1-Dec-2022: World’s first intra-nasal vaccine for COVID developed by India has got approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for restricted use in emergency situations in the age group of 18 and above.

World’s first intra-nasal vaccine for COVID developed by India has got approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for restricted use in emergency situations in the age group of 18 and above.

This was stated here today by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh while chairing the meeting of the Societies of Autonomous Institutions of Department of Biotechnology where he also informed about the historic decision to merge the 14 societies of Biotechnology Institutes into a single society in the interest of convenient functioning, cost-effectiveness and integrated working.

The Minister lauded the role of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and its PSU, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance (BIRAC) for supporting the development of world’s first Intranasal vaccine for COVID by Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL).

Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the Product development and Clinical trials were funded by the Department of biotechnology, Government of India and BIRAC under the Mission COVID Suraksha Program. This vaccine received approval under restricted Use in emergency situations for ages 18 and above for primary 2 dose schedule, homologous booster doses.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, India’s efforts through Mission COVID Suraksha under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not only strengthened AtmaNirbhar Bharat but also bolstered India’s status as a worldwide vaccine development and manufacturing center showcasing the strength of Science and Technology. It is a matter of great pride for the country, the Minister added.

Phase-III trials were conducted for safety, and immunogenicity in ~3100 subjects, in 14 trial sites across India (supported by BIRAC). Heterologous booster dose studies were conducted for safety and immunogenicity in ~875 subjects, where a booster dose (3rd dose) of BBV154 intranasal vaccine was administered to study participants who were previously vaccinated with licensed COVID vaccines. The clinical trials were conducted in 9 trial sites across India. National Institute of Immunology (NII), an autonomous institute of DBT in New Delhi utilized their "Human Immune Monitoring and T-cell Immunoassay Platform" to examine the vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2-specific systemic and mucosal cellular immune responses the trial participants. Interactive Research School for Health Affairs (IRSHA), Pune (supported by BIRAC) completed the “Plaque Reduction Neutralization Assay” (PRNT) to quantify the titer of neutralizing antibody for the virus from three trial sites.

This vaccine has the double benefit of enabling faster development of variant-specific vaccines and easy nasal delivery that enables mass immunization to protect from emerging variants of concern. It promises to become an important tool in mass vaccinations during pandemics and endemics.

Vaccine is a recombinant replication deficient adenovirus vectored vaccine with a pre-fusion stabilized spike protein. This vaccine candidate was evaluated in Phases I, II and III clinical trials with successful results. It has been specifically formulated to allow intranasal delivery through nasal drops. The nasal delivery system has been designed and developed to be cost-effective in low- and middle-income countries. This vaccine is stable at 2-8°C for easy storage and distribution. Large manufacturing capabilities have been established by Bharat Biotech at multiple sites across India, including Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana, with operations pan India.

In another historic and path-breaking decision, Dr Jitendra Singh today approved subsuming of 14 Autonomous Institutions of DBT to create one Apex Autonomous Body - Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) for achieving centralized and unified governance to maximize impact of biotech research.

Dr Jitendra Singh the move is a tribute to Prime Minister Modi’s vision of “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” as well as his call for Greater Integration of Ideas and Institutions for cost-cutting and effective output.

Dr Jitendra Singh explained that the restructuring of DBT institutes is being carried out with a larger goal to enhance the scientific character and science outcomes at the institutes by building research synergies, new education programs in line with National Education Policy, improving human resource structures across cadres and effective management and monetization of assets emanating from the research being carried out.

The Minister hoped that BRIC will build on the foundations developed at the DBT institutions to foster synergies while maintaining their distinct research mandates. With an emphasis on interdisciplinary interactions that cut across institutional boundaries, BRIC institutes will undertake cutting edge research addressing national priorities, the Minister added.

Secretary, DBT, Rajesh Gokhale earlier welcomed the Minister and oversaw the presentation of Science activities in 2021-2022 by 9 Institutes today, while remaining 5 will give their presentations tomorrow.

7-Sep-2022: First Nasal Vaccine against COVID- 19 supported by DBT-BIRAC gets emergency use authorization from India drug regulator DCGI

Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and its PSU, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is delighted to announce approval from DCGI for emergency use authorization first of its kind intranasal COVID-19 Vaccine to Bharat Biotech (BBIL). Supported by DBT and BIRAC under the aegis of Mission COVID Suraksha, the mission was launched by DBT and implemented by BIRAC to reinforce and accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development efforts as part of Aatmanirbhar 3.0. Scientific leadership at various levels of vaccine development was provided by DBT laboratories and BIRAC. This is the fourth success story for the Covid-19 vaccine under mission Covid Suraksha.

BBV154 is an intranasal replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus SARS-CoV-2 vectored vaccine. It consists of a replication deficient ChAd vector expressing the stabilized Spike SARS-CoV-2 (Wuhan variant).

DBT’s Autonomous Institute, National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi utilized their "Human Immune Monitoring and T-cell Immunoassay Platform" to examine the vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2-specific systemic and mucosal cellular immune responses the trial participants. Interactive Research School for Health Affairs (IRSHA), Pune completed the Plaque Reduction Neutralization Assay (PRNT) to quantify the titer of neutralizing antibody for the virus from three trial sites.

Dr Rajesh S Gokhale, Secretary, DBT, and Chairperson, BIRAC speaking on the subject said that “The Department through Mission COVID Suraksha, is committed to the development of safe and efficacious COVID-19 vaccines. BBV154 COVID Vaccine is the first intranasal vaccine approved by DCGI for primary immunization against COVID-19 in the 18+ age group for restricted use in emergency situation being developed in the country under Mission COVID Suraksha and adds to our repertoire of COVID-19 vaccine. This is an excellent example of Aatmanirbharta initiative of the Government of India. I congratulate our scientists for partnering with Bharat Biotech and providing scientific leadership throughout the development of first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine@.

12-May-2022: PM participates in the Second Global COVID Virtual Summit

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participated in the Second Global COVID Virtual Summit on the invitation of the President of U.S.A., Joseph R. Biden Jr., earlier today. Prime Minister delivered his remarks in the Opening Session of the Summit on the theme ‘Preventing Pandemic Fatigue and Prioritizing Preparedness’.

Prime Minister highlighted that India adopted a people centric strategy  to combat the pandemic and has made the highest ever allocation for its health budget this year. Prime Minister stated that India was running the largest vaccination campaign in the world and had vaccinated close to ninety percent of its adult population and more than fifty million children.

Prime Minister also highlighted that as a responsible member of the global community, India would continue to play an active role by sharing its low cost indigenous COVID mitigation technologies, vaccines and therapeutics with other countries. India is working to extend its genomic surveillance consortium. India has used traditional medicine extensively and has laid the foundation for a WHO Center for Traditional Medicine in India to make this knowledge available to the world.

Prime Minister also called for strengthening and reforming the WHO to create a stronger and more resilient global health security architecture.

Other participants included co-hosts of the event - Heads of State/Government of Belize in its capacity as Chair of CARICOM, Senegal as Chair of African Union, Indonesia as President of G20 and Germany as President of G7 respectively. Secretary General of the United Nations, Director General of World Health Organization and other dignitaries also participated.

Prime Minister had also participated in the first Global COVID virtual Summit hosted by President Biden on 22 September 2021.

13-Aug-2021: First Nasal Vaccine Developed by Bharat Biotech supported by DBT-BIRAC gets nod of regulator for Phase 2 Trial

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and its PSU, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) have been at the forefront in the fight against the prevailing global crisis. They together have strategized to fast-track R & D efforts especially for vaccine development, diagnostics, drug repurposing, therapeutics and testing. The development of vaccines has been the top priority of the Department of Biotechnology.

This Mission COVID Suraksha was launched to reinforce and accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development efforts as part of the third stimulus package, Atmanirbhar 3.0. The focus of this mission is to consolidate and streamline available resources towards a warpath for accelerated vaccine development in order to bring a safe, efficacious, affordable and accessible COVID-19 Vaccine to the citizens at the earliest with a focus on Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Bharat Biotech's intranasal vaccine is the first nasal vaccine that has received the regulatory approval for Phase 2 trials. This is the first of its kind COVID-19 jab to undergo human clinical trials in India. BBV154 is an intranasal replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus SARS-CoV-2 vectored vaccine. BBIL has in-licensed technology from Washington University in St Louis, USA.

Phase 1 Clinical trial has been completed in age groups ranging ≥18 to ≤60 years. The Company reports that the doses of the vaccine administered to healthy volunteers in the Phase I clinical trial, has been well tolerated. No serious adverse events reported. Previously, the vaccine was found to be safe, immunogenic and well tolerated in the pre-clinical toxicity studies. The vaccine was able to elicit high level of neutralizing antibodies in animal studies.

The regulatory approval has been received for conducting “A Phase 2 randomized, multi-centric, Clinical Trial of Heterologous Prime-Boost Combination of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of BBV152 (COVAXIN®) with BBV154 (Adenoviral Intranasal COVID-19 vaccine) in Healthy Volunteers.”

Dr. Renu Swarup, Secretary, DBT and Chairperson, BIRAC speaking on the subject said that “the Department through Mission COVID Suraksha, is committed to development of safe and efficacious COVID-19 vaccines. Bharat Biotech’s BBV154 Covid Vaccine is the first intranasal vaccine being developed in the country entering into late-stage clinical trials.”

About DBT: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science & Technology, promotes and accelerates the development of biotechnology in India, including growth and application of biotechnology in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, animal sciences, environment and industry.

About BIRAC: The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit Section 8, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by DBT, Government of India as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging biotech enterprises to undertake strategic research and innovation for globally competitive product development to address unmet needs.

About BBIL: Bharat Biotech has established an excellent track record of innovation with more than 145 global patents, a wide product portfolio of more than 16 vaccines, 4 bio-therapeutics, registrations in more than 123 countries, and the World Health Organization (WHO) Pre-qualifications. Having delivered more than 4 billion doses of vaccines worldwide, Bharat Biotech continues to lead innovation and has developed vaccines for influenza H1N1, Rotavirus, Japanese Encephalitis(JENVAC®),Rabies, Chikungunya, Zika, Cholera, and the world’s first tetanus-toxoid conjugated vaccine for Typhoid. Bharat’s commitment to global social innovation programs and public-private partnerships resulted in introducing path-breaking WHO pre-qualified vaccines BIOPOLIO®, ROTAVAC®, and Typbar TCV® combatting polio, rotavirus, typhoid infections, respectively.

27-Jul-2021: Study to Assess Impact of Tobacco Consumption on COVID Patients

Based on the available scientific evidence and consistent with the WHO statement on tobacco use and COVID-19 issued on 11 May 2020 (accessed at https://www.who.int/news/item/11-05-2020-who-statement-tobacco-use-and-covid-19) , the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued an advisory on 28-07-2020 regarding “COVID-19 Pandemic and Tobacco use in India .

A copy of the said advisory is available at: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/COVID19PandemicandTobaccoUseinIndia.pdf .

Available global and Indian scientific evidence suggest that tobacco is a major cause of premature deaths and is a major risk factor for various non-communicable diseases like cancer, cardio-vascular diseases, stroke, lung diseases etc. Various studies have also suggested that forty percent of the tuberculosis burden in India may be attributed to smoking.

