Covid LIVE: India third nation after US, Brazil to record 300,000 deaths

Coronavirus LIVE updates: India has set a record of conducting the highest Covid-19 testing in a single day with more than 2.12 mn fresh tests. Stay tuned for corona-related news

1:45 AM

421 cases of black fungus in Haryana so far; Gurgaon sees max 149 cases

The total number of black fungus cases in Haryana rose to 421 on Sunday, with the maximum 149 cases reported from Gurgaon district, state Health Minister Anil Vij said.
 

He said the state government has made a requisition of 12,000 injections of Amphotericin-B, used in treating black fungus, from the central government.
 

The health minister said there are 1,250 vials of Amphotericin-B injection available for the treatment of patients presently.
 

He said 421 cases of black fungus have been reported in the state so far and are being given treatment in various hospitals of the state.
 

The highest 149 cases of black fungus are from Gurgaon, a statement quoting him said.
 

He said 88 cases of black fungus have been reported from Hisar, 50 from Faridabad, 26 from Rohtak, 25 from Sirsa, 17 from Karnal, 15 from Panipat and 11 from Ambala.
 

1:45 AM

3,088 new Covid-19 cases in Pune district, 94 patients die

Pune district of Maharashtra reported 3,088 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking its overall count to 9,95,524, a health official said on Sunday.

The death toll in the district reached 1,689 as 94 succumbed to the infection during the day, he said.
 

"Of the total number of new cases, 709 were reported from the Pune Municipal Corporation limits, where the caseload has grown to 4,65,625," he added.

A total of 2,324 patients were discharged from hospitals on Sunday.
 

Pimpri Chinchwad, an industrial township near Pune city, recorded 655 new cases, which took its infection count to 2,46,609.
 

1:44 AM

Lockdown extended in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan

Lockdown was extended on Sunday in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Puducherry, with many states already imposing Covid-induced restrictions till May-end to rein in the spread of infection and the mounting deaths which crossed the three lakh mark.
 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the ongoing lockdown in the national capital will continue for another week and said the process of "unlock" will start from May 31 in a phased manner if the number of Covid-19 cases continues to decline.
 

The Rajasthan government, which extended the coronavirus lockdown by 15 days till June 8, also said the state may allow some relaxations in commercial activities from June 1 in districts where the Covid-19 situation will show significant improvement.
 

Extending the lockdown till May 31, the Haryana government said the positivity and fatality rates have to be brought down further, though it did allow some relaxations in the curbs.
 

The daily rise in coronavirus cases in India remained below the three lakh mark for the seventh consecutive day with 2.4 lakh new cases recorded in a single day, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday.
 

With the fresh cases, India's tally of Covid-19 cases climbed to 2,65,30,132.
 

The death toll due to the disease rose to 2,99,266 with 3,741 fresh fatalities, the ministry data updated at 8 AM showed.
 

12:26 AM

Black fungus: Experts to study possible causes including industrial oxygen use

Experts in Karnataka will study whether the rise in the Mucormycosis cases is linked to use of industrial oxygen and its possible contamination.
 

Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan, who is also the head of the state's Covid task force, held a meeting on Sunday with the treatment protocol committee where the possible sources of the infection were discussed.
 

Noting that the state has recorded about 700 cases of black fungus infections in the last week, he directed experts to find its source, with doubts being expressed about oxygen supply, quality of piping and cylinders used for it.
 

Accordingly, a team of microbiologists will start to work towards this from Monday, his office said in a release.
 

The country used to record about 100 cases of black fungus a year earlier but the state has recorded about 700 cases in the last week. This surge has been the cause of anxiety, Narayan was quoted as saying.
 

Also, black fungus cases are not spotted in other Covid hit countries, but they are occurring only in India, he said.
 

12:25 AM

Assam reports 3,563 new Covid-19 cases, 72 more deaths

Assam reported 3,563 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday and 72 more deaths, as per official data.
 

There are 51,764 active cases in the state at present, according to the bulletin of the National Health Mission.
 

Assam has so far reported 3,69,183 cases and 2,739 deaths.
 

Kamrup Metro reported the highest of 11 deaths, followed by eight in Dibrugarh and six each in Golaghat, Jorhat and Kamrup Rural.

The number of Covid-positive patients who died due to other reasons is 1,347.
 

Kamrup Metro reported 624 new cases, 408 cases were detected in Dibrugarh, 310 in Tinsukia and 249 in Cachar.
 

The new cases were detected out of 62,722 tests conducted with the daily positivity rate being at 5.68 per cent.
 

