Andhra Pradesh with nearly 8,000 COVID-19 cases topped southern States in daily numbers for the second day on Thursday as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala also reported record single day tallies with the aggregate of the four breaching the 20,000 mark.

The four States and the Union Territory of Puducherry registered a total of 20,701 cases on July 23.

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:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet Maharashtra, West Bengal and U.P. CMs during the inauguration of ICMR labs on July 27.

- Nistula Hebbar

Need to think of economic revival, says Sharad Pawar

Amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, there is need to look into economic revival by resuming activities in Maharashtra’s industrial centres, NCP chief and former Union minister Sharad Pawar said.

He added that a decision on extension of lockdown, in force till July 31, must be made after assessing the ground situation and taking people into confidence, adding that care must be taken to ensure cases don’t rise.

“Like the health crisis prevailing now, the country and the state may face a financial crisis too. Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad and Nagpur are important centres of industries in the state. Revival of industries needs to be thought about,” Mr. Pawar told reporters.

- PTI

228 people test positive for COVID-19 in Ballia district jail

As many as 225 inmates and three jail wardens of Ballia district jail tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, officials said.

Superintendent of the district jail Prashant Kumar said 224 male inmates, one female inmate and three jail wardens tested positive for the disease.

Meanwhile, 120 inmates of Jhansi district jail tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, officials had said.

- PTI

New Central Railway app to help staff check tickets on phones

Central Railway has deployed a smartphone app that will allow ticket checking in keeping with social distancing norms amid the coronavirus outbreak, officials said.

The ‘CheckIn Mater’ app, in operation in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, allows ticket checkers to scan codes without having to touch the passenger’s phone, they said.

“It will help them discharge duties without fear, as the app has OCR and QR code scanning features to check PRS and UTS tickets from a safe distance. The app can also be used for attendance and real time monitoring of ticket checking staff.

- PTI

Cabinet Secretary reviews COVID-19 management in 9 States

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Friday reviewed the management of COVID-19 in nine States with high active caseload and advised Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Assam to urgently ramp up testing, strictly implement containment plan, augment health infrastructure and ensure effective clinical management.

“Cabinet Secretary had a detailed review on the State specific COVID response strategy with the Health Secretaries and other State officials as well as on the factors that were leading to rising caseload in these States,” noted a release issued by the Central government.

Indian medical systems have helped boost immunity during pandemic, says Harsh Vardhan

Indian traditional system of medicine has also contributed substantially in boosting the immunity of general population during COVID-19, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Friday, while participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Health Ministers’ Digital Meet at Nirman Bhawan.

The meeting chaired by Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, discussed the ongoing COVID crisis.

Cipla gets DCGI nod to launch Favipiravir for treatment of COVID-19 patients

Pharma major Cipla said it has received approval from Indian drug regulator DCGI to launch Favipiravir in the country - under the brand name Ciplenza - for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.

As part of its efforts to enable speedy access to cater to the demand, the company will commercially launch Ciplenza in the first week of August priced at Rs 68 per tablet, Cipla said in a statement.

The accelerated regulatory approval by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for manufacturing and marketing of the drug is aimed at meeting the urgent and unmet medical need for COVID-19 treatment options in the country through restricted emergency use, it added.

- PTI

India’s tests per million seeing steady rise since adoption of ‘test, track and treat’ strategy, says Health Ministry

For the third day in a row, the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) recoveries in a 24-hour span saw another record high, with 34,602 patients having recuperated pushing the recovery rate to 63.45%, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.

The case fatality rate has further declined to 2.38%, it said. According to data updated at 8 a.m., the total recoveries have climbed to 8,17,208, while there are 4,40,135 active cases of coronavirus in the country at present, the Ministry said as the COVID-19 tally surged to 12.87 lakh.

Jenburkt Pharma launches COVID-19 drug at ₹39 per tablet

Drug firm Jenburkt Pharmaceuticals on Friday said it has launched antiviral drug Favipiravir under the brand name ‘Favivent’ for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms at a price of ₹39 per tablet.

The tablet will be available in 200 mg strength in the form of a strip of 10 tablets, it added.

