Beneficiaries do not adhere to social distancing norms as they wait to receive the COVID-19 vaccine dose at Badshah Khan hospital in Faridabad. (PTI photo)Covid-19 Cases and Death in India in Last 24 Hours Highlights: Delhi’s positivity rate has gone down to 2 per cent. Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday saw just saw 3300 new Covid cases. There are reports that Gujarat is also planning to ease the corona curbs. With the daily caseload stabilising, is it time for India to go for another unlock? Should the states relax the lockdowns? Experts say that India must learn the brutal lesson from the second wave and decide very, very cautiously on opening up the cities. While everyone agrees that we need to open up the states to reignite the economic engine, the point remains – When? How soon is too soon? Because we don’t have enough vaccines and not many people have been inoculated. Are lockdowns the only way to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus? As India ponders over unlock 2021, here are the latest updates from across the country and around the globe
Highlights
COVID-19 | 21,273 new cases, 425 deaths and 34,370 discharges reported in Maharashtra today. The recovery rate in the state is 93.02% (ANI)
COVID-19 | Madhya Pradesh reports 1,977 new positive cases, 70 deaths, and 6,845 recoveries in the last 24 hours.
Total positive cases: 7,73,855Active cases: 38,327 (ANI)
Telangana has received a positive response from AstraZeneca and Sputnik V for global tender for vaccine procurement by the state Government, negotiations are underway: Srinivasa Rao, Telangana Director of Public Health (ANI)
COVID19 | Mumbai reports 1,266 fresh cases, 36 deaths and 855 recoveries today; active cases 28,310. Recovery rate of Mumbai district is 94% (ANI)
The government is hopeful of a speedy launch of single-dose COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik Light in India and all stakeholders, including the Russian manufacturer and its Indian partners, have been directed to fast-track the application and regulatory approval procedures for the jab to boost the country’s vaccination drive, sources said on Thursday. An application seeking regulatory approval for Sputnik Light is expected to be filed in the next couple of weeks and it could become the first single-dose vaccine to be launched in India, sources said citing high-level discussions held among top government officials in the recent days to boost domestic availability of COVID-19 vaccines. | Read More
COVID-19 | Tamil Nadu reports 33,361 new positive cases, 30,063 new recoveries, and 474 new deaths in the last 24 hours.
Active cases: 3,13,048Total positive cases: 19,78,621 (ANI)
Himachal Pradesh reports 1,472 new positive cases, 3,409 recoveries, and 59 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Total active cases: 20,184Total positive cases: 1,85,819 (ANI)
West Bengal reports 13,046 new COVID cases, 19,121 discharges, and 148 deaths in the last 24 hours
Active cases: 1,17,154Total discharges: 11,99,120Death toll: 14,975 (ANI)
Uttarakhand reports 2,146 new COVID cases and 81 deaths today, taking active cases to 39,177 and death toll to 6,201: State Health Department (ANI)
COVID19 | Telangana reported 3,614 new cases, 18 deaths and 3,961 recoveries on 27th May; Recovery rate at 92.69% (ANI)
MHA orders continuation of ongoing Covid guidelines till June 30, asks states to ensure local containment measures in high caseload district. Strict implementation of containment measures led to declining trend in Covid cases across India, barring some areas in south, northeast: MHA | READ MORE
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Compulsory licensing for COVID vaccines is not a very attractive option since it is not a ‘formula’ that matters and other aspects like sourcing of raw materials and training of human resources also need to be taken into consideration, Niti Aayog Member V K Paul said on Thursday. Paul, the Chair of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC), noted that technology transfer is the key and that remains in the hands of the company that has carried out R&D. | Read More
The Maharashtra government will extend the coronavirus-enforced lockdown-like curbs in the state after June 1 and relax them later in a phased manner, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Thursday. Thackeray issued necessary directives in this regard to the state administration during a cabinet meeting, said a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). | Read More
COVID19 | 813 fresh infections, 18 deaths reported in Manipur today; active cases at 7,462: State Government (ANI)
Centre approves financial assistance to 67 families of journalists who lost their lives to Covid. Each family to get Rs 5 lakhs under Journalist Welfare Scheme of I&B Ministry. Committee to hold JWS meetings on weekly basis to process the applications expeditiously: Govt of India (ANI)
COVID19 | 200 new positive cases, 7 deaths reported in Chandigarh today; active cases rise to 3,129: UT Administration (ANI)
Any significant adverse effect is unlikely if the second dose of a different COVID-19 vaccine is administered, but reaching a firm opinion on this will need more scrutiny and understanding, the Centre said on Thursday. It, however, clarified that both doses administered to an individual should be of the same vaccine as per the existing protocol. The clarification comes following reports that health workers in Uttar Pradesh's Siddharthnagar district administered Covaxin to 20 villagers who had been given Covishield in the first dose. NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul said the incident needed to be investigated.
