Covid LIVE: 11,958 cases in Karnataka; Kerala lockdown extended till Jun 16

Coronavirus live updates: Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat have announced the partial lifting of restrictions from today. Stay tuned for corona-related news

2:46 AM

How will Centre maintain continuous vaccine supply, asks Chhattisgarh CM

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday termed as a "delayed decision" the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide free Covid-19 vaccines to states for inoculation of all adults from June 21.
 

Baghel said the biggest challenge is how the Centre will maintain a continuous supply of vaccines.
 

In his address to the nation, the prime minister announced that the Central government will provide free coronavirus vaccines to states for inoculation of all above the age of 18 from June 21.
 

The PM also said the Centre has decided to buy 75 per cent of jabs from vaccine makers, including 25 per cent of the state quota, and give it for free to state governments.
 

"The Chhattisgarh government had already made an announcement in the budget session of the state Assembly (held in February-March) to provide free vaccines against coronavirus to every person of the state," Baghel said in a statement.
 

He stated the Centre facilitated free vaccination of health workers, frontline workers and those above the age of 45 years. "But when it came to the age group of 18 to 44 years, the Centre left it upon states," the CM said.
 

Even after chief ministers of all states requested the PM for free vaccination in the third phase too, he did not pay heed and the states had to arrange vaccines on their own, he added.
 

"The states are being blamed (for slow vaccination) which is wrong and inappropriate. The Supreme Court also reprimanded (the Centre) and people raised voices and then finally Centre has woken up from slumber and now talking of free vaccination (for 18 to 44 years age group)," the CM stated.
 

"This is a delayed decision and the biggest challenge as of now is how the Centre will maintain a continuous supply of vaccines," Baghel asked.
 

He said Chhattisgarh received only 9,38,530 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from May 1 to June 7.
 

"When this is the pace of vaccine supply, then how we can expedite the drive. The allegations being levelled against the states are wrong," he said.
 

2:44 AM

Pune district sees 837 new Covid-19 cases, 1,719 recoveries

Pune district in Maharashtra on Monday reported 837 fresh coronavirus positive cases and 37 fatalities, taking the tally to 10,24,277 and the toll to 17,208, while 1,719 patients were discharged, a health official said.
 

Of the 837 cases, 177 were reported from the limits of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), where the Covid-19 countrose to 4,72,432, he said.
 

A total of 206 new cases were recorded from Pimpri-Chinchwad, taking the infection tally in the industrialtown to 2,52,443, the official said.
 

The number of infections in rural and Pune Cantonment Board areas rose to 2,99,403, he said.
 

A total of 15,990 tests were conducted in the Pune district in the last 24 hours, the official added.
 

2:43 AM

As Centre changes policy, Congress says universal free vaccination still not achieved

Calling for universal free vaccination against Covid-19, the Congress Monday said this goal has not been achieved as people would still have to pay for jabs at private hospitals despite the Centre changing its the immunisation policy on Monday.
 

The opposition party's statement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Centre will provide free coronavirus vaccines to states and union territories for inoculation of all above 18 from June 21.
 

In an address to the nation, Modi also announced that the Centre has decided to buy 75 per cent of jabs from vaccine makers, including 25 per cent of the state quota, and give it for free to state governments, while private sector hospitals can continue to procure the remaining 25 per cent but cannot charge more than Rs 150 per dose over the pre-fixed price.
 

"One simple question - If vaccines are free for all, why should private hospitals charge for them?" Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked.
 

The Congress also sought to credit the Supreme Court for the change in the Centre's vaccination policy and said the announcement came after the apex court reprimanded it and sought an affidavit on the inoculation drive.
 

2:42 AM

WHO head urges G7 boost UN vaccination program

The head of the World Health Organization is urging leaders of wealthy, developed G7 countries to help the UN-backed Covid-19 vaccination program boost access to doses in the developing world.
 

With G7 leaders set to meet in Cornwall, England later this week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus again called on rich countries Monday to do more to battle inequality in accessing coronavirus vaccines.
 

