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This Article is From Apr 08, 2021

Highlights: India Reports Highest Daily Spike With Over 1.15 Lakh New COVID-19 Cases

The single-day rise in coronavirus cases breached the 1-lakh mark for the second time in three days.

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India News Posted by Shatabdi Chowdhury

Updated : April 08, 2021 6:03 am IST

The death count increased to 1,66,177 with 630 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

New Delhi:

The number of new coronavirus cases in India hit a record daily high since the outbreak of the pandemic with over 1.15 lakh new infections being reported in a span of 24 hours, pushing the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 1,28,01,785, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The single-day rise in coronavirus cases breached the 1-lakh mark for the second time in three days.

A total of 1,15,736 infections were reported in a day, while the death count increased to 1,66,177 with 630 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

Registering a steady increase for the 28th day in row, the active cases have increased to 8,43,473 comprising 6.59 per cent of the total infections, while the recovery rate has further dropped to 92.11 per cent, the data stated.

The active caseload was at its lowest at 1, 35,926 on February 12 comprising 1.25 per cent of the total infections.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,17,92,135, while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.30 per cent, the data stated.

Meanwhile, vaccinations will not be opened to all ages any time soon, the government said today, stressing on the need to cover the most vulnerable groups amid a surge in Covid cases.

Maharashtra reported over 55,000 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours in a persistent rise in cases that has left the government worried about the situation.

State Health Minister Rajesh Tope spoke with his counterpart in the centre, Harsh Vardhan, and requested him to let neighbouring states send oxygen cylinders to Maharashtra, where more and more hospitals have reported shortage of oxygen cylinders needed to care for critical patients.

A weekend lockdown in Maharashtra is already in effect amid the unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases.

Here are the Highlights:

Apr 08, 2021 03:45 (IST)

Odisha reports 791 new COVID-19 cases, inoculation drive halted in many centres due to shortage of vaccine

Odisha's COVID-19 tally rose to 3,44,647 on Wednesday as it reported 791 new cases, the highest spike this year, even as the state government halted inoculation drive in 700 centres due to shortage of vaccines and moved the Centre seeking immediate supply of 25 lakh Covishield doses.

The COVID-19 death count climbed to 1,923 as one more person succumbed to the disease in Puri district, an official said.

"Due to shortage of vaccine, we have to close nearly 700 vaccination centres in the state (out of over 1400 functional sites). Only 755 could be made active today," Odisha's Health and Family Welfare Minister N K Das said in a letter to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan.

Apr 07, 2021 22:10 (IST)

Set Up Panel To Monitor Covid Situation In Nagpur: Bombay High Court

Taking note of the surge in COVID-19 cases and the stress faced by the authorities, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court today ordered that a COVID-19 committee should be set up to tackle the issues in the district.

A division bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and Avinash Gharote was hearing a public interest litigation taken up suo moto (on its own) in 2020 at the onset of the pandemic in India.

The bench noted that coronavirus has once raised its head and perhaps in its ugliest form ever.

"We are witnessing thousands of persons testing positive for COVID-19 not only in Nagpur, but also in other cities of Maharashtra and the whole health machinery is under tremendous stress," the court said.

Apr 07, 2021 21:26 (IST)

Mumbai Reports 10,428 Covid Cases, 23 Deaths In A Day

Mumbai has logged 10,428 coronavirus cases and 23 deaths in a day amid a massive Covid surge in Maharashtra. The city had reported 10,030 cases and 31 deaths yesterday.

6,007 people were discharged in the last 24 hours, Mumbai's municipal body said in a statement.

51,263 people were tested for the virus in a day.

As of now, the city's recovery rate stands at 80 per cent and its doubling rate is 35 days.

The city has reported over 10,000 daily cases on several days this month. Its highest single day spike was recorded on Sunday with 11,163 cases.

Apr 07, 2021 20:48 (IST)

UK To Offer AstraZeneca Alternative To Under-30s Over Blood Clot Concerns

A government committee in the UK advising on coronavirus vaccinations has said people under the age of 30 should be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine, after 19 people died in the country from rare blood clots after receiving the jab. Altogether, 79 such cases have been reported in the country.

"Adults who are aged 18 to 29 years old who do not have an underlying health condition... should be offered an alternative Covid-19 vaccine in preference to the AstraZeneca vaccine, where such an alternative vaccine is available," Wei Shen Lim of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said at a press conference.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is being manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute under the name of "Covishield". It is one of the two vaccines approved by India's drug regulator in January this year.

