Size, number of clusters on the rise in city, say officials

Size, number of clusters on the rise in city, say officials

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:24.03.2021 

With 532 new cases being reported in Chennai on Tuesday, highest since November 17, health officials said the city is witnessing a spike in both the number of clusters and their size. On March13,15 people from four families had tested positive, while on March17, there were 28 positive cases from eight clusters. On Monday, officials found 40 positive cases from three branches of AGS Health Private limited and 25 cases from other clusters. Last week, nearly a dozen people from a private bank tested positive for the viral infection.

States allowed to impose local curbs

Keeping in view the fresh surge in Covid-19 cases in some parts of the country, the new home ministry guidelines valid through April mandate the states and UTS to strictly enforce the ‘test-track-treat’ protocol and allow states to impose local restrictions at district, sub-district, city and ward level. The Centre has asked states to ensure observance of Covid appropriate behaviour including by imposing fines, and scaling up vaccination drive. INSIDE FLAP

‘Clusters can become huge when people take infection to offices’

We continue to see clusters at homes after luncheons, parties, weddings and funerals. But when people take infection to their workplaces, the cluster can become huge,” said director of public health Dr TS Selvavinayagam.

“When people sit in a closed environment, particularly air-conditioned rooms for long hours in close proximity, the chances of infection spreading is high. Masks and social distance can reduce the burden,” he said.

The rising clusters have led to spike in average number of fresh cases reported in the city over the past few weeks. Between February 12 and 18, the city reported an average of 144 cases a day, and the following week the number rose to 152. In the week between March 12 and March 18, there were about 362 fresh cases a day. During that week, the city added 2,288 new cases and reported 17 deaths.

In the last five days, the city has already surpassed last week’s total. Between March 19 and March 23, the city has reported 2,373 cases and 15 deaths.

The trend reminded officials of Covid-19 cases in May last year, when teams were tracking clusters from several streets in North Chennai and the city was under a strict lockdown.

On an average, the city corporation tracks down at least 30 close contacts of every positive patient.

“If there is one person tested positive, we speak to family, colleagues and friends who have been in close contact with them. If clusters and cases are large, it means the health staff must track down more people and ensure they are tested,” said a senior health department official of the Greater Chennai Corporation.

“We test about 30 people for every positive case. Active cases have increased in almost all zones,” he said.

On Tuesday, zonal health officials have asked commercial establishments and factories to do thermal scanning for all staff.

Those showing symptoms of viral infection should be asked to go for a test. The company should ask their staff to always wear masks and maintain social distance.

“Staff, who are eligible for vaccination, should be encouraged to take the shot. Unlike last year, we have an effective vaccine that can prevent complications and deaths. We must use it,” Dr Selva Vinayagam said.

The rising clusters have led to spike in average number of fresh cases reported in the city over the past few weeks. In the last five days, the city has already surpassed last week’s total

Railway Board says no stop for Tejas Exp at Tambaram, passengers disappointed

Railway Board says no stop for Tejas Exp at Tambaram, passengers disappointed

Komal.Gautham@timesgroup.com

Chennai:24.03.2021 

Residents demanding a stop at Tambaram railway station for the Chennai-Madurai Tejas Express are disappointed as the the Railway Board, according to an RTI reply, has not approved the proposal.

The train which originates at Egmore, with annual footfalls of 4.5 crore, will, however, stop at Dindigul. Tambaram records footfalls of nearly 7 crore annually, next only to Chennai Beach station, with footfalls of 9.5 crore every year, on the city’s suburban station network.

Southern Railway, in a series of RTI replies, said that in June 2019 the chief passenger transport manager wrote to M S Bhatia, Railway Board executive director (coaching), saying the member (traffic) of the Railway Board had during a visit to the city suggested a halt for the train at Tambaram. The Southern Railway general manager then submitted a recommendation, saying there would be an increase of only 5 minutes in the onward journey, but there would be no delay in the overall running time.

But as per an RTI reply dated March 18, 2021, from M S Bhatia, the railways’ apex body did not approve it. “It only approved the stoppage at Dindigul but not at Tambaram,” said Dayanand Krishnan, a resident of Chitlapakkam. “I sent many RTI applications, seeking information on the recommendations and whether meetings were held to discuss the issue. They replied that no meetings were held. We have no idea why the stoppage was not approved. ”

Several residents have been demanding the halt for more than a year since the service began. Varathan Ananthappan, a resident of Madipakkam said, “There is huge patronage for this train. Now, we need to book cabs that cost us Rs 1,000 more than the ticket fare. In New Delhi, the Tejas Express stops at Ghaziabad, just 13km away, and in Mumbai, it stops at Thane, 35km away. Then why not here?”

