Covid LIVE: Tamil Nadu sees 15,759 new cases in a day; 8,249 in Karnataka

Coronavirus live updates: Tamil Nadu recorded 16,813 cases in the last 24 hours. Kerala registered 14,424 infections, Maharashtra 12,207, Karnataka 11,042, Delhi 305. Stay tuned for corona-related new

9:50 AM

Govt may expand Covid relief, says newspaper

The central government is considering expanding pandemic-related relief policies to further industries, the Economic Times reported, citing unidentified sources. The move could include expanding a credit guarantee program and extending tax relief for construction, as well as more spending for rural programs. The number of new Covid cases in the country was 91,702.

9:31 AM

Thane district's Covid-19 death toll crosses 10,000-mark; 498 new cases reported

The Covid-19 death toll in Thane district of Maharashtra has crossed the 10,000-mark as 65 more patients succumbed to the infection, an official said on Friday.

 

These deaths were reported on Thursday.

 

The district's fatality count now stood at 10,056.

 

The infection tally in the district has reached 5,23,497 with the addition of 498 cases, he said.

9:11 AM

Andaman and Nicobar coronavirus update: 29 fresh cases take Covid-19 tally of Andamans to 7,197

The Covid-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 7,197 on Friday as 29 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said. Twenty-one more people have been cured of the disease, he said.

 

The total death toll in the archipelago remained unchanged at 125 as no fresh fatality was reported, the official said.

9:08 AM

Bihar: People in rural areas of Katihar reluctant to take Covid vaccine due, reports ANI

8:59 AM

Reopening US economy heat up inflation; labour market recovery gets a boost

U.S. consumer prices rose solidly in May, leading to the biggest annual increase in nearly 13 years as a reopening economy boosted demand for travel-related services, while a global semiconductor shortage drove up prices for used motor vehicles.

 

The pandemic's easing grip on the economy was also underscored by other data from the Labour Department on Thursday showing the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level in nearly 15 months.

 

Vaccinations against Covid-19, trillions of dollars from the government and record-low interest rates are whipping up demand, leaving companies scrambling for raw materials and labour. Used cars and trucks accounted for about one-third of the rise in consumer inflation last month, reflecting a global semiconductor shortage, which is undercutting auto production.

8:51 AM

Donating 500 mn vaccine not enough, US should do more: Krishnamoorthi

Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has said that donating 500 million doses of anti-coronavirus vaccine to the world, as promised by President Joe Biden, was not enough and the United States should do more in the global fight against the pandemic.

 

Before attending a G-7 summit in England, Biden on Thursday promised to donate 500 million doses of vaccine to bolster the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic across the world.

 

Later, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the G7 nations are set to commit to providing at least 1 billion coronavirus shots to the rest of the world. Read on...

8:37 AM

Alpha, Delta Covid-19 variants found in Sri Lanka

Highly contagious Alpha and Delta variants of the coronavirus have been detected in Sri Lanka, which is facing a third wave of the pandemic.

 

Patients carrying the Delta variant, or the B1.617.2 variant first identified in India, and the Alpha strain, formerly called the B.1.1.7 strain, which was first detected in the UK, have been found at around nine locations of different districts in Sri Lanka, said Dr Chandima Jeewandara, the Director of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

 

According to the sequencing report issued on Wednesday, 80 people were infected with the Alpha variant in multiple locations while the Delta variant was found in one person from a quarantine facility.

 

The Alpha variant cases were also reported in healthcare workers who were fully vaccinated.

 

8:28 AM

Uttar Pradesh coronavirus updates: 82 deaths, 642 fresh virus cases in UP

Eighty-two more people died from coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday as 642 fresh cases surfaced, taking the state's infection number to 17,01,072, according to a Health Department bulletin.

 

Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, the virus has claimed 21,597 lives in the state.

 

Of the fresh 82 deaths, 15 were reported from Kanpur Nagar, eight from Gorakhpur, five from Bareilly, four each from Saharanpur, Agra, Deoria, Jhansi, Gonda, three each from Ghaziabad, Meerut, Lakhimpur Kheri and two each from Rae Bareli, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Hapur and Balrampur.

8:23 AM

Coronavirus update: 44 more deaths, 305 new cases in Delhi; positivity rate 0.41%

Delhi recorded 44 more Covid-19 deaths and 305 new cases on Thursday with a positivity rate of 0.41 per cent, according to the health bulletin released here.

