Devotees gather to offer prayers during the third 'Shahi Snan' of the Kumbh Mela 2021 at Har ki Pauri Ghat in Haridwar on Wednesday. Officials say that till noon, over 10 lakh people had already attended the Kumbh ignoring the Covid norms. (PTI photo)Highest Cases of Coronavirus in India in One-Day: Has the second wave of coronavirus peaked in India? This is it or situation will further deteriorate? These are some of the questions that will cross your mind when you look at today’s numbers. India on Wednesday recorded the highest-ever, single-day increase in the new coronavirus infection as 1,84,372 Covid-19 infections were reported in the last 24 hours. The fatality figures are a stark reminder of how deadly the second wave is. Over 1,000 Indians have lost their lives in the last 24 hours due to the novel coronavirus. The last time India saw over 1,000 corona deaths was in October last year. The Union Health Ministry data also says that the number of active cases has gone past the 13-lakh mark. While the Centre has advocated mini-containment zones, the states are planning either full lockdowns or strict curfews. All eyes are on Maharashtra that will enter in the tough corona curfew at 8 pm from today. The ‘Break the Chain’ campaign will remain in force till May 1st. These 15 days will show us if we have got a new plan to fight the virus without interrupting the economy.
The Allahabad High Court has also asked the Uttar Pradesh government to think about the lockdown, especially in the surge areas. The most populous state in India has seen a frightening increase in the number of fresh infections in recent days. There are reports that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is also considering hard lockdown in the state. Down South, Karnataka Chief Minister will hold an all-party meet on April 18. So far, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has ruled out any kind of lockdown in Karnataka.
The most troubling news today is the prevalence of the double mutant virus and its possible link with the latest Covid surge. An Indian Express report said that over 60% of cases in Maharashtra have shown the ‘double mutant’ strain. They also say that the link with the sharp increase in corona cases in Maharashtra can’t be ruled out completely.
Amid all this, the state administrations across India will keep a close tab on the Maharashtra model of the corona curfew. The epicentre of the second wave of the coronavirus, Maharashtra has been struggling with exhausted health infrastructure to keep up with the rising demand for beds and other medical facilities.
After weeks of lockdown warning, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday came on the national TV to address the state. This was the broadcast not only watched by the people of Maharashtra but also other states to see how the administration can come up with a plan to beat the virus without harassing the citizens.
As India scrambles for new methods and ways to arrest the positivity rate, here are the latest updates from Maharashtra and other states. Here are the latest, confirmed, verified updates from India and around the globe:
Highlights
Delhi recorded 17,282 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the highest single-day surge in the national capital since the onset of the pandemic, while over 100 fatalities were reported, according to data shared by the health department. As per the latest bulletin, 104 new fatalities were recorded, pushing the death toll to 11,540. These record new positive cases came out of record 1.08 lakh tests conducted the previous day, the bulletin said, adding, the positivity rate mounted to 15.92 per cent. The highest single-day spike in Delhi till the third wave of the pandemic -- 8,593 cases -- was reported on November 11 in 2020, while on November 18, the city had recorded 131 COVID-19 deaths, the highest single-day fatality count till date. (PTI)
Rajasthan has announced curfew in urban areas between 6 pm and 6 am. Bazaars and business establishments to shut shop at 5pm.
