Covid LIVE: Lockdown in TN extended till July 12 with further relaxations

Today's coronavirus numbers: Bengaluru (676 cases), Mumbai 661 cases), Chennai (249 cases), Kolkata (127 cases), Delhi (91 cases). Stay tuned for corona-related news

11:22 PM

Thai virus surge prompts concern over ICUs, vaccine supply

Health authorities in Thailand reported 6,087 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, setting a record for a second straight day, as concerns mounted over shortages of treatment facilities and vaccine supplies.
 

Officials also reported 61 deaths on Friday, bringing the total to 2,141.
 

Around 90% of Thailand's 270,921 reported coronavirus cases and 95% of the deaths have been recorded during a surge that began in early April. There were 992 deaths in June, more than 15 times Thailand's total for all of 2020.
 

The number of patients in ICUs and on ventilators has risen nationwide over the past two weeks.
 

The government's Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration said 39% of the new cases reported Friday were in Bangkok, 25% in neighbouring provinces and 36% in the other 71 provinces. Center deputy spokesperson Apisamai Srirangsan said Bangkok authorities must urgently set up isolation stations to separate infected people in their local communities and add beds for treatment of serious cases.
 

Critics since the beginning of the year have charged that the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has failed to secure timely and adequate vaccine supplies, and efforts to obtain more have proceeded slowly.
 

11:21 PM

27 Covid-19 deaths, 2,453 new positive cases in Assam

Assam reported 27 Covid-19 deaths and 2,453 new cases on Friday, pushing the coronavirus caseload to 5,13,606, according to the bulletin of the National Health Mission.
 

The death toll increased to 4,604 while the number of active cases in the state currently is 23,914.
 

Four deaths each were reported from Jorhat, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Tinsukia while two each were reported from Golaghat and Karbi Anglong.
 

Barpeta, Charaideo, Hojai, Kamrup Metro, Majuli, Nalbari and Udalguri reported one death each.
 

The current death rate is 0.90 per cent and the number of Covid-19 positive patients dying due to other causes is 1,347.
 

Of the new cases, 312 were reported from Golaghat, 186 from Kamrup Metro, 181 from Lakhimpur and 173 from Sonitpur.
 

The fresh cases were detected out of 1,53,981 tests conducted Friday with the daily positivity rate at 1.59 per cent while Covid-19 tests conducted in the state so far is 1,51,40,437.
 

The number of recovered patients discharged during the day is 2,902 and the total recoveries so far is 4,83,741 with the recovery rate being 94.19 per cent.
 

The total beneficiaries inoculated with Covid-19 vaccines in the state so far is 74,27,360, of whom 12,74,564 had received both doses.
 

9:09 PM

Lockdown in Tamil Nadu extended for one more week

8:52 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Telangana reports 858 fresh cases

8:48 PM

Pakistan gets 2.5 mn doses of Moderna vaccine from US

Pakistan received 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine from the United States on Friday, easing pressure on Islamabad in overcoming the shortage of Covid-19 vaccines.
 

According to a US embassy statement, the vaccines were delivered to the Pakistani people in partnership with the Covax global vaccine initiative, UNICEF, and the government of Pakistan.

 

It says this donation was part of the 80 million doses the United States was sharing with the world, “delivering on our pledge to facilitate equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines, which are essential to ending the COVID-19 pandemic.” The latest development comes days after hundreds of Pakistani expatriate workers rallied in Islamabad, demanding they should be quickly vaccinated with the Moderna, Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines so they can travel abroad. Read here

8:39 PM

Germany recommends combination of AstraZeneca, mRNA shots

Germany is recommending that all people who get a first shot of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine switch to a different type of vaccine for their second shot. The aim is to increase the speed and effectiveness of vaccinations as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
 

Health Minister Jens Spahn conferred with his colleagues from Germany's 16 states on Friday, the day after the country's standing committee on vaccination issued a draft recommendation. In a statement, the committee said that “according to current study results,” the immune response from a mixture of AstraZeneca with an mRNA vaccine was “significantly superior” to that from two doses of AstraZeneca. Read here

8:22 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra sees 8,753 fresh cases

8:06 PM

Decision on Zydus Cov-D vaccine expected soon: V K Paul

A decision on the approval of Zydus Cadila's COVID-19 vaccine Zydus Cov-D is expected soon, Dr VK Paul, Member (Health) of the NITI Aayog said on Friday, adding that the data and evaluation would determine the outcome.

