Coronavirus LIVE: 92,043 recoveries, 88,600 new cases in India in a day

 Health workers in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit taking a dead body for the cremation of a patient who died from Covid-19 coronavirus at Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital in Guwahati.

Coronavirus update: India on Friday recorded 85,362 coronavirus cases, taking its total caseload past the 5.9-million mark. India has added over 1,000 deaths every day for 26 days. Death toll stands at 94,533. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is battling a double infection of Covid-19 and dengue, has been administered convalescent plasma therapy and his condition is better now. Meanwhile, Kerala is witnessing a sudden surge in new cases. The state witnessed highest single-day spike of 6,477 coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the infection tally to 159,933.

Coronavirus vaccine update: China secured the WHO's backing for the emergency use of coronavirus experimental vaccines as early as in June to protect the people from the pandemic even though the clinical trials had not been completed, Zheng Zhongwei, head of medical science development at the National Health Commission said on Friday.

World coronavirus update: The global tally of coronavirus cases stands at 33,040,716. While 24,394,484 have recovered, 998,171 have died so far. The US, the worst-hit country, 7,236,378 cases. It is followed by India, which has 5,901,571 cases, Brazil (4,692,579) and Russia (1,136,048).

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02:59 PM 

Canada signs deal to secure 20 mn more Covid-19 vaccine doses

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudesu has announced that the country has signed a deal to secure 20 million more Covid-19 vaccine doses.

 

Addressing the media here, Trudeau said the agreement was signed with AstraZeneca for access to a vaccine prospect now being developed at Oxford University, CBC News reported.

 

02:48 PM 

Himachal Pradesh reports 12 fresh Covid-19 cases

Himachal Pradesh reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 14,008.

 

"12 new COVID-19 cases reported in Himachal Pradesh today. The total number of positive cases stands at 14,008, including 4,112 active cases, 9,710 recovered cases, and 163 deaths," said the State Health Department, Himachal Pradesh.

02:33 PM 

92,043 new recoveries have been reported in the last 24 hours in India

02:23 PM 

10 States/UTs account for 84% of deaths in last 24 hours due to Covid-19

02:12 PM 

FIR against Bihar Congress chief, others for violating Covid-19 norms

An FIR has been registered against Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha and several other senior party leaders for violating COVID-19 norms at Patna airport, officials said on Sunday.

 

They have been accused of violating COVID-19 protocol by amassing a large number of people at the airport on Saturday when some party leaders were arriving in the Bihar capital to strategise for the upcoming assembly elections.

01:56 PM 

COVID-19: MUI collaborates with UN body to help Indian seafarers stranded on ships

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic leaving around four lakh global seafarers, including thousands of Indians, stranded on ships, India's oldest union of merchant navy officers MUI has collaborated with the United Nations to assist these sailors.

 

The Seafarers Crisis Action Team (SCAT) has been established by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), a specialised UN agency and a global standard-setting authority of safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping.

01:46 PM 

Odisha reports 3,922 fresh Covid-19 cases, 14 more deaths

Odisha's Covid-19 tally rose to 2,09,374 on Sunday as 3,922 more people tested positive for the disease, while 14 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 797, a health department official said.

The new cases were reported from all the 30 districts of the state, he said.

01:26 PM 

Nutri-gardens can help build immunity, reduce exposure to Covid-19: Experts

The concept of developing nutri-gardens at anganwadis will not only help in fighting malnutrition but can also play a crucial role in protecting children and pregnant women from coronavirus infection by reducing their exposure and building immunity, experts have said.

 

The Women and Child Development Ministry has urged states and Union territories to focus on the nutri-garden initiative for anganwadis.

 

To tackle malnutrition, the government is identifying locally available nutritious food in different parts of the country that can be grown at anganwadi centres. These gardens are called nutri-gardens. Experts said that apart from fighting malnutrition these nutri-gardens can also play a role in protecting children and pregnant women from coronavirus infection.

01:10 PM 

Travellers from Dubai, UK contributed maximum Covid-19 importations into India: IIT study

Travellers from Dubai and the UK were primary sources of COVID-19 importations into India, according to an analytical study done by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi. According to the research, which has been published in the Journal of Travel Medicine, COVID-19 got induced into Indian states mainly due to international travels.

 

The study has also found that infected cases from Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh played less role in spreading the disease outside their communities. Whereas infected people in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, and Karnataka played a significant role in the local transmission, and some of them caused interstate transfer too.

 

"We tracked the spread of COVID-19 and its diffusion from the global to national level and identified a few super spreaders who played a central role in the transmission of the disease in India. The COVID-19 spread in phase one was traced using the travelling history of the patients, and it was found that most of the transmissions were local," Sarita Azad, Assistant Professor, IIT Mandi, told PTI.

