India on Sunday reported a record daily rise of 349,691 new coronavirus infections, taking its overall tally to 1,69,60,172.
A total of 2,767 people were reported dead on Sunday, according to health ministry data, taking total coronavirus fatalities to 192,311.
SOS messages are being sent out by top hospitals, patients and their family and friends amid shortage of medical oxygen and hospital beds.
Areas with Covid positivity rates over 10 per cent must be locked down, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria told NDTV on Saturday, as the government scrambles to contain a deadly second wave that has triggered an oxygen crisis in Delhi and left India's medical infrastructure near collapse.
Dr Guleria said the country's healthcare system was paying the price for the government's failure to anticipate the spread of infections via more aggressive variants of the virus and flagged the urgent need to break the chain of transmission and reduce the skyrocketing active caseload.
Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech said that the Covaxin vaccine will cost Rs 600 for state governments and Rs 1,200 for private hospitals. For exports, the COVID-19 vaccine will cost in the range of $15 to $20. The other vaccine maker in the country, Serum Institute of India, will sell its Covishield at Rs400 a shot to states and Rs 600 to private hospitals.
Here are the Highlights:
More than 300 oxygen concentrators have been dispatched from John F. Kennedy International Airport,New York on Sunday morning. Air India's A102 is transporting five tonnes of oxygen concentrators as cargo and is scheduled to land in Delhi by Monday noon:Indian Govt official in US
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
UAE Buildings Light Up With Indian Tricolour In Support Amid COVID-19 SurgeAmid a massive surge in COVID-19 cases in India, landmark buildings in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) illuminated with the Tricolour to show solidarity with the country as it tries to tackle the pandemic.
⭐️As #India battles the gruesome war against #COVID19 , its friend #UAE sends its best wishes
- India in UAE (@IndembAbuDhabi) April 25, 2021
🌟 @BurjKhalifa in #Dubai lits up in 🇮🇳 to showcase its support#IndiaUAEDosti @MEAIndia @cgidubai @AmbKapoor @MoFAICUAE @IndianDiplomacy @DrSJaishankar @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/9OFERnLDL4
Maharashtra: Pune district reports 10,193 fresh COVID19 cases, 139 fatalities and 10,607 recoveries in the last 24 hours
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
Active cases: 1,01,714
Total cases: 7,93,186
Total recoveries: 6,79,335
Death toll: 12,306 pic.twitter.com/oOYrSJAUoU
Jharkhand reports 5,903 new #COVID19 cases, 3,287 discharges and 103 deaths.
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
Active cases: 48,105
Total discharges: 1,51,651
Death toll: 1,991 pic.twitter.com/1dWJTKwxB2
Assam reports 1,844 new #COVID19 cases, 558 discharges, and 14 deaths
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
Active cases: 15,470
Death toll: 1,200
Total recoveries: 2,19,516 pic.twitter.com/xFRVs795jb
#COVID19 | A tanker carrying oxygen has arrived at Delhi's Maharaja Agrasen Hospital
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
"25-30 critical cases here. We're constantly concerned as supply isn't as per our need, sometimes it's for 2, 3, 7 hrs. O2 received now will last till 10-11 am tomorrow," said Gen Secy, hospital pic.twitter.com/sgOsX3qbcz
Andhra Pradesh reports 12,634 new COVID-19 cases, 4,304 recoveries, and 69 deaths in the past 24 hours
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
Active cases: 89,732
Total recoveries: 9,36,143
Death toll: 7,685 pic.twitter.com/rqpgoyRX8J
Madhya Pradesh: Indian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster aircraft is airlifting three empty oxygen tankers from Indore for refilling in Jamnagar, Gujarat. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/vDqkCOwYTy
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
Uttarakhand: Former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat met CM Tirath Singh Rawat today over #COVID19 situation in the state. The former CM also announced that he will deposit Rs 1 Crore from his MLA fund towards the CM Relief Fund. pic.twitter.com/urZpZAOLwx
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
In view of rising COVID cases, Jharkhand High Court has ordered all its benches to take up only 'extremely urgent matters' filed in 2021 only, through video conferencing from April 26. pic.twitter.com/DnLdYPVr5i
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
"An 'Oxygen Special' carrying 3 liquid medical oxygen tankers (each with about 14 tonnes) on wagons is planned from Hapa in Rajkot Division of Western Railway today destined to Kalamboli in Maharashtra. Oxygen tankers are supplied by Reliance Industries, Jamnagar," said the Indian Railways on Sunday.
