Four cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant strain from South Africa and one case of the Brazil variant have been detected in India, the Health Ministry confirmed on February 16, 2021.

Stating that India should continue its vigil to contain the COVID virus despite the fall in number of active COVID cases in India and vaccines member (health) NITI Aayog V.K. Paul, noted that India is now giving COVID vaccines to 24 countries.

“We don’t still fully understand the virus and need to be serious about vaccinating while following COVID appropriate behaviour. The vaccines are safe and can be given to people on blood thinners and aspirin,” he added.

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

Here are the latest updates:

United Kingdom

U.K. approves trial exposing volunteers to virus

British regulators have approved the world’s first coronavirus human challenge trial, in which volunteers will be deliberately exposed to the virus to study how infection spreads.

The government said on Feb. 17 that the U.K.’s clinical trials ethics regulator has approved the trial and it will start within a month. The aim is to develop more effective vaccines and treatments for COVID-19.

Researchers are seeking up to 90 volunteers aged 18-30, who will be exposed to COVID-19 “in a safe and controlled environment.” The study will try to determine the smallest amount of virus needed to cause infection.

Young people are being asked to volunteer because they have the lowest risk of serious illness from the coronavirus. Participants in the study will be monitored 24 hours a day. — PTI

Jammu and Kashmir

3-day camp for students starts ahead of reopening of schools in J&K’s Doda

Ahead of reopening of schools in the winter zone of Jammu and Kashmir after remaining closed for over a year, the authorities in Doda district started a three-day camp for students in Bhaderwah to help them overcome the fear of COVID-19, officials said.

Organised by the directorate of school education in Jammu, the camp was inaugurated by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Bhaderwah Rakesh Kumar.

While the schools in the summer zone started functioning from February 1, the winter zone schools are slated to reopen next month after the end of winter break as most parts of Kashmir and hilly regions of Jammu falling in this category are still reeling under sub-zero temperature. — PTI

Maharashtra

Function halls under scanner in Maharashtra

In light of the rise in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, local authorities have been instructed to crackdown on function halls where the number of guests are beyond the permissible limits, an official said.

According to the police, as many as 50 guests are allowed to attend indoor events, while 200 can participate in outdoor functions.

Divisional commissioner Sunil Kendrekar said authorities in eight districts of Aurangabad division have been asked to reach out to function halls in the region to check if the number of guests are within the permissible limits.

If the number of people is found beyond limit, the administration will register an offence against the establishments, the official said. — PTI

Maharashtra

Mumbai Mayor travels in local train to spread awareness about face masks

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar travelled in a local train in Mumbai to spread awareness about the use of face masks among citizens in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in the city, a civic official said.

Before boarding the train at Byculla station on the Central Railway route, Ms, Pednekar took a round outside the station and asked a number of people moving around without masks to wear face coverings, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.

“The mayor found a couple of vendors on a catering stall at the station not wearing masks properly. Ms. Pednekar requested them to wear face masks all the time and also warned them of police action, if they ignore the guideline,” he said. — PTI

Singapore

Singapore receives Moderna COVID-19 vaccines

Singapore received its first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines on Feb. 17, two weeks after the authorities approved its use to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

The vaccines were carried on board Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ7137, a scheduled freighter service from Brussels, and arrived in Singapore at about 1.40 pm (local time).

This is the second vaccine approved for use in Singapore, which received the first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine on December 21.

“The vaccines were prioritised for loading into the aircraft in Brussels and was given precedence during unloading in Singapore. They were then transported to SATS’ cold-chain facility, Coolport, for subsequent storage and ground transportation,” Channel News Asia reported, citing a statement from Singapore Airlines (SIA). — PTI

Berlin

Pfizer-BioNTech to get EU 200 million more COVID-19 shots

As worries about vaccine delays swept across Europe, Pfizer and BioNTech said on Feb. 17 they have finalised an agreement to supply the European Union with another 200 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine.

The U.S. and German companies said in a statement that the doses come on top of the 300 million vaccine doses the bloc has initially ordered. The EU’s executive Commission has an option to request a further 100 million doses.

They said the 200 million doses are expected to be delivered this year, with an estimated 75 million of them in the second quarter. — PTI

Mizoram

Schools in Mizoram will reopen for students of Class 9 & 11 from Feb 22

Schools in Mizoram will reopen for students of Class 9 and 11 from February 22, an Education Department official said. Students of Class 10 and 12 are already attending schools from January 22, the official said.

