Coronavirus LIVE updates: BJP accuses Opposition of 'doing politics' over COVID-19 inoculation

Twenty-five new cases reported in Udaipur school, says report

Twenty-five students in a government school in Rajasthan's Udaipur have tested positive for COVID-19, News18 reported on Friday. "Three staff members of the residential government school for differently-abled children were also among 28 new coronavirus cases," the report added.

BJP accuses Opposition of 'doing politics' over vaccination

Keeping up its attack on the Opposition over the COVID-19 vaccine issue, the BJP on Friday said all that its rivals, especially the Congress, have contributed to the matter is "politics and confusion". BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that Opposition leaders had questioned the efficacy of Covaxin, developed indigenously by Bharat Biotech. Opposition-ruled states like Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, West Bengal and Jharkhand had also expressed their doubts, he added.

"I want to ask do you not trust scientists and doctors of your country? Over 40 countries have placed order for Covaxin. But in India, we have people doing politics over it for their selfish political interests," Patra told reporters.

Continue with existing strategy in Delhi: LG Anil Baijal to authorities

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has directed authorities to continue with the existing strategy against COVID-19, including cluster-based surveillance, testing and genome sequencing owing to the rise in the number of cases in the country, an official said on Friday.

Baijal, who chaired a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, told officials that there is no need to lower the guard against the virus as the COVID-19 situation is under control with a "marginal increase", the official said.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, Niti Aayog member V K Paul among others.

Pakistan not planning to buy COVID-19 vaccines, says report

 Pakistan is not planning to buy vaccines anytime soon as it aims to tackle the COVID-19 challenge through herd immunity and donated vaccines from friendly countries like China, PTI reported.

So far, four vaccines Sinophram (China), Oxford-AstraZeneca (UK), Sputnik-V (Russia) and Cansino Bio (China) have been registered in the country.

National Health Service (NHS) Secretary Amir Ashraf Khawaja while briefing the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday said that the Pakistan government has no plan to buy vaccines anytime soon and aims to tackle the COVID-19 health challenge through herd immunity and donated vaccines, Dawn newspaper reported.

'Himachal Pradesh to register negative growth of 6.2% in FY21 due to COVID-19'

Himachal Pradesh is expected to register a negative growth of 6.2 percent in the current financial year 2020-21, due to the adverse impact of COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Economic Survey tabled in the State Assembly on Friday.

The per capita income of the state at the current prices is estimated to drop by 3.7 percent to Rs 1,83,286 for fiscal year 2020-21, the survey showed.

The state Budget for 2021-22 will be presented on Saturday.

Amarinder Singh receives first vaccine shot

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday received the first COVID-19 vaccine jab as part of the second phase of India's inoculation drive.

Over 13.80 lakh vaccine doses administered in 24 hours, says Centre

The Union Health Ministry on Friday said that nearly 14 lakh (13,88,170) vaccine doses have been administered in the last 24 hours.

The second phase of India's inoculation drive began on 1 March, during which people above the age of 60 and people above the age of 45 with comorbidities are qualified to get a jab.

Hike in platform ticket cost 'temporary', says Railways

The recent hike in platform ticket cost in some stations is a "temporary" measure and is aimed at preventing crowding during the coronavirus pandemic, the railways clarified on Friday. Cost of platform tickets has been increased by up to Rs 50 in some stations recently. It came close of the heels of the railways increasing ticket cost for short-distance trains.

The national transporter said the increase in short-distance travel cost too was aimed at discouraging unnecessary travel during the pandemic.

"Present increase in platform ticket prices at some stations is a 'temporary' measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus through crowding. This is being done at a limited number of stations which see heavy rush," the railways said, adding that the hike has been effected in only seven stations in Mumbai division out of a total of 78.

China sets over 6% GDP target in 2021 as economy in rebound mode

China, which was the first to be hit by the COVID-19 and the earliest to recover from the lockdown effects, on Friday fixed a GDP target of over six percent in 2021, optimistic of an economic recovery after last year's 2.3 per cent growth, its weakest in decades.

Premier Li Keqiang, in an announcement at the country's Parliament National People's Congress (NPC), said China, the world's second largest economy, aims to expand its Gross Domestic Product by over six per cent in 2021, with more efforts on reform, innovation and high-quality development.

China on Friday commenced the six-day annual session of the NPC to approve the significant economic agenda which included the 14th five-year plan and long-term development plan for 2035, amidst continued trade war with the US.

Maharashtra's economy to contract by 8% in FY21: Survey

Maharashtra's economy is expected to see an eight percent negative growth during 2020-21 with industry and services sectors bearing the maximum brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, the Economic Survey 2021 tabled in the state Legislature on Friday said.

Deputy chief minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar tabled the survey in the state Assembly, while Minister of State for Finance Shambhuraj Desai presented it in the Council.

The state's economy is expected to witness an eight per cent negative growth and it is estimated to be Rs 19,62,539 crore, the survey said.

254.2 lakh man-days generated under MGNREGA despite COVID-19: Meghalaya guv

Despite the economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Meghalaya government has generated 254.2 lakh man-days by the end of December 2020 in the current fiscal under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

Meghalaya is among the top three states in the country in terms of the implementation of the rural job scheme, Governor Satya Pal Malik said, while addressing the Assembly on the first day of the Budget Session on Friday.

More than 1.8 crore vaccine doses administered in India

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India has crossed 1.8 crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.

