Latest News Live Updates: The recovery rate is 96.92 per cent.
New cases of coronavirus infection in India were recorded above 22,000 taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,12,85,561, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
The COVID-19 active caseload is 1,89,226 which now comprises 1.68 per cent of the total infections.
The recovery rate has increased to 96.92 per cent, the data stated.
A total of 22,854 new infections were registered in a day, while the death count increased to 1,58,189 with 126 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Meanwhile, More than 2.43 crore (2,43,67,906) COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered through 3,39,145 sessions across the States and Union Territories so far, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHWF) informed on Wednesday.
As per health ministry data, more than 13.5 lakh vaccine doses were given in the last 24 hours, out of which 10,60,944 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 52,351 sessions for the first dose (HCWs and FLWs) and 2,98,229 HCWs and FLWs received a second dose of vaccine.
Here are the Latest News Live Updates:
Night curfew imposed in Patiala, Ludhiana from March 12 amid COVID-19 spikeAmid increasing COVID-19 cases, Ludhiana's District Collector in Punjab has imposed a night curfew in the district from March 12 between 11 pm to 5 am till further orders. The night curfew has also been imposed in Patiala will be effective from the night of March 12 from 11 pm to 5 am, till further orders, Patiala's District Magistrate Amit Kumar said in his order.
However, the police and army personnel on duty, government officials/employees, essential services/medical emergency workers, and any other emergency related to the safety of the public/property, would be exempted from the purview of these orders.
EU approves Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccineThe European Union approved the single-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on Thursday -- the fourth jab to get the green light for the 27-nation bloc. The decision offers a boost for the EU's sluggish vaccination programme. J&J said it aims to begin delivery to the bloc in the second half of April and to supply 200 million doses to the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2021.
The European Commission formally gave the green light for the jab after the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended approval.
"More safe and effective vaccines are coming to the market," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet.
EU says AstraZeneca efforts 'not good enough' on deliveriesThe head of the European Union's coronavirus vaccine supply task force on Thursday slammed AstraZeneca's efforts as "not good enough" to meet delivery obligations for the first quarter of 2021. "AstraZeneca vaccines delivery: I see efforts, but not 'best efforts'," Thierry Breton, the bloc's industry commissioner, wrote on Twitter.
"That's not good enough yet for AstraZeneca to meet its Q1 obligations."
Breton insisted: "It's time for AstraZeneca's Board to exercise its fiduciary responsibility and now do what it takes to fulfil AZ's commitments."
Italy bans batch of AstraZeneca jab but plays down risksItaly's medicines regulator on Thursday banned the use of a batch of AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine as a precaution, triggering a similar decision from fellow EU member Romania. The Italian regulator made the decision despite saying there was no established link between the vaccine and reports of some people suffering blood clots days after receiving the shot.
"Following the reporting of some serious adverse events... AIFA has decided, as a precaution, to issue a ban on the use of this batch throughout the national territory," the AIFA regulator said in a statement.
Pfizer/BioNTech say data suggests vaccine 94% effective in preventing asymptomatic infectionPfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said on Thursday that real-world data from Israel suggests their COVID-19 vaccine is 94% effective in preventing asymptomatic infections, suggesting it could significantly reduce virus transmission.
The companies also said the latest analysis of the Israeli data shows the vaccine was 97% effective in preventing symptomatic disease, severe disease and death. That is in line with the 95% efficacy reported in the vaccine's late-stage clinical trial in December.
Israel's Health Ministry, which is working with the healthcare providers administering the vaccine, said in an emailed statement that the data was developed from the ministry's tracking of morbidity.
"Very Worried About Maharashtra, Don't Take Virus For Granted": Centre
The Centre is "very worried" about the upsurge in coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul said on Thursday, adding the virus cannot be taken for granted if the country has to remain Covid-free. The remark comes on a day when the Maharashtra government announced a week-long lockdown - from March 15 to March 21 - in Nagpur, which reported over 1800 cases in 24 hours.
"As we were reaching here for this press conference, we learned that a strict lockdown is being imposed in Nagpur. So, we are reaching a situation where those approaches are being brought back," Dr Paul said.
