NEW DELHI: India extended a record daily run of new COVID-19 infections on Friday, spurred by hundreds of positive tests at a major religious gathering, as politicians pushed ahead with election rallies against advice they could worsen the outbreak.
India is battling a massive second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with new restrictions imposed in Mumbai, New Delhi and other cities. There are also growing calls for officials to speed up the country's vaccination programme as hospitals are swamped with patients.
The 217,353 new cases reported by the health ministry on Friday marked the eighth record daily increase in the last nine days and took total cases to nearly 14.3 million. India's case count is second only to the United States, which has reported more than 31 million infections.
Deaths in India rose by 1,185 over the past 24 hours — the highest single-day rise in seven months — to reach a total of 174,308, the health ministry reported.
Experts have raised concerns about the spread of more contagious and deadlier variants of the disease, particularly given widespread participation in religious festivals and political rallies. A Lancet study this month estimated that India's fatalities could double by June.
"The biggest fight we have is in the society ... Over a period of time, people have adopted a casual approach," Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said at New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Friday.
Several senior leaders and opposition lawmakers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress's Rahul Gandhi, have been holding large rallies for supporters amid elections in five regions, including West Bengal.
Visuals from the rallies have shown thousands of mask-less people crowded together and chanting slogans as they listen to speeches from politicians, in clear violation of social distancing and other COVID-19 norms.
Interior Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to hold public meetings and roadshows in West Bengal on Friday.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people at a religious gathering in Haridwar in the north of the country tested positive for COVID-19 as tens of thousands of devout pilgrims jostled to take a holy dip in the Ganges.
The weeks-long "Kumbh Mela" festival, where ascetics bathe to wash away their sins, began earlier this month and officials have warned they expect cases to rise significantly. One local official called it a "super-spreader" event.
VACCINE PROGRAMME
India has so far injected 115 million vaccine doses, the highest globally after the United States and China, but that covers only a small fraction of its 1.4 billion people.
In the heat of the latest wave of infections, India has shifted from being a mass vaccine exporter to a major importer.
Officials abruptly changed the rules to allow vaccine imports to be fast-tracked, having earlier rebuffed foreign drugmakers like Pfizer. It will import Russia's Sputnik V vaccine starting this month to cover as many as 125 million people.
India is also seeking to inoculate more of its population using domestically produced shots.
India on Thursday gave approval to the Haffkine Institute in the western Maharashtra state to begin producing Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN shot, a move that is expected to help ease supply bottlenecks.
The country is currently administering COVAXIN and AstraZeneca's vaccine, which is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and branded Covishield.
Reuters
Fri Apr 16 2021
People walk at a crowded market amidst the spread of the COVID-19, in the old quarters of Delhi, India. REUTERSpic
Uniknya sub etnik Dusun Tatana
Mungkin masih ramai yang belum mengenali kepelbagaian sub etnik yang wujud dalam suku kaum Kadazan, Dusun, Murut, dan Rungus (KDMR) di Sabah.
AWANI Tonight: 30 May 2024
#AWANITonight with @cynthiaAWANI
1. Google pledges RM9.4 bil investment in Malaysia
2. Improving Malaysia's approach to geriatric care
#AWANIEnglish #AWANINews
1. Google pledges RM9.4 bil investment in Malaysia
2. Improving Malaysia's approach to geriatric care
#AWANIEnglish #AWANINews
Negara Islam utamakan keuntungan ganggu usaha boikot - BDS Malaysia
Negara-negara Islam yang mengutamakan keuntungan ekonomi domestik menjadi punca usaha boikot terhadap ekonomi Israel sukar mencapai objektifnya.
Boikot hanya sehingga syarikat hentikan sumbangan kepada Israel - Pensyarah UIAM
Kempen boikot yang dijalankan ketika ini mesti bersandarkan kepada prinsip pemulauan yang jelas.
AWANI 7:45 [30/05/2024] - Google labur RM9.4 bilion | Haluan salah sebab nahas | Beli buku yang disarankan
- Google labur 9.4 bilion di Malaysia, wujud 26,000 pekerjaan
- Kesilapan haluan punca utama tragedi helikopter TLDM
- Baucar buku RM100 diteruskan, tetapi ada garis panduan
- India panas melampau, rekod suhu lebih 50 darjah celsius
- Kesilapan haluan punca utama tragedi helikopter TLDM
- Baucar buku RM100 diteruskan, tetapi ada garis panduan
- India panas melampau, rekod suhu lebih 50 darjah celsius
Korea Selatan rancang mendarat di bulan pada 2032, kibar bendera di Marikh 2045
Yoon mengumumkan bahawa Korea Selatan akan berusaha merealisasikan projek angkasa lepas untuk menghantar kenderaan penerokaan angkasa lepas ke bulan menjelang 2032.