Several steps have been taken by the Government to prevent tobacco consumption. Some of the major steps are as under;

• A comprehensive legislation, namely the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA 2003) to regulate the use of tobacco products has been enacted. The provisions under COTPA, 2003 and the Rules made thereunder mandate prohibition of smoking in public places; ban on sale of tobacco products to and by minors, sale of tobacco products within a radius of 100 yards of educational institutions; prohibition on direct and indirect advertising of tobacco products and mandatory display of specified health warnings.
• The National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) was launched in 2007- 08 with the aim to (i) create awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption, (ii) ensure effective implementation of the provisions under COTPA, 2003 (iii) Set up tobacco cessation centres to help people quit tobacco use, and (iv) facilitate implementation of strategies for prevention and control of tobacco advocated by WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control.
• Rules have been notified to regulate films and TV programmes depicting scenes of tobacco usage to spread awareness. Such films and TV programmes are statutorily required to run anti-tobacco health spots, disclaimers and static health warnings.
• Specified health warnings to cover 85% of the principal display area of tobacco product packs.  The Quitline number, 1800112356, has been included in new specified health warnings.
• The Ministry has started National Tobacco Quitline to provide tobacco cessation services to the community and has launched a pan-India “mCessation” initiative to reach out to tobacco users who are willing to quit tobacco use and to support them towards successful quitting through text-messaging via mobile phones.
• Guidelines for Tobacco Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) to implement Section-6 of COTPA, 2003 have been disseminated to States/UTs
• The Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSA) issued in 2011 under the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006 lay down that tobacco and nicotine cannot be used as ingredients in Food Products.

16-Jun-2021: Delta Plus Variant is not yet classified as Variant of Concern: Dr. Paul

In the context of the public discourse regarding detection of new variants, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, Dr. VK Paul has reminded the public that the newly detected Delta Plus Variant is not yet classified as a Variant of Concern. “The present status is that yes, a new variant has been found. This is as of now a Variant of Interest (VoI), not as yet classified a Variant of Concern (VoC). VoC is one in which we have understood that there are adverse consequences to humanity, which could be due to increased transmissibility or virulence. We do not know at this moment this about the Delta Plus variant.” Dr. Paul stated this, while addressing the COVID-19 Media Briefing at National Media Centre, PIB Delhi earlier this week.

The Way Forward: Watch, Detect, Respond: The way forward is to watch for its potential presence in the country and take the appropriate public health response, says Dr. Paul. “We need to watch the effect of this change, this variant in a scientific manner; this has been found outside our country. We need to monitor it through The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) in order to assess and detect its potential presence and growth in our country. This is the way forward in relation to the virus.” Dr. Paul also mentioned that this will be an important area of future work for our comprehensive system of almost 28 laboratories. The system will constantly watch this and study its significance. This is something which science should and will watch and understand, added Dr. Paul.

“No Precision Weapon to Shoot the Variants Away”: The NITI Aayog Member said that this variant is a reminder to us about the importance of infection control and containment measures and behaviour. “Remember that there is no way that we can shoot these variants away, to use any precision weapon to ensure that they don't appear in future. What we need to do is to monitor, understand their behaviour and mount an appropriate response, being conscious of their effects on us. The appropriate response includes the same principles, namely containment measures and COVID appropriate behaviour.”

He spoke of the importance of addressing the root cause and breaking the chain of transmission. “One of the important tools to tackle any new variant is by following COVID Appropriate Behaviour. The root cause is the chain of transmission. So, if we are able to address the root cause and break the chains of transmission, we will be able to contain the spread, whichever the variant may be.”

Errors in Replication can lead to emergence of Variants of Concern: Explaining the origin of the Delta Plus variant, Dr. Paul said: “During the second wave, Delta variant - B.1.617.2 exhibited its effect; its higher transmissibility played a major role in making the wave intense. Along the same line, an additional mutation has been detected, which has also been submitted to the Global Data System. This has been referred to as the 'Delta Plus' or 'AY.1' variant. The variant was observed in Europe in March and has been notified and brought into public domain on June 13, just two days ago.”

He went on to explain that mRNA viruses are particularly predisposed to errors in their replication. When errors in replication of their RNA happen, the virus acquires a new character to a certain extent. “At times, it could be significant from the point of view of the disease, it could be in a region such as the spike protein through which the virus attaches to cells in the body. So if that part becomes smarter than the previous version, it is to our disadvantage. So we are worried about such variants.”

16-Jan-2021: PM Launches pan India rollout of COVID-19 vaccination drive

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched the pan India rollout of COVID-19 vaccination drive via video conferencing today.  This is the world’s largest vaccination program covering the entire length and breadth of the country.  A total of 3006 session sites across all States and UTs were virtually connected during the launch.

The Prime Minister started his speech by paying compliments to the scientists who were associated with the development of the vaccines. He said, usually it takes years to prepare a vaccine but here, in such a short time, not one but two made-in-India vaccine were launched. The Prime Minister cautioned the people to be careful about not missing taking two doses. He said that there will be a gap of one month between the doses. He asked people to keep their guards up even after taking the vaccine as only two weeks after taking the second dose, human body will develop necessary immunity against Corona.

The Prime Minister put the unprecedented scale of the vaccination drive in perspective by informing that, in the first round itself, 3 crore people, which is more than population of at least 100 countries of the world, are being vaccinated. He said that this needs to be taken up to 30 crores in the second round when elderly and people with serious co-morbidities will be vaccinated. He said that there are only three countries- India, USA and China, who have the population of more than 30 crore.

The Prime Minister asked people not to give heed to rumours and conspiracy theories as Indian vaccine scientists, medical system, Indian process and institutional mechanism in this regard is trusted globally and this trust is earned with a consistent track record.

The Prime Minister congratulated the country for a united and brave fight against corona. He termed the Indian response to corona as one of self-confidence and self-reliance. He noted a determination of not to let the confidence weaken in every Indian. He dwelled at length on the contribution of doctors, nurses, para medical staff, ambulance drivers, ASHA workers, sanitation workers, police and other frontline workers who endangered their lives to save other. Some of them didn’t even return to their homes as they lost their lives in the fight against the virus, noted a solemn Prime Minister. The frontline warriors  brought hope in an environment of despondency and fear, today, by vaccinating them first, country is acknowledging their contribution with gratitude, Shri Modi said.

Recalling the initial days of the crisis, the Prime Minister noted that India showed alertness and took right decisions at the right moments. Two weeks before the first case, which was detected on 30th January 2020, India had formed High-Level Committee. India had started proper surveillance exactly one year ago from today. On 17th January 2020, India issued its first advisory and India was among the first nations to start screening of passengers at the airports.

The Prime Minister congratulated the countrymen to pass the challenge of discipline and patience during the Janata Curfew. He pointed out that the exercise prepared the country psychologically for the lockdown. Morale of the country was kept high with the campaigns like taali-thali and lighting of diya, the Prime Minister added.

Shri Modi also talked about evacuation of Indians stuck abroad. In a time when many countries of the world had left their citizens stranded in China, India evacuated not only the Indians bit citizens of other countries. He recalled sending of entire lab to a country that was finding it difficult to test evacuating Indians.

The Prime Minister said India’s response to the crisis has been acknowledged globally. It was an example of the integrated and unified response from centre, states, local governments, government offices, social bodies who performed efficiently in unison, The Prime Minister concluded.

After the speech Prime Minister tweeted “India begins the world’s #LargestVaccineDrive. This is a day of pride, a celebration of the prowess of our scientists and hard work of our medical fraternity, nursing staff, police personnel and sanitation workers.

2-Jan-2021: In a massive country-wide exercise, a Mock Drill on COVID19 Vaccine administration held in all States and UTs at 286 session sites spread across 125 districts

India continues to scale several peaks in its fight against the COVID19 pandemic. As the country readies for the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) has been pro-actively involved in the preparations for this roll-out over the past couple of months to ensure that the preparations for roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine are on track, in close collaboration with the States/UTs and other stakeholders.

In a massive nation-wide exercise today, a end-to-end mock drill on the vaccine administration was conducted  today in all States and UTs at  286 session sites spread across 125 districts. Each District conducted the dry run at three sites or more which included a public health facility (District Hospital/Medical College), Private Health Facility, and rural or urban outreach sites. All the State & District officials were trained on the Operational Guidelines and  for conducting the dry-run. This dry run was aimed at testing the laid out mechanisms for COVID-19 vaccination roll-out in the health system and to assess operational feasibility of using Co-WIN application in field environment for planning, implementation and reporting at the block, district and state level.  The dry run was also conducted to familiarize the State, District, Block and Hospital level officers on all aspects of COVID-19 roll out.

The States/UTs conducted the dry run from 9:00 am across the country, in a seamless manner. The activities starting from beneficiary data upload, session site allocation & micro planning, vaccine allocation, session site management with test beneficiaries, reporting mechanism etc. were covered in this one day dry run to execute the nearest possible simulation of the actual day. The preparation to handle any Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) at all session sites and functionality of the Call Centers was also tested.  The dry run was supervised by the District collectors. This dry run ended with debriefing meetings at district and the state level to discuss the issues and challenges encountered during the day. MoHFW was in constant touch with the States throughout the day to seek feedback on their experience. The States/UTs have expressed complete satisfaction on the successful conduct of the dry run which included the operational process and its linkages with the Co-WIN Software.

The Co-WIN software has been developed by MoHFW for real time information of vaccine stocks, their storage temperature and individualized tracking of beneficiaries for COVID-19 vaccine.  This software will assist the programme managers across all levels through automated session allocation for pre-registered beneficiaries, their verification and a digital certificate will be generated upon successful completion of the vaccine schedule.  More than 75 lakh beneficiaries have been registered on Co-WIN software till date.

The cold chain infrastructure is sufficient to ensure last mile delivery of COVID-19 vaccine in a temperature controlled environment across the country. Sufficient supplies of syringes and other logistics have also been ensured to begin COVID-19 vaccination drive. Around 1,14,100 vaccinators have been trained on the process to be followed at the vaccination sites which includes beneficiary verification, vaccination, cold chain & logistics management, Bio-Medical Waste management, AEFI management and uploading the information on Co-WIN software.

The entire operational planning and IT platform has been field tested in four states which include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Punjab and Gujarat on 28th and 29th Dec’20; and on the basis of feedback received, minor enhancements have been made in the IT system.

1-Jan-2021: COVID19 Vaccine Rollout

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare today chaired a high-level meeting to review preparedness at session sites across the country for COVID-19 vaccination trial run on 2nd January 2021(tomorrow).

The senior officials of the Ministry apprised the Minister on various improvements that have been made to make tomorrow’s Pan-India dry-run glitch free such as number of telephone operators has been increased to answer every possible query from the teams on ground conducting the dry-run; block level task forces have been constituted for physical inspection of the sites; all workers have been oriented for the purpose with the dissemination of FAQs on the process, among other issues.

Requesting every official to ensure that the vaccination sites and official incharge abide by the detailed checklist and SOP for vaccination that has been prepared by the Union Health Ministry and shared with the States/UTs to guide them in the dry run, Dr. Harsh Vardhan pressed the need for perfect calibration between the administrative and medical officers to make the event a primer that would later enable the mass implementation of vaccination drive.

Re-emphasizing the importance of such an event that involves mass participation similar to the elections, he said, “Let us attempt to implement it as a real exercise with attention to the minutest detail. Proper co-ordination will go a long way in building mutual understanding so that the upcoming vaccination drive may proceed without any glitch.”

Drawing from the Pulse Polio drive of 1994 in Delhi, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that as the exercise of vaccination is so integrally based on interaction and involvement of people, the relevant stakeholders, NGOs, Civil Society Organization (CSOs) and others need to be mobilised. He also stressed on the need for adequate security arrangements at session sites, cold chain points and during vaccine transportation.

Dr. Vardhan also spoke with officials of Delhi: Shri Amit Singla, Secretary (Health), District Magistrates and District Immunization Officers of Shahdara, Central and South-West districts of Delhi where the three sites of Delhi are located. These three sites are Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Shahdara, Urban Primary Health Centre, Daryaganj and Venkateshwar Hospital, Dwarka.

The officers responded that the designated team have been adequately trained for the purpose and that they will be personally monitoring each and every aspect of the process to identify gaps and report them back. They also apprised the Minister of the preparations done for the dry run including setting up of session site, process of updation and collation of data, uploading it on CoWIN, training of the vaccinators, preparedness for any adverse event following immunization (AEFI), cold chain management, security of session sites and vaccine storage sites, etc.

