Coronavirus in India May 9 Highlights: Haryana lockdown extended till May 17; Goa records highest single-day toll with 67 deaths

Opposition Congress and Samajwadi Party on Sunday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of making false claims about controlling the COVID-19 situation in the state and "manipulating data". They alleged that the administrative machinery and health services in the state are "completely paralysed" and the pandemic is spreading fast in villages as migrants returning home are not being tested. For days now, Uttar Pradesh has figured among the 10 biggest contributors to India's COVID-19 tally. According to an official statement, the state recorded 23,333 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday that pushed its tally to 15,03,490 while 296 more fatalities took the death toll to 15,464. (PTI)

Haryana on Sunday reported 151 COVID-19 related deaths, taking the cumulative toll to 5,605, while another big surge of 13,548 fresh infections pushed the total case count to 6,15,897, according to official figures. The latest deaths include 20 from Rohtak, 17 from Hisar, 12 from Panipat, 10 each from Gurgaon and Karnal, nine from Bhiwani and eight each from Charkhi, Dadri and Palwal districts, the health department's daily bulletin said. Among the districts to report a big spike in cases include Gurgaon (2,842), Faridabad (1,991), Sonipat (989), Hisar (1,328), Bhiwani (783), Sirsa (691) and Karnal (643). (PTI)

The COVID-19 death toll in Himachal Pradesh rose to 1,872 on Sunday with 55 more fatalities, while 3,093 new cases pushed the infection tally to 1,31,423, a senior official said. According to data updated till 7 pm, 9,367 samples were tested for COVID-19 while the positivity rate stands at of 33 per cent. The number of active cases stands at 32,469, the official said, adding that 2,459 more people recovered from the infection, taking the overall recoveries to 97,045. (PTI)

Punjab on Sunday reported 191 more COVID-related fatalities, the highest single-day count recorded so far, pushing the toll to 10,506 while 8,531 new cases took the infection tally to 4,42,125, according to a medical bulletin. The number of active cases soared from 71,948 on Saturday to 74,343. Twenty-two deaths were reported from Ludhiana, 20 from Amritsar, 18 from Patiala, 17 each from Mohali and Bathinda and 14 from Rupnagar, among fatalities reported in the past 24-hours. Ludhiana registered the maximum number of cases in the state at 1,729 followed by 985 in Mohali, 812 in Bathinda and 691 in Jalandhar, among daily fresh cases. A total of 5,850 coronavirus patients were discharged after recovering from infection, taking the number of cured people to 3,57,276, as per the bulletin. (PTI)

Mucormycosis, a fungal infection being found in COVID-19 patients with uncontrolled diabetes and prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay, may turn fatal if uncared for, the Centre said on Sunday. In an advisory, it also said the fungal infection mainly affects people who are on medication that reduces their ability to fight environmental pathogens. The evidence-based advisory for screening, diagnosis and management of the disease was released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Union health ministry. (PTI)

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday called upon the health institutions across the union territory to utilise the services of final year MBBS students for providing services like tele-consultation and monitoring of mild COVID-19 cases after due orientation and supervision of faculty. In a communique to principals of government medical colleges of Jammu and Srinagar besides Sher-i-Kashmir Medical College and Hospital Bemina, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Choudhary Mohammad Yasin has said a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 would be paid to all such final year MBBS students, under COVID-19 Emergency Response Package (ECRP) 2021-22 of the National Health Mission (NHM) J-K, who work for at least 100 days for COVID care in accordance with the notification issued by the Union Health Ministry. (PTI)

Tamil Nadu's coronavirus spike continued unabated with 28,897 fresh cases being recorded in a single day, pushing the total caseload to 13.80 lakh while 236 deaths in the last 24 hours took the toll to 15,648. The state government said the Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin district would commence production of oxygen from May 11 onwards. According to a medical bulletin on Sunday, 23,515 people were discharged today, taking the total recoveries to 12,20,064 and leaving 1,44,547 active infections. The state capital accounted for 7,130 new infections, totaling 3,90,589 till date. (PTI)

