Coronavirus Cases in India: The recovery rate is 94.77 per cent.
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has exceeded 24.58 crore, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.
It said 18,64,234 and 77,136 beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group received their first and second dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday.
New cases of coronavirus infection in India were recorded below One lakh, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 2,91,83,121 according to the Union Health Ministry data.
The COVID-19 active caseload is 11,67,952 which now comprises 4 per cent of the total infections.
The recovery rate is 94.77 per cent, the data stated.
A total of 94,052 new infections were registered in a day, while the death count increased to 3,59,676 with 6,148 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Meanwhile, Bihar's massive revision in its Covid deaths figure to over 9,000 has become controversial with the 72 per cent jump raising more questions.
The Nitish Kumar government on Wednesday reported that the number of deaths across the state in the pandemic was 9,429, a dramatic spike that also impacts the Centre's daily Covid death figures.
The Patna High Court had asked for an audit of casualties in the April-May second surge of Covid amid allegations that the Bihar government was hiding the scale of infections and deaths in the state.
Here are the Live updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
Karnataka Extends Lockdown Till June 21, Some Relaxations For BengaluruTreading cautiously even as Covid cases dip, the Karnataka government today extended the lockdown in the state by a week, till June 21, while relaxing some curbs in districts with positivity rates under 15 per cent. Among the districts that will see an easing of curbs is Bengaluru Urban.
For the 11 districts where the positivity rate continues to be high, the current restrictions will continue.
The decision was taken after Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa chaired a review meeting on the pandemic situation in the state along with senior ministers and officials.
Jharkhand Tops In Vaccine Wastage; Kerala, Bengal Report Negative WastageKerala and West Bengal recorded negative wastage of COVID-19 vaccines in May, saving 1.10 lakh and 1.61 lakh doses respectively, while Jharkhand reported maximum wastage of 33.95 per cent, according to government data.
While Kerala reported -6.37 per cent vaccine wastage, West Bengal recorded -5.48 per cent.
Delhi Gets 28,900 More Covaxin Doses For 18-44 Age GroupDelhi received 28,900 more doses of Covaxin on Wednesday for the 18-44 age group and the stock is enough to cover those eligible for the second dose in the next four days, AAP MLA Atishi said on Thursday.
At present, Delhi has more than 50,110 doses of Covaxin in stock for this category, she said.
There are 1.24 lakh doses of Covishield available for this age group and these can last up to eight days, Atishi said.
Tata Group Has Spent Rs 2,500 Crore For Covid Relief Till Now: ChairmanTata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Thursday said group companies have collectively extended a help of Rs 2,500 crore towards COVID-19 relief across both the waves of the pandemic that started in March 2020.
Speaking at the Annual General Meeting of its cash cow TCS, Mr Chandrasekaran said more than the financial commitments, the work done on the ground by the Tata group companies, like helping build new hospitals and expanding oxygen capacity, has been the focus area.
Lockdown May Continue In Dakshina Kannada District: MinisterThe lockdown announced in the wake of Covid-19 spread is likely to be extended by another week in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district from June 14, DK district-in-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary said on Thursday, news agency PTI reported.
He was talking to reporters after participating in a video conference with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, along with deputy commissioners of Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Mysuru, Mandya, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Chikkamagaluru and Tumakuru districts.
Kiren Rijiju Launches Campaign To Distribute Ayush-64 Tablets For COVID-19 PatientsUnion Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday lauded the Arunachal Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu for its 'commendable job' in achieving remarkable success in combating COVID-19 despite many challenges.
Launching the distribution campaign of Ayush-64 tablet for COVID-19 patients and Ayurveda immunity booster medicine at civil secretariat, the Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs and Ayush said that at the trying time both the centre and state governments coordinated very well and worked towards managing the pandemic.
Delhi Reports 305 Covid Cases, 44 Deaths On Day 4 Of UnlockDelhi today reported 305 new cases of COVID-19, taking the number of total active cases to 4,212 in the city. The national capital also reported 44 deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 24,748.
The recovery rate and the death rate stand at 97.97 per cent and 1.73 per cent, respectively, while the positivity rate has come down to 0.41 per cent.
As many as 1,683 patients have recovered in the past 24 hours, taking the number of total discharged patients in the city to 14,01,473.
Bihar Revises Covid Deaths By 72% To More Than 9,000, Sets Off New RowBihar's massive revision in its Covid deaths figure to over 9,000 has become controversial with the 72 per cent jump raising more questions. Because of Bihar's update, India reported 6,148 new deaths today, the highest single-day spike.
The Nitish Kumar government on Wednesday reported that the number of deaths across the state in the pandemic was 9,375 compared to the figure of 5,424 earlier.
The Patna High Court had asked for an audit of casualties in the April-May second surge of Covid amid allegations that the Bihar government was hiding the scale of infections and deaths in the state. Shocking visuals of bodies floating in the river and washing up on the banks near Buxar last month reinforced the opposition's charge.
Court Asks Uttarakhand To Audit Covid Deaths During Second WaveThe Uttarakhand High Court has asked the state government to conduct an audit of the deaths that occurred during the second wave of coronavirus in the state, and also explore the possibility of carrying out door-to-door vaccination in remote hill areas.
