Covid LIVE: Delhi records 85 fresh cases, lowest daily rise this year

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8:41 PM

No new COVID-19 case in 35 districts, will withdraw Sunday corona curfew says Madhya Pradesh CM

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said that the Coronavirus situation is under control in the state and not even one positive case was reported in 35 districts, ANI reported.

 

The Chief Minister also informed that the state government is ending its Sunday Corona curfew.

8:41 PM

Maha sees 9,812 new Covid-19 cases, 179 deaths

Maharashtra on Saturday reported 9,812 fresh coronavirus positive cases and 179 fatalities, taking the tally to 60,26,847 and the toll to 1,20,881, the state Health department said, according to a PTI report.

 

Of the 179 fatalities, 106 had occurred in the last 48 hours and 73 in the last week. The state also added 332 deaths which had occurred in the past to its overall tally, it said.

 

With 8,752 patients being discharged during the day, the tally of recoveries in Maharashtra reached 57,81,551 so far, leaving the state with 1,21,251 active cases, the department said in a report.

7:57 PM

Sikkim reports 130 new Covid-19 cases, 2 more deaths

Sikkim on Saturday reported 130 new COVID-19 cases, which took the tally in the state to 19,941, a health department bulletin said, PTI reported.

 

The death toll rose to 301 as two more patients succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, it said.

7:56 PM

1,028 new Covid-19 cases, nine deaths reported in Telangana

Telangana on Saturday reported 1,028 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,19,865, while the toll rose to 3,627 with nine more fatalities, PTI reported.

 

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 132, followed by Khammam (76) and Nalgonda (66) districts, a health department bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM on Saturday.

6:45 PM

Iran produces test batch of Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik

Iran's leading pharmaceutical companies, Actoverco has produced a test batch of Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced on Saturday, ANI reported.

 

With this Iran has become the first country in the Middle East to produce Sputnik V, RDIF said.

 

The vaccine produced in Iran will be used in the country's domestic vaccination program.

6:10 PM

PM Modi holds a meeting to review the progress on Covid vaccination

6:02 PM

Delhi: 85 new Covid-19 cases, lowest daily count this year; 9 more deaths

The national capital recorded 85 fresh cases of coronavirus, the lowest daily count this year, and nine more deaths on Saturday, according to data shared by the Health Department here, PTI reported.

 

The positivity rate dipped to 0.12 per cent, it said.

 

The nine new fatalities have pushed the death toll in the city to 24,961.

5:06 PM

Fake vaccination: Bengal BJP leader writes to Union health ministry

BJP MLA and leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari has written to Union health ministry, demanding a probe by central agencies into a fake vaccination drive conducted in the city by a man who allegedly posed as an IAS officer, PTI reported.

 

In a letter to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, the BJP leader alleged that the man, who was arrested after his drive was busted by the police, have "influence in the ruling party".

 

4:41 PM

Maha: Level 3 curbs to be clamped in Nagpur on Delta Plus variant concern

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Saturday decided to clamp fresh curbs in the city from June 28 under the "level 3" of unlocking amid concerns over the Delta Plus variant of coronavirus, PTI reported.

 

Daily timings of the shops selling essential and non-essential items will be reduced by four hours till 4 pm. Malls, theatres and multiplexes will remain closed.

 

Non-essential shops and establishments will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays, as per the order issued by Nagpur Municipal Commissioner Radhakrishnan B.

4:18 PM

Vaccination of 60-plus population sluggish after initial high; experts raise concerns

The pace of vaccination of the 60-plus population has become sluggish in the past few weeks after an initial high, with healthcare experts attributing it to mobility issues and misinformation and unsubstantiated apprehensions about the jabs, PTI reported.

 

According to Health Ministry data, 2.29 crore elderly people have been fully vaccinated so far while 6.71 crore have received just one dose of COVID-19 vaccine till now.

 

The 60-plus population in India was projected to be at 14.3 crore in 2021, so that would imply that just 16 per cent of them have been fully vaccinated till now.

 

3:34 PM

May shift T20 WC to UAE due to Covid-19 situation: BCCI Secretary Jay Shah

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah on Saturday said the T20 World Cup may have to be shifted from India to UAE due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ANI reported.

 

"Due to the COVID-19 situation in our country, we may shift the tournament to UAE. We are monitoring the situation closely, the health and safety of players are paramount we will take a final call soon," he told ANI.

 

Meanwhile, the Indian Premier League (IPL)'s 14th edition will also be completed in the UAE. The IPL is set to get underway on September 19 and the final is to be played on October 15.

