Covid LIVE: Maharashtra sees over 15,000 new cases; 25,317 in Tamil Nadu

Coronavirus live updates: India reported 133,228 fresh Covid-19 infections today, taking the caseload tally to 28,307,832. Death toll stands at 335,102. Stay tuned for corona-related news

11:31 AM

Himachal Pradesh records 921 fresh coronavirus cases, 38 more deaths

Himachal Pradesh's Covid-19 caseload surged to 1,91,251 on Tuesday with 921 fresh infections while the death toll climbed to 3,165 as 38 more people succumbed to the disease, according to the health department.

 

There are 12,407 active Covid-19 cases in the state, the department said.

 

As many as 2,097 coronavirus patients recovered from the infection in a day, taking the total number of recoveries in Himachal Pradesh to 1,75,657, it said. Read on...

11:29 AM

Coronavirus fatalities ebb in Jharkhand, 831 fresh cases reported

Jharkhand reported 14 new Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, continuing with the declining trend of fatalities, even as 831 more people tested positive, a health department bulletin said.

 

The death toll rose to 4,991, while the coronavirus tally stood at 3,37,774, it said.

 

The state had reported 19 deaths on Monday and 13 fatalities the day before, the lowest in a single day last month.

 

No one succumbed to the virus since Monday in 19 of the 24 districts of the state, including Bokaro, Deoghar, Dhanbad, Dumka, Giridih, Hazaribag and West Singhbum, the bulletin said. Read on...

11:27 AM

Now, individuals can update vaccination status on Aarogya Setu app

Individuals can now voluntarily update their vaccination status on Aarogya Setu mobile app through a self-assessment process and the facility will make it easier to check the vaccination status for travel purposes, according to the government.

 

The Ministry of IT and Electronics on Tuesday said all Aarogya Setu users will get the option to "Update the Vaccination Status" if they have not taken the revised self-assessment in the updated version of the app.

 

"Aarogya Setu has rolled out a feature to update vaccination status on the Aarogya Setu app," the Ministry said in a statement. Read on...

10:55 AM

Gujarat sees 1,561 new Covid-19 cases, 4,869 recoveries, 22 deaths

Gujarat on Tuesday continued its downward trend of Covid-19 cases with the addition of 1,561 fresh infections, taking the tally to 8,10,730 while 22 fatalities pushed the toll to 9,855, the state health department said.

 

A total of 4,869 patients were discharged during the day, taking the count of recoveries in Gujarat so far to 7,71,860, the department said in a release.

 

Gujarat is now left with 29,015 active cases while the recovery rate stands at 95.21 per cent. Read on...

10:30 AM

Jharkhand extends Covid restrictions till June 10 with some relaxations

The Jharkhand government on Tuesday extended the lockdown-like restrictions till June 10 with some relaxations, an official said.

 

This is the fourth time that the restrictions, first imposed on April 22 for a week, were extended. The ongoing measures were scheduled to end on June 3.

 

"The Health Safety Week now stands extended till June 10. Some relaxations have been given, including the opening of shops in 15 districts from 6 am to 2 pm with certain conditions," the official said.

 

In the remaining nine districts, including state capital Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Hazaribag and Dhanbad, which are witnessing a high number of deaths, shops other than clothes, jewellery and shoes have been allowed, the official added. Read on...

10:26 AM

WHO approves Sinovac Covid vaccine, the second Chinese-made dose listed

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday it has approved a Covid-19 vaccine made by drugmaker Sinovac Biotech for emergency use listing, paving the way for a second Chinese shot to be used in poor countries.
 

A WHO emergency listing is a signal to national regulators on a product's safety and efficacy. It will also allow the shot to be included in COVAX, the global programme to provide vaccines mainly for poor countries, which faces major supply problems due to an Indian export suspension.

 

The independent panel of experts said in a statement it recommended Sinovac's vaccine for adults over 18, with a second dose 2-4 weeks later. There was no upper age limit as data suggested it is likely to have a protective effect in older people. Read on...

10:00 AM

Coronavirus India update: A total of 35,00,57,330 samples tested up to June 1

9:30 AM

Over 218.3 mn doses of Covid-19 vaccine administered in India so far

The cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 21.83 crore, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.

 

It said 9,50,401 people in the age group of 18-44 years received their first dose and 15,467 their second dose of Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday.

