Coronavirus Lockdown 2021 Live News: Modi govt confirms presence of new ‘double mutant variant’ in 18 states

Considering the prevailing COVID19 situation in the state, Holi can be celebrated traditionally with limited rituals. Organizers need to be vigilant about strict adherence. Public celebrations & mass events will not be allowed on Dhuleti Day: Gujarat Goverment - ANI

The Swedish government will on March 31 end the travel ban for people travelling from Norway and Denmark to Sweden as the measure is no longer necessary for reducing the spread of the coronavirus, it said on Wednesday. All people travelling to Sweden will still need a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country. "This means, among other things, that Norwegians and Danes can travel to their holiday homes in Sweden and that families and friends across borders can meet each other," Mikael Damberg, Minister of the Interior, told a news conference. - Reuters

France is facing several difficult weeks ahead due to the new spread of the COVID-19 virus, which has led the government to enforce a new lockdown in some parts of the country, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Wednesday. "We still have several difficult weeks ahead of us", he told BFM TV. - Reuters

Lockdown to be imposed in Beed district of Maharashtra from 26th March to 4th April, reports news agency ANI

Capitalism and greed gave Britain its success in vaccinating its population, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers in a closed meeting, praising pharmaceutical companies for developing a shot in record time. The comments, reported by The Sun newspaper, were made by Johnson during a Zoom meeting and could inflame a row with the European Union which is considering a ban on vaccine exports to Britain. "The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed my friends," The Sun newspaper quoted him as saying during a meeting with Conservative lawmakers to rally them to support coronavirus restrictions. The Sun reported that he later added: "Actually I regret saying it" and that he asked lawmakers repeatedly to "forget I said that". An unidentified source told The Sun that he was not discussing the row with the EU. - Reuters

Shoppers in a district of Beijing are getting discount coupons if they have received COVID-19 vaccinations, as China tries to accelerate its COVID-19 vaccination rate. Daxing district, with a population of about 1.8 million, started handing out the coupons on Wednesday to people who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. The coupons range in value from 8 yuan ($1.23) to 30 yuan each depending on various conditions, and can be used at supermarkets in Daxing, the district said on social media. More than 200 million yuan ($30.7 million) worth of discounts will be distributed through the coupons, Beijing Daily, the official newspaper of communist party authorities in the city, said. - Reuters

Auto and industrial components maker SKF India on Wednesday said it will cover the vaccination cost of all its employees and their immediate family members. SKF India, which is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Swedish bearings maker SKF, has about 4,000 employees working across different locations in the country, as per a company statement. ‘In its commitment to ensure employee health and well-being, SKF India will cover COVID-19 vaccination cost for all employees and their immediate family members as per the central government guidelines,’ it said. - PTI

Aamir Khan has tested positive for COVID-19. He is at home in self-quarantine, following all the protocols and he’s doing fine. All those who came in contact with him in the recent past should get themselves tested as a precautionary measure: Spokesperson of Aamir Khan. Read full report HERE

12 states/UTs (Odisha, Lakshadweep, Ladakh (UT), Manipur, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Nagaland & Arunachal Pradesh) haven't reported any COVID19 deaths in last 24 hours: Union Health Ministry

Uzbekistan will launch its vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus with the AstraZeneca vaccine from April 1, an Uzbek health official said on Wednesday. Elderly and disabled people, employees of the healthcare and education systems as well as members of law enforcement agencies will be vaccinated first, the deputy head of sanitary and epidemiological welfare and public health service, Nurmat Atabekov, told media. Uzbekistan last week received its first 660,000-dose batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine, provided for free under the COVAX initiative. "We are waiting to receive 1.5 million doses of the same vaccine," he said. Uzbekistan is negotiating with Russia to get 1 million doses of its Sputnik-V vaccine as well, he said, adding that it will also use a vaccine developed by China's Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co. - Reuters

The pandemic-induced lockdown and movement curbs marked an inflection point for e-commerce in India, pushing demand to record highs, nudging new buyers as well as sellers onto digital platforms, and holding out the promise of lasting growth for players. The Indian e-commerce market has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the pandemic, as containment measures introduced millions to the convenience of online shopping, and prompted seasoned online shoppers to buy more. Social distancing compulsions through the year, massive smartphone base and reliable broadband galvanised e-commerce uptake beyond metros, deep into smaller cities and towns, bringing an element of trust in online commerce. - PTI

Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not report any new COVID-19 case on Wednesday, a health official said. Three more people have been cured of the disease, he said. The Union territory's caseload stands at 5,039, of which five are active cases, while 4,972 people have recovered from the infection and 62 patients have succumbed to the disease so far, the official said. The administration has tested over 3.07 lakh samples for COVID-19 to date, he said. A total of 12,448 health workers and frontline personnel have been vaccinated thus far, of whom 5,431 have received the second dose. Also, 3,495 people above 45 years of age have been vaccinated, he added. - PTI

Disposable masks, gloves and other types of personal protective equipment are safeguarding untold lives during the coronavirus pandemic. They're also creating a worldwide pollution problem, littering streets and sending an influx of harmful plastic and other waste into landfills, sewage systems and oceans. In Northern California, environmental groups are tracking the issue along the coast and trying to do something about it. The Pacific Beach Coalition recently noticed a dramatic increase in discarded PPE on beaches in and around the city of Pacifica, south of San Francisco, where it's been doing monthly cleanups for nearly 25 years. Volunteers record what they pick up to gauge what might end up in the ocean. Until 2020, the litter was mostly cigarette butts and food wrappers. - AP

Fresh COVID-19 infections crossed the 400-mark in Telangana for the second day in a row, taking the total figure to 3.04 lakh, a state government bulletin said on Wednesday. A total of 431 people tested positive for the deadly virus. Two more succumbed to the illness raising the toll to 1,676. As many as 3,352 patients were undergoing treatment, it said, providing data as of 8 PM on March 23. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation continued to report the highest number of cases with 111 followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (37) and Ranga Reddy districts (31). In the wake of a spurt in cases in recent days, including from some schools in Telangana, the state government announced the temporary closure of all educational institutions, barring medical colleges, from Wednesday to prevent the spread of coronavirus. - PTI

India's donation of COVID-19 vaccines to Afghanistan has been lauded by top UN officials and diplomats from Kabul, as the war-torn country undertakes a vaccination campaign to combat the deadly virus. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Deborah Lyons told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that Afghanistan for now, seems to have weathered the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘While we must remain vigilant about a potential third wave, vaccinations have now begun, thanks to the donations from the Government of India and the support of the COVAX facility. As the vaccination campaign continues to ramp up, we must continue to ensure that vaccines reach all prioritised groups across the country,’ she told the Council meeting on Afghanistan. - PTI

Antibodies against the novel coronavirus wane at different rates, lasting for mere days in some individuals, while persisting in others for decades, according to a new study which says COVID-19 severity could be a deciding factor in having longer-lasting protection against reinfection. The research, published in The Lancet Microbe journal, noted that recovered patients with low levels of neutralising antibodies may still be protected from reinfection if they have robust immunity in the form of the body's T cells. In the study, scientists, including those from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, followed 164 COVID-19 patients for six to nine months, analysing their blood for neutralising antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, their T cells and immune system signalling molecules.- PTI

India has crossed a significant milestone in the fight against the global pandemic. The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed the 5-crore mark (5,08,41,286), says Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

India is still not out of the woods as far as unemployment is concerned after a year when the lockdown was imposed to contain the spread of deadly COVID-19 on March 25 last year as pandemic-induced job loss has not tapered off consistently. The government had imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of the pandemic but this impacted economic and commercial activities and resulted in job loss and later on the exodus of migrant workers which rocked the entire nation. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data, the unemployment rate was recorded at 6.9 per cent in February 2021 which is slightly better than 7.8 per cent in the same month last year and 8.8 per cent in March 2020, during which lockdown was imposed. – PTI

In wake of the increasing number of COVID19 cases, cinema halls, malls, metro and religious places have been called 'super spreader' areas. All DMS have been instructed to increase surveillance in areas: Delhi Government. The divisional commissioner has also asked the DMs to personally monitor these activities and treat this upscaling of efforts as a matter of "top most priority". The order stated that the last fortnight has seen a persistent increase in coronavirus cases in Delhi and the positivity rate is also on the rise. It has been observed that COVID appropriate behaviour is not being followed amongst the general public, it stated. - AGENCIES

Taiwan will help its handful of remaining diplomatic allies buy COVID-19 vaccines but on the condition that Taiwanese money is not used to obtain Chinese vaccines, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on Wednesday. Chinese-claimed Taiwan has formal ties with only 15 countries, mostly poor and developing states in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, and Beijing has stepped up efforts to coax them away from Taipei. Taiwan said last week it was helping its sole diplomatic ally in South America, Paraguay, buy COVID-19 vaccines, after protests in the country over the Paraguayan government's handling of the health crisis. Wu told parliament they will help their allies buy the vaccines they need. - Reuters

