Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra sees record daily count of 35,952 new cases

Coronavirus live updates: Maharashtra recorded a fresh peak of 31,855. Delhi reported 1,254 ovid-19 cases in 24 hours. Stay tuned for corona-related news

2:21 AM

UN-backed vaccine delivery program warns of supply delays

The UN-backed program to ship Covid-19 vaccines worldwide has announced supply delays involving a key Indian manufacturer, a major setback for the ambitious rollout aimed at helping low- and middle-income countries vaccinate their populations and fight the pandemic.
 

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and its partners said Thursday that the Serum Institute of India, a pivotal vaccine maker behind the COVAX program, will face increasing domestic demands as coronavirus infections surge.
 

“Delays in securing supplies of SII-produced Covid-19 vaccine doses are due to the increased demand for Covid-19 vaccines in India,” Gavi said.
 

The move will affect up to 40 million doses of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccines being manufactured by the Serum Institute that were to be delivered for COVAX this month, as well as 50 million expected next month.
 

COVAX, an initiative devised to give countries access to coronavirus vaccines regardless of their wealth, has so far shipped vaccines to some 50 countries and territories.

The Serum Institute of Indian has been contracted to supply vaccines to 64 countries, and Gavi said the UN-backed program has “notified all affected economies of potential delays.” 

2:20 AM

UK extends emergency coronavirus powers by 6 months

British lawmakers agreed Thursday to prolong coronavirus emergency measures for six months, allowing the Conservative government to keep its unprecedented powers to restrict U.K. citizens' everyday lives.
 

The House of Commons voted to extend the powers until September, and approved the government's road map for gradually easing Britain's strict coronavirus lockdown over the next three months.
 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's large Conservative majority in Parliament guaranteed the measures passed by a decisive 484-76 margin. But Johnson faced rebellion from some of his own party's lawmakers, who argued that the economic, democratic and human costs of the restrictions outweigh the benefits.
 

The Coronavirus Act, passed a year ago as Britain went into lockdown, brought in a wide range of temporary health, economic and social powers to deal with the pandemic. It gives authorities the power to bar protests, shut down businesses, restrict travel and detain people suspected of having the virus.
 

Heath Secretary Matt Hancock said Parliament had had to take “extraordinary measures in response to this extraordinary threat.” But Conservative lawmaker Mark Harper, a leading lockdown skeptic, said he had not “heard a single good answer” as to why the British government needed to extend the “draconian” powers for another six months.
 

2:18 AM

Odisha logs 214 fresh Covid cases; all above 45 yrs to get vaccine from from Apr 1

Odisha's Covid-19 caseload mounted to 3,39,460 after 214 more people tested positive for the virus on Thursday, a health department official said.
 

The state government also asked the district and municipal authorities to prepare for inoculation of all people above the age of 45 years from April 1.
 

The state has so far vaccinated over 20 lakh people under different categories like health care workers, frontline workers, those above 60 years of age and persons with comorbidities in the age group of 45 to 59 years.
 

In the next phase, people born before January 1977 will be given vaccines even without having comorbidities, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, P K Mohapatra said in a letter to district collectors, municipal commissioners and other officers concerned.
 

Meanwhile, the state on Thursday registered 214 new positive cases, which is the highest single-day spike since January 15.
 

Besides the state capital of Bhubaneswar and neighbouring Cuttack, there has been a rise in the number of positive cases in the districts bordering Chhattisgarh, the official said.
 

The state's Covid-19 death toll remained unchanged at 1,919 as no fresh fatality has been reported since March 22. A total of 53 other Covid-19 patients have also died due to comorbidities.
 

9:02 PM

Global Markets: Safe havens rally, equities slide, as European Covid cases rise

Safe-havens assets such as the dollar and US Treasuries rallied while global equity benchmarks and bitcoin slid on Thursday, weighed by rising coronavirus cases in Europe and a selloff that pushed Chinese blue-chip shares to their lowest levels since early December.

 

Oil prices slid after surging Wednesday after a container ship became stuck in the Suez Canal. The ship, which a salvage team described as a "beached whale," may block the vital shipping lane for weeks, officials said.

 

European shares fell on data showing the biggest rise in new confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany since Jan. 9 and the largest number of patients with COVID-19 requiring intensive care in France in the year to date.

