Coronavirus India Lockdown Live News: Maharashtra Health Minister says 15 districts, including Mumbai and Thane, showing decline in daily COVID-19 cases

Punjab reports 7,601 fresh COVID-19 cases, 6,115 discharges, and 173 deaths in the last 24 hours

Active cases: 61,935Total discharges: 3,27,976Death toll: 9,645 (ANI)

The B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus, also known as the double mutant, is fast replacing the N440K variant in south India, scientists at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) said on Tuesday. Former CCMB director Rakesh Mishra said the double mutant is now a dominant variant in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and now Telangana. After an exhaustive analysis of 5,000 variants earlier this year, the CCMB had found that N440K is spreading a lot more in the southern states compared to the other variants. But B.1.617 is fast replacing N440K, including in Kerala, Divya Tej Sowpati, a scientist with the CCMB, said. | Read More

Air India will complete vaccination of all its employees by end of this month: Air India Spokesperson (ANI)

*Delhi: The national capital has been under lockdown since April 19 and it will continue till May 10.*Bihar on May 4 imposed a lockdown till May 15.*Uttar Pradesh has extended its weekend lockdown further by two more days till Thursday.*Haryana is under a seven-day long lockdown from May 3. Earlier, a weekend curfew was enforced in nine districts.*Odisha:  A 14-day lockdown has been imposed in the entire state from May 5 till May 19.*Rajasthan has imposed lockdown-like restrictions till May 17.*Karnataka imposed a lockdown from the night of April 27 till May 12.*Jharkhand is under lockdown-like restrictions from April 22 till May 6.*Chhattisgarh has allowed district collectors to extend lockdown, which was to end on May 5, till May 15.*Punjab saw extensive curbs, in addition to measures like a weekend lockdown and a night curfew which will be in force till May 15.*Madhya Pradesh has imposed 'corona curfew' till May 7 with only essential services allowed.*Gujarat has imposed a night curfew in 29 cities, besides other restrictions on movement and gathering at public places.*Maharashtra had imposed lockdown-like curbs on April 5 coupled with prohibitory orders and restrictions on the movement of people. The curbs were later extended till May 15.*Goa lifted a four-day lockdown on Monday, except in tourist hotspots like Calangute and Candolim in North Goa,  but the government said COVID-19-induced restrictions will remain in force till May 10 during which various commercial establishments will remain closed while political and social gatherings will be banned.*Tamil Nadu has imposed extensive curbs including on all political, social and cultural activities till May 20.*Kerala has announced severe lockdown-like restrictions from May 4 till May 9. *Puducherry has extended lockdown till May 10.*Telangana has imposed night curfew till May 8.*Andhra Pradesh has announced a partial curfew from 12 noon to 6 AM from May 6 for two weeks. The state had earlier imposed a night curfew.*West Bengal last week imposed extensive curbs including ban on all kinds of gatherings.*Assam advanced the night curfew to 6 PM from the current 8 PM with restrictions imposed on the movement of people at public places from Wednesday. Night curfew was imposed on April 27 till May seven.*Nagaland has imposed partial lockdown with stricter rules from April 30 to May 14.*Mizoram is under an eight-day lockdown in Aizawl and other district headquarters town from May 3.*Jammu and Kashmir administration has extended the lockdown in four districts of  Srinagar, Baramulla, Budgam and Jammu districts till May 6. Night curfew continues in all municipal/urban local body limits of all 20 districts.*Uttarakhand: State has reimposed several restrictions and night curfew.*Himachal Pradesh: Night curfew in four districts out of 12 and weekend shutdown. (PTI)

Himachal Pradesh reports 3,824 new COVID19 cases and 1,992 recoveries in the last 24 hours; case tally at 1,10,945 and active cases at 23,572 (ANI)

Uttarakhand records highest single day spike in COVID-19 cases with 7,028 people testing positive, toll increases to 3,015 with 85 deaths: Official (PTI)

As Kerala’s per day COVID-19 surge crossed over 37,000 on Tuesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the virus would take some more days to peak in the second wave of the infection and cases could soar further. The state should expect an increased spread of the disease due to the high Test Positivity Rate (TPR), which was 26.08 per cent today, Vijayan told reporters here. | Read More

Mumbai reports 2,554 new COVID19 cases, 5,240 recoveries and 62 deaths in the last 24 hours; case tally at 6,61,420 and active cases at 51,380 (ANI)

15 districts, including Mumbai and Thane, showing decline in daily COVID-19 cases, but other districts still exhibiting upward trend: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope | Read More

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) issues advisory for COVID19 testing during the second wave of the pandemic; RTPCR test must not be repeated in any individual who has tested positive once either by RAT or RTPCR.

