The active cases across the country have also reduced to 10.80 lakh. (Photo Source: PTI)Coronavirus Cases in India Today, Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker Highlights: For more than two months now, the Coronavirus cases in India on daily basis were more than 90,000. For the first time in a recent while, the daily number of cases reported in India has gone below this mark as the country reported 84,332 new cases on Saturday. This has taken the overall caseload in India 29,359,155, the data provided by the Union ministry of health and family welfare showed. On Friday, India had recorded 91,702 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours. The active cases across the country have also reduced to 10.80 lakh.
In the last 24 hours, as many as 121,311 people recovered from the deadly infection while 4,002 people succumbed to it. In India, the government data indicates a total of 367,081 people have died so far due to the infection. On Friday, an 8 per cent decline in daily cases was recorded ever since the second Covid-19 wave peaked on May 7.
Meanwhile, the ICMR is expected to start national-level sero surveys soon in order to assess the spread of Covid-19. All states as well as Union Territories are also advised to conduct them on their own level.
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Highlights
The World Health Organisation (WHO)’s chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan is upset that despite well thought through and planned-in-advance initiatives like COVAX to address any likely inequity in access to vaccines globally, today there is gross inequity of distribution and access to vaccines around the world. COVAX is an initiative, put in place last year, is led jointly by WHO, GAVI and CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations).
Since we were able to predict this, she said, “the idea of COVAX was to have a global mechanism for fair and equitable distribution of vaccines and even supplying them free to those countries that could not afford. This has not completely succeeded till today because the supplies into COVAX just did not materialise and a large part of that was to come from India.” | Read More
Assam registers 3463 new COVID-19 cases, 5,600 discharges, and 42 deaths in the past 24 hours; active cases at 43,298 (ANI)
With the addition of 490 new cases of COVID-19, the tally of infections in Gujarat rose to 8,19,866 on Saturday, an official from the state health department said. At least 1,278 patients were discharged from hospitals, while six died of the infection, taking the count of recoveries to 7,99,012 and toll to 9,991, the official said. With this, the recovery rate has risen to 97.46 per cent, leaving the state with 10,863 active cases, of which 272 patients are in a critical condition, he said. Surat reported the highest number of 100 new cases, followed by Vadodara with 77 cases, Ahmedabad with 64, Rajkot with 38 and Jamnagar with 18, it was stated. (PTI)
COVID-19 | Chandigarh reports 58 new cases, 3 deaths and 79 discharges today; the total number of active cases in the Union Territory is 540 (ANI)
COVID-19 | Tamil Nadu reports 15,108 new cases, 374 deaths and 27,463 recoveries today; active cases at 1,62,073 (ANI)
COVID19 | Maharashtra reports 10,697 new cases, 360 deaths and 14,910 discharges today; Recovery rate in the State is 95.48% (ANI)
COVID19 | Mumbai reports 733 new cases, 732 discharges & 18 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Total cases 7,15,879Total recoveries 6,82,678Death toll 15,164
Active cases 15,798 (ANI)
Himachal Pradesh reports 370 new COVID-19 cases, 830 discharges & 17 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Total cases 1,98,313Total recoveries 1,89,522Death toll 3368
Active cases 5402 (ANI)
The national capital recorded 213 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest in over three months, and 28 fatalities on Saturday, as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal praised the people of Delhi, saying they have together faced the second wave of the pandemic with struggle and discipline and “succeeded in controlling it”.
According to the latest health bulletin, these new fatalities pushed the death toll from COVID-19 here to 24,800. | Read More
Himachal Pradesh reports 370 new COVID-19 cases, 830 discharges & 17 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Total cases 1,98,313Total recoveries 1,89,522Death toll 3368
Active cases 5402 (ANI)
COVID19 | Goa reports 472 cases, 15 deaths and 601 recoveries today; active cases at 5057 (ANI)
COVID19 | Kerala reports 13,832 new infections, 18,172 recoveries & 171 deaths today.