They expressed confidence in their preparedness regarding the mock drill and assured the Union Minister that they are in all preparedness for the actual exercise of vaccination of the identified beneficiaries.

Dr. Vardhan also updated the officers on the status of the two leading vaccine candidates whose data are being closely monitored by the Subject Expert Committee of DCGI. He appreciated the efforts of front-line workers and expressed his condolence for those Corona warriors who sacrificed their lives in an attempt to save others.

21-Dec-2020: India suspends all flights to and from United Kingdom

The Minister stated that the Government of India has decided to take all necessary precautions as a result of the situation arising out of the spread of a new strain of coronavirus in some countries.

Considering the emerging Covid-19 situation in the UK, the Government of India has decided that all flights to and from the UK will be suspended till 31st December 2020 (23.59 hours). This suspension will start w.e.f. 23.59 hours, 22nd December 2020.

However, this restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA.

Airlines operating flights to India from other countries shall not board any passenger traveling from the UK to India and shall ensure that no passenger coming from the UK is boarded in a flight for any destination in India either directly or indirectly.

As a measure of precaution, passengers arriving from the UK in all transit flights (flights that have taken off or flights that are reaching India before 22nd December 2020 at 23.59 hrs.) should be subject to a mandatory RT-PCR test at the arrival port in India.

The passengers found Covid-19 positive on arrival shall be quarantined as per guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and would bear the medical costs incurred.

2-Dec-2020: INTERPOL warns of organized crime threat to COVID-19 vaccines

The INTERPOL Orange Notice outlines potential criminal activity in relation to the falsification, theft and illegal advertising of COVID-19 and flu vaccines, with the pandemic having already triggered unprecedented opportunistic and predatory criminal behaviour.

It also includes examples of crimes where individuals have been advertising, selling and administering fake vaccines.

As a number of COVID-19 vaccines come closer to approval and global distribution, ensuring the safety of the supply chain and identifying illicit websites selling fake products will be essential.

The need for coordination between law enforcement and health regulatory bodies will also play a vital role to ensure the safety of individuals and wellbeing of communities are protected.

“Criminal networks will also be targeting unsuspecting members of the public via fake websites and false cures, which could pose a significant risk to their health, even their lives.

“It is essential that law enforcement is as prepared as possible for what will be an onslaught of all types of criminal activity linked to the COVID-19 vaccine, which is why INTERPOL has issued this global warning,” concluded Secretary General Stock.

As well as targeting COVID-19 vaccines, as international travel gradually resumes it is likely that testing for the virus will become of greater importance, resulting in a parallel production and distribution of unauthorized and falsified testing kits.

With an increasing amount of COVID-related frauds, INTERPOL is also advising members of the public to take special care when going online to search for medical equipment or medicines.

In addition to the dangers of ordering potentially life-threatening products, an analysis by the INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Unit revealed that of 3,000 websites associated with online pharmacies suspected of selling illicit medicines and medical devices, around 1,700 contained cyber threats, especially phishing and spamming malware.

To avoid falling victim to online scams, it is important to be vigilant, be skeptical and be safe, as offers which appear too good to be true usually are. Always check with your national health authorities or the World Health Organization for the latest health advice in relation to COVID-19.

13-Sep-2020: Tracking global genetic variability, predicting viral sequences to resolve COVID 19 challenge

A group of scientists in India is working on genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 around the World, including India, to identify genetic variability and potential molecular targets in virus and human to find the best possible answer to combat the COVID 19 virus.

Breaking down the novel coronavirus challenge into many pieces to get to its root and see it from multiple directions, Dr. Indrajit Saha, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering of National Institute of Technical Teachers’ Training and Research, Kolkata and his team have developed a web-based COVID- Predictor to predict the sequence of viruses online on the basis of machine learning and analysed 566 Indian SARS-CoV-2 genomes to find the genetic variability in terms of point mutation and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP).

The study being sponsored by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has been published in the Journal called Infection, Genetics, and Evolution. They have mainly found that 57 out of 64 SNPs are present in 6 coding regions of Indian SARS-CoV-2 genomes, and all are nonsynonymous in nature.

They have extended this research for more than 10 thousand sequences around the globe, including India and found 20260, 18997, and 3514 unique mutation points globally, including India, excluding India and only for India, respectively.

The scientists are on the track to identify the genetic variability in SARS-CoV-2 genomes around the globe including India, find the number of virus strains using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP), spot the potential target proteins of the virus and human host based on Protein-Protein Interactions. They also carried out integrating the knowledge of genetic variability, recognise candidates of synthetic vaccine based on conserved genomic regions that is highly immunogenic and antigenic and detect the virus miRNAs that are also involved in regulating human mRNA.

They have computed the mutation similarity in sequences of different countries. The results show that the USA, England, and India are the top three countries having the geometric mean, 3.27%, 3.59%, and 5.39%, respectively, of mutation similarity score with other 72 countries. The scientists have also developed a web application for searching the mutation points in SARS-CoV-2 genomes globally and country wise. Besides, they are now working more towards protein-protein interactions, epitopes discovery, and virus miRNA prediction.

10-Sep-2020: Health Ministry urges States/UTs to Mandatorily retest all Symptomatic Negative Cases of Rapid Antigen Tests through RT-PCR

Union Health Ministry has noted that in some large States, symptomatic negative cases tested by Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) are not being followed up by RT-PCT testing.

The Guidelines of ICMR as well as the Union Health Ministry clearly state that the following two specific categories of persons must necessarily be retested through RT-PCR tests:

1. All symptomatic (fever or cough or breathlessness) negative cases of Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT).
2. Asymptomatic negative cases of RAT that develop symptoms within 2 to 3 days of being tested negative.

In this background, the Union Health Ministry and ICMR have jointly written to all the States/UTs and urged them to ensure that the all symptomatic negative cases of RAT are mandatorily retested using the RT-PCR test. This is necessary to ensure that such symptomatic negative cases do not remain untested and do not spread the disease among their contacts. This will also ensure early detection and isolation/hospitalization of such false negatives. It has also been reiterated in the joint letter that while the RAT is being used to increase access and availability of testing in the field, RT-PCR remains the gold standard of COVID tests.

The Union Health Ministry has also urged the States/UTs to urgently establish a monitoring mechanism in every district (a designated officer or a team) and at the State level to follow up such cases. These teams shall analyse details of RAT conducted on a daily basis in the Districts and State and ensure that there are no delays in retesting of all symptomatic negative cases. The aim of States/UTs should be to ensure that no potentially positive case is missed out. They have also been advised to undertake an analysis on a regular basis to monitor the incidence of positives during the RT-PCR tests conducted as a follow up.

17-Aug-2020: India sets a new landmark, exceeds 3 crore tests

India has set a new landmark of conducting 3 crore tests. With 7,31,697 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, India is on its resolved drive to increase its testing capacity to 10 lakh tests daily. Building on this achievement, the Tests Per Million (TPM) have seen a sharp increase to 21,769.While the cumulative testing rose from 1.2 crore on 14th July 2020 to 3.0 crore on 16th August 2020, the positivity rate has seen a rise from 7.5% to 8.81% in the same period. A prominent determinant of the evolving testing strategy is the steadily widening diagnostic lab network in the country. This has significantly grown from one lab at Pune in early January 2020 to 1470 today, including 969 labs in the government sector and 501 private labs.

6-Jul-2020: COVID Tests cross 1 crore milestone

In a significant achievement, the number of COVID tests has crossed the 10 million (1 crore) milestone.

This signifies the importance accorded to widespread testing and the focussed  “Test, Trace, Treat” strategy with several follow-up measures taken in tandem by the Central government and the States/UTs.

During the last 24 hours 3,46,459 samples have been tested. The cumulative number of samples tested, as of now is 1,01,35,525.

This achievement has also been possible by the continuously expanding network of testing labs throughout the country. As on date, more than 1105 labs have enables people to undergo COVID tests. There are 788 labs in the government sector and 317 private labs.  The various kinds of tests for COVID-19 and the labs providing these are as follows:

• Real-Time RT PCR based testing labs: 592 (Govt: 368 + Private: 224)
• TrueNat based testing labs: 421 (Govt: 387 + Private: 34)
• CBNAAT based testing labs: 92 (Govt: 33 + Private: 59)

Consistent and focussed efforts for containment and management of COVID-19 by Government of India along with the States/UTs have led to the number of recovered cases among COVID-19 patients rise to 4,24,432 as of today. During the last 24 hours, a total of 15,350 COVID-19 patients have been cured.

There are 1,71,145 more recovered patients than COVID-19 active cases. This takes the national recovery rate amongst COVID-19 to 60.86%.

There are 2,53,287 active cases and all are under active medical supervision.

18-Jun-2020: CSIR-CDRI’s candidate drug Umifenovir secures DCGI approval for Phase III Clinical Trial against COVID-19

CSIR constituent lab CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute(CDRI) Lucknow, has received permission for carrying out Phase III randomised, Double blind, Placebo controlled trial of efficacy, safety and tolerability of antiviral drug Umifenovir. The Phase III Clinical Trials will be carried out at King George's Medical University (KGMU), Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) and ERA's Lucknow Medical College & Hospital, Lucknow.

This drug has a good safety profile and acts by preventing entry of virus into human cells and also by priming the immune system. Umifenovir is mainly used for treatment of influenza and is available in China and Russia, and has recently come into prominence due to its potential use for Covid19 patients. To evaluate its efficacy in Indian patients, CSIR-CDRI has taken up the clinical trial. Further it has developed the process technology for Umifenovir in record time and licensed the economical process technology for manufacturing and marketing the drug to M/s. Medizest Pharmaceuticals Private Ltd. Goa, who have already received test license from DCGI.

Prof.  Tapas Kundu, Director CSIR-CDRI, said that all the raw materials for the drug are indigenously available and if the clinical trial is successful, Umifenovir can be a safe, efficacious, affordable drug against COVID-19 and can be part of National Program against COVID-19. Prof. Kundu also added that this drug has the potential for prophylactic use.

Dr. Shekhar Mande, DG-CSIR highlighted that this clinical trial is an integral part of the CSIR strategy of repurposing drugs for Covid19 and complimented the team of scientists of CSIR-CDRI Nilanjana Majumdar, Ajay Kumar Srivastava, Chandra Bhushan Tripathi and Nayan Ghosh, who were coordinated by Dr. Ravishankar Ramachandran, Nodal Scientist.  The formulation and documentation team included P.R. Mishra, V. Bhosale, RK Tripathi & S. Sharma of CSIR-CDRI.

The clinical trial application was processed on high priority as per the DCGIs initiative against COVID-19. The next steps of the trial are being fast tracked to enable the availability of the drug to Indian patients as soon as possible.

15-Jun-2020: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launches “Feedback Call Centres on COVID -19 Public Grievances and Interacts Live with Citizens”

Union Minister of State for Personnel, PG and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh today launched the “Feedback Call Centres on Public Grievances” and interacted live with citizens whose grievances have been successfully redressed on the COVID-19 National Monitor for Public Grievances. Dr. Jitendra Singh complimented DARPG on reaching the milestone of redressing One Lakh COVID-19 Public Grievances so far. He said that the “Leadership of PM Modi has inspired Government to put in a lot of effort to addressing Grievances of Common Man”.

This is the first time that a Senior Minister of Government has interacted live with Citizens who had filed grievances during COVID-19 and also paved way for other Ministries to take up citizen grievances in an effective manner along with a feedback mechanism.

The DARPG has in collaboration with BSNL operationalized Feed Back Call Centers in Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Jamshedpur, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Ajmer, Guntur, Coimbatore and Guntakal with 1406 call centre operators.

