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Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Railways to Expand to 350 Local Trains in Mumbai from Tomorrow

News18.com | June 30, 2020, 10:26 PM IST

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: A complete lockdown will be imposed in Maharashtra's Mira-Bhayandar area from July 1 till the midnight of July 10. Only home delivery of items will be allowed and medical shops will remain open from 9am to 5pm.

A combination of antiviral drugs commonly used to treat HIV showed no beneficial effects in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in a large-scale randomised trial, scientists in the UK have found. The findings "convincingly rule out any meaningful mortality benefit of lopinavir-ritonavir in the hospitalised COVID-19 patients we studied," the scientists running the RECOVERY trial at the University of Oxford said in a statement on Monday. In March, the RECOVERY trial was established as a randomised clinical trial to test a range of potential treatments for COVID-19, including lopinavir-ritonavir, an antiviral treatment commonly used to treat HIV. Over 11,800 patients have been enrolled from 176 NHS hospitals in the UK for the trial. On Monday, the trial Steering Committee concluded that there is no beneficial effect of lopinavir-ritonavir in patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

Jun 30, 2020 10:26 pm (IST)

Railways to Expand Mumbai Local Trains | Railways will expand to 350 local trains in Mumbai from tomorrow‬. ‪As identified by the state government, only essential staff including employees of Centre, IT, GST, Customs, Postal, Nationalised Banks, MBPT, Judiciary, Defence and Raj Bhavan will be allowed‬ to travel.

Jun 30, 2020 10:11 pm (IST)

Delhi COVID-19 Cases | Delhi reported 2,199 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 87,460. The death toll rises to 2,742 with 62 new deaths. As many as 2.113 recoveries were reported, and the number of active cases rises to 26,270.

Jun 30, 2020 10:05 pm (IST)

J&K COVID-19 Cases | The toll due to COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir crossed the 100-mark as six more patients succumbed to the disease, while the union territory's tally rose to 7,497 after 260 fresh cases were detected, officials said.

Jun 30, 2020 10:02 pm (IST)

Odisha COVID-19 Cases | A total of 243 patients recovered today, taking the total number of recoveries to 5,189. Total number of COVID-19 cases stands at 7,065 including 1,844 active case and 25 deaths: Information and Public Relations Department, Odisha

Jun 30, 2020 10:02 pm (IST)

Jun 30, 2020 9:59 pm (IST)

Telangana COVID-19 Cases | Telangana reported 945 new COVID-19 positive cases and seven deaths, pushing the overall tally to 16,339 and the fatalities to 260. Out of the 945 fresh cases, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for 869, followed by 29 in Ranga Reddy district, a state government bulletin said.

Jun 30, 2020 9:51 pm (IST)

Staff involved in funeral procedures of 8 people, who succumbed to COVID-19 in Ballari district, have been suspended. I appeal to all staff of health dept to follow the rules while conducting funeral of bodies of COVID19 patients: Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu

Jun 30, 2020 9:31 pm (IST)

Jharkhand COVID-19 Cases | Jharkhand reports 60 new COVID-19 positive cases and 35 recoveries today. Total number of cases stands at 2,490 including 591 active cases, 1884 recoveries and 15 deaths: State Health Department

Jun 30, 2020 9:18 pm (IST)

Rajasthan COVID-19 Cases | The COVID-19 death toll in Rajasthan rose to 413 on Tuesday with eight more fatalities, while 354 fresh cases took the number of infections to 18,014, according to an official report.

Jun 30, 2020 8:44 pm (IST)

Bengal COVID-19 Cases | West Bengal registered its highest single-day spike of 652 COVID-19 cases, which pushed the total tally in the state to 18,559, the health department said. Fifteen coronavirus patients died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 668, the department said in its bulletin.

Jun 30, 2020 8:38 pm (IST)

64,000 Fresh Cases Added to Delhi's Tally in June | Over 64,000 fresh cases were added to the national capital's COVID-19 tally in June, while 47,489 patients recovered from the infection during this month, according to Delhi government's health department data. The current coronavirus count of the city stands at 85,161, which is highest among cities in the country. Among states and Union Territories, Delhi has the highest number of cases after Maharashtra.

Jun 30, 2020 8:37 pm (IST)

Gujarat COVID-19 Cases | Gujarat reported 620 new COVID-19 cases, taking the overall count to 32,446 in the state, Health department said. With 20 more people succumbing to the infection, the toll has risen to 1,848, it said.