The Centre should consider imposing a nationwide lockdown in view of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is more unpredictable and deadly, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Sunday. Gehlot was addressing a video conference after he and Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan virtually laid foundation stones for medical colleges in the state's Chittorgarh and Sriganganagar districts. Several states have imposed lockdowns and restrictions at their level to break the COVID-19 transmission chain, but there is a lack of intra-state coordination, the chief minister said.  (PTI)

West Bengal on Sunday registered its highest single-day spike of 19,441 COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 9,93,159, the health department said. The death toll climbed to 12,327 after 124 patients succumbed to the virus, it said. North 24 Parganas topped the chart of fatalities at 34, followed by Kolkata (28). The fresh cases include 3,997 infections from North 24 Parganas and 3,966 from the metropolis, the bulletin said. West Bengal now has 1,26,027 active cases, while 8,54,805 people have recovered from the disease so far. As many as 1,09,68,741 samples have been tested in the state, including 63,095 since Saturday, it added. (PTI)

The Himachal Pradesh government has announced a three-hour relaxation in curfew imposed across the state to combat COVID-19, an official spokesperson said on Sunday. The Himachal Pradesh government had on Wednesday decided to impose a lockdown in the state from May 7 to May 17. The district magistrates (DMs) have declared different timings for the curfew to be relaxed in their districts starting Monday. In Shimla, the relaxation will be from 10 am to 1 pm, DM Aditya Negi said. Similarly, the relaxation in Kangra and Solan will be from 8 am to 11 am, Chamba from 10 am to 1 pm and in Lahaul-Spiti from 11 am to 2 pm, the official said. During a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday, it was decided that the daily needs and essential commodity shops would remain open only for three hours in a day during the relaxation period and the timings would be fixed by the deputy commissioners. (PTI)

The COVID-19 tally in Nashik in Maharashtra reached 3,56,084 on Sunday with the addition of 3,002 cases, while the day also 40 deaths and 3,025 people recovering, an official said. The district's toll stands at 3,865 and the number of people discharged is 3,19,044, he added. With 9,829 samples being examined in the last 24 hours, the number of tests in Nashik went up to 13,45,183. (PTI)

Expressing concern over the high mortality rate of COVID-19 patients here, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress on Sunday urged the administration to rope in health experts to ascertain the cause behind the deaths to save lives of other infected people. Jammu district had recorded over 250 COVID-19 related deaths in the past three weeks to surpass Srinagar and top the virus fatality chart among the 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. (PTI)

Maharashtra on Sunday reported 48,401 fresh coronavirus positive cases and 572 fatalities, taking the tally to 51,01,737 and the toll to 75,849, the state health department said. At 48,401, the number of new cases in a day fell below 50,000 for the first time after April 5 this year, when the state had recorded 47,288 infections. A total of 60,226 patients were discharged during the day, taking the count of recoveries so far in Maharashtra to 44,07,818, the department said in a release. (PTI)

Surkshit Haryana announced from May 10 to May 17. Stringent measures will be taken to contain spread of COVID-19 in Haryana. Detailed order to be issued soon: Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij. (ANI)

Gujarat reported 11,084 new coronavirus positive cases on Sunday, which took its infection tally to 6,81,012, while the death of 121 patients pushed the fatality count to 8,394, the state health department said. At 14,770, the number patients who recuperated during the day exceeded the count of new cases. This took the state's overall recovery count to 5,33,004 and recovery rate to 78.27 per cent, it said in a release. The state now has 1,39,614 active cases, of which 786 patients are on ventilators.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is setting up four oxygen plants with a total capacity of 3,000 litres in four districts of Andhra Pradesh. It has finalized vendors for 38 more sites and work on those plants would start upon directions from the NHAI headquarters, AP Health Commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar said here on Sunday. NHAI commenced work on oxygen plants at Amalapuram in East Godavari district (500 litres), Madanapalli in Chittoor district (500 litres), Tadepalligudem in West Godavari district (1,000 litres) and Hindupuram in Anantapuramu district (1,000 litres), Bhaskar said in a release. (PTI)