The Feedback Call Centres would seek feedback from individual citizens on citizen satisfaction on 1.28 lac COVID-19 Public Grievances that have been filed on CPGRAMS for the period 30/3/2020 to 30/5/2020. Necessary trainings on the feedback questionnaires to call centre operators has been completed on June 9-10, 2020. Feedback call-centres would operate in Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, Bengali, Assamese and Rajasthani.

On this occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh interacted with 4 citizens whose grievances were redressed on the COVID-19 National Monitor within a period of 3 days. Amongst the citizens who interacted with Dr. Jitendra Singh, were (a) Smt. Renuka V. Parasappagol resident of Bijapur, Karnataka whose grievance of a refund from Canara Bank was redressed by Department of Financial Services (b) Shri Gordhanbhai Jethabhai Patel resident of Vadodara Gujarat whose grievance of a refund of mature MIS investment was redressed by Department of Posts (c) Shri Lakshminarayanan resident of Delhi whose grievance for treatment of his daughter with HCQ was redressed by the AIIMS and (d) Shri Mrithinjayan resident of Chennai, Tamil Nadu whose grievance of accepting monthly instalments of deposits was approved by the Department of Posts. The citizens informed the Dr. Jitendra Singh that they had learnt of the COVID-19 National Monitor for Public Grievances from his tweets and statements, and thanked the Government for timely redressal of their grievances.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that in Modi 2.0, CPGRAMS has witnessed radical reforms and transformational governance resulting in comprehensive overhaul of grievance redressal in India. Amongst the steps taken were the implementation of CPGRAMS Reforms in top 20 Grievance receiving Ministries/ Departments delineating last mile grievance officers, Integration of State/ Union Territories Grievance Portals with CPGRAMS and Feedback Call Centres. He said that COVID 19 pandemic has created a world of digital opportunities to empower India’s citizens and DARPG must make best use of the crisis led reforms in coming days. Dr. Jitendra Singh said DARPG should bring out a compendium of success stories on successfully redressed Public Grievances which may be disseminated for restoring confidence in Citizens that the Government is sensitive to their issues.

17-May-2020: Extension of Lockdown up to May 31, 2020

Lockdown measures in place since March 24, 2020 have helped considerably in containing the spread of COVID-19.  It has therefore been decided to further extend the lockdown till May 31, 2020.  Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India (GoI) issued an order, today, under the Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005, in this regard. The salient features of the new guidelines are as follows:

States to decide various Zones

Under the new guidelines, States and Union Territories (UTs) will  now delineate Red, Green and Orange zones taking into consideration the parameters shared by the Health Ministry. The zones can be a district, or a municipal corporation/ municipality or even smaller administrative units such as sub-divisions, etc., as decided by States and UTs.

Within the red and orange zones, containment and buffer zones will be demarcated by the local authorities, after taking into consideration the Health Ministry guidelines.

Within the containment zones, only essential activities shall be allowed. Strict perimeter control shall be maintained, and no movement of persons would be allowed, except for medical emergencies and for maintaining supply of essential goods and services.  Buffer zones are areas adjoining each containment zone, where new cases are more likely to appear.  In the buffer zones, more caution needs to be exercised.

Activities Prohibited throughout the Country

A limited number of activities will continue to remain prohibited throughout the country.  These include

• all domestic and international air travel of passengers, except for domestic medical services, domestic air ambulance and for security purposes or purposes as permitted by MHA;
• metro rail services;
• running of schools, colleges, educational and training/coaching institutions;
• hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services, except for the running of canteens in bus depots, railway stations and airports;
• places of large public gatherings such as cinemas, shopping malls, gymnasiums entertainment parks, etc.;
• social, political, cultural and similar gatherings and other large congregations; and, access to religious places/places of worship for public. 

However, online/ distance learning shall be permitted and encouraged; and, restaurants will be allowed to operate kitchens for home delivery of food items.

Opening up of Sports Activities: Sports complexes and stadia will be permitted to open only for sports activities.  However, spectators will not be allowed in these complexes.

Activities permitted with restrictions: In order to facilitate the movement of persons, various modes of transport have already been opened up.  Movement of individuals by trains has been permitted earlier by MHA through an order dated 11.05.2020.   Further, evacuation of foreign nationals from India, return of stranded Indian nationals from abroad, sign-on and sign-off of Indian seafarers, and intra-State and inter-State movement of stranded persons by bus and train, will continue to be allowed.

Inter-State movement of vehicles and buses has also been allowed with mutual consent of the concerned States/ UTs.  Intra-State movement of vehicles and buses can be decided by the States and UTs.

National Directives for COVID-19 management

The guidelines specify the National Directives for COVID-19 management, which shall apply to public places and work places.

Under these guidelines, wearing of face covers is compulsory; spitting will be punishable with fine as may be prescribed in accordance with its laws, rules or regulations by the State/ UT local authority; and social distancing is to be followed by all persons in public places and in transport.  Marriage related gathering shall not have more than 50 guests.  For funerals/ last rites, the maximum number of persons allowed has been kept at 20.  Consumption of liquor, paan, gutkha and tobacco etc., is not allowed in public places.

The National Directives also stipulate additional requirements for work places.  The practice of work from home (WfH) should be followed to the extent possible; and staggering of work hours should be adopted in respect of all offices and other establishments.  There should be provision for thermal scanning, hand wash and sanitizers at all entry and exit points and common areas; and all work places and other sensitive locations are to be sanitized regularly.  In work places, social distancing would also need to be ensured through adequate distance between workers, adequate gaps between shifts, staggering the lunch break of staff and so on.

Stipulations regarding Shops and Markets: Local authorities should ensure that shops and markets open with staggered timings, so as to ensure social distancing.   All shops shall also have to ensure six feet distance (2 gaz ki doori) among customers and also not allow more than 5 persons at one time.

Night Curfew: Night Curfew shall continue to remain in force on the movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities, between 7 pm and 7 am.

Protection for Vulnerable Persons: Vulnerable persons, i.e., persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years, shall stay at home, except for meeting essential requirements and for health purposes.

All activities to be Permitted other than the limited number of those that are prohibited or restricted: All other activities will be permitted except those which are specifically prohibited under these guidelines. However, in containment zones, only essential activities shall be allowed, as mentioned earlier.

States to decide on activities within various Zones: States/ UTs, based on their assessment of the situation, may prohibit certain other activities in the various zones, or impose such restrictions as deemed necessary.

Use of Aarogya Setu: The Aarogya Setu mobile application is a powerful tool built by Government of India to facilitate quick identification of persons infected by COVID-19, or at risk of being infected, thus acting as a shield for individuals and the community.  With a view to ensure safety in offices and work places, employers on best effort basis should ensure that the application is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones. District authorities have been asked to advise individuals to install the Aarogya Setu application on compatible mobile phones and regularly update their health status on the app.  This will facilitate timely provision of medical attention to those individuals who are at risk. State/ UT Governments shall continue to strictly enforce the lockdown guidelines and they shall not dilute these guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, in any manner.

10-May-2020: Adequate health infrastructure and health facilities set up for COVID-19 management

Adequate health infrastructure and health facilities have been identified and set up for COVID-19 management in the country. The public health facilities dedicated for COVID-19 case management are categorised into three categories as below:

1. Category I Dedicated COVID Hospital (DCH) - The Dedicated COVID Hospitals are hospitals that offer comprehensive care primarily for those who have been clinically assigned as severe. These hospitals shall have fully equipped ICUs, Ventilators and beds with assured Oxygen support. These hospitals shall have separate areas for suspect and confirmed cases. The Dedicated COVID Hospitals shall serve as referral centres for the Dedicated COVID Health Centres and the COVID Care Centres.
2. Category II Dedicated COVID Health Centre (DCHC) - The Dedicated COVID Health Centres are hospitals that offer care for all cases that have been clinically assigned as moderate. The Dedicated COVID Health Centres shall have separate areas for suspect and confirmed cases. These hospitals shall have beds with assured Oxygen support. Every Dedicated COVID Health Centre is mapped to one or more Dedicated COVID Hospitals.
3. Category III Dedicated COVID Care Centre (DCCC) - The COVID Care Centres shall offer care only for cases that have been clinically assigned as mild or very mild cases or COVID suspect cases. These are makeshift facilities which may be set up by the States/UTs in hostels, hotels, schools, stadiums, lodges etc., both public and private. These facilities shall have separate areas for suspected and confirmed cases. Every Dedicated COVID Care Centre is mapped to one or more Dedicated COVID Health Centres and at least one Dedicated COVID Hospital for referral purpose.

As on 10/05/2020, 7740 facilities in 483 districts have been identified in all the States/UTs that include hospitals and facilities of the State/UT Govts as well as the central Govt. There are 656769 isolation beds, 305567 beds for confirmed cases, 351204 beds for suspected cases, 99492 Oxygen supported beds, 1696 facilities with Oxygen manifold and 34076 ICU beds.

All the States/UTs have been requested by Government of India to notify and upload the assigned three types of COVID dedicated facilities on their websites for public information. 32 States/UTs have already uploaded the information on their websites/public information platforms and the rest are in the process of doing the same.

In view of the need for further increasing the testing capacity for COVID-19 at National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the procurement of a high throughput machine as per the recommendations of Empowered Group 2 was approved. The Cobas 6800 testing machine has been successfully installed at NCDC now. NCDC is providing support for testing of samples from Delhi, NCR, Ladakh, J&K and various other states, as per need. Presently the testing capacity at NCDC is about 300-350 tests per day. With Cobas 6800, which is a high throughput machine with the capacity to test around 1200 samples in 24 hours, the testing capacity for COVID-19 at NCDC has been significantly enhanced.

So far, a total of 19,357 people have been cured. In the last 24 hours, 1511 patients were found cured. This takes the total recovery rate to 30.76%. The total number of confirmed cases is now 62,939. Since yesterday, an increase of 3277 has been noted in the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in India.

7-May-2020: RS Chairman and LS Speaker discuss COVID and meetings of Parliamentary Committees

Vice President of India and Chairman of Rajya Sabha Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu held a meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas and discussed the situation regarding COVID-19 disease in the country, role being played by Members of Parliament and the feasibility of holding meetings of Committees of Parliament.

Both the Presiding Officers noted with satisfaction that the Members of Parliament are actively engaged in the fight against corona virus besides initiating welfare measures and supporting various humanitarian initiatives being taken up by both the governments and civil society. They were happy to note that MPs are with the people whom they represent when they need them the most.

Shri Naidu and Shri Birla also discussed the issue of feasibility of various Committees of Parliament holding their meetings at the earliest in the prevailing situation and in the context of restrictions on travel across the country.  They felt that if the situation does not allow regular conventional meetings of the Committees in the near future, alternative means of enabling such meetings may be explored.

Accordingly, they have directed the Secretaries General of both the Houses to examine in detail the pros and cons of Parliamentary Committees holding meetings by video conferencing by taking into considerations the present Rules of Business of both the Houses of Parliament, the practices and experiences of various countries in respect of such virtual meetings and the time required to enable secure technology platforms required for such mode of meetings.  The report of the two top officials of Parliament will form the basis for a considered decision by both the Presiding Officers in the matter.

4-May-2020: Government of India to facilitate return of Indian Nationals stranded abroad

Government of India will be facilitating the return of Indian nationals stranded abroad on compelling grounds in a phased manner. The travel would be arranged by aircraft and naval ships. The Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) has been prepared in this regard.

Indian Embassies and High Commissions are preparing a list of distressed Indian citizens. This facility would be made available on payment-basis. Non-scheduled commercial flights would be arranged for air travel. The travel would begin in a phased manner from May 7.

Medical screening of passengers would be done before taking the flight. Only asymptomatic passengers would be allowed to travel. During the journey, all these passengers would have to follow the protocols, such as the Health Protocols, issued by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

On reaching the destination, everyone would have to register on the Aarogya Setu app. Everyone would be medically screened. After scrutiny, they would be quarantined for 14 days, either in a hospital or in an institutional quarantine on payment-basis, by the concerned State government. COVID test would be done after 14 days and further action would be taken according to health protocols.

