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Corona Virus Updates

Total 297 covid19 cases in India !

21-03-2020 at 06.22 PM

Three more test positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu

Three more persons — two nationals of Thailand and one from New Zealand — have tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Tamil Nadu. This takes the total number of persons who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the State to six. Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar, in a tweet, said “the three patients were already quarantined and under their radar. They were admitted to isolation wards in government hospitals and undergoing treatment. He added that so far, all six COVID-19 patients were “imported cases” from different regions with travel history and not “community transmitted”. He added that screening was intensified at railway stations, domestic and international airports and inter-State borders.

21-03-2020 at 01-55 PM

India Covid19 cases increased to 297

All Delhi malls to be closed in view of COVID-19 threat, barring supermarkets pharmacies and other uber-essential outlets. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region is shutdown and from the midnight, all workplaces will remain closed till 31st March in Mumbai. West Bengal reported its third positive case on Saturday. Maharashtra has detected 11 new cases, while Punjab has reported 3. One more case has been detected in Noida and Gujarat respectively. Karnataka has detected one more positive case. Ladakh has reported 3 more cases. Gujarat’s tally climbs to 13, taking India’s total to 293.

12.30PM | Maharastra

Woman in Pune with no foreign travel history tests positive

A Pune woman in her early 40s with no history of foreign travel has tested positive for COVID-19, confirmed Pune district authorities on Saturday taking the total tally of positive cases in the district to 23.

The woman, presently on ventilator support at the city’s Bharti Hospital, tested positive for COVID-19 after her throat swabs were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) to check for the possibility of H1N1 (swine flu) infection, said an official.

Mumbai Metro suspends operations on Sunday due to Janata Curfew

As a part of the ‘Janata Curfew’ announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mumbai Metro announced that it would not be operating on March 22.

“In continuation of its fight against COVID-19 and in support of Hon’ble PM’s appeal of Janata Curfew, Mumbai Metro One suspends operations on 22/03/2020 (Sunday) to encourage people to stay at home and make “Janta Curfew” an unprecedented success,” it said on Twitter.

12.25PM|Kerala

Cases filed against mosque and temple for defying the orders

Despite orders from the government and district administration to avoid congregation at religious places, a large number of people neglecting the orders gathered at mosques and temples in Kannur. The police took cases against over 200 people, including the authorities of three mosques and a temple, on Saturday.

According to the District Police Chief Yathish Chandra, the cases were filed against the mosque and temple authorities for allowing to conduct mass and also temple festival, by defying the orders imposed in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.

The cases were taken against a mosque committee member and those came for the mass at Palot mosque and 19 Mile mosque in Mattanur police limit, and Shivapuram in Maloor police limit. In Taliparamba, police took a case against Trichambaram temple committee authority for organising the temple festival on Saturday.

Mr. Chandra said the seriousness of the disease has been already been discussed with all the religious leaders and the concerned police station has called the authorities to avoid any congregation where more than 50 people assemble at a place.

11.30AM | Gujarat

One more person tests positive in Gujarat

One more person with recent travel history to Srilanka tested positive for COVID-19 in Gujarat. So far, 8 persons have been found infected with the virus in the State.

10.50 AM | RAJASTHAN

Six new cases in Rajasthan

Six new coronavirus positive cases have been detected in Rajasthan, of which five are in Bhilwara and one in Jaipur. With this, the total number of positive cases in Rajasthan is 23, though three of them were cured by treatment in isolation.

The five new cases in Bhilwara are those of para-medical staff of a private hospital where the doctors who tested positive on Friday at work.

10.55 AM | KARNATAKA

Another positive case in Karnataka

Another person has tested positive for COVID-19 in the State taking the total number of cases to 16.

A 32-year-old resident of Gowribidanur in Chikkaballapur, who returned from Mecca, has tested positive. Health Minister B. Sriramulu confirmed this in a tweet on Saturday.

In Karnataka, hotels and restaurants will be open only for takeaways till end of month

The State government has directed all hotels and restaurants in municipal corporation limits to stop dining facility and remain open only for takeaways and online ordering from Saturday till March 31 to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Pubs and bars too will be closed, while takeaway liquor shops can stay open.

In an order on Friday, the government also imposed a ban on jatras, urs and other such religious gatherings to ensure social distancing. It also stated that all medical staff involved in COVID-19, including students of medical and para-medical courses, cannot be given leave.

10.35 AM | TAMIL NADU

Justice S.M. Subramaniam of Madras High Court will contribute his one month salary of ₹2.25 lakh for the welfare of unorganized sector labourers who had lost their earnings due to COVID-19. He will hand over the cheque to TN Chief Secretary at the Secretariat today.

