Health

Patna, May 13 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday announced the extension of the lockdown in the state till May 25.

Kumar made the announcement after chairing a high- level meeting, convened to take a decision on the lockdown, which was in place from May 5 to 15.

"Reviewed the lockdown in Bihar with colleagues in the council of ministers and officials. The positive outcome of the lockdown is evident. Hence, a decision has been taken to extend the lockdown by another 10 days, from May 16 to 25," the chief minister tweeted in Hindi.

(Reuters) --- More clinical and real-world data is needed on how well and for how long COVID-19 vaccines are protective before any decisions should be made on offering third or booster doses, Europe's drug regulators said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the first of planned regular fortnightly media briefings on the coronavirus pandemic, the European Medicines Agency's head of biological health threats and vaccines strategy Marco Cavaleri cautioned against making "premature" moves to deploy booster COVID-19 shots.

Indore, May 12 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Culture Minister Usha Thakur has said 'yagya' is an ancient method of purifying the environment and claimed such a practice is being followed since ages to get rid of pandemics.

Amid the ongoing second wave of COVID-19, Thakur on Tuesday appealed to people to perform "havan" (a fire ritual) at one time.

Noida (UP), May 11 (PTI) Liquor stores reopened in Gautam Buddh Nagar on Tuesday after remaining closed for days due to the coronavirus curfew in Uttar Pradesh, officials said, with tipplers thronging shops in large numbers with scant regard for COVID-19-appropriate behaviour.

District Excise Officer Rakesh Bahadur Singh said liquor stores have been permitted to open for sale of alcohol, including foreign and country-made liquor, but in compliance with COVID-19 protocols such as maintaining of social distancing and wearing of face cover.

Aligarh (UP), May 11 (PTI) Another senior doctor at AMU's medical college died from coronavirus on Tuesday, taking the number of deaths from COVID and COVID-like symptoms among serving and retired faculty members of the university to at least 35, an official said.

Prof Shoaib Zaheer (56) is the second senior faculty member from the Department of Medicine at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), who has died from the infection.

Shimla, May 11 (PTI) A coronavirus positive Central Public Works Department employee was found dead on roadside in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla on Tuesday, police said.

Sarjeet Singh (56) was found lying near the Green Park area falling under the Shimla East police station, they added.

He was taken to the Shimla's IGMC hospital where he was declared brought dead by doctors and was also found coronavirus positive, police said.

His parents were informed and the body has been kept in the hospital mortuary, they added.

Srinagar, May 11 (PTI) Twenty-three prison inmates in Jammu and Kashmir have tested positive for COVID-19 and they are being provided necessary medical treatment, officials said on Tuesday.

Out of 4,572 inmates lodged in 13 jails across Jammu and Kashmir, only 23 have tested positive, the officials said.

They said 21 of these detainees are lodged at District Jail Kathua while one each were lodged in Central Jail Jammu and District jail Jammu.

The officials said the COVID-affected prisoners were being provided the necessary medical care.

New Delhi, May 11 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to the UK next month to attend a summit of the G7 grouping in view of the prevailing coronavirus situation, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

The summit of the Group of Seven (G7) nations is scheduled to take place in Cornwall from June 11-13.

Ballia/Ghazipur (UP), May 11 (PTI) Bodies were seen floating in the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia and Ghazipur districts, according to local residents and the authorities on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, at least 71 bodies were fished out from the Ganga in Bihar's Buxar, which is downstream the two UP districts, triggering suspicion that these could be of COVID-19 patients.

Ahmedabad, May 12 (PTI) A fire broke out at a hotel-turned-Covid care centre in Gujarat's Bhavnagar town in the wee hours Wednesday, officials said, adding nobody was hurt.

Altogether 61 coronavirus patients were shifted from the facility to other hospitals after the "minor fire and smoke", an official said.

There were 68 patients at the facility when the fire broke out. The remaining seven will be shifted soon, he said.

The hotel, around 170 km from the state capital, was converted into a Covid care centre by a private hospital.