People get the Covid-19 vaccine at a hospital in New Delhi on Monday. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)Coronavirus India Live Updates: As India entered the third day of ‘Tika Utsav’ on Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry said as many as 10.85 crore people have been administered at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine so far.
A total of 1,61,736 new Covid-19 cases have been reported on Tuesday, pushing India’s tally of cases to 1,36,89,453, according to data updated by the Health Ministry. With 879 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the death toll increased to 1,71,058. The number of active cases continued to increase for the 34th day in a row to touch 12,64,698 and account for 9.24 per cent of the total infections. The number of people who have recovered from the disease stands at 1,22,53,697, while the case fatality rate has dropped further to 1.25 per cent, the data stated. The active caseload was at its lowest at 1,35,926 on February 12, 2021 and it was at its highest at 10,17,754 on September 18, 2020.
Meanwhile, Twelve days into the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar amid a Covid surge across the country, the Uttarakhand government is struggling to keep in place basic preventive measures such as effective thermal screening and wearing of masks.
By Monday evening, over 28 lakh devotees turned up for the second shahi snan (royal bath) in the Ganga. And according to medical department officials, over 18,169 devotees were tested between 11.30 pm Sunday and 5 pm Monday — 102 were found positive.
Over the last 48 hours, The Indian Express walked through an area of over 10 km — from the railway station in Haridwar, the iconic Har ki Pauri and the ghats. There were no arrangements for thermal screening anywhere, and no action against those not wearing masks despite a new AI-enabled CCTV system in place to track them.
Police check vehicles near Ellis Bridge and Ashram road during the night curfew in Gujarat. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)
Union Minister Santosh Gangwar Tuesday said in a tweet that he has tested positive for Covid-19. He also said he does not have any symptoms of the disease.
On day 3 of 'Tika Utsav' on Tuesday, India’s cumulative vaccination coverage exceeded 10.85 crores (10,85,33,085) with over 40 lakh doses being administered in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.
For two years now, the members of the Santipur Rongali Bihu committee in Assam’s Darrang district have had to call off their Bihu celebrations.
The committee, which completed 50 years in 2020, had planned a grand function spread over five days last year to mark the occasion: artistes were booked, advances were given and leaflets were printed. However, along came the pandemic, and the show was called off. This year, too, as Covid-19 cases surge across the country after months of relative lull, the members have had to make the hard choice.
Ruling out the possibility of a lcokdown in Karnataka right now, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa Tuesday said he has called for an all-party meeting to discuss the Covid-19 situation.
"Have called all-party meeting on April 18 regarding COVID situation here. No question of lockdown right now. Technical advisory committee has said that positive cases will increase here till May 2 hence people must abide by COVID appropriate behaviour," he told news agency ANI.
A spike in coronavirus cases across the country seems to have forced a rethink within the government on the CBSE’s offline Board examinations, scheduled to begin on May 4.
Sources in the Education Ministry told The Indian Express that holding the examinations on time seems “difficult”, given the increase in fresh infections.
While the government now seems open to reconsidering the examination dates, officers said it was too early to indicate the exact changes to the schedule.
A total of 1,61,736 new Covid-19 cases have been reported on Tuesday, pushing India’s tally of cases to 1,36,89,453, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry.
With 879 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the death toll increased to 1,71,058. The number of active cases continued to increase for the 34th day in a row to touch 12,64,698, or 9.24 per cent of the total infections. The number of people who have recovered from the disease stands at 1,22,53,697, while the case fatality rate has dropped further to 1.25 per cent, the data stated. The active caseload was at its lowest at 1,35,926 on February 12, 2021 and it was at its highest at 10,17,754 on September 18, 2020.
India’s top drug regulatory body late on Monday gave the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine developed by a Moscow laboratory permission for use in an emergency situation, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund said.
The decision came hours after an expert panel of the regulator recommended emergency licensure to the vaccine.
Sputnik V is now the third vaccine to be given such an approval in India after Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
India’s top drug regulatory body late on Monday gave the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine developed by a Moscow laboratory permission for use in an emergency situation, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund said.
The decision came hours after an expert panel of the regulator recommended emergency licensure to the vaccine.
Sputnik V is now the third vaccine to be given such an approval in India after Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.