The drug will be manufactured at a pharmaceutical plant in Telangana with the highest safety and manufacturing protocols in place, Jenburkt Pharmaceuticals said in a statement.

On Thursday, pharma company Brinton Pharmaceuticals had said it will be selling Favipiravir under the brand name ‘Faviton’ at a maximum retail price of ₹59 per tablet.

Pharma major Glenmark Pharmaceuticals is already selling Favipiravir under the brand name ‘FabiFlu’ at a price of ₹75 per tablet.

- PTI

COVID-19 herd immunity will take time, says WHO’s Soumya Swaminathan

The chief scientist of the WHO, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, warned that the concept of herd immunity , or a large section of the population developing antibodies against COVID-19, is still a long way off and can be sped up by a vaccine.

In a social media live event organised by the World Health Organisation from Geneva, the scientist said that more waves of the infection would be required to get to a stage of natural immunity. Therefore, she warned, that at least for the next year or so, the world needs to be geared up to do everything possible to keep the novel coronavirus at bay while scientists work on vaccines. Meanwhile, therapeutics will help keep death rates low and allow people to get on with their lives.

"For this concept of herd immunity, you need 50% to 60% of the population to have this immunity to be actually able to break those chains of transmission," explained Ms. Swaminathan.

"That’s much easier to do with a vaccine; we can achieve it faster and without people getting sick and dying. So, it is much better to do it that way, to achieve herd immunity through natural infection. We would have several waves [of infection] and unfortunately also the mortality that we see," she said.

- PTI

Punjab govt. opens COVID-19 care centres for mild, asymptomatic cases

The Punjab government has set up several Covid Care Centres (CCCs) in 10 districts with a total capacity of 7,520 beds, augmenting its ability to tackle mild or asymptomatic cases for people under 60 years of age.

Similar centres, with 100 beds each, would be set up soon in the remaining 12 districts, an official statement said here on Friday.

The new CCCs have already been made functional in Mohali with total 1,500 beds — 1,000-bed capacity centre at Chandigarh University and 500-bed centre at Gian Sagar Hospital -- Ludhiana with 1,200 beds, Jalandhar and Amritsar with 1000 beds each, Bathinda (950), Sangrur (800 beds), Patiala (470), Pathankot (400) and Fazilka and Faridkot (100 each).

These centres are running in schools or other institutions to the capacity of over 7,000 beds which can be enhanced to 28,000 beds if the cases surge further, the statement said.

- PTI

COVID-19 has entered community in Telangana: Health official

Coronavirus has entered the community in Telangana and the public should take all precautions against the pathogen as the coming weeks will be crucial, a senior health department official has said.

“Early identification and treatment of COVID-19 are two things we should be doing because this virus has entered the community.. it is not visible how it is (spreading) and where it is,” State Director of Public Health G Srinivasa Rao said.

However, he said people need not panic and appealed to the them to take precautions like wearing a mask before stepping out, maintaining physical distance and hand-washing as the next four-five weeks would be crucial for the state.

The tally of COVID-19 cases in the state crossed 50,000 mark on Thursday with 1,567 new additions.

The toll climbed to 447 after nine more people succumbed to the virus. - PTI

Tamil Nadu releases additional funds of ₹76.50 crore to set up oxygen tanks

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday announced release of ₹76.50 crore additional funds towards strengthening infrastructure in supply of oxygen to treat COVID-19 infected patients at government run health care facilities.

Health and family welfare minister C Vijaya Baskar in a statement here said Chief Minister K. Palaniswami has issued orders towards release of the funds in addition to the ₹75.28 crore which was already released to set up oxygen pipelines to serve the patients.

The additional funds would be utilised to strengthen the oxygen supply in hospitals located at Taluk levels (in the state), setting up of ‘high vacuum exhaust system’ and for establishing oxygen tanks at the hospitals, the release said. - PTI

India’s COVID-19 case fatality rate drops to 2.38%, recovery rate rises to 63.34%

For the third day in a row, the number of COVID-19 recoveries in a 24-hour span saw another record high, with 34,602 patients having recuperated pushing the recovery rate to 63.45%, the Union health ministry said on Friday.

The case fatality rate has further declined to 2.38%, it said.