The Ministries of External Affairs and Civil Aviation would soon share detailed information about it through their websites.

State Governments are being advised to make arrangements, including for testing, quarantine and onward movement of the returning Indians in their respective States.

23-Apr-2020: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launches country's First Mobile Testing Lab for COVID-19 detection; can process over 1000 samples per day

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh unveiled via video conference a Mobile Virology Research and Diagnostics Laboratory (MVRDL) developed by DRDO in association with ESIC Hospital, Hyderabad and Private industry.

The government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has taken several timely decisions because of which the spread of COVID-19 in the country is far less compared to many other countries.

Shri Rajnath Singh appreciated the setting up of this Bio-Safety Level 2 and Level 3 lab in a record time of 15 days which usually takes about six months' time. He said this testing facility which can process more than 1,000 samples in a day will enhance country’s capabilities in fighting COVID19.

He said our Armed Forces are contributing in many ways - such as setting up of quarantine centres, providing healthcare facilities, evacuating Indian Nationals from other countries etc. - to fight COVID19 and these efforts will continue.

The function was also attended by Shri G Kishan Reddy Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Shri KT Rama Rao Hon’ble Minister for IT Industries, Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Govt of Telangana, Shri Ch Malla Reddy Hon’ble Minister of Labour, Govt of Telangana and Dr G Satheesh Reddy Secretary DDR&D & Chairman DRDO.

The first of such Mobile Viral Research Lab (MVRL) that will speed up COVID-19 screening and related R&D activities was developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), the Hyderabad based laboratory of DRDO in consultation with ESIC Hospital, Hyderabad.

The Mobile Viral Research Lab is the combination of a BSL 3 lab and a BSL 2 lab essential to carry out the activities. The labs are built as per WHO and ICMR Bio-safety standards to meet international guidelines. The system has built in electrical controls, LAN, Telephone cabling, and CCTV.

The Mobile Lab will be helpful to carry out diagnosis of COVID-19 and also virus culturing for drug screening, Convalescent plasma derived therapy, comprehensive immune profiling of COVID-19 patients towards vaccine development early clinical trials specific to Indian population. The lab screens 1000-2000 samples per day. This lab can be positioned anywhere in the country, as per requirement.

DRDO acknowledged the contributions of M/s iCOMM for provision of containers, M/s iClean for design and build of the BSL2 and BSL3 labs in a time bound manner, and M/s Hi Tech Hydraulics for providing the base frame.

22-Apr-2020: Cabinet approves Rs. 15,000 Crore for ''India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package"

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved significant investments to the tune of Rs. 15,000 crore for 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package'. The funds sanctioned will be utilized in 3 Phases and for immediate COVID-19 Emergency Response (an amount of Rs. 7,774 Crore) has been provisioned and rest for medium-term support (1-4 years) to be provided under mission mode approach.

The key objectives of the package include mounting emergency response to slow and limit COVID-19 in India through the development of diagnostics and COV1D-dedicatcd treatment facilities, centralized procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs required for treatment of infected patients, strengthen and build resilient National and State health systems to support prevention and preparedness for future disease outbreaks, setting up of laboratories and bolster surveillance activities, bio-security preparedness, pandemic research and proactively engage communities and conduct risk communication activities. These interventions and initiatives would be implemented under the overall umbrella of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

In Phase 1, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare with the support of all the other line ministries has already undertaken several activities like:

1. Additional funds to the tune of Rs 3,000 Cr have been released under the Package to State/UTs, for strengthening of existing health facilities as COVID Dedicated Hospitals, Dedicated COVID Health Center and Dedicated COVID Care Centers. Detailed guidelines, protocols and advisory for quarantine, isolation, testing, treatment, disease containment, decontamination, social distancing and surveillance. Hotspots have been identified and appropriate containment strategies are being implemented.
2. Diagnostics laboratories network has been expanded and our testing capacity increasing every day. In fact, leveraging on the existing multi-disease testing   platforms   under   National   TB Elimination Programme,   orders   for procurement of 13 lakhs diagnostic kits have been placed to augment COVID 19 testing.
3. All health workers including Community Health Volunteers (ASHAs) have been covered with insurance under the “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package: Insurance Scheme for Health Workers lighting COVID-19". Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), N95 masks and ventilators, testing kits and drugs for treatment are being procured centrally.

The major share of the expenditure will be used for mounting robust emergency response, strengthening National and State health systems followed by strengthening pandemic research and multi-sector national institutions and platforms for One-Health, community engagement and risk communications and implementation, management, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation component. M/o Health & Family Welfare has been authorized to re-appropriate resources among components of the package and among the various implementation agencies (National Health Mission, Central Procurement, Railways, Dept. of Health Research/ICMR, National Centre for Disease Control) as per the evolving emergent situation.

21-Apr-2020: Dr Harsh Vardhan launches ‘COVID India Seva’, an interactive platform for citizen engagement on COVID-19

Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan today launched the COVID India Seva, which provided an interactive platform to establish a direct channel of communication with millions of Indians amid the pandemic. This initiative is aimed at enabling transparent e-governance delivery in real-time and answering citizen queries swiftly, at scale, especially in crisis situations like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Through this, people can pose queries @CovidIndiaSeva  and get them responded to in almost real time. @CovidIndiaSeva works off a dashboard at the backend that helps process large volumes of tweets, converts them into resolvable tickets, and assigns them to the relevant authority for real-time resolution.

Commenting on the announcement of the Seva, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “Over time, Twitter has proved to be an essential service for both the government and citizens to interact and exchange information, especially in times of need. As #IndiaFightsCorona with social distancing, we are happy to make a concerted online effort by adopting the Twitter Seva solution. It is powered by a team of experts at our end who are trained and equipped to treat and respond to each query uniquely, and at scale. This will enable us in establishing a direct channel with Indian citizens, connecting with them in real-time to provide authoritative health and public information.”

The dedicated account will be accessible to people be it local or national in their scope. Whether it is for latest updates on measures taken by the Government, learning about access to healthcare services or seeking guidance for someone who perhaps has symptoms but is unsure about where to turn to for help, @CovidIndiaSeva will empower public to reach out to the authorities. People can get their queries answered by tweeting to @CovidIndiaSeva.

As these responses are transparent and public, everyone can benefit from the responses received around common queries. It is important to note that the Ministry will respond to broader queries and public health information. This does not require the public to share personal contact details or health record details.

On the launch of the interactive platform, Ms. Mahima Kaul (@misskaul), Director, Public Policy, India and South Asia, Twitter said, "We understand our role as an essential service for both the government to communicate with citizens and for the public to stay connected with each other. As #IndiaFightsCorona with social distancing, we are committed to working with the Government of India as they use the influence of social media to connect with the public at large."

Over the last three months, the Ministry has introduced several initiatives in the war against Corona- including as part of a strategic communication strategy. This includes focused travel and health advisories, various Guidelines/Standard Operating Procedures/Protocols for different stakeholders across the public and private sectors for the governments, hospitals, citizens, different healthcare workers, employees and various other knowledge resources. Different channels of communication spanning the print, electronic and social media have been deployed as part of a holistic awareness campaign. It is as a result of these collaborative efforts that today there is a widespread awareness regarding basic measures of social distancing, hand washing and respiratory etiquettes to be followed for avoiding the virus. This effort has also been successful in the participation of different sections of the community in the prevention and containment measures of the Government.

10-Apr-2020: 39 PPE manufacturers available in the country, 20 lakh additional N-95 Masks provided to the states, additional quantity being procured

The number of COVID-19 positive cases in the nation stands at 6,412 as on date. A total of 503 people have recovered and have been discharged. A total of 199 people in the country have died because of the COVID-2019 infection. In the last 24 hours, 678 new cases and 33 deaths have been reported. This was informed by the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Shri Luv Aggarwal, at the daily media briefing on the actions taken, preparedness and updates on COVID-19, held at National Media Centre, PIB New Delhi.

Briefing about the availability of PPE, the Joint Secretary informed that 39 PPE manufacturers are available in the country today. PPE has been procured and given to states, due to which they have double the PPE stock available with them today, relative to what they had two months back. About N-95 masks, he informed that 9 lakh N95 Masks were available with the states two months back; 20 lakh additional masks have been provided to the states and additional quantity is being procured. Due to this, there will not be any shortage of N95 Masks at the field level, he assured. Order has been placed for around 49,000 ventilators, the supply will start coming soon, he added.

A representative of the Ministry of External Affairs informed:

• 20,473 foreign nationals have been successfully evacuated from India till yesterday. It is an ongoing effort, where all Government departments and State Governments are working in coordination.
• Given the ongoing lockdown, no definite answer can be provided with regard to return of Indians abroad. It requires an assessment of the situation and decision can be taken only at a later stage. However, Indian Ambassadors and High Commissions are in constant touch with Indians abroad; they are being guided and are being given all support. MEA Helplines also are active, calls are being answered and guidance is being given.

As regards export of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), he assured the nation that domestic requirement will be the priority of the Government, while taking decisions on export of HCQ. He said that the Group of Ministers decided to release some surplus stock for export, after considering the availability of domestic stock and the country’s requirement. He explained that certain medicines were in restricted list and others in prohibited list. Based on review by Committee of Secretaries and later by Group of Ministers, restrictions were lifted on many medicines, given domestic priorities. He informed that HCQ is in high demand globally and that many countries have requested for it. While exports to the first list of countries have been approved, the Government is working on second and third lists now.

About stock of HCQ in the country, Shri Aggarwal updated that based on the country’s projected requirement, we need 1 crore tablets of hydroxychloroquine for the coming one week, while the country has 3.28 crore tablets today. The current supply is hence three times more than the domestic requirement for the coming week and is way more than the demand for the coming month as well. Additional supply of 2 - 3 crore tablets has also been tied up.

The Joint Secretary also informed that:

• Centre has approved Rs 15,000 crore 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package' to fight COVID-19. Under this response package, states will be supported in up-gradation of medical infrastructure, setting up of dedicated COVID Hospitals, upgradation of testing facilities, supply of logistics such as PPE and training of health workers.
• Health Minister held a video-conference meeting with Health ministers and officers of all states. Issues including setting up of Dedicated COVID Hospitals, preparedness, contact tracing and surveillance were discussed. States have ensured that they are fully ready to deal with the situation.
• The Health Ministry has issued detailed guidelines on blood transfusion services during COVID-19, stating how blood banks should function as a life-saving device during COVID-19, and on what precautions they should take.
• In the context of Covid-19 situation, considering the immediate requirement of ventilators and other items, the Central Government has granted exemption from Basic Customs Duty and Health cess, on the import of the following goods, with immediate effect:
  • Ventilators,
  • Face masks, surgical Masks,
  • Personal protection equipment (PPE)
  • Covid-19 testing kits
  • inputs for manufacture of the above items
• The Health Ministry has issued a video tool to spread awareness on use of different types of PPE in different areas such as high-risk, moderate risk and low-risk areas.
• A nation-wide online training seminar on pregnancy and labour management has been conducted by AIIMS, for the guidance of pregnant ladies, in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Many people participated in this seminar.
• From one lab in January 2020, 146 testing labs are functional in the public sector today. 67 private labs are there too, for which there are more than 16,000 collection centres. We have performed 16,002 tests yesterday.

Replying to a media query, the Joint Secretary reassured that the nation has not yet entered the stage of "community transmission" of COVID-19. He reiterated that what is important is how well we are able to collectively adopt required precautionary and containment steps.

