Coronavirus LIVE: 17,518 new Covid cases in Kerala; 6,753 in Maharashtra

A decline of 3,881 cases was recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours

11:42 PM

Don't have fixed timeline to vaccinate all against Covid, says govt

There is no fixed timeline for completion of the ongoing vaccination drive in the country, the health ministry said in Parliament on Friday. “However, it is expected that all beneficiaries aged 18 years and above will be vaccinated by December 2021,” Bharati Pravin Pawar, minister of state in the health ministry, told the Lok Sabha.

 

Responding to a query by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Mala Roy of the Trinamool Congress, Pawar said there had been no delay in entering into purchase agreements with domestic vaccine manufacturers. “Advance payments have also been made to manufacturers for the supply orders placed with them,” he said. READ MORE...

11:22 PM

Delhi vaccinated 48,616 people against Covid-19 on Thursday: Bulletin

Delhi vaccinated 48,616 people against the novel coronavirus infection the previous day, of which 22,237 beneficiaries received their first doses, the city government's vaccination bulletin said on Friday.

 

The total number of vaccine doses administered in Delhi stands at 95,67,506, including 72,52,529 first doses and 23,14,977 second doses, it noted.

 

The national capital, as on Friday morning, had a balance stock of 2,74,150 coronavirus vaccines, out of which, 2,34,730 doses were of Covishield and 39,420 of Covaxin, according to the data shared by the government. The doses will go out of stock in less than a day, the bulletin stated.

11:10 PM

Andhra Pradesh logs 1,747 new Covid cases, 14 deaths

Andhra Pradesh on Friday recorded 1,747 new Covid cases, taking the state's overall tally to over 19.5 lakh, even as its active caseload dropped to 22,939. As many as 2,365 more persons recovered from the disease in the past 24 hours, taking the state's total number of recoveries over 19.1 lakh.

 

Chittoor district reported the highest number of cases at 293, followed by Nellore with 239, East Godavari with 234, Prakasam with 223, West Godavari with 215, Krishna with 127, Visakhapatnam with 109, Guntur with 86, Srikakulam with 82, Kadapa with 54, Anantapur with 45, Vizianagaram with 31, and Kurnool with nine.

 

Except for Vizianagaram, all the other districts of Andhra Pradesh have now reported more than 1 lakh Covid cases.

10:40 PM

Customised crash course launched for Covid frontline workers: Govt

A customised crash course for Covid-19 frontline workers has been launched to train about one lakh people in six healthcare-related job roles, the Parliament was informed on Friday.

 

Also 2,800 drivers will be trained for handling and transportation of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) across the country, Union Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

 

"Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched the 'customised crash course programme' for Covid frontline workers under the central component of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0 (PMKVY3.0).

10:21 PM

European agency is first to clear Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for children

The European Medicines Agency has recommended authorising Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 17, the first time the shot has been authorized for people under 18.

 

In a decision on Friday, the EU drug regulator said research in more than 3,700 children aged 12 to 17 showed that the Moderna vaccine already given the OK for adults across Europe produced a comparable antibody response.

 

Until now, the vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech has been the only option for children as young as 12 in North America and Europe. READ MORE...

10:11 PM

Assam reports 1,621 new Covid cases, 1,869 discharges, and 15 deaths in a day

Assam reports 1,621 new Covid cases, 1,869 discharges, and 15 deaths in the past 24 hours 

 

Active cases: 14,595

Total discharges: 5,34,809

Death toll: 5,091

10:01 PM

Discussing indemnity, other issues with foreign Covid vaccine manufactures: Govt

A team of central government officials is in continuous dialogue with foreign Covid vaccine manufactures like Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson to discuss and address various issues, including indemnity, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

 

Providing the present status of discussions with pharma companies like Pfizer and Moderna over giving them indemnity against cost of compensation for adverse effects due to vaccination, Union Minister Bharati Pravin Pawar in a written reply said the government constituted the team on June 11 to deal with various issues related to procurement of COVID-19 vaccine from foreign manufacturers.

 

"This team is in continuous dialogue with Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson to discuss and address various issues including the issue of indemnity," , the minister of state for health said.

 

She clarified that no domestic manufacturer of Covid vaccine has demanded indemnity against adverse effects of vaccination.

9:57 PM

Nashik records 49 new Covid-19 cases; three more casualties

With the addition of 49 new COVID-19 cases, the tally of infections in Maharashtra's Nashik district rose to 4,01,738, while the toll reached 8,489 with three casualties on Friday, a health official said.
 

