While the Centre has said that over 1 crore doses are available with the states, major players such as Odisha and Maharashtra have either shut down the vaccine centres or are operating it for fewer hours due to shortage of vaccine stocks. (Reuters file photo)Coronavirus Cases in India Today, New Coronavirus Variant Delta Plus Symptoms Updates: After a brisk start of the new vaccination programme on June 21st last month, the Narendra Modi government is eyeing for gigantic 12 crore Covid jabs in the month of July. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has said that at least 10 per cent population of each country must be vaccinated against novel coronavirus by September. In what can be the gamechanger for India, another desi vaccine is up for DCGI’s emergency use nod. Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D is the world’s first ‘needle-less’, three dose Covid vaccine. It is first plasmid DNA Covid vaccine. Cadila Healthcare MD Sharvil Patel said that in case the DCGI approves ZyCoV-D, the company will be able to produce 1 crore vaccine doses per month from August onwards and 5 crore doses by December this year.
Here are the latest Covid-related news from India and around the globe:
Highlights
India’s cumulative COVID Vaccination Coverage exceeded 34.41 crore (34,41,00,158). Of which, 38,88,643 vaccine doses were administered today as per the 7 pm provisional report: Union Health Ministry (ANI)
The Congress on Friday raised several questions over a deal for the supply of coronavirus vaccine Covaxin to Brazil, and demanded that the prime minister and the government order a probe into charges of graft. The opposition party also questioned the government over the "slow pace" of vaccination in the country. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the government needs to clear the air over the deal with Brazil as Covaxin was developed by Bharat Biotech in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and taxpayers' money was used for it. Shrinate said there are serious allegations raised by another country that don't drag into controversy just Bharat Biotech but also its co-developer and co-partners, and the conspicuous silence by the Indian government raises far more questions. "We would want to raise some very important questions because this brings disrepute and taint to the entire pharma industry which has brought much repute and pride to India. (PTI)
The UK's medicines regulator has shared relevant data with its counterpart in the European Union (EU) to facilitate the clearance of Covishield, the India-made version of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, Downing Street said on Friday. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said that he is 'very confident' of the approvals of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs by the EU. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had approved the Serum Institute of India (SII) produced vaccines, but the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is yet to give its nod for the region's so-called vaccine passports for travel. It has led to concerns that Indians vaccinated with Covishield and thousands in Britain who received the India imported jabs may face hurdles when travelling to the EU. "I am very confident that there will not prove to be a problem," Prime Minister Johnson told reporters at a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Downing Street when asked about the issue. (AP)
Tamil Nadu has recorded 4,230 new COVID-19 cases and 97 deaths, pushing the overall caseload to 24,88,407 and 32,818, the Health Department said on Friday. Among the new cases were those of nine people from other states while there were 30 deaths from Thanjavur alone. As many as 4,952 people got discharged today, aggregating to 24,18,882 leaving 36,707 active infections, a bulletin said. The State reported its highest daily infection at 36,184 on May 21 and it has been reporting a decline since. On May 30, daily cases dropped below 30,000; on June 7 the numbers were less than 20,000; and on June 17 they were less than 10,000. (PTI)
Bangladesh's daily COVID-19 deaths remained over 100 for the sixth consecutive day with 132 fatalities in the last 24 hours even as experts warned that the country is yet to witness the worst scenario of the pandemic. The daily death toll, the second highest so far, has increased the COVID-19 fatalities to 14,778 while the number of positive cases increased to 930,042 after the country recorded 8,483 new cases in the last 24 hours, said a spokesman of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Bangladesh recorded its highest single-day deaths on Thursday when the virus claimed 143 lives. The country reported highest infection cases of 8,822 on Wednesday as the situation was worsening since the past one week. (PTI)
The Madhya Pradesh government on Friday issued an order easing the night curfew timings by an hour in the urban areas of the state, a senior official said. The night curfew, which was imposed during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, from 10 pm to 6 am, has now been eased by an hour, from 11 pm to 6 am, the state's additional chief secretary (home) Dr Rajesh Rajora said. The revised order will come into effect immediately in all urban areas of the state, he said. (PTI)
Kerala recorded 12,095 fresh COVID-19 cases on Friday, pushing the infection count to 29,49,128, while the toll rose to 13,505 with 146 more deaths. As many as 10,243 people have been cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to 28,31,394 and the number of activecases has touched 1,03,764, a state government release said. In the last 24 hours ending 2 pm, 1,19,659 samples were tested and the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) was 10.11 per cent. So far, 2,33,18,214 samples have been tested. (PTI)
A 70-year-old man died of COVID-19 in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh that recorded 150 new coronavirus cases on Friday, an official said. This took the number of fatalities and positive cases to 3,465 and 2,02,440 respectively. According to the health department, the number of active cases now stands at 1,579. A total number of 209 people recovered from the infection in the state in the last 24 hours, taking the number of recoveries to 1,97,369, the official said. (PTI)
