Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra reports 8,172 new cases, 124 deaths

Coronavirus LIVE updates: The national capital recorded 59 fresh cases and four more deaths due to the disease on Saturday

9:35 PM

Over 40 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in country: Govt

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has gone past 40 crore with over 46.38 lakh doses given on Saturday, according to the Union health ministry.

 

A total of 21,18,682 beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years received the first dose, while 2,33,019 were administered the second dose of the vaccine on Saturday, the ministry said.

 

"India's cumulative COVID vaccination coverage has surpassed 40 crore (40,44,67,526)," according to a provisional report compiled at 7 pm.

8:46 PM

Maharashtra reports 8,172 COVID-19 cases, 124 deaths

Maharashtra on Saturday reported 8,172 new COVID-19 cases and 124 deaths which took the state's infection tally to 62,05,190 and death toll to 1,26,851, the health department said in a release.

 

As many as 8,950 patients were discharged from hospitals, pushing the total of recovered persons to 59,74,594. The state has a recovery rate of 96.28 per cent. The case fatality rate stood at 2.04 per cent, while there are 1,00,429 active cases in the state, the release said. There are 5,77,615 people in home quarantine while 4,156 people are in institutional quarantine. With 2,20,851 samples tested since Friday evening, the tally of coronavirus tests conducted in the state rose to 4,52,60,468. Mumbai city reported 469 COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths, taking its caseload to 7,30,703 and death toll to 15,690.

8:34 PM

Pandemic pushes back world economy by 5-10 years, says Bata Global CEO

The Covid-19 pandemic is probably the "most significant" world event of our lifetime and has unarguably pushed back the world economy and people by 5-10 years, said Bata Corporation Global CEO Sandeep Kataria.

 

Though the pandemic has impacted almost everything over the last 15 months, he expressed hope of leaving medical worries behind soon given the "innovativeness and ingenuity" shown by the human race during this period.

7:57 PM

Covid can make one more susceptible to developing active tuberculosis: Health Ministry

COVID-19 can make a person more susceptible to developing active tuberculosis as it is an "opportunistic" infection like black fungus but currently there is not enough evidence to suggest TB cases have risen due to the viral disease, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.

 

The ministry said notification of tuberculosis cases had decreased by about 25 per cent in 2020 due to Covid-related restrictions and special efforts are being made to mitigate this impact through intensified case findings.

7:20 PM

59 new Covid cases, four more deaths in Delhi

The national capital recorded 59 fresh COVID-19 cases and four more deaths due to the disease on Saturday, while the positivity rate dropped to 0.08 per cent, according to data shared by the Health Department here.

 

The four new fatalities have pushed the death toll to 25,027, the latest bulletin said.

 

On Friday, Delhi had recorded 66 cases and one fatality, while the positivity rate was 0.09 per cent, while on Thursday the city had logged 72 cases and one death, with a positivity rate of 0.10 per cent.

 

The infection rate, which had reached 36 per cent in the last week of April, has come down to 0.08 per cent now.

7:16 PM

Around 87K people vaccinated against coronavirus in Delhi on Friday

Around 87,000 people were vaccinated against coronavirus in Delhi on Friday and less than one day's stock of vaccine was available in the city, according to official data. According to the CoWin portal, over 71,000 beneficiaries received vaccine jabs on Saturday.

 

The vaccination bulletin released by the Delhi government said over 92 lakh doses have been administered in the city since the inoculation exercise started on January 16. As many as 21.88 lakh people have received both the doses.

 

According to the Delhi government's data, the city had around 2.67 lakh vaccine doses left on Saturday morning. The health bulletin said the stock will last less than a day.

6:58 PM

16,148 fresh coronavirus cases, 114 deaths in Kerala in past 24 hours

Kerala on Saturday recorded 16,148 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the infection caseload to 31,46,981, while the toll rose to 15,269 with 114 more deaths.

 

As many as 13,197 people were cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to 30,06,439, leaving 1,24,779 active cases, a state government release said.

 

Kozhikode logged the most number of cases (2105), followed by Malappuram (2033), Ernakulam (1908), Thrissur (1758), Kollam (1304), Palakkad (1140), Kannur (1084) and Thiruvananthapuram (1025).

6:36 PM

Bombay HC asks Centre about manner, method of COVID-19 vaccine allocation to states

The Bombay High Court on Saturday directed the Central government to file an affidavit detailing the manner and methods of allocating COVID-19 vaccines to states.

 

A division bench of Chief justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni passed this direction while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Yogeeta Vanzara, a city resident, who raised concerns over issues faced by the public in obtaining COVID-19 vaccination appointments through the CoWin portal.

5:39 PM

Travellers fume at UK move to keep restrictions on France

Tourists and the travel industry vented frustration and anger on Saturday after Britain reversed a plan to ease travel restrictions on France just two days after they were due to start, citing concerns about a variant of the coronavirus.

