Covid LIVE: Zydus plans to make 100 mn-120 mn doses of ZyCov-D annually

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Kerala reported 21,116 new infections, Maharashtra 5,225, Andhra Pradesh (1,501), Tamil Nadu (1,702), Karnataka (1,432), Delhi (25). Stay tuned for corona-related news

1:22 PM

522 people, including 106 children test positive for Covid-19 in Mizoram

At least 522 people, including 106 children, have tested positive for novel coronavirus in Mizoram, pushing the northeastern state's tally to 50,959, a health department official said on Friday.

 

The state also reported two more fatalities in the last 24 hours, which took the death toll to 190, he said.

 

Twenty-nine new cases were detected through RT-PCR test, 471 were detected through Rapid Antigen Test, 21 through TrueNat test and 1 case was detected through Fluorescent Immunoassay (FIA), he said.

 

Of the 522 fresh cases, Aizawl district reported the highest at 281, followed by Kolasib at 93 and Lawngtlai at 46, he said.

 

The single-day positivity rate was 6.79 per cent as the fresh cases were detected from 7,677 samples, the official said.

1:21 PM

Puducherry logs 97 new Covid-19 cases, overall tally rises to 1,22,773

The union territory of Puducherry added 97 fresh coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours taking the overall tally to 1,22,773, a senior Health department official said on Friday.

 

The new cases were identified at the end of the examination of 5,024 samples and the cases were spread over Puducherry (59), Karaikal (17), Mahe (17) and Yanam (four).

 

Director of Health and Family Welfare Services G Sriramulu said no fresh fatality was reported from any of the four regions - Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam - during the last 24 hours ending 10 AM on Friday and the death toll remained at 1,806.

 

The number of active cases stood at 963 with 179 patients in hospitals and remaining 784 in home isolation.

1:10 PM

Centre prepared to tackle possible third wave of Covid-19: Anurag Thakur

The Centre is fully ready to tackle a possible third wave of COVID-19 and a provision of Rs 23,123 has been made for this purpose, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said here on Friday.

 

He said special emphasis is being given to strengthening paediatric care amid apprehension that the third wave may affect children more than others.

 

Thakur, who is on a five-day 'Jan Ashirwaad Yatra' in his home state Himachal Pradesh, was speaking to reporters here. This is his maiden visit to the state after being sworn-in as a Union Cabinet minister. Read on...

12:46 PM

'Bracing for the worst' in Florida's Covid-19 hot zone

As quickly as one Covid patient is discharged, another waits for a bed in northeast Florida, the hot zone of the state's latest surge. But the patients at Baptist Health's five hospitals across Jacksonville are younger and getting sick from the virus faster than people did last summer.

 

Baptist has over 500 Covid patients, more than twice the number they had at the peak of Florida's July 2020 surge, and the onslaught isn't letting up. Hospital officials are anxiously monitoring 10 forecast models, converting empty spaces, adding over 100 beds and bracing for the worst, said Dr. Timothy Groover, the hospitals' interim chief medical officer.

 

Jacksonville is kind of the epicenter of this. They had one of the lowest vaccination rates going into July and that has probably really came back to bite them, said Justin Senior, CEO of the Florida Safety Net Hospital Alliance, which represents some of the largest hospitals in the state.

 

Duval County, which consists almost entirely of Jacksonville, is a racially diverse Democratic bastion, won by Joe Biden. The overwhelmingly white rural counties that surround it went firmly for Donald Trump.

12:32 PM

Covid hotspot India throws up world-beating stocks aided by easy money

The Reserve Bank of India is helping to fan a world-beating share market rally with record-low interest rates and huge injections of liquidity--even as inflation threatens to break back out of its target range.

 

Investors are betting the easy money won’t end anytime soon, with central bank Governor Shaktikanta Das keeping a lid on dissent as he nurses the economy back from its pandemic lows.

 

Overseas funds have poured $7.2 trillion into the nation’s equities this year and net inflows are expected to continue. The market for initial public offerings is on a tear, thanks to a frenzy of interest in startups, and India looks set to attract investors who’ve been scared off by China’s regulatory crackdown. Read on...

12:21 PM

Q1 results: Second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, higher costs take a toll

The quarter ended June 2021 was a disappointment for many sectors as hopes of a demand recovery seen in the January-March period were dashed by the second wave of Covid-19. Moreover, sharp surge in prices of commodities such as steel and energy hurt margins of companies across sectors, including automobile, FMCG and consumer goods, capital goods and infrastructure, among others, compared to the previous quarter. The comparison with the year-ago period is less meaningful, given the stringent lockdowns last year.

 

Rising commodity prices, however, meant gains for producers of metals, which have benefited from continuous rise in global prices on improving prospects in major world economies. Likewise, increased global demand for digital services benefited the country’s IT services companies. Here’s an insight into the June quarter performance of some of India’s key sectors and companies therein. Read on...

