Coronavirus LIVE: Punjab reports 2,319 new Covid-19 positive cases in a day

Coronavirus live updates: Today marks a year since India went into a complete lockdown, starting with Janata curfew. Maharashtra has reported 30,535 fresh cases. Stay tuned for corona-related news

11:00 AM

Covid-19: Pakistan PM Imran, First Lady 'comfortable with mild symptoms'

Prime Minister Imran Khan and First Lady Bushra Bibi are feeling "comfortable with mild symptoms", his top communication aide said on Sunday, a day after they tested positive for the COVID-19.

 

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill, in a tweet in Urdu, said that the prime minister and the first lady are thankful to their well-wishers for their good wishes.

 

Khan, 68 will continue to perform his official duties via video conferencing, he said. Read on...

10:57 AM

Coronavirus update: 8,80,655 samples were tested yesterday, says ICMR

10:29 AM

Nearly 75 million coronavirus vaccine doses administered across China

Nearly 75 million doses of the vaccine against the novel coronavirus have been administered across China, a spokesman for the National Health Commission said.

 

"Overall, the Covid-19 response in China has been conducted soundly," Xinhua news agency quoted spokesman Mi Feng as saying at a press conference on Sunday.

 

"However, more accurate and effective epidemic prevention and control measures are still needed to ensure that there are no large-scale rebounds in cases." Read on...

10:06 AM

India's active Covid cases up by 25,559 in biggest daily net jump yet

India's active Covid cases up by 25,559 in biggest daily net jump yet

10:03 AM

Coronavirus in Maharashtra: Thane district sees 2,195 new Covid-19 cases, five deaths

With the addition of 2,195 fresh coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 2,88,444, an official said on Monday.

 

These new cases were reported on Sunday, he said.

 

As the virus claimed the life of five morepersons, the death toll in the district, which falls under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), went up to 6,382.

 

The mortality rate in Thane district now stands at 2.23 per cent, he added.

9:57 AM

Coronavirus India update: Active cases rise to 334,646

Active cases: 334,646 (Net increase: 25,559)

Deaths: 159,967 (Net increase: 212)

Cured: 11,151,468 (Net increase: 21,180)

Total cases: 11,646,081 (Net increase: 46,951)

Total vaccination: 45,065,998 (Increase over previous day: 462,157)

9:37 AM

India reports 46,951 new Covid-19 cases, 21,180 recoveries and 212 deaths in the last 24 hours: MoHFW

India reports 46,951 new Covid-19 cases, 21,180 recoveries and 212 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry

9:08 AM

Coronavirus second wave significantly stronger than first in rural and urban Maharashtra

The worsening spread in Maharashtra makes the second wave in the country as a whole look milder. It took five weeks to take the 14-day average of new national cases to 28,000 this time, compared to four weeks in the first wave. But daily cases are rising fast, and pointing to a worse outcome. Read on...

9:05 AM

As cases rise, Covid-19 testing could dent Holi sales for Mumbai malls

Malls and shopping centres in the financial capital will have to contend with rapid antigen tests from Monday.

 

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set a daily target of at least 400 rapid antigen tests per mall as Covid-19 cases rise steadily in the city, said civic officials.
 

The impact, say executives at the city’s key malls, will be immediate. “Certainly, there will be an impact on sales. While the recovery rate in terms of sales was around 85-90 per cent in February, we have seen it stagnate in the last two to three weeks. Random testing could deter people from stepping out even further. They may decide to postpone their purchases,” said Rajneesh Mahajan, chief executive officer (CEO), Inorbit Malls. Read on...

8:56 AM

States on overdrive to reduce vaccine wastage as Covid-19 cases rise

As India witnesses a ‘second wave’ of the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for vaccination has increased manifold. Hence, every step is being taken to reduce vaccine wastage.

 

For example, the number of doses in a pack of Covaxin has been halved — from a 20-dose pack, Bharat Biotech’s vaccine now contains 10 doses.

 

Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, also comes in 10-dose packs.

 

A United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) study on vaccine spoilage in 2009-10 said that wastage was least when the vial had five doses. Read on...

8:40 AM

Covid-19 second wave: Dangerously faster than the first wave in Pune and Mumbai

The 14-day average of new daily cases has risen from the low of about 1,500 to over 5,000 in less than a month, about four times fast than the time taken for this jump in the first wave. This may even worsen from here on.

 

Now these two cities were the reason for Maharashtra being the most affected in the first wave. In the second wave, even rest of Maharashtra is on a worse trajectory, with the speed three times faster than the first wave.

8:36 AM

Turkey reports 20,428 coronavirus cases, tally surpasses 3 million

Turkey on Sunday reported 20,428 new Covid-19 cases, including 965 symptomatic patients, as the total number of positive cases in the country reached 3,013,122, according to its health ministry.

 

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 102 to 30,061, while the total recoveries climbed to 2,825,187 after 17,615 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours.

 

The rate of pneumonia in Covid-19 patients stands at 3.2 per cent and the number of seriously ill patients is 1,568 in the country, said the ministry. Read on...

8:35 AM

US reports over 6,000 coronavirus variants infections

Over 6,000 infection cases of coronavirus variants have been reported in the United States, according to the latest data of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 

The vast majority of these cases, 6,390, were caused by the variant known as B.1.1.7, which was originally detected in Britain, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

There were 194 cases of a new strain initially discovered in South Africa, called B.1.351, and 54 cases of the P.1 strain first discovered in Brazil.

 

In addition, the B.1.427 and B.1.429 variants, two coronavirus strains first detected in California, are also being closely monitored by the CDC.

8:33 AM

Schools, colleges to remain close in Chhattisgarh amid surge in Covid cases

Schools, colleges and Anganwadis will be closed in Chhattisgarh with immediate effect in view of a surge in Covid-19 cases in the state, informed State Minister Ravindra Choubey on Sunday.

 

Baghel on Sunday had chaired a meeting of his cabinet ministers and senior officials to ensure that all health protocols related to coronavirus are in place to check the spread of the virus ahead of the Holi festival. Read on...

8:08 AM

Maharashtra coronavirus update: Pune reports over 5,000 for third consecutive day

For the third consecutive day, Pune reported more than 5,000 cases, which continue to be the highest for any city in the country. Sunday’s tally of 5,421 was slightly lower than 5,591 recorded on Saturday.