Active cases 1,29,488 Death toll 10,975 (ANI)
The GST Council on Saturday slashed tax rate on COVID-19 drugs such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab as well as on medical oxygen and oxygen concentrators but ignored demands for reduction in taxes on vaccines.
The Council, acting on the recommendation of a group of ministers from different states, cut to nil GST on COVID-19 drug Tocilizumab and black fungus medicine Amphotericin B, from existing 5 per cent. Besides, hand sanitiser, pulse oximeter, BiPAP machine, testing kit, ambulance and temperature check equipment were among the 18 items on which GST rates were lowered. | Read More
COVID19 | Goa reports 472 cases, 15 deaths and 601 recoveries today; active cases at 5057 (ANI)
COVID19 | Kerala reports 13,832 new infections, 18,172 recoveries & 171 deaths today.
Active cases 1,29,488 Death toll 10,975 (ANI)
Weekend curfew would be in force from 7 pm on June 18 to 5 am on June 21. Night curfew would be in force on each night on remaining days between 7 pm to 5 am during the aforementioned period: Karnataka Government (ANI)
Much has been written on how Coronavirus transmits from an infected patient to the surroundings and other vulnerable populations but a new research has shown that the SARS-CoV-2 virus persists on the surface of hospitals for a long time. According to a research published in Microbiome, the virus was found present on several surfaces of the hospital including the beds of patients, floors outside the patients’ ward, surface inside the room among others, the Indian Express reported. | Read More
Karnataka government allows economic and other activities in a graded manner w.e.f. 6 am of June 14 to 6 am of June 21, wherein weekend and night curfew are proposed to be imposed. (ANI)
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There appears to be no substantial evidence to suggest that children will be more affected or have greater illness severity due to COVID-19 in the anticipated third wave, according to a new report. The Lancet COVID-19 Commission India Task Force prepared the report after convening an experts group comprising leading paediatricians from the country to examine the issue of 'paediatric COVID-19' in India. (PTI)
Delhi recorded 213 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest in over three months, and 28 more fatalities on Saturday, while the positivity rate dipped to 0.30 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here. As per the latest health bulletin, these new fatalities pushed the death toll from COVID-19 here to 24,800. (PTI)
Vedanta on Saturday announced commissioning of its second state-of-the-art 100-bed Covid Field Hospital in Hubli, Karnataka. Vedanta's first COVID Field Hospital in the state was recently inaugurated at Chitradurga, the company said in a statement. Vedanta Cares COVID Field Hospital at Hubli was inaugurated on Saturday by union coal and mines minister Pralhad Joshi. Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal was also present virtually on this occasion. (PTI)
Russia's national coronavirus taskforce on Saturday reported that the country's tally of daily new infections has risen by nearly 50 per cent over the past week and more than doubled in Moscow. It said there were 13,510 infections recorded in the previous day, sharply higher than the 9,163 reported on June 6. Nearly half the new cases were in Moscow - 6,701 compared with 2,936 a week ago. READ MORE
The Indian Army on Saturday dedicated a 50-bed COVID-19 facility set up in Srinagar to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to help the union territory prepare for an anticipated third wave of the pandemic, a defence spokesperson said here. The facility established at the 216 Transit Camp in Batwara was inaugurated by Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Aijaz Asad, he said. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh registered a COVID-19 positivity rate of 6.4 per cent, the lowest in close to two months, as the state recorded 6,952 new cases in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Saturday. The latest bulletin said 11,577 persons recovered from the infection while 58 more succumbed in 24 hours. The state Covid-19 chart now showed 18,03,074 positives, 16,99,775 recoveries and 11,882 deaths. (PTI)
Expressing concern over drastic drop of routine immunisation among children specially during the second wave of COVID-19, healthcare experts have warned that there may be a risk of the children contracting vaccine preventable diseases which may re-emerge as a potential challenge. According to officials, an estimated 20 lakh to 22 lakh children across the country, under the age of one, are targeted for vaccination under national programmes every month which translates into approximately 260 lakh children per year. (PTI)
Hyundai Motor India Foundation, the philanthropic division of automobile major Hyundai Motor India, handed over oxygen concentrators, personal protective equipment kits to the Kancheepuram district administration on Saturday. As many as 25 oxygen concentrators, 5,000 units of N95 masks, 3,100 PPEs, 600 litres of sanitiser were presented to the government headquarters hospital in Kancheepuram, a press release said. (PTI)
IT Parks and the Technopark Employees Cooperative (TEC) Hospital here, in collaboration with various IT Companies, launched the largest Covid-19 vaccination drive for the state's software professionals and their family members. The vaccination programme was inaugurated on Saturday by MLA Kadakampally Surendran at a facility set up by the H&R Block in Technopark here. (PTI)
A four-day special 'vaccination festival' would be held in the Union Territory of Puducherry from June 16 to administer jabs to all those above 18 years as part of efforts to contain the Covid pandemic. The Health Department of Puducherry government is organising the festival.
