The Delhi government has further relaxed Covid restrictions. Delhi Metro has been allowed to operate with 100% seating capacity from today.Coronavirus Third Wave India Live Update, Coronavirus Statistics India Live News: India has been reporting below 50,000 new Coronavirus infections for the past month. The Covid-19 situation has improved since March and April when the second wave hit the nation; new cases even shot up to over 4 lakh (on May 1). Covid-19 deaths and positivity rate have also improved. India reported 39,361 new Coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, taking the total tally of Covid-19 cases to 3,14,11,262; the daily positivity rate increased to above 3 per cent after 35 days, according to data from the Union health ministry on Monday. The number of active cases in the country has also increased to 4,11,189, and now accounts for 1.31 per cent of the total infections. Kerala and Maharashtra, and some states in the northeastern states have been reporting a surge for the past few weeks, which is a concern. Especially, Kerala has been witnessing a spike in new infections. It has triggered a fear of third wave among people. Last week, India saw 2.7 lakh new Covid-19 cases, with a daily average of around 38,000 cases. Kerala alone accounted for 1,10,593 cases out of India’s total last week. The state has seen a sharp rise of 15.7% in coronavirus infections in the last seven days.
Meanwhile, the group of officials empowered with formulating India’s Covid emergency strategy has asked the government to prepare for a level of 4-5 lakh cases in a day in the next surge. The group said all necessary measures should be taken to contain the numbers of new infections below 50,000. The Covid group asked the government to ramp up the Covid-19 vaccination drive; it also advised people to follow appropriate Covid behaviour to keep cases low.
In a positive development, Delhi has further relaxed Covid restrictions. Delhi Metro has been allowed to operate with 100 per cent seating capacity from today, while in the case of cinemas, theaters, and multiplexes, the seating capacity will remain 50 per cent. The DDMA has allowed all most all activities which were restricted since April 19, except educational institutes and public gatherings, from Monday, though with strict Covid-19 guidelines.
Meanwhile, many states have allowed schools to reopen for physical classes, though with strict Covid restrictions. Schools in Punjab have reopened for Classes 10-12, and Classes 9-11 in Gujarat.
Here are the top, verified Covid-19 updates from India and across the world:
Highlights
The World Bank and the COVAX global vaccine distribution program unveiled on Monday a financing mechanism to speed the supply of doses to developing countries, where COVID-19 inoculation rates lag far behind those of richer nations.The mechanism allows COVAX to make advance purchases - at more competitive prices - from vaccine manufacturers based on aggregated demand across countries, using financing from the World Bank and other multilateral development banks."Accessing vaccines remains the single greatest challenge that developing countries face in protecting their people from the health, social, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic," World Bank President David Malpass said. - Reuters
President Arif Alvi on Monday asked Pakistanis to "get serious" and follow Covid guidelines as the country battles a fourth wave of the pandemic and recorded 3,752 new coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours, the highest number reported in over two months. The death toll due to the viral infection rose to 23,048 with 32 more deaths reported overnight, health officials said. The total number of cases in the country now stands at 1,008,446, they said. According to the National Command and Operation Centre, the 3,752 fresh cases is the highest number reported since May 21 when 4,007 infections were recorded, and an overnight increase from the 2,819 cases detected a day earlier. The positivity rate in the country is also the highest since May 19 when it was recorded at 8.23 per cent, it said. - PTI
Schools for classes 10 to 12 reopened in Punjab on Monday with students saying they were happy to return to classrooms as they could interact with their teachers in person and understand things better. The schools have opened after nearly four months. They were shut in March amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. The state government has allowed only those teachers and staff to return to schools who are fully vaccinated. It is mandatory for schools to seek written consent from parents for sending their children to attend classes. Virtual classes are also continuing. Schools followed all Covid protocols strictly. "No student is allowed to enter the school without a mask. Proper social distancing is being maintained in classes," an official of a school in Amritsar said. Thermal scanning is being conducted at school entrances and hand sanitisers have been provided to students. Only one student is allowed to sit on a desk, school authorities said. - PTI
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The government has no plan to print currency notes to tide over the current economic crisis triggered by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed Parliament on Monday. To a question on whether there is any plan to print currency to tide over the crisis, the Finance Minister said, “No Sir”. READ MORE
Govt has not mentioned 'Pegasus' in this week's agenda items. Also, they don't want to speak in the Lok Sabha on COVID management, vaccine policy, and hike in fuel prices: Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT, Shashi Tharoor (ANI)
