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Dr Anthony Fauci, the medical advisor to the United States President, said today that extending intervals between vaccine doses could leave people vulnerable to infection by one of the Covid variants in circulation.
Dr Fauci was responding to a question about recommended intervals in the light of revised guidelines by the Indian government last month.
"The ideal interval between doses for mRNA vaccines is three weeks for the Pfizer and four for the Moderna. The problem with extending intervals is that you become vulnerable to variants," he said.
Earlier in the day, the health ministry said that India reported 91,702 new COVID-19 cases and 3,403 deaths. The country has so far reported 2,92,74,823 cases of coronavirus and 3,63,079 deaths.
India's test positivity rate is on the decline. It stood at 4.48 per cent, below the 5 per cent-mark for the fourth straight day.
The active cases in the country reduced to 11,21,671 after 61 days comprising 3.83 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid recovery rate has improved to 94.93 per cent, the data said.
Here are the Live updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
Covid Vaccine Access Needed Thoughout World: European Medicines AgencyThe head of the European Medicines Agency told AFP on Friday that all countries must have access to coronavirus vaccines, as G7 leaders were expected to pledge to donate one billion doses to poor nations.
Tamil Nadu Lockdown Now Till June 21, Separate Relaxations For HotspotsAmid a decline in daily Covid case counts, the Tamil Nadu government today extended the lockdown in the state by a week, till June 21, but eased the restrictions in place.
Northern Coalfields Limited Gives Rs 10 Crore To Set Up 5 Oxygen Plants In Madhya Pradesh
Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) has given Rs 10 crore to Madhya Pradesh to set up five oxygen plants in different medical colleges across the state under its Corporate Social Responsibility to assist the state in strengthening its fight against coronavirus, reported news agency ANI.
Chairman and Managing Director of NCL Prabhat Kumar Sinha handed over a cheque of the said amount to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday.
Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) has given Rs 10 crore to Madhya Pradesh to set up five oxygen plants in different medical colleges across the state under its Corporate Social Responsibility to assist the state in strengthening its fight against coronavirus, reported news agency ANI.
Chairman and Managing Director of NCL Prabhat Kumar Sinha handed over a cheque of the said amount to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday.
Kerala's 100-Day Action Plan To Tide Over Covid-Induced Economic SlowdownKerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Friday announced a 100-day action plan to help the state tide over the economic slowdown triggered by the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mumbai To Remain Under Level 3 Covid Curbs Despite Fall In Positivity RateMumbai will continue to remain in the level-3 category of the Maharashtra government's plan to ease the coronavirus-induced restrictions in the state till further orders, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said Friday night.
No Vaccination Drive In Maharashtra's Thane Today, Tomorrow Over Heavy Rain ForecastAll civic corporations in Maharashtra's Thane district late Friday evening said vaccination drive will remain suspended on Saturday and Sunday in view of weather office's forecast of heavy rain.
Nitish Kumar Sets Target Of Vaccinating 6 Crore People In 6 Months
COVID-19 vaccination in Bihar is likely to pick up with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday setting a target of inoculating 60 million people in the next six months.
The chief minister gave instructions to the effect at a meeting of the state health department .
Till date, 1.18 crore people in the state, which has a total population of about 13 crores, have received the jabs.
The chief minister said to achieve the target of "vaccinating six crore people in six months", as many government employees as required should be roped in.
COVID-19 vaccination in Bihar is likely to pick up with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday setting a target of inoculating 60 million people in the next six months.
The chief minister gave instructions to the effect at a meeting of the state health department .
Till date, 1.18 crore people in the state, which has a total population of about 13 crores, have received the jabs.
The chief minister said to achieve the target of "vaccinating six crore people in six months", as many government employees as required should be roped in.
G7 "Huge Opportunity" For Global Pandemic Recovery: UK PM Boris Johnson
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday hailed the first in-person G7 summit in nearly two years as a "huge opportunity" to kickstart recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Opening the first session of the leaders' meeting in Cornwall in southwest England, the summit host said a more equitable future for the world was essential.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday hailed the first in-person G7 summit in nearly two years as a "huge opportunity" to kickstart recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Opening the first session of the leaders' meeting in Cornwall in southwest England, the summit host said a more equitable future for the world was essential.
Former Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Again Tests Covid Positive
Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh has tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time in two months, a health official said on Friday. The veteran Congress leader had earlier tested positive for the disease on April 12.
He is being treated at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) hospital, Shimla and his condition is stable, Special Secretary (Health) Nipun Jindal said.
Nine-time MLA and five-time MP, Singh was Himachal Pradesh's chief minister for six terms.
Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh has tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time in two months, a health official said on Friday. The veteran Congress leader had earlier tested positive for the disease on April 12.
He is being treated at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) hospital, Shimla and his condition is stable, Special Secretary (Health) Nipun Jindal said.
Nine-time MLA and five-time MP, Singh was Himachal Pradesh's chief minister for six terms.
204 Ventilators Unused During 2nd Wave, Madhya Pradesh High Court Told
The Madhya Pradesh government told the High Court on Friday that 204 ventilators - life-saving medical equipment in desperately short supply during the peak of the second Covid wave - were kept as "back-up" in a storeroom even as the virus spread through the state.
It was responding to a notice from the High Court, which had taken suo motu cognisance of the Covid situation in Madhya Pradesh, which has recorded nearly eight lakh cases so far.
"204 ventilators were kept in the storeroom, which the government said was kept as backup. 42 ventilators under PM CARES are in Bhopal and 20 in Indore, which were not used in the second wave of coronavirus," senior lawyer Naman Nagrath, the court's amicus curiae, said. Read
The Madhya Pradesh government told the High Court on Friday that 204 ventilators - life-saving medical equipment in desperately short supply during the peak of the second Covid wave - were kept as "back-up" in a storeroom even as the virus spread through the state.
It was responding to a notice from the High Court, which had taken suo motu cognisance of the Covid situation in Madhya Pradesh, which has recorded nearly eight lakh cases so far.
"204 ventilators were kept in the storeroom, which the government said was kept as backup. 42 ventilators under PM CARES are in Bhopal and 20 in Indore, which were not used in the second wave of coronavirus," senior lawyer Naman Nagrath, the court's amicus curiae, said. Read
Covid Curbs Likely To Be Relaxed In Pune As Positivity Rate Dips: Report
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said the administration in Pune will consider introducing some relaxations if the COVID-19 positivity rate in the city continues to be below 5 per cent in the next two days.
Last week, Pune city had come under the state government's level 3 category. However, with the positivity rate dropping a little below 5 per cent, the city has now moved to level 2.
Under relaxations in level 2, shops are permitted to operate till 7 pm, while hotels, restaurants, and eateries can function till 10 pm for dine-in with 50 per cent seating capacity and malls can operate by adhering to social-distancing norms.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said the administration in Pune will consider introducing some relaxations if the COVID-19 positivity rate in the city continues to be below 5 per cent in the next two days.
Last week, Pune city had come under the state government's level 3 category. However, with the positivity rate dropping a little below 5 per cent, the city has now moved to level 2.
Under relaxations in level 2, shops are permitted to operate till 7 pm, while hotels, restaurants, and eateries can function till 10 pm for dine-in with 50 per cent seating capacity and malls can operate by adhering to social-distancing norms.
Delhi Sees 24 Covid Deaths In A Day, Lowest In 2 Months
The positivity rate also saw a significant decline and stood at 0.31%, the lowest in over three months (after March 7).
The recovery rate and the death rate stand at 97.99 per cent and 1.73 per cent, respectively.
As many as 504 patients have recovered in the past 24 hours, taking the number of total discharged patients in the city to 14,01,977.
Today's cases in Delhi were 67 less compared to yesterday - when it recorded 305 cases, with 44 fatalities.
Delhi, which had imposed lockdown-like restrictions in April, began the process of unlocking on Monday.
Extending Vaccine Intervals May Leave You Vulnerable To Variants: Dr Fauci
Extending the interval between Covid vaccine doses could leave people vulnerable to infection by one of the many variants of the virus currently in circulation, Dr Anthony Fauci, the medical advisor to the President of the United States, told NDTV Friday.
Top Covid expert Dr Fauci was responding to a question about recommended intervals between vaccine doses in the light of revised guidelines by the Indian government last month.
"The ideal interval between doses for the mRNA vaccines is three weeks for the Pfizer and four weeks for the Moderna. The problem with extending intervals is that in-between doses you become vulnerable to variants," Dr Fauci told NDTV.
Extending the interval between Covid vaccine doses could leave people vulnerable to infection by one of the many variants of the virus currently in circulation, Dr Anthony Fauci, the medical advisor to the President of the United States, told NDTV Friday.
Top Covid expert Dr Fauci was responding to a question about recommended intervals between vaccine doses in the light of revised guidelines by the Indian government last month.
"The ideal interval between doses for the mRNA vaccines is three weeks for the Pfizer and four weeks for the Moderna. The problem with extending intervals is that in-between doses you become vulnerable to variants," Dr Fauci told NDTV.
