Covid LIVE: 11 cases of Kappa strain in Rajasthan; 2,169 new cases in Assam

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Pune reported 817 new infections, followed by Mumbai (661), Bengaluru (433), Chennai (165), Delhi (45). Stay tuned for corona-related news

9:17 PM

Over 385 million Covid vaccine doses administered so far, says govt

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has exceeded 38.50 crore (385 million), the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.

 

It said 15,49,982 beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group were administered the first dose while 1,19,121 were given the second dose on Tuesday.

 

Cumulatively, 11,59,50,619 people in the 18-44 age group across all states and union territories have received the first dose and 40,19,089 have received the second dose since the start of Phase-3 of the vaccination drive on May 1. READ ON...

8:59 PM

Uttarakhand govt cancels Kanwar Yatra owing to Covid-19 pandemic

The Uttarakhand government on Tuesday cancelled the Kanwar Yatra in view of a possible third wave of COVID-19. It is for the second consecutive year that the yatra is not being held due to the pandemic.

 

The Indian Medical Association had also written to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recently asking him to not allow the yatra to go ahead in the interest of the people of the state and the country.

 

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said that though Kanwar Yatra is part of Sanatan culture, saving lives in the time of the pandemic was paramount.

8:46 PM

Covid LIVE: BMC may exempt fully vaccinated passengers from RT-PCR test

8:37 PM

NEET-Postgraduate exam will be held on Sept 11: Mansukh Mandaviya

The NEET Postgraduate exam will be held on September 11, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Tuesday.

 

"We have decided to conduct #NEET Postgraduate exam on 11th September, 2021. My best wishes to young medical aspirants!" he tweeted.

 

In view of the spike in COVID-19 cases, the National Eligibility Cum Entrance test (NEET)-PG which was scheduled to be held on April 18 was postponed. The decision was taken keeping the wellbeing of young medical students in mind. READ MORE...

8:32 PM

Sputnik, Astrazeneca mix & match booster dose results expected by July end

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is expecting to release the results of Sputnik V and Astrazeneca 'mix and match' vaccine by the end of July.

 

In a press briefing, Kirill Dmitriev, CEO, RDIF informed that high efficacy is expected from the trials.

 

"We expect to release the results of Sputnik V and Astrazeneca mix and match by the end of July. This approach has been really pioneered by Sputnik V in the beginning. So we are open for mix and match a Covishield in India. We believe there will be a great result. Covishield is the same vaccine as Astrazeneca so we believe that trials will show high efficacy. We hope that the Serum Institute of India (SII) can produce Sputnik V and mix and match as well. It will be a true partnership," said Dmitriev. READ MORE...

8:20 PM

Telangana reports 767 new Covid cases, 848 recoveries, and three deaths

Telangana reports 767 new Covid cases, 848 recoveries, and three deaths

 

Active cases: 10,064 

Total recoveries: 6,19,344 

Death toll: 3,738

8:01 PM

Trade margin on oximeter, nebuliser, digital thermometer capped at 70%

The government on Tuesday capped the trade margins of five critical medical devices such as oximeter and digital thermometer, used extensively in the treatment and prevention of Covid-19, at 70 per cent in order to bring down prices.

 

The National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA) has invoked extraordinary powers under the Paragraph 19 of DPCO, 2013, to put a cap on trade margin of five medical devices -- oximeter, glucometer, BP monitor, nebulizer and digital thermometer. READ ON...

7:42 PM

Kerala logs 14,539 new coronavirus cases, 124 deaths

Kerala logged 14,539 fresh COVID-19 cases and 124 deaths on Tuesday, taking the total infection count to 30,87,673 and the toll to 14,810. Malappuram reported the highest number of cases--2,115, followed by Ernakulam with 1,624and Kollam, 1,404.

 

"Out of those found infected on Tuesday, 67 reached the state from outside while 13,582 contracted the disease from their contacts.

 

The sources of infection of 828 are yet to be traced. Sixty two health workers are also among the infected," health minister Veena George said in a release. She said 1,39,049 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative number of specimens examined so far to 2,46,48,919.

7:27 PM

Uttarakhand govt cancels Kanwar Yatra this year, in view of the coronavirus pandemic

Uttarakhand government decides to cancel Kanwar Yatra this year, in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

7:14 PM

Karnataka reports 1,913 new Covid cases and 48 deaths in the past 24 hours

Karnataka reports 1,913 fresh Covid cases, 2,489 patient discharges, and 48 deaths in the past 24 hours 

 

Active cases: 34,234

Total discharges: 28,04,396

Death toll: 35,944

7:01 PM

Serum Institute partners with RDIF to make 300 mn doses of Sputnik V

Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V production in India gets a shot in the arm as Serum Institute of India (SII) now partners with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to make 300 million doses of the vaccine per year. The first batch of Sputnik V is expected to be produced at SII in September. With this partnership, the total manufacturing capacity for Sputnik V in India crosses 1.1 billion doses annually.

 

Moreover, as Kirill Dmitriev, CEO, RDIF, the Russian sovereign wealth fund, pointed out, SII will be in a position in the future to produce the mix-and-match dose combination of AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine and Sputnik V. Speaking to reporters from Moscow, Dimitriev said that the trial of mix and match vaccines at Azerbaijan is expected to be over soon and the initial results could be out as early as end of this month. READ MORE...

6:49 PM

Third Covid wave warnings treated casually like weather update: Govt

The government on Tuesday expressed concern over the "gross violations" of Covid-appropriate behaviour in several parts of the country and said this can nullify the gains made so far.

 

Addressing a press conference on the pandemic situation in the country, Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry, said people talk about the third wave as a "weather update" but fail to understand that adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour or the lack of it is what will prevent or cause any future waves. READ ON...

6:35 PM

World Coronavirus Dispatch: Rare nerve complication with J&J vaccine

FDA warns of potential rare nerve complication with Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine

 

The US Food and Drug Administration updated the label on Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine Monday to warn of the possible increased risk of a rare neurological complication called Guillain-Barré syndrome. While the FDA said it had not established the vaccine could cause the syndrome, it noted an increase in reports of the sometimes paralyzing condition. Read more...

6:16 PM

Andhra Pradesh logs 2,567 new Covid-19 cases, 3,034 recoveries, 18 deaths

Andhra Pradesh reported 2,567 fresh cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday. The latest bulletin said 3,034 patients had recovered from the infection while 18 more succumbed in the state. The gross positives now rose to 19,26,988, recoveries to 18,87,236 and toll 13,042. The active caseload dropped to 26,710, the bulletin added.

6:12 PM

76% of eligible population vaccinated in Tripura

Over 76 per cent of the eligible population of Tripura have been inoculated against Covid-19 and around 25 per cent got both doses of the vaccine, an official said on Tuesday. The positivity rate of coronavirus in the state currently is 4.3 per cent and it is likely to decline after two weeks.

 

Of the 26.24 lakh people who are eligible for inoculation, over 20 lakh (76.22 per cent) have received the vaccine while 6.47 lakh (24.64 per cent) have taken both doses, National Health Mission (NHM) director in Tripura, Dr Siddhartha Shiv Jaiswal, said. Tripura has a population of 40.19 lakh in March.