The number of recovered patients discharged during the day is 5,785 and the total number of recoveries is 3,13,353.
 

In all, 37,52,471 doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in the state.
 

9:16 PM

Intensify measures to combat Covid-19 during intense lockdown week, Stalin tells Collectors

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday directed District Collectors to intensify measures like door to door survey to detect people with Covid-19 symptoms during the week long intense lockdown commencing on May 24.
 

Conducting medical camps for early detection of infected people, increasing testing and continuation of the vaccination drive without slackness were among the measures the Chief Minister underscored.
 

Addressing Collectors, police superintendents and medical authorities through video conferencing from the Secretariat here, Stalin said steps should be taken to ensure supply of vegetables, fruits, milk and drinking water during the intense lockdown.
 

Monitoring availability of oxygen and life saving drugs and bringing down disease transmission in their respective districts should be the goal of collectors, he said.
 

While taking efforts to see that people complied with lockdown norms to break the chain of virus transmission, it should also be ensured that exempted activities like transportation of farm produce were not affected.
 

Supply of quality food, milk and water for in-patients in government hospitals must be ensured. Also, there should be no difficulty in taking people -with symptoms or those who test positive- to hospitals.
 

The Chief Minister exuded confidence that when district administrations, elected representatives and voluntary organisations worked in tandem with the general public on tackling Covid-19, the effort would succeed.
 

9:14 PM

Saxophone artiste Machendranath dies of Covid-19

Internationally acclaimed saxophone artiste Machendranath died of coronavirus at a hospital here on Sunday.
 

He was 66.
 

Machendranath was admitted to a private hospital at Deralakatte here a few days back after his condition worsened due to the infection, sources in the hospital said.
 

His wife, who was also infected with Covid-19, died only three days ago.
 

Machendranath had been regularly playing the saxophone at the Mangaladevi temple here during poojas in the morning, afternoon and evening hours for over 25 years.
 

He had taken part in several concerts held in various parts of the country and abroad.
 

His daughter Sindhu Bhairavi too is also a well-known saxophone artiste. 
 

9:04 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: India becomes third nation after US, Brazil to record over 300,000 deaths

Coronavirus LIVE: India becomes third nation after US, Brazil to record over 300,000 deaths, according to Worldometer

8:53 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: West Bengal reports 18,422 new positive cases

West Bengal reports 18,422 new positive cases, 156 deaths, and 19,429 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

8:32 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra reports 26,672 new cases

Maharashtra reports 26,672 new cases, 29,177 recoveries, and 594 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department

8:18 PM

Kerala registers 25,820 new coronavirus cases; 188 fatalities today

Kerala reported 25,820 fresh Covid-19 cases on Sunday, taking the total caseload to 23,17,911, while 188 deaths pushed the toll to 7,358.

 

Recoveries outnumbered new cases with 37,316 people undergoing treatment testing negative for the virus, taking the total number to 20,62,635.

 

Malappuram recorded the highest number of 3,943 cases, followed by Ernakulam with 2,771 and Palakkad 1,805, a health department release said. Read here

8:06 PM

Trying to save vaccines: Govt panel on delaying shots after Covid recovery

India is trying to save scarce Covid-19 vaccines by delaying shots for those who have recovered from the disease, the head of a government panel said, adding the campaign should not have been opened to all adults before covering the most vulnerable.

 

Under fire for his handling of the world's worst rise in coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made all adults eligible for vaccination from May 1.

 

Vaccine shortages have now forced many regions, including the capital New Delhi, to again prioritise those aged above 45. Read here

7:42 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Karnataka reports 25,979 new cases

Karnataka reports 25,979 new coronavirus positive cases, 35,573 recoveries and 626 deaths in the last 24 hours.

7:39 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: 1,309 new cases in Himachal Pradesh

1,309 new positive cases, 4,059 recoveries, and 59 deaths reported in Himachal Pradesh, in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department

7:34 PM

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Mumbai sees 1,431 fresh cases in last 24 hours

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Mumbai sees 1,431 fresh cases in last 24 hours

7:10 PM

Sikkim reports 324 fresh Covid-19 cases, 3 more fatalities

Sikkim reported 324 fresh Covid-19 cases, raising the tally to 13,132, while the death toll climbed to 224 after three more patients succumbed to the virus, a health department bulletin said on Sunday.

