Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra reports 31,643 new cases in last 24 hours

Coronavirus live updates: In Maharashtra, CM Uddhav Thackeray asked officials to start preparing for another lockdown in view of the increasing Covid-19 cases. Stay tuned for corona-related news

4:20 PM

Lockdown in Maharashtra not a solution for Covid-19 surge: State BJP chief

A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked officials to prepare a plan for implementation of a lockdown, state BJP president Chandrakant Patil said lockdown is not a solution for the rise in cases of coronavirus.

 

Talking to reporters here after meeting Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta, Patil said not the only BJP, but all traders and workers from unorganised sectors will oppose the lockdown.

 

"Lockdown is not an answer to the increasing Covid-19 cases in the state. If the lockdown is imposed, you (state government) will not give any package (for relief to affected people). How people lived in the last one year cannot be understood by sitting inside 'Matoshree'," Patil said.

4:19 PM

Pakistan imposes partial coronavirus lockdowns

Pakistani authorities on Monday imposed a partial lockdown in several more high-risk areas in the capital, Islamabad, and elsewhere in the country after the positivity rate from coronavirus infections jumped to over 11 per cent.

 

Pakistan is facing another surge in coronavirus infections which officials say is worse than last year's outbreak when Pakistan had to impose a nationwide lockdown.

 

On Monday, authorities in the eastern Punjab province also announced a two-week long partial lockdown in high-risk cities from April 1 in an effort aimed at containing the spread of the virus.

4:17 PM

Researchers study virus-cell interaction to understand Covid's high infection rate

Scientists from Lehigh University during a recent study identified a previously unknown interaction between receptors in human cells and the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. This new information could help in the development of new strategies for blocking the entry of this virus into human cells.

 

The findings appear in an article called "Biomechanical characterization of SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD and human ACE2 protein-protein interaction" in a special issue of Biophysical Journal, "Biophysicists Address Covid-19 Challenges I," published in mid-March.

 

Lehigh bioengineering researchers quantified the specific interaction between the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, with the ACE2 receptors in human cells that may partially explain its high infection rate compared to SARS-CoV-1. The study was published in Biophysical Journal.

4:16 PM

People above 45 yrs should get themselves vaccinated: Gujarat Deputy CM

Amid a sharp rise in coronavirus positive cases in Gujarat, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Monday said people above 45 years should get themselves vaccinated free at government facilities when the drive for this category begins from April 1.

 

Patel said getting two doses of Covid-19 vaccine will ensure protection from the viral infection.

 

"Those above the age of 45 years should get themselves vaccinated without fail. The vaccine is being offered free of cost at the centers run by the state government," Patel told reporters.

3:56 PM

Philippine's daily Covid count passes 10,000 for first time

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Monday 10,016 new Covid-19 infections, the highest ever daily tally since the outbreak began in January last year, raising the nationwide count in the Southeast Asian country to 731,894.

 

The death toll climbed to 13,186 after 16 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

 

"Our data shows continuing and swift rise of cases (in Metro Manila and four adjacent provinces)," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online briefing, stressing the need to reimpose "harder lockdowns or measures" to curb the infections.

 

Otherwise, she warned the country's active cases could balloon to 430,000 by the end of April and 350,000 cases in Metro Manila alone.

3:52 PM

MP: Barwani seals border with Maharashtra to check Covid surge

Authorities in Barwani have decided to seal the Madhya Pradesh district's border with neighbouring Maharashtra to check the spread of coronavirus infection, an official said on Monday.

 

The number of Covid-19 cases has been increasing in Barwani, district Collector Shivraj Singh Verma told PTI.

 

The main reason is that the district shares border with Maharashtra, where there has been a spike in coronavirus infection, he said.

3:51 PM

ICU cases creep toward new peak in French virus surge

The number of patients in intensive care in France is fast approaching the worst point of the country's last coronavirus surge in the autumn of 2020, another indicator of how a renewed crush of infections is bearing down on French hospitals.

 

The French government count of Covid-19 patients in ICUs and hospital surveillance units climbed to 4,872 on Sunday night. That is just short of the last high-point of 4,919 ICU cases on November 16, when France was also gripped by a virus surge and was locked down in response.

