Uddhav Thackeray Warns Of Lockdown If Covid Cases Rise, Other Top Stories

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday called the coronavirus situation in the state "serious" and warned that lockdown would have to be reimposed if daily Covid cases continue to rise in the next two weeks. After a prolonged debate over the involvement of the private sector in India's vaccination drive, NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul told NDTV that there will soon be an announcement on the plan to rope in private sector in the vaccination drive. "We will unveil a plan in a matter of a few days, and I assure you, the private sector will play a very important role," Dr Paul said. Coronil, a medicine that claims to boost immunity against COVID-19, developed Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved has run into a controversy over claims of certification. At the launch event on February 19 where Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari were also in attendance, the Patanjali product was billed by the company as the "first evidence-based medicine for COVID-19".