Different leads for different newspapers this Wednesday morning: From negative oil prices to ICMR putting a hold on faulty rapid antibody tests.
The Tribune reports on a new drug trial of Mycobacterium w for treating Covid-19 patients.
The lead story in The Times of India , ‘Raj stops rapid tests…’ reports that ICMR is investigating rapid test kits “as some states had reported huge variations — ranging between 6% and 71% — in test results… which it said was unacceptable…’’ This will be a big “setback” for surveillance and tracking trends, adds TOI.
And in bad news for all the US aspirants, ‘Trump vows immigration halt’. Trump has announced a six month suspension of immigration into the US, citing ‘the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens’”.
The US admits close to 1.1 million legal immigrants into the country every year, more than any other country, reveals TOI.
Meanwhile, back home, a dubious milestone: ‘India 17th nation to hit 20k cases…’ TOI writes, “The number of cases stood at 20,083 late on Tuesday… having risen by 1,493 during the day — the second highest rise after 1,613 cases on Sunday.”
For a change, The Indian Express leads with news on the economy which may be heading for a contraction “for the first time in 40 years”. A box item with the lead story cites factors that may lead to this — “consumer behaviours post lockdown” and “destruction of demand; job losses; salary cuts”.
With regard to job losses, energy major Schlumberger is cutting its losses. ‘Energy major Schlumberger withdraws job offers…’ reports that the company, “a premium recruiter working in oilfield services”, has withdrawn job offers to graduating students across IITs.
On the faulty rapid testing kits in ‘After complaints, ICMR tells states not to use rapid tests for two days’, Express reports that ICMR has sent teams into the field to validate the tests. It quotes ICMR’s head Dr. R R Gangakhedkar, saying, “This is a first generation test developed in just three-and-a-half months and needs refinement..”.
In a grim lead, Hindustan Times says, ‘Cases double to 20,000 in 8 days’. The paper notes that even though India has crossed the 20,000-mark, “The rate at which this threshold was crossed – it took more than 8 days for the tally to double – raises hopes…’’ that the country may avert the ‘devastation’ seen elsewhere.’’
India Inc has cause for concern: In ‘Permanent damage if no stimulus soon’, HT says a business impact survey by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Dhruva Advisors found that business owners believe the coronavirus and the lockdown “could wreak permanent damage on their business and force many of them to lay off people , unless the government announced a substantive economic package immediately…’’
Tuesday saw the UP-Delhi border being sealed, and HT carries a photograph of huge barricades on the border.
In more concerning news, ‘LS staffer, kin of prez house worker test +ve’. HT reports, “A cluster of 125 residential houses in the Rashtrapati Bhavan estate was sealed…’’ and residential houses near Kali Bari Marg, where the parliament employee lived, was declared a containment zone.
In an alarming report, The Hindu notes, ‘Huge spike in cases likely in Mumbai: Central panel’. The paper reports that the five-member Central team visiting the city “has projected that the number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai will touch an estimated 42,604 by April 30 and spiral to 6,56,407 by May 15”.
From the west coast to the east, HT reports on ‘Ministerial team waits as Centre-West Bengal face off’.
“Almost 30 hours after an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) landed in Kolkata, the West Bengal government facilitated the visit of the members on Tuesday to take stock of the COVID-19 situation. The team remained at the BSF headquarters in the city and was unable to move out till late in the afternoon,” it notes.
In a heartbreaking yet telling picture from Chennai, social workers are seen distributing food and water to the homeless near the Southern Railways quarter.
The Kolkata daily had a different take on the Centre-state standoff as it notes, ‘Stand-off on central team defused’. The paper reports, “One of the central teams began visiting Covid-19 affected areas of Calcutta on Tuesday afternoon after a meeting with Bengal chief secretary Rajiva Sinha against the backdrop of initial disagreements.’’ It adds that Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla had protested against the teams not receiving the state’s cooperation. “Having made its point by writing a letter to the Prime Minister and drawing attention to the “affront to the federal structure”, the Mamata Banerjee government chose not to let the issue snowball into a confrontation in the middle of a national pandemic crisis.”
In another article, the paper reports, ‘Crisis started by virus, spread by govt: Bajaj’.
The “outspoken managing director of two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto… slammed the Narendra Modi government for enforcing an ‘arbitrary lockdown’” that impacted the livelihood of millions. “The lockdown is a solution that is looking for a problem,” Bajaj told CNBC TV18 news channel, notes Telegraph.
In its lead “Oil futures tense”, The New Indian Express notes the drastic fall in global oil prices to negative levels i.e. buyers are now being paid to accept US oil shipments.
“The Covid-19 hammer blow has eviscerated oil demand over the past two months – shuttered factories and idle transport fleets require no fuel, after all – leaving the world’s storage facilities filled to the brim”, says NIE in strong language
The daily also reports some critical news for hotspots. According to the national task force, these areas should be on lockdown even after 3 May. The report quotes an anonymous member from the task force saying an “extensive COVID containment plan [is required in these zones] lest the situation spirals out of control”.
A small but heartfelt item, “Secret send off for Covid-19 victims”, notes how a 56-year-old man who died from the virus in Vangaram, Chennai was taken 22 km away to be buried. The family wanted to avoid an “ugly episode” like in the case of Dr Simon Hercules, in which mobs disrupted the burial.
The only story worth noting on Tribune’s front page is the lead. In ‘Virus drug trial begins this week’, it notes an upcoming drug trial “an existing Indian drug — Mycobacterium w — for reducing deaths in critically ill Covid patients currently on ventilator support”. Forty patients across AIIMS, New Delhi; AIIMS, Bhopal; and PGI, Chandigarh will take part, adds the report. According to the paper, the drug was developed in 2007 to reduce mortality in gram negative sepsis patients and “works by boosting body immunity”.
Mint, like New Indian Express, leads with morbid news on the world’s black gold, which is “symptomatic of a deep malaise in the global economy”. In ‘Oil Meltdown Signals Recession’, it notes how negative oil prices “could put a majority of US shale oil producers out of business”. The pink paper says US President Donald Trump “plans to fill the spare space in the strategic petroleum reserve”.
In a big plus for India, global manufacturers have initiated talks with Indian firms to shift supply chains from China, says another report. ‘Global firms in China eye India’ says these companies include those sourcing automobile components and electronic products and “US-based makers of medical electronics products Teledyne and Amphenol..’’as well as Johnson and Johnson.
More cheery news: Sebi has given Indian firms a small window to raise capital. In ‘Sebi eases fund-raising norms’, the paper notes that the regulator has allowed a “one-time relaxation in its primary market fund-raising norms” and “extended its period of approval for initial public offerings (IPOs) and rights issues by six months”.