IGI was busier than Dubai airport in Nov

IGI was busier than Dubai airport in Nov

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:25.11.2021

The pandemic has flipped the pecking order of world airports. This month, Delhi’s IGI Airport was busier than Dubai International Airport in terms of combined domestic and international seat capacity deployed by airlines.

At close to 30.9 lakh, IGIA is the seventh busiest airport globally this month, ahead of Dubai at a little over 30.7 lakh, according to UK-based air consultancy firm OAG. In pre-pandemic November 2019, Dubai was at number 3 and IGIA at number 10.

While Dubai remains the world’s busiest international airport by seats, IGIA does not figure in the list of top 10 international airports due to continued restrictions on scheduled foreign flights by India. The revival of domestic air travel in India has led to a revival of footfall at airports, making IGIA overtake Dubai in overall seat capacity.

Decision on resuming int’l flights soon: Govt

India will soon decide on resuming scheduled international flights. While there are chances that it could happen before the yearend, the worsening Covid situation in Europe has led to a rethink. Union aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said: “I am working on the issue with other ministries.”

Only half of current Top 10 airports were in 2019 list

In pre-pandemic times, nearly 60% of the international traffic between India and the rest of the world flew foreign airlines. Of them, Gulf carriers took the lion’s share in terms of both point to point and connecting traffic. “If India is able to take steps to lower the steep operating cost structures for its airlines and the latter are able to mount more nonstops to the rest of the world, including distant continents, then the blow to airlines of nearby hubs will be big. Transit traffic to and from India is a big source of filling the planes of these airlines,” said an airline official.

Thanks to traffic recovery, India’s busiest and second busiest airport, Delhi’s IGI and Mumbai airport, respectively, are now using all their terminals. Meanwhile, the 10 busiest airports overall this month, according to OAG, are Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Dallas Fort Worth, Chicago O’Hare, Guangzhou, Denver, Los Angeles International, Delhi IGIA, Dubai DXB, Tokyo Haneda and Shenzhen. The 10 busiest airports by international seat capacity alone this month are Dubai DXB, London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Paris CDG, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Doha, Madrid Adolfo Suarez-Barajas, New York JFK and Dublin.

“Only half of the current Top 10 airports were in the Top 10 in November 2019. Still missing are Singapore (23), Hong Kong (27), Incheon (45) and Bangkok (63) as recovery in Asia continues to falter,” says OAG.

Be Careful, India

Be Careful, India

US and Western Europe are a cautionary tale of Covid dangers despite brisk vaccination

25.11.2021

The Covid surge in Western Europe and the US, including in some countries where around 70% of the population is fully vaccinated, sends a message to India – be very careful. India cannot be swayed by comforting assumptions. It must focus on upping disease surveillance and expediting vaccination. Just 30% of Indians are fully vaccinated; and decisions on child immunisation as well as booster shots for 2.5 crore senior citizens and healthcare workers who received second doses over six months ago are still awaited. Reopening educational institutions have triggered a few Covid clusters, evidence that the virus is transmitting even when unable to wreak much damage.

The national serosurvey in July had revealed Covid antibodies in 67% of the population even when single-dose coverage was just 28%. Subsequent serosurveys in Delhi, Kerala and Haryana had revealed over 90%, 80% and 70% seropositivity respectively in the general population. But as the Kerala seven-day Covid trajectory of over 5,000 daily cases, despite 95% single-dose adult vaccination, indicates, only speedy universal full vaccination can mitigate infection risks. High seroprevalence is a comforting prospect but in a situation where immunity is waning, India’s propensity for rapid infection transmission – evident during the Delta second wave in April-June – poses a nightmarish scenario to be avoided at all costs.

Scientific studies to glean actionable intelligence are needed. Regular serosurveys could signal the duration of seroprevalence by vaccine type besides societal-level protection. Hospitalisation data can reveal concrete evidence of waning immunity based on vaccination status, age, sex and location. NTAGI, the apex technical advisory group having the mandate to recommend the booster dose, should requisition all-out support from research bodies under ICMR to pursue studies that further our understanding of vaccines. Mix-and-match trials of vaccines to establish safety and immunogenicity are also necessary: Those wishing to switch out of Covishield or Covaxin must get that option with booster doses.

Concurrently, NEGVAC, the expert group on Covid vaccine administration, must debate the merits of rolling out booster doses in the private sector for those receiving medical advice to take the third dose, while governments steadfastly focus on the community medicine aspect of accelerating first and second doses. From 61% three months ago, the UK’s fully vaccinated population has inched up to just 68% now. With over 20 crore doses lying unused and nearly 10 crore people overdue for their second doses, the vaccination effort is entering a complicated stage in India too. Scientific rigour and state capacity are on test.

