Coronavirus India News Highlights: Today is the 102nd day since India implemented a nationwide lockdown, to curb the novel coronavirus pandemic. India is the fourth most affected nation in world, and has so far recorded 6,48,315 cases, which includes 18,655 deaths, as per Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Gujarat have reported the highest number of cases.
Globally, there have been over 110.4 lakh confirmed cases of COVID-19. At least 5.24 lakh people have died so far, as per the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre. The United States, Brazil, Russia, India and the United Kingdom are the most-affected countries.
23 more test positive for COVID-19 in Nagaland, total tally rises to 562
At least 23 more people havetested positive COVID-19 in Nagaland, raising the total tallyto 562, state health minister S Pangnyu Phom said on Saturday.
Of the 23 new cases, 21 are from Peren district andtwo from a quarantine centre in Kohima, he said. (PTI)
Coronavirus India LIVE updates | 45 more test positive for COVID-19 in Uttarakhand; total rises to 3,093
Forty-five more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Uttarakhand on Saturday, taking the number of confirmed cases in the state to 3,093.Of the new cases, 17 were reported in Udham Singh Nagar, eight in Dehradun, six in Bageshwar, five in Uttarkashi, four in Nainital, two in Almora and one case each was reported from Pauri, Tehri and Haridwar, a Health department bulletin said.As many as 2,502 COVID-19 patients have recovered in the state so far, 42 have died and 27 have migrated, it said. (PTI)
Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi moved to military hospital after testing positive for COVID-19
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was shifted to a military hospital in Rawalpindi on Saturday, a day after he tested positive for the coronavirus and went into self-isolation.
Qureshi on Friday announced that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, joining a long list of Pakistani lawmakers who have contracted the deadly virus.
"I have now tested positive for Covid-19. By the grace of Allah, I feel strong and energetic. I will continue to carry on my duties from home. Please keep me in your prayers,"he said in a tweet. (PTI)
Assam Raj Bhavan campus declared containment zone after 2 COVID-19 cases
The RajBhavancampus and its surrounding areas inGuwahatiwere sealed and declared a containment zone on Saturday after two persons of the Governor's Office tested COVID-19 positive, an official said. To maintain public hygiene and prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading in the area, it has been declared a containment zone and theGuwahaticircle officer has been directed to seal the area immediately,KamrupMetropolitan District Deputy CommissionerBiswajitPegu said. (PTI)
Over 6,000 COVID-19 patients in home isolation in Telangana
More than 6,000 COVID-19patients are presently being treated in home isolationinTelanganaand the state government is ramping up testing and the facilitiesto deal with the pandemic, a senior Healthofficial said on Saturday.
"After Delhi, the highest number of positive cases inhome isolation are inTelangana. While 12,000 cases have beenkept in home isolation for the last one month, at present6,552 cases are in home isolation," state Director of PublicHealth GSrinivasaRaotold reporters here. (PTI)
2,505 fresh COVID cases in Delhi take tally to over 97,000; death toll crosses 3,000-mark
Delhi recorded 2,505 fresh coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the tally in the city to over 97,000, while the death toll from the disease mounted to 3,004, authorities said.Fifty-five fatalities have been recorded in the last 24 hours, the Delhi health department said in a bulletin.
It also said that 26 earlier deaths have been included in the cumulative figure.The bulletin said the death toll from coronavirus infection has risen to 3,004, and the total number of cases mounted to 97,200. (PTI)
TN reports 4,280 new COVID-19 cases, 65 fatalities; 13 lakh samples tested so far
For the third consecutive day,Tamil Nadu on Saturday reported over 4,000 new coronaviruscases and the tally touched 1.07 lakh cases. The number of cumulative samples tested in Tamil Naducrossed the 13 lakh mark and as on date 13,06,884 specimenshave been examined, a health department bulletin said.
Today alone, 36,164 samples have undergone scrutiny in 94 labs (49 in government and 45 in private sector) in the state. (PTI)
Coronavirus in Bangladesh LIVE updates | Bangladesh records 3,288 new COVID-19 cases, death toll nears 2,000
Bangladesh has reported 3, 288 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 1,59,679, while nearly 2,000 people have succumbed to the novel coronavirus, a senior health official said on Saturday.