The Gujarat government on Friday informed the High Court that it will significantly enhance the medical infrastructure to face a possible third wave of the coronavirus pandemic and will almost double the number of oxygen beds, ICU beds and ventilators. The government submitted an affidavit before a special bench of Justices Bela Trivedi and Bhargav Karia which is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on the pandemic situation in the state (which the HC has taken up on its own) and related petitions. As per the "Third Wave Preparedness Plan For Covid-19" laid out in the affidavit, the number of COVID-19 hospitals, including private ones, will be increased from the present 1,800 to 2,400 if the need arises. Oxygen beds will be increased from 61,000 to 1.10 lakh and ICU beds from 15,000 to 30,000, it said. The government has also planned to add 8,000 ventilators, taking the total to 15,000. (PTI)
Rajasthan recorded seven deaths and 76 new coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the number of fatalities and positive cases to 8,930 and 9,52,573 respectively. Two deaths were recorded each in Udaipur, Dausa and Bikaner and one in Alwar, an official report said. Of the fresh positive cases, maximum of 27 were reported from Jaipur, followed by 14 in Alwar. A total of 9,42,331 persons in the state have recovered from the infection so far and the number of active cases at present is 1,312. (PTI)
Both the doses of Covid vaccine provide around 98 per cent protection from death due to the disease, while one dose gives nearly 92 per cent shield, the government said on Friday citing a study conducted on police personnel in Punjab. The study was done by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh in collaboration with the Punjab government. Sharing the data of the study, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said 4,868 police personnel were not vaccinated and out of them, 15 died due to coronavirus infection, which comes down to 3.08 incidence per thousand. (PTI)
Meghalaya's COVID-19 caseload on Friday increased to 50,575 as 485 more people tested positive for the infection, while five fresh fatalities pushed the north-eastern states coronavirus death toll to 849, a health official said. All five fatalities are from the East Khasi Hills district. The state now has 4,652 active COVID-19 cases, while 45,074 people have recovered from the infection so far, including 365 in the last 24 hours, Health Services director Aman War said. (PTI)
Maharashtra reports 8,753 new COVID cases, 8,385 discharges, and 156 deaths in the past 24 hours Active cases: 1,16,876Total discharges: 58,36,920Recovery rate: 96.01% (ANI)
The head of the World Health Organisation says the world is in "a very dangerous period" of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting the more contagious delta variant is identified in nearly 100 countries. At a press briefing on Friday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the delta variant, first found in India, is continuing to evolve and mutate, and it is becoming the predominant COVID-19 virus in many countries. "I have already urged leaders across the world to ensure that by this time next year, 70% of all people in every country are vaccinated," he said, adding that would effectively end the acute phase of the pandemic. (AP)
The Delhi High Court Friday said it will hear on July 12, a plea by doctors challenging imposition of cost and certain adverse observations made by the court while dismissing their petition seeking to postpone the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) screening test due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country. A vacation bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Subramonium Prasad said there was no justification for taking up the matter now and listed it before the roster bench on July 12. "You are only challenging the costs and adverse observations, let it come before the roster bench," the court said. Petitioner, Association of MD Physicians, has filed an appeal challenging a single judge's June 11 order imposing a cost of Rs 25,000 and making certain remarks while dismissing the petition seeking to postpone the exam which was scheduled for June 18. (PTI)
Goa reports 183 new #COVID cases, 285 recoveries and 2 deaths in the last 24 hours.Active cases: 2,174Total recoveries: 1,61,867Death toll: 3,062 (ANI)
India on Friday said it expects that its CoWIN vaccination certificate would be recognised by the European Union on a reciprocal basis for travel and it is in touch with member states of the bloc over this issue. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the European Union has now instituted what is called an EU digital COVID certificate for exempting restrictions on the movement of vaccinated people. "Our expectation is that Indians who have been vaccinated through our domestic vaccination programme would be treated at par with those vaccinated in the EU and the CoWIN vaccination certificate would be recognized by the EU on a reciprocal basis," he said at an online media briefing. "As you are aware, such CoWIN vaccination certificates can be authenticated on the CoWIN website itself. We are in touch with the EU member states in this regard for reciprocal acceptance," Bagchi said, noting that a number of EU countries have already taken "positive steps" in this direction. His remarks came a day after sources said nine European nations are accepting Covishield vaccines for travel to their countries. (PTI)
Pakistan received 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine from the United States on Friday, easing pressure on Islamabad in overcoming the shortage of COVID-19 vaccines. According to a US embassy statement, the vaccines were delivered to the Pakistani people in partnership with the COVAX global vaccine initiative, UNICEF, and the government of Pakistan. It says this donation was part of the 80 million doses the United States was sharing with the world, "delivering on our pledge to facilitate equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines, which are essential to ending the COVID-19 pandemic". (AP)
Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday visited Serum Institute of India's vaccine manufacturing plant in Pune to get further acquainted with the vaccination production and to review the production of Covid-19 vaccines . Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ms S. Aparna was also present.
