Covid LIVE: Gujarat allows schools to re-open for classes 9-11 from July 26

Coronavirus news: An 11-year-old boy has died in Delhi from bird flu; Joe Biden expresses frustration over slowing vaccination in US.

11:46 PM

Rajasthan reports 25 new Covid cases, one death

Rajasthan on Thursday recorded 25 fresh COVID-19 cases and one death, pushing the tally to 9,53,462 and the death toll to 8,952.

 

Of the fresh cases, five were reported from Jaipur and four from Udaipur, besides other cities.

 

A total of 9,44,150 persons have recovered from the infection and the number of active cases at present is 360.

11:41 PM

69 new coronavirus cases in Punjab

Punjab reported 69 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the infection tally to 5,98,590, while two more fatalities took the death toll to 16,250, according to a medical bulletin issued. The two new deaths were reported from Bathinda and Kapurthala districts, it said.

 

The death toll also includes two fatalities which were not reported earlier, according to the bulletin.

 

The number of active cases stands at 811 in the state, it said. Jalandhar reported 13 new cases, followed by 10 in Bathinda and six in Ferozepur, it said. With 123 recoveries, the number of those cured from the infection stands at 5,81,529, the bulletin said.

11:22 PM

Assam logs 1,796 new coronavirus cases, 22 more fatalities

Assam's COVID-19 tally rose to 5,54,221 on Thursday as 1,796 people tested positive for the infection, while 22 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 5,076, a health bulletin said. Kamrup Metropolitan district registered the highest number of new cases at 226, followed Golaghat (177), Jorhat (108), and Lakhimpur (99).

 

Four fresh COVID-19 fatalities were reported each from Golaghat and Jorhat while Bongaigaon, Darrang, Dibrugarh, and Kamrup Metro reported two deaths each. Barpeta, Dhemaji, Kamrup Rural, Karimganj, Nagaon, and Sonitpur reported one death each. The current death rate is 0.92 percent and the number of COVID-19 positive patients dying due to other causes is 1,347.

11:09 PM

Daily recoveries outnumber new Covid cases in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu registered 1,872 fresh coronavirus cases, pushing the tally to 25.43 lakh, the health department said on Thursday. Recoveries eclipsed new COVID infections with 2,475 patients getting discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, aggregating to 24,81,201.

 

The number of fatalities climbed to 33,838 with 29 more people succumbing to the virus.

 

As many as 32 districts reported new infections in double digits, while there were no fresh deaths in 22 districts. Chennai added 133 new cases, taking the total infection count to 5,36,756 while the toll mounted to 8,305 in the State capital. Among districts, Coimbatore reported the maximum of 180 cases, while Perambalur had the least with nine.

 

10:58 PM

Chhattisgarh logs 217 new Covid cases, one death

Chhattisgarh on Thursday reported 217 new coronavirus positive cases and one fatality, taking the infection count to 10,00,763 and death toll to 13,507, a health official said. The number of recoveries reached to 9,84,015 after a total of 44 people were discharged from various hospitals, while 315 others completed their home isolation during the day.

 

The number of active cases in the state stands at 3,241, the official said.

 

Raipur district recorded 11 new cases, taking its caseload to 1,57,589, including 3,136 deaths. Janjgir-Champa district recorded 38 new cases, Balodabazar 21 and Bilaspur 15, he said. With 39,352 samples tested on Thursday, the overall test count in the state went up to 1,10,58,038.

10:50 PM

Vaccination of pregnant women in MP to start on Friday

Vaccination of pregnant women against COVID-19 will begin in Madhya Pradesh on Friday, a senior state government official said on Thursday.

 

Health Department's additional director and MP's immunisation officer Dr Santosh Shukla shared this information at a seminar organised for mediapersons by the state government and the UNICEF. Dr Shukla said both Covishield and Covaxin were available in MP but the pregnant women will be administered the latter given that the duration between two jabs of the home-grown vaccine was 28 days (as compared to 84 days for Covishield).

10:31 PM

Cumulative Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in India cross 42 crore: Govt

The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has surpassed 42 crore, the Union health ministry said on Thursday. More than 48.86 lakh (48,86,103) vaccine doses have been administered on Thursday, according to the 7 pm provisional report. The ministry said 23,62,689 vaccine doses were administered as first dose and 2,14,281 vaccine doses given as second dose in the age group 18-44 years on Thursday.

 

Cumulatively, 13,29,60,281 people in the age group 18-44 years across all states and union territories have received their first dose and 55,40,162 have received their second dose since the start of Phase-3 of the vaccination drive. READ MORE...