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 15,813 to 2,690,523, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Wednesday. The reported death toll rose by 248 to 75,212. - Reuters

Papua New Guinea will kick-off its coronavirus vaccination programme by this weekend, helped by 8,000 AstraZeneca doses from neighbouring Australia as it tries to prevent its basic health system being overwhelmed by a surge in COVID-19 cases. The Pacific Island country of 9 million people is battling a rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak which has claimed 37 lives, including a member of parliament, from more than 3,750 cases. Nobody in the country has been vaccinated so far with Prime Minister James Marape indicating he would be the first to receive the jab to show they were safe for everyone.In a statement, however, Marape said the vaccines were not compulsory.- Reuters

Cuba will administer experimental COVID-19 shots to nearly the entire population of the capital Havana by May as health authorities carry out massive interventional studies and late stage trials, officials has said.Cuba, which has a long history of developing and exporting vaccines, this month began late phase trials of two of its five experimental shots, Soberana 2 and Abdala, which will be Latin America's first homegrown COVID-19 vaccines if they prove successful. Ileana Morales, the health ministry's director of science and technological innovation, said on a roundtable broadcast on state television that authorities would conduct an intervention study in 1.7 million people in Havana by May. - Reuters

Thane Mayor Naresh Mhaske has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray demanding more doses of COVID-19 vaccines in view of the "rising demand" from people. Mhaske stated the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) had received 1,62,500 doses of Covishield vaccine, out of which 94,042 doses were used while 68,458 doses are in stock. The current stock of Covaxin doses, out of 39,220 received, is 20,825. A total of 1,12,437 eligible people have been inoculated until now in TMC areas. - PTI

India reports 47,262 new COVID19 cases, 23,907 recoveries, and 275 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry bulletin. There are 3,68,457 active cases in India as of Wednesday morning. The increase in the number of cases is the highest since last November.       

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra has been quoted as saying by news agency ANI that the state govt is planning to imposed Sunday lockdowns in more towns due to a fresh corona surge. Around 300-400 COVID-19 cases are being reported in Indore & Bhopal daily. If cases increase at this pace, then we would soon return to the situation that prevailed earlier. With folded hands, I urge people to follow all guidelines, Mishra said. - ANI

With the addition of2,538 fresh coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 2,93,154 while the toll rose to 6,403 with the death of 11 patients, an official said on Wednesday. These new cases were reported on Tuesday, he said. The recovery rate in the district stood at 91.73 per cent with 2,68,918 patients recovering from COVID-19 disease so far, he said, adding the district is now left with 17,833 active cases. The mortality rate in the district is 2.18 per cent, he added. - PTI

The Brazilian pharmaceutical company that plans to produce Russia's coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V said on Tuesday it expects to overcome regulatory obstacles in "two or three" days to obtain authorization to make and sell the shot in Brazil. After a 5-hour video conference with Uniao Quimica executives and members of Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, Brazil's health regulator Anvisa said there was still information missing before it could approve the vaccine."Anvisa still requires a few more things from Moscow on their Phase 3 trials and I expect to deliver those in two or three days," the company's chief executive and owner Fernando Marques said. - Reuters

Mainland China reported 10 new COVID-19 cases on March 23, up from nine cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Wednesday. The National Health Commission, in a statement, said all of the new cases were imported infections originating from overseas. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, fell to eight from 14 a day earlier. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 90,125, while the death toll remained at 4,636. - Reuters

Colombia will impose new restrictions on movement and enact nightly curfews in municipalities with high occupancy levels in intensive care units as it tries to avoid a severe third wave of COVID-19, President Ivan Duque has said. The South American country has reported more than 2.3 million coronavirus infections and 62,274 deaths. It has administered more than 1.23 million vaccine doses so far. From Friday to Monday and then from March 31 to April 5, people will be restricted as to when they can enter supermarkets, banks and shopping centers, depending on their national identity card numbers in all municipalities where ICU occupancy exceeds 70%. - Reuters

Several of San Francisco Bay Area's largest technology companies including Twitter Inc and Google plan to keep their offices largely closed for months more despite the government allowing them on Tuesday to be opened in a limited capacity. Taking into account declining coronavirus infections, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties eased guidelines that had kept most office buildings closed for the last year except to crucial security and support staff. Starting Wednesday, companies are allowed to open up their offices for up to a quarter of their capacity. But most of Silicon Valley companies that committed last year to allowing workers to stay home until this summer or indefinitely said that they stood by their timelines. They cited their own analyses of public health data, other safety considerations and workers' preferences. - Reuters