Sikkim reported 111 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, pushing the caseload to 20,777, a health department bulletin said on Friday. The coronavirus death toll in Sikkim remained at 308 as no more fatality was reported in the past 24 hours, it said. South Sikkim registered 58 new cases, followed by East Sikkim (41), South Sikkim (11) and North Sikkim (1) districts. Sikkim now has 2,062 active COVID-19 cases, while 253 patients have migrated to other states, and 18,154 people have recovered from the disease. (PTI)
Uttarakhand reports 109 #COVID19 cases, 108 recoveries and 2 deaths today.Active cases: 1,864Total recoveries: 3,25,361Death toll: 7,327 (ANI)
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Telangana on Friday reported 858 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to over 6.25 lakh, while the toll stood at 3,678 with nine more deaths. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the highest number of cases with 107 followed by Khammam (81) and Nalgonda (64) districts, a state government bulletin said. The number of active cases was12,726. The total number of cases in the state stood at6,25,237, while with1,175people being cured, the total recoveries are at6,08,833. Over 1.08 lakh samples were tested on Friday. (PTI)
Delhi recorded two more COVID-19-related deaths and 93 new cases on Friday with a positivity rate of 0.13 per cent, according to a health department bulletin. The national capital had recorded four COVID-19-related deaths and 91 cases on Thursday with a positivity rate of 0.12 per cent. As many as 407 patients recovered in the last 24 hours as the recoveries again outnumbered the new cases. With the fresh cases on Friday, Delhi's COVID-19 caseload has increased to 14,34,374. The death toll stands at 24,983, it said, adding that the case fatality rate is 1.74 per cent. The national capital had recorded 94 Covid cases at a positivity rate of 0.12 per cent and six fatalities on Wednesday. (PTI)
State level curfew extended till 7 am, 12 July 2021. Shops can remain open from 7 am to 6 pm. Saloons and outdoor sports complex/stadiums may also open: Goa CM, Pramod Sawant (ANI)
Two Indian nationals, who are also permanent residents in Singapore, were charged by a court here on Friday for breaching the government set conditions of the Stay-Home Notices that was served to them when they arrived in the country in March. Suresh Naidu Bojanki, 37, and Bharati Tulshiram Choudhari, 47, were charged for acting in a manner likely to spread the contagious coronavirus, The Straits Times newspaper reported. The two had met on a flight to Singapore but allegedly breached the conditions of their Stay-Home Notices (SHN) at Oasia Hotel to meet in one of their rooms after midnight, the report said. Bojanki is also facing an additional charge of failing to wear a mask outside his place of residence. (PTI)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela met on Friday with COVID-19 travel restrictions high on the agenda as cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant surge in Britain. The meeting, hosted at Johnson's Chequers country residence on what will be Merkel's last trip to Britain as chancellor, was officially aimed at deepening relations. However, Johnson is also seeking to argue that Britain's advanced vaccine programme should permit its citizens to travel abroad more widely this year - something a hard-hit travel industry says it needs to survive after more than a year of pandemic restrictions. (Reuters)
The COVID-19 reproduction "R" number in England is estimated to have fallen to between 1.1 and 1.3, the government's latest weekly estimate said, with the daily growth rate of infection also estimated to be slightly lower. An R value between 1.1 and 1.3 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 13 other people. Last week, it was estimated between 1.2 and 1.4.The daily growth rate of infections was estimated between 2% and 5%, compared with 3% and 5% last week. (Reuters)
The Gujarat High Court on Friday turned down the state government's proposal to reduce the penalty for not wearing a mask in public amid the coronavirus outbreak from Rs 1,000 at present to Rs 500 saying some form of deterrence must remain to stem the spread of the virus. When Advocate General Kamal Trivedi insisted on a reduction in the fine amount, the High Court bench comprising Justices Bela Trivedi and Bhargav Karia said the court will decide on this request once 50 per cent of the state's population is vaccinated against COVID-19. The special bench was hearing a suo motu PIL along with a set of connected petitions regarding the coronavirus situation in the state. During Friday's virtual hearing, advocate general Trivedi said the state government had increased the fine