Covid LIVE: 39,923 cases in Maharashtra; BMC halts vaccination for 2 days

Coronavirus live updates: India recorded 343,144 fresh Covid-19 infections today, taking the caseload tally to 24 million. Stay tuned for corona-related news

11:30 AM

PM Modi releases the 8th installment of financial benefit under the PM-KISAN scheme

PM Modi releases the 8th installment of financial benefit under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme via video conferencing

11:29 AM

Global Covid-19 caseload tops 160.8 mn; deaths surge to more than 3.34 million

The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 160.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.34 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 160,825,974 and 3,340,130, respectively.

 

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 32,852,543 and 584,478, respectively, according to the CSSE. Read on...

11:18 AM

With 12,390 new infections, Odisha sees sudden increase in Covid-19 cases

Odisha recorded a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases on Friday as the state reported 12,390 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to the state health bulletin.

 

As many as 10,649 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Odisha on Thursday.

 

The state also recorded 22 Covid-related deaths while 8,665 people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours.

 

Out of fresh Covid cases reported, 6,938 people got injected in quarantine, while 5,452 caught the infection from local contacts. Read on...

11:02 AM

Black fungus has claimed 52 lives in Maharashtra so far

As many as 52 people have died due to Mucormycosis, a rare but dangerous fungal infection, in Maharashtra since the Covid-19 outbreak last year, a senior health department official said on Friday.

 

Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, became a much talked about subject after some recovering and recovered coronavirus patients were found infected with the disease, whose symptoms include headache, fever, pain under the eyes, nasal or sinus congestion and partial loss of vision.

 

As many as 52 people in Maharashtra have died due to the Mucormycosis disease since the Covid-19 outbreak last year. All of them were Covid-19 survivors, but succumbed to the black fungus infection, the official told PTI.

10:44 AM

India records 3,43,144 Covid-19 cases, 4000 fatalities in last 24 hours

With 343,144 people testing positive for coronavirus in a day, India's Covid-19 tally of cases climbed to 24,046,809, while the death toll rose to 262,317 with 4,000 daily fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

 

The active cases have reduced to 3,704,893 comprising 15.41 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has improved to 83.50 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.

 

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,00,79,599, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.09 per cent, the data stated. Read on...

10:30 AM

Karnataka: People offer Eid-Ul-Fitr namaz at their home following Covid protocols in Hubli

10:28 AM

Thane district reports 1,782 new Covid-19 cases, 70 deaths

With the addition of 1,782 new coronavirus cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra rose to 4,96,104, an official said on Friday.

 

The new cases were reported on Thursday.

 

The virus claimed the lives of 70 more patients, pushing the death toll in the district to 8,311, he said.

 

The mortality rate stood at 1.67 per cent, he added.

10:20 AM

India's vaccine supplies to improve as it braces for Covid-19 third wave

Supplies of Covid-19 vaccines are expected to rise sharply by the end of this year as more candidates become available and raw material bottlenecks are ironed out. This suggests that India will be in a better position to handle a likely third wave, provided it doesn’t strike earlier than year-end.

 

So far, India has vaccinated 37.2 million people with both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, and about 135.5 million have received at least the first jab.

 

Several Indian states have raised concerns over the depleting stocks of vaccines available with them, which will hamper their ability to go ahead with the inoculation drive. Maharashtra, for example, has decided to use the available stocks to vaccinate those above 45 years and suspend the inoculation drive for the 18-44 age group for now. Read on...

9:52 AM

The first oxygen express has reached Chennai from Durgapur: Piyush Goyal

9:36 AM

Coronavirus in India: Latest update by MoHFW

Active cases: 3,704,893 (Net reduction: 5,632)

Deaths: 262,317 (Net increase: 4,000)

Cured: 20,079,599 (Net increase: 344,776)

Total cases: 24,046,809 (Net increase: 343,144)

Total vaccination: 179,298,584 (Increase over previous day: 2,027,162)

9:33 AM

Coronavirus a living organism, has right to live like the rest of us: Trivendra Singh Rawat

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Thursday said that coronavirus is a living organism which has a right to live.

 

"Seen from a philosophical angle, coronavirus is also a living organism. It has the right to live like the rest of us. But we (humans) think ourselves to be the most intelligent and are out to eliminate it. So it is constantly mutating itself," he told a private news channel here.

 

However, he said man needs to outpace the virus to stay safe.

 

Rawat was trolled on social media for his unusual observation on coronavirus as it went viral at a time when the entire country is battling a strong second wave of Covid-19.

 

One Twitter user sarcastically said, "This virus organism should be given shelter in the Central Vista.

9:27 AM

Bodies found floating in river Ganga: Plea in SC seeks probe into deaths

A plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking constitution of a special investigating team headed by a sitting or retired apex court judge to supervise the probe into the death of several persons whose bodies were recently found floating in river Ganga in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

 

The petition has sought directions to the Centre, authorities in states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to conduct post-mortem of the bodies which are found floating in river Ganga to ascertain the cause of death. The plea, filed by advocates Pradeep Kumar Yadav and Vishal Thakre, has claimed that recovery of these decomposed corpses raises issue of serious concern as the river acts as a source of water for many areas and if the bodies were infected by Covid-19, then it might spread in the villages in both the states.

9:27 AM

120 prisoners test positive for Covid-19 in Odisha jails; 2 people die

Two individuals lost their lives and at least 120 prisoners tested positive for Covid-19, as per an official on Thursday.

 

While speaking to the reporters, DIG (Prisons), Subhakanta Mishra said, "Two individuals lost their lives and at least 120 prisoners tested positive for Covid-19. Critical patients shifted to Covid hospitals and 449 convicts released on 90-day parole."

 

To curb the spread, Mishra informed, "Patnagarh Sub-Jail and a cell of Berhampur Jail has been converted into Covid-19 care centre. We are looking into the matter." Read on...

9:22 AM

As many as 311,324,100 samples have been tested in the country up till May 13: ICMR

 As many as 311,324,100 samples have been tested in the country up till May 13 including 1,875,515 samples tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

9:20 AM

7.35 million job losses in April due to coronavirus second wave: CMIE

As the severe second wave of Covid-19 and the resultant lockdowns bring economic activities to a halt, India's job scenario worsened in April 2021.

 

As per data published by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), India's unemployment rate rose 8 per cent in April, against 6.5 per cent in March.

 

"April 2021 turned out to be worse than expectations. We had expected labour participation rate to stabilise at its March 2021 level. The LPR had dropped sharply in March already after a modest fall in February. But, the LPR fell for a third consecutive month in April," CMIE's CEO Mahesh Vyas said. Read on...