Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra reports 9,927 new cases in last 24 hours

The countrywide coronavirus vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 and vaccination of the FLWs started from February 2. Stay tuned for Coronavirus live updates.

10:08 PM

Mumbai sees 1,012 Covid-19 cases, 1,051 recoveries, 2 deaths

The number of Covid-19 cases in Mumbai reached 3,35,584 after 1,012 people were detected with the infection on Tuesday, the seventh consecutive time the daily addition is 1000 plus, civic officials said, according to PTI. Two deaths took the toll to 11,506 and 1,051 people getting discharged increased the recovery count to 3,12,458, leaving the metropolis with 10,736 active cases, he added.

The daily growth rate of cases increased from 0.17 per cent on February 18 to 0.32 per cent now, while the case doubling time shortened from 417 days to 219 days, data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said. The city has 21 containment zones and 214 sealed buildings, the data showed, as per PTI.

9:38 PM

Over 20 mn vaccine doses given so far: Govt

8:40 PM

Gujarat sees 581 Covid-19 cases, 453 recoveries, 2 deaths

The Covid-19 tally of Gujarat touched 2,74,522 after 581 people were detected with the infection on Tuesday, with Surat accounting for 147 of the day's cases, an official said.

 

He said 453 people were discharged while a death each was reported in Ahmedabad and Vadodara, taking the recovery count to 2,66,766 and the toll to 4,418.

 

"Surat accounted for 147 cases, followed byAhmedabad with 126, Vadodara 93, and Rajkot 58. Among other districts, Bharuch reported 18 cases, Mehsana 17, Kheda 14, Jamnagar 12, Anand 10 and Kutch nine," he added.

8:36 PM

LIVE: Maharashtra reports 9,927 new cases

LIVE: Maharashtra reports 9,927 new coronavirus cases, 12,182 discharges and 56 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department

8:16 PM

India needs 2.5 mn daily vaccinations to cover 30% population by December: Report

With just under 1 per cent of the population vaccinated so far at a daily run-rate of 1.4 million doses, India will have to inoculate 2.5 million daily to cover at least 30 per cent of the population, that too by the end of the year, according to a report.

 

But even at 1.4 million daily vaccinations now, India is the second-fastest in the world, grossing up 21 million vaccinations so far after the US, but this is the lowest among the 26 most-affected countries in terms of coverage, UBS Securities India economist Tanvee Gupta Jain said in a report on Tuesday.

 

She, however, expects the run-rate to increase in the coming weeks as the private sector participation rises and assumes a higher run-rate of 2.5 million daily doses would ensure inoculation of 30 per cent of the population by 2021-end, and 62 per cent by 2022-end, building in a two-dose vaccination regime.

8:15 PM

Mumbai senior citizen dies after Covid-19 vaccination

A 65-year-old man died some time after he was given the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in a private hospital in Andheri in Mumbai on Tuesday, a health official said.

 

The senior citizen was inoculated at 3:50pm, after which he fainted and was rushed to the ICU in the same facility, and was declared dead at around 5 pm, he said.

8:14 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: 'Janta Curfew' in Maharashtra's Jalgaon from March 11-15

'Janta Curfew' to be imposed from March 11, 8 pm till March 11, 8 am in the Municipal corporation limits in Jalgaon. Emergency services, MPSC and other Departments' exams exempted: Abhijit Raut, Jalgaon (Maharashtra) District Collector 

7:27 PM

LIVE: Tamil Nadu reports 569 new cases

Tamil Nadu reports 569 new cases, 510 recoveries and four deaths today, according to the state health department

 

7:26 PM

AHPI urges PM Modi to further expand Covid-19 vaccine access

In view of successfully running the world's largest Covid-19 vaccination drive and built up capacity so far, leading healthcare providers body, Association of Healthcare Providers (India), has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to open up the vaccination programme for the rest of the population.

 

Starting March 1, everyone above 60 years of age and those over 45 years with comorbidities are eligible to get Covid-19 vaccine for free at government facilities and for a charge at many private hospitals.

 

While the current provision for 60 plus and 45 plus with comorbidity can continue to be provided at the subsidised rate of Rs 250, government may open up the vaccination through an open market to hospitals at a rate as deemed appropriate, said AHPI President Alexander Thomas and Director General Dr Girdhar Gyani in a letter to the prime minister dated March 8.

