Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra sees 23,179 new Covid-19 cases in a day

Coronavirus live updates: Mumbai recorded as many cases as 1,922 - the second-highest single-day spike of the year. Stay tuned for corona-related news

2:34 AM

536 Covid-19 cases, 3 deaths in Delhi

Delhi on Wednesday recorded 536 new coronavirus cases, the highest in about two-and-a-half months, while there more persons died from the pathogen, the Health Department said.
 

The number of active cases rose to 2,702 from 2,488 a day ago, according to a health bulletin.
 

The 536 new cases took the infection tally to 6,45,025 and 6.31 lakh people have recovered so far. The positivity rate rose to 0.66 per cent. Three new fatalities took the toll to 10,948, while the positivity rate rose to 0.66 per cent, the bulletin said.
 

On Tuesday, 425 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 0.61 per cent.
 

A total of 80,856 tests, including 50,216 RT-PCR and 30,640 rapid antigen, were conducted on Tuesday, while the number of people under home isolation rose to 1,438 from 1,401 a day ago, it said.
 

Health experts and doctors have attributed this "sudden rise" to people turning complacent, not following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and "assuming all is well now".
 

2:33 AM

WB reports 1 death and 303 new corona cases

Covid-19 is on the rise in West Bengal as one death and 303 new cases were reported here on Wednesday after almost one and half months taking the caseload to 5,79,156, the health department said.
 

The toll in the contagion went up to 10,298 after one death in neighbouring North 24 Parganas district, it said.
 

The death was due to comorbidities where Covid-19 was incidental, the bulletin released by the state health department said.
 

The city reported 96 new coronavirus cases, while nOrth 24 Parganas accounted for 74.
 

Since Tuesday 272 recoveries were reported here pushing the number of recoveries in the state to 5,65, 670 so far, the bulletin said.
 

At least 17,891 samples have been tested in West Bengal since Tuesday taking the total number of such clinical examinations to 88,75,277, it added. 
 

9:48 PM

Can't return to lockdown era, need renewed efforts to contain Covid spread: Patnaik

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that the spread of Covid-19 needs to be contained through renewed efforts of awareness and enforcement, and indicated that the state is not ready to go back to the lockdown regime.
 

Participating in a virtual conference chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the pandemic situation in the country, Patnaik said that achieving herd immunity will be a long process in India as it has a huge population.
 

A rise in Covid-19 cases has been witnessed recently in parts of the country.
 

"We cannot go back to the era of lockdowns. However, at the same time, we need to ensure that the virus spread is also contained through renewed efforts in awareness and enforcement," Patnaik said at the prime minister's conference with chief ministers.
 

The period of this crisis is long and people have become fatigued and complacent in following Covid-19 health protocols, he said.
 

"We need to be careful as multiple surges of Covid spread is the reality in many countries and is witnessed in many states in India as well," the chief minister said.

Because of the pandemic, families and societies across the world have been affected in terms of health crisis, economy and livelihoods, Patnaik said.
 

He, however, pointed out that Odisha being a state prone to natural calamities, its machinery is well prepared to deal with crisis situations.
 

The state has so far reported 3,38,405 Covid -19 cases.
 

9:45 PM

Satish Kaushik tests positive for Covid-19

Veteran actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik on Wednesday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently under home quarantine.  The 64-year-old actor shared the news in a post on Twitter and requested those who came in contact with him to also get tested.  "Attention please! I have been tested COVID positive. I would request everyone to get tested, who came in contact with me in the last few days. I am home quarantined. Your love, best wishes and blessings will help. Thanks," Kaushik wrote.  Several collegaues of Kaushik from the industry, including filmmakers Hansal Mehta, Kushan Nandy, actors Tusshar Kapoor and Anup Soni, wished the actor a speedy recovery.
 

Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who recently received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, asked Kaushik to look after his health.  "Dearest @satishkaushik2! Please take care. I am sure in this quarantine period a great script will emerge. This pause in your hectic life as an actor/producer/director will rejuvenate you. Love and prayers always," Kher wrote.  On Wednesday, the number of COVID-19 cases in the city rose by 2,377, the highest single day addition since October last year, to touch 3,49,958, a civic official said.
 

The toll reached 11,547 after eight deaths were recorded during the day.
 

8:33 PM

1,275 new coronavirus cases in Karnataka, four deaths

Karnataka logged over 1,275 new COVID-19 cases and four related fatalities, taking the caseload to 9.63 lakh and the toll to 12,407, the Health department said on Wednesday. The day also saw 479 patients getting discharged after recovery.

 

Bengalluru Urban, with 786 cases, continued to top the state in the number of infections. Cumulatively 9,63,614 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 12,407 deaths and 9,40,968 discharges, the Health department said in its bulletin.

8:23 PM

Karnataka to daily conduct 100,000 coronavirus tests

Amid the rising COVID-19 cases across the country, the Karnataka government on Wednesday informed that the daily tests of COVID-19 will be increased to one lakh in the state.

 

"In order to prevent and mitigate the second wave of COVID-19, the daily target of tests in the state has been increased to one lakh," read a release by the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, Government of Karnataka.