from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 following an HC directive a few months back. (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh reported 133 COVID-19 cases and a single fatality on Friday, pushing the state's infection tally to 17,06,384 and the death toll to 22,616. The lone death was reported in Etawah, the state government said in a statement. Eleven cases each were reported from Lucknow and Allahabad, nine from Varanasi, seven from Ghaziabad and six from Gorakhpur among others. A total of 228 more COVID-19 patients have recovered from the disease in the state, taking their number to 16,81,208 so far. The count of active COVID-19 cases in the state now stands at 2,560, the statement said. (PTI)
The Vatican's bioethics academy and the World Medical Association called Friday for an all-out effort to combat vaccine hesitancy and correct the "myths and disinformation" that are slowing the fight against the coronavirus. In a joint statement, the groups said some vaccine reluctance in poorer countries is rooted in historical inequalities and suspicions of Western pharmaceutical companies. But they said "a more pernicious form" of hesitancy is being driven by fake news, myths and disinformation about vaccine safety, including among religious groups and some in the medical community. They demanded that "all relevant stakeholders exhaust all efforts to ... confront vaccine hesitancy by sending a clear message about the safety and necessity of vaccines and counteracting vaccine myths and disinformation". (AP)
Odisha reported 3,222 new COVID-19 cases and 46 more deaths on Friday, a Health Department official said. The state has so far reported 9,16,109 cases, while the toll reached 4,109, he said. Nine of the latest deaths were reported from the Khurda district. Puri, Sundergarh and Nayagarh reported four deaths each, followed by three deaths each in Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Kendrapara and Sambalpur. Of the new cases, 1,838 were detected in the quarantine centres while the rest 1,384 were local contact cases. Cuttack district recorded the highest number of new cases at 619, followed by Khurda (422) and Jagatsinghpur (212). (PTI)
Union Health Ministry approves the vaccination of pregnant women against #COVID19. Pregnant women may now register on CoWIN or walk-in to the nearest COVID Vaccination Centre (CVC) to get themselves vaccinated, says the Ministry (ANI)
DCGI has the application of Zydus Cadila. It is undergoing a process of evaluation by the Subject Expert Committee. We're hoping to hear a positive response. It will be a moment of pride as it is a unique technology. It'll give a push to our vaccine program: VK Paul, Niti Aayog (ANI)
The government on Friday stressed on vaccination and following COVID-19 protocols as it noted that the second wave of the pandemic is not over yet. Addressing a press conference on the pandemic situation, an official said people cannot and should not lower their guard. Seventy-one districts reported Covid case positivity rate of more than 10 per cent in the week from June 23 to 29, the government said, adding that the second wave of COVID-19 is not over. (PTI)
Further easing the coronavirus curbs, the Uttar Pradesh government has allowed the opening of gymnasiums, cinema halls, multiplexes and sports stadiums at 50 per cent of their capacity from Monday. A government spokesperson said on Friday that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced the relaxations in view of improving Covid situation in the state. Under the new guidelines, which will come into effect from 7 am on July 5, all gymnasiums, cinema halls, multiplexes and sports stadiums will be allowed to open between 7 am and 9 pm five days a week with strict compliance of Covid-19-appropriate behaviour, the spokesman said. However, these will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent of their capacity, the CM said at a Covid review meeting, according to the spokesperson. The gyms in containment zones will remain closed. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh reported 3,464 new COVID19 cases and 25 deaths in the past 24 hours; active caseload at 37,323 (ANI)
We are in talks with Johnson & Johnson regarding their single-dose vaccine. Their vaccine is being produced outside. As per the plan, this vaccine will also be produced in Hyderabad's Bio E: Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog (ANI)
There are 56 Delta AY.1 (Delta A Plus) cases in 12 states: Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog to ANI (ANI)
India has administered over 34 crore doses (of COVID vaccine), maximum across the world. This is followed by the US with 32.8 crore doses & the UK with 7.79 crore doses: Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry (ANI)