300 per cent. Oxygen concentrators that usually list online for 1,000 yuan - roughly 11,000 rupees, marking a massive premium.

Going by one estimate, their prices now are four to five times higher. Prices for essential ingredients have gone up by 30 to 40 per cent including raw materials for paracetamol which is used for fever and azithromycin, an antibiotic.

Ingredients to make ivermectin have shot up by as much as 300 per cent in one instance. Now, various studies claim that this drug shows no benefit when it comes to the COVID-19 infection but the demand for ivermectin is high. So, Chinese suppliers are selling the raw materials for this drug at a premium.

Last week, an Indian diplomat shared her concerns with the press. The consul general to Hong Kong said soaring prices and cargo flight disruptions are slowing the arrival of medical goods in India. India's message to Beijing was clear - that even at a time when the demand was high, there needs to be some predictability and that prices just can't increase randomly.

The Chinese foreign ministry said the market is free to decide the prices and since Indian buyers are reaching out for supplies through several channels, the multiple requests are causing the prices to rise.

“Taking oxygen generators as an example, the rising demand affects the global supply chain. And there are some raw materials, such as those that need to be imported from Europe, and the lack of those supply has brought impact to production capacity. In addition, Indian buyers usually expressed their demand through a variety of channels, sometimes procurement through different channels may also over-amplify the demand to a certain extent, and thus affects the order of the market and push up the price”, Hua Chunying, ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson, said.

What Beijing is actually trying to say here is this - Had New Delhi reached out directly for help to Beijing, maybe the price wouldn't fluctuate this much.

In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping had offered to help. India has made no request to China. But medical supplies brought privately are allowed. So, Chinese suppliers are profiting off India's crisis. And Beijing is simply looking away from this blatant extortion.

This is not just a problem for India. The second wave is now hitting not just South Asia but Southeast Asia too. The shortages of medical suppliers are everywhere and China has positioned itself as the sole supplier of medical goods to the region - a monopoly of sorts.

This pandemic has created more such monopolies. The western countries are sitting on the largest stockpile of COVID-19 vaccines while the rest of the world is running out of shots. India is struggling to ramp up inoculations despite placing strict restrictions on vaccine exports.

Now, COVAX is reporting a severe shortage. COVAX is the international alliance for equitable vaccination access. 92 low and middle income countries depend on it for a COVID-19 vaccine but it is running out of shots. UNICEF is distributing the vaccines given to COVAX. It now says that by end of May, COVAX could have a shortage of 140 million doses. By June, this could go up to 190 million doses.

This will only exacerbate vaccine inequality. Some countries are still waiting for their first vaccine while rich countries like Canada and US are now gearing up to vaccinate children.

The World Health Organization is now asking these rich countries to halt inoculation for kids. Instead, the world health body wants rich countries to share their vaccines. Rich countries have locked up 53 per cent of the vaccines supplies in the near term. Nearly 1.4 billion shots have been given in 210 countries. 44 per cent of these have been given in high income countries. They account for just 16 per cent of the global population.

How many vaccines has the developed world got? Just 0.3 per cent. Less than 1 per cent of the vaccines have gone to 29 lowest income countries in the world. UNICEF has now asked the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US) to donate the excess.

If they were to part with just 20 per cent of their supplies, the developing world would get 153 million doses. Monopolies are slowing down the global vaccination drive. Right now, around 23 million doses are administered every day on average globally. At this rate, the developing world may not even get vaccinated until 2023.

So, the pandemic could get extended by two years. The quickest way to ramp up vaccinations now is for the developed world to share its doses. India's surge has proved to the world that until this virus is defeated everywhere, all countries are at risk.

Last year, Chinese manufacturers profiteered from selling faulty testing kits to India. Now, as India struggles with the new surge in Covid pandemic, Chinese have jacked up the prices of essential medical supplies and the Chinese state sees no problem with this.

Last year, Chinese manufacturers profiteered from selling faulty testing kits to India. Now, as India struggles with the new surge in Covid pandemic, Chinese have jacked up the prices of essential medical supplies and the Chinese state sees no problem with this. Prices of everything from raw materials for drugs to oxygen concentrators have gone up. In some instances, the prices have gone up by as much as 300 per cent. Oxygen concentrators that usually list online for 1,000 yuan - roughly 11,000 rupees, marking a massive premium. Going by one estimate, their prices now are four to five times higher. Prices for essential ingredients have gone up by 30 to 40 per cent including raw materials for paracetamol which is used for fever and azithromycin, an antibiotic. Ingredients to make ivermectin have shot up by as much as 300 per cent in one instance. Now, various studies claim that this drug shows no benefit when it comes to the COVID-19 infection but the demand for ivermectin is high. So, Chinese suppliers are selling the raw materials for this drug at a premium. Last week, an Indian diplomat shared her concerns with the press. The consul general to Hong Kong said soaring prices and cargo flight disruptions are slowing the arrival of medical goods in India. India's message to Beijing was clear - that even at a time when the demand was high, there needs to be some predictability and that prices just can't increase randomly. The Chinese foreign ministry said the market is free to decide the prices and since Indian buyers are reaching out for supplies through several channels, the multiple requests are causing the prices to rise. “Taking oxygen generators as an example, the rising demand affects the global supply chain. And there are some raw materials, such as those that need to be imported from Europe, and the lack of those supply has brought impact to production capacity. In addition, Indian buyers usually expressed their demand through a variety of channels, sometimes procurement through different channels may also over-amplify the demand to a certain extent, and thus affects the order of the market and push up the price”, Hua Chunying, ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson, said. What Beijing is actually trying to say here is this - Had New Delhi reached out directly for help to Beijing, maybe the price wouldn't fluctuate this much. In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping had offered to help. India has made no request to China. But medical supplies brought privately are allowed. So, Chinese suppliers are profiting off India's crisis. And Beijing is simply looking away from this blatant extortion. This is not just a problem for India. The second wave is now hitting not just South Asia but Southeast Asia too. The shortages of medical suppliers are everywhere and China has positioned itself as the sole supplier of medical goods to the region - a monopoly of sorts. This pandemic has created more such monopolies. The western countries are sitting on the largest stockpile of COVID-19 vaccines while the rest of the world is running out of shots. India is struggling to ramp up inoculations despite placing strict restrictions on vaccine exports. Now, COVAX is reporting a severe shortage. COVAX is the international alliance for equitable vaccination access. 92 low and middle income countries depend on it for a COVID-19 vaccine but it is running out of shots. UNICEF is distributing the vaccines given to COVAX. It now says that by end of May, COVAX could have a shortage of 140 million doses. By June, this could go up to 190 million doses. This will only exacerbate vaccine inequality. Some countries are still waiting for their first vaccine while rich countries like Canada and US are now gearing up to vaccinate children. The World Health Organization is now asking these rich countries to halt inoculation for kids. Instead, the world health body wants rich countries to share their vaccines. Rich countries have locked up 53 per cent of the vaccines supplies in the near term. Nearly 1.4 billion shots have been given in 210 countries. 44 per cent of these have been given in high income countries. They account for just 16 per cent of the global population. How many vaccines has the developed world got? Just 0.3 per cent. Less than 1 per cent of the vaccines have gone to 29 lowest income countries in the world. UNICEF has now asked the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US) to donate the excess. If they were to part with just 20 per cent of their supplies, the developing world would get 153 million doses. Monopolies are slowing down the global vaccination drive. Right now, around 23 million doses are administered every day on average globally. At this rate, the developing world may not even get vaccinated until 2023. So, the pandemic could get extended by two years. The quickest way to ramp up vaccinations now is for the developed world to share its doses. India's surge has proved to the world that until this virus is defeated everywhere, all countries are at risk.

How Chinese suppliers are profiteering off India's devastating Covid surge... again

India's Biological E. will produce the Johnson &amp; Johnson COVID-19 vaccine alongside its own candidate, its managing director told Reuters on Tuesday, which could boost the country's overall supplies amid a shortage.

"The infrastructure and plants are completely separate for both the products and we will be producing both independent of each other," Mahima Datla said in a text message, declining to give any timeline or other details.

She told Reuters in February that Biological E. was looking to contract-manufacture about 600 million doses of the J&amp;J vaccine annually. India's government, however, did not factor in any production of J&amp;J this year in the country in a list of likely vaccine output released last week.

J&amp;J confirmed to Reuters it was working with Biological E. on manufacturing its vaccine.

"We believe Biological E. will be an important part of our global COVID-19 vaccine supply network, where multiple manufacturing sites are involved in the production of our vaccine across different facilities, sometimes in different countries and continents, before the vaccine can be distributed," a J&amp;J India spokesperson said in an email.

J&amp;J said last month it had sought permission to conduct a local clinical trial in India for its single-dose vaccine.

Biological E., based in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, also plans to produce 75 million to 80 million doses of its own vaccine a month from August. The drug has been developed with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Dynavax Technologies Corp.

The United States said in March it would finance Biological E.'s efforts to produce at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that India was unlikely to resume major exports of COVID-19 vaccines until at least October as it diverts shots for domestic use, a longer-than-expected delay set to worsen supply shortages from the global COVAX initiative.

India's Biological E. will produce the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine alongside its own candidate, its managing director told Reuters on Tuesday, which could boost the country's overall supplies amid a shortage.

