Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai sees 3,775 new cases, 10 deaths in last 24 hours

Coronavirus LIVE: Total number of Covid-19 cases in India has reached 11,598,710. Stay tuned for coronavirus LIVE updates

8:54 PM

Maharashtra sees over 30,000 new Covid cases, biggest single-day spike

In what is a biggest spike since the coronavirus pandemic began, Maharashtra reported 30,535 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking its infection tally to 2,479,682, according to the state health department.

 

With 99 new deaths, the total toll in the state swelled to 53,399.

 

The positivity rate in the state stands at 13.5 per cent. Over 11,000 people have recovered or discharged during the same period. The recovery rate currently stands at 89.32 per cent.

8:40 PM

Govt failed to control Covid spread, must vaccinate all within months: Congress

On a day India registered the highest single-day rise in Covid-19 cases so far this year, the Congress on Sunday said the government has failed to control the spread of the virus and demanded that it spells out a comprehensive plan for increasing vaccination in the country.

 

The nation has been witnessing a spike in coronavirus cases recently and recorded 43,846new instances of Covid-19 in a day. Registering an increase for the 11th day in a row, the total active caseload has increased to 3,09,087, according to health ministry data.

 

"The second wave of the Covid-19 is staring at us," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said and accused the government of not taking the virus seriously.

8:30 PM

5 deaths, 867 new Covid cases in Haryana

Haryana reported five coronavirus deaths on Sunday as 867 fresh cases surfaced, pushing the state's infection count to 2,79,828, according to a health bulletin.

 

So far, the disease has killed 3,098 people in the state.

 

On Sunday, a fatality each was reported from Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Ambala and Karnal districts.

8:24 PM

Nagpur sees 3,614 Covid-19 cases, 32 deaths, 1,859 recoveries

The number of Covid-19 cases in Nagpur rose by 3,614 to touch 1,93,080 on Sunday, while the day also saw 32 deaths and 1,859 people recovering, an official said.

 

The toll in the district is 4,624, and the recovery count is 1,59,108, leaving it with 29,348 active cases, he added.

 

With 17,182 samples being examined on Sunday, the number of tests in Nagpur went up to 14,80,385, the official said.

8:15 PM

Chhattisgarh CM chairs meet to contain surge in Covid-19 cases

Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday chaired a meeting of his cabinet ministers and senior officials to ensure guidelines are enforced to check the spread of the virus in view of the upcoming Holi festival and wedding season.

 

Chhattisgarh on Saturday recorded 1,273 cases, the highest single-day spike in this year.

 

The CM also directed that the number of daily COVID-19 tests be increased as well as the vaccination drive be expedited, a state public relations department official said.

8:09 PM

Some flyers with negative Covid reports found positive during tests at Hyderabad airport

Several international passengers who travelled with negative Covid reports have been found positive for the pathogen when tested on arrival at the international airport here, airport sources said.

 

Cases of international passengers being found positive in tests conducted at the airport despite having a negative report were being reported on regular basis, they said.

 

Confirming that such cases had been noticed, Union Health Ministry official Anuradha Medoju here said the information on positive cases was shared with state government officials for quarantining and other purposes.

8:06 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai sees 3,775 new cases, 10 deaths in last 24 hours

Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai sees 3,775 new cases, 10 deaths in last 24 hours, according to BMC.

7:52 PM

Punjab reports 2,669 new coronavirus cases

Punjab reports 2,669 new coronavirus cases, 1331 recoveries and 44 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department

7:45 PM

A rapid Covid-19 vaccine rollout backfired in some US states

Despite the clamour to speed up the US vaccination drive against Covid-19 and get the country back to normal, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better.

 

A surprising new analysis found that states such as South Carolina, Florida and Missouri that raced ahead of others to offer the vaccine to ever-larger groups of people have vaccinated smaller shares of their population than those that moved more slowly and methodically, such as Hawaii and Connecticut.