The Joint Secretary reiterated that India’s frontline health workers are our biggest strength in the fight against COVID19 and that even one incident against them can hurt their morale and strength. Stating this, he appealed that none should commit any act by which morale of the frontline workers may come down. Speaking on the need to combat stigma associated with COVID-19, Shri Aggarwal also requested all to come forward and inform authorities if anyone observes symptoms, so that testing and treatment can be done.

Informing that enforcement of lockdown is happening in the entire country, the representative of the Home Affairs Ministry stated:

• Home Minister has reviewed protection of Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders via a video-conference meeting with officers of the Border Security Force. The HM has instructed to strengthen vigilance at borders, especially at areas without border-fencing and has asked not to allow any cross-border movement. The Minister also asked BSF to educate our farming brethren in border areas about COVID-19 and to help them stay safe. He directed BSF to also coordinate with district administration and prevent any inadvertent movement across the border.
• Urban local bodies have strengthened their efforts in containing the spread of COVID-19 in hot spots.
• MHA has again written to states today to enforce lockdown effectively, especially considering upcoming festivals.
• As per update from states on April 9, 2020, 37,978 relief camps and shelters have been set up, 14.3 lakh stranded migrant workers and other needy people are provided relief. Out of this, more than 34,000 relief camps have been set up by State Governments, while 3,900 camps are by NGOs. In addition, a total of 26,225 food camps have been set up in the country, in which more than 1 crore people are being provided food. Around 16.5 lakh workers are being provided food and relief by their employers and industries.

The ICMR representative informed that the COVID-19 testing strategy has been expanded to include all symptomatic cases in hot spot areas as well. There are 213 laboratories, including 146 labs in public sector and 67 labs in private sector. As per the update at 9 PM on April 9, 2020, 1,44,910 samples from 1,30,792 suspected patients were tested. 5,705 of these tests turned out to be positive. 16,002 samples were tested yesterday, which marks a substantial increase in the number of tests done relative to the last few days.

The Principal Director General of Press Information Bureau, Shri K. S. Dhatwalia informed:

• Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), a statutory body under Union Ministry of Labour & Employment has processed about 1.37 lakh claims across the country disbursing an amount of Rs. 279.65 crore under a new provision especially formulated by amending the EPF Scheme, to help subscribers fight Covid-19.
• During the last two days, there have been some reports in media about various protocols to be followed by train passengers and resumption of train services after the lockdown.  In a media advisory on this matter, it has been stated that that final decision regarding above matters is yet to be taken and premature reporting on such matters is leading to unnecessary and avoidable speculation in the minds of public in such extraordinary times.

6-Apr-2020: Updates on COVID-19

Government of India is taking several steps along with the States/UTs for the prevention, containment and management of COVID-19 in the country. These are being regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level.

Cabinet Secretary has been interacting through Video Conference with various District officials at the cutting edge levels to ensure uniformity of response across all parts of state. All districts have been advised to have a District level Crisis Management Plan for COVID-19.

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has issued detailed Guidelines for setting up of quarantine facilities for COVID-19 outbreak. This Guidelines focus on separating suspected and high-risk contacts as early as possible from among other quarantined persons. The Guidelines may be accessed at:

https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/90542653311584546120quartineguidelines.pdf

The Ministry has also issued Guidelines for Handling, Treatment, and Disposal of Waste Generated during Treatment/Diagnosis/ Quarantine of COVID-19 patients which are available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/63948609501585568987wastesguidelines.pdf. Additionally, few informative videos for managing stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak are also posted on the website of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

The States have already been advised to use funds under National Health Mission (NHM) and State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) to undertake all activities related with creation of quarantine centres, dedicated COVID-19 hospitals and other medical equipment, treatment of patients and all other activities related with management of COVID-19. In addition to this, NHM has already sanctioned Rs. 1100 Cr to all the States & Rs. 3000 Cr additional funds were released today. Also, N-95 masks, Ventilators and PPEs are being procured from the central pool and distributed to all the States across the country.

As of now, 4067 confirmed cases and 109 deaths have been reported. 291 persons have been cured/discharged after recovery.

As per the presently available data, an analysis of total confirmed cases has presented the following distribution:

Gender distribution:

76% are male 

24% are female

Age distribution:

47% people - below 40 years age group

34% people - between 40 to 60 years age group

19% people - 60 and above age group

Following observations are made while analysing the reported 109 deaths due to COVID-19:

Gender distribution:

73% are male

27% are female

Age distribution:

63% deaths reported for elderly people (60 and above)

30% deaths reported for people between 40 to 60 years

7% deaths reported for people below 40 years

As of now, 86% death cases have exhibited comorbidity related to diabetes, chronic kidney issues, hypertension and heart related problems. Although 19% confirmed cases have been reported among the elderly, since 63% deaths have been observed among them, elderly people form a high risk population. Further, though 37% deaths are reported from people below 60 years, approximately, 86% of deaths amongst people with co-morbidities indicate that young people with co-morbidities are also at high risk of COVID-19.

6-Apr-2020: Advisory regarding containing and management of COVID-19 in National Parks/Sanctuaries/Tiger Reserves.

In view of the spread of COVID 19 in the country and a recent news report on a Tiger being infected with the COVID 19 in New York, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued an advisory regarding containing and management of COVID-19 in National Parks/Sanctuaries/Tiger Reserves as it is felt that there are possibilities of spread of the virus amongst animals in National Parks/Sanctuaries/Tiger Reserves and also transmission of the virus from humans to animals and vice-versa.

The advisory has asked Chief Wildlife Wardens of all States/UT’s to:

1. Take immediate preventive measures to stop the transmission and spread of the virus from humans to animals and vice versa, in National Parks/Sanctuaries/Tiger Reserves.
2. Reduce the human wildlife interface.
3. Restrict the movement of people to National Parks/Sanctuaries/Tiger Reserves.
4. Constitute a Task Force/Rapid Action Force with Field Managers, Veterinary doctors, Frontline staff, to manage the situation as quickly as possible.
5. Create a ‘round the clock’ reporting mechanism with a Nodal Officer for swift management of any cases noticed.
6. Set up essential services for emergency treatment of animals and their safe release back to their natural habitats, as and when required.
7. Enhance disease surveillance, mapping and monitoring system through coordinated effort amongst various Departments.
8. Maintain all other stipulations issued by the Health Ministry in the movement of staff/tourists/villagers, etc. in and around National Parks/Sanctuaries/Tiger Reserves.
9. Take other possible steps to control the spread of the virus.
10. Report the action taken to this Ministry.

30-Mar-2020: Govt gives benefits to farmers on crop loan repayments due to Covid-19 lockdown

In the wake of lockdown due to ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Government has extended the benefit of 2% Interest Subvention (IS) to Banks and 3% Prompt Repayment Incentive (PRI) to all farmers upto 31st May, 2020 for all crop loans upto Rs.3 lakh given by banks which have become due or are becoming due between 1st March, 2020 and 31st May, 2020.

Due to restrictions imposed on movement of people, many farmers are not able to travel to bank branches for payment of their short term crop loan dues. Moreover, due to restrictions on movement of people and difficulty in timely sale and receipt of payment of their produce, farmers may be facing difficulties in repayment of their short term crop loans falling due during this period.

To address this problem being faced by farmers, extension of Interest Subvention (IS) and Prompt Repayment Incentive (PRI) benefit upto 31st May, 2020 on the short term crop loans upto Rs.3 lakh which are due upto 31st May, 2020, shall help the farmers to repay such loans upto the extended period at 4% p.a. interest without attracting any penalty.

Government is providing concessional crop loans to farmers through banks with 2% p.a. interest subvention to banks and 3% additional benefit on timely repayment to farmers thus providing loans upto Rs.3 lakh at 4% p.a. interest on timely repayment.

29-Mar-2020: Center directs States to ensure no movement of People across cities

Cabinet secretary and MHA are in constant touch with State Chief Secretaries and DGPs. Video Conferences were held by Cabinet Secretary & Home Secretary yesterday evening and today morning with Chief Secretaries & DGPs.

It was noted that, by and large, there has been effective Implementation of guidelines across all states and UTs. Essential supplies have also been maintained. Situation is being monitored round the clock and necessary measures are being taken as required.

However, there has been movement of migrant workers in some parts of the country. Directions were issued that district and state borders should be effectively sealed. States were directed to ensure there is no movement of people across cities or on highways. Only movement of goods should be allowed. DMs and SPs should be made personally responsible for implementation of these directions which have been issued under the DM Act.

It has been advised that adequate arrangements for food and shelter of poor and needy people including migrant laborers be made at the place of their work. Centre had yesterday issued orders for use of SDRF funds for this purpose. Sufficient funds are available with States in this head.

States have been also told to ensure timely payment of wages to labourers at their place of work during the period of lockdown without any cut. House Rent should not be demanded from the labourers for this period. Action should be taken against those who are asking labourers or students to vacate the premises.

Those who have violated the lockdown and traveled during the period of lockdown will be subject to minimum 14 days of quarantine in government quarantine facilities. Detailed instructions on monitoring of such persons during quarantine have been issued to States.

It was impressed upon all the States that three weeks of strict enforcement is essential to contain spread of corona virus. This is in the interest of everyone.

27-Mar-2020:  2-day online ideathon to mitigate the uncertainties arising in light of the rampaging Pandemic

Fight Corona IDEAthon, a 2-day online IDEAthon, is an initiative jointly organised by MHRD Innovation Cell, AICTE, MEITY Startup Hub, InnovatioCuris and other institutions of global and national prominence offering support in terms of Technology, Knowledge, Outreach, etc., with Forge Accelerator as the Partner incubator, in the endeavour to scout for accessible and affordable technological solutions that can contain the rapid spread of infection, ease the mounting pressure and ensure a quick return to normalcy.

Challenges and problem statements have been sought from healthcare professionals, government officials and other stakeholders working on the ground and are curated under 8 different categories such as - Personal Hygiene & Protection, Awareness, Preparedness & Responsible Behavior, Medical Systems - Diagnostic & Therapeutic, Screening, Testing & Monitoring - Devices & IT/Digital/Data Solutions, Protecting Most Vulnerable Groups, Community Task Forces/Working Groups, Remote Work & Remote Education, Stabilizing Affected Businesses and the Open Category where one has the flexibility to choose and solve their own challenges.

Problem statements of high magnitude soliciting innovative technological solutions like the design of reusable/washable masks, a system that can disinfect currency notes/coins, mobile applications with an ability to provide right, reliable and authentic information to curb infection and the spread of panic, a non-invasive diagnostic kit, alternate solutions for ventilators to treat patients who face chronic breathing problems, Storage Kits to collect test samples from homes and transport them to laboratories, etc. are put forth for student innovators, educators, researchers, professionals and startups to ideate and innovate feasible products.

Registration for IDEAthon was closed at 6pm on 26th March2020. IDEAthon is currently on-going and will end on March 28, 2020. More than 5000 entries have been received and they will subsequently be shortlisted further based on their progress during the event.

During the 2-day IDEAthon, Startups and innovators shall be guided by Domain experts, Healthcare providers and professionals, Innovation experts, etc. from across the country through a virtual platform in their pursuit of ideating and innovating technically feasible and economically viable solutions to the curated set of problems. Online webinars, masterclasses and live one-one mentoring sessions are organized to support innovators with a focus to guide in technical design, innovation acceleration and rapid development of their prototypes.

AICTE Chairman, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe said, “COVID-19 is spreading at an unprecedented scale to several countries across the globe affecting more than 4 lakh people to emerge as the largest pandemic the world has witnessed in modern times. The rapid outbreak and its aftermath have led to an alarming crisis, testing the limits of resources and capacities of every country in terms of diagnosing the suspected, isolating and treating the infected and creating an actionable awareness among the people, the importance of exercising a socially responsible behaviour to contain the spread. I am sure this IDEAthon will pave way for all these”

Ideas and solutions that demonstrate a proof of potential shall be awarded cash prizes up to Rs. 7 lakhs (sponsored by AICTE and AWS) and shall be offered innovation grants up to Rs. 40 lakhs to enable them to accelerate further development of their ideas and prototypes. Selected startups and innovators shall be offered incubation support with access to industry partners, industrial-grade prototyping lab and pilot production facilities, co-working facilities, business support services, mentoring and expertise in tech, strategy and venture development, corporate grants, etc.

