Over five lakh COVID-19 positive cases, and more than 15,600 deaths — India's coronavirus numbers continue to climb nearly five months after the first case was detected in the country.

Here is a list of State Helpline numbers. You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here.

Here are the latest updates:

Class 10 student tests positive for COVID-19 in Udupi

A 15-year-old Class 10 student from Padubidri in Udupi was tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. She will be writing the remaining papers of the SSLC examination as a fresher in the supplementary examination.

Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Udupi, Sheshashayana K., said the nasal and throat swab samples  of the student were tested after her father was tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.

— PTI

Bihar minister, wife test positive for COVID-19

Bihar’s Backward and Extremely Backward Classes Welfare Minister Vinod Kumar Singh and his wife tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and were sent to an isolation ward at a city hotel in Katihar district, officials said.

Katihar District Magistrate Kanwal Tanuj confirmed that both the minister and his wife have tested positive for the pathogen.

The couple has been kept at an isolation ward created at a city hotel here, the DM said.

Singh, who is a BJP legislator from Pranpur, said his samples were tested in Patna and he returned to Katihar from the state capital on Sunday.

— PTI

Siddaramaiah demands white paper from Karnataka govt. on COVID-19 management

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Sunday urged the Karnataka government to bring out a “white paper” regarding its COVID-19 management.

Alleging lack of transparency on part of the government in controlling the spread of virus, the former Chief Minister said, this has led to ‘mistrust’ among the people about the administration.

— PTI

Majority of China’s BRI projects abroad adversely affected by COVID-19 pandemic: Official

Majority of the projects under China’s ambitious multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are either adversely or partially affected by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Chinese official.

About a fifth of the projects under the BRI, which aims to boost trade and investment across Asia, Africa and Europe to further China’s global influence, had been “seriously affected” by the pandemic, according to Wang Xiaolong, director-general of the foreign ministry’s international economic affairs department.

About 40 per cent of the projects were “adversely affected”, and a further 30-40 per cent were “somewhat affected”, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted Wang as saying.

— PTI

Congress attacks Gujarat government as flood waters enter COVID-19 facility in Surat

The basement of a civic hospital in Gujarat’s Surat being used as a COVID-19 facility was flooded after water from an underground tank overflowed causing hardships to 65 patients, an official said on Sunday.

The incident happened late Saturday night and was set right soon after, he added.

However, videos of the flooded facility went viral on social media some time later.

— PTI

Over 10 million coronavirus cases registered worldwide

More than 10 million cases of the new coronavirus have been officially declared around the world, half of them in Europe and the United States, according to an AFP tally today at 3.00 pm IST based on official sources.

At least 10,003,942 infections, including 498,779 deaths, have been registered globally.

Europe remains the hardest hit continent with 2,637,546 cases including 195,975 fatalities, while the United States has 2,510,323 infections including 125,539 deaths.

 

— AFP

Children more resilient against COVID-19: Lancet study

The majority of children with COVID-19 in 26 countries fared well clinically compared to adults, according to a review of studies which assessed research published during the first four months of the pandemic.

Scientists, including those from The University of Texas in the US, performed the largest systematic review to date of children and young adults with COVID-19, assessing the clinical data of more than 7,500 individuals.

— PTI

COVID-19 survivors in Bengal socially isolated by kin, neighbours; slip into deep depression

Most of the people recovering from COVID-19 in West Bengal are suffering from depression after being socially isolated by family members, relatives and neighbours, said a senior doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata on Sunday.

Sanjib Bandyopadhyay, in-charge of the post-COVID follow-up clinic at ID and BG Hospital in Beliaghata area, said the residences of some of the recovered patients were marked ‘Corona flat’ or ‘Corona House’ by neighbours to warn people to keep out.

— PTI

No shortage of masks, sanitizers at hospitals, says Ramanathapuram Collector

Clarifying that there was no shortage of face masks, gloves, sanitizers and disinfectants at the government hospital and in Primary Health Centres, District Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao said that in fact, every patient, who tested positive for COVID-19, was given 10 face masks at the hospital on arrival, for daily use.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Rao said that two months ago, there were some reports of a shortage, but now, adequate numbers were in stock.

