Coronavirus LIVE: Tamil Nadu reports 4,013 fresh cases; 2,082 in Karnataka

Today's coronavirus numbers: Bengaluru (593 cases), Mumbai 676 cases), Chennai (238 cases), Kolkata (137 cases), Delhi (93 cases). Stay tuned for corona-related news

8:58 PM

Coronavirus Latest: One more death, 115 new cases in Himachal Pradesh

The Covid-19 death toll in Himachal Pradesh rose to 3,466 on Saturday with one more fatality, while 115 new cases pushed the infection count to 2,02,555, an official said.

 

A 43-year-old man died due to Covid in Kangra district, the official said.

 

According to the state health department, the number of active cases now stands at 1,446. (PTI)

8:34 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Tamil Nadu reports 4,013 fresh cases

8:34 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai sees 575 new cases

8:27 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra administers nearly 800,000 vaccine doses in a single day

8:17 PM

90 new Covid cases in Rajasthan, 4 more die

Rajasthan recorded 90 fresh Covid-19 cases and four related fatalities which raised the infection count to 9,52,663 and the death toll to 8,934 on Saturday, according to an official report.

 

Of the fresh cases, Alwar and Jaipur reported 25 and 17 cases, respectively, while two deaths due to the coronavirus were reported from Udaipur and one each from Chittorgarh and Pratapgarh, the report said.

 

A total of 942,469 Covid-19 patients have recovered in Rajasthan and the number of active cases stands at 1,260 in the state, it said. (PTI)

7:54 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Goa reports 169 new cases in last 24 hours

7:32 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Karnataka announces further relaxations, night curfew lifted

7:32 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Karnataka reports 2,082 fresh cases

7:31 PM

Sikkim logs 178 fresh coronavirus infections, tally rises to 20,955

Sikkim reported 178 fresh Covid-19 cases, raising the tally to 20,955, a health department bulletin said on Saturday.

 

The death toll remained at 308.

 

The northeastern state now has 2,058 active cases, while 18,336 people have recovered from the disease so far, it said. Read here

7:25 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Kerala reports 12,456 fresh cases

7:06 PM

Restaurants may be allowed to open at 50% capacity from July 5: Goa CM

The Goa government is considering allowing restaurants to function at 50 per cent capacity soon, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Saturday.

 

"We have announced that saloons may open (from July 5). We are also considering 50 per cent relief for (restaurants) too," Sawant told reporters here, adding that the exact details were being worked out and would be announced soon. Read here

6:47 PM

34 die of Covid-19 in Pakistan in last 24 hours

Thirty-four people died of Covid-19 in Pakistan during the past 24 hours taking the total number of deaths due to the virus to 22,379.

 

According to the National Command and Operation Centre's statistics, 48,027 coronavirus tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours on Saturday, of which 1,400 came back positive, reported The News International.

 

According to the official portal, the positivity rate is now 2.91 per cent. (ANI)

6:27 PM

UP reports 112 fresh cases, two deaths

Uttar Pradesh reported 112 Covid-19 cases and two fatalities on Saturday, taking the state's infection tally to 17,06,495 and the death toll to 22,622.

 

One death each was reported from Sitapur and Chandauli, the UP government said in a statement.

 

Of the 112 fresh cases of the infection, 17 were reported from Lucknow, 10 from Allahabad, eight from Gautam Buddh Nagar and seven from Kanpur Nagar among others. (PTI)

6:13 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Andhra Pradesh reports 2,930 fresh cases in last 24 hours

6:10 PM

Progressive decline in cases in northeast: Jitendra Singh

Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said there is a progressive decline in Covid-19 cases in all eight northeastern states but cautioned that the fall in active cases must be followed with greater thrust on vaccination and strict observance of relevant protocols.

 

At a review meeting with health secretaries of all the eight northeastern states Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim Singh expressed satisfaction that they were catching up with the national average in terms of the decline in positivity rate.

 

Meghalaya is the only exception which witnessed a surge due to the Covid-19 cases at a prison in Ri-bhoi district, he said. (PTI)

6:04 PM

Singapore PM lauds Sikh community for their services during pandemic

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday lauded the local Sikh community for providing support to people through various assistance programmes during the Covid-19 pandemic regardless of race, religion or background.

 

Wearing a white Sikh turban, Prime Minister Lee, who attended the inauguration ceremony of Silat Road Sikh Temple which was renovated during the pandemic, greeted the community members with a "Sat Sri Akal".

 

Prime Minister Lee said that places of worship, including the Silat Road temple and other Gurdwaras, have had to cope with disruptions brought about by the pandemic. (PTI)

5:44 PM

Jharkhand HC slams SIT in remdesivir black marketing case

The High Court of Jharkhand has reprimanded the SIT formed to probe black marketing of remdesivir, an anti-viral drug used in the treatment of Covid-19, for keeping it in the dark in making the Ranchi Rural superintendent of police a government witness in the case.

 

SP Naushad Alam's name came up during the investigation as one of the accused persons claimed that he had arranged remdesivir for the IPS officer who wanted the medicine for a person.

 

Chargesheet has been filed against two persons in the case last month in the trial court. (PTI)

5:35 PM

Auto ambulances to carry Covid patients introduced in TN

Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K Ramachandran on Satuday flagged off six auto ambulances in Coonoor in Nilgiris district to carry Covid-19 patients.

 

Being a hilly district, the roads and pathways were too narrow for the movement of bigger ambulances, so auto ambulances were introduced, he said.

 

The number of Covid cases started declining after efforts taken by Chief Minister M K Stalin to ensure facilities like beds, medical oxygen and other infrastructure, Ramachandran said at a function. (PTI)

5:17 PM

Centre sanctions funds from PM-Cares for new vaccine-testing lab

The Centre has sanctioned funds from the PMCares Fund for setting up a vaccine-testing laboratory here, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said on Saturday.

