India recorded a single-day rise of 44,111 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, besides 738 new fatalities, the lowest in 86 days, according to the Union health ministry's latest update. With this, the tally increased to 3,05,02,362 cases and 4,01,050 deaths. There are currently 4,95,533 active cases. The COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 97.06 per cent.
Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech announced its findings after the conclusion of Phase 3 final analysis of its Covaxin vaccine, finding it overall 77.8 per cent effective against coronavirus. The data is yet to be peer-reviewed. In a statement, the vaccine-maker also said Covaxin offers "65.2 per cent protection" against the Delta variant, which has been driving infection surge in several countries across the world.
Here are the LIVE updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
Karnataka today announced the lifting of weekend curfew starting next week as it treads cautiously even as daily Covid cases continue to drop. The night curfew will, however, continue to be in place from 9 pm to 5 am across the state, a government order said.
Rajasthan recorded 90 fresh COVID-19 cases and four related fatalities which raised the infection count to 9,52,663 and the death count to 8,934 on Saturday, according to an official report.
Of the fresh cases, Alwar and Jaipur reported 25 and 17 cases, respectively, while two deaths due to the coronavirus were reported from Udaipur and one each from Chittorgarh and Pratapgarh, the report said.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported six new COVID-19 cases, which took the tally in the Union Territory to 7,475, a health department official said on Saturday, according to news agency PTI. Four new patients have travel history and two were detected during contact tracing, he said.
The death count remained at 128 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours, the official said. At least 17 more people were cured of the disease during the period, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 7,325. The Union Territory now has 22 active cases.
Telangana administered 1,83,627 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Friday, reported news agency ANI. As per the report issued by the state health department Saturday, as of July 2 till 9 pm, 1,48,146 people received their first vaccine dose and 35,481 inoculated with the second dose. On July 2, those who received the first dose include 138 healthcare workers and 1,15,810 people from the 18-44 age group and 32,035 who are 45 and above. Among those who were vaccinated with the second dose include 287 healthcare Workers, 8,739 people from the 18-44 age group and 26,043 who are above 45 years of age. The COVID-19 vaccination drive for age group 18-44 began in Telangana on July 1, Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, Dr G Srinivasa Rao had said.
Meanwhile, as many 44,111 new COVID-19 cases and 738 deaths were reported in India in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry. With 57,477 recoveries in the last 24 hours, daily recoveries continued to outnumber the daily new cases for the 51st consecutive day.
Mizoram on Saturday reported 233 fresh COVID-19 cases, raising the state's tally to 21,003, an
official said, reported news agency PTI. The northeastern state now has 4,010 active cases, while 16,899 people have recovered from the disease, he said. The death count, however, remained at 94. Of the new infections, Aizawl district reported the highest number of 134 cases, followed by Kolasib and Lunglei - 43 and 22 cases, respectively. Mizoram has tested over 4.96 lakh samples for COVID-19 till date, the official said. State Immunisation Officer Lalzawmi said more than 5.2
lakh people have been vaccinated till Friday. Meanwhile, Mizoram Health Minister R Lalthangliana has said the state is preparing for a possible third wave of the pandemic.
Both the doses of Covid vaccine provide around 98 per cent protection from death due to the disease, while one dose gives nearly 92 per cent shield, the government said today citing a study conducted on police personnel in Punjab. Read here.
India reported 44,111 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, slightly lower than Friday, and added 738 deaths. The country crossed a grim milestone of 4 lakh Covid deaths on Friday - the third after US and Brazil. Read here.
India reported 44,111 new COVID-19 cases, 57,477 recoveries, and 738 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry.
Total cases: 3,05,02,362
Total recoveries: 2,96,05,779
Active cases: 4,95,533
Death count: 4,01,050
Total Vaccination: 34,46,11,291
With the addition of 489 coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 5,33,536, an official said on Saturday, according to news agency PTI.
These cases were reported on Friday, the official said. As the virus claimed the lives of 11 persons during the day, the death count in the district rose to 10,720. Thane's COVID-19 mortality rate is 2.00 per cent, he added. In neighbouring Palghar district, the caseload has gone up to 1,17,090, while the death count is 2,590, another official said.
Bharat Biotech has announced the findings of it final analysis for Covaxin efficacy from Phase 3 clinical trials. The conclusions are, however, yet to be peer-reviewed.
3. Safety analysis demonstrates adverse events reported were similar to placebo, with 12% of subjects experiencing commonly known side effects and less than 0.5% of subjects feeling serious adverse events
4. Efficacy data demonstrates 63.6% protection against asymptomatic COVID-19
The World Health Organization said Friday that Covid-19 tests should be carried out in schools in some circumstances to avoid the "harmful" effects of closures and remote learning.
"The summer months offer a valuable window of opportunity for governments to put in place the right set of measures that will help keep infection rates down and avoid resorting to school closures," Hans Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe, said in a statement issued together with UNICEF and UNESCO.
He added that closing schools "as we have seen, have such a harmful effect on the education, social and mental well-being of our children and youth."
Flexible and agile vaccination strategies can play a vital role in protecting lives in India as COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, according to a latest Lancet report.
The report ''Responsive and Agile Vaccination Strategies Against COVID-19 in India'' published by the Lancet Global Health on Friday highlighted the importance of sentinel site based surveillance and detection of early warning signal through test positivity ratio (TPR).
"Our analysis offers a demonstration of principle that even limited vaccination resources could be marshalled for maximum impact, if deployed flexibly in response to a rapidly evolving epidemic," the report said.