01:00 PM 

Over 36,000 Covid-19 cases, 128 deaths in central police forces: PTI Data

The total number of coronavirus cases in central police forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs have gone over 36,000 with 128 personnel succumbing to the pandemic, according to a latest data.

 

The cases pertain to the seven forces of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), National Security Guard (NSG) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

 

As per the latest data accessed by PTI, these forces have recorded over 36,000 COVID-19 cases till now, out of which, 6,646 are active while rest of the personnel have recovered. The maximum cases at 10,636 have been recorded in the BSF, the country's largest border guarding force with about 2.5 lakh personnel.

Coronavirus LIVE: Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam dies; India cases at 5,818,570

 A healthcare worker wearing personal protective equipment(PPE) collects a nasal sample from a policeman, during a check-up campaign for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) set up inside a police station, in Mumbai.

Coronavirus update: India on Thursday recorded 85,919 coronavirus cases, taking its total caseload way past the 5.8-million mark. India has added over 1,000 deaths on each of the past 25 days. Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, earlier hospitalised due to the coronavirus infection, was also diagnosed with dengue. Sisodia was moved to the private Max Hospital in Saket from the Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital in the evening, considering his "falling" blood platelet count and low oxygen level.

Coronavirus vaccine update: Russia will soon register a second vaccine against coronavirus, informed President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. "By the way, the second vaccine against coronavirus will be registered soon," as reported by Sputnik quoting Putin while speaking to the Russian Upper House lawmakers.

 

World coronavirus update: The global tally of coronavirus cases stands at 32,395,107. While 23,904,814 have recovered, 987,065 have died so far. The US, the worst-hit country, has 7,185,130 cases. It is followed by India, which has 5,818,570  cases, Brazil 4,659,909 ) and Russia (1,128,836).

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02:03 PM 

Regret to inform that S P Balasubrahmanyam passed away on September 25 at 13:04 hours: Hospital

01:48 PM 

Record 14,92,409 tests conducted in 24 hours

01:31 PM 

Coronavirus update: Legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam dies in Chennai

12:30 PM 

EU health commissioner warns against 'Covid-19 fatigue'

Sevenmore succumbed to Covid-19 in Puducherry while 608 new infections were recorded on Friday, taking the total caseload to 25,489 in the union territory.

 

Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release that 608 fresh cases were identified after examination of 5,515 samples in the last 24 hours.

 

Of the 25,489 overall cases,5,214 were active, 19,781 patients recovered and were discharged while the fatalities were 494.

 

The Director said the fatality rate was 1.94 percent while recovery rate was 77.61 per cent.

 

The Health Department has so far tested 1.61 lakh samples and it was found that 1.30 lakh out of them were negative.

 

The result of the examination of remaining samples was awaited.

 

12:21 PM 

Seven more die of coronavirus in Puducherry

Seven more succumbed to Covid-19 in Puducherry while 608 new infections were recorded on Friday, taking the total caseload to 25,489 in the union territory.

 

Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release that 608 fresh cases were identified after examination of 5,515 samples in the last 24 hours.

 

Of the 25,489 overall cases,5,214 were active, 19,781 patients recovered and were discharged while the fatalities were 494.

 

The Director said the fatality rate was 1.94 percent while recovery rate was 77.61 per cent.

11:56 AM 

Coronavirus pandemic: Canada's largest city cancels all events to stem Covid-19

Authorities in Canada's largest city of Toronto have announced the cancellation of all events for the rest of this year to prevent the spread of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The cancellation "is based on public health advice and includes festivals and other large in-person gatherings held at outdoor sites managed by the city or other public locations, such as roads, parks and civic squares", Xinhua news agency quoted the authorities as saying in an announcement on Thursday.

 

However, the announcement does not include outdoor sport facility permits and activities; and other city facilities/sites that are permitted in Stage 3 of the Province of Ontario's Framework for Reopening and comply with the current gathering limit restrictions.

11:52 AM 

Covid-19: Another vaccine from Russia, Rio delays Carnival parade & more

On Thursday, India recorded over 86,000 coronavirus cases, taking its total caseload way past the 5.8-million mark. India has been adding over 1,000 deaths daily for the past 25 days. Click here to listen to the podcast.

11:26 AM 

Pakistan coronavirus update: Covid-19 cases reach 309,015

Pakistan's coronavirus cases on Friday reached 309,015 after 798 new cases were identified in the last 24 hours, officials said. At least seven patients died during the period, taking the Covid-19 fatalities to 6,444, while 544 patients are in critical condition, according to the Ministry of National Health Services.

