Category: Covid-19

** Sent 3,000 oxygen concentrators to help India: UNICEF

The United Nations child rights agency has supplied more than 500 high-flow nasal cannulas and 85 RT-PCR machines.

The UNICEF said on Saturday that it sent critical lifesaving supplies, including 3,000 oxygen concentrators, to help India amid the ravaging second coronavirus wave.

The United Nations child rights agency has supplied more than 500 high-flow nasal cannulas and 85 RT-PCR machines.

** Taiwan’s first batch of COVID-19 aid leaves for India

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said the aid consignment left on a China Airlines freighter on Sunday morning and would be received by India’s Red Cross

Taiwan’s first batch of aid to India to help it fight a surging increase in COVID-19 infections left for New Delhi on Sunday, consisting of 150 oxygen concentrators and 500 oxygen cylinders, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said.

** IIT-Bombay finds innovative way to generate oxygen

An official statement claimed that initial tests conducted at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay have shown “promising results”.

Amid the shortage of medical oxygen for treating COVID-19 patients, the IIT-Bombay has come up with an ingenious solution to help address the issue by converting a nitrogen unit into an oxygen generating unit, the institute said on Thursday.

The pilot project, which has been tested successfully, relies on a simple technological intervention of converting a Pressure Swing Adsorption nitrogen unit into a PSA oxygen unit, according to an official statement.

** Coronavirus | Duty exemption for diagnostic kits imports

Aim to boost the testing apparatus for COVID-19 across the country

To boost the testing apparatus for COVID-19 across the country and ease the availability of oxygen concentrators, the government on Friday notified a customs duty exemption for diagnostic kits imports and altered the foreign trade policy.

The Department of Revenue exempted imports of inflammatory diagnostic (marker) kits, namely IL6, D-Dimer, CRP, LDH, Ferritin, Pro Calcitonin (PCT) and blood gas reagents, from customs duty till October 31, 2021 to supplement testing efforts, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

** RIL emerges as the largest producer and supplier of medical grade oxygen

“I am proud of our engineers at Jamnagar who have worked tirelessly.”

The country’s largest refiner and petrochemical giant Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has ramped up its production of medical grade oxygen from ZERO to 1000 MT per day, constituting more than 11% of the country’s total medical grade liquid oxygen production.

This oxygen is being provided free-of-cost to several State Governments across the country to bring immediate relief to over 1 lakh patients on a daily basis, the company said in a statement.

“Our plants at our Jamnagar refinery have been repurposed overnight to produce medical grade liquid oxygen that is being distributed across India. Our thoughts and prayers are with our fellow countrymen and women. Together, we will overcome these difficult times,” said Nita Ambani, chief of Reliance Foundation, philanthropic arm of the RIL.

** India gets first consignment of Sputnik V vaccine from Russia

Hyderabad customs expedited the clearance of the COVID-19 vaccine

India on Saturday received the first consignment of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

The CBIC in a tweet said that Hyderabad customs expedited the clearance of the COVID-19 vaccine imported from Russia.

“Hyderabad Customs, @cgstcushyd facilitated expeditious clearance of #SputnikV Vaccine imported from Russia,” the CBIC tweeted

** Coronavirus | Oxygen and medical support coming from 40 countries, says Foreign Secretary

Medical and oxygen-related support is being worked out from at least 40 countries that will send items to deal with the pandemic’s second wave, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Thursday. The capacity-boosting supplies are expected to arrive in the coming days from Egypt, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Guyana, apart from the big powers like Russia, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

** Coronavirus | TN launches Twitter handle for those seeking beds

The dedicated handle is @104_GoTN

The State government has launched a new Twitter handle @104_GoTN for the benefit of people seeking beds for patients with COVID-19.

Those seeking beds may also use the hashtag #BedsForTN to maximise reach and filter messages, a release has said.