Covid LIVE: Karnataka sees 16,068 new cases in a day; 14,152 in Maharashtra

Coronavirus live updates: India reported 132,364 fresh Covid-19 infections today, taking the caseload tally to 28,572,359. Death toll stands at 340,702. Stay tuned for corona-related news

2:47 PM

Covid LIVE: Govt caps trade margin on oxygen concentrators at 70%

In view of the extraordinary circumstances arising due to the COVID pandemic that has resulted in recent volatility in Maximum Retail Prices (MRP) of Oxygen Concentrators, the Government has decided to step-in to regulate the price of Oxygen Concentrators. As per information collected by the government, margin at the level of distributor currently ranges up to 198%.

 

By invoking extraordinary powers under Para 19 of the DPCO, 2013 in larger public interest NPPA has capped the Trade Margin up to 70% on Price to Distributor (PTD) level on Oxygen Concentrators. Earlier, in February 2019 NPPA had successfully capped the Trade Margin on Anti-cancer Drugs. Based on the notified Trade Margin, NPPA has instructed the manufacturers / importers to report revised MRP within three days. Revised MRPs will be informed in public domain within a week by NPPA.

2:38 PM

Fauci urges China to release medical records of Wuhan lab workers: Report

Top US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has called on China to release the medical records of nine people whose ailments might provide vital clues into whether Covid-19 first emerged as the result of a lab leak, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

"I would like to see the medical records of the three people who are reported to have got sick in 2019. Did they really get sick, and if so, what did they get sick with?" the report https://on.ft.com/3igFTgU quoted Fauci as saying about three of the nine.

 

The origin of the virus is hotly contested, with US. READ MORE...

2:34 PM

Alzheimer's 3X raises Covid severity, death risk: Study

People with dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease are at threefold risk of dying as a result of infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind Covid-19, according to a study by Brazilian researchers.

 

The risk is six times greater if they are over 80, found the team at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) and Butantan Institute in partnership with colleagues at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

 

"We found that all causes of dementia are risk factors for severity and death in Covid-19and that these risks are more pronounced for Alzheimer's patients," Sergio Verjovski-Almeida, principal investigator for the project and a professor at USP's Chemistry Institute, told Agencia FAPESP.

2:29 PM

Over 1.93 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses still with states: Centre

More than 1.93 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. The Centre has so far provided, both through the free of cost and through direct state procurement categories, more than 24 crore vaccine doses to states and UTs.

 

Of this, the total consumption, including wastages, is 22,27,33,963 doses, the ministry said.

 

"As many as 1,93,95,287 are still available with the states and UTs to be administered," it said.

 

As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Centre been supporting the states and UTs by providing them COVID vaccines free of cost.

2:19 PM

Panel formed to look into deaths due to shortage of oxygen: Manish Sisodia

The Delhi government has formed a four-member expert committee to look into the deaths due to the shortage of oxygen during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and is awaiting the lieutenant governor's approval, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Friday.

 

During the second wave of coronavirus, there was an oxygen crisis and there were reports that the oxygen shortage led to deaths at some hospitals, Sisodia said in an online briefing.

 

"We took the issue seriously and took a decision to form a four-member committee to look into the matter. It is a committee comprising medical experts. We have sent the file for the L-G's approval," he said. READ ON...

2:10 PM

Covid LIVE: Gujarat to allow offices to operate with 100% staff from Monday

1:53 PM

Odisha reports 7,729 new Covid positive cases, 39 more deaths

Odisha on Friday reported 7,729 new COVID-19 cases and 39 more deaths, a Health Department official said. The state has so far recorded 7,98,699 cases and 2,912 deaths, he said. In the last 24 hours, 10,343 people recovered, taking the total recoveries to 7,13,055.

 

There are 82,679 active cases in the state at present, the official said.

 

Of the new infections, 4,331 were detected at the quarantine centres and the rest 3,398 were local contact cases. Khurda district, where state capital Bhubaneswar is located, reported the highest 1,062 new infections, followed by Cuttack (720) and Angul (449).

1:44 PM

205 people, including over 50 children test positive for Covid in Mizoram

At least 205 people, including over 50 children tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram on Friday, pushing the tally in the state to 13,064, an official said. The COVID-19 death toll rose to 47 as a 44-year-old man succumbed to the infection at Zoram Medical College (ZMC) on Thursday night, he said.