 

The explanation, as experts see it, is that the rapid expansion of eligibility caused a surge in demand too big for some states to handle and led to serious disarray. Vaccine supplies proved insufficient or unpredictable, websites crashed and phone lines became jammed, spreading confusion, frustration and resignation among many people.

7:44 PM

Bangladesh records 2,172 new Covid-19 cases, 22 more deaths

Bangladesh recorded 2,172 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 22 new deaths on Sunday, making its total tally at 570,878 with 8,690 deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

 

The official data showed that 21,108 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.

 

The total number of recovered patients in the Asian country stands currently at 522,405 including 1,687 new recoveries reported on Sunday, said the DGHS.

7:39 PM

Malaysia reports 1,327 new Covid-19 cases, 4 new deaths

Malaysia reported 1,327 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, bringing its total tally to 333,040.

 

The Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that 11 of the new cases were imported and the 1,316 others were local transmissions.

 

Meanwhile, four more deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 1,233.

7:32 PM

Kerala reports 1,875 new coronavirus cases

Kerala reports 1,875 new coronavirus cases, 2,251 recoveries and 13 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department

7:25 PM

Goa sees 98 new Covid-19 cases, 3 deaths, 79 recoveries

Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 98 and reached 56,623 on Sunday, while three deaths took the toll to 818 and 79 people were discharged, an official said.

 

The number of people who have recovered stands at 54,792, leaving the state with 1,013 active cases, he added.

 

With 1,435 samples being examined on Sunday, the overall number of tests in Goa went up to 5,25,665, he said.

7:03 PM

Karnataka reports 1,715 new coronavirus cases

Karnataka reports 1,715 new coronavirus cases, 1,048 recoveries and two deaths in the last 24 hours

6:57 PM

368 fresh coronavirus cases in Andhra Pradesh, aggregate touches 893,000

The surge in Covid-19 cases continued in Andhra Pradesh as 368 were added afresh from 31,138 tests on Sunday, taking the gross up to 8.93 lakh.

 

The latest bulletin said 263 patients had recovered and none succumbed in 24 hours ending 9 am on Sunday.

 

The number of active cases increased to 2,188 after a total of 8,84,357 recoveries and 7,189 deaths so far.

6:16 PM

There won't be any lockdown. People need to follow Covid-19 guidelines: Gujarat CM

There won't be any lockdown. People need to follow Covid-19 guidelines: Gujarat CM

6:11 PM

Delhi Prisons steps up efforts to tackle Covid-19 as inmates return

The threat of coronavirus infection looms large in Delhi Prisons as it readies for the returning inmates who were granted parole during the coronavirus outbreak last year.

 

According to jail officials, it will be difficult to maintain social distancing with the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in the prisons.

 

They said the situation could be more difficult to manage when the inmates, who were granted parole during the pandemic outbreak last year, would return.

5:38 PM

LIVE: Chandigarh reports 239 new coronavirus cases

Chandigarh reports 239 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of cases to 24,459

5:35 PM

Covid-19: 18 test positive in Goa orphanage

An orphanage was on Sunday declared a micro containment zone in Goa's Ponda taluka after 18 people tested positive for Covid-19, an official said.

 

The samples of 45 students and 17 staff from 'Matrucchaya' orphanage for girls in Kavlem, some 10 kilometres from Ponda town, were taken for testing and reports of 18 returned positive after which it was declared a micro containment zone, South District Magistrate Ruchika Katyal said.

5:01 PM

Visitors entering the state from March 25 will have to carry a negative RT-PCR test: Rajasthan govt

Visitors entering the state from March 25 will have to carry a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours. Primary schools to remain closed till further order: Rajasthan Government

5:00 PM

Markets to remain closed after 10 pm from March 22 in areas under all city municipal corporations: Rajasthan

Markets to remain closed after 10 pm from March 22 in areas under all city municipal corporations. Night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am to be imposed in Ajmer, Bhilwara, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur, Sagwara and Kushalgarh: Rajasthan Government

4:54 PM

60 million vaccine doses exported, 45 million doses administered in India

More than 60 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been sent to 76 nations, while 45 million doses have been administered to beneficiaries in the country till now, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday.