10:23 PM

No ventilator kept in inventory by Central Government: Statement

10:09 PM

West Bengal reports 793 new Covid cases, 13 deaths

West Bengal on Thursday reported 793 new COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths, the Health Department said in a bulletin. The state recorded a positivity rate of 1.81 per cent as the new cases were detected after testing 43,809 samples, it said. There are 12,205 active cases in the state at present.

 

West Bengal has so far reported 18,040 deaths and 15,21,261 COVID-19 cases. Kolkata reported four of the latest deaths, while three persons died in the North 24 Parganas district. In the last 24 hours, 966 people recovered from COVID-19, taking the recovery rate to 98.01 per cent. So far, 14,91,016 people have recovered from the disease in the state.

10:01 PM

AIIMS Delhi to start second dose trial of COVAXIN on 2-6 years old children by next week

9:41 PM

3,570 Indians died of coronavirus abroad: Govt

As many as 3,570 Indian citizens died of COVID-19 abroad with the maximum number of 1,154 deaths reported from Saudi Arabia followed by 894 in the United Arab Emirates, the government told Rajya Sabha Thursday.

 

According to the details provided by the Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, 546 Indians lost their lives due to COVID-19 in Kuwait, 384 died in Oman, 196 in Bahrain and 106 deaths were reported from Qatar.

 

"3570 Indian citizens died abroad, due to COVID-19 as per information provided by our missions/posts abroad," he said. The minister provided a list of 70 countries that reported the deaths of Indians.

9:25 PM

Schools and other educational institutes likely to reopen in Rajasthan soon

Rajasthan Cabinet has given its in-principle approval for reopening of schools and other educational institutes

9:10 PM

Mumbai adds 392 new Covid cases, 10 deaths

Mumbai on Thursday reported 392 new coronavirus positive cases and 10 fatalities, taking its overall infection tally to 7,32,741 and death toll to 15,749, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

 

This is for the seventh day in a row that the country's financial capital has recorded less than 500 cases and it is for the second time in a week it has logged less than 400 cases.

 

On Tuesday, the city had reported 352 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest since February this year, and 10 fatalities, while it has added 435 cases and 13 deaths on Wednesday.

8:46 PM

Maharashtra reports 7,302 Covid-19 cases, 120 deaths

Maharashtra reported 7,302 new COVID-19 cases and 120 fatalities on Thursday, taking the infection tally of the state to 62,45,057 and death toll to 1,31,038, a health department official said.

 

As many as 7,756 patients were discharged from hospitals, pushing the number of recovered cases to 60,16,506.

 

There are 5,51,872 people in home quarantine while 3,743 are in institutional quarantine. The state has 94,168 active COVID-19 patients. Maharashtra's COVID-19 recovery rate is 96.34 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.09 per cent. Nandurbar, Dhule and Wardha districts and Parbhani city did not record any new infections on Thursday.

8:45 PM

392 new Covid cases and 10 deaths reported in Mumbai today

8:39 PM

Covid LIVE: Gujarat allows schools to re-open for classes 9-11 from July 26

8:27 PM

EU pledges 200 million Covid vaccine doses to poor countries

The European Union said Thursday it will donate more than 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to middle and low-income countries before the end of the year.

 

That's double the initial amount that the 27-nation bloc had planned to deliver, mainly through COVAX, the U.N.-backed program to provide shots to poorer parts of the world.

 

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the EU takes its responsibility in helping the world fight the virus, everywhere. Vaccination is key that's why it is essential to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines to countries worldwide."

8:14 PM

Telangana reports 648 new Covid cases, three deaths and 696 recoveries in a day

Telangana reports 648 new Covid cases, three deaths and 696 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

 

Active cases: 9,857

Total cases: 6,39,369

Death toll: 3,774

8:09 PM

Russia in talks with Kerala govt for Sputnik V vaccine plant

Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V could soon be manufactured in India by Russian firms. The Russian authorities are in talks with the Kerala government for scouting land to set up an international manufacturing site for the vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Centre.

 

“Talks are on between the Russian government and Kerala regarding the setting up of a manufacturing unit of Sputnik V in our state,” Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeeve told Business Standard. “Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) is spearheading the talks. The initial plan is to submit a letter of intent, and KSIDC is preparing a draft," he added. READ MORE...

8:02 PM

1,653 new coronavirus cases, 31 deaths in Karnataka

Karnataka reported 1,653 new cases of COVID-19 and 31 deaths, taking the caseload to 28,89,994 and death toll to 36,293, the health department said on Thursday. Active cases were now at 24,695. The day also saw 2,572 discharges, pushing the total number of recoveries to 28,28,983.

 

Bengaluru Urban recorded 418 new cases, as the city saw 1,162 discharges and 3 deaths.

 

Belagavi and Kolar recorded four deaths each, Bengaluru Urban and Dakshina Kannada (3), Bagalkote, Chamarajanagara, Dharwad, Hassan and Shivamogga (2), followed by others.

