NEWS

In Bibhutipur in Samastipur district of Bihar, a dam built over the Bainti river broke on Sunday. As a result, crops planted across hundreds of acres of land in the area were ruined by flood water.

The left embankment near the Banhaiti bridge in Bihar broke on Sunday due to the pressure of the flood water and high water levels of the river. The water then rapidly flowed into the fields and ruined the crops.

An atmosphere of panic gripped the villages surrounding the river when news of the breach of the dam reached the residents. To avoid the flood water from entering their villages, the villagers blocked the culvert near Khadiahi Chowk.

The Centre on Friday (July 16) informed the Delhi High Court that clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines for children under 18 years of age are going on and on the verge of completion.

A policy will be formed by the government and children will be vaccinated when experts give permission, the Centre said according to a news agency.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh observed, "Let the trials be done, otherwise it would be a disaster if vaccines are administered without trials that too in case of children."

"Once trials are over, you quickly apply to children. The whole country is waiting," it added.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Sunday expressed its displeasure over the Kerala government’s decision to ease ongoing lockdown restrictions for three days due to Bakrid amid the worsening crisis of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the state.
The medical body further said it would knock the doors of the Supreme Court “if the state is not enforcing Covid-appropriate behaviour and become a model state to curtail the rising menace of Covid, by withdrawing this decision”.

Stating that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government’s decision to loosen curbs is ‘unwarranted and inappropriate at this time of medical emergency’, the IMA, in its press release, called for immediate withdrawal of the order and enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy towards Covid-appropriate behaviour. It further urged the administration not to deviate from its statutory duty and vision to ensure the safety of the state as well as the country.

The next 100-125 days are very critical to avert a surge in Covid-19 cases that may lead to a third wave, health officials said on Friday underlining that the rise in cases globally and the slow pace of decline in India should be considered as “warning” that an outbreak may happen here too.

“Virus is still around. Some localities, districts and states have more burden. So, we need to be careful in this direction because any additional outbreak may happen. Our decline is slow. This is a warning for us. The situation is as of now under control but it may worsen in future. However, it is in our hand to maintain the situation,” Niti Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul said.

While officials stressed on the need for states to focus on containment measures, particularly in micro-containment zones, and also ramp up vaccination, they also urged people to not become complacent and continue with Covidappropriate behaviour.