Family members along with medical workers shift a COVID19 patient to Level-3 ward of Swaroop Rani Nehru hospital in Prayagraj. (PTI Photo)Coronavirus Cases in India Today, Coronavirus Statistics India Live Updates: With the second wave of the coronavirus unleashing unimaginable fury, India has become home to almost half of the total Covid-19 infections around the globe. While the Supreme Court is set to hear the Centre’s plea over Covid management on May 13, in National Capital, the Delhi Police has decided to collect data of Covid deaths directly from the crematorium/burial grounds. The Indian Express report comes amid various accounts of gross mismatch in official figures and the ground reality. On the vaccination front, it is all about luck. While there have been reports of people getting their Covid jab, the issues with the CoWin slot continues. There’s also a demand for making more localised app as well as new ways of registering beneficiaries from weaker sections of the society. There are also bizarre reports of bodies floating in Buxar. Many say they are of Covid patients, who didn’t get proper cremation. The hinterland is reporting about massive cold and cough wave. With negligible testing, nobody knows whether it is normal flu, typhoid or Covid-19 infection.
As the local administrations across India race against time to vaccinate all, here are the latest updates from the country and around the globe:
Highlights
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal writes to PM Narendra Modi, requesting to allow other companies to manufacture the two COVID-19 vaccines.
"Govt of India can do away with vaccine production monopoly using the patent law," he writes. (ANI)
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Telangana Cabinet decides to impose lockdown for 10 days from 10 am on May 12.
"However, there would be relaxation for all the activities from 6 am to 10 am daily. The Cabinet also decided to invite global tenders for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine," says CMO (ANI)
Jharkhand on Tuesday reported 129 fresh fatalities, pushing the toll to 3,982, while 6,187 new cases raised the tally to 2,92,530, the health department said in its bulletin. Accordingly, the number of active cases climbed to 57,902, it said. Ranchi district recorded the maximum number of fresh fatalities at 35, followed by East Singhbhum at 16 and Giridih at 11. Nine deaths were reported from Dhanbad, eight in Bokaro, five in Jamtara. As many as 2,30,646 patients have so far recovered from the disease. (PTI)
The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday criticised the state government over the recent fire at a COVID-19 hospital in Bharuch, saying it was contemptuous on its part to not remain vigilant and avoid such incidents, and cited many orders passed in this regard in the past. A division bench expressed surprise over Advocate General Kamal Trivedi's submission that the COVID-19 facility at the trust-run Bharuch Welfare Hospital, where the fire on May 1 killed 18 people, was set up "surreptitiously, without intimating the authorities". (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh has recorded 20,463 fresh COVID-19 cases that took the total tally to 15,45,212, while 306 fatalities pushed the death toll to 16,043, officials informed on Tuesday. However, the number of active cases in the state have come down by over 94,000 in the past 10 days, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said. On April 30, there were about 3.10 lakh active cases while currently the number stands at 2,16,057. Of the 306 fatalities, Lucknow reported the maximum deaths at 23, Kanpur 16, Meerut 15, Jhansi and Gautam Buddh Nagar 12 each, Agra and Azamgarh 11 each, Basti 10 and Varanasi 8, as per a health bulletin issued. (PTI)
States to ensure all beneficiaries who have taken the first dose are prioritised for the second doses. The urgent need to address the large number of beneficiaries waiting for 2nd dose was stressed. In this regard, States can reserve at least 70% of the vaccines supplied to them from the Government of India channel (free of cost) for second dose vaccination and the remaining 30% for the first dose: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan says - ANI
Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Telangana, Chandigarh, Ladakh, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands showing continuous decrease in daily new COVID19 cases - ANI
A narrative is being made that due to lack of wood logs for cremation or the poor facing financial issues, dead bodies are being immersed in Ganga in Buxar. This is not true. We have recovered bodies that were seen floating in Ganga river. They appear to be 4-5 days old. But we will respectfully cremate these bodies: Buxar DM Aman Samir - ANI
The spread of coronavirus infection in rural areas of Punjab and Haryana has become a cause for concern, with the authorities deciding to intensify screening and testing in villages. According to a data of the Punjab Health Department, the current case fatality rate in Punjab's rural areas is 2.7 per cent as against less than one per cent in urban areas. A major spike in COVID-19 cases has been witnessed in the Malwa region, officials said. In neighbouring Haryana, 8,000 multidisciplinary teams led by trainee doctors, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and Anganwadi workers, are being constituted for a door-to-door screening in villages, officials said. - PTI
The COVID-19 death toll in Himachal Pradesh rose to 1,965 on Tuesday with 40 more fatalities, while 1,984 new cases pushed the infection tally to 1,37,766, a senior official said. According to data updated till 2 pm, the number of active cases in the state stands at 33,477. The total recoveries in the state have risen to 1,02,285 with 2,884 more people getting cured, the official said. - PTI
