Leaving nothing to chance, T ups oxygen, bed capacity

Leaving nothing to chance, T ups oxygen, bed capacity

Geared Up To Handle Situation If Third Wave Arises: Srinivasa

Amrita.Didyala@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:  05.12.2021

Telangana has tripled oxygen generation capacity and kept 27 oxygen containers on standby for tackling likely surge of Covid-19 cases due to the new variant, omicron.

“Also, 26 PSA oxygen generation plants have been commissioned under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of companies. In addition to that, 27 containers of 540 metric tonne (MT) capacity for transportation of liquid oxygen have been arranged. The oxygen generation capacity in the state is increased from 135 MT/day to 327 MT/ day,” director public health Dr G Srinivasa Rao said.

“Also, 5,200 paediatric oxygen beds have been earmarked in different government hospitals so far for Covid-19. We are completely geared up to handle the situation if a third wave arises,” he said, adding that though a rapid spread of the new variant has been predicted,it might not be severe and therefore preparations would be enough to tackle any eventuality.

Not just in the government sector, efforts have been made to upscale oxygen generation and storage infrastructure even in private hospitals, which have bought oxygen tankers that can store liquid oxygen sufficienet for 3-4 days. “There was a shortage of tankers during the second wave. Now, majority of the corporate hospitals have set up additional oxygen generation plants, while the smaller and mid-sized ones have made arrangements for tankers,” Telangana Super Speciality Hospitals Association president Dr Bhaskar Rao said. In private hospitals, 39 PSA plants have been commissioned so far.

“Of 27,996 beds in government hospitals, 25,390 have been converted to oxygen beds so far. Currently, there are 55,442 beds in the state, including those in private hospitals. Of these 21,751 are oxygen beds, while 11,845 are ICU beds.

“Patients with moderate to severe symptoms, with or without Covid positive report, can go to any notified government Covid hospitals. Based on the clinical requirements, beds will be provided, and treatment will be given free of cost at government hospitals,” the health department said, urging people to utilise government facilities.

Rosaiah, ex-CM & a man for all seasons, passes away at 88

Rosaiah, ex-CM & a man for all seasons, passes away at 88

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad/Amaravati:  05.12.2021

Former chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh and veteran Congress leader Konijeti Rosaiah passed away in Hyderabad on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 88.

He died while being taken to a private hospital after he fell ill on Saturday morning.

Rosaiah was born on July 4, 1933 in Vemuru village of Guntur district. He is survived by wife Sivalakshmi, sons KSN Murthy, Subba Rao and daughter Ramadevi.

Rosaiah's political journey began in 1968 as an MLC. In his five-decade long public life, he was a minister in the cabinets of T Anjaiah, Marri Chenna Reddy, Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy and YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

He also represented Chirala in assembly and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Narasaraopet in Andhra Pradesh in 1999.

He was sworn in as chief minister on September 3, 2009 following the death of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash. Rosaiah continued in the post till November 24, 2010.

The former CM also had the unique distinction of presenting the state budget for a record 16 times under various chief ministers.

K Rosaiah

CM KCR consoles Rosaiah’s wife Sivalakshmi at their residence

T, AP govt declare 3 days state mourning

It was during his tenure as CM in 2009, then UPA government, announced on December 9 that it would start the process of forming a separate Telangana, but rolled back its decision on December 23 following protests by AP leaders and later constituted Sri Krishna Committee. TRS senior leaders recalled that the December 9 announcement was made after Rosaiah held a meeting with opposition parties and said then UPA government took the decision based on the views expressed by the leaders on granting separate statehood for Telangana.

PM Narendra Modi, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Telangana and AP CMs K Chandrasekhar Rao and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Union minister G Kishan Reddy, former governor ESL Narasimhan, TPCC president A Revanth Reddy, ministers KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao and several leaders condoled the death of the veteran leader. KCR, who visited Rosaiah's house and paid his tributes, recalled that Rosaiah brought laurels to each and every post he held. Telangana and AP governments declared three days of mourning. Senior Congress leader KVP Ramachandra Rao said the body of the veteran leader would be kept at Gandhi Bhavan.Final rites will be held at agriculture fields owned by family at Kompally on Sunday afternoon.

CM KCR paying tributes to former CM of united Andhra Pradesh and veteran Konijeti Rosaiah

An orator & a number cruncher

A master of mesmerising speeches, Konijeti Rosaiah was not only an authority on state finances but was also as a ‘walking encyclopedia’ of legislative affairs. It was literally difficult for the rivals to pin him down.

