Coronavirus LIVE: Maha minister Aaditya Thackeray tests positive for Covid

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8:53 PM

Gujarat sees 1,565 Covid-19 cases, 6 deaths, 969 recoveries

Gujarat reported 1,565 Covid-19 cases on Saturday, taking its tally to 2,85,429, while the day also saw six deaths and 969 recoveries, according to PTI.

The toll in the state is now 4,443, while the recovery count is 2,74,249, which is 96.08 per cent of the caseload, leaving it with 6,737 active cases, including 69 on ventilator support, he added.

8:38 PM

445 fresh virus cases in Rajasthan; total count 3,24,948

Rajasthan on Saturday reported 445 fresh coronavirus cases, which pushed the state's infection count to 3,24,948, according to PTI.

No coronavirus death was reported on Saturday in the state where the disease has killed 2,796 people till now.

The maximum cases were reported from Jaipur where 72 people were found infected with the virus. Kota, Udaipur and Jodhpur recorded 56, 48 and 47 cases, respectively, according to the report.

8:01 PM

Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray tests positive for Covid-19

Maharashtra minister for tourism and environment Aaditya Thackeray said he has tested positive for coronavirus and called on people not to let their guard down against Covid-19.

6:15 PM

Andhra Pradesh logs 380 new Covid-19 cases, 2 deaths

Andhra Pradesh reported 380 fresh cases of coronavirus on Saturday, the highest since December 22, pushing the caseload to 8,93,366, according to PTI.

 

The number of active cases again touched 2,083, the highest since January 16 when it fell below the 2,000 mark.

5:39 PM

Gujarat to hold vaccination drive on Sunday: Deputy CM

The COVID-19 vaccination drive will be held on Sunday across Gujarat in order to increase the number of people covered, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel told the Assembly, according to PTI.

 

Currently, around two lakh people are vaccinated at 2,500 centres in the state on all days except Wednesday and Sunday, Patel, who holds the health portfolio, informed the House on Saturday.

5:20 PM

Delhi reports 813 new Covid-19 cases, highest daily spike this year

Delhi on Saturday witnessed a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases with 813 new infections, the highest single-day spike which the national capital has registered this year. According to the latest figures released by the health department, two people died of the viral disease in the last 24 hours, according to ANI.

 

The city's positivity rate stands at 1.07 per cent while the cumulative positivity rate is at 4.71 per cent.

4:52 PM

Delhi Capitals request BCCI for Covid-19 vaccination of their Indian players

Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Capitals on Saturday said that it has made a request to the BCCI for the COVID-19 vaccination of its players ahead of the cash-rich tournament beginning on April 9, according to PTI.

 

With its players set to enter bio-secure bubble for the IPL next week, a DC source told PTI that the vaccination may start with the Indian players.

3:20 PM

Pakistan PM Imran Khan tests positive for COVID-19

2:32 PM

Telangana logs 364 new Covid cases

Telangana on Saturday recorded 364 new Covid-19 cases, raising the state's tally to over 3.02 lakh, even as 189 more people recovered from the virus in the past 24 hours, according to IANS.

 

Hyderabad accounted for the highest number of cases at 75, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (32), Rangareddy (31), Jagityal (28), Sangareddy (16), Mehboobnagar and Nizamabad (14 each) and Karimnagar and Warangal Urban (12 each).

 

2:12 PM

Eight states showing rising trajectory in COVID-19 cases: Health Ministry

A rising trajectory of daily new cases is visible in eight states and UTs, including Delhi and Maharashtra, while Kerala is showing a declining trend, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, according to PTI.

The ministry said Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab cumulatively account for 76.22 per cent of India's total active caseload, with Maharashtra contributing to 62 per cent of such cases, while Kerala and Punjab account for 8.83 per cent and 5.36 per cent of active cases respectively.

1:49 PM

Covid vaccine should be able to give protection for 8-10 months: AIIMS director

The COVID-19 vaccine should be able to give good protection from the infection for eight to ten months, AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said on Saturday, according to PTI. 

He also said that no major side-effect of the vaccine has been recorded.

The COVID-19 vaccine should be able to give good protection from the infection for eight to ten months and maybe, even more, Guleria said at an event organised by the IPS (Central) Association.

1:26 PM

Crowd seen at Mumbai's Dadar market, Shivaji Park; distancing norms flouted

Despite rising COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra a massive crowd was seen at Dadar Market and Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Saturday morning.

