Covid LIVE: Maharashtra scraps RT-PCR test for fully vaccinated travellers

Coronavirus live updates: Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya denies vaccine shortage in states as Delhi is said to be running low in its reserves.

9:18 PM

Waning immunity, emergence of more transmissible variant can be reasons behind third wave: AIIMS Director

Waning immunity, the emergence of a more transmissible coronavirus variant capable of escaping the immunity shield and lockdown relaxations can be the likely causes of a possible third wave of COVID-19, c Randeep Guleria said Thursday. Speaking at an event, he said the third wave can be mitigated by following Covid-appropriate behaviour such as maintaining social distancing, using masks, and taking vaccine.

 

He said several studies and modelling have been conducted to project the trajectory of a possible third wave of the pandemic under different scenarios.

 

"One such model from an IIT shows that if all restrictions are lifted and if a virus (variant) is also able to escape immunity then the next wave can be bigger than the second wave. "If some restrictions are kept and the virus also remains stable then cases will not be much and if we keep more restrictions then cases will further reduce," he said. Guleria said even if new variants emerge, the available vaccines can be tweaked.

9:14 PM

Mamata writes to PM Modi seeking more Covid-19 vaccines

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an increase in supply of COVID-19 vaccines, as she insisted that her government wanted to inoculate a substantial part of the population before the third wave sets in.

 

In a two-page letter, Banerjee said that the state, as per the intimation of the health ministry, has been allocated 73 lakh doses of vaccine for July.

 

"Unfortunately, only 25 lakh doses have arrived so far this month. Hence, we would earnestly request you to kindly give necessary instructions so that supply in our state is increased and substantial portion of the population is vaccinated before third wave sets in," she wrote.

9:05 PM

Mumbai reports 545 new Covid-19 cases, 13 deaths

Mumbai reported 545 new infections and 13 fresh fatalities on Thursday, taking the COVID-19 tally to 7,29,795 and the death toll to 15,667, the city civic body said.

 

The financial capital witnessed a drop in the new COVID-19 cases, but a rise in fatalities as compared to Wednesday, when it had reported 635 new coronavirus infections and 10 fatalities. With 505 patients getting discharged from hospitals during the last 24 hours, the number of recovered cases climbed to 7,04,764, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The city's COVID-19 recovery rate is 96 per cent, it said.

The civic body said in the last 24 hours, a total of 36,568 tests were conducted for detecting coronavirus, taking the cumulative number of COVID-19 tests to 76,65,037.

8:53 PM

Centre raises Covid norm violations with states, warns against complacency

The Union Health Ministry on Thursday raised with the states the issue of violations in COVID-19 norms in many parts of the country, especially hill stations, and impressed upon them the need for focussed public health measures to check the pandemic.

 

In a letter to all states and Union Territories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said complacency at this juncture has the potential to result in another surge in COVID-19 cases. READ MORE...

8:47 PM

People with learning disabilities highly vulnerable to effects of Covid: Study

A new study has found that people with learning disabilities with COVID-19 are five times more likely to be admitted to hospital and eight times more likely to die compared with the general population of England. The findings of the study were published in the journal 'The BMJ'.

 

Risks were particularly high for those with severe to profound learning disabilities, Down's syndrome, and cerebral palsy.

 

The researchers said prompt access to COVID-19 testing and healthcare is warranted for this group, and prioritisation for COVID-19 vaccination and other targeted preventive measures should be considered.

8:27 PM

Covid LIVE: Strong likelihood of possibly more dangerous variants, says WHO

8:21 PM

India administered more than 35.15 lakh Covid vaccine doses today: Ministry of Health

India administered more than 35.15 lakh Covid vaccine doses today, taking total vaccine coverage to 39.49 crore: Union Ministry of Health

8:20 PM

Karnataka reports 1,977 new coronavirus cases, 48 deaths in 24 hours

Karnataka has reported 1,977 new cases of COVID-19 and 48 deaths, taking the total number of infections till date to 28,78,564 and fatalities to 36,037, the Health Department said on Thursday. The day saw 3,188 people getting discharged thereby continuing to outnumber the fresh cases. The total number of recoveries till date is 28,10,121.

 

Out of the 1,977 new cases, 462 were from Bengaluru Urban. The city saw 501 being discharged and 10 dead. The total number of active cases in the State is 32,383.

8:04 PM

World is in 'early stages' of Covid's third wave, warns WHO chief

The world is now in the early stages of a third wave, amid rising cases of Covid's Delta variant, World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said.

 

The spread of the Delta variant, along with increased social mobility and the inconsistent use of proven public health measures, is driving an increase in both case numbers and deaths, he said at the 8th meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Wednesday.

 

"And after 10 weeks of declines, deaths are increasing again. The virus continues to evolve, resulting in more transmissible variants. Unfortunately, we are now in the early stages of a third wave," Ghebreyesus said. READ MORE...

7:52 PM

Puducherry postpones reopening of schools, colleges

In view of the current COVID-19 situation, Puducherry Education Minister A Namassivayam decided to postpone the reopening of the colleges and educational institutions that were earlier scheduled to be open on July 16.

 

The decision was taken after a meeting of Chief Minister N Rangasamy with the Education Secretary and the Director, followed by a meeting with Deputy Governor Tamizhai Soundararajan, said Namassivayam. On July 11, Rangasamy had announced that schools and colleges would be opened for students from class 9 to class 12 in the first phase from July 16 in Pondicherry. READ ON...

7:45 PM

EU likely to decide on Moderna vaccine shot for kids next week

A top official at the European Medicines Agency said a decision on whether to recommend that Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine be authorised for children is expected late next week. If approved, it would be the first such license for the shot's use in children globally.

 

At a press briefing on Thursday, Dr. Marco Cavaleri, the EU drug regulator's head of vaccines strategy, said its expert committee was currently evaluating Moderna's application to extend the use of its coronavirus vaccine for children 12 to 17 years old.

 

We expect that the committee will reach a conclusion by the end of next week, he said. Moderna's vaccine was given the green light for use in anyone 18 and over across the 27-nation European Union in January. It has also been licensed in countries including Britain, Canada and the US, but so far its use has not been extended to children.

7:29 PM

Strict adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour being undertaken by states: Govt

7:17 PM

Karnataka reports 1,977 fresh Covid cases, 3,188 discharges, and 48 deaths in the past 24 hours

Karnataka reports 1,977 fresh Covid cases, 3,188 discharges, and 48 deaths in the past 24 hours.

 

Active cases: 32,383

Total discharges: 28,10,121

Death toll: 36,037

7:05 PM

Kerala logs 13,773 Covid-19 cases, 87 more deaths

Kerala on Thursday recorded 13,773 fresh COVID-19casespushing the total infection count to 31,17,083 while the number of people who have succumbed to thevirusrose to 15,025 with 87 more deaths.

 

As many as12,370 people have been cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to29.82 lakhand the number of activecasesin the state to 1,19,022, a state government release said. In the last 24 hours,

125,742 samples were tested and the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) was found to be 10.95 per cent. So far,2.49 crore samples have been tested.

6:49 PM

Covid LIVE: 4th session dates of JEE Mains 2021 postponed, says Pradhan