Numbers show TN not ready to open up

Numbers show TN not ready to open up

At 19%, State TPR Four Times Higher Than Centre’s Guideline of 5%; Vax Coverage Poor

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:03.06.2021

The number of fresh cases of Covid-19 is falling as is the test positivity rate in most districts, but the numbers are nowhere near the levels the Centre has set for opening up.

On Tuesday, the Centre set three guidelines for opening up — average seven-day test positivity rate (TPR) of less than 5%, more than 70% vaccination coverage among the 45-plus age group, and “community ownership of care and Covid-19 appropriate behavior”.

No district in the state has a weekly TPR below 5%. Kancheepuram and Sivaganga have the lowest TPR of between 9.4% and 9.6%, followed by Vellore (11.2%). And public health officials said they will not be able to predict if these rates will fall below 5% by June 7, when the state has to extend or lift lockdown restrictions.

On Wednesday, the state said at least 23 districts have reported a decline in the weekly TPR. For instance, fresh cases in Chengalpet came down to 996 on Wednesday from around 2,600 at the beginning of the lockdown. The TPR that was around 32.4% in this district dropped to 19.9% this week. Similarly, daily fresh cases in Chennai came down from around 7,500 to less than 2,500 and the TPR is now 11.4% compared to 23.3% when the lockdown began. However, the TPR in above the state average of 19% in at least 23 districts.

“Despite aggressive testing and isolation, we don’t know why cases are not coming down in some parts of the state. While we have been able to bring down the positivity rate and infection rate in Chennai and surrounding region, we don’t see similar results in parts of the west or central region,” said health secretary J Radhakrishnan. The issue was discussed even at the medical experts meeting with chief minister M K Stalin on Wednesday.

Tirupur’s TPR has touched 38.1% compared to 32.8% last week. Despite decrease in cases, Coimbatore is reporting a TPR of 36.6% compared to 30.5% last week. Erode's TPR, which was around 27% last week, is inching close to 30%.

“Test results are delayed and hence isolation is delayed. This is one the main reasons for increase in cases despite lockdown,” said a senior official in Tirupur. Samples from smaller districts are now being sent to nearby districts to expedite results, he said.

Secondly, less than 50% of the healthcare providers in the state and only 31% of frontline workers have taken both doses of the vaccine.

While the state says it can’t measure coverage among people above 45 years (with comorbid conditions), only 20% of people above 60 years have received the first dose and 8% are fully vaccinated. But the vaccination numbers, too , aren't uniform. While Greater Chennai Corporation has said 55% of the above-45 population in the city has been vaccinated, the Nilgiris district announced that at least 60% of the population in the same age group has been vaccinated.

India may get Pfizer’s vaccine in July

India may get Pfizer’s vaccine in July

Final Deal Still Pending Between Govt & American Drug-Maker

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:03.06.2021

The government’s decisions to ease regulatory norms for clearing foreign-made vaccines for use in India and an in-principle consensus on an indemnity waiver are intended to facilitate supply of Pfizer’s vaccine against Covid-19, which officials hope can be made by July.

The final agreement between the government and the American drug-maker on indemnity and procurement norms are still pending, though the two parties have arrived at an in-principle consensus, sources said.

According to a source, the government may give a complete waiver to foreign-made vaccines that have been approved for restricted use by the US Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, UK., Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, Japan, or which are mentioned in WHO Emergency Use Listing.

While Pfizer has been insisting on supplying the vaccines through the Centre, the government is working out a mechanism whereby the Centre can negotiate a price with the company and states and UTs can procure the jabs directly from the company at the pre-fixed price, the source said.

However, final signing of the agreement may still take a few days. Besides, despite the waivers and agreements, any company importing the vaccines will have to make a formal application, with documents of approval secured abroad, seeking emergency use authorisation from the drug regulator.

“Once all the documents are submitted and a formal application is made, the approval can come in around 10 days but supplies will take time to arrive and depend on the existing bookings and available stockpile with the company,” a senior regulatory official said.