7:20 PM

Only private doctors on Covid-19 duty covered by govt insurance: HC

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused relief to the widow of a private doctor who died of coronavirus, citing that the Rs 50 lakh insurance cover under a Central scheme included only those private medical practitioners who were drafted for Covid-19 duties.

 

A division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and R I Chagla dismissed a petition filed by Navi Mumbai resident Kiran Surgade seeking Rs 50 lakh cover under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) for her husband who died after contracting Covid-19 from a patient at his clinic.

 

According to the plea, the petitioner's husband Bhaskar Surgade, an Ayurveda doctor, got a notice from the commissioner of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), asking him to keep his dispensary open and warned action if he fails to comply with the notice.

6:31 PM

No immediate lockdown in Mumbai amid rise in Covid-19 cases: Civic officials

Despite the rise in Covid-19 cases, the situation in Mumbai is under control and there is no immediate need to impose a lockdown in the city, senior civic officials said on Tuesday.

 

Mumbai on Monday recorded 1,008 fresh infections that raised its tally to 3,34,572.

 

When asked about the possibility of imposing a lockdown, municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal said there was no immediate need to do so.

6:14 PM

LIVE: Delhi reports 320 new cases

LIVE: Delhi reports 320 new coronavirus cases, 234 recoveries, and four deaths in the last 24 hours, says state health department

6:06 PM

Pfizer vaccine neutralised UK, Brazil and South Africa variants in lab

The Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE showed a high ability to neutralize coronavirus strains first detected in Brazil, the UK and South Africa, according to a new study.
 

In lab experiments, the shot demonstrated “roughly equivalent” levels of neutralizing activity against the Brazil and UK strains compared with a version of the virus from early last year. It also showed “robust but lower” activity against the South Africa variant, according to a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine.

5:59 PM

LIVE: Andhra Pradesh reports 118 new coronavirus cases

Andhra Pradesh reported 118 new coronavirus cases and 89 recoveries in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department

 

5:32 PM

LIVE: BJP President J P Nadda received his first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine

5:09 PM

Afghanistan receives 468,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from India

Afghanistan on Monday received 468,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine 'Covishield' from the Serum Institute of India (SII).

 

In a tweet, Afghanistan envoy to India Farid Mamundzay said, "468,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine, from the Astra Zeneca Serum Institute of India arrived yesterday at HKI airport. Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health was there to receive the shipment and expressed gratitude on behalf of Afghanistan. Vaccines help us save lives and prevent transmission."

 

The cumulative count of Covid-19 cases in Afghanistan has reached 55,876. As many as 2,451 people have lost their lives due to the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.

4:41 PM

Covaxin phase 2 data shows vaccine safe, induces immune response: Lancet Study

India's first indigenous vaccine against Covid-19, Covaxin, is safe and generates immune response without any serious side effects, according to the interim results of the phase 2 trials published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.

 

The authors of the study noted that the phase 2 results did not asses the efficacy of the vaccine codenamed BBV152.

 

Developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, the vaccine has been granted emergency use authorisation in clinical trial mode by the Indian government.

4:33 PM

Intranasal Covid vaccine candidate in early clinical stage of development in India: Govt

An intranasal vaccine candidate (BBV154), being developed by Bharat Biotech, is in early clinical stage of development in India, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

 

Choubey was responding to a question on the status of launching a nasal vaccine for Covid-19.

 

Most vaccines are administered by injection through intramuscular or subcutaneous route. But, intranasal vaccines are administered as a nasal spray and offer a needle-free approach for vaccine administration, Choubey said in a written reply.

4:22 PM

Current rate of Covid-19 vaccination satisfactory: MoS Choubey

The current rate of coronavirus vaccination in the country is satisfactory and is being further increased by expanding the number of Covid-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs) in both government and private health facilities, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

 

He was responding to a question on whether the current daily vaccination rate is sufficient for the government to meet its target of vaccinating 300 million people by August 2021.

 

On whether the government is aware that the price at which Covishield vaccine is being procured by India is higher than what the European Union is paying, Choubey in a written reply said as per available information, the price of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine across the world is in the range of about $4-5.25.

4:15 PM

57 new cases push Odisha's Covid-19 tally to 337,860

Odisha's Covid-19 tally mounted to 3,37,860 on Tuesday as 57 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said.

 

Thirty-four new cases were reported in quarantine centres, while 23 infections were detected during contact tracing.

