Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE updates: DMDK’s Vijayakanth tests positive for COVID, put on ventilator due to breathing issue | Mint – Mint

28 Dec 2023, 08:16 AM IST Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: EPFO subscribers alert! Covid withdrawal facility may be stopped soon: Report

Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has reportedly shut the Covid-19 withdrawal facility that allowed its subscribers to take out a part of their retirement savings as Covid advances, the Economic Times reported. While there is no official notification in this regard yet. Mint could not independently verify this development. Read more here

Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: Several life-saving drugs supplied to various government hospitals in Delhi have reportedly failed to pass quality tests. The list of medicines that have failed to match the mandatory quality standards includes steroids, anti-epilepsy medications, antibiotics, anti-hypertensive drugs, and even antacids. Read more here

Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: Wearing masks, not sending children with symptoms to schools, adhering to COVID appropriate behaviour like social distancing, seven days home isolation and leave for infected patients, are among the measures that have been decided by the Karnataka government's cabinet sub-committee on coronavirus, amid a spike in cases and detection of JN.1 infections in the state.

It has also decided to administer "precautionary vaccine" for the aged and those with comorbidities and to get 30,000 doses of Corbevax vaccine from the Centre for this purpose.

Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday appealed to the disgruntled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal to make the documents public related to the alleged 40,000 crore scam in Covid-19 management during the previous BJP government in the state.

The minister said Yatnal should at least hand over the details to the Justice John Michael Cunha Commission of Inquiry to probe into the coronavirus related irregularities.

Kharge, who is the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, suspected the involvement of the Central government in the Covid scam.

"Yatnal has said that if he is expelled from the BJP then he will release all the documents (related to Covid mismanagement). I appeal to him through the media to please make the documents public, keeping in mind the people of Karnataka and to safeguard their interest. Or at least share them with Justice John Michael Cunha Committee Commission of Inquiry," Kharge, who holds IT/BT and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj portfolios, told reporters.

Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) Leader Vijayakanth tested positive for COVID. The party informed that Vijayakanth has been put on a ventilator due to breathing issue.

Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: A fifty-eight-year-old daily wager died of Covid-19 on Wednesday in a government hospital for chest diseases here.

Director of Health G Sriramulu told PTI that the worker had co-morbidities, including a cardiac problem. He was first admitted to the Government General Hospital here. As he was diagnosed with Covid pneumonia, he was later shifted to the hospital for chest diseases, where he died today.

Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: After the national capital reported its first case of JN.1 variant infection, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that there is no need to panic and that it only causes mild sickness.

"JN.1 is a sub-variant of Omicron and is a mild infection. This is the one spreading in south India. There is no need to panic. It causes mild sickness," Bharadwaj said while speaking to ANI.

Earlier today, Delhi reported the first case of JN.1 variant infection.

"Delhi has reported the first case of JN.1, a Sub-Variant of Omicron. Out of the 3 samples sent for Genome Sequencing, one is JN.1 and the other two are Omicron," Saurabh Bharadwaj told ANI.

With new Covid sub-variant JN.1 fueling a sudden infection surge, former AIIMS director and senior pulmonologist, Dr Randeep Guleria noted though the new variant is spreading rapidly, it is not causing severe infections and hospitalisation. On the vaccine situation, he said that since the virus is changing, we need a new jab that covers a broader type of the virus. Read more here

Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: Two more Covid cases were detected in Gurugram on Wednesday, taking the total number of active cases to 10 while the authorities directed all hospitals to be on alert.

The directions come amid a scare over the new Covid sub-variant JN.1 which spreads rapidly but poses low risk. However, it has not been determined if the new cases in Gurugram belong to this sub-variant.

District Collector Nishant Kumar Yadav has asked all hospitals in Gurugram to expeditiously establish separate isolation wards exclusively for patients exhibiting Covid symptoms.

These wards should be equipped with necessary medical infrastructure, including isolation beds and oxygen facilities, to provide optimal care, according to the orders.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) of Delhi has issued guidelines for Covid-19 suspected or positive cases that will be reported at hospitals following the sudden surge in the cases of Coronavirus in the country.

- As per the policy on COVID-19 testing, directed by the management, testing will be done for patients with SARI (severe acute respiratory infection) like symptoms that include according to the WHO, acute respiratory infection, persistent fever or fever of >= 38 C with cough and onset within last 10 days.

-It further asked all the departments at the institution to make provisions in their respective designated wards to manage in-patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.

-"12 beds in the C6 ward will be earmarked for hospitalization of seriously ill COVID-19 patients," the memorandum said.

-It also said that a screening OPD in the Emergency Department will screen patients for COVID-like symptoms and triage them same based on the medical requirements.

-"Rooms no 1 to 12 in the new private ward are to be earmarked for hospitalization of COVID-19 positive EHS beneficiaries," it added.

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, Lady Hardinge Hospital here has reserved 48 beds for the patients.

Apart from this, six ICU beds and a ward with 30 beds have also been reserved for Covid patients in the new building of Lady Hardinge Hospital.

Additionally, 12 beds have been reserved for paediatric patients in Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, which comes under Lady Hardinge Medical College.

Recently, the Director of the hospital also held a meeting with all the stakeholders and information was taken regarding all the arrangements related to COVID-19.

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Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE updates: DMDK's Vijayakanth tests positive for COVID, put on ventilator due to breathing issue | Mint - Mint