People wait to undergo COVID-19 testing at RML Hospital in Lucknow. (PTI Photo)Coronavirus Case and Fatality Rate in India, Coronavirus Third Wave Live Updates, August 16 Covid Highlights: India reported little over 30,000 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the daily health bulletin said. At 32,937, there was a minor dip in new coronavirus cases in comparison with the Sunday numbers. In Another sign of receding second wave, the number of active Covid-19 cases have come down to its lowest mark in the last 145 days, the health ministry data says. The daily Covid deaths also declined to 417 on Monday. At present, India has 3,81,947 active cases. This is the lowest number of active cases that the country has seen since March 2020. However, what remains a cause of concern is the low level of daily testing. The Monday morning data by the ICMR shows 11,81,212 corona tests were conducted on Sunday. The daily vaccination drive saw a slump again on Sunday as CoWin data shows 17,43,114 Covid jabs administered on Sunday. FE Online analysis has shown that India has not seen a high number of vaccine shots given on Sundays.
Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has reached Kerala as the Covid spike in the state refuses to abate. There is no let-up in the surge as Kerala saw nearly 20,000 new Covid-19 infections. This means that the state is seeing more than half of the total cases in the country. If we look at the Covid tally, the cumulative numbers have come down with Sunday recording around 36,000 cases. National Capital Delhi saw zero deaths.
As we look at the possibilities of third-wave cases, here are the latest Covid updates from India and across the world.
Highlights
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has surpassed 55 crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. "In record-breaking progress, India administers 55 crore #COVID19 vaccines. Let's strengthen India's fight against Coronavirus Let's get vaccinated," Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a tweet on Monday afternoon. Over 55 lakh doses of the vaccine were administered on Monday, as per the 7 pm provisional report. The ministry said 31,44,650 first doses and 5,22,629 second doses were administered in the 18-44 age group on Monday. Cumulatively, 20,00,68,334 people in the age group of 18-44 years across all states and union territories have received their first dose, and 1,59,35,853 have received their second dose since the start of phase-3 of the vaccination drive. Five states -- Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh -- have administered more than one crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the age group of 18-44 years, the ministry said. (PTI)
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh increased to 17,08,965 on Monday as 17 more people tested positive for the contagious disease while the death toll climbed to 22,785 with one fresh fatality, a health bulletin issued here said. The latest death was reported from Deoria, it said. The total number of recoveries in the state have reached 16,85,761, the statement said. The number of active cases in Uttar Pradesh stands at 419, it said. So far, over 6.92 crore samples have been tested in the state, including 1.89 lakh samples tested the previous day, it said. (PTI)
The West Bengal government on Monday allowed all production units, mills and industries, including the IT and ITES sector, to function at full strength in normal working hours as part of its relaxations of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. The order issued by chief secretary HK Dwivedi on Monday evening said the relaxations have been allowed provided employees are vaccinated and COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and protocols are fully maintained. The additional relaxations also included the opening of museums, including ASI protected monuments and entertainment parks with not more than 50 per cent capacity at a time and compliance with COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and protocols. The state government had extended the COVID-19 restrictions in the state till August 31 and allowed all shops and establishments, including restaurants and bars, to remain open up to the usual working hours but not beyond 10.30 pm. The state has also allowed outdoor government programmes by maintaining physical distancing and health and hygiene protocols. Theatre halls, auditoriums, open-air theatres, stadiums and swimming pools would be allowed to open with not more than 50 per cent of seating capacity at a time, the order said. The relaxations were announced after a review of the COVID-19 situation by the state executive committee of the West Bengal state disaster management authority. (PTI)
Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNtech SE said on Monday they had submitted initial data from an early stage trial to U.S. regulators as part of an application seeking authorization of a booster dose of their COVID-19 vaccine.The data will also be submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and other regulatory authorities in the coming weeks, the drugmakers said. In the trial, the third dose elicited significantly higher neutralizing antibodies against the initial SARS-CoV-2 virus compared to the levels observed after the two-dose primary series, as well as against the Beta variant and the highly infectious Delta variant.All patients received the third shot of the vaccine, BNT162b2, eight to nine months after receiving the second dose. Results from a late-stage trial evaluating the third dose are expected shortly and will be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the EMA and other regulatory authorities worldwide, the companies said. (Reuters)