Pfizer too said it is in talks with the government to make its Covid-19 vaccine available in India.

Apart from Pfizer, Cipla too has been negotiating with the government seeking fasttrack approvals to bring Moderna’s single-dose Covid-19 booster vaccine to the country.

Full report on www.toi.in

DOSE OF IMMUNITY: Students and employees who are travelling to foreign countries for education and employment line up to get vaccinated at a special camp in Bengaluru on Wednesday

Experts want state to unlock in phases, 1st in dists with fewer cases

Experts want state to unlock in phases, 1st in dists with fewer cases

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:03.06.2021

An expert panel at a meeting with chief minister M K Stalin on Monday has suggested that lifting of lockdown in the state must be staggered as the three-week shutdown has not brought down cases uniformly across Tamil Nadu. The state government, however, must continue to make efforts to augment beds and human resources across districts to handle subsequent waves and infections in children, the panel said.

Doctors pointed out at the meeting about cases peaking at different districts at different times. For instance, while cases in Chennai region have dropped drastically, fresh cases continue to swell in parts of western region. Even within the region, cases in Erode are increasing, but the count in Coimbatore has started declining. “Extending lockdown in a region that has lower infection rate and empty hospital wards may not make sense. Health policies must make economic sense too,” said National Institute of Epidemiology deputy director Dr Prabhdeep Kaur. The decision to tighten or reduce curbs should be made based on district-level epidemiological factors, she said.

TN may get a lab for genome sequencing

As new variants of the SARS-Cov 2 emerge across the globe, officials in the state public health laboratory drafted aproposal to set up a whole genome sequencing lab for Tamil Nadu. If approved, TN will get its own lab to sequence genomic code of the virus by the end of June at a cost of ₹2 crore.P 4

‘Upgrade health infra in tier-2 cities, small towns’

High positivity rate, increase in number of cases or deaths, high occupancy rate in hospitals, and doubling time of infection are some of the factors that must be considered while deciding on restrictions, she said.

Experts also discussed the need to upgrade health infrastructure and human resources in tier-2 cities and smaller towns. Deans Dr E Theranirajan and Dr R Jayanthi said the state should ask doctors to stop prescribing steroids for long duration to prevent infections such as mucormycosis (black fungus).

WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said the state should prepare to handle subsequent waves. Besides protecting the unvaccinated vulnerable population — elderly and people with comorbidities — the state has to draft policies to protect children in the subsequent waves, she said.

Woman claims she was given 2 doses together

COVID VAX BLUES

Woman claims she was given 2 doses together

Kozhikode:03.06.2021

A 46-year-old woman has complained that she was administered two doses of Covishield vaccine, one after the other, during her vaccination at Kadameri community health centre here on Tuesday.

Rajula, hailing from Karakandi near Teekuni, has been admitted to the Kozhikode medical college hospital after she fainted on returning home and experiencing weakness in her limbs.

Local health centre authorities, however, said that the woman was not administered two doses of the vaccine. They said that the first attempt to administer the vaccination was aborted after insertion of the needle due to blood return and the vaccination was provided in the second attempt. District RCH officer T Mohandas said that a report has been sought from the doctor concerned on the incident.

Rajula’s husband Nizar said that he, along with his wife, had gone to the CHC for the first dose of Covishield vaccine and after administering the first jab, the nurse gave another injection to Rajula. “When I was given the single dose of injection, I told the nurse that my wife, who was administered the vaccine just ahead of my turn, was given two shots,” he said.

Nizar said that Rajula fainted around 7pm and was taken to a hospital in Vadakara and later shifted to Kozhikode medical college. Nizar has filed a complaint with the district collector and district medical officer. TNN

Model tenancy law gets Cabinet nod, to serve both owners & tenants

Model tenancy law gets Cabinet nod, to serve both owners & tenants

Dipak.Dash@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:03.06.2021

More than six years after it was first mooted by the Centre, the Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the Model Tenancy Act which aims to protect the interests of both tenants and landlords.

