Covid LIVE: Maharashtra sees record 985 deaths in a day, over 63,000 cases

Coronavirus live updates | Statewise list of fresh Covid-19 cases: Maharashtra 66,358, Uttar Pradesh 32,921, Kerala 32,819, Karnataka 31,830 and Delhi 24,149 cases. Stay tuned for corona-related news

12:18 PM

Jammu and Kashmir: A 110-bed COVID facility is being set up at indoor stadium in Srinagar

12:04 PM

Covid-19 catastrophe due to incompetent leadership, callousness: Prithviraj

The "incompetent" leadership and "callousness" has driven India to the present Covid-19 catastrophe, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said on Wednesday as he blamed the Centre for the shortage of medical oxygen.

 

In a statement, the former Union minister held the Centre "fully responsible" for the oxygen crisis and demanded, without naming Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, that he be sacked immediately.

 

Chavan also recalled the Union health secretary's remarks made in a press conference on October 20 that India was in an "extremely comfortable position when it came to medical oxygen supply and that there was no shortage".

 

Chavan said the health secretary had stated that the government was proactively planning to install PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) oxygen generating plants in 390 hospitals across the country. Read on...

11:45 AM

'Oxygen Express', carrying 6 Oxygen tankers from Bokaro, arrives in Bhopal

11:09 AM

States are adding hospital beds, but are there enough doctors and nurses?

A pivotal highlight of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s last month’s public address—the state has since imposed a lockdown—was cautioning people that even if the state does add more beds, ventilators and ICUs, constraints like human capital cannot be addressed in the short-run.

 

Last year, Mumbai had to source doctors and nurses from Kerala to get the situation under control. Many other states had to draft fourth- and fifth-year medical students to address the rising cases. The crisis this year is no different. Some hospitals are actively looking for nurses to man their Coronavirus (Covid-19) wards. READ ON...

11:02 AM

SII says can't fulfill state's vaccine requirement: Rajasthan health minister

There are 32.5 million people in the state b/w 18-45 yrs of age. So we'll need 70 million doses of vaccine. Our officers spoke to SII, they'd booked 37.5 million doses. SII told them that they won't be able to supply till May 15 what Centre ordered, how can they supply to us?: Rajasthan Health Minister

10:47 AM

Covid-19 vaccination registration for those above 18 years to begin at 4 pm

10:43 AM

Two people arrested by Punjabi Bagh Police for black marketing of Oxygen cylinders

Two people arrested by Punjabi Bagh Police for black marketing of Oxygen cylinders. Four Oxygen cylinders and one large commercial Oxygen cylinder recovered from their possession.

10:12 AM

Coronavirus in India: Summary of MoHFW data (April 28)

Active cases: 2,978,709 (Net addition: 96,505)

Deaths: 201,187 (Net increase: 3,293)

Cured: 14,817,371 (Net increase: 261,162)

Total cases: 17,997,267 (Net increase: 360,960)

Total vaccination: 147,827,367 (Increase over previous day: 2,556,182)

10:05 AM

Global coronavirus caseload tops 148.3 million: Johns Hopkins University

The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 148.3 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.13 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

 

In its latest update on Wednesday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 148,327,443 and 3,131,250, respectively.

 

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 32,173,059 and 573,355, respectively, according to the CSSE. READ ON...

9:46 AM

'It's Like a War': Scenes inside an India hospital desperate for oxygen

At his crowded emergency room in central Delhi, Ali Raza can’t focus much on when the next delivery of oxygen will arrive -- 12 of his 20 doctors are down with Coronavirus (Covid-19), and the patients just keep coming.

 

“We always anticipated a second wave in April and May, but we never knew it would hit us so hard and so fast,” said Raza, the director of emergency and trauma at Moolchand Hospital. “They arrive gasping and they all need oxygen.” Read on...

9:40 AM

E-commerce companies face double whammy of lockdowns, sick staff

Lockdowns, manpower issues, supply chain constraints and a surge in demand are hampering the delivery service of e-commerce players such as Flipkart, Amazon, and BigBasket.

 

As they witness a huge spike in demand for online shopping, all e-commerce companies are struggling to fulfil their orders on time. The problem is aggravated by the fact that this time, lockdowns are driven by state governments, and every state has different rules for them.

 

“Last year, though the lockdown was much more harsh, it was a national lockdown and there was one point of contact for all rules. This time around, each state has different rules, different times for lockdowns and also the categorisation of essential and non-essential products. From a planning point of view, it becomes very micro,” said a source at a leading e-commerce company on the condition of anonymity. Read on...

9:05 AM

Registration on CoWIN must for those between 18-45 yrs to get vaccine shot

Getting registered on the CoWIN web portal and taking an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine jab would be mandatory for those aged between 18 and 45 years as walk-ins will not be allowed initially, official sources said on Sunday.

 

Those above 45 years can still avail the facility of on-site registration to get vaccinated, they said.

 

As India witnesses a sudden surge in coronavirus cases, it has decided to allow everyone above18 years of age to get vaccinated from May 1. Read on...

8:47 AM

Editorial: RBI's renewed challenges: The second wave could increase risk for the banking system

The Indian economy has been recovering well in recent months but a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases has increased risks. A number of states are imposing restrictions on mobility to contain the virus.

 

While this may be unavoidable in many parts of the country, it will still affect the economy in multiple ways. Apart from growth, disruption in supply chains will also affect inflation outcomes. Read on...

8:30 AM

Maharashtra: Fire breaks out at Prime Criticare Hospital in Mumbra

Maharashtra: Fire broke out at Prime Criticare Hospital in Mumbra, Thane earlier this morning. Four died during the shifting of patients to another hospital. Fire tenders present at the spot.

8:27 AM

Rich countries' vaccine nationalism to backfire as Covid worsens in India

For months, developed economies have hoarded Covid-19 vaccines and the raw materials needed to make them. Now, they’re being forced to act as an explosive outbreak in India raises the risk of new virus mutations that could threaten the wider world.

 

Under mounting criticism for dominating vaccine resources, the U.S. said this week that it will help India by sending items needed to manufacture vaccines as part of an aid package. European countries are also pledging help as new cases in the South Asian country smash world records. President Joe Biden’s administration is separately vowing to share its stockpile of AstraZeneca Plc vaccines -- which the U.S. hasn’t even approved for use -- and meeting with drug companies about boosting supply and waiving intellectual property protections on Covid-19 shots, a shift India and South Africa have been pushing for. Read on...