Covid LIVE: Tamil Nadu sees record 36,184 new cases; 29,644 in Maharashtra

Coronavirus live updates: The country vaccinated 1,482,754 people in Thursday to take the total to 191,879,503.

Coronavirus live updates: India reported 259,551 new coronavirus cases on Thursday to take the total count 26,031,991. The new infection count remained below the 300,000-mark for the fifth consecutive day. The country reported 4,209 new deaths in the last 24 hours to take total fatalities to 291,331.

The country vaccinated 1,482,754 people in Thursday to take the total to 191,879,503, according to the health ministry’s morning update.

World coronavirus update: Coronavirus cases rise unabated across the globe with 165,832,620 infected by the deadly contagion. While 146,519,725 have recovered, 3,444,266 have died so far. The US remains the worst-hit country with 33,832,744, followed by India, Brazil, France and Turkey. However, in the past seven days, India has added the highest number of fresh cases at 2,068,573, followed by the Brazil (453,505) and US (210,466).

Refer to our previous day's Coronavirus LIVE blog here

4:08 AM

Govt asks social media firms to remove contents referring to ‘Indian variant' of coronavirus

The government has asked social media companies to immediately remove any content from their platform that uses or refers to the term ‘Indian variant' of coronavirus, to curb misinformation around Covid-19, sources said Friday.
 

According to sources, the IT Ministry has written to all social media platforms asserting that the World Health Organization (WHO) has not associated the term "Indian Variant" with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports.
 

The sources said that a notice has been issued in this regard on Friday by the IT Ministry, which states that a false statement is being circulated online that implies that an "Indian variant" of coronavirus is spreading across countries.
 

The sources said the matter has already been clarified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on May 12 through a press release.
 

They added that social media platforms have been asked to "remove all the content that names, refers to, or implies ‘Indian variant' of corona virus from your platform immediately".
 

4:08 AM

Army sets up Covid isolation centre at Pathankot within 48 hours

The Army has setup a Covid isolation centre for civilians in Punjab's Pathankot in just 48 hours, officials said on Friday.
 

The 50-bed centre was necessitated by surging cases of coronavirus in Pathankot, they said.
 

Set up at the district sports stadium at Lamini within 48 hours of receiving a request by the civil administration, the centre would help those COVID patients who are unable to isolate at home due to presence of senior citizens, pregnant women or children, said Sanyam Aggarwal, Deputy Commissioner, Pathankot.
 

The centre has been equipped by the Army and would be staffed by civil medical staff.
 

3:15 AM

DDC delivers over 2,300 oxygen concentrators to Delhi govt hospitals

Tech-based solutions and selfless contribution of several individuals and organisations saw Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC), a premier think-tank of the Delhi government, deliver over 2,300 oxygen concentrators to several government hospitals here, a statement said.
 

The DDC has been coordinating with donors wanting to support the Delhi government's COVID-19 response amid the second wave of the pandemic, it said.
 

"Following the appeal of Hon'ble CM Arvind Kejriwal to all sections of the society to come forward and support Delhi govt's efforts to fight coronavirus, several donors have come forward to give critical medical supplies to Delhi government hospitals," Jasmine Shah, vice-chairperson of DDC, said in the statement ".. DDC has already delivered 2300 oxygen concentrators of 5 LPM and 10 LPM capacity funded by donors to Delhi govt hospitals. We will continue the coordination to help Delhi tide over this wave and also in the future," Shah added.
 

"Another 1,700 oxygen concentrators and 100 ventilators are in the process of being supplied. We will continue the coordination to help Delhi tide over this wave and also in the future," the statement said.

10:50 PM

Renowned road safety expert Dinesh Mohan succumbs to Covid-19

Renowned road safety and injury prevention expert Dinesh Mohan succumbed to the novel coronavirus infection on Friday, according to IIT Delhi director V Ramgopal Rao.
 

"Dinesh Mohan was under treatment at St Stephen's Hospital after he tested positive for Covid-19. He passed away this morning due to a cardiac arrest. He was a stalwart in areas of road safety and transportation, and made immense contributions to research in the area," Rao told PTI.
 

Mohan, 75, was an Honorary Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. He was also the founder of Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Programme (TRIPP) at the institute.
 

Noted historian Irfan Habib took to Twitter to express his condolences.
 

10:49 PM

TCS setting up over 100 Covid vaccination centres across India

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is setting up over 100 Covid Vaccination Centres (CVCs) across the country and tying up with hospitals and health care providers to procure doses for inoculating its associates and their families.
 

The Mumbai-based company said it has started vaccination camps in a few cities, and the drive will be done on a larger scale across the country between the third and fourth week of May.
 

"At TCS, we have been supporting vaccination for associates and their families... We are tying up with hospitals and health care providers for this exercise (vaccination programme) and aim to procure doses via suppliers. Multiple modes of procurement are being explored to ensure all our associates in India and their families are covered," TCS said in a statement.
 

A core team will work with hospitals for procuring and administering vaccines across cities in India, communicate the process to our associates, ensure infrastructure and process readiness to ensure a smooth experience, it added.
 

10:39 PM

Delhi CM, US Charge D'Affaires deliberate on joint efforts to combat Covid

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and US Charge D'Affaires in India Daniel B Smith on Friday discussed ways to jointly address the Covid-19 pandemic situation, officials said.
 

