Covid LIVE: Karnataka sees 18,324 new cases in a day; 15,229 in Maharashtra

Coronavirus live updates: India reported 134,154 fresh Covid-19 infections today, taking the caseload tally to 28,441,986. Death toll stands at 337,989. Stay tuned for corona-related news

3:22 AM

Noida's special vaccine drive for transgenders, divyang, elderly on June 7

A special campaign for anti-coronavirus vaccination of transgenders, elderly people living in old-age homes and divyangs (persons with disabilities) residing in Noida and Greater Noida would be held on June 7, officials said on Thursday.
 

The vaccination drive would be held at the auditorium of the Vikas Bhawan in Greater Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar District Social Welfare Officer Shailendra Singh said.
 

“The special campaign would be held from 10 am to 4 pm on June 7,” Singh said, adding all transgender community members who wish to get inoculated during the drive should get themselves registered by visiting Vikas Bhawan on June 4 and 5 and meet officials concerned in room 117 there.
 

Those wishing to get registered need to take a photocopy of their Aadhar card and carry their mobile phone to avoid any hassle during the procedure, he said.
 

For any other clarification over the registration process, the community members may contact social welfare department official Suneel Kumar on 7042563106, he added.
 

“Similar special campaigns would be carried out in the future also on instructions of the district magistrate in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus,” Singh said.
 

3:21 AM

UP Guv, CM ask urban and local bodies' representatives to encourage more people to take Covid jab

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday interacted with urban and local bodies' representatives and asked them to encourage more people to take the coronavirus vaccine.
 

Interacting with mayors, chairmen and councillors of local bodies through video-conferencing, they also asked them to ensure arrangements for pure drinking water, sewage management, roads and drainage in their respective areas, an official release issued here said.
 

Praising the chief minister, the governor said that despite recovering from the infection, he continued to guide Covid management and control programmes on a regular basis and called for encouraging maximum number of people for getting the vaccine in preparation for the expected third wave of the infection, it said.
 

She also stressed on organising programmes for creating awareness among mothers towards the risks of the virus in children, the release said.
 

Adityanath applauded the contributions made by everyone in fighting the second wave of coronavirus, it said.
 

3:20 AM

AAP student & teacher wings urge Kejriwal to open vaccine centres at govt-run DU colleges

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party's teachers' and students' wings have both written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal requesting him to open coronavirus vaccination centres at 28 Delhi University colleges funded by the government.
 

They have also demanded that the students studying in these colleges be vaccinated for free before the possibility of a third wave of Covid-19.
 

The Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) and the Delhi Teachers' Association (DTA) on Thursday wrote to CM Kejriwal putting forth these demands.
 

DTA in-charge Professor Hansraj Suman said, “Similar to how the government has taken a decision to vaccinate common people, they should also think about the safety of students in colleges funded by them. Till they (students) have been vaccinated, they should not be asked to return to campus."
 

3:18 AM

Biden outlines plan to quickly share 25 mn Covid-19 vaccines to world

The White House laid out a plan for the United States to share 25 million surplus Covid-19 vaccine doses to the world, with the first shots shipping as soon as Thursday, and said it would ease other countries' access to U.S.-made supplies for vaccine production.
 

President Joe Biden said the United States would give the vaccines without expectation of political favors in return. The dose shipments are the first of some 80 million Covid-19 vaccines that Biden has pledged to provide internationally this month as concern grows about the huge disparity in vaccination rates between advanced economies and developing countries.
 

The United States will donate nearly 19 million doses through the COVAX international vaccine-sharing program, Biden said in a statement. Through COVAX, some 6 million doses would go to Latin America and the Caribbean, about 7 million doses to South and Southeast Asia and roughly 5 million to Africa.
 

The remaining doses, amounting to just over 6 million, would go directly from the United States to countries including Canada, Mexico, India and South Korea, he said.
 

