Latest News Live Updates: The recovery rate is 97.01 per cent.
India today reported 16,838 fresh coronavirus cases and the tally has climbed to 1,11,73,761, while the number of recoveries has surged to 1,08,39,894, the Union health ministry said on Friday.
The death count due to the viral disease has gone up to 1,57,548 in the country with 113 more fatalities reported in a 24-hour period, the ministry's data showed.
Nearly 17.14 lakh people - from India's general population - have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine in the first four days of the second phase, as the country's vaccination graph continues to improve.
The increase is evident on the ground, and especially at private hospitals, where long queues can be seen all day.
In Delhi, daily vaccinations at private centres have seen a huge jump from the initial 150 per day, with prominent hospitals like Apollo and Max vaccinating nearly 600 each on Thursday.
"People in the senior citizen age group have been coming out in huge numbers and we are trying our level best to ensure the process is smooth for them. Initially there were hiccups in the system and that was expected... but now I think it is gradually becoming better," Dr Sahar Qureshi, Medical Superintendent at the Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi's Saket, told NDTV.
Here are the Latest News Live Updates:
Mumbai Reports 1,173 New Covid Cases, Biggest Spike Since October
Mumbai reported 1,173 new COVID-19 cases, the highest one-day spike since October, on Friday which took its case tally to 3,31,016, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.
The death count in the city rose to 11,490 with three new fatalities being reported.
Since October 28, when the city had reported 1,345 new cases, this is the first time Mumbai has witnessed such a high number of COVID-19 cases.
On February 24, the metropolis had reported 1,167 new COVID-19 cases.
Over 1.9 Crore Administered Covid Vaccine In India So Far: Centre
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India has crossed 1.90 crore with 10,34,672 vaccine jabs being given till Friday evening, the Union Health Ministry said.
The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated and vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) starting from February 2.
The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people above 60 years and those aged 45 and above with specified comorbid conditions.
"Total 10,34,672 vaccine doses were given till 7 pm on Friday, the forty-ninth day of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive. Out of which, 8,25,537 beneficiaries were vaccinated for the first dose and 2,09,135 HCWs and FLWs received the second dose of vaccine as per the provisional report," the ministry said, adding that final reports would be completed for the day by late night.
Maharashtra Reports Over 10,000 New Covid Cases After Nearly 5 Months
Maharashtra reported 10,216 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the highest number of single-day cases in nearly five months, which took its overall tally to 21,98,399, a health department official said.
This is the first time since October 17, 2020, the single-day case count in the state has gone above the 10,000- mark.
On October 17, the state had reported 10,259 cases. On Wednesday (March 3), there were 9,855 new cases, while Thursday's infection count was 8,998.
The state's death count rose to 52,393 with 53 fatalities reported on Friday, the official said.
As 6,467 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the recovery count increased to 20,55,951.
Covid origins report due out week of March 15: WHOThe international investigation into the Covid-19 pandemic's origins in China will publish its report in the week of March 15, the World Health Organization's chief has said. The report was originally due to be published in two stages: an initial summary in February followed by the full text. However, they will both now be released at the same time, said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"I know that many member states are eager to see the report of the joint WHO-led study on the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus -- and of course so am I," Tedros said in a speech to the UN health agency's member countries on Thursday. "The team is working on its final report as well as an accompanying summary report, which we understand will be issued simultaneously in the week of the 15th of March.
Paris curbs outdoor drinking over Covid-19 risksParis police warned Friday that alcohol consumption will be banned across large swathes of the capital this weekend, in the hope of avoiding a repeat of the huge crowds that have been gathering despite France's Covid-19 curfew. Authorities had already banned outdoor drinking in a handful of popular areas of the capital during weekends last month, a move followed by police in several other cities as well.
But now alcohol will be prohibited in more than dozen other streets and squares as well as on the banks of the Seine, where hundreds of people massed last weekend to enjoy a taste of spring weather -- to the dismay of doctors commenting on TV. Officers will also order evacuations of areas where social distancing rules are not being respected, the police department said.
COVID-19 curbs in Nagpur city extended till March 14In view of the recent surge in coronavirus cases, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) extended till March 14 the ongoing restrictions imposed on various activities and establishments. Municipal commissioner Radhakrishan B issued a notification to this effect.
As per the order, schools, colleges, coaching classes, weekly markets and swimming pools will remain shut till March 14 and no sports events will be allowed till that time.
Rajasthan records 195 fresh COVID-19 cases, 1 deathRajasthan recorded 195 fresh coronavirus cases, raising its tally to 3,21,123, while the death count in the state reached 2,789 with one more fatality, according to a health department bulletin. A total of 1,584 patients are under treatment, while 3,16,750 have been recovered from the infection, it stated.
So far, 519 have died in Jaipur, 307 in Jodhpur, 222 in Ajmer, 169 in Kota, 167 in Bikaner, 120 in Bharatpur, 123 in Udaipur, 109 in Pali and 101 in Sikar due to COVID-19, as per the bulletin.
