Covid LIVE: Maharashtra lockdown may be extended till May 31, says minister

Coronavirus live updates: Statewise cases in India are as follows - Maharashtra (5179929), Karnataka (2013193), Kerala (1939918), UP (1545212), Tamil Nadu (1438509). Stay tuned for corona-related news

3:56 PM

Most of India should remain locked down for 6-8 weeks: ICMR chief

The head of the main Indian health agency responding to the coronavirus has said districts reporting a high number of infections should remain locked down for another six to eight weeks to control the spread of the rampaging disease.

 

Dr. Balram Bhargava, head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said in an interview that lockdown restrictions should remain in place in all districts where the rate of infection is above 10% of those tested. READ ON...

3:45 PM

Govt ramps up availability of Amphotericin B to fight post Covid-19 complication 'Mucormycosis'

Amid a sudden increase in demand observed in some states for Amphotericin B which is being prescribed by physicians to patients suffering from Mucormycosis, a post COVID complication, the Government of India is engaging with the manufacturers to ramp up production of the drug, said the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers on Wednesday.

 

The ministry further stated that the supply position is expected to improve with extra imports of this drug and an increase in its production domestically.

 

After reviewing the stock position with the manufacturers/importers, and the demand pattern of Amphotericin B the Department of Pharma, had on May 11, 2021, allocated this drug amongst the States/UTs based on expected supply that will be available from May 10 to May 31, 2021, stated the ministry.

3:37 PM

No basis to use term 'Indian variant' for B.1.617 strain of coronavirus: Health Ministry

No basis to use term 'Indian variant' for B.1.617 strain of coronavirus; WHO hasn't done so in its document: Health Ministry

3:20 PM

Bharat Biotech says can't provide additional Covaxin doses to Delhi: Deputy CM

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said Bharat Biotech has informed the Delhi government that it cannot provide "additional" Covaxin doses to the national capital.

 

The stock of Covaxin in Delhi has finished and as a result around 100 vaccination centres set up in 17 schools have been closed, he said.

 

"The Covaxin manufacturer has in a letter said that it can not provide Delhi government vaccines due to unavailability, under instruction of concerned government official. It means that the central government is controlling supply of the vaccine," Sisodia said. READ ON...

3:06 PM

Covid-19: Indian naval ship brings oxygen to Mumbai from Qatar

Amid the ongoing battle against COVID-19, Indian Naval Ship Tarkash brought two containers with 20 MT liquid medical oxygen each and 230 oxygen cylinders from Qatar on Wednesday, a Navy spokesperson said.

 

The Indian Navy has deployed its various ships to bring oxygen and other medical equipment to the country under operation 'Samudra Setu II'.

 

The oxygen containers were facilitated as part of the French mission 'Oxygen Solidarity Bridge' and the cylinders of the life-saving gas were gifted by the Indian diaspora in Qatar, the spokesperson said.

2:50 PM

Over 1 lakh cops deployed in Gujarat to enforce Covid-19 rules

More than 1 lakh police personnel have been deployed across Gujarat to ensure strict enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines in light of the recent rise in infections, an official said on Wednesday.

 

At least 56,000 police personnel, 5,000 staffers of the State Reserve Police (SRP), over 13,000 home guards and 30,000 jawans of the Gram Rakshak Dal (GRD) have been deployed across the state, the official said.

 

The Gujarat government on Tuesday extended the night curfew and other day-time restrictions in 36 cities by another week, in order to contain the viral spread.

2:32 PM

Covid-19 LIVE: More curbs in Assam, offices shut in urban areas for two weeks

2:31 PM

No identification of viruses or variants with names of countries: WHO

2:24 PM

SpiceJet to start vaccination drive for all employees from May 17

Budget carrier SpiceJet has said it will start a company-sponsored vaccination drive for all its employees from May 17. The drive will commence from Delhi and Gurugram, which is SpiceJet's headquarters, and will cover the airline's employees across all the stations on its network, a release said on Wednesday. SpiceJet said it has around 15,000 employees.

 

Other carriers like Air India, Vistara, IndiGo and GoAir and AirAsia India have already rolled vaccination drives for their employees.

 

The first ones to get vaccinated will be the frontline employees of the airline including airport staff and in-flight crew, SpiceJet said. The vaccination program will be undertaken as per government rules and guidelines and basis the availability of the vaccine, SpiceJet said.

2:15 PM

Covid-19 lockdown in Karnataka: Migrant workers going back to their villages

2:13 PM

LG Electronics pledges $5.5 mn to fight against COVID, to help 10 makeshift hospitals across India

South Korean Consumer Electronic major LG, which completed 24 years in India on Wednesday, pledged USD 5.5 million (around Rs 40.38 crore) to fight against the second wave of the pandemic.

 

LG Electronics will provide financial assistance of USD 5.5 million, to set up medical infrastructure in these crucial times, when India is fighting against the second wave of the pandemic, the company said in a statement. "LG Electronics has pledged to help 10 makeshift hospitals across India. This will be done in association with local government bodies and NGOs," it said.

2:01 PM

PM CARES Fund approves procurement of 150,000 units of Oxycare System developed by DRDO

1:47 PM

WHO says India COVID variant found in 44 countries, of global concern

The B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus first identified in India last year has been found in 44 countries, says the World Health Organization (WHO) which has classified it as a variant of concern', PTI reported.

 

The UN body routinely assesses if variants of SARS-CoV-2 result in changes in transmissibility and severity, or if they lead to changes in public health and social measures' implementation by national health authorities. As of May 11, over 4,500 sequences have been uploaded to GISAID and assigned to B.1.617 from 44 countries in all six WHO regions, the global health body said in its latest weekly epidemiological update published on Tuesday.

1:28 PM

As infections rise, India's states fall behind in testing for Covid-19

As Covid-19 cases rise in India, the government should test more people and isolate those infected. Many states though have dialed down testing as infections rise.

 

Average daily tests in India have increased since April. The country averaged 1.72 million tests over the previous week, whereas it tested just 1.18 million samples a month ago on April 10. The share of some of the most infected states in daily tests has declined though.

 

In fact, nationwide average daily tests have been declining for the last week. India averaged 1.76 million tests on May 4. Read on...

1:06 PM

International Nurses Day is a day to express gratitude to nurses, who are at forefront of fighting Covid: PM