India's Biological E. will produce the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine alongside its own candidate, its managing director told Reuters on Tuesday, which could boost the country's overall supplies amid a shortage. "The infrastructure and plants are completely separate for both the products and we will be producing both independent of each other," Mahima Datla said in a text message, declining to give any timeline or other details. She told Reuters in February that Biological E. was looking to contract-manufacture about 600 million doses of the J&J vaccine annually. India's government, however, did not factor in any production of J&J this year in the country in a list of likely vaccine output released last week. J&J confirmed to Reuters it was working with Biological E. on manufacturing its vaccine. "We believe Biological E. will be an important part of our global COVID-19 vaccine supply network, where multiple manufacturing sites are involved in the production of our vaccine across different facilities, sometimes in different countries and continents, before the vaccine can be distributed," a J&J India spokesperson said in an email. J&J said last month it had sought permission to conduct a local clinical trial in India for its single-dose vaccine. Biological E., based in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, also plans to produce 75 million to 80 million doses of its own vaccine a month from August. The drug has been developed with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Dynavax Technologies Corp. The United States said in March it would finance Biological E.'s efforts to produce at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022. Reuters reported on Tuesday that India was unlikely to resume major exports of COVID-19 vaccines until at least October as it diverts shots for domestic use, a longer-than-expected delay set to worsen supply shortages from the global COVAX initiative.

India's Biological E. to produce J&J COVID-19 vaccine

A government panel on AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) has found 26 potential cases of bleeding and clotting after administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, health ministry said on Monday.

According to the statement by the ministry, over 23,000 adverse events have been reported since the vaccination drive involving Covishield and Covaxin vaccines started in the country and of these 700 cases were reported to be serious. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/how-chinese-suppliers-are-profiteering-off-indias-devastating-covid-surge-again-385707">Also read | How Chinese suppliers are profiteering off India's devastating Covid surge... again</a> 
 
Some countries have suspended or restricted the use of the shot over fears of possible side effects, though health experts have said its benefits outweigh the risks.

This is the first time India has reported any serious reaction to the use of the vaccine, branded locally as Covishield. 
 
The panel said it had studied 498 (of 700) "serious and severe events" and found that only 26 had been reported as "potential thromboembolic events", referring to the potentially fatal formation of a blood clot that could break loose and be carried by the bloodstream to block another vessel.

“There were no potential thromboembolic events reported following administration of Covaxin vaccine,” the ministry said. As alerts were raised in some countries on post-vaccination embolic and thrombotic events on March 11 particularly with the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine (Covishield), a decision was taken to conduct an urgent in-depth analysis of the adverse events (AE) in India in the light of global concerns, the ministry said. The National AEFI committee noted that as of April 3, 75,435,381 vaccine doses had been administered (Covishield- 68,650,819; Covaxin- 6,784,562).

“Of these, 65,944,106 were first doses and 9,491,275 second dose. Since the COVID-19 vaccination drive was initiated more than 23,000 adverse events were reported through the CO-WIN platform reported from 684 of the 753 districts of the country. “Of these, only 700 cases (@ 9.3 cases /million doses administered) were reported to be serious and severe in nature,” the statement said.

“The AEFI data in India showed that there is a very miniscule but definitive risk of thromboembolic events. The reporting rate of these events in India is around 0.61/million doses, which is much lower than the 4 cases/million reported by UK’s regulator Medical and Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA). Germany has reported 10 events per million doses,” the statement stated.

Thromboembolic events keep occurring in the general population as background and scientific literature suggests that this risk is almost 70 per cent less in persons of South and South-East Asian descent in comparison to those of European descent. The ministry is separately issuing advisories to healthcare workers and vaccine beneficiaries to encourage people to be aware of suspected thromboembolic symptoms occurring within 20 days after receiving any COVID-19 vaccine (particularly Covishield) and report preferably to the health facility where the vaccine was administered.

The symptoms listed are breathlessness, pain in chest, pain in limbs/pain on pressing limbs or swelling in limbs (arm or calf), multiple, pinhead size red spots or bruising of skin in an area beyond the injection site, persistent abdominal pain with or without vomiting, seizures in the absence of the previous history of seizures with or without vomiting, severe and persistent headache with or without vomiting (in the absence of the previous history of migraine or chronic headache).

The symptoms also include weakness or paralysis of limbs or any particular side or part of the body (including face), persistent vomiting without any obvious reason, blurred vision or pain in eyes or having double vision, change in mental status or having confusion or depression level of consciousness or any other symptom or health condition which is of concern to the recipient of the family. The ministry said that Covishield continues to have a definite positive benefit-risk profile with tremendous potential to prevent infections and reduce deaths due to COVID-19 across the world and in India.

Over 134 million doses of the Covishield vaccine have been administered as of 27 April in India. The ministry is continuously monitoring the safety of all COVID-19 vaccines and is promoting reporting of suspected adverse events.

(With inputs from agencies)

A government panel on AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) has found 26 potential cases of bleeding and clotting after administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, health ministry said on Monday.

A government panel on AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) has found 26 potential cases of bleeding and clotting after administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, health ministry said on Monday. According to the statement by the ministry, over 23,000 adverse events have been reported since the vaccination drive involving Covishield and Covaxin vaccines started in the country and of these 700 cases were reported to be serious. Also read | How Chinese suppliers are profiteering off India's devastating Covid surge... again Some countries have suspended or restricted the use of the shot over fears of possible side effects, though health experts have said its benefits outweigh the risks. This is the first time India has reported any serious reaction to the use of the vaccine, branded locally as Covishield. The panel said it had studied 498 (of 700) "serious and severe events" and found that only 26 had been reported as "potential thromboembolic events", referring to the potentially fatal formation of a blood clot that could break loose and be carried by the bloodstream to block another vessel. “There were no potential thromboembolic events reported following administration of Covaxin vaccine,” the ministry said. As alerts were raised in some countries on post-vaccination embolic and thrombotic events on March 11 particularly with the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine (Covishield), a decision was taken to conduct an urgent in-depth analysis of the adverse events (AE) in India in the light of global concerns, the ministry said. The National AEFI committee noted that as of April 3, 75,435,381 vaccine doses had been administered (Covishield- 68,650,819; Covaxin- 6,784,562). “Of these, 65,944,106 were first doses and 9,491,275 second dose. Since the COVID-19 vaccination drive was initiated more than 23,000 adverse events were reported through the CO-WIN platform reported from 684 of the 753 districts of the country. “Of these, only 700 cases (@ 9.3 cases /million doses administered) were reported to be serious and severe in nature,” the statement said. “The AEFI data in India showed that there is a very miniscule but definitive risk of thromboembolic events. The reporting rate of these events in India is around 0.61/million doses, which is much lower than the 4 cases/million reported by UK’s regulator Medical and Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA). Germany has reported 10 events per million doses,” the statement stated. Thromboembolic events keep occurring in the general population as background and scientific literature suggests that this risk is almost 70 per cent less in persons of South and South-East Asian descent in comparison to those of European descent. The ministry is separately issuing advisories to healthcare workers and vaccine beneficiaries to encourage people to be aware of suspected thromboembolic symptoms occurring within 20 days after receiving any COVID-19 vaccine (particularly Covishield) and report preferably to the health facility where the vaccine was administered. The symptoms listed are breathlessness, pain in chest, pain in limbs/pain on pressing limbs or swelling in limbs (arm or calf), multiple, pinhead size red spots or bruising of skin in an area beyond the injection site, persistent abdominal pain with or without vomiting, seizures in the absence of the previous history of seizures with or without vomiting, severe and persistent headache with or without vomiting (in the absence of the previous history of migraine or chronic headache). The symptoms also include weakness or paralysis of limbs or any particular side or part of the body (including face), persistent vomiting without any obvious reason, blurred vision or pain in eyes or having double vision, change in mental status or having confusion or depression level of consciousness or any other symptom or health condition which is of concern to the recipient of the family. The ministry said that Covishield continues to have a definite positive benefit-risk profile with tremendous potential to prevent infections and reduce deaths due to COVID-19 across the world and in India. Over 134 million doses of the Covishield vaccine have been administered as of 27 April in India. The ministry is continuously monitoring the safety of all COVID-19 vaccines and is promoting reporting of suspected adverse events. (With inputs from agencies)

India has 26 cases of bleeding, clotting after Covishield vaccine: Government report

India's reproduction value (R) for COVID-19, which shows how fast the infection is spreading, is below one now, which means that the pandemic is shrinking, the government said on Tuesday even as it cautioned that 98 per cent of the population is still vulnerable.&nbsp;

Addressing media, NITI Aayog member (Health) VK Paul said in many states, the pandemic curve is stabilising.&nbsp;

"Comprehensive efforts at containment and testing are resulting in stabilisation. We still have a few states which continue to be cause of concern... There is a mixed picture but overall there is stabilisation and what we know from scientific analysis is the reproduction number is below 1 now which means the pandemic is shrinking," Paul said.&nbsp;

He said this has happened because there is a huge containment effort in addition to managing the cases in home settings and hospitals. &nbsp;

"We are hoping and keeping the case fatality rate reasonably under control. We have to be very mindful that when we are achieving declining positivity rate it is because of the results of what we are doing and that doing cannot be slackened. We cannot again let this go out of hand," he said. &nbsp;

Lav Agarwal, the joint secretary at the Health Ministry, said 1.8 per cent of the total population in India has been affected by Covid so far which means 98 per cent of the population is still susceptible or vulnerable to the infection.&nbsp;

"Despite the high number of cases reported so far, we have been able to contain the spread to under 2 per cent of the population due to continued efforts by the medical fraternity, states and districts," he said.&nbsp;

"This should also make us wary of protecting the still vulnerable/susceptible 98 per cent population. We cannot let our guards down, hence continued focus on containment is critical," Agarwal said.&nbsp;

Giving figures from around the world, he said 10.1 per cent of the population in the US has been infected so far, 7.3 per cent in Brazil, 9 per cent in France and 7.4 per cent in Italy.&nbsp;

About black fungus, Paul said till now the number is not that high but it cannot be taken for granted.&nbsp;

"We have held discussions with all states on black fungus and there is a push on availability of Amphotericin B and till now, the number is not that high but we cannot take it for granted. There are a large number of cases through which we have learnt that when a combination of diabetes, an uncontrolled one, particularly in Covid and steroid use comes up then likelihood of this disease becomes a possibility. So, whoever has diabetes should try to keep it in control," he said. &nbsp;

He stressed on rational use of medication. "We reiterate that proper use of steroids has to be done and we must not take it lightly," he said.&nbsp;

India's reproduction value (R) for COVID-19, which shows how fast the infection is spreading, is below one now, which means that the pandemic is shrinking, the government said on Tuesday even as it cautioned that 98 per cent of the population is still vulnerable.

