Telangana police have registered a case against 10 Indonesians who tested positive for COVID-19 last month while on a preaching mission in Karimnagar. The foreigners, who have completed their treatment at government-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, were booked for violation of the provisions of Foreigners Act. They had attended Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi before reaching Karimnagar by train. Two agents who accompanied the group of Indonesians and four local hosts from Karimnagar were also charged under the Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act and also under Indian Penal Code. Karimnagar police commissionerate’s Town police station suo moto registered the…
Author: Our Correspondent
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who spent the night in intensive care with a deteriorating case of coronavirus, has been given oxygen but is not on a ventilator, a minister said Tuesday. “The prime minister has received some oxygen support,” senior cabinet minister Michael Gove told LBC radio, adding that “he has not been on a ventilator” but it was there if needed.
A 65-year-old corona positive patient, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi last month, escaped from the hospital on Tuesday after breaking the glass pane and cutting the wire mesh on the window. He used his clothes to form a rope and scale down the building. Safid Miyan, a resident of Sursuri in Nepal, had been quarantined after he was found to be a member of the Jamaat. He had tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday and was undergoing treatment at the primary health centre in Khekhra. Safid Miyan was a part of a group of 17…
Inovio Pharmaceuticals said on Monday (7 April) that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for INO-4800, its DNA vaccine candidate designed to prevent COVID-19 infection, paving the way for Phase 1 clinical testing in healthy volunteers beginning this week. The Inovio DNA vaccine candidate works by injecting a specifically engineered plasmid (a small, independent genetic structure) into a patient so that their cells can produce a desired, targeted antibody to fight off a specific infection, reports Tech Crunch. The Phase 1 study will enroll up to 40 healthy adult volunteers…
India’s battle against the coronavirus pandemic will be a long one, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday while exhorting people to not feel tired or defeated and expressing confidence the country will emerge victorious in its fight. Addressing BJP workers on the party’s 40th foundation day, Modi also responded to the Opposition’s criticism about his government’s measures against COVID-19, asserting that India’s efforts have set an example for the world and drawn praise from the World Health Organisation and leaders abroad. “This is going to be a long fight. We don’t have to tire or feel defeated. We have…
The West Bengal Imam Association on Monday appealed to the Muslim community to abide by the lockdown and stay away from organising processions or gatherings and visiting burial grounds on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat later this week. In a media release, the association asked the community to stay at home during the religious festival set to be held on the night between Wednesday and Thursday. “Shab-e-Barat is an emotional occasion for Muslims. A The Muslim community brings out processions on those days. But this year, please be at home as the lockdown is on. It will be good for everybody,”…
Amid rising pressure to allow exports of an anti-malarial drug being tested on patients infected with coronavirus, the government is likely to take a decision tomorrow and clear the move after calculating sufficient stocks for the country. Last month, India had banned the export of hydroxychloroquine and formulations of the malaria drug while experts test its efficacy in helping treat COVID-19 patients. There are currently no approved treatments, or preventive vaccines for COVID-19, the highly contagious, sometimes deadly respiratory illness caused by coronavirus. Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug, is among the medications undergoing testing as a potential treatment for patients with…
Cautioning that superstitions and hearsay cannot be allowed to weaken our battle against COVID-19, the Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu has described the spread of misinformation, especially on social media, as a “virus” that needs to be checked. Observing that free flow of authentic information to quell rumours and misinformation is critical, Shri Naidu in a Facebook post said the war on virus cannot be won if we have inadequate or faulty understanding of the magnitude of the problem. Referring to irresponsible flouting of the precautionary social distancing guidelines in some states and exemplified by the recent…
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation today with H.E. Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia. The two leaders discussed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the domestic response strategies being adopted by their respective Governments. They agreed on the importance of bilateral experience-sharing in the context of this health crisis, including through collaborative research efforts. Prime Minister conveyed that Government of India stands ready to provide necessary facilitation and support to any Australian citizens stranded in India due to travel restrictions. H.E. Prime Minister Morrison similarly assured that the Indian community in Australia, including Indian…
The BJP on Monday welcomed the Union government’s decision to cut 30 per cent salary of all MPs for one year to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, with its president J P Nadda asserting that national interest is supreme for his party. “This decision of the Prime Minister is welcome on the day of the BJP’s foundation day as the national interest is supreme for it. Everyone in the party is always dedicated to the service of the nation under the leadership of the Prime Minister,” Nadda tweeted. All people’s representatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party welcome the decision from their…