Covid-19 4th Wave in India Live Updates: India recorded 2,323 fresh Covid-19 infections on Saturday, while the number of active cases came down to 14,996, according to the official data updated by the Union health ministry today. The death toll climbed to 5,24,348 with 25 fatalities. The active cases comprise 0.03 per cent of the total infections. According to the Ministry, the national Covid-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.75 per cent. A decrease of 48 cases has been recorded in the active Covid-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
To accelerate the coverage of those vaccinated against Covid-19, the Union Health Ministry on Friday announced it will launch a two-month-long door-to-door campaign in June and July. The campaign will give preference to eligible senior citizens to be inoculated with a booster dose.
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(With Agency Inputs)
Coronavirus (Covid-19) 4th Wave India Live Updates:
Manipur became a coronavirus-free state with three active COVID-19 patients recovering from the disease, a health department official said. The active case count in the northeastern state hit zero for the first time in the last 26 months, Health Services Director Dr K Rajo Singh said. The caseload remained at 1,37,230, he said. Altogether, 1,35,110 people have so far recuperated from the disease and the recovery rate was 98.45 per cent. The death toll due to the infection stood at 2,120, Singh said on Friday evening. At least 71 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Friday, and no report was found positive for the infection, he added. (PTI)
Gujarat registered 32 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the tally in the state to 12,24,865, while the death toll remained unchanged at 10,944, a state health department official said. The recovery count increased by 31 during this period to touch 12,13,716, leaving Gujarat with 205 active cases, he added. Gujarat's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 12,24,865 new cases 32, deaths 10,944, discharged 12,13,716 active cases 205 and people tested so far – figures not released. (PTI)
Vaccination after infection with SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to a reduction in the burden of long COVID symptoms, a new study suggests. (Reuters)
➡️ More than 193.53 Cr vaccine doses provided to States/UTs.➡️ More than 16.67 Cr doses still available with States/UTs to be administered.https://t.co/4Ra4WbMv3m pic.twitter.com/HfADCxRwYz— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) May 21, 2022
North Korea on Saturday reported more than 200,000 new patients suffering from fever for a fifth consecutive day, as it fought its first confirmed coronavirus outbreak. The ongoing COVID wave, declared last week, has fuelled concerns over a lack of vaccines, inadequate medical infrastructure and a potential food crisis in the country of 25 million, which has refused outside help and kept its borders shut. (Reuters)
Shanghai cautiously pushed ahead on Saturday with plans to restore part of its transport network in a major step towards exiting a weeks-long COVID-19 lockdown, while Beijing kept up its defences in an outbreak that has persisted for a month. Shanghai's lockdown since the beginning of April has dealt a heavy economic blow to China's most populous city, stirred debate over the sustainability of the nation's zero-COVID policy and stoked fears of future lockdowns and disruptions.
Unlike the financial hub, Beijing has refrained from imposing a city-wide lockdown, reporting dozens of new cases a day, versus tens of thousands in Shanghai at its peak. Still, the curbs and endless mass testing imposed on China's capital have unsettled its economy and upended the lives of its people. As Beijing remained in COVID angst, workers in Shanghai were disinfecting subway stations and trains before planned restoration of four metro lines on Sunday. (Reuters)
➡️ Over 84.63 Cr COVID Tests conducted so far.➡️ Weekly Positivity Rate currently at 0.51%.➡️ Daily Positivity Rate stands at 0.47%. pic.twitter.com/kDeznhRVFR— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) May 21, 2022
➡️ India’s Cumulative #covid19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 192.12 Cr (1,92,12,96,720).➡️ Over 3.26 Cr 1st dose vaccines administered for age group 12-14 years.https://t.co/84XdqNDET0 pic.twitter.com/KfuweTIUFH— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) May 21, 2022
With the addition of 27 coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 7,09,494, an official said on Saturday. These cases were reported on Friday. As nobody succumbed to the infection during the day, the death toll in the district remained unchanged at 11,895, he said, adding that the mortality rate is 1.67 per cent. In neighbouring Palghar district, the caseload stood at 1,63,612, while the death toll is 3,407, another official said. (PTI)