Ringgit ditutup tinggi sedikit berbanding dolar AS
Ringgit ditutup tinggi sedikit ketika pasaran menunggu data inflasi Rizab Persekutuan (Fed) Amerika Syarikat (AS) dan laporan indeks harga Perbelanjaan Penggunaan Peribadi (PCE) untuk April.
Bursa Malaysia ditutup rendah seiring prestasi serantau
Bursa Malaysia mencatat penyusutan kecil ketika mengakhiri dagangan Khamis, seiring dengan prestasi pasaran serantau yang lemah menjelang pengumuman data ekonomi Amerika Syarikat (AS) pada Jumaat.
Boikot hanya sehingga syarikat hentikan sumbangan kepada Israel - Pakar
Pensyarah Kanan Jabatan Pengajian Quran Sunnah Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM), Dr. Abu Hafiz Salleh Hudin berkata kempen boikot yang dijalankan ketika ini mesti bersandarkan kepada prinsip pemulauan yang jelas. Katanya, boikot terhadap syarikat-syarikat yang menyokong Israel ini mesti dihentikan selepas sumbangan kepada entiti zionis dihentikan. #DialogTigaPenjuru
Boikot syarikat berkaitan Israel walaupun produk ditawarkan terbaik dalam industri – CEO YADIM
Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (YADIM), Zamri Zainal Abidin berkata prinsip boikot terhadap Israel adalah jelas iaitu memboikot semua entiti yang ada kaitan dengan Israel secara keseluruhan. Jelasnya, boikot ini mesti diteruskan meskipun terhadap syarikat yang menawarkan perkhidmatan atau produk dengan kualiti terbaik dalam industri. #DialogTigaPenjuru
Lapangan terbang Kolkata ditutup 21 jam berikutan Siklon Remal menghampiri pantai Bangladesh, India
Siklon Remal akan secara intensif berubah kepada ribut siklon yang kuat menjelang pagi Ahad.
Piala Dunia Sepak Takraw: Malaysia mudah tewaskan India, mara ke separuh akhir
Malaysia menepati ramalan mara ke peringkat separuh akhir acara berpasukan selepas mengetepikan cabaran India pada aksi suku akhir kejohanan Piala Dunia Sepak Takraw 2024.
Malaysia jinakkan Jepun, jumpa India di suku akhir
Kemenangan kedua pada Khamis menyaksikan skuad negara bimbingan Ahmad Jais Baharun muncul juara kumpulan sementara naib juara milik Jepun.
Shah Rukh Khan dikejarkan ke hospital akibat strok haba
Aktor tersohor Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan dikejarkan ke Hospital Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India akibat strok haba dan dehidrasi kelmarin.
Ahli Parlimen parti pemerintah Bangladesh dibunuh semasa lawatan ke India
Anwarul Azim Anar, 56, seorang Ahli Parlimen selama tiga penggal pergi ke India pada 12 Mei dan hilang pada hari berikutnya.
17 maut, 8 cedera kenderaan terjunam ke dalam gaung di Chhattisgarh, India
Pegawai berkata kenderaan pikap itu membawa 25 pekerja yang pulang selepas memetik daun tendu dari kawasan hutan.
12 terbunuh dipanah petir di Bengal Barat, India
Sekurang-kurangnya 12 orang terbunuh dan beberapa lagi mangsa cedera pada Khamis akibat dipanah petir di Bengal Barat, di timur India.
14 maut, puluhan cedera dalam runtuhan papan iklan di India
Sekurang-kurangnya 14 terbunuh dan berpuluh-puluh lagi cedera pada Isnin selepas papan iklan tumbang semasa cuaca buruk di ibu kota kewangan India, Mumbai.
Mahkamah Agung India bebaskan Ketua Menteri Delhi dengan jaminan sementara
Kejriwal ditahan Direktorat Penguatkuasaan pada 21 Mac berkaitan siasatan rasuah yang melibatkan dasar penjualan alkohol di Delhi.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.