India's reproduction value (R) for COVID-19, which shows how fast the infection is spreading, is below one now, which means that the pandemic is shrinking, the government said on Tuesday even as it cautioned that 98 per cent of the population is still vulnerable. Addressing media, NITI Aayog member (Health) VK Paul said in many states, the pandemic curve is stabilising. "Comprehensive efforts at containment and testing are resulting in stabilisation. We still have a few states which continue to be cause of concern... There is a mixed picture but overall there is stabilisation and what we know from scientific analysis is the reproduction number is below 1 now which means the pandemic is shrinking," Paul said. He said this has happened because there is a huge containment effort in addition to managing the cases in home settings and hospitals. "We are hoping and keeping the case fatality rate reasonably under control. We have to be very mindful that when we are achieving declining positivity rate it is because of the results of what we are doing and that doing cannot be slackened. We cannot again let this go out of hand," he said. Lav Agarwal, the joint secretary at the Health Ministry, said 1.8 per cent of the total population in India has been affected by Covid so far which means 98 per cent of the population is still susceptible or vulnerable to the infection. "Despite the high number of cases reported so far, we have been able to contain the spread to under 2 per cent of the population due to continued efforts by the medical fraternity, states and districts," he said. "This should also make us wary of protecting the still vulnerable/susceptible 98 per cent population. We cannot let our guards down, hence continued focus on containment is critical," Agarwal said. Giving figures from around the world, he said 10.1 per cent of the population in the US has been infected so far, 7.3 per cent in Brazil, 9 per cent in France and 7.4 per cent in Italy. About black fungus, Paul said till now the number is not that high but it cannot be taken for granted. "We have held discussions with all states on black fungus and there is a push on availability of Amphotericin B and till now, the number is not that high but we cannot take it for granted. There are a large number of cases through which we have learnt that when a combination of diabetes, an uncontrolled one, particularly in Covid and steroid use comes up then likelihood of this disease becomes a possibility. So, whoever has diabetes should try to keep it in control," he said. He stressed on rational use of medication. "We reiterate that proper use of steroids has to be done and we must not take it lightly," he said.

Indian Govt says COVID-19 pandemic is shrinking, warns 98 per cent population still vulnerable 

A consortium of Indian banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday moved a step closer in their attempt to recover debt from loans paid out to Vijay Mallya's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines after the High Court in London upheld an application to amend their bankruptcy petition, in favour of waiving their security over the businessman's assets in India.&nbsp;

Chief Insolvencies and Companies Court (ICC) Judge Michael Briggs handed down his judgment in favour of the banks to declare there is no public policy that prevents a waiver of security rights, as argued by Mallya's lawyers.&nbsp;

At a virtual hearing, July 26 was set as the date for final arguments for and against granting a bankruptcy order against Mallya after the banks accused him of trying to kick matters into the long grass and called on the bankruptcy petition to be brought to its inevitable end.&nbsp;

“I order that permission be given to amend the petition to read as follows: The Petitioners (banks) having the right to enforce any security held are willing, in the event of a bankruptcy order being made, to give up any such security for the benefit of all the bankrupt's creditors,” Justice Briggs' judgment reads.&nbsp;

"There is nothing in the statutory provisions that prevent the Petitioners from giving up security," he notes.&nbsp;

Mallya's barrister, Philip Marshall, had referenced witness statements of retired Indian judges in previous hearings to reiterate that there is public interest under Indian law by virtue of the banks being nationalised.&nbsp;

However, Justice Briggs found no impediment to the creditors relinquishing their security under Indian law because of the engagement of a principle concerning public interest and favoured the submissions made by retired Indian Supreme Court judge Gopala Gowda at a hearing in December 2020 in this regard.&nbsp;

“In my judgment the simple stance taken by Justice Gowda that Section 47 PIA 1920 is evidence of the ability of a secured creditor to relinquish the creditor's security is to be preferred," the ruling notes.&nbsp;

The Indian banks, represented by the law firm TLT LLP and barrister Marcia Shekerdemian, were also granted costs in totality for the petition hearings, as the ‘overall successful' party in the case.&nbsp;

"Dr Mallya should have been extradited by now. He was refused permission to go to the Supreme Court in May last year," Shekerdemian pointed out, in reference to one of Mallya's defence planks that the cases against him are 'politically motivated'.&nbsp;

The 65-year-old businessman remains on bail in the UK while a 'confidential' legal matter, believed to be related to an asylum application, is resolved in connection with the unrelated extradition proceedings. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

A consortium of Indian banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday moved a step closer in their attempt to recover debt from loans paid out to Vijay Mallya's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines after the High Court in London upheld an application to amend their bankruptcy petition, in favour of waiving their security over the businessman's assets in India.

A consortium of Indian banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday moved a step closer in their attempt to recover debt from loans paid out to Vijay Mallya's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines after the High Court in London upheld an application to amend their bankruptcy petition, in favour of waiving their security over the businessman's assets in India. Chief Insolvencies and Companies Court (ICC) Judge Michael Briggs handed down his judgment in favour of the banks to declare there is no public policy that prevents a waiver of security rights, as argued by Mallya's lawyers. At a virtual hearing, July 26 was set as the date for final arguments for and against granting a bankruptcy order against Mallya after the banks accused him of trying to kick matters into the long grass and called on the bankruptcy petition to be brought to its inevitable end. “I order that permission be given to amend the petition to read as follows: The Petitioners (banks) having the right to enforce any security held are willing, in the event of a bankruptcy order being made, to give up any such security for the benefit of all the bankrupt's creditors,” Justice Briggs' judgment reads. "There is nothing in the statutory provisions that prevent the Petitioners from giving up security," he notes. Mallya's barrister, Philip Marshall, had referenced witness statements of retired Indian judges in previous hearings to reiterate that there is public interest under Indian law by virtue of the banks being nationalised. However, Justice Briggs found no impediment to the creditors relinquishing their security under Indian law because of the engagement of a principle concerning public interest and favoured the submissions made by retired Indian Supreme Court judge Gopala Gowda at a hearing in December 2020 in this regard. “In my judgment the simple stance taken by Justice Gowda that Section 47 PIA 1920 is evidence of the ability of a secured creditor to relinquish the creditor's security is to be preferred," the ruling notes. The Indian banks, represented by the law firm TLT LLP and barrister Marcia Shekerdemian, were also granted costs in totality for the petition hearings, as the ‘overall successful' party in the case. "Dr Mallya should have been extradited by now. He was refused permission to go to the Supreme Court in May last year," Shekerdemian pointed out, in reference to one of Mallya's defence planks that the cases against him are 'politically motivated'. The 65-year-old businessman remains on bail in the UK while a 'confidential' legal matter, believed to be related to an asylum application, is resolved in connection with the unrelated extradition proceedings. (With inputs from agencies)

Vijay Mallya loses bankruptcy petition amendment High Court battle in UK 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with senior officials from state and districts to know their experience while handling the second wave of COVID-19.

He said that they were playing a very important role in the battle against coronavirus. He said in a way, they were "field commanders" of the battle against the deadly virus.

"There are different challenges in every district of our country. You understand the challenges of your district best. When your district wins, it is the country's victory. If your district defeats COVID-19, so does the country," said PM Modi.&nbsp;

"You all are playing a very important role in the battle against Corona. In a way, you are the field commanders of this battle. What are our weapons against this virus? Our weapons are - Local containment zones, aggressive testing and correct and complete information to the people," he said. 
 
<img alt="PM Modi" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="82c53cd2-b1f1-4ebf-89a8-07b3b76861f1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Modi_3.JPG" />

The Prime Minister pointed out that the number of COVID-19 infections is now decreasing in many states, but increasing in several others.

"We need to be more vigilant in the face of decreasing data. In almost every meeting in the last one year, I have requested that our fight is to save every single life," he said.

"Testing, tracking, treatment and Covid appropriate behaviour, are necessary and there should be a continued emphasis on this. In this second wave of Corona, we still have to pay a lot of attention in rural and inaccessible areas," PM Modi added.

PM Modi told the officials that apart from Covid, they also have to take care of the ease of living of every citizen of their district.

"We also have to stop the infection and maintain the supply of essential supplies related to daily life...Rapid work is being done to install oxygen plants in hospitals in every district of the country through PM Cares. These plants have already started functioning in many hospitals," he added.

The Prime Minister said the country needs to fight the myths associated with vaccination as it is a powerful way to fight COVID-19.