A Southern Railway said the reason for the Railway Board not approving the proposal could not be ascertained. Another official said the issue would be taken up again after the state assembly election process was over.

No tuition fee for girl PG students in Haryana government colleges with family income less than Rs 1.8 lakh

No tuition fee for girl PG students in Haryana government colleges with family income less than Rs 1.8 lakh

The Director-General of Higher Education Department, Haryana, has forwarded a letter in this regard to principals of all government and government-aided colleges in the state.

Published: 23rd March 2021 12:31 AM 

By PTI

CHANDIGARH: Girl students with annual family income less than Rs 1.80 lakh and pursuing post-graduation in government colleges and government-aided facilities of Haryana will not be charged tuition fee, according to an official statement on Monday.

The Director-General of Higher Education Department, Haryana, has forwarded a letter in this regard to principals of all government and government-aided colleges in the state.

Meanwhile, Chairman, Haryana Board of School Education, Bhiwani, Jagbir Singh said examination of classes nine and 11 will be conducted from 10 am to 12:30 pm in place of the earlier scheduled time of 8:30 am to 11 am.

He said the examination of class 11 students be held from March 26 to April 23, and for Class nine it will be from March 30 to April 17.

In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, all candidates should ensure social distancing and wear mask at the examination centre according to government guidelines, the official said.

Tamil Nadu polls: AIADMK candidate impresses voters by washing cloths to indicate manifesto assurance

Tamil Nadu polls: AIADMK candidate impresses voters by washing cloths to indicate manifesto assurance

Kathiravan is AIADMK’s Nagapattinam town secretary. The 50-year-old candidate contests his first assembly elections after being rewarded with a ticket for his active party work.

Published: 22nd March 2021 09:34 PM |

AIADMK's Nagapattinam candidate T Kathjravan canvasses votes by washing clothes in public near Nagore on Monday. (Photo | EPS)

By Express News Service

NAGAPATTINAM: AIADMK’s candidate for Nagapattinam assembly constituency made heads turn on Monday as he washed clothes of a woman in public while he was canvassing votes in the public.

T Kathjravan, prominently known as Thanga Kathiravan, AIADMK’s candidate for Nagapattinam assembly constituency, made quite a buzz when he went canvassing votes near Nagore Monday. As he and other party functionaries were canvassing votes door-to-door in Vandipettai, he saw a woman washing the clothes of her family members. Kathjravan approached the woman and offered to wash a few clothes. After initial reluctance and awkwardness, the woman gave a few cloths.

Kathiravan sat down and washed them for a few minutes. He also washed a few vessels kept next to him. The residents were awed and impressed by the stunt the Kathjravan pulled on the spot.

When TNIE sought why he chose to wash clothes where he had went for canvassing, Kathjravan said, “Our Amma’s government will give washing machines as assured once it comes to power again. Women and homemakers may never have to hurt their hands when they get their washing machines. The government would take care of it. I washed clothes just to indicate and prove my point.”

Kathiravan is AIADMK’s Nagapattinam town secretary. The 50-year-old candidate contests his first assembly elections after being rewarded with a ticket for his active party work.

Can you eat meat, drink or smoke after getting the jab?

Can you eat meat, drink or smoke after getting the jab?

As the vaccination drive gains popularity, manifold post-vaccine care instructions, scientific and otherwise, are fed to the people.

Published: 22nd March 2021 03:21 AM 

Health workers advising people before taking swab samples at Rajiv Gandhi GH | DEBADATTA MALLICK

By Sushmitha Ramakrishnan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: As the vaccination drive gains popularity, manifold post-vaccine care instructions, scientific and otherwise, are fed to the people. Given that many of these instructions seem extremely common, separating disinformation from official guidelines has become hard.

Rajendran, a 62-year-old farmer who got his first jab of vaccination at a rural Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Chengalpattu, a week ago was advised not to drink after he got his second jab. “I was told the vaccine won’t work if I drink,” he said. Meanwhile, in the heart of Chennai, Kalyan*, a journalist in his thirties was informed by the nurse administering the vaccine that he should not drink, smoke or eat meat for 48 hours. His friend, who was vaccinated at an affluent private hospital, was advised to not drink or “eat any non-vegetarian food,” for a week.