The Supreme Court Monday refused to stay the proceedings against BJP MP Gautam Gambhir's foundation in a case relating to illegally procuring and distributing COVID-19 medicines. A bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah said people were running around for medicines and drugs, and in this situation suddenly a trust comes and says we will give you medicines. "This is not done. We do not want to say anything but we also have our ears to the ground," the bench observed while refusing to entertain the plea. The apex court asked the petitioner to approach the Delhi High Court and seek appropriate remedy. Senior advocate Kailash Vasdev, appearing for the foundation, sought a stay on the prosecution under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. On sensing disinclination of the bench, the counsel for the Gambhir's foundation withdrew the petition. The Delhi government's drug controller had earlier informed the Delhi High Court that Gautam Gambhir Foundation has been found guilty of unauthorisedly stocking, procuring and distributing the Fabiflu medicine to COVID-19 patients. (PTI)
Delhi Zoo to reopen from August 1 in two shifts -- 9 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm. Entry will be granted strictly through online booking. All COVID-19 protocols will be observed. Online booking will be opened from July 31: Delhi Zoo Director Ramesh Pandey. - ANI
South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare will supply the first batch of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to the country from July 26, the drugmaker said on Monday.It will be the first set of vaccines to be manufactured in the country from active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) - substances used to make the final drug product - sourced from Europe, Aspen said.South Africa's vaccination drive suffered a major setback in April after U.S. Federal Drug Administration halted production of J&J vaccines at a plant in Baltimore run by Emergent Biosolutions Inc after it was found to be contaminated.Aspen, which has been contracted by J&J to manufacture the vaccines in South Africa in a process called 'fill and finish', had been sourcing APIs from the Baltimore plant and was asked to destroy 2 million doses as part of the finding of the FDA. - Reuters
Russia reported 23,239 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, including 2,629 in Moscow, taking the official national tally since the pandemic began to 6,149,780.The government coronavirus task force said 727 people had died of coronavirus-linked causes in the past 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 154,601.Russia has been in the grip of a surge in cases that authorities blame on the more contagious Delta variant, though some officials have suggested in recent days that cases, at least in Moscow, have started to decline. - Reuters
German business morale fell unexpectedly in July on continuing supply chain worries and amid rising coronavirus infections, a survey showed on Monday.The Ifo institute said its business climate index fell to 100.8 from a revised figure of 101.7 in June. A Reuters poll of analysts had pointed to a July reading of 102.1."The mood in the German economy has been dampened," Ifo President Clemens Fuest said in a statement.Supply problems are weighing on the manufacturing and the retail sectors, with almost 64% of industrial firms complaining about shortages in materials, according to the institute.Companies gave a slightly better assessment of their current situation, but optimism with regard to the coming months waned.The Ifo expectations index fell to 101.2 from 103.7 in June, while the current conditions index rose to 100.4 from 99.7.Events including the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters in China and Germany and cyber attacks have conspired to drive global supply chains towards a breaking point, threatening the fragile flow of raw materials, parts and consumer goods, according to companies, economists and shipping specialists. - Reuters
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A mixed vaccination of first AstraZeneca and then a Pfizer COVID-19 shot boosted neutralizing antibody levels by six times compared with two AstraZeneca doses, a study from South Korea showed. The study involved 499 medical workers - 100 receiving mixed doses, 200 taking two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech shot and the remainder getting two AstraZeneca shots.All showed neutralizing antibodies, which prevent the virus from entering cells and replicating, and the result of the mixed schedule of vaccines showed similar amounts of neutralizing antibodies found from the group that received two Pfizer shots. A British study last month showed similar results - an AstraZeneca shot followed by Pfizer produced the best T-cell responses, and a higher antibody response than Pfizer followed by AstraZeneca. The data provides further support for the decision of several countries to offer alternatives to AstraZeneca as a second shot after the vaccine was linked to rare blood clots. (Reuters)
The union territory of Puducherry registered 86 new coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours raising the overall tally to 1,20,417, a senior official of the Health Department said on Monday. The 86 new cases were identified at the end of the examination of 4,766 samples, Director of the Department S Mohan Kumar said. The new cases were spread over Puducherry (61), Karaikal (16), Mahe (8) and Yanam (one), he added. One more person, a 59-year old man, succumbed to the virus here during the last 24 hours ending 10 AM Monday raising the toll to 1,790. The deceased had no comorbidity, he added. The number of active cases stood at 909 with 173 in hospitals and the remaining 736 in home isolation, the Health department Director said. (PTI)