"We are sharing these doses not to secure favors or extract concessions," Biden said. "We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic, with the power of our example and with our values." Although the United States is working through COVAX co-run by the World Health Organization, the White House retains final say in which countries receive U.S. doses and how many, said national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
 

9:29 PM

Covid another kind of war, Army has left no stone unturned in providing help: Gen Naravane

Covid is another kind of war and the Army stepped in by pulling out every resource and has left no stone unturned in providing relief to the people of the country, Army chief Gen M M Naravane said on Thursday

9:15 PM

Mumbai logs 961 Covid-19 cases; doubling rate now 500 days

Mumbai reported 961 new COVID-19 infections and 27 fresh fatalities on Thursday, while its average case doubling rate improved to 500 days, indicating the second wave is clearly on the wane, the city civic body said.
 

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s updated data, with the addition of 961 cases, the city's COVID-19 tally rose to 7,08,968, while the death toll increased to 14,965 after 27 more patients succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours.

9:03 PM

Joe Biden announces international Covid-19 vaccine sharing plan

The White House on Thursday unveiled President Joe Biden's plans to share COVID-19 vaccines with the world, including its intent to direct 75% of excess doses through the U.N.-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing program.

 

The White House has previously stated its intent to share 80 million vaccine doses with the world by the end of June. The administration says 25% of doses will be kept in reserve for emergencies and for the U.S. to share directly with allies and partners.

 

The long-awaited vaccine sharing plan comes as demand for shots in the U.S. has dropped significantly as more than 63% of adults have received at least one dose, and as global inequities in supply have become more glaring.

9:02 PM

US will share 80 million doses of our vaccine supply with the world: Joe Biden

9:01 PM

Maharashtra reports 15,229 Covid cases, 307 deaths; 25,617 recoveries

Maharashtra on Thursday reported 15,229 new COVID-19 cases and 307 fatalities, taking its caseload to 57,91,413 and death toll to 97,394, the health department said. As many as 25,617 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, pushing the number of recovered cases to 54,86,206.

 

The state now has 2,04,974 active cases.

 

The recovery rate marginally improved to 94.73 per cent from 94.54 per cent the day before. The fatality rate stood at 1.68 per cent. As many as 2,60,032 people were tested for coronavirus during the day, taking the number of samples tested so far to 3,57,74,626.

8:58 PM

18,324 new cases, 514 deaths in Karnataka

Karnataka continued to witness a slight increase in daily cases of COVID-19 as the state on Thursday reported 18,324 fresh infections, taking the tally to 26.53 lakh.

 

The day also saw 24,036 discharges, continuing to outnumber the fresh cases.

 

The state had reported 14,304 and 16,387 fresh cases on June 1 and June 2 respectively. With 514 deaths the toll in the state went upto 30,531.

8:49 PM

Covid relief package: Govt provides free ration to 55 crore people in May

The government on Thursday said it has provided 28 lakh tonne foodgrains free of cost to about 55 crore beneficiaries in May through ration shops under a scheme to provide relief to the people during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Also, about 1.3 lakh tonne of wheat and rice have been provided to 2.6 crore beneficiaries so far in June under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. The information was provided by Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey at a media briefing.

 

Elaborating on the implementation of the PMGKAY scheme, he said more than 63.67 lakh tonne foodgrains (around 80 per cent of total PMGKAY allocation for May and June 2021) have been lifted by states and UTs from FCI (Food Corporation of India) depot so far.

8:41 PM

Karnataka reports 18,324 new Covid-19 cases, 514 deaths, and 24,036 recoveries in the last 24 hours

Karnataka reports 18,324 new Covid-19 cases, 514 deaths, and 24,036 recoveries in the last 24 hours; active cases at 2,86,798

8:39 PM

CoviSelf: MyLab starts shipping Covid self-test kit, priced at Rs 250

Mylab Discovery Solutions on Thursday announced the commercial launch of its Covid self-test kit, CoviSelf, after receiving approval from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) last month. It is the first test kit for COVID-19 that can be self-administered by citizens at home in India. "This indigenous test kit will be distributed through to 95% of the PIN codes in the county and will be available over-the-counter at pharmacies and drugstores across India. Individuals can also order it online through Flipkart. To ensure safe deliveries, Flipkart also offers contactless payments for consumers and will leverage its safe and sanitized supply chain," the e-commerce major said in a statement. READ MORE...

