With 3,55,836 new cases until 11.30 p.m. on Monday (May 3), India’s cumulative COVID-19 tally crossed 2 crore and stood at 2,02,75,699. The U.S. is the only other country to have crossed this mark.
India continued to top the world in average daily deaths registered (3,405), with over 1,000 more fatalities than Brazil, which ranked second. The U.S. was a distant third with 683 daily deaths on average. The country accounted for one in every three daily deaths in the world due to the coronavirus as on Sunday.
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the latest updates:
Delhi govt. opens 301 vaccination sites in 76 schools for 18-44 age group
The Delhi government opened 301 vaccination sites in 76 schools for vaccinating people between 18 and 44 years of age on Monday, said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
These centres have a total capacity of more than 45,000 vaccinations per day. More than 33 lakh doses have been administered since the beginning of the vaccination in Delhi till now and more than 7 lakh beneficiaries have taken both the doses, the government said.
“Delhi government has received 4.5 lakh vaccination doses until now, on the basis of which 301 vaccination centres have been made in 76 schools across Delhi, vaccinating 45,100 citizens. We want to ensure that all citizens between the ages of 18-45 are vaccinated. We are committed to scale vaccination centres in Delhi in a way that each school has 10 sites,” Mr. Sisodia said.
Gurugram gets 20 inoculation sites
Twenty centres have been set up by Gurugram district administration for COVID vaccination of 18-45 age group.
Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg said the vaccination would not be given without prior online appointment.
Max Hospital, Gurugram also launched the vaccination drive for the age group of 18-45 years.
The drive was inaugurated by Dr. Garg and Chief Medical Officer, Gurugarm, Virender Yadav. Arpita Mukherjee, vice-president, Operations, and Head, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Gurugram, said: “The hospital had already administered the jab to 500 people from across Gurugram and nearby areas by 6 p.m.”
Banner near crematorium draws criticism
A banner displayed near Giddenahalli crematorium in Bengaluru went viral on social media on Monday drawing criticism for politicians seeking publicity at a place where people come to perform the last rites of their dear ones who succumbed to COVID-19.
Considering that the crematorium is located in a remote place, the district administration made facilities to provide water, tea, coffee and food for people using the facility. A banner was put up stating that the facilities were provided as per the guidance of Yelahanka MLA S.R. Vishwanath and under the leadership of S. Mallayya, president of Nelamangala Planning Authority. The banner had photos of the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, a cabinet minister, the local MLA and some others.
Following widespread criticism, the MLA released a video message apologising for the banner.
Journalists in TN will be treated as frontline workers: Stalin
DMK president and Chief Minister designate M.K. Stalin on Tuesday said that journalists will be treated as frontline workers in Tamil Nadu.
He pointed out that journalists too worked during natural calamities and pandemics unmindful of the risks to their lives.
In a statement in Chennai, he said journalists of television media, print and radio would get all the rights and privileges entitled to frontline workers.
‘Enforce lockdown or court will order it’, Patna HC tells Bihar govt.
Hitting hard on the Bihar government over the failure in controlling the COVID-19 situation, the Patna High Court has observed that the government should “enforce lockdown or the court will order it”.
“It is like complete failure, as infection seems to be unabated. The government seems to be gripped by a state of indecision,” observed the Division Bench of the court, comprising justices Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Mohit Kumar Shah, on Monday.
The court said that the State needed a complete lockdown and asked Advocate General Lalit Kishore to speak to the Chief Minister in this regard. “Either the State government declares a lockdown or the court will have to pass an appropriate order,” the court said in an oral observation while directing Mr. Kishore to inform the government’s decision on Tuesday.
Triton hospital, with 12 infants in NICU, sends SOS for oxygen
Triton Hospital in Delhi, which has about 10 infants in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU), said at 9.30 a.m. that they only have one back up oxygen cylinder left.
"We have 10-12 babies in the NICU and almost all of them require oxygen. Currently, we have only one back up cylinder left, apart from the one connected to the central oxygen system. For the past one week, every day has been like this and we have had to send SOS to get oxygen," said Dr. Deepali Gupta, who works at the hospital.
- Nikhil M. Babu
Puducherry lockdown restrictions extended till May 10
The Puducherry territorial administration has extended the lockdown restrictions up to May 10 in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
In an order, Revenue Secretary Ashok Kumar, on Monday night, said that in addition to the night curfew, the restrictions in place on opening of shops, commercial establishments and social gathering for events would continue up to May 10.
Provision stores, vegetables shops, fish and meat marts, and shops selling animal fodder and milk parlours would function as normal. However, shopping complexes and big commercial establishments would remain closed. All religious places would remain closed for public worship, the order said.
J&K govt. announces incentives for health workers
The J&K administration on May 3 announced incentives for frontline health workers dealing with COVID-19 patients and decided to grant extension to retiring doctors up to December, in a bid to contain the fast spreading coronavirus in the Union Territory (UT).
An official spokesman said the incentive will be ₹10,000 per month for resident doctors, post-graduates and medical officers; ₹7,000 for nursing and paramedical staff, and ₹ 5,000 for drivers, sweepers and attendants.
"The tenure of these incentives shall be initially for a period of three months and will be paid from May 2021 onwards," the spokesman said.
The decision will benefit more than 17,000 corona warriors in the U.T.
Adoption pleas for COVID-19 orphans are illegal, detrimental: Experts
Social media posts appealing for adoption of children orphaned during COVID-19 are illegal, warn experts. They appeal that citizens must dial helpline 1098 to pass on information about children in need of care and protection.
With deaths due to the COVID-19 on the rise, Twitter and Whatsapp have been flooded with citizens sharing details of children who have lost either both their parents or the only living parent to the disease and pleading for them to be adopted. On Monday, Chairperson Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Anurag Kundu, wrote to Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava flagging such posts as possible cases of trafficking and requesting for a probe in each of these instances.
Activists warn that such posts are illegal under Section 80 and 81 of the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, 2015, which prohibit offering or receiving children outside the processes laid down under the Act as well as their sale and purchase. Such acts are punishable with three to five years in jail or ₹1 lakh in fine.