Covid LIVE: Covishield capped at Rs 780 at pvt hospitals, Covaxin Rs 1,410

Coronavirus live updates: Tamil Nadu recorded 19,448 cases in the last 24 hours. Karnataka registered 11,958 infections, Maharashtra 10,219, Kerala 9,313, Delhi 231. Stay tuned for corona-related news

3:14 AM

Punjab records 1,273 fresh Covid-19 cases, 60 more deaths

Punjab's Covid-19 tally surged to 5,82,081 on Tuesday with 1,273 fresh cases while the death toll climbed to 15,219 as 60 more people succumbed to the disease, according to a medical bulletin.
 

Hoshiarpur reported 118 new cases, followed by 115 in Ludhiana, 113 in Mohali and 102 in Amritsar.
 

Of the fresh deaths, Jalandhar reported seven, Amritsar and Ludhiana six each and Mohali, Patiala and Bathinda five each.
 

The number of active cases in the state came down to 18,546 from 19,995 on Monday. While 247 critical patients are on ventilator support, 654 critical patients and 3,094 others are on oxygen support. The positivity rate stands at 2.47 per cent, the bulletin stated.
 

As many as 2,642 more coronavirus patients recovered from the infection, taking the total number of cured persons to 5,48,316, it said.
 

So far, 97,62,60 samples have been collected for testing in Punjab, it added.
 

Meanwhile, Chandigarh's Covid-19 caseload climbed to 60,778 with 71 fresh infections while the death toll mounted to 779 as five more people succumbed to the disease, according to the medical bulletin.
 

The number of active cases dropped to 685 from 740 on Monday, the bulletin said.
 

3:13 AM

Bengal reports 98 more Covid-19 deaths, 5,427 fresh cases

West Bengal on Tuesday reported fewer than 100 Covid-19 deaths for the first time in over a month, as 98 more fatalities pushed the toll to 16,460, the state's health department said in a bulletin.
 

At least 5,427 fresh coronavirus cases were reported from different parts of the state, raising the tally to 14,37,446, it said.
 

West Bengal now has 19,925 active cases, while 14,01,061 patients have recovered from the disease, including 12,290 since Monday.
 

Altogether, 1,29,79,963 samples have been tested for Covid-19, which includes 60,176 samples during the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.
 

Meanwhile, 2,51,022 people were inoculated in West Bengal during the day, officials said.
 

3:13 AM

Amarinder moots research facility to deal with Covid-like pandemic, other diseases

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday mooted a research facility under the guidance of national and global healthcare experts to combat a Covid-like pandemic and other serious diseases, according to an official statement.
 

Chairing a virtual meeting of healthcare experts, Singh extended his government's "continued and unequivocal support" to the medical fraternity in battling the "unprecedented crisis" of Covid-19 till it is completely eliminated, the statement said.
 

The state government is only the second line of defence in the fight against the pandemic, he said.
 

The chief minister urged people not to self-medicate and consult doctors as soon as they notice the first signs of coronavirus.
 

Singh exuded confidence that Punjab will soon win the fight against Covid-19.
 

The state, he said, is gearing up for a possible third wave of the pandemic. Despite cases showing a declining trend, Punjab is not letting down its guard.
 

More than 250 experts from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, besides four foreign doctors, participated in the meeting.
 

11:40 PM

BJP calls meeting of Gujarat MLAs over third Covid-19 wave

The ruling BJP has called a meeting of its MLAs in Gujarat on June 15 to brainstorm on measures to deal with a possible third wave of Covid-19, a state party spokesperson said on Tuesday.
 

BJP general secretary in-charge of Gujarat Bhupendra Yadav is also likely to visit the state in the coming days.
 

"A meeting of the BJP Legislative Party has been called on June 15. All MLAs have been called for the meeting by the party," state BJP spokesperson Yagnesh Dave said.
 

"State BJP president C R Paatil and chief minister Vijay Rupani will guide MLAs on what to do if a third wave of Covid-19 strikes Gujarat," he said.
 

He said Yadav is likely to visit the state, but his programme is not yet finalised.
 

After being hit by a devastating second wave of coronavirus, Gujarat has been witnessing a steady drop in new cases. On Tuesday, the state reported 695 new Covid-19 cases and 11 deaths, the health department said.
 

10:47 PM

Govt caps maximum price of Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik V for pvt hospitals

The government has set the maximum price private hospitals can charge for the three Covid-19 vaccines currently available in the country -- Covishield Rs 780 per dose, Covaxin Rs 1,410 and Sputnik V Rs 1,145.

 

In a letter to all states and union territories on Tuesday, the Health Ministry suggested that appropriate strict action be taken against private vaccination centres for overcharging.

 

 

The maximum price of Covishield for private Covid-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs) has been fixed at Rs 780 per dose, while that of Covaxin is Rs 1,410 per dose and Sputnik V Rs 1,145 per dose, it said.

 

The Health Ministry asked states to ensure that the prices declared by various private CVCs do not exceed the ceiling.