11:21 AM 

Jharkhand coronavirus update: 1,349 new COVID-19 cases, 4 fresh fatalities

Jharkhand's COVID-19 caseload rose to 76,438 on Friday as 1,349 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said.

 

Four more patients succumbed to the infection, taking the state's coronavirus death toll to 652, he said.

 

Jharkhand now has 12,841 active COVID-19 cases, while 62,945 people have been cured of the disease so far, the official said.

 

The state has tested 23,482 samples for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, he added.

11:14 AM 

Maharashtra coronavirus update: Thane district reports 1,749 new cases, 35 deaths

Thane district of Maharashtra recorded 1,749 new cases of coronavirus, taking its tally to 1,65,343, while 35 more patients succumbed to the infection, an official said on Friday.

 

The maximum fresh cases were reported on Thursday from Kalyan at 481, followed by Thane city 389 and Navi Mumbai 325, among other areas, he said.

 

He said the death toll rose to 4,269 with 35 more patients succumbed to the infection - ten of them in Kalyan. Read on...

Covid-19 LIVE: 10 States/UTs accounted for 83% of deaths in last 24 hours

 Health workers in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit taking a dead body for the cremation of a patient who died from Covid-19 coronavirus at Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital in Guwahati.

Coronavirus update: With 83,347 new cases, India's coronavirus caseload has soared to 5,650,540 . Death toll has surpassed the 90,000-mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level virtual meeting with chief ministers and health ministers of seven most-affected states today to review the coronavirus situation. The states with highest Covid-19 case-load are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Punjab.

Coronavirus vaccine update: Codagenix Inc said Serum Institute of India has started manufacturing the US biotech firm's potential Covid-19 vaccine and it expects to begin early-stage human trial of the vaccine by the end of 2020 in the UK.

World coronavirus update: The global tally of coronavirus cases stands at 31,764,198. While 23,371,496 have recovered, 974,559 have died so far. The US, the worst-hit country, 7,097,598 cases. It is followed by India, which has 5,650,540 cases, Brazil (4,595,335) and Russia (1,115,810).

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05:42 PM 

Researchers develop cheaper, faster Covid-19 test

A team of researchers has developed a method for fast, cheap, yet accurate testing for Covid-19 infection. The method simplifies and frees the testing from expensive reaction steps, enabling upscaling of the diagnostics.

This makes the method particularly attractive for places and situations with limited resources. It is equally interesting for repeated testing and for moving resources from expensive diagnostics to other parts of the care chain. The study led by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet was published in the journal Nature Communications.

05:28 PM 

UP sees 5,234 fresh Covid-19 cases, 87 deaths; recoveries cross 300,000-mark

With 87 Covid-19 deaths reported from Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, the death toll due to the disease climbed to 5,299, while the total number of people discharged after treatment crossed the 3 lakh-mark in the state.

As many as 5,234 fresh coronavirus cases were reported in the state, taking the infection tally to 3,69,686, officials said.

 

05:16 PM 

People with 'silent' Covid-19 may have key role in spread: Study

People with 'silent' or asymptomatic Covid-19 infection have as much coronavirus in their noses and throats as those with symptoms, warn researchers.

The study, published in the journal Thorax, revealed that these 'silent' people may have a key role in driving the spread of Covid-19.

05:01 PM 

Punjab caps Covid-19 test rates for private labs

04:48 PM 

Covid-19 positive woman ends life in Shimla hospital; magisterial probe ordered

A 54-year-old woman who had tested positive for coronavirus last week allegedly killed herself at a government hospital in Himachal Pradesh's capital Shimla early Wednesday, police said.

Meanwhile, her family members alleged that neglectful attitude of the hospital's medical staff drove her to suicide.

04:39 PM 

Enough oxygen supply to last for 6-7 days, says Delhi health minister

04:24 PM 

Lower zinc levels in blood may up death risk in Covid patients

In a major study, researchers have found that having a lower level of zinc in the blood is associated with a poorer outcome in patients with Covid-19.

According to the research team, increased intracellular zinc concentrations efficiently impair replication or reproduction of a number of viruses.

However, the effect of plasma zinc levels on SARS-COV-2 is not yet understood.

04:11 PM 

Amid pandemic 83% of adolescents reported having no access to online learning resources: Report

03:59 PM 

India's tests per million rises to 48,028: Govt

03:46 PM 

Despite Covid-19 challenges, Indian students want to study abroad: Report

The Covid-19 pandemic has put every international student's study abroad plan on hold.

However, despite the risks involved, over 91 per cent of Indian students expressed a strong interest in studying abroad as soon as they were allowed to do so.

Coronavirus LIVE: India cases at 5,562,663; over 100,000 cured in 24 hours

 A healthcare worker wearing personal protective equipment(PPE) collects a nasal sample from a policeman, during a check-up campaign for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) set up inside a police station, in Mumbai.