 

Nearly 560 people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours as the the recoveries again outnumbered fresh infections.

 

After the second wave of coronavirus weakened, the Delhi government started the unlock process, allowing markets to open from Monday on an odd-even basis along with malls. Delhi Metro also started operations with 50 per cent capacity.

8:17 AM

Madhya Pradesh coronavirus update: MP logs 420 new coronavirus case

The Covid-19 caseload in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday rose to 7,87,175, with 420 fresh cases coming to light.

 

The death toll reached 8,475 with 34 new fatalities, the state Health Department said.

 

A total of 1,332 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the count of recoveries to 7,72,375.

 

With 129 new cases, Indore district's caseload went up to 1,52,224, while that of Bhopal rose to 1,22,417 with addition of 107 cases.

8:10 AM

China suspends import of frozen seafood from 6 Indian firms after coronavirus traces found on packaging

China on Thursday suspended the import of frozen seafood products from six Indian marine export companies after traces of coronavirus were detected on the packaging.

 

Since early last year, China has been testing imported frozen food products from all over the world. It has periodically suspended imports from companies after finding traces of the virus on the packaging.

 

The General Administration of Customs of China in a press release said the traces of the virus were found on the outer packages of the seafood products from the six companies and imports would be suspended for a week.

 

China has largely controlled the spread of the coronavirus, which first emerged in Wuhan in December 2019, with strict measures, though handful of cases, largely attributed to those arriving from abroad, continued to be reported in the country.

8:03 AM

Medical debts bankrupt Indians already ravaged by coronavirus

In the shadows of the Taj Mahal, shoemaker Shyambabu Nigam worked for years to save enough money to buy his wife Anju a small house with a view of the iconic 17th century mausoleum. Yet in just a matter of months, they were forced to give it up.

 

After Anju fell seriously ill with Covid-19 last year, the couple turned to a mix of subsidised government hospitals and more expensive private clinics to treat the illness and pay for two open-heart surgeries that followed. The total costs amounted to more than Rs 6 lakh — roughly six times Nigam’s annual income.

 

While the sale of his modest two-bedroom house covered most of that amount, he was also forced to borrow money from friends and sell one of his three leather sewing machines. Read on...

7:57 AM

Ramdev's about-turn: Says will take Covid jab; calls doctors God's envoys

Yoga guru Ramdev, who had said he does not need the Covid vaccine as he has protection of yoga and ayurveda, on Thursday did a summersault, saying he will soon get the jab and described doctors as "God's envoys on earth".

 

Ramdev had earlier stirred a controversy with his comments on the efficacy of allopathic drugs against COVID-19, drawing the ire of the medical fraternity.

 

Now, welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement about free vaccine to all from June 21, Ramdev described it as a "historic" step and appealed to all to get themselves vaccinated. Read on...

7:52 AM

Rahul Gandhi bats for walk-in vaccination, Irani says already done

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded that every person walking into a COVID-19 vaccination centre should get the jab, drawing a sharp retort from Union minister Smriti Irani who said the government has already allowed it.

 

In a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi said, "Online registration is not enough for the vaccine. Every person walking in at a vaccination centre should get the vaccine. Those who do not have access to internet also have the right to life."

 

Irani, the BJP leader who had defeated him in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from his family pocket borough of Amethi, was quick to hit back. Read on...

7:47 AM

G-7 plans 1 billion extra Covid-19 shots to end pandemic next year

The Group of Seven (G-7) leaders is set to vow to deliver at least 1 billion extra doses of vaccines over the next year to help cover 80 per cent of the world’s adult population, according to a draft communique seen by Bloomberg News.
 

Ahead of the G-7 summit in the UK, officials are putting together a document that outlines a plan to end the pandemic by December 2022. The document has yet to be finalised but will form the basis of final-stage talks at the summit of leaders in Cornwall, southwestern England, starting Friday.
 

As Biden and other G-7 leaders gathered for the start of their summit in the UK, their staffs were putting together a document that outlines a plan to end the Covid-19 pandemic by December 2022. At the summit in Cornwall, the presidents and prime ministers will pledge to deliver at least 1 billion extra doses of vaccines over the next year to help cover 80 per cent of the world’s adult population, according to a draft communique seen by Bloomberg News. Read on...