Covid LIVE: Tamil Nadu sees 2,458 new cases in a day; 635 in Mumbai

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Pune reported 861 new infections, followed by Mumbai (441), Bengaluru (319), Chennai (165), Delhi (76). Stay tuned for corona-related news

11:47 PM

Coronavirus Latest: Bengal reports 831 new Covid-19 cases, 14 more deaths

West Bengal reported 831 fresh Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, raising the tally to 15,13,845, while the death toll mounted to 17,958 with 14 more fatalities, the health department said in a bulletin.

 

The state now has 12,984 active cases, and 14,82,903 people have recovered from the disease, it said.

 

The discharge rate improved to 97.96 per cent. (PTI)

11:02 PM

Coronavirus Latest: Active infections in TN fall to 30,600

Tamil Nadu has reported 2,458 new Covid-19 cases, including those of three returnees from Jharkhand and Bihar, the Department of Health said on Wednesday.

 

With this, the total cases till date are 25,26,401, said the department.

 

The number of deaths is 33,557 with 55 people succumbing to the virus in the last 24 hours, a bulletin said here.

 

Recoveries outnumbered new infections with 3,021 people recovering today, aggregating to 24,62,244 and leaving 30,600 active cases, according to the bulletin. (PTI)

10:42 PM

Pandemic led to structural changes across industries: Wipro's Rishad Premji

The pandemic has resulted in structural changes across almost all industries, and challenged established ways of working, said Rishad Premji, chairman Wipro at the company's 75th Annual General Meeting.

 

"Whether it is digital commerce, or telemedicine, technology-enabled businesses have emerged rapidly over the last 15 months, with Cloud technology becoming the cornerstone of this transformation," he said while addressing the shareholders. Read here

10:12 PM

Over 390 mn Covid vaccine doses administered so far: Health ministry

The total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in India so far has surpassed 39 crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

 

According to a provisional report at 7pm, more than 32.10 lakh vaccine doses were administered on Wednesday.

The ministry said 13,82,467 beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years were given the first dose and 1,57,660 the second dose on Wednesday. Read here

10:07 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Tamil Nadu reports 2,458 fresh cases in a day

Tamil Nadu reports 2,458 new coronavirus cases, 3,021 recoveries and 55 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department

9:18 PM

Coronavirus Latest: Maharashtra adds 8,602 cases, 170 deaths

Maharashtra reported 8,602 new coronavirus positive cases and 170 deaths on Wednesday, taking the caseload to 61,81,247 and toll to 1,26,390, a health department official said.

 

On Tuesday, the state had reported 7,243 cases and 196 fatalities.

 

A total of 6,067 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, while the number of recoveries rose to 59,44,801. (PTI)

9:04 PM

The great exit: central banks line up to dial back emergency stimulus

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand on Wednesday said it would halt its pandemic-induced quantitative easing programme, becoming the latest major central bank to start exiting emergency stimulus.

 

Canada's central bank meanwhile cut its weekly bond purchases, taking a further step to dial back its stimulus.

 

As major economies bounce back thanks to Covid-19 vaccination campaigns and an easing of lockdown restrictions, a debate about dialling back emergency stimulus is underway.

 

Here's a look at who is tapering, who may raise rates first and who might be the last to call time on pandemic-era money-printing. Read here

9:00 PM

Tamil Nadu reports 2,458 new cases

8:25 PM

Telangana logs 749 new Covid-19 cases, 5 deaths

Telangana on Wednesday recorded 749 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the tally to over 6.33 lakh while the death toll stood at 3,743 with five more deaths.

 

Khammam district accounted for the highest number of cases with 96 followed by The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)-72, a state government bulletin said.

 

The number of active cases was10,203.

 

The total number of cases in the state stood at 6,33,895, while with848people being cured, the total recoveries were at 619,949. (PTI)

8:04 PM

Coronavirus Latest: Mumbai's daily case count goes above 500-mark after two days

Mumbai, which had witnessed less than 500 coronavirus cases for last two consecutive days, on Wednesday reported 635 infections, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

 

The city also reported 10 fresh fatalities during the day, it said.

 

With this, the COVID-19 caseload in the country's financial capital rose to 7,29, 250 and death toll to 15,654, the BMC said.

