Coronavirus LIVE: Less than 5,000 new cases in Bengaluru; 1,048 in Mumbai

Coronavirus live updates: India reported 173,790 fresh Covid-19 infections today, taking the caseload tally to 27,729,247. Death toll stands at 322,512. Stay tuned for corona-related news

5:10 PM

J&K starts Covid vaccination drive for people in tourism industry

As part of efforts to revive Jammu and Kashmir's tourism industry after the disastrous second Covid-19 wave, the government has started a vaccination drive for people involved in the industry and those who live around the Dal Lake in Srinagar.

 

The lake, a popular tourist attraction, has been deserted over the last few weeks due to the surge in coronavirus cases across the country. The vaccination process has been sped up to protect people from the virus.

 

Awareness campaigns are also being organised in the area.

 

The tourism department, meanwhile, has started to rapidly vaccinate those who are either directly or indirectly involved with the industry so that as more people start to visit the Valley, they may not be at risk. (ANI)

5:01 PM

Sikkim logs 273 new Covid-19 cases, 4 more fatalities

Sikkim on Saturday reported 273 new Covid-19 cases pushing the tally to 14,907, a health department bulletin said.

 

The death toll in the Himalayan state rose to 247 after four more patients died of coronavirus, the bulletin said.

 

Sikkim at present has 3,831 active cases. (PTI)

4:41 PM

DRDO's 500-bedded Covid hospital inaugurated in Jammu

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday inaugurated the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) 500-bedded Covid hospital in Jammu to ramp up the healthcare infrastructure to effectively deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Of the total 500 beds here at Bhagwati Nagar Centre, 125 would be Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, while others would be a set of Covid beds with 24 hours oxygen facility.

 

The hospital would be equipped with ventilators, monitors, in-house pharmacy, diagnostic facility, X-Ray and CT Scan machines. (PTI)

4:22 PM

Delhi needs quick sero survey to assess Covid-19, suggests AIIMS doctor

With Delhi poised for phased process of unlocking from Monday in view of the dip in Covid-19 positivity rate, Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor of Community Medicine Department at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) suggested conducting a quick sero survey to assess the prevalence of the novel coronavirus in the national capital.

 

"There is still some risk of Covid-19 transmission. However, looking at the official data of Covid-19 cases, we can say that the majority of Delhi's population have already been exposed to the infection. Thus, in my opinion, a quick sero survey should be done to know about the status of the infection in Delhi," said Dr Rai. (ANI)

4:15 PM

Smriti Irani sends oxygen concentrators, masks to Amethi

Union Minister Smriti Irani has sent oxygen concentrators, N-95 masks and PPE kits, among other Covid-related relief items, for the people of her Amethi parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

 

These items were handed over to the Amethi Chief Medical Officer Ashutosh Dubey at the camp office of the district magistrate by the Union minister's representative, Vijay Gupta, and BJP district president Durgesh Tripathi.

 

Irani is minister for women and child development and textiles. (PTI)

4:01 PM

First case of B.1.617 variant found in Pakistan

The first-ever case of the highly infectious B.1.617 variant of coronavirus, first identified in India, has been detected in Pakistan despite a ban on travellers from the neighbouring country since April, the country's top health institute here has said.

 

The National Institute of Health (NIH) on Friday shared the results of whole-genome sequencing of SARS CoV-2 samples collected during the first three weeks of May 2021, The Express Tribune reported on Friday.

 

The sequencing results confirmed the detection of seven cases of B.1.351 [South African variant] and one case of B.1.617.2 [first identified in India]. This is the first in-country detection of the latter strain, the NIH said in a statement. (PTI)

3:20 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Delhi's positivity rate slips to 1.19%

3:08 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Random testing being done in West Delhi

2:58 PM

Covid-19: 22,701 containment zones in Delhi

Of the total 22,701 containment zones in the national capital, central Delhi accounts for the maximum 6,523 red zones, according to official figures.

 

Delhi had 31,570 containment zones on April 27. The number, due to a significant drop in Covid-19 cases, has now come down to 22,701 -- a decrease of over 28 per cent by Thursday.

 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the national capital recorded around 900 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours and stressed that if new infections continue to decline, more activities will be allowed to open up in the city. (PTI)

2:37 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Goa govt extends curfew till June 7, announces CM

2:31 PM

Covid LIVE: How are pvt hospitals getting vaccines, Sisodia asks Centre

Covid LIVE: How are pvt hospitals getting vaccines, while states have none, Sisodia asks Centre

2:21 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: No talks on lockdown extension, says Karnataka CM

2:19 PM

M&M expects car sales to take two years to rebound after Covid shock

Mahindra & Mahindra expects it will take at least another two years for car sales to return to their pre-pandemic peaks, but a slow pace of vaccinations could hurt recovery prospects, its chief told Reuters in an interview.

 

Battered by the pandemic in 2020 and an economic slowdown in 2019, passenger vehicle sales in India fell to 2.7 million units in the last fiscal year - their lowest level in six years and well below the peak of 3.4 million units in fiscal year 2019.

 

Mahindra Chief Executive Officer Anish Shah said sales would rebound by fiscal year 2023 if a majority of the country's population is inoculated and new Covid-19 cases ease, helping the economy recover. (Reuters)

2:09 PM

Remdesivir production ramped up 10 times, says Mansukh Mandaviya

1:59 PM

Domestic flights to cost more as minimum airfares raised 13-16 per cent

Flights within the country are set to become costlier as the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has decided to raise the lower limit on domestic airfares from 13 per cent to 16 per cent, which will come into effect from June 1. An increase in airfares has been attributed on the capacity of the load factors of the passengers. A sudden increase of coronavirus cases in the second wave of Covid pandemic showed a decrease in domestic air travel. Read here