Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra sees nearly 40,000 new Covid cases in a day

Coronavirus live updates: India has recorded 53,480 cases recorded in the last 24 hours. With active cases hitting 552,566, India is now the 6th-worst hit country. Stay tuned for corona-related news

3:04 AM

Bappi Lahiri admitted to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital after testing positive for Covid-19

8:56 PM

DCGI extends shelf life of Covishield from six to nine months

India's drug regulator DCGI has extended the shelf life of Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, from six to nine months from its manufacturing date.

 

In a letter to the Serum Institute of India (SII), Drugs Controller General of India V G Somani said the SII is permitted to apply the vaccine's shelf life of nine months to unlabelled vials available on hand.

 

Shelf life is the length of time for which an item remains fit for use. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) said it has no objection in respect of 'Extension of Shelf Life of Covishield Vaccine' in multi-dose glass vial (10 dose-5ml) from six months to nine months.

8:44 PM

Delhi reports 1,819 new coronavirus cases, 399 recoveries and 11 deaths

8:16 PM

Nearly 40,000 cases in Maharashtra in past 24 hours; highest spike since outbreak

8:01 PM

Third phase of Covid-19 vaccination drive for 65 lakh people aged above 45 will begin on Thursday in Delhi

Third phase of Covid-19 vaccination drive for 65 lakh people aged above 45 will begin on Thursday in Delhi

8:01 PM

Gujarat reports 2,360 new coronavirus positive cases in last 24 hours

Gujarat reports 2,360 new coronavirus positive cases, 2,004 discharges and nine deaths in the last 24 hours.

 

Total cases: 3,07,698

Total discharges: 2,90,569

Active cases: 12,610

Total deaths: 4,519

7:37 PM

Karnataka logs 4,225 new coronavirus cases, 26 deaths

Registering a sharp spike in daily infections, Karnataka on Wednesday reported 4,225 new cases of COVID-19 and 26 more fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 9,97,004 and the death toll to 12,567, the Health department said.

 

The day also saw 1,492 patients getting discharged after recovery.

 

The state had recorded 2,975 new cases yesterday. Of the fresh infections reported on Wednesday, 2,928 were from Bengaluru Urban district alone.

7:13 PM

Tami Nadu reports 2,579 new coronavirus cases, 1527 recoveries, and 19 deaths in past 24 hours

6:58 PM

60,29,649 vaccinated against coronavirus so far in Maharashtra

The number of beneficiaries who have received COVID-19 vaccine shots in Maharashtra so far has reached 60,29,649, the state government said on Wednesday. From Tuesday, the government started administering the second dose of the vaccine to senior citizens and the people with co-morbidities in the age group of 45 to 60 years.

 

Altogether, 2,10,461 people were inoculated on Tuesday. A total of 9,91,812 healthcare workers have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine so far in the state while 4,74,723 of them have been given the second dose.

6:37 PM

Andhra Pradesh reports 1,184 new coronavirus cases, highest since November 20

Andhra Pradesh reported 1,184 fresh cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, the highest since the 1,221 on November 20, taking the overall tally to 9,01,989. A health department bulletin said the state also saw 456 patients recovering from the infection and four more succumbing in 24 hours ending 9 am on Wednesday.

 

The number of active COVID-19 cases in the state stood at 7,338, the highest since the 7,427 on December 1. The bulletin said the total recoveries have touched 8,87,434 and the toll 7,217.

6:08 PM

Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine shows 100% efficacy in 12-15 yrs old

Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech on Wednesday announced that their Covid-19 vaccine -- BNT162b2 -- demonstrated 100 per cent efficacy and robust antibody responses in a Phase 3 trial in adolescents between 12 to 15 years old.

 

The Phase 3 clinical trial enrolled 2,260 adolescents aged between 12 to 15 years old in the US.

 

"We share the urgency to expand the authorisation of our vaccine to use in younger populations and are encouraged by the clinical trial data from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15," Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer, said in a statement.

 

In the trial, 18 cases of Covid-19 were observed in the placebo group (n=1,129) versus none in the vaccinated group (n=1,131).

5:25 PM

Uttar Pradesh reports 1,230 new coronavirus positive cases in a day

Uttar Pradesh reports 1,230 new coronavirus positive cases, 11 fatalities. Infection tally rises to 617,194, death toll 8,811. There are 9,848 active cases of the disease in the state.

