Amember of Department of High-Risk Units sprays disinfectant on a colleague in Argentina's Cordoba. (Reuters photo)Coronavirus Statistics India, Covid-19 Cases and Deaths in India on July 15 LIVE, Delta, Delta Plus Live Updates: India should have started vaccinating 1 crore people by now. But here we are with a disturbing slow rate of the vaccination and states squabbling with the Centre over vaccine supply. The Centre has made it clear that it is supplying enough vaccines, that there are more stocks unutilised, that the states are not disseminating information properly at the local level. A high-level meeting took place on Wednesday where the Health Secretary told the states performing poorly to ramp up the vaccination. From Uttar Pradesh to Odisha, from Madhya Pradesh to Kerala, as many as 15 states and UTs were part of the meeting. Also present were the representatives of the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech. One of the key development was the issue of delayed payments.
Such issues must be sorted out at the earliest. Because as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, it is in our hands to avoid the third wave and save the future. Vaccination is the only key to this. If we don’t inoculate enough people, we may push India into the third wave of coronavirus infections and unimaginable devastation.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest developments on coronavirus pandemic from India and around the globe:
Highlights
Kerala on Thursday recorded13,773 fresh COVID-19casespushing the total infection count to 31,17,083 while the number of people who have succumbed to the virus rose to 15,025 with 87 more deaths.
As many as 12,370people have been cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to 29.82 lakh and the number of active cases in the state to 1,19,022, a state government release said. | Read More
Jammu and Kashmir recorded 203 fresh cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total number of infected persons to 3,19,355, while one new death pushed the fatality toll to 4,361, officials said. Of the fresh cases, 74 were from the Jammu division and 129 from the Kashmir division of the union territory, they said.
The officials said Srinagar district recorded the highest of 42 cases, followed by 22 cases in Reasi district. No fresh case was reported from two districts and nine districts had new cases in single digits, they added. The number of active cases has dropped to 2,104 in the union territory. So far, 3,12,890 patients have recovered from the infection, the officials said.
The death toll rose to 4,361 as one fresh fatality was reported in the past 24 hours. The officials said confirmed cases of mucormycosis (black fungus) in the union territory stood at 32 as no fresh case was reported since Wednesday evening. (PTI)
Karnataka reports 1977 fresh COVID cases, 3188 discharges, and 48 deaths in the past 24 hours. Active cases: 32,383Total discharges: 28,10,121Death toll: 36,037 (ANI)
Odisha govt extends partial lockdown till 6 am of August 1, allows movement of passenger buses; barber shops, beauty parlours to resume business (PTI)
Indian cricket team's throwdown specialist Dayanand Garani tests positive for COVID-19 in England, two others from contingent also isolated (PTI)
Pant, who had not stayed in the team hotel during the break period, tested positive on 8th July. He is being closely monitored by the BCCI Medical Team and is on his way to recovery. He will be able to join the squad in Durham after returning two negative RT-PCR tests: BCCI (ANI)
Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant nears completion of his self-quarantine period while net bowler Dayanand Garani has tested positive for COVID-19. Pant is asymptomatic and currently undergoing self-isolation at the place where he reported positive: Board of Control for Cricket in India (ANI)
Andhra Pradeshs cumulative coronavirus cases increased to 19.32 lakh as 2,526 positiveswere added afresh on Thursday. With 2,933 recoveries in 24 hours ending 9 am onThursday, the total number of cured patients went up to 18,93,498. The gross toll touched 13,081 as 24 fresh fatalities were reported in a day, according to the latest bulletin. The state now has 25,526 active Covid-19 cases, the bulletin said. (PTI)
The Congress highlighted the shortage of Covid vaccines in some states on Thursday and said people are being made to look like fools in this tussle between the Centre and the states. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also attacked the government over several other issues and asked who brought these difficult times. "Built for centuries, erased in seconds, the country knows who brought these difficult times," he said in a tweet in Hindi. Gandhi used the hashtags "#VaccineShortage", "#LAC", "#Unemployment", "#PriceHike", "#PSU", "#Farmers" and "#OnlyPR" to hit out at the government in the cryptic tweet. After the Centre claimed that there is no shortage of vaccines, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram asked whether state health ministers were lying when there were boards of "no vaccine" put up at various places. "The new Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is treading on the same path as his predecessor. That's sad," he wrote on Twitter. "State after State is complaining of vaccine shortage. Vaccination centres have boards saying "No Vaccines". People standing in queues return home after vaccine doses are exhausted. (PTI)