 

With ICU admissions continuing to increase by double digits on a daily basis, that November peak could be overtaken within days. Doctors are increasingly sounding the alarm that they may have to start turning patients away for ICU care, particularly in the Paris region.

3:35 PM

Over 200 new Covid-19 cases in Odisha for fifth consecutive day

The Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Odisha with 208 fresh positive cases and one death in the last 24 hours, informed the health department on Monday.

 

More than 200 new positive cases have been reported for the fifth consecutive day in the state.

 

A 35-year-old male Covid positive patient of Kalahandi district, who was also suffering from Diabetic Keto-acidosis with chronic kidney disease, succumbed to the deadly virus, the department said.

 

Of the fresh positives, 122 were detected in quarantine centres while the rest 86 are local transmission cases.

3:23 PM

Japan urges EU to ensure stable vaccine export

The government minister tasked with overseeing Japan's coronavirus vaccination campaign on Monday urged the European Union to ensure stable exports of European-made vaccines, warning that any attempt to suspend shipments amid a shortage in Europe would harm relations.

 

Vaccine Minister Taro Kono's comments in an interview with The Associated Press come as it looks increasingly uncertain that Japan will be able to source the number of vaccine doses it wanted before hosting the Olympics in four months.

 

I'm extremely concerned that our friendly relations between Japan and the EU would be (adversely) affected if a shipment (to Japan) is suspended, Kono said.

3:21 PM

AIADMK candidate in Karaikal tests positive for Covid-19

A U Asana, the AIADMK candidate for Karaikal (South) in the April 6 Assembly poll in Puducherry, tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday.

 

A Health Department spokesman told PTI that Asana underwent a check cup as he planned to come here on Tuesday to attend the rally to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

He tested positive and was being evaluated and kept under observation, the spokesman said.

3:12 PM

Kerala: Ruling Left ally candidate tests Covid positive

In a setback to the ruling Left Democratic Front amid hectic campaigning, one of their candidates -- KI Antony tested Covid positive on Monday.

 

Kerala goes to the polls on April 6 to elect 140 legislators.

 

Antony is a candidate of the Kerala Congress (Mani) an ally of the ruling LDF and is taking on nine time legislator and former Minister P.J. Joseph of the Kerala Congress party, an ally of the Congress-led UDF from the Thodupuzha constituency in Idukki district.

2:47 PM

Actor Fatima Sana Shaikh tests positive for Covid-19

Actor Fatima Sana Shaikh on Monday said she has tested positive for Covid-19 and is under home quarantine.

 

Shaikh, 29 took to Instagram and said she is following all the health and safety protocols after contracting the virus.

 

"I have tested positive for Covid-19 and currently following all the precautions and protocols and have been home quarantining myself. Thank you for all your wishes and concerns. Please stay safe guys," the actor wrote.

2:40 PM

Maharashtra govt failed in controlling Covid-19 second wave: BJP's Amar Sable

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Amar Sable on Monday alleged that Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has failed to control the second wave of Covid -19 in the state.

 

Speaking to ANI, Sable said, "The second wave of Covid-19 in Maharashtra has caused havoc. At this time, saving the lives of people and giving relief to the public should be the biggest priority of the government but, unfortunately, that is not happening."

2:15 PM

England embarks on major easing of lockdown

It's being dubbed Happy Monday. England is embarking on a major easing of its latest coronavirus lockdown that came into force at the start of the year, with families and friends able to meet up in outdoor spaces and many sports permitted once again.

 

And, as if right on cue, the weather is turning, with temperatures rising to levels more akin to southern Spain at this time of year.

 

Under Monday's easing, groups of up to six, or two households, can socialise in parks and gardens once more, while outdoor sports facilities can reopen after the stark stay-at-home order, which has seen new coronavirus cases fall dramatically over the past three months, officially ended.

1:55 PM

Holi revellers violate Covid-19 norms in Mumbai suburb

A large number of people, most of them without masks, gathered on a road in Mahim area of Mumbai on Monday morning and celebrated Holi while dancing to loud music, in violation of the Covid-19 guidelines.

 

Around 100 to 150 people came out of their homes to celebrate the festival on the road located in Mahim Koliwada, even as police officials present there apparently did nothing to stop them.

 

Some women danced to loud music, while a few persons in the crowd were seen wearing PPE suits.