Coronavirus LIVE Updates: BMC Appeals for 'One Ward, One Ganpati' in Mumbai; 2 More Punjab MLAs Test Positive for Covid-19

7 Arrested for Black Marketing of Remdesivir in Mumbai | Food and Drug Administration (FDA) busted a racket involved in black marketing of Remdesivir in Mumbai. Seven persons have been arrested and 13 vials of the Covid-19 drug were seized.

PM Modi Speaks to Tamil Nadu CM over Virus Scenario | Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on the coronavirus prevention measures as case count crossed 1.65 lakh in the state. 

Pharma major Zydus Cadila has said that it is looking to complete clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate ZyCoV-D in seven months.

Hong Kong Tightens Coronavirus Measures | Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam introduced new measures, which includes mandatory wearing of masks in public spaces and work from home for non-essential civil servants, saying the situation in the Asian financial hub is "really critical" and that she sees "no sign" that it's under control. 

WATCH | AIIMS Delhi to Start Enrolling Volunteers for Covaxin Trials from July 20

Update | Bank unions have written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray seeking his intervention in issuing directives to banks and local authorities for safety of bank employees amid the Covid-19 pandemic, 

Odisha's Covid-19 Cases Crosses 17k-mark | The total number of coronavirus cases in Odisha reached 17,437 after 736 more infections were recorded, while five fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 91. 

Relegated to the sidelines of the society, many of India's estimated 4.88 lakh transgender people are forced to make a living through begging, dancing at celebrations like weddings, and sex work.

UP Covid-19 Tally Update | A total of 2,250 new coronavirus cases were reported in Uttar Pradesh in last 24 hours. The total number of active cases now stands at 18,256 and 19,845 discharged/cured. Death toll is at 1,146. 

Rwanda On Course of Elimination of Covid-19 Inside Its Borders - Reports | While some of the world’s richest states have struggled with the pandemic, its spread is on course for elimination in Rwanda, reports there suggest. The basic reproduction number (Ro) in Rwanda is currently 0.9 to be specific, according to a report presented to the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicates, if the Ro number is lower than one, the disease will eventually peter out, as not enough new people are getting infected to sustain the outbreak, The Guardian reports. 

Rao, 80, was undergoing treatment at the state-run St George Hospital in south Mumbai since Thursday after being tested coronavirus positive.

Cuomo Advises Vigilance Amid COVID-19 HospitalizationsDop | The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in New York state dropped to 743 and 11 more people died, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged residents Saturday not to let down their guard. Daily statewide statistics show New York with 754 newly confirmed cases, representing 1.08% of all tests performed.

UPDATE | Russia’s ambassador to Britain has rejected allegations that his country’s intelligence services sought to steal information about a coronavirus vaccine.

Andrei Kelin in an  interview said .that there was no sense in the allegations made last week by the United States, Britain and Canada.

Parliament Panels have started scrutinising handling of COVID-19 in India: Naidu | Parliamentary panels have started scrutinising the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country a little over three months after Parliament was adjourned ahead of its schedule due to the virus and a shorter timeframe to hold the standing committee meetings would not have been possible given the present situation, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said.

Bihar Health Dept Writes to Medical Officers for Arranging Isolation Facilities | Bihar Health Department writes to all chief medical officers, asking them to arrange paid isolation facilities at hotels for frontline workers including doctors (asymptomatic patients) if they don't have proper facilities for home isolation. 

 Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launches 'Plasma Donation Campaign' in association with Delhi Police at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Indore Covid-19 Case Count Crosses 6,000 mark | As many as 129 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Indore in the last 24 hours, taking the tally in Madhya Pradesh's worst-hit district to 6,035, an official said. 

Social Distancing Gone For A Toss | Huge crowd seen outside a liquor shop in Visakhapatnam, flouting social distancing norms COVID-19 pandemic.

Beijing to Lower Emergency Response Level | Chinese authorities will downgrade its emergency response level in Beijing from level 2 to 3 starting on July 20, as the city reported no new coronavirus cases for 13 consecutive days.

50-year-old Woman Dies of Covid-19 in Jammu, J-K Death Toll Stands at 237 | A 50-year-old woman died of Covid-19 at a hospital, taking the total number of fatalities due to the infection in Jammu and Kashmir to 237, officials said.   This will be the 19th death in the Jammu region, which has recorded a total of 2,687 COVID-19 cases as compared to 10,511 cases in Kashmir with 218 deaths. 

Netanyahu, the first serving Israeli prime minister to go on trial, did not attend what a spokesman for the prosecution said would be a technical discussion.

3-member Central Team Arrives in Patna | A three-member team, including Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal, arrives in Patna, Bihar, to assess the Covid-19 situation in the state.

Bihar: A three-member team, including Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal, arrives in Patna to assess the #COVID19 situation in the state. pic.twitter.com/7KYaN0BVG8

— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2020

Durga Puja organisers across Kolkata are hopeful they will be able to celebrate the festival this year, albeit in a scaled-down manner and by taking safety measures.

Punjab MLAs Test Positive for Coronavirus, Under Treatment

My colleagues @INCPunjab Mla Phagwara, Balwinder Dhaliwal ji & MLA Tarn Taran @DrDharambir ji have tested positive for #Covid19. Wishing them a speedy recovery.

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) July 19, 2020

Pondicherry Reports Fresh Cases 

Arunachal Reports 41 New Covid-19 Cases, Several Areas Declared Containment Zones | Arunachal Pradesh reported 41 new cases of COVID-19, taking the state's tally to 650, a senior health official said. most of the new cases were detected in the Capital Complex with 18 people testing positive, followed by 10 in Lower Siang, six in Papum Pare, three in Lower Dibang Valley and two cases each in West Kameng and Lower Subansiri districts, he said.

The death toll due to the disease rose to 26,816 with new 543 fatalities even as 23,672 patients have recuperated in the past 24 hours, the highest so far in a day, the data updated at 8 am showed.

Active Cases in Czech Republic Rise to 4,764 |  In Czech Republic, tally of active cases of the new coronavirus has risen to 4,764, above the previous high of 4,737 seen in April, health ministry data showed. On Saturday 113 new cases were identified, bringing the total since the beginning of March when first cases were found to 13,885.

85 Infants Test Positive for Covid-19 in Texas | In the US, a health official on the Texas Gulf Coast says that 85 infants have tested positive for the coronavirus. Corpus Christi Nueces County public health director Annette Rodriguez said that the 85 infants are each younger than one, but offered no other details, including how the children are suspected to have become infected.

Four Lucknow Areas Declared As Containment Zones | Amidst rising corona cases, four police station areas of Lucknow to be complete containment zone from Monday. These stations are Ashiyana, Sarojini Nagar, Gazipur and Indira Nagar.