Centre Issues Warning As Delhi's 24-Hour Covid Figures Cross 400
Coronavirus figures rising in Maharashtra, the epicentre of the disease, the health authorities have issued a warning for Delhi and its surrounding areas. Already, the figures in Delhi are showing a distinct upward movement. This morning, Delhi logged 409 new cases of COVID-19 -- the highest single-day rise in two months. The last time Delhi recorded more than 400 cases was on January 8- the figure was 444.
The 24-hour spike has taken the total cases in the national capital so far to 6,42,439. The death count has touched 10,934 with 3 more fatalities.
Health experts and doctors have attributed the sudden rise in numbers to people turning complacent, not following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.
Maharashtra Reports 14,317 Coronavirus Cases, 57 Deaths In Last 24 HoursThe European Union authorised the use of US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson's one-shot coronavirus vaccine on Thursday after the bloc's medical regulator gave its approval.
"More safe and effective vaccines are coming to the market," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet.
"We have just authorised the use of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine in the EU.... With the number of doses we ordered, we could vaccinate up to 200 million people in the EU" with the J&J jab this year, she said.
Covaxin Taken Off Clinical Trial Mode, No Consent Forms Needed Now
Covaxin - Bharat Biotech's homegrown vaccine against the coronavirus - has been taken off the clinical trial mode, which means beneficiaries will not have to sign consent forms before taking the drug. This comes a day after a subject expert committee that has been monitoring the development of the drug made a recommendation in this regard to the country's drug regulator, DCGI.
"...after detailed deliberation the committee recommended for omission of the condition of the use of the vaccine in clinical trial mode. However, the vaccine should be continued to be used under restricted use in emergency situation condition," the drug regulator said in a letter to the Hyderabad-based company.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Gets First Dose Of COVID-19 VaccineMaharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and also appealed to the citizens to get themselves vaccinated without any hesitation and fear.
"There is no need for anyone to have any fear or confusion about the COVID vaccine. I have just been vaccinated & I am standing right in front of you. So, it is my humble appeal to all my citizens who are eligible for vaccination to go get it without any doubt in their minds," Mr Thackeray said in a tweet.
Maharashtra reported 13,659 new COVID-19 cases and 54 deaths in the last 24 hours. With this, the cumulative count of the cases in the state has reached 22,52,057. The state currently has 1,00,240 active coronavirus cases.
Denmark, Norway, Iceland Suspend Use Of AstraZeneca Covid-19 VaccineDenmark, Norway and Iceland on Thursday temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine over concerns about patients developing post-jab blood clots, as the manufacturer and Europe's medicines watchdog insisted the vaccine was safe.
Denmark was first to announce its suspension, "following reports of serious cases of blood clots" among people who had received the vaccine, the country's Health Authority said in a statement.
It stressed the move was precautionary, and that "it has not been determined, at the time being, that there is a link between the vaccine and the blood clots".
As of March 9, 22 cases of blood clots had been reported among more than three million people vaccinated in the European Economic Area, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said.
PM Says Mother Had First Dose Of Vaccine, Makes An Appeal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that her mother has taken the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine today. In his tweet, he also urged everyone to help and motivate eligible people to get inoculated.
"Happy to share that my mother has taken the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine today. I urge everyone to help and motivate people around you who are eligible to take the vaccine," PM Modi tweeted.
The Prime Minister did not elaborate details on which vaccine 99-year-old Heera Ben had been administered. India has been administering two vaccines - Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield, developed by the Serum Institute of India.
Delhi Records 409 Fresh Covid Cases, Highest In Over 2 Months
Delhi on Thursday recorded 409 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day rise in nearly two months, while the positivity rate rose to 0.59 per cent, according to health department data.
The death count climbed to 10,934 with three more fatalities, the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi Health Department stated.
Delhi had recorded 370 new cases on Wednesday and 320 on Tuesday. The city reported three deaths due to the disease on Wednesday and four on Tuesday.
On Sunday and Monday, 286 and 239 cases, respectively, were recorded in the national capital. The city had registered 321 coronavirus cases and one death last Saturday, and 312 cases and a fatality on Friday.
Lockdown In Nagpur From March 15-21; Uddhav Thackeray's "Inevitable" Hint
Nagpur in Maharashtra will go under lockdown for a week, from March 15 to March 21, due to the rising cases of coronavirus in the city. Essential services such as vegetable and fruit shops and milk booths will stay open. More parts of the state could go into lockdown, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray indicated as COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in Maharashtra for nearly a month. Nagpur reported over 1,800 cases in the last 24 hours.
