Covid LIVE: PM Modi lauds record breaking vaccination numbers today

Coronavirus unlock live updates: Kerala reported 11,647 new infections, followed by Maharashtra (9,361), Tamil Nadu (7,817), Andhra Pradesh (5,646). Stay tuned for corona-related news

4:15 PM

US to China: Cooperate on Covid origin probes or face isolation

China must cooperate with fresh probes into the origin of the coronavirus pandemic, else face "isolation in the international community", Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser has said.

 

US President Biden had, last month, ordered intelligence agencies to reinvestigate the origins of the Covid pandemic in China as a way to prevent future pandemics.

 

Led by Biden, world leaders at the recently concluded G7 also pushed for a 'transparent' investigation into the origins of Covid.

3:49 PM

Covid LIVE: Delhi sees 89 new cases in a day; positivity rate at 0.16%

3:36 PM

Odisha logs 3,031 fresh Covid cases, 43 fatalities

Odisha on Monday registered 3,031 fresh COVID-19 cases, raising the tally to 8,80,533, while the death toll mounted to 3,633 with 43 more fatalities, a health department official said. The coastal state now has 36,633 active cases, and a total of 8,40,214 patients have recovered from the disease, including 50,288 since Sunday, he said.

 

Of the new infections detected from all the 30 districts, 1,738 were from quarantine centres and the remaining were local-contact cases. Khurda district, comprising state capital Bhubaneswar, reported the highest number of 381 fresh cases followed by Cuttack (295), Balasore (290) and Jajpur (226).

3:11 PM

Covid LIVE: Karnataka to restart bus ops to AP, Telangana from June 22

2:46 PM

India to have 257 crore Covid vaccine doses by Dec for double dose vaccination of people: J P Nadda

India will have 257 crore Covid vaccine doses by December to take up double dose vaccination of people in full swing, BJP national president JP Nadda said on Monday. He said this while visiting a vaccination centre at the RML hospital in the national capital.

 

Nadda said 130 crore people of the country have come forward to take vaccines on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite the opposition trying to mislead them and create obstructions.

 

"Some leaders opposed vaccines saying they were not guinea pigs or mice. Those who doubted vaccines are now getting them. I want to ask such leaders if it was due to change in their mind, heart or soul," the BJP national president said.

2:37 PM

Only 57 lakh vaccine doses provided to Delhi so far as against requirement of 2.94 crore doses: Manish Sisodia

2:34 PM

SC reserves verdict on Rs 4 lakh compensation to kin of Covid victims

The Supreme Court Monday reserved verdict on the pleas seeking directions that ex-gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh be paid to the families of those who have died of COVID-19.

 

A special vacation bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and M R Shah heard Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate S B Upadhyay and other lawyers for almost two hours.

 

The top court asked the parties to file written submissions in three days and specifically directed the Centre to simplify the process of grant of death certificates to the dependents of those who have died of COVID-19. READ MORE...

2:17 PM

Third wave peak expected around September-October: IIT Kanpur study

An IIT Kanpur study done by Prof. Rajesh Ranjan and Mahendra Verma, along with their team, on Monday said third wave peak of COVID could be around September - October this year.

 

"There is a significant anxiety among policy makers and public about the third wave. For the same, using SIR model, we have constructed the following three scenarios of a possible third wave using the epidemic parameters of the second wave. We assume that India is fully unlocked on 15 July. Scenario 1 (Back-to-Normal): Third wave peak in October but a lower peak height than the second wave. Scenario 2 (Normal with virus mutations): The peak could be higher than the second one and may appear early (September). Scenario 3 (Stricter interventions): The peak of the third wave could be delayed until late October with strict social distancing. Here, the peak will be lower than the second wave," a press statement said.

2:08 PM

So far, 7,998 cases of Mucormycosis including 729 deaths in Maharashtra

1:47 PM

UP targets 6 lakh Covid vaccine doses a day from today, 10-12 lakh from July: Yogi Adityanath

1:17 PM

Companies give Covid-19 vaccines to workers, boosting Japan's rollout

Thousands of Japanese companies began distributing Covid-19 vaccines to workers and their families on Monday in an employer-led drive reaching more than 13 million people that aims to rev up the nation's slow vaccine rollout.

 

Yuka Daimaru, among the Suntory workers getting the shot on a sprawling office floor, was visibly relieved after spending more than a year worrying about the coronavirus.

 

I was nervous, but it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, she said. Now I don't have to worry as much on commuter trains or at meetings. Read on...

12:55 PM

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad visits a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Patna

"I will visit 5 vaccination centres & will meet people who are receiving vaccine. Over 1 crore people got vaccine in Bihar," says the Union Minister & Patna Sahib MP, Ravi Shankar Prasad

12:50 PM

Centre to increase pace of Covid-19 vaccination in July-August: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the central government has decided to increase the pace of vaccination against COVID-19 in July and August.

 

Talking to reporters after visiting a vaccination centre here, Shah said with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to provide free vaccine against COVID-19 to people aged 18 and above, "we will fast achieve the goal of inoculating almost everyone".

 

"The central government has decided to increase the pace of vaccination in July and August," he added.

 

Shah said from Monday morning, an important journey has started in the fight against COVID-19 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Read on...

12:32 PM

Vietnam receives fresh batch of China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines

Vietnam has received a fresh batch of China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines as part of the country's efforts to fight the worst wave of the pandemic.

 

A brief handover ceremony was held at the Noi Bai International Airport here on Sunday, which was attended by Vietnam's Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long and Chinese Ambassador to Hanoi Xiong Bo, reports Xinhua news agency.

 

Vietnam pledges to quickly and safely administer the vaccines to those in need, Long said.

 

In his speech, Xiong said: "I believe this batch of vaccines will help both Vietnam's epidemic prevention and control and its socioeconomic development." Read on...

12:01 PM

Second wave of Covid-19 pandemic delays work under new OALP blocks

Companies that have bid for developing new acreages of oil and gas under a revised policy regime in India will delay production on account of pandemic-related difficulties.

 

In most cases the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have stalled the development of the fields awarded from 2018 onwards.

 

To date, the Centre has awarded 105 Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) blocks under the revenue-sharing regime through five rounds of auction. The OALP bid rounds saw most blocks on offer being awarded to Vedanta, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), and Oil India Ltd (OIL).

 

Global major BP Plc and its partner Reliance Industries (RIL) had also emerged winner for one block. Read on...