Business Standard

Coronavirus LIVE: Mumbai sees 696 cases; 468 in Chennai; 1,263 in Bengaluru

Coronavirus unlock live updates: In view of declining Covid-19 cases, states like UP, Kerala, MP, Rajasthan have relaxed lockdown curbs. Stay tuned for corona-related news

Image BS Web Team New Delhi
Bengaluru

3:19 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Telangana to lift lockdown completely from tomorrow

The state cabinet has decided to lift the lockdown completely. The number of corona cases in the state, the percentage of positivity has dropped significantly and the corona has come under complete control, the decision was taken after reviewing the reports provided by the medical authorities to lift the lock down to this extent: Telangana CMO
3:06 PM

Delta variant likely to become dominant strain in United States: CDC

The Delta coronavirus variant is expected to become the dominant strain in America, Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rochelle Walensky said.
 
The Delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, is more transmissible than others, Xinhua news agency quoted Walensky as saying in an ABC News interview on Friday.
 
"As worrisome as this Delta strain is with regard to its hyper transmissibility, our vaccines work. Read here
3:06 PM

Delta variant likely to become dominant strain in United States: CDC

The Delta coronavirus variant is expected to become the dominant strain in America, Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rochelle Walensky said.
 
The Delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, is more transmissible than others, Xinhua news agency quoted Walensky as saying in an ABC News interview on Friday.
 
"As worrisome as this Delta strain is with regard to its hyper transmissibility, our vaccines work. Read here
3:03 PM

Fauci admits Covid-19 could be 'engineered virus'

US top coronavirus advisor Dr Anthony Fauci on Friday (local time) admitted that Covid-19 could be a lab-invented illness as acknowledged by scientists in February 2020.
 
Fauci said that he was open to the coronavirus lab leak theory all along, saying acknowledged Covid-19 "could possibly be an engineered virus" with the potential of an accidental leak from a lab but maintains that the most likely origin was through zoonotic transmission, reported Fox News.
 
Amid criticism of an inconclusive international probe into the virus' origins and new reports of Covid-related illness in the region weeks before it was officially identified, the theory is once again sparking debate that the virus leaked from Wuhan lab. (ANI)
2:44 PM

India's roadside restaurateurs count the costs of pandemic

Asin Sharma lies idle on a cot near his restaurant by a highway linking India's capital New Delhi with the northern state of Punjab.
 
Few motorists stop at the line of five open-fronted roadside eateries on this stretch of highway. Those who do venture cautiously inside ask only for tea and water. The restaurant's tandoor, a traditional clay oven used for making flatbreads, sits cold and unused.
 
"We are in a very bad situation and the restaurant is on the verge of dying," said the 35-year-old. "We have no work and so many expenses to bear. Our condition is pathetic." Read here
2:35 PM

Global agreement reached at ILO meet on action for Covid-19 recovery

Delegates from 181 countries representing governments, workers and employers at the International Labour Conference (ILC) have adopted unanimously a global call to action for a human-centred Covid-19 recovery that prioritises creation of decent jobs for all and addresses inequalities caused by the crisis.
 
It outlines a comprehensive agenda and commits countries to ensuring that their economic and social recovery from the crisis is "fully inclusive, sustainable and resilient." The agreement includes two sets of agreed actions.
 
The first covers measures to be taken by national governments and their employer along with trade union social partners to achieve a job-rich recovery that substantially strengthens worker and social protections and supports sustainable enterprises. (ANI)
2:22 PM

Third wave of Covid inevitable, could hit India within 8 weeks: AIIMS chief

A third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India is inevitable and could hit the country in the next six to eight weeks, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria told a news channel on Saturday.
 
