Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai sees below 1,000 daily cases after two months

Coronavirus LIVE updates: The six most-affected states by total cases are Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

2:31 AM

Tamil Nadu to commence vaccination of people in 18-44 age group on May 20: Minister

Tamil Nadu will commence vaccinating people in the 18-44 age group on May 20, Health Minister M Subramanian said on Tuesday.
 

"Initially, the government will vaccinate those people aged between 18 years and 44 years from whom the coronavirus can spread much faster like auto-rickshaw drivers and factory workers," he said.
 

"Chief Minister M K Stalin will formally inaugurate the programme day after tomorrow (May 20)," Subramanian told reporters after inaugurating the "oxygen on wheels" initiative launched by Inner Wheel Club of Adyar here.
 

He said the government has allotted Rs 46 crore to procure vaccines and so far nine lakh doses have arrived in the state.
 

To a query on whether the lockdown which came into force on May 10 would be extended in the state, he said it would be known only at a later date but the focus should be on breaking the chain of transmission of the virus.
 

2:30 AM

Microsoft provides 125 oxygen concentrators to Noida Authority

Tech giant Microsoft India on Tuesday provided 125 oxygen concentrators to Noida Authority to help tackle the Covid-19 pandemic here, officials said.
 

Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari said the support made by Microsoft as part of its corporate social responsibility will help in the fight against the pandemic.
 

"Noida Authority has been seeking support from private players in the fight against Covid and Microsoft India has provided 125 oxygen concentrators of 5 litre capacity each," according to an official statement.
 

These concentrators would be distributed to hospitals in Noida and in rural areas as required and in coordination with the district administration, it added.
 

Amid the deadly second wave of coronavirus, people in Gautam Buddh Nagar had been recently grappling with shortage of medical resources like hospital beds, oxygen and medicines. 

2:29 AM

Kanpur admin orders probe as cricketer Yadav takes Covid jab at 'guest house'

The district administration here ordered a probe into the allegation that cricketer Kuldeep Yadav was administered coronavirus vaccine at a place other than the hospital where he had booked a slot.
 

According to reports, Yadav was given a vaccine shot in the lawn of the Kanpur Nagar Nigam guest house, instead of Jageshwar Hospital in Govind Nagar for which he had taken an appointment, a senior official on condition of anonymity said.
 

Kanpur District Magistrate Alok Tiwari said ADM Atul Kumar has been asked to enquire the matter properly and submit the report at the earliest.
 

Kuldeep Yadav who got his first shot of Covid vaccine on Saturday had shared a photo on social media and urged people to get themselves vaccinated.

2:28 AM

UP minister Vijay Kashyap succumbs to coronavirus

Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Revenue and Flood Control Vijay Kashyap died from coronavirus at a Gurgaon hospital on Tuesday.
 

Kashyap (56), who was an MLA from Muzaffarnagar's Charthawal Assembly seat, died at Gurgaon's Medanta Hospital.
 

He is the third UP minister who has succumbed to the virus.
 

Last year, Uttar Pradesh ministers Kamal Rani Varun and Chetan Chauhan had died from the infection.
 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the passing away of the BJP leader and said he was devoted to public interest works.
 

"The death of BJP leader and minister in the Uttar Pradesh government Vijay Kashyap ji is very saddening. He was a leader connected to the grassroots and was always devoted to public interest works. My condolences to his family and supporters in this moment of grief. Om Shanti!" PM Modi tweeted in Hindi.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh too expressed grief over his demise.
 

"Kashyap, an MLA from Charthawal, was a popular leader who discharged his duties diligently as a minister. In his death, people have lost their true well-wisher,” Adityanath said in a release.

2:28 AM

Ghaziabad: Administration launches special drive to help Covid victims' kin

The district administration has launched a special drive, 'Always With You', to help those families whose breadwinner have died from coronavirus.
 

The kin who are totally unaware about the business of the deceased head of the family would be able to get help from the district administration.
 

Officials will contact the family to assist them in their work like business, insurance claim, death certificate, successor certificate and transfer of names in bank accounts.

2:27 AM

Bahrain allows vaccination for ages 12 to 17

Bahrain will vaccinate adolescents aged 12-17 with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, state news agency BNA said, citing the country's National Medical Task Force for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Tuesday.
 

The decision by the health ministry's vaccination committee followed recommendations by the World Health Organization's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization and the United States' Center for Disease Control, BNA added.
 