The State government order on Wednesday said that normal Classes for students of Class 9 and 11 will start from February 22 and all students will have to undergo thermal screening before entering their schools.

It also said students of Class 9 and 11 will also be allowed to stay in hostels with effect from February 22 provided that they produce a COVID-19 negative test report conducted within 96-hours before entering the hostel. — PTI

Japan

Japan begins COVID-19 vaccination drive amid Olympic worries

Months after other major economies, Japan began giving the first coronavirus vaccines to front-line health workers. Many are wondering if the campaign will reach enough people, and in time, to save a Summer Olympics already delayed a year by the worst pandemic in a century.

Despite recent rising infections, Japan has largely dodged the kind of cataclysm that has battered other wealthy countries’ economies, social networks and healthcare systems. But the fate of the Olympics, and the billions of dollars at stake should the Games fail, makes Japan’s vaccine campaign crucial.

Japanese officials are also well aware that China, which has had success eradicating the virus, will host next year’s Winter Olympics, something that heightens the desire to make the Tokyo Games happen. — PTI

Maharashtra

Over 15 lakh caught without masks in Mumbai since April 2020

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mumbai civic body has caught over 15 lakh people without face masks at public places in the city since April last year and collected more than ₹30 crore as fine from them, officials said.

Out of these offenders, 13,008 were caught on Monday and a fine of ₹26,01,600 was collected from them, a Brihnamumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.

Concerned over the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Feb. 16 asked citizens to strictly follow government-mandated guidelines on masks and social distancing or be prepared to face another round of lockdown.

The BMC has been imposing a fine of ₹200 for not wearing a face mask in public places. From April 1, 2020 to February 15 this year, the BMC caught 15,16,398 people without face masks and collected a total of ₹30,69,09,800 from them, civic officials said. — PTI

National

No COVID-19 deaths in India in the last 24 hours in 18 States, UTs

Eighteen States/UTs — Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, J&K (UT), Jharkhand, Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Ladakh (UT), Assam, A&N Islands, Sikkim, Tripura and Mizoram — have not reported any COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, said the Health Ministry on Wednesday.

India has reported 100 fatalities with six States accounting for 81.00% of the daily deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (39). Kerala follows with 18 and Tamil Nadu reported 7.

No COVID-19 deaths in last 24 hours in 18 States, UTs: Health Ministry

National

Rahul Gandhi  cautions govt.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday cautioned the Central government over its “negligence” in dealing with the COVID-19.

Mr. Gandhi, in a tweet, referred to a news report that said that South African and Brazilian variants of the virus had entered the country.

“GOI is being grossly negligent and overconfident about COVID-19. It’s not over yet,”cautioned Mr. Gandhi on twitter.

 

National

India’s recovery rate surges to 97.33%

With 11,610 fresh cases, India’s COVID-19 tally has climbed to 1,09,37,320, while the number of recoveries has surged to 1,06,44,858, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday.

The death toll due to the viral disease has gone up to 1,55,913 in the country with 100 more fatalities reported in a 24-hour period, the ministry’s data updated at 8 am showed.

COVID-19: India records 11,610 fresh cases, 100 more fatalities; recovery rate 97.33%

Japan

Japan begins COVID-19 vaccination drive

Months after other major economies, Japan began giving the first coronavirus vaccines to front-line health workers Wednesday. Many are wondering if the campaign will reach enough people, and in time, to save a Summer Olympics already delayed a year by the worst pandemic in a century.

Despite recent rising infections, Japan has largely dodged the kind of cataclysm that has battered other wealthy countries’ economies, social networks and healthcare systems. But the fate of the Olympics, and the billions of dollars at stake should the Games fail, makes Japan’s vaccine campaign crucial. Japanese officials are also well aware that China, which has had success eradicating the virus, will host next year’s Winter Olympics, something that heightens the desire to make the Tokyo Games happen.

A big problem as the vaccines roll out — first to medical workers, then the elderly and then, possibly in late spring or early summer, to the rest of the population — are worries about shortages of the imported vaccines Japan relies on, and a long-time reluctance among many Japanese to take vaccines because of fears of relatively-rare side effects that have been played up by the media in the past.

The late rollout will make it impossible to reach so-called “herd immunity” against the virus before the Olympics begin in July, experts say.