"Vaccination is a powerful way to fight Covid, so we have to fight against all myths associated with it, together. Constant efforts are being made to increase the supply of the Corona vaccine on a very large scale. The Health Ministry is continuously streamlining the arrangements and procedures regarding vaccination," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with senior officials from state and districts to know their experience while handling the second wave of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with senior officials from state and districts to know their experience while handling the second wave of COVID-19. He said that they were playing a very important role in the battle against coronavirus. He said in a way, they were "field commanders" of the battle against the deadly virus. "There are different challenges in every district of our country. You understand the challenges of your district best. When your district wins, it is the country's victory. If your district defeats COVID-19, so does the country," said PM Modi. "You all are playing a very important role in the battle against Corona. In a way, you are the field commanders of this battle. What are our weapons against this virus? Our weapons are - Local containment zones, aggressive testing and correct and complete information to the people," he said. The Prime Minister pointed out that the number of COVID-19 infections is now decreasing in many states, but increasing in several others. "We need to be more vigilant in the face of decreasing data. In almost every meeting in the last one year, I have requested that our fight is to save every single life," he said. "Testing, tracking, treatment and Covid appropriate behaviour, are necessary and there should be a continued emphasis on this. In this second wave of Corona, we still have to pay a lot of attention in rural and inaccessible areas," PM Modi added. PM Modi told the officials that apart from Covid, they also have to take care of the ease of living of every citizen of their district. "We also have to stop the infection and maintain the supply of essential supplies related to daily life...Rapid work is being done to install oxygen plants in hospitals in every district of the country through PM Cares. These plants have already started functioning in many hospitals," he added. The Prime Minister said the country needs to fight the myths associated with vaccination as it is a powerful way to fight COVID-19. "Vaccination is a powerful way to fight Covid, so we have to fight against all myths associated with it, together. Constant efforts are being made to increase the supply of the Corona vaccine on a very large scale. The Health Ministry is continuously streamlining the arrangements and procedures regarding vaccination," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

COVID-19: You are field commanders, your weapons are containment, testing, says PM Modi to officials

A total of 177 persons have been rescued from Barge P305 off Bombay High on Tuesday morning while 127 are still missing as the Search and Rescue (SAR) operations continued.

The Indian Navy, which has been conducting multiple search operations, said that one of the barges that sent out an emergency rescue call has sunk.&nbsp;

The vessel had 273 people on board, of which 146 were rescued till Tuesday morning. As many as 127 were still missing and the Navy authorities are actively involved in a search and rescue operation.

The colossal cyclone -- the biggest to hit the region in decades -- claimed lives in Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat as savage winds swept through flimsy homes and uprooted trees and electricity pylons.

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated while authorities in Mumbai shifted about 600 Covid-19 patients in field hospitals "to safer locations".

Tauktae made landfall in Gujarat late Monday as an "extremely severe cyclonic storm" packing gusts of up to 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, the Indian Meteorological Department said. It weakened to a "very severe cyclonic storm" by Tuesday morning.

The deadly weather system has exacerbated India's embattled response to a coronavirus surge that is killing at least 4,000 people daily, and pushing the health system to breaking point.

(With inputs from agencies)

A total of 177 persons have been rescued from Barge P305 off Bombay High on Tuesday morning while 127 are still missing as the Search and Rescue (SAR) operations continued.

A total of 177 persons have been rescued from Barge P305 off Bombay High on Tuesday morning while 127 are still missing as the Search and Rescue (SAR) operations continued. The Indian Navy, which has been conducting multiple search operations, said that one of the barges that sent out an emergency rescue call has sunk. The vessel had 273 people on board, of which 146 were rescued till Tuesday morning. As many as 127 were still missing and the Navy authorities are actively involved in a search and rescue operation. The colossal cyclone -- the biggest to hit the region in decades -- claimed lives in Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat as savage winds swept through flimsy homes and uprooted trees and electricity pylons. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated while authorities in Mumbai shifted about 600 Covid-19 patients in field hospitals "to safer locations". Tauktae made landfall in Gujarat late Monday as an "extremely severe cyclonic storm" packing gusts of up to 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, the Indian Meteorological Department said. It weakened to a "very severe cyclonic storm" by Tuesday morning. The deadly weather system has exacerbated India's embattled response to a coronavirus surge that is killing at least 4,000 people daily, and pushing the health system to breaking point. (With inputs from agencies)

Cyclone Tauktae: 127 missing after vessel sinks, says Indian Navy

Sipping a coffee mug at the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of North Kashmir would have sounded impossible till last year. But after the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Feb 2021, the situation has improved a lot.&nbsp;

A coffee shop has been established at the Kaman Aman Setu, the last forward post of India Army. This coffee shop will be hosting people from across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and also people from across the country.&nbsp;

“We have opened the coffee shop for everyone visiting the Kaman Post for motivational purposes for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, after having a selfie at the bridge, people can come and have snacks here and they can take home several souvenirs to take along with them. A sixty feet national flag flutters at the LoC",&nbsp;said Vishal Dev, Major Indian Army.&nbsp;

People living next to the Line of Control are relieved after the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan. The ceasefire violations have completely stopped and people who had to run for the shelter every second day due to shelling are finally living a normal life. They are thankful that both the countries have reached an agreement. The locals said that through&nbsp;this coffee shop, the gap between army and locals will be bridged too.&nbsp;

“After the division of the two countries, people who were related, friends became distant. When both the countries worked on improving the relations. All the distance was completely finished when these steps were taken. A coffee shop has been opened and it’s to grow the relationships between people and army. The way army has won hearts of people here is worth appreciating",&nbsp;said Qazi Ahmad, Local Resident .

With peace finally returning to the bordering areas, people are expecting that the trade between the two countries would begin soon and people from both the sides may be allowed to&nbsp;visit each other.&nbsp;

Sipping a coffee mug at the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of North Kashmir would have sounded impossible till last year. But after the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Feb 2021, the situation has improved a lot.

Sipping a coffee mug at the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of North Kashmir would have sounded impossible till last year. But after the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Feb 2021, the situation has improved a lot. A coffee shop has been established at the Kaman Aman Setu, the last forward post of India Army. This coffee shop will be hosting people from across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and also people from across the country. “We have opened the coffee shop for everyone visiting the Kaman Post for motivational purposes for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, after having a selfie at the bridge, people can come and have snacks here and they can take home several souvenirs to take along with them. A sixty feet national flag flutters at the LoC", said Vishal Dev, Major Indian Army. People living next to the Line of Control are relieved after the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan. The ceasefire violations have completely stopped and people who had to run for the shelter every second day due to shelling are finally living a normal life. They are thankful that both the countries have reached an agreement. The locals said that through this coffee shop, the gap between army and locals will be bridged too. “After the division of the two countries, people who were related, friends became distant. When both the countries worked on improving the relations. All the distance was completely finished when these steps were taken. A coffee shop has been opened and it’s to grow the relationships between people and army. The way army has won hearts of people here is worth appreciating", said Qazi Ahmad, Local Resident . With peace finally returning to the bordering areas, people are expecting that the trade between the two countries would begin soon and people from both the sides may be allowed to visit each other.

Indian Army-run cafe begins operations along LoC Uri forward post

Schools across the globe shut doors in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last year, students, teachers and parents have been forced to adapt to the “new normal”. What are the challenges of online learning? Is it all doom and gloom or can these challenges be turned into opportunities? Let's hear what students and faculty members from Mumbai's Mount Litera School International have to say.

Online Education: Challenges and Opportunities

India will take part in the Global Health Summit which is being co-hosted by Italy as the chair of the G20 grouping this year and the European Commission.

India will be represented by its Sherpa for G20 Suresh Prabhu at the meet that will take place on May 21.

The key outcome of the global health meet will be the "Rome Declaration" which will focus on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year G20 grouping had announced a number of coordinated measures to deal with the pandemic, including the economic fallout.

Ahead of the summit, Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi said that the summit "will provide a timely opportunity to share the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will discuss how to improve health security, strengthen our health systems and enhance our ability to deal with future crises in a spirit of solidarity."

The summit will see the participation of all G20 member countries, three&nbsp;guest countries&nbsp; - Singapore, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal as the President of the council of EU, Norway as the co-chair of the ACT-Accelerator, and Switzerland.

Other than that, international and regional organizations such as the UN, WHO, IMF, OECD, AU, ASEAN, WTO, FAO, GAVI, Global Fund. Members from New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will also participate.

India will take part in the Global Health Summit which is being co-hosted by Italy as the chair of the G20 grouping this year and the European Commission. India will be represented by its Sherpa for G20 Suresh Prabhu at the meet that will take place on May 21.

India will take part in the Global Health Summit which is being co-hosted by Italy as the chair of the G20 grouping this year and the European Commission. India will be represented by its Sherpa for G20 Suresh Prabhu at the meet that will take place on May 21. The key outcome of the global health meet will be the "Rome Declaration" which will focus on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year G20 grouping had announced a number of coordinated measures to deal with the pandemic, including the economic fallout. Ahead of the summit, Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi said that the summit "will provide a timely opportunity to share the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will discuss how to improve health security, strengthen our health systems and enhance our ability to deal with future crises in a spirit of solidarity." The summit will see the participation of all G20 member countries, three guest countries - Singapore, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal as the President of the council of EU, Norway as the co-chair of the ACT-Accelerator, and Switzerland. Other than that, international and regional organizations such as the UN, WHO, IMF, OECD, AU, ASEAN, WTO, FAO, GAVI, Global Fund. Members from New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will also participate.

India to take part in Italy, EU led Global Health Summit on Friday

Some 127 people were missing Tuesday after a vessel adrift off Mumbai's coast sank during Cyclone Tauktae, the Indian navy said as two ships and helicopters were deployed to assist in the search.

Cyclone Tauktae: 127 missing after vessel sinks off Mumbai's coast

In the wake of Cyclone Tauktae, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday spoke to Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Administrator of Dadra And Nagar Haveli to take an update about the situation and about any help they required from the Central government.

A powerful cyclone has battered the country's west coast and made landfall in Gujarat on Monday night and the process is likely to continue for three hours, confirmed the India Meteorological Department (IMD) as authorities evacuated thousands of people.

Thousands of people were evacuated from low-lying areas along its western coast in Gujarat.

As Cyclone Tauktae continues to impact several states on the Western Coast, damaging structures, electricity lines, and uprooting trees, the India Meteorological Department on Tuesday informed that the cyclone is continuing to show a weakening trend.

"Extremely severe" Cyclone Tauktae unleashed devastating winds that reached speeds up to 190 kilometres per hour as the storm made landfall in Gujarat, damaging structures, electricity lines, and uprooting trees.