5:24 PM

Rajasthan govt increases night curfew timings by 1 hour in eight districts

The Rajasthan government on Wednesday decided to increase the night curfew timings by one hour in eight worst-affected districts in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

 

Also, markets in urban areas across the state will close by 9 pm instead of 10 pm, according to an official release.

 

The decisions were taken in a COVID-19 review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The night curfew was imposed last week in eight cities/towns -- Ajmer, Bhilwara, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur, Sagwada (Dungarpur) and Kushalgarh (Banswara) -- from 11 pm to 5 pm but now the curfew will start from 10 pm.

5:14 PM

Pfizer says its Covid-19 vaccine protects younger teens

Pfizer announced Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before they head back to school in the fall.

 

Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. Pfizer's vaccine is authorised for ages 16 and older. But vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to stopping the pandemic and helping schools, at least the upper grades, start to look a little more normal after months of disruption.

 

In a study of 2,260 US volunteers ages 12 to 15, preliminary data showed there were no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among those given dummy shots, Pfizer reported.

4:36 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Pfizer says its vaccine protects kids as young as 12

Pfizer says Covid-19 vaccine protects kids as young as 12, which could open door for expanded use in children.

 

4:21 PM

Global study on Covid-19 origins finds lab origin 'extremely unlikely'

The WHO-China joint team on the global study of the origins of Covid-19 found that introduction through a laboratory incident is "extremely unlikely," a senior Chinese expert of the joint team said on Wednesday.

 

Experts from the World Health Organization and China jointly conducted the research in China and made an assessment of the likelihood of possible pathways, according to Liang Wannian, head of the Chinese side of the joint team, the Xinhua news agency reported.

 

According to a report on the China Part of the study, Covid-19 introduction through an intermediate host is "likely to very likely," introduction through cold/food chain products is "possible," and introduction through a laboratory incident is "extremely unlikely," Liang said.

3:58 PM

Centre holds review meet with states, UTs ahead of opening up Covid-19 vaccination to people above 45

As India prepares to open up its COVID-19 vaccination drive to people above 45 from April 1, the Centre on Wednesday asked states and union territories to identify low vaccine-coverage pockets, particularly in districts reporting a surge in new infections, and take corrective action.

National Health Authority (NHA) CEO and Empowered Group on COVID Vaccination chairperson Dr R S Sharma and Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan chaired a high-level meeting with health secretaries, mission directors of NHM and immunisation officers of all states and UTs during the day, a statement said.

The status and pace of the inoculation drive across the country were reviewed at the meeting held through video-conferencing, as were the preparations for April 2021, when vaccination would be extended to cover everybody above the age of 45, the ministry said.

3:39 PM

Maharashtra should be ready for stricter steps: Health Minister on Covid-19 surge

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said people should be ready for stringent measures in the coming days to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Talking to reporters, Tope said saving lives is the government's priority, the minister told reporters here.

 

Maharashtra has seen a huge rise in coronavirus positive cases over the last week. Struggling to arrest the fresh surge in COVID-19 cases, the state government last week announced a ban on all types of gatherings, including political and religious.

2:57 PM

Visitors from Nepal to be subjected to rapid antigen tests in Uttarakhand

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the district administration has started rapid antigen tests of people coming from Nepal to India through the two main border bridges at Jhoolaghat and Dharchula besides other entry points.

 

"We have instructed medical teams at thetwointernational bridges not to allow any foreigner into Indian soil if they are found positive in the rapid antigen test," Pithoragarh Chief Medical Officer MC Pant said.

 

Besides the two international bridges, rapid antigen tests have also been started at Udiyari bend, Panar bridge and Aincholi village which are the other entry points for people from Nepal.

 

"We have sent all test reports to our laboratory. The results are expected in one or two days. Only after that the actual situation of corona cases amongst the persons entering into the district from Nepal will be known," Pithoragarh District Magistrate Anand Swaroop said.

2:44 PM

Nepal first in Asia-Pacific region to provide Covid jabs to refugees

Nepal has become the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to provide Covid-19 jabs to refugees through its national vaccination rollout.

 

According to the UN refugee agency in Kathmandu, Nepal started to inoculate the Covid vaccine to the Bhutanese refugees living in eastern part of the country from March 7.

 

The refugees at the settlement in the Jhapa district were vaccinated as part of the second phase of that rollout, which started on 7 March and targets people over the age of 65.