Singapore

‘Will impact Singaporeans if borders are closed’

If Singapore closes its borders to travellers from India and Indonesia over COVID-19 fears, there will be widespread social and economic impact for Singaporeans, parliament was told Tuesday.

Dr .Koh Poh Koon, the Senior Minister of State for Health, told parliamentarians the repercussions could mean that many Singaporeans would not receive the keys to the housing units they bought, and families will have to consider finding alternative care arrangements for their loved ones because they will face delays in hiring foreign domestic workers as caregivers.

New Zealand

New Zealand ends lockdown

A lockdown in the New Zealand city of Auckland will end at midnight, the government announced Wednesday after concluding a coronavirus outbreak had been contained.

“This is good news,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

The nation’s largest city was put into lockdown on Sunday after three unexplained cases were found in the community. It was the first lockdown in six months in a nation which so far has managed to successfully stamp out the spread of the disease.

The move to end the lockdown came as health authorities said the outbreak had grown by three cases to six in total. But Ardern said the additional cases were to be expected because they involved close contacts.

Ramped-up testing indicates the outbreak hasn’t spread far. Laboratories processed more than 17,000 individual tests on Tuesday, authorities said, and they also tested wastewater samples, which came back negative.

“What this tells us is that we don’t have a widespread outbreak, but rather a small chain of transmission which is manageable by our normal contact-tracing and testing procedures,” Ms. Ardern said.

National

India’s fight against COVID-19 is inspiring the world: PM Modi

India’s fight against COVID-19 is inspiring the world, though at the beginning of the pandemic other countries worried about the countrys situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

Also read: Coronavirus | WHO chief thanks PM Modi for continued support

India is following a human centric approach to furthering global good, which is based on a healthy balanced welfare and well-being, he said, virtually delivering the valedictory address to ‘Heartfulness Practitioners’ on the platinum jubilee celebrations of Heartfulness Institute of Shri Ram Chandra Mission.

Australia

Victoria to lift lockdown

The Australian Open will be able to open its gates to fans for the last four days of the tournament after the state of Victoria announced that a snap coronavirus lockdown would be lifted at midnight on Wednesday.

Victoria State Premier Dan Andrews announced the lifting of the lockdown but said the crowds allowed into Melbourne Park for the semi-finals and finals of the Grand Slam might be reduced from the originally agreed 25,000 a day.”There will be meeting early this afternoon … where we go through and work through exactly what is a safe number and that decision will be made as soon as possible,” Mr. Andrews told reporters.

 

New variant

Four cases of South Africa variant of virus found in India

Four cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant strain from South Africa and one case of the Brazil variant have been detected in the country, the Health Ministry confirmed on Tuesday. India has so far reported 187 cases of the UK variant.

Giving details of these cases, which he said have been tested and isolated, Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General Balram Bhargava said, “South African variant of SARS-CoV-2 which has spread to 44 countries has entered India. The strain has been detected in four different SA returnees this past month — Angola (1), Tanzania (1) and South Africa (2). All travellers have been tested, quarantined and ICMR-NIV is attempting to isolate and culture the SA variant.”

 

Maharashtra

Violators warned of tough action

Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases across Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday directed divisional commissioners, district collectors and police authorities to take stern measures to enforce pandemic regulations.

However, no decision has been taken on re-imposition of a stringent lockdown, the CM added.

As COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra outpaced its recoveries for the fifth consecutive day, Mr. Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar held a meeting to take stock of the situation with divisional commissioners and district collectors.

 

Puducherry

Vaccination session sites set to be increased in Puducherry

The session sites for administering COVID-19 vaccination are being increased to improve immunisation coverage in the Union Territory.

At a meeting of the State Task Force cum District Task Force on COVID-19 vaccination, it was decided that two more session sites would be made functional at the Community Health Centre (CHC) Mannadipet and at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) Bahour. These facilities will be in addition to the existing 10 session sites across the Union Territory.

 

North Korea

North Korean hackers targeted vaccine technology, alleges Seoul

North Korean hackers attempted to steal information about coronavirus vaccines and treatments, South Korea’s intelligence service said on Tuesday, but it denied a lawmaker’s claim that vaccine maker Pfizer Inc. was targeted.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ha Tae-keung, a Member of Parliament’s intelligence committee, told reporters that the National Intelligence Service told him and other lawmakers during a closed-door briefing that North Korea hacked Pfizer to obtain COVID-19 vaccine technology.

(With inputs from our Correspondents and agencies)