Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra government extends restrictions till April 15

Coronavirus live updates: Mumbai surpassed it's record with 5,513 new infections and Pune reported 7,090 cases in the last 24 hours. Stay tuned for corona-related news

12:58 PM

128 new Covid-19 cases in Pondy, caseload rises to 40,964

Puducherry clocked 128 fresh cases of coronavirus on Saturday, pushing up total infection count to 40,964.

 

The toll in the union territory climbed to 680 as one more fatality was reported during the last twenty four hours.

 

The deceased, a male aged 72 years, had co morbidities and died of COVID pneumonia and acute respiratory disorder syndrome.

 

Director of Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, S Mohan Kumar said there were 846 active cases including 579 in home quarantine and as many as 39,438 patients recovered and were discharged so far.

12:39 PM

Coronavirus fallout: Spain's GDP drop in 2020 worst in 50 yrs

Spain's gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 10.8 per cent in 2020, the worst since 1970, amid the global Covid-19 pandemic, according to official data,

 

The data issued by the Spanish Statistical Office (INE) on Friday revealed the decline was the result of an important reduction in internal demand (consumer spending and investments) which was responsible for an 8.8 per cent drop in GDP with the remaining 2 per cent due to a fall in external demand, reports Xinhua news agency.

 

It is the first annual fall in Spain's GDP since a 1.4 per cent drop in 2013 and the worst annual contraction experienced by the country's economy since records began to be kept in the current format in 1970.

12:35 PM

Tokyo Olympics: IOC to cull accredited personnel due to Covid-19

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to grant accreditation only to those people who have essential and operational roles at this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo. This step will significantly reduce the number of accredited people at the Games which will begin on July 23.

 

The decision was made on Friday by IOC's executive board which has either cancelled or reduced the IOC guest programme, invitations to former Olympic athletes and a number of other programmes.

 

It will also not grant accreditation to any accompanying guests in any category, Xinhua reported.

 

The IOC said the Japanese government required a very significant reduction in the number of accredited participants who do not have essential and operational responsibilities for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

12:01 PM

Mall hospital fire: Cooling operations continue 36 hours on

Cooling operations are still underway nearly 36 hours after a major fire erupted at a mall in Bhandup area here, which claimed the lives of nine patients in a hospital located there, fire brigade officials said on Saturday.

 

The fire had broken out at the Dreams Mall building in Bhandup area around shortly after Thursday midnight. It had erupted in a shop and spread to the Sunrise Hospital, located on the top floor of the four-storeyed mall building.

 

Nine patients undergoing treatment at the hospital, a Covid-19 designated facility, died due to suffocation as a result of the fire, while two other patients at the hospital had already died due to coronavirus before the fire broke out, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had said.

11:56 AM

Spike in fresh Covid-19 cases, India records 62,258 new infections

India saw 62,258 new coronavirus infections in a day, the highest single day rise so far this year, taking the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 1,19,08,910, according to Union health ministry data updated on Saturday.

 

Registering a steady increase for the 17th day in row, the active cases have increased to 4,52,647 comprising 3.80per cent of the total infections, while the recovery rate has further dropped to 94.85 per cent, the data stated.

 

The 62,258new cases were reported in a span of 24 hours, the highest since October 16, 2020, while the death toll increased to 1,61,240 with 291 daily new fatalities, the highest in around three months, the data updated at 8 am showed. Read on...

11:29 AM

Covid-19 pandemic and risk-aversion halt SME juggernaut in FY21

The pandemic and the resultant risk aversion among investors for lesser-known names seem to have put the brakes on initial public offerings (IPO) of small and medium enterprises (SME) this financial year.

 

This financial year (FY21) has seen 25 SME IPOs hitting the market and garnering Rs 213 crore, the lowest in the last eight years.

 

The only other year when collection was lower was FY13. FY18 and FY19 were the best years for SME IPOs with collections of Rs 2,213 crore and Rs 1,620 crore, respectively. Read on...

11:20 AM

Woman in UP's Mathura tests positive for South African strain of coronavirus

A 50-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura has been found infected with a South African strain of coronavirus.

 

According to an official statement on Friday, the woman, identified as Heera Devi belongs to Barsana town of the district and she had tested positive for Covid-19 on March 3 at the Deen Dayal Veterinary University. The sample was found infected with the South African strain.

 

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has ordered to conduct the tests in the entire village to which the woman belongs.

11:13 AM

Iraq reports highest 6,490 daily Covid-19 cases, 822,095 in total

The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported on Friday 6,490 new coronavirus cases, raising the total number of nationwide infections to 822,095.

 

The ministry also said that 29 new deaths were recorded, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 14,157, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 4,495 to 736,747.

 

A total of 7,835,444 tests have been carried out across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February 2020, with 41,790 done during the day, according to the statement.

11:10 AM

UK records another 6,187 coronavirus cases, 70 deaths

Another 6,187 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,325,315, according to official figures released Friday.

11:08 AM

The second wave: Many under-40s on long list of Covid-19 patients in Nagpur

The second wave of Covid-19 cases in Nagpur has brought familiar challenges in its wake: Hospitals are stretched and businesses have been hit. But Dr Rajan Barokar sees another worrying trend each time he scans the daily admission list at Kingsway Hospitals, the largest private tertiary care hospital in Nagpur.

 

“Around 25 per cent of the 160 Covid-19 patients in our hospital are under 40. Some of them are in the intensive care unit, including a 17-year-old patient. This is worrisome. Last year, the proportion of hospitalised patients under 40 years was very low and none of them was in the ICU,” says Barokar, who heads the hospital's critical care department. Read on...

10:46 AM

Sachin Tendulkar tests positive for Covid-19

Sachin Tendulkar tests positive for Covid-19, quarantines himself at home

10:24 AM

India's Covid tally up by 62,258 in highest single-day jump since Oct 16

India's Covid tally up by 62,258 in highest single-day jump since Oct 16

 

10:23 AM

Coronavirus in India: At 31,581, India's daily net jump in active Covid cases highest to date

Coronavirus in India: At 31,581, India's daily net jump in active Covid cases highest to date

10:19 AM

Coronavirus update: India reports 62,258 new Covid-19 cases

India reports 62,258 new Covid-19 cases, 30,386 recoveries, and 291 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry.

 

Total cases: 1,19,08,910

Total recoveries: 1,12,95,023

Active cases: 4,52,647

Death toll: 1,61,240 

 

Total vaccination: 5,81,09,773

 

10:07 AM

Insurers see adverse claim ratio on Covid-specific health products

Covid-specific health products, introduced last year by many insurers and subsequently by the insurance regulator via two standard policies, have been a hit among consumers but insurers are having a hard time dealing with claims.

 

As of March 15, 13.3 million lives have been covered under specific products for a sum assured of Rs 13.29 trillion, shows the data compiled by the insurance regulator that is not publicly available.

 

The regulator’s two Covid standard products — Corona Kavach and Corona Rakshak — have covered more than 4.7 million lives. Read on...