Shanghai reports first deaths due to COVID-19
Beijing(PTI): China on Monday reported first fatalities in Shanghai due to the ongoing COVID-19 surge in the city where the Omicron variant continues to paralyse the country's business hub of 26 million people.
Three new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Sunday in Shanghai, China's National Health Commission reported on Monday.
Three unvaccinated residents - all elderly, aged from 89 to 91 years, with underlying ailments - died, out of 372,000 infected cases since March 1, according to data released on Monday, the Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported.
According to its report, the mainland on Sunday reported 2,723 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 2,417 were in Shanghai.
Shanghai also reported 19,831 locally-transmitted asymptomatic infections of the novel coronavirus Sunday, out of a total of 20,639 local asymptomatic carriers newly identified on the mainland, the Commission report said.
Apart from Shanghai, 15 other provincial-level regions on the mainland saw new local COVID-19 cases, including 166 in the north-eastern province of Jilin, it said.
A total of 1,637 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland on Sunday, said the daily report.
That brought the mainland's total number of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals after recovery to 151,407 as of Sunday.
Over the past day, 33,882 close contacts were released from medical observation on the mainland, the report said.
Three new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Sunday in Shanghai, according to the report.
The first deaths have been reported as local authorities embarked on a plan to gradually restore production and business activity in China's commercial centre after more than two weeks of lockdown.
On Sunday, Shanghai local government issued the first edition of epidemic prevention guidelines for the city's industrial enterprises to resume production.
The purpose of the guidelines is to coordinate epidemic control efforts and social economic development.
Released by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, the guidelines stipulated that all district governments and authorities at different levels should actively support enterprises to resume operations and guide their epidemic prevention work using a case-by-case approach, state-run Global Times reported.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