Few international agencies like worldstartup.co, United Nations Technology and Innovation lab, and Crowdera have also come forward to support the participants.

25-Mar-2020: Use of Indelible Ink for affixing stamp indicating home quarantine of people due to COVID-19.

Due to extraordinary circumstances because of COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission has reviewed its decision suo-moto and it is decided to allow usage of Indelible Ink on persons for stamping for home quarantine by health authorities with the following conditions:

1. As per the provisions of Rule 49K of the Conduct of Elections Rules,1961, the left forefinger of electors is required to be marked with indelible ink at the polling stations before the elector is allowed to vote. Sub rule (4) of the said Rule 49K provides that in cases where the elector does not have fore finger on the left hand, the ink is to be marked on any finger on his left hand, and if he does not have any finger on his left hand, the ink is to be marked on his right forefinger. Hence, concerned authorities shall be instructed not to use the Indelible Ink on any finger on left hand of any persons.
2. Ministry may standardise the mark and the location on the body where the mark has to be applied so that it does not come in the way of conduct of elections anywhere in the country.
3. The authorities concerned shall be instructed to maintain the record of the persons to whom Indelible Ink is applied.
4. The authorities shall also be instructed to ensure that the Indelible Ink shall not be used for any other purpose.

Commission would like bring to the notice of entities be they be Ministries/ Departments in GOI / any PSUs in the Central / State sector / Govts of user States / Govts of UTs that indelible ink mark is normally expected to last for 3 days when applied on the skin but lasts for a few weeks on the fingernail till the nail grows out.

24-Mar-2020: Invest India Business Immunity Platform launched to helping businesses withstand COVID-19

Invest India, India’s national Investment Promotion & Facilitation Agency, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has launched The Invest India Business Immunity Platform. The platform, hosted on the Invest India website, is designed as a comprehensive resource to help businesses and investors get real-time updates on India’s active response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus). This dynamic and constantly updating platform keeps a regular track on developments with respect to the virus, provides latest information on various central and state government initiatives, gives access to special provisions, and answers and resolves queries through emails and on WhatsApp. The Business Immunity Platform (BIP) is the active platform for business issue redressal, operating 24/7, with a team of dedicated sector experts and responding to queries at the earliest. Invest India has also announced a partnership with SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) for responding and resolving queries for MSMEs.

While COVID-19  continues to disrupt normal life, the impact of this crisis on businesses across the country is being continuously assessed. The government, for its part, has issued timely guidelines for businesses. Business owners have been trying to grasp what these guidelines mean for their businesses. Realizing the uncertainty that the Corona crisis has caused among businesses, the platform was launched on 21st March,2020.

The platform also includes frequently asked questions on important aspects like locations of COVID-19 testing, special permissions and other location-specific information. The portal also maps and highlights the response mechanism put in place by leading Indian companies such as sanitation of staff vehicles, placing orders in alternate markets, disabling biometric attendance systems, setting up of medical task force, requesting trainees to go home, business continuity plan, barring entry of visitors, suspension of air travel, usage of video-conferencing and tele-conferencing, developing online solutions and other unique initiatives.

This Business Immunity Platform shall help people get access to all the information they require while staying in their comfort of their homes. With this platform, Invest India aims to bring facilitation at your doorstep!

Mr. Deepak Bagla, MD & CEO, Invest India has said “This is a platform for all of us to get together in the face of this unprecedented challenge of COVID-19. The team is working towards finding clarifications and solutions in a rapidly evolving scenario, especially from the perspective of business continuity for the business community. This platform also provides the ability to join the dots to find matching suppliers with required supplies and for innovators, startups and MSMEs to show case their solutions. During the past 48 hours we’ve had over 30,000 visitors across 40 countries and 50,000 plus hits on our website. The platform is seeing an average time spent of nearly 5 minutes. Since yesterday the team has been working actively on over 200 business requests for business continuity and immunity. It is also a platform to hear from the experts on business strategies to be adopted during such times.”

21-Mar-2020: Students to continue their learning by making full use of the available digital e-Learning platforms

Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ asked students to continue their learning by making full use of the available digital e-Learning platforms during the period the educational institutions are closed as a precautionary measure against COVID-19. The Minister has also urged educational institutions to promote digital learning and make students aware of the various digital/e-learning platforms which are provided by MHRD for online education. The Minister also appealed to students, teachers and parents to follow ‘Janata Curfew’ the clarion call of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 22nd March, 2020.

Some of the digital initiatives/platforms of Ministry of HRD available for school education are as follows:

1. DIKSHA: Diksha has more than 80000 e-Books for class 12th created by CBSE, NCERT and States/UTs which are available in multiple languages. The content can also be viewed through QR code on textbooks. This app can be downloaded from iOS and Google Play Store: Website: https://diksha.gov.in or https://seshagun.gov.in/shagun
2. e-PATHSHALA: In this web portal NCERT has deployed 1886 audios, 2000 videos, 696 e- e-books (e-Pubs) and 504 Flip Books for classes 1st to 12th in different languages. Mobile app is available. Website: http://epathshala.nic.in or http://epathshala.gov.in
3. National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER): NROER portal has a total of 14527 files including 401 collections, 2779 documents, 1345 interactive, 1664 audios, 2586 images and 6153 videos on different languages. Website: http://nroer.gov.in/welcome

The platforms of Ministry of HRD for school education are as follows Higher Education are as under:

1. SWAYAM: SWAYAM is the national online education platform hosting 1900 courses covering both school (class IX to XII) And Higher Education (under graduate, post graduate programs) in all subjects including engineering, humanities and social sciences, law and management courses. A unique feature of SWAYAM is that, it is integrated with the conventional education. Credit transfers are possible  for SWAYAM courses (max 20%).Website: swayam.gov.in
2. SWAYAM PRABHA: Has 32 D2H TV channels transmitting educational contents on 24/7 basis. These channels are available for viewing all across all across the country using DD free Dish set top box and antenna. The channel schedule and other details are available in the portal. The channels cover both school education (class IX to XII) And Higher Education (under graduate, post graduate, engineering, out of school children, vocational courses and teacher training) in arts, Science, commerce, performing arts, Social Sciences and Humanities subjects, engineering, technology,  law, medicine, agriculture. Website: swayamprabha.gov.in

The access/ login in to all the above platforms/facilities are free. In addition to above, students may take up projects to be done at home under 'Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat',  'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan',  'Jal Shakti Abhiyan',  'Ban on Single Use Plastic' and 'Fit India' programmes of the Government of India.

15-Mar-2020: PM interacts with SAARC leaders to combat COVID-19 in the region

PM proposes set up of COVID-19 Emergency Fund for SAARC countries

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacted with the leaders of the SAARC countries through video conference to chart out a common strategy in order to combat COVID-19 in the region.

Shared History - Collective Future

Prime Minister thanked the leaders for joining the conference at such short notice. Stressing on the ancient people to people ties and interconnectedness of societies of the SAARC countries, he said it is imperative for the nations to prepare to face the challenge together.

The Way Forward

In the spirit of collaboration, Prime Minister Modi proposed creation of a COVID-19 Emergency Fund based on voluntary contributions from all the countries, with India making an initial offer of US $10 million for the fund. The fund can be used by any of the partner countries to meet the cost of immediate actions. He informed that India is assembling a Rapid Response Team of doctors and specialists, along with testing kits and other equipment, which will be on stand-by, to be placed at the disposal of the countries, if required.

Prime Minister also offered arranging for online training capsules for the emergency response teams of the neighbouring countries and sharing of software behind India’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Portal to help trace possible virus carriers and the people they contacted. He suggested that existing mechanisms like SAARC Disaster Management Centre can be used to pool in best practices.

He also suggested creation of a common Research Platform to coordinate research on controlling epidemic diseases within the South Asian region. He suggested further brainstorming by experts on the long-term economic consequences of COVID-19, and how best to insulate internal trade and local value chains from its impact.

The leaders thanked the Prime Minister for the proposed initiatives. Prime Minister reiterated the resolve to battle together and said that neighbourhood collaboration by SAARC countries should serve as a model for the world.

Sharing Experience

Prime Minister said the guiding mantra for India has been "prepare, but don’t panic”. He laid down the proactive steps taken, including a graded response mechanism, screening those entering the country, public awareness campaigns on TV, print and social media, special efforts to reach out to the vulnerable groups, ramping up of diagnostic facilities and developing protocols for each stage of managing the pandemic.

He said that India has not only successfully evacuated almost 1400 Indians from different countries but also evacuated some of the citizens of the neighbouring countries in accordance with the ‘neighbourhood first policy’.

President Ashraf Ghani said that the greatest vulnerability of Afghanistan is an open border with Iran. He proposed modelling diffusion patterns, creation of common framework for telemedicine and greater cooperation amongst the neighbouring countries.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih thanked the Indian government for the medical assistance from India to deal with COVID-19 cases and for evacuating nine Maldivians from Wuhan. He highlighted the negative impact of COVID-19 on tourism in the country and its impact on the nation’s economy. He proposed closer cooperation between the health emergency agencies of the countries, formulation of economic relief package and long term recovery plan for the region.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa recommended that SAARC leaders work together to help economy tide over the difficult period. He also recommended establishment of a SAARC Ministerial level group to share best practices and coordinate regional matters on combating COVID-19.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thanked Prime Minister Modi for bringing 23 Bangladeshi students back from Wuhan along with Indian students during the quarantine period. She proposed continuance of the dialogue at technical level through video conference between Health Ministers and Secretaries of the region.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli apprised the SAARC leaders of the steps taken by Nepal to combat COVID-19 . He said that the collective wisdom and efforts of all the SAARC nations could help in devising a robust and effective strategy to deal with the pandemic.

Prime Minister Doctor Lotay Tshering said the pandemic does-not follow geographical boundaries, hence it is all the more important for the nations to work together. He said the pandemic will affect the smaller and vulnerable economies disproportionately, talking about the economic impact of COVID-19.

Doctor Zafar Mirza proposed that SAARC Secretariat be mandated to establish a working group of national authorities for health Information, data exchange and coordination in real time. He proposed hosting SAARC Health Ministers’ conference and development of regional mechanisms to share disease surveillance data in real time.

13-Mar-2020: Govt brings masks and hand sanitizers under the Essential Commodities Act

In view the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 (Corona Virus) and concern of the logistics for COVID-19 management particularly during last couple of weeks and that masks (2 ply & 3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand sanitizers have been noted to be either not available with most of the vendors in the market or are available with great difficulty at exorbitant prices, Government has notified an Order under the Essential Commodities Act to declare these items as Essential Commodities up to 30th June, 2020 by amending the Schedule of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. It has also issued an advisory under the Legal Metrology Act. Under the E.C Act, after discussions with the manufacturers, States can ask them to enhance their production capacity of these items, to make the supply chain smooth, while under the L.M. Act the States can ensure sale of both the items at MRP. 

On these two items, the States may now notify the Central order in their official Gazette, also issue their own orders under the EC Act to that effect and take necessary actions as per the situation prevailing in the respective States.  Under the EC Act, powers of the Central Government have already been delegated to the States by way of orders during 1972 to 1978.  The States/UTs, therefore may take action against the offenders under the EC Act and PBMMSEC Act. An offender under the EC Act may be punished with an imprisonment upto 7 years or fine or both and under the PBMMSEC Act, he can be detained for maximum of 6 months.