The Red Cross Society of China has sent 100 oxygen concentrators, 40 ventilators and some other medical supplies to the Indian Red Cross Society as COVID-19 assistance, Chinese ambassador Sun Weidong said on Sunday. Sources said India's position of not accepting assistance from the Chinese government stands. They pointed out that the supplies were sent by one Red Cross Society to another and the government has no say in such transfer of aid. "The first batch of 100 oxygen concentrators, 40 ventilators & other anti-epidemic supplies donated by the Red Cross Society of China(#RCSC) arrived in India today by Chinese cargo flight from Chengdu, China," Sun tweeted. (PTI)

Rajasthan recorded 159 deaths and 17,921 coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the death toll to 5,665 and the infection tally to 7,56,707. State capital Jaipur reported the highest number of 55 deaths, followed by Jodhpur 15, according to an official report. Of the fresh positive cases, the maximum of 3,402 were reported from Jaipur, while 2,238 people tested positive for the virus in Jodhpur. A total of 5,50,853 people have recovered from infection and the number of active cases at present is 2,00,189. (PTI)

Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi are among 10 states that account for 71.75 per cent of the 4,03,738 new COVID-19 cases registered in a day, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. The other states in the list of 10 are Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Haryana. Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 56,578. It is followed by Karnataka with 47,563 while Kerala reported 41,971 new cases A total of more than 30.22 crore tests have been conducted so far across the country while the daily COVID-19 positivity rate stands at 21.64 per cent, the ministry said. (PTI)

The COVID-19 death toll in Jammu and Kashmir rose to 2,726 on Sunday with 54 more fatalities, while 5,190 new cases pushed the infection tally to 2,16,932, officials said. Of the new cases, 1,770 were from the Jammu division and 3,420 from the Kashmir division, they said. Srinagar district recorded the highest 920 cases, followed by 658 in Jammu district and 508 in Budgam district, officials said. The number of active cases stands at 49,248, while 1,64,958 people have recovered from the infection so far, officials said. (PTI)

Madhya Pradesh on Sunday reported 11,051 fresh Covid-19 cases and 86 fatalities, taking the tally of infections to 6,71,763 and the toll to 6,420, the state health department said. A total of 4,538 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the total count of recoveries in Madhya Pradesh to 5,56,430, the department said. With 1,679 new cases, Indore's caseload went up to 1,26,832 while that of Bhopal rose to 1,04,332 with the addition of 1,556 cases. Indore and Bhopal each reported sevenCOVID-19 fatalities, taking the tolls to 1,204 and 795, respectively, officials said. (PTI)

Poly herbal formulation 'AYUSH 64' will be available free-of-cost for asymptomatic, mild and moderate COVID-19 patients at seven centres in Delhi starting from Monday. Patients or their representatives can visit these centres with a hard or soft copy of the patient's RT-PCR positive report and Aadhar card to get a free pack of 'AYUSH 64' tablets, the AYUSH Ministry said in a statement. Replenishment, if and when required, will also be provided free of cost. (PTI)

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the Centre to "actively monitor and supervise" private COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers in the country and ensure adequate availability of the vaccine doses to states and Union territories. The central government should make available to the states/UTs the requisite number of vaccine doses to enable vaccination of all its citizens, he said. "The Centre should actively monitor and supervise the manufacture of vaccines by the private parties so that supplies in adequate quantity are made to all state governments, and this crucial aspect is not left to the discretion of the private manufacturers, Kejriwal said in a letter to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. (PTI)

