India reported 1,00,636 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest in 61 days, taking the infection tally to 2,89,09,975, while the number of active cases dropped to 14,01,609, according to the Union Health Ministry's data updated on Monday.
The death count due to coronavirus reached 3,49,186 with 2,427 new fatalities, the lowest in around 45 days, the data updated at 8 am showed.
A total of 96,982 new cases were recorded in a span of 24 hours on April 6.
Also, 15,87,589 tests were conducted on Sunday, taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 36,63,34,111, while the daily positivity rate was recorded at 6.34 per cent.
It has been less than 10 per cent for 14 consecutive days, the ministry said.
The weekly positivity rate has declined to 6.21 per cent.
Meanwhile, several parts of India have begun the process of cautiously resuming activities stopped two months ago when the coronavirus cases began its deadly surge in the second wave. The 'unlocking' comes as Covid cases have seen a steady fall in recent weeks.
In Delhi, shops in malls, markets, market complexes, standalone shops and neighborhood shops opened with the restrictions of odd-even and timings. Delhi Metro, which was suspended since May 10, resumed services with 50 per cent capacity. Private offices are allowed to function with 50 per cent staff.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus:
Odisha | In a viral video(in pic 1&2), Healthcare workers at Brahmapur's MKCG Medical college&hospital were seen shaving beard & braiding hair of COVID patients
- ANI (@ANI) June 7, 2021
They received appreciation from various depts. We advise other hospitals to practice same: Sub Collector,Ganjam(07.06) pic.twitter.com/J9hwwBKkvT
Odisha | Out of 113 inmates, 70 inmates along with 5 employees of Gunupur Sub-Jail tested positive for #COVID19 till date. They have been isolated. The remaining inmates have been kept separate: Kamakshya Prasad Pati, Jail Superintendent of Gunupur Sub-Jail (07.06) pic.twitter.com/xNuHlsYt1x
- ANI (@ANI) June 7, 2021
World Health Organization (WHO) official said that the WHO can't compel China to divulge more data on COVID-19's origins, while adding it will propose studies needed to take understanding of where the virus emerged to the "next level": Reuters
- ANI (@ANI) June 7, 2021
Several opposition leaders in Punjab, including Sukhbir Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal and Saravjit Kaur Manuke of the Aam Aadmi Party, were booked for staging protests against the state government in violation of Covid restrictions.
Black Fungus cases spiking in Bihar, the state government has not sent supplies of the anti-fungal injection for over 300 patients admitted in different hospitals of Patna for two straight days. With supplies for Saturday also being patchy, the hospitals in the state are running short of Liposomal Amphotericin B injection -- the most effective treatment for Black Fungus or Mucormycosis. The state government has assured that the supply will resume on Tuesday. Health Minister Mangal Pandey said all the hospitals will be provided the much-needed injections on Tuesday, "the Central Government assured us".
The UK's health service on Monday declared it had hit a new "exciting milestone" in its COVID-19 vaccination programme as it confirmed that all adults aged 25 and over will be offered their first dose of a vaccine from Tuesday.
He also said that of 12,386 cases of the Delta variant - or the B1.617.2 variant first detected in India - 126 people were admitted to hospital and of these, 83 were unvaccinated, 28 had one dose and three had two doses.
"Every day brings with it another exciting milestone in our vaccination programme - the largest and most successful in NHS history," said Hancock.
With a lockdown in place and what is, hopefully, the slowing of the second wave, the number of new coronavirus cases in Bengaluru has been reducing. But the case fatality rate, or CFR, is high.
The number of deaths reported from Bengaluru have doubled in the last month and was at a cumulative total of 14,875 in data released on Sunday.
According to this data, the case fatality rate in Bengaluru was 7.71 per cent as compared to the overall 2.62 per cent in Karnataka.
Bengaluru's data on Sunday showed 187 Covid-linked deaths.
The chief of the city's civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has said deaths recorded on one day did not all happen on that day. This even though it is that figure that is used to calculate the case fatality rate.
Mumbai on Monday reported 728 fresh coronavirus positive cases and 28 fatalities, taking the tally to 7,12,329 and the toll to 15,066, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
Mumbai had recorded 794 cases and 20 deaths due to COVID-19 the previous day. Mumbai has been reporting less than 1,000 cases every day for the last seven days.
With 28,076 new tests, the number of samples tested so far in Mumbai rose to 64,53,499, as per the BMC data. Mumbai is now left with 15,786 active cases.
