Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai mayor warns of another lockdown amid rise in cases

Coronavirus live updates: Maharashtra's daily Covid count remains above 3,000 for the seventh straight day. Over 8.7 million have been vaccinated in India

Coronavirus live updates: India recorded 9,121 fresh Covid-19 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Active cases in India stand at 137,866, while the caseload tally has risen to 10,931,492. The country continues to be second-most-affected globally, and ranks 17th among worst-hit nations by active cases. Over 8.7 million beneficiaries have been vaccinated against Covid-19 so far in India.

Maharashtra's daily count remains above 3,000 for the seventh straight day. The state government has termed the situation as "alarming" and warned of "harsh decisions". A meeting has been convened by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai today to take stock of the situation. The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (2,067,643), Kerala (1,007,019), Karnataka (945,638), Andhra Pradesh (888,899), and Tamil Nadu (845,575).

World coronavirus update: Coronavirus cases rise unabated across the globe, with 109,785,348 infected by the deadly contagion. While 84,337,579 have recovered, 2,421,291 have died so far. The US remains the worst-hit country with 28,317,568, 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.

Stay tuned for the latest coronavirus-related news.

10:58 PM

Karnataka govt issues fresh guidelines for people coming from Kerala

The Karnataka government on Tuesday issued a fresh set of guidelines for people coming from Kerala, which has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases, saying these would come into force with immediate effect, as per a PTI copy. Based on recommendations of the Technical Advisory Committee on COVID-19, new special surveillance measures for those arriving from Kerala have been introduced, Additional Chief Secretary Jawaid Akhtar said in a release, quoted by PTI.

It would now be mandatory for those arriving from that state and checking into hotels, resorts, hostels, home stays and dormitories to have a negative RT-PCR certificate, "which should not be older than 72 hours." The government said positive samples would be sent to NIMHANS here for genomic sequencing. Those in hostels and colleges would not be allowed to have visitors or relatives without obtaining express permission from the Covid nodal officers.

10:43 PM

Haryana records 86 new Covid-19 cases, one fatality

Haryana recorded 86 fresh coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the total number of infections in the state to 2,69,240, a health department bulletin said. One death due to the disease was reported in Panipat district which pushed the death toll to 3,040, it said.

The fresh cases include 24 from Gurgaon and 16 from Panipat. The number of active cases in the state stands at 819, while as many as 2,65,381 patients have recovered. The state's recovery rate stands at 98.57 per cent, the bulletin stated.

10:20 PM

Intern at AIIMS, Rishikesh dies 11 days after getting Covid vaccine dose

A 24-year-old intern died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here on Sunday, 11 days after receiving the anti-Covid vaccine dose. Niraj Singh was administered the Covishield dose on February 3, AIIMS, Rishikesh PRO Harish Thapliyal said, according to PTI.

However, he said the intern apparently did not die because of the vaccination as he might have been suffering from an infection, which he did not reveal in his consent letter before taking the shot. Singh had returned from encephalitis-hit Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh on January 30. He was administered the Covishield jab on February 3 as the frontline corona warriors had to be inoculated in the first week of February, Thapliyal said, as per PTI.

10:11 PM

3,663 new coronavirus cases in Maharashtra; CM says follow norms or face lockdown

Maharashtra reported 3,663 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, continuing the trend of increase in cases in the last few days, a health official said, according to PTI. It also recorded 39 new fatalities. Health Minister Rajesh Tope said there was no reason to panic but safety norms must be followed, while Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned that if people did not follow social distancing and wear mask, another lockdown may follow.

The caseload in the state reached 20,71,306 while death toll rose to 51,591, said a health official. Since last Wednesday, Maharashtra has been reporting more than 3,000 cases on daily basis. On Sunday, it recorded 4,092 cases, highest single-day spike in more than a month, The number of districts showing rise in active Covid- 19 patients has increased in the last few days, the government data showed.

There has been relaxation in travel restrictions since February 1 which could have been one of the factors behind the increase in numbers, said a health department official. As many as 2,700 patients were discharged on Tuesday, taking the tally of recovered people to 19,81,408. The recovery rate of the state is 95.66 per cent.

9:03 PM

Adverse event cases after cOVID-19 vaccination just one in 2,000: Govt

Just one out of 2,000 beneficiaries report minor effects post vaccination against COVID-19, the Centre on Tuesday said, noting that the rate of adverse event following immunisation has been recorded at 0.05 per cent. Dispelling rumours, NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul said the vaccination will not impact fertility in any manner.

 

"The AEFI is 0.05 per cent, it is 1 in 2000 there is slight pain or fever. Spreading rumours like it will impact fertility are not true. The vaccines are eminently safe. I will appeal anganwadi workers and nurses to get vaccinated," he said.

