Coronavirus Update: India Reports Biggest Single-Day Spike Of Nearly 17,000 COVID-19 cases

COVID-19 news: UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar sees record one-day spike of 143 cases
Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh recorded 143 new COVID-19 cases, the district's biggest single-day spike yet, even as the death count due to the disease rose to 20 on Thursday, official data showed.

Also, 32 patients were discharged after recovery from the novel coronavirus, taking the number of cured patients to 1,028 in the district, according to the daily data released by the Uttar Pradesh Health Department.

The number of active COVID-19 cases rose to 763 in Gautam Buddh Nagar, while one more death pushed the toll to 20 on Thursday, the data showed.

Coronavirus: Chhattisgarh allows passenger buses, shopping malls to operate
The Chhattisgarh government on Thursday allowed passenger buses to operate within the state and also gave permission to shopping malls to reopen as part of further easing of lockdown restrictions, an official said.

The government on Thursday issued a fresh set of guidelines to this effect.

State Transport Commissioner Kamalpreet Singh issued an order for the resumption of passenger bus service within districts and inter-districts with immediate effect for the convenience of people, a public relations department official said.

COVID-19 Counselling Centres activated in Guwahati
In an initiative by the Assam government to flatten the rising coronavirus curve in the state capital, 31 COVID-19 Counselling Centres (CCC) have been activated in Guwahati on Thursday, Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Kamrup (Metro), under which Guwahati city falls, has so far reported 552 cases, with a majority from the municipal area of the city.

Sophisticated machines will be available at the CCCs for voluntary testing of samples for COVID-19 and the results will be known immediately, reported news agency PTI.

Coronavirus: Delhi Records 3,390 COVID-19 Cases In 24 Hours, Total Crosses 73,000
Delhi recorded 3,390 fresh coronavirus cases today, taking the COVID-19 tally in the city to 73,780. With 64 deaths linked to the highly contagious virus over the past 24 hours, the fatalities in the national capital stood at 2,175, government data said." itemprop="description

Coronavirus: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reviews COVID-19 situation in Assam
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday reviewed the COVID-19 situation in Assam and the sudden spike in cases in the state capital.

Sonowal said steps have been initiated to control the recent jump in cases, but if required more stringent measures would be taken to deal with the situation.

Assam reported 88 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the state's tally to 6,370, reported news agency PTI.

Coronavirus: Manipur's COVID-19 tally crosses 1,000-mark with 86 fresh cases
Manipur's COVID-19 count crossed the 1,000 mark on Thursday with 86 more people testing positive for the disease, officials said.

The fresh cases, all returnees from other states have taken Manipur's tally to 1,056, officials from the COVID-19 Common Control Room said.

Fifty-five of the fresh cases were reported from worst-hit Tamenglong district, followed by 12 from Ukhrul, four from Kakching, three from Imphal East, two each from Bishnupur, Churachandpur, Kamjong, Senapati and Thoubal districts and one each from Imphal East and Kangpokpi districts, they said.

Railways Cancels All Tickets For Regular Trains From July 1 To August 12
The Indian Railways on Thursday said it would cancel all tickets booked for regular trains between July 1 and August 12 as coronavirus cases in the country surged a month after the government started relaxing some of the restrictions imposed in March. Only special trains announced in May and June will run, the railways said." itemprop="description

Just In: Railways cancels all tickets booked for regular trains between July 1 and August 12

Coronavirus news: Kerala reports 100-plus coronavirus cases for 7th straight day
Kerala reported over hundred COVID-19 cases for the seventh consecutive day on Thursday, taking the total number of infections in the state to 3,726.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said 123 new cases were confirmed out of which 84 came from abroad, 33 from other states while six contracted the disease through their contacts.

"Samples of 53 persons came back negative today taking the total number of cured in the state to 1,941. As of now, 1,59,616 people are under observation in the state out of which 2,349 people are in isolation wards of various hospitals," Mr Vijayan told reporters after the daily COVID-19 evaluation meeting.

Coronavirus: Two more test positive for COVID-19 in Sikkim
Two more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Sikkim on Thursday, taking the total tally in the state to 85, a health department official said.

One of them is a 21-year-old woman from south Sikkim, who had recently returned from Bihar, and the other a 49-year-old GREF worker in east Sikkim, who arrived in the state from Uttar Pradesh, director general (DG)-cum-secretary, health department, Dr Pema T Bhutia, said.

Both of them are undergoing treatment in isolation wards of local hospitals, reported news agency PTI.