Tedros recently announced a target of vaccinating at least 10% of the population in every country by the end of September and 30% by year-end.
 

Tedros says to meet these targets, the UN needs hundreds of millions of vaccine doses in June and July and an additional 250 million doses by September.
 

“These seven nations have the power to meet these targets,” Tedros said, looking ahead to the summit of leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.
 

"I'm calling on the G7 not just to commit to sharing those, but to commit to sharing them in June and July.” He also warned countries facing outbreaks of new variants like the so-called delta variant -- which first appeared in India -- about lifting Covid-19 restrictions too quickly, saying it “could be disastrous for those who are not vaccinated.” The emergencies chief of the UN health agency says Covid-19 vaccination coverage of over 80% percent is needed to significantly lower the chance that an imported coronavirus case could generate new cases or spawn a wider outbreak.
 

10:07 PM

Rajasthan govt eases Covid-19 restrictions

9:47 PM

Covid-19: Haryana records 39 more deaths, 640 new cases

Haryana reported 39 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday, bringing the toll to 8,751, while 640 fresh infections pushed the state's infection count to 7,62,931, according to a bulletin.
 

According to the health department's daily bulletin, the fresh fatalities include four each from Gurugram and Hisar and three each from Bhiwani and Rewari districts.

Jind reported 78 new cases of Covid-19 while 59 and 55 fresh infections were from Yamunanagar and Sirsa, respectively.
 

The number of active cases stands at 8,024, while the recovery count reached in the state 7,46,156. Haryana has a Covid-19 recovery rate of 97.80 per cent and a cumulative positivity rate of 8.20 per cent, the bulletin said. 
 

9:47 PM

Institute of Life Sciences develops animal models for research on coronavirus

Scientists at the Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) in Bhubaneshwar have developed animal models and a modern laboratory that will help in testing and evaluation of drugs and vaccine candidates for the novel coronavirus, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) said on Monday.
 

A key strategy to protect humans from the coronavirus pandemic is the development of effective vaccines and therapeutics.
 

Animal models that closely resemble the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2-induced disease in humans are essential for research on disease mechanisms and for the evaluation of potential vaccines and antiviral drugs, the DBT said in a statement.
 

Small animals like mice and Syrian hamster are advantageous to study SARS-CoV-2 as they reproduce faster and reproduce Covid-19 pathology in humans.
 

Among different available animal models, so far hamsters have been widely utilised in SARS-CoV-2 infection studies. Hamster model of COVID-19 mimics a mild pattern of human disease with full recovery.
 

"Realising the importance of these requirements for developing antiviral and vaccine candidates for SARC-COV-2, scientists at the Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar have established these animal models and an ABSL3 (animal biosafety level 3) laboratory,” the DBT said.
 

ILS is an institute under DBT. This platform at ILS has been established with the support from Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under Mission COVID Suraksha.
 

9:44 PM

Covid-19: Madhya Pradesh extends ban on bus operations from 4 states

The Madhya Pradesh government on Monday extended a ban on operation of bus services to and from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan till June 15 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, an official said.
 

The order to extend the ban, which was to end on Monday, was issued by additional transport commissioner Arvind Saxena, he added.
 

The ban includes vehicles with all-India tourist permits, the official said quoting the order. 
 

9:02 PM

Rajasthan reports 629 new coronavirus cases, 31 deaths in a day

Rajasthan reported 629 COVID-19 cases and 31 fatalities on Monday, pushing the state's infection tally to 9,46,975 and its death toll to 8,687. Udaipur reported the highest number of 10 deaths, followed by Bikaner with five, besides those in other cities, according to an official report.

 

Of the fresh cases, 75 were reported from Jaipur, 61 from Hanumangarh, 49 from Alwar, 44 from Jodhpur and 38 from Jhunjhunu, it said. A total of 9,22,544 patients have recovered from the infection in the state, and the number of active cases stands at 15,744.

