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

11:33 AM

Lack of preparedness greatest failure: Top US scientist on Covid-19

Describing COVID-19 as the worst health crisis in the recent memory, an American scientist leading the research wing of one of the top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world has said that lack of preparedness has been the "greatest failure" of the collective ecosystem.

 

"I don't want to point a finger at anyone. In some ways it's a collective failure of our system. (While) it's the greatest success in our ecosystem our response to COVID-19 you might argue, it's also perhaps the greatest failure of our collective ecosystem, which was our lack of preparedness," Dr Andrew Plump, president of R&D, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, told PTI in an interview. Read on...

11:13 AM

Centralised free Covid-19 vaccination policy begins today for all adults

The centralised free vaccination policy began on Monday under which the government will provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all Indian citizens above 18 years of age.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement in a televised address to the nation and said the central government would take over the nationwide vaccination drive, and the Centre would procure 75 per cent of vaccines and give them to states for free distribution to all citizens above the age of 18.

 

The Centre will also handle the 25 per cent vaccination that was with states till now under the liberalised plan announced earlier. Read on...

11:11 AM

World Coronavirus Update: Argentina reports 10,395 new cases of Covid-19

Argentina reported 10,395 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 4,268,789, as well as another 301 deaths, for a total of 89,043, the Ministry of Health said.

 

The ministry also stated that so far, 3,890,213 patients have recovered from the disease and that there are 289,533 active cases.

 

According to the ministry, 7,366 people are currently hospitalized in intensive care units, with bed occupancy at 72.5 percent nationwide. Read on...

10:50 AM

Arunachal Coronavirus Update: 158 new Covid-19 cases, total tally at 33,081

Arunachal Pradesh reported 158 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, taking the tally to 33,081, a senior health official said.

 

The death toll in the frontier state remained at 159 with no fresh casualties reported in the last 24 hours, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

 

The Capital Complex Region reported the highest number of fresh cases at 52, followed by Kurung Kumey (14) and Changlang (11), the official said.

 

Of the fresh infections, 155 were detected through rapid antigen tests, two through RT-PCR and one via TrueNat methods, the official said. Read on...

10:10 AM

Lowering minimum wage terms may put Indian workers in Gulf at disadvantage

Indian migrant workers, hit by the pandemic-led downturn, are confronted with a new challenge--a reduction in the Minimum Referral Wages (MRW) mandated by the government to protect them from exploitative employers abroad. MRW applies to poorly educated, low skilled blue-collar workers who have to produce an Emigration Check Required (ECR) passport when they seek to migrate to 18 countries for work.

 

The countries seeking ECR clearance include the Gulf Cooperation Council members and others like Sudan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Jordan. But MRW is most critical in the Gulf, a favoured destination for Indian migrants, due to the lack of minimum wage systems in these countries. Read on...

10:00 AM

Covid-19 impact on Ola, Uber lower during second wave; Ola fares better

The impact on app-based cab companies during the second wave of Coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions was lower as compared to the two-month lockdown period last year, with Ola faring better than Uber, according to new data. The mobility sector is amongst the worst hit due to Covid-19 and both Ola and Uber have lost revenue, something that has not been quantified before.

 

Monthly active users (MAUs) – a key metric for app businesses and one that companies guard closely – of Ola and Uber fell 25.2 per cent over March to May 2021 (lockdown 2), compared to a 44 per cent drop from March to April 2020 (lockdown 2), according to App Annie data, reviewed by Business Standard. Cab operations were suspended for 1.5 months in lockdown 1, but were allowed as essential services this time around. That said, bookings are down substantially. Read on...

9:50 AM

Chile players admit violation of coronavirus protocols at Copa America

Players from Chile's squad at Copa America violated the tournament's coronavirus protocols after a "barber" visited the players' hotel in the Brazilian city of Cuiaba.

