Coronavirus India News LIVE Updates: CDC says fully vaccinated Americans can ditch masks

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | The US defense forces are preparing to send 159 oxygen concentrators to India via a commercial flight next week, the Pentagon said. "Defense Logistics Agency is preparing 159 oxygen concentrators at Travis Air Force Base. They are scheduled to ship via commercial air for a Monday, that's the 17th of May, delivery to India," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said at a news conference on Thursday.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | Delhi Prisons Dept urges Home Dept to start vaccination of inmates in 18 to 45 age group

The Delhi Prisons Department has written to the city government's Home Department, urging it to start vaccination of inmates in the 18 to 45 age group, officials said on Thursday. A senior official said that the vaccination process for inmates over 45 years is already going on in the jail premises. Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said that almost half of the inmates aged more than 45 years have been vaccinated. 

"We have done 1,300 vaccinations so far. All of inmates are above 45 years of age. We are yet to start vaccination of remaining inmates between 18 to 45 age group. We have written to the Delhi government for permission. "In Tihar, 920 inmates, 112 inmates in Rohini and 219 in Mandoli have received their first jab of the vaccine. Besides, 49 inmates in Tihar have received their second dose of the vaccine," Goel said. (PTI)

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | The government on May 13 decided to extend the present gap between the two doses of Covishield vaccine from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks. Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactures and distributes the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine under brand name Covishield. However, no change in interval of Covaxin doses was recommended. For Covaxin, the gap between two doses remains 28-42 days. 

Here is an explainer on what made the government change its mind on dosing gap, what evidence did it based upon and did limited supplies of vaccine weigh on the government for this decision.

 Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | Fully vaccinated people not required to wear masks: US CDC 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said fully vaccinated people are no longer required to wear masks. The recommendation holds true for both indoors and outdoors, the CDC said. In its latest guidelines, the CDC said fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | Assam logs 75 new COVID deaths, 5,468 fresh cases

Assam registered 75 more deaths due to COVID-19 on Thursday pushing the toll to 1,984, while the number of coronavirus cases rose to 3,15,554 with 5,468 people testing positive, the National Health Mission (NHM) said. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the central government would soon increase the supply of vaccines and one lakh people could be vaccinated daily in the state. Currently, the state has a total of 42,144 active cases, the NHM said in a bulletin.

 Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | Gujarat suspends COVID-19 vaccination for 45+ for 3 days

With the Centre increasing the gap between two doses of Covishield, vaccination for those above the age of 45 years in Gujarat has been halted for three days from May 14. The Centre on Thursday approved extending the gap between the two doses of the Covishield vaccine from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks following a recommendation from a government panel.

As the vaccination schedule is to be revised following the Centre's decision, those in the above 45 age group will not be vaccinated on May 14, 15 and 16, said a state government release on Thursday. The vaccination for this group will resume on May 17, it added.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | Over 2.5 lakh people tested for coronavirus in rural areas in a week: UP govt

COVID-19 surveillance teams in Uttar Pradesh have visited over three crore houses at block levels in districts and tested over 2.5 lakh people in rural areas in a week, the state government said on Thursday. Surveillance teams in the state recently accelerated the pace to trace, test and treat coronavirus patients and started door-to-door campaigns in rural areas on instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the government said in a statement.

According to the weekly report on the campaign, the Covid test teams have visited around 32 million (3,19,37,797) houses in different blocks of districts within a week, between May 5 and 12, against the targeted 3,30,69,010 houses for the period, the government said. Similarly, the teams conducted a total of 2,57,845 tests in remote blocks of the districts and the government has also distributed medicine kits to 3,74,685 Covid patients so far, it added. 

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | Nearly 18 crore vaccine doses administered so far

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country inched closer to 18 crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday. It said 4,37,192 beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years received their first dose of COVID vaccine on Thursday and cumulatively 39,14,688 across 32 states and union territories since the start of the third phase of the vaccination drive.

"The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 17,91,77,029 as per the 8 pm provisional report," the ministry said. As on day-118 of the vaccination drive (May 13), total 19,75,176 vaccine doses were given. 

Hello and welcome to Moneycontrol's LIVE coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. India is battling the ferocious second wave of infections amid a shortage of vaccines, hospital beds and drugs. Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for the latest updates throughout the day.