Coronavirus India News LIVE Updates: Health ministry to hold media briefing on COVID-19 situation at 3 pm

Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s younger brother Ashim Banerjee passed away at the Medica Superspecialty Hospital, Kolkata on May 15 due to COVID-19, ANI quoted Dr Alok Roy, Chairman of the hospital. Ashim Banerjee was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at Medica Hospital in Kolkata.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | First repatriation flight from India arrives in Australia following end of COVID-19 travel ban

The first repatriation flight carrying Australians stranded in India landed in Darwin today following the end of the federal government's controversial ban on them from returning home. The repatriation flights facilitated by the Australian government for its stranded citizens in India resumed from Friday following a two weeks ban due to the COVID-19 health crisis in India. The Qantas jet touched down at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base shortly before 9:00 am local time. (PTI)

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar: At present, the number of police personnel infected in the state has exceeded 2,000. Among the COVID-infected personnel, there are 1,800 such patients who have had double doses of vaccine, 200 policemen who have not been able to get double dose yet. Dehradun district has the maximum number of 300 policemen in the grip of coronavirus infection. Apart from this, 235 jawans in Udham Singh Nagar and 222 in Haridwar district have been infected with the virus. (ANI)

Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank will meet virtually with all state education secretaries on May 17 to review the COVID-19 situation, online education and implementation of National Education Policy. (ANI)

Coronavirus Vaccine LIVE Updates | The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has backed the Bombay High Court’s suggestion to start a door-to-door vaccination programme against COVID-19. The facility of doorstep COVID-19 vaccination would speed up the current pace of inoculations and cover a large number of population in record time, said the national body of medical practitioners in India.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | It doesn’t take a soothsayer to predict that urban mobility will likely see dramatic changes, in light of an unrelenting pandemic that continues to ravage the country. Hygiene and social distancing-related concerns are at an all-time high, particularly in India’s densely populated metros. The second wave has cast a particularly long shadow on the notion of shared mobility and public transport.

Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Prime Minister Narendra Modi to chair a high-level meeting today on the COVID-19 related situation and vaccination.

Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | West Bengal is passing through a very serious crisis of COVID-19 and unprecedented post-poll violence that is retributive, never heard of such violence after elections. I would appeal to the CM, it is high time she takes note of it. Millions of people are suffering. It is time when we can't sleep over, such a great challenge to our state. We are sitting on a volcano where people are forced to leave their houses, they are being subjected to all kinds of indignities, killings, rapes, loots and extortion tax. I do hope that the CM will attend to the situation in all seriousness and direct all concerned to engage in rehabilitation, confidence building, compensation and secure that we as a society otherwise remain united. The divisive forces that are in complete command must be controlled: Governor Jadeep Dhankhar in Nandigram. (ANI)

Coronavirus in Maharashtra LIVE Updates | Thane district's COVID-19 count up by 1,697, death toll by 59

With 1,697 new coronavirus cases, the infection count in the Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 4,97,810, an official said today. These new cases were reported yesterday, he said. The virus claimed the lives of 59 persons, due to which the death toll in the district rose to 8,370. Thane's COVID-19 mortality rate now stands at 1.68 percent, the official added. (PTI)

Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | JUST IN: As many as 2,04,32,898 COVID-19 patients have been cured and discharged so far, the Union Health Ministry has said in its latest update.

Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | JUST IN: The reported active COVID-19 cases in India stand at 36,73,802, according to the Union Health Ministry.