10.30 AM | WEST BENGAL

Third coronovirus case from West Bengal

West Bengal on Saturday reported the third case of coronovirus infection when a 23-year-old woman tested positive for the viral infection. The woman had a history of travel to Scotland and hails from Habra in North 24 Parganas. She has been shifted to isolation ward of Infectious Disease and Beleghta General Hospital.

Earlier this week two youths aged 18 and 22 years have been tested positive for the Coronovirus infection. Both of them have a travel history to United Kingdom and are being treated at the same hospital.

India Coronavirus statewise!

for more detail visit: https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-india-update-state-wise-total-number-of-confirmed-cases-deaths-812987.html

CoronaVirus Global:

for more details visit : https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-live-updates-march-21-2020/article31125561.ece

Subscribe to WHO health alert on WhatsApp, to know facts about Corona virus!

With coronavirus spreading far and wide across the world, there is lot of misinformation circulating online and causing panic among people. The World Health Organisation (WHO), in bid to allay fears over the Covid-19 has partnered WhatsApp to genuine information and steps to prevent further spread of the virus infection.“Digital technology gives us an unprecedented opportunity for vital health information to go viral and spread faster than the pandemic, helping us save lives and protect the vulnerable. We are proud to have partners like Facebook and WhatsApp, thatare supporting us in reaching billions of people with important health information,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO said.

WHO Health Alert will offer genuine information on topics such as how to protect yourself from infection, travel advice, and debunking Coronavirus myths. The service is initially launching in English but will be available in all six United Nations languages within the coming weeks (English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.

Here’s how to subscribe to WHO Health Alert on WhatsApp

Interested people can save the number +41 79 893 1892 in their phone contacts or click here on mobile. To gets things started, just text the word ‘Hi’ to the number above on the WhatsApp messenger app.
The service responds to a series of prompts and will be updated daily with the latest information. People can press number or the corresponding emoji (in the picture above) to get statistics on infections, deaths, how to maintain personal hygiene and more.
In a related development, WhatsApp, as part of #CoronaVirusFacts Alliance, has announced a $1M grant to the International Fact Checking Network to combat misinformation circulation online and also on various messaging services including WhatsApp or SMS.

for more details visit: https://www.deccanherald.com/specials/want-real-facts-about-coronavirus-subscribe-to-who-health-alert-on-whatsapp-816005.html

Corona Virus Updates!!!

Madhya Pradesh sees first 4 COVID-19 cases; India’s tally rises to 256

All Delhi malls to be closed in view of COVID-19 threat, barring supermarkets pharmacies and other uber-essential outlets. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region is shutdown and From this Midnight, all workplaces will remain closed till 31st March in Mumbai. West Bengal also shuts down its malls. The total number of positive cases in India now stands at 250 with Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, UP, Gujarat and Maharashtra reporting fresh cases.

Kerala

12 more persons have tested positive for COVID19 in Kerala- 5 in Ernakulam, 6 in Kasaragod and 1 in Palakkad. There are total 40 Coronavirus positive cases in the state: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

Karnataka

All bars/pubs to remain closed from tomorrow till 31st March in Karnataka. In all city municipal corporations across the state, restuarants including cafes cannot serve food in-house, only takeaways will be allowed: Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

IRCTC

On-board catering services in mail or express trains to be closed until further advice. Food plazas, refreshment rooms, Jan aahars, & cell kitchens will also be closed: Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC).

Lucknow

Lucknow’s Taj Hotel, where Kanika Kapoor attended party, to be shut

Delhi

Delhi’s Chhatarpur Temple to be closed from Saturday.

FIR filed against Kanika Kapoor, says report

News18 reported that an FIR was resgistered against Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, in Lucknow, for violating the norms of self isolation.

Win upto 1 lakh ! COVID-19 Solution Challenge

COVID-19 Solution Challenge

The central government wants people to share their innovative ideas and suggestions. The last date for submission is March 31, 2020. The First Prize is Rs 1,00,000, second Prize is Rs 50,000, and third prize is Rs 25,000.

Applicants can be individuals or Startups. The central government has set eligibility criteria. “For the product to be developed as part of COVID 19 Solution Challenge, if any IPR/Patent is being used, contesting entity must possess the legitimate rights to use the IPR/Patents,” the centre said.

