Covid LIVE: Kerala sees 19,682 new cases, 152 deaths in last 24 hrs

Coronavirus LIVE updates: India's active Covid-19 cases drop to 301,640. Delhi reported 30 Covid-19 cases, Maharashtra 3,608 cases in the last 24 hours. Stay tuned for corona updates

1:12 AM

Bengal logs 746 new COVID cases, 12 more fatalities

West Bengal on Thursday reported 746 fresh COVID-19 cases, 63 more than the previous day, with the tally increasing to 15,64,139, according to a health department bulletin.

 

Twelve more fatalities due to the infection raised the toll to 18,703, it said.

 

Nadia district recorded four new deaths, followed by two each in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas and one each in Hooghly, Bankura, Purba Medinipur and Jalpaiguri. At least 754 people were cured of the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 15,37,732.

12:08 AM

Punjab sees 25 more cases

One coronavirus-related death was reported in Punjab on Thursday while 25 fresh infections raised the tally to 6,01,422, according to a medical bulletin.

 

The death toll stood at 16,503.

 

Among new COVID-19 cases, Pathankot reported eight cases, followed by three cases each in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Jalandhar.

10:46 PM

US approves third Pfizer dose for people above 65, at-risk Americans

People over age 65 and adults at high risk of severe Covid-19 who have previously taken the Pfizer-BioNTech SE vaccine can receive a booster dose, the Food and Drug Administration said, opening a new and more controversial phase of the US immunisation campaign.

 

The emergency-use authorization also allows boosters for people 18 and older whose occupational exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus puts them at elevated risk of serious complications. Booster doses can be given any time at least six months after a person received their second Pfizer shot, the FDA said in a statement.

 

The decision applies only to the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, the agency said. Booster shots for recipients of the Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson vaccines haven’t yet been cleared. READ MORE...

10:34 PM

836 new cases, 15 deaths in Karnataka

Karnataka has reported 836 fresh cases of coronavirus and 15 fatalities, taking the total infection count to 29,71,044 and toll to 37,683, the health department said on Thursday.

 

The day also saw 852 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,19,742. Out of 836 new cases reported on Thursday, 310 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 239 discharges and 7 deaths. Total number of active cases in the state is at 13,590. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.57 per cent, case fatality rate (CFR) was at 1.79 per cent.

Out of 15 deaths reported on Thursday, 7 are from Bengaluru Urban; Dakshina Kannada 3, followed by others. Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 310, Dakshina Kannada 106, Mysuru 78, Udupi 69, followed by others. Cumulatively a total of 4.67 crore samples have been tested in the state so far, out of which 1,45,085 were tested on Thursday alone.

9:48 PM

Novavax, SII apply to WHO for emergency use listing of COVID vaccine

Biotechnology firm Novavax Inc and its partner Serum Institute of India (SII) on Thursday said they have submitted an application to the World Health Organization for emergency use listing (EUL) of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine.

 

The application to WHO is based on the companies' previous regulatory submission to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Novavax Inc said in a statement.

 

"Today's submission of our protein-based COVID-19 vaccine to WHO for emergency use listing is a significant step on the path to accelerating access and more equitable distribution to countries in great need around the world," Novavax President and Chief Executive Officer Stanley C Erck said.

9:10 PM

14 new Covid cases in Haryana

Haryana reported no new coronavirus-linked death even as the state added 14 fresh cases on Thursday, pushing the infection count to 7,70,784, according to an official bulletin.

 

According to the health department's daily bulletin, the death toll remained unchanged at 9,809.

 

Among the districts, Gurugram and Panchkula reported seven and four cases, respectively.

 

The number of active cases in the state stands at 106, while the overall recoveries have reached 7,60,039.

 

Haryana has a COVID-19 recovery rate of 98.68 per cent, the bulletin said.

8:45 PM

Mumbai reports 497 new Covid-19 cases, 5 deaths, 395 recoveries

Mumbai reported 497 new coronavirus cases and five fresh deaths on Thursday, taking the infection count to 7,39,861 and the toll to 16,068, a civic official said.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said 395 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, pushing the number of recovered cases to 7,16,511. The financial capital is left with 4,801 active COVID-19 cases.

The city reported a marginal rise in new cases and fatalities as compared to Wednesday, when it witnessed 488 infections and four deaths. Mumbai registered more than 400 cases for the second straight day.

8:18 PM

Telangana records 247 new Covid-19 cases, one death

Telangana on Thursday logged 247 new COVID-19 cases, taking the caseload to 6,64,411, while the death toll rose to 3,909 with one more fatality.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 71, followed by Karimnagar (21) and Khammam (17) districts, a state government bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM today.

8:00 PM

Mandaviya releases guidelines on treatment of long-term health conditions post Covid

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Thursday released guidelines on dealing with post-Covid health challenges which will help doctors and healthcare workers to deal with long-term effects of the coronavirus infection among patients.

According to a Health Ministry statement, the minister said these "post-COVID Sequelae modules" will help in building the capacity of doctors, nurses, paramedics and community health workers across the country.

In medical parlance, sequelae refer to a condition caused by a previous disease or injury.

7:48 PM

Aurangabad hospital ramps up bed capacity in anticipation of Covid-19 third wave

The Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Maharashtra's Aurangabad has increased its bed capacity by five folds as part of its preparedness for a probable third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, an official said on Thursday.

The largest health facility in Marathwada, the GMCH had earlier reserved 208 beds for COVID-19 patients, and the number has now increased to 1,000, of which 60 beds are reserved for children, the official said.

7:41 PM

Goa reports 80 new Covid-19 cases, 54 recoveries; no fresh death

Goa's coronavirus caseload rose by 80 and reached 1,75,872 on Thursday, while no fresh death due to the infection was reported in the state, a health department official said.

The death toll remained unchanged at 3,297, he said. The number of recovered cases in the state rose to 1,71,599 after 54 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the official said.

7:21 PM

1,171 fresh cases and 11 Covid-19 deaths in Andhra Pradesh

The cumulative Covid-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh climbed to 20,43,244 as 1,171 were added afresh in 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday.

The total recoveries increased to 20,15,387 with 1,207 more getting cured of the infection, the latest bulletin said. The overall toll touched 14,108 with 11 fresh fatalities in a day. 

7:06 PM

Sikkim reports 62 new Covid-19 cases, one more fatality

Sikkim on Thursday reported 62 new COVID-19 cases, two more than the previous day, with the tally increasing to 31,136, a health department bulletin said.

One more fatality due to the infection raised the death toll in the state to 382, it said.

Of the fresh cases, 30 were reported from East Sikkim, 18 from West Sikkim,13 from South Sikkim and one from North Sikkim.

6:45 PM

Hero MotoCorp launches welfare package for 50 Covid-19 affected families in Rajasthan

Two-wheeler market leader Hero MotoCorp on Thursday said it has launched a welfare package for 50 COVID-19 affected families in Rajasthan in association with Nath Sanskirti Seva Santhan (NSSS).

Women of affected families will be supported under the initiative by creating supportive conditions to maintain their livelihoods, providing them essential services such as food security and nutrition along with education for their children, Hero MotoCorp said in a statement.

6:31 PM

UK envoy holds discussion over Covid vaccine certification with National Health Authority CEO

Amid concerns in India about UK's new travel rules, British High Commissioner Alex Ellis on Thursday held discussions with National Health Authority CEO RS Sharma and said neither side raised concerns about each other's COVID-19 certification process.

Ellis said the "excellent discussions" were an important step forward in "our joint aim to facilitate travel and fully protect the public health of UK and India".