 

"The private hospitals may charge up to a maximum of Rupees 150 per dose as service charges. State governments may monitor the price being so charged," the ministry said. Read more

9:43 PM

MP sees 535 Covid-19 cases, 36 deaths, 1,376 recoveries

Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday reported 535 Covid-19 cases and 36 deaths, taking the state's tally to 7,86,302 and the toll to 8,405, an official said.
 

He said 1,376 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the state's recovery count to 7,69,914, leaving it with 7,983 active cases.
 

"With 179 cases, Indore's tally reached 1,51,951, while that of Bhopal rose by 124 to touch 1,22,206. The toll in Indore stands at 1,360 after two deaths were reported, while Bhopal has seen 958 deaths so far, including three in the last 24 hours. The active cases in Indore and Bhopal are 1,206 and 1,985 respectively," the official said.
 

A total of six out of 52 MP districts recorded no case during past 24 hours.
 

With 75,982 samples being examined in the past 24 hours, the number of tests in MP crossed 1.05 crore.
 

Coronavirus figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 7,86,302, new cases 535, death toll 8,405, recovered 7,69,914, active cases 7,983, number of tests so far 1,05,18,760. 
 

9:42 PM

Rajasthan to get fresh supply of Covid vaccines for 18-44 age group from June 9: Minister

Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma on Tuesday said that state will get further supply of coronavirus vaccines for the 18-44 age group in batches from June 9.
 

He said the state had paid an advance amount of over Rs 100 crore to procure 30.57 lakh doses of Covishield and Covaxin for inoculation of people aged between 18 and 44.
 

He said that so far about 17.87 lakh vaccine doses have been received by the state government and the remaining jabs will be delivered in batches from June 9.
 

Sharma said that the Centre has so far given over 1.83 crore vaccine doses to the state government for inoculation of select beneficiaries. Out of these, 2.15 lakh doses were distributed in the army, he added.
 

9:20 PM

Centre caps vaccine prices for pvt hospitals

8:58 PM

Covid LIVE: Telangana lockdown extended

8:53 PM

Maharashtra reports 10,891 coronavirus cases, 295 deaths; 16,577 recover

Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 10,891 fresh coronavirus cases and 295 deaths and added 407 previously unreported fatalities, while 16,577 patients recovered from the infection, the state health department said. With the new additions in infections and fatalities, Maharashtra's caseload rose to 58,52,891, while the death toll increased to 1,01,172, it said.

 

On Monday, the state has reported 10,219 COVID-19 cases, the lowest after March 9 this year, and 154 fatalities.

 

A total of 16,577 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, raising the count of recoveries to 55,80,925 and leaving the state with 1,67,927 active cases, the department said in a release.

8:44 PM

Covid LIVE: Below 10,000 new cases in Karnataka

Karnataka reports 9,808 new Covid cases, 23,449 recoveries and 179 deaths in the last 24 hours.

 

8:35 PM

News of 22 deaths due to oxygen supply cut are baseless: Agra's Paras Hospital owner

8:28 PM

Rajasthan reports 529 new Covid cases, 32 deaths

Rajasthan recorded 32 deaths due to COVID-19 and 529 fresh instances of the infection on Tuesday, pushing the fatality count to 8,719 and the virus tally to 9,47,504, according to an official report.

 

Jaipur registered a maximum of five new deaths, followed by Bikaner (4), the report said.

 

The state capital also reported a maximum of 141 fresh cases, while 61, 42, 38 and 35 people tested positive in Alwar, Udaipur, Hanumangarh and Bikaner, respectively. A total of 9,25,161 people in Rajasthan have recovered from the infection and the number of active cases now stands at 13,624, according to the report.

8:19 PM

Hotels and restaurants restart dine-in services following Covid protocols in Mumbai

8:12 PM

Telangana reports 1,897 new Covid cases and 15 deaths in last 24 hours

Telangana reports 1,897 new Covid cases, 2,982 recoveries and 15 deaths in the last 24 hours

8:02 PM

44 crore more vaccine doses ordered by Health Ministry

After the Prime Minister announced free vaccination, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a fresh order for 25 crore doses of Covishield and 19 crore doses of Covaxin.

 

These 44 crore (25+19 cr) doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be available till December 2021, starting now."Additionally, 30% of the advance for procurement of both the Covid vaccines has been released to Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech," said a statement from the ministry.

 

With the aim to further universalize the countrywide vaccination drive, all citizens above 18 years of age can receive the COVID-19 vaccine doses free of cost at government health facilities from June 21.

8:01 PM

1,184 new Covid cases, 11 deaths in Jammu and Kashmir

Eleven Covid related deaths and 1,184 new cases were reported in J&K during the last 24 hours, officials said on Tuesday.

 

Officials said that 421 cases and five deaths were reported from the Jammu division and 763 cases and six deaths from the Kashmir division while 2880 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery.

 

Another confirmed case of mucormycosis was reported, taking the number of black fungus cases so far in J&K to 17. As many as 302,651 people have been infected with coronavirus in J&K so far out of which 276,733 have recovered, and 4,101 have succumbed. Total number of active cases is 21,817 out of which 8,143 are from the Jammu division and 13,674 from the Kashmir division.