 

The people in the market and the park were seen flouting social distancing norms and many were also seen without masks.

 

Mumbai on Friday reported 3062 new cases and 10 deaths. With 1,334 recoveries, the city's cured tally has gone up to 3,232,81 Currently, Mumbai has 20,140 active cases and 11,565 fatalities. Read on...

1:03 PM

Dharavi sees 62% jump in Covid-19 cases in March as compared to Feb

Dharavi, the biggest slum in Mumbai, has reported 272 coronavirus cases so far in the month of March as against the entire February's infection count of 168, a rise of 62 per cent, civic officials said on Saturday.

 

The spike in cases in this slum sprawl, which is spread over 2.5 sq km of area, has set alarm bells ringing for the authorities, although they say that they are better prepared this year to tackle the situation as compared to last year when the outbreak had started.

 

The officials said that the number of single-day cases in Dharavi, which had started steadily going up since February, has witnessed a significant jump starting this month. Read on...

12:02 PM

Pakistan records highest single-day spike in coronavirus cases this year

Pakistan on Saturday recorded its highest single-day increase in the coronavirus infections this year with 3,876 new cases as the positivity rate reached 9.4 per cent in the country.

 

The national tally of cases reached 623,135 while the death toll jumped to 13,799 as 40 patients died in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said.

 

The data showed that 579,760 people recovered so far but some 2,122 were in a critical condition.

 

The Sindh province reported majority 262,796 cases, followed by Punjab with 195,087 cases, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 78,653, Islamabad 50,843, Balochistan 19,306, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 11,483 and Gilgit-Baltistan 4,967 cases.

10:45 AM

Coronavirus in India: Summary of MoHFW data (March 20)

Active cases: 288,394 (Net increase: 17,112)

Deaths: 159,558 (Net increase: 188)

Cured: 11,107,332 (Net increase: 23,653)

Total cases: 11,555,284 (Net increase: 40,953)

Total vaccination: 42,063,392 (Increase over previous day: 2,723,575)

10:13 AM

'UK strain likely accounts for 30% of US Covid cases'

The highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in Britain likely accounts for up to 30 per cent of the confirmed cases in the US, Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert, said.

 

The variant, called B.1.1.7, has been reported in at least 94 countries and detected in 50 jurisdictions in the US, Fauci said on Friday during a White House briefing on the pandemic.

 

He added that the numbers are likely growing, reports Xinhua news agency.

10:04 AM

Coronavirus update: Active Covid-19 cases in India recorded at 2,88,394

Coronavirus update: Active Covid-19 cases in India recorded at 2,88,394, according to MoHFW

9:06 AM

Coronavirus: Punjab announces closure of educational institutions till March 31

Amid surging Covid-19 cases, the Punjab government has announced the closure of educational institutions till March 31, according to the State government.

 

Punjab School Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla on Friday said that as Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced the closure of educational institutions in the state till March 31, the school education department has also decided to postpone exams of all classes till March 31, 2021. Read on...

8:36 AM

Covid cases in Brazil rise by record 90,570 to over 11.87 million: Ministry

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brazil has increased by a record 90,570 to 11,871,390 within the past 24 hours, the national Ministry of Health said on late Friday.

 

The death toll has risen by 2,815 to 290,314 people within the same period of time.

 

More than 10.38 million patients have recovered since the start of the outbreak. Read on...

8:16 AM

Covid-19: Jharkhand govt to a month's extra pay to frontline health workers

The Jharkhand Health Department has decided to give a month's extra pay to frontline health workers who have been working round the clock since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta on Friday.

 

"The state government has decided to provide one-month extra pay to all frontline medical workers for their services. Currently, the identification process of beneficiaries is underway," the minister said while responding to a question by BJP MLA Amar Bauri in the state Assembly. Read on...

7:25 AM

Pune sees 5,065 Covid-19 cases, 24 deaths, 808 recoveries

The number of COVID-19 cases in Pune district increased by 5,065 on Friday to reach 4,58,597, while the day also saw 24 deaths and 808 people recovering, an official said.

 

The toll in the district now stands at 9,510, he said.

 

"Pune city accounted for 2,834 of the new cases, and now has a caseload of 2,29,383. Pimpri Chinchwad's tally rose by 1,326 to touch 1,19,518. The number of COVID-19 cases in rural, civil hospital and Pune cantonment areas increased to 1,09,696," he added.