Heena Sharma Blog

  India, currently struggling with the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic , on Friday received coronavirus-related assistance from Romania and the United Kingdom, informed Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. Taking to Twitter, Bagchi said India has received 80 oxygen concentrators and 75 oxygen cylinders from Romania, while it received 280 oxygen concentrators from the UK. "Taking forward our warm and friendly relations. Thank our EU partner Romania for their support with consignment containing 80 oxygen concentrators and 75 oxygen cylinders," he tweeted. In a subsequent tweet, he said: "Grateful to UK for the third shipment containing 280 oxygen concentrators that arrived early this morning. Reflects our shared commitment to fighting the pandemic." Earlier, a shipment from Ireland containing 700 units of oxygen concentrators and 365 ventilators arrived here in India. Read More

  India saw 3,86,452 new coronavirus infections in a span of 24 hours, the highest single-day rise so far, pushing the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,87,62,976, while active cases crossed the 31-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll increased to 2,08,330 with 3,498 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. Registering a steady increase, the active cases have increased to 31,70,228 comprising 16.90 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further dropped to 81.99 per cent. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1, 53,84,418. The case fatality rate stands at 1.11 per cent, the data stated. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 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 su...

  Vaccination of people above 18 years of age, which was supposed to start from May 1, may be delayed as the vaccines have not yet arrived, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Friday. "We have made orders to Serum Institute in Pune for over one crore doses but the official news is that they are still not prepared to give it to us from tomorrow as scheduled," the Minister told reporters here. He asked people who have enrolled themselves on the Cowin portal for inoculation to refrain from going to vaccination centres on May 1. The Minister said the government will intimate the eligible people after confirmation from Serum Institute of India about the arrival of vaccines. "We have already paid Rs 400 crore to purchase one crore doses of Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India in Pune," the Minister said. Read More

  Walmart , the world’s largest retailer, said on Friday it will use its global resources to expand support for Covid-19 relief efforts in India. Walmart, the Walmart Foundation, Flipkart and PhonePe, along with Walmart’s Global Technology and Sourcing hubs, are collaborating to counter oxygen shortages, support the national vaccination drive and donate to organizations making a difference in communities nationwide. “Walmart is a global family. We feel the impact of this devastating surge on our associates, families and friends across India, and it’s important that we come together to support however we can,” said Doug McMillon, President and CEO of Walmart Inc. Walmart will donate up to 20 oxygen-generating plants and 20 cryogenic containers for oxygen storage and transportation, as well as more than 3,000 oxygen concentrators and 500 oxygen cylinders for delivering oxygen therapy to patients at home or in the hospital. These are being sourced globally and will be donated t...

  The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to hear a PIL seeking a direction to the Serum Institute of India and the Bharat Biotech to sell their COVID-19 vaccines at a uniform rate of Rs 150 (plus GST) per dose. The public interest litigation (PIL), filed last week by Mumbai-based advocate Fayzan Khan and three law students, had challenged the different rates of COVID-19 vaccines for the Centre and state governments. The plea was mentioned on Thursday by the petitioner's advocate, Vivek Shukla, before a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni, seeking urgent hearing. The HC, however, said the petition should have been filed before the Supreme Court which, while taking up suo motu (on its own) cognisance of matters pertaining to COVID-19, had said it would hear all pan-India issues. "The Supreme Court has said issues that have pan-India effect will be dealt with by them and pricing is a phenomenon applicable all over India. We are no...

  The Chardham Yatra to the four famous Himalayan shrines in Uttarakhand, which was scheduled to begin next month, has been postponed in view of the massive surge in COVID-19 cases. Announcing this here on Thursday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said conducting the yatra amid the raging pandemic is not possible. However, the portals of the four Himalayan temples known as Chardham will open as scheduled, he said. However, they will open only for priests to perform regular prayers and not for devotees, he said. Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are the four famous shrines. COVID-19 cases have been rising exponentially in Uttarakhand as in various other states. Read More

  India saw a record single day rise of 3,79,257 new coronavirus infections pushing the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,83,76,524, while active cases crossed the 30-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The death toll increased to 2,04,832 with a record 3,645 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. Registering a steady increase, the active cases have increased to 30,84,814 comprising 16.79 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further dropped to 82.10 per cent. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,50, 86,878. The case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.11 per cent, the data stated. Read More

  More than 1 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with states and UTs and they will receive over20 lakh more doses within the next 3 days, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday. On media reports quoting some Maharashtra State Government officials that vaccines in the state are "finished" and adversely impacting the vaccination drive, the ministry said a balance of 7,49,960 vaccine doses is still available with the state for administration to eligible population groups. "It is clarified that the total COVID vaccine doses received by Maharashtra as on April 29 (at 8 am) are 1,63,62,470. "Of this, the total consumption including wastage (0.22 per cent) was 1,56,12,510. Balance of 7,49,960 vaccine doses is still available with the state for administration to the eligible population groups," the ministry said. Read More