Coronavirus: Give Action Plan On Increasing COVID Tests, Tells Delhi High Court To AAP Government
The Delhi High Court directed the AAP government on Thursday to give an action plan on ramping up the COVID-19 testing, saying it was "imperative" as the city on June 24 recorded the highest daily increase in coronavirus cases, more than anywhere else in the country.

Delhi recorded 3,788 fresh coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking the tally to over 70,000, while the number of deaths due to COVID-19 climbed to 2,365.

"Give an action plan on ramping up testing in the national capital which is imperative since as of yesterday (June 24), Delhi tops the country with the largest number of increase in cases in a single day at 3.788," a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad said.

Coronavirus: Maharashtra to conduct antigen tests for quick COVID-19 results, says state health minister
The Maharashtra government would conduct antigen tests, which would provide results of the COVID-19 tests within an hour, unlike the current waiting period of over 24 hours, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday.

Talking to reporters, Mr Tope said that one lakh antigen test kits will soon be made available in the state.

"Procurement orders have been given. Priority would be given to conduct this test on the frontline COVID-19 workers, such as essential services staff, health workers, police and others," he said.

The state government has also decided to undertake rapid antibody tests, whose kits were being upplied by a South Korean company, reported news agency PTI.

COVID-19 news: Hair salons in Maharashtra to reopen from June 28, says minister
Hair salons in Maharashtra will be allowed to reopen from June 28, after over three months of downing shutters due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, a state minister said on Thursday.

"The hair salons will reopen. However, the use of sanitisers and face-masks will be mandatory for the hairdresser and the customer. Similarly, the cloth or towel used for one customer shall not be used for others," he said.

Coronavirus: Arunachal MP allocates Rs 12 lakh from MPLADS funds to fight COVID-19
Arunachal East Lok Sabha MP Tapir Gao has allocated Rs 12 lakh from his MPLADS funds to fight COVID-19 in 11 districts under his constituency.

Mr Gao said he has allocated Rs 1 lakh each for Upper Siang, Siang, East Siang, West Siang, Anjaw, Lohit, Dibang Valley, Lower Dibang Valley, Tirap and Longding districts and Rs 2 lakh for Changlang, which is the worst-hit district in the state, reported news agency PTI.

The lawmaker is part of a high-level team that is touring eastern Arunachal Pradesh since June 23 to take stock of the COVID-19 situation.

Coronavirus: Uttarakhand Chief Minister inspects 750-bed COVID care centre at Cricket stadium in Dehradun
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Thursday inspected the 750-bed COVID care centre set up at the International Cricket stadium in Dehradun.

According to an official statement, COVID-19 patients kept at the facility will be given essential items and kit free of cost, and three meals will be provided to them every day.

"Online yoga and meditation classes will also be given by experts in the morning. LED screens have been provided for this purpose. Several arrangements including sanitation, thermal screening, CCTV cameras have been made," the statement read.

Coronavirus: Tamil Nadu reports 3,509 new COVID-19 cases, 45 fatalities
Tamil Nadu on Thursday reported 3,509 new virus cases, the highest single day increase so far, and 45 fatalities taking the infection count to 70,977 and death count to 911.

The new cases include 1,834 from Chennai, which is also the highest till date and the state capital's share was 47,650 in Tamil Nadu's tally of 70,977, a health department bulletin said.

A 31-year old woman was among the dead and in total 42 had co-morbidities and three none, it said. The number of active cases was 30,064 while 2,236 patients were discharged from various hospitals and in total 39,999 people have got cured.

Coronavirus news: 84 more COVID-19 patients recover in Ladakh; active cases now 582
As many as 84 more COVID-19 patients were released from quarantine after getting cured of the disease in Ladakh on Thursday, bringing down the number of the active cases in the union territory to 582, officials said.

While 16 patients were discharged in Leh district, the rest 68 were discharged in Kargil district, they said.

According to the media bulletin released by the Directorate of Health Services Ladakh, 16 patients in home isolation were discharged from Leh district and 12 patients in home isolation, two patients from COVID Hospital Kargil and 54 patients from COVID Care Centre (CCC) were discharged from Kargil district after they tested negative for the disease.

COVID-19 cases cross 2,000-mark in UP; death count mounts to 611
Uttar Pradesh recorded 15 more deaths and 636 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, taking the tally past the 2,000-mark as the fatalities mounted to 611.