A total of 29 people died from coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, pushing the number of fatalities to 1,997, said Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director general (administration) of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). (PTI)
Coronavirus in Kerala LIVE updates | Kerala reports highest single-day spike of 240 COVID-19
Kerala's COVID-19tally breached the 5,000 mark on Saturdaywith 240 fresh casesbeing reported, the highest single day surge so far. Of the positive cases, 152 had come from abroad and52 from other states, Health minister KK Shailaja said in apress release here.With the addition of the fresh cases, the infectioncount has touched 5,204.
According to the release, there have been209 recoveries today.About 1.77 lakh people are under observation invarious districts. (PTI)
Coronavirus in Meghalaya LIVE updates | 7 more test positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya, total active cases 25
Seven more persons have testedpositive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya, raising the number of active cases in the state to 25, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Saturday. Of the seven, three are BSF personnel, he said.
"4 persons who were high-risk contacts of a COVID19patient who is presently in Assam have tested positive for thesame in Ri Bhoi District," the chief minister tweeted."3 more persons from BSF have tested positive forCOVID 19 in Shillong," he added. (PTI)
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | No 'Kanwar Yatra' in Odisha this year due to COVID-19 pandemic
The Odisha government on Saturday announced a ban on "Kanwar Yatra" by devotees of Lord Shiva during Shravan month this year, amid the rising number of novel coronavirus cases in the state.In view of the pandemic, the state government has decided not to allow 'Kanwariyas' or 'Bol Bam' devotees (disciples of Lord Shiva) to collect water from rivers, ponds and other water bodies and offer prayer at different Shiva temples on every Monday during Shravan month starting from July 6, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena said. (PTI)
Iran imposes new curbs as coronavirus toll rises
Iranians who do not wear masks will be denied state services and workplaces that fail to comply with health protocols will be shut for a week, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday as he launched new measures to try to curb the coronavirus. Iran has been battling the spread of the coronavirus, with the total number of cases hitting 237,878 on Saturday and a further 148 deaths bringing the country's toll to 11,408, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on state television.
Wearing masks becomes mandatory from Sunday in covered public places, Rouhani said on state television after tougher curbs were imposed in cities and towns in five provinces where the outbreak is rising after an easing of lockdowns from mid-April. "Government employees should not serve people who do not wear masks and employees who do not wear them should be considered absentees and sent home," said Rouhani. (Reuters)
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | Indian-led team develops cheap, electricity-free centrifuge for COVID-19 testing
Researchers, led by an Indian scientist, have developed a cheap, electricity-free centrifuge to separate components in patient saliva samples for the detection of the novel coronavirus, an innovation that may increase accessibility of COVID-19 diagnostics in poor regions of the world.According to the scientists, including Manu Prakash from Stanford University in the US, the 'Handyfuge' device spins tubes containing patient saliva at very high speeds, enough to separate the virus genome from other components in the sample, without needing electricity. (PTI)
Mizoram postpones opening of schools for 2020-21 academic session
The Mizoram government has postponed the opening of schools for the 2020-21 academicsession for an indefinite period as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease, a minister said. The government had earlier decided to open educationalinstitutions for the current academic session from July 15.
Mizoram education minister Lalchhandama Ralte said thedecision to defer the opening of schools was in line with theCentre's directives."We would not be able to open schools during thismonth as the Union Ministry of Home Affairs directed all thestates not to open educational and training institutes tillJuly 31 due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in the country,"Ralte said on Friday. (PTI)
Coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh LIVE updates | AP reports 765 fresh COVID-19 cases, 12 deaths take toll to 218
Andhra Pradesh reported 765new COVID-19 cases on Saturday taking the overall tally ofinfections in the state to 17,699, the government said. The state also saw 12 coronavirus-related deaths,taking the toll to 218.The 12 deaths were the highest in a day in the stateso far. (PTI)
Coronavirus in Chandigarh LIVE updates |
Five new COVID-19 cases recorded in Chandigarh today, taking total number of cases to 459 out of which 59 cases are active: Chandigarh Health Department (ANI)
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | COVID-19 patient kept in ambulance for one day for want of bed
Family of a 64-year-old man who succumbed to coronavirus infection in neighbouring Navi Mumbaihas alleged that he had to be kept in an ambulance for a wholeday before he could be admitted to a hospital.When he was finally admitted, the family did not havethe money to buy an injection that cost Rs 32,000.
