Coronavirus LIVE: Tamil Nadu adds record 20,768 fresh Covid infections

Coronavirus live updates | Surge in infections has overwhelmed hospitals, morgues and crematoriums and left families scrambling for medicines and oxygen.

Coronavirus live updates: India recorded 392,488 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, as countries rush supplies of oxygen and medical goods to the country battling a disastrous second wave of infections.

The country recorded 3,689 deaths from the disease to take total fatalities to 215,542, as per Union Health Ministry. The country’s total case count stands at 195,57,457.

The surge in infections has overwhelmed hospitals, morgues and crematoriums and left families scrambling for scarce medicines and oxygen. New Delhi extended its lockdown, and a fire killed 16 patients and two nurses in a Covid-19 ward of a hospital in Gujrat's Bharuch after Friday midnight.

Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer or Serum Institute, said he and his family went to London because he was under from powerful people in India demanding supplies of Covishield, the vaccine his Pune-based company is producing under licence from the Oxford/AstraZeneca.

World coronavirus update: The global count for infections stands at 152,804,036, according to worldometers.info website on Sunday. As many as 130,074,353 people have recovered after contracting the disease and 3,206,479 have died. The US remains the worst-hit country with 33,146,008 cases, followed by India, Brazil, France and Turkey.

9:00 PM

Nitish govt recognises journalists as frontline workers for Covid vaccination

On instruction of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Bihar government on Sunday decided to give status of frontline workers to the journalists who will get COVID vaccination on a priority basis, according to PTI.

 

All the journalists accredited with the Information and Public Relations Department at the state level and also non- accredited scribes authenticated by the district public relation officers, from print,electronic and web media, will be considered as frontline workers for inoculation, an official statement said here.

8:15 PM

Tamil Nadu adds all-time high 20,768 new Covid-19 cases; 153 deaths

Tamil Nadu on Sunday reported a all-time high of 20,768 new COVID-19 cases pushing the caseload to 12,07,112 while the death toll rose to 14,346 with 153 fatalities, according PTI.

According to the Health department, recoveries mounted to 10,72,322 Sunday with 17,576 patients being discharged, leaving 1,20,444 active cases.

The number of samples tested stood at 1,43,083, pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined so far to 2,29,56,942.

8:07 PM

Noida's first 100 Covid deaths in 343 days, next 100 in just 13 days

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district had recorded its first 100 COVID-19 deaths in a span of 343 days, while the next 100 came in just 13 days, according to official data, a report from PTI said.

The district, adjoining Delhi, in western UP is one of the worst-hit places in the state during the pandemic with 237 deaths and 8,261 active coronavirus patients now.

7:24 PM

Jammu and Kashmir reports 41 Covid deaths, 3,571 news cases

Jammu and Kashmir recorded 3,571 fresh COVID cases, taking the tally to 1,83,486 on Sunday, while 41 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 2,370, officials said, according to PTI.

Out of the fresh cases, 1,150 were from the Jammu division and 2,421 from the Kashmir division of the Union Territory, they said.

The officials said Srinagar district recorded the highest of 1,126 cases, followed by 486 in Jammu district and 268 in Baramulla district.

5:53 PM

Ensure medicines, equipment for COVID not sold above MRP: HC to Delhi govt

The Delhi High Court on Sunday directed the Delhi government to ensure that medicines and equipment like oxygen cylinders and concentrators needed for COVID-19 treatment not be sold above the maximum retail price (MRP), according to PTI.

 

A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli directed the government to book those persons found hoarding or black-marketing medicines and equipment related to COVID-19 and be brought before the court for taking independent contempt action against them.

 

5:10 PM

Bhopal Covid-19 deaths: Govt says 104, crematoriums say 2,557

Crematoriums here claim that the last rites of as many as 2557 coronavirus victims from Bhopal district were performed in April, sharply contradicting the BJP-led state government's data which puts the COVID-19 deaths in the district last month at 104, according to PTI.