Why colleges may continue with online classes for now

Why colleges may continue with online classes for now

New Delhi:25.11.2021

While colleges and other educational institutions have been allowed to reopen, they are likely to continue holding classes in the online mode for now. Ensuring 50% capacity may be difficult for them, said officials.

Yogesh Singh, vice-chancellor of Delhi University, said, “Our concern is with the DDMA guidelines that allow 50% capacity. It is difficult to ensure that, so we are working on something concrete. However, that will take some time. For the final year students' practicals, the project work is already ongoing offline. We will soon have a meeting with the principals and decide for the first-and second-year students as well”.

For first-year students, the online classes at DU began on November 22.

At Delhi Technological University (DTU), the concern is about providing the students with hostel facilities. An official said, “First-year classes will begin from December 27 in the online mode. If offline classes are to be done in 50% attendance, the issue becomes that many of our students are outstation ones and there aren’t sufficient hostels. We may start with offline practical classes and continue theory classes online.”BR Ambedkar University Delhi will take a decision on reopening in a few days’ time. Anu Lather, vice-chancellor of the university, said, “We will have a consultation with the deans and take a call. Reopening is long-awaited and a welcome step. In between also, we tried to open 50% of the capacity of classrooms.” TNN

6k half-empty vials of Covid vaccines found in garbage pit

6k half-empty vials of Covid vaccines found in garbage pit

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:25.11.2021

As many as 5,500 half-empty vials of Covishield vaccine and 550 halfempty vials of Covaxin were found in a garbage pit in Mauganj community health centre of Rewa district on Wednesday.

Pictures of these vials went viral, triggering an allout administrative response. The district’s chief medical and health officer, Dr BL Mishra, set up a probe team and sent it the town, around 65km from Rewa HQ. He too rushed to the spot at night, and said the vials contained unused doses.

“Not even one of these vials of Covishield and Covaxin was sealed. These are actually last doses that were left over as patients did not turn up. Suppose, a vial is opened and only seven patients show up, then the remaining three doses are not used the next day. The only irresponsibility in this case pertains to improper disposal of medical waste,” the CMHO told TOI.

“Before the new waste disposal norms were put in place in the state a few years ago, medical wasted used to be dumped in garbage pits. This is one of the same garbage pits. Notices will be issued to all concerned over improper disposal,” he added.

Pictures of the vials in a garbage pit went viral on Wednesday

Singapore Airlines to resume flights on Nov 30

DOUBLE JAB MUST

Singapore Airlines to resume flights on Nov 30

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:25.11.2021

Singapore Airlines will restart its Bengaluru to Singapore City and return flights on November 30, after the country recently announced it will allow entry to fully vaccinated people, including Indians. Flights will be four days a week now, and from December 17, there will be daily flights from Bengaluru.

Flight SQ511 will take off from Kempegowda International Airport at 11.10 pm on November 30 and Flight SQ510 will land from Singapore. Return flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays till December 16.

Travel to Singapore has been categorised as vaccinated travel lane (VTL) and non vaccinated travel lane. Flights from Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai to Singapore fall under VTL, and those from Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi and Kolkata come under non-VTL category.

Int’l flights may resume by year-end

Int’l flights may resume by year-end

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:25.11.2021

India will soon decide on resuming scheduled international flights that remain suspended since last March. While there are chances the same happens before the yearend, the worsening Covid situation in Europe has led to a rethink on the issue.

Union aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told TOI on Wednesday: “I am working on the issue of resumption of scheduled international flights with other Union ministries like home and health. There is no definite decision as of now due to the resurgence of Covid in some countries. The inter-ministerial discussions on the issue will hopefully arrive at a decision shortly.” Earlier in the day, aviation secretary Rajiv Bansal told reporters that international flight services would normalise “very soon”, possibly by the end of this year. “This is still work in progress,” he told TOI.

The government wants to weigh in the Covid situation very carefully before deciding on scheduled international flights that were suspended in March 2020. Since last summer, international flights operate under air bubbles India has so far created with 31 countries. But the limited capacity has led to exorbitant international fares.

Nurses shunted over ants on patient’s face

Nurses shunted over ants on patient’s face

25.11.2021

Vadodara:

Months after a video of ants crawling on a 47-year-old paralytic woman’s mouth in the Covid ICU of SSG Hospital went viral, the state government shunted two nurses out of Vadodara. Sources said that the state health department has relieved them from their services at the hospital. While one staff nurse has been transferred to community health centre (CHC) at Balasinor in Mahisagar district, the other has been transferred to Ranjitnagar CHC in Panchmahal.

Transfer orders issued by the state health commissioner states that the services of the two nurses cannot be continued at SSG Hospital after the reports of ants crawling on the paralytic female patient. They have been transferred citing public interest. TNN