North Korea said Saturday it found nearly 220,000 more people with feverish symptoms even as leader Kim Jong Un claimed progress in slowing a largely undiagnosed spread of COVID-19 across an unvaccinated population of 26 million. The outbreak has caused concern about serious tragedies in the poor, isolated country with one of the world's worst health care systems and a high tolerance for civilian suffering. Experts say North Korea is almost certainly downplaying the true scale of the viral spread, including a strangely small death toll, to soften the political blow on Kim as he navigates the toughest moment in his decade of rule. (AP)
Mumbai on Friday reported 213 COVID-19 cases, a slight dip from the 223 witnessed a day earlier, taking the tally to 10,62,476, while the death toll remained unchanged at 19,566, a civic official said. – PTI
The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh reached 10,42,124 on Friday after the detection of 55 cases, while the death toll remained unchanged at 10,735, an official said. – PTI
Telangana on Friday recorded 45 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total tally in the state to 7,92,802, a health department bulletin said. The death toll continued to be 4,111, it said. Hyderabad recorded the highest number of 33 cases. – PTI
Delhi reported 530 new COVID-19 cases and zero fatality due to the disease on Friday, while the positivity rate stood at 2.17 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. With the new infections, Delhi's COVID-19 caseload increases to 19,02,710, while the death toll stands at 26,199. – PTI
Ladakh recorded one fresh Covid case that took the infection tally to 28,258, officials said on Friday. Of the total caseload, 22,977 infections have been reported from Leh and 5,281 from Kargil, they said. The death toll remained unchanged at 228. Of these, 168 fatalities were reported from Leh and 60 from Kargil, officials said. The number of active cases in Ladakh stands at five — four from Leh and one from Kargil, they said. So far, 28,025 COVID-19 patients have recovered, officials added. PTI
The union territory of Puducherry added three new coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours raising the overall caseload to 1,65,825, a senior official of the Department of Health said on Friday. There were no fresh fatalities from any of the four regions and the death toll remained at 1,962, The Health department evaluated 1,278 samples in the last 24 hours ending 10 AM Friday which saw three fresh infections surface, Director of Health G Sriramulu said in a release. PTI
Odisha's COVID-19 tally rose to 12,88,349 on Friday as 10 more people, including four children, tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said. The coronavirus death toll remained unchanged at 9,126 as no fresh fatality was recorded. Odisha had logged 12 infections and zero deaths on Thursday. The state now has 118 active cases, while 12,79,052 people have recovered from the disease so far, including 12 in the last 24 hours, it said. The daily positivity rate stood at 0.07 per cent as 14,528 samples were tested for COVID-19. Fifty-three coronavirus patients have died due to comorbidities so far. (PTI)
A COVID-19 booster dose will provide strong and broad antibody protection against Omicron sublineage variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, two new studies using serum from human blood samples suggest. Researchers from the Ohio State University in the US tested neutralising antibody levels against the BA.2 and BA.3 Omicron variants and Deltacron, a recombinant variant created by the exchange of genetic material between Delta and Omicron. (PTI)
The European health regulator on Thursday endorsed the use of AstraZeneca's COVID vaccine, Vaxzevria, as a booster. The recommendation, made by a committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), encompasses adults who have either been previously vaccinated by Vaxzevria or an mRNA vaccine, such as the ones made by Pfizer and BioNTech or Moderna. (Reuters)
An advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday voted to recommend COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for children ages 5 to 11, at least five months after completing their primary vaccination course. The advisers considered data from the CDC that showed protection from the initial two shots starts to wane over time, and that boosters in older age groups improved efficacy against severe COVID and hospitalizations. The Food and Drug Administration authorized booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for the age group on Tuesday as COVID cases are on the rise again in the United States. (Reuters)