UK Says Delta Variant 60% More Transmissible Amid Rise In Covid Cases
The British government said Friday that the new Delta coronavirus variant is 60 percent more transmissible in households than the variant that forced the country to lock down in January.
The Delta variant, which first emerged in India, has caused a rise in cases in the UK, prompting questions about whether social distancing restrictions will be lifted as planned from June 21.
New research from Public Health England "suggests that the Delta variant is associated with an approximately 60 percent increased risk of household transmission" compared to the Alpha variant identified in Kent, southeast England.
The Kent variant caused a surge of Covid cases in January leading to a three-month lockdown as hospitals were stretched to near-capacity.
The British government said Friday that the new Delta coronavirus variant is 60 percent more transmissible in households than the variant that forced the country to lock down in January.
The Delta variant, which first emerged in India, has caused a rise in cases in the UK, prompting questions about whether social distancing restrictions will be lifted as planned from June 21.
New research from Public Health England "suggests that the Delta variant is associated with an approximately 60 percent increased risk of household transmission" compared to the Alpha variant identified in Kent, southeast England.
The Kent variant caused a surge of Covid cases in January leading to a three-month lockdown as hospitals were stretched to near-capacity.
"Busting Myths...": Centre Explains 1% Covid Vaccine Wastage Policy
The government on Friday said it is "proactively trying to curb wastage of COVID-19 vaccines" and that it is "guiding" states and UTs in "effectively using doses to fight the pandemic".
It also hit back at "media reports stating the Ministry of Health's insistence in keeping vaccine wastage below one per cent is unrealistic and undesirable".
The statement comes a day after a report said Jharkhand wasted 33.95 per cent of doses in May. Chhattisgarh, the report said, wasted 15.79 per cent and Madhya Pradesh around seven per cent.
A day later the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand hit back, calling the central government's data "old" and insisting that its wastage rate was just 1.5 per cent. Read
The government on Friday said it is "proactively trying to curb wastage of COVID-19 vaccines" and that it is "guiding" states and UTs in "effectively using doses to fight the pandemic".
It also hit back at "media reports stating the Ministry of Health's insistence in keeping vaccine wastage below one per cent is unrealistic and undesirable".
The statement comes a day after a report said Jharkhand wasted 33.95 per cent of doses in May. Chhattisgarh, the report said, wasted 15.79 per cent and Madhya Pradesh around seven per cent.
A day later the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand hit back, calling the central government's data "old" and insisting that its wastage rate was just 1.5 per cent. Read
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Ladakh reports 90 new Covid cases
Ladakh reported 90 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 19,475, while 160 people were discharged after getting recovered, bringing down the number of active cases to 853, officials said on Friday.
Ladakh has so far recorded 197 coronavirus-related deaths -- 143 in Leh district and 54 in Kargil district. A total of 18,425 patients have recovered from the disease so far, they said.
A total of 90 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday. Out of these, 77 were in Leh and 13 in Kargil, they said.
The union territory reported 853 active Covid cases, out of which 696 are in Leh and 152 in Kargil, they said.
The officials said while 2,728 sample reports in Ladakh, including 1,606 from Leh and 1,122 from Kargil, were found to be negative, they said.
Just In| Till now, the number of Black Fungus patients in Uttarakhand is 356 including 56 deaths, as per the Health Department
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Over 1.17 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses available with states, says Centre
More than 1.17 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs, while over 38 lakh doses will be received by them within the next three days, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.
Over 25.60 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far through the Government of India (free of cost channel) and direct state procurement categories.
Of this, the total consumption, including wastage is 24,44,06,096 doses, the ministry said.
A total of 1,17,56,911 COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered.
Door to door vaccination in district Samba, Jammu and Kashmir.
Door to door vaccination in district #samba. Dedication of health and medical teams helping in saturation of #COVID19Vaccination @diprjk pic.twitter.com/cDrOQ9l4WT
- Deputy Commissioner Samba (@dcofficesamba) June 11, 2021
Coronavirus Updates: Puducherry logs 429 new COVID-19 cases, 11 deaths
Puducherry continued to see a fall in number of fresh coronavirus cases with the union territory reporting 429 in the last 24 hours as against the
507 on the previous day.
The new infections pushed the cumulative Covid-19 tally in the union territory to 1,11,684, Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said.
The 429 cases were identified at the end of the examination of 9,159 swabs in the last 24 hours ending 10 AM Friday, he added.
While Puducherry registered 322 of the fresh cases, Karaikal logged 83, followed by Mahe (19) and Yanam (5).
The union territory had recorded 507 new infections on Thursday.
