Covid-19 Cases in India: India's active caseload has increased to 4,04,958. (File)
India today recorded 42,982 fresh Covid cases, which is a slight increase in the number of cases from yesterday. The country also reported 533 deaths. The daily test positivity rate stands at 2.58 per cent.
The national capital recorded 61 fresh COVID-19 cases and two deaths due to the disease on Thursday, while the positivity rate slightly decreased to 0.08 per cent, according to data shared by the health department. The death count in the city has risen to 25,060, according to the latest health bulletin.
Kerala, which has emerged as the Number 1 hotspot in the country, today reported 22,414 fresh cases, which is slightly lower than yesterday's 23,676. The state also reported 108 deaths.
The pandemic is "still raging" in the country and eight states have shown a rise in the R-factor, the government said yesterday, calling it a "significant problem".
Here are the LIVE updates on India coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
COVID-19 India News: Kerala Launches "COVID-19 Death Information Portal"The Kerala government on Thursday launched the "COVID-19 death information portal" in the state to maintain a proper record of the number of deaths due to the virus, reported news agency ANI. Launching the portal, Health Minister Veena George said, "The state government has launched a new COVID-19 death information portal to know more details about the COVID-19 deaths in the state."
"This portal can be used by both the public and government agencies. The public has the option, via this portal, to search the details of the death of their relatives. All deaths that the government has officially reported as COVID deaths can be found in this portal. The information can be procured by entering the details such as name, district and date of death in the portal," she said.
"In addition to the announced COVID-19 deaths, various government agencies will be able to verify the authenticity of the Death Declaration document issued by district medical offices (DMOs). Currently, details of COVID deaths up to July 22, 2021 are available. The deaths announced after July 22, 2021 will be updated soon," the minister said.
COVID-19 India News: Bengal Reports 812 New Cases, 13 More Deaths
The COVID-19 toll in West Bengal rose to 18,193 after 13 more succumbed to the disease on Thursday, the health department said in its bulletin, according to news agency PTI. The tally mounted to 15,31,662 with 812 fresh cases of the infection, it added. North 24 Parganas district accounted for 114 new cases while in the city there were 79 new cases of the contagion, it said.
In the last 24 hours, 823 recoveries were registered in the state and the discharge rate remained at 98.11%. Till date, 15,02,748 people have recovered from the disease, the bulletin said. The number of active cases further slipped to 10,721, it added. Since Thursday, 48,869 samples have been tested in West Bengal, taking the total number of such tests to 1,59,52,188.
Over 62 Lakh Inoculated With Second Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine In Kerala: MinisterKerala Health Minister Veena George on Thursday said that over 1.5 crore people in the state have been inoculated with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for 42.82% of Kerala's population, reported news agency ANI.
"So far, a total of 2,13,01,782 people in Kerala have been vaccinated with one or two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Of these, 1,50,32,333 were given the first dose and 62,69,449 were given the second dose. According to the estimated population of Kerala in 2021, 42.81% were vaccinated with the first dose and 17.86% with second dose vaccine," she said.
On Thursday, 1,87,504 people were vaccinated in Kerala, Ms George informed. Further, she said that the state received 3.61 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday, which include 2 lakh doses of Covishield and 1.61 lakh doses of Covaxin.
'Long Covid' Is Real, A Matter Of Deep Concern: WHO WarningWith nearly 200 million people known to have had Covid-19, the WHO said Wednesday it was deeply concerned by the unknown numbers who may still be suffering with Long Covid.
The World Health Organization urged people struggling with the after-effects of the virus -- despite having recovered from the acute phase -- to seek medical help.
Long Covid remains one of the most mysterious aspects of the pandemic.
"This post-Covid syndrome, or Long Covid, is something that WHO is deeply concerned about," Maria Van Kerkhove, the UN health agency's Covid-19 technical lead, told a press conference.
Moderna Says COVID-19 Shot 93% Effective 6 Months After Second Dose
Moderna Inc said on Thursday its COVID-19 shot was about 93% effective through six months after the second dose, showing hardly any change from the 94% efficacy reported in its original clinical trial.
However, it said it still expects booster shots to be necessary ahead of the winter season as antibody levels are expected to wane. It and rival Pfizer Inc and
BioNTech SE have been advocating a third shot to maintain a high level of protection against COVID-19.
During a second-quarter earnings call, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said that the company would not produce more than the 800 million to 1 billion doses of the vaccine that it has targeted this year.
"We are now capacity constrained for 2021, and we are not taking any more orders for 2021 delivery," he said.
Moderna shares fell 3.6% to around $403.87 in pre-market trading after closing at $419.05 on Wednesday.
Kerala Records Over 20,000 New COVID-19 Cases, 117 Related Deaths
Kerala on Thursday reported 22,040 fresh coronavirus cases and 117 deaths, taking the total infection count to 34.93 lakh and the death count to 17,328.
As many as 20,046 people have been cured of the infection since Wednesday, taking the total recoveries to 32,97,834.
The number of active cases stood at 1,77,924, a state government release said. The state tested 1,63,376 samples in the last 24 hours and the test positivity rate was 13.49 per cent. So far, 2.80 crore samples have been tested, it said.
Covid-19 Vaccination Tally In Thane City Crosses 8-Lakh Mark
The COVID-19 vaccination tally in the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) limits in Maharashtra crossed the 8-lakh mark on Thursday, a civic official said.