A strict lockdown should be imposed in areas where the COVID-19 case positivity rate is over 10 per cent or the bed occupancy is above 60 per cent, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said on Tuesday, while stressing that clamping such restrictions all over the country cannot be a solution, keeping in mind people’s livelihood. He rejected the strategy of imposing night curfews and weekend lockdowns by some states to reduce the number of coronavirus cases, saying “these would not have much of an impact on the transmission cycle”. | Read More

A strict lockdown should be imposed in areas where the COVID-19 case positivity rate is over 10 per cent or the bed occupancy is above 60 per cent, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said on Tuesday, while stressing that clamping such restrictions all over the country cannot be a solution, keeping in mind people’s livelihood. He rejected the strategy of imposing night curfews and weekend lockdowns by some states to reduce the number of coronavirus cases, saying “these would not have much of an impact on the transmission cycle”. | Read More

Gujarat reports 13,050 new positive cases, 12,121 recoveries and 131 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Total Cases: 6,20,472Total Discharges: 4,64,396Active Cases: 1,48,297Total Deaths: 7,779 (ANI)

Manipur reports 433 new COVID positive cases, 2 deaths and 111 recoveries in the last 24 hours. Total cases at 32,956 and active cases at 2,391 (ANI)

Goa reports 2,814 new COVID19 cases, 52 deaths and 1,870 recoveries in the last 24 hours; active cases at 26,731 

Andhra Pradesh reports 20,034 new COVID19 cases, 82 deaths in the last 24 hours. Total positive cases in the state now 11,84,028 with 1,59,597 active cases and 8,289 deaths. (ANI)

With a substantial rise in Coronavirus cases and a third wave expected, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is gearing up to set up a paediatric Covid care facility along with a crèche network for children in the city. The idea is to ensure that the kids whose parents are admitted in Covid-19 centres for treatment are being taken care of. Experts have warned of a third Covid-19 wave that is likely to impact children. | Read More

Madhya Pradesh reports 12,236 new COVID-19 cases, 11,249 recoveries, and 98 deaths today. 

Total cases: 6,12,666Death toll: 6,003Active cases: 86,639 (ANI)

Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday recorded its biggest single-day spike with 4,650 fresh COVID cases, taking the tally to 1,91,869, even as 37 fatalities over the last 24 hours took the toll to 2,458, officials said. Out of the fresh cases, 1,463 were from the Jammu division and 3,187 from the Kashmir division of the union territory, they said. | Read More

Tamil Nadu reports 21,228 new COVID cases, 19,112 recoveries and 144 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Total cases: 12,49,292Total recoveries: 11,09,450Active cases: 1,25,230Death toll: 14,612 (ANI)

Chandigarh reports 780 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 45,976. Active cases stand at 8,170 (ANI)

Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday recorded its biggest single-day spike with 4,650 fresh COVID cases, taking the tally to 1,91,869, even as 37 fatalities over the last 24 hours took the toll to 2,458, officials said. Out of the fresh cases, 1,463 were from the Jammu division and 3,187 from the Kashmir division of the union territory, they said. The officials said Srinagar district recorded the highest of 1,311 cases, followed by 598 in Jammu district and 417 in Anantnag district. (PTI)

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday appreciated the recent decision of the state government to reducethecost of RT-PCR COVID-19 test from Rs 1,700 to Rs500. However, thecourt wanted the government to explain their authority in issuing such an order. The court's observation was on a batch of petitions filed by owners of at least 10 private laboratories challenging reduction of test rate. The government informed the court that by Friday, their stand will be informed. Claiming that they were not heard before the government decided to reduce the rate, thepetitioners had stated that it was arbitrary and violative of principles of natural justiceand asserted the new order goes against the order of the apex court where labs were permitted to charge a rate prescribed by Indian Council of Medical Research. (PTI)

