Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Search on for Alternatives Drugs to Treat Black Fungus, Says Drug Regulator; India Sees 1.34L New Cases, 2,887 Deaths

Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Crosses 22 Crore-mark: Govt | India has achieved a significant milestone as the cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed the 22 crore-mark, according to the 7 pm provisional report, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.  The ministry said 11,37,597 beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years received their first dose and 19,523 beneficiaries of the same age group received their second dose of the Covid vaccine on Wednesday. Cumulatively, 2,25,40,803 persons across 37 states and UTs have received their first dose and 59,052 have received their second dose since the start of phase three of the vaccination drive. Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have administered the first dose of the vaccine to more than 10 lakh beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years, the ministry said.

Cumulative Covid-19 Vaccination Coverage Crosses 22 Crore-mark: Govt | India has achieved a significant milestone as the cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed the 22 crore-mark, according to the 7 pm provisional report, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. The ministry said 11,37,597 beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years received their first dose and 19,523 beneficiaries of the same age group received their second dose of the Covid vaccine on Wednesday. Cumulatively, 2,25,40,803 persons across 37 states and UTs have received their first dose and 59,052 have received their second dose since the start of phase three of the vaccination drive. Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have administered the first dose of the vaccine to more than 10 lakh beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years, the ministry said.

The Centre on Thursday said it has inked a deal with domestic vaccine maker Biological-E for 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for 15 billion rupees ($205.

Search on For More Antifungal Drugs: Drug Regulator | Amidst the surge in mucormycosis cases in the country, the drug regulator is reviewing the use of alternative drugs. The govt is likely to release a clinical management protocol on the use of Amphotericin- a medicine used to treat black fungus. 

 Thane's COVID-19 Count Rises by 568, Death Toll by 44 | With the addition of 568 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has reached 5,18,831, an official said on Thursday. Besides these new cases reported on Wednesday, the virus also claimed the lives of 44more people, pushing the death toll in the district to 9,332. The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane is 1.79 per cent, he added.

Cyprus Detects Two Cases of B.1.617 Variant of Covid-19 | Cyprus has confirmed that two samples of the COVID-19 variant first detected in India have been found among the population. The Cypriot Health Ministry says the variant was found in two of 170 samples taken from infected individuals living in Cyprus. The samples underwent testing at the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Of the samples, 166 identified as the UK variant of the virus, while another two were the C.36 variant, which the Health Ministry says doesn't pose a concern. The samples were taken between April 30-May 21. The Ministry says the possibility of new variants entering the country remains high, despite the strict measures at Cyprus' two international airports.

Serum Institute of India (SII), the manufacturer of Covishield, has asked for indemnity from liability, saying all vaccine makers, whether Indian or foreign, should be granted the same protection.

Here's state-wise distribution of cases

India Reports 1.34L Covid Cases, 2,887 Deaths in Past 24 Hrs | India reports 1,34,154 new COVID19 cases, 2,11,499 discharges, and 2,887 deaths in last 24 hours, as per Health Ministry

 As many as 35,37,82,648 samples have been tested in the country up to June 2 including 21,59,873 samples tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

Pandemic Created an 'Unparalleled' Employment Crisis: UN | The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unparalleled global labour market crisis that will affect the employment market for years, the International Labor Organization said in a report Wednesday. The UN agency said that "all countries have suffered a sharp deterioration in employment and national income, which has aggravated existing inequalities and risks inflicting longer-term scarring effects on workers and enterprises". The 164-page World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2021 report said the crisis has hit vulnerable workers, including 2 billion in the informal sector, women and young people the hardest. During 2020, an estimated 8.8% of total working hours were lost -- "the equivalent of the hours worked in one year by 255 million full-time workers, the agency said. By contrast, it said, if there had not been a pandemic, the world would have created an estimated 30 million new jobs in 2020.

