DNA Special: PM Narendra Modi takes Covaxin jab but Opposition plays politics?

Mumbai's Haffkine Institute gets Centre's nod to produce Covaxin

The Central Government has given permission to Haffkine Institute to produce Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. CM Uddhav Thackeray thanked PM Modi through a tweet by CM office, Maharashtra on April 15, "The Dept of Science and Technology, Government of India, has granted approval to Haffkine Institute to produce Bharat Biotech's Covaxin vaccine on a transfer of technology basis. CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has thanked the Hon'ble PM Shri@narendramodi for approving this request."

Watch: Top doctor gives 2 reasons behind Covid surge in India & the way forward

AIIMS director Dr. Randeep Guleria spoke on the two main causes behind the spike in Covid cases in India. Dr. Guleria said that a lot of people felt that Covid was over after the vaccine came in January this year. “This gave an opportunity for the virus to spread itself rapidly,” Dr. Guleria said. Dr. Guleria added that religious activities should be done in a restricted manner without hurting sentiments in India. Watch the full video for more details.

People stopped following COVID SOPs after vaccination started and virus mutated: AIIMS Director

As the number of COVID cases are keep increasing in the country, Delhi AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria on April 17 said that as soon as vaccination started, people stopped taking COVID precautions and virus mutated and it spread more rapidly. "The cause for the surge in COVID cases is multifactorial. But 2 main causes are-when in Jan/Feb vaccination started and cases went down people stopped following COVID appropriate behaviour and at this time the virus mutated and it spread more rapidly," Guleria said. "We are seeing a huge strain in the healthcare system. We have to keep increasing our hospital beds/resources for the increasing number of cases. We also have to urgently bring down the number of COVID-19 cases," he added. India reported 2,34,692 new cases of COVID today (April 17).

Religious activities, election polls should happen in restricted manner: AIIMS Director

Speaking on the COVID situation in the country, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria on April 17 said that lot of religious activities happening in India and the same time elections are also going on, balance need to be maintained. "This a time when a lot of religious activities are happening in our country and polls are also underway. We must understand lives are also important. We can do this in a restricted manner so that religious sentiment is not hurt and COVID appropriate behaviour can be followed," Guleria said.

'4 people on 1 bed': Patients' relatives on ordeal at Delhi hospitals | Covid

Relatives of patients admitted to Delhi hospitals for Covid-19 treatment recounted their ordeal amid an unprecedented surge in cases. The patients' relatives said they found admission after being rejected by multiple hospitals. One of them claimed that 4 people were being housed on a single bed, while another stated that her relative had been asked to lie down on the floor, and was being denied food and water. Delhi saw 25,500+ new Covid cases in 24 hours, the highest single-day surge so far. Watch the full video for more.

'Just grab it...': Top doctor on Kejriwal saying Delhi low on ICU beds | Covid

Following Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's summary of the grim situation regarding Covid-19, top doctor Rommel Tickoo spoke on the pressure on the capital's healthcare system. Dr Tickoo said that when cases rise exponentially, then any healthcare system in the world would come under pressure. He asked people to not wait to get admitted to a hospital of their choice, but 'grab' a bed wherever it's available. Watch the full video for more.