The Covid-19 situation in India is improving. The country has been reporting below 1 lakh new Coronavirus infections for the past few days.Coronavirus Cases and Deaths in India Today, Covid-19 Vaccine Live Delhi Unlock 3 June 14 Live Tracker: The Covid-19 situation in India is improving. The country has been reporting below 1 lakh new Coronavirus infections for the past few days. The daily positivity rate has also gone down below five percent as recoveries continue to outpace new cases for the past few weeks.
India reported 70,421 new Coronavirus infections, the lowest since March 31, taking the country’s infection tally to 2,95,10,410, according to Union Health Ministry’s data on Monday. Active caseload dropped below 10 lakh after over two months and now accounted for 3.30 percent of the total infections. The country’s Covid-19 recovery rate has also improved to 95.43 percent. However, the number of daily deaths increased to 3,921. High Covid-19 deaths still a worry for India. According to Health Ministry data, the Covid-19 death toll nearly doubled in all but four states in the past six weeks. In some states/UTs, the toll has even spiked by four times. Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, and Ladakh are the only states/UTs that have bucked the trend. The country has reported 2.1 lakh deaths linked to Coronavirus complications since April 1. Out of which, five states, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh accounted for more than 55% of total deaths. And these five states saw 60% of these deaths in the last six weeks. Despite the overall improvement in the Covid-19 scenario, the high number of deaths still a concern.
Meanwhile, some states have started the unlocking process as cases continue to fall. National capital Delhi begins Unlock 3 from today. On Sunday, Delhi witnessed 213 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest in over three months, and 28 more deaths. Active cases in Delhi also down by nearly a fourth in the last 15 days. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has allowed all shops, restaurants (with 50% seating capacity), and malls to reopen with Covid restrictions. States like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra have also started phase-wise unlocking. Tamil Nadu and Haryana have eased Covid-19 restrictions but continued with the lockdown. Other states/UTs are weighing options for unlocking with the second wave of coronavirus shrinking in the country.
As India looking to reopen amid high Covid-19 deaths, here are the latest updates from India and around the globe on Coronavirus:
Highlights
A tenth of Denmark's nurses and radiographers will go on strike on Saturday after union members voted against a pay deal that their union had agreed to, the nurses' union said on Monday.The strike, which begins on Saturday morning, involves 5,350 nurses or around 10% of the nursing workforce, the Danish Nurses' Organization told Reuters. It did not say how long the strike would last."The dissatisfaction with wages has grown too great," union president Grete Christensen said in a statement."At the same time, after a year and a half with coronavirus, we are in a place where nurses have been running extra fast in a working day that was already characterised by a pressured work environment," Christensen said. - Reuters
More than 1.40 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and Union Territories to be administered and over 96,490 vaccine doses are in the pipeline and will be received by them within the next three days, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. Over 26.68 crore (26,68,36,620) vaccine doses have been provided to states and Union Territories so far. Of this, the total consumption, including wastage, is 25,27,66,396 doses, the ministry said. "More than 1.40 crore (1,40,70,224) Covid vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered. Furthermore, over 96,490 vaccine doses are in the pipeline and will be received by them within the next three days," the ministry said. - PTI
Karnataka reports 6835 new COVID19 cases, 15,409 recoveries and 120 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Total cases 27,71,969Total recoveries 25,66,774Death toll 33,033
Active cases 1,72,141 - ANI
Madhya Pradesh registers 242 new COVID19 cases, 36 deaths, and 516 recoveries in the last 24 hours
Case tally 7,88,425Active cases 3,941 - ANI
Kerala on Monday logged 7,719 fresh COVID-19 cases and 161 deaths, taking the caseload to 27,05,933 and the toll to 11,342. It said 68,573 samples were tested in the last 24 hours and the test positivity rate was 11.26 per cent. Till now, 2,12,89,498 samples have been tested. Active case stood at 1,13,817. (PTI)
Bracing for a possible third wave of coronavirus, several private hospitals in Delhi have started installing their own oxygen generation plants to avoid a repeat of the oxygen crisis the city witnessed during the second wave. These include Jaipur Golden Hospital and Batra Hospital, where patients had died due to oxygen shortage during the peak of the second wave of the pandemic. Recently, the Directorate General of Health Services had asked all private hospitals having 100 or more beds to install their own Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) oxygen plants, refilling plants or create any other infrastructure to produce at least two times their normal requirement of oxygen. (PTI)