— Special Correspondent

Meghalaya records first ‘false’ COVID-19 death

A 76-year-old man who spent more than 14 days of quarantine in a hospital after he was declared COVID-19 positive due to a technical error died in his Meghalaya village on June 26.

The hill State’s first ‘false positive’ patient died of asthmatic complications.

The man from Umsamlem village in Ri-Bhoi district was admitted at the Dr. H Gordon Roberts Hospital in State capital Shillong in the first week of June.

The doctors undertook the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, or RT-PCR test, after diagnosing him with acute respiratory infection

— Special Correspondent

Madurai’s streets deserted during total lockdown

The total lockdown in Madurai city on Sunday saw most of the arterial roads and streets completely deserted.

Except for a handful of motorbikes and occasionally passing cars, the city’s roads were free of all types of vehicles. Only ambulances and Corporation water tankers were criss-crossed the city.

All shops and commercial establishments, including petrol bunks, remained closed. Not even street vendors selling vegetables and fruits were found on the usually busy bazaars.

 

— Special Correspondent

Sri Lanka to delay Aug 1 re-opening of Colombo International Airport

Sri Lanka has further delayed the reopening of its international airport here from the scheduled August 1, saying it has to make arrangements to bring back home Sri Lankan nationals stranded abroad.

Sri Lanka closed its international airports in mid March following the outbreak of COVID-19.

— PTI

Women ‘on precipice’ in developing countries amid COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic means that millions of women in Africa and other developing regions could lose years of success in contributing to household incomes, asserting their independence and expanding financial inclusion.

Often they are paid at the end of each day, a hand-to-mouth existence that has consequences for the whole family when business is bleak. Now many are increasingly under pressure as they deplete their savings and landlords threaten eviction.

— AP

Maharashtra: 50 prisoners of Akola jail test coronavirus positive

Fifty prisoners of the Akola district jail and 28 other people here in Maharashtra tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, health authorities said.

The district jail currently has nearly 300 prisoners, a jail official said, adding that the facility has not taken in any new prisoner in the recent past.

— PTI

Shopping malls in Gurugram, Faridabad to open from July 1

Shopping malls in Gurugram and Faridabad allowed to open from July 1 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Standard Operating Procedure has been issued for the stakeholders including visitors and shopkeepers.

— Delhi Bureau

In unlock phase, focus on defeating coronavirus, boosting economy: Narendra Modi

The country will have to focus on defeating coronavirus and bolstering the economy as it exits from the lockdown and enters the “unlock” phase, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday underscoring the need to keep guard against the deadly virus.

He also stressed that India has always transformed adversities into stepping stones to success and this year won’t be different.

— PTI

COVID 19: Universities should refrain from conducting exams, online tests 'discriminatory': Kapil Sibal

Universities should not conduct examinations in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and even holding online tests is not right as it is “discriminatory” towards poor students, former human resource development minister Kapil Sibal said on Sunday.

The senior Congress leader also said that with almost half the 2020-21 academic year of schools over without proper classes due to the COVID-19 spread, board examinations for Class 10 should not be held next year as it would burden the students unnecessarily.

— PTI

LNJP doctor dies of COVID-19 in pvt hospital

A doctor of the city government-run LNJP Hospital died of COVID-19 in the ICU of a private dedicated coronavirus facility here on Sunday, sources said.

The doctor, a consultant anaesthesiologist, died in the morning, they added.

LNJP Hospital is a dedicated COVID-19 facility under the Delhi government.

— PTI

’Chase the Virus’ campaign to be extended across Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said the ‘Chase the Virus’ initiative that received good results in worst-hit Mumbai will now be expanded to other parts of the state to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

As part of the campaign, 15 close contacts of a COVID-19 patient will compulsorily be kept in institutional quarantine, while community leaders will tell people about comorbidities, meals and other facilities available at institutional quarantine facilities etc, clinic timings etc.

— PTI

Palghar: NSS, NCC members to be roped in for outbreak combat

The Palghar administration has decided to rope in teachers, National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme members to help in efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

As on Saturday night, the district had 3,930 COVID-19 cases, of which over 3,000 were in Vasai-Virar and some 900 in rural areas, and 117 deaths.

— PTI

Singapore reports 213 new COVID-19 cases

Singapore authorities have asked the people to adhere to social distancing and other coronavrius prevention norms after the island nation reported 213 new cases on Sunday.