The government expects this model law, which states can adopt and enact, will open up a large number of residential and commercial properties for rental purposes as the legal framework will eliminate the fear of owners losing their properties.

While announcing that states have the option to adopt the policy, housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri said he expects BJP-ruled states to roll it out and that other states would also do so as it benefits the common man. He said the policy, once notified by the states, will cover urban and rural areas. The model law lays out the norms for establishing separate rent authorities, courts and tribunals in every district to protect the interests of owners and tenants.

The model Act says that the rent and duration of tenancy will be fixed by mutual consent between the owner and tenant and there has to be a written agreement. It suggests that the security deposit for residential properties won’t be for more than two months’ rent and for commercial properties, it can’t be more than that of six months.

For revision of rent, landlords need to give a written notice three months in advance and the new rent will be on mutual consent.

Full report on www.toi.in

We are an ‘aggregator’, not a ‘social media’: Google to HC

We are an ‘aggregator’, not a ‘social media’: Google to HC

Says New IT Rules Not Applicable To Its Search Engine

Abhinav.Garg@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:03.06.2021

Arguing that it is an “aggregator” and not a “social media intermediary”, Google on Wednesday moved the Delhi high court, contending that the new Information Technology rules for digital media were not applicable to its search engine as it did not fit the definition of “Significant Social Media Intermediary” (SSMI) which has been made a part of the rules mandating strict compliance.

It challenged a single judge order of HC where certain directions were issued against Google, ruling that the new rules apply to it.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to the Centre, Delhi government, Internet Service Providers’ Association of India, Facebook and others on the plea by the global firm, seeking their stand.

Appearing for the company, senior advocate Harish Salve said the single judge had misinterpreted some of the provisions and wrongly applied them on the search engine. The plea urged the court to set aside a single judge order which applied the rules on the company while dealing with an issue related to removal of offending content from the internet.

While Salve sought a stay on coercive steps against Google in case the earlier order was not complied with, the bench refused to grant interim order and said it will examine the stand of the other stake-holders.

The case stems from a plea filed by a woman seeking to block offensive and objectionable content against her uploaded on a pornographic site. The single judge had directed Delhi police to ensure the offensive content was removed and directions were also issued to search engines, including Google, Yahoo and Bing, to “globally de-index and de-reference” the offending content from their search results.

It directed search engines to use automated tools, to proactively identify and globally disable access to any content which is exactly identical to the offending content, that may appear on any other websites/online platforms.

Full report on www.toi.in

A bench of the Delhi high court issued notice to the Centre, the Delhi government and Facebook seeking their stand on Google’s plea

Stalin starts on an inclusive note, how long will honeymoon last?

Stalin starts on an inclusive note, how long will honeymoon last?

A Month On At The Helm, DMK Chief Chooses A Different Path Than His Father’s, Taking Opponents Along

R Rangaraj

03.06.2021

For all the standards and goals set by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam patriarch, M Karunanidhi struggled to expand the horizons of his party beyond traditional lines. Taking forward the DMK legacy, chief minister M K Stalin, through his inclusive gestures, seems to have managed to reach out to sections beyond party lines and earn encomiums even from opponents of the DMK.

The limited scope of the DMK’s popularity could be assessed with the 1989 assembly polls in mind, when the AIADMK split after the death of its tallest leader MGR in December 1987. The DMK was elected to power, but secured only about one-third of the votes. In 2006, the DMK won on the strength of a strong alliance which included the Congress, the PMK and the Left, to touch 44% vote share . In 2016, the DMK indirectly projected Stalin as the heir apparent to get close to 40% vote share but lost out to the AIADMK which boosted its own vote share to 41.1%, and J Jayalalithaa barely scraped through. The DMK only came close to the majority mark, but it was apparent that Stalin did attract a percentage of voters who wanted change.