Chhattisgarh on Monday recorded 68 COVID-19 cases and one death, taking the total number of infections to 10,03,814 and the toll to 13,548, a health official said. The recovery count reached 9,89,128 after 62 people were discharged from hospitals and 162 completed home isolation during the day, which left the state with an active caseload of 1,138, he said. "Raipur district reported six new infections, taking the caseload to 1,57,812, including 3,139 deaths. Korba recorded eight cases, Jashpur six, among other districts. With 33,778 samples being examined during the day, the number of tests conducted to detect COVID-19 in the state went up to 1,19,62,616," the official said. (PTI)
The government on Monday imposed restrictions on export of COVID-19 rapid antigen testing kits amid several experts warning of a possible third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. "The export of COVID-19 rapid antigen testing kits... has been put under restricted category, with immediate effect," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification. Exporters have to seek licence or permission from the DGFT to ship items under the restricted category. Such restrictions are aimed at increasing the domestic availability of the kits. Several experts have been warning of a possible third wave of the pandemic hitting the country in the near future. (PTI)
The government on Monday imposed restrictions on export of COVID-19 rapid antigen testing kits amid several experts warning of a possible third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. "The export of COVID-19 rapid antigen testing kits... has been put under restricted category, with immediate effect," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification. Exporters have to seek licence or permission from the DGFT to ship items under the restricted category. Such restrictions are aimed at increasing the domestic availability of the kits. Several experts have been warning of a possible third wave of the pandemic hitting the country in the near future. (PTI)
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Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh on Monday joined the states where schools have cautiously restarted physical lessons after the ebbing of COVID-19 cases, while in Uttarakhand and Bihar, students of more classes returned to the offline mode. States which had started physical classes in schools after a gap of a year were again forced to order closure due to the second wave of coronavirus in March-April this year. Schools across Haryana, Gujarat, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, however, began reopening after mid-July in a staggered manner, starting with grades 10 to 12. A 50 per cent cap on attendance and holding of classes in shifts to ensure social distancing, sanitisation and mask-wearing were among the COVID-19 norms being followed by the schools, which largely reported thin attendance. Similarly, states like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had resumed physical classes from August 2, while Karnataka is planning to do so from August 23. Schools for classes 9 to 12, universities, colleges and coaching institutes will be allowed to reopen in Rajasthan from September 1. Earlier this month, the Uttar Pradesh government had announced that schools would reopen for students of classes 9 to 12 from August 16 with 50 percent attendance. On Monday, some schools started offline classes in shifts while adhering to COVID protocols, but the attendance was thin. The state government said teaching activity may be considered for classes 6 to 8 from August 23 and for classes 1 to 5 from September 1. (PTI)
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Gujarat reported 14 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 8,25,196, while this period also saw 13 people getting discharged, which increased the recovery count to 8,14,934, an official said on Monday. The toll remained unchanged at 10,078 as no death was reported from the infection during the day, leaving the state with 184 active cases, of which seven are on ventilator support, he said. The recovery rate in the state now stands at 98.76 per cent, the official added. An official release said 4.06 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Gujarat so far, including over 4.58 lakh on Monday. (PTI)
Haryana on Monday recorded two more COVID-19-related fatalities, taking the death toll to 9,660, while 22 fresh cases pushed the infection count to 7,70,230. According to the health department's daily bulletin, the latest deaths were reported from Bhiwani and Fatehabad districts. Of the new cases, five were from Gurgaon while two each were from Panchkula, Karnal, Yamunanagar, Fatehabad and Palwal districts, it said. The total active cases in the state stands at 666. The overall recoveries have reached 7,59,904, while the recovery rate was 98.66 per cent, the bulletin said. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu on Monday recorded 1,851 new Coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, maintaining its downward graph. With 28 deaths due to the infection, the toll has risen to 34,547. A total of 25,90,632 persons have tested positive so far. With 1,911 COVID-19 positive patients discharged after treatment today, the number of active cases including isolation as of today remain at 20,370, according to a state health bulletin. The daily count of new Coronavirus cases continued to decline marginally from 1,916 on August 14, to 1,896 on August 15. A passenger who returned from UAE added to the fresh cases today. Both Coimbatore and Chennai contributed to the maximum fresh infections at 217 and 205 cases, respectively, on Monday, followed by Erode with 170 cases, Tiruppur127, Salem 123 and Chengalpattu 112. Five districts: Ramanathapuram, Perambalur, Thirupathur, Virudhunagar, and Tenkasi saw new cases in single digits, while 27 districts reported new cases below 100. (PTI)
