Coronavirus Cases in India: 3.11 lakh fresh Covid cases reported in the last 24 hours.
Lockdown has been extended in Delhi for another week, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said, pointing to the Covid numbers which while on decline, is yet to reach below 5 per cent positivity rate.
Meanwhile, India logged 3.11 lakh fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours, taking the overall caseload to 2.43 crore. The country recorded 4,077 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of deaths to 2.7 lakh.
The country has recording more than 1 lakh infections every day since April 5. With a drop in Covid cases lately, nearly 40 lakh cases have been logged in the last 10 days alone.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a high-level meeting to review India's Covid situation. PM Modi suggested "localised containment strategies are the need of the hour specially for states where TPR (test positivity rate) is high". He also told officials to ensure rural parts get supply of medical oxygen, states are not pressured to supress Covid figures and vaccination drive is ramped up.
Here are the Live Updates on India Coronavirus (Covid-19 Cases) Cases:
10,000 Packets Of DRDO's Anti-Covid Oral Drug To Be Distributed TomorrowAn anti-coronavirus drug developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
will be launched tomorrow, with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh distributing around 10,000 doses to some hospitals in the national capital. The drug, called 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 2-DG, was developed by a DRDO lab in collaboration with the Hyderabad-based pharma giant, Dr Reddy's Laboratories. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the country's top drug regulator, has approved the medicine for emergency use.
Over 9,440 MT of liquid medical oxygen delivered across India on Oxygen Express trainsThe railways has delivered more than 9,440 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) in nearly 590 tankers to various states across the country since April 19, the national transporter said. Around 150 Oxygen Express trains have completed their journey so far and brought relief to various states, it added. Twelve Oxygen Express trains were on the run with more than 970 tonnes of LMO in 55 tankers, it said.
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu got a big boost in the supply of the life-saving gas with several Oxygen Express trains delivering their loads.
4,141 new COVID-19 cases, 59 deaths in J&K
Jammu and Kashmir has recorded 4,141 fresh COVID-19 cases, raising the tally to 2,44,608, while 59 more deaths pushed the fatality count to 3,149 in the union territory, officials said. Of the fresh cases, 1,690 were reported from the Jammu division and 2,451 from the Kashmir division, they said. The officials said Srinagar district recorded the highest of 831 cases, followed by 625 in Jammu district and 320 in Budgam district.
Triple lockdown in 4 Kerala districts from midnight
Triple lockdown will come into effect in four Kerala districts reporting the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the state, from midnight and remain in force till May 23. The boundaries of the Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram districts will be sealed as part of the administration's bid to arrest the massive spread of coronavirus, while the current lockdown will continue in the other 10 districts of the state.
Delhi government will take all necessary steps to check black fungus cases: Arvind KejriwalChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said the Delhi government will take all necessary steps and precautions to check cases of black fungus or mucormycosis in the city. The fungal infection is caused by a group of moulds known as mucormycetes present naturally in the environment.
Recently, several states, including Delhi, have reported a rise in the number of black fungus cases among people recovering from COVID-19.
"For the black fungus (cases), the Delhi government will take all the steps and precautions necessary," Mr Kejriwal said in a statement.
Delhi records 6,456 COVID-19 cases, 262 deathsDelhi recorded 6,456 fresh COVID-19 cases today taking the overall count to 13,93,867. The city's positivity rate dropped to 10.40 per cent, lowest since April 11.
Delhi recorded 262 deaths due to Covid, taking the total death count in the national capital to 21,506.
Jharkhand records 65 deaths due to CovidJharkhand has started witnessing a declining trend in daily COVID-19 fatalities as the state recorded 65 deaths due to the infection today, the lowest in May so far, a health department bulletin said. This is the fourth time in the month when COVID-19 deaths plunged below 100 in the state.
The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state now stands at 85.37 per cent, better than the national average of 83.80 per cent, the bulletin said. With the 65 fresh fatalities, the COVID-19 death count in the state is now 4,431.