The man,who performed in a music band, died on June 25."He developed coughing and breathing problem on June20. We took him to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's(NMMC) COVID hospital at Vashi," his son told PTI.
Coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh LIVE updates | UP records 24 more deaths, 757 fresh cases
The death toll due to COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh reached 773 on Saturday with 24 more fatalities, while the total number of cases in the state mounted to 26,554 as 757 fresh infections were reported in the last 24 hours, an official said.Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said there are 7,627 active cases in the state.
So far, 18,154 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the disease.The state has a recovery rate of 68.36 per cent, he said.Prasad said the testing capacity in Uttar Pradesh has crossed 25,000 tests per day and 26,061 samples were tested on Friday. (PTI)
Coronavirus in Tamil Nadu LIVE updates | TN crosses one lakh COVID-19 mark; more tests, early detection
Tamil Nadu may have breached thegrim benchmark of one lakh COVID-19 infections, racing tosecond place in the country behind Maharashtra, but thegovernment says ramped up testing and early detection areamong the factors leading to reporting of such high numbers. The southern state's numbers as on Friday clocked a totalof 1,02,721 with 1,385 deaths, while recoveries stood at58,378. The recovery rate is 57 percent. (PTI)
Week-long total lockdown in Arunachal's Capital Complex from July 6
The Arunachal Pradesh government on Saturday announced that a week-long total lockdown will be imposed in the Capital Complex, comprising Itanagar and Nagarlagun, from July 6 in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, a top official said on Saturday. The total lockdown will be imposed at 5 am on July 6 and will be in place till 5 pm on July 12, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar told reporters here. (PTI)
A 53-year-old Indian worker in the UAE has missed a special repatriation flight after he dozed off at the Dubai International Airport, a media report said.
P Shajahan, who worked as a storekeeper in Abu Dhabi, was supposed to fly to Thiruvananthapuram on the Emirates jumbo jet chartered by the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) Dubai, Gulf News reported.
It was the first-ever jumbo jet chartered for repatriation.
The Arunachal Pradesh government on Saturday announced that a week-long total lockdown will be imposed in the Capital Complex, comprising Itanagar and Nagarlagun, from July 6 in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, a top official said on Saturday.
The total lockdown will be imposed at 5 am on July 6 and will be in place till 5 pm on July 12, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar told reporters here.
Tamil Nadu may have breached the grim benchmark of one lakh COVID-19 infections, racing to second place in the country behind Maharashtra, but the government says ramped up testing and early detection are among the factors leading to reporting of such high numbers.
The southern state's numbers as on Friday clocked a total of 1,02,721 with 1,385 deaths, while recoveries stood at 58,378. The recovery rate is 57 percent.
More than 45 per cent of the over 5.96 lakh COVID-19 tests in Delhi were conducted in the last 16 days, after the government started testing through the rapid-antigen methodology in and around containment zones of the national capital.
Rapid-antigen tests started in the city on June 18.
Since then a total of 2,75,396 tests through the RT-PCR (reverse transcription�polymerase chain reaction) and rapid-antigen methods have been conducted in Delhi with around 17,000 tests per day.
Of this, around 1.5 lakh people have been tested through rapid-antigen kits, according to the Delhi government's health bulletins.
Australia's Victoria state recorded 108 new coronavirus cases Saturday, forcing authorities to lock down nine public housing towers and three more Melbourne suburbs.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said 3,000 people in the housing towers would go into "hard lockdown, meaning there will be no one allowed in ... and no one allowed out. Residents in the Flemington and Kensington housing units will receive deliveries of food and medicine, along with alcohol support.