"Some areas of Maharashtra will witness strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus infection. The government is going to hold a special meeting with officials before coming out with the lockdown measures," Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said after taking his first shot of the anti-Covid vaccine.
The lockdown has been imposed in all the areas that come under the Nagpur Police Commissionerate.
One new COVID-19 case in Arunachal, tally at 16,840
Arunachal Pradesh reported just one new COVID-19 case, which took the state's tally to 16,840, a senior health department official said on Thursday.
The fresh case from Changlang district was detected through a rapid antigen test, he said.
"The new patient is a gym instructor," State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
Arunachal Pradesh now has four active cases, while 16,780 people have recovered from the disease and 56 died so far, he said.
The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state stands at 99.64 per cent.
Altogether, 4,09,168 samples have been tested for COVID-19, including 440 on Wednesday, and the positivity rate is at 0.024 per cent, Jampa said.
Odisha logs 63 new COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 3,37,992
Odisha's COVID-19 caseload surged to 3,37,992 after 63 more people tested positive for infection, a health department official said on Thursday.
The new cases were detected in 14 of the state's 30 districts, with 38 cases reported from quarantine centres and the remaining 25 were local contact cases.
Mayurbhanj district reported the highest of 14 new cases followed by Cuttack (11) and seven cases each in Sundergarh and Balasore.
The state's coronavirus death toll remained at 1,917 as no fresh fatality has been reported.
Apart from the 1,917 coronavirus deaths, 53 other COVID-19 patients have also died in the state due to comorbidities, he said.
The state currently has 700 active COVID-19 cases while 3,35,322 patients have so far recovered from the highly infectious disease.
PM Modi''s mother receives first dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Prime Minister Narendra Modi''s mother, Heeraben Modi, received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday.
"Happy to share that my mother has taken the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine today. I urge everyone to help and motivate people around you who are eligible to take the vaccine," PM Modi tweeted.
The Prime Minister had taken his first dose of the vaccine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi on March 1.
"Took my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at AIIMS. Remarkable how our doctors and scientists have worked in quick time to strengthen the global fight against COVID-19," PM Modi had tweeted.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Puducherry logs 22 fresh COVID-19 cases, overall tally rises to 39,954
Puducherry logged 22 new coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours taking the overall tally in the union territory to 39,954, a top official of the Health Department said on Thursday.
No fresh fatality was reported from any of the four regions in the Union Territory, Director of Health and Family Welfare Services S Mohan Kumar said, adding the toll remained at 670.
The 21 fresh cases were identified at the end of the examination of 1,201 samples during the last 24 hours and 21 patients were discharged after recovery, he added.
The Puducherry region reported 20 new cases while the two others were from Karaikal, Mohan Kumar said, adding Mahe and Yanam regions did not report any fresh infections.
The fatality and recovery rates were 1.68 per cent and 97.88 per cent respectively.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife Sudesh Dhankhar receive their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at Command Hospital in Kolkata
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray takes his first shot of COVID-19 vaccine
JustIn| Complete lockdown to remain imposed in Nagpur City Police Commissionerate area from March 15 to March 21. Essential services will continue: Nagpur Guardian Minister Nitin Raut
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Six States Accounts For 85.91 Per Cent Of New Covid-19 CasesSix States including Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu cumulatively account for 85.91 per cent of the new coronavirus cases reported in the past 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Thursday.
22,854 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours.
Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new COVID-19 cases at 13,659 (almost 60 per cent of the daily new cases). Kerala follows with 2,475 while Punjab reported 1,393 new cases.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Telangana adds 194 fresh COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths push toll to 1,649
Telangana recorded 194 new COVID-19 cases and three related deaths taking the total tally of cases to 3,00,536 and the toll to 1,649 respectively, the State government said on Thursday.
A total of 1,855 patients were under treatment, it said in a bulletin, providing data as of 8 PM on March 10.
Out of the 194 fresh cases, 35 were reported from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), followed by 16 from Ranga Reddy, and 14 from Medchal Malkajgiri districts.
According to the bulletin, as many as 37,904 samples were tested on Wednesday and cumulatively 90,93,645 samples have been tested.