Puducherry adds 1,961 new COVID-19 cases, overall tally rises to 84,506The union territory of Puducherry reported 1,961 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours raising the overall tally to 84,506, a senior official of the Health Department said.
At least 32 people died due to the virus during the last 24 hours ending 10 AM today, pushing the overall death count to 1,151, Director of the Health Department S Mohan Kumar said. He said the 1,961 new cases were identified at the end of the examination of 9,446 samples, projecting a test positivity rate of 20.76 per cent.
Normal life remains affected in Jammu and Kashmir as admin extends lockdown till May 24
The lockdown imposed in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of an alarming surge in coronavirus cases entered the 18th day on Sunday as the normal life remained affected in most areas of the union territory, officials said.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration had on Saturday extended the lockdown till May 24.
The officials said restrictions on the movement and assembly of people continued to remain in force on Sunday, though the curbs were not strict.
Markets remained shut and public transport was off the roads, they said.
However, private cars were seen plying in some areas of the city and other district headquarters in the valley and the Jammu region, the officials said.
Arunachal Pradesh reports 249 new COVID-19 cases, one more death The COVID-19 caseload in Arunachal Pradesh rose to 21,622, as 249 more people tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said on Sunday.
The COVID-19 deaths increased to 78, with a person from Tajang Village in Lower Subansiri district, died due to the infection at the Dedicated Covid Health Centre (DCHC) at Ziro on Saturday, the official said.
The 53-year-old man died due to acute respiratory distress syndrome and was suffering from acute gastroenteritis, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
Oxygen Express carrying 80 MT medical oxygen reaches Andhra Pradesh's Guntur
An Oxygen Express train from Jamnagar in Gujarat carrying 80 metric tonnes (MT) of medical oxygen arrived at the Guntur railway station in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.
COVID Special officer MT Krishna Babu visited the Oxygen train at the Guntur railway station.
"The oxygen will be supplied to Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna and West Godavari districts through tankers. Concerned district officials are asked to use oxygen judiciously," Babu said.
He added that the state government has requested the Center to supply oxygen from Jamnagar daily.
Odisha records 11,732 new COVID-19 cases, 19 more fatalities
Odisha's COVID-19 caseload on Sunday surged to 6,12,224 after 11,732 more people tested positive for the infection, while 19 fresh fatalities pushed the number of deaths in the state to 2,313, a health department official said.
Accordingly, the number of active cases rose to 1,07,403, he said.
Of the 11,732 new cases, 6,569 were recorded in various quarantine centres and the rest detected during contact tracing, the official said. Khurda district, of which state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, reported the maximum number of new cases at 1,710, followed by Cuttack at 810 and Angul at 700.
Of the 30 districts, only Gajapati and Kandhamal registered less than 100 new cases each.
Streets empty, shops closed as 15-day lockdown comes into force in West Bengal
Streets were largely empty in the metropolis and elsewhere in West Bengal on Sunday as the 15-day COVID 19-induced lockdown came into effect in the state, with just a few vehicles seen ferrying essential items during the day.
Buses and other passenger vehicles stayed off the roads, and shops selling non-essential items had shutters down, in accordance with the curbs imposed by the government as part of the lockdown.
Police officers deployed in the city's nooks and corners intercepted some of the vehicles that plied on the roads to check their papers before allowing them to proceed.
A handful of people were seen waiting for their turn outside grocery shops, while some queued up next to vegetable and fish stalls at local market places early in the day. The state administration has allowed sale of essential items for three hours amid the shutdown - 7 am to 10 pm.
Oxygen supply streamlining at Goa hospital: Health minister
The oxygen supply at the Goa Medical College and Hospital was getting streamlined following commissioning of a new tank of the life-saving gas at the facility, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Sunday.
A 20,000 kilo litre oxygen tank was commissioned at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Saturday.
Mr Rane told PTI that the oxygen supply at the GMCH was getting streamlined after commissioning of the tank.