Coronavirus India LIVE updates | AIIMS, Rishikesh dedicates new 100-bed ward to COVID-19 patients
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh on Saturday started functioning a new ward with 100 beds for COVID-19 patients. The decision to dedicate a new ward to COVID-19 patients was taken in view of rising cases of the pandemic in the state, said dean hospital administration Brigadier Udai Bhaskar Mishra.
The number of beds in the ward at present is 100 and it will soon be increased to 300, he said. (PTI)
Coronavirus in Indonesia LIVE updates | Indonesia reports 1,447 new coronavirus infections, official says
Indonesia reported 1,447 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto said, taking the southeast Asian nation's tally to 62,142, while 53 more deaths took its toll to 3,089. (Reuters)
Coronavirus in Russia LIVE updates | Russia's coronavirus cases near 675,000, death toll passes 10,000
Russia on Saturday reported 6,632 new cases of the novel coronavirus, raising the nationwide tally of infections to 674,515. The authorities said that 168 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 10,027. (Reuters)
Coronavirus in Odisha LIVE updates | Odisha's COVID-19 death toll mounts to 34; virus count rises to 8,601
Five more people died of COVID-19 in Odisha, taking the death toll to 34, while the total number of cases reached 8,601 with the detection of 495 fresh infections, a health official said on Saturday.Ganjam reported three fresh deaths while Bhubaneswar (Khurda district) registered two fatalities, he said.Another COVID-19 patient died in Cuttack district but the Health Department attributed the fatality to other ailments, taking the count of such deaths in the state to nine, the official said. (PTI)
India's COVID-19 vaccine programme has gained sudden traction but it is imperative to strike a balance between giving it high priority and rushing into a process that takes months, even years, several scientists said on Saturday, a day after the ICMR announced it envisaged a preventive by next month.
There was hope but caution too as the Indian Council of Medical Research on Friday said it aims to launch the world's first COVID-19 vaccine by August 15. The same day, Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila announced it has got the Drugs Controller General of India's (DCGI) nod for human clinical trials for a potential vaccine.
Coronavirus cases may have shot up by a whopping 14,000 in just over a month in Andhra Pradesh, but the state government said the pandemic spread is at a "manageable" level right now.
'R naught', which indicates the scale of transmission of an infection in AP is now 1.2 to 1.3, indicating that the "numbers are under control."
"It becomes uncontrollable if R naught crosses 2," Special Chief Secretary (Health), K S Jawahar Reddy said. About 60-70 per cent of the Covid-19 positive cases being reported now were asymptomatic, he pointed out.
A 53-year-old man succumbed to COVID-19 at a hospital in Puducherry while 80 fresh cases were reported, pushing the infection tally in the union territory to 904.
Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar told PTI on Saturday that the patient, a chain smoker, from this town died of the illness at the Indira Gandhi government medical college hospital here.
"The man had respiratory trouble also although he had no other complications such as diabetes and blood pressure. He tested positive for infection. His conditioned worsened and he died on Friday.
As the coronavirus pandemic ravages human lives and economies across the world, Lord Buddha's message of shunning vices like hatred and violence to find happiness serves like a beacon, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Saturday.
"We all know that the moment the virulence of coronavirus slows down, we have a far more serious challenge of climate change before us," he said at a virtual event organised by the International Buddhist Confederation at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Concerned over the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Surat, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel arrived in the city on Saturday to take stock of preparedness to tackle the pandemic.
Surat has seen a worrisome rise in coronavirus cases over the last few days, with several persons testing positive at Katargam, Varachha and Sarthana localities, which are home to diamond polishing units and workers.
Asserting that scientific advances cannot be "made to order", CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday alleged the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) was trying to fast track the production of a coronavirus vaccine so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could make the announcement on Independence Day.
The apex research body on Friday wrote to select medical institutions and hospitals to fast-track clinical trial approvals for the coronavirus vaccine candidate Covaxin being developed in collaboration with Bharat Biotech which it plans to release on August 15.
Twenty more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday, taking the state's tally of coronavirus patients to 252, a senior health official said.
Of the fresh cases, eight were reported from West Kameng district and six each from the capital complex and Changlang, Surveillance Officer Dr L Jampa said.
