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India logged 27,176 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to ,33,16,755, while the active cases declined to 3,51,087, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
The number of deaths climbed to 4,43,497 with 284 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.
The active cases comprise 1.05 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.62 per cent, the ministry said.
India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.
Here are the live updates on India coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
Assam government issues guidelines for festival season
The Assam government on Wednesday said organisers and volunteers of all puja committees must be inoculated with at least the first dose of vaccine against COVID-19 and preferably with the second jab.
Addressing a press conference, state Health Minister Keshab Mahanta said as the vaccination drive has gained momentum, and vaccines are available in every district and health block, no excuse will be accepted.
"The fresh set of guidelines is for the coming Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja and Diwali festivals. Steps are being taken to ensure that people are able to observe the festivals while controlling the COVID-19 spread at the same time," he said.
The vaccination certificate of all puja committee members and those involved in organising the festival has to be submitted with the application for acquiring permission for puja celebration, Mahanta said.
Bengal logs 743 fresh COVID-19 cases, 14 more fatalities
West Bengal reported 14 fresh CIVID-19 fatalities on Wednesday, raising the toll to 18,613, while the coronavirus tally mounted to 15,58,860 with 743 single-day cases, a health department bulletin said on Wednesday.
The state now has 8,050 active cases and 15,32,197 people have recovered from the disease so far, including 753 since Tuesday, it said.
Punjab reports 44 new Covid cases
Punjab on Wednesday reported 44 fresh cases of coronavirus that took the infection tally to 6,01,150, according to a medical bulletin.
With no fatality reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll remained 16,464.
Among the new COVID-19 cases, Pathankot and Mohali reported six cases each, followed by five in Jalandhar.
The active cases were 325.
New York To Offer COVID-19 Vaccination, Testing To All Attending High-Level UN General Assembly SessionAs world leaders arrive to attend the annual UN General Assembly session next week amid coronavirus pandemic, New York City will have in place facilities that will offer COVID-19 vaccination and testing to all those attending the high-level meetings.
Nagaland government announces phase 6 of unlocking from Sep 17 to 30
Nagaland government has decided to extend the ongoing process of unlocking with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic by two more weeks till September 30 with more relaxations, including opening of school from classes five to ten, officials said.
Nagaland government has been announcing the unlocking process in a phased manner since July 1 and the current Unlock phase five will end on Thursday, they said.
Over 80 per cent of eligible population received first dose of COVID vaccine: Kerala Chief Minister
Over 80 per cent of the population which is eligible for vaccination in the state has been administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said today.
The Chief Minister, at a press conference, said that over 32 per cent of the population eligible for vaccination have received both jabs of the vaccine.
He said the state government's endeavour was to ensure that all those above 18 years of age are administered the first dose of vaccine by the end of September and both doses in 2-3 months time.
Mumbai's daily COVID-19 case count goes above 500 for second time in September, says official
Mumbai reported 514 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths today, taking the caseload to 7,36,284 and total deaths to 16,037, a civic official said.
This is after a gap of a week that the daily COVID-19 case count has once again surged over 500 in the country's financial capital. Earlier on September 8, the city had witnessed 530 new infections after more than 48,000 COVID-19 cases.
Revenue collection in 2021-22 less than estimates by 23 per cent due to COVID-19, says Manish Sisodia
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said the city government has earned 23 per cent less revenue than estimates in the current financial year, 2021-22, because of closure of economic activities due to coronavirus and lockdown.
The Deputy Chief Minister also said that the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government received 41 per cent less revenue than estimates last year (2020-21) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said that due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, economic activities are less, therefore tax collection is low.
Telangana records 324 new COVID-19 cases, one death in last 24 hours
Telangana today logged 324 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,62,526, while the deaths rose to 3,899 with one new death.
280 people recuperated from the infectious disease today. The cumulative number of recoveries till date is 6,53,302.
The number of active cases is 5,325.
Karnataka logs 1,116 new cases, 8 deaths in last 24 hours
Karnataka today recorded 1,116 new cases of COVID-19, and 8 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 29,64,083 and the death count to 37,537, the health department said.
The total number of active cases is at 15,892.
