Covid LIVE: Consider local curbs during festivals, Centre tells states

Coronavirus live updates: Serum Institute to test US firm's vaccines on children; Brazil cities ease curbs.

Coronavirus live updates: India on Wednesday reported 42,625 new cases of Covid-19 and 562 deaths from the disease in 24 hours as the government warned a day before the pandemic continues.

The country has 317,691,32 cases overall and its total fatalities are at 425,757, said the health ministry, which yesterday said The coronavirus’s reproduction number--it’s ability to infect--has increased worryingly in eight states.
 

The Serum Institute will start paediatric clinical trials of US firm Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate this month, Business Standard reported. Two other Indian vaccine makers are already on such trials. 

World coronavirus updates: Brazilian states and cities are preparing to suspend most limitations on businesses and gatherings as Covid-19 cases and deaths drop to the lowest in months while vaccinations pick up speed. Most children who get Covid-19 recover within a week, according to a large U.K. study that may help soothe fears about whether kids who get sick will face the most protracted forms of the disease, Bloomberg reported. 

2:47 AM

Quad nations on track to produce 1 billion doses of Covid vaccine: US

Quad countries are on track to produce at least 1 billion doses of Covid vaccine in India by the end of 2022, the White House said here as it reiterated its commitment to provide free jabs to the needy across the world without any strings attached. The Quad grouping comprises Australia, India, Japan and the United States.

 

In March, leaders of the Quad, during their first virtual summit, committed themselves to provide one billion vaccines to Southeast Asia.

 

"Our Quad partnership is on track to help produce at least 1 billion doses of Covid vaccines in India for the Asia region by the end of 2022," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.' She said so far the United States has provided 110 million vaccines to the world.

1:52 AM

COVID-19 vaccination to resume in Mumbai from today

COVID-19 vaccination will resume in Mumbai city of Maharashtra from Thursday, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). On account of a shortage of COVID vaccine doses, all government vaccination centers were closed on Wednesday. BMC in an official statement said that 1,05,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been received. From these, 57,000 doses were of Covishield and 48,000 doses were of Covaxin.

 

Mumbai's civic body on Tuesday said, "Due to lack of vaccines, there will be no vaccination at the government vaccine centres in Mumbai tomorrow." Amid the rise in COVID-19 cases, BMC has also imposed section 144 of The Code Of Criminal Procedure till 11 pm every day and night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am every day.

 

As per the state health bulletin issued on Wednesday, Maharashtra reported 6,126 new COVID-19 cases, 7,436 recoveries and 195 deaths. There are 72,810 active cases taking the cumulative toll of cases registered in the state so far to 63,27,194. The recovery rate in the state is at 96.69 per cent, while case fatality is at 2.1 per cent. The death toll stands at 1,33,410.

1:18 AM

Low contact tracing, declining no. of Covid tests in Kerala: Central team to health ministry

A central team that went to Kerala, in its report to the Union health ministry, has said contact tracing of COVID-19 patients in the state is low, home isolation guidelines are not being followed and the number of tests conducted to detect the infection is showing a downward trend.

 

According to official sources, the report pointed out that people are becoming more complacent regarding Covid-appropriate behaviour and highlighted the need for ramping up vaccination.

 

Dr Sujeet Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), P Ravindran, former DDG, Dr SK Jain, Advisor (PH) NCDC, Dr K Regu, Additional Director, Kozhikode branch of the NCDC, Dr Pranay Verma, Joint Director, NCDC, and Dr Ruchi Jain, Public Health Specialist, Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare, Thiruvananthapuram, were part of the central multi-disciplinary team.

12:32 AM

Assam logs 1,065 new COVID-19 cases, 19 more deaths

Assam on Wednesday reported 19 more COVID-19 deaths, which took the toll to 5,326, according to a bulletin issued by the National Health Mission. The coronavirus caseload in the northeastern state mounted 5,70,504 as 1,065 more people tested positive for the infection, it said.

 

Four fresh fatalities were registered in Jorhat, three in Karbi Anglong and two each in Baksa, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia, while one patient each succumbed to the infection in Cachar, Golaghat, Kamrup Metro, Kokrajhar and Lakhimpur.

 

Currently, the COVID death rate is at 0.93 per cent, and 1,347 coronavirus-positive patients have so far died in the state due to other ailments. Of the new cases, 181 were reported from Kamrup Metro, 71 from Lakhimpur, 63 from Barpeta and 56 from Nalbari.

11:44 PM

Over 46.89 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in India

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 48.89 crore, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday. More than 33.50 lakh (33,50,612) doses were administered on Wednesday, according to a provisional report compiled at 7 pm.

 

The ministry said 18,36,439 beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years received the first dose and 3,89,589 were administered the second dose of the vaccine on Wednesday.

 

Cumulatively, 16,61,98,236 people in the 18-44 age group have received the first dose and 1,02,51,772 have been administered the second dose of the vaccine across the 37 states and Union territories since the start of the third phase of the nationwide vaccination drive.

8:34 PM

Union Health Secy writes to all states to consider imposition of local curbs

8:05 PM

Delhi sees 67 new cases in last 24 hours

7:38 PM

Night curfew in Bengaluru from 10 pm to 6 am till Aug 16

6:36 PM

2,442 new cases in Andhra

6:25 PM

Delhi govt issues revised rate of RT-PCR test

6:11 PM

Active caseload in Kerala over 176,000

4:05 PM

Weekend lockdown to be imposed only on Sundays, says Kerala health minister

3:50 PM

While some cases could go undetected, missing out on deaths completely unlikely: Govt

The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday clarified that while some COVID-19 cases could go undetected as per the principles of infectious disease and its management, missing out on deaths was completely unlikely given the robust and statute-based death registration system in India. During the peak of the second wave, the health system across the country was focused on effective clinical management of cases requiring medical help due to which correct reporting and recording of Covid deaths could have been delayed but it was later reconciled by states and UTs, the ministry said in a statement.

3:50 PM

Health ministry asks for monitoring district wise cases and deaths on a daily basis

States consistently reporting lower number of daily deaths has been advised to re-check their data, says government. A case in point is the Union health ministry writing to the state of Bihar to provide detailed date and district wise break-up of the reconciled number of deaths.

2:33 PM

If the situation worsens, further decisions will be taken: Himachal CM