Australia's most populous state reported a rise in new COVID-19 cases on Monday despite a weeks-long stay-at-home order, while police vowed to crack down on any repeat of a anti-lockdown protest which turned violent at the weekend. New South Wales, which has had more than 5 million people in Sydney city under lockdown for a month, reported 145 new cases of the virus, from 141 a day earlier, as it struggles to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant. The state also reported two new deaths, a man and a woman both in their 80s, taking its total fatalities to 10 since the flare-up began a month ago and the national total to 920 since the start of the pandemic. Of particular concern, 51 of the newly diagnosed were active in the community before testing positive, raising the risk of transmission. The authorities have said they want that number near zero before lifting the city's most restrictive lockdown of the pandemic at a July 30 target date. 'We might need to go harder in some areas and release some settings in others,' state premier Gladys Berejiklian said at a televised news conference, apparently referencing five government areas of Sydney's suburbs at the epicentre of the outbreak. Berejiklian added that she would give an update on movement restrictions in the next few days. At the weekend, thousands of people marched in an anti-lockdown protest which turned violent in central Sydney, an event that state chief health officer Kerry Chant called 'distressing'. As images and videos of the protest circulated on social media, including one image of a man apparently punching a police horse in the head, state police commissioner Mick Fuller said some 10,000 people had called the police hotline to report people suspected of breaking lockdown orders. The calls to police were 'an amazing outcry by the community, not just in terms of their disgust at the protest but at the way the police were treated', said Fuller. Police knew of plans for a repeat protest and similar behaviour 'won't be tolerated again', he added. Victoria state, also under lockdown, reported 11 new cases, although all were in quarantine during their infectious period. Authorities said they would decide the next day whether to lift restrictions as hoped. Neighbouring South Australia said it was on track to exit its snap one-week lockdown on Wednesday, after reporting one new local case, also in quarantine through their infectious period. (Reuters)
BDR Pharma on Monday said it has inked a licensing pact with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to manufacture, distribute, and market COVID-19 drug 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG) in the country. BDR Pharma has inked a pact with the Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE) and the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) of the DRDO for manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of 2-DG in the country. Last month, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had approved the oral medication for emergency usage as adjuvant therapy in mild to severe COVID-19 patients. "We are pleased to secure a license from the DRDO and add 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose to our COVID product offering. This arrangement aims to ensure that this drug reaches as many eligible Indian patients as possible who are suffering from the devastating pandemic. (PTI)
The COVID-19 situation in Odisha has "significantly" improved over the past one month as 1,637 new cases were recorded on Monday, down from 3,554 exactly a month ago, a health department official said. The caseload in the coastal state has risen to 9,69,185, he said. Sixty-two fresh fatalities pushed the toll to 5,574, the official said, adding that the list of casualties issued on Monday does not reflect deaths occurring on any particular day. "It gives details of past deaths for which the death audit process has been duly completed and the cause of death has been identified as due to COVID-19," the Health and Family Welfare Department said on Twitter. Justifying his claim of "significant improvement in the situation", the official said the daily test positivity rate (TPR) in the state has dropped to 2.19 per cent from 5.17 per cent on June 26. Of the 1,637 new positive cases, 949 were recorded in quarantine centres and the rest detected during contact tracing. Khurda district, of which the state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, reported 350 new cases, followed by Cuttack at 250 and Angul at 100. Gajapati is the only district that did not record any fresh case. Of the 62 fatalities, 42 were registered in Khurda district, ten in Sundergarh, four in Keonjhar and two in Jajpur. One patient each succumbed to the infection in Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Kandhamal and Puri. (PTI)
Biological E's COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax is expected to be launched by September end: Sources (ANI)
Dutch tennis player Jean-Julien Rojer was forced to withdraw from the Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19 even as the organisers announced 16 new infections at the ongoing Games on Monday. Rojer and his doubles partner Wesley Koolhof, who were scheduled to play Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus of New Zealand, pulled out of their second-round match on Monday following Rojer's positive test result. "The ITF has been informed that the athlete Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands Olympic Committee and Netherlands Sports Federation has tested positive for COVID-19 and placed in isolation as per the set procedures," the tennis governing body said in a statement. "Rojer and his partner Wesley Koolhof have been withdrawn from the men's doubles event, and their opponents Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus of New Zealand receive a walkover into quarterfinals. We wish Jean-Julien a speedy recovery." The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Dutch delegation thus swelled to six. Earlier, the organisers, in their daily COVID-19 update, announced that three athletes, four contractors, eight Games-concerned personnel and one Games employee have been found to be COVID positive, taking the number to 148. All the three athletes are not residents of the Olympic Village, which has reported 16 cases since it was opened. One Games-connected personnel and a contractor are residents of Japan in the fresh additions. The three athletes and seven Games-concerned personnel have been put under the mandatory 14-day quarantine. The total number of Games-concerned personnel to have tested positive so far stood at 83 after the addition of 8 new cases. (PTI)