"Any significant adverse effect is unlikely if the second dose of a different COVID-19 vaccine is given. In fact, there is a narrative that is going on that taking doses of two different vaccines can lead to stronger immunity... but for a firm opinion, more scrutiny and understanding will be required," he said at a presser. Commenting on the UP incident, he said, "Even if it has happened, it should not be a cause of concern for the individual, but I urge all health workers to give second dose of the same vaccine." The incident was reported from the primary health centre in Barhni where people from Audahi Kala and another village received Covaxin shots on May 14. (PTI)
Around 34,000 people were vaccinated in Delhi on May 26 and the majority of jabs were provided by private hospitals, AAP MLA Atishi said on Thursday, highlighting the acute shortage of vaccines the city government has been grappling with. She also said 42 per cent of the people (24.32 lakh) in the 45 plus category have received at least one dose of vaccine.
"This is the fourth consecutive day that the vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group has remained suspended," Atishi said. It's a cause for serious concern. Delhi has not received any more doses from the manufacturers so far. The makers have made it clear that they have been supplying vaccine to states according to the directions by the Centre, she said. (PTI)
The economy faces more downside risks now as economic disruptions arising from the second wave are likely to stabilise only from July, warned the Swiss brokerage USB Securities. Last month, the brokerage had cut its GDP forecast by 150 bps to 10 per cent for FY22, which though is much higher than the consensus projections by others with some pegging it at as low as 8 per cent. | Read More
The Maharashtra government is unlikely to lift the lockdown-like curbs in the state after June 1 since the COVID-19 positivity rate was more than 10 per cent in 21 districts, health minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday. However, relaxation in statewide restrictions, in force till June 1 to stem the spread of coronavirus, can be given in places where the case positivity rate is less, he said. Talking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, Tope said an elaborate presentation on the COVID-19 situation was made during the meet and it revealed the case positivity rate (percentage of people testing positive among those tested) was more than 10 per cent in 21 districts (out of 36 districts). cabinet felt it wasn't right to lift the curbs presently in force altogether,' he said, adding relaxation can be given in places where positivity rate is less. | Read More
COVID19 | Rajasthan reports 3,454 new cases, 85 deaths and 10,396 recoveries today; active cases 71,099 (ANI)
The Delhi High Court Thursday allowed duty free import of Amphotericin B, used for treating black fungus patients, primarily those affected by it after recovering from COVID-19, on furnishing of a bond by the importers till the Centre takes a final decision on waiving the customs duty on it. The demand and supply gap for the medicine is widening by the hour and action on a "war footing" is needed by the central government to address it, the high court said. "The gap is widening by the hour. It has to be done on war footing. Please understand that fight. Every hour counts," it said. The medicine is required to save the lives of thousands of people suffering from Mucormycosis and the central government shall seriously consider waiver of customs duty till the drug is in short supply in India, it added.(PTI)
16,167 new #COVID19 positive cases and 104 deaths reported in Andhra Pradesh on May 27.
Total positive cases: 16,43,557Active cases: 1,86,782 (ANI)
Sikkim reported the highest single-day spike of 408 COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 14,214, a health department bulletin said on Thursday. The COVID-19 death toll in the Himalayan state rose to 240 as one more person succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, it said. Of the new cases, East Sikkim district registered 216 cases followed by West Sikkim (97), South Sikkim (75) and North Sikkim district (20). Sikkim how has 3,604 active COVID-19 cases, while 10,158 patients have recovered from the disease, the bulletin said. (PTI)
24,166 new cases and 181 deaths reported in Kerala in the last 24 hours. Active cases stand at 2,41,966: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on COVID19 situation in the State (ANI)
COVID19 | Puducherry reports 1,137 new positive cases, 1,486 recoveries, and 20 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Active cases: 14,473Total positive cases: 1,00,677 (ANI)
In what could be a first for Delhi, a leading private facility here has received clinical doses for carrying out monoclonal antibody therapy for a certain category of COVID-19 patients that is said to reduce their chance of hospitalisation by 70 per cent, hospital authorities said on Thursday. As part of this single-dose infusion-based treatment, patients with mild to moderate symptoms are offered a cocktail of Casirivimab and Imdevimab. Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI) in south Delhi, after receiving the doses, has started offering the therapy from Thursday, FEHI chairman Ashok Seth said. (PTI)
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday ordered ramping up of stocks of alternate drugs for the treatment of mucormycosis, popularly known as black fungus, in the wake of shortage of Amphotericin drug. Punjab has so far reported 188 cases of black fungus with 23 of them having died. As the state has only Liposomal Amphotericin B injections in stock and just 880 more such vials expected to be received on Thursday, the Chief Minister stressed the need to strengthen alternate drug stocks, as recommended by the expert group constituted by the state government to deal with the crisis, according to a government statement. (PTI)
Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma on Thursday said the state government may move the Supreme Court like other states if the Centre does not invite global tender for procuring coronavirus vaccine. "The state is getting Indian vaccines at cheaper cost that are being made available by the Centre whereas it's costing high through global tender. To avoid such dispute Centre should invite global tender. If it does not do so then state government may move Supreme Court like other states," he said. He said that to increase the supply of vaccines, global tenders were issued by the state government in which nine companies participated including vendors of an Indian vaccine manufacturer. Sharma said that the vaccination process has slowed down in the state as vaccine supply from manufacturers is short. (PTI)