8:32 PM

Covid LIVE: Maharashtra sees 15,229 new cases in a day

8:18 PM

Jammu and Kashmir records 1,801 fresh Covid-19 cases, 29 deaths

Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday recorded 1,801 fresh COVID-19 cases, raising the tally to 2,95,879, while 29 more deaths pushed the fatality count to 3,992 in the union territory, officials said.

 

Of the fresh cases, 554 were from the Jammu division and 1,247 from the Kashmir division, they said. The officials said Srinagar district recorded the highest of 329 cases, followed by 194 in Budgam district and 153 in Jammu district.

 

The number of active cases has dropped to 30,657 in the union territory, while 2,61,230 patients have recovered so far, they said. The death toll in the union territory rose to 3,992 as 24 patients died of the virus in the past 24 hours, the officials said. They said there were 13 confirmed cases of mucormycosis (black fungus) in the union territory, adding one fresh case was reported since Wednesday evening.

8:10 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Kerala sees 18,853 new cases in a day

Kerala registered 18,853 fresh coronavirus infections on Thursday taking the total number of those affected by the deadly virus to 25.54 lakh. The toll rose to 9,375 with 153 more deaths.

 

Health Minister Veena George said 1.23 lakh samples were tested in the last 24 hours and the positivity rate was 15.22 per cent.

 

Till now, 2.01 crore samples have been tested. Among the districts, Malappuram recorded the highest number of cases at 2,448, followed by Kollam with 2,272 and Palakkad 2,201.

8:02 PM

Mumbai reports 961 fresh Covid cases, 27 deaths in a day; recovery rate at 95%

8:01 PM

Mylab rolls out 10 lakh indigenous self test kits for Covid-19

Mylab Discovery Solutions on Thursday said that it is rolling out 10 lakh self-test kits for COVID-19 and based on consumer demand, it will make 70 lakh units available per week. The indigenous test kit will be available at over-the-counter at pharmacies and drugstores across India. Individuals can also order it online through Flipkart, Mylab Discovery Solutions said in a statement.

 

The product should be available in retail within 2-3 days. The company also plans to make the product available on the government e-marketplace, it added.

 

"Self-testing should slow down the spread of COVID-19 significantly. We aim to make CoviSelf available across the length and breadth of the country, especially for the people residing in rural areas who have limited options for testing," Mylab Discovery Solutions MD Hasmukh Rawal said.

 

Priced at Rs 250, CoviSelf has been designed as the mid-nasal swab test and can be self-administered at home.

7:50 PM

Covid LIVE: Uttar Pradesh sees 1,268 cases, 108 fatalities in a day

Uttar Pradesh sees 1,268 new Covid positive cases, 108 fatalities in a day

 

7:49 PM

Telangana clocks 2,261 Covid-19 cases, 18 deaths

Telangana's total coronavirus case count surged past 5.85 lakh on Thursday as the state reported 2,261 new cases while the toll stood at 3,331 with 18 more casualties.

 

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) saw 279 cases followed by Nalgonda 160, a health bulletin said.

 

The state has32,579 active cases and over 1.10 lakh samples were tested. The total number of cumulative cases in the state stood at5,85,489. With 3043people being cured, the total recoveries were at5,49,579. Cumulatively, over 1.54 crore samples have been tested.

7:35 PM

PM Modi interacts with class 12 students in view of cancellation of CBSE Class 12 board exams

7:35 PM

Bharat Biotech's pact with Ocugen for Covaxin expanded to Canada

Bharat Biotech on Thursday said the company and Ocugen Inc, its US partner for COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, have agreed to expand their agreement to commercialise the jab in Canada also.