Delhi records 12,481 fresh COVID-19 cases (positivity rate - 17.76%), 13,583 recoveries, and 347 in the last 24 hours
Active cases: 83,809Total recoveries: 12,44,880Death toll: 20,010 - ANI
Hospitality firm OYO on Tuesday said it will show COVID-19 vaccination status of the staff of its partner hotels on its app as it believes that such initiative will be a key factor in building trust and confidence among consumers when they are ready to travel again. The initiative, 'VaccinAid' is crucial to aid the recovery of the impacted tourism and travel industry, OYO said. "Vaccination is the most important intervention against COVID-19. We are launching an industry-first feature, VaccinAid, to show self-reported vaccination status of hotel staff across OYOs," OYO Founder and Group CEO Ritesh Agarwal said in a tweet. OYO's guest surveys show that 87 per cent will prefer hotels with immunised staff when they plan to travel again. "Vaccination visibility when self-reported timely and accurately will become a confidence builder for travel recovery," he added. - PTI
Masjid committees in Assam have decided not to have mass prayers in their premises during the upcoming Eid ul-Fitr festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic and state government guidelines. Clerics of the masjids have appealed to the faithful in their area to offer prayers at their respective home to celebrate the festival at the end of the month-long Ramadan fasting. An office-bearer of the Burha Jame Masjid Committee in Guwahati said there will be no mass gathering of people as usual during Eid at the masjids or Eidgah fields for offering prayers, traditional shake of hands with one another or exchange of embraces due to the pandemic protocols of social distancing. - PTI
As strict lockdowns are loosened across Europe and many EU citizens dream about holidays in the sun, the 27-nation bloc has yet to agree on how to quickly implement a virus certificate scheme to boost summer travel and tourism. European affairs ministers gathered Tuesday in Brussels to assess progress in discussions with European lawmakers. A deal between the Parliament and EU countries is required in May to ensure the system will be up and running by the end of June, but several sticking points remain. When it proposed the scheme in March, the EU Commission said coronavirus certificates would be given to EU residents who can prove they have been vaccinated or those who tested negative for the virus or have proof they recovered from it. - AP
The total active COVID-19 cases in the country dipped to 37,15,221 on Tuesday with a net decline of 30,016 cases being recorded in a span of 24 hours for the first time after 61 days, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday. The total recoveries in a span of 24 hours too outnumbered the daily new COVID-19 cases after 61 days. The total active cases now comprise 16.16 per cent of the country's total coronavirus infections. Thirteen states -- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh cumulatively account for 82.68 per cent of India's total active cases, the ministry said. - PTI
Twenty-nine people, including 25 students, tested positive for COVID-19 at IIT Jodhpur, taking the total number of coronavirus cases at the campus to 225, authorities said. The report for the new 29 cases at the institute came out on Monday after a massive campaign was put in place to test every campus resident, said Amardeep Sharma, spokesperson and deputy registrar of the institute. "These 29 students and staff members have been reported positive after the fresh sample tests were conducted on May 7," he added. He said the last semester of the trimester ended on May 7 and the activities were now taking place online as the courses have been completed. - PTI
An in-charge of a police outpost has been sent to the Police Lines here for not wearing a mask, officials said on Tuesday. Police sources said that on Monday, Superintendent of Police Sujata Singh was inspecting the coronavirus curfew situation in different parts of the city and was on foot patrol when she saw in-charge of GIC Crossing police outpost Prem Chand Yadav not wearing a mask. Taking cognizance, she sent Yadav to Police Lines, which is considered a punishment posting for delinquent police personnel. - PTI
The existing restrictions on travelling in local trains, metro trains and monorails in Mumbai cannot be relaxed at this juncture as COVID-19 cases are still spreading, the Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court on Tuesday. State government's counsel PP Kakade told a bench of Justices KK Tated and Abhay Ahuja that only frontline health workers and state government staff are currently allowed to use the services of suburban trains, the monorail, and metro trains. The bench was hearing a plea filed by the Cooperative Banks Employees Union (CBEU) seeking permission to travel to work by local trains, metro, and monorail services in the city. - PTI
The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of 11 Covid-19 patients, who died in a hospital in Tirupati due to problem in oxygen supply. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy announced this during a videoconference with district Collectors. Eleven Covid-19 patients died due to a problem in oxygen supply inside the ICU in Ruia hospital late on Monday night. There was a five-minute lag in reloading liquid medical oxygen, which caused the pressure to drop, resulting in the deaths, Chittoor district Collector M Hari Narayanan had said. - PTI
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao announced a corona lockdown in the state beginning tomorrow. According to the official update via Twitter, the Telangana govt said that the lockdown will be in place for the next 10 days. People will be allowed to step out for essential shopping between 6 am and 10 am. The statement also added that the state govt will float a global tender for the Covid vaccine.