3:11 PM

'Take immediate steps to contain Delta+ variant'

The Centre has advised the Tamil Nadu government to take immediate measures to contain the spread of Delta plus variant of the Covid-19 virus in Madurai, Chennai and Kanchipuram districts where the variant has been found, IANS reported.

 

In a letter to Chief Secretary V.Irai Anbu, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said INSACOG -- a Consortium of Laboratories for whole genome sequencing in the context of Covid-19 pandemic, has intimated that the Delta plus variant is a Variant of Concern (VOC) and suggested immediate measures to contain the spread.

2:38 PM

Corona will win if stakeholders fight with each other: Kejriwal after oxygen controversy

Seeking to move on from the controversy over a Supreme Court appointed panel report on Delhi's oxygen demand, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday called for everyone to work together to ensure there is no shortage of oxygen in the next Covid wave, PTI reported.

 

The virus will win if there is a fight among stakeholders, Kejriwal tweeted, a day after his Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP hit out at each each other over the report that said Delhi's oxygen needs were exaggerated four times over during the second Covid wave.

 

2:17 PM

Covid-19: Japan to donate millions more AstraZeneca vaccine doses across Asia

Japan will donate one million COVID-19 vaccine doses each to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand starting from next Thursday, said Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Friday, ANI reported.

 

Kyodo News reported that the Foreign Minister said that the country will also offer one million doses each to Taiwan and Vietnam, in addition to the batches of 1.24 million and one million shots provided to them, respectively, earlier in the month.

1:58 PM

Delta Plus variant: Jammu's biggest grain market observes voluntary weekend lockdown

The biggest grain market in Jammu wore a deserted look on Saturday as the local traders' body decided to continue the weekend lockdown amid the detection of the first case of COVID-19 Delta Plus variant in the province, PTI reported.

 

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on June 20 announced the lifting of the weekend curfew from eight districts, including Jammu, owing to a significant improvement in Covid-19 situation.

1:36 PM

US FDA okays arthritis drug for treatment of hospitalised Covid-19 patients

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the drug Actemra (tocilizumab) -- used for arthritis -- for the treatment of hospitalised patients with Covid-19.

 

Under the EUA, the drug can be administered only ot hospitalised adults and pediatric patients (2 years of age and older), receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

 

However, Actemra is not authorised for use in outpatients with Covid-19, the FDA said in a statement. Read on...

1:00 PM

1 fresh case takes Covid-19 tally of Andamans to 7,441

The Covid-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 7,441 on Saturday as one more person tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said.

 

Thirty-one more people have been cured of the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 7,245, it said, adding that the Union territory now has 69 active cases.

 

A total of 127 patients have succumbed to the infection so far.

12:41 PM

38% Australians who lost jobs during pandemic were younger than 25: Study

More than one-third or 38 per cent of Australians who lost their jobs during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic were younger than 25, a government study has found.

 

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on Friday published a report on the psychological distress experienced by young Australians in the early stages of the pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency.

 

It revealed that 38 per cent of the 592,000 Australians who lost employment in April 2020 amid a nationwide lockdown were aged 15-24 and that the proportion of people aged 18-24 experiencing severe psychological distress increased from 14 per cent in 2017 to 22 per cent. Read on...

12:32 PM

Vaccinated & covid-recovered 65 year-old woman tests positive for Delta

In the first case of Delta positive in Rajasthan, a 65-year-old woman, who recovered from Covid-19 in May and had undergone both doses of vaccination, has tested positive with the variant.

 

However, the woman is healthy, confirmed government officials.

 

With this, Rajasthan became the ninth state in the country to register the new virus strain.

 

According to Bikaner's PBM Hospital Superintendent Parmendra Sirohi: "The patient's sample was sent to NIV on May 31 and after 25 days, the state government received the reports which were then sent to Bikaner district collector for further action."

 

Bikaner CMHO O.P. Chahar said: "Special instructions have been issued for tracing in and around the residence of the woman. All those people who tested positive in the area in last one month will be tested again," he added.

 

This woman has already recovered from the Covid infection," Chahar said. Read on...

12:24 PM

Indonesia examines use of Sinovac, Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines for kids

Indonesia is currently examining the use of the Sinovac and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines for people under 18 years of age after detecting many cases of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus among children and youths.

 

"We are currently reviewing which vaccines already have an EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) for young people. What we have observed is that there are two on our list; Sinovac for those aged three to 17 years old and Pfizer for those aged 12-17 years old," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said at a virtual press conference on Friday.

 

China has approved the emergency use of its Sinovac vaccine for children as young as three-year-old, while the US has green-lighted the Pfizer jab for those as young as 12, reports Xinhua news agency. Read on...