Coronavirus update: India on Monday witnessed a significant drop in the number of new Covid-19 cases. According to Worldometer, India registered 74,493 cases in the past 24 hours, taking its corona tally to 5,560,105. Death toll is at 88,943. India occupies the top position in the world in terms of total recoveries. However, it is also the second worst-hit country in terms of active caseloads and the total number of Covid cases.

 

Coronavirus vaccine update: Phase-III human clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine being developed by Oxford University and manufactured by Serum Institute of India began on Monday in Pune.

 

World coronavirus update: The global tally of coronavirus cases stands at 31,471,337. While 23,094,419 have recovered, 968,905 have died so far. The US, the worst-hit country, has 7,046,188 cases. It is followed by India, which has 5,560,105 cases, Brazil (1,109,595) and Russia (1,109,595).

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02:40 PM 

Singapore reports 21 new Covid-19 cases

Singapore recorded 21 new Covid-19 cases, mostly foreign workers living in dormitories, on Tuesday, taking the number of coronavirus infections to 57,627 in the country, according to the health ministry

 

02:26 PM 

Covid-19: Record 101,000 single-day recoveries take tally of patients cured to nearly 4.5 million

01:59 PM 

PM to review status of Covid-19 response, management in 7 high focus states, UTs tomorrow

01:45 PM 

Covid-19: Ladakh's death toll now 50, total cases 3,832

The coronavirus death toll has risen to 50 in Ladakh as one more patient succumbed to the disease, while 79 new infections took the caseload to 3,832, officials said on Tuesday

01:25 PM 

Coronavirus impact: Indonesia revises GDP forecast to deeper contraction for 2020

Indonesia revised down its 2020 gross domestic product (GDP) outlook on Tuesday, expecting a steeper contraction due to the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic even as it tries to ramp up spending to cushion the blow.

 

Southeast Asia's largest economy would likely shrink within a range of 1.7% to 0.6% on an annual basis in 2020, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told a virtual news conference, down from her previous expectation of a range of 1.1% contraction to 0.2% growth.

 

The forecast took into account a new third-quarter GDP outlook of a contraction of 2.9% to 1%, from the previous range of 2.1% to flat growth, and potential negative growth in October-December, the minister said.

01:23 PM 

Many coop banks came under stress during COVID; their finances being closely monitored by regulator RBI: FM in Rajya Sabha

01:22 PM 

Delhi High Court stays AAP govt’s order directing 33 big private hospitals to reserve 80 per cent of ICU beds for COVID-19 patients

01:22 PM 

HC seeks Delhi government, Centre's replies on plea by 'Association of Healthcare Providers' to quash order to reserve ICU beds

01:08 PM 

Home, auto loan inquiry back to 2019 level, yet to reach pre-Covid mark

Driven by pent-up demand, the inquiry volumes for home and auto loans in India during July-August 2020 are back to 2019 levels in the corresponding period, according to CIBIL.

 

In the home loans, inquiry volumes were at 112 per cent of July-August 2019 levels, in loan against properties (LAP) 90 per cent of Jul-Aug 2019 level, and 88 per cent for auto loans. Read on...

01:06 PM 

PM to chair Covid review meeting with CMs of seven high-burden states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level virtual meeting with chief ministers and health ministers of seven high-burden states on Wednesday to review the COVID-19 situation.

 

These states are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Punjab, an official statement said, noting that more than 63 per of the active cases in the country are concentrated in these seven states.

 

They also account for 65.5 per cent of the total confirmed cases and 77 per cent of the total deaths.

Coronavirus LIVE: At 4,396,399, India has highest no. of recovered patients

 A healthcare worker wearing personal protective equipment(PPE) collects a nasal sample from a policeman, during a check-up campaign for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) set up inside a police station, in Mumbai.

Coronavirus update: After recording more than 90,000 Covid-19 cases consecutively for five days, India on Sunday witnessed 87,382. The country's tally now stands at 5,485,612, while 87,909 have died from the highly contagious disease so far. According to the latest standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, schools across the country are allowed to partially reopen for students of Class 9 to 12 from today.

 ALSO READ: Coronavirus Unlock: List of states that will reopen schools; Key guidelines

 

Meanwhile, Kerala registered its highest-spike of 4,696 corona cases on Sunday, taking its tally to 135,000. Delhi's infection count has jumped to 246,711.

