Latest News Updates: India has reported 14,264 fresh coronavirus cases (File)
As many as 14,264 new coronavirus cases - 1.9 per cent higher than yesterday - and 90 deaths, said the health ministry on Sunday morning. 13,993 new cases were reported on Saturday. With the news cases, the coronavirus tally in the country has reached 1,09,91,651 including 1,45,634 active cases and 1,06,89,715 discharges. The death count has mounted to 1,56,302 with the loss of 90 more lives due to the virus in the last 24 hours.
As per the Health Ministry, 1,08,38,323 vaccine doses have been given through 2,29,462 sessions till Saturday evening.
"This includes 63,52,713 health care workers who have taken the first dose 8,73,940 health care workers who have taken the second dose, along with 36,11,670 frontline workers who were administered the first dose," it said.
Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have recorded an "upsurge" in daily new cases of COVID-19, the Union Health Ministry said. In a statement, the ministry said in the last seven days, Chhattisgarh has also seen a rise in daily active new cases. In the last 24 hours, 259 daily new cases have been reported, it said.
Here are the Latest News Live Updates:
PM Attending Strategy Session Ahead Of Coming Round Of State ElectionsPrime Minister Narendra Modi is participating in a daylong election strategy session in Delhi today. Elections in five states are due over the coming months.
Among these the biggest prize the BJP is looking out for is Bengal, which Amit Shah has been targetting since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.
The others in the list is one more opposition-ruled state -- Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, the BJP has a loose alliance with the ruling AIADMK. But the party is not hoping for any major gains in the two southern states.
14,264 fresh coronavirus cases in India, 1.9 per cent higher than yesterday; 1.09 crore total cases, 1,56,302 deaths
Local body elections underway in Gujarat's Ahmedabad
Voting for the local body elections in Gujarat's Ahmedabad underway on Sunday morning amid COVID-19 pandemic.
The elections in the state were scheduled to be held in two phases -- on February 21 and February 28, the State Election Commission (SEC) said last month.
According to SEC, six municipalities scheduled to undergo polls today, while polling at 81 municipalities, 31 district panchayats and 231 taluka panchayats will be held on February 28.
In Haryana, Farmers Target Caste Divide To Boost Traction For ProtestsFarmers protesting against the Centre's farm laws are teaming up with Dalits as part of their plan to take the protest across the country. The idea is to focus on eliminating the caste divide and give the protest a pan-Indian, broader base.
A mahapanchayat with Dalits was held in Haryana's Hisar on Saturday, at the town of Barwala, which was attended by farm union leader Gurnam Chadhuni.
Twenty per cent of Haryana's population belongs to the Scheduled Castes.
At the meeting, Mr Chadhuni called for greater cohesion between farmers and Dalits. A resolution was passed asking farmers to have images of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar in their homes. Dalits were asked to keep images of Sir Chotu Ram -- a prominent Jat political leader in British India.
New Indian Strains Of COVID-19 Could Be More Infectious, Says AIIMS ChiefHerd immunity for coronavirus is a "myth" in India because at least 80 per cent people need to have antibodies for the whole of the population to be protected, Dr Randeep Guleria told NDTV on Saturday. This, he said, would be difficult if one takes into account the new Indian strains found in Maharashtra -- which could be highly transmissible and dangerous.
The new variant, he said, can even cause re-infections in people who have developed anti-bodies to the virus.
240 new strains of the virus have surfaced across India, which are behind the fresh surge of infections the state has been witnessing since last week, Dr Shahshank Joshi, member of Maharashtra's Covid Task Force has told NDTV.
Brazil exceeds ,245,000 deaths from COVID-19
Brazil registered 1,212 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, raising the deaths to 245,977, the Ministry of Health said Saturday.
The ministry also reported 57,472 more cases, bringing the national count to 10,139,148. The state of Sao Paulo, the most populous in the country, is the hardest hit by the pandemic, with a total of 57,743 deaths and 1,971,423 cases.
Brazil ranks the third in the world in COVID-19 cases, after the United States and India, and second in deaths behind the United States.
So far, the South American country has vaccinated more than 5.75 million people against COVID-19, or 2.72 per cent of the population.
Kuwait bans entry for non-Kuwaiti citizens until further notice: Civil Aviation Authority
Kuwait's Civil Aviation Authority on Saturday announced it was extending an entry ban for non-Kuwaiti citizens until further notice as part of coronavirus restriction measures, it said on Twitter.
Citizens are still allowed to enter but they must spend a week in quarantine at a hotel and another week at home.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson: Britain To Offer All Adults A COVID-19 Vaccine By End Of July
