India has registered nearly 4 lakh coronavirus infections in the month of June, according to data from States and the Centre. The country has seen over 5.85 lakh cases till June 30 — this means that over 67% of total cases were registered in the past 30 days.
Meanwhile, the European Union is opening up its border to allow leisure or business travel from 14 countries beyond its borders. The countries include Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, with the U.S. and India being notable exceptions.
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:
Patanjali to sell Coronil as 'immunity booster,' not 'cure for COVID-19'
Yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved on Wednesday said there are no AYUSH Ministry restrictions on selling Coronil, a drug the company recently launched as a medicine for COVID-19 but is now calling it a product to manage the disease.
The Union ministry confirmed that Patanjali can sell the product but not as a cure for COVID-19.
— PTI
11 sadhus of Swaminarayan sect test coronavirus positive
Eleven sadhus belonging to one of the divisions of the Swaminarayan sect, which has its temple in Maninagar area here in Gujarat, have tested positive for coronavirus over the last one week, a health official said on Wednesday.
They belonged to Maninagar ‘panth’ or denomination of the sect.
— PTI
COVID-19 testing campaign will help reduce deaths, but UP might see rise in cases: CM
The number of COVID-19 cases might increase in Uttar Pradesh after a campaign to test people starts from Thursday, but it will certainly help in reducing deaths, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday.
He also stressed on checking the spread of vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue in the state.
“From Thursday, a special campaign for medical screening for COVID-19 will be started in six districts of the Meerut division which are Meerut, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Hapur and Baghpat, the chief minister said.
— PTI
Goa open to domestic tourists from July 2
Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar on Wednesday announced that the coastal state will be open to tourists starting July 2, as 250 hotels have been granted permission to resume operations.
The decision to restart tourism activities was taken during a state cabinet meeting, the minister said.
Hotels and homestays that have not registered with the department to reopen business will not be allowed to entertain guests or offer online bookings, Ajgaonkar said.
15 inmates of Bengal prison test positive for COVID-19
Fifteen inmates of a prison in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Wednesday.
The infected inmates of the Baruipur Central Correctional Home are asymptomatic and have been admitted to an isolation ward of the prison hospital, an official of the Correctional Services Department said.
“They are being treated at the prison hospital. If needed, we will shift them to other hospitals as per the advice of the doctors,” he said.
KSRTC depot in Angamaly shut after bus conductor tests positive
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus depot in Angamaly near here has been shut after a conductor who was on duty on routes passing through Angamaly, tested positive for coronavirus in his home town in Malappuram on Tuesday.
The conductor, a native of Perinthalmanna, Malappuram, developed symptoms on June 28 and his test results returned positive late on June 30 at Malappuram. He was on duty on the Aluva-Angamaly-Chalakkudy bus route on June 23, 24 and 25.
— PTI
Kolkata’s Kalighat temple reopens for devotees after 100 days
The doors of the famed Kalighat temple in Kolkata were reopened for devotees on Wednesday, nearly 100 days after they were shut in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Ten devotees are being allowed inside the temple premises at a time. Over 100 devotees have entered the temple since the gates were reopened at 6 am. The temple will remain open from 6 am to 12 noon and from 4 pm to 6.30 pm.
No devotee will be given ‘charanamrito’ (holy water) or will be allowed to carry flowers inside the temple, a temple committee spokesman said.
Prohibitory orders clamped in Mumbai till July 15
Section 144 has been imposed in Mumbai till July 15.
Presence or movement of one or more persons in public or any gathering, including religious places subject to certain conditions, have been prohibited.
The order was levied by Pranays Ashok, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) owing to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the city. - Sonam Saigal
SSI succumbs to COVID-19 in Chennai
A special sub inspector of police succumbed to COVID-19 at a private hospital in the early hours of Wednesday.
He is the second victim of the pandemic in the Greater Chennai City Police limits. S. Balamurali, who was Mambalam Inspector, died on June 17.
So far, over 1,129 police personnel, including a few IPS officers, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Greater Chennai City Police. As many as 54 personnel are undergoing treatment in city hospitals, while 600 are under quarantine facilities. Around 450 police personnel rejoined duty after they recovered from COVID-19.
Maharashtra Police has lost 60 of its personnel to COVID-19. Out of the 60 victims, 38 were from the Mumbai Police force. So far, nearly 4,900 police personnel have been infected with coronavirus in the State, including over 2,600 from the Mumbai Police force.
Guwahati tops highest single-day spike in Assam COVID-19 cases
Assam’s principal city has topped the highest single-day spike in COVID-19 positive cases in the State.
Guwahati, under total lockdown past June 28 midnight, recorded 380 out of the 613 cases detected till 11.55 p.m. on June 30.
Restrictions in Telangana extended till July 31
A day after the Central government issued fresh guidelines on Coronavirus (COVID-19) management, the State government has announced extension of existing restrictions in the State till July 31.
In the order issues late on Tuesday evening, the government announced some relaxations in line with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Union Ministry issued orders for extending the lockdown in containment zones along with reopening of activities in a calibrated manner in areas outside the containment zones.
Delhi's COVID situation improving, says CM Kejriwal
The COVID-19 situation in Delhi appears to be under control, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, adding that citizens need to continue wearing masks and follow social distancing.
"At this time in Delhi, across hospitals, there are 5,800 beds which are occupied with COVID patients; we are prepared with 15,000 beds," said Mr. Kejriwal in his daily briefing.
"Every day, the number of patients getting cured is increasing; 66% patients have gotten cured so far," he added.
