COVID-19 UPDATES AS ON 18.1.2021

 

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Update on COVID-19 Vaccination

Total number of vaccinated healthcare workers across the country more than 3.81lakh

No case of serious/severe of AEFI reported

Posted On: 18 JAN 2021 7:50PM by PIB Delhi

 

The third day of the massive countrywide COVID-19 vaccination program was also conducted successfully.

Total of 3,81,305 beneficiaries have been vaccinated till today through 7,704 sessions, as per the provisional report.

1,48,266 beneficiaries were vaccinated till 5 pm today, the third day of nationwide COVID19 vaccination. Final reports would be completed for the day by late tonight.

 

S. No.	State/UT	Beneficiaries vaccinated (provisional)
1	Andhra Pradesh	9,758
2	Arunachal Pradesh	1,054
3	Assam	1,822
4	Bihar	8,656
5	Chhattisgarh	4,459
6	Delhi	3,111
7	Haryana	3,486
8	Himachal Pradesh	2,914
9	Jammu & Kashmir	1,139
10	Jharkhand	2,687
11	Karnataka	36,888
12	Kerala	7,070
13	Lakshadweep	180
14	Madhya Pradesh	6,665
15	Manipur	291
16	Mizoram	220
17	Nagaland	864
18	Odisha	22,579
19	Puducherry	183
20	Punjab	1,882
21	Tamil Nadu	7,628
22	Telangana	10,352
23	Tripura	1,211
24	Uttarakhand	1,579
25	West Bengal	11,588
	All India	1,48,266

 

An Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) is any unexpected medical occurrence which follows immunization. It may or may not be related to the vaccine or vaccination process.

580 cases of AEFI have been reported so far. Out of these, seven have required hospitalization. Of the three cases reported from Delhi, two have been discharged whereas once case with reporting fainting is under observation at Max Hospital, Patparganj.  The reported case of AEFI in Uttarakhand is stable and under observation at AIIMS, Rishikesh.  In Chhattisgarh, one person is under observation at the Govt. Medical College, Rajnandgaon. Of the two cases of AEFI in Karnataka, one is under observation at District Hospital, Chitradurga and the second person is under observation at General Hospital, Challakere, Chitradurga.

Of the two deaths reported, death of the 52 yr male from Moradabad, UP (who was vaccinated on 16th Jan 2021 and died on evening of 17th Jan 2021) is not related to vaccination as per the post mortem report. Death was caused due to cardiopulmonary disease.

The second death was of a male person aged 43 years, resident of Bellary, Karnataka. He was vaccinated on 16 Jan, 2021 and died today. The cause of death is anterior wall infarction with Cardiopulmonary failure. The post mortem is scheduled today at Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Bellary, Karnataka.

 

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MV

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

India’s Total Recovered Cases leap past Active Cases by more than 1cr

Daily Fatalities drop to 145 after nearly 8 months

Posted On: 18 JAN 2021 12:07PM by PIB Delhi

 

In a landmark achievement, India’s total recovered cases have leaped over the Active caseload by more than one crore today.

The total number of recoveries has touched 1,02,11,342 while the Active Cases in the country stand at 2,08,012 today. The gap between the two has progressively grown to touch 1,00,03,330. The total recovered cases are nearly 50 times the active cases in the country.

With this, India’s Recovery Rate has touched 96.59%.

14,457 recoveries have been registered in the last 24 hours in the country while the number of new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours is 13,788.

As India’s daily positive cases see a continuous slide, the daily fatalities due to COVID19 in the country have also seen a steady decline. The country has recorded less than 150 fatalities (145) in the last 24 hours after approximately 8 months (7months 23 days).

The following graph shows the daily deaths contribution by different States in last 24 hours. 15 States have contributed 0 deaths, 13 States have contributed between 1 to 5 daily deaths, 4 States have contributed 5 to 10 deaths, 1 State has contributed 10 to 20 Deaths and more than 20 States have contributed 2 Deaths.

71.70% of the new recovered cases are observed from seven States/UTs.

Kerala has reported the highest number of recoveries with 4,408 newly recovered cases in single day. 2,342 people recovered in Maharashtra in the past 24 hours followed by 855 in Karnataka. 

76.17% of the new cases are from six States and UTs.

Kerala continues to report the highest number of daily new cases at 5,005. It is followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka with 3,081 and 745 new cases, respectively.

Seven States & UTs have reported 83.45% of the total fatalities happened in the last 24 hours.

Maharashtra has reported 50 deaths. Kerala also saw a fatality count of 21 while West Bengal reported 12 new deaths.