 

State Health Minister Dr Sudhakar K tweeted about the same. He said: "In order to prevent and mitigate the second wave of Covid-19, the daily target of tests in the state has been increased to 1 lakh."

8:11 PM

Maharashtra reports 23,179 new Covid-19 cases and 84 deaths in last 24 hours

7:54 PM

536 coronavirus cases, three deaths in Delhi in a day

Delhi on Wednesday recorded 536 new coronavirus cases, the highest in about two-and-a-half months, while there more persons died from the pathogen, the Health Department said. The number of active cases rose to 2,702 from 2,488 a day ago, according to a health bulletin.

 

The 536 new cases took the infection tally to 6,45,025 and 6.31 lakh people have recovered so far. The positivity rate rose to 0.66 per cent. Three new fatalities took the toll to 10,948, the bulletin said.

 

On Tuesday, 425 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 0.61 per cent. A total of 585 cases were reported on January 1 and 424 on January 3. A total of 80,856 tests, including 50,216 RT-PCR and 30,640 rapid antigen, were conducted on Tuesday, while the number of people under home isolation rose to 1,438 from 1,401 a day ago, it said.

7:34 PM

Delhi reports 536 new coronavirus, 319 recoveries, and three deaths in the last 24 hours

Delhi reports 536 new coronavirus, 319 recoveries, and three deaths in the last 24 hours

7:34 PM

Nagpur sees single-day spike of 3,370 new coronavirus cases

With a single-day spike of 3,370 coronavirus cases, the count of infections in Maharashtra's Nagpur district reached 1,78,756 on Wednesday, a district official said. At least 16 patients died, while 1,216 were discharged from hospitals during the day, the official said.

 

Of the 4,505 casualties reported so far, 2,894 were from Nagpur city and 1,611 were from rural areas and outside the district, he said. The total number of recoveries in the district has reached 1,53,133, the official said, adding that the region is now left with 21,118 active cases. With the addition of 15,000 swab samples tested during the day, the total number of tests conducted in the district has risen to 14,14,611.

7:05 PM

'No signal of concern so far': Govt on Oxford Covid-19 vaccine side-effects

There is no signal of concern regarding the use of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the country, said Dr V K Paul, Member (Health) of the Niti Aayog, on Wednesday amid speculations and subsequent review of possible side-effects of the vaccine.

 

"There are reports on AstraZeneca's vaccine relationship with thrombotic events in people who received the vaccine. But the European Medicines Agency (EMA, Europe's top drug agency) says that it (suspension of the vaccine) is only a precautionary measure," Paul said while addressing the weekly press briefing. READ MORE...

6:49 PM

Centre says Covid-19 vaccine wastage in India is 6.5%, calls for optimal utilisation of shots

The average of COVID-19 vaccine wastage in India is 6.5 per cent, with Telangana and Andhra Pradesh recording 17.6 and 11.6 per cent wastage respectively, the Centre said on Wednesday as it called for optimal utilisation of the jabs.

 

Addressing a press conference, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that 3.51 crore vaccine doses have been administered till now in the country, which include 1.38 crore beneficiaries aged 45-60 years with specific co-morbidities and those above 60 years who have been given the first dose.

 

On March 15, 8.34 million COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered worldwide, of which India alone administered 36 per cent of doses, he said. Bhushan said COVID-19 vaccine wastage in five states -- Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir -- is higher than 6.5 per cent, which is the national average.

6:29 PM

2,098 new coronavirus cases and 13 deaths in Kerala in past 24 hours

2,098 new coronavirus cases, 2,815 recoveries, and 13 deaths have been reported in Kerala in the past 24 hours. Number of active cases now at 25,394; so far 10,66,259 patients have recovered from the disease.

6:28 PM

Tamil Nadu reports 945 fresh coronavirus positive cases and eight deaths

Tamil Nadu reports 945 fresh coronavirus (Covid-19) positive cases, 576 discharges, and eight deaths

6:04 PM

Act decisively to curb 'second peak' of Covid-19, PM Modi tells CMs

Meeting Chief Ministers amid growing alarm over resurgence of Covid-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged them to act fast against the emerging "second peak" of the pandemic, warning "if we do not stop this now, a country-wide outbreak can occur".

 

He called for taking quick and decisive steps for stopping this "second peak" of Covid-19 virus, in the meeting held via video conference.

 

Stressing the importance of solving problems of local governance, he warned that the confidence which came from the achievements in the battle against Covid-19 should not turn into negligence as he expressed concern about the high positivity rate in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh with 70 districts witnessing a 150 per cent rise in the last few weeks.

 

"Stop this emerging second peak of corona immediately," he urged the Chief Ministers.

5:15 PM

People aged above 70 with hearing difficulties report memory loss during Covid-19 lockdown: UK study

People aged over 70 years with hearing difficulties experienced heightened depression, loneliness and memory problems during the COVID-19 lockdown, according to an online survey conducted by UK health experts.

 

"The impact of social isolation has been massive on the elderly population, but our survey shows that people with hearing impairment have been more substantially affected," said Professor Annalena Venneri from the University of Sheffield's Neuroscience Institute.