Indonesia is expecting to receive 45 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines in August, health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a virtual news conference on Monday. They will include vaccines from Sinovac, Moderna and Pfizer, he said. Budi also said that hospital bed occupancies have gone down in its capital city of Jakarta, but are rising outside of Java island. (Reuters)
The course of severe COVID-19 may be determined by the body's antiviral response to initial infection, according to a study which opens up new avenues for early drug interventions that could prevent severe disease. Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University in the US analysed whether the path towards severe disease could start much earlier than expected -- perhaps even within the initial response created when the virus enters the nose. They studied cells taken from nasal swabs of patients at the time of their initial COVID-19 diagnosis, comparing patients who went on to develop mild COVID-19 to those who progressed into more severe disease and eventually required respiratory support. The findings, published in the journal Cell, showed that patients who went on to develop severe COVID-19 exhibited a much more muted antiviral response in the cells collected from early swabs, compared to patients who had a mild course of disease. "Our findings suggest that the course of severe COVID-19 may be determined by the body's intrinsic antiviral response to initial infection, opening up new avenues for early interventions that could prevent severe disease," said study co-senior author Jose Ordovas-Montanes, from Harvard Medical School. (PTI)
Indonesia's decision to relax some COVID-19 curbs this week, despite reporting record-high deaths in recent days, is being driven by social and economic concerns rather than epidemiological advice, public health experts said on Monday. As the country grapples with the worst coronavirus outbreak in Asia, President Joko Widodo announced on Sunday that while overall curbs in place since July would be extended for a week, some measures would be eased. Businesses, including salons, garages, traditional markets and restaurants with outdoor areas will now be allowed to conditionally reopen, while malls will be permitted to operate at 25% capacity outside of designated higher-risk "red zones". "The decision doesn't seem to be related to the pandemic, but to economics," said Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia, urging people to maintain health protocols. Hospitals have been filled with patients in the past month, particularly on the densely populated island of Java and in Bali, but the president on Sunday said infections and hospitaloccupancy had declined, without specifying by how much.The move to ease some curbs comes as the government has faced pressure from business groups to act to avoid mass layoffs, and with several relatively small-scale street demonstrations last week. (Reuters)
Arunachal Pradesh witnessed a sharp dip in daily COVID-19 cases as 164 more people tested positive for the infection on Monday, down from 515 the day before, pushing the tally in the state to 45,867, a senior health official said. The toll rose to 216 with three more persons succumbing to the infection, he said. The Capital Complex region --- comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas -- registered the maximum number of new cases at 82, followed by East Siang and Lohit at nine each, West Siang, West Kameng and Papumpare at eight each, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said. Two fatalities were recorded in the Capital Complex region and one in Tawang. Arunachal Pradesh currently has 4,266 active cases, while 41,385 people have recovered from the disease thus far, including 360 in the last 24 hours. (PTI)
Over 3.09 crore balance and unutilised COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states, UTs and private hospitals to be administered, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. It said that more than 45.37 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far through all sources and a further 59,39,010 doses are in the pipeline. Of this, the total consumption including wastage is 42,28,59,270 doses, the ministry said. The new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from June 21. (PTI)
Kazakhstan reported 6,637 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, a daily record for the Central Asian nation which is once again tightening restrictions to curb the fresh spike in infections. The government also reported 84 cases of pneumonia with negative PCR tests which were likely to be caused by COVID-19. Most infections were reported in the former Soviet republic's two biggest cities, Almaty and Nur-Sultan, where authorities last week limited the working hours of businesses such as restaurants and shopping malls and closed some venues altogether such as indoor swimming pools. About 5.1 million people have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot in the country of 19 million which borders Russia and China, and 3.3 million have been fully inoculated. (Reuters)
Gujarat | Schools for classes 9th to 11th reopen from today, in accordance with COVID-19 protocols 'In offline classes, we are able to clear our doubts with more ease. It is more fun than online classes,' says a class 9 student in Gita Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad (ANI)
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Thailand reported a record number of coronavirus cases on Monday, while Malaysia has notched up more than 1 million infections, as the virulent Delta variant carves a deadly path through Southeast Asia - now a global epicentre for the virus. Thailand had 15,376 new coronavirus cases, a daily record for a second consecutive day in the nation of more than 66 million. Malaysia, which has one of Southeast Asia's highest per capita infection rates, reported on Sunday 17,045 new cases, bringing the total to 1,013,438 and nearly 8,000 deaths, despite a being under lockdown since June. Like many parts of the region of more than 650 million people, Malaysian hospitals and medical staff have borne the brunt of the outbreak amid shortages of beds, ventilators and oxygen. Thousands of Malaysian contract doctors on Monday staged a walkout over the terms of their employment, though they pledged patients would not be affected by the protest. The doctors, who want permanent postings, as well as better pay and benefits, said an offer by Prime Minister MuhyiddinYassin to extend their contracts did not go far enough. Malaysia's vaccine rollout, however, has outpaced that of many neighbours, with about 16.9% of its 32 million people fully inoculated. Thailand's government last week imposed tighter lockdown measures in the capital, Bangkok, and 12 high-risk provinces, suspending most domestic fights and expanding curfew area. The Thai central bank has said the wave of infections is expected to reduce gross domestic product in the tourism-dependent country by up to 2% this year. (Reuters)
