Coronavirus India August 17 Highlights: India’s cumulative vaccination coverage crosses 56 crore; Mumbai reports below 200 new Covid-19 cases for 2nd day in a row

Meghalaya: Curfew in Shillong Agglomeration will be relaxed from 5 am to 4 pm on August 18 and will be reimposed thereafter until further orders pic.twitter.com/1cgODJHZns

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Night curfew is fully withdrawn from the UT. All restaurants/bars can remain open with 50% capacity from 8 am to 12 midnight. Restriction of 50% capacity of passengers for public transport is withdrawn: Chandigarh Administration (ANI)

West Bengal's COVID-19 tally rose to 15,39,612 on Tuesday as 547 more people tested positive for the infection, while six fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 18,318, a health bulletin said. As many as 637 more people were cured of the disease, taking the recovery rate to 98.18 per cent.  The state now has 9,736 active cases, while 15,11,558 people have recovered from the infection thus far. (PTI)

Maharashtra reported 4,408 new coronavirus cases and 116 fresh fatalities on Tuesday, while 5,424 patients recovered from the infection, a state health department official. With this, the tally of COVID-19 cases in the state climbed to 64,01,213, while the death toll rose to 1,35,255, he said. Significantly, Nandurbar district in North Maharashtra did not report a  single active case of coronavirus for the second day in a row. The official said 5,424 patients were discharged from hospitals across the state in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative number of recovered cases to 62,01,168. Maharashtra now has 61,306 active cases. The state has 3,53,807 people in home quarantine and another  2,233 in institutional quarantine, according to the official. (PTI)

India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 56 Crore (56,00,94,581) landmark milestone, as per the 7pm provisional report today. Nearly 50 lakh (49,48,965) vaccine doses have been administered today, as per the 7 pm provisional report: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (ANI)

Twenty-seven people tested for COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh while one person succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, pushing the infection tally to 17,089,91 and the death toll to 22,786 on Tuesday, according to a health bulletin. The new fatality was reported from Prayagraj, it said. The COVID-19 recovery count has reached 16,85,785 in the state, the bulletin said, adding the number of active cases stands at 420. So far, over 6.94 crore samples have been tested in the state for COVID-19, including 1.83 lakh tested the previous day, it said. (PTI)

CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting on the prevailing COVID situation& vaccination and directed the officials to take measures to implement strict COVID protocols in schools. CM said to make arrangements for testing of symptomatic students in schools: Andhra Pradesh CMO (ANI)

The count of COVID-19 cases in Nashik district of Maharashtra rose to 4,04,225 with the addition of 80 new patients on Tuesday, health department officials said. The viral infection also claimed two more lives, one of them in Nashik city, taking the death toll in the district to 8,553, they said. Also,  90 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, pushing the number of recovered cases to 3,94,604, the officials said. (PTI)

Tamil Nadu on Tuesday recorded 1,804 new COVID-19 cases pushing the caseload to 25,92,436 on a day when the total number of samples tested by the health department breached the four crore mark in the state. The death toll rose to 34,579 with the addition of 32 new fatalities, a  government bulletin said. Recoveries outnumbered new infections with 1,917 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, aggregating to 25,37,632 leaving 20,225 active infections. A total of 1,50,724 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined to 4,01,08,888. (PTI)

Sri Lanka on Tuesday deployed a naval ship to India to avoid delay in fetching oxygen, urgently needed to meet the shortage of supply in hospitals, following the rapid surge of COVID-19 cases in the country. Sri Lanka has recorded over 3.58 lakh coronavirus cases, while the death toll has touched 6,263. Sri Lanka Naval Ship (SLNS) Shakthi left the eastern port of Trincomalee in the morning and is heading for the Port of Chennai, India, the Lankan Navy said. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered the Navy to bring the oxygen supplies from India in order to minimise the delays, it said. (PTI)