 

Khurda district registered the highest number of new cases at 12, followed by Cuttack (eight) and Sundergarh (seven).

 

The state's coronavirus death toll remained unchanged at 1,917 as no fresh fatality was reported.

3:43 PM

Italy factory to produce Sputnik vaccine, first in EU

3:17 PM

Odisha govt asks districts to ensure Covid guidelines on Mahashivratri

The Odisha government on Tuesday directed all district administrations to ensure adherence to Covid-19 guidelines at different Shiv temples in wake of the possibility of large congregations on Mahashivratri on March 11.

 

Development Commissioner PK Jena in a letter to all district collectors and municipal commissioners pointed out that the state government has already restricted gatherings of over 500 people in festivals and melas.

2:45 PM

MP doctor dies of Covid-19-related complications in Chennai

A 55-year-old government doctor from Madhya Pradesh has died of Covid-19-related complications at a hospital in Chennai, health officials said on Tuesday.

 

Dr Mukesh Jain, who was a pathologist at the Agar Malwa district hospital, tested positive for coronavirus last month following which he was admitted to a hospital in Indore.

 

He was airlifted to a private medical facility in Chennai on February 12 in a serious condition due to severe infection in his lungs, officials said.

2:36 PM

Maharashtra CM gave complete free hand on imposing restrictions: State Minister

In Mumbai, cases are a bit higher. The Chief Minister has instructed all administration officers to take a decision on whatever is necessary; be it imposing a partial lockdown, increasing testing, or go for a complete lockdown: Aslam Shaikh, Guardian Minister for Mumbai

2:29 PM

Pilots, cabin crew won't fly for 48 hours after getting Covid-19 vaccine: DGCA

Aviation regulator DGCA said on Tuesday pilots and cabin crew members will not fly in an aircraft for 48 hours after being vaccinated against coronavirus.

 

"If there are no symptoms after 48 hours, the air crew (which includes pilots and cabin crew) is fit to resume 'unrestricted' flying duties," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a circular.

 

Air crew will be monitored for 30 minutes after taking the shot at the Covid-19 vaccination centre itself for any anaphylactic and idiosyncratic reaction, it said.

 

"Air crew will be 'medically unfit for flying' for 48 hours after vaccination," the DGCA said.

2:25 PM

India at forefront in fighting Covid-19, stands out in terms of vaccine policy: IMF's Gita Gopinath

India has been at the forefront in fighting the coronavirus pandemic and "really stands out in terms of its vaccine policy, IMF's Chief Economist Gita Gopinath has said, as she praised the country for playing a very important role during the crisis by manufacturing and shipping the Covid-19 vaccines to several nations.

 

The top Indian-American economist made the comments in an interactive session during the inaugural Dr Hansa Mehta Lecture on the occasion of International Women's Day on Monday.

 

I also want to mention that India really stands out in terms of its vaccine policy. If you look at where exactly is one manufacturing hub for vaccines in the world - that will be India, Gopinath said.

2:06 PM

Delhi govt announces free Covid vaccine for all

The Delhi government presented a Rs 69,000-crore budget themed on "patriotism" for financial year 2021-22 on Tuesday, announcing free Covid-19 vaccination to all in its hospitals in the coming phases of the ongoing inoculation drive.

 

Presenting the budget, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said it is based on "deshbhakti" (patriotism) as it pays tributes to freedom fighters and hopes to work towards building the capital and the country, as envisioned by them.

 

Presenting the budget for the seventh consecutive time in the Assembly, Sisodia proposed to allocate Rs 16,377 crore, one-fourth of the total budget, for the education sector while the health sector got Rs 9,934 crore.

 

Sisodia, who also holds the finance portfolio, said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will celebrate the country's 75th Independence Day and organise programmes for 75 weeks starting March 12.

2:00 PM

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Ranbir Kapoor tests positive, is in self-quarantine

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Ranbir Kapoor tests positive, is in self-quarantine, says mother Neetu Kapoor

1:43 PM

Meghalaya's annual tourism revenue dips to Rs 3 cr from Rs 20 cr due to Covid-19: CM

Meghalaya's annual tourism revenue has dipped to just Rs 3 crore from over Rs 20 crore due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma informed the Assembly on Tuesday.

 

The Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected the tourism industry in the state, he said in a written reply to a question raised during the Budget session of the Assembly.

1:29 PM

Increasing gap between Covid recovered & active cases in India