Mucormycosis patients will be treated for free under Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana. Over 2,000 cases have been reported & 8 people have died of this infection in the state so far. We are making special wards for these patients: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope -ANI
There’s delay in oxygen supply but we've availability, can’t hold doctors’ responsible for delay. For mismanagement, admn needs to be streamlined. I've monitored it personally, it will be streamlined by evening: CM Pramod Sawant who visited Goa Medical College today - ANI
Haryana, Assam and Rajasthan are the top three States that report maximum vaccine wastage with 6.49%, 5.92% and 5.68% respectively, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, says health ministry update. - ANI
the daily number of cases, deaths that we're seeing today in India & other countries in the Southeast area region is a big concern for us. We also recognise that these are underestimates...," WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan - ANI
Srinagar-based Tariq Ahmad Patloo sets up floating ambulance to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. He says, "Considering the situation at hospitals and homes due to rising cases, I've set up this facility for people, which has PPE kits, stretchers & wheelchair." - ANI
Right now, we're administering 1.25 lakh doses every day. We'll soon begin vaccinating over 3 lakh people every day. We aim to vaccinate all residents of Delhi within next 3 months. But we're facing vaccine shortage. We're left with stock that will last only a few days: Delhi CM - ANI
Not just 2, several companies should be deployed to produce vaccines. Centre should collect the formula to produce vaccines from these 2 companies & give it to all those companies that can produce vaccine safely. Centre has the power to do this in these difficult times, says Kejriwal
Only 2 companies are producing vaccines. They produce only 6-7 crore vaccines a month. This way, it'll take over 2 yrs to vaccinate everyone. Many waves would've come by then. Important to increase vaccine production on war footing & frame national plan to vaccinate all, says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
Days after RSS member Rajiv Tuli hit out at the BJP’s Delhi unit for not helping out people during the catastrophe of second wave of coronavirus, an Indian Express report says that several Delhi BJP leaders are now organizing healthcare camps and other facilities for people of the National Capital. From providing Remdesivir to Oxygen cylinders, Delhi BJP is working now to help people, the IE report said.
Yesterday a lady approached me for getting a provisional certificate for vaccination despite not taking her 1st dose. She was unsure whether she would get the first jab again. This smells like a big vaccine scam, a thorough probe should be done. Every vaccine to Mumbaikars should be audited. Any officer of BMC found guilty should be terminated. If I don’t get a satisfactory reply from BMC Commissioner, then I will write to Maharashtra Chief Minister and Health Minister: Mihir Kotecha, BJP MLA from Mulund - ANI
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrives in Lucknow. He will visit the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Covid Hospital which has been set up by DRDO and also visit the Covid dedicated hospital set up by HAL in the city. - ANI
The World Health Organization has warned against the usage of Ivermectin. Yet, the Goa govt has decided to give it to every single adult living in the state. Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane says that he has data from European nations that showed a marked reduction in mortality rates. "People will be given Ivermectin 12mg for a period of five days. Expert panels from the UK, Italy, Spain and Japan, found a large, statistically significant reduction in mortality, recovery time, and viral clearance in Covid-19 patients treated with Ivermectin," Rane said. However, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist on Twitter clearly said that “Safety and efficacy are important when using any drug for a new indication. WHO recommends against use of ‘ivermectin’ for COVID-19 except within clinical trials.”
Former MP Pappu Yadav has claimed that over 500 bodies are floating in Ganga near the borders of Birpur and Bare village. He alleges that not only has Nitish Kumar govt failed to provide treatment but also has lost sensibility for a dignified cremation of the deceased. Yadav made these claims on Twitter.
Shahi Imam of Delhi's Fatehpuri mosque, Dr Mufti Mohd Mukarram Ahmed urges Muslims to offer Eid prayers at home. Eid ul-Fitr to be celebrated on May 13-14, says Shahi Imam - ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat is scheduled to take place on May 30th, the last Sunday of the month, as per the official tradition all these years. Ahead of the monthly edition, Mann Ki Baat's official Twitter handle is going for 'positive news'. In a tweet, people have been asked to share inspiring, positive news for the show. 'This month's MannKiBaat is back again - to celebrate the power of positivity and the strengths of 130 crore Indians! Have any inspiring story to share with PM? Share now,' the post read.
Total 1,39,261 people were vaccinated yesterday in Delhi out of which 64,151 are from 18-45 age group, tweets Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia
Popular television actor Ravi Dubey said he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and is under home quarantine. The 37-year-old actor took to Instagram on Monday night to share his diagnosis. He urged all those who came in contact with him to closely monitor themselves. "Hi guys just got my report it's positive would advice anyone who has come in close contact with me in the past few days to take care of themselves and monitor their symptoms if any... I have isolated myself and am in care of my near and dear ones," he wrote. The actor asked everyone to stay optimistic amid such testing times. "Stay safe ..stay positive (as in stay optimistic) god bless us all,” he wrote. On Monday, Mumbai reported 1,782 new cases, taking the tally to 6,77,412 while the overall fatality count stood at 13,855, the state health department said. - PTI