"As we have started unlocking, there is again a lack of Covid-appropriate behaviour. We don't seem to have learnt from what happened between the first and the second wave. Again crowds are building up... people are gathering. It will take some time for the number of cases to rise at the national level. A third wave is inevitable and it could hit the country within the next six to eight weeks... maybe a little longer," Dr Guleria told NDTV. "It all depends on how we go ahead in terms of Covid-appropriate behaviour and preventing crowds," he added. Read here
2:14 PM

Jharkhand reports 141 new Covid-19 infections, 2 fresh fatalities

Jharkhand's Covid-19 tally rose to 3,44,270 on Saturday as 141 more people tested positive for the infection, while two fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 5,097, a health bulletin said.
 
Ranchi registered the highest number of new cases at 19, followed by East Singhbum and Gumla (18 each) and Hazaribag (14).
 
The fresh fatalities were reported in Ranchi and East Singhbum districts. Read here
2:12 PM

US govt to invest over $3 billion for Covid-19 antiviral medicines

The US government is investing more than $3 billion to accelerate the development and manufacturing of antiviral medicines to treat Covid-19, according to a statement by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
 
The plan, called the Antiviral Program for Pandemics, will respond to the urgent need for the antivirals by spurring the availability of medicines to prevent serious illness and save lives, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying on Friday. Read here
2:00 PM

Mizoram logs 314 fresh Covid infections; caseload at over 16,500

Mizoram's Covid-19 tally rose to 16,750 as 314 people, including over 80 children, have tested positive for the virus, an official said on Saturday.
 
The fresh cases were reported from various districts with Aizawl registering the highest at 240, followed by Lunglei (27) and Siaha (17), he said.
 
The single-day positivity rate was 9.62 per cent as the fresh cases were detected from 3,261 sample tests, he said. Read here
1:27 PM

Covid-19 claims 4 million lives amid rising Delta variant risk: Report

Coronavirus-related deaths worldwide passed a grim milestone of 4 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, as many countries struggle to procure enough vaccines to inoculate their populations.
 
Even as the number of new cases and deaths have abated in countries like the United States and Britain, the Delta variant, first identified in India, is fast becoming the dominant strain around the world.
 
The World Health Organization’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told a news conference: “The Delta variant is well on its way to becoming the dominant variant globally because of its increased transmissability.” Read on...
1:20 PM

Brazil says Copa America's Covid-19 cases increase again from 66 to 82

Brazil's government said that 82 people connected with the Copa America soccer tournament had contracted Covid-19, an increase of 16 infections from the previous day.
 
Brazil's health ministry said in a statement on Friday that 6,926 tests were conducted, with 37 players and staffers of the 10 tournament teams infected plus 45 workers.
 
All four host cities of the tournament, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Cuiaba and Goiania, have cases relating to the tournament. Read on...
1:04 PM

Third wave in India is "inevitable": AIIMS chief

A third Covid wave in India is "inevitable", and it could hit the country in the next six to eight weeks, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria told NDTV. The country's main challenge is vaccinating a huge population and the increase in dose gaps for Covishield "may not be a bad" approach to provide protection to cover more people, he explained.
12:57 PM

30 to 40 countries unable to give second Covid-19 shots: WHO official

Between 30 to 40 countries are unable to provide second doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, especially those expecting jabs from AstraZeneca, officials of the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
 
"We have a huge number of countries currently that have had to suspend the rollout of their second doses of vaccine," Xinhua news agency quoted Bruce Aylward, Senior Advisor to the WHO Director-General on Organizational Change, as saying on Friday.
 
Many countries that were expecting AstraZeneca vaccines from the Serum Institute of India, distributed through WHO-led COVAX program, had seen their supplies being reduced as the manufacturer had to prioritize India's outbreak in April 2021. Read on...
12:47 PM

I express heartfelt condolences on the demise of Flying Sikh Milkha Singh: CDS General Bipin Rawat

I express heartfelt condolences on the demise of Flying Sikh Milkha Singh. He was an inspiration for all of us because of his determination to always succeed no matter how challenging were the odds: CDS General Bipin Rawat

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First Published: Jun 19 2021 | 7:10 AM IST