Production of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine at a factory in Thailand has fallen short of its target, likely delaying the country's plan to acquire a total of 61 million doses until next May, a government official said Thursday. The projected supply shortfall will complicate plans to inoculate at least 70 per cent of the country's 69 million people this year as Thailand battles record-high daily increases in COVID-19 cases and deaths. Cases have risen with the spread of the more contagious delta variant of the virus. Deputy Health Minister Sathit Pitutacha said in an interview with MCOT Television that AstraZeneca had asked for the extension until next May to complete delivery, and that while the timeframe is flexible, the government will still negotiate for as much monthly supply as possible. He said that according to AstraZeneca, the current production capacity of the factory operated by Siam Bioscience, a company owned by Thailand's king, is 15 million doses per month, and that AstraZeneca has agreed to provide 40 per cent of that to Thailand. Sathit said production could increase in the future. (PTI)
Delhi | DC Chowk Market in Sector-9 of Rohini shut till 19th July for violation of COVID19 norms: SDM, Alipur (ANI)
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Sikkim reported 137 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours pushing the caseload to 22,929, a health department bulletin said on Thursday. Of the fresh cases, 72 were registered in South Sikkim, followed by 46 in East Sikkim and 19 in West Sikkim. The death toll in the Himalayan state has risen to 318 after one more patient succumbed to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the bulletin said. Sikkim now has 2,322 active cases, while 20,029 people have recovered from the infection, and 260 patients have migrated to other states. (PTI)
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan writes to all States/UTs, reiterates the need for focus on 'Test-Treat,-Track-Vaccinate and adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour' strategy as states/UTs give relaxations in restrictions. (ANI)
Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Thursday requested those suffering from cold and fever, and those in contact with COVID-19 positive persons to take part in the testing drive. The two-day drive began today. The minister, in a press release, said people with symptoms of the virus should also take part in the drive in which 3.75 lakh tests are to be conducted. George said those with respiratory and serious illnesses should be examined as they would be more susceptible to COVID-19. (PTI)
The Odisha government Thursday allowed the movement of passenger buses, and barber shops and beauty parlours to resume business, while extending the partial lockdown till 6 am of August 1. Briefing journalists, Chief Secretary S C Mohapatra said, the partial lockdown was extended as the pandemic situation has not yet come under "complete control". The lockdown, which was to end on Friday, was imposed in the coastal state on May 5. This is for the fourth time in the second wave of the pandemic that the state government has extended the lockdown. Mohapatra said, "The daily test positivity rate (TPR) of Odisha, which was 5 per cent on July 1, has now come down to below 3 per cent. The number of daily infections has also come down to 2,000 from 3,000 reported earlier this month. "It means the situation has not fully improved." On the lifting of some curbs, Mohapatra said, "Thegovernment in a bid to strike a balance between life and livelihood has announced some relaxations." Although gyms have been allowed to operate, schools, colleges, coaching centres, and religious establishments will remain closed till August 1. Maximum 25 people can attend a marriage ceremony, while 20 people can remain present at a funeral. Parks, shopping malls, cinema halls will remain closed and exhibitions, jatras (popular folk theatre) and fairs will not be allowed during the partial lockdown. However, the state government has allowed indoor and outdoor shootings for films and serials across the state with strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols. (PTI)
The pandemic has adversely affected careers and education plans of India's youth and job applications of a significant number of Gen Z aspirants, those below 24 years, were rejected or cancelled during the second COVID wave, says a LinkedIn survey. On World Youth Skills Day 2021 on Thursday, LinkedIn launched the 'Career Aspirations Gen Z India' survey that captures the sentiment and outlook of Gen Z professionals in India towards jobs, internships, skilling, and networking opportunities. LinkedIn commissioned research firm GfK to conduct the survey, which was done in June. It focuses on insights of 1,000 Gen Z students and professionals in the age group of 18 to 24 years. As per the survey, 72 per cent students and 65 per cent Gen Z Indians were professionally impacted during the second wave of COVID. The study shows that nearly 70 per cent of Gen Z job applicants did not get a positive response after waiting for long periods while a similar proportion said their applications were either cancelled or delayed indefinitely. (PTI)
Former England captain Michael Vaughan on Thursday raised concerns over the upcoming five-Test series between India and England, saying change to COVID-19 related isolation laws is the need of the hour. Vaughan's comments came after reports emerged that India wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant had tested positive for the coronavirus and has been in isolation for the last eight days. "I fear for the 100 & the Indian Test series unless the isolation laws change .. we are bound to have cases as is the case with @RishabhPant17.. plus further down the line I fear the Ashes could be hugely affected with players pulling out unless bubbles/quarantine rules change!" Vaughan wrote on Twitter. (PTI)
Hundreds of people, most of them without masks, took part in a religious procession at Lukwasa in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district in a blatant violation of the COVID-19 protocol, a viral video showed. BJP MLA Virendra Raghuwanshi was among those who participated in the event which took place on Wednesday. All kinds of gatherings are currently banned in the state due to the coronavirus pandemic. When contacted, Kolaras sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Ganesh Jaiswal said on Thursday that he did not know about the procession and no permission had been taken from the administration or the police for any such event. (PTI)
