India on Friday reported 43,393 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, according to data from the health ministry. The country's active caseload stands at 4,58,727. The daily positivity rate - the number of positive cases identified per 100 - is 2.42 per cent, less than 3 per cent for 18 straight days. The recovery rate is at 97.19 per cent. 36.89 crore vaccine doses have been administered since the nationwide vaccination drive began.
Meanwhile, vaccination for children will start by September with the Zydus vaccine for 12 to 18-year-olds, Dr NK Arora, who heads the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration, has told NDTV in an exclusive interview. The emergency use authorisation for the Zydus vaccine will come within weeks, he added.
This, he said, will be followed up with Covaxin.
Here are the Highlights on coronavirus cases:
Over 37 Crore Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Administered In India So Far: CentreJharkhand reports 52 new cases and 76 recoveries today; the number of active cases in the state is 449#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/pU6b6QODRH
- ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2021
8 new COVID19 cases reported in #Chandigarh today; the total number of active cases in the UT is 101 pic.twitter.com/QOrK8vNyGq
- ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2021
"Look At Euro 2020": Government's Warning On Crowds During COVID-19 PandemicTo drive home concerns over the crowds spreading the COVID-19 virus, the government referred to the spike in cases in the England, where 60,000 fans were allowed in London's Wembley Stadium for the semi finals of Euro 2020.
Manipur logged 852 COVID-19 cases on Friday and 10 related fatalities. The active cases stood at 6,610 while 959 patients were discharged from the hospitals after recovering from the viral infection, the bulletin showed.
Uttarakhand | Devotees throng to Har ki Pauri in Haridwar as state govt eases COVID-19 restrictions.
- ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2021
"We feel like we have come out of jail after 2 yrs. There is a huge crowd. We are not scared of COVID-19. We have come here before 3rd wave," says a tourist pic.twitter.com/o7nhZ84WdS
COVID19 | Tamil Nadu records 3,039 new cases, 3,411 recoveries and 69 deaths today; the number of active cases in the state is 33,224 pic.twitter.com/dYA8RtKWv1
- ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2021
Maharashtra recorded 8,992 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and 200 related fatalities. The active cases in the state stood at 1,12,231 while 10,458 patients were discharged from the hospitals after recovering from the viral infection. The daily positivity rate in the state stood at 4.18 per cent while the recovery rate in the state stood at 96.08 per cent, the bulletin showed.
COVID19 | 180 new COVID19 cases,127 recoveries and one death reported in Himachal Pradesh in the 24 hours pic.twitter.com/Ex0oJrpSks
- ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2021
UK reported 35,707 new coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase since January. Additionally the country reported 29 related deaths. The Delta variant is considered to be the reason behind the spike in cases in the UK.
We have run out of Covishield again & are left with only a day's quota of Covaxin. Seek PM @narendramodi Ji & Health Minister @mansukhmandviya Ji's intervention. Have vaccinated 83 lakh people & our peak daily vaccination was 6 lakh. Request increased supply of vaccine to Punjab.
- Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) July 9, 2021
Second Wave Not Yet Over, Warns Government's Top AdviserThe second wave of Covid, which caused an unprecedented number of infections in March-April, is not yet over, the government warned today, urging people to keep following precautions like avoiding crowds and wearing masks.
Has Covid's Lambda Variant Reached India? This Is What Government SaidNo case of Lambda variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been found in India so far, the government said. Responding to a question at a press briefing, Joint Secretary in health ministry, Lav Agarwal, said Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium is monitoring it.
Chandigarh administration has initiated a COVID-19 vaccination drive at Sukhna Lake, which is a popular picnic spot.
- ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2021
"We have two sessions of vaccinations at Sukhna lake. The turnout is good. We are obtaining second doses for older citizens," says Dr Richa Sharma pic.twitter.com/py2lexZfWA
Working Actively To Import Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine: NITI AayogThe government said today that it is working actively with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Moderna to see how its vaccine can be imported and made available in the country.
Delhi Popular Gaffar Market Among 3 Shut For Flouting Covid RulesDelhi's Gaffar market - popular for mobile phones and other electronic goods - is among three markets in the national capital which have been ordered to remain closed for 48 hours for violating COVID-19 norms.
53% of India's COVID-19 Cases Last Week Were From Maharashtra, Kerala: CentreMaharashtra and Kerala recorded more than half of the COVID-19 cases registered in India last week, the Centre said today as it stressed that the pandemic is far from over and there is no room for complacency.
3rd Wave In Mind, Delhi Readies Graded Action Plan For CovidWith the fear of a third wave of Covid infections looming over the easing of curbs, the Delhi government has readied a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to tackle a spike in cases in the coming weeks.
India today reported two cases of the Kappa variant. Both the cases are in Uttar Pradesh. Know more about the Kappa variant of COVID-19 and how virulent it is, here.
Kerala reports 13,563 new cases, 130 deaths and 10,454 recoveries today; the number of active cases in the state is 1,13,115. Test positivity rate is 10.4%.
- ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2021
Delhi Covid-19 Update: 81 New COVID-19 Cases, 3 More Deaths In DelhiDelhi has recorded 81 fresh COVID-19 cases and three deaths due to the disease on Friday.