 

Venneri, who is also the co-author of the study, said measures put in place to help limit the spread of the virus -- such as face coverings and social distancing -- have limited the social interaction of the elderly people to a greater extent.

4:57 PM

India's reputation as pharmacy of world reinforced; made-in-India vaccines supplied to 72 nations: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Rajya Sabha Wednesday that India's reputation as "pharmacy of the world" stands reinforced the way it reached out to nations in the midst of a global crisis and supplied vaccines to 72 nations.

 

Making a statement on "Vaccine Maitri" initative, he said the supply of 'Made-in-India' vaccine to 72 nations after the world was reeling under COVID-19 pandemic prompted global leaders and world citizens extend warmth to India and its citizens.

 

Even as the COVID pandemic was in full fury, there were already global demands of India's pharmaceutical and medical capabilities which could be met largely due to the extraordinary ramp up of India's COVID-related capabilities, Jaishankar said.

 

4:51 PM

PM Modi said testing, clinical care facilities need to be strengthened in Tier 2 and 3 cities: NITI Aayog

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his meeting with all Chief Ministers said that testing, clinical care facilities need to be strengthened in Tier 2 and 3 cities: Dr. V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog

4:50 PM

PM Modi expressed dissapoiment on vaccine wastage. It is a precious commodity: Dr. VK Paul, NITI Aayog

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed dissapoiment on vaccine wastage. It is a precious commodity: Dr. VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog

4:49 PM

Average coronavirus vaccine wastage in India is 6.5%: Health Ministry

Average coronavirus vaccine wastage in India is 6.5 per cent. Vaccines are invaluable commodities, their wastage has to be drastically reduced: Health Ministry during media briefing.

4:48 PM

India administered 36% Covid-19 vaccine doses on March 15: Health Ministry

On 15th March, 8.34 million coronavirus vaccine doses were administered worldwide, of which India alone administered 36% of doses: Health Ministry

4:34 PM

70 districts in 16 states saw rise in Covid-19 cases by 150% in last 15 days: Health Ministry

4:30 PM

Karnataka must increase absolute number of coronavirus tests: Health Ministry

Karnataka's case positivity rate is 1.3%. Our advice to the Karnataka government is to increase the absolute number of tests: Health Ministry

4:26 PM

Nearly 43% week-on-week increase in new Covid cases: Health Ministry

The lowest point of new coronavirus cases was 9 February. Today, nearly 43 per cent week-on-week increase in new COVID19 cases and nearly 37% week on week increase in new deaths: Health Ministry

4:25 PM

Health Ministry addressing media on actions taken, preparedness and updates on Covid-19

4:14 PM

Passengers not wearing marks properly to be de-boarded, treated as unruly: DGCA to HC

The DGCA informed the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that action is being taken against passengers not wearing masks properly despite repeated warnings and they will be de-boarded from planes before departure and treated as unruly passengers.

 

The high court expressed satisfaction over the steps being taken by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and said it hoped that the action would continue in the same spirit considering the safety of passengers from COVID-19 infection.

 

A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and C Hari Shankar observed that the court was initially planning to keep the suo motu case open to continue monitoring the implementation of directions issued by the court earlier.

3:57 PM

Mega vaccination drives to be held two days a week in Haryana: CM Khattar

Mega vaccination drives to be held two days a week in the State; 7.50 lakh people vaccinated till now: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar during PM Modi's meeting with all CMs on coronavirus situation.

3:56 PM

Traders appeal to govt for Covid vaccination for workers of all age groups

With Covid-19 vaccination in full swing across the country, people facing sectors like the retail and trade are now seeking protection against the novel coronavirus. Retailers and traders, who are at risk of Covid-19 infection due to their constant exposure to public spaces, have urged the government to include them into the frontline workers list. The move, they argue, will boost the chances of a speedy recovery in the consumer retail sector.

 

Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has approached the Union Health Minister Harsha Vardhan for inclusion of shop floor level employees in the sector in the ongoing vaccination drive. The body has also sought vaccines for all age groups of workers. Currently, apart from people above 60, only people above 45 years of age and with co-morbidities are being vaccinated. READ ON...

3:26 PM

PM Modi asks Karnataka to focus on controlling Covid-19 surge

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Karnataka to focus on Bengaluru, Kalaburagi and Bidar in view of the rising Coronavirus cases in these regions, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Wednesday.

 

Addressing reporters after the Prime Minister's video conference with chief ministers on the COVID situation in the country following spurt in cases in a few states, Yediyurappa said people should follow the appropriate guidelines.

 

"As cases are going up in Bengaluru, Kalaburagi and Bidar which are located at the border of Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked us to focus on these three districts," Yediyurappa told reporters.

3:06 PM

PM Modi warns CMs of emerging 'second peak' of Covid, calls for 'decisive steps'

At his meeting with chief ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed concern over rising coronavirus cases in the some states and called for "quick and decisive steps".
 

"India's fight against Covid is being cited as an example in world, our recovery rate is over 96% and fatality rate among the lowest," Modi told CMs. "We will have to stop the emerging second peak of coronavirus immediately," said Modi at the interaction. READ MORE HERE...