These include 68,53,083 healthcare workers (HCWs) who were administered the 1st dose, 31,41,371 HCWs who were given the 2nd dose, 60,90,931 frontline workers (FLWs) who were given the 1st dose and 67,297 FLWs (2nd dose), 2,35,901 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities (1st dose) and 16,16,920 beneficiaries aged more than 60 years.

Nearly 14 lakh (13,88,170) vaccine doses were given on Thursday, Day-48 of the vaccination drive (4 March).

Six states account for 88.5% of new COVID-19 deaths

Of the total 113 COVID-19 fatalities reported on Friday, six states account for 88.5 percent. At 60, Maharashtra has reported the maximum number of casualties reported in the past 24 hours, said the Union health ministry.

This was followed by Punjab at 15 and Kerala at 14. Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have reported four deaths each while, Chhattisgarh reported three.

Two more COVID-19 cases in Andamans

Two more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, taking the tally in the Union Territory to 5,024, a health department official said on Friday. The fresh cases were detected during contact tracing, he said.

The toll remained at 62 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours. One person was cured of the disease on Thursday, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 4,953, the official said.

Maharashtra guv gets vaccinated

Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Friday at a government hospital in Mumbai.

Mizoram reports one new COVID-19 case; tally at 4,428

Mizoram reported just one new COVID-19 case in the past 24 hours, which took the state's tally to 4,428, an official said on Friday. A 23-year-old woman in Aizawl tested positive for the infection after she returned from Delhi, he said.

"The woman arrived at Lengpui airport on Thursday and was diagnosed with the disease there. She developed COVID-19 symptoms," the official said.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot gets vaccinated

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot got the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Sawai Man Singh hospital in Jaipur. Accompanied by state Health Minister Raghu Sharma, Gehlot reached the hospital and got the first dose of the vaccine, an official said.

"Around 2 lakh people are getting vaccinated each day in Rajasthan. This is due to people's confidence in State's COVID19 management," he says.

Prakash Javadekar receives first COVID-19 shot

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar was inoculated with first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune on Friday. "I appeal all citizens to get vaccinated as and when they become eligible," tweeted Javadekar.

COVID-19 antibodies, vaccines less effective against coronavirus variants: Study

COVID-19 antibody-based drugs and vaccines developed so far may become less effective as new variants of the novel coronavirus spread widely, according to a new study.

The research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, noted that the three fast-spreading variants of the coronavirus first reported in South Africa, the UK and Brazil, can evade antibodies that work against the original form of the virus that sparked the pandemic.

According to the scientists, including those from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in the US, more of antibodies produced in response to vaccination or natural infection, or purified antibodies intended for use as drugs, is needed to neutralise these novel coronavirus varieties, compared to the levels needed to counter the original virus lineage from Wuhan, China.

18 states, UTs report no COVID-19 deaths in past 24 hours: Centre

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand have reported zero COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, ANI quoted government sources as saying on Friday.

Six states account for 84.41% of new COVID-19 cases

Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi continue to report a surge in daily new COVID-19 cases, accounting for 84.41 percent of fresh cases, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.

A total of 16,838 new infections have been registered in a day.

Of 113 new COVID-19 fatalities, Maharashtra reports 60 alone

The COVID-19 toll in the country increased to 1,57,548 on Friday after 113 new fatalities were registered. Of the total, 60 were reported from Maharashtra, 15 from Punjab and 14 from Kerala.

Of the total 1,57,548 COVID-19 deaths reported so far in the country, Maharashtra accounts for 52,340, followed by Tamil Nadu (12,508), Karnataka (12,350), Delhi (10,915), West Bengal (10,273), Uttar Pradesh (8,729) and Andhra Pradesh (7,171).

Nearly 22 cr COVID-19 samples tested so far: ICMR

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 21,99,40,742 COVID-19 samples have so far been tested for the novel coronavirus in the country, including 7,61,834 on Thursday. 

Japan to extend state of emergency

The Japanese government plans to extend a state of emergency to combat COVID-19 for Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures until 21 March, said economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on Friday.

No fresh COVID-19 case in Arunachal Pradesh 

Arunachal Pradesh did not report any fresh COVID-19 case in the past two days, a senior health department official said on Friday. The northeastern state's coronavirus tally stood at 16,838, he said.

Arunachal Pradesh currently has two active cases, both in Tirap district, while 16,780 people have recovered from the disease and 56 died so far, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

Ten staff members of Mumbai restaurant test COVID-19 positive

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across Maharashtra, ten staff members of a restaurant in Mumbai's Andheri have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Friday.

"Ten staff of Radha Krishna restaurant, SV Road, Andheri (West) test positive for Covid-19. All 10 shifted to BKC Jumbo Covid Centre," said the BMC.

More than 1.77 cr COVID-19 vaccine doses administered

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India has crossed 1.77 crore, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on 16 January with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated and vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) starting from 2 February.

COVID-19 recovery rate at 97.01% in India

After 13,819 more patients were cured of the novel coronavirus, the total number of recoveries in the country rose to 1,08,39,894 on Friday. This takes the national recovery rate to 97.01 percent.

India's COVID-19 toll rises over 1.57 lakh

With 113 new COVID-19 fatalities registered in a day, the toll in the country increased to 1,57,548 on Friday, said the Union health ministry.

India registers 16,838 new COVID-19 cases

India registered 16,838 fresh COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, taking the overall count to 1,11,73,761, said the Union health ministry on Friday. Of the total, there are 1,76,319 active COVID-19 cases in the country, the ministry data showed.