8:43 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra sees record daily count of 35,952 cases

Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra sees record daily count of 35,952 cases

8:40 PM

Not imposed any ban on export of vaccines, unlike many other countries, says govt

Keeping in view domestic requirement of vaccines, India will continue to supply Covid-19 vaccines to partner countries in coming weeks and months in a phased manner. This position remains unchanged. We've not imposed any ban on export of vaccines, unlike many other countries, ANI reported quoting sources

8:38 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: 1,989 new cases reported in Kerala

Coronavirus LIVE: 1,989 new coronavirus cases in Kerala, tally over 1.11 million, active cases 24,380; toll 4,539 with 12 more deaths, says Health Minister K K Shailaja

 

8:33 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Rajasthan sees 715 new Covid-19 cases; no deaths reported

Rajasthan reported 715 more coronavirus cases and zero deaths on Thursday, the health department said.

 

The infection tally rose to 3,27,890, it said.

 

Of the fresh cases, the maximum 127 were reported from Jodhpur followed by Kota (80), Jaipur (77), Udaipur (67), and Dungarpur (55) among other districts.

8:26 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Punjab reports 2,700 fresh Covid-19 cases

Coronavirus LIVE: Punjab reports 2,700 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1,735 recoveries, and 43 deaths in last 24 hours, according to the state health department.

8:19 PM

'Helpless': India's delays to hit vaccines for poor countries under Covax

News that India will delay deliveries of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine to the global programme to inoculating poor countries triggered alarm on Thursday, with the head of Africa's disease control agency describing the continent as "helpless".

 

UNICEF, a UN agency responsible for distributing vaccines through the global Covax programme, confirmed to Reuters overnight that it expects deliveries of the vaccines to be delayed this month and next.

 

 

AstraZeneca doses produced under licence in India form the overwhelming bulk of vaccines that Covax has been anticipating for the initial months of its rollout, which aims to vaccinate vulnerable people in the world's poorest countries for free.

7:55 PM

Delhi Metro intensifies measures to contain Covid-19 spread

In view of the surge in Covid-19 cases, the Delhi Metro has decided to intensify its drive to reinforce measures to ensure social distancing and wearing of face masks inside stations and trains.

 

The decision by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation came after commuters showed complacent behaviour, with many not donning masks properly, and not sitting on alternate seats, thereby increasing the threat of infection spread.

 

As per the existing Covid safety protocols, it is mandatory for all the passengers to enter the station after thermal screening, hand sanitisation, cover their face properly with a mask and follow social distancing in Metro premises throughout their journey.

7:41 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai reports 5,504 new infections in last 24 hours

Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai reported 5,504 fresh Covid-19 cases, 2,281 discharges, and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to BMC.

7:37 PM

EU needs to increase vaccine production, Germany's Merkel says

The European Union's problems with getting deliveries of coronavirus vaccines have underscored the need for the bloc to redouble its efforts to produce its own doses, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday.

 

Speaking to Parliament ahead of an EU summit, Merkel acknowledged that the vaccination rollout in Germany has not gone as quickly as hoped. But she rejected criticism that not enough shots had been ordered, instead saying it was more about how many had been delivered.

 

We can see clearly that British facilities are producing for Great Britain. The United States isn't exporting, and therefore we are dependent upon what can be produced in Europe, she said.

7:33 PM

Andhra Pradesh logs 758 fresh Covid-19 cases, four deaths

In a continued surge, Andhra Pradesh reported 758 fresh cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday, the highest in four months after the 1,031 on November 26.

 

The state's caseload now moved up to 8,95,879 from 1.48 crore tests with an overall positivity rate of 6.02 per cent.

 

While the 1,031 cases in November came from 67,269 tests, the 758 turned out from 35,196 tests, indicating a higher positivity rate.

7:32 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Gujarat reports 1,961 fresh Covid-19 cases

Coronavirus LIVE: Gujarat reports 1,961 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1,405 discharges, and 7 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department.

7:30 PM

Lockdown failed to curb pandemic, vaccination only way to fight second wave: Report

With the nation under the grip of the second wave of Covid-19 infections since last month, a report on Thursday called for faster vaccination as a more effective way to beat it and not lockdowns as was done last year.

 

Lockdown is ineffective and mass vaccination is the only hope as localised lockdowns have not resulted in controlling the spread of infection. Therefore, increasing the speed of vaccination is the only way to win the battle against the pandemic, SBI's Group Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh said in the report.

 

When the whole nation was locked down this day last year, the total number of cases was not even 500 and as the lockdowns were extended, the number of infections just soared.

 

Citing the example of many states, including Maharashtra and Punjab, he said lockdowns were not effective.

7:30 PM

Milind Soman tests positive for Covid-19

Actor-model Milind Soman on Thursday said he has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently under quarantine.

 

The 55-year-old actor shared his health update on Twitter.

7:26 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Delhi reports 1,515 new infections in last 24 hours

Coronavirus LIVE: Delhi reports 1,515 new Covid-19 cases, 903 recoveries, and 5 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department.