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday sought immediate intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for ensuring uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen to the state. He sought an additional allocation of 50 metric tonne of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) from a nearby source and 20 additional tankers (preferably conducive to rail travel) for timely evacuation of the life-saving gas from Bokaro. The CM sent out separate letters to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister as the number of COVID-19 patients on varying levels of oxygen support in the state went up to 10,000. Punjab is among the worst-affected states in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, it had registered 157 deaths and 9,798 new infections. Expressing deep concern over the "imminent loss of lives due to oxygen shortage" across the state, the CM said with mounting caseload, he was unable to increase level 2 and level 3 beds due to oxygen availability constraints. (PTI)

Delhi will receive 244 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) on Wednesday and with this, the total amount delivered to the city in 24 hours will be nearly 450 tonnes, the railways said. On Tuesday morning, 'Oxygen Express' trains from Hapa in Gujarat and Durgapur in West Bengal delivered 85 tonnes and 120 tonnes of LMO to the national capital. The railways said two more trains, one from Mundra in Gujarat and another from Hapa, carrying 140 tonnes and 103.6 tonnes of LMO, respectively, will reach Delhi in the early hours of Wednesday. (PTI)

India on Tuesday received essential medical supplies from several countries, including the US, Ireland, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, as hospitals in several states and union territories continued to reel under an exponential growth in COVID-19 cases. Seven tankers each carrying 20 metric tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) arrive at Mundra Port in Gujarat in the first such shipment of LMO to India. "Further consolidating our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. 7 ISO tankers with 20 MT Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) each arrive at Mundra Port (India). First such shipment of LMO to India. Deeply value the support from UAE. Will help augment oxygen availability," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter. (PTI)

Mondelez International, that sells popular Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate and Oreo biscuits among others, on Tuesday announced a USD 2 million (nearly Rs 15 crore) contribution to support COVID-19 relief efforts in India. This sum will aid in the purchase of medical supplies and other critical equipment to the frontline workers in the fight against the pandemic, the company said in a statement. "In the last one year, we have seen our country coming together to fight this unprecedented challenge. We are deeply concerned about the latest wave of Covid sweeping across the country and want to lend our support in this fight," Mondelez India Foods Private Ltd Managing Director Deepak Iyer said. (PTI)

Sikkim's COVID-19 caseload rose to 8,698 as 230 more people tested positive for the infection while one new fatality pushed the death toll to 151, a health department bulletin said on Tuesday. East Sikkim district registered 186 new COVID-19 cases followed by South Sikkim (19), West Sikkim (17) and North Sikkim district (8). The Himalayan state now has 1,930 active COVID-19 cases, while 6,426 patients have recovered from the disease, it said. At least 191 COVID-19 patients have migrated to other states, the bulletin said. (PTI)

Rental accommodation provider of ready-to-move-in homes, Colive has offered free stay to healthcare workers in their fight against the pandemic. The company said itis welcoming the medical fraternity and frontline workers, including ambulance handlers, to use its facilities across all the 120-plus properties spanning four cities of Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad & Pune. Healthcare professionals and workers can go to the nearest Colive property by locating it from thewebsiteor through theColive App, to avail "clean, hygienic and sanitised" facility, stay, all meals & internet connection for anytime from a few hours to a few days, it said in a statement. (PTI)

Air India on Tuesday said it has airlifted over 190 tonnes of medical equipment from various countries, including Germany, the US, the UK and Singapore, in the last 10 days amid a massive surge of COVID-19. India is struggling with the second wave of the coronavirus infection as hospitals in several states are reeling under a severe shortage of drugs, equipment, oxygen and beds. In the last 10 days, Air India has been ferrying critical medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, BiPAP machines, and ventilators from several locations globally, the airline said in a statement. "Till date, we have carried more than 8,000 medical equipment worth over 190 tonnes from Hong Kong, Germany, USA, Singapore, Dubai, London etc. into India for onward delivery in various states," it noted.  (PTI)

