Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai sees below 1,000 daily cases after two months

Coronavirus LIVE updates: The six most-affected states by total cases are Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

11:43 AM

Philippines supplies vaccine supply agreement with Pfizer

The Philippines ordered 40 million coronavirus vaccine doses from Pfizer Inc., the Southeast Asian nation’s biggest supply agreement as it fights one of the region’s worst outbreaks. The country is targeting herd immunity this year to help an economy that remained in recession last quarter, reports Bloomberg.

11:17 AM

Maharashtra has controlled Covid: Shiv Sena editorial

The ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra on Tuesday said the state has controlled the second wave of Covid-19. The state will also find a way out of the crisis caused by cyclone Tauktae, said an editorial in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'. "Crises are not new to Maharashtra and the state, which routs these crises, is not new to the world...," said the Shiv Sena, which one of the three key constituents of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state.

10:41 AM

WHO reminds Serum Institute of its vaccine supply committment

The Serum Institute of India will need to “get back on track and catch up” on its commitments to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to a global initiative, the WHO has said. A surge in infections around the world has compromised the global vaccine supply and there is a shortfall of 190 million doses to COVAX by the end of June, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the UN agency’s chief. COVAX supplies coronavirus vaccines to nations around the world.

10:15 AM

India's recovery rate improves

India’s active cases—people being treated for the disease--fell to 335,3765 and comprise 13.29 per cent of the total infections. The recovery rate has improved to 85.60 per cent, health ministry’s data said.

9:50 AM

Cases rise in Andaman and Nicobar

Covid-19 cases in Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 6,638 after 35 more people tested positive, PTI reported quoting a health department official. The Union Territory has 220 active cases.

9:30 AM

India's Covid-19 cases

7:05 AM

US to share 20 million vaccine doses with world: Biden

The US will share 20 million Covid-19 vaccine doses with other countries, taking the total number of such shots to 80 million, President Joe Biden said. "This will be more vaccine doses than any country has actually shared to date, five times more than any other country. More than Russia and China, which have donated 15 million doses," Biden said, according to a PTI report.

3:05 AM

Pune district reports 3,208 new Covid-19 cases, 108 deaths

Pune district reported 3,208 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking its Covid-19 count to 9,62,688, a health department official said.
 

He said the death toll reached 15,441 with108 more patients succumbing to the infection in the western Maharashtra district in the last 24 hours.

Also, 2,790 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, the official said.
 

"Of the 3,208 cases, 684 were reported from the Pune Municipal Corporation limits, where the tally rose to 4,49,987. With847 cases, Pimpri-Chinchwad's Covid-19 count increased to 2,42,580," he said.
 

The number of positive cases in rural and Pune Cantonment Board areas increased to 2,70,121, he said.
 

Pune Mayor Muralidhar Mohol tweeted that since the onset of the Covid-19 second wave, the city reported positive cases in three digits for the first time on Monday. 

3:04 AM

Biden to boost world vaccine sharing commitment to 80 million doses

President Joe Biden will announce Monday that the US will share an additional 20 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines with the world in the coming six weeks, the White House said.
 

The doses would come from existing U.S. production of Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine stocks, according White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said more details would be released in the coming days.
 

It would mark the first time that U.S.-controlled doses of vaccines authorised for use in the country will be shared overseas, as domestic demand for the shots has dropped significantly in recent weeks.
 

The announcement comes on top of the Biden's administration's prior commitment to share about 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not yet authorized for use in the U.S., by the end of June. The AstraZeneca doses will be available to ship once they clear a safety review by the Food and Drug Administration.
 

3:04 AM

Meghalaya Covid-19 update

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday said that the state government will increase the number of oxygen supported beds to 1,000 within the next two weeks for effectively tackling the ongoing second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
 

The state recorded 16 Covid-19 fatalities on Monday, taking the death toll to 336, while 34 new cases pushed the tally to 23,966. Meghalaya now has 4,915 active cases.
 