COVID-19 cases are rising very rapidly every single day and "there is no slow down" in the spread of the pandemic in the national capital, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Wednesday. The minister, however, reiterated that lockdown was not a solution to the situation, and advised people to step out only if needed, avoid gatherings, wear masks and follow COVID-19-appropriate behaviour to combat the disease. "Yesterday, Delhi recorded 13,468 cases and we conducted about 1.2 lakh tests too. The numbers are rapidly rising and rising every day, and there is no slow down in the spread of infection. So, I will advise people to step out only if urgent and needed," he told reporters here. Jain said 70-80 patients are being admitted daily to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital. (PTI)
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who tested positive for COVID-19 on April 8, was discharged from the Government Medical College at Kozhikode on Wednesday. In a Facebook post after his discharge, Vijayan said the doctors and staff had provided the best possible care to him. "Have returned home as I have been discharged after being cured from COVID-19. The doctors and staff of Kozhikode Medical College provided the best possible care. The people of the state have given huge support," the Chief Minister said and thanked everyone. (PTI)
Goa on Wednesday recorded 473 fresh cases of COVID-19 and four more casualties due to the infection, an official from the health department said. With this, the tally of infections in the state reached 63,815, while the toll mounted to 857, he said. At least 245 patients were discharged from various hospitals during the day, taking the count of recoveries in the state to 57,846, the official said. This leaves the coastal state with 5,112 active cases, he added. With the addition of 2,236 swab samples tested during the day, the total number of tests conducted in the state has gone up to 5,79,357, he said. (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday reported 68 coronavirus deaths as it witnessed 20,510 fresh cases, its highest single-day numbers that pushed the state's infection count to 7,44,021, according to a health bulletin. So far, 9,376 people have died from the infection in the state, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters here. "In the past 24 hours, 20,510 fresh cases were reported while 4,517 people were discharged," he said, adding that the state currently has 1,11,835 active cases. The maximum 5,433 cases were reported from Lucknow, followed by 1,702 in Allahabad, 1,585 in Varanasi and 591 in Gorakhpur, the bulletin said. Lucknow also witnessed the maximum 14 deaths followed by 10 in Allahabad, four in Moradabad, three each in Varanasi, Kannauj and Kanpur, it said. As many as 6,22,810 people have recovered from the infection since last year, Prasad added. (PTI)
Indian women's boxing's High Performance Director Raffaele Bergamasco and head coach Mohammed Ali Qamar are among 21 campers who have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here but none of the infected pugilists are bound for Olympics. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) issued a statement to confirm the development at the camp but did not give away names of those affected. However, a source close to the team told PTI that the top members of the coaching staff are among those who have tested positive. "Precautionary COVID tests were conducted at the National Coaching Camp for Elite Women Boxers at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi and 21 campers, including players and coaching staff, have tested positive. None of them however are Olympic-bound boxers," the SAI stated. (PTI)
Within days of many of its staffers testing positive for COVID-19, the Supreme Court has come out with additional precautionary measures for the entrants to its premises to contain the rapid spread of infection. The top court's administration has issued additional guidelines in light of the growing concern amid sudden upsurge of COVID-19 cases. Under the new set of guidelines, all the entrants to the Supreme Court premises, including the Registry staff, staff of the coordinate agencies, advocates and their staff, if showing any symptoms similar to those notified for COVID-19 infection shall be subjected to Rapid/RT-PCR test. The guidelines issued by the general administration section said, all controlling officers shall ensure that the staff in their control wears masks, maintains physical distancing and frequently sanitizes/ washes hands and follows the prescribed COVID appropriate behaviour. (PTI)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reduced the length of his trip to India later this month because of the COVID-19 situation in the country, his spokesman said on Wednesday, adding he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi."We've been in close contact with the Indian government about the PM's upcoming visit in light of the COVID situation in India. As a result of these discussions the prime minister has made the decision to reduce the length of the visit," he told reporters."This programme will be focused on high-level discussions with the Indian government and Indian business leaders," he said, adding that the bulk of the programme would now take place on April 26. (Reuters)
An employee of a private hospital was arrested for allegedly trying to sell a vial of remdesivir injection at an exorbitant price in Maharashtra's Pune city, police said on Wednesday. Based on a tip-off, a decoy customer was sent to Bhavani Peth area on Tuesday and the accused Shivaji Sawant was caught while attempting to sell a vial of remdesivir for Rs 7,000, a senior crime branch official said. Amid shortage of the anti-viral drug, cases of black marketing have been reported, in which the Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune police have already arrested some people in separate cases. (PTI)
Teeka Utsav- Mass Vaccination drive gains momentum and so far 1,21,936 persons inoculated in Puducherry. Lieutenant Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan says vaccination drive will be extended for 4 more days following the positive response from the public. (AIR News)