The decision would empower the Government and States/UTs to regulate production, quality, distribution etc. of masks (2 ply & 3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand sanitizers and to smoothen the sale and availability of these items and carry out operations against orders speculators etc. and those involved in over pricing, black marketing etc. It will enhance the availability of both the items to the general people at reasonable prices or under MRP. The States are also advised to give publicity of State Helplines for registering complaints by the consumers of the above two items.

13-Mar-2020: PM calls for SAARC nations to chalk out a strong strategy to fight Coronavirus

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi called for SAARC nations to chalk out a strong strategy to fight Coronavirus. He further suggested that these strategies could be discussed, via video conferencing and by coming together SAARC nations can set an example to the world and contribute to a healthier planet.

In a series of tweets, PM said that South Asia, which is home to a significant number of the global population should leave no stone unturned to ensure the health of its people. He also said that the Government is trying its best at various levels to combat COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus.

4-Feb-2020: nCoV outbreak declared a State calamity in Kerala

Following the confirmation of a third case of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection in the State, Kerala has declared the epidemic a State calamity.

The apex committee of the State Disaster Management Authority had proposed the idea of declaring the outbreak a state calamity.

The decision will help ensure that the outbreak is controlled.

2,239 travellers from China and other nCoV-affected countries have been placed under surveillance in the State. Control rooms have been opened at the State and district levels and all activities were being reviewed on a daily basis.

A high-level Group of Ministers has been constituted to review the management of the outbreak.

3-Feb-2020: High level Group of Ministers to review management of Novel Coronavirus

On the directions of Prime Minister, a high level Group of Ministers is constituted comprising of Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Sh. Hardeep S. Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation, Dr. S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, Sh. G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of State for Home and Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Health & Family Welfare to review, monitor and evaluate the preparedness regarding management of Novel Coronavirus in the country.

The first meeting of GoM was held today at Nirman Bhawan to review the preparedness and steps taken by the Ministries of Health, Shipping, External Affairs, Civil Aviation and Home Affairs. It was chaired by Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan.

A presentation of the status of the NCOV-2019 was made to the GOM. The members were also apprised of the three cases reported from Kerala, one of which was confirmed today. The preventive steps and measures taken for management of Novel Coronavirus disease in India were presented, which included information about the revised travel advisories issued yesterday regarding the temporary suspension of the e-visa facilities.

Travel Advisory has been revised informing the public to refrain from travel to China and that anyone with travel history in China since 15th January 2020 and from now on could be quarantined. Further, e-Visa facility for Chinese passport holders has been temporarily suspended, e-Visa already issued to Chinese nationals is also not valid temporarily and the facility for submitting the application online for the physical visa from China is suspended. It has been advised that people having compelling reasons to visit India should contact the Indian embassy in Beijing or consulate in Shanghai or Guangzhou. Instructions to comply with above travel advisory have also been issued to all national and international airlines operating from China by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The GOM was also informed about the two Quarantine Centres having 645 persons evacuated from Wuhan. The camps are being maintained by Armed Forces and ITBP. All inhabitants are medically examined on a daily basis.

In addition, they were also briefed that as of today, a total of 593 flights have been screened covering a total of 72353 passengers. Screening of passengers is ongoing in 21 airports, international seaports and border crossings particularly with Nepal. Universal screening in all flights from Singapore and Thailand besides Hong Kong and China is being done. Further, 2815 people are presently under community surveillance in 29 States/UTs. Out of a total of 338 samples sent for testing, 335 have been found to be negative, 3 are positive, while 70 are being processed.  The ICMR National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has been made a nodal centre for coordinating diagnostics for Novel Coronavirus. 12 Regional Labs have been activated, standardized, and are testing the samples.

The GOM was also apprised that adequate materials like Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and N95 masks are available and the situation is closely monitored in all the States/UTs. The preparedness and actions are being reviewed at the highest level everyday by the Union Health Minister and the Cabinet Secretary, in addition to Secretary (HFW). A 24x7 Control Room is operational (011-23978046). IEC material is prepared and widely disseminated through various channels of print, electronic and social media. Daily Press briefing by Ministry of Health is being undertaken to update the public.  The meeting was attended by Ms. Preeti Sudan, Secretary (HFW), Sh. H. Vardhan Shringla, Secretary (Foreign), Sh. Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary (Civil Aviation), Sanjeeva Kumar, Spl. Secretary (Health), Sh. Sanjay Bandopadhyay, Addl. Secretary (Shipping) along with other officials from related ministries.

1-Feb-2020: WHO declares virus outbreak a global emergency

World Health Organization’s declaration of Novel Corona Virus (nCoV) outbreak as a global health emergency of international concern.

The death toll in China from the new Coronavirus has reached 213. The overall cases worldwide have also risen rapidly. More than 130 cases have been reported in at least 25 other countries and regions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak, a global health emergency of international concern. However, the WHO has stated that it doesn’t recommend and actually opposes restrictions on travel or trade with China.

Stocks around the world have tumbled on fears of the economic fallout from the outbreak in the world’s second-biggest economy.

The declaration from the WHO was due to the major concern of the nCoV’s potential to spread to countries with weaker health systems. Such a scenario would be worrisome given that such countries do not have the resources to deal with it and might aid the global spread of the disease.

The WHO move will trigger tighter containment and information-sharing guidelines to all countries.

30-Jan-2020: WHO declares Public Health Emergency on novel coronavirus

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, today declared that the outbreak of 2019-nCoV novel coronavirus constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). In China, more than 7700 cases have been confirmed, and 170 people have died. There are 82 additional cases confirmed in 18 countries.

Dr. Tedros, acting on the advice of an Emergency Committee of experts, called on the global community “to provide support to low- and middle-income countries to enable their response to this event, as well as to facilitate access to diagnostics, potential vaccines & therapeutics."

It is expected that further international exportation of cases may appear in any country. Thus, all countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of 2019-nCoV infection, and to share full data with WHO.

Countries are reminded that they are legally required to share information with WHO under the IHR.

Any detection of 2019-nCoV in an animal (including information about the species, diagnostic tests, and relevant epidemiological information) should be reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as an emerging disease.

Countries should place particular emphasis on reducing human infection, prevention of secondary transmission and international spread, and contributing to the international response though multisectoral communication and collaboration and active participation in increasing knowledge on the virus and the disease, as well as advancing research. 

The Committee does not recommend any travel or trade restriction based on the current information available. Countries must inform WHO about travel measures taken, as required by the IHR. Countries are cautioned against actions that promote stigma or discrimination, in line with the principles of Article 3 of the IHR.

The Committee asked the Director-General to provide further advice on these matters and, if necessary, to make new case-by-case recommendations, in view of this rapidly evolving situation.

The WHO Secretariat provided an overview of the situation in other countries. There are now 82 cases in 18 countries. Of these, only 7 had no history of travel in China. There has been human-to-human transmission in 3 countries outside China. One of these cases is severe and there have been no deaths.

As this is a new coronavirus, and it has been previously shown that similar coronaviruses required substantial efforts to enable regular information sharing and research, the global community should continue to demonstrate solidarity and cooperation, in compliance with Article 44 of the IHR (2005), in supporting each other on the identification of the source of this new virus, its full potential for human-to-human transmission, preparedness for potential importation of cases, and research for developing necessary treatment.

Provide support to low- and middle-income countries to enable their response to this event, as well as to facilitate access to diagnostics, potential vaccines and therapeutics.

Under Article 43 of the IHR, States Parties implementing additional health measures that significantly interfere with international traffic (refusal of entry or departure of international travellers, baggage, cargo, containers, conveyances, goods, and the like, or their delay, for more than 24 hours) are obliged to send to WHO the public health rationale and justification within 48 hours of their implementation. WHO will review the justification and may request countries to reconsider their measures. WHO is required to share with other States Parties the information about measures and the justification received. 

The Emergency Committee will be reconvened within three months or earlier, at the discretion of the Director-General.

9-Jan-2020: WHO Statement regarding cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China

Chinese authorities have made a preliminary determination of a novel (or new) coronavirus, identified in a hospitalized person with pneumonia in Wuhan. Chinese investigators conducted gene sequencing of the virus, using an isolate from one positive patient sample.

Initial information about the cases of pneumonia in Wuhan provided by Chinese authorities last week – including the occupation, location and symptom profile of the people affected – pointed to a coronavirus (CoV) as a possible pathogen causing this cluster. Chinese authorities subsequently reported that laboratory tests ruled out SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, influenza, avian influenza, adenovirus and other common respiratory pathogens.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses with some causing less-severe disease, such as the common cold, and others more severe disease such as MERS and SARS. Some transmit easily from person to person, while others do not. According to Chinese authorities, the virus in question can cause severe illness in some patients and does not transmit readily between people.

Globally, novel coronaviruses emerge periodically in different areas, including SARS in 2002 and MERS in 2012. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans. As surveillance improves more coronaviruses are likely to be identified.

China has strong public health capacities and resources to respond and manage respiratory disease outbreaks. In addition to treating the patients in care and isolating new cases as they may be identified, public health officials remain focused on continued contact tracing, conducting environmental assessments at the seafood market, and investigations to identify the pathogen causing the outbreak.

In the coming weeks, more comprehensive information is required to understand the current status and epidemiology of the outbreak, and the clinical picture. Further investigations are also required to determine the source, modes of transmission, extent of infection and countermeasures implemented. WHO continues to monitor the situation closely and, together with its partners, is ready to provide technical support to China to investigate and respond to this outbreak.

The preliminary determination of a novel virus will assist authorities in other countries to conduct disease detection and response. Over the past week, people with symptoms of pneumonia and reported travel history to Wuhan have been identified at international airports.

WHO does not recommend any specific measures for travellers. WHO advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the information currently available.

5-Jan-2020: COVID-19 - China

On 31 December 2019, the WHO China Country Office was informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. As of 3 January 2020, a total of 44 patients with pneumonia of unknown etiology have been reported to WHO by the national authorities in China. Of the 44 cases reported, 11 are severely ill, while the remaining 33 patients are in stable condition. According to media reports, the concerned market in Wuhan was closed on 1 January 2020 for environmental sanitation and disinfection.

The causal agent has not yet been identified or confirmed. On 1 January 2020, WHO requested further information from national authorities to assess the risk.

National authorities report that all patients are isolated and receiving treatment in Wuhan medical institutions. The clinical signs and symptoms are mainly fever, with a few patients having difficulty in breathing, and chest radiographs showing invasive lesions of both lungs.

According to the authorities, some patients were operating dealers or vendors in the Huanan Seafood market. Based on the preliminary information from the Chinese investigation team, no evidence of significant human-to-human transmission and no health care worker infections have been reported.

Public health response

National authorities have reported the following response measures:

• One hundred and twenty-one close contacts have been identified and are under medical observation;
• The follow-up of close contacts is ongoing;
• Pathogen identification and the tracing of the cause are underway;
• Wuhan Municipal Health Commission carried out active case finding, and retrospective investigations have been completed;
• Environmental sanitation and further hygiene investigations are under way.

WHO is closely monitoring the situation and is in close contact with national authorities in China.

WHO risk assessment: There is limited information to determine the overall risk of this reported cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology. The reported link to a wholesale fish and live animal market could indicate an exposure link to animals. The symptoms reported among the patients are common to several respiratory diseases, and pneumonia is common in the winter season; however, the occurrence of 44 cases of pneumonia requiring hospitalization clustered in space and time should be handled prudently.

Wuhan city, with a population of 19 million, is the capital city of Hubei province, with a population of 58 million people. WHO has requested further information on the laboratory tests performed and the differential diagnoses considered.

WHO advice: Based on information provided by national authorities, WHO’s recommendations on public health measures and surveillance of influenza and severe acute respiratory infections still apply.

WHO does not recommend any specific measures for travellers. In case of symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness either during or after travel, travellers are encouraged to seek medical attention and share travel history with their healthcare provider.

WHO advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the current information available on this event.