"Vaccinating the world is my top focus": Abdulla Shahid as he begins presidency of 76th session of UN General Assembly
Vaccinating the world against COVID-19, rebuilding sustainably from the pandemic, and gender equality would be the "top focus" of the President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid as he begins his "presidency of hope" of the 193-member world organisation.
Vaccinating the world against COVID-19, rebuilding sustainably from the pandemic, and gender equality would be the "top focus" of the President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid as he begins his "presidency of hope" of the 193-member world organisation.
"We simply must close the gap to vaccine access. With this in mind, I will be holding a high-level thematic debate on vaccine equity with leading experts and world leaders," he said.
Congress MP Benny Behanan Accuses Kerala Government Of Hiding Covid Deaths FigureCongress Member of Parliament (MP) Benny Behanan today alleged that the Kerala government is hiding the COVID-19 death count and demanded that a case should be registered against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Speaking to the media, Mr Behanan said, "The COVID death count announced by the Chief Minister is absolutely wrong. In every hospital, there is a census."
Covid Expected To Become Endemic In India In 6 Months: Health Body ChiefCovid will start becoming endemic in India in the next six months, said Mr Sujeet Singh, the Director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), asserting that a new variant can't alone bring a third wave of infections.
Covid becoming endemic would mean the infection is becoming more manageable and easier on the health infrastructure, he said.
Andhra Pradesh Reports 1,445 fresh Covid cases, 11 deaths
Andhra Pradesh reported 1,445 fresh cases of coronavirus, 1,243 recoveries and 11 deaths in 24 hours as of 9 am on Wednesday.
The number of active cases now stand at 14,603, a health department bulletin said. The state COVID-19 chart showed a gross of 20,33,419 positives, 20,04,786 recoveries and 14,030 deaths.
Israel Booster Jabs Effective For Severe Covid Infections Even As Cases Surge: ExpertsIsrael's programme of booster vaccines has proved effective in reducing severe cases of Covid even as new infections hover near record highs, experts said, citing recent data.
Defence Minister addresses progress in India's Covid vaccination schedule in the 'Indo-US Economic Summit'
So far more than 75 crore vaccinations have been administered in India. We will soon cross the 100 crore vaccinations mark: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressing the 'Indo-US Economic Summit' pic.twitter.com/9kRs8PfKbS
- ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2021
Russian Sputnik V vaccine shows 97.2 per cent efficacy, high safety against COVID-19 in Belarus
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on Wednesday confirmed the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine's high efficacy during the vaccination campaign in the country.
An official release stated that the Russian vaccine has demonstrated 97.2 per cent efficacy against coronavirus in Belarus. The efficacy of Sputnik V was measured based on data from more than 860,000 people vaccinated between January and July 2021.
The data from the Ministry of Health also confirms high safety of Sputnik V, "No severe adverse events associated with vaccination. No deaths related to the vaccination. Belarus was the first foreign country to register Sputnik V and use it for vaccination of the population."
Delhi's Latest Guidelines Amid Covid: See What's AllowedMarriage parties with only 100 people and theatres at 50 per cent capacity are allowed in Delhi but no social, political and cultural congregations will be permitted, according to the latest guidelines by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority.
Delhi Metro will continue to operate at 100 per cent capacity, however, no standing passenger will be allowed.
Schools for students up to Class 8th in Delhi will remain closed till September 30, while schools for students from Class 9th and above will be allowed to function at 50 per cent capacity.
Restaurants and bars have already been allowed to open at 50 per cent capacity with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.
6 Feet Distance May Not Be Enough To Prevent Virus Spread Indoors: Study India administers over 61 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses in last 24 hours
With the administration of 61,15,690 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the last 24 hours, the country's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has surpassed the cumulative figure of 75.89 crores, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
According to the ministry, 75,89,12,277 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across the country so far through 76,68,216 sessions.
Of the total, 1,03,65,064 health care workers have received the first dose and 86,27,893 doses have been administered as the second dose to them.
As many as 1,83,39,480 frontline workers were administered the first dose and 1,41,57,234 vaccine doses were given as the second dose to them.
" 30,62,20,932 vaccine doses were administered as the first dose and 4,70,46,927 vaccine doses were given as the second dose in the age group 18-44 years," the ministry said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Odisha reports more recoveries than fresh COVID-19 cases for five days
Odisha reported more recoveries than new COVID-19 cases for the fifth consecutive day on Wednesday with 793 people recuperating from the disease and 457 fresh infections, a health department official said.
