Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra reports 6,218 new cases, 51 deaths in a day

Coronavirus live updates: With 2,100,884, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state, followed by Kerala (1,034,657), Karnataka (948,149), Andhra Pradesh (889,298), and Tamil Nadu (848,275)

Coronavirus live updates: A day after surging past the 150,000-mark, India's count of active cases has dropped to 147,306. On Monday, the country registered 10,584 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking its the caseload tally to 11,016,434. India continues to be second-most-affected globally, and ranks 14th among worst-hit nations by active cases. The cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered to healthcare and frontline workers in the country has crossed 11.7 million, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (2,100,884), Kerala (1,034,657), Karnataka (948,149), Andhra Pradesh (889,298), and Tamil Nadu (848,275).

World coronavirus update: Coronavirus cases rise unabated across the globe, with 112,248,996 infected by the deadly contagion. While 87,768,211 have recovered, 2,484,689 have died so far. The US remains the worst-hit country with 28,822,829, followed by India, Brazil, Russia and the United Kingdom. However, it terms of the total number of active cases, US tops the charts, followed by France, UK, Brazil and Belgium.

10:35 PM

Madhya Pradesh reports 248 new Covid-19 cases, 200 recoveries

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8:46 PM

Kerala logs 4,034 fresh Covid-19 cases, 14 deaths

Kerala reported 4,034 new COVID-19 cases and 14 related deaths on Tuesday taking the tally of affected in the state to 10,41,252 and the toll to 4,119. Health Minister K K Shailaja said 69,604 samples were tested in the state in the last 24 hours and the test positivity rate was 5.80 per cent.

 

The state has tested1,11,37,843 samples so far. Shailaja said a 72-year old person was found infectedwith the new strain of the virus from the UK.

8:25 PM

Over 1.19 crore healthcare and frontline workers vaccinated against Covid-19: Govt

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered to healthcare and frontline workers in the country has crossed 1.19 crore, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.

 

A total of 1,19,07,392 vaccine doses have been administered through 2,53,434 sessions till 6 pm on Tuesday, according to a provisional report.

 

The beneficiaries include 64,71,047 healthcare workers (HCWs) who have taken the first dose, 13,21,635 HCWs who have taken the second dose and 41,14,710 frontline workers (FLWs) who have taken the first dose. While the countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16, the vaccination of FLWs started from February 2.

7:40 PM

Jammu and Kashmir reports 94 Covid-19 cases, tally rises to 126,019

Jammu and Kashmir on Monday recorded 94 new COVID-19 cases which took its tally to 1,26,019 while one more fatality pushed the death toll to 1,955, officials said. Of the fresh cases, 72 were reported from the Kashmir division and 22 from the Jammu division, they said.

 

Srinagar district recorded the highest number of fresh cases at 40, including 32 travellers. Jammu district was second on the list with 10 fresh infections, according to the officials.

 

While seven districts did not report any new cases, 11 reported fresh infections in single digits. The latest fatality was reported from the Kashmir division of the union territory, the officials said. There are 766 active cases in Jammu and Kashmir. So far, 1,23,298 patients have recovered, they said.

7:16 PM

Two new variants of SARS-CoV-2 not reason for surge in cases in Maharashtra, Kerala: Govt

Two variants of SARS-CoV-2 -- N440K and E484K -- have been detected in Maharashtra and Kerala but there is no reason to believe presently on the that they are responsible for the surge in cases in some districts in these two states, the Centre said on Tuesday.

 

One of the two variants has also been detected in Telangana.

 

Addressing a press conference here, NITI Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul said that 187 people have tested positive for the UK strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the country so far, while six people have detected with the South Africa variant. Also, one person has tested positive for the Brazil variant strain.

6:54 PM

145 new coronavirus cases in Delhi; positivity rate 0.25%

Delhi recorded 145 fresh COVID-19 cases and two new fatalities on Tuesday, while the positivity rate stood at 0.25 per cent, authorities said. With this, the toll from the coronavirus infection has grown to 10,903. On Monday, 128 cases and one death were registered.

 

No death due to COVID-19 was recorded in Delhi on February 17, the third time single-day fatality count stood nil in this month.

 

On February 9 too, no fatality due to COVID-19 was registered in the national capital, first time this month, and after a gap of nearly nine months. No death from COVID-19 was recorded on February 13 as well, the second time in February when the single-day fatality count was nil. On Tuesday, Delhi recorded 145 fresh COVID-19 cases, while the positivity rate stood at 0.25 per cent, authorities said, adding the infection tally in the city rose to 6,38,173 according to the latest health bulletin issued by the city government.

6:40 PM

Andhra Pradesh Covid-19 tally goes up to 889,409 with 70 new cases

Andhra Pradesh reported 70 fresh COVID-19 cases, 84 recoveries and one death in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday. With the addition of the new infections, the tally went up to 8,89,409,according to the latest bulletin.

 

Recoveries rose to 8,81,666,while the toll mounted to 7,168, it said. The active cases now stood at 575, it added. Chittoor once again reported the highest number of 18 new cases while all other districts added less than 10 each. Visakhapatnam reported one COVID-19 fatality in a day.

6:19 PM

Covid-19 vaccination: With 15% doses wasted, states up their game

A month into the world’s largest vaccination drive, as the country prepares to enter the third phase of nationwide inoculation, which will entail giving the jab to those aged over 50, the states are trying to reduce vaccine wastage.

 

According to industry estimates, around 15 per cent of the vaccines have been wasted sofar — the result of low turnouts. States such as Tripura, which have seen a high turnout, have wasted fewer vaccines.

 

“Tripura has had a high turnout of over 75 per cent for vaccination, and thus it has been able to limit waste. It is almost down to zero wastage now,” said a state official. READ MORE...

5:56 PM

Punjab orders fresh curbs on indoor, outdoor gatherings as Covid-19 cases rise

The Punjab government on Tuesday ordered curbs on both indoor and outdoor gatherings from March 1 and authorised deputy commissioners (DCs) to impose night-curfew in COVID-19 hotspots in their districts if needed. Chairing a virtual review meeting of the COVID-19 situation in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh issued orders to limit indoor gatherings to 100 people and outdoor events to 200 attendees from March 1, an official statement said.

 

He also directed that face masks and social distancing norms be strictly enforced, it said.

 

The move comes amid growing concerns over an upswing in the number of coronavirus cases in the state. Singh authorised DCs to adopt micro-containment strategies and impose night-curfews in COVID-19 hotspots if needed, and directed the police to ensure that people wear masks. The chief minister said a decision on reducing occupancy in cinema halls will be taken after March 1.

5:49 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Six people detected with South African strain, says govt

5:08 PM

Restriction on indoor gathering to 100 and outdoor to 200 from March 1 in Punjab

4:50 PM

39 students, five employees of a hostel test positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra

As many as 39 students and five employees of a hostel tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra's Latur city, an official said on Tuesday. At least 360 students who live in the hostel underwent COVID-19 test, of which 39 from Classes 9 and 10 have contracted the infection, health officer Mahesh Patil of the Latur Municipal Corporation said.

 

The infected students are from Classes 9 and 10, he said. Sixty teaching and non-teaching staff work on the hostel premises, and of these 30 underwent the test and five are infected, he said.