The mammoth mismatch has given credence to claims of massive under-reporting of COVID-19 fatalities in the city.

4:53 PM

Oxygen Express carrying 30.86 MT oxygen left for Delhi from Odisha

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday informed that the Oxygen Express carrying 30.86 metric tonnes (MT) of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) for COVID-19 patients has departed for the national capital from Odisha, according to ANI.

 

In an effort of fulfilling the rising demand for oxygen across the country due to a rampant surge in COVID-19 cases, the Railways launched 'Oxygen Express' to deliver medical oxygen to various states.

3:13 PM

Complete lockdown to be imposed in Haryana for 7 days from 3rd May

3:03 PM

France delivers 28 tonnes of medical supplies to India

France on Sunday delivered to India 28 tonnes of ready-to-use medical supplies including eight large oxygen plants as part of the first phase of its solidarity mission to the country which has been grappling with record coronavirus cases, according to PTI.

 

The French embassy said each of the eight plants can continuously supply oxygen to a 250-bed hospital round-the-clock for a dozen years and that they produce medical oxygen from ambient air.

2:53 PM

PM Modi reviews oxygen and medicine availability, human resource situation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a virtual meeting with experts to review oxygen and medicine availability. He also reviewed the human resource situation, in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, and ways to augment it, according to ANI.
 

The Prime Minister reviewed the matter of augmenting human resources for effective management of COVID-19 in the country today, ANI reported citing sources.
 

During the meeting, several steps to incentivize students and pass-outs of medical and nursing courses to join Covid duty were taken.
 

The decisions which were taken in the meeting may include delaying the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination and incentivizing MBBS pass-outs studying for it to join Covid duty.
 

It might also include utilising services of final year MBBS and nursing students in Covid Duty.
 

Medical personnel doing Covid duty will be given preference in government recruitment as well as a financial incentive.

2:36 PM

Amid raging pandemic, UP Congress calls for white paper on state's COVID Care Fund

The Congress on Sunday demanded the Uttar Pradesh government government release a white paper on the state's COVID Care Fund amid a massive surge in coronavirus cases, according to PTI.

In a statement issued here, UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu said the COVID Care Fund was created in April 2020 through which people from different sections of society deposited money. The MLA funds were suspended for a year, and 30 per cent salary of the ministers and legislators cut, and deposited in the COVID Care Fund. It was said that the money would be used to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

2:02 PM

Jaishankar says Congress party's help for Philippines embassy 'unsolicited'

India’s foreign ministry says it is in touch with foreign embassies and responding to their medical demands, reacting after the Congress party said it had sent oxygen cylinders to the Philippines embassy in Delhi. "MEA checked with the Philippines Embassy. This was an unsolicited supply as they had no Covid cases. Clearly for cheap publicity by you know who. Giving away cylinders like this when there are people in desperate need of oxygen is simply appalling," said external affairs Minister S Jaishankar, referring to his ministry.

12:54 PM

Israel bans travel to India, six other countries

Israel has barred its citizens from travelling to India and six other countries, citing Covid-19 infection rates. A press release issued on Friday said that Israelis will not be allowed to travel to Ukraine, Brazil, Ethiopia, South Africa, India, Mexico and Turkey. The ban starts May 3 and will remain in place until May 16, PTI reported.

12:22 PM

Congress wants Goa lockdown to be extended

Congress leader Digambar Kamat says Goa’s four-day lockdown to contain Covid-19 should be extended due to the "grim situation". The state announced a lockdown on Friday applicable till 6 am Monday. All essential services have been exempted from the curbs. "As the situation is grim, extending lockdown with strict enforcement is the only option left," said Kamat, the state’s Leader of Opposition.

10:58 AM

Odisha to lock down for 14 days from May 5

Odisha government announces a 14-day lockdown from May 5 to May 19, according to ANI. Odisha has a total of 454,607 Covid-19 cases and 2,054 deaths from the disease.