7:15 PM

Mumbai: A million vaccinated, Covid-19 tests, beds to be scaled up

The Mumbai civic body on Thursday said it had completed administering a million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and the aim now was to increase the target to 100,000 per day.

 

A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official also said the civic body had conducted 40,400 Covid-19 tests on Tuesday, and the number of reports that returned positive was 5,458, a positivity rate of 13.5 per cent, of which 83 per cent were asymptomatic cases.

 

The number of deaths from the infection on Tuesday stood at 10, he added.

6:46 PM

Covid: 172 new cases in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir recorded 172 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, taking the infection count to 129,203, officials said.

 

No fresh coronavirus-related death was reported in the past 24 hours, they said.

 

Of the new cases which included 46 travellers, 41 were from the Jammu division and 131 were from the Kashmir division, officials said.

6:36 PM

Tamil Nadu adds 1,779 new Covid cases in last 24 hours

> Tamil Nadu added 1,779 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours.

 

> Of the new cases, 664 are from Chennai. The neighbouring district of Chengalpattu added 162 new cases, followed by Thiruvallur (89) and Kancheepuram (63)

 

> The other districts which have seen a surge include Coimbatore (153), Thanjavur (108) Madurai (43), Salem (45).

6:33 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Denmark extends pause of AstraZeneca vaccine for three weeks

Coronavirus LIVE: Denmark extends pause of AstraZeneca vaccine for three weeks

6:31 PM

Uttarakhand: Former CM and Congress leader Harish Rawat taken to Delhi AIIMS after testing positive

6:14 PM

Covid LIVE: Covax vaccines hit by Indian export licence delays, says Gavi

Covid-19 vaccines destined for poorer countries are being held up due to problems obtaining Indian export licences, the Covax facility's co-leaders Gavi said Thursday, according to an AFP report

6:01 PM

J&K admin taking necessary steps to check spike in Covid-19 cases: LG

Amid a spike in coronavirus cases over the last week, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said his administration is taking necessary measures to counter the challenge.

 

"We have had a lot of success in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a spike in past few days and we are taking necessary measures in this direction," Sinha told reporters here.

 

He said attempts would be made to scale up the vaccination drive as he urged people to follow the issued Covid-19 guidelines religiously for everyone's safety.

5:51 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Karnataka reports over 2,000 cases for third day in a row

Coronavirus LIVE: Karnataka reports over 2,000 cases for third day in a row. 2,523 new infections seen in last 24 hours. 1,192 discharges and 10 deaths reported during the same period.

5:13 PM

Denmark prolongs suspension of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

The Danish government decided Thursday to continue its suspension of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 for three more weeks.

 

Denmark paused the use of the AstraZeneca as a precautionary measure on March 11 after reports that a 60-year-old woman died with blood clots in several parts of her body a week after she received the vaccine, according to health officials.

 

The death of a second person in Denmark who died after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine was reported shortly after. Danish health authorities said they have no evidence the vaccine was responsible for either death.

4:42 PM

214 new Covid cases in Odisha, highest in last 2 months

Odisha has reported 214 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day spike in the past two months, health officials said on Thursday.

 

The new cases pushed the tally to 339,460 with 3,36,337 recoveries and 1,919 deaths, officials added.

 

Out of the fresh infections, as many as 126 were detected in quarantine centres while the rest 88 are local transmission cases.

 

Khordha district reported the maximum of 33 cases followed bySundargarh (27), 20 each in Bolangir and Cuttack, Bargarh (13) and 10 each in Dhenkanal and Sambalpur district.

4:11 PM

White House to spend $10 billion to bolster vaccine effort

The White House announced Thursday that it is dedicating another $10 billion to try to drive up vaccination rates in low-income, minority and rural enclaves throughout the country.

 

The effort, which is funded through the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package passed earlier this month, will include $6 billion in funding for community health centers to expand Covid-19 vaccinations, testing and other preventive health care for populations at higher risk for the virus.

 

President Joe Biden's administration, which will start distributing the money in April to nearly 1,400 centers across the country, said health centers can also use the funding to modify and improve infrastructure and add mobile units.

4:10 PM

Poland records new record virus high as hard lockdown looms

Poland recorded a record high number of new daily coronavirus infections for the second day in a row on Thursday as the prime minister prepares to give details of harsher restrictions for the Easter period.

 

The Health Ministry said it recorded more than 34,000 new cases thousands more than the nearly 30,000 that set a record on Wednesday. There were also 520 new deaths.

 

Elsewhere in the region, Hungary, with the world's highest death rate per capital in recent days, set a new record for daily deaths on Thursday with 252.