Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra sees record daily count of 35,952 new cases

Coronavirus live updates: Maharashtra recorded a fresh peak of 31,855. Delhi reported 1,254 ovid-19 cases in 24 hours. Stay tuned for corona-related news

2:21 AM

UN-backed vaccine delivery program warns of supply delays

The UN-backed program to ship Covid-19 vaccines worldwide has announced supply delays involving a key Indian manufacturer, a major setback for the ambitious rollout aimed at helping low- and middle-income countries vaccinate their populations and fight the pandemic.
 

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and its partners said Thursday that the Serum Institute of India, a pivotal vaccine maker behind the COVAX program, will face increasing domestic demands as coronavirus infections surge.
 

“Delays in securing supplies of SII-produced Covid-19 vaccine doses are due to the increased demand for Covid-19 vaccines in India,” Gavi said.
 

The move will affect up to 40 million doses of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccines being manufactured by the Serum Institute that were to be delivered for COVAX this month, as well as 50 million expected next month.
 

COVAX, an initiative devised to give countries access to coronavirus vaccines regardless of their wealth, has so far shipped vaccines to some 50 countries and territories.

The Serum Institute of Indian has been contracted to supply vaccines to 64 countries, and Gavi said the UN-backed program has “notified all affected economies of potential delays.” 

2:20 AM

UK extends emergency coronavirus powers by 6 months

British lawmakers agreed Thursday to prolong coronavirus emergency measures for six months, allowing the Conservative government to keep its unprecedented powers to restrict U.K. citizens' everyday lives.
 

The House of Commons voted to extend the powers until September, and approved the government's road map for gradually easing Britain's strict coronavirus lockdown over the next three months.
 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's large Conservative majority in Parliament guaranteed the measures passed by a decisive 484-76 margin. But Johnson faced rebellion from some of his own party's lawmakers, who argued that the economic, democratic and human costs of the restrictions outweigh the benefits.
 

The Coronavirus Act, passed a year ago as Britain went into lockdown, brought in a wide range of temporary health, economic and social powers to deal with the pandemic. It gives authorities the power to bar protests, shut down businesses, restrict travel and detain people suspected of having the virus.
 

Heath Secretary Matt Hancock said Parliament had had to take “extraordinary measures in response to this extraordinary threat.” But Conservative lawmaker Mark Harper, a leading lockdown skeptic, said he had not “heard a single good answer” as to why the British government needed to extend the “draconian” powers for another six months.
 

2:18 AM

Odisha logs 214 fresh Covid cases; all above 45 yrs to get vaccine from from Apr 1

Odisha's Covid-19 caseload mounted to 3,39,460 after 214 more people tested positive for the virus on Thursday, a health department official said.
 

The state government also asked the district and municipal authorities to prepare for inoculation of all people above the age of 45 years from April 1.
 

The state has so far vaccinated over 20 lakh people under different categories like health care workers, frontline workers, those above 60 years of age and persons with comorbidities in the age group of 45 to 59 years.
 

In the next phase, people born before January 1977 will be given vaccines even without having comorbidities, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, P K Mohapatra said in a letter to district collectors, municipal commissioners and other officers concerned.
 

Meanwhile, the state on Thursday registered 214 new positive cases, which is the highest single-day spike since January 15.
 

Besides the state capital of Bhubaneswar and neighbouring Cuttack, there has been a rise in the number of positive cases in the districts bordering Chhattisgarh, the official said.
 

The state's Covid-19 death toll remained unchanged at 1,919 as no fresh fatality has been reported since March 22. A total of 53 other Covid-19 patients have also died due to comorbidities.
 

9:02 PM

Global Markets: Safe havens rally, equities slide, as European Covid cases rise

Safe-havens assets such as the dollar and US Treasuries rallied while global equity benchmarks and bitcoin slid on Thursday, weighed by rising coronavirus cases in Europe and a selloff that pushed Chinese blue-chip shares to their lowest levels since early December.

 

Oil prices slid after surging Wednesday after a container ship became stuck in the Suez Canal. The ship, which a salvage team described as a "beached whale," may block the vital shipping lane for weeks, officials said.