According to data updated at 8 a.m., the total recoveries have climbed to 8,17,208, while there are 4,40,135 active cases of coronavirus in the country at present, the ministry said as the COVID-19 tally surged to 12.87 lakh.

India also saw a record single-day spike of 49,310 cases while the death-toll mounted to 30,601 with 740 new fatalities, the data said.

The ministry said as a result of constantly growing number of recoveries, the recovered patients outnumber the active cases by 3,77,073. “This difference is showing a progressively growing upward trend.”

Further, a cumulative total of 1,54,28,170 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to July 23. On Thursday, 3,52,801 samples were tested.

“This translates to 11179.83 tests per million (TPM) for India, which has seen a steady increase since the adoption of the ‘test, track and treat’ strategy,” the Ministry said. - PTI

Fine of ₹5,000 in Hamirpur, ₹1,000 in Shimla for not wearing face masks

A fine of ₹5,000 will be imposed against persons who do not wear face masks while going outside their homes in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh while the state capital Shimla will levy a penalty of ₹1,000 against the violators, officials said on Friday.

In a message posted on his Facebook and Twitter accounts, Hamirpur Superintendent of Police Arjit Sen Thakur said that violators would be fined ₹5,000 if they do not wear a face mask when stepping out of their homes.

Both central and state government had made wearing of face masks mandatory for checking the spread of novel coronavirus, he added. - PTI

Phase-I human clinical trial of potential COVID-19 vaccine: Man given first dose at AIIMS

The phase-I human clinical trial of India’s first indigenously-developed vaccine against novel coronavirus, Covaxin, began at the AIIMS here on Friday with the first dose of the injection given to a man, who is in his 30s.

Over 3,500 volunteers have already registered themselves for the trial at AIIMS since last Saturday, of whom the screening of at least 22 people is underway, said Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor at the Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS and the principal investigator of the study.

“The first volunteer, a resident of Delhi, was screened two days ago and all his health parameters were found to be within the normal range. He also does not have any co-morbid conditions.

“The first dose of 0.5 ml intramuscular injection was given to him around 1.30 pm. No immediate side-effects have been observed so far. He was under observation for two hours and will be monitored for the next seven days,” Rai said.

Few more participants would be given the vaccine on Saturday after their screening reports come. - PTI

Tata Steel adopts tech-based initiative for safe working inside factory,mines during pandemic

As part of the efforts to check spread of novel coronavirus, Tata Steel has adopted a digital technology-based initiative named “connected workforce” to ensure safe working inside the factory premises and mines spanning various geographies by real-time tracking, alerts and Quick Response Team (QRT) protocols.

The objective behind the “connected workforce” app is to monitor coronavirus-related risks. It is among a series of measures that have been taken to effectively combat COVID-19, said Kulvin Suri, Chief Corporate Communications (India & South East Asia), Tata Steel.

There are altogether 32,000 employees in Tata Steel across the country and 55,000 contractual workforce.

Its manufacturing facities are- Tata Steel, Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Kalinganagar (Odisa), Long products in Gamariah, Seraikela-Kharswan district of Jharkhand, one unit in Angul, Odisha.

The company has mines in Jharkhand and Odisha of iron- ore, collieries and magnese. - PTI

‘Janta curfew’ in Nagpur city on Saturday, Sunday

A ‘janta curfew’ will be imposed in Nagpur city of Maharashtra on Saturday and Sunday to curb the rising number of coronavirus cases, the civic chief said on Friday.

Nagpur municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe announced the imposition of ‘janta curfew’ on Saturday and Sunday (July 25 & 26) in the city.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of elected representatives and the civic administration here.

More details were awaited. - PTI

Must follow CPCB norms for disposal of biomedical waste: HC to govt

The Bombay High Court on Friday said the Maharashtra government and civic bodies are obligated to adhere to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) guidelines on the treatment and disposal of biomedical waste generated during diagnosis and quarantine of COVID-19 patients.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Madhav Jamdar directed the state government, the Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board and civic bodies to follow the guidelines for the disposal of biomedical waste.

“It is the paramount duty of the state government to ensure that the life of every citizen is preserved and COVID- 19 pandemic does not take any further toll,” the court said.