 

The Chilean soccer federation issued a statement on Sunday saying it "recognises the violation of the health bubble of the squad participating at Copa America, with the unauthorised entry of a barber who, despite his negative PCR test, should not have made contact with the players."

 

The Chilean federation did not give the number or names of players involved, but said they will be fined.

 

"We regret what brought us to this situation and we inform that all members of the squad tested negative for the virus on Saturday," the federation said. Read on...

9:40 AM

Yoga helped many in tackling Covid-19 crisis: Goa CM

Yoga is India's invaluable gift to the world and it has helped several people deal with the Covid-19 crisis, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said while greeting people on the occasion of the International Yoga Day on Monday.

 

The CM participated in a programme at the Aguada Fort in North Goa district in the morning and performed yoga exercises along with others as part of the event.

 

In a Twitter post, he said yoga is the "key for a healthy life".

 

9:30 AM

Coronavirus in India: Latest update by MoHFW

Summary of MoHFW data (June 21)

Active cases: 702,887 (Net reduction: 26,356)

Deaths: 388,135 (Net increase: 1,422)

Cured: 28,844,199 (Net increase: 78,190)

Total cases: 29,935,221 (Net increase: 53,256)

Total vaccination: 280,036,898 (Increase over previous day: 3,039,996)

9:15 AM

Maharashtra Coronavirus Update: 522 new Covid cases in Thane, 28 deaths

Thane has added 522 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 5,28,126, an official said on Monday.

 

These new cases were reported on Sunday, he said.

 

The virus claimed the lives of 28 more people, pushing the death toll in Thane to 10,517, he said, adding that the COVID-19 mortality rate in the district stood at 1.99 per cent.

 

Details of recovered and under-treatment patients were not provided by the district administration.

 

In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,14,888, while the death toll has reached 2,481, another official said. Read on...

9:00 AM

Relevance of Yoga increased during Covid-19 pandemic, says Harsh Vardhan

On the occasion of the seventh International Day of Yoga, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday said that the relevance of Yoga has increased during COVID-19 and asserted that Yoga has helped people to maintain physical and mental health.

 

After performing Yoga at Maharaja Agrasen Park here, Vardhan said, "Relevance of Yoga has increased during COVID-19. Yoga has helped us to maintain our physical and mental health. We should make Yoga or other physical activities a part of our daily life. These will help us to increase our immunity against coronavirus."

 

"I assure you, include yoga in your daily routine, it will increase your body's urgency and inner strength, it will also give you more strength in the fight against Covid," he added.

 

8:54 AM

Researchers explore microbial ecosystem in search of drugs for SARS-CoV-2

Researchers from Yonsei University in South Korea have found that certain commensal bacteria that reside in the human intestine produce compounds that inhibit SARS-CoV-2.

 

The research was presented at the World Microbe Forum, an online meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS), and several other societies that will take place online June 20-24.

 

Previous clinical findings have shown that some patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 have gastrointestinal symptoms, while others showed signs of infection solely in the lungs. Read on...

8:37 AM

Covid-19 leads to cognitive, behavioural problems in patients: Study

COVID-19 patients suffer from cognitive and behavioural problems two months after being discharged from hospital, a new study presented at the 7th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) has found.

 

Issues with memory, spatial awareness and information processing problems were identified as possible overhangs from the virus in post-COVID-19 patients who were followed up within eight weeks.

 

 

The research also found that one in 5 patients reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with 16 per cent presenting depressive symptoms.

8:14 AM

India keen to resume Covid-19 vaccine export to Bangladesh, says envoy

India's Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami on Sunday said that the country is keen to resume the export of Covid-19 vaccines to Dhaka as soon as possible, but there is no word yet when it will resume the export

7:48 AM

Centralised free vaccination policy begins today

The centralised free vaccination policy began on Monday under which the government will provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all Indian citizens above 18 years of age. In a briefing on Friday, the health ministry had said states would be playing a facilitatory role by aggregating demand and vaccination capabilities of private hospitals in the state and ensure the administrations of vaccinations.