Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra, Delhi, UP, Karnataka see record daily cases

Coronavirus live updates: India has added 2,142,934 fresh Covid-19 cases since April 1. Mumbai registered 9,925 new cases, Delhi 17,282 in the last 24 hours. Stay tuned for corona-related news

9:45 AM

Risk of rare blood clots higher after Covid-19 infection than after vaccination: Study

Researchers at Oxford University have found the risk of a rare type of blood clot is low overall, but higher for people who have been infected with Covid-19 than among people who've had the three vaccines authorized in the UK - those made by AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer.

 

According to CNN, the study, made available in pre-print on Thursday on the Oxford website ahead of publication in a scientific journal, says the risk of cerebral venous thrombosis or CVT - also known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis or CVST - following Covid-19 infection is around "100 times greater than normal and several times higher than it is post-vaccination or following influenza," across all age groups.

 

As per an official statement by Oxford University, the study authors, led by Professor Paul Harrison and Dr Maxime Taquet from Oxford University's Department of Psychiatry and the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, counted the number of CVT cases diagnosed in the two weeks following diagnosis of COVID-19, or after the first dose of a vaccine.

9:42 AM

West Bengal election 2021 LIVE: EC calls all-party meet amid Covid surge

With West Bengal witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases, like other states, the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has called an all-party meeting today to reiterate instructions on campaigning amid the pandemic and encourage more virtual rallies for the remaining phases of the Assembly elections. READ ON...

9:41 AM

263,476,625 tested for Covid-19 up to April 15

263,476,625 tested for Covid-19 up to April 15, including 14,73,210 samples that were tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

8:59 AM

Delhi: Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan visits AIIMS

Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan visits AIIMS. The Minister will visit various healthcare facilities over next few days to assess & further scale-up facilities, in the wake of #COVID19 situation.

8:46 AM

Global Covid-19 caseload tops 138.8 million: Johns Hopkins University

The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 138.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 2.98 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

 

In its latest update on Friday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 138,827,781 and 2,984,236, respectively. READ ON...

8:31 AM

Uttarakhand coronavirus update: 30 Sadhus have tested positive for Covid-19 so far, in Haridwar

30 Sadhus have tested positive for Covid-19 so far, in Haridwar. Medical teams are going to akharas and RT-PCR tests of sadhus are being done continuously. The process will be further quickened from 17th April: Dr SK Jha, Haridwar Chief Medical Officer

7:59 AM

The second wave: Covid-19 testing labs look at ways to ramp up capacity

Abhishek Ghosh (name changed) is flying to Canada this week from Mumbai to start a new job. Before boarding the flight, he has to get an RT-PCR test to show he is negative for Covid-19. On Monday, most laboratories in Mumbai were refusing to collect his sample, neither from home nor even from the collection centre he visited to deposit his sample when no one would come home.

 

Of the around one million RT-PCR tests conducted per day nationwide, around 50 per cent are at private labs. Last April, the share of private labs was only around 10 per cent. As the pandemic progressed, they scaled up to cope with the first wave. But around January, with the caseload falling significantly, capacity utilisation dropped to 20 per cent or so. Read on...

7:54 AM

The supply side: Ramping up vaccine availability has become critical

With the daily Covid-19 caseload in India crossing 200,000, surpassing the September 2020 peak, it is clear that the government needs to get its vaccination act together fast. Instead of opting for transparency and clarity on vaccine availability and delivery, the government appears to have retreated into a web of obfuscation. While the government claims that there is no shortage of vaccines even as states such as Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and now Delhi complain of shortages, simple math shows that there is one. Read on...

7:25 AM

Decision in 3 working days after foreign Covid-19 vaccine firms apply

The Indian health regulator will take a decision within three working days of a foreign vaccine maker seeking emergency use approval, the Centre said on Thursday in a definite move to accelerate the inoculation process.

 

Also, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) will work in a time-bound manner for every step connected to vaccine approval. For instance, import licence and registration certificates will be processed within three working days of the approval. In addition, bridging clinical trial protocols must be cleared within seven working days for vaccines approved by international regulators. READ ON...

7:13 AM

Covid-19 variant first detected in India is found in the UK, reports Reuters quoting The Guardian

Covid-19 variant first detected in India is found in the UK, reports Reuters quoting The Guardian

 

6:58 AM

Coronavirus live updates: India has added 2,142,934 fresh Covid-19 cases since April 1

Coronavirus live updates: India has added 2,142,934 fresh Covid-19 cases since April 1