The two leaders held a virtual meeting and prayed for safety of people in both the countries, they said.
 

"CM Arvind Kejriwal and H.E. Daniel B Smith discussed how the government of Delhi and the US can jointly and collectively, address the Covid-19 pandemic situation," a senior official said.
 

Kejriwal also enquired about the well-being of the US embassy officials here.
 

The two leaders also said that once the pandemic situation gets better, they would hold discussions in person.
 

Delhi recorded 3,009 fresh cases of Covid-19 on Friday, and 252 fatalities from the coronavirus infection, while the positivity rate dipped to 4.76 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here.
 

10:38 PM

All soccer suspended in Argentina because of virus cases

All soccer in Argentina was suspended for nine days Friday ahead of a strict shutdown decree for much of the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
 

The move comes about three weeks before the June 13 start of Copa America, the continental soccer championship scheduled to be played in Argentina.
 

The suspension is yet another blow for Copa America organizer CONMEBOL. The South American soccer body decided Thursday to drop Colombia as co-host amid a wave of protests against the country's president, Iván Duque.
 

Argentine President Alberto Fernández said this week that Argentina could host the entire Copa America if needed, but CONMEBOL has not yet said where the matches initially scheduled for Colombia will be played.
 

The decision by the Argentine soccer association, known as AFA, to suspend the game in the country does not apply to Copa Libertadores matches scheduled for next week.
 

10:37 PM

Vijayvargiya tweets against Indore 'janta curfew' tightening

A day after 'janta curfew' in Indore in Madhya Pradesh was tightened by eight days as a "last attack on the viral infection", senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya in a tweet on Friday asked if such a move was needed in a "disciplined city".
 

“What was the need to thrust upon an undemocratic and dictatorial decision on a disciplined city like Indore? The decision which is being widely condemned should be reviewed taking on board administration and public representatives," Vijayvargiya tweeted.
 

Explaining the move to reporters, collector Manish Singh said, “Cases of coronavirus are on the decline. The tightening of curfew was the last attack on the viral infection. Hopefully, this would bring about more improvement and open up business activities from June 1 slowly and gradually.”
 

10:36 PM

Covid: Punjab reports 172 deaths, 5,278 fresh cases

Punjab on Friday registered 172 more deaths due to Covid-19 as 5,278 fresh cases pushed the state's infection tally to 5,28,676, according to a medical bulletin.
 

So far, the infection has claimed 12,888 lives in the state.
 

Twenty-three deaths were reported from Ludhiana, 19 each from Patiala and Bathinda and 13 from Mohali in the past 24-hours.
 

Ludhiana reported the maximum 687 cases, followed by 565 in Bathinda, 486 in Mohali and 380 in Patiala.
 

Meanwhile, 8,652 people recovered from the infection. The number of active cases also declined from 67,041 on Thursday to 63,470 on Friday, as per the bulletin.
 

The state's positivity rate also dropped from 7.03 per cent on Thursday to 6.92 per cent, it said. With 8,652 recoveries, the number of cured persons reached 4,52,318.
 

There are 418 critical patients who are on ventilator while 7,448 are on oxygen support, the bulletin said.
 

A total of 85,56,117 samples have been collected for testing so far in the state, it said.
 

Meanwhile, Chandigarh—the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana—reported 14 coronavirus deaths and 406 fresh cases, taking its infection tally to 57,737, according to a medical bulletin.
 

8:56 PM

Black Fungus Epidemic: Centre advises all states and union territories to review preparedness

8:51 PM

Madhya Pradesh sees 4,384 new Covid-19 cases; 79 deaths; 9,405 recoveries

Madhya Pradesh on Friday reported 4,384 new coronavirus cases and 79 fatalities that raised the tally of infections to 7,57,119 and the toll to 7,394, an official from the state health department said. The recoveries outnumbered the fresh infections, bringing the count of active cases below the 70,000-mark to 67,625.

 

With the addition of 9,405 patients discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the count of recoveries in the state has reached 6,82,100, the official said.

 

Indore's caseload went up to 1,43,609, after 937 persons tested positive for the infection, while Bhopal's tally rose by 609 to 1,16,481, he said. With 11 deaths in the day, Bhopal's count of fatalities went up to 895 and eight casualties took Indore's toll to 1,294, he said. Indore is now left with 10,577 active cases, while Bhopal has 10,339 patients undergoing treatment, the official added.

8:44 PM

Covid LIVE: Tamil Nadu sees record 36,184 new cases; 29,644 in Maharashtra

8:41 PM

Covid-19 curfew in Bhopal extended till May 31

8:32 PM

J&K reports first death due to black fungus in Jammu

Jammu and Kashmir on Friday reported its first death due to black fungus after a 40-year-old COVID-19 recovered patient died of mucormycosis at Government Medical College (GMC) hospital, an official said.

 

The patient who was admitted to GMC hospital has succumbed to the infection, Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education, Atal Dulloo, told PTI.

 

Giving details, Principal of GMC hospital Dr Shashi Sudan Sharma said the man suffered from a high degree of diabetes of 900 level and was immunocompromised. He must have taken a lot of steroids resulting in the uncontrollable diabetes level resulting in diabetic ketoacidosis syndrome, she said.

8:17 PM

Tamil Nadu sees 36,184 new Covid cases and 467 deaths in last 24 hours