 

Bharat Biotech on February 2 said it and Ocugen Inc a US-based biopharmaceutical companyhave entered into a definitive agreement to co-develop, supply, and commercialise, the India vaccine makers Covaxin for the USA market.

 

Ocugen, which is working towards the submission of the emergency use application in the US, will simultaneously seek authorisation under interim order for emergency use in Canada Shankar Musunuri, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Co-founder of Ocugen said in a press release. READ HERE...

7:16 PM

Andhra Pradesh reports 11,421 new cases, 16,223 recoveries, 81 deaths

Andhra Pradesh's overall Covid-19 tally increased to 17,28,577 as 11,421 cases were added afresh in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday. While 16,223 patients had recovered from the infection, another 81 succumbed, the latest bulletin said.

 

The total recoveries now rose to 15,78,452 and deaths to 11,213.

 

The active cases decreased to 1,38,912.Again, East Godavari district logged the highest number of 2,308 fresh cases of coronavirus in 24 hours, while Chittoor added 1,658 and Anantapuramu 1,041.

7:15 PM

Lockdown extended in Karnataka till June 14 to break Covid chain

7:06 PM

PM interacts with Class 12 students, asks them to utilise time productively

In a surprise interaction with class-12 students and their parents, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked them to utilise their time in a productive and creative manner following the cancellation of their exams and said they should never feel stressed about any examination.

 

Joining the online interaction organised by the Education Ministry, Modi asked them how they are feeling following the cancellation of the board exams in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and what are they planning to do now.

 

The prime minister asked the students whether they will watch IPL, Champion's League, or wait for the Olympics. He also told students that they should always remember the mantra of 'health is wealth' and enquired what do they do to remain physically fit.

7:00 PM

In schools and colleges, team spirit is taught: PM Modi during interaction with CBSE students

6:57 PM

Maharashtra also cancels HSC Board exams for 2021

On expected lines, the Maharashtra government on Thursday too decided to cancel the HSC (Class 12) board exams for 2021 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic second wave, Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad announced.

 

The move came a day after a cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, in which all ministers of the ruling Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress unanimously spoke in favour of cancelling the exams.

 

Gaikwad said in a statement that the decision has been taken to safeguard students' physical wellbeing and mental health in view of the pandemic.

6:39 PM

PM Modi interacts with class 12 students in view of cancellation of CBSE Class 12 board exams

6:37 PM

Covid LIVE: MyLab starts shipping self-test kit Coviself, priced at Rs 250

Mylab Discovery Solutions, one of the leading biotechnology companies in India, announced the commercial launch of its COVID-19 self-test kit, CoviSelf, after receiving approval from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). It is the first test kit for COVID-19 that can be self-administered by citizens at home, in India. This indigenous test kit will be distributed through to 95% of the PIN codes in the county and will be available over-the-counter at pharmacies and drugstores across India.

Individuals can also order it online through India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart. To ensure safe deliveries,

Flipkart also offers contactless payments for consumers and will leverage its safe and sanitized supply chain.

The company will roll out 1 million self-test kits starting today and based on consumer demand, it will make 7 million units available per week. The product should be available in retail within 2-3 days. The company plans to make the products available on the Government e-marketplace (GEM). Priced at INR 250, CoviSelf offers a comfortable, easy-to-use and accurate alternative to the current test method. It can be used by individuals with or without symptoms and immediate

contacts of confirmed cases as per the ICMR guidelines.

 

6:29 PM

Who can get antibody cocktail for Covid-19 and how it works

The monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment has picked up in India after Roche India received the emergency use authorisation (EUA) for importing the globally manufactured product last month. The neutralising antibody cocktail was successfully administered to former US president Donald Trump and has found positive results in Indian patients, too. Used to treat only mild to moderate disease in high-risk Covid-19 patients, doctors feel the treatment can bolster the fight against severe disease. Here’s what we know about this therapy, which is still in early stages: