India has recorded over 2.86 crore Covid cases so far, with 1.20 lakh new cases, according to government data. This is the twelfth straight day when the country, recovering from the deadly second wave, saw a positive rate below 10 per cent.
Meanwhile, a company in Malta has expressed interest to supply up to 60 million doses of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V to Haryana directly, the state government said today. Pharma Regulatory Services Ltd, whose headquarters is in the European nation, has given an "expression of Interest" but did not bid for a contract yet, the state government said in a statement. The foreign company offered to sell the vaccine at ₹ 1,120 per dose.
India's active caseload dropped to 15.55 lakh as active cases decreased by 80,745 in the last 24 hours. The active cases in the country have been less than 2 lakhs for nine straight days.
Here are the Highlights on India Coronavirus Cases:
A case was lodged against Samajwadi Party Yuvjan Sabha chief of Auraiya Dharmendra Yadav and 200 others here on Saturday under the Disaster Management Act for flouting COVID-19 protocols and taking out a procession. Mr Yadav, who was released from prison on Friday evening, joined a procession on the Etawah-Auraiya highway with a number of vehicles in violation of COVID-19 protocols, Senior Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Singh said.
A total of 100 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds are being set up in Bengaluru through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
While 77 of these ICU beds with set at CV Raman General Hospital, the remaining 24 ICU beds will be set at Epidemic Diseases Hospital, Karnataka Health and Medical Minister K Sudhakar informed on Saturday after his visit to the hospitals.
A 1,000 LPM oxygen generator unit, allocated through PM Cares Fund, is also being installed at CV Raman General Hospital.
The Chief Minister of Karnataka, BS Yediyurappa will inaugurate the ICUs and oxygen generator unit on Monday (June 7), the minister added.
The centre on Saturday defended its liberalised vaccine policy and said the media reports suggesting inequities in distribution of doses were "inaccurate and speculative in nature". It said the vaccine policy that came into effect from May 1 reduces the "operational stress" on state-run vaccination facilities.
"It is reiterated that the Liberalised Vaccine policy, which envisages a larger role for the private sector and the centre, is setting aside 25% of vaccines for the private sector. This mechanism facilitates better access and reduces the operational stress on Government Vaccination facilities in terms of those who could afford to pay and would prefer to go to a private hospital," it said in a statement. Read
A company in Malta has expressed interest to supply up to 60 million doses of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V to Haryana directly, the state government said today. Haryana is the first state in the country to get a positive response for direct vaccine supply from a foreign company. Other states have been told by vaccine firms that they can only deal with the Union government.
Pharma Regulatory Services Ltd, whose headquarters is in the European nation, has given an "expression of Interest" but did not bid for a contract yet, the state government said in a statement.
The foreign company offered to sell the vaccine at ₹ 1,120 per dose.
"As per the offer made by the firm, the per dose cost of the vaccine will be nearly ₹ 1,120. The firm has further given a timeline of 30 days to supply the first batch of 5 lakh doses, followed by 1 million doses every 20 days till supply is completed against a letter of credit issued in their name," the state government said in the statement.
Kerala reported 17,328 new COVID-19 cases and 209 deaths on Saturday, taking the total caseload to 25,88,385 and the toll to 9,719.
Recoveries outnumbered the number of fresh cases with 24,003 people being discharged, taking the total to 24,40,642.
Among the districts, Thiruvananthapuram recorded the most number of cases--2,468, followed by Malappuram with 1,980 and Palakkad with 1,899.
"Out of those infected today, 112 reached the state from outside while 16,140 contracted the disease from their contacts. The source of infection of 1,007 people are yet to be traced. Sixty-nine health workers were also among the infected," health Minister Veena George said in a release.
She said 1,16,354 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 2,04,04,806.
Karnataka on Friday registered 13,800 new coronavirus cases and 365 deaths, data released by the state health department said today. The total active Covid cases in the state now stand at 2,68,275, while the positivity rate and the death rate were reported at 9.69 per cent and 2.64 per cent, respectively. As many as 25,346 patients were discharged on Friday.