 

Coronavirus vaccine update: 145 vaccine candidates across the world are under pre-clinical evaluation, and around 35 under clinical trials. In India, "we gave all support to 30 vaccine candidates. Three of these are in advanced trials of phases 1, 2, and 3. Over 4 in advanced stages of the pre-clinical trial," Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

World coronavirus update: The global tally of coronavirus cases stands at 31,223,591. While 22,817,424 have recovered, 964,761 have died so far. The US, the worst-hit country, has 7,004,768 cases. It is followed by India, which has 5,485,612 cases, Brazil (4,544,629) and Russia (1,103,399)..

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01:17 PM 

Telangana's daily coronavirus count drops with dip in tests

The weekly dip in Covid-19 tests in Telangana saw the daily count of infections dropping to 1,302, officials said on Monday.

 

Like every weekend, the authorities conducted fewer tests, resulting in the daily count slumping to below 2,000. With this the state's tally has gone up to 1,72,608.

 

During the last 24 hours ending 8 p.m., nine people succumbed to the virus, pushing the death toll to 1,042.

 

The case fatality rate in the state stands at 0.60 per cent as against the national average of 1.60 per cent.

01:05 PM 

Thane Covid-19 tally reaches 1,58,703; maximum cases in Kalyan

The novel coronavirus tally in Thane rose to 1,58,703 after detection of 1,781 new cases in the Maharashtra district, an official said on Monday.

 

Besides, the death toll increased to 4,143 as 27 more patients succumbed to the disease on Sunday, he said.

 

As of now, there are 18,942 active Covid-19 cases in the district while 1,35,618 patients have recovered, he said.

12:56 PM 

Puducherry reports 273 new Covid-19 cases, nine fatalities

Puducherry logged 273 fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday pushing the overall tally in the union territory to 23,191.

 

Nine more people including three women succumbed to the viral infection in the last 24 hours ending 10 am today, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao told a virtual press conference.

 

He said that the 273 fresh cases were identified at the end of examination of 3,783 samples.

12:44 PM 

Coronavirus: 5 players ruled out of French Open qualifying

Two players in the qualifying rounds for the French Open have tested positive for the coronavirus, the French Tennis Federation said, while three others have been in close contact with a coach who also tested positive.

 

The FFT said on Sunday in a statement that all five players will isolate for a period of seven days, and none of them will participate in the qualifiers starting Monday for the September 27-October 11 tournament.

12:37 PM 

Arunachal Pradesh coronavirus update: 135 cases push Covid tally to 7,385

Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 7,385 on Monday as 135 more people, including eight security personnel, tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said.

 

The Capital Complex region reported the highest number of new cases at 69, followed by West Kameng (18) and West Siang (14), State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

 

 

"Seven Army jawans and one personnel of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) are among the new patients," he said, adding two health workers have also contracted the disease.

12:20 PM 

DATA STORY: India's active cases down by 14,455 in 3 days; recovery rate goes past 80%

The states and UTs that have seen their respective biggest single-day spikes in total cases are Kerala (4716), Odisha (4330), and Rajasthan (1865). Click here to know more

12:01 PM 

Tablighi Jamaat event caused Covid-9 to spread to ''many persons'' : MHA

The Union Home Ministry said the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi''s Nizamuddin locality in March led to the coronavirus infection spreading to "many persons".  

 

Äs reported by Delhi Police, despite guidelines and orders issued by various authorities in pursuance of the outbreak of COVID-19, a huge gathering assembled inside a closed premises over a protracted period of time and without any semblance of social distancing or provision of masks and sanitisers.

 

"This also caused the spread of Coronavirus infection amongst many persons," the minister said.

12:00 PM 

Tablighi Jamaat event caused COViD-19 to spread to ''many persons'' : MHA

The Union Home Ministry said the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi''s Nizamuddin locality in March led to the coronavirus infection spreading to "many persons".  

 

Äs reported by Delhi Police, despite guidelines and orders issued by various authorities in pursuance of the outbreak of COVID-19, a huge gathering assembled inside a closed premises over a protracted period of time and without any semblance of social distancing or provision of masks and sanitisers.

 

"This also caused the spread of Coronavirus infection amongst many persons," the minister said.

11:42 AM 

Maharashtra coronavirus update: State registered 217,847 cases in just 10 days

Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported a net addition of 20,627 cases. The state has added 217,847 cases in the past 10 days alone.

 

11:34 AM 

Andhra Pradesh coronavirus update: The state has added 58,391 cases in the past 7 days alone

Andhra Pradesh, the second-most-affected state by total cases, has added 58,391 cases in the past seven days alone. On Monday it added 7,738 cases.

 

Coronavirus LIVE: 74% active cases in 9 states; Mizoram sees record jump

Health workers in PPE kit playing with a child at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) Village sports complex, temporarily converted into a COVID care center, in New Delhi.