8:59 PM

Vaccines are central to the fight against Covid-19: PM Narendra Modi

8:57 PM

Lifting restrictions too quickly could be disastrous for those not vaccinated: WHO Director

8:56 PM

Tamil Nadu's daily Covid cases below 20,000; deaths at 351

Tamil Nadu has registered 19,448 new COVID-19 infections and 351 deaths, pushing the total till date to 22,56,681 and 27,356 respectively, the Health Department said on Monday. Recoveries eclipsed new cases with 31,360 people walking out of health care facilities. So far, the recoveries total 19,97,299, leaving 2,32,026 active infections, a medical bulletin said.

 

The State had reported its highest daily infection at 36,184 cases on May 21 and it has been reporting a declining trend since. On May 30, the State saw its daily cases dropping below the 30,000-mark.

8:51 PM

Govt issues advisory for rational use of Remdesivir in Covid-19 treatment

The government on Monday issued an advisory for rational use of Remdesivir in COVID-19 treatment, underlining that the anti-viral drug must be advised by senior faculty members directly involved in the patient's care.

 

The drug should be provided by the hospitals, and patient's relatives should not be asked to procure it from the retail market, it said.

 

To stop the misuse of Remdesivir, the government further recommended that if the drug is to be advised or ordered during odd hours, it should be done by the duty doctor after a telephonic consultation with a senior faculty member, specialist or a unit in-charge, and that advise or order must be written and it should bear the name, signature and stamp of the doctor concerned.

8:40 PM

Jammu and Kashmir records less than 1,000 fresh Covid cases, first time since April

Jammu and Kashmir on Monday recorded less than 1,000 fresh COVID-19 cases for the first time in two months, as the strict lockdown imposed in April started yielding results. The Union territory registered 997 fresh cases, taking the total number of infected people to 3,01,487, while 16 deaths took the death toll to 4,090, officials said.

 

This was for the first time since April 12 that Jammu and Kashmir recorded less than 1,000 fresh daily cases.

 

Out of the fresh cases, 288 were reported from the Jammu division and 689 from the Kashmir division of the Union territory, officials said. They said Srinagar district recorded the highest of 161 cases, followed by 107 in Kupwara district. The number of active cases has dropped to 23,524 in the Union territory, while 2,73,853 patients have recovered so far, they said. Meanwhile, 16 confirmed cases of Mucormycosis (black fungus) have been reported in J-K and one case was reported Sunday evening.

8:34 PM

India’s vaccination programme, which started in January was guided by global best practices: PM Modi

8:26 PM

Centre issues SOPs to administer second dose of Covishield before 84 days for certain categories

Those intending to undertake international travel for education purposes, joining employment and as part of the Indian contingent to the Tokyo Olympics will be allowed to take the second dose of Covid vaccine Covishield prior to the prescribed time interval of 84 days after the first dose.

 

However, according to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the Union health ministry on Monday, even in these cases, the second dose will only be administered after 28 days from the date of the first dose.

 

The Co-WIN system will soon provide the facility for the administration of the second dose in such exceptional cases, the ministry said.

8:17 PM

Mumbai has reported 728 new positive cases, 980 recoveries, and 28 deaths today.

Mumbai has reported 728 new positive cases, 980 recoveries, and 28 deaths today

8:16 PM

6,384 cases of black fungus infection reported, 523 died due to it in Maharashtra: State Health Department

6,384 cases of black fungus infection have been reported and 523 have lost their lives to the infection in Maharashtra: State Health Department

8:11 PM

Noida Metro to resume service from June 9 after Covid lockdown hiatus

The Noida-Greater Noida Metro will resume services for passengers from Wednesday after a hiatus of over a month due to COVID-19 lockdown, officials said on Monday.

 

The announcement comes close on the heels of Delhi Metro resuming services on Monday and Gautam Buddh Nagar also relaxing restrictions that were put in place due to the COVID-induced lockdown.

