Covid LIVE: Karnataka sees 16,068 new cases in a day; 14,152 in Maharashtra

Coronavirus live updates: India reported 132,364 fresh Covid-19 infections today, taking the caseload tally to 28,572,359. Death toll stands at 340,702. Stay tuned for corona-related news

Coronavirus live updates: Fresh infections continued to fall as it has been seven days since cases have not breached 200,000-mark. India reported 132,364 fresh Covid-19 infections today, taking the caseload to 28,574,350. Test positivity rate is at 6.3%. Deaths, however, have not seen a proportionate decline. Today is the 45th consecutive day of over 2,000 daily Covid deaths reported from the country. With 2,713 new fatalities, the death toll is now at 340,702, according to MoHFW. It continues to be the second worst-hit nation. 

With 24,405 cases reported in the past 24 hours, Tamil Nadu is leading the state list. It is followed by Karnataka with 18,324 new infections. Kerala  reported 18,853 cases. Maharashtra 15,229, and Andhra Pradesh 11,421 cases. The case count was 8,811 for West Bengal.

City-wise, Bengaluru continued to report most cases among major cities in India, with 4,095 new infections confirmed in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, Chennai reported 2,217 new cases, while the same at Kolkata was 1,040. The number of new cases in Mumbai and Delhi was 925 and 487 respectively.

The six most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (5,776,184), Karnataka (26,35,122), Kerala (2,584,853), Tamil Nadu (2,172,751), and Andhra Pradesh (1,728,577).

World coronavirus update: The world is seeing a slight decline in the number of fresh coronavirus cases that are recorded daily. 172,879,928 has been infected across the globe by the deadly contagion since November 2019. While 155,806,518 have recovered, 3,716,157 have died so far. The US remains the worst-hit country with 34,173,426, followed by India, Brazil, France and Turkey. However, in the past seven days, India has added the highest number of fresh cases at 1,073,053, followed by the Brazil (444,641) and Argentina (230,021).

2:16 AM

Ladakh LG launches scheme to provide tablets to govt school students

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Radha Krishna Mathur Friday launched a scheme to provide tabs to school children in a bid to support their learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
 

The YounTab scheme was launched at a virtual event, an official spokesman said.
 

Giving details of the initiative, Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Commissioner Secretary, School Education, said that under the scheme 12,300 tablets with pre-loaded online and offline contents, including textbooks, video lectures and online class applications, would be distributed to government school students from classes 6th to 12th.

The distribution of tablets would be completed in the next two months, th spokesman said.
 

On internet connectivity issue, Mathur said that telecom companies have agreed to install additional towers.
 

LG Mathur said there should be efforts to improve the quality of education, 100 per cent enrolment and zero dropouts in schools.
 

He also announced financial assistance to meritorious students of classes 10th and 12th for availing coaching for exams such as NEET, JEE, NDA and UG CLAT.
 

Mathur also announced Rs 25 lakh to Gram Panchayats from LG's fund for facilitating better provision in the villages for conducting community classes for primary school students.
 

2:16 AM

Nearly 6,500 calls have been placed on SDMC Covid helplines so far

Helpline numbers launched by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to provide psychological support to Covid-19 patients have received around 6,500 calls till date, the civic body said on Friday.
 

Through these helplines, doctors have been trying to educate people and make them aware about the importance of mental health, officials said.
 

In order to provide psychological support to coronavirus patients, the SDMC had recently started telecalling services in all four zones through helpline numbers, the civic body said in a statement.
 

Toll-free number 1800115676 is for all citizens living in SDMC areas, while separate helplines are functional in each zone of the municipal corporation.
 

The patients are also being advised on how to ensure peace of mind during such a crucial period, the officials said.
 

In another civic development, Mayor of East Delhi Nirmal Jain said door-to-door waste collection project has been implemented in all 64 wards of the EDMC.

He said it is being implemented in each ward in a phased manner for the past few months. 
 

2:15 AM

Jharkhand govt nod to one month's extra pay to Covid health workers

The Jharkhand government on Friday approved a number of proposals including one month's extra pay to Covid health workers and enhancement in honorarium for mid-day meal assistants.
 

The decisions were taken at a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Sorent.
 

The Jharkhand government last month announced Rs 103 crore incentive for frontline health workers.
 

"The Cabinet has approved incentives for health department workers including doctors engaged in coronavirus related contact tracing, testing, supervision etc work in Covid hospitals and wards besides control rooms, which will be equivalent to their one month's salary," an official statement after the Cabinet meeting said.

The incentive will be equivalent to the basic salary of April, 2020.
 

Soren had earlier announced through social media one month's additional salary to doctors and medical workers employed to contain the pandemic.
 

"In these troubled times, corona warriors are working day and night. Therefore, the state government has decided that doctors and medical workers employed in Covid-related works will be paid one month of their salary as incentive," Soren had said.
 

The Cabinet also gave its nod to raising the honorarium for mid-day meal kitchen assistants to Rs 2,000 which will result in a total additional expenditure of Rs 40 crore for the year.
 

12:15 AM

Delhi University to provide full fee-waiver to students who lost parents to Covid

The Delhi University will provide full fee waiver to students who lost one or both parents to the coronavirus infection, officials said on Friday.
 

The university has written to its colleges to conduct a survey and prepare a list of such students.
 

"The Delhi University has written to its colleges to conduct a survey of students who have lost their parents due to coronavirus. We have sought a report in the matter by Monday," Dean of Colleges, Balaram Pani, told PTI.
 