Jun 30, 2020 8:32 pm (IST)

MP COVID-19 Cases | The COVID-19 case count in Madhya Pradesh climbed to 13,593 with addition of 223 new cases in the last 24 hours, officials said. With 8 more people succumbing to the viral infection, the death toll has gone up to 572, they said.

Jun 30, 2020 8:28 pm (IST)

Karnataka COVID-19 Cases | COVID-19 cases in Karnataka breached the 15,000 mark, with the state reporting 947 new cases and 20 related fatalities, taking the death toll to 246, the health department said. The day also saw 235 patients getting discharged after recovery.

Jun 30, 2020 8:25 pm (IST)

Andhra to Launch 1,088 Modern Ambulances Tomorrow | Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will flag off a fleet of 1,088 ambulances on Wednesday, for the '108' and '104' emergency services, equipped with modern life- support systems to provide quick and better medical attention at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic is running rampant. Read Medabayani Balakrishna's report here

Jun 30, 2020 8:22 pm (IST)

4,878 New Cases in Maharashtra | As many as 4,878 new coronavirus cases were reported in Maharashtra, taking the state's tally to 1,74,761. In the last 48 hours, 95 patients died.

Jun 30, 2020 8:18 pm (IST)

India Supports UN Initiative to Stop Spread of COVID-19 Misinformation | India is supporting a global initiative by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that aims to stop the spread of misinformation and fake news related to coronavirus on social media and has also co-authored a cross-regional statement to fight the 'infodemic' or the manipulated information relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jun 30, 2020 8:06 pm (IST)

Europe Reopens Borders to 15 Countries | The European Union on Tuesday agreed to open its borders to 15 countries from July 1, but the United States, where the coronavirus is still spreading, will remain excluded. China made it to the list, which will be updated every two weeks, but on the condition that Beijing do the same for Europeans, a statement said. Read full article here

Jun 30, 2020 8:05 pm (IST)

Bengal Containment Zones to be under Lockdown Till July 31 | Lockdown measures in containment zones stand extended up to July 31 in West Bengal. Schools, colleges, cinema halls, swimming pools, gyms, entertainment parks, social, political religious and other large congregation shall remain prohibited till July 31: West Bengal Govt

Jun 30, 2020 7:57 pm (IST)

Punjab COVID-19 Cases | Punjab reports 150 new COVID-19 cases and 6 deaths today. Total number of cases rise to 5,568 and death toll is at 144: State Health Department

Jun 30, 2020 7:53 pm (IST)

Spread of Covid-19 Poses Risk to Indian Economy: IMF Official | The main downside risk to India's growth forecast is the continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic as the health crisis has not yet been contained, a top IMF official said on Tuesday, noting that the country's near-term growth outlook continues to be clouded by the global and domestic slowdown and uncertainties relating to the coronavirus. Read full article here

Jun 30, 2020 7:38 pm (IST)

Over 1.2 Lakh Patients Given Free Treatment in Maha | The Maharashtra government has provided free treatment to more than 1.2 lakh COVID-19 patients under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY), the Chief Minister's office said.

Jun 30, 2020 7:22 pm (IST)

Andaman & Nicobar COVID-19 Cases | The Andaman and Nicobar Islands has recently seen a spurt in cornavirus cases with the infection tally mounting to 97, a health official said. Recently, a girl who flew back from Chennai after getting treatment for some other disease tested positive for coronavirus, the nodal officer said, adding seven of her family members contracted the infection from her.

Jun 30, 2020 7:20 pm (IST)

Patanjali Can't Sell Coronil with Claims of Curing Covid-19: Centre | The AYUSH ministry said yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved will not be able to sell its medicine with claims of curing the coronavirus infection and with labels of Covid-19. The Uttarakhand AYUSH Department has given Coronil approval as an immunity booster and has given it the license to make three medicines and has allowed clinical trial under the rules. Read Anupam Trivedi's report here

Jun 30, 2020 7:17 pm (IST)

Dharavi COVID-19 Cases | Six new COVID-19 cases were reported from the Dharavi area of Mumbai today, taking the total number of cases to 2,268: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)

Jun 30, 2020 6:56 pm (IST)

Andhra Pradesh COVID-19 Cases | A total of 704 COVID-19 cases were added in Andhra Pradesh, taking the overall tally in the state to 14,595. The toll rose to 187 with seven fresh casualties, according to the latest health department bulletin.

Jun 30, 2020 6:53 pm (IST)

Amit Shah Holds Meeting over COVID-19 | Home Minister Amit Shah meets with ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava, Dr V K Paul, Member, NITI Aayog and Dr Randeep Guleria, AIIMS Director.