The CPCB has issued guidelines on June 10 to ensure healthy living conditions of everyone in view of the pandemic, the court said. - PTI

Neuberg Diagnostics gets ICMR approval for COVID testing in Kerala

Neuberg Diagnostics Private Limited hasreceived approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for COVID-19 testing in Kerala.

Neuberg, India’s fourth largestpathology player, had earlier received approvals for COVID testing in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune, it said in a press release.

Kerala had reported 1,078 coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest single day surge so far.

Its infection tally has crossed the 16,000 mark.

Aishwarya Vasudevan, Group Chief Operating, Neuberg Diagnostics Private Limited said, as the virus continues to spread globally, India finds itself between Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the disease spread.

“The State and Central Government are taking the right measures to curtail its spread. At this point of time, it is Neuberg and the healthcare fraternity’s duty to fight this pandemic, hand-in-hand with our policymakers and our people at the forefront,” shesaid.

“We have also set up a special support fund for the weaker sections of the society. Through this, we will offer free of cost testing to people with a BPL ration card and appropriate doctor prescriptions,” she added. -PTI

In shift, Trump says some schools may need to delay opening

Softening his earlier stance, U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged that some schools may need to delay their reopening this fall as the coronavirus continues to surge.

It marks a shift from Mr. Trump’s previous demand for a full reopening of the nation’s schools. In recent weeks, Trump has said that it’s safe to open schools and that Democrats have opposed it for political reasons.

But speaking at a White House news conference on Thursday, Mr. Trump said districts in some virus hot spots “may need to delay reopening for a few weeks”. He said the decision will fall to governors.

Even as he tempered his position, though, Mr. Trump insisted that every school should be “actively making preparations to open”.

Students need to be in school buildings to prevent learning setbacks, he said, and to access meal programs and mental health services.

As long as they have necessary measures in place, he added, “many school districts can now reopen safely”. Trump has made opening schools a key priority as he looks to restart the economy. Students need to return to the classroom so their parents can return to work, he has said. - AP

Rahul Gandhi says govt rubbishing his warnings on COVID-19, China

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked the government over the rise in COVID-19 cases and Chinese aggression in Ladakh, saying it continues to rubbish his warnings.

He said even though he kept warning the government on COVID-19, “disaster” has followed.

“I kept warning them on COVID-19 and the economy. They rubbished it. Disaster followed. I keep warning them on China. They’re rubbishing it,” he said on Twitter.

India saw a record single-day spike of 49,310 COVID-19 cases taking the country’s tally to 12,87,945 on Friday, while the recoveries surged to 8,17,208, according to the Union Health Ministry data. - PTI

Kerala MP asked to undergo COVID-19 test after the groom of a wedding event he attended tests positive

Kozhikode District Collector S. Sambasiva Rao has directed K. Muraleedhran, Congress MP for Vadakara, to submit himself for a COVID-19 test after the bridegroom in a pre-wedding event he attended earlier this month tested positive for the virus.

Sources in the district administration said that the wedding took place on July 9 and the MP had greeted the bridegroom, a doctor and son of a local Congress leader near Nadapuram in the district, at an event the previous day. The doctor tested positive for the virus recently.

However, the MP said in a Facebook post that the doctor got the infection from a person who attended the wedding event. He had gone there the previous day, Mr. Muraleedhran added.

IPL to be held from September 19 to November 8 in UAE

The Indian Premier League will start on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the final slated on November 8, IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel said on Friday.

While the event’s Governing Council will meet next week to chalk out the final details and approve the schedule, it is understood that the BCCI has informally intimated the franchises about the plan.

“We expect the government approval to come through by next week. It is a full 51-day IPL,” Mr. Patel told The Hindu.

As per the current health protocol in Dubai, there is no need to be in quarantine if people are carrying a negative COVID-19 test report, but if they are not, they will have to undergo a test.

Avoid large gatherings on I-Day, invite those recovered: Centre

The Centre has asked all States to avoid large congregation of people, and ensure social distancing and wearing of masks while celebrating the Independence Day amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

In an advisory, the Home Ministry said COVID-19 warriors like doctors, health and sanitation workers should be invited in the ceremony as a recognition of their noble service in the fight against the pandemic.