Tribal-dominated Jharkhand recorded two COVID deaths during the last 24 hours showing signs of recovery, while new cases plunged to 154, a health department bulletin said on Monday. Capital Ranchi and adjoining Ramgarh districts saw one death each. No positive cases were reported from two of its districts- Godda and Pakur- while not a single death was recorded from 22 out of its 24 districts. (PTI)
Kerala reported 7,719 new COVID cases, 16,743 recoveries and 161 deaths today. With this, there are 1,13,817 active cases in the state. A total of 26,10,368 patients have recovered and 11,342 have died: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Iran's state TV is reporting that the country has approved an emergency use of its first domestically developed coronavirus vaccine that could bring the hardest-hit country in the Middle East closer to inoculating its citizens against COVID-19. The emergency authorisation was approved after the country faced with problems from importing enough vaccines. (AP)
The Union government on Monday told the Bombay High Court that its national guidelines do not at present allow a door-to-door drive to vaccinate people against COVID-19. The Union government's counsel, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, said some state governments and municipal bodies had decided to ignore its advisory guidelines and were conducting door-to-door vaccination for special categories of citizens, but it was not possible yet to make such drives a part of the national policy. (PTI)
A Delhi court on Monday denied bail to a former employee of Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital who was arrested for allegedly selling fake Remdesivir injections, saying that he took 'undue advantage' of its shortage during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. During a police raid on April 30, accused Amit was found to be in possession of two injections of low-cost antibiotic Monocef over which he had allegedly pasted stickers of 'Remdesivir'. He has been in judicial custody since May 1.
The government on Monday allocated an additional 1,06,300 vials of Liposomal Amphotericin-B, used to treat black fungus infection, to states, Union Territories (UTs) and central institutions, Union Minister Sadananda Gowda said. Amphotericin-B is used to treat Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, which damages the nose, eyes, sinuses, and sometimes even the brain. "Ensuring significant availability of Liposomal #Amphotericin B, additional 1,06,300 vials of the drug have been allocated across all the states/UTs and Central institutions today," the minister of chemicals and fertilisers tweeted. (PTI)
The highly transmissible Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has mutated further to form the 'Delta plus' or 'AY.1' variant but there is no immediate cause for concern in India as its incidence in the country is still low, scientists here said. The new Delta plus variant has been formed due to a mutation in the Delta or B.1.617.2 variant, first identified in India and one of the drivers of the deadly second wave. Though there is no indication yet of the severity of the disease due to the new variant, Delta plus is resistant to the monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment for COVID-19 recently authorised in India.
About 20.8 per cent elders have lost either family members or friends due to COVID-19 and most of them believe that a better medical and health infrastructure could have saved these lives, according to a report that surveyed 3,526 elderly people in the country. Marking the "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day", HelpAge India on Tuesday released the findings of its six-city survey, "The Silent Tormentor: Covid 19 and the Elderly", delving into the impact and challenges faced by India's elders during the pandemic. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh reports 4,549 new COVID19 cases, 10,114 recoveries and 59 deaths in the last 24 hours. Total cases 18,14,393Total recoveries 17,22,381Death toll 11,999
Active cases 80,013. (ANI)
Honeywell on Monday said it is partnering with the Indian government's Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) to ramp up oxygen production in the country. Honeywell, which makes aircraft parts for planes manufactured by Boeing Co and Canada's Bombardier Inc, said it will redirect supply of adsorbents to the country to accelerate setting up of medical oxygen plants while its researchers will collaborate with Indian scientists to test and validate suitability of adsorbents for oxygen production in India. (PTI)
A Pune-based start-up has integrated 3D printing and pharmaceuticals to develop a mask which inactivates viral particles that come in contact with it, the Department Science and Technology said on Monday. Developed by Thincr Technologies India Private Limited, these masks are coated with anti-viral agents known otherwise as virucides. The coating has been tested and shown to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2, the DST said, adding the material used in it is a Sodium Olefin Sulfonate-based mixture, a soap-forming agent. (PTI)
About 73 per cent of the elderly population experienced increased abuse during the lockdown imposed amid the second wave of COVID-19, according to a new report. The report by the Agewell Foundation, based on responses from 5,000 elderly, released ahead of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day said 82 per cent of the respondents claimed that their life has been affected adversely due to the current COVID-19 situation. (PTI)
