India Coronavirus Dispatch: Country sees lowest number of cases in 74 days

Bihar Mahadalits say follow election campaign 'model' for vaccination, Andhra Pradesh saw a big spike in overall mortality in May, and more-news relevant to India's fight against the pandemic

Over 70,000 fresh cases reported

India reported 70,421 fresh coronavirus infections on Monday, taking the cumulative caseload to 29.5 million, according to central health ministry data. The country saw 3,921 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 374,305. The active caseload is at 973,158, while the total recoveries have surged to 28.2 million. As many as 254.8 million vaccine shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 1.5 million were given on Sunday. Read more
 

Four food records amid the pandemic

Record offtake of grain from the Food Corporation of India’s (FCI) godowns, record procurement, record stocks in government warehouses and record exports. A report in The Indian Express said this has been the story of four food records amid the Covid-19 pandemic, when “food” – more specifically, rice and wheat channelled through the public distribution system (PDS) – has become the Modi government’s preeminent social safety net programme. Abundant farm produce and government initiatives enabled these records even amid a devasting health crisis, the report said. Read more

 

Bihar Mahadalits say follow election campaign ‘model’ for vaccination

Mahadalits in Bihar, who are the poorest social groups within the Dalit community and form around 15 per cent of the state's population, are extremely reluctant to take the Covid vaccine, a report in ThePrint said. Across Mahadalit groups, the publication found that the villagers were more curious about the monetary benefits that might come with taking the vaccine. “They give us money during elections. Why not support us now with the free vaccine when we are unemployed during this lockdown,” a villager said. Read more

Andhra Pradesh saw a significant spike in overall mortality in May

Official data showed that Andhra Pradesh reported over 130,000 deaths in May 2021, or about five times the number of deaths reported in the month previously on average, a report in the Scroll said. The mortality reported by the state from January to May was 34 times the official Covid-19 toll for the same time. On the other hand, limited data available for Tamil Nadu shows a relatively modest rise in mortality. Between January 1 and June 13, Tamil Nadu registered 129,000 excess deaths over the average, roughly 7.5 times the official reported Covid-19 toll for the same time, the report said. Read more

Gujarat: Notice to health worker over celebrity getting Covid vaccine in a house

Health authorities in Gujarat's Kutch district have issued a show-cause notice to a female health supervisor for alleged indiscipline, after folk singer Geeta Rabari posted a photo on social media of the supervisor allegedly administering a shot of Covid vaccine to her inside a house, a report in The Indian Express said. The singer posted a photo of her receiving a shot of the vaccine, sitting on a sofa in a house, on Twitter and soon after, people started alleging special treatment to the celebrity. Read more