In a tweet by the meteorological department, it read, "The Cyclone continues to show weakening trend. Eye is disorganising, wall cloud is weakening."

In the wake of Cyclone Tauktae, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday spoke to Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Administrator of Dadra And Nagar Haveli to take an update about the situation and about any help they required from the Central government.

In the wake of Cyclone Tauktae, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday spoke to Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Administrator of Dadra And Nagar Haveli to take an update about the situation and about any help they required from the Central government. A powerful cyclone has battered the country's west coast and made landfall in Gujarat on Monday night and the process is likely to continue for three hours, confirmed the India Meteorological Department (IMD) as authorities evacuated thousands of people. Thousands of people were evacuated from low-lying areas along its western coast in Gujarat. As Cyclone Tauktae continues to impact several states on the Western Coast, damaging structures, electricity lines, and uprooting trees, the India Meteorological Department on Tuesday informed that the cyclone is continuing to show a weakening trend. "Extremely severe" Cyclone Tauktae unleashed devastating winds that reached speeds up to 190 kilometres per hour as the storm made landfall in Gujarat, damaging structures, electricity lines, and uprooting trees. In a tweet by the meteorological department, it read, "The Cyclone continues to show weakening trend. Eye is disorganising, wall cloud is weakening."

Cyclone Tauktae: Shah speaks to CMs of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli Administrator

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world.

It is supposed to follow science and recommend the best treatment plans for doctors to follow.

However, if one takes a closer look at ICMR's protocols, science takes a back seat.

Watch:

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The pandemic is more than a year old and the virus has mutated thousands of times with hundreds of studies being conducted. New treatments have been employed but the ICMR guidelines have not changed.

It hasn't been updated since the pandemic began, with medicines that have been junked and written off by global research still part of India's clinical guidance.

Hydroxychloroquine was Donald Trump's favourite drug when the pandemic began. As president, he threatened retaliation if India did not share HCQ with America. In hindsight, it was a useless threat. Not only was India willing to share, the efficacy of the drug was in question.

The hype around HCQ died fairly quickly. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is the American regulator now advises against using HCQ.&nbsp;

They gave two reasons -&nbsp;firstly it doesn't work and it can lead to serious health problems like blood disorders, kidney injuries, liver problems and even abnormal heart rhythms.

The American regulator had advised against using HCQ way back in July 2020. European governments banned the drug in May last year. The United Kingdom studied the use of HCQ in 11,000 patients back in June 2020 and found that it doesn't work.

However, in India HCQ is still part of the treatment protocols. ICMR guidelines advise this tablet for mild patients. The document does say that this therapy is based on "low certainty of evidence" but it's still listed under a column called "may do", which means a doctor can still prescribe it.

It's not just the ICMR, India's health ministry is also advising HCQ. In its latest guidelines for home isolation, HCQ has been recommended as a "prophylactic" for caregivers and all close contacts.

Prophylactic is given to prevent diseases, so while the world's leading regulators have stopped the use of HCQ over health risks, India has been still advising it both for infected patients and caregivers.

The ICMR's treatment plan features more such unproven drugs for the treatment of the Wuhan virus. Also, ivermectin has been listed in the same column as HCQ and some call it the new Hydroxycholorquine.

It is a tablet used to treat certain roundworm infections, which are basically infections caused by parasites. The Wuhan virus is a respiratory disease, how can a tablet meant to treat parasites help?

Just like in the case of HCQ, leading regulators feel ivermectin has the potential to do more harm than good. The US FDA has warned against the use of the drug.

In fact, the American regulator received multiple reports of patients who self-medicated on ivermectin that was intended for horses. They had to be hospitalised. Similar advice has come from the European Medicines Agency which is&nbsp;the European regulator.

It says the available data doesn't support the use of ivermectin for the Wuhan virus. Officials from the United Kingdom, Japan and the WHO have issued similar advisories.

Merck is one of the companies that makes ivermectin. The company studied all findings that were available.&nbsp;

Merck arrived at three conclusions, firstly, there is no scientific basis behind the argument that ivermectin works. Secondly, there is no meaningful evidence to suggest its use in COVID-19 patients and there is a "concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies".

However, in India, the drug is still part of the official prescription.&nbsp;

It is not the first time that ICMR has been caught drifting away from science.&nbsp;

In September last year, the world's leading medical journal The Lancet had published an editorial. It said: "the ICMR has been singled out by experts from straying from scientific evidence" but it looks like the top body that is supposed to guide India's pandemic response through science, has been living in a bubble.

In January, the ICMR put out an internal newsletter which said despite the "doomsday predictions" India has made monumental strides in handling the pandemic, but just five months after those claims, the Wuhan virus has India in its stranglehold.

The second wave has spread from urban centres to rural areas and the master prescription to treat patients suggests outdated and written-off cures.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. It is supposed to follow science and recommend the best treatment plans for doctors to follow.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. It is supposed to follow science and recommend the best treatment plans for doctors to follow. However, if one takes a closer look at ICMR's protocols, science takes a back seat. Watch: The pandemic is more than a year old and the virus has mutated thousands of times with hundreds of studies being conducted. New treatments have been employed but the ICMR guidelines have not changed. It hasn't been updated since the pandemic began, with medicines that have been junked and written off by global research still part of India's clinical guidance. Hydroxychloroquine was Donald Trump's favourite drug when the pandemic began. As president, he threatened retaliation if India did not share HCQ with America. In hindsight, it was a useless threat. Not only was India willing to share, the efficacy of the drug was in question. The hype around HCQ died fairly quickly. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is the American regulator now advises against using HCQ. They gave two reasons - firstly it doesn't work and it can lead to serious health problems like blood disorders, kidney injuries, liver problems and even abnormal heart rhythms. The American regulator had advised against using HCQ way back in July 2020. European governments banned the drug in May last year. The United Kingdom studied the use of HCQ in 11,000 patients back in June 2020 and found that it doesn't work. However, in India HCQ is still part of the treatment protocols. ICMR guidelines advise this tablet for mild patients. The document does say that this therapy is based on "low certainty of evidence" but it's still listed under a column called "may do", which means a doctor can still prescribe it. It's not just the ICMR, India's health ministry is also advising HCQ. In its latest guidelines for home isolation, HCQ has been recommended as a "prophylactic" for caregivers and all close contacts. Prophylactic is given to prevent diseases, so while the world's leading regulators have stopped the use of HCQ over health risks, India has been still advising it both for infected patients and caregivers. The ICMR's treatment plan features more such unproven drugs for the treatment of the Wuhan virus. Also, ivermectin has been listed in the same column as HCQ and some call it the new Hydroxycholorquine. It is a tablet used to treat certain roundworm infections, which are basically infections caused by parasites. The Wuhan virus is a respiratory disease, how can a tablet meant to treat parasites help? Just like in the case of HCQ, leading regulators feel ivermectin has the potential to do more harm than good. The US FDA has warned against the use of the drug. In fact, the American regulator received multiple reports of patients who self-medicated on ivermectin that was intended for horses. They had to be hospitalised. Similar advice has come from the European Medicines Agency which is the European regulator. It says the available data doesn't support the use of ivermectin for the Wuhan virus. Officials from the United Kingdom, Japan and the WHO have issued similar advisories. Merck is one of the companies that makes ivermectin. The company studied all findings that were available. Merck arrived at three conclusions, firstly, there is no scientific basis behind the argument that ivermectin works. Secondly, there is no meaningful evidence to suggest its use in COVID-19 patients and there is a "concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies". However, in India, the drug is still part of the official prescription. It is not the first time that ICMR has been caught drifting away from science. In September last year, the world's leading medical journal The Lancet had published an editorial. It said: "the ICMR has been singled out by experts from straying from scientific evidence" but it looks like the top body that is supposed to guide India's pandemic response through science, has been living in a bubble. In January, the ICMR put out an internal newsletter which said despite the "doomsday predictions" India has made monumental strides in handling the pandemic, but just five months after those claims, the Wuhan virus has India in its stranglehold. The second wave has spread from urban centres to rural areas and the master prescription to treat patients suggests outdated and written-off cures.

In fight against COVID-19, Indian medical body recommends outdated cures

Reiterating his commitment to expanding health facilities amid the raging coronavirus pandemic, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday inaugurated two 500-bed COVID hospitals in Hisar and Panipat.

Both hospitals have been set up with assistance from the DRDO.

Khattar inaugurated Chaudhary Devi Lal Sanjivani Hospital at a school premises in Hisar.

The other one, Guru Tegh Bahadur Sanjivani Hospital, was inaugurated at Bal Jatan village near the Panipat refinery.

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पानीपत में आज केन्द्रीय मंत्री श्री धर्मेन्द्र प्रधान जी की उपस्थिति में गुरु तेग बहादुर संजीवनी अस्पताल नाम से देश का पहला ऐसा 500 बेड का कोविड अस्पताल लोगों को समर्पित कर दिया है, जहां पाइपलाइन के माध्यम से कोरोना मरीजों तक सीधे ऑक्सीजन पहुंचेगी।<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HaryanaFightsCorona?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HaryanaFightsCorona</a> <a href="https://t.co/sDhLMgaNYE">pic.twitter.com/sDhLMgaNYE</a>
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The Panipat facility was jointly inaugurated by the CM and Union Petroleum and Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

On April 26, Khattar had visited Hisar and identified the campus of Jindal Modern School for the hospital.

The hospital was constructed in a record time of 17 days, an official statement said.

After inaugurating the Panipat facility, Pradhan in a tweet said Indian Oil Corporation has commenced the supply of 15 tonnes of oxygen to it every day.