 

On Tuesday, Mumbai had reported 441 new coronavirus positive cases, the lowest after February 9 this year (375 cases), and eight fatalities, while on Monday, it had recorded 478 new cases and nine deaths. (PTI)

7:46 PM

UP govt's preparations for third wave limited to mere claims: State Cong chief

UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu on Wednesday alleged that despite the looming threat of a third wave of Covid-19, the Uttar Pradesh government's preparations to deal with it are so far limited to mere announcements and claims.

 

The government should explain to the people as to what preparations it has made to deal with the third wave and take the public into confidence, he said.

 

"The third wave of coronavirus is knocking at the doors in Uttar Pradesh but the preparations of the Uttar Pradesh government, like the second wave, are only confined to announcements and papers," the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president said in a party statement. (PTI)

7:24 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Manipur adds 1,104 fresh cases to its tally in last 24 hours

6:53 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: MP govt decides to reopen schools for students of classes 11,12

Coronavirus LIVE: MP govt decides to reopen schools for students of classes 11,12

6:38 PM

Congress alleges shortage of vaccines, says third wave may hit 'very badly'

The Congress on Wednesday attacked the Centre over the "shortage" of Covid-19 vaccines and said the third wave of the pandemic may hit the country very badly due to the "slow" pace of vaccination and the government's "failure".

 

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the weekly pace of vaccinations has declined to nearly 60 percent of what was seen in the week after June 21.

 

Rahul Gandhi, who has been persistently targeting the Centre over its handling of the pandemic, said there are "jumlas (rhetoric)" but no vaccines. Read here

6:11 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Kerala reports 15,637 new cases in a day

Kerala reports 15,637 new coronavirus cases, 12,974 recoveries and 128 deaths today. The positivity rate in the state is at 10.03%, according to the state health department

6:08 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: West Bengal govt extends restrictions till July 30

5:35 PM

Delhi has gained control over second wave of Covid-19: Satyendra Jain

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said the national capital has gained control over the second wave of the coronavirus and stressed that the government is ramping up its infrastructure to fight the pandemic.

 

Delhi faced a brutal second wave of the pandemic that claimed a large number of lives daily. The rapid rise in the number of cases led to a shortage of medical oxygen at various city hospitals. Read here

5:17 PM

Government caps Trade Margin up to 70% on Price to Distributor level on five medical devices

Keeping in view the evolving COVID pandemic, and the continuing demand of the medical devices, the Government has decided to regulate their prices for affordable healthcare and COVID management.By invokingextraordinary powers under Para 19 of the DPCO, 2013 in larger public interest National Pharmaceutical Pricing Agency (NPPA) has vide its notification dated 13.07.2021, capped the Trade Margin up to 70% on Price to Distributor (PTD) level on (i) Pulse Oximeter, (ii) Blood Pressure Monitoring Machine, (iii) Nebulizer, (iv) Digital Thermometer, and (v) Glucometer. Earlier, in February 2019 NPPA hadpreviouslycapped the Trade Margin on Anti-Cancer Drugs and on 3rd June 2021 for Oxygen Concentrators. Read full govt release here

5:05 PM

Second wave poses challenge for FMCGs, to blunt rural demand: ITC

The severity of the second wave of Covid-19 infections in India poses a key challenge for the FMCG industry and the spread of the virus to rural areas on a relatively higher scale as compared to the first wave is also expected to weigh on industry growth outlook, according to ITC Ltd.

 

There is heightened uncertainty around the timing and shape of the recovery trajectory of overall economic growth in India due to the virus, the company said in its Annual Report for 2020-21. Read here

4:19 PM

Centre asks states to facilitate private vaccination centres in getting vaccines

The slow pace of procurement and administration of Covid-19 vaccine by private centres in some states is a cause of '"serious worry", the Centre said on Wednesday and advised states and UTs to review the status daily and ensure indents for doses are quickly placed with the vaccine manufacturers.

 

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan chaired a high-level meeting with health secretaries and senior immunisation officials of 15 states and UTs on Wednesday during which the areas of concern were highlighted, including delay in ordering and lifting of doses and payment.

 

The roles of the states and UTs for demand aggregation and roles of the vaccine manufacturers in quick dispatch were further outlined in the meeting.

