Punjab makes face masks mandatory in public places

Sonia Gandhi tests positive for COVID-19; India reports 15,815 new infections and 68 deaths; TN hospitals face acute shortage of medicines

Amid the spike in COVID-19 cases, the Punjab government on Saturday made face masks mandatory at public places.

In an advisory, the government said all must ensure wearing of masks in all educational institutions, government and private offices, indoor and outdoor gatherings, malls, and public places.

All hospitals, labs and collection centres offering testing for COVID-19 must upload details of tests, including positive and negative results on COVA Portal of the government of Punjab as well as intimate complete testing details, said the advisory.

Separately, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation as per protocol.

“Congress President Smt Sonia Gandhi has tested positive for COVID-19 today. She will remain in isolation as per Govt. protocol,” informed party’s general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh in a tweet.

Earlier, she had tested positive for the virus in June.

On Wednesday, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also announced that she had tested positive for COVID infection, for the second time in three months.

Meanwhile, India on Saturday reported 15,815 new COVID infections and 68 deaths in the past 24 hours, as per Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s data on Saturday.

With the new fatalities, the nationwide death toll now stands at 5,26,996.

The active caseload marginally declined to 1,19,264, accounting for 0.27 per cent of the country’s total positive cases.

The recovery of 20,018 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,35,93,112. Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.54 per cent.

While the daily positivity rate also declined to 4.36 per cent, the weekly positivity rate stood at 4.79 per cent.

Also in the same period, a total of 3,62,802 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 87.99 crore.

As of Saturday morning, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 207.71 crore, achieved via 2,75,92,966 sessions Over 3.97 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of COVID-19 jab since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket.

Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana with a sprinkle of laughter has addressed the rising cases of COVID-19 once again.

Ayushmann took to Instagram where he shared a monochrome picture from inside an plane. He urged everyone to mask up and also wear a black thread on the leg to keep the evil eye at bay.

He wrote: “Inside the plane. From the creek of the window seat 1A. It’s time to mask up again. Suna hai saara Mumbai viral/cold infection se joojh raha hai. In the meanwhile can I have a glass of warm water pls.” “You may put some kaali mirch too. Kaala dhaaga bhi baandh lo haath paaon mein (wear a black thread on your leg). Nazar lag gayi hai hum sab ko. (We have the evil eye on all of us).” Meanwhile, several government hospitals in Tamil Nadu are under the grip of an acute shortage of medicines affecting the services.

The government medical college hospitals are now functioning by making local purchases using Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS).

Sources in the state health department said that the Tamil Nadu Medical Service Corporation (TNMSC) not geting adequate medicines, especially antibiotics, was raised with the state health minister, Ma Subramanian in a recent meeting the minister had with the hospital deans.

The TNMSC, which is the nodal agency for the procurement of drugs, provides a no objection certificate for hospitals to make local purchases.

Doctors said that the medicines in shortage are mostly essential drugs.

A Doctor in Madurai government medical college hospital said, “that there is a constant deficit of one drug or the other and a huge shortage of antibiotics. The doctor also said that the shortage is mostly due to the variable prices of medicines ater COVID-19 and this has led to the delay in the floating of tenders.”