Covid-19 Cases in India: Kerala contributed 12,787 cases to the country’s daily numbers.
New Delhi:
India added 54,069 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours while deaths from COVID-19 rose by 1,321. The country’s overall caseload now stands at 3.82 crore, while total fatalities are at 3.91 lakh, according to the health ministry.
Kerala contributed 12,787 cases to the country’s daily numbers. It was followed by Maharashtra (10,066 cases) and Tamil Nadu (6,596 cases).
India’s test positivity rate (positive cases identified for every 100 tests) continues to decline. For the 17th straight day it is below the 5 per cent-mark at 2.91 per cent.
Meanwhile, amid worries of a possible third Covid wave, along with the emergence of a Delta Plus variant in parts of the country, one of India’s top doctors and genome sequencer has brushed aside concerns of this new mutant fuelling an upsurge in infections. Dr Anurag Agarwal, Director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), also advised caution against lowering the guard on the second wave itself.
“At this point, there is no evidence to suggest that Delta Plus…has anything to do with a possible third wave,” Dr Agarwal told NDTV.
Here are the updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
Expressing satisfaction over no COVID-19 fatality being reported in Rajasthan on Thursday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said people should be extra-cautious in the wake of the new Delta Plus variant of the virus.
“Today, after several months, there has been no death due to coronavirus in the state, which is very satisfactory. Coronavirus can be defeated if people follow Covid protocols properly,” Mr Gehlot tweeted.
He warned that a new variant of the virus, Delta Plus, has entered India and more than 40 people have been infected by it in the country.
The Gujarat government on Thursday announced lifting of night curfew from 18 towns and relaxing its timing in the same number of urban centres by one hour even as it allowed cinema halls, multiplexes and auditoriums to function at 50 per cent capacity in view of a sharp drop in new COVID-19 cases.
A decision to ease more curbs, effective from Sunday, was taken at a meeting of the government’s core committee on COVID-19.
Among a slew of relaxations in restrictions imposed earlier to curb COVID-19 cases, the government allowed opening of cinema halls, multiplexes and auditoriums at 50 per cent capacity, permitted shops to do business till 9 pm instead of 7 pm and allowed buses to run at 75 per cent of their seating capacity, an official release said.
India’s cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 30.72 crore as per a provisional report till 7 pm on Thursday, the Union Health Ministry said, reported PTI.
According to the report, the total count was 30,72,46,600, it stated.
As the new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from June 21, more than 54.07 lakh vaccine doses were administered on Thursday, as per the 7 pm provisional report.
Madhya Pradesh on Thursday added 62 new cases of COVID-19 and 22 fresh deaths, pushing its infection tally to 7,89,561 and the count to 8,849, the state health department said.
Of total 52 districts in the state, 31 districts did not record any new coronavirus case in the last 24 hours, it stated.
A total of 255 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the count of recoveries in Madhya Pradesh to 7,79,432, the department said.
Rajasthan recorded 147 fresh coronavirus cases on Thursday, taking the state’s infection tally to 9,51,695.
No death occurred in the state due to the infection on Thursday.
A maximum of the fresh Covid cases were reported from Jaipur where 14 people tested positive for the infection.
Meghalaya’s COVID-19 tally rose to 46,878 on Thursday as 420 more people tested positive for the infection, while 10 fresh fatalities pushed the northeastern state’s coronavirus death count to 807, a senior health official said, reported PTI.
As many as 298 more people were cured of the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 41,647, Health Services Director Aman War said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention for early approval of Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine by the World Health Organisation, without which people who have taken the Bharat Biotech jab might face problems travelling abroad.
The chief minister, in her letter, stated that her government has been “receiving both Covishield and Covaxin” from the very beginning. Even the private sector in the state has procured and administered both the vaccines, she said.
“A large number of students from all over the country travel abroad every year for higher studies and many of them have got themselves vaccinated with Covaxin. They came to learn later on that their vaccination certificate is not valid abroad. These students are now in a fix regarding their next course of action and their career is at stake,” Ms Banerjee wrote to PM Modi.
More Than 30 Crore Vaccine Doses Provided To States, Union Territories: CentreMore than 30 crore vaccine doses have been provided by the Centre to states and union territories so far, Union Health Ministry informed on Thursday.
As per the latest data, 30,33,27,440 vaccine doses have been provided by the Centre through the government of India (free of cost channel) and through the direct state procurement category. Of this, the total consumption, including wastages, is 28,43,40,936 doses.
A 72-year-old British man tested positive for coronavirus for 10 months in what is thought to be the longest recorded case of continuous infection, researchers said on Thursday.
Dave Smith, a retired driving instructor from Bristol in western England, said he tested positive 43 times, was hospitalised seven times and had made plans for his funeral.
Five people have so far been found infected with the ‘Delta Plus’ variant of coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh and one of them has died, state Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said today.
“The other four persons, who were vaccinated against COVID-19, are fine,” he told news agency Press Trust of India. “One person from Ujjain, who died, was not inoculated,” he added.
‘Delta Plus’ has been declared a variant of concern by the Centre.
Indian Naval Ship Shardul, carrying medical aid from Kuwait and Qatar to tackle ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, reached Mumbai Port on Thursday.
The Ship carried aid including 7,640 filled Oxygen Cylinders, two ISO containers of 20 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) each and 15 Oxygen Concentrators, ANI reported.
More than 1.89 crore balance and unutilised COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and Union territories, the Union health ministry said on Thursday. Two crore vaccine doses have been administered in the first 72 hours of the implementation of the new revised guidelines of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, PTI reported.