The Centre on Tuesday informed the Kerala High Court that a third dose cannot be administered to those who have already taken two doses of vaccine. The centre filed the affidavit before Justice Murali Purushothaman on a plea seeking a third jab of vaccine by a man who has received two doses of COVAXIN but wants a third dose of an internationally recognised vaccine for travelling back to Saudi Arabia for work. The petitioner, a welder by profession in the Gulf nation, has claimed that COVAXIN is not internationally recognised and therefore, he would not be allowed to travel abroad resulting in loss of his livelihood. In the affidavit, the centre submitted that the guidelines do not allow a third dose. Sympathising with his plight the court had on August 10 asked the central and the state governments why the petitioner cannot be given a third dose as it is a question of his livelihood. (PTI)

Karnataka reported 1,298 new COVID-19 cases and 32 deaths on Tuesday, taking the total number of infections to 29,31,827 and the toll to 37,039. The day also saw 1,833 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 28,73,281. Bengaluru Urban accounted for most of the fresh cases (340), as the city saw 471 discharges and 10 deaths. The total number of active cases in the state is at 21,481. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 1.01 per cent, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 2.46 per cent. Out of 32 deaths reported on Tuesday 10 were from Bengaluru Urban, Dakshina Kannada had five, Hassan, Kodagu, Kolar, Mysuru and Shivamogga two each, followed by others. (PTI)

The United States this week is shipping the first vaccine doses of the 500 million COVID-19 global sharing commitment it made at the Group of Seven summit in June. The U.S. is sending 488,370 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Rwanda, of which 188,370 come as the first batch of the half-billion dose order placed by the U.S. to share with lower and moderate-income countries. The White House says the balance of the doses will come from existing U.S. surplus of shots. (AP)

Jammu and Kashmir recorded 83 fresh COVID-19 cases and one fatality on Tuesday, pushing the union territory's infection tally to 3,23,582 and its death toll 4,399, officials said. Of the fresh cases, 38 were from Jammu division and 45 from Kashmir division, they said. The officials said Srinagar district recorded the highest number of 17 new cases, followed by Jammu with nine. The number of active cases now stands at 1,158, while 3,18,025 patients have recovered from the disease so far, they added. (PTI)

With the addition of 115 new COVID-19 cases, the tally of infections in Goa rose to 1,72,683 on Tuesday, an official from the health department said. As many as 103 patients were discharged from hospitals, while one died of the infection during the day, taking the count of recoveries to 1,68,622 and toll to 3,177, the official said. With this, the coastal state currently has 884 active cases, he added. (PTI)

Mumbai reported 198 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday and two fresh deaths, the lowest fatality count since March 9, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official. The official said with this, the tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 7,39,724, while the death toll jumped to 15,994. This was the second day in a row that the financial capital logged less than 200 COVID-19 cases. On Monday,  the city had witnessed 190 new cases, which were the lowest since April 2020.The city also reported the lowest coronavirus death count in more than five months. On March 9, Mumbai had witnessed only two fatalities. Also, on the fourth consecutive day, slums and 'chawls' (old row tenements) in the city remained free of containment zones, while the number of sealed buildings has come down to 21. The civic body seals buildings or declares containment zones if at least five residents there test positive for coronavirus. With 28,508 tests being conducted in the last 24 hours, the cumulative number of tests reached 87,07,254, the official said. He said the number of recovered cases increased to 7,18,658 after 304 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day. Mumbai now has 2,640 active cases. (PTI)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II decided to stay on at her Balmoral Castle summer retreat in Scotland despite a staff member testing positive for COVID-19. The 95-year-old monarch, who is fully vaccinated against coronavirus, has chosen to continue with her vacation at the Scottish castle after the employee in question was sent home on Saturday, 'The Sun' newspaper reports. "We have procedures in place should a member of any team get COVID," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. (PTI)

The COVID-19 caseload in Madhya Pradesh rose to 7,92,054, after 11 persons tested positive for the infection on Tuesday, an official from the state health department said. The toll in the state stands at 10,515, while the count of recoveries has reached 7,81,444, the official said, adding that the state is left with 95 active cases. With the addition of 68,740 swab samples tested during the day, the total number of tests conducted in the state went up to 1,56,55,846, the official said. (PTI)