"Now, we should not have problems regarding the oxygen supply. The commissioning of the tank is a major step towards solving this problem," he said.
The tank was shifted from Bicholim industrial estate and the move would reduce the GMCH's dependence on oxygen cylinders, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Saturday.
Maharashtra's Thane reports 1,490 new COVID-19 cases, 57 more deaths
Thane has added 1,490 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 4,99,451, an official said on Sunday. Besides these new cases reported on Saturday, the virus also claimed the lives of 57 more people, pushing the deaths in the district to 8,427, he said.
The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 1.68 per cent, he added. Details of recovered and under-treatment patients were not provided by the district administration.
26 new COVID-19 cases push Andaman and Nicobar Islands tally to 6,568
The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported 26 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,568, a health department official said on Sunday.
All the new cases in the archipelago were detected during contact tracing, the official said.
The COVID-19 deaths in the union territory remained at 85 as no fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, he said. Forty-two more people were cured of the disease during the period, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 6,267.
Oxygen Express with 100 tonnes of medical oxygen reaches Moradabad
Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday informed that the first "Oxygen Express" carrying 100 tonnes of medical oxygen has reached Moradabad.
According to the Union Minister, the "Oxygen Express" left from Bokaro and reached Moradabad on Saturday night.
Taking to Twitter the Minister wrote, "The first ''OxygenExpress'' for Moradabad district has reached its destination, carrying 100 tonnes of oxygen from Bokaro. From here, this oxygen will also be supplied to Bareilly, which will help in the treatment of Covid patients in these two cities."
According to the Ministry of Railways, Indian Railways has delivered more than 8700 MT of LMO in more than 540 tankers to various states across the country and 139 Oxygen Expresses have completed their journey so far and brought relief to various States.
Ladakh reports 177 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths
Ladakh reported 177 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the Union Territory's health department informed on Sunday.
As many as 181 people recovered from the disease in the said period, out of which 165 were cured and discharged in Leh and 19 in Kargil.
The Union Territory also recorded two death in the said period.
New app needed for smooth Covid-19 vaccination drive, says Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan on Saturday suggested that a new application is needed to be developed for administering vaccine to the people of 18-44 age group.
While speaking to ANI, Mr Narayan said, "With regard to administering vaccine for 18-44 years age group, a new app needs to be developed and this will be interfaced with Co-WIN App and later the vaccination schedule will be prepared taking into account the availability of vaccines."
"A priority list will be prepared. This may include those who are working in the postal department, agricultural department, bank employees, internet service providers, etc", said Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Head of State Covid Task Force, Dr CN Ashwath Narayan.
Assam issues fresh COVID-19 restrictions from May 16
Amid surge in Covid-19 cases across the country, the Assam government on Saturday issued fresh directives that will be imposed from May 16 until further orders.
"In continuation of the order dated 12 May 2021, and in the exercise of the powers, conferred under Section 22(2) (h) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the undersigned, in his capacity as Chairperson, State Executive Committee of the State Disaster Management Authority, Assam, hereby issues the following directives which will be applicable in respect of urban areas and adjacent areas within 5 km radius from the periphery of municipal corporation / municipal boards/ revenue towns and shall come into force with effect from 5 AM of May 16, 2021 until further orders", read the order copy by the government.
All shops and commercial establishments shall shut down at 11 AM on all days.
Coronavirus News: Assam reports 5,347 fresh COVID cases, 63 more fatalitiesAssam's COVID-19 tally mounted to 3,24,979 on Saturday as 5,347 more people tested positive
for the disease, while 63 fresh fatalities pushed the coronavirus death count to 2,123, a bulletin issued by the National Health Mission here said. Kamrup (Metro) recorded the highest number of new fatalities at 21, followed by Dibrugarh and Cachar at five each, Bongaigaon, Kamrup (Rural) and Karbi Anglong at three each and Barpeta, Nalbari, Darrang, Golaghat and Sonitpur at
two each. The remaining deaths were reported from several other districts, PTI reported.