Covid LIVE: RT-PCR must for those arriving in India from 7 more nations

Coronavirus updates: India reported on Thursday 47,092 new Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours: the biggest single-day rise in two months.

12:03 PM

Kerala accounts for 70% of India's 47,092 new infections

Kerala accounted for nearly 70% of India's 47,092 new infections and a third of deaths, a week after it celebrated the Onam festival. "With cases rising in Kerala, adequate steps should be taken to contain the inter-state spread of COVID-19," Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a statement after speaking with his state counterparts, Bloomberg reported.

11:32 AM

Arunachal records 71 new cases

Arunachal Pradesh recoded on Thursday 71 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours to take its total to 53,102, PTI reported quoting a civil servant. Deaths due to Covid remain unchanged at 260.

10:51 AM

China to continue caps on international flights: Report

China's aviation regulator is likely to keep the current tight caps on international flights throughout the first half of 2022, analysts cited Air China as saying this week. The move has broad implications for tourism in the Asia-Pacific region, where Chinese outbound travellers normally play an outsized role, though other countries have also been slow to open borders because of relatively low vaccination rates and rising Covid-19 cases, Reuters reported.

10:27 AM

India Covid fatality rate at 1.34%

As many as 3,20,28,825 people have recovered from Covid-19 in India, said the health ministry, adding case fatality rate stands at 1.34 per cent.

9:53 AM

Deaths due to Covid increase to 4,39,529 in India

With 47,092 people testing positive for Covid-19, India's total cases increased to 3,28,57,937 on Thursday. Deaths due to Covid increased to 4,39,529 after 509 people died in 24 hours, said the health ministry. Active cases increased to 3,89,583.

9:42 AM

15.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine thrown away since March 1 in US

At least 15.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were thrown away since March 1 in the United States, at a time when there is a global shortage of vaccines which in turn is leading to deaths in a poor country.

 

According to NBC, pharmacies and state governments in the United States have thrown away at least 15.1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines since March 1.

 

Four national pharmacy chains reported more than 1 million wasted doses each, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in response to a public records request. Walgreens reported the most waste of any pharmacy, state or other vaccine provider, with nearly 2.6 million wasted doses. CVS reported 2.3 million wasted doses, while Walmart reported 1.6 million and Rite Aid reported 1.1 million.

 

9:37 AM

Ahmedabad: Schools for classes 6 to 8 reopen with COVID-19 protocols in place

Adhering to COVID-19 protocols, schools in Gujarat have been reopened for students of Classes 6 to 8 on Thursday.

 

In view of the improved COVID-19 situation in the state, the Gujarat administration has allowed physical classes in schools for students from September 2.

 

Speaking to ANI, Suchita Shukla, teacher of H.B. Kapadia New High school, Ahmedabad said, "We are very happy that the government allowed the permission to reopen the schools for Classes 6 to 8. Our school is following all the SOPs issued by the government. Both children and teachers are very excited to come back to school."

9:35 AM

Global Covid-19 caseload tops 218.3 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 218.3 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 4.54 million and vaccinations soared to over 5.32 billion, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

 

In its latest update on Thursday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload, death toll and vaccination tally stood at 218,327,987, 4,541,140 and 5,326,650,944, respectively.

 

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 39,388,909 and 642,004, respectively, according to the CSSE.

9:21 AM

Covid surge wearing US out in multiple sectors

As the US is surpassing an average of 160,000 new Covid-19 cases a day, the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant and the return of many students to the classroom for a new academic year seriously concern officials and health experts.

 

The pandemic is not only stretching hospitals thin with the surge of patients, particularly unvaccinated people and children, but also wearing the country out in the fields of tourism, tech businesses and social welfare, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

9:11 AM

Meghalaya reports 264 new cases on Wed

Meghalaya on Wednesday reported 264 new cases of Covid-19 to take its total to 76,100, PTI reported Death toll rose to 1,315 after four people succumbed to the disease that day.

8:42 AM

Assam to deny govt facilities to people who don’t vaccinate themselves: Minister

Assam will deny government facilities to people who do not vaccinate for Covid-19, said health minister Keshab Mahanta on Wednesday, according to PTI. Health and state government workers will compile data about those eligible for vaccination and prepare a list, he said. The state reported 11 coronavirus deaths and 573 fresh cases on Wednesday. 

 

8:25 AM

WHO opens pandemic intelligence hub

The World Health Organization opened a new hub for pandemic and epidemic intelligence in Berlin, saying the centre will help give countries the fast analysis they need to respond more quickly to public-health emergencies.

8:23 AM

West Bengal on Wednesday reports 12 new deaths

West Bengal on Wednesday reported 12 new Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours to take its total to 18,459, PTI reported quoting the state health department. Total coronavirus cases in the state increased to 15,49,283 after 679 more people tested positive for the infection.

8:21 AM

WHO chief opposes booster shots for the healthy

The head of the World Health Organisation says he opposes “widespread use of boosters” for healthy people for now, underscoring the need to get doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to poorer countries. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke in Berlin on Wednesday. He says the UN health agency last week witnessed the first decline in new global cases in more than two months, the AP reported.

8:06 AM

Gurugram schools open with low attendance

Forty per cent of schools in Gurugram that opened for students saw zero attendance below Class 10, with students staying with offline classes. For Class 10 and above, attendance was less than 20 per cent in most schools.