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who arrived in Kerala with a central team on Monday to review the COVID-19 situation in the state, said the Centre has allocated Rs 267.35 crore to the state to strengthen its health infrastructure and will also provide it 1.11 crore vaccines in August and September. In a tweet, subsequent to his "intensive" meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state Health Minister Veena George, Mandaviya said that besides the Rs 267.35 crore an additional Rs one crore would be made available to each district of Kerala for creating a medicine pool. He also said that the central government has assured all possible help to Kerala, including providing vaccines to the state. "Had an intensive meeting with the Chief Minister and Health Minister of Kerala, @VijayanPinarayi ji & Veena George ji, along with State officials to review COVID19 situation in Kerala." "Central Govt allocates Rs 267.35 crore to Kerala under Emergency COVID Response Package- II. It will strengthen the state's health infrastructure & effectively manage COVID19. Additionally, Rs 1 crore will be made available to each district of Kerala for creating a medicine pool," he tweeted. (PTI)
Kerala has administered the first dose of COVID vaccine to more than half its population, state Health Minister Veena George said on Monday. She said the government has administered the first dose vaccine to 1,77,88,931 persons till now. "Today is a significant day for the state. We have administered the first dose vaccine to 50.25 per cent of the 3.54 crore population (projected population for 2021). We have achieved this feat within 213 days. The vaccination in the state started on January 16," the minister said in a release. George said the state has also administered the second dose vaccine to 67,24,294 persons which is 19 per cent of the total population. "The percentage of second dose recipients in Kerala is more than double the national average. So far, out of the 130 crore people in India, 55,05,20,038 have been vaccinated, including 42,86,81,772 first dose (32.98 per cent) and 12,18,38,266 second dose (9.37 per cent)," the minister said. (PTI)
Maharashtra reported 4,145 new coronavirus cases and 100 fresh fatalities on Monday, taking the infection tally to 63,96,805 and the death toll to 1,35,139, a state health department official said. Notably, Nandurbar district in North Maharashtra does not have a single active case of coronavirus currently, making it free of the infection for now. The official said 5,811 patients were discharged from hospitals across the state in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative number of recovered cases to 61,95,744. Maharashtra now has 62,452 active cases. The state has 3,53,129 people in home quarantine and 2,530 in institutional quarantine, according to the official. Maharashtra's COVID-19 recovery rate now stands at 96.86 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.11 per cent, he said. The cumulative number of tests conducted in the state climbed to 5,11,11,895, of which 1,52,165 tests were done in the last 24 hours, the official said. (PTI)
Nagaland's COVID-19 tally rose to 29,195 on Monday as 44 more people tested positive for the infection, while four fresh fatalities pushed the northeastern state's coronavirus death toll to 605, a health bulletin said. As many as 111 more people were cured of the disease, improving the recovery rate to 91.11 per cent. Mokokchung district registered the highest number of new cases at 15, followed by Kohima (14) and Dimapur (11), it said. Two fresh fatalities were recorded in Dimapur, and one each in Kohima and Mokokchung. The state now has 1,153 active cases, while 26,601 people have recovered from the disease, and 836 patients have migrated to other states so far, the bulletin said. (PTI)
The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh rose to 7,92,043 on Monday with the addition of seven cases, while the day also saw one death, which took the toll to 10,515, an official said. He said the recovery count stands at 7,81,434 and the state's active caseload is 94. With 67,765 samples being examined during the day, the number of tests in MP went up to 1,55,80,678, the official added. An official release said 3,81,86,994 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in MP so far, including 5,38,113 on Monday. (PTI)
People in Britain who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus no longer have to isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive, under new rules in force from Monday. Those who have had both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine or are under 18 who come in contact with a COVID positive person will not face a compulsory quarantine but are advised to take a PCR test. While some scientists would have liked such a test to be a legal requirement, it is expected that the rule change would help businesses struggling with staff shortages over the compulsory self-isolation requirement so far. If someone develops symptoms of the virus, the government says they should self-isolate and get a PCR test, and stay in isolation until the result comes back. The new guidance will apply to people who had their final dose of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before coming into contact with a positive case. People who test positive will still be legally required to self-isolate. "The British public have played a vital role following self-isolation rules throughout the pandemic and sacrificing so much to help bring the virus under control," said UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid. (PTI)
