Covid LIVE: 11,958 cases in Karnataka; Kerala lockdown extended till Jun 16

Coronavirus live updates: Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat have announced the partial lifting of restrictions from today. Stay tuned for corona-related news

9:51 AM

Andaman and Nicobar Islands update: 14 new cases push tally of to 7,119

The Covid-19 caseload in Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 7,119 as 14 more people tested positive for the disease in the Union Territory, a health department official said on Monday.

 

Of the new patients, two have travel history and others were detected during contact tracing, he said.

 

The death toll remained at 122 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours.

 

At least 18 people were cured of the disease during the period, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 6,894. Read on...

9:40 AM

Coronavirus in India: Latest update by MoHFW

Summary of MoHFW data (June 7)

Active cases: 1,401,609 (Net reduction: 76,190)

Deaths: 349,186 (Net increase: 2,427)

Cured: 27,159,180 (Net increase: 174,399)

Total cases: 28,909,975 (Net increase: 100,636)

Total vaccination: 232,786,482 (Increase over previous day: 1,390,916)

8:59 AM

Delta variant around 40 per cent more transmissible, says UK minister

The Delta variant of Covid-19, or the B1.617.2 variant first identified in India, is around 40 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha or so-called Kent variant of concern (VOC), UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday.

 

The senior Cabinet minister said the spread of the Delta variant, behind a recent rise in coronavirus infections in the country, had made the unlocking plans set for June 21 more difficult.

 

However, he pointed out that a majority of those in hospital as a result of the Delta variant had not had a vaccine at all and only a "small minority had had both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, which the minister said reflects the scientific advice that one vaccine is not quite as effective against the Delta VOC as against the Alpha variant but both doses are just as effective. Read on...

8:42 AM

Nearly 200,000 DU students to appear in online exams from today

Nearly 200,000 final semester undergraduate and postgraduate students are expected to take the online open book exams in Delhi University that will commence from today.

 

The examination branch officials held a meeting on Sunday with college principals and nodal officers to discuss the modalities of evaluation and results, DS Rawat, Dean(Examinations) said.

 

"The meeting was held to discuss how to tackle the issues that arise. We want to start the evaluation process on Tuesday. Earlier, the process would start late. The papers will be held in two shifts -- 9 AM to 12 noon and 2 PM to 5 PM," he said.

8:38 AM

Covid crisis: Shop, eatery owners in Delhi, Mumbai expect muted unlocking

As Maharashtra and New Delhi start unlocking in phases today, restaurant owners and shop keepers are keeping their expectations resolutely low.

 

In Mumbai, dining in has been permitted in restaurants on weekdays up to 50 per cent capacity from 7 am to 4 pm. On weekends, only take-aways and home deliveries will be allowed.

 

In Delhi, markets and malls will re-open on an odd-even basis, with shops permitted to operate from 10 am to 8 pm. Read on...

8:19 AM

Covishield shows better antibody response than Covaxin, says study

Indian health care workers who were administered Covishield have shown better antibody response than the Covaxin recipients, revealed a recent study.

 

The study, published in an online archive for unpublished manuscripts in medical sciences medRxiv, showed that after two shots of the vaccines, 98 per cent recipients of Covishield showed antibody response, while the same was 80 per cent among Covaxin recipients.

 

The study published by a group of doctors - Awadhesh Kumar Singh, Sanjeev Ratnakar Phatak, Ritu Singh, Kingshuk Bhattacharjee, Nagendra Kumar Singh, Arvind Gupta, and Arvind Sharma – has not been peer-reviewed yet. The researchers have declared no competing interest and that no funding was received for this cross-sectional study. Read on...

8:11 AM

World coronavirus update: Morocco to resume international passenger traffic on June 15

Morocco will reopen its airports and ports to international passenger traffic from June 15, both for its own citizens and foreign nationals, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

 

All travellers will be admitted into the country if they have been vaccinated against Covid-19 or had a negative PCR test, the ministry said in a statement.

 

Nationals of countries where the coronavirus is surging or those lacking reliable data will have to provide a special permit to enter Morocco and have a negative test, it said.

 

Morocco has last month eased a set of restrictive measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic, allowing cinemas and theatres to re-open as it continues its vaccination campaign.

 

The North African country has so far outperformed others on the continent by administering 5 million doses of the AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines, as it pursues plans to inoculate all people aged over 17.

7:58 AM

Maharashtra coronavirus update: 12,557 new cases recorded

Maharashtra sees 12,557 new coronavirus cases and 233 deaths in last 24 hours, according to the state health department

7:35 AM

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Uttarakhand govt extends restrictions till June 15

7:30 AM

Coronavirus update: Bengal reports 7,002 new Covid-19 cases, 107 fresh fatalities

West Bengal's Covid-19 tally rose to 14,26,132 on Sunday as 7,002 more people tested positive for the infection, while 107 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 16,259, a health bulletin said.

 

North 24 Parganas district reported the highest number of fresh fatalities at 34, followed by 23 in Kolkata.

 

Fifty-three of the deaths were due to comorbidities where Covid-19 was incidental.

 

As many as 15,882 more people were cured of the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 13,74,419.

7:21 AM

Coronavirus India updates: Haryana, Sikkim extend lockdown till June 14

As many states have started unlocking, Haryana and Sikkim Sunday announced to extend their lockdowns till June 14, however offering some relaxations too.