3 years ago
New Delhi:
India logged 30,570 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,33,47,325, while the active cases declined to 3,42,923, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
The number of deaths climbed to 4,43,928 with 431 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.
The active cases comprise 1.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.64 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 updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
Over 77 crore Covid vaccines doses administered so far: Government
The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country exceeded 77 crore on Thursday, the Union Health Ministry said.
Over 57 lakh (57,11,488) vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm on Thursday.
The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night, the ministry said.
According to a 7 pm provisional report by the ministry, 58,21,13,634 beneficiaries have been vaccinated for the first dose and 18,96,22,772 beneficiaries for the second dose.
The vaccination exercise is carried out to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19, which continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, the ministry said.
Coronavirus: 22 new cases in Gujarat, no deaths
Gujarat on Thursday reported 22 new coronavirus positive cases, increasing the overall case count to 8,25,677, the state health department said. With 23 patients getting discharged during the day, the recovery figure in the state rose to 8,15,446.
The deaths in Gujarat remained unchanged at 10,082 as no new fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, the department in a release.
Gujarat had last reported more than 20 cases in a day on September 10. There are 149 active cases in the state with six patients being on ventilator support, said the department.
With 2,65,560 people getting vaccinated against coronavirus on Thursday, the total number of doses administered in the state rose to 5,35,85,394, it added.
District-wise, Ahmedabad and Surat reported five new cases, Vadodara three, Bhavnagar and Valsad two cases each, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Jamnagar, Porbandar and Rajkot one case each.
Maharashtra logs 3,595 COVID-19 cases, 45 deaths
Maharashtra on Thursday reported 3,595 new coronavirus cases and 45 fatalities, taking its infection tally to 65,11,525 and deaths to 1,38,322, a health department official said.
As many as 3,240 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the count of recovered cases to 63,20,310. There are 49,342 active cases in the state.
There are 2,89,425 people in home quarantine and 1,908 in institutional quarantine.
Maharashtra's COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 97.06 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.12 per cent.
The cumulative number of coronavirus tests conducted in the state climbed to 5,65,29,882 after 1,68,793 samples were examined in the last 24 hours.
Mumbai city reported 446 new cases and two deaths, taking the total of infections in the city to 7,36,728 and deaths to 16,039.
UK health service begins COVID booster vaccine rollout
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) said it has started delivering COVID-19 booster vaccines to people in eligible groups of over-50s from Thursday.
In line with new guidance set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) earlier this week, the NHS vaccination programme will move to the next phase for people who had their second COVID-19 jab at least six months ago, for a booster or top up.
Hospital hubs have started vaccinating frontline health and care workers as well as identifying other eligible patients for their booster vaccine immediately, with GP-led local vaccination services to follow in the coming days.
"Now that the decision has been taken by the JCVI and once the relevant checks are in place, the NHS will invite you for your booster vaccination," said Dr Nikki Kanani, an Indian-origin GP and deputy lead for the NHS COVID vaccination programme.
Thailand reports 13,897 new COVID-19 cases, 188 more deaths
Thailand reported 13,897 new COVID-19 cases and 188 additional fatalities, according to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
Since the outbreak of the pandemic early last year, Thailand has recorded 1,434,237 COVID-19 cases and 14,953 cumulative deaths.
Out of the new cases reported on Thursday, 5,261 were found in Bangkok and its five neighbouring provinces.
The target date of Bangkok's reopening for inoculated tourists, which was earlier set on October 1, will be postponed to October 15, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Wednesday.
COVID-19 booster dose not central theme at the moment: Government
The government on Thursday said COVID-19 booster shot is not the central theme in scientific discussion as well as in the public health domain at the moment and getting the two doses remain the main priority.
Responding to a question at a press briefing, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said administering both the doses is absolutely essential and there should be no breakage in that.
"We need to remember one thing very clearly that booster dose is not the central theme at the moment in the scientific discussion as well as in the public health domain. Getting the two doses remains the major priority," Mr Bhargava said.
