India recorded on Saturday over 400,000 new Covid cases in 24 hours for the first time, the first country to do so in the pandemic, official data showed.
According to the health ministry, 401,993 new infections were registered taking the total caseload to 1,91,64,969. There were 3,523 fatalities, bringing the death count to 2,11,853.
Authorities lowered their guard in the early part of the year after infections fell below 10,000 per day, lifting restrictions on most activity.
Mass religious gatherings such as the Kumbh Mela, attracting millions of Hindu pilgrims, and political rallies were allowed to continue even when cases numbers began rising sharply in late March.
Meanwhile, the United States will restrict travel from India starting next week, due to rampant spread of Covid-19 in the country, the White House said Friday.
"On the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the administration will restrict travel from India," Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
She cited "extraordinarily high Covid-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in the India" and said the policy will come into effect from May 4.
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"The airlift of 9 empty cryogenic oxygen containers from Hyderabad to Bhubaneswar and 4 from Hindon & Lucknow to Ranchi is in progress," it added.
Hospital officials told the Delhi High Court - holding a 11th straight day of hearings into the oxygen crisis in the national capital - that re-supply tankers only reached the hospital at around 1.30 pm, meaning that around 230 critically ill patients were without oxygen for around 80 minutes.
"We ran out of oxygen at 12.45 pm. Supply came at 1.30. We were out of oxygen for 1 hour and 20 mins," the hospital told the court.
As the younger population of the nation becomes eligible for vaccination against coronavirus today with the start of the third phase of inoculation drive, the ministry said that more than 79 lakh vaccine doses are still available with the states and union territories to be administered to their population.
As many as 16,37,62,300 Covid vaccine doses have been provided to states and union territories (UTs) free of cost as per data available till 8am on Saturday, the ministry said.
The Centre has so far provided nearly 16.37 crore vaccine doses to states/UTs free of cost. Of this, the total consumption, including wastages, is 15,58,48,782 doses, according to official data available till 8 am on Saturday.
"More than 79,13,518 COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered. Furthermore, more than 17,31,110 vaccine doses will be received in addition by the states/UTs within the next 3 days," the ministry said.
Citing the frightening Covid spike in the state, the top court this morning asked the poll commission: "Despite the situation, you need to go ahead? Can you have it after two weeks so that the medical facilities can be improved?"
"You want to proceed despite all odds? Heavens will not fall if counting is deferred by three weeks," the top court said in a sharp remark.
"People who have registered on CoWIN app and received a message can go to vaccination centres. Do not go to centres until and unless you receive a message. If you have registered but have not received a message, do not go to the centre," Ms Pednekar told the media personnel.
"Priority will be given to people between 45 to 60 years of age coming in for their second dose. Vaccines will be given to people between 18 to 44 years of age only after they have registered and received a message. Vaccine centres will function as and when we receive vaccines," the mayor said.
"All the political parties and governments should come forward mutually to rise above politics and selfishness with full loyalty and honesty to make the vaccination program starting from today (May 1) in which people aged above 18-year will be eligible for taking the shot of the COVID-19 vaccine," the BSP Supremo tweeted.
"There's going to be an announcement in the next few days," Adar Poonawalla was quoted as saying by the newspaper in an interview published on Friday.
Mr Poonawalla said last week that the Serum Institute would be able to raise its monthly output to 100 million doses by July, later than a previous timeline of end-May. Several states in India have run out of vaccines against COVID-19.
The UNICEF also said it is continuing to support the Indian government in the acceleration of its national vaccine rollout to equitably reach all population groups.
During the daily press briefing on Friday, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the UN chief, referred to the tweet by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that he and the UN family stand in solidarity with the people of the country as they face a horrific COVID-19 outbreak and the UN stands ready to step up its support to the country.
"The surge in the Covid cases shows that the situation in the state is going worse. In this context, the interventions have been strengthened at all levels. Apart from the restrictions announced earlier, a full lockdown may have to be imposed in some districts where the Test Positivity Rate is exceeding 50 per cent. We will be going for more stringent restrictions from May 4," Mr Vijayan said on Friday.
The Chief Minister said that during the lockdown only essential services will be functional.
Gut-wrenching visuals of the tragedy showed remains of some patients on stretchers and beds.
There were around 50 other patients at the four- storeyed Welfare Hospital when the fire broke out in the COVID-19 ward at 1 am. They were rescued by locals and firefighters, an official said.