8:07 PM

Karnataka reports 11,958 new Covid cases, 340 deaths in last 24 hours

Karnataka reports 11,958 new cases, 340 deaths, and 27,299 discharges in the last 24 hours; active case tally at 2,38,824

7:58 PM

Centre issues SOPs for vaccination of people undertaking international travel

7:57 PM

Madhya Pradesh reports 571 new Covid cases and 32 deaths in the past 24 hours

Madhya Pradesh reports 571 new Covid cases, 1,782 patient discharges, and 32 deaths in the past 24 hours 

7:47 PM

Vaccination service charge at private hospitals capped at Rs 150: PM Modi

In a significant decision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced a centralized vaccine drive saying that the Centre will procure 25 per cent COVID-19 vaccines that was to be done by states.

 

Addressing the nation, he said from June 21, all people above 18 years in all states will be provided vaccines free by the Centre.

 

"A decision has been taken today that 25 per cent of vaccination work that was with states, that responsibility will also be taken by the Centre. It will be implemented in the coming two weeks. Both the State and Central government will work as per new guidelines in the coming two weeks," he said. READ MORE...

7:46 PM

No other qualifying entries required in vaccination certificates, mention of 'Covishield' sufficient: Govt

No other qualifying entries required in vaccination certificates, mention of vaccine-type as 'Covishield' is sufficient: Ministry of Health

7:33 PM

Goa sees 418 Covid-19 cases, 13 deaths, 1,162 recoveries

Goa on Monday reported 418 fresh coronavirus positive cases and 13 fatalities, taking the tally to 1,59,811 and the toll to 2,840, a health official said. With 1,162 patients being discharged during the day, the overall count of recoveries in Goa rose to 1,50,574, leaving the state with 6,397 active cases, the official said.

 

"With 2,745 new tests, the total number of samples tested so far in Goa has gone up to 8,48,687," he added.

 

Goa's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 1,59,811, new cases 418, death toll 2,840, discharged 1,50,574, active cases 6,397, samples tested till date 8,48,687.

7:10 PM

Pfizer supports deployment of 400 oxygen beds in Delhi, 30-bed ICU facility in Mumbai

Global pharma major Pfizer on Monday said it has partnered with the non-governmental organisation, Doctors For You, to help create 400 oxygen bed capacity at Delhi's Yamuna COVID care centre.

 

With a grant of Rs 4.5 crore from Pfizer, Doctors For You has procured and deployed 400 high-quality beds with oxygen support and other medically necessary equipment and services of medical and paramedical staff services to maintain the operations at the facility, the company said in a statement.

 

10 per cent of these beds have been set up to specifically meet the requirements of COVID-19 pediatric patients, it added.

6:59 PM

30,000 children orphaned, abandoned or in other distress amid Covid, SC told

The National Commission for Protection of Children's Rights (NCPCR) told the Supreme Court that as many as 3,621 children were orphaned, 274 were found abandoned and 26,176 lost either parent since April 1, 2020 and June 5, 2021, amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The child rights panel, in an affidavit, said it is presenting the number of children who have lost either their mother or father or both parents, based upon the information uploaded on "Bal Swaraj" portal up to June 5. It said there are 30,071 children, who need care and protection, after collecting data from the states and Union Territories, on the portal.

6:51 PM

Covid LIVE: Kerala lockdown extended till June 16

6:41 PM

Tamil Nadu records 19,448 new Covid cases, 351 deaths in the past 24 hours

6:29 PM

UDID card included in list of documents required for Covid vaccination: Govt

To further facilitate access to vaccination for persons with disability, the government has decided to include the UDID card in the list of prescribed photo ID documents for Covid vaccination and the necessary provisions for the same are being made and would be available in Co-WIN shortly, the health ministry said on Monday.

 

The ministry has advised the states and Union territories to widely publicise the use of the UDID card as a permissible photo ID for accessing COVID vaccination.

 

The Centre has been supporting the efforts of the states under the "whole of government" approach for ensuring a smooth and effective vaccination drive since January 16. It has developed the CoWIN digital platform to streamline the process of vaccination for various categories of beneficiaries across the country. CoWIN provides the technological backbone to effectively roll out and scale up the mechanism for the Covid vaccine distribution system, the ministry said in a statement.