Kerala reports 2,776 COVID-19 cases, 16 deaths
Kerala logged 2,776 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 10 health workers and 16 related deaths, taking the caseload to 10,72,785 and the death count to 4,271. As many as 3,638 people were cured of the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 10,24,309, health minister KK Shailaja said. A total of 66,103 samples were examined on Friday, taking the overall number to 1,17,79,163, she said The test positivity rate stood at 4.20 per cent.
Continue with existing Covid strategy in Delhi: Lieutenant Governor tells officials
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has directed authorities to continue with the existing strategy against COVID-19, including cluster-based surveillance, testing and genome sequencing owing to the rise in the number of cases in the country, an official said. Mr Baijal, who chaired a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, told officials that there is no need to lower the guard against the virus as the COVID-19 situation is under control with a "marginal increase", the official said.
Odisha reports 91 new COVID-19 cases, count rises to 3,37,620Odisha's COVID-19 tally mounted to 3,37,620 as 91 more people tested positive for the infection, a health department official said. Of the fresh cases, 53 were reported from quarantine centres and 38 detected during contact tracing. Sambalpur district recorded the maximum number of new cases at 14, followed by Sundargarh, 13, and Balasore, 12. The death count remained at 1,917 as no new fatality due to the infection has been reported in the state since Wednesday.
Uttarakhand Governor gets first dose of COVID-19 vaccineUttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya has received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Doon Hospital. "Today I received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the Doon Medical College. I am healthy. I appeal to everyone to get vaccinated whenever their turn comes," Rani Maurya said in a tweet in Hindi.
Several union ministers, including Amit Shah, Prakash Javadekar, S Jaishankar, Jitendra Singh among others, have already received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the second phase of the vaccination drive.
European Union to extend COVID-19 vaccine export controls as AstraZeneca shipment blockedThe European Union is planning to extend its export authorisation scheme for COVID-19 vaccines to the end of June, two EU sources told Reuters on Thursday, as a shipment of AstraZeneca shots from the EU to Australia was blocked. Extending controls could reignite tensions with countries who rely on shots made in the EU.
Under the scheme, companies must get an authorisation before exporting COVID-19 shots, and may have export requests denied if they do not respect their supply commitments with the EU. The mechanism was set up at the end of January as a reaction to vaccine makers' announcements of delays in the deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to the bloc. It is due to expire at the end of March, but the European Commission wants to extend it through June, the two officials said.
Puducherry adds 30 fresh COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 39,824
Puducherry logged 30 new coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours taking the overall tally in the union territory to 39,824, a top Health
department official said on Friday.
No fresh fatality was reported from any of the four regions-Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam-, the Director of Health and Family Welfare Services S Mohan Kumar said in a release.
The 30 fresh cases were identified at the end of the examination of 1,314 samples and they were spread over Puducherry and Karaikal regions (13 cases each) and Mahe (four), he said, adding the infection tally rose to 39,824.
As many as 20 patients were discharged after treatment during the last 24 hours.
Over 1.8 crore vaccine doses administered in India
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India has crossed 1.8 crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.
These include 68,53,083 healthcare workers (HCWs) who were administered the 1st dose, 31,41,371 HCWs who were given the 2nd dose, 60,90,931 frontline workers (FLWs) who were given the 1st dose and 67,297 FLWs (2nd dose), 2,35,901 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities (1st dose) and 16,16,920 beneficiaries aged more than 60 years.
Nearly 14 lakh (13,88,170) vaccine doses were given on Thursday, Day-48 of the vaccination drive (March 4).
The ministry said 10,56,808 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 16,081 sessions for 1st dose (HCWs and FLWs) and 3,31,362 HCWs and FLWs received 2nd dose of vaccine.
The 10,56,808 beneficiaries include 6,15,903 people aged over 60 and 92,109 individuals aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities (1st dose)
Six sates, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, MP and Delhi, have reported high daily new cases in a span of 24 hours, the ministry said underlining 84.44 per cent of the new cases reported in a span of 24 hours (16,838) are from these six states.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine today at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine today at a govt hospital in Mumbai.
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot received his first dose COVID19 vaccine today in Jaipur
"Around 2 lakh people are getting vaccinated each day in Rajasthan. This is due to people's confidence in State's COVID19 management," he says
One new COVID-19 case in Mizoram, tally at 4,428
Mizoram reported just one new COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, which took the state's tally to 4,428, an official said on Friday.
A 23-year-old woman in Aizawl tested positive for the infection after she returned from Delhi, he said.
"The woman arrived at Lengpui airport on Thursday and was diagnosed with the disease there. She developed COVID-19 symptoms," the official said.
The northeastern state now has 18 active cases, while 4,400 people have recovered from the disease.
Ten people have succumbed to the infection.
Altogether, 2,36,334 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the state so far.
Two new COVID-19 cases in Andamans; tally at 5,024Two more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, taking the tally in the Union Territory to 5,024, a health department official said on Friday.
