Covid LIVE: Discussed virus challenge with UN Secy General, says Jaishankar

Coronavirus live updates: India reported 195,815 fresh Covid-19 infections today, taking the caseload tally to 26,947,496. Death toll surged to 307,249. Stay tuned for corona-related news

6:21 PM

IAF swiftly moved 11,000 oxygen concentrators, 2,950 ventilators received from abroad to fight Covid-19

Engaged heavily in the fight against COVID-19, the Indian Air Force helped in facilitating the movement of around 11,000 oxygen concentrators received from abroad within few hours to different parts of the country to help patients who were facing respiratory issues.

 

The Covid Air Support Management Cell created at the Palam airbase also helped extensively in supplying the aid received from foreign countries as they facilitated the distribution of over 2,950 ventilators received from abroad to different states along with airlifting of 672 tonnes of other medical air provided by the foreign nations.

 

The Indian Air Force has flown more than 8.5 lakh miles both internationally and domestically to ferry 700 oxygen containers and tankers including a big number of them from outside the country.

5:55 PM

Moderna says its Covid-19 vaccine shot works in kids as young as 12

Moderna said Tuesday its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12, a step that could put the shot on track to become the second option for that age group in the U.S.

 

With global vaccine supplies still tight, much of the world is struggling to vaccinate adults in the quest to end the pandemic. But earlier this month, the U.S. and Canada authorized another vaccine the shot made by Pfizer and BioNTech to be used starting at age 12.

 

Moderna aims to be next in line, saying it will submit its teen data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other global regulators early next month.

5:44 PM

66% people above 45 years vaccinated against Covid-19 in Jammu and Kashmir

A total of 66 percent people above 45 years have been administered COVID-19 vaccine so far in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday.

 

This was conveyed by top J-K officials at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla to review the Covid management across all union territories.

 

Jammu and Kashmir is among the leading regions in the country in vaccination of above 45 years age group having vaccinated 66 percent of its eligible population which is well above the national average of 32 percent, the officials said.

5:18 PM

Covid vaccine, health infra talk set the tone for 'Mann Ki Baat'

Over 7,000 submissions have already come in for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' scheduled for May 30. READ MORE...

5:06 PM

Delhi records 1,568 new Covid cases, 156 fatalities; positivity rate 2.14%

Delhi recorded 1,568 fresh cases of coronavirus and 156 fatalities on Tuesday, while the positivity rate came down marginally to 2.14 per cent, according to the daily health bulletin.

 

This is the third day in a row when the daily cases in the national capital have remained below 2,000.

 

According to the latest health bulletin, the 156 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 23,565. On Monday, the national capital had recorded 1,550 fresh cases of COVID-19 and 207 fatalities and the positivity rate 2.52 per cent. On Sunday, 1,649 cases and 189 deaths were recorded, while the positivity rate had dipped to 2.42 per cent.

4:57 PM

Covid positive Former West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya hospitalised

Former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was admitted on Tuesday afternoon to Woodlands Hospital Critical Care Department. Bhattacharjee aged 77 years was detected positive for COVID-19 on May 18. He was having drowsiness and shortness of breath when admitted to the hospital, said an official statement.

 

"He is on BIPAP with 3 litres of oxygen, SpO2 maintaining at 92 per cent. He is conscious, alert, communicating verbally and otherwise," the statement said adding that his blood pressure and pulse is stable.

 

Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, Bhattacharya was West Bengal Chief Minister from 2000 to 2011.

 

According to Union Health Ministry, West Bengal has 1,30,525 active COVID-19 cases. The total number of recoveries has reached 11,22,201 and fatalities have mounted to 14,364.

4:41 PM

SC stays Allahabad HC observations granting anticipatory bail over fear of death due to COVID

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed sweeping directions issued by Allahabad High Court, which had granted anticipatory bail to an accused in a cheating case observing that apprehension of death due to COVID-19 infection can be a valid ground for granting the relief.

 

The top court said that courts shall not consider the directions issued by the High Court on May 10 for grant of anticipatory bail to accused in other cases.

 

A vacation bench of Justices Vineet Saran and B R Gavai said, "sweeping directions have been made, we therefore direct the same to be stayed and the courts shall not consider the directions to grant anticipatory bail to accused in other cases and must consider merits of each case.

4:39 PM

Covid-19 outbreak placed unprecedented demand on the health system: Dr Harsh Vardhan

4:37 PM

Covid LIVE: Delhi sees 1,568 cases in a day; positivity rate drops to 2.14%

4:20 PM

World Coronavirus Dispatch: Few reports add weight to Wuhan lab leak theory

Intelligence on sick staff at Wuhan lab fuels debate on virus origin

 

Three researchers from China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill with symptoms consistent with both coronavirus and common seasonal illness and sought hospital care in November 2019, Wall Street Journal reported citing undisclosed US intelligence report. Beijing reported its first confirmed case in December 2019. This report has once again thrown spotlight on the origins of the virus and added weight to the argument that that virus may escaped from the Wuhan lab. China has repeatedly denied that the virus escaped from one of its labs. World Health Organization’s decision-making body is expected to discuss the next phase of an investigation into Covid-19’s origins soon. READ MORE...

4:13 PM

1,780 patients undergoing treatment for Black Fungus infection in Maharashtra

4:10 PM

Black Fungus: Maharashtra will get 60,000 vials of drug for mucormycosis from June 1

Maharashtra will get 60,000 vials of drug for mucormycosis from June 1 through global tender floated by govt in addition to allocation made by Centre: Health Minister Rajesh Tope

4:10 PM

Odisha reports 10,939 new coronavirus cases, 33 fresh fatalities

Odisha's COVID-19 caseload surged to 7,14,380 on Tuesday as 10,939 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said. The state also registered its highest single-day spike in fatalities at 33, pushing the coronavirus death toll to 2,549. As many as 6,178 new cases were reported in quarantine centres, while 4,761 infections were detected during contact tracing.

 

Khurda district, under which Bhubaneswar falls, reported the highest number of new cases at 1,298, followed by Cuttack (922) and Angul (819).

 

Khurda also registered the highest number of fresh fatalities at 33, followed by four each in Angul, Jharsuguda and Kalahandi and three each in Subarnapur and Sundergarh.

3:43 PM

Covid-19 pandemic: B.1.617 most common strain detected, says Harsh Vardhan

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday that the B.1.617 variant of coronavirus, first detected in India, has become the most common mutation detected so far, and was found in more than 20 per cent of samples sent for genome sequencing.

 

Vardhan was speaking at the 27th high-level meeting of the Group of Ministers on Covid-19. He said 25,739 samples have been sequenced and variant B.1.617 has been found in 5,261 samples. “States have been requested to send samples regularly for better analysis,” he added. READ MORE...

3:41 PM

Don't panic by colour of fungus, look for causes, risks: Experts advise as mucormycosis cases rise

Amid rising mucormycosis cases among Covid patients and those who have recovered from it, epidemiologists Tuesday advised people to not get panicked by the colour of the fungus causing it, and underlined the importance of analysing the kind of infection, its causes and associated risk-factors.

 

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said on Monday that 18 states have reported 5,424 cases of mucormycosis, a life-threatening infection, prevalent among COVID-19 patients and those who recovered from the viral disease.

 

Beside Black Fungus cases, White and Yellow fungus infections too were reported from different parts of the country recently, which scientists say are also mucormycosis. Dr Samiran Panda, the Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said the use of "terms like black, green or yellow fungus" is making people scared and apprehensive.