Coronavirus News Updates: Each variant will be given a name from the Greek alphabet, in a bid to both simplify the public discussion and to strip some of the stigma from the emergence of new variants
Coronavirus
Live News Updates: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday announced a new naming system that it devised for so-called variants of interest and variants of concern, the forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with important mutations.
Mumbai's civic body, the BMC, issued a 'break the chain' order on Monday. According to the order, a few restrictions in place to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission have been relaxed.
Maharashtra on Monday reported 15,077 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest since March 15, taking the caseload to 57,46,892, while 184 more deaths pushed the toll to 95,344, the state health department said.
Chief Economic Adviser KV Subramanian on Monday said the overall impact of the second wave of COVID-19 on the country's economy is not likely to be large but cautioned about an uncertainty surrounding the pandemic going ahead.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday that the national capital will receive its first consignment of Sputnik V vaccine after 20 June.
Amid shortage in supply of vaccines to fight coronavirus pandemic, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday wrote to his counterparts in all non-BJP ruled states and requested them to make a “united effort" to demand the Centre to procure COVID-19 vaccines and distribute them at free of cost.
India's economy grew by 1.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020-21, restricting the full-year contraction to 7.3 percent, official data showed on Monday.
Delhi on Monday recorded 648 fresh Covid cases, the lowest since 18 March, and 86 new deaths.
Chairperson of COVID-19 working group under National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, Dr NK Arora, says India may soon begin testing the feasibility of a regimen that mixes two different COVID-19 vaccines to see if it helps boost the immune response to the virus.
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Monday announced that the 'corona curfew' imposed in the state will be extended till 10 June.
Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda announced on Monday that 30,100 vials of amphotericin-B have been allocated to all the states/UTs to treat patients suffering from the black fungus infection.
The Supreme Court on Monday posed questions to the Centre on the COVID-19 vaccine procurement policy and need for mandatory registration on the CoWIN app for people to get vaccinated, without keeping in mind the "digital divide". The apex court observed that the policy makers must have an ear to the ground.
"How are you answering the digital divide? How are you ensuring that the migrant workers are able to get vaccinated?" the apex court was quoted by The Times of India as asking Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday announced the extension of the COVID-19 lockdown in the state till 8 June.
"In view of the corona infection, it has been decided to extend the lockdown by one week i.e. till June 8, 2021. But additional discount is being given for business. Everyone wear mask and maintain social distance," he said.
The Supreme Court asked the Centre for the rationale behind the dual price policy in a hearing on issues related to COVID-19 on Monday.
The apex court said "there needs to be one price for vaccines across the nation" and also pulled up the Centre on procurement of vaccines and mandatory registration on CoWIN app.
The Supreme Court adjourned the hearing of a plea for the cancellation of CBSE and ICSE Class 12 board exams to 3 June, "noting that competent authorities are examining all aspects and are likely to take a decision which will be placed before the court," LiveLaw reported.
The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking a stay on the construction work of the Central Vista Redevelopment project in Delhi. The petitioner had stated that the construction work must be halted in view of the second COVID-19 wave.
"The DDMA order in question nowhere prohibits construction work. The legality of the project has been upheld previously by the Supreme Court itself. They are supposed to complete the work by November, 2021. Time is of essence in the contract. The work has to be completed.
"This is a motivated petition preferred by the petitioner and not a genuine petition. The petition is dismissed with a cost of Rs.1,00,000," the court's order said.
India's COVID-19 recovery rate rose to 91.60 percent with 2,38,022 discharges in the span of 24 hours, the Union health ministry said on Monday.
The weekly positivity rate is currently at 9.04 percent and daily positivity rate at 9.07 percent. The daily positivity rate has been less than 10 percent for seven consecutive days.
India reported 1,52,734 new COVID-19 cases, 2,38,022 discharges and 3,128 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday morning. The country has been registering a gradual decline in the number of new cases this week. On Sunday, 1.6 lakh new cases were reported.
Total cases: 2,80,47,534
Total discharges: 2,56,92,342
Death toll: 3,29,100
Active cases: 20,26,092
The Maharashtra government on Sunday extended the lockdown-like curbs till 15 June and also announced that relaxations will be granted depending upon the COVID-19 positivity rate and availability of oxygen beds.
In municipal corporations or regions of districts with less than 10 percent COVID-19 positivity rate and where the availability of occupied oxygen beds will be less than 40 percent, all the establishments/shops engaged in essential commodities and services that are presently opened from 7 am to 11 am can now remain open from 7 am to 2 pm, the government said in an order.
For districts and corporations having more than a 20 percent positivity rate and where over 75 percent of oxygen beds are occupied, the borders of such districts will be closed and no person will be allowed to enter or exit in such districts.
The exceptions will be death from a family, medical reason and emergency services or services related to such situations.
Instead of implementing the 'Break the chain' order uniformly in the state, the restrictions will now be relaxed or made more stringent till 7 am of 15 June by taking into account the positivity rate in the municipality jurisdiction and areas of districts, and the availability of oxygen beds at various places, the government said.
As per the census of 2011, the municipal corporations that are having a population of more than 10 lakh will be considered as the independent administrative unit for curbing the spread of COVID-19 .
Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Vasai Virar, Pune, PimpriChinchwad, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Nashik corporations will be treated as the administrative units.
Barring the jurisdiction of these corporations, the rest of the part of the district will be counted as a separate administrative unit, it said.
The decision for keeping open all the shops and establishments that do not fall in the essential category will be taken by the local disaster management authority (LDMA) but their timings will be at uniformity with those shops and establishment falling in the essential group, as per the order.
Similarly, the shops will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
In such regions, along with the essential commodities, the non-essential goods and services can also be distributed through the e-commerce system.
However after 3 pm, except for medical services and medical-related emergency, there will be restrictions on commuting and traffic, it said.
Besides the offices that are working for the pandemic-related services, all other government offices can function with the attendance of 25 percent of employees.
If the chief of any of these departments needs the attendance of more than 25 per cent, they can take permission from the disaster management authority, the order said.
All the agricultural work and equipment-related shops will be open on the working days till 2 pm. Considering the monsoon and sowing period, the local disaster management authority can give the permission to increase the timings of such agriculture-related goods and
service providers or can also give a nod to remain open on Saturdays and Sundays, the order said.
Addressing the people of the state through social media, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said the daily coronavirus case count in the state is on the decline, but these numbers are close to the last year's peak levels.
Thackeray announced that the lockdown-like restrictions currently in force in the state since mid-April, have been extended by a fortnight till June 15.
He said he was taking a district-wise review of the coronavirus situation and curbs will be made stricter where the numbers are on the rise, while some relaxations will be given where the case count is on the decline.
As of Sunday, Maharashtra's tally of COVID-19 cases stood at 57,31,815 and the overall death toll is 94,844. The state has 2,71,801 active cases, as per the state health department.