#COVID19 | India is 7 months behind its vaccination target, currently. To avoid a #thirdwave, India must vaccinate 60% of its population with both doses by December 2021. pic.twitter.com/kejsXEVbHZ
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 9, 2021
After Crowding At Tourist Hotspots, Centre's Stern Warning On What Lies AheadCrowding at places popular with tourists amid the pandemic is raising concerns among health experts with the government, especially with the possibility of a third devastating wave of COVID-19.
Pfizer Pushes For Third Shot As Delta Drives Global OutbreaksPfizer and BioNTech are pushing for the third dose of their Covid-19 vaccine after as the Delta variant is driving devastating outbreaks in Asia.
Lambda variant of coronavirus is a variant of interest. We should be watchful of such variants. As of now, there is no evidence that this variant has been identified in India: Dr. VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog pic.twitter.com/XjbP3XgKeI
- ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2021
#COVID19 | "Need to continue following Covid appropriate behavior as it's not the end of the pandemic": Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog pic.twitter.com/zxGzEaT8SS
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 9, 2021
#Covid pic.twitter.com/EO1INUXJAs
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 9, 2021
#COVID19Vaccine | "36.9 crore vaccine doses have been administered across the country": @LavAgarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/ao4GYoUOZp
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 9, 2021
Daily new cases in the country continue to show a decline. There has been a decline of 8% in average daily new cases in the last week. 80% of the new cases reported from 90 districts: Ministry of Health pic.twitter.com/55EvV69aVt
- ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2021
Coronavirus: Clear Early Signs Of Fourth COVID-19 Wave Starting In Pakistan: Minister Asad UmarThere are "clear early signs" of a fourth COVID-19 wave starting in Pakistan due to poor compliance with the standard operating procedures and the spread of the Delta variant, Minister for Planning Asad Umar said on Friday.
PM Modi Chairs Oxygen Supply Revamp Meet As Over 1,500 Plants Come Up
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 9, 2021
NDTV's Akhilesh Sharma reports
Read more: https://t.co/B8wqzfuRpW pic.twitter.com/o6eEtawBiT
India's Hetero Labs said on Friday it sought emergency use nod from the local regulator for Merck's COVID-19 drug molnupiravir, after interim data from a late-stage trial showed it helped reduce hospitalisations and speed up recovery in mild cases. Read more
Thailand announced a seven-hour night curfew across the capital Bangkok and nine provinces on Friday, along with tougher restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus, news agency AFP reported. The announcement affects more than 10 million people in the country. Thailand recorded 9,276 new cases and 72 fatalities on Friday amid a severe third wave of infections which began in April.
Throughout the pandemic, one crucial question has perplexed scientists worldwide: Why do some people become so sick from Covid-19 while others show no symptoms at all? Read more
Amid the construction of over 1,500 oxygen plants across India that could support more than four lakh hospital beds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today reviewed the progress of augmentation and availability of the gas across the country. The facilities are coming up in all states and districts with contributions from various sources such as ministries and public sector units, apart from PM CARES. Read here
Delta Variant Effect: Countries Using AstraZeneca Shots Eyeing BoostersGrowing concern that Covid-19 vaccines being deployed across much of the developing world aren't capable of thwarting the delta variant is prompting some countries to look at offering third doses to bolster immunity.
Two Cases Of Kappa Covid Variant Detected In Uttar PradeshA genome sequencing of 109 samples at Lucknow's KGMU hospital has returned 107 confirmed samples of highly infections Delta variant, and also carried two samples of the Kappa variant.
40,23,173 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours, as per the Ministry of Health.
On day-174 of the vaccination drive on July 8, out of the total 40,23,173 vaccine doses that were given, 27,01,200 beneficiaries were vaccinated for 1st dose and 13,21,973 beneficiaries received second dose of vaccine, ANI reported.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also defended the government's decision to allow in 1,000 football fans from Italy for Sunday's European Championship final against England, to join some 60,000 other supporters. Read Here.
The vaccine doses were developed by the British-Swedish biotech company AstraZeneca and manufactured under license in Japan, Focus Taiwan reported.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, at a press briefing, thanked Japan for the donation and said inspection of the vaccine shipment will be expedited to allow for faster distribution.
Pfizer Inc. plans to request U.S. emergency authorization in August for a third booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine, based on early data showing that it can sharply increase immune protection against the coronavirus.
At the same time, however, federal health officials signaled that they would take a cautious approach to potential booster shots, and underlined that the currently available vaccines are effective at keeping people from being sickened by the coronavirus. Read Here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level meeting on Friday to review the augmentation and availability of medical oxygen across the country, government sources said.
With many places complaining of oxygen shortage in hospitals during the peak of the second COVID-19 wave in April-May, the Union government has been taking measures in coordination with states to boost its production and supply. Read Here.
Efforts are underway to restore tourism industry business in Sikkim. The Sikkim government has started efforts to revive the tourism industry by effectively controlling the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, ANI reported.
According to Kapil Meena, Additional Secretary of the Tourism Department in the state, Sikkim has started inter-state tourists operations by adhering to COVID protocols under its ''unlock process'' from last Monday with special instructions."
It was slightly up from the record daily high of 1,275 tallied in the previous day, continuing to break records for the second consecutive day, ANI reported.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: Unvaccinated Tourists Will Not Be Allowed Into Country For Quite A While
Pfizer, BioNTech To Seek Authorization For Third Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine
