Articles by News Desk

75% have COVID antibodies: Serosurvey Preliminary results of a serosurvey conducted by civic authorities in early August show that more than 75% of the sample population had developed antibodies. The survey was conducted among 2,000 Bengalureans, of whom half were vaccinated and half weren't. Out of 1,800 people, more than 1,400 had antibodies. The results of the remaining 200 people are still being tabulated. The participants included 30% under the age of 18, 50% aged 18-44 years, and 20% aged above 45. They were from various socio-economic groups. The findings seem to suggest that vaccines are creating an appropriate antibody…

Health infrastructure gets a boost in city While speaking in the ongoing Assembly session, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian announced the construction of new premises for 13 urban primary health centres (UPHC) in the Greater Chennai Corporation limits. Further, the UPHC at Sanjeevarayanpet in the Royapuram zone would be upgraded to a 100-bed hospital.  Some of the other announcements that will boost the health infrastructure in Chennai are: Setting up a state-run whole genome sequencing labo in the DMS Complex in Chennai at a cost of ₹4 crore. The lab would help a great deal to contain the spread…

50% adults vaccinated with first dose In a positive development, 50% of the country’s eligible adult population is now vaccinated with the first dose. It includes 99% coverage amongst healthcare workers and almost 100% among frontline workers. Also, the average number of vaccinations per day was 52.16 lakh doses in August, up from 43.41 lakh in June and 39.38 lakh in July. A record one crore doses were administered on August 27, according to government data. The union government also said supply issues have been sorted out and stabilised. There have been no complaints of shortage from states in recent…

Sessions Court and experts say shoddy builders to be held liable A sessions court has ruled in favour of a Bhandup housing society on a complaint against the builder for substandard construction. It was alleged that the construction was sub-standard as the material used was of inferior quality. The complaint was filed under sections of the Indian Penal Code sections related to endangering life or personal safety of others and common intention. The maximum sentence under the charge is imprisonment up to three months or a fine. The President of Cooperative Societies Residents & Users Association (CSRUA) said that Maharashtra…

One crore vaccinated in Bengaluru Urban district On Wednesday, the one-crore vaccination mark was achieved in Bengaluru Urban district. In addition to the 198 wards of BBMP, the district comprises five taluks, six town municipalities, one city municipality and 1,038 villages under 87 gram panchayats. The district administration officials said 1,00,34,598 people have been vaccinated at various centres. While 75.9 lakh people have been given the first dose, 24.4 lakh completed both vaccinations. With this, the district, barring the BBMP area, has achieved 90% of its vaccination target. In the BBMP area, 70% adults have been vaccinated with at least…

Exclusive vaccine camp to target senior citizens In a bid to vaccinate the elderly population in Chennai who visit hospitals as outpatients, the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) has inaugurated a dedicated vaccine camp at the geriatric ward of the institution. The hospital receives about 150 to 200 senior citizens as outpatients every day. The hospital also inaugurated a 24/7 vaccine centre for vaccinating outpatients. The Chennai Corporation had conducted a mega vaccination drive last week that clocked 1.25 lakh doses. The civic body had set up 400 camps that also 200 mobile camps. Source: The New Indian Express…

WHO says fake Covishield vials in circulation in India World Health Organization’s (WHO) global surveillance and monitoring system for substandard and fake medical products has identified fake Covishield ampoules in India. Covishield maker Serum Institute of India (SII) also confirmed that some vaccines at the patient level were fake. WHO has urged the Indian health authorities to increase vigilance on hospitals, clinics, health centers, pharmacies etc and increase vigilance along the supply chain. In another development, as per a study conducted by the University of Oxford, Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines have been found to be less effective against the delta…

The school education department has announced that September 1 could be the tentative date when schools reopen across Tamil Nadu. Following this, the Department of Public Health has issued a set of detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for school reopening, covering the various precautions and safety measures to be taken by school to prevent spread of COVID-19. General guidelines for school reopening SoPs along with IEC materials to be shared to school management.Sanitizers/soap with water to be made available by the concerned authorities .Schools (Government,Government aided and Private) have to open the campuses in phases, with such activities where they can easily adhere to social…

Vaccinated Mumbaikars allowed to board local trains Around 35 lakh vaccinated Mumbaikars breathed a sigh of relief on August 16 as they finally boarded local trains. Although a power outage caused the harbour line to cease operations on August 18, the line has now resumed. Commuters living in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) especially rushed to stations in Mira Road, Dombivali, Vasai and other MMR locales. However, citizens are required to now purchase monthly passes if they wish to ride Mumbai's trains. This move has angered railway passenger associations as they say that non-regular travelers who have been vaccinated may…

OMR-ECR link work begins In a bid to reduce bottlenecks along the key roads, the state highways department has begun construction work to connect Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) and East Coast Road (ECR) at Thoraipakkam junction. The construction work, estimated to cost Rs 204 crore, will connect Neelankarai directly with Thoraipakkam. The work will be carried out in two phases.The first phase, a 760 m stretch from Thoraipakkam to Buckingham Canal is underway. The road from the other side of the canal and a bridge will be constructed in the second phase. At present, OMR users use Lattice Bridge (LB)…