The fee waiver, which will be 100 per cent, will be applicable for students who have lost either of the parents or both to the virus in both the waves of the pandemic. They won't even be charged examination fees.
 

11:42 PM

Assam extends Covid related restrictions till June 15

The Assam government on Friday extended the restrictions imposed due to the surge in Covid-19 positive cases and deaths till June 15 though it has increased the curfew relaxation by one hour.
 

Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the State Disaster Management Authority, issued an order extending the restriction, which was scheduled to end at 5 a.m Saturday.
 

The curfew, which remained in force from 12 noon to 5 a.m will now be in place from 1 p.m to 5 a.m with total ban on movement of individuals.
 

All shops and commercial establishments will close down at 12 noon on all days.
 

Restaurants, dhabas and other eateries can entertain dine-in guests only upto 12 noon while takeaway is allowed till 1 p.m but after that only home delivery of food will be allowed.
 

All inter-district transport services and movement of people to and from other districts shall remain suspended.
 

All other restrictions, imposed earlier, including odd-even formula for plying of vehicles, declaration of containment zones, work places for both rural and urban areas will remain in force across the state, the order stated.
 

10:20 PM

Happiest Minds Technologies starts Covid-19 vaccination drive for staff, their families

Happiest Minds Technologies on Friday said it has launched a vaccination drive for its employees and their immediate family members.
 

To start with, the vaccination drive will cover the company's facilities based out of Bengaluru and will later be expanded to cover other locations, a statement said.
 

The company has tied up with Fortis Hospitals for the vaccination drives in Bengaluru and started the vaccination drive on June 2, 2021, it added.
 

"The entire country is facing unprecedented challenges on account of this pandemic. Vaccination is an important measure that can help us tide over the ongoing crisis, also ensuring the safety and well-being of the company's core assets i.e. our people. We are ensuring that our team and their families are vaccinated at the earliest,” Happiest Minds Technologies President and CEO Infrastructure Management & Security Services Ram Mohan C said.
 

The company has also developed VSafe, a vaccination tracking system app to track the vaccination status of the employees.
 

As India reels under the impact of the deadly second wave of coronavirus infections, several organisations across the spectrum have come forward to support the relief efforts. Efforts to ramp up vaccination are also underway. India has so far administered over 22.4 crore jabs to eligible beneficiaries.
 

8:59 PM

Karnataka reports 16,068 new Covid positive cases in a day

8:56 PM

Maharashtra reports 14,152 new Covid cases, 289 deaths in last 24 hours

Maharashtra on Friday reported 14,152 new COVID-19 cases and 289 deaths, taking the caseload to 58,05,565 and death toll to 98,771 , the health department said.

 

The state has, thus, reported fewer than 20,000 cases on the fifth consecutive day.

 

Recoveries exceeded new infections, as 20,852 patients were discharged from hospitals, pushing the number of recovered cases to 55,07,058. The number of active cases fell below two lakh to stand at 1,96,894.

8:51 PM

Three more cases of B.1.617 Covid-19 variant found in Pakistan

Pakistan reported three more cases of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus, first identified in India, on Friday, in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, despite a ban on travellers from the neighbouring country, officials said.

 

Speaking to reporters, Provincial Health Secretary Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah said the patients had returned to the country earlier in the week from the UAE in a flight bound for Peshawar.

 

In total, eight passengers in the flight tested positive for COVID-19, including three with the B.1.617.2 variant and five with the B.1.351 variant, first identified in South African.

8:50 PM

PM Modi reviews progress of Covid-19 vaccination drive: PMO

8:42 PM

Black Fungus treatment: Maharashtra govt caps treatment rates for private hospitals

Cracking the whip on private hospitals, the Maharashtra government on Friday imposed limits on the treatment and surgery costs that can be recovered from patients afflicted by the dreaded mucormycosis (black fungus), a post-Covid disease.

 

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has approved a proposal by the Health Ministry fixing the charges to be levied by all private hospitals, till July 31, providing a huge relief to the common man.

 

The development comes a fortnight after the state government issued an order on May 18 to provide free treatment, including medicines, beds, etc, to mucormycosis patients under the Mahatma Jyotiba Jan Arogya Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, at 130 pre-determined hospitals, besides empanelling another 1000 hospitals.

8:35 PM

Data sharing going on with WHO to give recognition to Covaxin: Govt

Data sharing is going on with WHO to give recognition to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, the government said, noting that it wants to achieve this "milestone" as soon as possible.

 

Responding to a question on recognition of Covaxin by the WHO, NITI Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul said the government is pursuing it.

 

"We have been working with both Bharat Biotech and the WHO to make it happen. There is data sharing going on and we are very keen that this milestone is achieved as soon as possible. We are pursuing it," he said. READ ON...

8:29 PM

Over 2 lakh kg Covid-19 biomedical waste generated daily in May, says report

Over two lakh kilograms of biomedical waste was generated each day last month by hospitals in India dealing with COVID-19 patients, a new report revealed on Friday.

 

The report titled 'State of India's Environment 2021', released by the Centre for Science and Environment, said 2,03,000 kg of COVID-19 biomedical waste was produced daily in May this year and it was roughly 33 per cent of India's non-COVID biomedical waste.

 

It said the COVID-19 biomedical waste generated per day in May was 46 per cent more than in April when 1.39 lakh kg of such waste was produced daily. In March, the daily figure was 75,000 kg, according to the report.

8:24 PM

973 new cases, 24 deaths and 1,207 recoveries reported in Mumbai today

8:16 PM

Maharashtra reports 14,152 new Covid cases, 289 deaths in last 24 hours