Coronavirus LIVE updates: WHO approves China's Sinopharm vaccine

Coronavirus live updates: Among states with a rapid surge in infections, Maharashtra reported 62194 cases, Karnataka 49058 cases, Kerala 42464 cases, UP 26780 cases. Stay tuned for corona-related news

1:56 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Karnataka govt caps CT Scan fee in private hospitals

12:55 PM

National lockdown inevitable as govt messed up in Covid crisis: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the government's alleged failures have made another devastating national lockdown almost inevitable, and called for providing financial and food support to the most vulnerable.

 

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he suggested that the government should not be concerned about the economic impact of the lockdown as the human cost of the spread of of the virus would have tragic consequences for the people. Read on...

12:53 PM

Covid impact: India to breach fiscal deficit target in FY22, says Fitch Solutions

India is likely to breach its fiscal deficit target in the financial year to March 2022 mainly due to revenue shortfall, Fitch Solutions said Friday.

 

The government is targeting a deficit between revenue it earns and what it spends at 6.8 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in FY22 (April 2021 to March 2022).

 

"We at Fitch Solutions forecast the Indian central government deficit to come in at 8.3 per cent of GDP in FY22," it said. Read on...

12:52 PM

Delhi coronavirus update: Safdarjung Hospital receives ventilators, oxygen cylinders, other medical aid

Safdarjung Hospital receives ventilators, oxygen cylinders, BiPAP machines & oxygen concentrators, & other medical aid.

 

"We have received these aids from Germany, France, UK, USA, Ireland, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait & Russia," says Medical Superintendent, Safdarjung Hospital

12:42 PM

Kerala: People in large numbers gathered at Ernakulam General Hospital for vaccination

12:18 PM

Amazon's Covid Warriors help people with resources as second wave rages

Amazon India’s ‘Covid Warriors’ are helping colleagues and the community with critical resources amidst the medical emergency that has accompanied the country's second Covid-19 surge.

 

In the midst of Rashmi's mother's battle with Covid-19 at a Mumbai hospital, authorities asked her family to make their own arrangements for oxygen as the facility was running out of stock. In Bengaluru, Prashant faced a similar race against time as he desperately tried to hunt down oxygen concentrators for his father, who had not been able to get a hospital bed and was fighting the virus at home. For Abhishek, based in the US, the emergency and anxiety spanned continents as he sought oxygen support for his father-in-law in Delhi. Read on...

11:58 AM

Negative RT-PCR report mandatory for people arriving in West Bengal, says Railways

Those arriving in West Bengal by train must carry a negative RT-PCR report for a test conducted within 72 hours of train departure, the Railways have said.

 

West Bengal is the newest among several states which have made it mandatory for passengers to carry negative RT-PCR tests for arrival into the state.

 

"Notwithstanding such RT-PCR negative report, proper thermal and health screening of all passengers must also be conducted by the railway staff before boarding," wrote HK Dwivedi, Additional Chief Secretary, Home Affairs Department, West Bengal, in a letter to the Railways. Read on...

11:39 AM

SC hears plea filed by Centre, against a direction of Karnataka HC's May 5 order on supply of oxygen

Supreme Court starts hearing petition filed by Centre, against a direction of Karnataka HC's May 5 order directing supply of oxygen to the state to up to 1,200 MT per day from sanctioned allocation of 965 MT.

 

Centre sought a direction from Court for a stay of  Karnataka HC order

11:36 AM

Centre will have to supply 700 MT liquid medical oxygen to Delhi daily till we pass further orders: SC

Centre will have to supply 700 MT liquid medical oxygen to Delhi daily till we pass further orders: SC

11:36 AM

Virat Kohli, wife Anushka donate Rs 2 crore in Covid-19 fight

India captain Virat Kohli and his actor wife Anushka Sharma have donated Rs 2 crore to a fund-raising project, which will raise a total of Rs 7 crore to support the country's fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The two are raising money through crowd-funding platform Ketto.

