Covid LIVE: 7,761 new cases in Maharashtra; TN extends lockdown till Jul 31

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Pune reported 1,154 new infections, followed by Mumbai (545), Bengaluru (400), Chennai (148), Delhi (72). Stay tuned for corona-related news

11:55 PM

Nagaland witnessing fresh Covid surge, positivity rate nearly 11%

Nagaland is once again witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases with more fresh infections as detection of 95 cases increased the caseload to 26,476 while three fatalities pushed the death toll to 519 on Friday, a health official said.

 

This is the fourth consecutive day that the State has reported more fresh infections putting the overall positivity rate at 10.83 per cent against a national average of 2.6 per cent.

 

The high positivity rate in Northeastern states has been a matter of concern for Indias health planners and the Prime Minister recently held virtual consultations with chief ministers of these states.

11:48 PM

India’s Covid vaccination coverage reaches nearly 40 crore

11:40 PM

Jharkhand reports 55 new coronavirus positive cases and 51 recoveries

Jharkhand reports 55 new coronavirus positive cases and 51 recoveries.

 

Active cases: 340

Total recoveries: 3,41,128

Death toll: 5,120

11:30 PM

Rajasthan govt issues fresh guidelines to combat Covid-19

The Rajasthan government on Friday issued fresh guidelines announcing curbs on gatherings ahead of upcoming religious festivals to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The three-tier public discipline guidelines 5.0 will come into effect from July 17.

 

As per the guidelines, religious processions of 'Kavad Yatra' and gatherings on Eid-ul-Adha will not be permitted in the wake of the pandemic.

 

Chaturmas festival is organised in many places of the state by the Jain community and many other people. This event lasts for four months. Devotees from all over the world come to participate in this event. Such events will not be allowed in any public and religious place, the guidelines said.

11:03 PM

We need to protect children from being Covid-infected: PM Modi

11:02 PM

Two vaccine doses successful in preventing 95% deaths, says ICMR study

A study on vaccine effectiveness in Tamil Nadu by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has shown that two vaccine doses were successful in preventing 95 per cent of deaths due to Covid-19 in the second wave, which was driven by the Delta variant. The study was conducted on 117,524 police personnel. India has so far given 394 million vaccine doses. READ ON...

10:53 PM

Odisha CM announces Rs 453 crore Covid assistance for women self- help groups

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday announced a special package of Rs 453.50 crore as COVID assistance to women members of self-help groups under the State Mission Shakti.

 

Attending a meeting on a virtual platform, Patnaik said a Mission Shakti Bhawan will be constructed in each of the 338 block-level Mission Shakti associations.

 

These Bhawans will be used as training centres/ business centres by the women members of the Mission Shakti, he said. Each block will get Rs 50 lakh for construction of the Bhawan, the chief minister said.

10:37 PM

Third wave may hit by August-end, but it isn't inevitable: ICMR official

The third Covid-19 wave is likely to hit the country at the end of August but it isn’t inevitable, said Dr Samiran Panda, Head of Epidemiology & Infectious Diseases,at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

 

The ICMR official cautioned the states to be more careful and said that they need to look into their own Covid-19 data and check at which stage of ‘epidemic they are in.’

 

“States need to look into their own Covid data and check, at which stage of the epidemic they are in. The third wave could happen around the end of August but it isn't inevitable. We need to be more careful,” said Dr Samiran Panda. READ ON...

10:11 PM

Gujarat govt extends night curfew in eight cities of the state till July 31

Gujarat govt extends night curfew in eight cities of the state till July 31; allows water parks and swimming pools to reopen with 50% capacity from July 20: ANI

9:54 PM

DCGI examining Zydus Cadila's Covid vaccine for children, says Dr V K Paul

Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is examining pharmaceutical major Zydus Cadila's COVID-19 vaccine for children, said Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog on Friday. Dr VK Paul said the Centre has set the target to administer 50 crore doses of COVID vaccine before the month of July.