Share your Ideas and Suggestions to help fight Coronavirus

The central government has said that with the “active” assistance of people of India, the spread of the Coronavirus in India has been contained so far. The central government has said that it wants the community to participate in the fight against Coronavirus. It wants to hear ideas and suggestions from the citizens of the country in fighting the Coronavirus. “These can include innovative and best practices regarding hygiene, Hand washing, social distancing and preventing the spread of rumours and being prepared rather than panicking. Keep Calm and Stay Vigilant. Be a part of the mission against Coronavirus!” the central government has said.

Citizens, who want to share ideas, can go to https://www.mygov.in/group-issue/share-your-ideas-suggestions-help-fight-coronavirus/?utm_source=webcampaign&group_issue&285571 .

The last date for submission of ideas is April 30.

How Corona virus origins ?

Genome analysis suggests two viruses may have combined.

Scientists have been trying to understand the origin of COVID-19 and the virus that causes it: SARS-CoV-2.
Originally, scientists believed the virus may have developed in bats, and later pangolins.
However, genomic comparisons suggest that the SARS-Cov-2 virus is the result of a recombination between two different viruses, meaning the exact origin of the virus is still unclear.

In the space of a few weeks, we have all learned a lot about COVID-19 and the virus that causes it: SARS-CoV-2. But there have also been a lot of rumours. And while the number of scientific articles on this virus is increasing, there are still many grey areas as to its origins.

In which animal species did it occur? A bat, a pangolin or another wild species? Where does it come from? From a cave or a forest in the Chinese province of Hubei, or elsewhere?

In December 2019, 27 of the first 41 people hospitalised (66%) passed through a market located in the heart of Wuhan city in Hubei province. But, according to a study conducted at Wuhan Hospital, the very first human case identified did not frequent this market. Instead, a molecular dating estimate based on the SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences indicates an origin in November. This raises questions about the link between this COVID-19 epidemic and wildlife.

Genomic data

The SARS-CoV-2 genome was rapidly sequenced by Chinese researchers. It is an RNA molecule of about 30,000 bases containing 15 genes, including the S gene which codes for a protein located on the surface of the viral envelope (for comparison, our genome is in the form of a double helix of DNA about 3 billion bases in size and contains about 30,000 genes).

Comparative genomic analyses have shown that SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the group of Betacoronaviruses and that it is very close to SARS-CoV, responsible for an epidemic of acute pneumonia which appeared in November 2002 in the Chinese province of Guangdong and then spread to 29 countries in 2003. A total of 8,098 cases were recorded, including 774 deaths. It is known that bats of the genus Rhinolophus (potentially several cave species) were the reservoir of this virus and that a small carnivore, the palm civet (Paguma larvata), may have served as an intermediate host between bats and the first human cases.

Since then, many Betacoronaviruses have been discovered, mainly in bats, but also in humans. For example, RaTG13, isolated from a bat of the species Rhinolophus affinis collected in China’s Yunan Province, has recently been described as very similar to SARS-CoV-2, with genome sequences identical to 96%. These results indicate that bats, and in particular species of the genus Rhinolophus, constitute the reservoir of the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses.

But how do you define a reservoir? A reservoir is one or several animal species that are not or not very sensitive to the virus, which will naturally host one or several viruses. The absence of symptoms of the disease is explained by the effectiveness of their immune system, which allows them to fight against too much viral proliferation.

Recombination mechanism

On February 7, 2020, we learned that a virus even closer to SARS-CoV-2 had been discovered in pangolin. With 99% of genomic concordance reported, this suggested a more likely reservoir than bats. However, a recent study under review shows that the genome of the coronavirus isolated from the Malaysian pangolin (Manis javanica) is less similar to SARS-Cov-2, with only 90% of genomic concordance. This would indicate that the virus isolated in the pangolin is not responsible for the COVID-19 epidemic currently raging.

However, the coronavirus isolated from pangolin is similar at 99% in a specific region of the S protein, which corresponds to the 74 amino acids involved in the ACE (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2) receptor binding domain, the one that allows the virus to enter human cells to infect them. By contrast, the virus RaTG13 isolated from bat R. affinis is highly divergent in this specific region (only 77 % of similarity). This means that the coronavirus isolated from pangolin is capable of entering human cells whereas the one isolated from bat R. affinis is not.

In addition, these genomic comparisons suggest that the SARS-Cov-2 virus is the result of a recombination between two different viruses, one close to RaTG13 and the other closer to the pangolin virus. In other words, it is a chimera between two pre-existing viruses.

his recombination mechanism had already been described in coronaviruses, in particular to explain the origin of SARS-CoV. It is important to know that recombination results in a new virus potentially capable of infecting a new host species. For recombination to occur, the two divergent viruses must have infected the same organism simultaneously.

For more details visit : https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-origins-genome-analysis-covid19-data-science-bats-pangolins