Coronavirus LIVE: 17,518 new Covid cases in Kerala; 6,753 in Maharashtra

A decline of 3,881 cases was recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours

5:16 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Rashtrapati Bhavan and Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Complex to re-open from Aug 1

5:06 PM

Premature to conclude health complications due to Covid-19 rising: Govt

It may be premature to conclude that complications like lung fibrosis and increased thrombotic events due to Covid-19 are on the rise. However, a larger number of cases of fungal infections have been found linked with the coronavirus infection during the recent surge, the government informed Parliament on Friday. Read here

4:26 PM

Coronavirus Latest: No deaths in Maharashtra due to oxygen shortage, says Tope

Maharashtra faced a shortage of medical oxygen but it did not report any Covid-19 death due to it, state health minister Rajesh Tope said on Friday.

 

He was speaking to reporters at the inauguration of a hostel of the National Cold Chain Research Centre here.

 

"There are no deaths in the state due to shortage of medical oxygen. Such deaths may have occurred in other states," he said.

 

The Union government had, on Tuesday, told Parliament that no state or Union territory had reported any death due to oxygen shortage during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, a statement that had come in for heavy criticism from the opposition as well as health activists. (PTI)

3:55 PM

DATA STORY: 35,342 cases, 483 deaths reported; active cases decline again

India on Friday reported a net reduction of 3,881 in active coronavirus cases to take its count to 405,513. India’s share of global active coronavirus cases now stands at 3 per cent (one in 33). The country is eighth among the most affected countries by active cases. On Thursday, it added 35,342 cases to take its total caseload to 31,293,062 from 31,257,720 — an increase of 0.1%. And, with 483 new fatalities, its Covid-19 death toll reached 419,470, or 1.34 per cent of total confirmed infections. Read here

 

3:37 PM

Coronavirus: Encourage kids to communicate during Covid to minimise negative impact, suggests AIIMS doctor

During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it is important for adults to encourage children to communicate their views on issues related to them, said Dr Rajesh Sagar, Professor of the Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS and Member, Central Mental Health Authority.

 

While speaking about the effects of the pandemic and its impact on children, Dr Sagar, in a statement by the union health ministry, said that the pandemic has altered their normal activities -- their schools are shut; the education has shifted to online and their interaction with peers is restricted and limited.

 

There are also some children who have lost one or both parents or relatives or caregivers to COVID and it is important for adults to keep a watch on their childrens' behaviour, he said. (PTI)

3:13 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Centre releases Rs 8,527 cr funds to states to fight virus

All the States/UTs are provided with necessary financial support to check the Covid-19 Pandemic.Under India Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package, an amount of Rs 15,000 Cr has been approved by Cabinet on 22nd April 2020. Under the Package, during the FY 2020-21, funds to the tune of Rs 8257.88 Cr have been released to the State/UTs through National Health Mission (NHM) framework. Rs 8257.88 Cr includes Rs 110.60 Cr towards payment of insurance of health workers. Read full govt release here

3:01 PM

No delay in entering into purchase pacts with domestic Covid vaccine manufacturers: Govt

There has been no delay in entering into purchase agreements with domestic Covid vaccine manufacturers and advance payments have also been made for the supply orders placed with them, the government informed Parliament on Friday.

 

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha from Congress member Rahul Gandhi and TMC's Mala Roy, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said a total of 135 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses are expected to be available between August and December, and though no fixed timeline can be indicated for the completion of the vaccination drive, it is expected that all beneficiaries aged 18 years and above will be inoculated by December.

 

On the quantum of funds spent on the vaccination programme, she said Rs 9,725.15 crore have so far been spent on it, including for procurement of vaccines and the operational cost for vaccination.

 

2:57 PM

Study: Chinese Covid shot may offer elderly poor protection

A new study suggests that a Sinopharm vaccine offers poor protection from COVID-19 among the elderly, raising questions for dozens of countries that have given the Chinese company's shots to their most vulnerable populations.

 

A survey of blood samples taken from 450 people in Hungary at least two weeks after their second Sinopharm dose found that 90% under 50 years old developed protective antibodies. But the percentage declined with age, and 50% of those over 80 had none.

2:56 PM

UK seeks to avert shortages with Covid tests for food staff

The British government has announced plans for daily COVID-19 testing of critical food industry workers, allowing those who test negative to continue working even after they've been in close contact with people infected with the virus.

 

The government said Thursday night that it has identified priority locations, including the largest supermarket distribution centres, where testing will begin this week. The programme will be expanded to as many as 500 sites next week.

 

The new policy seeks to avert food shortages as hundreds of thousands of people around the country are told to self-isolate by the National Health Service's COVID-19 app, creating a pingdemic that has dominated headlines all week.

2:46 PM

At least 100 US athletes unvaccinated as Olympics begin

About 100 of the 613 US athletes descending on Tokyo for the Olympics are unvaccinated, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee's medical chief said hours before Friday night's opening ceremony.

 

Medical director Jonathan Finnoff said 567 of the American athletes had filled out their health histories as they prepared for the trip, and estimated 83% had replied they were vaccinated.

 

Eighty-three percent is actually a substantial number and we're quite happy with it, Finnoff said.

 

2:40 PM

US CDC hints at Covid booster doses for 'immunocompromised'

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is considering to incolate all "immunocompromised" people with additional doses of the Covid vaccines, amid surging infections from the Delta variant, the media reported.

 

Members of the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices, at a meeting on Thursday, spoke of the urgent need to give additional doses to people with fragile immune systems, as they are more vulnerable to severe Covid outcomes and may also spread the virus to others more frequently, the Washington Post reported.

 

Immunocompromised patients which include organ transplant recipients, people on cancer treatments, and those living with rheumatologic conditions, HIV and leukaemia, represent about 3 per cent of US adults.

2:33 PM

Don't indulge in politics over Covid vaccines: Mandaviya tells Oppn

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday appealed to Opposition parties not to play politics on the issue of COVID-19 vaccines and asserted that everyone should work together to ensure people are vaccinated against coronavirus.

 

Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour in Lok Sabha, the minister said the government is still in talks with US company Pfizer with respect to making its vaccine available in India.

2:18 PM

New Zealand suspends travel bubble with Australia

New Zealand on Friday suspended its quarantine-free travel bubble with Australia for at least eight weeks due to a growing COVID-19 cluster in Sydney.

 

New Zealand recently imposed quarantine restrictions on travelers from New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia states, where lockdowns have been introduced to contain delta variant clusters.

 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said quarantine-free travel would be suspended from anywhere in Australia from 11:59 p.m. New Zealand time.

2:11 PM

Arunachal reports 486 new COVID-19 cases, 4 more fatalities

At least 486 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the tally in the state to 44,708, a health department official said on Friday.

 

The death toll rose to 208 after four persons, including two women, succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

 

All four patients - two from Capital Complex Region and one each from Namsai and West Siang - died while undergoing treatment at various health facilities of the state, and they had comorbidities, he said.

 

1:55 PM

Sydney cases hit record

New coronavirus infections hit a record in Sydney, and those numbers are expected to continue climbing as over half of today’s cases were in the community while infectious. New Zealand suspended its quarantine-free travel bubble with Australia for at least the next eight weeks.

 

“We need a ring of steel around Sydney so that this is not spreading to other parts of the nation,” Victorian premier Daniel Andrews said at a media briefing Friday.