Hearing petitions related to the state's handling of the pandemic, Chief Justice R S Chauhan and Justice Alok Verma asked the state government on Wednesday if a district-level task force can be constituted with the help of the social welfare department to cater to people who are unable to get their immunisation due to lack of ID cards.
Assam Launches "Nishtha Covid Sanchar" To Monitor Patients In Home CareAssam on Wednesday launched a platform to remotely monitor Covid patients who are in home isolation in the state's Kamrup metro district. NISHTHA Covid Sanchar, which works through Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS), has been introduced in the state with support from United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) flagship project that has also been implemented by Jhpiego - a non-profit affiliated with US' Johns Hopkins University.
The platform, launched by Pomi Baruah, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Assam National Health Mission (NHM) yesterday, aims to help authorities provide Covid patients access to right care at the right time.
Heavy footfall of people seen around Sitabuldi Main Road area in Nagpur. Social distancing norms flouted.
Country will have 200 crore Covid vaccine doses by December: BJP President JP Nadda
Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda on Thursday lauded the preparations of the Central government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and said that by December, 19 companies in India will be manufacturing vaccines and the country will have 200 crore COVID vaccine doses.
Mr Nadda while inaugurating the new office building of BJP in Arunachal Pradesh through video conference, said, "Last year we had one testing lab and our testing capacity was at 1500. Today 25 lakh samples are being tested daily and we have 2500 labs. The preparation of the Government of India to combat COVID is commendable and reflects the country's strength."
"Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, we increased our oxygen production from 900 metric tonnes to 9446 MT to provide to the states. Within 9 months, India had two vaccines - an unprecedented step in our nation's history. At the beginning of the campaign, only 2 companies were making vaccines. Today, 13 companies are making vaccines in India. By December, 19 companies in India will be making vaccines and India will have 200 crore vaccine doses," the BJP chief said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Arunachal Pradesh logs 247 new COVID-19 cases, two more deaths
At least 247 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the tally to 30,247, a senior health official said here on Thursday.
The frontier state's toll rose to 128 with two more persons succumbing to the infection, the official said.
A 37-year-old woman from Lohit district and a 41-year-old man from Lower Subansiri died of the disease on Wednesday, State Surveillance officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
Changlang recorded the maximum number of fresh cases at 48, followed by the Capital Complex Region at 44, East Kameng at 20, Lower Dibang Valley at 18, East Siang and Kra Daadi at 13 each and Lower Subansiri and Namsai at 12 each.
Of the 247 fresh cases, 237 were detected through rapid antigen tests, three via RT-PCR and seven with TrueNat, the SSO said, adding that 130 people were found to have developed symptoms.
Coronavirus India Updates: 14 new cases push COVID-19 tally of Andamans to 7,168
The COVID-19 caseload in Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 7,168 as 14 more people tested positive for the disease in the Union Territory, a health department official said on Thursday.
Of the new patients, four have travel history and 10 were detected during contact tracing, he said.
The death toll remained at 125 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours.
At least 17 more people were cured of the disease during the period, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 6,952.
The Union Territory now has 91 active cases.
South Andaman is the worst-affected district as it currently has 87 active cases.
Shops in Pune open, vehicular movement increases; 5-level unlock has come into effect in the state.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Two Australian states on COVID-19 alert after infected woman's interstate travel
Two Australian states are on COVID-19 alert after an infected woman and her husband travelled from Victoria, the epicentre of country's latest outbreak, through the states of New South Wales and into Queensland, visiting dozens of sites enroute.
Authorities in New South Wales and Queensland are rushing to trace close contacts and locate virus hotspots. The couple may face criminal charges for breaching COVID-19 border restrictions.
The 44-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19 once in Queensland, authorities said late on Wednesday, and her husband has since tested positive.
Queensland state Health Minister Yvette D'Ath told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday that the couple's tests suggested they were likely at the end of their infectious period.
"This means the risk is lower than we were expecting yesterday, which is really positive news," D'Ath said. No other cases were reported from the state.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inspects construction of 57 ton O2 storage tank near Siraspur.
He says," To ensure there's no O2 shortage in 3rd wave, we've set up O2 tanks at various places;19 more O2 tanks to be launched soon and two O2generation plants of nearly 1350 tonnes to be set up".
US to donate half a billion Pfizer vaccines to low and lower-middle-income countries
President Joe Biden plans to announce on Thursday that the US will purchase and donate half a billion (50 crore) doses of Pfizer vaccines to 92 low- and lower-middle-income countries and the African Union in a historic action that will help supercharge the global fight against the pandemic, according to the White House.
This is the largest-ever purchase and donation of vaccines by a single country and a commitment by the American people to help protect people around the world from COVID-19, the White House said ahead of the announcement by Biden at the G-7 Summit in the UK.
Biden has arrived in the UK on his maiden official overseas trip to Europe.
"Biden will also call on the world''s democracies to do their parts in contributing to the global supply of safe and effective vaccines. The goal of today''s donation is to save lives and end the pandemic and will provide the foundation for additional actions to be announced in the coming days," the White House said.