The new cases pushed the tally to 10,17,718, while 10,03,603 people have recovered from the disease.
The single-day recoveries in the last four days were above 680, while the fresh cases were in the range of 420 to 650, he said.
With an improvement in the COVID situation, none of the 30 districts of Odisha is now in the red zone, the official said.
A district with 2,500 or more active cases is classified as a red zone, while an area with 1,000 to less than 2,500 such cases is considered as yellow.
Green zones have less than 1,000 active cases.
COVID-19: Restaurants, bars urge High Court to direct Delhi government, police not to interfere with sale of herbal hookahs
Several restaurants and bars Wednesday urged the Delhi High Court to direct the AAP government and police not to interfere with the sale of herbal flavoured hookahs or take coercive steps against them.
The plea was opposed by the Delhi government which said use of hookah, be it with or without tobacco, in all public places including hotels, restaurants, eatery houses, bars, pubs and discotheques, in the national capital is strictly prohibited as use or sharing of hookah may further increase spread of COVID-19.
Justice Rekha Palli listed the matter for further hearing on September 20 as the counsel for petitioner restaurants and bars said he would file an additional affidavit.
"They (Delhi government) have problem with shared hookah which could lead to spread of COVID-19. If 40 people are using 10 hookahs, it is a problem," the court said, adding that this is an entirely different situation.
Over 1 crore people in Madhya Pradesh fully vaccinated against COVID-19: Official
More than one crore people are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh out of the eligible population of 5.40 crore, health officials said on Wednesday.
Till Tuesday, 1,00,09,759 people in Madhya Pradesh received both the doses of COVID-19 vaccine, said Priyanka Das, managing director of the National Health Mission (NHM) in MP.
So far, a total of 5,21,53,251 people have been inoculated in the state and out of them, 4,21,43,492 have received the first dose, while the remaining have got both the jabs, she said.
The state is also gearing up to launch a ''mega campaign 3.0'' on September 17, the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and has set a target to inoculating 32.90 lakh people on that day, another official said.
Coronavirus Updates: Puducherry sees 124 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths
Puducherry clocked 124 fresh coronavirus infections during the last 24 hours ending 10 a.m. on Wednesday, raising the overall tally to 1,25,063.
The fresh cases were identified at the end of examination of 5,345 samples and they were spread over Puducherry 87, Karaikal 29, Mahe and Yanam regions four each.
Two more patients hailing from Puducherry succumbed to the viral infection, raising the toll to 1,825.
Director of the Department of Health G Sriramulu said there were 900 active cases of whom 170 patients were undergoing treatment in hospitals while the remaining 730 patients were in home isolation.
While 80 patients recovered and were discharged in the last twenty-four hours the overall recoveries were 1,22,338.
The Department of Health has tested so far 17.16 lakh samples and has found 14.56 lakh out of them to be negative.
The test positivity rate was 2.32 percent while fatality and recovery rates were 1.46 percent and 97.82 percent respectively.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Mizoram reports 1,185 new COVID cases, 2 more fatalities
Mizoram on Wednesday reported 1,185 new COVID-19 cases, 317 less than the previous day, with the tally increasing to 74,068, a bulletin said.
At least 240 children, five Central Reserve Police Force personnel and a health worker were among the newly infected people, it said.
The death toll rose to 246 as two more fatalities due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours, the bulletin issued by the Information and Public Relations Department said.
The single-day positivity rate was at 12.65 per cent as the 1,185 fresh cases were detected from 9,368 sample tests.
Aizawl district reported the highest number of new cases at 620, followed by Lunglei at 116 and Kolasib at 92.
Five fresh patients have travel history, while the remaining 1,180 were found to have contracted the disease locally, it said, adding that 610 have developed symptoms of COVID-19.
#COVID19 : 27,176 new cases in last 24 hours; India's daily positivity rate at 1.69% pic.twitter.com/9ufBP1e95r
- NDTV (@ndtv) September 15, 2021
Coronavirus Updates: 8 new cases take COVID-19 tally of Andamans to 7,592
The number of active COVID-19 cases in Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 15 as eight more people tested positive for the infection, while only one person was cured of the disease in the last 24 hours, an official said on Wednesday.