The UK government on Tuesday updated its official travel advisory for India to reflect the country's upgraded status under the COVID-19 based traffic light system, no longer advising against 'all but essential travel'. India moved from the UK's red list travel ban to amber on August 8 and now the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advisory has been updated to coincide with the easing of rules. "Following the peak of India's second COVID-19 wave in May, pressure on the Indian health care system has lifted, as the number of COVID-19 cases has fallen," reads the FCDO update. "A limited number of flights between India and the UK continue to operate. To book tickets and to see important guidance prior to travel you should check airline websites," it notes. "Before you travel, check the 'Entry Requirements' section for India's current entry restrictions and requirements. These may change with little warning. Monitor this advice for the latest updates and stay in contact with your travel provider," it adds. (PTI)

Ladakh recorded four fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 20,455 while the total active cases in the Union territory has gone down to 77, officials said on Tuesday. Ladakh has registered 207 COVID-related deaths -- 149 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. A total of 20,171 patients have recovered till date. Of the total 4 new cases, three were from Leh and one from Kargil. A total of 2,509 sample reports in Ladakh, including 934 from Leh and 1,575 from Kargil, were found negative, they said. There was no new death due to coronavirus in Ladakh in the past 24 hours. (PTI)

Shopping malls in Maharashtra state on Tuesday decided to close down operations, after the government modified guidelines mandating them to operate with fully-vaccinated staff. It would take at least a month before a "sizeable number" of staff gets both the doses of vaccine and meets the criteria provided there is no shortage of the jabs, the Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI) said in a statement. Maharashtra had allowed malls to open up last Wednesday after months of closure to contain the spread of infections. However, the government had asked the malls to operate only with double-vaccinated employees and also admit only fully-vaccinated patrons. "In light of the modified guidelines issued by the Government of Maharashtra on 16 August 2021, restraining mall staff from returning to workplace unless they are vaccinated with two doses with a gap 14 days after the second dose, it is unfortunate that malls across the state have decided to close down," a statement from the SCAI said. The statement said since the order last Wednesday, citing the malls' inability to operate, specifying that 80 per cent of the staff had received the first shot of the vaccine and the primary reason for not taking both the doses was supply constraints. (PTI)

Kerala on Tuesday logged 21,613 new COVID-19 cases pushing the infection count to 37,03,578, as the number of people succumbing to the disease rose to 18,870 with 127 additional deaths. As many as 18,556 people have been cured of the infection since Monday, taking the total recoveries to 35,29,465 and the number of active cases to 1,75,167, a state government release said. In the last 24 hours, 1,39,623 samples were tested and the TPR was found to be 15.48 per cent. So far, 2,96,85,152 samples have been tested, it said. Among districts, Malappuram recorded 3,193 coronavirus cases followed by Ernakulam (2,643), Thrissur (2,470), Kozhikode (2,322), Palakkad (2,134), Kollam (1,692), Kannur (1,306), Alappuzha (1,177), Kottayam (1,155) and Thiruvananthapuram (1,155). (PTI)

Amid panic over the number of children getting infected with COVID-19 in the state in the last few days, the Odisha government on Tuesday said the positivity rate among people below 18 years of age has been remaining at around 12 per cent, which is on a par with the pan-India phenomenon. The government suggested parents and teachers to get inoculated with both doses of the COVID vaccine so that the possibility of children contracting the infection gets minimised. "There is no need to panic over the number of children getting infected. We cannot conclude that the infection rate among them has increased by considering the caseload in a single day," Health Services Director Bijay Mohapatra said. It is important to keep those who have not been vaccinated in a safe environment, he said. The government's advisory came after people got panic over the number of children testing positive for COVID-19 in the last three days. At least 138 children were among 1,058 patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, while 104 people below 18 years of age contracted the disease on Monday.  (PTI)

The Centre will provide a financial package of Rs 1,300 crore to the Northeastern states to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Tuesday. Reviewing the COVID-19 situation with health ministers of all the Northeastern states in Guwahati, Mandaviya said the fund is being provided to purchase medicines, enhance oxygen supply, increase beds -- general, ICU and children -- at local and district-level hospitals. "The fund will also be utilised to speed up the vaccination drive by the states in the region. The Government of India is committed to provide enough vaccines to the states," he told a press conference following the review meeting. (PTI)

Andhra Pradesh witnessed a sharp fall of 877 in active coronavirus cases in a day as recoveries were much higher compared to the fresh infections on Tuesday. Consequently, the active caseload decreased to 16,341, a health department bulletin said. In 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday, the state reported 1,063 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1,929 recoveries and 11 deaths, it said. The cumulative positives rose to 19,95,669, recoveries to 19,65,657 and toll 13,671. Chittoor reported 211, SPS Nellore 198, West Godavari 147, Guntur 104 and Krishna 103 new cases in 24 hours. (PTI)

Telangana | To encourage COVID vaccination, a rakhi seller in Hyderabad is giving a 50% discount to fully vaccinated people"After verifying their vaccination certificate, we'll give them a flat 50% discount. Last year, lockdown affected our business," says a shop owner Pawan pic.twitter.com/5sLE8A1hBF

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Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga officially expanded and extended the nation's coronavirus state of emergency on Tuesday, as government advisers recommended legal changes that would allow penalties for violations. The measures, approved by a government task force, add seven prefectures to the six areas already under a state of emergency and extend it to September 12. Ten other prefectures were put under a "quasi-emergency," which had previously encompassed six prefectures, bringing about two-thirds of the nation under some form of emergency as COVID-19 infections "explode" across the nation, in Suga's words. Hospitals have been stretched thin and some seriously sick people have been turned away. More than 15,000 people are confirmed to have died from the coronavirus. (AP)

The slum-dominated Dharavi area of Mumbai did not report a single new coronavirus infection on Tuesday, an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. The area, spread on 2.5 sq km and home to over six lakh people, has not reported a new case for the sixth time this month, he said. The tally of infections recorded in Dharavi so far stands at 6,996, of which 6,596 patients have recovered. The BMC does not publish the death toll from the area. (PTI)

Patients with long COVID syndrome continue to have higher measures of blood clotting, which may explain their persistent symptoms such as reduced physical fitness and fatigue, according to a study. The symptoms of long COVID syndrome, including breathlessness, fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance, can last weeks to months after the initial infection has resolved, and is estimated to affect millions of people worldwide. The researchers from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Ireland examined 50 patients with symptoms of long COVID syndrome to better understand if abnormal blood clotting is involved. Their study, published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, found that clotting markers were significantly elevated in the blood of patients with long COVID syndrome compared with healthy controls. (PTI)

Mizoram's COVID-19 tally rose to 49,350 on Tuesday as 639 more people, including 139 children, tested positive for the infection, while two fresh fatalities pushed the northeastern state's coronavirus death toll to 184, a health bulletin said. Aizawl district registered the highest number of new cases at 399, followed by Kolasib (97) and Mamit (32), it said, adding that the single-day positivity rate stood at 6.25 per cent. Three new patients have travel history, while the remaining 636 fresh infections were detected during contact tracing. Mizoram now has 9,510 active cases, while 39,656 people have recovered from the disease so far, including 963 on Monday. The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state stood at 80.35 per cent, while the death rate was at 0.37 per cent. (PTI)

US health experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country. Federal health officials have been actively looking at whether extra shots for the vaccinated would be needed as early as this fall, reviewing case numbers in the U.S. as well as the situation in other countries such as Israel, where preliminary studies suggest the vaccine's protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January. An announcement on the U.S. booster recommendation was expected as soon as this week, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Doses would only begin to be administered widely once the Food and Drug Administration formally approves the vaccines. That action is expected for the Pfizer shot in the coming weeks. (AP)