 

He also called for making the vaccination drive a Jan Aandolan (mass movement).

 

Until this morning, nearly 45 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been given to the people in this country. More than 60 million doses have been sent to 76 nations, Vardhan said during a media interaction at the Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH) here.

 

Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party (BJP) president J P Nadda have called for making the vaccination drive a 'jan andolan' (mass movement)," he said.

4:50 PM

Merkel wants to extend German Covid restrictions to April, reports AFP citing govt document

Merkel wants to extend German Covid restrictions to April, reports AFP citing govt document

4:49 PM

A person cannot donate blood for 28 days after taking last jab of vaccine: Order

A recent order by the National Blood Transfusion Council has said that a person cannot donate blood for the next 28 days after taking the last dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

 

As approved in the 30th meeting of the governing body of the NBTC held on February 17, the deferral criteria for blood donation post Covid-19 vaccine was finalised as "28 days post vaccination deferral after the last dose of COVID-19 vaccination irrespective of the type of the vaccine received."

 

The order implies that the donor has to wait for 28 days after taking second dose of the vaccine, which means that he or she cannot donate for 56 days after taking the first jab.

 

The order was issued by NBTC director Dr Sunil Guptaon March 5.

4:44 PM

Vaccines are the answer, not one-day lockdowns: Omar Abdullah on Covid surge

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Sunday said one-day shutdowns to contain the spread of coronavirus is a "meaningless tokenism" which can lead to complacency, and called for allowing more people to take vaccine against COVID-19.

 

The Madhya Pradesh government had on March 19 announced Sunday lockdowns in Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur till further orders in view of the spurt in coronavirus cases.

 

"With a rampaging virus that has a 2-14 day incubation period this one-day lockdown is meaningless tokenism. All it will do is create a misplaced sense of complacency," Abdullah tweeted.

4:37 PM

Goa govt warns of action against hotels if found flouting Covid-19 norms

The Goa government will take strict action against restaurants, hotels or entertainment zones, if they are found not adhering to COVID-19 norms, a state minister said on Sunday.

 

Wearing a mask and maintaining social-distancing is a must for all to avoid the spread of the virus, he said.

 

"The state government will take a strict view on the functioning of restaurants, hotels and any place considered as an entertainment zone to ensure that people coming there strictly follow the coronavirus protocols," Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said.

4:16 PM

Pandemic under check in Andamans as tourists required to furnish Covid negative reports: Official

The coronavirus pandemic is under control in Andaman and Nicobar Islands as tourists are required to furnish Covid negative reports from their respective states or Union territories to enter the archipelago, a senior health official said on Sunday.

 

Deputy Director (Health) and nodal officer for Covid-19, Dr Avijit Roy, said that the Union territory administration is ensuring strict adherence to the safety guidelines.

 

"It is compulsory for tourists to produce Covid negative reports from their native places to enter the islands. The archipelago has not reported a single coronavirus fatality in the last six months," he said.

3:59 PM

Odisha reports 98 new Covid-19 cases

Odisha reports 98 new Covid-19 cases, one fatality. Infection tally rises to 3,38,817, death toll 1,919. The coastal state at present has 779 active cases of the disease, according to the state health department 

3:45 PM

Covid vaccination timings for unregistered beneficiaries increased by four hours: Jain

Unregistered but eligible people in Delhi will be able to take Covid-19 vaccine jabs between 3 pm and 9 pm, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Sunday.

 

Till now, unregistered beneficiaries were being inoculated between 3 pm and 5pm, he said.

 

Beneficiaries need to register themselves on Co-WIN portal to get jabs. Those who do not have access to the Co-WIN portal can go to the centre and take COVID-19 vaccines.

3:34 PM

Second wave of Covid-19 has begun: Karnataka Health Minister

Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Sunday said the second wave of coronavirus has begun and sought people's cooperation to contain the disease.

 

"We are at the beginning of the second wave of coronavirus. Let us all join hands to control it because the next three months are crucial for us," Sudhakar told reporters here as the coronavirus cases started shooting up.