Apr 07, 2021 20:03 (IST)

High Court Seeks Centre's Response Over Door-To-Door Vaccine For Elderly

The Bombay High Court today sought a response from the Union government on a petition requesting that door-to-door vaccination facility be made available for the citizens above 75 years and also for those people who cannot visit inoculation centres because they are either bed-ridden or wheelchair-bound.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni also asked the Union government if the procedure laid down for registration for vaccination can be made more user friendly.

The high court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocates Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari seeking a direction to the Centre and the Maharashtra government to provide door-to-door vaccination facility for senior citizens above the age of 75, for specially-abled persons, and also for those persons who are bed-ridden or wheelchair-bound.

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Apr 07, 2021 19:24 (IST)

Centre To Collect Data On Those Testing Covid Positive After Vaccination

The Central government will now onwards collect data on those testing Covid positive even after getting vaccinated. The move follows reports of such instances coming from several parts of the country. It also comes amid a major resurgence in infections: India recorded over 1.15 lakh new cases in the past 24 hours for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic in January 2020.

The sample reference form issued by the government will, henceforth, carry columns related to those who have already been vaccinated, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed.

Apr 07, 2021 18:56 (IST)

Some Spreading Panic: Health Minister After Maharashtra Vaccine Stocks SOS

After Maharashtra's SOS on vaccines, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan today slammed what he called "deplorable attempts by some state governments to distract attention from their failures and spread panic among the people".

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said this morning that the state may run out of Covid vaccines in three days and he had asked the centre to send more stocks soonest.

Harsh Vardhan said he had seen "irresponsible statements" made by state government functionaries that had the potential to "mislead the public and spread panic". He said in his statement that he wanted to set the record straight.

Apr 07, 2021 18:33 (IST)

Chhattisgarh: Lockdown In Raipur District From April 9 To 19

In view of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, the Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday announced a lockdown in Raipur district with effect from April 9 to 19, an official said.

Raipur Collector S Bharathi Dasan has issued the order declaring the entire area of the district, including the state capital, as a containment zone and restricted several activities from 6 pm on April 9 till 6 am on April 19.

Because of the steady rise in COVID-19 cases, it has become necessary to impose stricter restrictions on the movement of people and other activities to contain the spread of infection, the collector said in a press conference.

Accordingly, during the lockdown period, the border of the district will be completely sealed and all shops, including those selling liquor, and commercial establishments will remain closed except medical stores.

Offices of Central government, state government, semi-government, as well as private offices and banks will remain closed while those related to telecom, railway and airports will be allowed to function, the order said.

All religious, cultural and tourism spots will remain shut and all kinds of public meetings, social, religious and political programmes will be banned during this period, it said.

Apr 07, 2021 18:20 (IST)

Covid Surge Hit Children Hard, 79,688 Infected In 5 States Since March

The second wave of Covid, is in which the numbers are skyrocketing, is hitting younger people and children - unlike the first round when the elderly, and those with co-morbidities were seen to the most vulnerable sections. Data from the Union health ministry shows 79,688 children have been infected in the five states affected worst by the virus.

Currently there is no vaccine for children. A testing of AstraZeneca vaccine of children in the UK has been suspended over reports of the vaccine being linked to blood clotting, which has led to seven deaths in the European nation.

In Maharashtra, 60,684 children have been infected with Covid between 1 March and 4 April. Of these children, 9,882 are under the age of five years.

In Chhattisgarh, 5,940 children have been infected by the disease - 922 of them are below the age of five. In Karnataka, the corresponding figures are 7,327 and 871. In Uttar Pradesh, 3,004 children have been infected and 471 among them are below the age of five.

Apr 07, 2021 17:52 (IST)

New Covid Strain Could Be Infecting People Faster In Maharashtra: Minister

A new Covid strain could be infecting people faster in Maharashtra, the state's Health Minister said today on the huge spike in cases alongside concerns over depleting vaccine stocks. He said samples were being tested to verify the theory.

"We suspect that there is a new strain that is affecting people in a shorter duration of time," Minister Rajesh Tope told reporters.

"Samples have been sent to the National Centre for Disease Control to ascertain this," he added.

In a recent interview to NDTV, Shashank Joshi, a member of the COVID-19 task force in Maharashtra, had said a "different strain" was responsible for the rapid rise in cases in the state.