12:16 PM

EU, UK digital Covid certificates recognised by IATA Travel Pass

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said that EU Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) and UK NHS Covid Pass can now be uploaded into IATA Travel Pass as verified proof of vaccination for travel.

 

Travellers holding an EU DCC or UK NHS Covid Pass can now access accurate Covid-19 travel information for their journey, create an electronic version of their passport and import their vaccination certificate in one place.

 

This information can be shared with airlines and border control authorities who can have the assurance that the certificate presented to them is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it.

12:13 PM

New Zealand reports 11 new Delta cases of Covid-19 in community

New Zealand reported 11 new Delta cases of COVID-19 in the community on Friday, bringing the total number of cases associated with the current Auckland community outbreak to 31.

 

All cases have or are being transferred safely to a managed isolation facility under strict infection prevention and control procedures, including the use of full PPE, according to the Ministry of Health.Of the 11 new cases, eight are in Auckland and three in Wellington, the first time this community outbreak seen out of Auckland. The three in Wellington had recently travelled to Auckland and visited a location of interest there, said a ministry statement.

12:07 PM

J&J seeks nod to start Covid vaccine trials on children in India

US major Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has now sought permission to conduct trials of its Covid19 vaccine on adolescents aged 12 to 17 years.

 

The company said on Friday that it has submitted an application to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on August 17 to conduct a study of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in India in adolescents aged 12 – 17 years.

11:26 AM

Apple delays return to office until Jan 2022 amid Covid surge

Apple has delayed return to office until at least January 2022, as the US witnesses a surge in cases of the delta variant of Covid-19.

 

The iPhone maker said the employees would get a month's notice before they rejoin work in-person, reports The Verge, citing an internal email.

 

"I know there are feeling of frustration that the pandemic is not yet behind us. For many colleagues around the world, this period has been a time of great tragedy, suffering, and heartbreak. Please know that we are all here to support one another and stand with one another during such challenging times," said, Deirdre O'Brien, senior vice president of people and retail.

10:54 AM

Kerala records 21,116 new coronavirus cases, 197 additional deaths

Kerala on Thursday logged 21,116 fresh COVID-19 cases pushing the total infection count to 37,46,121, as the number of people succumbing to the disease climbed to 19,246 with 197 additional deaths.

 

In the last 24 hours, 1,30,768 samples were tested and the TPR was found to be 16.15 per cent. So far, 2.99 crore samples have been tested, it said. As many as 19,296 people have been cured of the infection since Wednesday, taking the total recoveries to 35,67,492 and the number of active cases to 1,79,303, a state government release said. Among districts, Thrissur led the fray with 2873 followed by Malappuram 2824, Ernakulam 2527, Kozhikode 2401, Palakkad 1948, Kollam 1418, Kannur 1370, Alappuzha 1319, Thiruvananthapuram 955 and Kottayam 925. Of the new cases, 115 are health workers, 102 had come from outside the state and 19,954 were infected through contact with the source of contact being not clear in 945 cases, the release said.

10:11 AM

Coronavirus update: Total number of samples tested up to August 19 is 502,699,702

9:46 AM

Coronavirus in India: Latest update by MoHFW

Summary of MoHFW data (August 20)

Active cases: 363,605 (Net decrease: 524)

Deaths: 433,589 (Net increase: 540)

Cured: 31,561,635 (Net increase: 36,555)

Total cases: 32,358,829 (Net increase: 36,571)

Total vaccination: 572,281,488 (Increase over previous day: 5,471,282)

 

9:00 AM

Karnataka cabinet approves implementation of Mental Healthcare Act for Covid

The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday approved the implementation of the Karnataka State Mental Healthcare Act 2021, which will go a long way in helping the society deeply affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

J. Madhuswamy, Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation, made the announcement on Thursday after the cabinet meeting.

 

The legislation helps in providing healthcare and services for persons with mental health issues. It will protect, promote and fulfil the rights of persons in need of treatment for mental health.

 

Under the act, a State Mental Health Authority will be set up. A committee under the chairmanship of the Director of the NIMHANS Institute will be constituted for the drafting of guidelines for the authority. The authority will also maintain a registry and publish a list of clinical psychologists, nurses, social workers and health workers in the field of mental health.

 

The state act is being implemented in tandem with the Central Mental Healthcare Act, 2017.

8:50 AM

Punjab coronavirus update: One death, 63 fresh virus cases in Punjab

One more person died from coronavirus in Punjab on Thursday as 63 fresh cases took the state's infection count to 6,00,123, according to a medical bulletin.

 

So far, the virus has claimed 16,347 lives in the state.

 

The death toll includes one death, which was not reported earlier.

 

The number of active cases rose to 571 from 545 on Wednesday.

 

Jalandhar and Pathankot reported nine cases each, followed by seven each in Amritsar and Mohali.