                       

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MV
HFW/COVID States data/18^th January 2021/1

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Dr. Harsh Vardhan chairs 148th session of WHO Executive Board

"2020 has also been a year in which the wisdom and evidence of science was judiciously adopted."

"Year 2021 shall be the year of global solidarity and survival. It will be the harbinger of a Decade of Action."

Posted On: 18 JAN 2021 4:22PM by PIB Delhi

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare digitally chaired the 148th session of WHO Executive Board, through Video Conference.

His opening remarks were as follows:

Distinguished Members of the WHO Executive Board,Hon’ble Ministers, Excellencies & Member State representatives,WHO Director-General, Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia and Other Regional Directors,Heads & Representatives of UN Agencies and Partner Organizations

A very, very warm welcome to all of you at the 148th Session of the WHO Executive Board. This is our first meeting in 2021 and we can all see that a dawn of optimism is already breaking!

My best wishes to all of you and your familiesand the people of your respective nations for a healthy, safe, and successful new year 2021.

It is only natural that while we are all gathered here, we must express our profound condolences to and solidarity with the families and societieswhose people have lost their lives to the disease, those who are battling for their survivaland those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected by the crisis.

We must also never lose a chance to thank the medical professionals, scientists and researchers, as well as other essential workers around the world who continue working under difficult and challenging circumstances to deal with the pandemic.

We all know how difficult the year 2020 has been for the whole world of how humanity has battled this crisis with all its mightbut it has also been a year in which the wisdom and evidence of science was judiciously adopted. I call The Year 2020 as a year of science a year of incredible scientific achievement. In less than 12 months, researchers have characterized a novel illness, sequenced a new virus's genome, developed diagnostics, produced treatment protocols, and established the efficacy of drugs and vaccines in randomized controlled trials.

A big shout out to our scientists and researchers! We have seen the global scientific capabilities race against time and deliver on their promise of a vaccine in the shortest possible time in history!

While 2020 is described as the year of science, the Year 2021 shall be the year of global solidarity and survival. I am sure that it will be the harbinger of a Decade of Action.

The speed at which covid-19 vaccines are being successfully produced across many countries, prominent breakthroughs are taking place, a tech investment boom is being witnessed and digital technologies are being adopted. All this is combining to raise hopes of a new era of progress.

I want to express utmost optimism that, this year, the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic shall be mitigated and successfully reversed through committed political leadership and sustained global cooperation and solidarity.

This year, we shall see intensified international cooperation to contain, mitigate and defeat the pandemic, using enhanced scientific knowledge and best practices.

This year has brought hope. The recent breakthroughs on Covid-19 vaccines offer a ray of hope. But that ray of hope needs to reach everyone. We have to recognize that the poorest and most vulnerable are the hardest hit by the pandemic and that the impact of the crisis will reverse hard-won development gains and hamper progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, we must ensure fair and equitable distribution of the COVID vaccines.

While on the chapter of gratitude, I would also like to acknowledge the crucial role played by the World Health Organization and all its staff and members in catalysing and coordinating the global response to control and contain the spread of COVID-19.

Your presence here today reflects your commitment to being actively involved in WHO’s governance.

As global public health leaders, this platform of the World Health Organization Executive Board is extremely important since it binds us all together and enables us to set the directions and agenda and continue striving for our objective of Health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

We all know that the hard work and determination of WHO Member States have saved countless lives, improved public health and increased life expectancy.

The solidarity and cooperation that has defined our work for seven decades has been central to the COVID-19 response. The values expressed in World Health Assembly Resolution on “COVID-19 response” have continued to guide the work of WHO and its Member States and we will be apprised of the progress in its implementation during the course of this session.

While COVID-19 has revealed the need to invest in health, and the call for sustainable funding to WHO to ensure that the Organization can fully respond to public health needs any proposed increase in budget needs to also consider the global economic impact of COVID-19.

We all know that the pandemic has affected the economies of countries globally. However, it has also presented us with an opportunity whereby ‘Health’ has been placed central on the global agenda of Governments, partners and donors.

COVID-19 has provided a new lens through which to view how healthcare is delivered, and what is possible to achieve. How can we seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to realize our shortcomings and yet at the same time seize the opportunities?

I have mentioned on earlier occasions and would like to reiterate that as Chairperson of the Executive Board, my focus is on equitable, affordable and accessible health care for all particularly to protect the health of those without wealth.

You will agree with me that there is always a scope of improvement in what we have done. We improve ourselves by learning lessons from the past and by imagining the future. We need to see what worked best and what reforms we should make for a better tomorrow.

We can find satisfaction in the fact that collectively we faced unprecedented challenges with resilience, even as we were grappling with uncertainties and the fact that essential health care services continued despite setbacks in the initial response period.