 

The Himalayan state now has 3,317 active cases and 9,381 people have so far recovered from the disease, it said. (PTI)

6:51 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Harsh Vardhan asks Baba Ramdev to withdraw objectionable remarks against doctors

6:37 PM

No clarity yet from Centre on supply of next installment of Covaxin for those above 45 years: AAP MLA Atishi

No clarity yet from Centre on supply of next installment of Covaxin for those above 45 years: AAP MLA Atishi

6:19 PM

LIVE: Request Centre to bring Pfizer vaccine for nearly 30 million teachers and students, says Sisodia

6:01 PM

Haryana extends lockdown

The Haryana government on Sunday extended the coronavirus lockdown till May 31, according to an order issued. State Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan in the order said the lockdown, which was earlier imposed till May 24, has been extended by a week till 5 am on May 31. In a bid to contain the coronavirus spread, the state government had first imposed the lockdown on May 3, which was extended every week since then. The Haryana government has termed the lockdown as "Mahamari Alert/Surkshit Haryana (Epidemic Alert/Safe Haryana)". The state has so far reported 7,33,628 infection cases, including 7,415 deaths.

5:54 PM

Non-Covid patients suffer prolonged agony amid lockdown in Delhi: Doctors

From delayed cancer surgeries to teeth and eye issues, patients having non-COVID ailments in Delhi are suffering in agony in absence of adequate medical attention as hospitals are overburdened during the second wave of the pandemic and the city is under a lockdown, say doctors. The restrictions imposed in the national capital on April 19 in the wake of the brutal second wave of the pandemic have hit the migrant labourers and the poor the hardest, but the interruption of non-COVID medical services has also added to the travails of many others.

 

Doctors at leading government and private hospitals say that as the majority of the machinery is currently engaged in fighting the deadly COVID-19 on a war-footing and movement restrictions are in place, non-COVID patients who need surgeries or have ENT issues and have to be examined physically and pregnant women are especially at a loss.

5:51 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Centre in favour of conducting exams for only selective subjects, says Sisodia

5:46 PM

Goa govt cancels Class 10 exams, Class 12 decision in 2 days

The Goa government has cancelled Class X exams in the state in view of the Covid-19 outbreak and a decision on Class XII exams would be taken in the next two days, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Sunday.

 

The decision has been taken on the recommendation of a committee comprising Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary School Education and education department officials as well as experts in the field, and Class X marks would be allotted based on the internal assessment of examinations held in academic year 2020-21, he said.

 

"Those failing in one or two subjects can appear for ATKT (Allowed To Keep Terms) examination. Those who want to opt for Science and Diploma streams will have to undergo one-day examination, which will be conducted by the Goa Board. Students will be informed 15 days in advance about this one-day examination, he said. (PTI)

5:40 PM

Covid-19: Maharashtra CM asks parents to be alert about any symptoms in children

Amid the raging coronavirus pandemic and some experts warning of a possible third wave, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday appealed to people to consult doctors immediately if children show any symptoms.

 

Addressing paediatricians virtually, the chief minister said the immediate diagnosis was the need of the hour.

 

"Don't be complacent and negligent regarding any symptoms in children. Consult a doctor immediately," Thackeray said. (PTI)

5:19 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Requested states to send suggestions on class 12 exams, says Minister

5:16 PM

High-level meeting on class 12 extremely fruitful, says Union Education Minister

5:12 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Moderna declined request for vaccines, says Punjab

Punjab government says Moderna declined its request for sending vaccines directly to state. The company has said that it will deal only with centre.

 

5:09 PM

Delhi govt not in favour of CBSE exploring options to conduct Class 12 exams

The Delhi government is not in favour of the CBSE exploring options to conduct the Class 12 board examinations and going ahead with the process without vaccinating the students will prove to be a big mistake, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Sunday.

 

He said this during a high-level meeting called by the Ministry of Education to decide the fate of the pending Class 12 board exams and the subsequent entrance exams, which were postponed in view of the second wave of Covid-19.

 

"Two options were discussed at the meeting. The first was conducting the exams in the present format for the major subjects and marking for the rest of the subjects on the basis of the performance in these papers.

 

"The second was having the exams in the students' home schools, reducing the duration and changing the exam pattern. The Delhi government is not in favour of these options. We cannot play with the safety of students just to fulfil our stubborn wishes," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader told a press conference. (PTI)

4:56 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: CBSE to go ahead with Class 12 exams, dates to be announced on June 1

Coronavirus LIVE: CBSE to go ahead with Class 12 exams, dates likely to be announced on June 1, according to multiple media reports (NDTV and India Today).

4:33 PM

1,448 new cases, 34 deaths reported in Puducherry today; active cases 16,851

1,448 new cases, 34 deaths reported in Puducherry today; active cases 16,851