Of the new cases, 202 are foreign workers residing in packed dormitories, which have accounted for most of Singapore’s virus cases. The government has intensified testing in these quarters.

— PTI

175 fresh cases, five more COVID-19 deaths in Rajasthan

The coronavirus toll in Rajasthan rose to 396 on Sunday with five more fatalities, while 175 fresh cases took the number of infections to 17,119, according to an official report here.

Two deaths were reported in Bharatpur, one death each in Jaipur and Jhunjhunu, besides one death of a patient from outside the state.

— PTI

Declare third COVID-19 victim’s area as containment zone: Goa MLA

A day after a 76-year-old woman from Fatorda became Goa’s third COVID-19 victim, local MLA and GFP chief Vijai Sardesai on Sunday asked the state government to speed up contract tracing in the Chandravaddo area where she stayed and declare it a containment zone.

The woman died in ESI Hospital in Margao on Saturday, while the two earlier deaths in the state from the coronavirus infection were on June 22.

— PTI

Bengaluru top cop urges public to enforce mask rule; warns criminal action against those flouting it

Criminal cases will be filed against those flouting face mask and social distancing rules and public can call police in case someone refuses to follow the COVID-19 preventive norms in the city, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said on Sunday.

While police and civic body officials will patrol city roads and enforce the mask rule and social distancing, the public can also do their bit and ask every other person to follow them, he said in a series of tweets as the government stepped up efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.

— PTI

Vande Bharat Mission phase 4: AI to operate 170 flights to and from 17 countries between July 3-15

Air India will be conducting 170 flights to and from 17 countries between July 3 and 15 under the fourth phase of the Vande Bharat Mission, according to an official document.

The government started the mission on May 6 to help stranded people reach their destinations using special repatriation flights. Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

— PTI

Don’t move out beyond 2 km of home: Cops urge Mumbai residents

Mumbai Police on Sunday urged the city residents not to move beyond two-km radius of their homes for the purpose of exercise or visiting shops and salons, in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Movement beyond two km is permitted only for attending office or medical emergencies, a senior police official said, adding that movement outside this radius for shopping is strictly prohibited.

— PTI

IIT Delhi, National Chemical Laboratory working on home-based testing kits for COVID-19

Home-based COVID-19 testing kits could soon be a reality with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pune working on an alternative testing method which can not only be performed by individuals at home but will also deliver quick results.

The collaborative project with the NCL, which comes under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has also received financial support from Microsoft India and is expected to be ready in a month’s time.

— PTI

Recovered COVID-19 patients exceed active cases by over 1 lakh: Health Ministry

The gap between recoveries and active cases of COVID-19 has crossed 1,00,000, the Union health ministry said on Sunday as coronavirus cases in India mounted to 5,28,859 and the death toll rose to 16,095.

The recovered cases have exceeded the active cases by 1,06,661 as on Saturday, the ministry said.

A total of 3,09,712 patients have been cured of COVID-19 so far with 13,832 patients having recovered in the last 24 hours, it said.

“The recovery rate is 58.56% amongst COVID-19 patients,” the ministry said.

— PTI

Lockdown will not be lifted completely after June 30: Uddhav Tackeray

"Lockdown will not be lifted completely after June 30. However there will be relaxations," stated Uddhav Thackeray in his address to the state today.

"Come out of the illusion that relaxations mean corona threat is over...we are opening services only to revive the economic cycle" he added.

Speaking on festivals, the Maharashtra Chief Minister said: "Dahi handi festival was voluntarily canceled. There will be no procession on arrival of Ganpati neither on visarjan."

Treatment and medicine

Mr. Thackeray went on to stress on the need for Plasma Therapy for COVID-19 treatment due to its success rate. "We will be largest state in the country to use Plasma Therapy," he said.

He appealed to the recovered patients to come forward and get in contact with the government medical colleges and doctors to donate Plasma.

He promised that there would be no shortage of medicine. "We are using all available medicines, including Ramdesivir," he said.

"We will be making available, these medicines for free at government hospitals. Soon stocks will be full and we will be using it."