Odisha on Thursday registered 3,650 fresh COVID-19 cases, raising the tally to 8,90,596, while the death count climbed to 3,761 with 44 more fatalities, a health department official said.
The coastal state now has 33,770 active cases and 8,83,012 patients have recovered from the disease, PTI reported.
Telangana on Wednesday administered COVID-19 vaccine to about 1,57,958 people for their first dose, while 9,571 people in the state were given their second dose, ANI reported.
As per the report issued by the State Health Department on June 24, Telangana, as of June 23 till 9:00 pm, was able to administer the first dose of vaccine against COVID-19 to 1,57,958 and the second dose to 9,571.
An Indonesian court jailed hardline Islamic cleric Rizieq Shihab on Thursday for four years for spreading false information in a video saying he was healthy despite having tested positive for COVID-19, reuters reported.
The verdict comes after an eight-month jail term handed last month to Rizieq, the spiritual leader of the outlawed Islamic Defender’s Front (FPI), for breaching coronavirus curbs over several mass events, including his daughter’s wedding, which was attended by thousands.
At least 252 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the tally
in the state to 33,916, a health department official said on Thursday. The Capital Complex Region reported the highest number of fresh cases at 53, followed by Lohit (23), West Kameng
(21), Changlang and Namsai (19 each), Upper Subansiri (15), East Kameng and East Siang (14 each) and Papumpare (10), State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
The COVID-19 caseload in Mizoram mounted to 18,624 on Thursday as 226 more people, including 19 prisoners, tested positive for the disease, an official said. The death count rose to 86 as one more fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours, PTI reported.
Top Naxal leader and Telangana State Committee Secretary, Yapa Narayana, more famous with his name Haribhushan reportedly died of COVID-19 in South Bijapur-Sukma interdistrict border region on Monday night.
According to Bastar Inspector General, (IG), P Sundarraj, Bastar Police was continuously receiving information from certain quarters for the last few days that few senior Naxal cadres including that of Telangana State Committee Secretary Haribhusan are seriously ill due to Corona infection, ANI reported.
Japan will abolish on Thursday a nearly two-decade-old panel consisting of academics and corporate executives that has offered long-term proposals on fixing the country’s worsening finances, two government officials told Reuters.
The move comes as huge stimulus packages to combat the coronavirus pandemic add to Japan’s already huge public debt, which is the largest among major industrialised nations and twice the size of its economy, reuters reported.
Number of active COVID-19 cases declines to 6,27,057: Union Health Ministry.
Taiwan is in talks with international bodies about COVID-19 vaccine passports, the head of its Centres for Disease Control said on Thursday, which could help ease long-standing travel restrictions, reuters reported.
Taiwan has previously considered such a scheme, but has been extremely cautious about opening its largely-closed borders lest it lets in more infections, and is currently on high alert to stop the highly contagious Delta variant.
The COVID-19 caseload in Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 7,438 as 13 more people
tested positive for the disease in the Union Territory, a health department official said on Thursday. Of the new patients, six have travel history and seven were detected during contact tracing, PTI reported.
Coronavirus: 54,069 fresh COVID-19 cases in India, 6.3% higher than yesterday
Amid a warning that children might be infected during the possible third wave of coronavirus, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that priority would be given to inoculate women having children aged up to 12 years.
She also said that the state would start inoculating at least four lakh people on an average daily from Thursday, PTI reported.
Maharashtra on Wednesday administered more than 6 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines, setting a new single-day record of inoculating people against the infection, a top government official said. With this, the state bettered the record of administrating 5,58,639 vaccine doses on Tuesday.
India on Monday (June 21) hit a record 88.09 lakh vaccinations as free inoculation for all adults kicked in, a reversal of the previous policy for states and hospitals to buy vaccines for those aged 18 to 44. Read Here
Amid worries of a possible third Covid wave, along with the emergence of a Delta Plus variant in parts of the country, one of India’s top doctors and genome sequencer has brushed aside concerns of this new mutant fuelling an upsurge in infections. Dr Anurag Agarwal, Director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), also advised caution against lowering the guard on the second wave itself. Read Here
In two-to-three months from now, experts in India will know if Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin works on children as young as two. The process of testing the vaccine’s efficacy against Covid has begun, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, has said.
“Bharat Biotech is looking at vaccinating children of 2 years to 18 years. It has already started…a number of children have already been vaccinated,” Dr Guleria told NDTV.
“Over the next 2-3 months we should be able to say whether these vaccines work in children even as young as two years old. And then they should get regulatory approval. Pfizer already has the regulatory approval but for a little older age group,” he said.
Amid worries of a possible third Covid wave, along with the emergence of a Delta Plus variant in parts of the country, one of India’s top doctors and genome sequencer has brushed aside concerns of this new mutant fuelling an upsurge in infections. Dr Anurag Agarwal, Director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), also advised caution against lowering the guard on the second wave itself.
“At this point, there is no evidence to suggest that Delta Plus…has anything to do with a possible third wave,” Dr Agarwal told NDTV.
As Telangana lifts COVID-19 restrictions and reopens classes for educational institutes, universities in Hyderabad have stepped up the vaccination of students, non-teaching staff and faculty.
Colleges are gearing up to welcome students back to classrooms after several months of online classes and vaccination drives have been initiated to sure the safest environment for all those present on campuses.
In order to ensure that health is not compromised, colleges have also extended this service to family members and people who are not associated with the colleges.