 

ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava further added that those taking aspirin and blood thinner can also be given these vaccines.

8:45 PM

4,937 new coronavirus cases, 5,439 recoveries and 18 deaths reported in Kerala today

4,937 new coronavirus cases, 5,439 recoveries and 18 deaths reported in Kerala today. The total number of active cases in the state is 60,761.

8:20 PM

Maharashtra, Kerala need to substantially increase RT-PCR testing: Health ministry

Maharashtra and Kerala, which account for 72 per cent of the total coronavirus active cases in the country, have been asked to substantially increase RT-PCR testing, the health ministry said on Tuesday. Addressing a press briefing, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said both these states have 61,550 and 37,383 active cases, respectively.

 

"This accounts for 72 per cent of the total active cases in the country," Bhushan said.

 

Responding to a question on the reason behind more active cases in these two states, he said one of the reasons might be that the number of RT-PCR tests have gone down.

8:00 PM

Mumbai mayor warns of another lockdown amid rise in Covid-19 cases

Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday warned that the Maharashtra government could think of imposing a "second lockdown" in light of the rise in COVID-19 cases in the city. Speaking to reporters, the mayor said COVID-19 cases are rising fast in Mumbai and it has become a matter of concern for the civic body and the state government.

 

Increase in the number of suburban services and resumption of all other activities could be a reason for the surge in COVID-19 cases, she said.

 

The three-point programme of wearing masks, social distancing and sanitising hands regularly is not being followed by most people, she said.

7:39 PM

Indonesia reports 10,029 new Covid-19 cases, 229 deaths

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 10,029 within one day to 1,233,959, with the death toll rising by 229 to 33,596, Health Ministry said on Tuesday. According to the ministry, 7,609 more people were discharged from hospitals, taking the total number of recovered patients to 1,039,674.

 

The virus has spread to the country's all 34 provinces.

 

Specifically, within the past 24 hours, West Java recorded 4,032 new cases, Jakarta 1,861, Central Java 1,101, East Java 473 and Banten 351. No more new positive cases were found in Aceh province.

7:29 PM

60 coronavirus cases, 140 recoveries in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh reported 60 fresh cases of COVID-19, 140 recoveries and no deaths in 24 hours ending 9 am on Wednesday. The active caseload in the state reduced by 80 to 615, a health department bulletin said.

 

After 1.35 crore sample tests, the total positives increased to 8,88,959. The total recoveries went up to 8,81,181 while the overall toll remained at 7,163.

7:21 PM

Those who came from Kerala in past two weeks in Karnataka to compulsorily be subjected to RT-PCR test

Those who have arrived from Kerala in past two weeks in Karnataka to compulsorily be subjected to RT-PCR test: Government of Karnataka

7:20 PM

Six new coronavirus cases, five recoveries recorded in Noida

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded six new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday that pushed the district's infection tally to 25,442, official data showed. The active cases in the district rose to 43 from 42 the previous day, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period. Another five patients were discharged during the period, with the overall recoveries reaching 25,308, the fifth-highest in the state.

 

Gautam Buddh Nagar has a death toll of 91, with a mortality rate of 0.35 per cent. The recovery rate of patients remained at 99.47 per cent, the statistics showed. The number of active COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh came down to 2,853 from 2,974 on Monday, while the tally of recoveries reached 5,90,787 and the death toll remained at 8,704 on Tuesday, the data showed.

6:57 PM

New Covid-19 variant found in UK as 32 cases identified: Report

A team of researchers has detected another Covid-19 variant with a potentially worrying set of mutations with 32 cases found in the UK. The variant, known as B1525, is the subject of a report by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, who said it has been detected through genome sequencing in 10 countries including Denmark, the US and Australia, with 32 cases found in the UK so far.

 

The earliest sequences were dated to December and cropped up in the UK and Nigeria, reports The Guardian.

 

The team said the variant has similarities in its genome to the Kent variant, B117, and it contains a number of mutations that have worried researchers, including the E484K mutation to the spike protein -- a protein found on the outside of the virus that plays an important role in helping the virus to enter cells.

6:30 PM

Four detected with SA variant of Covid-19 in India, one with Brazil strain

Four people were detected with the South Africa variant of SARS-CoV-2 in India in January, while one tested positive for the Brazil variant in the first week of February, the Centre said on Tuesday.

 

In India, the South Africa strain has been detected in four returnees -- one from Angola, one from Tanzania and two from South Africa in January, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said.

 

All travellers and contacts have been tested and quarantined.

6:10 PM

Follow rules or face another Covid-19 lockdown: Mumbai mayor after rise in cases

Mumbai Mayor has warned the Mumbai residents after a spike in Covid-19 cases has been reported in the city. Kishori Pednekar said Mumbai might head towards another lockdown if coronavirus-related guidelines aren't followed, according to India Today report.