Shanghai reported new COVID-19 cases outside quarantined areas for the first time after five days of no infections, prompting stricter curbs in a district, but plans to end a prolonged city-wide lockdown on June 1 appeared to remain on track. The commercial hub of 25 million found three new cases outside quarantined areas in one district on May 19. Infections also rose inside strictly controlled areas. All three, from the same family, had taken three vaccine doses, and their infection was discovered during regular testing in Qingpu district, authorities said. They have not left Xujing Town in the district for the past 14 days, but recently visited at least four places, including a supermarket, all of which are now closed off to the public and undergoing disinfection, authorities added. (Reuters)
Shanghai announced its first new COVID-19 cases outside quarantined areas in five days on Friday, triggering stricter curbs and mass testing in one district but plans to end a prolonged city-wide lockdown on June 1 appeared on track. The commercial hub of 25 million found three new cases in the same family in Qingpu district. All had taken three doses of vaccine and their infections were discovered during regular testing, authorities said. The three had not left their district town over the past 14 days but had visited at least four places, including a supermarket, all of which were sealed off and were being disinfected, authorities said. The area's more than 200,000 people had been re-tested and all results were negative. (Reuters)
The U.S. health agency has recommended children aged 5 to 11 take the COVID-19 vaccine booster at least five months after completing their primary vaccination course. (Reuters)
China’s commercial hub of Shanghai reported on Friday a broad decline in its economy last month when a city-wide COVID lockdown shut factories and kept residents at home, sparking concerns among foreign firms over their presence in the country. Output of Shanghai’s industries, located at the heart of manufacturing in the Yangtze River Delta, shrank 61.5% in April from a year earlier, the local statistics bureau said. (Reuters)
➡️ Over 84.58 Cr COVID Tests conducted so far.➡️ Weekly Positivity Rate currently at 0.53%.➡️ Daily Positivity Rate stands at 0.50%. pic.twitter.com/dFdwYklsev— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) May 20, 2022
➡️ Over 3.24 Cr 1st dose vaccines administered for age group 12-14 years.https://t.co/dLmTmIwRWI pic.twitter.com/Fmnmyn2eZ7— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) May 20, 2022
China's capital Beijing reported 50 new symptomatic coronavirus cases for May 19, same as a day earlier, state media reported on Friday. The city also reported 12 asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 for May 19, up from five a day earlier. (Reuters)
The active cases comprise 0.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was 98.75 per cent, the ministry said. A decrease of 375 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.50 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 0.53 per cent, according to the health ministry. (PTI)
Kids ages 5 to 11 should get a booster dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, advisers to the US government said Thursday. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention quickly adopted the panel's recommendation, opening a third COVID-19 shot to healthy elementary-age kids — just like what is already recommended for everybody 12 and older. The hope is that an extra shot will shore up protection for kids ages 5 to 11 as infections once again are on the rise. “Vaccination with a primary series among this age group has lagged behind other age groups leaving them vulnerable to serious illness,” said CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky, in a statement. (AP)
With the addition of 26 coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra has increased to 7,09,467, an official said on Friday. These cases were recorded on Thursday. As the virus did not claim any life during the day, the death toll in the district remained unchanged at 11,895, he said, adding that the mortality rate is 1.67 per cent. In neighbouring Palghar district, the caseload stood at 1,63,612, while the death toll is 3,407, another official said. (PTI)
The Chinese financial hub of Shanghai reported three new cases of COVID-19 outside quarantined areas for May 19, snapping five days of no such cases, the city's health authority said on Friday. All three cases were found in the city's Qingpu district. Shanghai reported 770 new local asymptomatic coronavirus cases for May 19, up from 637 a day earlier, while confirmed symptomatic cases also rose to 88 from 82 the previous day. (Reuters)
North Korea said on Friday it was achieving “good results” in the fight against the country's first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak, as the number of people with fever symptoms surpassed 2 million. The isolated nation reported 263,370 more people with fever symptoms, and two more deaths, taking the total fever caseload to 2.24 million as of Thursday evening, including 65 deaths, according to state media KCNA. It did not report how many of those cases had tested positive for the coronavirus. Despite the caseload, the North said farming continues, factories are working, and it was planning a state funeral for a former general. (Reuters)