 

I thank Honble PM Shri narendramodi Ji for sanctioning funds for setting up of Vaccine Testing Lab at Hyderabad. A big step forward towards comprehensive development of pharma sector in Hyderabad, which will also boost production of Covid-19 vaccines, Reddy, a Lok Sabha member from Secunderabad, tweeted.

 

The increased focus on vaccine production against the backdrop of Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated more vaccine- testing laboratories in the country, Reddy said in a press release. Read here

5:09 PM

Cannot allow local train travel for lawyers at present as experts fear third wave: HC

The Bombay High Court on Saturday said it cannot permit lawyers to travel by suburban trains at least till the end of July as the Maharashtra State Covid-19 Task Force apprehends a third wave of the pandemic.

 

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni said that the court cannot override medical experts' opinion by a judicial order.

 

At least till the end of July, it may not be possible (to allow lawyers to commute by trains). The State Covid Task Force feels that the third wave may start if trains are opened to all. You (lawyers) will have to wait for one more month, the court said. (PTI)

4:43 PM

Coronavirus Latest: Indonesia records highest daily spike of 27,913 new cases

Coronavirus Latest: Indonesia records highest daily spike of 27,913 new cases

4:17 PM

Europe in vaccination race against coronavirus' delta variant

Countries across Europe are scrambling to accelerate coronavirus vaccinations and outpace the spread of the more infectious delta variant, in a high-stakes race to prevent hospital wards from filling up again with patients fighting for their lives.

 

The urgency coincides with Europe's summer holiday months, with fair weather bringing more social gatherings and governments reluctant to clamp down on them. Social distancing is commonly neglected, especially among the young, and some countries are scrapping the requirement to wear masks outdoors.

 

Incentives for people to get shots include free groceries, travel and entertainment vouchers, and prize drawings. The president of Cyprus even appealed to a sense of patriotism. Read here

4:15 PM

Ethiopia registers 73 new Covid-19 cases

Ethiopia registered 73 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 276,323 as of Friday evening, the country's Ministry of Health said.

 

The ministry said that two new deaths and 62 more recoveries were reported on Thursday, bringing the national counts to 4,327 and 260,327 respectively, the Xinhua news agency reported.

 

Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation, has so far reported the largest number of Covid-19 cases in the East Africa region.

 

Figures from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that Ethiopia's Covid-19 cases accounted for about 5 per cent of Africa's total. (IANS)

3:40 PM

Tripura extends curfew till July 9

The Tripura government has extended the Covid curfew from 2 pm to 5 am in Agartala and eight other urban local bodies (ULBs) till July 9, a notification said.

 

However, the night curfew from 6 pm to 5 am has been lifted from the villages.

 

The Covid curfew in the ULBs, first imposed on May 16 and then repeatedly extended, was scheduled to end on July 2.

 

"The Covid curfew will remain in force in the jurisdiction of Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) and eight other ULBs till July 9," the notification issued by Chief Secretary Kumar Alok said. (PTI)

3:37 PM

World Coronavirus Dispatch: Delta strain dominates discourse across nations

North Korea's Kim slams officials for vague Covid crisis, Europe's travel stocks hit bumps, and other pandemic-related news across the globe. Read here

3:20 PM

US donates 2.5 million Moderna vaccine doses to Pakistan

Pakistan has received 2.5 million doses of the Moderna mRNA vaccine against Covid-19 from the United States.

 

Charge d' Affaires at the US embassy here Angela P. Aggeler said the vaccines, which arrived at Islamabad International Airport, would save lives and help Pakistan emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, which had devastated so many families and communities in both countries.

 

The latest donation is part of 80 million doses the US is sharing with the world, delivering on its pledge to facilitate equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines. (ANI)

3:15 PM

Telangana administers 183,627 vaccine doses on Friday

Telangana administered 1,83,627 Covid-19 vaccine doses on Friday.

 

As per the report issued by the state health department today, as of July 2 till 9 pm, 1,48,146 people received their first vaccine dose and 35,481 inoculated with the second dose.

 

On July 2, those who received the first dose include 138 healthcare workers and 1,15,810 people from the 18-44 age group and 32,035 who are 45 and above. (IANS)

2:56 PM

Germany recommends mixing vaccines

Germany on Friday recommended that people mix AstraZeneca Covid vaccines with Pfizer or Moderna to enhance immune responses against coronavirus and shorten the interval period between the two shots.

 

The German government advised people to choose either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for their second jab, reported NHK World.

 

The move came one day after the country's standing committee on vaccinations issued a draft recommendation to the same effect. (ANI)

2:34 PM

Covid-19 third wave will be 'ripple' in absence of faster spreading mutant: IIT Kanpur study

The third wave of Covid-19 will be a "ripple" but only if there is no significantly faster-spreading mutant, according to projections of the 'Sutra' model for Covid-19.

 

According to the Sutra analysis, if there is a faster-spreading mutant, the magnitude of the third wave will be "comparable to the first one."

 

Maninder Agarwal, Professor, IIT Kanpur, who was part of the team of scientists behind the Sutra analysis, said that they have created three scenarios. (ANI)

2:11 PM

94% of patients with cancer respond well to coronavirus vax: Study

Nearly 95 per cent of people with cancer developed a good immune response to the Covid-19 mRNA vaccines three to four weeks after receiving their second dose, finds a new study co-authored by Indian-origin researchers.

 

The study, published in the journal Cancer Cell, indicated that among the 131 patients studied, 94 per cent developed antibodies to the coronavirus.

 

Seven high-risk patients did not. Read here