The vaccines will start shipping in August 2021.
Vendors say they are expecting profit as market opening time extended to 5 pm in Hyderabad.
"As new market timing comes into effect from today, we are expecting more profit. People can choose flexible timings which will lessen the market rush," says a vendor.
India will receive a share of 80 million US vaccines through COVAX: State Department official
India will be receiving a share of the 80 million (8 crores) unused COVID-19 vaccines through the UN-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing programme that President Joe Biden has announced, according to a senior State Department official.
On June 2, President Biden announced that the US will allocate 75 per cent - nearly 1.9 crores of the first tranche of 2.5 crore doses - of unused COVID-19 vaccines from its stockpile through the UN-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing programme to countries in South and Southeast Asia as well as Africa.
The move is part of his administration's framework for sharing 80 million (8 crores) vaccines globally by the end of June.
According to a White House fact sheet, nearly 19 million vaccines will be shared through COVAX.
Coronavirus Updates: Bihar Revises Covid Deaths By 72% To More Than 9,000, Sets Off New RowBihar's massive revision in its Covid deaths figure to over 9,000 has become controversial with the 72 per cent jump raising more questions.
The Nitish Kumar government on Wednesday reported that the number of deaths across the state in the pandemic was 9,429, a dramatic spike that also impacts the Centre's daily Covid death figures.
The Patna High Court had asked for an audit of casualties in the April-May second surge of Covid amid allegations that the Bihar government was hiding the scale of infections and deaths in the state.
New figures after the three-week audit imply that while 1,600 people died of Covid in Bihar between March 2020 and 2021, the number of deaths from April to June 7 this year was a staggering 7,775, about six times more.
Just In| India reports 94,052 new COVID-19 cases, deaths see massive jump as Bihar revises tally
Coronavirus India Updates: Thane sees 454 new COVID-19 cases, 21 more deaths
With the addition of 454 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 5,22,979, an official said on Thursday.
Besides these new cases reported on Wednesday, the virus also claimed the lives of 21 more people, raising the death toll in the district to 9,570, he said.
The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 1.82 per cent, he added.
Details of recovered and under-treatment patients were not provided by the district administration.
Uttarakhand government to provide Rs 3,000 per month to children orphaned by COVID-19
The Uttarakhand Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to the Chief Minister Vatsalya Yojana, which aims to help children who lost their parents or the earning member of their family during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the CM Vatsalya Yojana, the government will take responsibility for such children who have lost their parents and will provide assistance of Rs 3,000 per month. Besides monetary assistance, the state government will also provide free education, ration and health facilities, till the time they attain the age of 21.
In other major decisions, the Cabinet has approved compensation for the people associated with the tourism industry whose livelihoods were impacted by the pandemic. A sum of Rs 2,500 will be provided to tour guides and operators and registered rafting guides by the state for two months.
Ahmedabad prepares for COVID-19 third wave, conducts paediatric survey to identify vulnerable children
Ahead of the potential third wave of COVID-19, the Ahmedabad administration has taken up surveillance work and is conducting a pediatric survey to identify the most vulnerable children in order to make timely arrangements for their protection.
Speaking to ANI, Health Officer Sandhya Rathod said, "We have started screening children in the age group of 0-5 years. We have 206 teams of ASHA and Anganwadi workers. They are surveying around 250 houses per day."
"We are maintaining a separate list of children suffering from malnutrition and other severe diseases. In the case of the third wave, we can reverse quarantine the high-risk group. I have five teams in Sanand with two doctors and a female health worker in each team," she said.
Black fungus: 764 cases, 49 deaths reported in Indore
As many as 764 cases of black fungus have been reported so far and 49 people have succumbed to the disease in Indore, informed Apoorva Tiwari, District Data Manager, Health Department, Indore.
"Till now 764 cumulative cases of Mucormycosis or black fungus have been reported in Indore. 149 patients have been discharged and 49 people have succumbed to the disease," Tiwari told reporters here.
"Currently 566 patients are undergoing treatment for the disease in the district. 37 deaths have been recorded in Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) College and Hospital and 12 deaths in private hospitals. The recovery rate is quite good with more than 10 people getting discharged since the last two to three days," she said.
Andhra Pradesh: Covid Positivity Rate Drops To 8.69%
The positivity rate in Andhra Pradesh has dropped to 8.69 per cent and the number of active infections has declined to 1,03,995, informed a state government official, reported news agency ANI.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Anil Kumar Singhal, Principal Secretary, Health, Medical and Family Welfare, said that the number of Covid tests in the state crossed the two-crore mark.
Naveen Patnaik Lays Foundation Stone Of 7 LMO Plants In OdishaOdisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of seven liquid medical oxygen plants and four Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) systems in seven districts of the state, reported news agency ANI.
Mr Patnaik also inaugurated an additional health facility, dengue and diarrhea ward and a blood classification unit at Balasore with the help of the WHO, a center for the treatment of lung disease in Cuttack and an RT-PCR testing laboratory in Nabarangpur. An amount of Rs 29.41 crore will be spent on these projects.