India COVID-19 Live: India reported 39 deaths on Thursday.
India reported at least 3,303 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 4,30,68,799. According to the Union Health Ministry, the active cases increased to 16,980, with 701 new active cases in a 24-hour time span.
The country also reported 39 deaths today, bringing the total number of Covid-related fatalities to 5,23,693.
The active cases comprise 0.04 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded as 98.74 per cent, the ministry said.
Here are the Highlights on coronavirus cases in India:
40 new COVID-19 cases in Telangana
Telangana on Thursday added 40 fresh cases to its COVID-19 tally, which rose to 7,91,946.
No new fatality due to the infectious disease was reported in the last 24 hours and the toll remained 4,111.
Hyderabad reported the highest number of infections at 21.
According to a medical bulletin, 20 people recuperated from the infection today and the cumulative number of recoveries till date was 7,87,539.
Gujarat records 14 COVID-19 cases, no deaths
Gujarat recorded 14 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours but no pandemic-related deaths, the state health department said in a release on Thursday evening.
It took the caseload in the state to 12,24,305, while death toll remained unchanged at 10,943.
Twenty persons recovered during this period, taking the tally of recoveries to 12,13,263.
The number of active cases in Gujarat now stands at 99.
COVID-19: Punjab reports 27 new cases
Punjab on Thursday reported 27 new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection tally to 7,59,538, according to the state's medical bulletin.
No Covid-related death was reported in the state in the last 24 hours, keeping the toll figure at 17,748, it said.
So far this month, the state has recorded 447 cases with four deaths.
There were 178 active cases in the state, it said.
580 fresh Covid cases in Haryana; 473 from Gurugram alone
Gurugram in Haryana continues to record an upswing in COVID-19 cases with 473 more people being confirmed for the disease on Thursday.
A total of 580 fresh infections were reported in the state in the past 24 hours.
Besides Gurugram, another NCR district Faridabad recorded 65 new coronavirus cases, according to the Haryana health department's daily bulletin.
Of the remaining 20 districts in the state, 42 cases were reported from nine districts, while no case was recorded in eleven districts.
Madhya Pradesh logs 29 new COVID-19 cases; active tally at 95
Madhya Pradesh on Thursday recorded 29 new cases of coronavirus that raised the tally of infections to 10,41,380, an official from the state health department said.
With no new casualties, toll stood at 10,735, while the count of recoveries reached 10,30,550 after 17 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, the official said.
The positivity rate stands at 0.3 per cent in the state, which currently has 95 active cases, he said.
COVID-19: Tamil Nadu logs 73 new infections, zero fatalities
Tamil Nadu on Thursday saw 73 new COVID-19 infections, pushing the caseload to 34,53,829 while the death toll remained unchanged at 38,025 with nil fatalities being recorded in the last 24 hours, the Health Department said.
Recoveries reached 34,15,316 with 32 more people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, leaving 488 active infections, a bulletin said.
Meanwhile, following the cluster of COVID-19 positive cases detected on the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) last week, 26 more people tested positive totalling 171 confirmed cases on the campus, sources in the government said.
Mumbai's daily COVID-19 count again dips below 100; no new death, active tally at 562
After recording more than 100 coronavirus cases for two straight days, Mumbai reported 90 new infections on Thursday, taking the overall tally to 10,59,635, but no fresh death linked to the disease was registered, the city civic body said.
The city has reported less than 100 daily COVID-19 cases after a gap of two days. A day ago, the financial capital had recorded 112 cases, the highest daily count since February 25, while 102 coronavirus patients were detected on Tuesday.
With no coronavirus-linked fatalities reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll remained unchanged at 19,562, said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) bulletin.
Odisha logs 7 new COVID-19 cases, next three-four weeks crucial for state
Noting that next three to four weeks are crucial for Odisha, the state government on Thursday cautioned districts and asked them to keep all health infrastructure ready to tackle any possible rise in COVID-19 infections, a senior health department official said.