The Army's Northern Command on Monday handed over a large number of COVID-19 related material including oxygen concentrators, PPE kits, face masks and steam inhalers to Udhampur district administration in Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said. This was the second time in the past three weeks that the Udhampur-based Northern Command provided such a large quantity of essential COVID-19 medical supplies to the civil administration in the district. (PTI)
A total of 850 oxygen plants are being set up in various districts of the country from PM Cares Fund for catering to the needs of the country to fight the pandemic COVID-19: DRDO Chairman Dr G Satish Reddy
West Bengal govt extends restrictions till July 1, essential services exempted. "All govt offices will function with 25% strength. Private and corporate offices will remain open from 10 am to 4 pm with not more than 25% strength," CM Mamata Banerjee says
Chief Minister of Puducherry N Rangasamy on Monday urged the people to get the jab against Covid-19 without delay and without fail as vaccination is the most powerful protection against the pandemic. Felicitating sponsors and donors from various sectors for augmenting the medical facilities and establishment of a new Covid ward on the premises of the Government Chest Hospital here, he said, "The government alone cannot meet the requirements in the health sector." (PTI)
Vaccines don't prevent coronavirus infections but will help in keeping the symptoms mild, Apollo Hospitals Joint MD Sangita Reddy said on Monday. In a series of tweets, Reddy also said she was going home today after being hospitalised for coronavirus infection. (PTI)
Mumbai's Dharavi records zero cases of COVID-19 today, as per Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai On April 8, Dharavi reported highest-ever single-day spike of 99 cases (ANI)
Novavax says its vaccine is highly effective against COVID-19 in a large study and also protects against variants. (AP)
The recruitment for the clinical trial of the country's first indigenously-developed COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, among children in the age group of 6-12 years will begin at the AIIMS here from Tuesday. This will be followed by the clinical trial of children in the age-group of 2-6 years. The enrolment of children volunteers aged 12-18 years at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has been completed and they have been given the first dose of Covaxin. (PTI)
Delhi reports 131 new COVID cases (positivity rate - 0.22%), 355 recoveries, and 16 deaths in the last 24 hours Active cases: 3,226 Total recoveries: 14,03,205 Death toll: 24,839
The Dakshina Kannada administration has announced a total lockdown in 17 gram panchayats in the district where more than 50 Covid-19 cases are reported. District deputy commissioner K V Rajendra said the complete lockdown will be in force in Neermarga and Konaje in Mangaluru taluk, eight villages in Belthangady, five villages in Sullia and two in Kadaba from 9 AM on Monday to 9 AM on June 21. (PTI)
As the COVID-19 positivity rate in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district remaining higher, state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday directed the administration to ramp up testing and warned residents against lowering their guard. Pawar and state Health Minister Rajesh Tope conducted a review meeting of the pandemic situation in the western Maharashtra district. "In the first wave of the pandemic, the district administration did a commendable job by controlling the infection. However, the positivity rate in the district in the current second wave is still at the higher side. The review meeting discussed measures like the requirement of drugs etc to check the transmission," Pawar told reporters. (PTI)
Consumer anxiety is at the highest levels since the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic in India with the less affluent most skeptical about economic outlook while a majority of consumers think their income in the next six months will be lower than the pre-COVID levels, says a latest study. As per the COVID-19 consumer sentiment research by global management consulting firm Boston Consulting group (BCG) conducted between May 23 and May 28, 2021, covering around 4,000 respondents across metros, tier I, II, III, IV and rural India, 51 per cent of consumers expected their spends over the next six months to be lower. (PTI)
Odisha reported 4,339 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the tally to 8,56,121, a Health Department official said. Forty-four more people died in the state, pushing the toll to 3,346, he said. In the last 24 hours, 7,733 people recovered. So far, 7,96,799 patients have recovered in the state. There are 55,923 active cases in the state at present. (PTI)