The Danish Health Authority confirmed on Wednesday it would halt entirely using AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in its vaccination programme." The Danish Health Authority has decided to continue the vaccination against COVID-19 without the vaccine from AstraZeneca," it said in a statement. (Reuters)
Karnataka reports 11,265 new COVID19 positive cases, including 8,155 cases in Bengaluru Urban, 4,364 discharges and 38 deaths.Total positive cases: 10,94,912Total discharges: 9,96,367Death toll: 13,046Active cases: 85,480 (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday reported 67 coronavirus deaths as it witnessed 20,510 fresh cases, its highest single-day numbers that pushed the state's infection count to 7,44,021, according to a senior official. So far, 9,376 people have died from the infection in the state, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters. 'In the past 24 hours, 20,510 fresh cases were reported while 4,517 people were discharged in this period,' he said, adding that the state currently has 1,11,835 active cases. As many as 6,22,810 people have recovered from the infection since last year, he added. (PTI)
In the State, Class 10th exams have been cancelled. This will prevent the congregation of students. We've had episodes of COVID infection in 14 schools in Thanjavur Dist. Here, we are focusing on micro-containment & cancelling non-essential activity: Tamil Nadu Health Secretary (ANI)
Uttarakhand reports 1,953 new COVID19 cases including 796 cases in Dehradun and 525 cases in Haridwar; taking the total number of cases to 1,14,024. (ANI)
There is no shortage of vaccines & medicines in Karnataka. We have engaged and appointed a high-level committee that will issue a circular on a uniform treatment protocol for the state depending on the kind of infection: Karnataka Health Minister on COVID19 (ANI)
1,086 new COVID19 cases, 372 recoveries and 5 deaths reported in the Union Territory in the last 24 hours; case tally 1,41,1736: Jammu and Kashmir Government (ANI)
Study finds Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine 90 pc effective six months after second dose (ANI)
Tamil Nadu reports 7,819 new COVID19 cases, 3,464 recoveries and 25 deaths. Total cases: 9,54,948Total recoveries: 8,87,663Active cases: 54,315Deaths: 12,970(ANI)
In view of increasing COVID19 cases in the state, it has been decided to postpone the ClassX, Class XII and Under Graduate examinations to May 17, 2021: Department of Education, Himachal Pradesh (ANI)
The West Bengal government on Wednesday issued a directive to air passengers coming to the state from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Telegana to carry reports of their RT-PCR negative status conducted 72 hours before boarding the flights, a senior official said. The directive was given in view of the surge in coronavirus cases in the country, mostly in the four states, he added. READ MORE
The Rajasthan Government on Wednesday postponed Class 10th & 12th examinations of Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education, due to the current COVID19 situation, according to a report by ANI. Students of classes 8th, 9th, and 11th to be promoted without examinations, it said.
Congress candidate for Pipili bypoll (Odisha) Ajit Mangaraj succumbs to COVID19. Mangaraj was admitted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar where he was undergoing treatment for Covid19. Bypoll was scheduled to be conducted on April 17. (AIR News)
A model has been developed by Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur researchers predicting alteration in metabolic reaction rates of lung cells post SARS-CoV-2 infection. The research would lead to a better understanding of metabolic reprogramming and aid the development of better therapeutics to deal with the viral pandemics, an institute spokesperson said on Wednesday. The spokesperson said researchers at IIT Kharagpur have, for the first time, reported such a method to find an alteration in metabolic reaction rates inside lung cells when they are affected by virus/pathogens. (PTI)
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Sweden, which has shunned lockdowns throughout the pandemic, registered 8,879 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, health agency statistics showed. The country of 10 million inhabitants registered 60 new deaths, taking the total to 13,720. The deaths registered have occurred over several days and sometimes weeks. Sweden's death rate per capita is many times higher than that of its Nordic neighbours' but lower than in most European countries that opted for lockdowns. (Reuters)
Even as Coronavirus spreads with multiple variants in different countries around the world at an astronomical pace, two new studies published in Lancet Infectious Diseases and Lancet Public Health have found no evidence that the UK Coronavirus variant caused more severe symptoms of the disease in comparison to other variants of the disease. However, as already reported in various countries, the new UK strain of Coronavirus was more infectious than its previous strains and spreading at a much faster rate, the study found.Ever since the new variant of Coronavirus emerged in the United Kingdom last year, concerns have been raised about faster infection rate, more deadly symptoms and ability of new strain to dodge the immunity provided by Covid-19 vaccines. READ MORE
Arunachal Pradesh reported 14 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the state's tally to 16,902, a senior health department official said on Wednesday. The northeastern state now has 55 active cases, while 16,791 people have recovered from the disease, he said. A total of 56 people have so far died due to the contagion. Altogether, 4,17,994 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the state, including 638 on Tuesday, the official said. (PTI)
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced plans Wednesday for a major contract extension for COVID-19 vaccines with Pfizer stretching to 2023. In a sign of confidence in a company that has been a mainstay of Europe's vaccination drive so far, von der Leyen said the EU will start negotiating to buy 1.8 billion doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine through 2023. Von der Leyen expressed full confidence in the technology used for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is different from the one used for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. "We need to focus on the technologies that have proven their worth," von der Leyen said. (AP)
