Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: At 2,662, Mumbai reports lowest single-day COVID-19 cases since mid-March

Coronavirus Latest News LIVE Updates

Not possible to ramp up India's vaccine production overnight, says Adar Poonawalla

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on Monday said that his comments about COVID-19 vaccine production have been misinterpreted. "Vaccine manufacturing is a specialised process, it is therefore not possible to ramp up production overnight," he said in a statement. "We have been working with the government of India since April last year. We have got all kinds of support, be it scientific, regulatory, and financial."

The CEO of Serum Institute of India, one of the largest vaccine manufacturers in the world, clarified that despite the huge demand for vaccines in India, the company is working to get enough doses for mass inoculation.

"India is a huge country and to produce enough doses for all adults is not an easy task. Even the most advanced countries and companies are struggling in relatively smaller populations," Poonawalla said in a statement.

Coronavirus Latest News LIVE Updates

Nepal to halt all domestic and international flights till 14 May amid COVID-19 surge 

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said on Monday that the domestic flights would be stopped from midnight while all international flights will suspend operations from Thursday as the country tightened the prohibitory orders amid spike in the coronavirus cases.

In an address to the nation on Monday, Oli also appealed to other countries for vaccines, diagnostic equipment, oxygen and other supplies to help combat the pandemic.

"I would like to request our neighbours, friendly countries, and international organisations to help us with vaccines, diagnostic equipment and kits, oxygen therapy, critical care medicines to support our ongoing efforts to combat the pandemic," he said.

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Coronavirus Latest News LIVE Updates

'Nationwide lockdown, massive vaccine drive and makeshift hospitals': Dr Fauci's advise to India

Expressing concern over surging coronavirus cases in India, America's top public health expert and White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr Anthony Fauci on Monday recommended a nationwide lockdown, massive vaccination drive and the construction of a large number of makeshift hospitals.

"It is quite obvious to everyone that the situation in India is extremely serious," Dr Fauci, who is considered one of the world's top infectious disease specialists, told PTI in an interview.

"When you have so many people getting infected, the lack of the capability to take adequate care of everyone; when you have shortages of hospital beds and oxygen and shortages of supplies, that really becomes a very desperate situation. Which is the reason why we feel it's important for the rest of the world to help out, to the extent they can," Dr Fauci said.

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At 2,662, Mumbai reports lowest single-day cases in over five weeks

Mumbai reported 2,662 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest single-day count since mid-March, and 78 fresh fatalities, the city civic body said.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) updated data, with the addition of 2,662 infections, the COVID-19 caseload in the metropolis rose to 6,58,866, while the toll jumped to 13,408.

In the last 24 hours, only 23,542 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the city, taking the number of samples examined so far to 55,13,783, the data showed.