-The Hindu Highest number of samples tested on Thursday India recorded 2,54,288 new COVID-19 cases and 4,142 new deaths till 11.10 p.m. on May 21. The country has so far reported a total of 2,62,85,069 cases and 2,95,508 deaths. Tamil Nadu reported 36,184 new infections, followed by Karnataka (32,218) and Kerala (29,673). Maharashtra recorded 1,263 new casualties on the day, followed by Tamil Nadu (467) and Karnataka (353). Maharashtra’s fatalities includes backlog deaths...

-The Hindu Changes difficult to implement, State govt. tells court The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a May 17 order of the Allahabad High Court, which described the medical system in smaller cities and villages of Uttar Pradesh during the pandemic as Ram Bharose (at God’s mercy). A Vacation Bench of Justices Vineet Saran and B.R. Gavai remarked that the High Court’s directions for COVID-19 management in its May 17 order may be...

-The Telegraph The panel of scientists and other experts on testing strategies, has also said that testing kit suppliers would need to be ready to respond to recurring surges An expert panel has asked the Centre to help the states conduct well-designed surveys on the prevalence of COVID-19 to understand the evolving epidemic, expressing concern that three nationwide surveys have so far not helped guide policy. The panel, which includes scientists and other...

-The Hindu There are recognised ways to overcome the patents hurdle, ensuring social justice and boosting the COVID-19 battle In order to achieve global herd immunity and prevent new strains of COVID-19 from emerging, possibly for years to come, vaccines need to be affordable and available in massive quantities throughout the globe. This can happen through patent owners voluntarily licensing their products to other companies, especially Indian producers who are experienced at...

-The Hindu The public sector, private players and civil society should all work together for public service delivery COVID-19 has tested the resilience of all public institutions. Despite its efforts, bureaucracy has emerged as a major concern for the ineffective response to the COVID-19 crisis. This inadequacy is the reflection of the outdated nature of public bureaucracy. In the 21st century, democratic countries are still relying on traditional bureaucracies to perform public policy...