The fresh cases were detected during contact tracing, he said.
The death toll remained at 62 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours.
One person was cured of the disease on Thursday, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 4,953, the official said.
The Union Territory now has nine active cases.
Altogether, 7,779 health and frontline workers have been vaccinated, he said.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh receives the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at Sadar Hospital in Begusarai.
Telangana reports 166 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths
Telangana recorded 166 fresh COVID-19 cases taking the total positives to over 2.99 lakh while two deaths pushed the tally to 1,639, the state
government said on Friday.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 27, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri 14 and Rangareddy with 12, it said in a bulletin, providing details as of 8 PM on March 4.
The total number of cases stood at2,99,572 while with 149 patients being cured, the total recoveries were at 2,95,970.
The state has 1,963 active cases and40,443 samples were tested on Thursday.
No fresh COVID-19 case in Arunachal, 38,090 people inoculated
Arunachal Pradesh did not report any fresh COVID-19 case in the past two days, a senior health department official said on Friday.
The northeastern state's coronavirus tally stood at 16,838, he said.
Arunachal Pradesh currently has two active cases, both in Tirap district, while 16,780 people have recovered from the disease and 56 died so far, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
State Immunisation Officer Dimong Padung said 38,090 health and frontline workers, including 3,615 on Thursday, have received vaccine shots thus far.
The health department has been carrying out the inoculation drive four days a week - Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Thane district records 720 new COVID-19 cases, four deaths
With the addition of 720 new coronavirus cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra rose to 2,67,630, an official said on Friday.
These new cases were reported on Thursday, he said.
The virus claimed the lives of four more persons, pushing the death toll in the district to 6,290, the official said.
So far, 2,54,578 patients have recuperated from COVID-19, which reflects a recovery rate of 95.12 per cent, he said.
There are now 6,762 active cases in the district, the official said.
JustIn| 16,838 fresh COVID-19 cases in India, 3% lower than yesterday; 1.11 crore total cases, 1,57,548 deaths
Daily US Covid cases below 40,000 for first time in months: report The United States recorded fewer than 40,000 new cases of Covid-19 in one day for the first time in five months on Thursday, according to the Johns Hopkins University pandemic tracker.
This number peaked at nearly 300,000 new cases on January 8 in the country hardest hit by the pandemic, with more than half a million fatalities.
But now it is back down to the levels of before Thanksgiving and Christmas, when holiday travel and gatherings in defiance of safety warnings were blamed for spreading the virus further in the US.
Another encouraging sign as the United States presses on with its vaccination drive is that daily deaths and hospitalizations from Covid are also way down.
China military budget to grow 6.8% in 2021China's military budget -- the second largest in the world after the US -- is set to increase by 6.8 percent in 2021, the finance ministry announced Friday.
Military tensions have dramatically increased over the past year between China and rival powers including the United States and India, with flashpoints like the Himalayan border, Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Beijing plans to spend 1.36 trillion yuan ($210 billion) on defence, which is still less than a third of Washington's military budget.
The growth rate, up from 2020's 6.6 percent, was revealed by the ministry at the opening of the government's annual legislative meetings.
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga Gets Covid Vaccine
The world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, Serum Institute of India, has written to the Prime Minister's Office proposing reforms in the existing drug regulatory system, including allowing manufacturing and stockpiling of non-COVID vaccines while undergoing clinical trial.
In the letter, Prakash Kumar Singh, the Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) referred to the Health Ministry's May 18, 2020, gazette notification, saying it allowed manufacturing and stockpiling of COVID-19 vaccine under clinical trial for marketing authorization for sale or distribution.
"Because of this rule, it became possible for us to manufacture and stockpile the COVID-19 vaccine during the clinical trial and we could make the vaccine available in such a short span of time to protect millions of lives," he said in the letter dated March 2.
Serum Institute Writes To PMO, Proposes Reforms In Drug Regulatory System
The world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, Serum Institute of India, has written to the Prime Minister's Office proposing reforms in the existing drug regulatory system, including allowing manufacturing and stockpiling of non-COVID vaccines while undergoing clinical trial.
In the letter, Prakash Kumar Singh, the Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) referred to the Health Ministry's May 18, 2020, gazette notification, saying it allowed manufacturing and stockpiling of COVID-19 vaccine under clinical trial for marketing authorization for sale or distribution.
"Because of this rule, it became possible for us to manufacture and stockpile the COVID-19 vaccine during the clinical trial and we could make the vaccine available in such a short span of time to protect millions of lives," he said in the letter dated March 2.
Tsunami Waves Observed After Powerful Pacific Quakes: US Monitor
Evacuations from coastal areas were ordered in New Zealand, New Caledonia and Vanuatu Friday as tsunami waves were observed following a cluster of powerful South Pacific earthquakes, authorities said.
"Tsunami waves have been observed," the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, revealing ocean gauges had picked up small waves near the Tonga capital Nuku'alofa measuring about three centimetres (1.3 inches).