 

"The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has Zydus Cadila's application. It is undergoing a process of evaluation by the Subject Expert Committee. We are hoping to hear a swift and positive decision," Dr Paul told ANI. Read here

8:05 PM

J&K sees 331 new Covid cases, 6 deaths

Recoveries continued to outnumber new Covid cases in J&K on Friday where 437 patients recovered while 331 new cases and 6 deaths were reported during the last 24 hours.

 

Officials said that 77 cases and five deaths were reported from the Jammu division and 254 cases and one death from the Kashmir division.

 

A total of 29 cases of black fungus have also been reported here so far. (IANS)

7:54 PM

Andhra's Covid-19 tally inching towards 1.9 million mark

Andhra Pradeshs Covid-19 tally inched closer to the 19-lakh mark, reaching 18,96,818 on Friday with the addition of 3,464 in the last 24 hours.

 

As 4,284 more patients got cured, the total recoveries climbed to 18,46,716.

 

With 35 fresh fatalities, the gross toll touched 12,779, the latest bulletin said.

 

The number of active cases came down to 37,323, it said. (IANS)

7:34 PM

Both pregnant woman and child can be saved by Covid vaccine: N K Arora

Dr. N.K. Arora, Chairperson of the Covid-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) spoke to DD News, on the vaccination guidelines for pregnant women, issued by the Health Ministry today. Read full government release here

 

7:31 PM

Delta variant cases rise by 50,824 in UK, hospitalisations remain low

The Delta variant of Covid-19 continues to spread in the UK with a further 50,824 cases logged on Friday, marking a 46 per cent increase over the previous week, according to health officials.

 

While the infections are rising, there has not been a corresponding rise in the number of hospitalisations with COVID-19, indicating that the vaccinations are effective against the highly transmissible variant first identified in India, Public Health England (PHE) said.

 

Of the 50,824 cases of Delta B1.617.2 variant over the past week, 42 are from the Delta AY.1 sub lineage with the mutation K417N which is feared to be more vaccine resistant. (PTI)

7:10 PM

Cong, BJP allege mismatch in Kerala Covid deaths

The opposition Congress and BJP on Friday continued to allege mismatch in the Covid-19 deaths reported in Kerala and accused the state governmentof projecting a 'fabricated' figure to save its face in the fight against the pandemic.

 

The opposition reiterated the charges a day after Health Minister Veena George had said the state government has nothing to hide with regard to pandemic-related casualties. (PTI)

6:49 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Delhi sees 93 cases

6:41 PM

Daily toll collection via FASTag reaches level recorded before second wave

With easing of lockdown in most states and increase in the movement of traffic on the Highways, the toll collection through FASTag is reaching the level recorded before the 2nd wave of Covid pandemic.  The toll collection across the country through FASTag touched Rs. 103.54 crore with 63.09 lakh transactions on 01st July 2021.   Electronic toll collection through FASTag is operational at 780 active toll plazas across the country. Read full government release here

6:40 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Goa extends curfew till July 12

6:33 PM

Bangladesh records highest single-day Covid deaths at 143

Bangladesh has recorded its highest single-day virus-related deaths at 143 on Thursday, according to media reports on Friday.

 

The Directorate General of Health Services, in its medical bulletin said 143 coronavirus-related deaths and 8,301 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

 

Now, the Covid-19 death toll stands at 14,646, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

 

Before Thursday, Bangladesh recorded the highest Covid-19-related deaths on June 27 at 119 fatalities. Since then, the daily death toll has exceeded 100 everyday, indicating increased transmission. (PTI)

6:33 PM

Amid Covid, India Inc's foreign borrowings plunge by 51% in May

India companies' foreign borrowings plunged by nearly 51 per cent to $738.45 million in May this year amid the second wave of Covid-19, according to the RBI data.
 