11:40 AM

People who have been vaccinated with two doses of Covid vaccine will be exempted from mandatory testing: Assam

People who have been vaccinated with two doses of the Covid vaccine will be exempted from mandatory testing on arrival at airports or railway stations in Assam: Assam Govt

11:30 AM

Indonesia's doctors becoming patients after taking China's Covid vaccine

Facing increased COVID-19 infections and a deadly variant, Indonesia's doctors are at the centre of the crisis as many have died after being vaccinated by the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine - Sinovac.

 

On Thursday, the country recorded more than 20,000 cases of COVID-19, the highest number since the pandemic began. Oxygen is again running out at hospitals in Jakarta, the country's capital, and the national percentage of positive COVID tests reached 14.6 per cent this past week, reported the New York Times (NYT)

 

 

Since the pandemic began, 401 doctors in Indonesia have died, the risk mitigation team of the Indonesian Medical Association said on Friday. At least 20 doctors were fully vaccinated with Sinovac. 

11:24 AM

Doubts about China's transparency on the Covid-19 origins piling up: Report

Jesse Bloom, a virologist and professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, discovered the deletion of some early sequences of coronavirus from Wuhan which were missing from the Sequence Read Archive, a public archive of high throughput sequencing data, and noted that it seems likely that sequences were deleted by Chinese researchers "to obscure their existence."

 

An opinion piece in the Washington Post 'Doubts about China's transparency on the pandemic origins are piling up' says that Dr Bloom's discovery just adds to the pile of questions about whether China is hiding something.

 

"It is time to launch a serious, sustained investigation," it says. Read on...

11:17 AM

Thai PM orders one month closure of worker camps in Bangkok due to Covid

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Friday that temporary closure will be applied to specific clusters to stem domestic spreads of Covid-19.

 

Prayut said that construction worker camps in Bangkok and surrounding provinces together with selected sites in four southern provinces will be closed down for a month effective from the upcoming Monday, the Xinhua news agency reported.

 

He further rejected pressure to put Bangkok under a full lockdown despite increasing local infection rates.

 

The capital has suffered by far from the highest infections among all provinces in Thailand since the beginning of the third wave. Read on...

11:06 AM

Bangladesh to impose nationwide 'hard lockdown' from June 28 for 7 days

Amid a dramatic surge in Covid-19 infections, Bangladesh will be going into a nationwide 'hard lockdown' from Monday for seven days in a bid to stem the spread of cases.

 

In a notification on Friday, the Information Ministry said that all government and private offices, except for emergency services will remain closed during the lockdown, Dhaka Tribune reported.

 

All kinds of transports, except for those carrying emergency supplies, ambulances and vehicles for healthcare services and media, will remain suspended from Monday, it said. No one will be allowed to leave home without emergency purposes. Read on...

11:00 AM

Global Covid-19 caseload tops 180 mn; deaths surge to more than 3.90 mn

The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 180 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.90 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

 

In its latest update on Saturday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 180,346,611 and 3,907,269, respectively.

 

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 33,603,077 and 603,526, respectively, according to the CSSE.

 

In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 30,134,445 cases.

10:53 AM

Copa America Covid-19 cases rise to 166 in Brazil, spread slows

There were 166 known COVID-19 cases at the Copa America in Brazil, CONMEBOL said on Friday.

 

The figures included all tests up to Monday, the same day the soccer body said 140 people had been infected in connection with the tournament.

 

CONMEBOL said 22,856 tests had been taken with people related to the tournament, and 0.7% of the results came back positive. At the beginning of the week that figure was at 0.9%.

 

CONMEBOL works with Brazil's health ministry to track cases. More than 510,000 known people have died due to the coronavirus. Read on...

10:50 AM

Number of active Covid-19 cases declines to 5,95,565 in India: Health Ministry

Number of active Covid-19 cases declines to 5,95,565 in India: Health Ministry

10:42 AM

Uttarakhand to issue Chardham Yatra guidelines for pilgrims from 3 districts

As Uttarakhand has allowed state residents to undertake the Char Dham Yatra from July 1 amid Covid-19, the state government will be issuing guidelines for the pilgrimage for people from three districts.

 

Government spokesperson Subodh Uniyal informed these three districts are Chamoli, Uttarkashi, and Rudraprayag.

 

Uniyal also mentioned that the state government will take all necessary steps to follow Covid-19 protocols, and will ensure that priests are vaccinated against Covid-19.

 

The four pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. Read on...

10:27 AM

West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari demands central agencies to investigate alleged vaccine fraud case

West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari wrote a letter to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan demanding central agencies to investigate the Kolkata vaccine fraud case.