Of the latest casualties, one was reported from the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) limits and two from other parts of the district, the official said.

9:42 PM

Curbs tightened in Kerala following increase in Covid-19 Test Positivity Rate

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday announced further tightening of restrictions in the State with an increase in the Covid Test Positivity Rate (TPR) in the last few days.
 

The average test positivity rate for the last three days is 12.1 per cent.The TPR is above 10 per cent in 11 districts and Malappuram district has the highest of 17 per cent.

9:30 PM

Tamil Nadu logs 1,830 new Covid cases, 24 deaths in a day

Tamil Nadu recorded 1,830 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 25,44,870, the health department said on Friday. The number of fatalities mounted to 33,862 with 24 more people succumbing to the virus in the last 24 hours.

 

Recoveries eclipsed new infections with 2,516 people getting discharged, aggregating to 24,86,192 leaving 24,816 active cases, a medical bulletin said.

 

As many as 33 districts reported new infections in double digits, while there were no fresh deaths in 21 districts including in Chennai.

9:29 PM

UK warns of increased risk of Covid reinfection with Delta variant

UK health officials on Friday issued a warning of an increased risk of catching the Delta variant even if someone has had COVID-19 before and urged caution as further investigations remain ongoing.

 

Public Health England (PHE), which monitors all variants of concern (VOC) in the country on a weekly basis, found the Delta VOC cases have risen by 33,716 since last week to a total of 286,765 and continues to account for approximately 99 per cent of coronavirus cases across the UK.

 

It also revealed that 897 cases out of 68,688 infections of the Delta variant first identified in India recorded in an 11-week period from April to June were possible reinfections. READ MORE...

9:19 PM

Maharashtra reports 6,753 new Covid-19 cases, 167 deaths, 5,979 recoveries

Maharashtra reported 6,753 new COVID-19 cases and 167 fresh fatalities on Friday, taking the infection tally to 62,51,810 and the death toll to 1,31,205, a health department official said.

 

On Thursday, the state had recorded 7,302 new COVID-19 cases and 120 fatalities.

 

The official said as many as 5,979 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, pushing the number of recovered cases to 60,22,485. The state now has 94,769 COVID-19 patients under treatment. READ MORE...

9:09 PM

Bharat Biotech terminates MoU with Brazilian partners after graft allegations

Bharat Biotech on Friday said it terminated the Memorandum of Understanding entered with Precisa Medicamentos and Envixia Pharmaceuticals LL.C for its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin for the Brazilian market.

 

The termination of the MoU came after the deal with the Brazilian government for supply of 20 million doses of the vaccinelanded in controversy and attracted investigation by authorities in that country.

 

Precisa Medicamentos is Bharat Biotech's partner in Brazil, providing assistance, guidance and support with regulatory submissions, licensure, distribution, insurance and conduct of phase III clinical trials, among others.

8:56 PM

Maharashtra reports 6,753 new Covid-19 cases, 167 deaths, 5,979 recoveries

Maharashtra reports 6,753 new Covid-19 cases, 167 deaths, 5,979 recoveries

8:56 PM

Third Covid wave may occur either due to mutations in virus or pool of susceptible population: Govt

Third Covid wave may occur either due to mutations in virus or pool of susceptible population: Govt

8:46 PM

Can't be sure that Delta variant by itself can give rise to third Covid wave: Govt

The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to be more transmissible than other variants of concern, however, it cannot be speculated that this variant by itself can give rise to a third wave of COVID-19 in the country, Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

 

The surge in cases is also dependent on available susceptible population, including a host of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions like vaccination, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply. READ ON...

8:41 PM

India’s cumulative Covid vaccination exceeds 42.75 crore-mark

8:17 PM

Only marginal difference in purchase price of Covishield, Covaxin for Centre: MoS Health

The Centre is purchasing Covishield and Covaxin doses at the rate of Rs 205 and Rs 215 per dose, respectively, and there is only a marginal difference in the purchase price of the two vaccines for the government, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

 

In a written reply, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar also said that the government is not facing any difficulty in procuring and arranging vaccines for states and Union territories (UTs).

 

In fact, the Government of India has been supplying vaccines free of cost to the states/UTs for administration to prioritised beneficiaries as recommended by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC).

8:15 PM

Covid impact: More women have exited formal employment in India than men

On May 31, preliminary Gross domestic product (GDP) data released by the ministry of statistics and planning indicated that the Indian economy had contracted 7.3 per cent in 2020-21. While the GDP data do indicate the extent to which Covid-19 and resultant lockdowns had impacted the economy, they do not portray the extent of the disruption.

 

Covid-19 has exacerbated the rich-poor divide — an Oxfam report highlights that Indian billionaires increased their wealth by 35 per cent during lockdown last year — but it has also set the country back in terms of female empowerment. READ MORE...

8:00 PM

1,705 new Covid-19 cases, 30 deaths in Karnataka

Karnataka on Friday reported 1,705 new COVID-19 cases and 30 deaths, taking the tally to 28,91,699 and the toll to 36,323. The day also saw 2,243 discharges, continuing to outnumber the fresh cases, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 28,31,226.

 

Out of 1,705 new cases reported on Friday, 400 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 781 discharges and only three deaths, the health department said in a bulletin.

 

The total number of active cases in the state is 24,127.

7:41 PM

Hopeful that all 18-plus beneficiaries will be vaccinated by Dec: Govt

The pace of COVID-19 vaccination across India is amongst the fastest in the world and in view of the evolving nature of the pandemic, it is expected that all beneficiaries aged 18 years and above will be vaccinated by December 2021, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

 

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, in a written reply, said while there have been instances of vaccine wastage in states and Union territories (UTs), but extra doses have also been extracted from a given vial according to the Co-WIN portal. READ MORE...

7:28 PM

Manipur records 1,284 new Covid cases, 15 deaths and 1,725 recoveries in a day

7:23 PM

Covid vaccines in India required to be stored within 2-8 deg C range: Govt

COVID-19 vaccines, currently being used in the country, are required to be stored within the temperature range of two to eight degrees Celsius, Union Minister Bharati Pravin Pawar informed Lok Sabha on Friday.

 

In a written reply, the minister of state for health also said that there are 296 walk-in coolers and 57,640 ice-lined refrigerators in the country.

 

These are sufficient to meet the vaccine requirement of both COVID-19 vaccination as well as routine immunisation, Pawar said. READ MORE...

7:14 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Karnataka reports 1,705 new cases

Karnataka reports 1,705 new cases, 30 deaths and 2,243 recoveries today; active caseload at 24,127, according to the state health department

7:02 PM

States floated global tenders for vaccines but none materialised into procurement: Mandaviya

Some states had floated global tenders for Covid-19 vaccines in May but none of these materialised into procurement, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed Lok Sabha on Friday.

 

Multiple and repeated demands were made by states and union territories to the government of India that they be allowed to procure vaccines directly and administer them as per their requirements, and such global tenders were placed by them in May 2021, Mandaviya said in a written reply.

 

"However, none of the tenders floated by any state government materialised into procurement of Covid vaccines from any vaccine manufacturers, including offshore manufacturers," he said.

 

Later on, many states communicated to the government of India that they were facing difficulties in managing the funding and logistics of direct procurement of Covid vaccines. (PTI)

6:54 PM

Decline in Covid vaccine doses during implementation of liberalised vaccination strategy: Govt

During the implementation of "Liberalized Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy" from May 1 to June 20, the total number of doses administered declined with states saying they faced difficulties in managing the funding and logistics of direct procurement of vaccines, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

 

The total number of doses administered declined from 8.99 crore in April to 6.10 crore in May, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a written reply.

 

States through multiple communications intimated that they were facing difficulties in managing the funding and logistics of direct procurement of vaccines, he said.

 

This in turn had an impact on the total number of doses administered, he said.

 

Multiple states had repeatedly demanded that they be allowed to procure vaccines directly and administer them as per their requirements, he said. (PTI)

6:23 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Kerala reports 17,518 fresh cases in a day

5:52 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Himachal Pradesh to re-open schools for Classes 10-12 from Aug 2

5:31 PM

Railways lost 2,903 employees due to coronavirus: Ashwini Vaishnaw

The Railways has lost 2,903 employees due to Covid-19, minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on Friday. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, he said settlement of dues has been made with families of deceased Railway employees in 2,782 cases. Read here

5:25 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Andhra Pradesh sees 1,747 fresh cases in last 24 hours

Andhra Pradesh reports 1,747 fresh coronavirus cases, 2,365 recoveries, and 14 deaths in the past 24 hours.