 

In an announcement late Friday, the U.K. government said people arriving from France must self-isolate for 10 days on entering Britain, even if they are fully vaccinated.

5:25 PM

Joint pain, backache common among many post-Covid cases: Delhi hospital

A leading private hospital in Delhi on Saturday claimed that joint pain and backache were the most common problems reported among post-Covid patients at its orthopaedic department.

 

Even after recovering from the coronavirus infection, a large number of people are struggling with post-Covid complications, ranging from weakness to hair fall and skin complications.

 

According to Dr Vishal Nigam, orthopedic and spine surgeon at the Moolchand Hospital, "Back pain and joint pain after Covid have been the most common presentation in orthopaedic clinics. Almost 15 per cent patients present with joint pains or arthralgia, and 45 per cent patients present with muscle pains or myalgia".

4:57 PM

Hiring activity witnesses uptick in June for most sectors: Report

With gradual easing of lockdowns, the overall hiring activity witnessed positive growth for most sectors in June, according to a report.

 

Hiring activity improved in June, suggesting a recovery for the non-tech sectors as well, based on newly added job listings during the month, according to a report by job site SCIKEY Market Network.

 

So far, the IT sector has been boosting at a fast pace, the report stated. Although, in June, the data revealed that a lot of other sectors have started showing improvement in the hiring activity, the report, based on hiring data posted on the SCIKEY Market Network's job portal, said.

4:26 PM

Assam govt to provide financial help to families of people who died due to Covid

The Assam government will provide one-time financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh to families of people who have died of COVID-19, State Finance Minister Ajanta Neog said on Friday.

 

Presenting the budget for 2021-22 in the assembly, Neog claimed this is a first-of-its-kind scheme by any government in the country.

3:49 PM

Lok Sabha Speaker urges civil societies

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday asked non-government organisations to work towards spreading awareness about Covid-appropriate behaviour in the society to avoid the risk of a third wave, asserting that civil societies act as a bridge between the government and the people.

 

Birla also emphasised the need for generating employment by these organisations for those who have lost their job due to COVID-19 pandemic.

3:44 PM

Quarantine not required, Indian shooters to start training at venue from Jul 19

Not required to undergo any quarantine ahead of the Olympics, the Indian shooters will begin training at the venue from July 19, having got their rooms allotted at the Games Village after arriving in Tokyo in the wee hours of Saturday.

 

The shooting events will be held at the Asaka Shooting Range, which is located in Saitama Prefecture, north west Tokyo. The venue also hosted the shooting competition at the 1964 Olympics.

3:05 PM

Odisha's Covid-19 caseload surges to 952,111 as 2,182 more people test positive for the disease

Odisha's Covid-19 caseload surges to 952,111 as 2,182 more people test positive for the disease; death toll climbs to 4,992 with 67 more fatalities: Health department official

2:39 PM

AIFF announces Covid-19 relief grant for category 1 and 2 referees

All India Football Federation has come up with a Covid-19 relief grant to support the Category 1 and 2 active Referees, and Assistant Referees who have been adversely affected financially by the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

This grant is one-time financial assistance for match officials who are managed by the AIFF through their participation as officials in AIFF competitions.

 

The match officials eligible for the Covid-19 relief grant are those who do not have a permanent job or income aside from the match fee and allowances earned through officiating in football competitions as of June 2021.

 

Under the assistance, 164 eligible match officials (Cat 1 and Cat 2) will be receiving one-time financial assistance. The total outlay for this assistance is around Rs. 25 lakh. Read on...

2:02 PM

Maharashtra coronavirus update: BMC starts a drive for vaccinating bedridden people at their houses

BMC starts a drive for vaccinating bedridden people at their houses, invites details of such persons who can be beneficiaries of this door-to-door vaccination scheme.

1:58 PM

New academic session to begin in universities, colleges from October 1: UGC guidelines

New academic session to begin in universities, colleges from October 1: UGC guidelines

1:57 PM

Mandatory to conduct end term or final year exams by August 31: UGC guidelines

Mandatory to conduct end term or final year exams by August 31; can be done offline, online or in blended mode: UGC guidelines

1:54 PM

Coronavirus lockdown | Full fees should be refunded in case of cancellation of admissions: UGC guidelines

In view of hardships faced by parents during lockdown, full fees should be refunded  in case of cancellation of admissions: UGC guidelines

1:53 PM

Kanwar Yatra: Uttarakhand govt allows states to take 'Ganga jal' in tankers

Uttarakhand government on Saturday allowed states to take 'Ganga jal' from Haridwar in water tankers days after the state government cancelled the Kanwar Yatra in light of Covid-19.