Saudi Arabia says this year's hajj pilgrimage will be limited to no more than 60,000 people, all of them from within the kingdom, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The kingdom made the announcement Saturday on its state-run Saudi Press Agency. (PTI)
The UK government is considering a delay of up to four weeks from the scheduled June 21 end to all lockdown restrictions amid a continuing rise in cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19, according to a media report on Saturday. READ MORE
GST on ambulances cut to 12% from current 28%, says Finance Minister
The Rajasthan government on Saturday announced a financial relief package for children who lost their parents to the coronavirus. Under the package, ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh and a pension of Rs 1,500 a month will also be provided to women who lost their husbands to the infection, according to an official statement. (PTI)
GST Council has approved a reduction in rate for Remdesivir from 12% to 5%. No tax on Tocilizumab, Amphotericin B medicines. GST rates on the specified items being used in COVID19 relief and management till 30th September 2021
The Rajasthan government on Saturday announced a financial relief package for children who lost their parents to the coronavirus. Under the package, ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh and a pension of Rs 1,500 a month will also be provided to women who lost their husbands to the infection, according to an official statement. For children of these widows, Rs 1,000 a month per child and Rs 2,500 a month for school books and dress will be provided, it said. (PTI)
The government on Saturday dismissed the claims of hacking of the Co-WIN system and data leak as "baseless". In a statement, the Health Ministry said the matter of the alleged hacking of the Co-WIN system has been investigated by the Computer Emergency Response Team of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. (PTI)
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, alleging that Indians do not come first for the PM, politics does and that truth does not concern him, propaganda does. As part of her "Zimmedaar Kaun (who is responsible)" campaign, in which she has been asking questions of the government over its handling of the pandemic, the Congress general secretary focused on the "crisis of leadership" and claimed that the whole world has witnessed the prime minister's 'incompetence at governance' during the pandemic.
Assam Health Minister Keshab Mahanta on Saturday said that the state government has formed 2,000 teams to vaccinate three lakh people every day provided an adequate number of doses are available. He said the state administration has an adequate stock of Covaxin for administering the second dose to people in the 18-44 years age group.
IT major Infosys on Saturday said it is automating the integration between its own vaccination platform and CoWIN to ease the inoculation process for its staff and their families. CoWIN head R S Sharma had recently said over a dozen entities, including large digital companies like Paytm, MakeMyTrip and Infosys are looking at approval for offering vaccine bookings.
More than 25.87 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states and union territories so far through the Centre and direct state procurement category, the Union health ministry said on Saturday. Of 25,87,41,810, the total consumption, including wastage, is 24,76,58,855 doses (according to data available at 8 am on Saturday), the ministry said in a statement. 'More than 1.12 crore (1,12,41,187) Covid vaccine doses are still available with states/UTs to be administered,' it added. (PTI)
Kolkata Municipal Corporation's WhatsApp chatbot for vaccination registration and slot booking has crossed the 75,000 plus appointment bookings since its launch on May 15, a senior official said. The WhatsApp API based helpline was launched as a free to use service for citizens of Kolkata. (PTI)