Covid LIVE: Both Karnataka, Maharashtra see daily cases below 30,000-mark

Coronavirus live updates: India reported 276,110 fresh Covid-19 infections today, taking the caseload tally to 25,772,440. Stay tuned for corona-related news

5:01 PM

Delhi logs 3,231 fresh Covid-19 cases, 233 deaths; positivity rate slips to 5.5%

Delhi recorded 3,231 fresh cases of COVID-19 and 233 fatalities on Thursday, while the positivity rate dipped to 5.5 per cent, according to the health department. According to the latest health bulletin, the new fatalities pushed the death toll from the novel coronavirus infection in the city to 22,579.

 

The city recorded 3,231 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the daily count dipping to below 4,000-mark for the second consecutive day, it said. Medical experts have attributed the lockdown as the main factor behind the dip amid the second wave of the pandemic. On Wednesday, Delhi had recorded 3,846 cases and 235 deaths.

4:59 PM

Covid LIVE: 3 more companies to launch home testing kit, says ICMR chief

Dr Balram Bhargava, DG ICMR, expects home testing kit to be available within 3-4 days. Within few days, 3 more companies expected to launch home testing kit for Covid-19, says Bhargava. Avg capacity for testing expected to be increased to 45 lakh by June, says the official.

 

4:53 PM

Aim to do 45 lakh coronavirus tests by the end of June: ICMR

4:39 PM

Progressive increase in districts reporting decline in Covid-19 case positivity: Govt

4:33 PM

Maharashtra village breaks coronavirus infection chain by isolation

Two months ago, a girl in Bhosi village of Maharashtra's Nanded district was found coronavirus positive, infected after attending a wedding. Days later, five people from the village, having a population of around 6,000 were also infected, sending local body members and health officials into a tizzy.

 

"A health camp was held in the village in coordination with the gram panchayat and the health department to conduct Covid tests. Rapid Antigen Tests and RT-PCR tests revealed that 119 people were positive," an official release said.

 

"It was decided to isolate the patients to break the chain of coronavirus spreading to others. Accordingly, all the infected people were persuaded to go and live on their fields for 15-17 days, as mandated by the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for people with mild infections," the release said.

4:32 PM

Seven states have over 25% Covid-19 case positivity, while 22 states have more than 15% case positivity: Govt

Seven states have more than 25% Covid-19 case positivity, while 22 states have more than 15% case positivity: Govt

4:26 PM

Covid LIVE: At 25% positivity, Karnataka, WB remain a concern, says govt

Some states like Karnataka and West Bengal that are showing positivity of over 25% remain a concern. Maharashtra, Rajasthan, UP have shown remarkable drop in positivity over the past few weeks. Same is also true for Haryana, Chhattisgarh: Health Ministry

4:19 PM

Eight states in India have more than 100,000 active cases: Health Ministry

4:13 PM

Since mid February with average daily tests increased by 2.3 times in last 12 weeks: Govt

4:04 PM

LIVE: Health Ministry addressing media on Covid-19

4:00 PM

One-third of Covid cases and fatalities reported in second wave in Karnataka

One-third of the total COVID cases and fatalities since the outbreak of the pandemic in Karnataka took place in the last two-and-half months when the second wave hit the State, reveals official data. The second wave did not spare children, teenagers and youth in their twenties who accounted for a number of infections and fatalities.

 

According to the data, 7,06,449 people got infected, of which 7,980 people lost their lives between March 1 and May 15. However, since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, 21,71,931 contracted COVID, out of which 21,434 lost their lives.

3:39 PM

Centre urges states to declare 'black fungus' an epidemic, report all cases

The Union Health Ministry has urged states and union territories to make black fungus or mucormycosis a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, stating that the infection is leading to prolonged morbidity and mortality amongst COVID-19 patients.

 

The ministry, in a letter, said that in the recent times a new challenge in the form of a fungal infection namely mucormycosis has emerged and is reported from many states amongst COVID-19 patients, especially those on steroid therapy and deranged sugar control.

 

"This fungal infection is leading to prolonged morbidity and mortality amongst COVID 19 patients," Joint Secretary in the health ministry Lav Agarwal said in the letter. READ MORE...

3:32 PM

China's current Covid-19 vaccines can tackle Indian variants: China CDC experts

China's current Covid-19 vaccines can tackle new coronavirus variants spreading in India and can provide protection "to a certain extent", based on preliminary research results, a disease control expert said on Thursday. Speaking at a news briefing, Shao Yiming, a researcher at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, did not elaborate on the specific vaccines or variants he referred to.

3:31 PM

Covid-19 update: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee writes to PM Narendra Modi

3:30 PM

PM's Covid meeting with CMs turned out to be super flop, insulting: Mamata

Alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with CMs on the COVID situation was "super flop", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that she along with her counterparts of many states were not allowed to speak, which was akin to insulting them.

 

She also claimed that only CMs of the BJP-ruled states were allowed to speak at the meeting, while others were "reduced to puppets".

 

"This was a casual and super flop meeting. Only CMs of BJP-ruled states were allowed to speak and others were reduced to puppets. READ ON...