Coronavirus update: Recording its worst-ever single-day spike of 95,529 coronavirus cases, India's tally has surged past the 4.4-million mark to 4,465,863. With the latest addition, the country has recorded 612,251 cases in seven days alone. According to data provided by Worldometer, India has recorded more new Covid-19 cases than any other country in the past two weeks. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu account for 62% of total active coronavirus cases in the country. India's cumulative tests for detection of the virus has surpassed five million, while tests per million have risen from 6,396 on July 1 to 37,470. 

On Wednesday, Maharashtra and Delhi recorded their highest single-day spike of 23,816 and 4,039 cases, respectively. The national capital's tally has topped 200,000 mark now. However, despite a sharp surge in Covid cases in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party government has ruled out the possibility of another lockdown, asserting that the economy 'cannot be kept shut for eternity.

Coronavirus vaccine update: The central drug regulator (DCGI) has issued a showcause notice to Serum Institute of India (SII) for not informing it about pharma giant AstraZeneca pausing the clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate for Covid-19 in other countries and also for not submitting casualty analysis of the "reported serious adverse events". The notice was issued following reports that human trials of the most promising Covid-19 vaccine candidate, being developed by the University of Oxford, had been put on hold after a UK participant had an adverse reaction to it.

 

World coronavirus update: The global tally of coronavirus cases stands at 28,011,870. While 20,082,808 have recovered, 907,248 have died so far. The US, the worst-hit country, has 6,548,737 cases. It is followed by India which has 4,465,863, Brazil (4,199,332) and Russia (1,041,007).

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03:39 PM 

Yogi asks officials to focus on districts reporting high Covid-19 cases

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday directed officials to focus more on Lucknow, Prayagraj, Kanpur and Gorakhpur as these districts are reporting a higher number of Covid-19 cases.

 

He also asked them to ensure all Covid-19 hospitals have full staff.

 

"All Covid-19 hospitals should function with full capacity and where ever needed, manpower should be increased. Specialist doctors should be appointed in L2 (Level-2) Covidhospitals and it should be ensured that serious patients do not have any problem in admission in these hospitals," Adityanath said.

03:30 PM 

Wearing mask mandatory for candidates taking civil services preliminary exam on Oct 4: UPSC

Wearing of mask/face cover is mandatory for all candidates. Candidates without mask/face cover will not be allowed entry into the venue. Further, candidates are allowed to bring their own hand sanitizer in transparent bottles, the Commission said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

 

Candidates have to follow Covid-19 norms of social distancing' as well as personal hygiene' inside the examination halls/rooms as well as in the premises of the venue, it said.

 

This year's preliminary test was earlier scheduled to be held on May 31, but was deferred due to the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

03:20 PM 

India putting up well-planned fight against coronavirus: Amit Shah

Terming coronavirus as an unprecedented challenge, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said India is putting up a well-planned fight against the pandemic under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

 

The BJP leader asked people to take necessary precautions until a vaccine is found.

 

"Coronavirus is an unprecedented challenge for us and for the entire mankind. But we are fighting against it in a well-planned manner under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the whole world has recognised our efforts," he said.

 

03:11 PM 

Don't take coronavirus lightly; people need to wear face masks: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged people not to take coronavirus lightly and follow the rule of wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing till scientists develop a vaccine.

 

"I have certain expectations from you. That is to follow the rule of wearing a mask and Do Gaj ki Doori (a distance of two yards).

 

"Be safe and remain healthy. Take care of senior citizens in the family. These things are important. Do not take coronavirus lightly," Modi said.

 

Modi also said, till scientists develop a vaccine for Covid-19, "this social vaccine is the best way to save ourselves from coronavirus. This is the only solution."

03:02 PM 

Tripura reports 535 new Covid-19 cases, 6 fresh fatalities

As many as 535 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Tripura on Thursday, pushing the state's tally to 17,274, a health official said.

 

Tripura's coronavirus death toll rose to 167 as six more patients succumbed to the infection, he said. West Tripura district, under which Agartala falls, accounted for 88 of the 167 Covid-19 deaths reported in the state so far.

 

The state now has 7,092 active coronavirus cases, while 9,993 people have recovered from the disease so far, and 22 patients have migrated to other states, the official said.

02:50 PM 

Covid-19: Chouhan talks to Maha CM about oxygen supply to MP

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday spoke to his Maharashtra  counterpart Uddhav Thackeray about the supply of oxygen, which  he said has been halted from the western state amid the  Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking to reporters here, Chouhan said shortage of  oxygen cylinders was a cause for concern and Thackeray has  assured him of maintaining the supply to the state. "The shortage of oxygen was worrying me a lot. I spoke  to Uddhav Thackeray and requested him not to stop the supply  at this difficult time," the chief minister said. 