Two Indian nationals in Singapore were on Tuesday sentenced to three weeks each in jail for breaching their mandatory COVID-19 quarantine period in a hotel here after returning from India. Bojanki Suresh Naidu, 37, and Bharati Tulshiram Choudhari, 48, who are permanent residents in Singapore, pleaded to a charge of exposing others to the risk of infection while having reason to suspect they may have been carriers of COVID-19, The Straits Times reported. Both of them had arrived in Singapore on March 14 during the height of the second wave of COVID-19 in India and breached their stay-home notice (SHN) in a hotel, a mandated safety measure against the deadly coronavirus. (PTI)

Delhi reports 38 new #COVID19 cases, 30 recoveries and 4 deaths in the last 24 hours.Total cases 14,37,156Total recoveries 14,11,612 Death toll 25,073Active cases 471 Positivity rate 0.07% pic.twitter.com/uz1HvanIrU

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Several Chinese ports are facing congestion as vessels due to call at Ningbo are bing diverted and cargo processing is slowed partly due to stricter disinfection measures under China's "zero-tolerance" coronavirus policy.On Tuesday, more than 50 container vessels were queuing at Ningbo port, China's second largest marine centre, Refinitiv data showed, up from 28 on Aug. 10 when a COVID-19 case was reported at one of its terminals.Leading international shipping groups have warned their clients of delays and route adjustments. At least 14 vessels operated by CMA CGM, five Maersk vessels and four Hapag-Lloyd ships have decided to skip Ningbo, while dozens of vessels are adjusting their schedules, the shipping groups said.China's economy is losing momentum as a result of new coronavirus restrictions and global supply chains face further strains with the curbs adding to queues at major Chinese transportation hubs, already stretched by a resurgence of consumer spending, shortage of container ships and logjams at ports. – Reuters

‘Had a fruitful meeting with Assam CM Shri @HimantaBiswa ji on COVID management. I noted the steps being taken by the State Govt to curtail the spread of #COVID19 in Assam. The Central Govt will continue to support the State in its endeavours to mitigate the pandemic,’ tweets Mandaviya

The World Health Organization (WHO) is worried about the spread of the coronavirus in Afghanistan as the upheaval caused by the Taliban advance and seizure of power has slowed vaccinations, a spokesperson said on Tuesday."As the situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate rapidly, WHO is extremely concerned over the unfolding safety and humanitarian needs in the country, including risk of disease outbreaks and rise in COVID-19 transmission," Tarik Jasarevic told a U.N. briefing.WHO mobile health teams have been on hold in the capital for the past 24 hours due to the insecurity and the unpredictable situation, he said. Chaos at Kabul airport, where thousands of people have been seeking to flee the Taliban, was slowing deliveries of medical supplies, worsening existing shortages.Jasarevic said the WHO, like those of other U.N. agencies, was committed to remain in the country. – Reuters

SII acquires 50% stake of SCHOTT Kaisha to become its jt venture partner & secure pharma packaging supply "Securing supply chain is of strategic importance...As longtime customer, we use their vials, ampoules & syringes to store vaccines, incl Covishied" says CEO Adar Poonawalla - ANI

Altogether 11 per cent of the eligible population in Assam has so far received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine, state Health Minister Keshab Mahanta said on Tuesday. He claimed that there was adequate stock of vaccines in the state and urged the people to come forward for their jab. Addressing a press conference here, Mahanta said, "As on date, 1.18 crore people have received their first dose of vaccine, while 25.21 lakh have taken their second dose also." In terms of percentage, 51 per cent have taken the first dose and 11 per cent have received both the doses, he added. The minister had earlier informed the state Assembly that of the 3.50 crore projected population of the state, about 2.37 crore are above 18 years of age, making them eligible for the vaccine. Mahanta further said about 2.50 lakh to 3 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses were being administered daily in the state now. - PTI

The Assam government on Tuesday exempted fully vaccinated incoming people carrying the latest COVID-19 negative report from mandatory testing for the virus on arrival in the state. The order will come into immediate effect, but the exemption will not be applicable for symptomatic passengers, a notification issued by the Health and Family Welfare department said. All incoming passengers who have been vaccinated with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be exempted from mandatory testing on arrival at airports, railway stations, road border points, etc, it said. The passengers must possess a negative COVID test report taken within 72 hours of their arrival in Assam, it added. - PTI