Addressing media persons, Sangma said that the administration has been able to raise the number of such beds from 350 to 750 during the past one month.

"We are hopeful to increase the number of oxygen supported beds to 1,000 in the next two weeks," he said.
 

Sangma also said that the state has also doubled the number of oxygen cylinders to 1,500 from 700.
 

On the ongoing installation of oxygen generation plants in Meghalaya, he said that services are being upgraded in Shillong Civil Hospital, Ganesh Das Hospital and RP Chest TB Hospital in the state capital.
 

Installation of oxygen plants will soon be completed in hospitals at Tura, Jowai, Nongpoh, Sangma said.
 

3:02 AM

Gujarat: Night curfew to continue in 36 cities for another 3 days

The night curfew in 36 cities of Gujarat, including nine metros, has been extended by three more days to control the spread of coronavirus, the state government said on Monday.
 

As per the decision taken by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, the limited restrictions, including the curfew between 8 pm and 6 am, will continue to be in place in 36 cities from Tuesday to Thursday, a government release said.
 

Restrictions currently in force in other parts of Gujarat except these 36 cities will also continue between 6 am on May 18 till 6 am on May 20, it said.
 

Rupani said the government will take a call on whether to extend the night curfew and other curbs beyond May 20 after assessing the Covid-19 situation.
 

Gujarat on Monday reported 7,135 new coronavirus positive cases, taking its infection count to 7,59,754, while 81 deaths increased the toll in the state to 9,202, an official said.
 

3:01 AM

California won't lift its mask requirement for another month

California won't lift its mask requirement until June 15 to give the public time to prepare and ensure cases stay low.
 

State Health Director Dr. Mark Ghaly said Monday that a four-week delay will allow businesses time to make adjustments and more people to get vaccinated.
 

“This four week period will give Californians time to prepare for this change, while we continue the relentless focus on delivering vaccines particularly to underserved communities and those that were hard hit throughout this pandemic,” he said.
 

Many other states lifted their mask requirements last week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it's safe for fully vaccinated people to skip face coverings and social distancing in most situations.
 

3:01 AM

It's 'Ram bharose' in small cities, villages of UP: HC on Covid-19 situation

The entire medical system in villages and small cities of Uttar Pradesh is at God's mercy ("Ram bharose"), the Allahabad High Court said on Monday while hearing a PIL over the coronavirus spread and the condition of quarantine centres in the state.
 

A High Court Bench of Justices Siddharth Verma and Ajit Kumar made the observation while taking into account the death of Santosh Kumar (64), who was admitted to an isolation ward at a Meerut hospital.
 

The doctors there failed to identify him and disposed of the body as unidentified, according to a probe report.
 

Santosh had fainted at a hospital bathroom on April 22 and efforts were made to revive him but he died.
 

The hospital staff could not identify the dead and failed to locate his file. Thus, it was taken as a case of an unidentified body. The body was packed in a bag and was disposed of, according to the probe report.
 

Commenting on it, the High Court on Monday said if this is the state of affairs at a medical college in the city like Meerut, then the entire medical system of the state pertaining to smaller cities and villages can only be taken to be like a famous Hindi saying, ''Ram bharose".
 

“If doctors and paramedical staff adopt such casual approach and show carelessness in the performance of their duty, then it is a case of serious misconduct because it is something like playing with lives of innocent people. The state needs to take stern action against those responsible,” the court observed.

Upon perusal of the report submitted by district magistrates of five districts, the court said, “We have no hesitation in observing that health infrastructure is absolutely insufficient in city areas to meet the requirement of city population and in the rural areas the community health centres are virtually lacking in respect of life-saving gadgets.” The court directed the state government to provide sufficient health care infrastructure in compliance of its direction issued earlier.
 

10:33 PM

Revised clinical guidance for management of adult Covid-19 patients; Plasma therapy dropped

10:30 PM

Rajasthan Covid-19 update