 

Of the fresh cases, Aizawl district accounted the for highest cases at 157, followed by Lunglei (18), Lawngtlai (17), Champhai (6), Mamit and Saitual districts reported 3 cases each and Siaha district reported 1 case.

 

Only one patient has a travel history, while the rest 204 were found to have locally infected, the official said, adding that 110 patients have developed symptoms of COVID-19. READ MORE...

1:37 PM

Odisha CHSE Board Class 12 Examination cancelled: CM

1:31 PM

Pfizer jab produces less antibodies against Delta variant: Lancet

People fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are likely to have more than five times lower levels of neutralising antibodies against the Delta variant (B16172) when compared to the original strain, according to new laboratory data that supports Pfizer's plans to deliver booster shots in Autumn.

 

This antibody's response was even lower in people who had only received one dose. After a single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech, 79 per cent of people had a quantifiable neutralising antibody response against the original strain, but this fell to 50 per cent for Alpha variant (B117), 32 per cent for Delta variant (B16172) and 25 per cent for Beta variant (B1351), showed the study, published as a Research letter in The Lancet on Thursday. Read on...

1:26 PM

Chile temporarily halts Oxford-AstraZeneca vax for people under 45

Chile has temporarily suspended the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 for people under 45 years of age, after an "adverse event" was reported in a person immunised with the jab.

 

In a communique, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday it was notified on June 1 that after receiving the vaccine, the 31-year-old man "presented thrombosis and thrombocytopenia, an event described in international literature as very rare", reports Xinhua news agency

 

As a result, the Ministry decided that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine should only be administered to people who are 45 years old or above.

 

The preventive and proactive measure will stay in place while the Public Health Institute (ISP) conducts a causality analysis investigation.

1:21 PM

Puducherry Covid-19 update: 712 new cases, 18 deaths in last 24 hours

Puducherry reported 712 fresh coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours taking the overall tally to 1,07,826, a senior Health department official said on Friday.

 

Puducherry has been witnessing a decline in the number of fresh infections during the last few days after it had crossed the 1,000 mark.

 

The test positivity rate on Friday was 7.53 per cent as against 9.02 per cent on Thursday, as the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services examined 9,458 samples during the last 24 hours, Director of Department of Health and Family Welfare Services S Mohan Kumar said.

 

Eighteen people succumbed to the virus pushing the toll to 1,601. Read on...

1:09 PM

ITC's cigarette volumes recover to pre-Covid levels

ITC's cigarette volumes have recovered to pre-Covid levels allaying concerns on permanent loss of business, Credit Suisse said in a report.

 

Credit Suisse said ITC's cigarette volumes saw large declines during Covid as a large part of consumption is at work places and driven by mobility, both were constrained in the period.

 

As the post-Covid reopening panned out, cigarette volumes recovered. In 4Q FY21, cigarette volumes were back to pre-Covid levels.

 

"In our estimate, 4Q FY21 volumes grew 7.5 per cent on a base quarter, which had seen 8 per cent volume decline in 4Q FY20. This is despite many offices still not back to full strength, either followed full or partial work from home.This also provides assurance of no permanent loss of business in cigarettes due to Covid, contrary to the concern that some smokers could have quit permanently," the report said.

1:05 PM

PM hails Indian scientists for developing vaccine against Covid-19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded Indian scientists developing made-in-India vaccine against Covid and boosting other measures to fight the pandemic within a year of its outbreak.

 

Addressing a meeting of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Society via video conferencing, he cited India's experience in the previous century to say that it used to wait for years to lay its hands on innovations achieved abroad, but its scientists are now working shoulder to shoulder with their counterparts outside.

 

They are working at the same quick pace, he said.

 

Noting that the world is grappling with the biggest challenge in a century, the prime minister praised the scientific community, saying it is perhaps unprecedented that vaccines were prepared within a year.

1:00 PM

Prior infection cuts Covid-19 infection risk for up to 10 months: Lancet study

The risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is substantially reduced for up to 10 months following the first infection with the virus, according to a study.

 

The research, published in the journal Lancet Healthy Longevity on Tuesday, looked at rates of Covid-19 infections between October lat years, and February this year among over 2,000 care home residents and staff in England.

 

The researchers from the University College London (UCL) in the UK compared people who had evidence of a previous infection up to 10 months earlier, as determined by antibody testing, with those who had not been previously infected.

 

They found that residents with a previous infection were 85 per cent less likely to be infected during this four-month period than those who had never been infected.