"The situation now seems to be under control; it is not as bad as it was predicted, or thought of, a month ago. But this doesn’t mean that things should completely go back to the way they were," said Kejriwal, adding "we must continue social distancing, wearing masks."
Mumbai's iconic Lalbaugcha Raja mandal cancels Ganesh Chaturthi celebration
The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal, which installs Mumbai’s most famous Ganpati idol, on Wednesday announced cancellation of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mandal will not install the Ganesh idol this year, Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal’s secretary Sudhir Salvi told reporters.
It will organise blood and plasma donation camps and provide financial assistance to the families of policemen who died of COVID-19, he said. - PTI
Dr. Gangakhedkar, the face of ICMR at COVID-19 briefings, retires
Dr. Raman R. Gangakhedkar, who had become the face of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) during government briefings to media on the coronavirus pandemic, retired as the head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the apex health research body on Tuesday.
Dr Raman Gangakhedkar | File | Photo Credit: Twitter/@ANI
During his approximately four-year stint with ICMR, he was instrumental in formulation of policies to handle the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala in 2018 and recently for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Convalescent plasma may be considered in COVID-19 patients not responding to steroids: CDSCO
Convalescent plasma may be considered in COVID-19 patients with moderate disease who are not improving (oxygen requirement is progressively increasing) despite use of steroids, noted a one-page advisory issued by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (Biological Division), here on Wednesday.
The Health Ministry last week released guidelines on clinical management protocol for COVID-19 where certain therapies were indicated for use as investigational therapies, in which convalescent plasma by plasmapheresis has been indicated as “Off Label” in COVID-19 patients’.
Gujarat reports 600 plus COVID-19 cases for fourth consecutive day
Gujarat on Tuesday reported 620 COVID-19 infections as the tally climbed to 32,643 while 20 deaths took the fatality count to 1,848. The State reported 600 plus cases for the fourth consecutive day.
So far, 23,670 patients have been discharged while the active cases are 6,928 including 71 who are aided by mechanised ventilation.
Figures obtained under the RTI about cremations at the city’s two dozen crematoriums have given an alarming picture in May and till mid June compared to the corresponding period last year.
30 staff of Hosur-based pharma company test COVID-19 positive
A leading pharma manufacturer Micro Labs Limited has emerged as a ‘mini COVID cluster’ in Hosur with as many as 30 employees across production blocks testing positive for COVID-19. Incidentally, the company has become the single largest contributor to the COVID-19 numbers in Krishnagiri district in less than a week.
A manager at the quality control block in Unit 3 of the company’s production facility had first tested positive last week. The company allegedly brought 50 of its employees from Bengaluru in the company bus with some claiming that physical distancing norms were not adhered to.
Employees alleged that they were not informed that the manager had tested positive for COVID-19. Instead they learnt about it only through random messages on WhatsApp groups of other companies.
Railways to expand Mumbai local services but not for general passengers
The Railways will expand its suburban services in Mumbai from Wednesday and run 350 trains each in the Central and Western Railway Zones, Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.
The trains will, however, only carry essential services personnel identified by the Maharashtra government.
These trains will halt at major stations (where fast locals halt). On the harbour line too the trains will halt at major stations only. - PTI
Asymptomatic patients forcibly taken to care centres, complain Chennai residents
Residents have complained to the Greater Chennai Corporation that its doctors have been forcing asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, already under home isolation, to go into institutional quarantine.
“After I visited a camp in Valasaravakkam, the doctor said I will be taken to a hospital. Even after my doctor explained that I was already being treated while in home isolation, the official refused to let me be. They did not tell me the name of the hospital,” a resident of Nesapakkam said.
Frontline workers are like a 'non-violent army': Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took to Twitter discuss the experience of being a health professional in the time of COVID-19 with four Indian nurses working in different parts of the world. In a virtual meeting, Sherylmol Puravady from England, Vipin Krishnan from AIIMS, Narendra Singh from Australia and Anu Ragnat from New Zealand shared their insights.
West Bengal allows 50 people at weddings, funerals
The West Bengal government has allowed 50 people at marriage functions and funerals during the next phase of the coronavirus lockdown from July 1 to 31.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said morning walks will be allowed from 5.30 am till 8.30 am, provided social distancing and all other norms are strictly followed”.
“From now onwards, we will be allowing 50 people both at weddings and last rites,” Banerjee said. - PTI
Quick update on the coronavirus numbers:
India has registered a record single-day jump of 507 COVID-19 fatalities, says the Union Health Ministry. With this, India's death toll has climbed to 17,400.
The total number of cases is now 5,85,493, of which 2,20,114 are active. As many as 3,47,978 people have recovered from the infection, according to Central data.
In Goa, BJP MLA tests positive for coronavirus
A BJP MLA from Goa has tested positive for coronavirus, a senior State health official said on Wednesday.
The legislator was admitted to Margao-based ESI Hospital, a specially designated facility for COVID-19 patients, after his test came out positive on Tuesday, the official said.
Last month, a former State health minister tested positive for coronavirus and has been undergoing treatment at the ESI Hospital. - PTI
Class 10 student makes face shields for Delhi police
A Class 10 student from Delhi has earned accolades for designing face masks for the police. Zareb Vardhan used a 3D printer to design the protective equipment. He says that over 10 such face shields can be made in one day using the machine.
Another death in Hassan
A 32-year-old person died of COVID-19 infection in Hassan, Karnataka on Tuesday night. The deceased is native of Dudda Hobli in Hassan taluk.
The person was found positive for COVID-19 infection on Monday and was admitted to a COVID Hospital, said the sources in the district administration. This is the fourth death due to the viral infection reported in the district. Hassan district administration is expected to make an official announcement about the death later today.