Though the state used to report a maximum of up to 20 fresh cases daily this month, one should not consider that COVID-19 has completely gone from Odisha. The COVID infections are likely to rise in the state in the coming days for which all measures need to be in place to tackle the impending situation, Health Director Bijay Mohapatra told reporters here.
He said hospitals have been asked to keep COVID wards ready to admit patients in case corona positive cases escalate and the districts have been directed to keep a closer look on the situation.
Emotional To Economic: The Costs Of China's Zero-Covid Policy Summed UpChina is facing the biggest test yet of its draconian approach to COVID-19, with a lockdown for most people in Shanghai for more than a month crippling the commercial capital and Beijing scrambling to contain an outbreak and avert a similar crisis.
As most other countries in the world are learning to live with the virus, China's "dynamic Covid-zero" policy is taking a heavy toll on economic growth, posing significant challenges for companies and causing fatigue and frustration among residents. Read how it adds up here.
Covid virus could evolve in animals, spawn variants that can jump back to humans: scientists
The role of "animal reservoirs" in the spread of Covid is still being studied but evidence of zoonosis, or the virus jumping from animals to humans, is growing and scientists are concerned this new frontier could potentially spawn dangerous and difficult to monitor mutants.
While there is no consensus about the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, many scientists believe it likely jumped from bats to humans, either directly or through another species being sold live in a market in Wuhan, China.
Some experts also forward the theory that the highly mutated Omicron variant, which caused a deluge of cases globally, including in India, emerged from animals, potentially rodents, rather than an immune compromised human.
Delhi Covid Cases Rising But Hospitalisation Rate Low, Says Health Minister Satyendar JainDelhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said that though COVID-19 cases have increased in the capital, people are not developing severe disease and the hospitalisation rate is low.
He attributed the low hospitalisation rate to vaccination and naturally acquired immunity.
"Though Covid cases have increased in Delhi, people are not developing severe disease and the hospitalisation rate is low. This is because our population is fully vaccinated and a large number of people have had the disease in the past," Mr Jain told reporters.
Covid-Hit Beijing Keeps Guard Up To Avert Shanghai-Like Lockdown MiseryChina's capital Beijing closed some public spaces and stepped up checks at others on Thursday, as most of the city's 22 million residents embarked on more COVID-19 mass testing aimed at averting a Shanghai-like lockdown.
As Beijing rolled out three rounds of mass testing this week across a number of districts, it locked down a number of residential compounds, office blocks and a university after infections were found while shutting some schools, entertainment venues and tourist sites.
Over 19.58 crore Covid vaccine doses are available with States, UTs, says CentreMore than 19.58 crore balance and unutilized COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and Union Territories (UTs), said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday.
"More than 193.04 Crore (1,93,04,24,025) vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through the Government of India (free of cost channel) and through the direct state procurement category, of which more than 19.58 Crore (19,58,22,570) balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered," said an official statement.
Chinese Megacity Cancels Flights, Mass Tests After 1 Suspected Covid CaseThe Chinese megacity of Guangzhou cancelled hundreds of flights Thursday and launched mass testing of 5.6 million people after one suspected Covid case, as the battle to contain the coronavirus sweeps across the country.
China is facing its worst outbreak since the peak of the first wave in early 2020, with eastern Shanghai recording dozens of daily deaths and the capital Beijing sealing off whole neighbourhoods where handfuls of cases have been detected.
India records 3,303 new Covid cases in 24 hours, 39 deaths
India reported 3,303 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 4,30,65,496. The total Covid-related deaths in the country rose to 5,23,693 with 39 additions. Kerala also added a backlog of 26 deaths.
Two Indian origin men get jail for lying about vaccination status
A Singapore sent two Indian origin men to five-day jail in a case involving lying about their Covid vaccination status to enter a bar. One man was caught falsely impersonating the other in order to fake his vaccination status for entry, leading to both men facing jail.