Jammu and Kashmir recorded 77 fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the infection tally to 3,23,499, while a single fatality pushed the death toll to 4,398 in the union territory, officials said. Out of the fresh cases, 23 were from Jammu division and 54 from Kashmir division, they said. The officials said Srinagar district recorded the highest number of 14 new cases followed by Baramulla with 12. The number of active cases now stands at 1,229 in the union territory, and 3,17,872 patients have recovered from the disease so far, they added. (PTI)
Karnataka reported 1,065 new COVID-19 cases and 28 deaths on Monday, taking the total number of infections to 29,30,529 and the toll to 37,007. The day also saw 1,486 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 28,71,448. Bengaluru Urban accounted for 270 cases out of the total number and saw 378 discharges and four deaths. The total number of active cases in the state is 22,048. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.93 per cent, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 2.62 per cent. Out of the 28 deaths, five are from Dakshina Kannada, Bengaluru Urban and Mysuru (4 each), Hassana and Kodagu (3 each), Chitradurga, Kolar and Uttara Kannada (2 each), followed by others. Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Dakshina Kannada accounted for 284, Bengaluru Urban 270, Udupi 107, Mysuru 63, followed by others. Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 12,33,172, followed by Mysuru 1,74,679 and Tumakuru 1,18,659. (PTI)
China's most widespread flare-up of COVID-19 since the initial outbreak appears to be waning. The National Health Commission said Monday that 13 locally spread cases had been confirmed in the preceding 24 hours, down from a peak of more than 100 cases a week ago and the sixth straight day of decline. A series of recent outbreaks appears to be driven by the delta variant. Nearly 1,300 local cases have been confirmed in 48 cities in 18 provinces. But most cities are now seeing only sporadic cases, added He Qinghua, a health commission disease control and prevention inspector. He said the risk of a large-scale national epidemic is relatively low. Another 38 imported cases were confirmed in the latest 24-hour period among people who had entered China recently from abroad. They included 11 who arrived in Yunnan province from neighboring Myanmar from August 10-15. (AP)
The European Medicines Agency has started an accelerated review process to determine if a common arthritis drug might help people hospitalized with severe COVID-19, months after the drug was granted an emergency use authorisation in the U.S. In a statement Monday, the EU drug regulator said it was assessing an application to extend the use of tocilizumab for adults suffering from severe coronavirus in the hospital, who were already being treated with other steroids or required extra oxygen, including via a ventilator. Tocilizumab is an anti-inflammatory drug currently used to treat adults and children with severe arthritis. (AP)
The Supreme Court on Monday granted 4-week extension to the Centre to frame guidelines for ex-gratia compensation to families of those who died of COVID-19. The Centre told the top court that the exercise of framing the guidelines is at an advanced stage and therefore some more time is required for in-depth examination before it is finalised and implemented. During the brief hearing, a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati about compliance of other directions given by the court in its verdict on June 30. Bhati told the bench that she will file an affidavit within two weeks giving the entire details of compliance of other directions issued by the court. The bench then ordered that time be extended by four weeks for compliance of the direction on framing of the guidelines. It directed the Centre to file a status report on compliance of other directions of the court and listed the matter for further hearing after two weeks. The apex court had in its June 30 verdict directed NDMA to recommend within six weeks appropriate guidelines for ex-gratia assistance on account of loss of life to the family members of persons who died due to COVID-19. (PTI)
Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera has tested positive for COVID-19, its cricket board said Monday. Perera, who turns 31 on Tuesday, missed the recent home series against India because of injury after being sacked as captain following the tour by England at the start of the year. He has played in 22 tests, 107 one-day internationals and 50 Twenty20 matches for his country. He has hit two centuries in tests and six in ODI cricket. Sri Lanka is witnessing a sharp rise in COVID-19, with the government reverting to nightly curfews and a ban on public gatherings. (AP)
Telangana on Monday reported 405 COVID-19 cases taking the tally to over 6.52 lakh while the toll stood at 3845 with three casualties. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation accounted for the highest number of cases with 67, followed by Karimnagar-32 district, a state government bulletin said. The number of active cases was 7,093. The total number of cases in the state stood at 6,52,785, while with 577 people being cured, the total recoveries are at 6,41,847. Over 84,000 samples were tested on Monday, taking the cumulative number of specimens examined to over 2.34 crore. (PTI)
COVID19 | More than 77 lakh vaccine doses administered today so far. A total of 55,05,20,038 vaccine doses administered have been administrated till now: Union Health Ministry (ANI)
The Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) has tied up with Apollo Diagnostics to offer rapid RT-PCR tests to passengers on the airport premises. The service, a relief to Gulf-bound passengers, was launched at the airport on Monday after dry-runs over the last few days, a press release here said. As per the health requirements for passengers to the Gulf, each of them must have a negative rapid RT-PCR test conducted at the airport four hours prior to boarding the flight. (PTI)
The Delhi government has ordered the vaccination of staffers working at various institutions under the Directorate of Training and Technical Education (DTTE) since they have been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic. The DTTE has also issued a list of dedicated vaccination sites where teaching and non-teaching staff can get inoculated. "All the teaching and non-teaching staff working in various institutions under DTTE have been at the forefront as Covid Warriors against the GNCTD's fight against COVID-19 pandemic," the order said. To maximise the safety and health of the education community, the DTTE requires all teaching and non-teaching staff of its institutions to be vaccinated on an urgent basis, it said. "Accordingly, the heads of institutions under DTTE are directed to ensure that all teaching and non-teaching staff who have not taken the first dose should be vaccinated, within 15 days positively at the dedicated sites," the order read. (PTI)
The COVID-19 tally in Nashik in Maharashtra reached 4,04,145 after 67 cases were detected on Monday, an official said. Two deaths took the district's toll to 8,551, while the recovery count rose by 75 to touch 3,94,514, he said. With 5,262 samples being examined on Monday, the number of tests in Nashik went up to 23,76,310, the official added. (PTI)
Goa reports 62 new #COVID19 cases, 96 recoveries and 5 deaths in the last 24 hours.Total cases 1,72,568Total recoveries 1,68,519Death toll 3176Active case 873
In an effort to ramp up the speed of vaccination in the country, the Union Health Ministry has approved another laboratory for testing and lot release of COVID-19 vaccines, it said on Monday. The ministry has notified the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) as a Central Drug Laboratory (CDL) for testing and lot release of Covid vaccines, according to an official statement. In order to discuss the various aspects of COVID-19 vaccination distribution in India, a meeting was organised under the chairmanship of the cabinet secretary on November 11, 2020. In the meeting, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) were asked to indicate to the Health Ministry if any of their labs could be converted for use as a CDL. After due deliberations, the DBT proposed two laboratories, namely the NIAB and the National Centre for Cell Sciences (NCCS), Pune, for this purpose. Funds from the Prime Minister Cares Fund Trust (PM-CARES) were allotted for upgradation of these two laboratories, the statement said. "The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had furnished a draft notification to the Union Health Ministry for notifying NIAB, Hyderabad as a CDL laboratory in response to which the Union Health Ministry has now notified NIAB, Hyderabad as a CDL laboratory," it added. (PTI)
Goa's COVID-19 tally went up by 62 on Monday to touch 1,72,568, while the day also saw five patients succumbing to the infection and 96 recovering, an official said. The toll in the coastal state is 3,176 and the recovery count is 1,68,519, leaving it with 873 active cases, he said. With 4,225 samples being examined in the last 24 hours, the number of tests in Goa went up to 11,32,949, he added. Goa's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 1,72,568, new cases 62, death toll 3176, discharged 168519, active cases 873, samples tested till date 11,32,949. (PTI)
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Most schools across Uttarakhand opened on Monday for students of Classes 6 to 8 after opening earlier this month for the higher classes. Sanitisation, social distancing and mask wearing norms were strictly followed at the schools as they reopened for these classes after their closure due to the second wave of COVID-19. However, only 20-25 per cent students attended the classes. Both private and government schools reopened for these classes. However, some private schools in Dehradun have either decided to reopen later this week or are still in a dilemma. The mode of online classes is also available to all students. (PTI)
Researchers have developed a new cheaper, faster and more accurate COVID-19 diagnostic test that uses electrodes made from graphite -- the material found in pencil lead - to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The team at University of Pennsylvania in the US noted that current COVID-19 tests are limited by the tradeoff between accuracy and the time it takes to analyse a sample. Another challenge of current COVID-19 tests is cost as most tests are expensive to produce and require trained personnel to administer and analyse them, they said. According to the research published in the journal PNAS, the graphite electrodes in the new test reduce the cost to USD 1.50 per test and require only 6.5 minutes to deliver the results. (PTI)
Kerala reports 12,294 new #COVID19 cases, 18,542 recoveries and 142 deaths in the last 24 hours.Active cases 1,72,239Death toll 18,743Total recoveries 35,10,90987,578 samples tested for COVID in the last 24 hours. Test positivity rate is 14.03% (ANO)
Andhra Pradesh reports 909 new #COVID19 cases, 1543 recoveries and 13 deaths in the last 24 hours.Total cases 19,94,606Total recoveries 19,63,728Death toll 13,660Active cases 17,218 (ANI)
Ten new cases of Delta Plus variant found in Maharashtra - six in Kolhapur, three in Ratnagiri and one in Sindhudurg, taking the total number of cases in the state to 76. Five of these 76 patients, have died: State Health Department (ANI)