Foundation Raises USD1.2 million for COVID Efforts in India | US-India Chambers of Commerce Foundation has raised more than USD1.2 million for coronavirus-related efforts in India. With a record-breaking fundraising, US-India Chambers of Commerce Foundation has shipped or en route nearly 120 ventilators and over 1,000 oxygen concentrators, a release said on Wednesday. United Airlines is one of the logistics providers who has been partnering with the foundation to help get this needed medical equipment in country as quickly as possible.  Some of the equipment has already reached hospitals in India and already being used, the release said. Recipients have been Indian Red Cross, along with no-governmental and government hospitals in Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. 

Serum Institute of India (SII) seeks indemnity protection against liabilities: Sources#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/0IyrI7iBW3

— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2021

More than Half of the Children Who Lost Parents Due to Covid-19 Aged Between 4-13, 788 Below 3 Years | A total of 788 children below 3 years and 5226 aged between 4-13 either lost both parents, one parent or were abandoned during the pandemic. According to a report by Times of India, out of the total of 9,346 children 3,332 belong to the 14 to 17 age group. The gender break-up of the data, shared by the National Commission for Child Rights was part of its affidavit in the Supreme Court on Tuesday. 4860 of the children are boys and 4486 girls.

UPDATE | Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to hold a meeting with disaster management at 12.30 pm today, announcement on board exam expected. 

Lockdown in Karnataka may be extended till June 14 as the positivity and fatality rates remain high in the state and the pandemic spreads to rural areas.

Govt Finalises Advance Deal for 30 Crore Covid Vaccine Doses with Hyderabad-based Biological E | Ministry of Health finalised advance arrangement with M/s Biological-E Ltd., Hyderabad for 30 cr COVID19 Vaccine doses. The COVID-19 vaccine of Biological-E is currently undergoing Phase-3 clinical trial after showing promising results in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. The vaccine being developed by Biological-E is a RBD protein sub-unit vaccine and is likely to be available in the next few months.

Corona-free village competitions to be held in Maharashtra

Corona-free village competitions will be held in Maharashtra to encourage steps to curb the spread of COVID-19. Three village panchayats will be awarded for doing good work in COVID-19 management in each revenue division: State Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif (02.06)

— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2021

Bengal Reports 8,923 New COVID-19 Cases, 135 More Deaths | West Bengal's COVID-19 cases continued to decline as the state reported 8,923 new infections on Wednesday, the Health Department said. In the last 24 hours, 135 people died of the disease in the state, it said. The state has so far reported 13,94,724 cases and 15,813 deaths. Of the latest fatalities, 43 were reported from North 24 Parganas, and 38 from Kolkata.

As India crosses another milestone of administering 22 crore cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses, a closer look at the statistics reveals a gender gap in the inoculation process as most states vaccinate…

Over 90 Fresh Cases in Ladakh

Ladakh reported 91 COVID cases, 140 discharges, and one death on Wednesday

Active cases: 1,531
Total discharges: 17,119
Death toll: 191 pic.twitter.com/3X5alhLZEX

— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2021

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to prepare a report comparing domestic and international prices of Covid vaccines currently available in India.

Covaxin Trials on Chidren Begins at AIIMS Patna | Patna's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has started the paediatric trials for the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the Bharat Biotech, Covaxin, reported news agency ANI. Covaxin received the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) nod to conduct clinical trials in children on May 11.

Rajasthan Cancels Classes 10, 12 Board Exams | The Rajasthan government on Wednesday night decided to cancel classes 10 and 12 examinations conducted by the state board this year in view of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an official statement. The decision, taken in an online meeting of the State Council of Ministers, came a day after the central government announced cancelling the CBSE Class 12 board exams. Medical experts have warned that children may be more prone to infection in a possible third wave of COVID-19. In such a situation, it has been decided to cancel the examinations of classes 10 and 12 conducted by the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education, the statement said. 

EU Delays Adding UK to Covid ‘White List’ Over Fears of Delta Variant | The EU has delayed putting the UK on a “white list” of countries from where non-essential travel into the bloc is approved because of concerns about the rise in cases linked to the Delta variant first identified in India. Japan, which is in an extended state of emergency during which there has been a sustained reduction in the number of new infections, has been added to the list, diplomatic sources said. The country is due to host the Olympic Games on 23 July. The decision in principle was made during a meeting of ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday. Sources said the UK’s status would be examined again on 14 June.