Coronavirus LIVE: Delhi sees 5,000-plus new cases; over 10,000 in Mumbai

Coronavirus live updates: Maharashtra reported 47,288 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. Delhi govt has imposed night curfew in the national capital. Stay tuned for corona-related news

10:46 AM

India reports 96,982 new Covid-19 cases, 50,143 discharges, and 446 deaths in the last 24 hours: MoHFW

India reports 96,982 new Covid-19 cases, 50,143 discharges, and 446 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the health ministry.

 

10:36 AM

Pune Lockdown: Weekend curfews

Alarmed by the huge rise in cases over the last few days, the state government on Sunday announced a weekend lockdown and night curfew during the weekdays from Monday to April 30, in addition to a slew of other restrictions like the closure of private offices, theatres and salons.

10:36 AM

Pune lockdown: Here's what’s open, what’s closed

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Monday issued a fresh order notifying that barring the essential services shops, other establishments and markets in Pune city will remain closed till April 30.

Pune lockdown: What's closed

All private offices will also remain shut.

 

"As per the state government's direction, except for the essential services shops, all the shops and markets in the city will remain closed till April 30. The implementation of the weekend lockdown order will also be done in the city effectively," Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol tweeted.

 

The PMC has already closed hotel, restaurants, and bars, except room service in the lodging hotels, within the city limits.

10:31 AM

India blessed to have a major manufacturer of global vaccines: World Bank chief on Serum Institute

World Bank President David Malpass has said that with the Serum Institute, India is blessed to have a major manufacturer of global vaccines and he is encouraged by the country’s ramping up of its domestic vaccination programme.

 

Malpass made the comments on Monday during a media roundtable ahead of the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

 

“I’ve had substantial contact with the Serum Institute. India is blessed with having a major manufacturer of global vaccines in India,” he said.

10:29 AM

The vaccine protects you against a serious condition, but you may still get infected, says Randeep Guleria

“Does it protect against infection or disease? And what does that mean? So, if you get the vaccine, there is a very high chance the vaccine will protect you against serious disease where you get hospitalised, require ICU care, or die. But you may still get the infection, but you will be asymptomatic or it will be a mild illness,” he said.

10:15 AM

Telangana reports 1498 Covid-19 cases, 6 deaths

Telangana saw 1,498 fresh coronavirus cases, the highest single day spike this year, pushing the gross to over 3.14 lakh while the toll climbed to 1,729 with six more fatalities.

 

10:13 AM

25,02,31,269 samples tested for Covid-19, up to 5th April

10:06 AM

Gujarat to open 8 care centres in cities for Covid-19 patients

To cope up with the rising number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat, the state government on Monday announced to open eight new COVID-19 care centres, each having 500 beds, in eight major cities.

 

A decision to this effect was taken during a high- level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and also attended by Deputy CM Nitin Patel at Gandhinagar, said an official release.

 

These eight care centres to accommodate coronavirus patients will be put under the direct supervision of specially designated IAS or IFS officers, said the release.

 

Private nursing homes and clinics with no ICU or ventilator facilities can also start dedicated health centres and care units for COVID-19 patients in their premises, it said.

10:02 AM

Singapore will be first to accept Covid-19 digital travel passes

Singapore will next month accept visitors who use a mobile travel pass containing digital certificates for Covid-19 tests and vaccines, its aviation regulator said, becoming one of the first countries to adopt the initiative.

 

Singapore will accept the International Air Transport Association (IATA) mobile travel pass for pre-departure checks, where travellers can get clearance to fly to and enter Singapore by showing a smartphone application containing their data from accredited laboratories. Read on...

10:00 AM

UK eyes coronavirus tests twice a week for all as economy reopens

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday everyone in England will be able to take a Covid-19 test twice a week in a new drive to track the pandemic as society reopens and the vaccine rollout continues at its rapid rate.

 

Johnson, who is expected to confirm plans to relaunch international travel and open sections of the economy later on Monday, said the new mass testing programme would break the chain of transmissions and spot cases without symptoms.

9:58 AM

Maharashtra coronavirus update: 5,287 new COVID-19 cases in Thane, 20 more deaths

With the addition of5,287 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra has reached 3,44,030, an official said on Tuesday.

 

These new cases were reported on Monday, he said.

 

The virus also claimed the lives of 20 more people, pushing the death toll in the district to 6,581, he said.

 

The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane is 1.91 per cent, he said.

9:14 AM

Coronavirus lays bare social inequality, warns UN chief Antonio Guterres

The Covid-19 crisis "has revealed how unequal our societies are," said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his message released on Monday for the World Health Day.

 

Highlighting the inequalities and injustices that have been apparent throughout the pandemic, the UN chief said in his message for the day to be marked on Wednesday that the vast majority of vaccine doses administered so far have been confined to "a few wealthy countries" or those producing the shots cleared for distribution, the Xinhua news agency reported. Read on...

9:11 AM

States with better sanitation more at risk to Covid? Theory needs testing

David P Strachan, in his 1989 seminal paper “Hay fever, hygiene and household size”, proposed that lower incidence of infection in early childhood could be an explanation for the rise in allergic diseases such as hay fever. Popularly called the hygiene hypothesis, Strachan’s formulations have since been tested for various diseases and infections. Read on...

9:10 AM

Global coronavirus caseload tops 131.6mn: Johns Hopkins University

The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 131.6 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 2.85 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

 

In its latest update on Tuesday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 131,696,594 and 2,859,357, respectively.

 

The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 30,777,338 and 555,403, respectively, according to the CSSE.

8:35 AM

Delhi to impose night curfew as Covid cases rise: Medis reports

“An in-principle decision has been taken to impose night curfew in the city to stem the current Covid surge. The timings are under discussion, but most likely it will be between 9 pm and 5-7 am in the morning so that people can go about their daily business without any hindrance. There will, of course, be the usual exemptions for essential services workers,” a senior Delhi government official told ThePrint.