So, which advice is right and what should people follow? First things first, there are no dietary restrictions advised by the government along with the vaccine so far. “There are no tangible scientific studies that have shown that non-vegetarian food makes the vaccine ineffective. So people need not stop eating meat to get the vaccine,” said State Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan. Also, there are no approved scientific studies that quantifies the effect of alcohol or smoking on vaccination either.

However, this does not mean it is advisable to get drunk to celebrate getting the first jab. Here’s why: Vaccinations often cause mild flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, headache and nausea. Alcohol tends to aggravate and worsen these symptoms making the experience unpleasant for those getting vaccinated. “Alcohol also affects the body’s immune system negatively and there is a chance that the immune response to the vaccine may not be as effective if there is excessive alcohol in the system,” said Dr P Kuganantham, senior epidemiologist and a member of the State Special Task Force against Covid-19.

“One may feel less sick if they avoid drinking and smoking a week before and after getting the vaccine,” he recommended. The same is true of tobacco consumption. It tends to affect the immune system and therefore may render the vaccine relatively less effective. While the correlation has not been scientifically studied, it is known that smoking does worsen the risk associated with Covid-19 itself.

Kuganantham said that scientifically, there is few pre- and post-vaccination care some people should take. “People on steroids and blood thinners can stop their medications for two days before and two days after the jab to prevent adverse side-effects. If someone has had an anapholatic shock to a vaccine, they should inform their physician and be more careful,” he said. He added that the most important thing to do post-vaccination is to continue wearing masks, maintaining social distance and avoid touching surfaces.

Delhi lowers drinking age to 21, govt to exit business

Delhi lowers drinking age to 21, govt to exit business

AlokKNMishra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:23.03.2021 

In a major reform, the Delhi government has reduced the drinking age in the city from 25 to 21, removing an anomaly in its excise policy. Delhi was among a few states and Union territories that had a higher age bar even as the rest of the country had moved on. In what can prove to be a major game-changer, the government has also announced that it will exit the liquor business.

These two are among a host of decisions, including checking the liquor mafia, ensuring quality control, transforming the liquor buying experience of customers and, finally, increasing the excise revenue by 20% in the first year, announced by the AAP government as part of its new excise policy on Monday.

In 2019-20, the state government earned Rs 6,574 crore from liquor, which is about 9.5% of the total estimated revenue, as mentioned in the budget, of Rs 69,000 crore.

The policy was approved by the Arvind Kejriwal government on Monday and will come into effect after it is notified in a couple of days.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who announced the new policy, said the government will not run liquor shops anymore (currently it runs around 60% of these outlets) because it is not the job of the government to sell liquor. No new liquor shops will be opened, Sisodia said, pointing out that since 2016, no new outlet has been opened in the city.

"The excise reforms announced today will be a major blow to the liquor mafia in Delhi. The liquor mafia runs around 2,000 illegal shops which results in tax evasion of Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 2,000 crore," said Sisodia.

Full report on www.toi.in

Delhi was among a few states and Union territories that had a higher age bar even as the rest of the country had moved on

India’s daily cases now 3rd highest in world

India’s daily cases now 3rd highest in world

Atul.Thakur@timesgroup.com

23.03.2021 

For the fourth consecutive day, more than 40,000 fresh cases were reported in the country and the steady increase of cases has once again pushed India to become the world’s third-worst affected country in terms of daily cases.

Data compiled by WHO shows that once again the trio of Brazil, the USA and India are leading the world in daily cases. WHO data shows that on March 22, Brazil had reported 79,069 new cases, the highest in the world, followed by the US at 60,228 and India 46,951 cases. Analysis of daily case data for the past few days shows that India reached the third spot on March 19 and since then it has maintained that position.

India reported 40,622 fresh cases, with data from Assam yet to arrive till late at night. An analysis of state-wise data shows that the increase in daily cases was no longer confined to few a states. Despite being a Monday, when cases dip every week, at least 9 states reported the highest case count since January or earlier Gujarat for instance reported 1,640 cases on Monday, the highest ever in the state. Today’s cases were higher than 1,607 cases reported on the earlier peak that the state reached on November 27.

Deaths too were increasing and the daily toll breached the 200 mark on Sunday.