Covid LIVE: Lockdown in TN extended till July 12 with further relaxations

Today's coronavirus numbers: Bengaluru (676 cases), Mumbai 661 cases), Chennai (249 cases), Kolkata (127 cases), Delhi (91 cases). Stay tuned for corona-related news

Corona updates: India today recorded 46,617 infections and 853 fatalities in the last 24 hours. The total coronavirus caseload stands at 30,458,251, while Covid-19 deaths in India have crossed 400,000. In just over five weeks, from May 23 to July 1, the country reported 100,000 deaths from Covid even as the second wave waned. The World Health Organization has said the Delta variant of Covid-19 is now present in nearly 100 countries as per conservative estimates, and warned that in the coming months the highly transmissible strain will become the dominant variant of the coronavirus globally.

Kerala reported 12,868 new infections, followed by Maharashtra (9,195), Tamil Nadu (4,481), Andhra Pradesh (3,841), Karnataka (3,203), Delhi (93) and West Bengal (1,478).

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6,070,599), Kerala (29,937,033), Karnataka (2,847,013), Tamil Nadu (2,484,177), and Andhra Pradesh (1,893,354).

World coronavirus update: Covid-19 is continuing to spread around the world, with 183,389,411 confirmed cases and 3,970,616 deaths across nearly 200 countries recorded since China reported its first cases in December 2019. The US remains the worst-hit country with 34,560,716 cases, followed by India, Brazil, France and Russia. 

To read updates from our yesterday's blog, click here

11:22 PM

Thai virus surge prompts concern over ICUs, vaccine supply

Health authorities in Thailand reported 6,087 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, setting a record for a second straight day, as concerns mounted over shortages of treatment facilities and vaccine supplies.
 

Officials also reported 61 deaths on Friday, bringing the total to 2,141.
 

Around 90% of Thailand's 270,921 reported coronavirus cases and 95% of the deaths have been recorded during a surge that began in early April. There were 992 deaths in June, more than 15 times Thailand's total for all of 2020.
 

The number of patients in ICUs and on ventilators has risen nationwide over the past two weeks.
 

The government's Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration said 39% of the new cases reported Friday were in Bangkok, 25% in neighbouring provinces and 36% in the other 71 provinces. Center deputy spokesperson Apisamai Srirangsan said Bangkok authorities must urgently set up isolation stations to separate infected people in their local communities and add beds for treatment of serious cases.
 

Critics since the beginning of the year have charged that the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has failed to secure timely and adequate vaccine supplies, and efforts to obtain more have proceeded slowly.
 

11:21 PM

27 Covid-19 deaths, 2,453 new positive cases in Assam

Assam reported 27 Covid-19 deaths and 2,453 new cases on Friday, pushing the coronavirus caseload to 5,13,606, according to the bulletin of the National Health Mission.
 

The death toll increased to 4,604 while the number of active cases in the state currently is 23,914.
 

Four deaths each were reported from Jorhat, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Tinsukia while two each were reported from Golaghat and Karbi Anglong.
 

Barpeta, Charaideo, Hojai, Kamrup Metro, Majuli, Nalbari and Udalguri reported one death each.
 

The current death rate is 0.90 per cent and the number of Covid-19 positive patients dying due to other causes is 1,347.
 

Of the new cases, 312 were reported from Golaghat, 186 from Kamrup Metro, 181 from Lakhimpur and 173 from Sonitpur.
 

The fresh cases were detected out of 1,53,981 tests conducted Friday with the daily positivity rate at 1.59 per cent while Covid-19 tests conducted in the state so far is 1,51,40,437.
 

The number of recovered patients discharged during the day is 2,902 and the total recoveries so far is 4,83,741 with the recovery rate being 94.19 per cent.
 

The total beneficiaries inoculated with Covid-19 vaccines in the state so far is 74,27,360, of whom 12,74,564 had received both doses.
 

9:09 PM

Lockdown in Tamil Nadu extended for one more week

8:52 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Telangana reports 858 fresh cases

8:48 PM

Pakistan gets 2.5 mn doses of Moderna vaccine from US

Pakistan received 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine from the United States on Friday, easing pressure on Islamabad in overcoming the shortage of Covid-19 vaccines.
 

According to a US embassy statement, the vaccines were delivered to the Pakistani people in partnership with the Covax global vaccine initiative, UNICEF, and the government of Pakistan.