In one email sent last April, an executive at a health charity thanked Fauci for publicly stating that scientific evidence does not support the lab-leak theory.
Dr Li-Meng Yan was one of the first to research the emerging coronavirus and previously revealed she was forced into hiding after accusing Beijing of a cover-up, New York Post reported.
With little over 3 per cent of its population fully vaccinated, India has firmly opposed the adoption of COVID-19 vaccine passports at the G7 meeting of health ministers on Friday, saying that such an initiative could prove to be "hugely discriminatory".
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, addressing the meeting of his counterparts from seven wealthy nations - to which India was invited this year as a guest - raised concerns about the availability of vaccines and low rates of inoculation in developing nations.
"At this stage of [the] pandemic, it is pertinent to also discuss about India's concern over the idea of a vaccine passport. Considering the fact of lower levels of vaccination in developing countries in contrast to the developed countries and still unaddressed issues related to equitable and affordable access, supply and distribution of safe and effective vaccines, India would propose that implementation of vaccine passports will be hugely discriminatory and disadvantageous to the developing countries," he said.
The COVID-19 lockdown in Tamil Nadu has been extended for another week, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced on Saturday as the government announced two sets of relaxations for 11 hotspot districts and the rest of the state. The lockdown, set to end on Monday, will now be in place till June 14.
Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Karur, Namakkal, Tanjore, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai make up the hotspot districts where restriction will continue due to high rate of infection.
In the rest of the state, standalone grocery provision stores will be allowed to function from 6am to 5 pm. However, the fish markets and slaughter houses will be allowed only for wholesale and are to be shifted to open areas to ensure social distancing, a key facet in keeping the virus at bay.
The Delhi Metro department today advised commuters to take out extra time and strictly follow Covid appropriate behaviour when the rail services resume on Monday. In the guidelines issued today, Delhi government mandated that passengers will allowed to board the metro with only 50 per cent of the seating capacity.
Delhi today reported 414 new cases of COVID-19, the lowest since March 15. The national capital also reported 60 deaths due to the highly contagious virus. The total active Covid cases in Delhi are below 7,000, while the recovery rate and the death rate are 97.81 per cent and 1.72 per cent, respectively. The positivity rate in the city is 0.47 per cent, the lowest since March 10. As many as 1,683 patients have recovered in the past 24 hours.
Member Health NITI Aayog Dr VK Paul on Friday said India has overtaken the United States in terms of the number of people who have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Odisha's COVID-19 tally on Saturday breached the eight-lakh mark after 7,395 more people
The lockdown in Delhi will be in place till 5 am on Monday, after which restrictions will be gradually eased, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today announcing unlock guidelines.
Delhi is preparing well to ensure to not get caught off-guard if a third wave of coronavirus hits the capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today in a presser where he also announced Unlock guidelines.
Shops in Delhi markets to open on odd-even basis from Monday, Metro to run at 50% capacity: Arvind Kejriwal
The COVID-19 caseload in Arunachal Pradesh rose to 28,786 as 404 more people tested
Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported 18 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the coronavirus tally
Maharashtra announced a five-step unlock plan from Monday in a late-night order yesterday, a day after the state government's U-turn on ease of restrictions announced by a minister earlier.
BREAKING | Coronavirus: India sees lowest daily COVID-19 cases in 58 days; 1.2 lakh cases, 3,380 deaths in 24 hours.
With 592 new coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the wastage figures of Covid vaccines continue to be on the higher side and asked authorities to take steps to tackle this issue.
The Pfizer vaccine is far less effective against the Delta variant of Covid, which is dominant in India, compared to the original strain of the coronavirus, says The Lancet journal in a new study.
Over 40 American lawmakers on Friday wrote to US President Joe Biden, urging him to take all the necessary measures to ensure equitable administration of COVID-19 vaccines across the world.