Indian businesses had raised $1.49 billion by way of external commercial borrowings (ECB) in May 2020.

The entire fund raised in May 2021 came through the automatic route of the ECB. Read here

6:11 PM

Coronavirus Latest: Indonesia records daily spike of 25,830 cases

Indonesia recorded 25,830 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours on Friday, a fresh record of the daily spike, bringing the total tally to 2,228,938, the Health Ministry said.

 

The Covid-19-related death toll added by 539 to 59,534, the ministry reported.Additional 11,578 recovered patients were discharged from hospitals, raising the total number of recoveries from the pandemic in the Southeast Asian country to 1,901,865.

 

The virus has spread to all the country's 34 provinces.

 

Specifically, within the past 24 hours, Jakarta recorded 9,399 new cases, West Java 4,920, Central Java 2,538, East Java 1,388 and Yogyakarta 922. (ANI)

6:00 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Govt approves vaccination for pregnant women

5:46 PM

CWG archery, shooting championships cancelled due to Covid-19

The 2022 Commonwealth archery and shooting championships, which were scheduled to take place in Chandigarh in January next year, have been cancelled due to the problems posed by Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The decision, taken by the Commonwealth Games India (CGI) Executive Board "with the support" of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), was made "after careful consideration of several factors, including the continued uncertainty created by the ongoing global pandemic".

 

CGF president Dame Louise Martin said in a statement on Friday that, "We are disappointed that the 2022 Commonwealth Archery and Shooting Championships will no longer take place, however, this is the right decision to take in the current climate." (IANS)

5:31 PM

Nepal yet to receive 1 million vaccine doses purchased from India: Envoy

Nepal on Friday said it is yet to receive a million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from India, for which the advance payment has already been done.

 

Nepali Ambassador to India, Nilambar Acharya expressed concern over the shortage of vaccines in the Himalayan nation.

 

"We are in touch with the Indian government and vaccine manufacturer SII (Serum Institute of India) for about one million more vaccines that are pending, the Nepal government had already paid for two million vaccines in advance. Nepal has received one million vaccines so far," the Nepali envoy told ANI. (ANI)

5:12 PM

71 districts reported Covid case positivity rate of more than 10 per cent in the week from June 23 to 29: Govt

71 districts reported Covid case positivity rate of more than 10 per cent in the week from June 23 to 29: Govt

5:00 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Andhra Pradesh reports 3,464 new cases in last 24 hours

Andhra Pradesh reports 3,464 new coronavirus cases and 25 deaths in the past 24 hours; active caseload at 37,323

4:51 PM

Health Ministry joins ShareChat, Moj to spread Covid vax awareness

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHWF) partnered with Indic language social media platform, ShareChat and short video app Moj to organise a webinar to spread awareness about Covid appropriate behaviour and the world's largest vaccination drive.

 

The webinar aimed to make influencers act as catalysts, and to educate and share reliable information with their community of followers. It was held on the occasion of World Social Media Day, celebrated on June 30 each year.

 

During the webinar, an actionable Toolkit was also shared, which listed out the steps that social influencers can take to encourage Covid appropriate behaviour and taking the vaccine. The webinar encouraged the social influencers to act as advocates to amplify and share accurate and credible information on Covid-19, counter vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. (IANS)

4:46 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Second wave not over, can't let down guard, says govt

Coronavirus LIVE: Second wave not over, can't let down guard, says govt

4:43 PM

Uttar Pradesh to reopen multiplexes, gyms, stadiums from July 5

With the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic under control in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath government on Friday said from July 5, cinema halls, multiplexes, gyms and sports stadiums will be allowed to operate in the state in strict compliance with Covid-19 protocols.

 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that these places will have to follow all Covid safety protocols when they reopen. Read here

4:40 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Nearly 80% health workers, 90% frontline workers given both doses, says govt

4:19 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: 13% dip in fresh cases compared to last week, says govt

4:18 PM

Watch: Health Ministry briefing on coronavirus situation in India