He said the petroleum and steel industry is doing everything possible to save lives and better prepare for emerging health challenges.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covid-19-haryana-issues-directions-to-not-call-vulnerable-persons-pregnant-women-for-work-382048">COVID-19: Haryana issues directions to not call vulnerable persons, pregnant women for work</a>

"Our steel and petroleum sector remains committed to strengthen and support India's fight against the COVID-19,"&nbsp;he said.

About the Hisar facility, Khattar said the hospital will get oxygen supply from Jindal Stainless Limited.

"It is proposed that no fee will be charged from patients who will come to get treatment in this hospital,"&nbsp;he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/seven-day-lockdown-in-haryana-from-monday-382217">Seven-day lockdown in Haryana from Monday</a>

After inaugurating the Hisar hospital, the CM said the Haryana government is constantly working to provide better health facilities to people by making necessary arrangements required for the prevention of COVID-19 on a large scale. The chief minister said the Opposition is unnecessarily blaming the government on the COVID issue, which he said, "is certainly not an ethical thing to do in this hour of crisis".

The chief minister also appealed to the agitating farmers to cooperate with the government and call off their stir against the Centre's farm laws.

"This is the biggest crisis of humanity so we all have to fight together. This pandemic is not limited to any person, a city or a class. This is the fight of the whole world,"&nbsp;said the CM.

Reiterating his commitment to expanding health facilities amid the raging coronavirus pandemic, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday inaugurated two 500-bed COVID hospitals in Hisar and Panipat.

Reiterating his commitment to expanding health facilities amid the raging coronavirus pandemic, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday inaugurated two 500-bed COVID hospitals in Hisar and Panipat. Both hospitals have been set up with assistance from the DRDO. Khattar inaugurated Chaudhary Devi Lal Sanjivani Hospital at a school premises in Hisar. The other one, Guru Tegh Bahadur Sanjivani Hospital, was inaugurated at Bal Jatan village near the Panipat refinery. पानीपत में आज केन्द्रीय मंत्री श्री धर्मेन्द्र प्रधान जी की उपस्थिति में गुरु तेग बहादुर संजीवनी अस्पताल नाम से देश का पहला ऐसा 500 बेड का कोविड अस्पताल लोगों को समर्पित कर दिया है, जहां पाइपलाइन के माध्यम से कोरोना मरीजों तक सीधे ऑक्सीजन पहुंचेगी।#HaryanaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/sDhLMgaNYE — Manohar Lal (@mlkhattar) May 16, 2021 × The Panipat facility was jointly inaugurated by the CM and Union Petroleum and Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. On April 26, Khattar had visited Hisar and identified the campus of Jindal Modern School for the hospital. The hospital was constructed in a record time of 17 days, an official statement said. After inaugurating the Panipat facility, Pradhan in a tweet said Indian Oil Corporation has commenced the supply of 15 tonnes of oxygen to it every day. He said the petroleum and steel industry is doing everything possible to save lives and better prepare for emerging health challenges. Also read | COVID-19: Haryana issues directions to not call vulnerable persons, pregnant women for work "Our steel and petroleum sector remains committed to strengthen and support India's fight against the COVID-19," he said. About the Hisar facility, Khattar said the hospital will get oxygen supply from Jindal Stainless Limited. "It is proposed that no fee will be charged from patients who will come to get treatment in this hospital," he said. Also read | Seven-day lockdown in Haryana from Monday After inaugurating the Hisar hospital, the CM said the Haryana government is constantly working to provide better health facilities to people by making necessary arrangements required for the prevention of COVID-19 on a large scale. The chief minister said the Opposition is unnecessarily blaming the government on the COVID issue, which he said, "is certainly not an ethical thing to do in this hour of crisis". The chief minister also appealed to the agitating farmers to cooperate with the government and call off their stir against the Centre's farm laws. "This is the biggest crisis of humanity so we all have to fight together. This pandemic is not limited to any person, a city or a class. This is the fight of the whole world," said the CM.

Haryana CM inaugurates two COVID hospitals in Hisar, Panipat

India on Monday recorded 2,81,386 new cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 4,106 deaths due to the infection.&nbsp;

According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, the country saw a total of 3,78,741 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery to 2,11,74,076.&nbsp;

The total cases of COVID-19 in India have now mounted to 2,49,65,463, with 35,16,997 active cases, the data showed. 
 
The total death toll in the country is now at 2,74,390. A total of 18,29,26,460 people have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19 in India.

The last time the country recorded a low single-day spike in new cases was on April 21, when 2,95,041 new cases were reported. Nine days later, on April 30, India became the first country to report more than 4 lakh daily cases since the pandemic began in 2020.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past &nbsp;60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19 last year.

(With inputs from agencies)

India on Monday recorded 2,81,386 new cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 4,106 deaths due to the infection. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, the country saw a total of 3,78,741 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery to 2,11,74,076.

India on Monday recorded 2,81,386 new cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 4,106 deaths due to the infection. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, the country saw a total of 3,78,741 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery to 2,11,74,076. The total cases of COVID-19 in India have now mounted to 2,49,65,463, with 35,16,997 active cases, the data showed. The total death toll in the country is now at 2,74,390. A total of 18,29,26,460 people have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19 in India. The last time the country recorded a low single-day spike in new cases was on April 21, when 2,95,041 new cases were reported. Nine days later, on April 30, India became the first country to report more than 4 lakh daily cases since the pandemic began in 2020. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19 last year. (With inputs from agencies)

India records 2,81,386 lakh new COVID-19 cases, lowest rise after 26 days

A virologist part of India’s top forum of scientific advisers to detect and track Covid variants in the country recently resigned from his post.

Shahid Jameel, chair of the forum’s advisory group known as INSACOG confirmed his resignation to Reuters on Sunday. The advisory group was set up by the Indian government amid fears of new variants emerging in the country.

"I am not obliged to give a reason," he reportedly told Reuters over a text message on Sunday, not clarifying the reasons for his departure. He did add that he left the group on Friday.

Another member of INSACOG told Reuters that he was unaware of any direct disagreements between Jameel and the government. Another scientist who is part of the forum also told Reuters that Jameel’s departure is bound to cause little impact on the agency’s assessment of variants.

INSACOG, or the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium is responsible for tracking Covid variants. In March, it had warned the Indian government that a new more contagious variant was spreading the country.

The variant is officially known as B.1.617 and is considered the primary cause of the ongoing surge in the country.

On Monday, India reported&nbsp;281,386 new cases of coronavirus, marking the lowest surge in 26 days.&nbsp;According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, the country saw a total of 378,741 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery to 211,74,076.&nbsp;

A virologist part of India’s top forum of scientific advisers to detect and track Covid variants in the country recently resigned from his post. Shahid Jameel, chair of the forum’s advisory group known as INSACOG confirmed his resignation to Reuters on Sunday.

A virologist part of India’s top forum of scientific advisers to detect and track Covid variants in the country recently resigned from his post. Shahid Jameel, chair of the forum’s advisory group known as INSACOG confirmed his resignation to Reuters on Sunday. The advisory group was set up by the Indian government amid fears of new variants emerging in the country. "I am not obliged to give a reason," he reportedly told Reuters over a text message on Sunday, not clarifying the reasons for his departure. He did add that he left the group on Friday. Another member of INSACOG told Reuters that he was unaware of any direct disagreements between Jameel and the government. Another scientist who is part of the forum also told Reuters that Jameel’s departure is bound to cause little impact on the agency’s assessment of variants. INSACOG, or the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium is responsible for tracking Covid variants. In March, it had warned the Indian government that a new more contagious variant was spreading the country. The variant is officially known as B.1.617 and is considered the primary cause of the ongoing surge in the country. On Monday, India reported 281,386 new cases of coronavirus, marking the lowest surge in 26 days. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, the country saw a total of 378,741 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery to 211,74,076.

India's top virologist resigns from government panel which tracks Covid variants

Cyclonic storm Tauktae makes landfall in Gujarat; wrecks Mumbai, Karnataka coast

The Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) is inviting applications from entrepreneurs and industries to mass manufacture oxygen concentrators that were developed in-house.&nbsp;

It comes at a time when the country is having to import various kinds of medical equipment and oxygen cylinders to bolster the fight against COVID-19.&nbsp;

ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Center(VSSC), which is the country’s lead centre for the development of rockets and related technologies has invited applications and shared the specifications of their product on their website.&nbsp;

The portable Medical Oxygen Concentrator (MOC) named "SHWAAS", which can deliver over 95 per cent&nbsp;enriched level of oxygen to support patients with respiratory illness or who are on oxygen therapy.&nbsp;

The device enhances the oxygen gas content by selectively separating the nitrogen gas from ambient air through Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA). SHWAAS is capable of supplying enriched oxygen continuously at10 LPM adequate for two patients at a time, said the post on ISRO’s website.

Zee Media had earlier reported on how ISRO is contributing to the country’s COVID-19 battle by scaling up its production of liquid oxygen, repurposing giant fuel tanks across India to store liquid oxygen, in-house development of medical technologies among others.&nbsp;

“These medical equipment are not under our area of work, it requires a deep understanding of human physiology, breathing etc.. Such devices aiding respiration must be able to sense, sync with unique breathing patterns and assist Doctors in saving lives. So, our young engineers, most of whom are in their 20s and 30s studied the theory and explored the processes to make this happen," Dr.S. Somanath, Director, VSSC had told Zee media earlier.&nbsp;

"It was a collaborative effort between several teams largely working from home and partly from labs, under the guidance of seniors and technicians. Ours is a highly inspired work culture, it’s not just about building rockets, we are ready to take on any challenge with our enthusiasm and ideas” Dr Somanath added.

The Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) is inviting applications from entrepreneurs and industries to mass manufacture oxygen concentrators that were developed in-house.

The Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) is inviting applications from entrepreneurs and industries to mass manufacture oxygen concentrators that were developed in-house. It comes at a time when the country is having to import various kinds of medical equipment and oxygen cylinders to bolster the fight against COVID-19. ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Center(VSSC), which is the country’s lead centre for the development of rockets and related technologies has invited applications and shared the specifications of their product on their website. The portable Medical Oxygen Concentrator (MOC) named "SHWAAS", which can deliver over 95 per cent enriched level of oxygen to support patients with respiratory illness or who are on oxygen therapy. The device enhances the oxygen gas content by selectively separating the nitrogen gas from ambient air through Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA). SHWAAS is capable of supplying enriched oxygen continuously at10 LPM adequate for two patients at a time, said the post on ISRO’s website. Zee Media had earlier reported on how ISRO is contributing to the country’s COVID-19 battle by scaling up its production of liquid oxygen, repurposing giant fuel tanks across India to store liquid oxygen, in-house development of medical technologies among others. “These medical equipment are not under our area of work, it requires a deep understanding of human physiology, breathing etc.. Such devices aiding respiration must be able to sense, sync with unique breathing patterns and assist Doctors in saving lives. So, our young engineers, most of whom are in their 20s and 30s studied the theory and explored the processes to make this happen," Dr.S. Somanath, Director, VSSC had told Zee media earlier. "It was a collaborative effort between several teams largely working from home and partly from labs, under the guidance of seniors and technicians. Ours is a highly inspired work culture, it’s not just about building rockets, we are ready to take on any challenge with our enthusiasm and ideas” Dr Somanath added.

ISRO invites industry to mass manufacture its indigenous oxygen concentrators

Cyclone Tauktae, which has now intensified into an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm', is likely to reach the Gujarat coast by Monday evening and cross the state coast between 8 pm and 11 pm, the IMD said.&nbsp;

At least six people have died in torrential rain and winds as virus-hit India braces for the powerful cyclone.

India's first major tropical storm this season is&nbsp;moving northwards in parallel with the country's western coast, bringing heavy rains, thunderstorms and strong winds to several states, the meteorological department said. 
 
<img alt="Police personnel clear fallen trees from a road following severe cyclonic storm 'Tauktae', at Panjim in Goa on May 16, 2021. (AFP Photo)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="026177d0-4a72-41ba-9aa4-f4eecbbad809" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%281%29_186.jpg" />

It is expected to make landfall in coastal Gujarat early Tuesday, bringing wind speeds of around 155-165 kilometres per hour (96-102 miles per hour) gusting up to 185 kilometres per hour, the weather bureau added.

Thousands of disaster response personnel had been deployed to the states, while units from the coast guard, navy, army and air force had been placed on standby, Home Minister Amit Shah said in a statement.

Four people lost their lives on Saturday as torrential rain and winds battered Karnataka state, the disaster management authority said Sunday.

Several towns and villages were flooded and properties damaged, officials added.&nbsp;

Two people died in the resort state of Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said Sunday, adding that power supply had been disrupted while some 200 houses were damaged, roads were blocked and trees uprooted.

Two others were reported dead and 23 fishermen were feared missing in Kerala, local media said.

More than 150,000 people are set to be evacuated from coastal districts in Gujarat, where the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination rollout will be suspended on Monday and Tuesday, the state government said.

The meteorological department has warned of storm surges of up to three metres high (9.8 feet) in some coastal districts of Gujarat.

Hospitals with coronavirus patients in the affected districts were also backing up their power supply, local district development officer Varunkumar Baranwal told AFP.&nbsp;

Oxygen and power supply to hospitals in the state would be uninterrupted, Maharashtra said, while hundreds of virus patients will be moved from field hospitals.

India is already battling a deadly wave of infections that has pushed its healthcare system to breaking point, leading to severe shortages of hospital beds, oxygen and medicines.

The vast nation of 1.3 billion people reported just over 311,170 new infections on Sunday, taking the total tally to nearly 24.7 million.&nbsp;

The death toll rose to more than 270,000 after 4,077 deaths were officially recorded over the past 24 hours. Experts say the actual toll could be significantly higher.

Last May, more than 110 people died after the "super cyclone" Amphan ravaged eastern India and Bangladesh, flattening villages, destroying farms and leaving millions without electricity.

(With inputs from agencies)

Cyclone Tauktae, which has now intensified into an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm', is likely to reach the Gujarat coast by Monday evening and cross the state coast between 8 pm and 11 pm, the IMD said.

Cyclone Tauktae, which has now intensified into an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm', is likely to reach the Gujarat coast by Monday evening and cross the state coast between 8 pm and 11 pm, the IMD said. At least six people have died in torrential rain and winds as virus-hit India braces for the powerful cyclone. India's first major tropical storm this season is moving northwards in parallel with the country's western coast, bringing heavy rains, thunderstorms and strong winds to several states, the meteorological department said. It is expected to make landfall in coastal Gujarat early Tuesday, bringing wind speeds of around 155-165 kilometres per hour (96-102 miles per hour) gusting up to 185 kilometres per hour, the weather bureau added. Thousands of disaster response personnel had been deployed to the states, while units from the coast guard, navy, army and air force had been placed on standby, Home Minister Amit Shah said in a statement. Four people lost their lives on Saturday as torrential rain and winds battered Karnataka state, the disaster management authority said Sunday. Several towns and villages were flooded and properties damaged, officials added. Two people died in the resort state of Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said Sunday, adding that power supply had been disrupted while some 200 houses were damaged, roads were blocked and trees uprooted. Two others were reported dead and 23 fishermen were feared missing in Kerala, local media said. More than 150,000 people are set to be evacuated from coastal districts in Gujarat, where the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination rollout will be suspended on Monday and Tuesday, the state government said. The meteorological department has warned of storm surges of up to three metres high (9.8 feet) in some coastal districts of Gujarat. Hospitals with coronavirus patients in the affected districts were also backing up their power supply, local district development officer Varunkumar Baranwal told AFP. Oxygen and power supply to hospitals in the state would be uninterrupted, Maharashtra said, while hundreds of virus patients will be moved from field hospitals. India is already battling a deadly wave of infections that has pushed its healthcare system to breaking point, leading to severe shortages of hospital beds, oxygen and medicines. The vast nation of 1.3 billion people reported just over 311,170 new infections on Sunday, taking the total tally to nearly 24.7 million. The death toll rose to more than 270,000 after 4,077 deaths were officially recorded over the past 24 hours. Experts say the actual toll could be significantly higher. Last May, more than 110 people died after the "super cyclone" Amphan ravaged eastern India and Bangladesh, flattening villages, destroying farms and leaving millions without electricity. (With inputs from agencies)

Cyclone Tauktae: Six dead as powerful storm heads for India

"Very emotional" visit, that is how Israel's top diplomat in South India, Consul General Jonathan Zadka, described his visit to the house of Soumya Santhosh in Kerala. Soumya, an Indian caregiver,&nbsp;was killed in Israel's Ashkelon due to Hamas airstrikes from Gaza.

Speaking from Bengaluru to WION Principal Diplomatic Correspondent&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal, Zadka said, "It was important for us to&nbsp;send somebody in person to be with the family". Soumya is survived by a nine-year-old son and her husband.

Zadka also appreciated the "positive response" his country has got from India, which he said is due to "friendly relations we have between Israel and India for such a long time". 
 
An outpouring of support has been seen on Indian social media for Israel amid the current situation emerging with Palestinian territories.

Sidhant Sibal: You were in Kerala at the house of&nbsp;Soumya Santhosh and met the family.&nbsp;It was seen as a warm gesture. Your reaction. 
 
Jonathan Zadka: I just got back from Kerala late last night. It has been a very short and intense visit, very emotional and logistically complicated on my part. It was a last-minute decision and like you said, a basic humanitarian gesture, nothing more than that. It was important for us to be able to send somebody in person to be with the family, in this time of need and show our tangible personal support to them in this time of grief.&nbsp; 
 
<meta name="uuid" content="uuidJJe4ALassXD9" /><meta charset="utf-8" />Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;And Since the mortal remains arrived, we have seen the presence of Israeli diplomats. In Delhi, Rony Yedidia-Clein was present at the airport. Call taken at the higher-ups?

Jonathan Zadka:&nbsp;It even goes further than that. We have been trying to support and to make the process of moving the body to India for burial as smooth as possible. Support the efforts of the Indian government, both in the embassy in Tel Aviv and elsewhere. By doing this here in Delhi and elsewhere, even if it was no coordinated, this is something that is an automatic gesture on our part. Being in the situation we are in right now, and being her killed by the same terrorists targetting us, this is a bond that cannot be broken and the response we have taken, the steps that have been done on the ground, I think are very personal and combine as a whole gesture towards the unbelievable situation the family finds itself in.&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;How many Indians are present in Israel?

Jonathan Zadka:&nbsp;It is difficult to say about the number of Indians working in Israel, It varies between people that are staying between the people who are staying for the long part, for the short part. People are in the transition at any given time regardless of the covid. To pinpoint a number is extremely complicated. At any given time, there are between hundreds and thousands of Indian workers in Israel, permanently, and aside from that, we have students and business people that stay there for a longer period. I can tell u part of the more emotional reactions that I got were actually from fellow Indian caretakers in Israel that have watched reporting from India about the funeral and have provided me with a positive reaction to the steps we have taken here.

Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;How do you see the spontaneous support on social media for Israel?

Jonathan Zadka:&nbsp;The support is amazing. We see it in all layers and all levels of society. Ordinary usual ongoing contact people, just the people on the street or the people that may have known as including officials and so on. We are enjoying I think such a positive response, because of the good nature and the friendly relations we have between Israel and India for such a long time. From the other end, very humanitarian basic, a show of solidarity in our time of need and we extremely appreciate it. Reflects the good nature of relations we have with India, in all level to be honest.&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;Do you think the situation will abate when it comes to what is going on?