"Several agencies have recommended that antibody levels should not be measured...but the important understanding is that full vaccination of both the doses is absolutely essential and there should be no breakage in that," he said.
Sikkim reports 64 fresh COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 30,802
Sikkim reported 64 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours taking the state's tally to 30,802, according to a health department bulletin on Thursday.
The COVID-19 deaths remained unchanged at 379 as no fresh fatality was registered. The state now has 775 active cases, while 29,343 people have recovered from the infection.
The bulletin said 305 COVID-19 patients have migrated to other states.
The state tested 597 samples for coronavirus in the past 24 hours taking the total number of such tests to 2,41,289.
Kerala logs 68 pc of total COVID-19 cases reported in India: Health Ministry
Almost 68 per cent of the total COVID-19 cases reported in India are from Kerala, said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Bhushan said, "Almost 68 per cent of the total cases reported nationally are from Kerala. Kerala has over 1.99 lakh active cases, while five other states -- Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra -- have more than 10,000 active cases. The weekly positivity rate for the last 11 weeks is below 3 per cent. 64 districts are still reporting above 5 per cent COVID positivity. They are districts of concern where COVID appropriate behaviour, vaccination, surveillance in these areas must be strictly monitored."
The Union Health Secretary said the Centre is working towards ramping up the availability of medical oxygen in the country to more than 4,500 MT.
Mizoram is a state of concern. In coming 2-3 months, we have to maintain caution against any upsurge of COVID cases. We request everyone to remain careful in the coming quarter. We're happy to see the number of cases stabilising, even in Kerala: VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog pic.twitter.com/5JMgWh2i1N
- ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2021
Right now 3,631 PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) Plants have been started in the country. When these Plants get commissioned, they will be able to make available more than 4,500 MT of Medical Oxygen: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/Fz14u7IKRE
- ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2021
COVID-19: Government says 34 districts in India reporting weekly positivity rate of over 10 per cent, while it is between 5-10 pc in 32 districts.
Kerala reported 67.79 per cent of India's total COVID-19 cases last week, it is only state with more than 1 lakh active cases: Government
Mizoram reports 1,402 new COVID cases, positivity rate at 12.1%
Mizoram on Thursday reported 1,402 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 75,470, a Health Department official said.
The new cases were detected after testing 11,599 samples in the last 24 hours, registering a positivity rate of 12.10 per cent, he said.
Four more people died in the state, pushing the deaths to 250, he said.
Aizawl registered the highest number of new cases at 779, followed by Siaha (265) and Serchhip (78), he said.
At least 242 children were among the newly-infected people, the official said.
There are 13,973 active cases in the state at present, while 61,247 people have recovered, including 950 people on Wednesday.
Covid-19 cases: Russia records 19,594 COVID-19 cases in past 24 hours
Russia recorded 19,594 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, up from 18,841 the day before, bringing the cumulative total to 7,214,520, the federal response center said on Thursday.
"Over the past day, 19,594 COVID-19 cases were confirmed across 85 Russian regions, including 1,611 cases (8.2 per cent) without clinical symptoms," the center said, adding that the rate of increase grew to 0.27 per cent.
Moscow has the highest number of new cases with 2,479 daily infections, up from 1,838 the day before. The Russian capital is followed by St. Petersburg with 1,653 cases, up from 1,609, and the Moscow region with 768 cases, down from 790.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India exceeds average daily COVID-19 vaccination of 18 countries
India has surpassed the average daily COVID-19 vaccination of the 18 major countries in the world, the Union Health Ministry informed on Thursday.
According to the Ministry, the 18 major countries in the world have administered 81,70,000 (8.17 million) doses of COVID-19 vaccine while India administered 85,40,000 (8.54 million) doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
The list of major countries includes Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia.
The ministry said that the data is from September 1 to September 13.
Odisha records 580 new COVID-19 cases; over 66 lakh people fully vaccinated
Seventy-seven children are among the 580 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha on Thursday, pushing the tally to 10,18,298, a health department official said.