In a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Ahmedabad civic body in Gujarat has identified 26 new micro containment zones in the city, which is the biggest COVID-19 hotspot in the state.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said that intense door-to-door surveillance will be carried out to detect new cases in these micro containment zones, where movement of people is restricted.
Pakistan reported 3,387 new coronavirus cases and 68 deaths during the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the country to 225,283 and the death toll to 4,619, according to official figures on Saturday.
Most coronavirus cases have been reported from Sindh with 90,721 cases, followed by Punjab with 80,297 cases, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 27,506 cases, Islamabad 13,292 cases, Balochistan 10,717 cases, Gilgit-Baltistan 1,536 cases and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 1,214 cases.
In the last 24 hours, 3,387 new coronavirus cases and 68 deaths were reported in the country, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said.
Singer-songwriter Prince Royce has revealed that he has tested positive for coronavirus and urged his fans to strictly follow the social distancing guidelines.
The 31-year-old singer posted a video message on Instagram, saying he was diagnosed with COVID-19 almost two weeks ago, even though he has been taking precautions against the disease.
Uttar Pradesh Rural Development Minister Rajendra Pratap Singh (Moti Singh) and his wife have been admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences here after they tested positive for COVID-19.
Asked about his health, Singh told PTI on Saturday, "I am fine."
With 22,771 people testing positive for coronavirus in the highest single-day spike so far, India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 6,48,315 on Saturday, while the death toll rose to 18,655 with 442 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
With a steady rise, the number of recoveries stands at 3,94,226 and one patient has migrated. There are 2,35,433 active cases of coronavirus presently in the country, the updated data at 8 am showed. "Thus, around 60.80 per cent of patients have recovered so far," an official said.
The Mizoram government has postponed the opening of schools for the 2020-21 academic session for an indefinite period as a part of the containment measures to curb the coronavirus outbreak, a minister said. The government had earlier decided to open educational institutions for the current academic session from July 15.
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss this weekend's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The 44-year-old Johnson is the first driver in any NASCAR series to test positive and the news Friday evening cast a shadow over the historic NASCAR-IndyCar doubleheader races coming up Saturday and Sunday. There was no indication any races would be affected.
Hendrick Motorsports said Johnson will not return until he is cleared by a physician. He was tested earlier Friday after his wife, Chani, tested positive after experiencing allergy-like symptoms. Johnson is asymptomatic.
A 74-year-old woman became the fifth person to succumb to COVID-19 in Goa, which has so far reported more than 1,500 positive cases, a senior official of the state health department said on Saturday.
The woman from Salcette tehsil in South Goa, who was admitted to ESI hospital after testing coronavirus positive, died on Friday night, the official said.
South Korea has reported 63 new cases of the coronavirus, continuing a weekslong resurgence as new clusters pop up in various parts of the country.
The figures announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday brought national totals to 13,030 infections, including 283 deaths.
The World Health Organisation's emergencies chief says “we need to put up a fight now” during a peak in the current wave of the coronavirus pandemic rather than focusing on when a second wave might come.
Dr. Michael Ryan said the world will be much better at fighting a second wave, if people can learn the lessons of fighting the first wave.
The ICMR has written to all states and UTs saying all private laboratories in their areas which intend to initiate TrueNat/CBNAAT based tests for COVID-19 be encouraged to apply for NABL accreditation to ensure quality testing.
In a letter to all chief secretaries, additional chief secretaries, secretaries, commissioners and principal secretaries (Health and Family Welfare), Additional Director General of ICMR Dr G S Toteja said many of the labs are doing this test for the first time and in view of this, it is prudent to comply with NABL norms and obtain accreditation of private labs.
Telangana reported eight more COVID-19 deaths on Friday, taking their number to 283 as 1,892 fresh cases of the infection, the highest single-day spike so far in the state, pushed the tally to 20,462.
Out of the 1,892 fresh cases, 1,658 were reported from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area, the epicentre of the virus spread in the state, followed by Ranga Reddy district, neighbouring Hyderabad, with 56 cases.