7:46 PM

Himachal Pradesh reports 115 new Covid cases, 119 recoveries and two deaths in the last 24 hours

Himachal Pradesh reports 115 new Covid cases, 119 recoveries and two deaths in the last 24 hours

Active cases: 935

Total positive cases: 2,04,800

Death toll: 3493

7:35 PM

41.78 crore vaccine doses administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive in India

7:29 PM

Arunachal districts with high Covid positivity rate asked to take additional measures

The Arunachal Pradesh government Thursday called for adoption of additional measures like extension of curfew hours in nine districts which have recorded coronavirus positivity rate of more than 10 per cent in the past week.

 

Health and Family Welfare Principal Secretary Dr Sharat Chauhan in an order said that after reviewing the COVID-19 situation in the districts, the State Health Task Force (SHTF) advised adoption of the additional measures to contain the spread of the virus.

 

Among the nine districts, Kurung Kumey recorded a coronavirus positivity rate of 21.1 per cent in the past week, followed by the Capital Complex Region (15.9), Tawang and Kamle with 13.1 per cent, Lohit (12.9), Siang (12.2), Longding (11.9), Kra Daadi (10.7) and Dibang Valley with ten per cent respectively.

7:16 PM

Chancellor Angela Merkel says German Covid rise worrying, urges vaccination

Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that new coronavirus infections in Germany are once again rising at a worrying pace. She appealed to reluctant citizens to get vaccinated and urged compatriots more enthusiastic about the jabs to help persuade others.

 

Germany's infection rate remains very low compared with some other European countries. But it has been rising steadily since it bottomed out at 4.9 new weekly cases per 100,000 residents on July 6.

 

The rise is being fueled by the more contagious delta variant, which is now dominant. On Thursday, the infection rate stood at 12.2. The figures are rising with worrying momentum, Merkel told reporters in Berlin. We have exponential growth.

7:02 PM

Karnataka reports 1,653 fresh Covid cases, 2,572 discharges, and 31 deaths in the past 24 hours

Karnataka reports 1,653 fresh Covid cases, 2,572 discharges, and 31 deaths in the past 24 hours.

 

Active cases: 24,695

Total discharges: 28,28,983

Death toll: 36,293

6:34 PM

Kerala reports 12,818 new Covid cases, 122 deaths in a day; test positivity rate 12.38%

Kerala on Thursday recorded 12,818 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the infection caseload to 32,18,015, with the Test Positivity Rate continuingto rise and crossing the 12 per cent mark. The TPR had crossed 11 per cent on July 19 after remaining below it for several weeks.

 

Thereafter, it has continued to rise each day and has now reached 12.38 per cent.

 

The number of people who succumbed to the virus rose to 15,739 with 122 more deaths.

6:27 PM

53 new coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh, one more death

Fifty-three more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh, bringing the infection count to 17,08,057 on Thursday, while the death toll climbed to 22,743 with one fresh fatality, a health bulletin said.

 

The latest death was reported from Mathura, it said.

 

Fifty-six people were also discharged in the last 24 hours after recovering from the infection, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said. The state's COVID-19 recovery count has reached 16,84,286, he said, adding the number of active cases in Uttar Pradesh stands at 1028. The state now has a recovery rate of 98.6 per cent.

6:17 PM

Kerala reports 12,818 new Covid cases, 122 deaths in a day; test positivity rate 12.38%

Kerala reports 12,818 new Covid cases, 122 deaths in a day; test positivity rate at 12.38%

6:13 PM

Andhra Pradesh reports lowest number of deaths in more than 3 months

Andhra Pradesh reported 12 COVID-19 fatalities, the lowest daily count in more than three months, even as 1,843 fresh cases and 2,199 recoveries were also registered in 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday. The gross coronavirus positives rose to 19,48,592, recoveries to 19,11,812 and toll to 13,209, a health department bulletin said.

 

The number of active cases slid to 23,571, it added.

 

Chittoor district topped in the number of cases with 301, West Godavari 235, Prakasam 232, East Godavari 222, SPS Nellore 203, Krishna 157, Kadapa 128 and Guntur 126.

5:51 PM

No info on increase in child abuse cases due to Covid lockdowns: Govt

The government Thursday said it has no information as on date regarding data on increase in cases of child abuse due to the Covid-related lockdown situations and data on the increase in child marriage cases across the country due to financial difficulties caused due to coronavirus.

 

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said her ministry has issued advisories and guidelines to state governments and union territory administrations for care and protection of children during the pandemic.

 

"As per information provided by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there is no information as on date regarding data on increase in cases of child abuse due to the COVID-19 related lockdown situations and data on the increase in child marriage cases across the country due to financial difficulties caused due to COVID," she said.