With the addition of 348 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 5,42,935, an official said on Monday. These new cases were reported on Sunday, he said. The virus also claimed the lives of eight more people, pushing the death toll in the district to 10,977, he said, adding that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 2.02 per cent. (PTI)
The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported four new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the tally to 7,529, a health department official said on Monday. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 129 as no fresh fatality due to the contagion was reported in the last 24 hours, he said. Three more people were cured of the disease, taking the total number of COVID-19 recoveries in the archipelago to 7,385, the official said. The union territory now has 15 active COVID-19 cases, of which 14 are in the South Andaman district and one in North and Middle Andaman district, he said, adding that the Nicobar district is now COVID-19 free as it has no active case. (PTI)
India reports 39,361 new COVID cases, 35,968 recoveries, and 416 deaths in the last 24 hoursActive cases: 4,11,189Total recoveries: 3,05,79,106 Death toll: 4,20,967Total vaccination: 43,51,96,001 (ANI)
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New coronavirus cases continue to grow in the major eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, with another 38 reported on Monday, bringing the total to more than 60 over recent days. Tens of thousands of people are under lockdown and authorities are conducting mass testing of the population, standard practices in China that have generally been successfully in controlling the spread of the virus. One other case of local transmission was reported in the nearby city of Suqian and one in the northeastern province of Liaoning. Both were classified as being linked to the Nanjing outbreak. (AP)
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In view of the improved coronavirus situation, Delhi Metro services began running with full seating capacity from Monday, but there is still no provision for standing travel for commuters, officials said. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) till Sunday was running trains with 50 per cent seating capacity, after the services had resumed after a long hiatus on June 7. Also, to handle increase in volume of commuters, 16 additional entry gates have been made operational at 16 stations (one at each station) across the network from Monday onwards to facilitate the movement of passengers. The DMRC is already facilitating passenger entry at all its stations through 260 gates. These 16 gates are in addition to the already operational gates, so, now 276 gates will be operational, officials said. The stations at which additional gates became operational include, Janakpuri West, Karol Bagh, Vaishali, Kashmere Gate, Central Secretariat, M G Road, the DMRC said. As and when further relaxations are announced by the authorities, the DMRC will ensure that all steps are taken from its end to provide ease of entry and convenient travel to the general public, officials said. In view of the latest guidelines issued on Saturday by the city government regarding COVID-19 containment, services began this morning with full seating capacity. (PTI)
France's parliament approved a law early Monday requiring special virus passes for all restaurants and domestic travel and mandating vaccinations for all health workers. Both measures have prompted protests and political tensions. President Emmanuel Macron and his government say they are needed to protect vulnerable populations and hospitals as infections rebound and to avoid new lockdowns. The law requires all workers in the health care sector to start getting vaccinated by Sept. 15, or risk suspension. It also requires a 'health pass' to enter all restaurants, trains, planes and some other public venues. It initially applies to all adults, but will apply to everyone 12 and older starting Sept. 30. To get the pass, people must have proof they are fully vaccinated, recently tested negative or recently recovered from the virus. Paper or digital documents will be accepted. The law says a government decree will outline how to handle vaccination documents from other countries. The bill was unveiled just six days ago. Lawmakers worked through the night and the weekend to reach a compromise version approved by the Senate on Sunday night and by the National Assembly after midnight. The rules can be applied through Nov. 15, depending on the virus situation. (AP)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the lifting of certain coronavirus-restrictions, including relaxation on inter-provincial travel, sale of alcohol and larger public gatherings, as the country recorded a dip in new COVID-19 cases. In an address to the nation on Sunday evening, Ramaphosa said South Africa, with immediate effect, will move to Level 3 from the current Level 4 of the five-level lockdown strategy. He said the Level 4 restrictions, which have been in place for a month now, were being lifted as there was a reduction in new infections and deaths in the third wave of the pandemic. He said some restrictions would still remain in place as fears persist regarding the highly transmissible delta variant. (PTI)