Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today urged the central government to cancel CBSE board exams as the national capital recorded the biggest-ever single-day surge so far with 13,500 fresh coronavirus cases. He also appealed to the people in the city "to not leave homes unless absolutely necessary".
"Conducting board exams can lead to largescale spread of coronavirus, alternative methods of assessment can be explored. Students can be promoted on basis of either online exams or internal assessment," Mr Kejriwal said during the video address.
Meanwhile, Russian-made Covid vaccine Sputnik V, the third vaccine to be approved by India, will be manufactured by five pharma firms in the country and 850 million doses are going to be produced annually. However, limited doses are going to be available by the end of April.
India's drug regulator, the Drugs Controller General of India or DCGI, approved the Russian vaccine after it got a green signal by a special committee - the Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization - on Monday as a lethal second wave sweeps the country. The approval comes as several states flagged a shortage in vaccine.
Manufactured in India by Dr Reddy's, Sputnik V has the highest effectiveness - 91.6 per cent -- after the Moderna and Pfizer shots. The vaccine is already in Phase 3 of clinical trials in India and Dr Reddy's had applied for emergency use approval of the vaccine in February.
Here are the Live Updates on Coronavirus India Cases:
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday stopped short of enforcing a lockdown but announced tough restrictions for the next 15 days that include a ban on gatherings and only essential activities to break the chain of Covid infections that he said were "exploding dangerously" in the state. "The war has begun again," he said, addressing the state on the massive surge in cases.
From today, Section 144 -- a rule that prohibits groups of more than four people -- will be in place across Maharashtra and only essential travel and services will be allowed, said Mr Thackeray, urging people to move to Work From Home and observe a "Janata Curfew" voluntarily. From 7 am to 8 pm only essential services will function, related to health care, banks, media, e-Commerce and fuel.
Pfizer has "ramped up production" of its Covid-19 vaccine and can deliver 10 percent more doses than expected to the United States by the end of May, its CEO Albert Bourla said on Tuesday.
That would bring its delivery by the end of next month to 220 million doses, and Bourla said on Twitter the pharmaceutical giant can also "supply the full 300 million agreed on for the end of July two weeks early."
The news comes after US health authorities earlier in the day called for a pause on the use of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine, after six women between age 18 and 48 developed a rare type of blood clot that left one dead and another in critical condition.
Former Bar Council of India Chairman Vinay Chandra Mishra passed away here Tuesday, hours after testing positive for coronavirus, his son said.
Vivek Mishra told PTI-Bhasha that his father, who was 92, had served as the Advocate General of Uttar Pradesh and also as the President of Allahabad High Court Bar Association several times.
"He was thrice elected chairman of Bar Council of India (BCI), the apex body of the lawyers of the country. He had also been elected the President of Allahabad High Court Bar Association (HCBA) seven times," Vivek Mishra said.
"Earlier, in 60s, he was the President of Lucknow University Students'' Union, but later on joined the profession of law."
Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded four coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, taking the district's death count to 97, official data showed.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray today said cases were "exploding dangerously" in the state and "the war has begun again", as he addressed people of the state on the unprecedented surge in Covid infections.
One US patient died from blood clotting complications after receiving the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine while another is in critical condition, a senior scientist for the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday." itemprop="description
Three Bihar legislators - RJD MLAs Vijay Kumar Mandal and Anita Devi and CPI-ML legislator Arun Singh - have been charged for violating Covid guidelines in the state's Rohtas district, the police said today, reported news agency PTI.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Tuesday that the rapid drop in COVID-19 deaths was largely down to a three-month lockdown, not the vaccination programme, and that cases would rise once again as restrictions ease.
Russia's Sputnik V, the third Covid vaccine to be cleared for use in India, is effective against mutant strains, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has said.
Kerala recorded 7,515 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the total caseload to 11.80 lakh as active cases mounted to 52,132, the state government said, reported news agency PTI.
As many as 2,959 people were cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to 11,23,133.
A health department bulletin said 73,441 samples have been sent for testing, taking the overall number to 1,38,87,669.
The test positivity rate stood at 10.23 per cent.
The death count has gone up to 4,814 with 20 more fatalities being added to the tally.
The upward climb of coronavirus cases continued as Andhra Pradesh added 4,228 infections on Tuesday, the highest daily count in exactly six months, reported news agency PTI.
Amid the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Indore, the district administration and health department have started setting up one more COVID care centre in the city, reported news agency ANI.
The centre is being built on Radha Swami Satsang Vyas's ground on Khandwa Road. Efforts are being made to complete the setting up of the centre in two days.
"We are making arrangements for 500 beds in the first phase. There will be 10 blocks, each comprising 50 beds. Every block will have a doctor, nurse and other medical staff members. In the second phase, we will increase the number of beds to 1,000 and if the need arises, we can even think of exceeding the number of beds to 2,000," said Doctor Amit Malakar, COVID Nodal Officer.
Some Bollywood celebrities and cricketers had occupied hospital beds in Mumbai despite having no serious Covid symptoms, Maharashtra minister Aslam Shaikh said on Tuesday.
Centre had sent over 13.10 crore Covid vaccine doses to states and Union Territories of which the total consumption, including wastage, was 11.43 crore, the Health Ministry said today.
Over 1.67 crore vaccine doses are available with states and Union Territories, the Health Ministry said today at the press briefing, adding, the problem is not of vaccine shortage but that of better planning.
US authorities recommend pause on Johnson & Johnson shot over 6 cases of blood clots among 6.8 million vaccinated.
Yellow Line Update
- Delhi Metro Rail Corporation I कृपया मास्क पहनें😷 (@OfficialDMRC) April 13, 2021
Entry for Saket and Qutub Minar have been temporarily closed to ensure social distancing as part of our crowd control measures.
Exit is allowed.
Delhi: Amid rising cases of COVID-19, migrant workers start returning to their native places; visuals from ISBT, Anand Vihar.
- ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2021
"The rate at which the cases are rising makes it obvious that lockdown would be imposed. That is why I am going home," a labourer said yesterday. pic.twitter.com/8D2kfxQcfN
"Coronavirus infection is a curse to mankind. It has taken more lives than any other pandemic. Though restrictions like partial lockdowns, night curfew are imposed in other parts of the country. To prevent the rapid spread of the disease, in poll-bound West Bengal no such precautions have been adopted," Mr Chowdhury wrote in his letter to the EC.