  Google Lens can now automatically translate texts in screenshots for devices running Android 11 or above. According to 9To5Google, users can now take a screenshot of a foreign language and let Google Lens do the translation without any intermediate step. The exciting new feature is available on the Google Lens Screenshot UI for devices running Android 11+ . The translate button will become visible on the screenshot and a click on it will detect and translate the required text quickly. Google continues to release innovations that are bound to help it maintain its edge among its competitors, Gizmo China reported on Tuesday. In addition to translating the text, users can also copy the text on the screenshot, which can then be downloaded for offline access or shared on the Google Translate app or social networks like Twitter or Instagram. Read More

  Aiming to boost its laptop users, Samsung Electronics on Wednesday unveiled two new laptops, Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 , under its Galaxy Book Pro series , which is designed around the needs and routines of modern mobile-first users. Both the laptops under the Galaxy Book Pro series will be available in two variants -- 13-inch and 15-inch -- and are Samsung's first-ever Windows PCs with Super AMOLED displays. "The new Galaxy Book Pro series offers true mobile computing for the connected world, enabling ultra-light, yet mighty portability, boundless connectivity and a window into your wider Galaxy ecosystem," TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics, said in a statement. The Galaxy Book Pro Series is powered by next-generation hardware, including an 11th Gen Intel Core processor and Intel Iris Xe graphics. Read More

  Delhi reported 24,149 new COVID-19 cases and 381 deaths on Tuesday, the highest single-day toll for the national capital since the outbreak of the pandemic. This is the sixth consecutive day the metropolis has seen daily fatalities of over 300. A Delhi Health Department bulletin said the total coronavirus cases count in the city has gone up to 10,72,065 and the death toll has gone up to 15,009. The positivity rate in Delhi is 32.72 per cent and the case fatality rate is 1.40 per cent. The city now has 98,264 active cases, which is also the highest. A total of 17,862 patients also recovered from the disease taking the total number of recoveries to 9,58,792. The bulletin said that 73,811 tests including 46,581 RTPCR and 27,230 rapid antigen tests were done in the last 24 hours. Read More

  All those aged above 18 can register themselves on the CoWIN portal or using the Aarogya Setu app to get vaccinated against COVID-19 starting 4 pm on Wednesday, the Union Health Ministry said as the government gears up to launch the third phase of vaccination drive from 1 May. "Registration for the newly eligible category for COVID-19 vaccination opens today at 4 pm on cowin.gov.in and Aarogya Setu app," the ministry tweeted. After registration, taking an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine jab would be mandatory for those aged between18and 44 years as walk-ins will not be allowed initially, officials had said. Those above 45 years can still avail the facility of on-site registration to get vaccinated, they said. As India witnesses a surge in coronavirus cases, it has decided to allow everyone above18years of age to get vaccinated from May 1. Read More

  A quick intervention by staff saved the lives of 14 patients on oxygen support in the Parbhani district hospital in Maharashtra as the pipeline supplying the life-saving gas developed a leak after a branch of a tree fell on it, officials said on Wednesday. After noticing the leak on late Tuesday night, the staff of the hospital shifted the patients on jumbo oxygen cylinders for breathing, Deputy Collector Sanjay Kundetkar told PTI. "Around 11.30 pm, a branch of a tree fell on the pipeline which carries medical oxygen from the storage tank to the casualty and burns ward of the hospital, which caused leakage. The fault was detected and simultaneously 14 patients admitted in the casualty section were shifted on jumbo oxygen cylinders for breathing. The supply of oxygen was switched off for repairing the leak," he said. According to Kundetkar, the oxygen supply was interrupted for merely 2-3 minutes. He said technicians repaired the pipeline within two hours. "N...

  A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the different rates for COVID-19 vaccines for the Centre and state governments and requesting direction to the Serum Institute of India (SSI) and Bharat Biotech to sell their vaccines at a uniform rate of Rs 150 per dose. The PIL, filed on April 24 by advocate Fayzan Khan and three law students, said the vaccine is presumed to be an essential commodity and hence its management and distribution cannot be left in the hands of private companies. "These pharma giants are milking the fear psychosis of the increased death rates due to COVID-19 ," it said. Under the third phase of the national vaccination drive commencing next month, the vaccine manufacturers would supply 50 per cent of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to the central government and would be free to supply the remaining 50 per cent doses to state governments and in the open market, the government...

  Samsung Electronics has expanded its presence in the Indian smartphone market in the first quarter of the year on the back of multiple new handsets, a report showed Tuesday, as the South Korean tech giant aims to fend off challenges from Chinese players. Samsung represented 20 per cent of the smartphone shipments in India in the first quarter, up from 16 per cent a year earlier, according to market researcher Counterpoint Research. Among the top five brands, Samsung posted the highest on-year growth in smartphone shipments in the first quarter. "Samsung remains the second-largest brand for India's smartphone shipments with 52 percent on-year growth driven by its focus on the budget segment with the new M02 series and multiple other launches," the market researcher said. "It refreshed its A-series with the A32, A52 and A72, and the M-series with the M12. It also launched its latest flagship Galaxy S21 series earlier than its normal launch period." Read...

