12:14 AMKerala to focus on 'bio-bubble' model to promote tourism amid COVID-19
Nepal has condemned the recent attack on a Hindu temple in Pakistan's Punjab province and has appealed to the neighbouring country to respect the rights of the minority Hindu communities.
On Friday, the Human Rights Organisation of Nepal issued a letter to the Pakistan Ambassador in Kathmandu Syed Haider Shah saying, "We are deeply concerned by the incident that a mob on August 5, 2021, vandalised a Hindu temple in Bhong town of Rahim Yar Khan district in Pakistan as a reaction to the alleged desecration of a Muslim seminary."
"It is reported in several media that hundreds of people went to the Ganesh temple in Bhong town after a local court granted bail to a nine-year-old Hindu boy who allegedly urinated at a library of the seminary a few days back. The act of revenge by the mob despite an apology from the Hindu community for the act of a minor is a matter of concern for us," the letter said.
11:29 PMDakshina Kannada logs more Covid cases than Bengaluru
Bengaluru logged 315 Covid cases, 492 recoveries, and three deaths in the last 24 hours while the maximum cases (37) in Karnataka were reported from Dakshina Kannada district bordering Kerala, according to the state government health bulletin.
Active cases in the state capital remained at 8,198 and 64,552 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. The number of micro containment zones remained at 156 and Mahadevapura zone had the highest number of such zones, at 46.
Total vaccinations administered in the last 24 hours were 44,972, and positivity rate stood at 0.59 per cent. As many as 1,338 new cases were reported in the state taking the tally to 22,676. New Covid deaths stood at 31 and positivity rate for the state stood at 1.05 per cent.
10:50 PMHimachal records 419 new Covid cases, two deaths
Himachal Pradesh recorded 419 fresh coronavirus cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections and fatalities to 2,08,616 and 3,521 respectively. A total of 185 patients cured from the infection, according to the data provided by state health department.
Few days ago, the number of active cases had dipped to around 800 but the sudden surge took the figure to 2,318 on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur also expressed concern in the State Assembly on Monday over the increasing number of Covid cases.
10:39 PMAndhra Pradesh sees 1,461 more Covid cases, 15 deaths
Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday registered 1,461 new Covid cases, taking the state's overall tally beyond 19.8 lakh, even as its active cases dropped to 18,882. As many as 2,113 more persons recovered in the past 24 hours, taking the state's total number of recoveries to over 19.5 lakh.
West Godavari district reported the highest number of cases at 235, followed by Krishna with 210, Chittoor and Nellore 195 each, Guntur 182, Prakasam 112, East Godavari 98, Visakhapatnam 74, Kadapa 59, Srikakulam 41, Anantapur 28, Vizianagaram 20, and Kurnool 12.
Though East Godavari is near the top in daily tallies, it suddenly reported less than 100 cases in the past 24 hours. It heads the state in cumulative tally, with more than 2.8 lakh cases, followed by Chittoor with 2.3 lakh cases.
9:46 PMCumulative Covid vaccine doses nearly 52 crore: Govt
The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has reached nearly 52 crore, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday. More than 37 lakh (37,76,765) doses have been administered during the day, according to the 7 pm provisional report. The ministry said 20,47,733 first doses were administered and 4,05,719 second doses in the age group 18-44 years on Tuesday.
Cumulatively, 18,20,95,467 people in the age group 18-44 years across states and union territories have received their first dose and 1,29,39,239 their second dose since the start of phase-3 of the vaccination drive.
Five states -- Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh -- have administered more than 1 crore cumulative doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the age group 18-44 years, the ministry said.
9:20 PMTelangana records 494 new COVID-19 cases, three more deaths
Telangana on Tuesday recorded 494 new COVID-19 cases taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 6,50,353.
With three more persons succumbing to the virus, the death toll rose to 3,831, a state government bulletin said. The number of active cases stood at 8,112. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation reported the highest number of 80 cases followed by Karimnagar (51) and Warangal Urban (45). A total of 89,037 samples were tested on Tuesday.
Cumulatively, the number of samples tested was 2,29,91,849. A total of 621 COVID-19 recoveries were reported on Tuesday taking the total number of recoveries to 6,38,410. The recovery and case fatality rates were at 98.16 per cent and 0.58 per cent, compared to the national average of 97.42 per cent and 1.3 per cent, respectively,the bulletin said.
8:44 PMDelhi govt approves construction of 7 makeshift Covid hospitals
The Delhi health department on Tuesday received the financial approval for the construction of seven makeshift hospitals that will be completed in the next six months to deal with a possible surge in coronavirus cases in the city, PTI reported.
Health Minister Satyendar Jain said these makeshift hospitals will have 7,000 ICU beds and will be constructed at Sarita Vihar, Shalimar Bagh, Sultanpuri, Kirari, Raghubir Nagar, GTB Hospital and Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya.
8:28 PMMaharashtra sees 5,609 Covid-19 cases, 137 deaths
Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 5,609 coronavirus positive cases and 137 fatalities, including the highest 46 in the Pune region, while 7,568 patients recovered, a state health department official said, PTI reported.
With the new additions, the tally of infections and the death toll in Maharashtra rose to 63,63,442 and 1,34,201, respectively, the official said.
The number of recoveries has increased to 61,59,676, leaving the state with 66,123 active cases.
8:17 PMCovid-19 R-value more than 1 in 5 states, it's cause for concern: Govt
The central government on Tuesday said that 37 districts across nine states, including 11 districts in Kerala and seven in Tamil Nadu, are showing a rising trend in the average daily new COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks even as the corresponding nationwide figure continues to register a decline, PTI reported.
At a press briefing on the pandemic, officials said the reproduction number or R number that indicates the speed at which COVID-19 is spreading is more than 1 in five states -- Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh -- which remains a cause for concern.
 "A health worker takes swab sample of a passenger to test for Covid-19 test at the Dadar railway station in Mumbai, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021. (PTI Photo/Shashank Parade)")