Jun 30, 2020 6:37 pm (IST)

Goa May Allow Bars to Function from July 1 | The Goa government is likely to allow opening of bars in restaurants from July 1. After a meeting with CM Pramod Sawant, which was attended by several Ministers, Ports Minister Michael Lobo said while restaurants had opened, there were few customers as patrons liked to have a beer or other drink during meals in the coastal state.

Jun 30, 2020 6:34 pm (IST)

Himachal COVID-19 Cases | The number of COVID-19 cases rises to 948 in Himachal Pradesh, of which 358 cases are active. The death toll is at 8. 569 patients have recovered till date: State Health Department

Jun 30, 2020 6:28 pm (IST)

Kerala COVID-19 Cases | As many as 131 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the state today. Number of active cases stand at 2112, total 2304 have recovered till now: Kerala Health Department

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Railways to Expand to 350 Local Trains in Mumbai from Tomorrow

Passengers stand at a platform as local train services resume only for essential service workers in Mumbai, India, Monday, June 15. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A total of 1,596 patients were randomised to lopinavir-ritonavir and compared with 3,376 patients randomised to usual care alone, the statement said. Of these patients, four per cent required invasive mechanical ventilation when they entered the trial, 70 per cent required oxygen alone, and 26 per cent did not require any respiratory intervention, it said. There was no significant difference in mortality for lopinavir-ritonavir compared to usual care, and the results were consistent in different subgroups of patients, the scientists said.

There was also no evidence of beneficial effects on the risk of progression to mechanical ventilation or length of hospital stay, they said. "These preliminary results show that for patients hospitalised with COVID-19 and not on a ventilator, lopinavir-ritonavir is not an effective treatment. In 100 days, the RECOVERY trial has provided results enabling change in global practice three times," said Peter Horby, Professor at the University of Oxford, and chief investigator for the trial.

The researchers said they were unable to study a large number of patients on invasive mechanical ventilation because of difficulty administering the drug to patients on ventilators. As such, they cannot make conclusions about the effectiveness in mechanically ventilated patients, the researchers said, adding full results will be made available as soon as possible. "These are clear results and once again emphasise the value of large randomised clinical trials in differentiating drugs we hope work from treatments we know do work," said Martin Landray, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford.

"In many countries, current guidelines recommend lopinavir-ritonavir as a treatment for COVID-19," said Landray, Deputy Chief Investigator of the trial. The results from this trial, together with those from other large randomised trials, should inform revisions to those guidelines and changes to the way individual patients are treated, the researchers said.
ix months on from the novel coronavirus outbreak, the WHO said Monday it was sending a team to China to work towards finding the source as it warned the pandemic was far from over. And the World Health Organization warned that in an atmosphere of global division and politicisation of the COVID-19 crisis, it feared the worst was yet to come. The UN health agency lamented the "very tragic" milestones of 500,000 deaths and 10 million confirmed infections being reached, just as it marks on Tuesday six months since it was first informed of the outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

The WHO is sending a team to China next week in connection with the search for the origin of the virus that sparked the global pandemic. The organisation has been pressing China since early May to invite in its experts to help investigate the animal origins of the coronavirus. "We can fight the virus better when we know everything about the virus, including how it started," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference. "We will be sending a team next week to China to prepare for that and we hope that that will lead into understanding how the virus started."

He did not specify the make-up of the team, nor what specifically their mission would consist of. Scientists believe the virus jumped from animals to humans, possibly from a market in Wuhan selling exotic animals for meat.

'We fear the worst'

"Six months ago, none of us could have imagined how our world -- and our lives -- would be thrown into turmoil by this new virus," said Tedros. "We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is this is not even close to being over.

"Globally the pandemic is actually speeding up. We're all in this together, and we're all in this for the long haul. We have already lost so much -- but we cannot lose hope."

Tedros also said that the pandemic had brought out the best and worst humanity, citing acts of kindness and solidarity, but also misinformation and the politicisation of the virus. Unless international unity replaces fractious division, "the worst is yet to come. I'm sorry to say that," he said. "With this kind of environment and condition, we fear the worst."

While the world races to find safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics against COVID-19, Tedros said countries such as South Korea had shown that the virus could be successfully suppressed and controlled without them. He said governments needed to be "serious" about measures such as contact tracing, and citizens had to take responsibility for personal steps such as maintaining hand hygiene.

Reflecting on the global death toll and infection numbers, Tedros said: "Still, this could have been prevented through the tools we have at hand." He added: "The critical question that all countries will face in the coming months is how to live with this virus. That is the new normal."