  The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against jumping to conclusions about a new coronavirus variant discovered in India, saying it had not yet classified it as worrying. A WHO spokeswoman said that it was not clear at this point to what extent the variant was responsible for the rapid increase in cases in India in recent months, DPA news agency reported. There are many factors that could have contributed to this, she said. For example, festivals and other events with many participants may have accelerated infections. The British coronavirus variant may also be affecting India's epidemiological situation. In India, more than 350,000 infections were reported within 24 hours on Monday, more than any country has reported in that timespan. With its 1.3 billion inhabitants, India has recorded a total of more than 17 million infections. Read More

  Ten states, including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, reported 69.1 per cent of the new COVID-19 cases registered in a day, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. With 3,23,144 people testing positive for the coronavirus infection in a day, the country's total tally of cases has climbed to 1,76,36,307, it said. Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan are also among the 10 states that reported 69.1 per cent of the new cases. "Cumulatively, more than 28 crore tests have conducted so far, while the cumulative positivity rate is 6.28 per cent," the ministry said. Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 48,700. It is followed by Uttar Pradesh with 33,551 new cases and Karnataka with 29,744 new cases. India's total number of active cases has reached 28,82,204 and comprises 16.34 per cent of the total infections. There has been a net increase of 68,546 cases in the total active cases in a span of...

  The Centre has imported 20 cryogenic tankers of 10 MT and 20 MT capacity and allocated them to states to address the shortage of oxygen tankers in the country as it deals with spiraling cases of COVID-19 . As mapping of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) from manufacturing plants to different states is a dynamic process and transportation of medical oxygen through cryogenic tankers is becoming a bottleneck in making available LMO from the eastern part of the country to other parts, 20 cryogenic ISO containers of capacity 20 MT and 10 MT have been imported to augment the transportation of oxygen, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in consultation with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the overall guidance of the Empowered Group-II have mapped the allocation of these containers to suppliers in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, the ministry said in the statement. Read More

  With 3,23,144 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases has climbed to 1,76,36,307, while the national recovery rate has further dropped to 82.54 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The death toll increased to 1,97,894 with 2,771 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. There has been a slight dip in the daily cases as compared to the number of new infections reported in the past few days. The active cases have increased to 28,82,204 comprising 16.34 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further dropped to 82.54 per cent. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,45,56,209 while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.12 per cent, the data stated. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7,30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 1...

  Apple has delivered the next big update iOS 14.5 that will help iPhone users unlock the device with Apple Watch when attempting to use Face ID while wearing a face mask in the pandemic times, along with requiring apps to get the users permission before tracking their data. The iOS 14.5 also brings exciting new features to iPhone like more diverse Siri voices, skin tone options to better represent couples in emoji, and much more. Apple said in a statement late on Monday that iOS 14.5 is now available as a free software update. "With Apple Watch on the wrist, unlocked, and in close proximity to iPhone, users can simply glance at their iPhone and they will receive haptic feedback from Apple Watch, indicating their iPhone has been unlocked," the company informed. The new feature works with iPhone X and later and Apple Watch Series 3 and later. With iOS 14.5, Siri no longer has a default voice, allowing users to choose the voice that speaks to them when they first s...

  Twitter has added a new prompt in the timelines of users to help them get correct vaccination information in their respective countries including India. The new prompt appears at the top of users' Twitter feeds for both iOS and Android users. "As COVID-19 vaccinations become more widely available, we want you to have access to the latest vaccine info in your country," Twitter said in a tweet on Monday. "This week you'll see a prompt in your timeline that links to sources about vaccine safety, efficacy, and news from public heath experts," the company added. Clicking on the link will take you to the information page prepared with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India, and organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US. Read More

  Over three hundred oxygen concentrators have been dispatched on Sunday morning from New York to India, according to a Government of India official based in the United States. Air India's A102 is transporting five tonnes (5000kg) of oxygen concentrators as cargo from the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and is scheduled to land in Delhi by Monday noon. The wide-bodied passenger aircraft will operate non-stop for over 15 hours. India is witnessing a deadly COVID-19 wave , with the country reporting over 3 lakh daily cases from the last few days. The country is facing a critical shortage of oxygen amid a devastating surge in COVID-19 infections . "Apart from this consignment that's has been shipped by Philips Atlanta, additional flights carrying oxygen concentrators will take off from San Francisco and Newark to transport hundreds of concentrators. The next flight from the US to India is scheduled to depart from Newark airport and will land in Delhi on...

  Natco Pharma Limited on Monday said it applied to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) for approval of Phase-III clinical trial of Molnupiravir Capsules for the treatment of COVID-19 positive patients. American pharma major Merck along with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics has developed Molnupiravir(MK-4482). According to a press release from the city-based drug maker, pre-clinical data have shown that Molnupiravir has broad anti-influenza activity, including highly potent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication. "Patients treated with Molnupiravir achieved response within 5 days of therapy indicating that the duration of treatment with Molnupiravir is short, with the additional advantage of being an oral therapy," it said. NATCO is hoping that CDSCO would give emergency approval of this drug based on "compassionate use" for patients. Read More