As many as 16,602 persons were vaccinated in the second mega vaccination programme held in Kallakurichi district of Tamil Nadu on September 19. According to Collector P.N. Sridhar, the vaccines were administered in 423 camps. The camps began at 7 a.m. and ended at 7 p.m. About 12,804 people took the first dose of the vaccine while 3,798 took the second dose. Official sources said there was no wastage of doses.

Editorial |  A spike: On records and COVID-19 vaccination coverage

You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.

Here are the developments:

Singapore

Pre-school, 2 nurseries among COVID-19 clusters in Singapore

Two nurseries and a pre-school are among the latest COVID-19 clusters in Singapore which has reported 1,012 new cases, 90 of which were residents of dormitories for foreign workers.

Health authorities are keeping a close eye on the number of COVID-19 cases in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to ensure Singapore’s health system is not overwhelmed, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said on Sunday. -PTI

Karnataka

Despite achieving 100% first dose coverage, Bengaluru Urban still administering first doses

On August 30, Bengaluru Urban (excluding BBMP) became the first district in Karnataka to achieve 100% first dose vaccination coverage. It had also topped the list of districts with the highest second dose coverage. According to data from the State Health and Family Welfare Department, 28.2% of the 10,62,262 population in this district had been fully vaccinated till August 30.

However, a fortnight after achieving 100% first dose coverage, the district continues to administer first doses and as of Wednesday, 11,15,135 people had received the first dose. This is 52,873 persons over and above the target population of 10,62,262.

Odisha

First-generation learners stare at a bleak future in Odisha

Being brought up amidst parents without any formal education generally leaves children at a disadvantage. But, when access to classroom-teaching, the only line of guidance for the first-generation learners, got cut-off during the COVID-19 pandemic, it proved to be a double-whammy for hundreds of children in rural Odisha.

At Darlipada, in Boden block of Nuapada district, Laxmi Jagat, 17, feels the pain of being kept away from classroom teaching better than others.

She considers herself lucky as she managed to scrape through the matriculation examination with 198 marks (32%) this year. In her own words she had no idea about the subjects, which were supposed to be taught in Class X.

Tamil Nadu

Chennai Corporation sets one month deadline to vaccinate everyone

Having set a deadline of vaccinating all residents above 18 in one month, the Greater Chennai Corporation has started sending teams to households to persuade residents unwilling to get their shot.

At least 1,000 Corporation workers have hit the streets; visiting households to identify unvaccinated residents. The teams will collect details of the unwilling residents and take them for vaccination camps in the next few weeks. The number of doses administered in the city is set to touch 50 lakh this week.

International

As leaders reconvene at UN, climate and COVID-19 top the list

With the coronavirus pandemic still raging in many parts of the world, leaders from more than 100 nations are heading to New York this week for the United Nations’ annual high-level gathering — a COVID-inflected, semi-locked down affair that takes place in one of the pandemic’s hardest-hit cities of all. It will be a departure from the last in-person meeting of the General Assembly in 2019 — and far different, too, from last year’s all-virtual version. -AP

Puducherry

75% of U.T. population given at least one dose of vaccine

The number of vaccine doses administered against COVID-19 in the Union Territory has crossed the 9-lakh mark.

According to the Health Department, 10,905 persons, the highest single-day number in several weeks, received the jab on Sunday to take the aggregate number of doses administered in the Union Territory to 9,08,166.

As on Sunday, about 75% of the population has been partially or fully vaccinated.

International

Booster use may be expanded

The National Institutes of Health director says a government advisory panel’s decision to limit Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots to Americans 65 and older as well as those at high risk of severe disease is a preliminary step and predicts broader approval for most Americans “in the next few weeks”. -PTI

Kerala

Stringent lockdown where COVID-19 cases are at high level, says Kerala govt

Special intensified, stringent lockdown restrictions will be enforced in areas of Kerala, where the spread of COVID-19 is at critical-levels, the State government said on September 19.

The stringent lockdown restrictions would be in force in areas where the weekly infection population ratio (WIPR) is above 10 and the affected places would be notified by the district disaster management authority (DDMA) on a weekly basis, said an order from Chief Secretary V.P. Joy. -PTI

Nepal

Indrajatra celebrated with religious fervour in Nepal amid COVID-19

Centuries-old Hindu festival, Indrajatra, was celebrated with religious fervour in Nepal on September 19, as the COVID-19 situation eases in the Himalayan nation.

The eight-day festival, which began on ‘Bhadra Shukla Dwadashi’ (September 18), is said to be held annually since the rule of 10th Century King Gunakam Dev. Last year, the festival was cancelled due to the pandemic. -PTI