 

Additional Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan said that if there is a demand for carrying 'Ganga jal' from the states, then the state government will give full cooperation.

 

"Permission will be given to carry 'Ganga jal' from Haridwar through water tankers," he added.

 

On Tuesday, the Uttarakhand government cancelled Kanwar Yatra this year.

1:44 PM

Pakistan witnesses surge in COVID-19 cases

Pakistan's COVID-19 cases are once again rising with over 2,000 new infections being detected during the past 24 hours.

 

With the addition of 2,783 coronavirus cases, the tally of the infections has reached 986,668, reported ARY News on Saturday.

 

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 39 more people died from the infection during this period, taking the death toll to 22,760.

 

A total of 49,247 samples were tested, out of which 2,783 were found to be carrying the deadly virus.

1:36 PM

Jharkhand reports 55 new COVID-19 cases; Zero virus-induced deaths

COVID-19 tally rose to 3,46,588 as 55 more people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, a health department bulletin said on Saturday.

 

The COVID-19 death toll remained at 5,120 as no new fatality due to the contagion was reported in the last 24 hours, it said.

 

Of the 55 new cases, a maximum of 17 new cases were reported from East Singhbhum followed by seven cases from Ranchi and four each from Gumla and West Singhbhum.

1:26 PM

Sri Lanka receives 1.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine donated by US

Sri Lanka has received 1.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine from the US through the UN-backed COVAX facility.

 

It was the second shipment to Sri Lanka from the global COVAX effort after an AstraZeneca delivery in March.

 

Sri Lanka has given 36 per cent of its population their first vaccine dose while 13 per cent have received both doses.

 

Its vaccination campaign was set back by halted shipments of AstraZeneca from the Indian producer. It then turned to Sinopharm, Sputnik V and Pfizer to get its population inoculated.

 

1:09 PM

Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy rates lower in poorer countries: Study

A new study has examined vaccine acceptance and hesitancy rates in ten low and middle-income countries from Asia, Africa, and South America.

 

The research published in Nature Medicine reveals willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine was considerably higher in developing countries (80 per cent of respondents) than in the United States (65 per cent) and Russia (30 per cent).

 

The study provides one of the first insights into vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in a broad selection of low- and-middle income countries (LMIC), covering over 20,000 survey respondents and bringing together researchers from over 30 institutions including the International Growth Centre (IGC), Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), WZB Berlin Social Science Center, the Yale Institute for Global Health, the Yale Research Initiative on Innovation and Scale (Y-RISE), and HSE University (Moscow, Russia).

12:59 PM

Six fresh Covid cases reported in Ladakh; tally reaches 20,240

The Union Territory of Ladakh on Saturday recorded six fresh coronavirus cases, taking the overall tally to 20,240, while nine more patients were cured of the disease.

 

The total number of recoveries in the region rose to 19,929, officials said.

 

Among the new COVID-19 cases, two persons tested positive for the virus in Leh district and four in Kargil district, they said.

 

A total of 2,799 sample reports -- 1,337 in Leh and 1,462 in Kargil -- were found negative for the infection, they said.

12:58 PM

Pondy logs less than 100 new coronavirus cases second time in a week

Puducherry recorded 94 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, making it the second time in a week the union territory has seen less than 100 infections on a single day.

 

With the addition of new cases the overall tally touched 119,603.

 

Puducherry region alone registered 70 cases, Karaikal 19, Yanam two and Mahe region three.

 

The new cases were identified at the end of examination of swabs of 6,395 people.

 

12:44 PM

Govt to procure 660 mn more doses of Covishield, Covaxin at revised rates

The Centre has placed an order to procure 660 million more doses of Covishield and Covaxin to be supplied between August and December this year, at a revised price of Rs 205 and Rs 215 per dose, respectively, excluding taxes, official sources said.

 

They said 375 million of Covishield doses from the Serum Institute of India and 28.5 crore Covaxin doses from Bharat Biotech will be procured by December.

 

"An order to procure 660 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines--Covishield and Covaxin--to be supplied between August and December, at a revised price of Rs 205 and Rs 215 per dose, respectively, excluding taxes, has been placed," the source said.

 

The price of each dose of Covishield amounts to Rs 215.25 and Covaxin Rs 225.75, including taxes, it said.

12:44 PM

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 1,608: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,608 to 3,743,389, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by 22 to 91,359, the tally showed.

12:38 PM

UK reverses plan to open up travel to France due to variant

The British government threw the holiday plans of tens of thousands of people into disarray Friday night when it reversed plans to open up travel from France because of concerns about a COVID-19 variant circulating in the country.

 

Plans to relax self-isolation rules for people traveling from a wide range of countries will no longer apply to France because of the persistent presence of the Beta variant, which was first discovered in South Africa and is believed to be more dangerous than other variants, the government said.