Relatives mourn the death of a relative, who died of COVID-19, at a crematorium in New Delhi, April 21, 2021. Photo: Reuters/Adnan Abidi
Key figures
April 22, 2021, 10:30 am:
* New cases over last 24 hours – 3.15 lakh
* New deaths over last 24 hours – 2,101
* Total number of active cases – 22.84 lakh
* Cumulative cases – 1.59 crore
* Cumulative deaths – 1.84 lakh
* Total vaccine doses administered – 13.23 crore
Key events
* India’s reporting 3.15 lakh new cases in the last 24 hours is the highest for any country in the history of the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth in the number of cases remains exponential. However, the fountainhead of cases may be shifting out of Maharashtra: the state is still reporting a five-digit number of new cases every day, but the seven-day rolling average of its active cases has been negative on nine days since April 8.
* The Wire has put together an explainer making sense of Serum Institute’s prices for the Centre, state governments and private hospitals in India for its Covishield vaccine. For people aged 18-45 years who wish to receive Covishield, Serum’s decision “does not mean that the maximum you will pay is Rs 600 for a shot from a private hospital or Rs 400 at a state government hospital. This is because additional charges (for logistics and tax) can be added to the Rs 400 (at state government hospitals) or Rs 600 (at private hospitals) quote.”
* India’s COVID-19 vaccination drive has reportedly slowed in the last two weeks – even as the campaign is to be opened to up everyone aged 18 or older from May 1. The country is already reeling this year thanks to a rapid and colossal surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, driven by neglect of COVID-appropriate behaviour and new variants of the novel coronavirus, which has been paralleled by a vaccines and medical oxygen shortage. “India administered 89,86,391 doses between April 18 and April 21. If the same rate continues, the nation would have administered 1.79 crore doses by the end of this week,” India Today reported. “In comparison, almost 2 crore doses were administered in the week between April 10 and April 17. In the week before that, more than 2.3 crore doses were given.”
* According to new data released by the Union health ministry, 21,000 people in India tested positive for COVID-19 after one dose of either Covaxin and Covishield, and 5,500 people did after taking both doses of either vaccine. The breakdown goes like this: 4,208 people tested positive after one dose of Covaxin and 695 after two doses; 17,145 tested positive after one dose of Covishield and 5,014 after two doses. The total number of people who had received Covishield at the time of this analysis was 10-times higher than those who had received Covaxin. (LiveMint)
* Access to non-COVID healthcare in Bengaluru is set to take a hit. Karnataka health minister K. Sudhakar has said that all hospital beds except those reserved for dialysis patients, maternal and natal care and for life-threatening diseases are “to be dedicated for COVID-19 patients” in the city. Non-COVID patients, he added, can receive care at all nursing homes and hospitals that have 30 beds or less, and that these facilities can’t treat COVID-19 patients at all. (Times of India)