The West Bengal government on Wednesday said appropriate decision will be taken in view of the spurtin coronavirus cases giving priority to the health of students who will sit for higher secondary and secondary examinations of the state board slated to be held in June. State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, who is busy with campaigning for the ongoing state poll, said this when he was asked about the secondary and higher secondary examinations scheduled to start in June in the wake of postponement of CBSE board exams for class 10 and class 12, which are slated to be held between May 4 to June 14 in the wake of the spike in the pandemic. "Secondary and higher secondary examinations of the West Bengal board of education are set to be held in June with Covid-19 protocol in place. But nothing can be more urgent and important than the health of our children and those involved in the examination process. The government will certainly take a decision in the interest of students at the appropriate time considering the COVID-19 situation," he told reporters. (PTI)
Manufacturers of Remdesivir have volunteered to reduce the price to less than Rs 3,500 by the end of this week. National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is continuously monitoring the availability of the drug: Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers (ANI)
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories is in the process of generating additional stability data for Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, which has a storage condition of -18C, on 2 to 8 C, a senior official of the drug maker said on Wednesday. READ MORE
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said he has urged the Railways to facilitate the transportation of medical oxygen to the state for its speedy delivery amid the COVID-19 surge. Talking to reporters here, Chouhan also said there is no shortage Remdesivir injections in the state-run hospitals, and the government will also provide the key anti-viral drug to private hospitals. Chouhan said he has also directed officials to transport Remdesivir injections by using planes, if needed. Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday reported a record spike of 8,998 COVID-19 cases and 40 casualties. Medical-grade oxygen is used for the treatment of critical COVID-19 patients and in other cases of respiratory diseases. "I accept that the availability of oxygen is a challenge. I have made a suggestion and requested Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to see if oxygen tankers can be loaded on goods trains. I don't know if it is possible practically or not," Chouhan told reporters. (PTI)
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Double mutation has been detected in 61 per cent of the total 361 COVID-19 samples tested between January and March this year, a genome sequencing expert claimed on Wednesday even as he raised doubts over the methods of sample collection being adopted by authorities in Maharashtra, which is worst affected by the pandemic. However, experts in the fields of genome sequencing and cell science have observed that such a small sample size cannot be considered as an indication of the spread of the mutated virus. These 361 samples were tested at the genome sequencing laboratories in Maharashtra. On the other hand, authorities and officials of civic bodies that are collecting COVID-19 samples daily have complained about the lack of communication from the genome sequencing laboratories in Maharashtra as well as from the Centre about their findings on the sample analysis. (PTI)
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Maharashtra has approached neighbouring states for medical oxygen supply amid the COVID-19 surge, but they have expressed their inability due to its high demand there, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday. Talking to reporters here, Tope said Maharashtra will have to reduce the wastage of medical oxygen as it is in high demand now. Medical-grade oxygen is used for the treatment of critical COVID-19 patients and in other cases of respiratory diseases. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said there is a shortage of medical oxygen and the Centre should help supply it for coronavirus patients in the state by using Air Force planes. On Wednesday, Tope said, 'We have approached all the neighbouring states like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to supply oxygen for medical purpose, but owing to their own rising demand, these states have expressed their inability to supply oxygen.' (PTI)
Mumbai police on Wednesday issued fresh prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC, banning assembly of five or more people at one place in the city, to contain the spread of COVID-19, an official said. The order will come into effect from 8 pm on Wednesday and remain valid till 7 am on May 1, he said. This is part of the Maharashtra government's curfew-like restrictions on public movement over the next 15 days across the state. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, while announcing these restrictions on Tuesday, had said section 144 of CrPC will be in force across the state during the period. As per the order issued by the Mumbai police, all establishments, public places, activities, services, shall remain closed and nobody will visit public places without a valid reason. (PTI)
President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he got his second COVID-19 vaccine shot, three weeks after getting the first dose. The Russian leader announced getting the jab, which was kept out of the public eye, at a session of the Russian Geographical Society, in which he took part via video link. "Right now, before entering this hall, I have also gotten the second jab. I hope everything will be fine. I don't even hope as much as I'm sure of it," Putin said. Putin got his first coronavirus shot on March 23, also out of sight of the cameras, and the Kremlin wouldn't reveal which of the three vaccines currently approved for use in Russia the president has taken. (PTI)