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.

11:54 PM

Punjab records 105 fresh Covid cases, three deaths in a day

With 105 new cases, the virus tally in Punjab on Thursday reached 5,98,027 and three more deaths took the toll to 16,212, the medical bulletin said.

 

One death each was reported from Faridkot, Fazilka and Ludhiana. The death toll includes two deaths, which were not reported earlier, it said.

 

The number of active cases stood at 1,332. Bathinda and Ludhiana each reported 16 infections, followed by 12 in Fazilka, as per the bulletin.

11:53 PM

Olympics 2021: Overseas athlete Covid infected in Tokyo

An overseas athlete has tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Tokyo ahead of the Olympic Games, organisers said on Thursday.

 

The Tokyo 2020 organising committee said that the athlete, who tested positive on Wednesday, was observing a 14-day period of self-isolation and has not entered the athletes' village, Japan's state broadcaster NHK reported.

 

This is the first time an overseas athlete who is staying at or was heading to a facility managed by the organising committee has been found to have COVID-19, reports Xinhua.

11:47 PM

Why are Covid vaccination rates low in India and vary across states?

By July 18, India would have administered 400 million Covid-19 vaccine doses. The country has administered the first dose to 23 per cent of the population, and 5.5 per cent of it is fully vaccinated.

 

While some states have administered the first dose to nearly a third of their population, a Business Standard analysis reveals that wide variations in the vaccination strategy across states are keeping India from achieving a desirable vaccination rate.

 

Data reflects that the availability of vaccination sites is a significant hurdle for India to administer vaccines to most of its population. READ MORE...

11:37 PM

Jharkhand reports 54 new coronavirus cases and 62 recoveries

Jharkhand reports 54 new coronavirus cases and 62 recoveries.

 

Active cases: 336

Total recoveries: 3,41,077

Death toll: 5,120

11:37 PM

Over 900 beneficiaries sought financial aid under Delhi govt's Covid relief scheme

Over 900 beneficiaries have applied for monetary assistance under a scheme of the Delhi government to provide financial aid to families who lost their loved ones to COVID-19, officials said on Thursday. They said 522 applications have been received for a monthly pension of Rs 2,500 and 417 for Rs 50,000 one-time ex gratia.

 

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam had launched 'Mukhyamantri COVID-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojana' on July 6.

 

Under the scheme, Rs 50,000 ex gratia will be given to every family that lost a member to COVID-19 and an additional Rs 2,500 per month will be given if the deceased was the sole breadwinner.

11:15 PM

Andhra logs 2,000 more Covid cases, 24 deaths

Andhra Pradesh on Thursday registered 2,526 new Covid cases, raising the state's overall tally over 19.3 lakh, even as its active caseload dropped to 25,526.

 

As many as 2,526 more persons recovered from the disease in the past 24 hours, raising the state's total number of recoveries over 18.9 lakh.

 

East Godavari district reported the highest number of cases at 404, followed by Chittoor (391), Prakasam (308), Krishna (269), West Godavari (235), Nellore (210), Guntur (178), Kadapa (157), Visakhapatnam (119), Srikakulam (91), Anantapur (80), Vizianagaram (49) and Kurnool (35).

11:04 PM

Some Covid vaccination centres may be shut on Friday as Delhi may run out of doses

Some Covid vaccination centres in the national capital are likely to be shut on Friday as the city may run out of jabs, officials said on Thursday. Delhi had 2,38,580 doses of Covaxin and only 19,500 doses of Covishield till Thursday morning, according to a bulletin by the government.

 

It said only 20 per cent of Covaxin stocks are used for administering the first dose in view of limited stocks and irregular delivery cycles. Only 33,187 vaccine doses were administered on Thursday, according to the Cowin portal, while 64,983 doses were administered a day ago. Out of 64,983 doses administered on Wednesday, 45,221 were first doses and the rest second jabs.

10:59 PM

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

10:53 PM

AIIMS Director lists three possible triggers for Covid third wave

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, AIIMS Director 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. READ ON...

10:43 PM

Assam reports 1,992 new Covid cases, and 27 deaths in the past 24 hours

Assam reports 1,992 new Covid cases, 2,498 patient discharges, and 27 deaths in the past 24 hours 

 

Active cases: 19,120

Total discharges: 5,17,041

Death toll: 4,937

10:12 PM

Maharashtra reports 8,010 new Covid cases, 170 deaths, 7,391 recoveries

Maharashtra's coronavirus caseload rose to 61,89,257 with the addition of 8,010 new infections on Thursday, while the death toll jumped to 1,26,560 after 170 patients succumbed to the respiratory illness, a health department official said here.

 

The state witnessed a drop in the daily COVID-19 cases, while the fatalities remained the same as compared to Wednesday, when it had reported 8,602 new infections and 170 deaths. Significantly, Parbhani and Jalgaon cities did not report any new coronavirus infection in the last 24 hours, the official said. READ ON...

10:04 PM

394 mn Covid vaccine doses administered in India so far: Health Ministry

The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India so far has surpassed 39.49 crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday. According to a provisional report at 7pm, more than 35.15 lakh vaccine doses were administered on Thursday.

 

The ministry said 16,59,977 vaccine doses were administered as first dose and 1,61,950 as the second dose in the age group 18-44 years on Thursday. Cumulatively, 11,97,36,449 people in the age group 18-44 years have received their first dose and 43,72,202 their second dose since the start of phase three of the vaccination drive. READ MORE...

9:50 PM

8,010 new Covid cases and 170 deaths in Maharashtra

9:34 PM

Vaccination drive for pregnant women to begin from July 16 in Kerala

The Kerala government's campaign -- 'mathrukavacham' -- to vaccinate all the pregnant women in the state against COVID-19 infection will be inaugurated at the district level here on July 16. The inaugural function will be held at the Thycaud Women's and Children's Hospital in the presence of the District Collector, the health department said on Thursday.

 

Spot registrations for vaccination of pregnant women would be carried out at various government hospitals in the state capital, a release said. It also said that COVID vaccination for pregnant women will be made available in all hospitals in the coming days depending on the availability of the vaccine.

9:28 PM

Telangana sees 710 new Covid cases, 808 recoveries and four deaths in a day

Telangana has reported 710 new Covid-19 positive cases, 808 recoveries and four deaths in the last 24 hours.