Covid LIVE: Lockdown restrictions in Bengaluru to be eased from June 14

Coronavirus live updates: Tamil Nadu recorded 17,321 cases in the last 24 hours. Kerala registered 15,204 infections, Maharashtra 10,959, Karnataka 10,959, Delhi 337. Stay tuned for corona-related new

5:23 PM

Delhi reports 305 cases, 44 deaths and 560 recoveries in the last 24 hours

5:10 PM

Bihar govt explains why there is sudden jump in Covid deaths

Facing criticism over revised Covid-19 deaths in Bihar, state's health minister Mangal Pandey on Thursday said that the delay in reporting deaths at village and district level is the main reason for spike in number in Bihar. He said, the government learnt from various sources that the number of deaths could be higher and then started working on it.

 

"We have learnt from different sources including media reports about the actual number of deaths due to Corona in Bihar. Hence, we had directed the district magistrate and civil surgeon of every district to find out the actual number of deaths at village level," Pandey explained why there is a sudden jump in the number of deaths in Bihar.

 

He further said that the reasons for deaths in the last 15 days are also being investigated.

 

"When we received final figures on Wednesday, we put it out in the public domain," Pandey said.

4:58 PM

Andhra Pradesh reports 8,110 new cases and 67 deaths in past 24 hours

4:57 PM

Covid LIVE: Delhi govt cancels Class 9 & 11 exams

4:47 PM

Meril receives nod from ICMR for its indigenous Covid-19 self-test kit

Medtech firm Meril on Thursday said it has received approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for its self-use rapid antigen test kit for COVID-19.

 

The company's indigenous home-use rapid antigen test kits 'CoviFind' will expand access to COVID-19 testing, while also helping the nation meet the demand for increased and frequent screening to curb the spread of the pandemic, Meril said in a statement.

 

The test delivers results swiftly, providing accurate results in 15 minutes, it added.

4:33 PM

Tourism, hospitality suffer losses due to Covid lockdown

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95% realtors fear project delays due to second Covid wave, seek urgent relief

Over 95 per cent developers in the country expect delays in project completion due to the second wave of Covid-19, according to a survey by the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI).

 

The survey also showed that developers feel relief measures from the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are of utmost necessity to avoid delay.

 

The CREDAI report noted that these delays are attributed to a range of factors, with 92 per cent developers experiencing labour shortage at sites, 83 per cent developers are working with less than half the workforce, and over 82 per cent of developers are facing project approval delays.

4:10 PM

Covid vaccine booster can increase immunity, help combat variants: AIIMS doctor

Dr Sanjeev Sinha, Department of Medicine, All India Medical Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi on Thursday revealed that booster dose of the covid vaccine can increase immunity and also help in combating a variant of concern.

 

"Many people who took vaccine in January have seen that they didn't get any serious side effect during the second wave. The vaccine is effective in preventing covid infection, but after six months of inoculation, there is doubt among people that will they have enough antibodies in the body to combat the speculative third wave," Dr Sinha told ANI.

 

He further said that research is going on in India, the US and other European countries and it is seen that booster doses will have a great effect.

4:08 PM

India's weekly Covid positive rate currently pegged at 5.43%: Govt

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Astra Covid vaccine linked with small risk of low blood platelets: Study

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, known in India as Covishield, may be associated with a very small risk of developing a blood condition characterised by low platelet counts, according to a nationwide study in the UK.

 

The increased risk of the condition, known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), is estimated to be 11 per million doses, similar to figures seen in vaccines for flu, and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), the researchers said. READ MORE...

3:49 PM

Social distancing norms flouted in Nagpur

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Jharkhand administration extends Covid restrictions till June 17

Jharkhand govt has extended restriction till June 17 with some relaxation. There will be, however, complete lockdown on every Saturday from 4 p.m. to Monday 6 a.m.

 

The Jharkhand govt has put many restruiction (mini lockdown) in name of Health Safety Week since April 22. All shops are being allowed to open till 4 p.m. in all the districts except East Singhbhum. Earlier secleted shops were allowed to open till 2 p.m. READ ON...

3:35 PM

Ladakh records 55 new Covid cases in a day

Ladakh reported 55 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the virus tally in the union territory to 19,385, officials said on Wednesday.

 

The UT has recorded a total of 195 Covid-related deaths 141 in Leh district and 54 in Kargil district, they said, adding 18,265 patients (94 percent) have recovered from the infection since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

 

Of the new cases, 40 persons tested positive in Leh and 15 in Kargil, officials said. They said 71 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours, bringing down the number of active cases to 925.

3:23 PM

Covid LIVE: There'll be 19 vaccine producers by December, says BJP chief

3:14 PM

Vaccination drive for sportspersons commences in Bengaluru