Apr 07, 2021 17:30 (IST)

Covid Shots To Be Allowed In Workplaces, States Asked To Prep
Covid vaccinations will be allowed in workplaces and the states have been asked to prepare for launch by Sunday, the centre has said.

Apr 07, 2021 16:40 (IST)

Night Curfew In Delhi Because People Having Parties, Gatherings: Minister

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said night curfew was imposed in the national capital following reports that parties and social gatherings were being organised in various parts of the city at a time when COVID-19 cases have surged.

Interacting with reporters, he also feared that if the positivity rate escalated and safety norms were not followed by people, the new cases could breach the last single-day spike record registered in November last year.

However, he added that it will be too early to speculate on that as of now, and government efforts are to contain the incidences as effectively as possible.

Mr Jain's remarks on the pandemic situation came a day after the Delhi government imposed a night curfew in the national capital from 10 pm to 5 am till April 30 in view of rising COVID-19 cases.

Apr 07, 2021 16:12 (IST)

Bengaluru Bans Use Of Swimming Pools, Gyms In Residential Complexes As Covid Cases Rise

The Bengaluru police today banned the use of swimming pools, gyms, party halls, and other such amenities in residential complexes within the city limits amid a worrying rise in cases of infection in the past few weeks.

"In the wake of increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru, the Chief Secretary and Chairman, State Executive Committee, Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority...has imposed certain reasonable restrictions for public safety and health," the Karnataka police department said in a notice issued today.

The city has seen the maximum number of new cases in Karnataka, a state hit by a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. By the end of March, it was being reported that of the nearly 2,000 new cases being reported that month, up to 50 were children under the age of 10 years. Amid this rise, beds set aside for Covid patients have been fast filling up in many hospitals.

Apr 07, 2021 15:59 (IST)

Ukraine Virus Deaths, Hospitalisations Hit New Record

Ukraine on Wednesday registered another record number of coronavirus deaths and hospitalisations, with officials warning the situation is "critical".

The government on Wednesday reported 481 deaths in the previous day and 5,587 people taken to hospital, both the highest figures recorded since the start of the pandemic.

Coronavirus infections and deaths have been rising steadily in Ukraine for months, as the ex-Soviet country's ageing healthcare system struggles to cope with the contagion.

"It is no exaggeration to describe the situation as critical," the mayor of the capital Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, said at a briefing.

"If we do not stop the rapid spread of the disease in the nearest future, the capital's medical system will not hold," Klitschko said, adding that hospitals would run out of beds "very soon".

Kiev tightened coronavirus restrictions on Monday, closing kindergartens and primary schools and introducing travel restrictions.

Apr 07, 2021 15:29 (IST)

Night Curfew In Punjab, Ban On Political Gatherings, Leaders Warned

Punjab, one of the key states where the Covid graph is showing an upward movement, has declared a series of restrictions including night curfew across the whole state -- up from the earlier 12 districts -- from 9 pm to 5 am. The state has also declared a ban on political, social, cultural or sports gatherings. A cap has also been put on attendance at funerals, weddings and cremations. Only 50 people can attend indoor functions, and 100 for outdoors. Read Here

Apr 07, 2021 15:06 (IST)

Apr 07, 2021 14:21 (IST)

Minimal Mask Use At Protest, AAP Points To PM's Poll Rallies

A protest against the Centre's vaccine policy by Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party today was replete with laxity in terms of Covid-appropriate behaviour. Party workers and supporters were seen without masks, jostling on the road before the BJP office, social distancing norms forgotten despite the ongoing second wave of the infection. Read Here

Apr 07, 2021 14:00 (IST)

Punjab Government imposes night curfew from 9pm-5am across the entire State till April 30, also bans political gatherings in the State, reports news agency ANI.

Apr 07, 2021 13:47 (IST)

"Ridiculous": Rahul Gandhi On Government's 'Need, Not Want' Vaccine Logic

Every Indian deserves the chance to a safe life, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted today as the government declared that vaccinations will not be available to a wider group anytime soon amid an alarming spike in coronavirus cases across the country. Read Here

Apr 07, 2021 13:31 (IST)

Odisha Reports 791 New COVID-19 Cases

Odisha has reported 791 new COVID-19 cases, 266 recoveries and one death in the last 24 hours, according to the State Health Department on Wednesday. With this, the total number of cases now stands at 3,44,647. There are 4,225 active cases while 3,38,416 patients have been cured or recovered. The death toll due to COVID-19 in the state stands at 1,923.

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