The fourth Oxygen Express is planned from Lucknow today, it said.
Maharashtra | Two personnel of Mumbai Police succumbed to #COVID19 yesterday, taking the death toll in the force to 105: Mumbai Police
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
After the Covid crisis hit the state, the government has installed eight oxygen plants, producing 5.25 metric tonnes of oxygen per day, in five medical colleges of the state, he said.
Three units producing 2.13 MT per day, have been set up in Gauhati Medical College Hospital, two units, producing1.24 MT at Jorhat Medical College Hospital and one unit each, producing 0.62 metric tonnes, at Tezpur, Barpeta and Diphu Medical Colleges, the minister said.
BJP candidate from Kolkata's Tollygunge, Babul Supriyo tests positive for #COVID19 for the second time. His wife tests positive too. pic.twitter.com/jJUKR2nT4w
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
Making the announcement, Delhi Chief Minster Arvind Kejriwal said, "Corona still continues to wreak havoc. Public opinion is also that lockdown should increase. So the lockdown is being extended for one week".
The norms of the weekend curfew in the state permitted food and grocery shops to operate from 6 am to 10 am only, until the curfew ends on April 26 at 6 am.
The market was bustling with people who stepped out for procuring essential commodities.
Many states have resort to weekend curfews in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. Kerala had imposed a weekend curfew for Saturday and Sunday in which only essential services and emergency travel is allowed.
TMC candidate from Khardaha, Kajal Sinha, passes away due to #COVID19#WestBengal pic.twitter.com/vIzeez1ZP9
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
"I'm speaking to you at a time when COVID-19 is testing our patience and capacity to bear pain. Many of our loved ones left us untimely. After successfully tackling first wave, the nation's morale was high, it was confident. But this storm (second wave) has shaken the nation," he said.
20 isolation railway coaches set up for COVID19 patients in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal pic.twitter.com/hGV2ZFaZsU
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
day spike with 8,126 fresh infections and 38 more fatalities, the state government said on Sunday.
The cases tally stands at over 3.95 lakh while the death count rose to 1,999.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 1259, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (676) and Rangareddy (591), it said in a bulletin.
West Godavari district SP K Narayan Naik personally supervised the situation last night. He visited prominent areas in Eluru, headquarters of the district. He gave instructions and suggestions to the police personnel on monitoring the night curfew.
Andhra Pradesh has reported 11,766 new Covid cases, the highest ever single-day case total since the onset of the pandemic. The new infections took the cumulative caseload past the one million mark to 10,09,228.
India reports 3,49,691 new #COVID19 cases, 2,767 deaths and 2,17,113 discharges in the last 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
Total cases: 1,69,60,172
Total recoveries: 1,40,85,110
Death toll: 1,92,311
Active cases: 26,82,751
Total vaccination: 14,09,16,417 pic.twitter.com/HuTqfJSx2b
The U.S. is deeply concerned by the severe COVID outbreak in India. We are working around the clock to deploy more supplies and support to our friends and partners in India as they bravely battle this pandemic. More very soon.
- Jake Sullivan (@JakeSullivan46) April 25, 2021
Complete weekend curfew in Jammu and Kashmir till 6am, April 26; Essential and emergency services allowed
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
Visuals from Srinagar pic.twitter.com/c3juAPYDuw
Besides these new cases reported on Saturday, the virus also claimed the lives of 46 more people, pushing the death count in the district to 7,232, he said.
The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane is 1.62 per cent, he added.
The details of recovered and under-treatment patients were not provided by the district administration.
In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count stood at 76,678 and the death count at 1,447, another official said.
The hospital had raised an alarm at 10:30 PM on Saturday, saying its oxygen stock would last only an hour. There were 130 patients in the ICU, including 30 on invasive ventilation, when the SOS was sent.
Mizoram reports 105 new cases and 1 death in the last 24 hours; case tally 5,388, pic.twitter.com/mbHreCFuKr
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
Jammu and Kashmir: An oxygen plant has been set up at Sub District Hospital (SDH) Kupwara, amid an increase in demand for oxygen.
- ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2021
"This facility will be beneficial for everyone," said Dr. Sheikh Iqbal, Consultant Physician. (24/4) pic.twitter.com/NsyOX2D78y
COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Pass One-Billion Mark As Global Cases Hit New RecordThe number of Covid-19 jabs administered globally surpassed the one-billion mark on Saturday, offering hope after months of pandemic misery, even as the number of coronavirus cases worldwide hit a new daily record, mainly to an explosion of the virus.