 

Cumulatively, 2,13,01,448 people across the country have received their first dose and 39,282 their second dose since the start of phase three of the vaccination drive, the ministry said.

 

Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have administered to more than 10 lakh beneficiaries in the 18-44 years age group the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, it said. Read on...

9:17 AM

Moderna begins process for full USFDA approval for its vaccine use

American pharmaceutical company Moderna says it has begun the process to win full US regulatory approval for the use of its Covid-19 vaccine in adults.

 

Moderna announced Tuesday it has begun a rolling submission to the Food and Drug Administration of data from its studies of the two-dose vaccine.

 

Moderna's vaccine already has been cleared for emergency use by the FDA and regulators in numerous other countries. So far, more than 124 million doses have been administered in the United States.

 

Large-scale studies of the shots continued after Moderna's emergency authorisation. The FDA will scrutinise the information to see if the vaccine meets stringent criteria for full licensure. Read on...

9:10 AM

Proportion of children catching coronavirus infection is still small: Maha govt

The Maharashtra health department on Tuesday said there has not been any significant rise in the coronavirus positivity among children, but the number of infections went up as the second wave was more intense.

 

"Only seven percent children are infected due to Covid-19 compared to the cumulative caseload. However, due to the second wave, the infection spread was huge, hence the absolute numbers of children contracting Covid-19 appear huge," it said in a statement.

 

Health minister Rajesh Tope said a paediatric task force has already been set up in view of fear that the next wave might affect children more.

 

"Preparations are going on. However, the study of cases in the last few months indicate there is no exponential rise in the number of children catching the infection," he said.

9:05 AM

Almost half of India shows less than 5% positivity, says health ministry

Over 47 per cent of India’s districts are now showing Covid positivity rate of less than 5 per cent as cases in almost half the country have declined in the last week, health ministry data showed. India’s positivity rate has also declined from over 21 per cent in early May to 8.3 per cent during the last week, the ministry said.

 

While 344 districts have reported less than 5 per cent positivity for the week ending May 31, there are still 239 districts that are more than 10 per cent positive. In the week ending May 7, only 92 districts showed less than five per cent positivity. Accor­ding to government estimates, there are 718 districts in India. The figure in the last census, in 2011, was 640. Read on...

8:44 AM

Second wave of Covid-19 to increase bad debts of NBFCs, HFCs: ICRA

Rating agency ICRA said on Tuesday that the second wave of Covid and the ensuing lockdowns would impact the non-banking financial companies (NBFC) and housing finance companies (HFC) leading to increase in their bad debts and dip in collection efficiencies.

 

According to the rating agency, 25-30 per cent of collections done by NBFCs and HFCs happen through field visits and largely via cash. The collection was ramping up after the first wave in the first and third quarter, but the second wave have stemmed that recovery. Read on...

8:30 AM

Nepal receives 800,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine from China

Nepal on Tuesday received a consignment of 800,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines from China on grant basis as per the commitment made during talks between Presidents of the two nations.

 

"As conveyed by Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, during the telephone conversation with President Bidya Devi Bhandari on May 26, 2021, a consignment of 800,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Kathmandu today," Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a release.

 

China on May 26, announced a grant of 1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines for Nepal. Of the one million doses of China-made vaccines, which were earlier announced to be provided on grants, 800,000 doses arrived at Tribhuwan International Airport on Tuesday. Read on...

8:15 AM

Covid-19 pandemic: Govt may extend social and rural relief schemes

The Centre is considering extending and relaunching some social and rural relief schemes it announced during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic to provide impetus to the rural economy and small businesses, said two people in the government.

 

The government is also looking to launch a portal dedicated to providing immediate relief to people working in the unorganised sector.

 

This comes as the Centre braces for the impact of the second wave, which is expected to hit rural demand harder, despite forecasts of record agricultural production and a normal monsoon. Read on...

8:05 AM

Mexico coronavirus update: Death toll by rises by 4,272 to 227,840

Mexico announced Tuesday that a clinical review of past deaths has led officials to raise the country's confirmed COVID-19 death toll by 4,272, to a total of 227,840.

 

The adjustment was carried out by teams of doctors and is largely one of record keeping, because even government officials acknowledge Mexico's true pandemic death toll is far, far higher.

 

Because the country of 126 million people does so little testing, many Mexicans have died at home or never got a test. Read on...