China's daily output of COVID-19 vaccines has reached about 5 million doses, more than tripling the 1.5 million-dose daily production rate on Feb. 1, official media said on Wednesday. China has supplied more than 100 million doses domestically, the Xinhua news agency said on its social media page, citing Xiao Yaqing, the minister of industry and information technology. A total of 80.46 million vaccine doses were given by Monday, Xinhua said. That compares with 74.96 million administered as of the end of Saturday, indicating a significant acceleration of the vaccination drive. Reuters calculations based on official data found that an average of 2.8 million doses were given between March 21 and March 22, up from about 1.7 million doses a day on average between March 15 and March 20.Feng Zijian, deputy director of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Monday he expected a substantial increase in the number of daily COVID-19 vaccinations from April onwards. - Reuters

AstraZeneca's repeated missteps in reporting vaccine data coupled with a blood clot scare could do lasting damage to the credibility of a shot that is the linchpin in the global strategy to stop the coronavirus pandemic, potentially even undermining vaccine confidence more broadly, experts say. The latest stumble for the vaccine came Tuesday, when American officials issued an unusual statement expressing concern that AstraZeneca had included ‘outdated information’ when it reported encouraging results from a US trial a day earlier. That may have provided ‘an incomplete view of the efficacy data,’ according to the statement. AstraZeneca responded that the results, which showed its shot was about 79% effective, included information through February 17 but appeared to be consistent with more up-to-date data. It promised an update within 48 hours. - AP

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday night granted permission to the Government Medical College & Hospital (GMCH) in Nagpur to use its basement to accommodate additional COVID-19 patients. A division bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and Avinash Garote passed the order in view of the sudden spurt in new cases in the city. The government pleader told the court that owing to the high court's earlier order, additional beds could not be placed in the basement, and around 50 patients were waiting to be admitted at the hospital. - PTI

The COVID-19 situation in 19 districts of West Bengal is "quite grim" with a steady rise in infections in these places, according to an internal survey conducted by the state's health department. "The infection rate has increased from 1.35 per cent to 1.78 per cent between March 15 and March 21. There are 19 districts on the list marked as red," a source said. Kolkata's infection rate rose to 3.04 per cent from 2.09 per cent during the reporting period, the survey showed. Meanwhile, the state reported 404 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, pushing the tally to 5,81,403, the department said. The death toll mounted to 10,310 with two more fatalities. - PTI

Russian President Vladimir Putin was vaccinated against COVID-19 Tuesday out of sight of the cameras, his spokesman said, prompting questions about whether the gesture will boost comparatively low immunisation rates in Russia. Dmitry Peskov said Putin is feeling fine after getting the shot and is planning a regular workday Wednesday. -AP

They come from New York, Illinois, Michigan, and authorities say too many of the tourists are flouting Puerto Rico's pandemic health measures, including the mask mandate, the nightly curfew and a requirement to stay in isolation pending coronavirus tests. So officials are cracking down, with nearly a dozen visitors arrested over the past six days. They include three men from New York who were not wearing face masks and got into an argument with a teenager while visiting a popular beach on the island's northeast coast, authorities said on Tuesday. But most of the arrests have been been in the San Juan metropolitan area, and a couple of tourists remain in jail. The island of 3.2 million people has reported more than 1,89,000 coronavirus infections and more than 2,000 deaths related to COVID-19. - AP

Brazil has reported more than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths in a single day for the first time amid calls for the government and the new health minister to take action to stem the nation's resurgence of coronavirus infections. In recent weeks, Latin America's largest country has become the pandemic's global epicenter, with more deaths from the virus each day than in any other nation. Tuesday's record toll of 3,251 deaths was driven by the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil's most populous, which recorded 1,021 new deaths, far above the previous high of 713 last July. The pandemic has brought the health systems of Brazilian states to near collapse, with hospitals watching their ICU beds fill up and stocks of oxygen required for assisted breathing dwindle. Most of the states in recent days adopted measures to restrict activity, over the fierce resistance of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. - AP

Hong Kong suspended vaccinations using Pfizer shots known as BioNTech shots in the city on Wednesday after they were informed by its distributor Fosun that one batch had defective bottle lids. The suspension was immediate while Chinese pharmaceutical firm Fosun Pharma and BioNTech, the German company which created the vaccine with American pharmaceutical firm Pfizer, investigate the matter, according to a statement by the Hong Kong government. BioNTech and Fosun Pharma have not found any reason to believe the product is unsafe, according to the statement. However, vaccinations will be halted as a preventive and safety measure. - AP