The fresh infections raised the tally in the Union Territory to 7,592, he said.
"The COVID situation has been under control. The number of active cases, which remained in single digit in the last few days, rose to 15 with eight new infections," the official said.
Of the fresh patients, seven have travel history and one was detected during contact tracing.
The death toll remained at 129 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours, the official said.
Just In| 27,176 fresh coronavirus cases in India, nearly 7% higher than yesterday
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Thane sees 197 new COVID-19 cases, 3 more deaths
Thane has logged 197 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 5,55,090, an official said on Wednesday.
These new cases were reported on Tuesday, he said.
The virus also claimed the lives of three more people, which pushed the death toll in the district to 11,354, he said, adding that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 2.04 per cent.
In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,35,173, while the death toll has reached 3,273, another official said.
Sydney lifts Covid curfews as case numbers stabilise
Sydney authorities moved to lift curfews for coronavirus hotpots Wednesday, as infection numbers stabilised and vaccination rates surged.
Almost three months after activity in Australia's largest city was frozen by lockdown orders, state authorities announced easing restrictions for the worst-hit areas.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the 9 pm to 5 am curfew for virus hotspots would be lifted from Wednesday, in what Sydneysiders hope signals the beginning of the end of a long lockdown.
Infection rates appear to have plateaued at around 1,300 a day and 80 percent of people in Australia's most populous state have received at least one vaccine dose.
"We've seen a stabilisation in the last few days," said state premier Berejiklian, while urging residents to continue to be vigilant and respect stay-at-home orders.
"We don't want to see that trend go the wrong way."
Most Sydney residents can only leave home to buy food, exercise outdoors or seek medical treatment.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: France gets tough on vaccine rule for health workers
The French government faces a stand-off with tens of thousands of health workers and carers Wednesday over a new rule requiring them to receive a Covid-19 vaccine or face suspension without pay.
Starting Wednesday, hospital staff, ambulance drivers, retirement home workers, private doctors, fire service members and people caring for the elderly or infirm in their homes -- some 2.7 million people in total -- must be able to prove they have had at least one shot of a vaccine.
President Emmanuel Macron issued the ultimatum two months ago, but tens of thousands of carers remain unvaccinated.
One of France's biggest public sector unions, the hardline CGT, has warned of a "health catastrophe" if the government suspends large numbers of health workers and bars private-sector doctors from practising.
Defiant health workers have joined opponents of a new coronavirus "health pass" required for entry to restaurants, cafes and museums at weekly protests held across France in the past two months.
Delta Wave May Peak Soon In US But Virus Expected To Become Endemic
The latest coronavirus wave in the United States driven by the Delta variant could soon peak, but experts warn against complacency and expect the virus will be part of everyday life for years to come.
The seven-day-average of daily cases as of Monday was 172,000, its highest level of this surge even as the growth rate is slowing and cases are headed down in most states, according to data compiled by the Covid Act Now tracker.
But more than 1,800 people are still dying a day, and over 100,000 remain hospitalized with severe Covid -- a grim reminder of the challenges authorities have faced in getting enough Americans vaccinated in the face of misinformation and a polarized political climate.
Bhakti Hansoti, an associate professor in emergency medicine at John Hopkins University and expert in Covid critical care, told AFP she saw the US following a similar trajectory to India.
Countries in western Europe have also seen similar downturns in their Delta surges.
But while Hansoti breathed a sigh of relief when the spring wave ended, "I'm a little hesitant this time around," she admitted.
WHO Approval For Covaxin May Come By Month-End, Says Niti AayogThe World Health Organisation's approval for emergency use of Covaxin can come before the end of the month, Dr VK Paul, chairman of the National Expert Committee on Vaccine Administration, told reporters today." Read here.
India "Highest In World" For People With At Least 1 Vaccine Dose: Health MinistryThe number of people who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in India and the number who have completed the vaccination schedule in the country are the highest in the world, the Union Health Ministry said." Read here.
Australia's Victoria Nears First Vaccination Goal, Eye Easing Of CurbsAustralia's Victoria state reported a second consecutive daily fall in new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday as its first-dose vaccination rate neared the 70% level where some curbs imposed to contain an outbreak of the Delta variant will be eased." Read here.