India has the highest number of under-vaccinated or unvaccinated children worldwide at 3.5 million, an increase of 1.4 million from 2019, amid the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the UNICEF said. It also noted that over 3 million of 'zero-dose children' in 2020 lived in India. At nearly 4.4 million, South Asia recorded the highest number of children having failed to receive any routine vaccination in the past ten years, in 2020. "More than 3 million of these 'zero-dose children' in 2020 lived in India," the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund,(UNICEF) said in a statement. Globally, the UNICEF said the data shows that just 10 countries account for 62 per cent of all under- or unvaccinated children globally. "India - particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic - had the highest number of unprotected children worldwide at 3.5 million, an increase of 1.4 million compared with 2019, when the number of unprotected children was 2.1 million," the children's body said. Unprotected children are those who are unvaccinated (no vaccine) or under-vaccinated (incomplete vaccination), that is, any child who has not received any or few doses of their due vaccination. Pakistan had 1.3 million unprotected children in 2020, an increase of 0.4 million, the statement said. (PTI)
Ladakh recorded four new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the infection tally to 20,241, officials said. Four more people -- two each in Leh and Kargil -- were cured and discharged, taking the overall recoveries 19,912, they said. Two people each from Leh and Kargil districts tested positive for coronavirus, officials said. A total of 2,982 sample reports in Ladakh, including 1,281 in Leh and 1,700 in Kargil were found negative, they said, adding no death from Covid was reported on Wednesday. (PTI)
Karnataka will receive 5.73 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine today and another tranche of 1.26 lakh doses by tomorrow morning as part of emergency supply: Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar (ANI)
Indian cricket team's throwdown specialist Dayanand Garani tests positive for COVID-19 in England, two others from contingent also isolated. (PTI)
Not now. Internationally, trends show that the third wave of COVID is imminent. So we don't want to take any risk until the vaccination process is complete: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on reopening of schools (ANI)
The Centre on Thursday launched a campaign to ramp up COVID-19 vaccination among tribal people with focus on dispelling myths, misconceptions and fear about vaccines by involving traditional leaders and local influencers. The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation (TRIFED), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, will implement the campaign, which started from Bastar in Chhattisgarh and Mandla in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, in association with the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organisation (WHO). According to officials, the campaign aims at creating awareness on vaccination among around 50 lakh tribals and forest dwellers across states. Under the campaign, more than 50,000 villages in 309 districts will be covered. Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said the campaign presents an opportunity to build strong relationship with scheduled tribes. (PTI)
Patients who experience long COVID report more than 200 symptoms across 10 organ systems, according to the largest global study to date of 'long-haulers' published on Thursday. The researchers created a web-based survey designed to characterise the symptom profile and time course in patients with confirmed or suspected long COVID, who experience prolonged symptoms. With responses from 3,762 eligible participants from 56 countries, the study, published in the journal EClinicalMedicine, identified a total of 203 symptoms in 10 organ systems, of which 66 symptoms were tracked for seven months. The most common symptoms were fatigue, post-exertional malaise -- worsening of symptoms after physical or mental exertion -- and cognitive dysfunction, often called brain fog. Of the diverse range of symptoms, others included visual hallucinations, tremors, itchy skin, changes to the menstrual cycle, sexual dysfunction, heart palpitations, bladder control issues, shingles, memory loss, blurred vision, diarrhoea, and tinnitus. The researchers are now calling for clinical guidelines on assessing long COVID to be significantly widened beyond currently advised cardiovascular and respiratory function tests. (PTI)
New coronavirus cases surged to 1,308 in Tokyo on Thursday, a six-month high, as fears rise of a possible dramatic increase that could flood hospitals during the Olympics that start in eight days. Tokyo is under a fourth state of emergency, which began Monday and requires restaurants and bars to close early and not serve alcohol through the Olympics, which start July 23. Thursday's tally is the highest since 1,485 were recorded on Jan. 21, when Japan was under an earlier state of emergency, and is also a jump from Wednesday's 1,149. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike noted that the largest increase in serious cases and hospitalizations was among people in their 50s and younger who are largely unvaccinated. She expressed concern about the impact on the medical system as infections are propelled by the more contagious delta strain of the virus. (AP)
Barcelona and the surrounding northeast corner of Spain is shutting down once again to stem an unchecked wave of the delta variant of the coronavirus that is running wild among the unvaccinated young. Regional authorities on Thursday were waiting for a judge to give the legal go-ahead for their request to restore a nightly curfew, their latest effort to ratchet up restrictions and discourage social gatherings where the virus spreads. The curfew order would affect those towns with a population over 5,000 which surpass the rate of 400 infections per 100,000 inhabitants over 14 days. The more infectious delta strain is pushing infections back up in many countries, even in Europe where vaccination efforts are going well and the public healthcare systems are robust. But Catalonia doubles the Spanish average and is among the most hard-hit areas in Europe with over 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over 14 days. Only Cyprus is worse off in Europe, according to the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (AP)
The Centre on Thursday asked states and union territories to conduct a quick gap analysis for various infrastructure components under the Emergency COVID-19 Response Package and stressed on effective advance preparations for efficient clinical management of the infection. The Union health ministry reviewed preparations under the recently approved Rs 23,123 crore "India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package (ECRP): Phase II" with health secretaries and senior officials of all states and UTs through a video conference. The Cabinet approved the new scheme for financial year 2021-22 on July 8. This package aims to accelerate health system preparedness for immediate responsiveness for early prevention, detection and management with a sharp focus on health infrastructure development, including paediatric care and with measurable outcomes. (PTI)
French restaurant owners and workers are as worried as anyone about the coronavirus - but they're also concerned that new mandatory COVID passes will turn them into virus police instead of purveyors of culinary pleasures. Starting next month, all diners in France must show a pass proving they're fully vaccinated, or recently tested negative or recovered from the virus. For restaurants -- seen as the lifeblood of France -- the new rule presents yet another headache after a punishing pandemic. "Our job used to be to make sure that our guests had a great time while they were with us. Now, we spend our time reprimanding them. We weren't trained for this," said Louis le Mahieu, manager of the Parisian restaurant Les Bancs Publics. (AP)
Australia's second-largest city will lockdown for five days from Thursday night due to growing COVID-19 clusters. Melbourne's fifth lockdown of the pandemic will apply across Victoria state, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said on Thursday. The news came after officials announced on Wednesday that Australia's largest city, Sydney, will remain in lockdown for five weeks. A three-week lockdown of Sydney and surrounding communities in New South Wales state had been due to end on Friday. But it will now last until July 30 at the earliest. Health authorities are concerned by how quickly the delta variant is spreading in a vulnerable Australian population in which fewer than 13% of adults are fully vaccinated. (AP)
Africa recorded a 43% rise in COVID-19 deaths week-on-week, as cases rise, hospital admissions increase rapidly and countries face shortages of oxygen and intensive care beds, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. (Reuters)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday the worst of the coronavirus pandemic would be behind us if the country is careful, meaning that the economy could recover "like a coiled spring". "With every day that goes by we build higher the wall of vaccine-acquired immunity ... And with every day that goes by our economy is slowly and cautiously picking itself up off the floor, businesses are opening their doors," he said in a speech in central England. "There is every prospect that this country is poised to recover like a coiled spring." (Reuters)
The majority of medical workers, teachers and social workers in Moscow have been vaccinated against the coronavirus a month after authorities in the Russian capital mandated the shots for many of those employed in health care, education, retail, public transport and hospitality and services sector. Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova said Wednesday that nearly 70per cent of medical workers, 66per cent of those working in Moscow education facilities and 76per cent of social workers have been vaccinated. Her statement came a day before the Thursday deadline authorities set for eligible companies and institutions a month ago to ensure that 60per cent of their staff receive at least one vaccine shot. Russia has been facing a rapid surge of coronavirus infections in recent weeks, with the number of daily confirmed cases soaring from about 9,000 in early June to over 25,000 last week. (AP)
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Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian called on Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Delhi today to seek a special allocation of 1 crore vaccines to the state. (ANI)
In a case of much back and forth, the UK government claims it has managed to get the authorities of Malta to permit travellers from Britain who have been vaccinated with doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine made in India. The European Union (EU) country was in the headlines as a couple told the 'The Daily Telegraph' that they were prevented from boarding a plane to visit their son in Malta because their batch of the vaccines was made in India. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was confronted about the issue and he stressed that Malta was "not right" to block travel as it was the same product as the one produced in the UK. "The Maltese authorities have amended their travel advice so anyone who has an Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK (regardless of manufacture location) is able to travel without being turned away, with all vaccines having gone through rigorous safety and quality checks," Shapps announced on Twitter soon after on Wednesday. (PTI)
Karnataka cabinet has decided not to conduct Zilla/Taluk panchayat elections till December 2021 due to COVID19. A decision will be taken after December: Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai. (ANI)