The bulletin said a total of 2,97,032 people had recovered and the recovery rate was 98.83 per cent in the state, while it was 96.9 per cent in the country.
Delhi AAP MLA Raghav Chadha says he has tested positive for COVID-19
No new COVID-19 case in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not report any new COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, while two more patients recovered from the disease during the period, a health department official said on Thursday.
The coronavirus tally in the archipelago remained at 5,028, he said.
The Union Territory now has six active cases, and 4,960 people have recovered from the disease so far.
The death toll stood at 62 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported on Wednesday, the official said.
Altogether, 10,474 health and frontline workers have been inoculated, while 1,416 people above 45 years of age have received the vaccine shots so far, he said.
Despite an inflow of tourists into the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the overall coronavirus situation is under control in the archipelago, the official said.
1,032 new COVID-19 cases in Thane, 3 more deaths
With the addition of1,032 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 2,72,193,an official said on Thursday.
Besides these new cases reported on Wednesday, the virus claimed the lives of three more persons, raising the death toll in the district to 6,315, he said.
The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane is 2.32 per cent, he said.
So far, 2,58,158 patients have recuperated from the infection in the district, which reflects a recovery rate of 94.84 per cent.
At present, there are 7,720 active COVID-19 cases in Thane, the official said.
JustIn| 22,854 fresh COVID-19 cases in India, 27.5% higher than yesterday; 1.12 crore total cases, 1,58,189 deaths
Billboards come up in Greater Toronto area thanking PM Narendra Modi for providing COVID-19 vaccines to Canada.
US will share COVID-19 vaccine if it has surplus: Biden
The United States will share the COVID-19 vaccine with the rest of the world if it has a surplus, US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday.
"If we have a surplus, we are going to share it with the rest of the world. We have already decided we are going to work with the outfit COVAX. We've committed USD 4 billion to help get the funding for more vaccines around the world," he told reporters at the White House.
"This is not something that can be stopped by a fence, no matter how high you build a fence or a wall. So we're not going to be ultimately safe until the world is safe," Biden said.
"So we are going to start off making sure Americans are taken care of first but we are then going to try to help the rest of the world," Biden said in response to a question.
Earlier, the president lauded the "historic, nearly unprecedented collaboration" between Johnson and Johnson and Merck as he underscored the move to secure an additional 100 million doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine. The CEOs -- Alex Gorsky from Johnson and Johnson and Kenneth Frazier from Merck -- praised him and thanked him in their brief comments.
Quad summit expected to do something on COVID vaccine
The first Quad summit between the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States on Friday is likely to come out with something on coronavirus vaccine, a top American diplomat indicated Wednesday.
"We have a Quad summit meeting on Friday with President (Joe) Biden, and I expect we'll see something on vaccines coming out of that summit. There are other things that we're looking at that we're working on in the days and weeks and months ahead to make sure that we are a leading international actor in creating greater access to vaccines," Secretary of State Tony Blinken told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing.
Blinken was responding to a question from Indian American Congressman Dr Ami Bera during a Congressional hearing convened by the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee.
"I want to recognize the importance of the Quad and the importance that the administration has played on our Quad relationship in the region with Japan, Australia, and India. But I'm a doctor first, and, you know, my interests have always been as a physician on global health pandemic preparedness," the Indian American lawmaker said.
US will share COVID-19 vaccine if it has surplus: Joe BidenThe United States will share the COVID-19 vaccine with the rest of the world if it has a surplus, US President Joe Biden said. "If we have a surplus, we are going to share it with the rest of the world. We have already decided we are going to work with the outfit COVAX. We've committed USD 4 billion to help get the funding for more vaccines around the world," he said at the White House.
"This is not something that can be stopped by a fence, no matter how high you build a fence or a wall. So we're not going to be ultimately safe until the world is safe," Joe Biden said.
Vial from first US COVID-19 vaccine dose goes to museumItems connected to the first known doses of Covid-19 vaccine to be administered in the United States have been acquired by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, the institution has announced. New York-based health care provider Northwell Health -- whose nurse Sandra Lindsay was the first person to be inoculated in the country hardest hit by the coronavirus -- donated the items, the Smithsonian announced.
The empty vial containing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine given to Lindsay, other vials, syringes and the nurse's vaccination record card are among the objects donated, the Smithsonian said in a statement Tuesday.