 

Speaking to ANI, Dr Paul said, "We are moving towards a set target to administer 50 crore doses before July. We are on the path to achieving it. The government has ordered 66 crore doses of Covishield and Covaxin. Additionally, 22 crore doses will go to the private sector."

 

Asked about when Zydus Cadila's COVID vaccine for children will be available, he said the Subject Expert Committee of DCGI is examining the matter.

 

"DCGI is examining it. More data is needed. The scientific process has to be completed. We have to be lucky that it should be effective and safe," stated Dr Paul.

9:38 PM

Maharashtra reports 7,761 new Covid cases and 167 deaths in past 24 hours

9:37 PM

Four-fold rise in patients with long Covid seen: Apollo Hospitals

Even as the second wave continues in India, the number of cases reported for long Covid after has been four times more than what was reported last year, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said on Friday.

 

Long Covid is a condition where people who have recovered from Covid-19 are still exhibiting symptoms far longer than usually expected.

 

The patients have reported problems like breathlessness, prolonged weakness, extreme fatigue, recurrent headaches and fever (post the suppression of initial fever during the time of infection), lung fibrosis, an increased pulse rate, various gastrointestinal issues and some uncommon complications like erectile dysfunction, hair loss and menstrual disturbances in women.

9:35 PM

Non-vaccinated Legislators will not be allowed to attend monsoon session of Bihar assembly: Speaker

Legislators who haven't been vaccinated will not be allowed to attend the upcoming monsoon session of the Legislative Assembly, Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha said on Friday, stressing on adherence to Covid related protocols for safe conduct of the House.

 

The assembly session will begin from July 26 and conclude on July 30.

 

"MLAs who have not been vaccinated against coronavirus will not be allowed to attend the proceedings of the house. Vaccination is important for all the MLAs attending the house," the speaker told PTI.

 

He, however, said exemptions can be given to the members on certain medical grounds. (PTI)

9:27 PM

China to donate 1.6 million more doses of vaccines to Nepal

China will donate an additional 1.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Nepal, the foreign ministry here said on Friday.

 

The announcement was made by Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi, who paid a courtesy call to newly-appointed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Friday, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Ambassador Hou also conveyed to Deuba that China will continue its support to Nepal to combat Covid-19 pandemic. (PTI)

8:50 PM

Covid-19: Karnataka logs 1,806 new cases,42 deaths

Karnataka on Friday reported 1,806 new Covid infections and 42 deaths, pushing the caseload to 28,80,370 and death toll to 36,079, the health department said.

 

Active cases stood at 31,399. As many as 2,748 patients recovered today, taking the total recoveries to 28,12,869. (PTI)

8:42 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Reliance Retail reports 39 fresh cases in a day

8:09 PM

Covid vaccine stock in Delhi will last for a day, claims official bulletin

The stock of anti-coronavirus vaccines in the national capital will last for a day only, claimed an official bulletin issued on Friday.

 

The city had administered 33,186 vaccine doses on Thursday of which 21,189 were first jabs and 11,997 second.

 

According to official data, the total number of vaccine doses administered in Delhi so far has reached 91,86,905.

 

On Friday morning, Delhi had 2,27,600 doses of Covaxin and 1,13,900 doses of Covishield in its balance stock. This was after 1,04,150 doses of Covishield were added to the stock on Thursday. Read here

 

7:40 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Karnataka reports 1,806 fresh cases in a day

7:29 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Tamil Nadu government extends lockdown till July 31 with few more relaxations

Coronavirus LIVE: Tamil Nadu government extends lockdown till July 31 with few more relaxations

7:25 PM

Victims of vaccination fraud will be inoculated soon, BMC tells HC

A separate drive will be undertaken to inoculate more than 2,000 persons in Mumbai who became the victims of bogus COVID-19 vaccination camps, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) told the Bombay High Court on Friday.

