Covid LIVE: Kerala sees 23,500 new cases, 116 deaths in last 24 hours

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Kerala reported 21,119 new infections, Maharashtra 5,609, Andhra Pradesh (1,461), Tamil Nadu (1,893), Karnataka (1,338), and Delhi (52). Stay tuned for corona-related news

11:34 AM

Puducherry coronavirus update: 114 new cases of coronavirus recorded

Puducherry posted 114 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, raising the total infection count to 1,21,880.

 

One more person succumbed to the viral infection, pushing up the toll to 181.

 

While Puducherry region reported 70 new cases out of the total 114, Karaikal registered 22 new cases while Yanam 2 and Mahe region 20.

 

The active cases were 866 of whom 205 patients were in hospitals and remaining 661 in home isolation.

 

Director of Health department, G Sriramulu said 98 patients recovered and were discharged during last twenty-four hours while the overall recoveries stood at 1,19,213 in the Union Territory.

11:30 AM

DCGI okays study on mixing Covaxin & Covishield, trial in Vellore

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given the approval to conduct a study on mixing of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines. The step has been taken to boost the mass vaccination drive against the coronavirus across the nation.

 

The DCGI has said that the study and its clinical trials will be conducted by Christian Medical College in Vellore.

 

The study aims to find out whether a person can be given two different vaccine shots -- one each of Covishield and Covaxin -- to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease, instead of the existing practice of administering twin shots of the same vaccine.

 

A Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on July 29, recommended for conducting this study on mixing of the two shots

11:23 AM

Lok Sabha adjourned sine die

The Monsoon Session was scheduled to go on till August 13.

10:55 AM

Now Buddhist monks, foreigners living in UP can avail Covid vaccine

Foreigners living in Uttar Pradesh can now avail the facility of Covid vaccination following new guidelines, issued by the state government.

 

As per the guidelines, foreigners living in the state can register themselves with the help of their passport to book a slot. However, the service will not be provided to foreign tourists.

 

An official order issued by Amit Mohan Prasad, the additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, said this would make vaccination of Buddhist monks living in the state easier.

 

The guidelines say workplace vaccination centres should be set up by the district inspectors of schools and district basic education officers to ensure that teachers and non-teaching staff in all government and private schools are vaccinated.

10:52 AM

WHO official asks power players to end vaccine access gap

A top official at the World Health Organization described the huge gap between access to Covid-19 vaccines in rich and poor countries as the moral catastrophe of our time and said it was up to about 20 political leaders, pharmaceutical CEOs and influential policymakers to change course.

 

To date, more than 4 billion coronavirus shots have been administered globally, but only about 1 per cent of those have been in Africa.

 

If we had tried to withhold vaccines from parts of the world, could we have made it any worse than it is today? asked Dr Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to WHO's director-general, during a social media session on Tuesday. Those responsible include the leaders of countries contracting Covid-19 vaccines and the companies producing the doses, Aylward said, without naming them.

10:51 AM

Coronavirus in India update: Active cases lowest in 140 days

India saw a single day rise of 38,353 coronavirus infections taking the total tally of Covid-19 cases to 3,20,36,511, while the active cases have declined to 3,86,351, the lowest in 140 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

 

The death toll has climbed to 4,29,179 with 497 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

 

The active cases comprise 1.21 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate stands 97.45 per cent, the ministry said.

 

A decrease of 2,157 cases has been recorded in the active Covid-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

10:40 AM

Experts say New Zealand should keep virus elimination plan

Only 26 people in New Zealand have died from the coronavirus since the pandemic began, after the nation of 5 million managed to completely stamp out its spread.

 

But a big question has arisen. Is it realistic for the country to maintain its zero-tolerance approach, which has included strict lockdowns for even small outbreaks, once it begins to reopen its borders?

 

The answer from an expert group advising the government is a resounding Yes.

 

Chaired by epidemiologist David Skegg, the group said in a highly anticipated report released Wednesday that it believes it's possible to maintain an elimination strategy even after more people start arriving.

 

The group said that many countries such as Britain and the US were already resigned to living with the virus and perhaps enduring seasonal surges.

10:24 AM

Covid-19: Children lose friends, and learning as schools remain shut

"I am worried about his future," Bajrang Saini said of his 12 year-old son, Dheeraj Saini, who attends a private school about 40 km from Jaipur city under the Right to Education Act. "I just want my son to be independent when he grows up." With his father using the only smartphone at home, Dheeraj is unable to access online lessons.

 

Across India, most children from pre-primary to grade VIII have not attended school since India went under lockdown on March 24, 2020, to curb the spread of Covid-19. Some states have reopened schools more recently--Madhya Pradesh for grades IX to XII since July 26, with 50% attendance; Punjab since August 2 for all grades; and Uttar Pradesh for grades IX to XII from August 16, operating at 50% capacity. Read on...

9:45 AM

Coronavirus in India: Latest update by MoHFW

Summary of MoHFW data (August 11)

Active cases: 386,351 (Net reduction: 2,157)

Deaths: 429,179 (Net increase: 497)

Cured: 31,220,981 (Net increase: 40,013)

Total cases: 32,036,511 (Net increase: 38,353)

Total vaccination: 519,080,524 (Increase over previous day: 4,138,646)

9:30 AM

India's active cases lowest in 140 days

India's active cases--infections being treated--stand at 3,86,351: the lowest in 140 days, says health ministry

9:28 AM

India reports 38,353 new cases

India reports 38,353 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours, says the health ministry on Wednesday. The number is 36 percent  higher than Tuesday.

9:15 AM

US to send Mexico more vaccine doses

The United States will send Mexico 8.5 million more doses of Covid-19 vaccine as the delta variant drives the country's third wave of infections, Mexican officials said Tuesday. The AP reported this

9:03 AM

Haryana coronavirus update: People in Gurugram queue up outside vaccination camp for hours to get inoculated

People queue up outside Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Gurugram a day before to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

 

More than 50 people have queued up on the road before 20 hours for the vaccination drive.

 

"I have been coming here for some days. We are not being allowed at our jobs without vaccination. I'll have to wait here all night," Asha, a local said while talking to ANI.

 

"We are pressured by our company that if we don't get vaccinated we will be dismissed from our job and that's why I have been visiting here since past three days and today as well I am here since past 7:00 PM," said Kamal Kishor Rai who has been sitting in the queue.

8:45 AM

Maharashtra coronavirus update: 5,609 new cases in the state

Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 5,609 coronavirus positive cases and 137 fatalities, including the highest 46 in the Pune region, while 7,568 patients recovered, a state health department official said, PTI reported.

 

With the new additions, the tally of infections and the death toll in Maharashtra rose to 63,63,442 and 1,34,201, respectively, the official said.

 

The number of recoveries has increased to 61,59,676, leaving the state with 66,123 active cases.

8:43 AM

World coronavirus update: Australian state sees worst day with highest new Covid-19 cases

The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) saw another disastrous day with a record daily high of 356 new local cases and four deaths on Tuesday.

 

What is more concerning is around one third of the new locally acquired cases were in the community while infectious, the Xinhua news agency reported.

 

Among the four deaths, three cases were linked to the current outbreak triggered by Delta variant and one case got infected overseas, NSW Health said.

 

Despite the climbing local transmission, the government is reluctant to further tighten restrictions. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she would not take "any strategies that aren't going to work" and is against the idea of imposing a ring of steel around the epicentre areas in southwest Sydney.