Till date eight cases of the disease have been detected in India, out of which five have foreign travel history, the minister of health and family welfare said.
Besides Waze, former 'encounter specialist' Pradeep Sharma and a few other former police personnel are also accused in the case.
Notwithstanding the fact that the country's pharmaceutical (pharma) pricing regulator has allowed a 12 per cent price increase for medicines listed under the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) in 2023, analysts and industry insiders predict that the overall domestic pharma industry will only witness a price hike of 5-6 per cent. This is attributed to higher competitive intensity in the market. Krishnakumar V, executive director and chief operating officer (CEO) of Eris Lifesciences, a domestic-focused pharma company, noted that the NLEM segment experienced growth suppression of around 150 basis points due to price reductions during the January to July period this year.
Odisha is facing a morgue crunch as a large number of unclaimed dead bodies from Balasore's triple train accident, have piled up at its mortuaries.
Former police officer Sachin Waze, an accused in the Antilia bomb scare-Mansukh Hiran murder case, on Friday moved an application before a special court here seeking permission for placing him under 'house custody' for recovery post an open heart surgery.
The minister will review the COVID-19 situation at 11:30 am on Wednesday 'considering the international scenario', they said.
The central agency had earlier arrested four persons, including two Mumbai police officers -- Sachin Waze and Riyaz Kazi -- in connection with these cases.
He urged people not to panic and clarified that there was no change in the guidelines for international air travel so far.
A fourth COVID shot is unwarranted at the moment as most people in the country are yet to receive their third dose, they said.
He also said that it was wrong to suggest that India stopped foreign made vaccines like that made by Moderna and Pfizer from coming to India.
The prime minister was seen wearing a light blue "sadri" jacket as he sat in the Rajya Sabha in the morning.
The list includes constituencies where the BJP came second or third in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and also some which the party has never won.
The cyclone is expected to make landfall on Thursday evening as a 'very severe cyclonic storm' with maximum wind speed reaching up to 150 kilometres per hour, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
"Proud of all those who are making our vaccination drive a success," Modi said.
This comes amid the rising concerns of the new COVID-19 variant 'Omicron' which is being reported by foreign countries.
In light of the surge in COVID-19 in some countries, hospitals across India conducted a Mock drill COVID-19.
Any passenger from these countries found symptomatic or testing positive for coronavirus would be quarantined, Mandaviya said.
An official source said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has desired for the resumption of printing of the prime minister's photo on the Covid vaccination certificates in these states on top priority.
World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday thanked Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for announcing resumption of COVID-19 vaccine shipments to the COVAX global pool in October.
The ATS will oppose the anticipatory bail application of Sachin Waze in Thane sessions court today.
The move has come days after the state government announced to form a special investigation team to probe into the death of Disha Salian, the former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
The move is aimed at dealing with any possible emergency situation on account of a spurt in coronavirus cases.
While Hardik Patel will contest from Viramgam, Rivaba Jadeja has been fielded from Jamnagar North.
Two other accused in the case -- suspended police constable Vinayak Shinde and cricket bookie Naresh Gor -- were remanded to 14-day judicial custody by the court.
BJP state president Satish Poonia said there was some confusion regarding the Jan Aakrosh Yatra which has been cleared now and the Jan Aakrosh Sabhas (meetings) will take place as per the schedule.
According to the people aware of the matter, there are currently 10 different variants of COVID-19 in the country, with the latest being BF.7.
The PM targeted the Opposition after launching the National Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission 2047 by unveiling a portal and releasing a guideline for the management of the disease and different modules at Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh.
Besides, around 89 per cent of India's adults have been administered the first dose, according to health ministry officials.
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain pleas seeking postponement of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-PG 2023, which is scheduled for March 5, saying there is nothing in this world to prevent somebody who has not made it to try again.
Relief Commissioner Alok Pandey told reporters that the government is constantly working to ensure that there is no loss of life due to the weather phenomenon.
Mandaviya reviewed the pandemic situation, status of vaccination drive and the global scenario of new variants of Covid.
A day after the tragic demise of Chief Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 13 other armed forces personnel, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will make a statement on the incident in both houses on Thursday.
A special NIA court in Mumbai on Thursday allowed former police officer Sachin Waze's plea to shift him to a private hospital in Mumbai for treatment of his heart ailment and surgery.
COVID-19 is on the verge of becoming endemic but Indian scientists are keeping a close watch on each new variant and the government would continue to maintain a high alert, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya has said, underlining that the virus has managed to survive and is going to stay.
The average age of the new Union council of ministers has reduced to 58 years from 61 years previously following Wednesday's reshuffle.
The Hyderabad-based firm completed clinical trials of the nasal vaccine with about 4,000 volunteers and there is no side effect or adverse reaction reported so far, company sources had said.
Fadnavis's comments in the Maharashtra Assembly led to an uproar in the House, with the Shiv Sena raising the issue of alleged suicide of Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha member Mohan Delkar.
The health minister said states have also been advised to increase the whole genome sequencing of all positive cases for timely detection of newer variants, if any.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday asked the public not to panic about COVID-19, but be alert and follow the directives issued by the government from time to time.
Names of Hardik Patel, the face of the Patidar agitation ahead of the 2017 polls who quit the Congress to join the BJP, and Rivaba Jadeja, wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, figure in the list.