Coronavirus live updates: Centre reviews preparedness of 5 states in Eastern India

Fourteen crew members of a cargo ship that sailed to Durban from India have tested positive for Covid-19, South Africa's Transnet National Port Authority has said.A spokesperson from Transnet said the cause of a chief engineer's death aboard the ship was heart attack and not Covid-19.The 14 were among the entire crew that was tested after the ship arrived in Durban on Sunday. They are now all in isolation as authorities start a track and trace initiative for all those who might have been in contact with them."The vessel is currently on quarantine. No one is allowed to leave or enter the vessel, and the company responsible for anyone who worked on board is to track and trace all employees who interacted with the subject vessel,” Transnet said on Tuesday.

Expressing concern over a massive surge in Covid-19 cases in India, a Congresswoman has written to US President Joe Biden urging him to accelerate America's assistance to India in terms of oxygen cylinders, ventilators, BiPAP machines and surplus vaccines."Over the past several weeks, I have heard from constituents who fear for the health and safety of their family members in India. They worry that their loved ones will join those who are unable to locate oxygen or seek the care they need from overwhelmed hospitals and a healthcare system on the verge of collapse,” Congresswoman Deborah Ross said in a letter to Biden.In her letter, Ross thanked Biden for ordering the delivery of supplies worth more than $100 million to provide urgent relief to India.From oxygen systems and personal protective equipment (PPE) to rapid diagnostic tests and therapeutics, the US support for India is a testament to the seven decades of partnership between the two countries, she said."Helping India respond to this latest wave is in our national interest, as this pandemic will not end anywhere until it ends everywhere. As India continues to combat this surge, I hope you will consider providing additional shipments of oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, oxygen generator plants, remdesivir, tocilizumab, and ventilators/BiPAP machines,” Ross said.

The Indian Council for Medical Research in its advisory for Covid-19 testing during the second wave of the pandemic has recommended that the need for RT-PCR test in healthy individuals undertaking inter-state domestic travel may be completely removed to reduce the load on laboratories. As part of the measures to optimise RT-PCR testing, ICMR advisory makes it clear that the test must not be repeated in any individual who has tested positive once either by RAT or RTPCR. Also no testing is required for Covid recovered individuals at the time of hospital discharge in accordance with the discharge policy of the ministry of health and family welfare.

In view of the upward trend in Covid positive cases in Jammu & Kashmir, curfew in four districts of Srinagar, Baramulla, Budgam and Jammu has been extended till 7 am on May 10. Curfew has also been imposed in Samba district from 7 pm on Wednesday till May 10. Corona curfew at night will also continue in all municipal/urban local body limits of all the districts of the UT.

Allaying fear in general public over reports of positive SARS-CoV2 virus cases in eight Asiatic lions in a zoo in Hyderabad, the environment ministry on Tuesday said there was “no factual evidence” that animals could transmit the disease to humans any further. The ministry said, “Further analyses of the samples have revealed that the infection was not caused by any variant of concern. The eight lions have been isolated.” It said, “All the eight lions have responded well to the treatment and recovering..” Though the Central Zoo Authority has taken several pre-emptive measures, the ministry said new guidelines for Covid-19 precautions were being formulated.

The Patna HC again pulled up the state government and asked the Centre’s additional solicitor general, K N Singh, to speak to the defence secretary regarding handing over the entire health infrastructure of the state to the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS). The HC observed orally that it felt “ashamed” that it had reposed faith in the government this far and “continuously passed orders while people were dying”. “Rather, we should have taken a proactive approach instead of believing in the state government’s assurances. We could not intervene properly to protect the fundamental right to life of the people,” a high court division bench observed.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik had declared working journalists of state as 'frontline Covid warriors' on May 2.