A guardian must grant approval and be present during the vaccination, BNA reported.
 

Bahrain had authorized six types of vaccines, by China's Sinopharm, Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE, AstraZeneca Plc, Johnson & Johnson, and Russia's Sputnik and Sputnik-Light.

1:20 AM

Gehlot stresses on strengthening arrangements for Covid treatment

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told officials on Tuesday that the arrangements for Covid treatment should be strengthened on a war footing.

Gehlot said arrangements at the community and primary health centres (PHC) levels should be strengthened.
 

In a review meeting through video conference, the chief minister instructed officials to complete the work of setting up oxygen generation plants and infant intensive care units in the model CHC in a time-bound manner, according to a release.
 

Gehlot said that in the districts where the rate of infection is high, the system of micro containment zone should be strengthened further. Work of door-to-door survey and distribution of drug kits should be expedited.
 

Expressing concern on the cases of black fungus in Covid patients, the chief minister said special treatment facilities should be made available in hospitals for this.
 

He directed the officials to coordinate with officials of the central government to ensure adequate availability of the medicines.
 

Gehlot also discussed the status of Cyclone Tauktae and asked officials to coordinate with district collectors to ensure that everything is in order.
 

11:12 PM

Rajasthan Covid-19 update

10:19 PM

Assam Covid-19 update

10:18 PM

Uttarakhand releases SOP to issue anti-fungal drug used for Mucormycosis treatment

9:37 PM

Tripura govt imposes night curfew till May 26 to curb Covid-19 spread

Amid fresh wave of Covid-19, the Tripura government on Tuesday announced night curfew in the entire state starting May 19, a senior minister said.

It will be in force from 6 pm to 5 am till May 26.
 

The decision was announced at the state secretariat by state Law Minister and Cabinet spokesperson Ratan Lal Nath.
 

The state government had already announced a nine-day 'Corona Curfew from May 17 in Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) areas because of the surge in Covid-19 cases.
 

Nath said the restrictions imposed for the Corona Curfew in the AMC areas would be in force during night curfew in the entire state.
 

"We appeal to all people of the state to maintain strict Covid protocol and also request everyone to go for tests and take vaccines. We need to follow three steps to save ourselves awareness, testing, and vaccination," the minister said.
 

Inter-district movement would be stopped from May 20 till May 26 except for essential or emergency needs.
 

Further decisions would be announced in the coming days while paying attention to issues faced by the poor, the minister said. 
 

9:34 PM

Gujarat sees 6,447 Covid-19 cases, 67 deaths; 9,557 recover

Gujarat reported 6,447 Covid- 19 cases and 9,557 recoveries on Tuesday, while the day also saw 67 deaths from the infection, an official said.

The state's caseload stands at 7,66,201, including 9,269 deaths, he said.
 

The recovery count in the state has reached 6,60,489, leaving it with an active caseload of 96,443, of which 755 are on ventilator support, the official added.
 

"Ahmedabad reported 1,895 new cases, the highest for any district, followed by Vadodara with 639, Surat 466, Junagadh 341, Rajkot 290, and Jamnagar 244.
Ahmedabad saw 12 deaths during the day, followed by 11 in Surat, seven in Rajkot, four in Vadodara and three in Junagadh, among others," he said.
 

An official release said no vaccination drive was held on Tuesday due to cyclone Tauktae which made landfall in the state late Monday night.
 

Gujarat's Covid-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 7,66,201, new cases 6,447, death toll 9,269, discharged 6,60,489, active cases 96,443, people tested so far - figures not released.
 

9:00 PM

7,774 new Covid cases, 14,897 recoveries and 124 deaths in Haryana in a day

8:59 PM

Covid-19 second wave extremely severe in Assam, CM seeks funds from people

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the impact of the second wave of COVID- 19 has been "extremely severe" in the northeastern state for which medical infrastructure needs to be strengthened.

 

Through his social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, Sarma appealed to the public to contribute generously to the Chief Ministers Relief Fund or the Assam Arogya Nidhi account to support the governments efforts in handling the pandemic.

8:47 PM

31,337 new coronavirus cases, 45,926 recoveries and 97 deaths reported in Kerala today

31,337 new coronavirus cases, 45,926 recoveries and 97 deaths reported in Kerala today; active cases at 3,47,626