Playback Singer Shreya Ghoshal and actor Kirti Kulhari on Monday said they have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Ghoshal, who gave birth to her son Devyaan last month, urged new mothers to get vaccinated. "While #Devyaan was sleeping peacefully at home, I quickly went out to get my first dose of vaccination today!" the 37-year-old singer wrote on Instagram alongside a video of her getting the jab. "It's absolutely safe for new mothers to get vaccinated for covid as recommended by my doctors. Just like anyone else. If you are a nursing mother, you too can get your shots. #covishield #vaccinationdone #covidvaccine," she further said in her post. Kulhari, 36, said vaccination is the "need of the hour" in the fight against the novel coronavirus. "Let go of myths and fears surrounding the vaccine... and go and take one if you haven't yet..." the "Four More Shots Please!" star wrote on Instagram. The actor also asked people to be patient as vaccines are "not easily available" and booking a slot is a tough task. "But things are getting better... be patient... it will all fall in place slowly and steadily," she said. (PTI)
Transportation company FedEx Express has operated its third dedicated chartered service, carrying COVID-19 supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to India. The third FedEx Boeing 777 Freighter charter flight carrying over 2,50,000 face shields, 1,00,000 goggles, more than 80,000 coveralls and gowns and over 1,34,000 KN95 and N95 masks landed in Mumbai on June 13 from Memphis, Tennessee (US), a release said. Items arriving on the charter flight were donated by Dignity Health, coordinated by TMC Navya, and will be distributed by Direct Relief to medical facilities in India through Tata Memorial Centre, it added. (PTI)
Ladakh recorded more Covid recoveries than new infections as 105 people got discharged from hospitals after battling coronavirus, while only 17 new cases were added. As per the media bulletin released by the directorate of health services Ladakh, a total of 17 new positive sample reports of Covid were received on Sunday. Out of the total positive reports, 16 were reported in Leh and one in Kargil, they said. A total of 2,651 sample reports in UT including 1,972 in Leh and 679 in Kargil were found negative, they said. Officials said the latest update takes the Union Territory's overall tally of cases to 19,561, including 16,161 in Leh and 3,400 in Kargil. With this, the total number of Covid active cases in UT has come down to 658 including 538 in Leh and 120 in Kargil district. (PTI)
The union territory of Puducherry continued to witness a decline in the number of fresh coronavirus cases with 309 new infections being reported on Monday as against 402 the previous day. The 309 new cases were identified at the end of the examination of 7,657 swabs during the last 24 hours ending 10 AM Monday, Director of Health S Mohan Kumar said. The overall tally of COVID-19 cases in the union territory stood at 1,12,837 while total recoveries were at 1,06,199 after 686 patients recovered and were discharged during the last 24 hours. The new cases were spread over Puducherry (240), Karaikal (47), Mahe (14) and Yanam (8). The number of fresh cases have stayed below 500 in the last three days. The number of active cases stood at 4,947 with 802 in hospitals and the remaining 4,145 in home isolation, the Health department Director said. (PTI)
Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Monday virtually laid the foundation stone of Nepal's first-ever liquefied oxygen plant in the Lumbini Province which will help cater to growing domestic demand and reduce oxygen imported from India, amidst the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The plant is being set up at Simarhawa of Rupandehi district in the province. The country has been facing a shortage of oxygen and oxygen cylinders as the second wave of COVID-19 hit Nepal, Prime Minister Oli noted while laying the foundation stone from his official residence Baluwatar. It was an unprecedented event of happiness at a time when the country had been reeling under an acute crisis of oxygen, he noted. The government was compelled to import oxygen and other essential medical equipment, he said. (PTI)
All Centrally-protected monuments/sites and museums under ASI will be opened from 16th June: Archaeological Survey of India (ANI)
AIIMS Delhi to start recruitment for clinical trials tomorrow onwards on 6-12 age group children and 2-6 age group after that. Trial for 6-12 age group to start from tomorrow. Recruitment & clinical trial for single-dose COVAXIN for 12-18 age group is over. (ANI)
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce a four-week delay to an end to all legal lockdown restrictions in the country when he makes a statement later on Monday in relation to so-called 'Freedom Day', which was set for June 21. The last and fourth stage of the lockdown roadmap is now expected around July 19 instead amid a worrying spike in cases of the Delta variant, which experts fear will result in greater hospitalisations in the coming weeks. On Sunday, the UK recorded 7,490 new cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths, with the seven-day average for cases up 49 per cent compared with the seven days before. Scientists and health officials have called for a delay in lifting all social distance norms in order to allow the vaccination programme to gain further ground, with second doses for the older age groups and first doses for the younger population cohorts of over-25s now eligible for jabs. "It is one last heave. It is a straight race between the vaccine and the virus," a senior government source was quoted by 'The Daily Telegraph' as saying after Johnson met his Cabinet ministers and scientific advisers to assess the latest data. (PTI)