TDP founder-president and then CM NT Rama Rao is believed to have decided to abolish the legislative council as he was always at the receiving end of Rosaiah’s fiery speeches in the upper house. Rosaiah was also known for not encouraging his kin into politics. In his 50 years of political career, he never faced any allegations of corruption or nepotism. A true follower of Gandhian principles, Rosaiah rose to the top as a staunch follower of Acharya N G Ranga. Always clad in neatly ironed white khadi shirt and dhoti, Rosaiah lived a spotless life throughout.

Omicron count 4 after Maha, Guj report 1 each

Omicron count 4 after Maha, Guj report 1 each

Mumbai Resident Not Vaccinated

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai/Ahmedabad:  05.12.2021

Maharashtra and Gujarat reported a case each of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 on Saturday, one a 33-year-old man from Mumbai's Dombivli who had travelled to South Africa last month and the other a 72-year-old Zimbabwe resident visiting his native Jamnagar. This takes India's tally of confirmed Omicron cases so far to four.

Both patients are in a stable condition, health officials in Mumbai and Ahmedabad said. Two people who had accompanied the septuagenarian to Jamnagar by road after he landed at Ahmedabad airport on November 28 have since tested negative. They remain in isolation and under observation.

The Dombivli resident, a merchant navy engineer, had travelled to Mumbai from Cape Town via Delhi on November 24.

A woman shows her vax cert at a Bengaluru mall on Saturday

Patient’s 60 primary contacts traced

Health officials said he wasn't vaccinated but did not have any symptoms. Sixty of the patient’s primary and secondary contacts, including 25 co-passengers on the Delhi-Mumbai flight, have been traced and found negative for Covid, state surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate said.

BMC additional commissioner Suresh Kakani Kakani said one more person with a possible Omicron infection was quarantined during the day. Mumbai currently has another 17 potential cases of the variant — including 13 travellers and four of their contacts. An equal number are spread out across the state, said a health official.

Officials are awaiting the genomic sequencing reports of other Omicron suspects from Mumbai and its neighbouring areas. An update by the BMC said it had listed 3,760 travellers to Mumbai from "highrisk" countries, of whom 2,794 had been traced and tested for Covid. In Gujarat, health officials are awaiting the genome-sequencing reports of three people — a woman of Gujarati origin from Britain, a Vadodara resident and a doctor from Navsari — who tested positive for Covid on arrival from the UK. The doctor had landed in Mumbai. All three have been isolated at various hospitals.

CM Bhupendra Patel chaired an emergency meeting with home and health department officials, after which he said the state would strictly follow the stipulated testing, tracing and treatment protocol.

‘Omicron spreading more than twice as fast as Delta’

‘Omicron spreading more than twice as fast as Delta’

05.12.2021

Underscoring increasing concerns about Omicron, scientists in South Africa said on Friday that the newest variant appeared to spread more than twice as quickly as Delta, which had been considered the most contagious version of the virus. Omicron’s rapid spread results from a combination of contagiousness and an ability to dodge the body’s immune defences, the researchers said. But the contribution of each factor is not yet certain. “We’re not sure what that mixture is,” said Carl Pearson, a mathematical modeller at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who led the analysis. “It’s possible that it might even be less transmissible than Delta.” he said. The research is yet to be peer-reviewed. On Thursday, researchers said the variant may partly dodge immunity gained from a previous infection. It’s still unclear whether, or to what degree, Omicron may evade protection conferred by the vaccines. But some experts said they would expect the outcome to be similar.

Meanwhile, South African health officials on Saturday said that higher hospital admissions among children during fourth Covid wave driven by the Omicron variant should not prompt panic as infections have been mild. NYT & REUTERS

Tens of thousands of protesters marched through several European countries, including Austria, the Netherlands and Germany, on Saturday to demonstrate against Covid restrictions. Over 40,000 demonstrators gathered in Vienna (above) demanding a new election

Bolsonaro to face probe for linking Covid vax & AIDS

ABrazilian Supreme Court justice ordered on Friday that a probe be opened into President Jair Bolsonaro for having said during a live broadcast on multiple online platforms in October that Covid vaccines may raise the chance of contracting AIDS. Bolsonaro was temporarily suspended from both Facebook and YouTube after his comments. The decision came in response to a request from a Senate investigative committee. However, few expect any significant action given that the current top prosecutor was appointed by Bolsonaro. REUTERS

Centre shifts 42 IAS officers in mega rejig

Centre shifts 42 IAS officers in mega rejig

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  05.12.2021

In one of the biggest-ever appointments of top- and mid-level bureaucrats at the Centre, the government on Saturday issued orders for fresh posting, insitu elevation, and lateral shift of 42 IAS officers across different departments.