 

"...Virat Kohli and Bollywood superstar Anushka Sharma are aiming to raise Rs. 7 crore for COVID relief in India," a press release from the celebrity couple stated.

 

"They are kickstarting a fundraising campaign #InThisTogether on the crowd-funding platform Ketto and are putting Rs. 2 crore for this initiative."

 

The campaign will run for seven days on Ketto and the proceeds will be directed to ACT Grants, the implementation partner which will work towards providing oxygen, medical manpower, vaccination awareness and tele-medicine facilities all through the pandemic and the amount.

 

"We are going through an unprecedented time in the history of our country and our nation needs all of us to unite and save as many people as possible. Anushka and I have been shocked to see the human suffering since last year," Kohli said.

 

Kohli said that he and his wife had tried to help as many peope as possible in their fight against the virus.

 

"We have been working towards helping as many people as possible all through the pandemic and now, India wants our support more than ever," he said in a statement that was also shared on his social media handle.

Anushka and I have started a campaign on @ketto, to raise funds for Covid-19 relief, and we would be grateful for your support.

Let’s all come together and help those around us in need of our support.

I urge you all to join our movement.

Link in Bio!

11:33 AM

Alarm bells started going off, it was chaos: Morris on Covid in IPL bio-bubble

South Africa and Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Chris Morris is "relieved" to be safely back home after witnessing "chaos" unfold once Covid-19 cases in the IPL bio-bubble came to light.

 

Morris, along with his 10 other South African players have reached home, after the IPL was suspended following six cases of Covid-19 -- four players and two coaches from three different teams.

 

"Look, obviously I'm relieved," Morris, who is currently undergoing a 10-day mandatory quarantine at home, told iol.co.za.

 

Morris said they came to know about the Covid cases in Kolkata Knight Riders -- Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier -- on Sunday night.

 

"The moment we heard that, when players are testing positive, inside the bubble, then everyone starts asking questions. The alarm bells definitely started going off for all of us," he said.

11:18 AM

Delhi HC issues notice to Delhi Govt on a PIL seeking direction to provide three meals a day to the homeless

Delhi High Court issues notice to Delhi Govt on a PIL seeking direction to provide three nutritious meals a day including breakfast to the homeless at shelter homes in Delhi. The plea also seeks setting up of vaccine camps at shelter homes for homeless on a priority

11:12 AM

Update bed status on app as frequently as feasible: Delhi govt to facilities treating Covid patients

The Delhi government has directed all healthcare facilities in the national capital treating Covid-19 patients to update the status of bed availability on Delhi Corona App and website "as frequently as feasible".

 

It has been reported that many hospitals are not updating status of different categories of beds availability regularly on the designated portal and Delhi Corona App, the health department said in an order to all hospitals and nursing homes functioning as Covid facilities.

10:53 AM

PIL in HC claims lack of crematoriums in national capital to deal with rising Covid fatalities

Another PIL in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday claimed that thereis a lack of adequate cremation or burial sites in the national capitalto deal with the daily rise in fatalities due to Covid-19.

 

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh issued notice to the Delhi government and sought its responseto the plea which seeks allocation of additional permanent or temporary places for cremation of dead bodies.

 

The court listed the matter for hearing on May 17 along with a similar plea which was taken up on Tuesday (May 4), by the bench.

 

The fresh plea by Delhi resident Jaswinder Singh Jolly also seeks a direction to the government to frame guidelines for the cremation of those deceased who loved ones cannot perform the last rites due to Covid-19.

10:43 AM

Delhi cop helps perform 1100 cremations, even postpones daughter's wedding amid Covid-19 duty

For more than 20 days, 56-year-old Delhi Police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), Rakesh Kumar, has been performing the last rites of people who had no one to cremate them at the national capital's Lodhi Crematorium amid the devastating second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Since April 13, Kumar had performed last rites of more than 50 bodies and assisted in the cremation of at least 1,100 bodies at the crematorium.

 

Kumar, posted at Hazrat Nizamuddin police station, even postponed his daughter's wedding which was scheduled to be held on May 7. Kumar said that he does not want to leave his post.