The Indian Army's Base hospital in Delhi is facing shortage of medical oxygen following a substantial cut in its supply by the Delhi government, military sources said. The authorities in the hospital said that though there was no immediate shortage of oxygen, the cut in the daily quota may result in serious difficulties in treatment of COVID-19 patients at the facility. The Base hospital, with a capacity of 450 beds, was recently designated as a COVID-19 facility. The sources said the issue of shortage of oxygen at the hospital has been taken up with authorities concerned in the defence ministry and steps are being taken to augment supplies. (PTI)

Positivity rate in state has dropped from 27 to 22%. We're testing 2.80 lakh persons daily & there's been no shortage in testing. From 63,000, tally for COVID patients have come down to 61,000. At 84.07%, our recovery rate is highest in country: Maharashtra Health Min Rajesh Tope. (ANI)

The Maharashtra government has demanded the Centre enhance the present allocation of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) to the state by at least 200 metric tonnes (MT) which will help in better management of the demand for the life-saving gas. In a letter addressed to Union cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba on May 3, Maharashtra chief secretary Sitaram Kunte also demanded that 10 LMO tankers be allocated to the state to enable lifting of the allocated oxygen quota. The state government has requested that the supply from Jamnagar in Gujarat be increased to 225 MT per day from the current 125 MT per day and from Bhilai to 230 MT per day from the current 130 MT. (PTI)

A plea came up for hearing before the Delhi High Court on Tuesday challenging imposition of Integrated GST (IGST) on import of oxygen concentrators for personal use as the essential equipment is already in shortage in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. A bench of Justices Rajiv Shakdher and Talwant Singh said it needs to ask certain questions from the counsel for the Centre on the issue and as there was no representative from the central government in the hearing, the court listed the matter for hearing on Wednesday. The petition by an 85-year-old man, who is suffering from COVID-19, said his nephew has sent an oxygen concentrator for him as a gift from the US to ameliorate his condition. (PTI)

Former "Bigg Boss" contestant actor Nikki Tamboli on Tuesday said that her brother has died due to COVID-19 related complications. In a post on her Instagram story, Tamboli said her 29-year-old brother, Jatin, had multiple health issues and was admitted to a hospital last month where he tested positive for COVID-19 and tuberculosis. He was also diagnosed with pneumonia. (PTI)

Global IT and professional services company Accenture on Tuesday said it has pledged USD 25 million (about Rs 185 crore) for pandemic relief efforts in the country. This is in addition to the company's ongoing investments in people and communities, Rekha M Menon, Chairperson and Senior Managing Director of Accenture in India, said in a blog post on LinkedIn. Local and global efforts are already underway including providing ventilators, oxygen concentrators, and medical kits, she added. (PTI)

The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said that aid received from other countries has been distributed in different states to help deal with the rising number of COVID-19 cases. Based on the criteria and principles laid out by the ministry, depending on each state's requirement, 24 different categories of items numbering nearly 40 lakhs were distributed to 86 institutions in different states, the ministry said in a statement. Major categories of equipment include BiPAP machines; oxygen (concentrators, cylinders, PSA Oxygen plants and pulse oximeters); drugs (Favipiravir and Remdesivir); and PPE (coveralls, N-95 masks and gowns). (PTI)

SpiceJet has airlifted 2,450 oxygen concentrators from Nanjing and Hong Kong, the airline said in a statement on Tuesday. A B737 aircraft of the airline lifted oxygen concentrators from Hong Kong and landed at the Delhi airport at 5 am on Tuesday, while a SpiceXpress plane from Nanjing with the equipment will land here in the evening, according to the statement. India is struggling with the second wave of the coronavirus infection as hospitals in several states are reeling under a severe shortage of drugs, equipment, oxygen and beds. "SpiceXpress is using its wide-body aircraft to airlift oxygen concentrators from Nanjing which will land in Delhi this evening," the airline said. (PTI)

AAP MLA Raghav Chadha on Tuesday said 41 hospitals with around 7,000 people on oxygen support sent SOS calls to the Delhi government on May 3. He also said that the national capital received an average of 393 metric tonnes (MT) of oxygen a day last week against the requirement of 976 MT. "Forty-one hospitals, with 7,142 people on oxygen support, sent SOS calls to the Delhi government on Monday," Chadha said, adding that 'Team Kejriwal' promptly responded to all the SOS calls and delivered 21.3 MT of oxygen to these hospitals. (PTI)