Over 160.32 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in India: Govt
The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 160.32 crore on Thursday, according to the Union health ministry.
At a press conference, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said 94 per cent of India's adults have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 72 per cent are fully vaccinated.
He said 52 per cent of adolescents in the 15-18 age group have received the first dose with Andhra Pradesh topping the list with 91 per cent, followed by Himachal Pradesh at 83 per cent and Madhya Pradesh at 71 per cent.
Gujarat on Thursday recorded 24,485 new cases, the highest single-day spike so far, pushing up its tally above the 10-lakh mark, while 13 patients succumbed to infection, the state health department said.
With these additions, the state's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,01,563 cases, while the death toll increased to 10,199, said a health department release. The latest surge in new cases also pushed up the state's active tally above the 1- lakh mark, said the release. Ahmedabad city recorded the highest number of infections - 9,837 - during the day, followed by 2,981 in Surat city, 2,823 in Vadodara city, 1,333 in Rajkot city and 728 in Surat district.
9:26 PM
Mumbai's COVID-19 cases drop to 5,708; 12 die, active tally at 22,103
Mumbai on Thursday reported 5,708 new coronavirus cases, 324 less than the previous day, and 12 fresh fatalities, while 15,440 more patients recovered from the infection, the city civic body said.
With fresh additions, the financial capital's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,23,707, while the death toll jumped to 16,500, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) bulletin said. The daily COVID-19 cases in the city dipped for the second consecutive day and dropped below the 6,000-mark after a two-day gap. Mumbai reported 324 fewer cases as compared to Wednesday, but the daily fatalities remained the same.
9:18 PM
Kerala govt imposes fresh restrictions to contain rising COVID cases
The Kerala government on Thursday imposed fresh restrictions in the state as a preventive measure to contain the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
A high-level COVID review meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan virtually from the United States, decided that only essential services should be allowed on the next two Sundays --January 23 and 30.
The meeting also decided to allow working women with children below the age of two, cancer patients and seriously ill persons to work through the work from home system.
It directed institutions including businesses, malls, beaches, and other tourist places like theme parks, to ensure no gatherings take place and operate strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocols.
8:46 PM
The positivity rate in Maharashtra is 23.5%: Tope
8:45 PM
28,561 new Covid cases in Tamil Nadu
8:14 PM
Gujarat reports 24,485 fresh Covid cases
7:52 PM
Delhi govt fixes maximum price for the RT-PCR test at private laboratories at Rs 300
7:26 PM
Mumbai reports 5,708 new Covid cases
6:53 PM
47,754 new Covid cases in Karnataka
6:42 PM
62 more cases of Omicron variant confirmed in Kerala today
6:41 PM
12,306 new Covid cases in Delhi
6:09 PM
Kerala sees another big spike, reports 46,387 new cases
5:19 PM
Andhra Pradesh reports 12,615 new Covid cases
4:48 PM
94% of India's adults have been administered 1st dose of Covid vaccine
Live news updates: A court in Delhi on Thursday sentenced Dinesh Yadav to five years in prison, making him the first person convicted in connection with communal riots that swept the national capital in February 2020.
Yadav was convicted last month for being a member of an unlawful assembly and rioting, and taking part in robbing and burning down the house of a 73-year-old woman, NDTV reported. The maximum sentence for his crimes is 10 years in jail.
India's recorded 317,532 new cases of Covid-19 and 491 deaths from the disease in the last 24 hours, said the health ministry on Thursday.
Daily cases increased by 12 per cent from Wednesday and positivity up from 15.13 per cent to 16.41 per cent. The country’s total cases increased to 38.22 million and the coronavirus death toll is at 487,693, said the ministry.
A subject expert committee of India’s drug regulator on Wednesday recommended full approval for Covishield and Covaxin, the two Covid-19 vaccines that have dominated the country's inoculation drive.
Covaxin and Covishield received emergency use authorisation in India in January 2021, with more than a combined 1.5 billion doses having been administered so far, according to government data.
 "LIVE: Delhi govt fixes maximum price for RT-PCR tests in pvt labs at Rs 300")