 

Senior advocate Anil Sakhre, the civic body's lawyer, said that of 2,053 people who were duped at these privately-organized camps, 1,636 were checked. Read here

6:58 PM

Covid prohibitory orders extended in Nepal's Kathmandu valley till July 25

Nepal's capital Kathmandu and two surrounding districts have extended the coronavirus prohibitory period -- which was set to end on July 15 -- by another 10 days as the authorities continue to view Kathmandu Valley as a high risk zone for virus transmission, according to a media report on Friday.

 

In a joint statement, the district administration offices of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur said the prohibitory period will be extended till July 25, The Himalayan Times reported.

 

The Kathmandu valley has been under prohibitory orders since April 29 when a devastating wave of Covid-19 was sweeping across the country. (PTI)

6:34 PM

Sikkim reports 151 new Covid-19 cases, one more death

Sikkims Covid-19 tally rose to 23,080 on Friday as 151 more people tested positive for the infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the Himalayan states coronavirus death toll to 319, a health department bulletin said.

 

Of the 151 new cases, East Sikkim registered 92, followed by West Sikkim (44), South Sikkim (14), and North Sikkim (1).

 

Sikkim presently has 2,320 active cases, while 20,181 people have recovered from the infection, and 260 patients have migrated to other states. (PTI)

6:16 PM

China becomes biggest vaccine donor to Nepal with 3.4 mn doses

China has announced on Friday that it would provide additional 1.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Nepal under grant assistance, after already donating 1.8 million doses of vaccines to the Himlayan nation earlier.

 

Besides, Nepal is purchasing 4 million doses of vaccines from China, out of which the first consignment has already arrived in Kathmandu.

 

With this, Chinese vaccine donation to Nepal has reached 3.4 million, which is the highest, Chinese Ambassador You Hanqi announced at a meeting with the new Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at his office in Kathmandu. (IANS)

6:01 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Lockdown curbs will be relaxed from July 18-20 in Kerala

5:36 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Karnataka govt allows re-opening of medical colleges

Karnataka government allows reopening of medical, dental colleges & allied healthcare academic institutions; only those who have taken at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine to be allowed entry

5:15 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Delhi sees 66 fresh cases in a day

4:55 PM

No easing of restrictions in Pune as positivity rate is high: Deputy CM

Pune and some other districts will not witness immediate relaxation of coronavirus restrictions as the positivity rate in these areas has not declined much, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Friday.

 

Speaking to reporters after a Covid-19 review meeting here, Pawar, who is also the guardian minister for Pune, said the government has decided to continue the level three restrictions in the district. The state government has devised five levels of restrictions, the fifth level being the harshest, depending on the severity of the pandemic in a given area.

 

"In some districts the positivity rate has come down to zero per cent, however, in some districts such as Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Pune, Raigad and Ahmednagar, the positivity rate has not declined as much as it should have, so the current restrictions will remain in force," he said. Shops in Pune will, thus, be allowed to operate till only 4 pm, he said. "The weekly positivity rate of Pune district is 5.7 percent. The recovery rate is 97.30 percent," Pawar said. Asked about the demand from various sectors for some relaxation, he said the positivity rate must go down further. (PTI)

4:43 PM

Odisha sees 2,070 fresh coronavirus cases, reports 64 more deaths

Odisha on Friday reported 2,070 new Covid-19 cases, which took the tally to 9,49,929, while 64 more fatalities pushed the toll to 4,925, a senior health department official said.

 

Of the 2,070 new cases, 1,195 were reported from quarantine centres, and the rest detected during contact tracing, the official said. Read here

4:34 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: India's population is still vulnerable to the virus, says govt

Coronavirus LIVE: India's population is still vulnerable to the virus, says govt

4:33 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: World moving towards third wave should concern us, says govt

Coronavirus LIVE: The world is moving towards third wave and it should be a matter of concern for us, says govt