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

10:00 AM

Telangana: People make purchases at the market near Charminar in Hyderabad ahead of Eid

A 10-day lockdown is being imposed in the state from 10 am today.

9:28 AM

Maharashtra doctor couple collects unused Covid-19 meds to help needy patients

A doctor couple in Mumbai is collecting medicines from those who have recovered from COVID and providing them to the needy patients.

 

On May 1, Dr Marcus Ranney and his wife Dr Raina started Meds For More - a citizen initiative to collect unused medicines from Covid-19 recovered patients.

 

"We started this initiative 10 days ago. We collect medicines from housing societies and provide them to those who can not afford them," Dr Marcus Ranney told ANI.

 

"The idea came when one of the family members of our staff got infected from Covid and they needed medication. As you know the medicines can be expensive. At that time there were a few people who had recovered from Covid, so we decided to take their medicines and donate them," said Dr Raina.

 

"After that, we took the help from 7-8 people of neighbouring buildings and set up a team and started this mission with the objective of helping those who can not go out to buy medicines or anyone who can't afford the Covid medicines," she added.

9:17 AM

26 Covid-19 patients died at GMCH between 2-6 am in Goa

26 Covid-19 patients died at GMCH between 2-6 am on Tuesday. The requirement of GMCH on Monday was 1200 Jumbo Oxygen Cylinders of which only 400 were supplied, resulting in a shortage: Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane 

9:13 AM

Coronavirus testing update: 30,75,83,991 samples tested up to 11th May 2021

9:13 AM

Coronavirus testing update: 30,75,83,991 samples tested up to 11th May 2021

9:05 AM

New Covid-19 cases in India have peaked, shows Cambridge tracker

The number of new coronavirus infections in India has peaked, according to a new tracker developed by researchers at Cambridge Judge Business School and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

 

“But there is substantial variation among states and union territories in their trajectories, with cases continuing to increase over the next two weeks in areas such as Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Tripura,” the researchers wrote. Read on...

8:45 AM

56 prisoners in Haryana's Karnal Jail test positive for Covid-19

As many as 56 prisoners in Haryana's Karnal Jail had tested positive for Covid-19 in the last few days.

 

According to Yogesh Sharma, Civil Surgeon, Karnal, the prisoners have been kept in isolation after they tested positive for Covid-19.

 

"After prisoners tested positive, we made isolation zone in jail. As it is a matter of concern, all precautionary measures being taken to tackle the situation," said Civil Surgeon.

8:40 AM

Over 94% of Thane cops receive 1st dose of Covid-19 vaccine

More than 94 per cent of the total number of policemen in Thane have so far received their first dose of vaccine against COVID-19, officials said.

 

Since the outbreak of the viral infection, a total of 2,147 policemen here in Maharashtra have contracted COVID-19 and 35 of them died due to the disease, a release issued by the Thane police commissionerate said on Tuesday.

 

It said so far 8,779 cops, comprising 94.76 per cent of the Thane police force, have been administered the first dose of vaccine, while 7,322, or 78.72 per cent, have received their second jabs.

 

As of now, 34 policemen here are undergoing treatment for the coronavirus infection, the release said.

8:36 AM

Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat dispatched 80 MT of oxygen, sent by the central government,

Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat dispatched 80 MT of oxygen, sent by the central government, through the Oxygen Express at various stations in the state at the railway station at Harrawala. He said that this oxygen will be sent to Garhwal Division & Kumaon Division.

8:25 AM

'Perform yagna, Covid third wave won't touch India': MP Minister Usha Thakur

Madhya Pradesh Culture Minister Usha Thakur, who has been giving controversial comments especially related to the Covid-19 pandemic, on Tuesday came up with another suggestion by asking people to perform 'yagna chikitsa' (ceremonial fire ritual) for four days to ward off the third wave of Covid-19.

 

India is currently dealing with a devastating second Covid-19 wave that has swept through the nation, crushing the country's health infrastructure and overburdening frontline medical workers.

 

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating a Covid Care Centre in Indore, "For the purification of the environment, perform Yagna for four days. This is Yagna Chikitsa. In earlier times, our ancestors used to perform yagna chikitsa to get rid of pandemics. Let us all purify the environment, the third wave of Covid will not even touch India."

8:20 AM

Covid testing, vaccination to continue during Telangana lockdown

Covid-19 testing and vaccination will continue in Telangana despite the 10-day lockdown which will be coming into force from Wednesday.

 

Director of public health and family welfare Dr G Srinivasa Rao said the police department was informed to allow free movement of citizens seeking to get their vaccine shots or wanting to get themselves tested for Covid-19 at their nearest available centres.

 

The official clarified that all medical and health services, including all government and private hospitals, diagnostic and testing centres will function normally. The lockdown will not affect any health services anywhere in the state, he said.

 

The government vaccination centres delivering Covid-19 vaccination to people will also function normally. However, as announced previously, only those eligible for getting their second dose will be given the vaccines.

8:17 AM

Indian Covid-19 variant found in 44 countries, all regions: WHO

The UN health agency said the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19, first found in India in October, had been detected in sequences uploaded to the GISAID open-access database "from 44 countries in all six WHO regions," adding it had received "reports of detections from five additional countries".

 

7:55 AM

BJP MLA's son gets vaccine jab ahead of 18+ age group drive in Uttarakhand

A controversy has erupted in Uttarakhand over a BJP MLA’s 25-year-old son getting the anti-coronavirus vaccine jab despite the fact that inoculation of people in his age group is yet to begin in the state. The vaccination process for people aged 18-44 years begins officially in Uttarakhand on Monday. However, BJP MLA from Khanpur Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion’s son Divya Pratap Singh Champion got the jab on May 5.

 

The controversy broke out when pictures of Divya Pratap Singh getting the vaccine shot went viral on social media on Saturday. Doon hospital staff requesting anonymity said the MLA, along with his wife and son, arrived at the medical superintendent’s residence on May 5 and allegedly pressured the doctors to administer the vaccine dose to his son.

7:48 AM

Indian April fuel demand dips, coronavirus wave clouds outlook

India's April fuel demand slipped from the previous month as the world's third largest oil consumer bore the brunt of raging coronavirus infections, with the prospect of further restrictions weighing on the outlook.

 

Consumption of fuel, a proxy for oil demand, fell 9.4% to 17.01 million tonnes from March, data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas showed on Tuesday.

 

On a yearly basis, demand surged 81.5% from April 2020 lows, when consumption plunged to the lowest since 2006 as coronavirus restrictions during India's first wave battered the economy. This represents the biggest year-on-year increase since data going back to about 1999.

 

"India's second wave of virus infections and varying containment measures provides an uncertain outlook for the fuel demand," Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA said.

7:47 AM

Travel bans expose migrants to Covid, make them potential carriers: Study

As states impose fresh lockdowns of varying durations and intensity to arrest the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study shows that medium-duration travel bans are counterproductive--they trap migrants in cities that are Covid-19 hotspots long enough to expose them to the virus, which they then carry to their home districts.

 

These findings are based on the study of return migration out of Mumbai between March and August 2020, covering the first national lockdown and the subsequent "unlock" phases. The study also took into account the epidemiological data on the rise in infections in the home districts of the migrant workers.

 

The study by the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute, whose pre-print (non-peer reviewed) version has been published, reached the same conclusion for other developing countries such as Kenya, South Africa, Indonesia, Philippines and China. Read on...