This is also perhaps for the first time that a long list of appointments, which consists of only IAS officers, has been issued, unlike in earlier instances when almost every list of appointment orders for additional secretary- and joint secretary-level posts included some non-IAS officers.

The six secretary level appointments include Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS Sanjay Bandopadhyay’s posting as chairman of Inland Waterways Authority of India; Jharkhand cadre IAS Sundeep Kumar Nayak’s appointment as director general of National Productivity Council; and Bihar cadre IAS Dharmendra S Gangwar as secretary of border management department in the home ministry. Tamil Nadu cadre IAS Anita Praveen has been appointed as special secretary in the food processing industries ministry, who will take over as secretary from January 1.

Progress is crucial, but not at cost of god’s properties: HC

Progress is crucial, but not at cost of god’s properties: HC

Chennai:  05.12.2021

Economic progress of the state, though important, cannot be at the cost of properties of god (temples), the Madras high court said.

Justice R Suresh Kumar made the observation while staying a Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department order leasing out 400sqft of a prime land belonging to Arulmighu Nithya Kalyana Perumal Temple on East Coast Road (ECR) in Thiruvidanthai to a private individual.

The land was given on lease for three years to Mermaid Properties which wanted access to the property located behind the temple land, despite objections raised by the temple.

“Even an inch of land of the temple need not be given to the petitioner by way of lease. The reason being that, if at all the petitioner wants the land for the purpose of approach road towards ECR, such kind of approach road is not a temporary phenomenon as it can be a permanent affair,” the HC said. TNN

Will India see Omicron wave? It’ll be clear in 6 wks: Experts

Will India see Omicron wave? It’ll be clear in 6 wks: Experts

‘Duration Crucial To See How Variant Behaves In Delta-Hit Country’

Malathy.Iyer@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:  05.12.2021

Experts said it would take another six to eight weeks for an “Omicron wave”, if at all, to become apparent. While Maharashtra’s first Omicron case has been detected in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the state’s additional chief secretary (health) Dr Pradeep Vyas said,“We will focus on quickly completing the vaccination process and ensuring that people follow Covid-appropriate behavior, particularly proper wearing of face mask.’’ Dr Shashank Joshi, a member of the state government’s Covid task force, said,“There are too many unknowns with the Omicron variant at the moment. We shouldn’t panic, but maintain a vigil. We have to study if Omicron in the next few weeks displaces the Delta variant (which caused the second wave in India) as the dominant variant in circulation.”

He said the next six to eight weeks are crucial to see how the Omicron variant behaves in India, which has seen a wide exposure to the Delta variant.

“Most Omicron cases are related to travel. We have to study clusters of cases in countries other than South Africa that may have developed after the first travel-related case. It will help us prepare,” added Dr Joshi.

Another task force member, Dr Rahul Pandit, said that it has to be back to the basics of tracing, testing and treating. “As we have seen previously, cases take a month or two to rise after a new variant is found to be in circulation,” he said.

BMC additional commissioner Suresh Kakani said that there is no cause for panic in Mumbai at the moment. “We have adequate medical infrastructure needed to handle any increase in cases we may see,” he said.

Kalyan Dombivli Municpal Corporation Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi said people should compulsorily observe safety measures of social distancing and wearing a face mask outside home. “I have asked hotel associations and commercial establishments and unions to adhere all safety norms of wearing masks. Our civic teams will start fining those who fail to wear masks and shopkeepers and other establishments who will not follow Covid safety guidelines,” he added.

(Inputs by Pradeep Gupta)

A separate ward being prepared at a hospital in Madurai on Saturday to treat people infected with the Omicron variant of Covid

RT-PCR report must for Vaishno Devi visit

Reviewing precautionary measures taken in view of the new Covid variant Omicron, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) has mandated for all visiting devotees to have verifiable RT-PCR reports not older than 72 hours, reports Sanjay Khajuria. Urging those taking up the pilgrimage not to let down their guard in the wake of a recent spike in Covid cases, SMVDSB chief executive officer Ramesh Kumar has appealed to the devotees to adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour and carry valid RT-PCR reports with them.

“It has already been made mandatory for the pilgrims to wear face masks and every visitor is being scanned through thermal scanners at the entry points,” Kumar said. “For the awareness of visitors, regular announcements are also being made on the already-installed multi-purpose audio system ...,” he added.