Over 1.05 lakh sample tests turned out 22,164 fresh cases of coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, taking the gross to 12,87,603. In the 24 hours ending 9 AM on Sunday, 18,832 patients had also recovered from the infection while 92 others succumbed in the state, according to the latest bulletin. The gross recoveries went up to 10,88,264 and toll to 8,707, the bulletin said. The number of active cases rose to 1,90,632. East Godavari district reported 2,844 fresh cases, followed by Visakhapatnam with 2,206, Chittoor (2,169), Guntur (2,099) and Anantapuramu (2,039) in 24 hours. (PTI)

Construction workers and their family members will be covered in the first phase of the coronavirus vaccination drive for those aged 18 and above, said state Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Sunday. Sidhu said the Health Department has received one lakh doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for the age group, whose vaccination will start from Monday across the state. It has been decided to cover construction workers and their family members in the first phase, said Sidhu. The minister said the Punjab government had placed an immediate order of 30 lakh doses with the Serum Institute of India Ltd and has been told that 4.29 lakh doses for the group will be given in the month of May. Individuals with co-morbidities are at highest risk, hence, 70 per cent of doses have been allocated to this group in the next phase, he said in an official statement here. (PTI)

The Tamil Nadu government would set up 12 more Covid-19 Care Centres in the state to treat patients with mild symptoms using traditional Indian medicines, Minister for Medical and Family Welfare M Subramanian said here on Sunday. After inaugurating a Siddha COVID-19 Care Centre equipped with 240 beds in Tondiarpet here on Sunday, Subramanian said currently 195 patients were under treatment at the facility. ".. COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms will be treated here. In order to reduce the crowd at other hospitals, we opened this centre," he told reporters. (PTI)

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said political parties and members of the civil society should rise above differences and unitedly defeat COVID-19. He said at this time of the calamity, which happens once in a century, all other issues, priorities or agendas have to be set aside so that humanity survives for the future. The minister called upon all political parties and senior members of the civil society to rise above differences and unitedly fight the battle against COVID-19, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said. Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, said this while despatching the first consignment of COVID-related material for his Lok Sabha constituency of Udhampur-Kathua-Doda in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. (PTI)

Ten additional oxygen generation plants will soon come up in Jammu and Kashmir with the intervention of the central government, an official spokesperson said on Sunday. The information was given at a meeting of the COVID Task Force chaired by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha here, the spokesperson said, adding the meeting had a detailed assessment of the district-wise coronavirus scenario and containment measures required to control its spread. The Lt Governor asked the functionaries concerned to prioritize the completion of all civil and other auxiliary works so that early functioning of these 10 oxygen plants can be ensured. (PTI)

There seems to be no let-up in COVID-19 cases in Kerala as the state on Sunday logged 35,801 fresh infections, taking the caseload to 18,72,573 and the test positivity rate to 28.88 per cent. While active cases stood at 4,23,514, the toll mounted to 5,814 with 68 more deaths. As many as 29,318 people have been cured, taking the total recoveries to14,72,951, the government said. In the last 24 hours, as many as 1,23,980 samples were tested and the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) was 28.88 per cent. Ernakulam reported 4,767 cases, the highest among all 14 districts. (PTI)

Journalists, lawyers, state government and state PSU employees as well as several other segments of society and their kin will be given priority as frontline workers in COVID-19 vaccination, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said on Sunday. The directive is based on the recommendation of a committee under the chief secretary, a release said, adding that the CM had already issued instructions in this regard but they were pending for implementation as the matter was sub- judice. (PTI)

Telangana on Sunday reported 4,976 fresh COVID-19 casestaking the tally to over 4.97 lakh while the toll stood at2,739 with 35 more casualties. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 851, followed by Rangareddy (417) and Medchal Malkajgiri (384), a government bulletin said. The state has 65,757 active cases and over 55 thousand samples were tested. (PTI)