02:36 PM 

'Test, treatment, containment' govt's motto to deal with Covid-19

Test, treatment and containment is the motto of the government of India for dealing with Covid-19 pandemic, said BJP leader Anil Jain on Thursday.

 

"People know that the steps that were taken were necessary and if not taken on time, we would have been in a far worse situation. Test, treatment and containment is our motto, and we are doing that. The world has recognised our efforts," said Jain.

 

He accepted that the spread of Covid-19 in the country is increasing, but added that the capability of the country to deal with the pandemic is also increasing.

02:30 PM 

Record 141 new cases push Mizoram's Covid-19 tally to 1,333

Mizoram reported its highest single-day spike in Covid-19 cases on Thursday as 141 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said. The northeastern state had registered its previous highest single-day spike of 69 coronavirus cases on Wednesday.

 

The fresh infections have taken the state's caseload to 1,333, he said. As many as 94 of the 141 fresh infections are reportedly local transmission cases, the official said, adding that contacts of the new patients have been traced.

02:22 PM 

More than 74% of total active cases are in 9 most affected states

Maharashtra

Karnataka

Andhra Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Tamil Nadu

Telangana

Assam

Odisha

Chhattisgarh

 

02:16 PM 

Nearly 60% of the cumulative cases have been reported in 5 states

The ministry said that 60 per cent of the cumulative cases have been reported in

Maharashtra (9,67,349)

Andhra Pradesh (5,27,512)

Tamil Nadu (4,80,524)

Karnataka (4,21,730)

Uttar Pradesh (2,85,041).

LIVE: India's biggest Covid-19 Care Centre to be shut from Sept 15

A health worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) collects a nasal sample from a girl at a local health center to conduct tests for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), amid the spread of the disease, at the Darya ganj area in New Delhi on Monda

Coronavirus update: India, which is the worst-hit nation after the US, recorded its highest single-day spike of 90,802 coronavirus cases on Monday. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stand at 4,208,645. India has the second-highest number of active cases and ranks 3rd in Covid death toll (71,687). Maharashtra recorded 23,350 new Covid-19 cases, 7,826 recoveries and 328 deaths yesterday. Total number of cases in the state has risen to 9,07,212. Delhi recorded 3,256 fresh coronavirus cases, taking its tally to 191,449.

Five most affected states by total tally of cases are Maharashtra (9,07,212) Andhra Pradesh (498,125), Tamil Nadu (4,63,480), Karnataka (398,551), and Uttar Pradesh (266,283).

World coronavirus update: The global tally of coronavirus cases stands at . While 19,366,783 have recovered, 887,596 have died so far. The US, the worst-hit country, has 6,459,832 cases. It is followed by India which has 4,208,645, Brazil (4,137,606) and Russia (1,025,505).

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02:41 PM 

SC seeks detailed reply on plea for elderly care amid Covid-19

The Supreme Court Monday asked states to file a detailed affidavit within four weeks on a plea seeking directions to provide masks and sanitisers for senior citizens, who are living alone, amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

 

A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M. R. Shah was informed by former Union Minister and senior advocate Ashwini Kumar that the affidavits filed by states based on August 4 direction of the court lack detail on actions taken to address the issue. Kumar submitted before the bench that except Orissa and Punjab, the affidavits on record lack details.

 

On August 4, the top court had directed that all pensioners should be regularly paid pension, and states should provide them necessary medicines, masks, sanitisers and other essentials amid the ongoing pandemic.

02:29 PM 

Covid-19 recoveries in India cross 3.2 mn, fatality rate drops to 1.7%

The Covid-19 recovery rate in India has risen to 77.31 per cent with 69,564 patients recuperating from the disease in 24 hours pushing the total number of recoveries to 3.25 mn, the health ministry said on Monday.

 

The case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.7 per cent, it said.

 

According to the ministry, five states are contributing 60 per cent of the total cases with Maharashtra at the top accounting for 21.6 per cent cases, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 11.8 per cent, Tamil Nadu 11 per cent, Karnataka 9.5 per cent and Uttar Pradesh 6.3 per cent.

 

Maharashtra also contributed 26.76 per cent of the active cases in the country, followed by Andhra Pradesh 11.30 per cent, Karnataka 11.25 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 6.98 per cent and Tamil Nadu 5.83 per cent. These five states combined presently contribute 62 per cent of total active cases, the ministry said.

Coronavirus

Healthcare workers wearing a Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) kit take nasal swab samples from slum residence during coronavirus antigen testing inside a slum colony in Mumbai, on Saturday.

02:18 PM 

Puducherry logs 292 new Covid-19 cases, tally reaches 17,316

Puducherry on Monday reported 292 fresh Covid-19 cases and 11 related fatalities taking the death toll to 325.