As a gesture of solidarity and close cooperation, medical equipment including ventilators and ambulances was handed over today by Ambassador VM Kwatra to General Purna Chandra Thapa, Chief of the Nepali Army: Embassy of India in Kathmandu
Just In| Uttarakhand government cancels Class 12 state board examinations, in view of Covid situation
Coronavirus News Updates: Odisha reports 5,235 new COVID-19 cases, 43 deaths
Odisha reported 5,235 new COVID-19 cases, taking the overall tally in the state to 8,42,461, the state health department informed on Friday.
The state also reported 8,299 recoveries and 43 deaths in the last 24 hours.
With this, the total case tally in the state stands at 8,42,461, including 66,226 active cases 7,72,972 recoveries and 3,210 deaths.
Of the new cases, 2,957 were reported from quarantine centres and 2278 were detected from local tracing.
The state has so far conducted 1,25,23,241 sample tests for COVID-19.
#Kerala providing doorstep Covid #vaccination for bedridden patients. NDTV's Sneha Mary Koshy reports
- NDTV (@ndtv) June 11, 2021
Read here: https://t.co/Pux7HHWhMV pic.twitter.com/NexXSwYK5K
Coronavirus Updates: Arunachal reports 245 new COVID-19 cases, 5 fresh fatalities
Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 30,492 on Friday as 245 more people tested positive for the infection, while five fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 133, a senior health
official said.
The Capital Complex region recorded the highest number of fresh cases at 35, followed by Namsai (29) and Changlang (27).
One fresh fatality each was reported in the Capital Complex region, West Kameng, Tawang and Lohit districts, State Surveillance officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
As many as 302 more people have been cured of the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 27,150, he said, adding the state now has 3,209 active cases.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Jharkhand reports 293 new COVID-19 cases, 5 fresh fatalities
Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally rose to 3,42,774 on Friday as 293 more people tested positive for the infection, while five fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 5,081, a health bulletin said.
East Singhbhum district reported the highest number of new cases at 67, followed by 30 in Ranchi and 22 each in Chatra and Hazaribag, it said.
One fresh fatality each was reported in Ranchi, East and West Singhbum, Dhanbad and Pakur.
No fresh case was reported in Pakur, while 19 of the 24 districts in the tribal-dominated state did not register any fresh fatality, the bulletin said.
The state now has 4,514 active cases, while 3,33,179 people have recovered from the infection thus far, including 557 in the last 24 hours, it said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Thane district's COVID-19 death toll crosses 10,000-mark; 498 new cases reported
The COVID-19 death toll in Thane district of Maharashtra has crossed the 10,000-mark as 65 more patients succumbed to the infection, an official said on Friday.
These deaths were reported on Thursday.
The district's fatality count now stood at 10,056.
The infection tally in the district has reached 5,23,497 with the addition of 498 cases, he said.
The COVID-19 mortality rate of Thane is 1.92 per cent, the official said.
In neighboring Palghar district, the coronavirus case count has gone up to 1,12,900, while the death toll is 2,220, another official said.
Just In| India reports 91,702 COVID-19 cases, slightly fewer than yesterday; 3,403 deaths
6-Minute Walk Test, No Remdesivir: Guidelines For #Covid Management In Children https://t.co/IVfoyDDDWM pic.twitter.com/bMpPk1Km4t
- NDTV (@ndtv) June 11, 2021
COVID-19: Puri Rath Yatra to be held without devotees for second year in a row
The annual Rath Yatra of Lord Shree Jagannath in Puri will be held this year and servitors who have received vaccine shots and test negative for Covid-19 will be allowed to attend rituals.
This will be the second year in a row when the devotees will not be allowed to attend the celebrations due to second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Announcing the decision Odisha Special Relief Commissioner, Pradeep K Jena on Thursday said that the Supreme Court''s guidelines, which were issued last year on conducting the Rath Yatra will be followed this year too.
A woman in Hyderabad started selling vegetable after her husband died 6 months ago
I have to feed my 4 year-old kid. I was working as house help but lost job amid Covid. I'm selling vegetables to feed my family but it isn't doing well. I seek government's support: Reshma.
Tamil Nadu Among States With Low Vaccination Rate, 9% Given First DoseDespite a robust health care system, Tamil Nadu has fallen behind in the vaccine race and is among the bottom five states in terms of vaccinating its population against coronavirus. Only 9% of its population has been administered the first dose.
Assam Launches Welfare Schemes For Covid Orphans, WidowsAssam on Thursday introduced welfare schemes for children orphaned by Covid and those who have lost their spouses to the virus. Announcing the two major Covid welfare schemes, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he aims to inoculate the entire state by August 15 with at least the first dose of the vaccine.