However, we need to do much more going forward. While each country has its unique approach in dealing with public health based on the strengths of their existing health systems and national policies and programs, I am sure that together we will continue to bring about improvements, aligned with our collective discussions.

The response to this pandemic has been stressful and challenging and we will continue to be asked to deliver our best in the ongoing response and beyond into the recovery phase.

Before I end, I would like to compliment the Director General and the Regional Directors for deciding to award the 2020 DG’s Award for Excellence to all members of the WHO work-force.

It is indeed a very thoughtful decision and, for the exceptional contributions made by all WHO staff in supporting the pandemic response a well-deserved achievement.

My friends, the beginning of this year has been a very humbling experience. The last 20 days have been a victory for science and humanity. People have started getting vaccinated across many countries of the world and that’s overwhelming!

Hopes are high, but there is still much to learn and many barriers to overcome. New cases of COVID-19 continue to be recorded. There is no room for complacency.

Today, I call upon all of you to renew your commitment to help people and societies in special situations, especially the weakest and most vulnerableand recognize that many Governments have offered their assistance and support to others in a spirit of solidarity and mutual support.

Today, let us also pledge our commitment to the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development and continue relentlessly to work to mobilize a coordinated global response to the pandemic.

Today, all Governments must rise to the challenge only then faster growth and higher living standards will be within their reach. The 2020s began with a cry of pain but, with the right policies, the decade could end with a roar.

I once again thank all of you for reposing your faith and trust in me and look forward to our discussions in this Session. 

Many thanks for granting me the privilege of addressing all of you. Thank You!

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MV

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Dr. Harsh Vardhan dedicates the new Burns and Plastic Surgery Block of AIIMS Delhi to Sushruta,“The Father of Plastic Surgery”

“Intention of the Government is that India leads the world in healthcare”

Posted On: 18 JAN 2021 3:53PM by PIB Delhi

 

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare today inaugurated the newly constructed Burns and Plastic Surgery Block of AIIMS, New Delhi and dedicated it to Sushruta, ‘The Father of Plastic Surgery’.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan shared his vision of need for a Burns and Plastic Surgery Block. He said, “Burn injury is one of the biggest causes of workforce loss and this is an issue of concern for a rapidly developing economy like India. India has as many as 70 lakh burn injuries annually with mortality rate as high as 1.4 lakhs per year and an additional 2.4 lakhs patients end up with severe deformities. Due to its large population, most of the burn care facilities are overburdened and the state-of-the-art burn care is negligible. There is a dire need for a healthcare facility which can provide high quality care for large fraction of population. The new Burns & Plastic Surgery Block has been conceived with the vision of providing state-of-the-art care in the field of burns management and research.” Dr Harsh Vardhan added that this initiative by the Government will bridge the gap between this need and availability. He explained the objective behind setting up Burns and Plastic Surgery Block. “Burns & Plastic Surgery Block has three goals. The first is to reduce the number of deaths due to burns; a present death toll of 1.4lakhs a year due to burn is not a happy situation.” The most important determinant of death in burn patients is infection.This facility has individual cubicles in ICU for 30 patients and 10 private isolation beds to prevent any cross infection. Second, by adhering to standard protocols the Institution will be able to reduce the number of people who will end up with deformities. Third is to bring down the costs; management of burns involve direct and indirect costs. Direct cost comprises what is spent on medical care, and indirect loss is the economic impact due to loss of job, loss of wages, loss of productivity and loss of training etc.”

He further added, “This Block is equipped to deal with approximately 15,000 burn emergencies and 5000 burn admissions a year.It can deal with mass casualties efficiently by converting the patient receiving area itself into an emergency ward as per need.Integration of the block with the trauma center will provide easy assistance to trauma team in no time. These definite steps will help in decreasing deaths in burn patients and also reducing the deformities in survivors.”

Speaking on Sushruta and India being the birthplace of reconstructive nose surgeries, Dr. Harsh Vardhan noted, “This Center has been conceived with the vision of incorporating our ancient wound management skills as well. It will be equipped with most recent advances in medicine including AYUSH medications that are available for burns wound management. In addition, the facility will also train necessary staff and personnel. Itwill be equipped with the most advanced wound management techniques and equipments such as VAC and hyperbaric oxygen chambers.”

The Union Health Minister also visited the facilities in the block along with other dignitaries.

Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, Dr. Sunil Kumar, DG, DGHS, Dr Maneesh Singhal, Professor and Head, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive & Burns Surgery and other senior officials of the Health Ministry and faculty members of AIIMS, New Delhi were also present at the event.

 

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