According to a release issued by the civic body, a total of 8,00,584 people from Thane city have taken the COVID-19 vaccine jab so far, of which 4,24,310 beneficiaries were men and the rest were women.
The tally includes pregnant women and transgenders, among others, it was stated.
Meanwhile, Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner Abhijit Bhangar has directed the civic medical team to intensify the survey in the light of the detection of zika virus in the state.
Germany, France Ignore WHO Request, Will Give Covid Booster Shots
Germany and France will go ahead with COVID-19 vaccine boosters from September, disregarding an appeal by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to hold off until more people are vaccinated across the globe.
The decision to press ahead with booster shots despite the strongest statement yet from the WHO highlights the challenge of dealing with a global pandemic while countries try to protect their own citizens from the more infectious Delta variant.
"Against Centre's Rules": Kerala Slams Karnataka's Travel Curbs On Residents
Days after neighbouring Karnataka imposed travel restrictions on persons from the state in view of the COVID situation, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the fresh curbs were against the directive of the Centre in this regard.
As per the order issued by the Union Home Ministry, states should not impose travel curbs closing their borders, he said.
"The Karnataka government has imposed the new restrictions against the Central government's directive," he told the state Assembly.
Replying to a submission by legislator AKM Ashraf (IUML), he said steps have been taken to ensure that the curbs are not causing any difficulty to the people of the state who are travelling to the neighbouring state for various purposes.
Germany, France Ignore WHO Request, Will Give Covid Booster ShotsGermany and France will go ahead with COVID-19 vaccine boosters from September, disregarding an appeal by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to hold off until more people are vaccinated across the globe.
The decision to press ahead with booster shots despite the strongest statement yet from the WHO highlights the challenge of dealing with a global pandemic while countries try to protect their own citizens from the more infectious Delta variant.
Germany To Give Covid Vaccine Boosters To Vulnerable Groups In September Germany plans to give vulnerable people a COVID-19 vaccine booster in September, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, ignoring a World Health Organisation appeal to refrain from giving third doses while poor countries remain unvaccinated.
"The possibility of a booster vaccine in September is intended to ensure that those who are particularly at risk are adequately protected," the ministry said.
Risk groups include immunocompromised patients, the very elderly and nursing home residents, it added.
South Korea Pledges Nearly $2 Billion To Become Major COVID-19 Vaccine ProducerSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday he plans to invest 2.2 trillion won ($1.92 billion) to turn the country into one of the world's five largest COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing bases by 2025, his office said, reported news agency Reuters.
The remarks were made at a meeting of a public-private committee newly launched to explore ways to boost vaccine production amid global supply shortages and shipment delays.
Malaysia Grants Conditional Aproval For Moderna COVID-19 VaccineMalaysia's Health Ministry on Thursday said it has granted a conditional approval for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.
The ministry will continue to evaluate the quality, safety and effectiveness of the vaccine to ensure that its benefits outweigh the risks, director-general, Noor Hisham Abdullah, said in a statement.
Sydney's Delta Outbreak Hits Record As Lockdown Is WidenedSydney reported a record number of new daily delta variant cases on Thursday, with authorities to enforce stay-at-home orders beyond Australia's largest city as Covid-19 spreads north into other regions.
New South Wales state recorded 262 new cases, the vast majority in Sydney, which has been in lockdown for almost six weeks. Five more people died, and four of them weren't vaccinated, Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters.
Japan Set To Expand Covid Curbs As Surges Strain HospitalsJapan was set on Thursday to expand emergency restrictions to eight more prefectures to fight a surge in COVID-19 cases, as worries deepen about strains on the nation's medical system in Olympics host Tokyo and around the country.
Coronavirus infections are surging faster than ever before as new cases hit record highs in Tokyo, overshadowing the July 23-Aug. 8 Olympics and fueling doubts over Prime Minister Yasuhide Suga's handling of the pandemic.
Tokyo reported a record 4,166 new cases on Wednesday while nationwide new cases topped 14,000.
Uttar Pradesh Reports 61 New Cases, Two Deaths In Last 24 Hours
Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country, reported 61 Covid cases and two deaths over a 24-hour period.
Maharashtra Reports 6,126 Fresh Cases, 195 Deaths
Maharashtra, the state with most number of cases in the country, reported 6,126 fresh cases. It also reported 195 deaths.
Coronavirus Cases Updates: India's vaccination coverage exceeds 48.93 croreIndia's COVID19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 48.93 crore, the government said today.
"Cumulatively, 48,93,42,295 vaccine doses have been administered through 57,21,937 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today. 37,55,115 vaccine doses were administered in last 24 hours," the Health Ministry said in a statement.
42,982 Fresh COVID-19 Cases In India, Marginally Higher Than Yesterday
India today recorded 42,982 fresh Covid cases, which is a slight increase in the number of cases from yesterday. The country also reported 533 deaths. The daily test positivity rate stands at 2.58 per cent. The government has cautioned that the second wave is "still raging" and that eight states have shown an increase in the R-factor or the reproductive rate of the virus.
COVID-19: Odisha Chief Minister Warns Of Complete Lockdown If Rules Not Followed
Warning people of the state not to take the relaxation in COVID-19 lockdown for granted, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said the state government will be forced to declare complete lockdown if it feels that people aren't following COVID-19 protocols properly. "Odisha didn't face the situation that many other states faced during the second wave of COVID-19. The third wave can hit early as the scientists have warned. The government will be forced to declare complete lockdown if it feels that people aren't following COVID protocols properly," he said.