COVID-19 Highlights: Covovax to be available as booster on CoWIN soon, to cost Rs 225 per dose

Thank you readers! With this, we would like to wrap up today's live coverage for COVID-19. For more updates related to coronavirus and other news, tune in to our website CNBCTV18.com

Active cases cross 300 first time this year, admin urges people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour

The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration on Monday appealed to residents to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour as the number of active cases in the district crossed 300 for the first time in 2023. A mock drill is scheduled at the dedicated Covid hospital in Sector 39 here on Tuesday to assess the preparedness of the facility for the pandemic, a senior official said. According to the health department's update on Monday morning, 31 new patients tested positive for COVID-19 in a 24-hour period, taking the number of active cases to 302. Of these, only 11 are admitted in hospitals, the update showed. 

Source: PTI

Face masks made mandatory in civic-run hospitals in Mumbai

Mumbai's civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that wearing masks will be mandatory in all BMC hospitals in Mumbai for employees, patients and visitors starting tomorrow.The decision was taken during a meeting held by BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal on Monday. BMC also urged senior citizens aged above 60 to wear masks while stepping out in public places. The civic body will soon issue guidelines on home isolation of COVID-19 patients. Read More here

Maharashtra holds mock drills in state-run hospitals 
Mock drills to assess the COVID preparedness of government-run hospitals across Maharashtra were carried out on Monday, officials said. The mock drills, which will also continue on Tuesday, were being conducted after the Union government recently asked states to review the preparedness of the health infrastructure amid a rise in COVID-19 cases across the country over the past few days. At Mumbai's JJ Hospital, among the biggest medical facilities in the state, one mock drill was held at the OPD and another in the wards, during which medicine stock, X-ray machinery, oxygen supply and personnel deployment etc were checked, an official said.

Source: PTI

COVID-19 vaccine: WHO can take Covovax as booster?

Covovax can be administered to those who have already vaccinated with Covishield or Covaxin. Last month, the COVID-19 Working Group headed by Dr N K Arora had also recommended to the Health Ministry for the inclusion of the vaccine on the portal as a heterologous booster dose for adults who have been vaccinated with two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin.

Covovax to be available as booster on CoWIN soon, to cost Rs 225 per dose

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has reportedly approved the inclusion of Serum Institute’s Covovax on the CoWIN portal as a heterologous booster dose for adults, official sources told PTI on Monday. Covovax is likely to be available on the portal in a few days at a price of Rs 225 per dose plus applicable GST.

JUST IN | Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya reviews mock-drill for COVID-19 preparedness at RML hospital in Delhi

IMA tells what could've caused COVID surge

"The reasons behind the recent Covid surge in our country may be the relaxation of Covid-19 appropriate behaviour, low testing rate and the emergence of a new variant of Covid": Indian Medical Association.

COVID-19 cases will increase in Delhi in coming days: Saurabh Bhardwaj 

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said out of four COVID-19 deaths that took place in Delhi on Sunday, three died due to different diseases combined with coronavirus. "I believe that coronavirus cases will increase in Delhi in the coming days as its densely populated," he was quoted by ANI as saying.

COVID-19 LIVE Updates: New detection method can 'provide a substitute for RT-PCR tests'

A press release by the government says, "A new sandwich based lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for the detection of Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2) could provide an efficient substitute for RT-PCR tests. It can detect that RBD antigen of the SARS-CoV-2 at an early stage of infection with a visual line of detection (LOD)."

Dr Ajay Shukla, Director RML Delhi, said COVID-19 cases are increasing continuously. "We have received instructions from the central government regarding preparedness. A mock drill is being organised, in which we are taking stock of preparations, beds, medicines, and oxygen," he said. 

COVID update | Highlights
 

▪️205 doses administered in the last 24 hours

▪️India's Active caseload currently stands at 35,199

▪️Active cases stand at 0.08%

▪️Recovery Rate currently at 98.73%

COVID LIVE Updates | Mock drills at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, Telangana

Kerala makes masks must for pregnant women, elderly

Kerala Health Minister Veena George announced on Saturday that masks are mandatory for pregnant women, the elderly and those with lifestyle diseases as it was important to protect the elderly and bedridden patients from the disease.

Maharashtra records 788 fresh COVID-19 cases, one death

Maharashtra reported 788 fresh COVID-19 cases and one fatality on Sunday, as per state health department data. Maharashtra had reported 926 COVID-19 cases and three fatalities on Friday and 542 on Saturday.