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

9:16 AM

Mixing AstraZeneca and Pfizer shots triggers more fatigue, headaches: Study

Mixing doses of two leading Covid-19 vaccines increased patients’ side effects such as fatigue and headaches in early findings from a study that has yet to show how well such a cocktail defends against the virus.
 

People who got a first dose of AstraZeneca Plc’s shot followed by Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine four weeks later reported more short-lived side effects, most of them mild, researchers from the University of Oxford reported in The Lancet medical journal. That was also true when the order of the shots was switched. Read on...

9:15 AM

States go slow on projects, halve borrowing even as Covid wreaks havoc

States are going slow on fundraising from the market at a time when the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has turned out to be far more disastrous than the first wave. Ratings agency Care Ratings has said the aggregate state government borrowing so far this fiscal year has been 54 per cent less than the corresponding borrowings last year. “Only 12 states and one Union Territory (UT) have raised a total of Rs 37,200 crore so far in FY22, as opposed to the 22 states and one UT that raised Rs 81,005 crore in the comparable period of FY21,” it said. Read on...

9:12 AM

World Coronavirus Dispatch: Vaccine spree by rich hiding global suffering

Falling case loads in wealthy nations due to rocket-speed vaccinations may give a false sense of security that everything is fine and may also hide the suffering of millions of people from the pandemic who don't have access to vaccines. Despite declining trends in the developed world, more than 600,000 new Covid cases are being reported globally each day on an average, as epidemics in countries like Colombia, Brazil and Malaysia refuse to die down. Global health officials stress that more international coordination is required to fix the inefficiencies and inequities in vaccination drives. READ ON...

9:08 AM

Coronavirus in India: Puducherry reports 1,942 new Covid-19 cases

Puducherry reports 1,942 new Covid-19 cases, 912 recoveries and 24 deaths in the last 24 hours

Active cases: 16,568

8:49 AM

40% of India's total Covid-19 deaths during a relentless second wave

The second wave of Covid-19 has seen a significant rise in the number of recorded deaths, with the total toll since the pandemic hit India in 2020 crossing 250,000 this week. Around 40 per cent of these deaths have occurred since the beginning of March this year. Read on...

8:22 AM

Karnataka SSLC Examination slated to begin from June 21 postponed

Karnataka SSLC Examination slated to begin from June 21 have been postponed

8:18 AM

Huge public-pvt effort needed to boost health if there's third Covid wave

For the inevitable third wave of Covid-19, the public and private sector will have to unite for a massive ramp-up of medical infrastructure that goes far beyond hospitals and equipment.

 

Experts say India must draw lessons from its own and other countries’ experience by anticipating needs, from fixing the supply chain for medicines, equipment and raw materials to scientific analysis of how the virus might behave in future and the groups likely to be impacted.

 

One first step, they say, is to understand that India needs at least three times the number of beds from its current capacity of 1.35 beds per 1,000 people (industry estimates). According to rough estimates, India has 100,000 ICU beds. It needs 400,000. Read on...

8:00 AM

Times Group chairperson Indu Jain dies at 84 due to Covid-19

7:56 AM

India would be reasonable in extending gap between Covishield shots: Fauci

Dramatically ramping up Covid-19 vaccination drive is key to ending the crisis in India and extending the gap between two doses of Covishield is a "reasonable approach," White House chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci told ANI in an exclusive interview on Thursday.

 

"When you are in a very difficult situation, the way you are in India, you have to try and figure out ways to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as you can, so I believe that it is a reasonable approach to do," Fauci said.

 

On Thursday, the Government of India announced that the gap between the first and second doses of the Covishield COVID-19 vaccine has been increased to 12-16 weeks - from the existing 6-8 weeks. This is for the second time in three months that Covishield dosage intervals have been widened and this move has once again garnered criticism, as a cover-up for not having enough vaccines for the people in India. However, Dr Fauci said that this "extended interval" is beneficial even from the efficacy standpoint. Read on...

7:40 AM

2 vaccine producing companies should share their formula with other companies: Delhi health minister

If states have to buy vaccines from outside, Centre should provide to all states. The 2 vaccine producing companies should share their formula with other companies. They shouldn't be allowed to sell vaccines for more than Rs 150. I've requested Union Health Min: Delhi Health Minister

7:38 AM

Karnataka getting 765 MT of Oxygen as against 1015 MT allocated by Centre, says CM

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday informed that the Centre had increased the state's oxygen supply from 965 metric tonnes (MT) to 1015 MT. However, he said that the state is getting only 765 MT daily.

 

While addressing a press meet, CM Yediyurappa said, "Centre increased our oxygen supply from 965 MT to 1015 MT. We are getting 765 MT within the state. We are trying to get oxygen from other states as well." Read on...

7:32 AM

Coronavirus India update: 187 districts continue to show decline in cases since last 2 weeks

187 districts continue to show decline in cases since last 2 weeks: Lav Agarwal, Union Health Ministry, Joint Secretary

7:22 AM

Delhi coronavirus update: 10,489 new Covid-19 cases and 308 deaths in the last 24 hours

Delhi reports 10,489 new Covid-19 cases, 15,189 recoveries and 308 deaths in the last 24 hours.

 

Total cases 13,72,475

Total recoveries 12,74,140

Death toll 20,618

Active cases 77,717