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh surged to 15,03,490 on Sunday as 23,333 more people tested positive for the disease while 296 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 15,464. This is the second consecutive day when daily deaths have remained below the 300-mark. On Saturday, the state had recorded 298 COVID-19 deaths. Lucknow reported the highest number of fresh cases at 1,436, followed by 1,425 in Meerut and 1,042 in Saharanpur, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement issued here. Of the 296 deaths, 26 each were reported from Lucknow and Kanpur, 15 from Jhansi, 13 from Bahraich, 11 from Ghazipur and 10 from Gautam Buddh Nagar, it said. (PTI)

Telangana on Sunday reported 4,976 fresh COVID-19 casestaking the tally to over 4.97 lakh while the toll stood at2,739 with 35 more casualties. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 851, followed by Rangareddy (417) and Medchal Malkajgiri (384), a government bulletin said. The state has 65,757 active cases and over 55 thousand samples were tested. (PTI)

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh surged to 15,03,490 on Sunday as 23,333 more people tested positive for the disease while 296 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 15,464. This is the second consecutive day when daily deaths have remained below the 300-mark. On Saturday, the state had recorded 298 COVID-19 deaths. Lucknow reported the highest number of fresh cases at 1,436, followed by 1,425 in Meerut and 1,042 in Saharanpur, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement issued here. Of the 296 deaths, 26 each were reported from Lucknow and Kanpur, 15 from Jhansi, 13 from Bahraich, 11 from Ghazipur and 10 from Gautam Buddh Nagar, it said. (PTI)

Coronavirus claimed the lives of 67 patients in Goa on Sunday, the highest single-day death count in the state since the pandemic began, a health official said. With this, its fatality count increased to 1,679, while the overall caseload went up to 1,18,846 with the addition of 2,633 infection cases, he said. As 3,078 patients got discharged from hospitals during the day, the recovery count of the state mounted to 85,292. There are now 31,875 active COVID-19 cases in the coastal state at present, the official said. (PTI)

Hitting out at the Centre for continuing the construction work for the Central Vista redevelopment project amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the country needs breath and not the prime minister's residence. The redevelopment project of the Central Vista -- the power corridor of the country -- envisages a new triangular Parliament building, a common Central Secretariat, the revamping of the three-km-long Rajpath from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate and new residences for the prime minister and the vice president. The government has brought the construction work for the ambitious project under the ambit of "essential services" to ensure smooth movement of labourers during the ongoing lockdown in Delhi. READ MORE

Rajya Sabha MP Raghunath Mohapatra, who was also an eminent sculptor, died on Sunday at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, days after he tested positive for COVID-19, a senior official at the hospital said. Mohapatra (78), a Padma Bhushan awardee, was admitted to the hospital on April 22. Despite all valiant efforts by the doctors, Mohapatra lost the battle and died at 3.49 pm, Dr Gitanjali Batmanabane, Director, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan among others expressed their condolence over the demise of Mohapatra. (PTI)

Amid a barrage of complaints about private ambulance operators charging exorbitantly to transport COVID-19 patients in Agra, the district administration on Sunday capped the fares, officials said. The Agra police also formed a squad and released a WhatsApp number on which the people can register complaints against those involved in black marketing of oxygen cylinders, Remdesivir injection and other drugs used for COVID-19 treatment. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muniraj G said the residents can raise their complaint on WhatsApp number 7839003386 and the official Twitter handle of the Agra police. "It will help us to curb the black marketing of oxygen cylinders, Remdesivir injection, Fabiflu, Tocilizumab, Dexamethasone and other COVID drugs. The people must inform the Agra police about those who are charging in the name of registration for vaccination," the SSP added. (PTI)

The Goa government on Sunday increased the salary of AYUSH doctors working in COVID-19 facilities in the state from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000, a senior official said. The file had been cleared by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the hike would benefit 50-odd such doctors, he added. The Goa Ayurvedic Medical Association general secretary Dr Sneha Bhagwat thanked the CM and the state government for the hike. (PTI)