 

The 11 people who succumbed included three women, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao told a virtual press conference.

 

The new cases took the overall tally in the union territory to 17,316 (after transfer of eight cases to Tamil Nadu).

 

Rao said the 292 positive cases were identified at the end of examination of 1,073 samples. "503 patients were discharged during the last 24 hours from hospitals," he added.

02:09 PM 

Australians can get free coronavirus vaccine early 2021: Morrison

A coronavirus vaccine will likely become available to people in Australia as early as at the start of next year, Australian PM Scott Morrison has announced.

 

"Australians will gain free access to a Covid-19 vaccine in 2021 if trials prove successful," Morrison said in a statement on Monday.

 

The Australian government has reached a 1.7 billion dollar supply and production agreement with pharmaceutical companies, which will ensure that a free Covid-19 vaccine will be available progressively throughout 2021 in Australia.

02:00 PM 

India's biggest Covid Care Centre in Bengaluru to be shut from Sep 15

The Covid Care Centre at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre here, that was touted to be the biggest such facility for the treatment of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients in the country, will be shut from September 15, as it is not getting patients.

 

In an order dated September 4, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city civic body has said the decision to close the facility with a potential capacity of over 10,000 beds was taken at a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister on the advise of the head of the Covid Care Care Task Force.

 

It has been decided to give the furniture brought for the said centre like- beds, mattress, pedestal fans, dustbins, water dispensers among others to government-run hostels and hospitals at free of cost.

 

The Social Welfare Department will get 2,500 furniture for its hostels, while the horticulture university hostel at Bagalkote, Minority Welfare Department hostel and the GKVK, Bengaluru will get 1,000 each.

01:49 PM 

Firecracker industry suffers as Covid-19 lockdown restricts movement, orders

The upcoming Diwali festival is expected to be a dark one for the firecrackers industry at Sivakasi as nearly 30 per cent of the production is already down and new orders are being rarely placed. The recent order by the Supreme Court for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the use of barium nitrate in the manufacturing of firecrackers added more pressure.

 

Sivakasi accounts for nearly 90 per cent of the country's firecracker production. Around 1,070 firecracker units, mostly medium and small scale, are located in the district. About 300,000 workers are directly employed by the industry and another 500,000 workers are in the allied sectors.

 

"For Vinayaka Chaturthi good quantities of firecrackers would be sold in Maharashtra. But this year it did not happen due to lockdown,” said Rajendra Raja, Vice President, Indian Fireworks Manufacturers’ Association. READ MORE...

Diwali pollution

01:40 PM 

Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath inaugurates new Covid-19 hospital in Gorakhpur

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday inaugurated a 300-bed COVID-19 hospital at BRD Medical College. The state government-run medical college already has 200 beds at the super-speciality block dedicated to COVID-19 patients. Adityanath told reporters that there was "no dearth of beds for coronavirus patients" and said that the state government was determined to defeat the virus.

 

The chief minister also inaugurated a bio-safety 'level -3' lab (BSL -3), 100 beds PG hostel and a guest house on the occasion. He inspected the help desk, the isolation ward and the ICU at the new COVID hospital and held meetings with MP Ravi Kishan, mayor Sitaram Jaiswal and the medical college principal Ganesh Kumar.

01:30 PM 

Covid Podcast: India overtakes Brazil by total cases, Metro services resume

After a 169-day Covid-19 hiatus, the Delhi Metro resumed services with curtailed operations of the Yellow Line on Monday. The Yellow Line connects Samaypur Badli in Delhi to the HUDA City Centre in Gurugram.

Click here to listen to the podcast

01:13 PM 

Rajasthan reports 10 more coronavirus deaths, over 700 fresh cases

Rajasthan reported 10 more deaths due to Covid-19 on Monday, taking the state's toll to 1,147, a health department bulletin said.

 

The state also reported 722 fresh cases of the disease. The total number of people infected by Covid-19 in the state now stands at 91,678, of which 15,562 are undergoing treatment.

 

The new cases were registered in various districts, including Jaipur (108), Jodhpur (81), Kota (78), Alwar (64), Bikaner (38), Bundi (33), Ajmer (32) and Rajsamand (three). Read on...

01:06 PM 

Telangana coronavirus update: More recoveries than new cases in 24 hours

Telangana recorded more COVID-19 recoveries than new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, with the daily increase in cases dropping due to lesser tests, officials said on Monday.

 

In all, 2,711 patients recovered while 1,802 new cases were detected, pushing the state's total tally to 1,42,771.

 

 

Nine more people succumbed to the virus, taking the state's death toll to 895. Read on...