It said some people who recovered from the infection might also be invited. - PTI

Tamil film actors Suri, Vimal fined for violating curfew orders

Four persons, including cine actor Suri and Vimal from Chennai, were fined by forest department officials for violating the curfew orders and moving around Berijam lake, a prohibited area for the public.

Social activist Mahendran had submitted a complaint with DSP Athmanabhan seeking action. In his complaint, he stated that some people were fishing in the lake and were seen consuming liquor in the open.

The police informed the Forest department. On instructions from District Forest Officer Tejaswi, a team found that the four had obtained e-pass to travel from Chennai to Dindigul district. After investigation, the four people were fined ₹2000 each.

Update on India's COVID-19 numbers:

India has seen a record single-day surge of 49,310 COVID-19 cases. With this, the total coronavirus case tally in the country is 12,87,945.

The death toll has risen to 30,601 with 740 fatalities, says the Union Health Ministry in its daily bulletin.

There are 4,40,135 active COVID-19 cases, and 8,17,208 people have recovered, it adds.

Could your Fitbit or Apple Watch detect early COVID-19 symptoms?

Fitbit and other wearable devices typically linked to exercise are being studied as ways to identify people who are potentially infected with COVID-19 before symptoms appear, when they can unknowingly spread the disease.

Changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, and other biometrics measured constantly by the devices may flag the early stages of virus infection, so an otherwise healthy-looking person knows to self-isolate and seek a COVID-19 diagnostic test, researchers say.

“When you get ill, even before you know it, your body starts changing, your heart rate goes up,” said Professor Michael Snyder of Stanford University School of Medicine. Stanford researchers are among several groups examining whether wearable fitness devices such as the Fitbit or Apple Watch can provide an early warning. - Reuters

Fact check | Bill Gates denies conspiracy theories he created virus outbreak

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has pushed back against some of the conspiracy theories spreading online accusing him of creating the coronavirus outbreak.

“It's a bad combination of pandemic and social media and people looking for a very simple explanation,” the Microsoft founder said during a CNN Town Hall interview.

Doctored photos and fabricated news articles crafted by conspiracy theorists — shared thousands of times on social media platforms and messaging apps, in various languages — targeting Mr. Gates have gained traction online since the start of the pandemic.

“Our foundation has given more money to buy vaccines to save lives than any group,” Mr. Gates said, referring to his eponymous foundation. “So you just turn that around. You say, ok, we're making money and we're trying to kill people with vaccines or by inventing something,” Mr. Gates continued.- AFP

Fresh outbreaks around the world as virus remains undefeated

Around the world, there are increasing number of signs that the coronavirus can quickly re-emerge when lockdown measures are lifted.

Australia, Belgium, Hong Kong and the Japanese capital Tokyo all had early successes in containing outbreaks but are now facing an upsurge, prompting new restrictions. France and Spain too are facing a similiar challenge.

In India, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are examples of this — the former had announced on May 8 that it had flattened the curve while the latter earlier seemed to be on course for achieving a similar feat before two clusters played spoilsport and started pushing TN’s cases north in quick pace.

Kerala reports over 1,000 cases for second day, govt mulls lockdown option

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has not ruled out a total Statewide lockdown given the worrying spike in COVID-19 infections in Kerala. Infections continued to spiral upwards in the State, with new cases marginally rising above the 1,000 mark for the second consecutive day.

Mr. Vijayan has called an all-party meeting to discuss the advance of the disease in the State. A special meeting of the Cabinet has been scheduled for July 27 to cobble together the next phase of the State’s containment plan.

Videos of monkeys rummaging through used PPE kits go viral

Pictures and videos of monkeys dragging away used Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits at a COVID-19 care facility in Udhagamandalam that went viral on social media and mobile messaging applications on Wednesday have increased the concerns about the spread of the disease here.

Monkeys rummage through used PPE kits at a Covid-19 care facility in Ughagamandalam on Wednesday.  

The facility where the incident occurred is a private school where around 80 asymptomatic patients are currently being treated. One patient said the PPE kits had been disposed of in front of a building as the dustbins at the facility were full.