Jonathan Zadka:&nbsp;We have been under this sort of indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza for the past week. The situation on the ground as you can imagine is very complicated. Millions of Israeli citizens are still under the threat of rockets and just before coming into this interview, there was another rocket launched towards the south part of Israel. From the whole perspective, you know, this is a very complicated and enduring situation. Israel is trying to make sure that such infrastructure that can pose a future threat to Israel would not be available. The fact that Hamas, Islamic Jihad organization and other fractions can threaten Israel, threaten Israeli citizens, and target civilian targets in Israel as hospitals, schools, regular homes is something that no country will be able to tolerate and Israel will do whatever it needs to defend itself and to defend its citizens. I do hope the situation will ease in the next few days, or as soon as possible and we can come back to a normal quiet, and peaceful co-existence but this very much depends on the way Hamas decides to act. This is to remind you, this is a terrorist organization, that controls Gaza for the last decade and holds the population of Gaza hostages, trying to attack Israel on different occasions for its purposes and interest. This is the result we see on the ground, and from any objective point, no one will tolerate such a situation.&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;Assistance from Israel has reached&nbsp;South India too. Can you provide the details?

Jonathan Zadka:&nbsp;A lot of equipment was sent from Israel to India, coordinated by our embassy in Delhi. Part of the equipment was allocated to south India. We were very fortunate to get 2 of the oxygen generator plants to be placed in Karnataka. One, I can happily share with you operated last evening in Kolar in Karnataka and the other will be installed in Yadgir, north Karnataka, hopefully. Aside from that, we are expecting, to be receiving a few hundred smaller oxygen generators to support the Karnataka government.

"Very emotional" visit, that is how Israel's top diplomat in South India, Consul General Jonathan Zadka, described his visit to the house of Soumya Santhosh in Kerala.

"Very emotional" visit, that is how Israel's top diplomat in South India, Consul General Jonathan Zadka, described his visit to the house of Soumya Santhosh in Kerala. Soumya, an Indian caregiver, was killed in Israel's Ashkelon due to Hamas airstrikes from Gaza. Speaking from Bengaluru to WION Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Zadka said, "It was important for us to send somebody in person to be with the family". Soumya is survived by a nine-year-old son and her husband. Zadka also appreciated the "positive response" his country has got from India, which he said is due to "friendly relations we have between Israel and India for such a long time". An outpouring of support has been seen on Indian social media for Israel amid the current situation emerging with Palestinian territories. Sidhant Sibal: You were in Kerala at the house of Soumya Santhosh and met the family. It was seen as a warm gesture. Your reaction. Jonathan Zadka: I just got back from Kerala late last night. It has been a very short and intense visit, very emotional and logistically complicated on my part. It was a last-minute decision and like you said, a basic humanitarian gesture, nothing more than that. It was important for us to be able to send somebody in person to be with the family, in this time of need and show our tangible personal support to them in this time of grief. Sidhant Sibal: And Since the mortal remains arrived, we have seen the presence of Israeli diplomats. In Delhi, Rony Yedidia-Clein was present at the airport. Call taken at the higher-ups? Jonathan Zadka: It even goes further than that. We have been trying to support and to make the process of moving the body to India for burial as smooth as possible. Support the efforts of the Indian government, both in the embassy in Tel Aviv and elsewhere. By doing this here in Delhi and elsewhere, even if it was no coordinated, this is something that is an automatic gesture on our part. Being in the situation we are in right now, and being her killed by the same terrorists targetting us, this is a bond that cannot be broken and the response we have taken, the steps that have been done on the ground, I think are very personal and combine as a whole gesture towards the unbelievable situation the family finds itself in. Sidhant Sibal: How many Indians are present in Israel? Jonathan Zadka: It is difficult to say about the number of Indians working in Israel, It varies between people that are staying between the people who are staying for the long part, for the short part. People are in the transition at any given time regardless of the covid. To pinpoint a number is extremely complicated. At any given time, there are between hundreds and thousands of Indian workers in Israel, permanently, and aside from that, we have students and business people that stay there for a longer period. I can tell u part of the more emotional reactions that I got were actually from fellow Indian caretakers in Israel that have watched reporting from India about the funeral and have provided me with a positive reaction to the steps we have taken here. Sidhant Sibal: How do you see the spontaneous support on social media for Israel? Jonathan Zadka: The support is amazing. We see it in all layers and all levels of society. Ordinary usual ongoing contact people, just the people on the street or the people that may have known as including officials and so on. We are enjoying I think such a positive response, because of the good nature and the friendly relations we have between Israel and India for such a long time. From the other end, very humanitarian basic, a show of solidarity in our time of need and we extremely appreciate it. Reflects the good nature of relations we have with India, in all level to be honest. Sidhant Sibal: Do you think the situation will abate when it comes to what is going on? Jonathan Zadka: We have been under this sort of indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza for the past week. The situation on the ground as you can imagine is very complicated. Millions of Israeli citizens are still under the threat of rockets and just before coming into this interview, there was another rocket launched towards the south part of Israel. From the whole perspective, you know, this is a very complicated and enduring situation. Israel is trying to make sure that such infrastructure that can pose a future threat to Israel would not be available. The fact that Hamas, Islamic Jihad organization and other fractions can threaten Israel, threaten Israeli citizens, and target civilian targets in Israel as hospitals, schools, regular homes is something that no country will be able to tolerate and Israel will do whatever it needs to defend itself and to defend its citizens. I do hope the situation will ease in the next few days, or as soon as possible and we can come back to a normal quiet, and peaceful co-existence but this very much depends on the way Hamas decides to act. This is to remind you, this is a terrorist organization, that controls Gaza for the last decade and holds the population of Gaza hostages, trying to attack Israel on different occasions for its purposes and interest. This is the result we see on the ground, and from any objective point, no one will tolerate such a situation. Sidhant Sibal: Assistance from Israel has reached South India too. Can you provide the details? Jonathan Zadka: A lot of equipment was sent from Israel to India, coordinated by our embassy in Delhi. Part of the equipment was allocated to south India. We were very fortunate to get 2 of the oxygen generator plants to be placed in Karnataka. One, I can happily share with you operated last evening in Kolar in Karnataka and the other will be installed in Yadgir, north Karnataka, hopefully. Aside from that, we are expecting, to be receiving a few hundred smaller oxygen generators to support the Karnataka government.

Israeli consul general visits house of Kerala woman killed in Gaza rocket attack to show 'personal support'

While the whole country is grappling with growing COVID-19 positive cases, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a huge increase in the cases as well COVID-19 related deaths. And the government has said that to beat this second deadly wave in the country, vaccination is the only way out.

However, Kashmir valley is facing an immense shortage of vaccines. According to a government release, not a single dose of vaccine has been given to people in the last 5 days. The J&amp;K media bulletin clearly shows that in all the ten districts of Kashmir valley, not a single vaccine dose has been given to any citizen.

Amarjit Kaur and her father have been coming to the vaccination centre every day for the last 5 consecutive days, but every day they are being sent back as the vaccination centre has no vaccines.&nbsp;

"I have been coming here for almost a week and we are not given a dose, my father is above 50 and he has not been given his first dose yet. They have been telling us every day to come after a few days. My father is a daily wage worker and he has to go out to work so we need him to be vaccinated for sure. They are not vaccinating people above 45, my chance stands very bleak,'' said Amarjit Kaur, a resident.&nbsp;

The daughter-father duo is not the only one who had to return disappointed from the vaccination centre. People in all the ten districts of Kashmir valley are facing the same problem. From daily wagers to Government employees, everyone is waiting for vaccines to arrive so that they can get their Jab.

"They are saying there is no vaccine, we asked them to tell us when it will arrive, they are saying for the next one week they have no idea when it will be available. On one side the Government says get vaccinated and on the other, there are no vaccines available,'' said Ruhi Jan, a government employee.&nbsp;

However, the office of Lt Governor has said that ''A timeline has been set of 10 days for 100 per cent vaccination of above 45 age group with the first dose in all the districts of Jammu and Kashmir''. But the situation on the ground is completely different.&nbsp;

While the whole country is grappling with growing COVID-19 positive cases, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a huge increase in the cases as well COVID-19 related deaths.

While the whole country is grappling with growing COVID-19 positive cases, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a huge increase in the cases as well COVID-19 related deaths. And the government has said that to beat this second deadly wave in the country, vaccination is the only way out. However, Kashmir valley is facing an immense shortage of vaccines. According to a government release, not a single dose of vaccine has been given to people in the last 5 days. The J&K media bulletin clearly shows that in all the ten districts of Kashmir valley, not a single vaccine dose has been given to any citizen. Amarjit Kaur and her father have been coming to the vaccination centre every day for the last 5 consecutive days, but every day they are being sent back as the vaccination centre has no vaccines. "I have been coming here for almost a week and we are not given a dose, my father is above 50 and he has not been given his first dose yet. They have been telling us every day to come after a few days. My father is a daily wage worker and he has to go out to work so we need him to be vaccinated for sure. They are not vaccinating people above 45, my chance stands very bleak,'' said Amarjit Kaur, a resident. The daughter-father duo is not the only one who had to return disappointed from the vaccination centre. People in all the ten districts of Kashmir valley are facing the same problem. From daily wagers to Government employees, everyone is waiting for vaccines to arrive so that they can get their Jab. "They are saying there is no vaccine, we asked them to tell us when it will arrive, they are saying for the next one week they have no idea when it will be available. On one side the Government says get vaccinated and on the other, there are no vaccines available,'' said Ruhi Jan, a government employee. However, the office of Lt Governor has said that ''A timeline has been set of 10 days for 100 per cent vaccination of above 45 age group with the first dose in all the districts of Jammu and Kashmir''. But the situation on the ground is completely different.

COVID-19: Due to acute shortage, vaccine drive grinds to a halt in Kashmir valley

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