Coronavirus LIVE updates: Five states, including Maharashtra, account for 82% of new COVID-19 cases

One more COVID-19 death in Telangana takes toll to 1,640

Telangana registered 170 new coronavirus cases, taking the total caseload to 2.99 lakh, while the toll rose to 1,640 with one more fatality.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 28, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri and Rangareddy, Karimnagar districts with 15 and 14 and 12 respectively, a state government bulletin said on Saturday providing details as of 8 pm on 5 March.

RECAP: Nearly 1,200 new COVID-19 cases in Mumbai, biggest spike since October

Mumbai reported 1,173 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike since October, on Friday which took its case tally to 3,31,016, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.

The toll in the city rose to 11,490 with three new fatalities being reported.
Since 28 October, when the city had reported 1,345 new cases, this is the first time Mumbai has witnessed such a high number of COVID-19 cases.

Nitin Gadkari gets vaccinated

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and his wife Kanchan Gadkari received their first dose of COVID19 vaccine at AIIMS, Nagpur on Saturday, ANI reported.

Five more COVID-19 patients die in Aurangabad 

Aurangabad district in Maharashtra has reported 459 fresh cases of coronavirus, which took its overall infection count to 52,103, an official said on Saturday. These new cases were reported on Friday, he said.

There were 2,910 active cases in the district till Friday night, the official said.

A total of 179 patients were discharged from hospitals, which took the recovery count to 47,909. The death of five patients on Friday increased the district's toll to 1,284, he added.

Five states, including Maharashtra, account for 82% of 18,327 new COVID-19 cases

At least 82 percent of the daily coronavirus infections came from five states, the Union health ministry said on Saturday as the country clocked in 18,327 new COVID-19 cases.

Among the highest contributors are Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka and  Tamil Nadu. Maharashtra has reported 10,216 new cases, followed by Kerala with 2,776.

No new COVID-19 case in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not report any new COVID-19 case in the past 24 hours, an official said on Saturday. The coronavirus tally in the union territory remained at 5,024, the official said.

The archipelago now has eight active COVID-19 cases, while 4,954 people have recovered from the disease, he said.

Dalai Lama gets vaccinated against COVID-19

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama was administered the first dose of anti-coronavirus vaccine at Zonal Hospital in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamsala on Saturday morning.

The Dalai Lama's office thanked the the Government of India and the Himachal Pradesh dispensation for facilitating the first dose of the vaccine for the spiritual leader.

Don’t waste the hope of vaccines, warns WHO

Covax will distribute 14.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to 31 more countries next week, the World Health Organization said Friday as it warned people not to waste, through complacency, the hope that vaccines bring.

The Covax global vaccine-sharing facility shipped more than 20 million doses to 20 countries as the scheme aimed at ensuring poorer nations get access to jabs took off this week.

But the WHO voiced concern over waves of the coronavirus pandemic could be on the way if people think the roll-out of vaccines around the globe means the crisis is over.

Maharashtra reports 53 more COVID-19 deaths

Of the total 108 new COVID-19 fatalities registered on Saturday, the most number of deaths were reported in three states. Maharashtra registered the highest at 53, Kerala saw 16 deaths and Punjab reported 11.

India's active COVID-19 cases increases for fourth straight day, rises above 1.80 lakh

India's active cases of the novel coronavirus registered an increase for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday. It has now reached to 1,80,304, said the Union health ministry.

The active caseload in the country comprise 1.61 percent of the total number of infections.

India's COVID-19 recovery rate drops to 96.98%

The number of people who have recuperated from the novel coronavirus surged to 1,08,54,128, taking the national COVID-19 recovery rate to 96.98 percent, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.41 percent.

108 new COVID-19 deaths registered

The COVID-19 toll in the country reached 1,57,656 on Saturday after 108 more fatalities were registered in the past 24 hours, while a total of 18,327 new cases were registered, the health ministry said.

India records over 18,000 COVID-19 cases for first time in 36 days

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 1,11,92,088 with over 18,000 fresh cases being reported in a span of 24 hours in the country after 36 days, said the Union health ministry on Saturday.

On 29 January, 18,855 new infections were recorded in a span of 24 hours after which the daily rise in fresh cases remained below 18,000.