The rate of infection among children and adolescents stands at 13.2 per cent, he said.
Four fresh fatalities in the state raised the toll to 8,118, the official said.
Khurda district, of which state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, reported the highest number of new cases at 261, followed by Cuttack at 87. The two districts together accounted for 60 per cent of the new cases.
Eight districts -- Boudh, Bolangir, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur and Nuapada -- did not report any new case in the past 24 hours.
Of the 580 cases, 336 were reported from quarantine centres and the rest detected during contact tracing.
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Coronavirus #FactsVsMyths | "Favipiravir was approved for mild to moderate #COVID19 patients. The study on #Favipiravir found that there was a significant shortening of the disease in most cases": Dr Yatin Mehta, Chairman, Medanta Institute of Critical Care pic.twitter.com/zVhdnJDGJi
- NDTV (@ndtv) September 16, 2021
Over 76.11 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses provided to states, UTs: Centre
More than 76.11 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.
Further, more than 1.65 crore doses are in the pipeline.
Over 5.33 crore balance and unutilised COVID vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered, the ministry said.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the government has been supporting the states and UTs by providing them COVID vaccines free of cost, the ministry said.
Coronavirus Updates: Moderna Says Those Vaccinated Earlier Had Higher Rate Of Infections In Study
Moderna Inc. said that a new analysis of the late-stage clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine found a higher rate of breakthrough cases in people who got shots early in the study.
The analysis, detailed in a news release from Moderna on Wednesday, examined instances where immunized people in the company's trial still contracted Covid-19 this summer, when the delta variant was surging.
In Moderna's trial, people who first received a placebo were offered the vaccine starting in December, after initial positive efficacy results were reported. That created a group who were immunized a median of five months later than those who got the vaccine from the start of the study.
The company said it found that people who received the vaccine earlier had more than a 50% higher rate of symptomatic breakthrough infections in July and August, compared with those who were inoculated later.
Australia COVID-19 cases rise but vaccination surge gives hope
Australia's Victoria state reported its biggest one-day rise in COVID-19 cases of the year on Thursday as a surge in vaccinations nationwide raised hope for easing restrictions with almost 70% of the adult population having had a first dose.
Victoria, home to the city of Melbourne, detected 514 new infections, exceeding the year's previous daily high of 473 on Monday.
Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's largest cities, have ramped up their immunisation drives as the country struggles to contain a third wave of infections fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant, putting nearly half of the 25 million population under strict stay-at-home orders.
Still, Australia's coronavirus infection rates are far lower than those in many other countries, with some 80,000 cases and 1,128 deaths, and authorities are promising to relax many tough curbs, perhaps next month, after more people get both of their vaccine shots.
Just In| 30,570 fresh COVID-19 cases in India, 12.4% higher than yesterday
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Mizoram reports 1,402 new COVID cases in last 24 hours
Mizoram COVID-19 tally surged to 75,470 as 1,402 people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, informed the state Department of Information and Public Relations on Thursday.
The COVID-19 positivity rate in the state now stands at 17.43 per cent.
Of the 1,402 fresh cases, 287 were confirmed through RT-PCR test, 1048 were detected through Rapid Antigen Test, 50 were through TrueNat tests and 17 cases were detected from Fluorescent Immunoassay (FIA).
Mizoram currently has 13,973 active COVID-19 cases, while 61,247 people have recovered from the infection.
#Covid19 to become endemic in the next 6 months: Top expert pic.twitter.com/ts1ca3EzGr
- NDTV (@ndtv) September 16, 2021
Update| Mizoram reported 1,402 COVID-19 cases (positivity rate - 17.43%) and two deaths in the last 24 hours
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Bengal logs 743 fresh COVID-19 cases, 14 more fatalities
West Bengal reported 14 fresh CIVID-19 fatalities on Wednesday, raising the count 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.
West Bengal reported 14 fresh CIVID-19 fatalities on Wednesday, raising the count 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.
COVID-19: 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.
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.