 

Bhushan said many private Covid vaccination centres (PCVCs) have not placed any indent for the earmarked quantum of Covid-19 vaccines. (PTI)

3:44 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Delhi reports 77 fresh cases in a day

3:43 PM

India Coronavirus Dispatch: Maha not the only offender on 'backlog' deaths

Is 'double infection' possible, WHO warns the Delta variant's transmissibility is likely overwhelm healthcare, and more-news relevant to India's fight against the pandemic. Read here

 

3:36 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Govt hikes DA to 28% for Central govt employees, pensioners

Coronavirus LIVE: Govt hikes DA to 28% for Central govt employees, pensioners

3:16 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Centre asks states to regulate crowds, hold officials responsible

2:50 PM

Odisha logs 2,074 new Covid-19 cases, 65 fresh fatalities

Odisha's Covid-19 tally rose to 9,45,749 on Wednesday as 2,074 more people tested positive for the infection, while 65 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 4,795, a health official said.

 

Though there has been a significant decline in daily cases and test positivity rate, fresh single-day fatalities continue to remain around 60 since July 8.

 

Odisha's active caseload has also significantly come down to 22,860 on July 14 from 55,923 on June 14. The total number of recoveries has also soared to 9,18,041, including 2,641 on Tuesday, he said.

2:42 PM

DATA STORY: India reports 624 deaths, adds 38,792 new cases to tally

India on Wednesday reported a net reduction of 2,832 in active coronavirus cases to take its count to 429,946. India’s share of global active coronavirus cases now stands at 3.55 per cent (one in 28). The country is fifth among the most affected countries by active cases. On Tuesday, it added 38,792 cases to take its total caseload to 30,946,074 from 30,907,282 — an increase of 0.1%. And, with 624 new fatalities, its Covid-19 death toll reached 411,408, or 1.33 per cent of total confirmed infections. Read on...

2:00 PM

3 new Covid-19 cases push Andamans tally to 7,496

Three new Covid-19 cases pushed the tally in the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands to 7,496, a health department official said on Wednesday.

 

Two cases were detected during contact tracing and one was airport arrival, the official said.

 

Passengers arriving by flight have to undergo mandatory RT-PCR test before they are allowed entry into the islands, he said.

 

The Covid-19 death toll in the archipelago remained at 129 as no fresh fatality due to the contagion was reported in the last 24 hours, the official said.

1:59 PM

Gujarat govt suspends Covid-19 vaccination for Mamata Diwas

The Gujarat government suspended the Covid-19 vaccination drive on Wednesday in view of Mamata Diwas, which is observed as part of the ongoing universal immunisation programme for pregnant women, children and infants, an official said.

 

This is the second week in a row that the inoculation drive against coronavirus has been suspended on a Wednesday due to Mamata Diwas.

 

During Mamata Diwas, healthcare workers across the state check on pregnant women, provide them guidance and give them iron and vitamin tablets. Health workers also administer vaccines, such as BCG, polio and rubella, to women, children and infants.

 

"Vaccination drive against coronavirus will remain suspended today in view of the tasks health workers need to carry out on Mamata Diwas under the universal immunisation programme," state immunisation officer Dr Nayan Jani said.

1:56 PM

Chinese mainland reports 24 new Covid-19 cases

The Chinese mainland has reported one new locally transmitted Covid-19 case and 23 new imported cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Wednesday.

 

Also reported were 23 new imported cases, of which ten were reported in Yunnan, five in Shanghai, two in Guangdong, and one each in Tianjin, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Fujian, Sichuan and Shaanxi, Xinhua reported.

 

No new suspected cases or new deaths related to Covid-19 were reported in the day.

1:50 PM

Kolkata gears up for Durga Puja, all involved to be vaccinated in 3 months

The community Durga Puja committees in Kolkata will ensure that all those who are involved in the rituals and other related works are vaccinated in the next three months, an official said on Wednesday.

 

The puja committees will also make certain that people visiting the pandals wear masks covering the nose and maintain social distancing, Forum for Durgotsab official Partha Ghosh told PTI.

 

"From our members and locals frequenting the pandals to artisans, priests, dhakis and electricians -- everyone will have to get COVID vaccines in the next three months," he said.