People going abroad for education, jobs or as part of Indian contingent for Tokyo Olympic, will have to get their CoWIN vaccination certificates linked to their passport. They can also take the second dose of vaccine after 28 days, the Centre said today as part of a new set of rules for vaccination. The facility shall be available to those who need to undertake international travel for the specified purposes till August 31, the government said.
The new rules also said that mention of vaccine type as "Covishield" is sufficient and "no other qualifying entries are required", the government added, setting off questions whether the Vaccine developed by the Oxford University and Astrazeneca is only acceptable abroad.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has extended the lockdown in Kerala till June 16. The Chief Minister's office said on Twitter that the essential services will be exempted and there will be a "complete lockdown on June 12 and 13."
The selling of commodities like stationary, Jewelry, footwear, will be allowed to operate between 7 am to 7 pm till June 17. Banks in the state will be allowed to open on alternate days in this period.
From June 17, government offices, public sector units and local body offices will be allowed to function with 50 per cent staff.
The whole country was talking about how we are going to save such a huge population. In a year, we launched 2 made-in-India vaccines. Over 23 crore people have been inoculated so far. We can achieve success only when we believe in ourselves. We had faith in our scientists, which is why when they were doing their research, we prepped the logistics... We constituted the vaccine taskforce last year, when there were only a few Covid cases.
To produce vaccines at such a fast rate is a big achievement but it has its limitations. Vaccination first started only in a few developed countries. We started our vaccination drive based on the parameters set by the WHO. After taking recommendations, it was decided that the vulnerable population will be vaccinated first which is why frontline, health care and those above 45 were vaccinated first.
A lot of demands were raised that the states should get rights for their own Covid management, they started raising demands. We accepted their demands. States demanded vaccine decentralisation, questions were raised on age group, questions were raised on why senior citizens were vaccinated first. After giving it a lot of thought, we changed the way vaccinations were done. So, we gave 25 % of the work to states. Now they have started to realise the difficulty the work involves.
Two weeks into the month of May, states began to say that the centralised system (of vaccine distribution) was better. We will take care of the 25% work given to states. It will be implemented in two weeks. From June 21, we will provide free vaccines to states for those above 18.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that the Centre would take back control of vaccination from the states and provide free vaccines to all in the next two weeks.
"The Centre is taking back total control of vaccination now, will be implemented in next two weeks. The Centre will give free vaccines to states for all above 18. From June 21, the Centre will provide free vaccines to states," PM Modi announced in an address to the nation.
This means those who want to pay can go to private hospitals, who can still buy 25 per cent of the doses directly from manufacturers.
"75% of vaccination will be free and under the Centre, 25% will be paid and by private hospitals," he said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday urged ASHA workers to create awareness about making villages coronavirus-free and said they had an important role to play to stop a possible third wave that could affect children.
Addressing a webinar of Accredited Social Health Activists along with paediatric task force members, Mr Thackeray said parents must not panic while taking care of children infected with COVID-19.
"ASHA workers should take charge of villages and guide residents. They must follow the advice of the paediatric task force and refer patients to the administrative machinery immediately," the Chief Minister said.
The Indian Space Research Organisation has developed three types of ventilators, and has come forward to transfer the technology to industry for clinical usage as the country battles the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.
A low-cost and portable critical care ventilator, ''PRANA'' ("Programmable Respiratory Assistance for the Needy Aid'') is based on the automated compression of an AMBU (Artificial Manual Breathing unit) bag.
The system has a sophisticated control system that includes airway pressure sensor, flow sensor, oxygen sensor, servo actuator as well as expiration and PEEP (Positive End Expiratory Pressure) control valves, according to an interest exploration note posted on the website of Bengaluru-headquartered space agency.
The Union Health Ministry has issued revised guidelines for management of Covid patients, dropping ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine and favipiravir - three widely-used drugs - from its list of approved treatment options.
All three - used for asymptomatic and mild cases - were removed after experts found they did not help patients infected with the coronavirus, according to officials.
However, the guidelines, issued by the ministry's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), differ from those provided by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which recommend both ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.
After over 1.5-month lockdown, the unlocking process begins in #Delhi as metro services open for public with 50% capacity, among other relaxations
- ANI (@ANI) June 7, 2021
Visuals from inside metro & outside RK Ashram Marg metro station#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/PF7K9KHib3
Karnataka Government permitted District Registrar and Sub-Registrar offices to function strictly adhering #COVID19 appropriate behaviour pic.twitter.com/5BNAHiX26P
- ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2021