At 20,193 cases, the state has added 12,370 to the count since June 1 when the Centre began the "Unlock-1" phase, gradually lifting the curbs imposed nationwide to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Up to June 1, the state had reported 7,823 cases and 213 deaths due to COVID-19.

Additional Chief Secretary, Information, Awanish Kumar Awasthi said 13,119 of the infected have been treated and discharged from hospitals. The number of active cases stands at 6,463, he told reporters.

Coronavirus: Famous 400-Year-Old Industry In Uttar Pradesh Gasps For Survival Amid Pandemic
A 400-year-old wood carving industry in western Uttar Pradesh that generates hundreds of crores in annual turnover from exports is floundering because of the global coronavirus pandemic." itemprop="description

Coronavirus: 38 police personnel test COVID-19 positive in 24 hours, says Maharashtra Police
Thirty-eight police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 while three succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, said Maharashtra Police.

The death count has gone up to 54 among police personnel in the state, reported news agency ANI.

So far, 3,282 police personnel have recovered and 991 are under treatment, with this the total number of COVID-19 positive police personnel has reached 4,326 across the State, Maharashtra Police informed.

Delhi COVID Patients Won't Need To Visit Government Centres, Order Revoked
All coronavirus patients in Delhi will not have to visit a quarantine centre for evaluation, the government said on Thursday, with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal withdrawing his order after strong protests from the Aami Aadmi Party administration." itemprop="description

Just In: COVID-19 patients in Delhi won't need to visit government centres for evaluation, centre withdraws order

Coronavirus: Central team to visit Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana to bolster COVID-19 management efforts
A central team, led by Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal, will visit Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana between June 26 and 29 to coordinate with the state officials in strengthening COVID-19 management efforts in those areas, the ministry said on Thursday.

According to officials, the team will also review the measures undertaken by the states for containment of COVID-19, reported news agency PTI.

Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases at 1,42,900. Gujarat has recorded 28,943 instances of the viral infection while Telangana has so far reported 10,331 cases, according to health ministry data.

India registered its worst single-day increase in COVID-19 cases on Thursday, recording more than 16,000 coronavirus infections, to push the overall tally to 4.73 lakh as the number of fatalities also jumped by 418, the Union Health Ministry said.

Coronavirus: Andhra Pradesh lists measures to combat COVID-19
Andhra Pradesh government today listed out various measures to contain the further spread of COVID-19 in the state.

"Under the leadership of Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the government of Andhra Pradesh has adopted various innovative strategies such as screening every household, conducting a door-to-door survey through volunteers, etc. to identify the virus effect while containing the further spread of the virus in the state," Andhra Pradesh government said in a release.

The measure employed by the state are: screening of every household, use of technology against Covid-19, inviting volunteers to help the government, and door-to-door surveys.

Over 75 lakh COVID-19 tests conducted till June 24: Top medical body
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday informed that over 75 lakh COVID-19 tests were conducted by various laboratories across the country till June 24.

Moreover, 2,07,871 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, reported news agency ANI.

"75,60,782 samples tested till June 24. 2,07,871 samples tested in the last 24 hours," the ICMR said.

In an effort to ramp up testing capacity, the ICMR has approved a total of 1,000 COVID-19 testing labs in both public (730) and private sector (270). This includes RT-PCR labs (557); TrueNat Labs (363) and CBNAAT Labs (80).

20 fresh coronavirus cases in Uttarakhand, tally rises to 2,642
Uttarakhand's COVID-19 tally rose to 2,642 on Thursday with 20 more people testing positive for the disease.

Udham Singh Nagar district reported 11 new cases followed by Dehradun which reported four, Pauri and Haridwar two each and Tehri one, a state health department bulletin said, reported news agency PTI.

With the detection of 20 new patients, the state's coronavirus tally climbed to 2,642 out of which 1,745 have recovered, 35 passed away and 17 have migrated out of Uttarakhand, it said.

COVID-19: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan launches eBlood services mobile app
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday launched the eBlood Services Mobile Application, in partnership with the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), for easy access to blood in this critical time of coronavirus pandemic.

Notably, this initiative would help the people to get the blood on time just by registering on the application. Also, people can demand up to four units of blood, reported news agency ANI.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said: "People who need blood can get registered on this app and know from where they will get blood."

Coronavirus: BS Yediyurappa calls high-level meeting to discuss COVID-19 situation in Karnataka
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa today said that a high-level meeting of state ministers and officials has been called to discuss the handling of the COVID-19 situation.