Need for doctors

The Maharashtra Chief Minister also expressed that the state was in dire need of senior doctors with experience. "We know the threat to you. But we assure you that we will provide every possible safety kit to you. But we want you in field with your experience," he urged.

"It is time to take more caution," said Mr. Thackeray. "We have not lifted lockdown. Do not come out in large crowd even if relaxations are offered."

— Mumbai Bureau

Amit Shah praises govt's efforts to tackle COVID-19

"The Indian government has effectively fought against Coronavirus," said Home Minister Amit Shah. "Government of India, state governments and 130 crore countrymen have all fought from Corona in India under the leadership of Narendra Modi."

In the context of the world, our country's statistics are very good, he added.

Spekaing about Delhi, the Home Minister claimed that a total of 9,937 beds were available in the city on 14th June. Around 30,000 beds have been provided today.

— BJP's official Twitter account (@BJP4India)

Odisha’s COVID-19 death toll mounts to 21 with 3 fresh fatalities

The COVID-19 death toll in Odisha mounted to 21 on Sunday with three more patients succumbing to the disease, while the count of cases rose to 6,614 after 264 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said.

The fresh fatalities were reported from Bhubaneswar, Ganjam and Cuttack districts, the Health and Family Welfare Department said in a statement.

— PTI

COVID-19: Pune, Aurangabad report massive overnight spikes of more than 200 cases

With a massive surge of 240 new Covid-19 cases over a 12-hour span, Pune district recorded its highest overnight spike till now on Sunday as the district’s total case tally rose to 20,263, said authorities.

However, of the case tally, the number of active positive cases are 7,628 with as many as 11, 942 recoveries thus far.

Aurangabad district in the State’s Marathwada region, too, recorded its biggest overnight rise, reporting 208 fresh cases since Saturday evening as its total case tally inched towards the 5,000 mark to reach 4,974. Of these, 2,290 are active cases with 2,446 recoveries in the district thus far.

 

— Shoumojit Banerjee

Mission Begin Again: Salons reopen in Mumbai after three months

With the further easing of coronavirus-induced curbs in Maharashtra, some salons opened in Mumbai on Sunday after a gap of three months while many remained closed due to lack of manpower.

The parlours and salons falling under the COVID-19 containment zones did not open.

Salon owners, who opened their shops for restarting business, said they were adhering to the government’s guidelines like checking temperatures of their customers, asking them to use hand sanitisers before entering the premises, and serving customers in small batches.

— PTI

Pakistan’s COVID-19 tally crosses 200,000

Pakistan’s number of coronavirus cases on Sunday crossed 200,000 after 4,072 new infections were detected in the last 24 hours, while 83 people died of the disease, taking the death toll to 4,118, the health ministry said.

Out of the total 202,955 cases, 78,267 were identified in Sindh, 74,202 in Punjab, 25,380 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 12,395 in Islamabad, 10,261 in Balochistan, 1,423 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 1,027 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, according to the Ministry of National Health Services.

— PTI

Another coronavirus-related fatality in J-K

A 76-year-old man from Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, who had tested positive for coronavirus, died at a hospital, taking the number of virus-related fatalities in the union territory to 94, officials said on Sunday.

The patient from Kulgam died at the Chest Diseases hospital here late on Saturday evening, the officials said.

— PTI

2 lakh Indians in Saudi Arabia seek repatriation

Expatriates in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, who are desperately awaiting a return to India have demanded repatriation flights in the fourth phase of Vande Bharat Mission beginning Wednesday.

As per the latest schedule announced by the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), no flights out of the 136 would be operating from these three Gulf Cooperation Council nations. Saudi Arabia is home to the second-largest Indian expatriate community after the United Arab Emirates (UAE). About 2 lakh Indians stranded in Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh are seeking repatriation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bihar’s Garibnath temple to be shut for devotees during Shravan month

Devotees, this year, will have to give their visit to Bihar’s Garibnath temple a miss during the holy month of Shravan, as the century-old shrine, which reopened on June 1, has decided to shut its doors again from July, amid the spurt in COVID-19 cases.

“The decision was taken in the larger interest of common people. COVID-19 cases have surfaced around the temple area, too,” chief priest Vinay Pathak said.

— PTI

China virus cases stabilise as Italy sees drop in deaths

China has extended COVID-19 tests to newly reopened salons amid a drop in cases, while South Korea continues to face new infections after it eased social distancing rules to lift the economy.