Urging the corporate sector to join hands with govt, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in a letter appealed to all companies operational in the state to ensure awareness & bear the cost of vaccination of communities especially within 18-45 age group, living in their CSR operational area. (ANI)
It has been decided that all COVID19 restrictions will not be lifted as 21 districts have more than 10% positivity rate. Relaxations could be given in the districts where cases are declining, guidelines will be issued in a few days: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope (ANI)
Nearly half of over 20,000 villages in Chhattisgarh have become coronavirus-free, the state government claimed on Thursday. Measures such as reactivation of quarantine centres as soon as the second wave of the pandemic began helped and now 9,462 out of 20,092 villages do not have a single active COVID-19 patient, an official statement said. As the cases began to surge in urban areas, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel instructed officials to take every possible measure to curb the spread in rural areas, it said. Quarantine centers established during the first wave last year were reactivated with better infrastructure and those returning from other states or cities were compulsorily isolated in these centres. (PTI)
The Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench has asked the Nagaland government to take up measures of designating isolation centres, ramp-up testing facilities, make all COVID-19 tests free and take vaccination on a war footing. Justice Songkhupchung Serto and Justice S Hukato Swu of Gauhati High Court (GHC) Kohima Bench issued the suo moto directive on May 24 after hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and asked the state government to comply with its directives while listing the matter for hearing in two weeks time. The High Court noted that when the pandemic struck Nagaland last year the state government set up quarantine centres for isolation of those who were found to be covid positive while in the villages, the villagers on their own had also set up such centres but this time, there is the absence of these facilities. (PTI)
A steady decline in new COVID-19 cases has been recorded in India for the last 20 days, with 24 states witnessing a dip in active cases since the last week, the Union health ministry said on Thursday. It also noted that the country is on a downswing of the second wave of COVID-19. READ MORE
Uttar Pradesh reported 188 fresh COVID-19 fatalities on Thursday as the death toll due to the viral disease rose to 19,900, while the infection tally reached 16,83,866 with 3,278 new cases, officials said. "In the last 24 hours, 3,278 fresh cases were reported, while 6,995 COVID-19 patients recovered from the disease, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 16,05,696," Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters. The state witnessed 188 fresh deaths, taking the toll to 19,900 from 19,712 on Wednesday. The recovery rate in the state is now 95.4 per cent, while the number of active cases came down by 81.26 per cent since April 30 when a peak of 3,10,783 active cases were reported. The active COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 58,270, the official said, adding that the figure includes 34,508 patients who are in home isolation. (PTI)
About 80 per cent of traders in the national capital want the Delhi government to lift the lockdown after June 1 and allow the markets to open with "stringent conditions", a new survey has said. Conducted by the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI), a traders body in Delhi, the survey's respondents included nearly 560 organisations across various industries including, hotel and restaurant, as well as beauty and wellness associations in the capital. The survey said the traders want the Delhi government to allow the opening of markets and factories with "strict conditions". The Delhi government's current lockdown is scheduled to continue till May 31. As on May 26, there are over 19,148 active cases in Delhi, and the positivity rate has dipped below two per cent. "Among these 560 organizations, around 450 said since the number of corona cases and infection rate in Delhi is decreasing, the time has come to allow markets and factories to open from June 1. "Some associations said the lockdown should be extended by one week," said CTI treasurer Sudhir Jain. Charting the various suggestions made by the traders on the unlock, CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said while some associations suggested opening of markets on an "odd-even basis", others recommended different timings for retail and wholesale markets. (PTI)
Sputnik V, the third vaccine approved in India will be available through the Apollo Hospitals from the 2nd week of June: Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice-chairperson, Apollo Hospitals (ANI)
The Punjab government on Thursday extended the coronavirus restrictions till June 10 but removed the limit on the number of passengers in personal vehicles and allowed the resumption of elective surgeries and OPD in hospitals. The state government had imposed extensive curbs, in addition to measures like a weekend lockdown and a night curfew to check the spread of the infection. The decision to extend the curbs was taken at a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here, according to a government statement. Earlier, the state government had extended the Covid curbs till May 31. The CM directed the resumption of elective surgeries in both government and private hospitals and the restoration of outpatient department (OPD) operations in view of the improvement in the coronavirus situation, the statement said. The state government had stopped elective surgeries on April 12 to ensure adequate availability of beds and medicine oxygen for serious infection cases. (PTI)
West Bengal Govt extends statewide restrictions till June 15th to curb #COVID19 in the state: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee (ANI)
Delhi reports 1072 new #COVID19 cases, 3725 recoveries and 117 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Total cases 14,22,549Total recoveries 13,82,359Death toll 23,812Active cases 16,378
Positivity rate 1.53 % (ANI)