"COVID-19 cases are increasing in Bengaluru. In its wake, we have sealed some areas in Bengaluru. Today we have called a meeting of ministers and officials where further handling of the situation will be discussed," Mr Yediyurappa told reporters.

He said that the state government has arranged all facilities to treat COVID-19 patients in Bengaluru.

"But we are also thinking about the number of cases which is increasing in Bengaluru. I urge people to observe social distancing and maintain proper hygiene if Bengalurians do not want another seal down," Mr Yediyurappa said.

Coronavirus: 88 new COVID-19 cases in Assam, tally climbs to 6,370
Assam reported 88 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,370 in the state, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.

There are 2,400 active cases in the state, while 3,958 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the disease, he said.

Nine persons have died due to COVID-19 so far and three patients migrated out of the state, the minister said.

No Class 10 Exams, Class 12 Exams Later If Possible: CBSE To Top Court
Class 10 and Class 12 exams to be held from July 1 in schools across India have been cancelled, education board CBSE informed the Supreme Court today. Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have conveyed their inability to conduct examinations in the coronavirus crisis, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBSE, said in court.

Read More

Coronavirus news: Number of COVID-19 recoveries in Goa to grow, says Chief Minister Pramod Sawant
With as many as 137 COVID-19 patients recovering from the infection in Goa in the last two days, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has expressed confidence that the number of recoveries in the state will grow in the coming days.

Till Wednesday night, the overall tally of coronavirus positive patients in the state was 951, reported news agency PTI.

On Tuesday 45 new COVID-19 positive cases were found in the state, while 53 people had recovered on that day. The trend continued on Wednesday with 84 people recovering, while the number of new cases was 42. These recoveries reduced the number of active COVID-19 cases to 660.

Coronavirus News: Maharashtra, Delhi Among 5 States To Receive First Batch Of COVID-19 Drug
Hyderabad-based drugmaker Hetero, which has approval to manufacture and market the generic version of the experimental COVID-19 drug Remdesivir, has sent 20,000 vials to five states including Maharashtra and Delhi - the two worst affected states in the country.

Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are the other two states that will receive the first batch of the drug which is being marketed under the brand name COVIFOR in India. Telangana's capital Hyderabad, where the drugmaker is based, will also receive the first consignment.

Hetero said a 100-milligram vial of the drug will cost Rs 5,400. The company has set a target to produce one lakh vials of the drug in three-four weeks. Read More

80% Deaths From 5 States
Five states  in India- Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh - have reported over 80 per cent of deaths in the country linked to coronavirus. While Maharashtra, the worst-hit state, has reported 6,739 deaths, a total of 2,365 patients have died in Delhi, which has the second highest number of coronavirus cases.

Coronavirus News: Masks, Distancing In Classrooms For Karnataka Class 10 Exams Today
Class 10 board exams for over eight lakh students began in Karnataka today. Despite concerns over safety of students by parents, the state board decided to go ahead with the pending board exams in the state.

"I feel this is a duty that is being performed by the state government. In our state, 10th standard is a milestone in a student's life. We consulted many people and decided to hold the examinations. We have submitted an SOP to the High Court which gave a green signal," state Education minister Suresh Kumar said.

Read More

Coronavirus News: IIT Bombay First Major Institute To Scrap Face-To-Face Lectures This Year
Amid spike in coronavirus cases across the country, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has become the first major institute to scrap all face-to-face lectures for the rest of the year "so that there is no compromise on the safety and well-being of the students". In a Facebook Post last night, IIT Bombay Director Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri said the decision was made "after a long deliberation".

"For IIT Bombay, students are the first priority. We took the first step in India in concretely deciding how we must bring a closure to the current semester to help our students," Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri wrote in the post.

"But given the current condition of the pandemic, how do we plan for the next semester for our students? Again, after a long deliberation in the Senate, we have decided today that the next semester will be run purely in the online mode so that there is no compromise on the safety and well-being of the students," he further said. Read More

Coronavirus: Latest Numbers

Cured: 2,71,697

Total deaths so far: 14,894

Cases In Last 24 Hours: 16,922

Deaths In 24 Hours:418

Recovery rate: 57.42 %

Indian-American Doctors, Gurdwara Distribute Free Meals Amid COVID-19 In US
A group of Indian-American doctors from New Delhi have launched a food drive for the people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in US.

The Greater Washington Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and leading Maryland gurdwara -- Guru Nanak Foundation of America -- held their first food drive over the weekend serving more than 350 families affected by COVID-19 pandemic.

The Maryland and Virginia suburbs of Washington DC continue to show significant impact of coronavirus.