New Delhi: Forty eight cases of the new Delta Plus variant of Coronavirus have so far been identified in India, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)'s director general Balram Bhargava. "More importantly, they have been very localised. This virus has also been isolated and cultured now," he said during a briefing Friday.
At least seven cases of the new Delta Plus variant of Coronavirus have been confirmed in Madhya Pradesh, two of whom have died, it was reported earlier. Doctors said they had not received any vaccination. Three patients, who received single or double doses of vaccine earlier, are cured or are under home isolation without any complication. Two others who did not receive any vaccination have also managed to defeat the infection, doctors said. One of them is a 22-year-old woman and the other a toddler aged two years.
Meanwhile, workers and residents in Sydney were ordered to stay home for a week on Friday, as authorities locked down several central areas of Australia's largest city to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19. Sixty-five Covid-19 cases have been reported so far in the flare-up linked to a limousine driver infected about two weeks ago when he transported an international flight crew from Sydney airport to a quarantine hotel, AFP reported.
Here are the updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
Jun 26, 2021 00:05 (IST)
Delhi Records 115 New COVID-19 Cases In 24 Hours, Positivity Rate 0.15 Per Cent
Delhi recorded four more COVID-19-related deaths, the lowest since March 21, and 115 new cases on Friday with a positivity rate of 0.15 per cent, according to a health bulletin issued.
The new fatalities pushed the deaths due to the infection to 24,952, it said.
The case fatality rate stands at 1.74 per cent, it added.
The national capital had recorded four deaths on March 30 and an equal number of fatalities on March 23, while it recorded a single fatality on March 21.
Delhi recorded eight deaths and 109 fresh cases of coronavirus on Thursday as the city's positivity rate dipped to 0.14 per cent.
Jun 25, 2021 23:04 (IST)
80% Of Eligible Population In Tripura Gets At Least One Dose Of Covid Vaccine
Nearly 80 per cent of the total eligible population in Tripura has received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a senior official said on Friday.
The state has received 24.9 lakh vaccine doses so far, of which 2.10 lakh is yet to be administered, Siddhartha Shiv Jaiswal, director, National Health Mission, said.
"As on June 24, a total of 18.31 lakh people have received the first shot, which is around 80 per cent of the total eligible population," Mr Jaiswal said during a press meet.
Jun 25, 2021 21:46 (IST)
Tax Relief On Money Received For Covid Treatment From Employers
The government on Friday extended deadlines for various income tax compliances and said the amount paid by an employer to employees for COVID-19 treatment would be tax-exempt.
Also, payment received from employer by family members in case of death of an employee due to COVID-19 would be exempt from income tax.
The income tax department, in a statement, said the payment deadline for Vivad Se Vishwas direct tax dispute resolution scheme has been extended by two months till August 31.
Jun 25, 2021 20:44 (IST)
Pregnant Women Can Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19: Centre
The Union Health Ministry on Friday said that pregnant women can be vaccinated against the COVID-19.
While addressing a press conference on behalf of the Union Health Ministry, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said, "The Ministry of Health has given guidelines that the vaccine can be given to the pregnant woman."
"The vaccine is useful for the pregnant woman and it should be given," Dr Bhargava said.
Dr Bhargava said that in terms of administering COVID-19 vaccines to children is still debatable until relevant data is available.