On Karunanidhi’s 97th birth anniversary on June 3, as the DMK takes stock of its gains after a month of being in power again, the critics of the party have been silenced by Stalin’s approach ever since he assumed office on May 7.

The subdued note of celebration was quickly replaced by action on a warfooting against the pandemic.

In the past, the DMK and the AIADMK governments had been guilty of winding up or renaming pet schemes of each another soon after coming to power. Stalin has shown no keenness to alter the status quo, especially relating to Amma Unavagam. The arrest of DMK men who vandalised an Amma Unavagam outlet, seeking to remove the photograph of Jayalalithaa and the reassurance that the Amma Unavagam scheme would continue to reach out to the poor, the commitment to the Annadhanam scheme of temples, the quick steps to raise availability of vaccines and oxygen beds in hospitals, have all contributed to broaden Stalin’s support base beyond his party.

The push to appoint efficient senior officers such as V Irai Anbu and T Udhayachandran has also gone down well with the bureaucracy. Stalin has adopted a judicious style bringing in a new team of officers in crucial posts like Gagandeep Singh Bedi (Chennai corporation), and retaining the team led by the health secretary J Radhakrishnan.

The move to set up a committee of MLAs from various parties has also created a sense of confidence in officialdom.

These moves have earned the appreciation of a couple of the AIADMK. Former deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam has welcomed the government’s “acceptance” of some of his demands.

Stalin’s refusal to be drawn into a slanging match with the AIADMK and other opposition parties despite provocative statements, has got him new admirers. Sections within the DMK are surprised over the “inclusiveness” and “maturity” of the CM.

There is a new air of freedom in government complexes as compared to the slavish mentality among ministers noticed in the Jayalalithaa era as well. Stalin comes across as first among equals at these meetings and in public appearances alongside ministers and officials. Ministers handling the portfolios of health, finance, education and transport have been allowed to hold discussions with their respective departments and interact with media, indicating greater democracy and transparency in the government than before.

How long this approach will continue is anybody’s guess. Some of his critics believe this would last only during the “honeymoon” period, but Stalin watchers say his approach of dealing with issues on a non-party basis, is different from the Kalaignar era and would continue even as he keeps his doors open for suggestions.

As for the DMK, Stalin has told his partymen that politics can take a backseat during the pandemic. The situation is not conducive to hold elections to urban local bodies, besides vacant rural bodies. The local councillors and the presence of elected representatives at the tier-3 levels, could also help in better governance. At least until then, Stalin would ensure that politics is kept away, and focus would be on dealing with the pandemic. Chambers of industries and commerce feel the new dispensation of proactive ministers and skilled officers in key positions could help accelerate growth through a new regime of incentives and concessions. They expect this to be ushered in once the pandemic is dealt with.

While Stalin builds on the image of his father and draws support from the legion of Kalaignar fans, he has embarked on a new path of inclusive growth and diversified appeal, beyond religion, caste and community divide.

Stalin has been careful to maintain a balance between the Dravidian plank of the party and the sentiments of Hindus, in a marked departure from the Karunanidhi legacy. Karunanidhi was known to make acerbic comments about Hindu gods and goddesses off and on, and this upset devout Hindus who saw the DMK as an anti-Hindu party. The BJP has been trying to build such a narrative, but the DMK under Stalin nipped it in the bud.

Stalin has been keen to convey that he does not want to carry the baggage of the past, especially the picture of his party being anti-Hindu On the political front, he has proved to be bipartisan. Though hamstrung by a low resource base, he has begun implementing some of the poll promises. Work well begun is half done. Stalin has crossed more than the halfway period in a short span. In that sense, he has managed to overcome the stiff opposition from a section of the political spectrum and the electorate, and go beyond the confines of the DMK. Going forward, his government will have to come to grips with rising debts and aspirations.

(The writer is a senior journalist)

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