7:57 PM

West Bengal reports 5,427 new Covid cases and 98 deaths in last 24 hours

West Bengal reports 5,427 new Covid cases and 98 deaths in last 24 hours

7:51 PM

Covid impact: World Bank slashes India's FY22 GDP growth forecast to 8.3%

The World Bank on Tuesday has slashed India's GDP forecast to 8.3 per cent for FY22, the fiscal year starting April 2021, as against its earlier estimate of 10.1 per cent.

 

It has further projected India's growth to be 7.5 per cent in 2022, even as its recovery is being hampered by an unprecedented second wave of the Covid-19, the largest outbreak in the world since the beginning of the deadly pandemic.

 

The Washington-based global lender, in its latest issue of Global Economic Prospects released here, noted that in India, an enormous second Covid-19 wave is undermining the sharper-than-expected rebound in activity seen during the second half of Fiscal Year 2020/21, especially in services. READ MORE...

7:48 PM

Covid LIVE: CISF to take over security of Covaxin maker's Hyderabad campus

7:45 PM

No data to show children will be seriously hit in next Covid waves: AIIMS chief

There is no data, either from India or globally, to show that children will be seriously infected in any subsequent Covid-19 waves, AIIMS, Delhi, Director Dr Randeep Guleria said on Tuesday.

 

Addressing a media briefing, he said that "it is a piece of misinformation that subsequent waves of the Covid-19 pandemic are going to cause severe illness in children".

 

Noting that 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the children who got infected and got admitted in hospitals during the second wave in India, had either comorbidities or low immunity, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director said that healthy children recovered with mild illness without need for hospitalisation.

7:42 PM

Coronavirus variant causing increased disease severity identified in India by NIV scientists

Scientists at Pune's National Institute of Virology have isolated and characterised a coronavirus variant from two travellers -- one who returned from the UK and the other from Brail -- that exhibits increased disease severity in hamsters but doesn't pose a public health problem at the moment.

 

The two samples of the B.1.1.28.2 variant are the only ones of its kind isolated by Indian labs so far.

 

The variant was isolated from nasal/throat swabs from a traveller who returned to India from the UK in December 2020, and another who came back from Brazil in January 2021.

7:36 PM

Andhra Pradesh reports 7,796 new Covid cases and 77 deaths in last 24 hours

Andhra Pradesh reported 7,796 fresh cases of coronavirus, 14,641 recoveries and 77 deaths in 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday.   The cumulative COVID-19 positives increased to 17,71,007, recoveries to 16,51,790 and toll to 11,629, a health department bulletin said.

 

The number of active cases decreased further to 1,07,588, it said.

 

East Godavari added 1,302 new cases to its count and Chittoor 1,210 in a day.

7:33 PM

Goa reports 473 new Covid cases, 957 recoveries and 14 deaths in last 24 hours

Goa reports 473 new Covid cases, 957 recoveries and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours.

7:33 PM

Madhya Pradesh reports 535 new Covid cases, 1376 recoveries and 36 deaths in last 24 hours

Madhya Pradesh reports 535 new Covid cases, 1376 recoveries and 36 deaths in the last 24 hours.

7:26 PM

China's 'massive cover-up' on Covid still happening: WHO advisory board member

China is continuing with a "massive cover-up" on Covid-19 even as the theory that the coronavirus had leaked from Wuhan lab gains credibility, Fox News has reported citing advisory board member to the World Health Organization (WHO).

 

Jamie Metzl, the WHO official told Fox News that the Chinese deception involves "destroying samples, hiding records, placing a universal gag order on Chinese scientists and imprisoning Chinese citizen journalists asking the most basic questions,"

 

It further reported that China is reportedly planning to build dozens of biosafety level three labs and one biosafety level four lab over the next five years, as investigators take another look at the possibility that the coronavirus could have leaked out of a laboratory in Wuhan, China.

7:14 PM

Maharashtra reports 10,891 new Covid cases and 295 deaths in last 24 hours

7:05 PM

Kerala reports 15,567 coronavirus positive cases, 124 deaths

Kerala on Tuesday reported 15,567 new COVID-19 cases and 124 deaths, taking the tally to to 26.27 lakh and the toll to 10,281. Recoveries continued to outnumber fresh infections with 20,019 people testing negative, taking the total to 25,04,011, the state government said.

 

Active cases stood at 1,43,254 and the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) was 14.15 per cent. Malappuram district topped with 2,121 new cases followed by Ernakulam (1,868) and Thiruvananthapuram (1,760).

7:00 PM

Rajasthan reports 529 new Covid cases, 2,617 recoveries and 32 deaths in last 24 hours

Rajasthan reports 529 new Covid cases, 2,617 recoveries and 32 deaths in the last 24 hours.

6:59 PM

Mumbai's Dharavi records six new Covid-19 cases

A day after the civic authorities relaxed certain curbs, the daily count of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai's Dharavi rose to six on Tuesday, a senior official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

 

With the addition of six new cases in the last 24- hours, the tally of infection in the slum-dominated area has reached 6,844, the official said.

 

At least 6,465 patients have recovered from the infection so far, leaving the area with 20 active cases, he said. Dharavi has been seeing a daily count of one to three cases since May 31.