In the U.S., Vice President Mike Pence called off off a planned campaign bus tour in Florida following a surge in confirmed cases there.

Hard-hit Italy, meanwhile, registered the lowest day-to-day tally of COVID-19 deaths Saturday in almost three months.

No positive cases were found in Beijing’s beauty and barber shops in a further sign that the city’s recent outbreak has been largely brought under control.

— AP

Nearly 2.45 lakh people screened so far in New Delhi

The number of COVID-19 containment zones in Delhi has risen to 417 after re-mapping of such areas, while around 2.45 lakh people have been screened in a mammoth exercise to check the spread of COVID-19 in the national capital, officials said on Sunday.

 

Two more COVID-19 deaths in Dakshina Kannada

Dakshina Kannada reported two more COVID-19 deaths on Sunday taking the total death toll to 10. Of them a patient died in a private hospital and another one died in the Government Wenlock Hospital.

 

Door-to-door survey under ‘Kill Corona’ drive from July 1

 

The Madhya Pradesh government will launch a ‘Kill Corona’ campaign from July 1 to control the spread of coronavirus in the State. Under the campaign, door-to-door survey will be conducted and tests would also be done on citizens for other diseases, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said during a virtual review meeting on the COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday.

 

Science: Novel coronavirus infection might trigger type-1 diabetes

Diabetes poses one of the key risk factors for developing severe COVID-19, and chances of dying are elevated in people with diabetes. Now, there is growing evidence that novel coronavirus might actually be triggering diabetes in some people who have so far remained free of it. These patients typically develop type-1 diabetes. The virus seems to be causing diabetes spontaneously in people.

 

IRDAI frames COVID-19 health cover norms

A standard, indemnity-based health insurance cover for COVID-19 or a policy reimbursing the cost of the treatment, up to the sum insured, including on homecare and AYUSH treatment, will be offered by all health insurers on or before July 10.

This follows insurance regulator IRDAI firming up guidelines for such a standard COVID-19 specific product and making it mandatory for all general and health insurers to launch the same within the deadline. The product, to be called Corona Kavach Policy, followed by the name of the insurance company, will be an individual health policy, with an option to cover the family members.

The Hindu Explains | Why is there a stress on randomised controlled trials?

Over 600 fined for not wearing mask in the last 48 hours

Despite strict instructions, a number of people have not been wearing face masks in the city, which has been made mandatory by the police. After Police Commissioner R.K. Meena passed orders to collect ₹100 as fine on people moving without masks, the city police teams slapped fine on over 600 persons in the last 48 hours.

 

Positivity rate highest in Chennai

Tamil Nadu’s positivity rate, or the number of samples that test positive among the total figure, is between below 1% and 20%, with the higher percentile in high-incidence centres such as Chennai, at 23.2%. Data analysed by scientists at the National Institute of Epidemiology (a unit of the Indian Council of Medical Research), shared on Twitter on Saturday, showed that the highest positivity rate went just over 20% in the State.

 

There will be a complete lockdown on Sunday with all grocery shops and vegetable outlets closed in Chennai. Milk supply and medical services will not be interrupted.

The Hindu Explains | Institutions may save money and time with pool testing protocols

Cellphone data helps in contact tracing

Cellphone location data is aiding Health officials and the police fill the blanks while tracing contacts of COVID-19 patients in Ernakulam. The source of infection of the dubbing artist at Nayarambalam who tested positive on June 21 was traced after the police verified his call data records and tower locations.

 

Central team stresses on reducing mortality rate

 

A Central team on Saturday visited Thane district to review the COVID-19 situation and told local authorities to concentrate on reducing the mortality rate. As on Friday night, the district had a total 27,479 cases, with Thane city, Kalyan-Dombivali and Bhiwandi numbers being particularly worrisome, while 911 people have succumbed to the infection.

Rural Gurugram stays ahead of the curve in virus crisis

Two days before the nationwide ‘janata curfew’ on March 22 — a precursor to a series of lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — the Wazirpur panchayat, on the outskirts of Gurugram, held a camp near the district’s AYUSH department and distributed ayurvedic medicine to villagers to boost their immunity.