 

European shares fell on data showing the biggest rise in new confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany since Jan. 9 and the largest number of patients with COVID-19 requiring intensive care in France in the year to date.

8:43 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra sees record daily count of 35,952 cases

Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra sees record daily count of 35,952 cases

8:40 PM

Not imposed any ban on export of vaccines, unlike many other countries, says govt

Keeping in view domestic requirement of vaccines, India will continue to supply Covid-19 vaccines to partner countries in coming weeks and months in a phased manner. This position remains unchanged. We've not imposed any ban on export of vaccines, unlike many other countries, ANI reported quoting sources

8:38 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: 1,989 new cases reported in Kerala

Coronavirus LIVE: 1,989 new coronavirus cases in Kerala, tally over 1.11 million, active cases 24,380; toll 4,539 with 12 more deaths, says Health Minister K K Shailaja

 

8:33 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Rajasthan sees 715 new Covid-19 cases; no deaths reported

Rajasthan reported 715 more coronavirus cases and zero deaths on Thursday, the health department said.

 

The infection tally rose to 3,27,890, it said.

 

Of the fresh cases, the maximum 127 were reported from Jodhpur followed by Kota (80), Jaipur (77), Udaipur (67), and Dungarpur (55) among other districts.

8:26 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Punjab reports 2,700 fresh Covid-19 cases

Coronavirus LIVE: Punjab reports 2,700 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1,735 recoveries, and 43 deaths in last 24 hours, according to the state health department.

8:19 PM

'Helpless': India's delays to hit vaccines for poor countries under Covax

News that India will delay deliveries of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine to the global programme to inoculating poor countries triggered alarm on Thursday, with the head of Africa's disease control agency describing the continent as "helpless".

 

UNICEF, a UN agency responsible for distributing vaccines through the global Covax programme, confirmed to Reuters overnight that it expects deliveries of the vaccines to be delayed this month and next.

 

 

AstraZeneca doses produced under licence in India form the overwhelming bulk of vaccines that Covax has been anticipating for the initial months of its rollout, which aims to vaccinate vulnerable people in the world's poorest countries for free.

7:55 PM

Delhi Metro intensifies measures to contain Covid-19 spread

In view of the surge in Covid-19 cases, the Delhi Metro has decided to intensify its drive to reinforce measures to ensure social distancing and wearing of face masks inside stations and trains.

 

The decision by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation came after commuters showed complacent behaviour, with many not donning masks properly, and not sitting on alternate seats, thereby increasing the threat of infection spread.

 

As per the existing Covid safety protocols, it is mandatory for all the passengers to enter the station after thermal screening, hand sanitisation, cover their face properly with a mask and follow social distancing in Metro premises throughout their journey.

7:41 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai reports 5,504 new infections in last 24 hours

Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai reported 5,504 fresh Covid-19 cases, 2,281 discharges, and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to BMC.

7:37 PM

EU needs to increase vaccine production, Germany's Merkel says

The European Union's problems with getting deliveries of coronavirus vaccines have underscored the need for the bloc to redouble its efforts to produce its own doses, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday.

 

Speaking to Parliament ahead of an EU summit, Merkel acknowledged that the vaccination rollout in Germany has not gone as quickly as hoped. But she rejected criticism that not enough shots had been ordered, instead saying it was more about how many had been delivered.

 

We can see clearly that British facilities are producing for Great Britain. The United States isn't exporting, and therefore we are dependent upon what can be produced in Europe, she said.

7:33 PM

Andhra Pradesh logs 758 fresh Covid-19 cases, four deaths

In a continued surge, Andhra Pradesh reported 758 fresh cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday, the highest in four months after the 1,031 on November 26.

 

The state's caseload now moved up to 8,95,879 from 1.48 crore tests with an overall positivity rate of 6.02 per cent.

 

While the 1,031 cases in November came from 67,269 tests, the 758 turned out from 35,196 tests, indicating a higher positivity rate.

7:32 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Gujarat reports 1,961 fresh Covid-19 cases

Coronavirus LIVE: Gujarat reports 1,961 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1,405 discharges, and 7 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department.