 

It says this donation was part of the 80 million doses the United States was sharing with the world, “delivering on our pledge to facilitate equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines, which are essential to ending the COVID-19 pandemic.” The latest development comes days after hundreds of Pakistani expatriate workers rallied in Islamabad, demanding they should be quickly vaccinated with the Moderna, Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines so they can travel abroad. Read here

8:39 PM

Germany recommends combination of AstraZeneca, mRNA shots

Germany is recommending that all people who get a first shot of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine switch to a different type of vaccine for their second shot. The aim is to increase the speed and effectiveness of vaccinations as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
 

Health Minister Jens Spahn conferred with his colleagues from Germany's 16 states on Friday, the day after the country's standing committee on vaccination issued a draft recommendation. In a statement, the committee said that “according to current study results,” the immune response from a mixture of AstraZeneca with an mRNA vaccine was “significantly superior” to that from two doses of AstraZeneca. Read here

8:22 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra sees 8,753 fresh cases

8:06 PM

Decision on Zydus Cov-D vaccine expected soon: V K Paul

A decision on the approval of Zydus Cadila's COVID-19 vaccine Zydus Cov-D is expected soon, Dr VK Paul, Member (Health) of the NITI Aayog said on Friday, adding that the data and evaluation would determine the outcome.

 

"The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has Zydus Cadila's application. It is undergoing a process of evaluation by the Subject Expert Committee. We are hoping to hear a swift and positive decision," Dr Paul told ANI. Read here

8:05 PM

J&K sees 331 new Covid cases, 6 deaths

Recoveries continued to outnumber new Covid cases in J&K on Friday where 437 patients recovered while 331 new cases and 6 deaths were reported during the last 24 hours.

 

Officials said that 77 cases and five deaths were reported from the Jammu division and 254 cases and one death from the Kashmir division.

 

A total of 29 cases of black fungus have also been reported here so far. (IANS)

7:54 PM

Andhra's Covid-19 tally inching towards 1.9 million mark

Andhra Pradeshs Covid-19 tally inched closer to the 19-lakh mark, reaching 18,96,818 on Friday with the addition of 3,464 in the last 24 hours.

 

As 4,284 more patients got cured, the total recoveries climbed to 18,46,716.

 

With 35 fresh fatalities, the gross toll touched 12,779, the latest bulletin said.

 

The number of active cases came down to 37,323, it said. (IANS)

7:34 PM

Both pregnant woman and child can be saved by Covid vaccine: N K Arora

Dr. N.K. Arora, Chairperson of the Covid-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) spoke to DD News, on the vaccination guidelines for pregnant women, issued by the Health Ministry today. Read full government release here

 

7:31 PM

Delta variant cases rise by 50,824 in UK, hospitalisations remain low

The Delta variant of Covid-19 continues to spread in the UK with a further 50,824 cases logged on Friday, marking a 46 per cent increase over the previous week, according to health officials.

 

While the infections are rising, there has not been a corresponding rise in the number of hospitalisations with COVID-19, indicating that the vaccinations are effective against the highly transmissible variant first identified in India, Public Health England (PHE) said.

 

Of the 50,824 cases of Delta B1.617.2 variant over the past week, 42 are from the Delta AY.1 sub lineage with the mutation K417N which is feared to be more vaccine resistant. (PTI)

7:10 PM

Cong, BJP allege mismatch in Kerala Covid deaths

The opposition Congress and BJP on Friday continued to allege mismatch in the Covid-19 deaths reported in Kerala and accused the state governmentof projecting a 'fabricated' figure to save its face in the fight against the pandemic.

 

The opposition reiterated the charges a day after Health Minister Veena George had said the state government has nothing to hide with regard to pandemic-related casualties. (PTI)

6:49 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Delhi sees 93 cases

6:41 PM

Daily toll collection via FASTag reaches level recorded before second wave

With easing of lockdown in most states and increase in the movement of traffic on the Highways, the toll collection through FASTag is reaching the level recorded before the 2nd wave of Covid pandemic.  The toll collection across the country through FASTag touched Rs. 103.54 crore with 63.09 lakh transactions on 01st July 2021.   Electronic toll collection through FASTag is operational at 780 active toll plazas across the country. Read full government release here