Coronavirus News Highlights | India reports 10,974 new COVID-19 cases, tally climbs to 3,54,065

​Clinical trials of a Russian coronavirus vaccine have started Wednesday, the Health Ministry said in a statement.Two forms of the vaccine developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya research instituteliquid and powder for injectionswill be tested on two groups of volunteers, 38 people each, the statement said. The participants will be isolated in two Moscow hospitals. (AP)

With 71 new patients found,the number of coronavirus cases in Chhattisgarh increased to 1,864 on Wednesday, a health official said. The number of recovered patients too rose to 1,099 as 148 patients were discharged from hospitals, he said. (PTI)

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that testing of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in its large multi-country trial of treatments for COVID-19 patients had been halted after results from other trials showed no benefit. "The hydroxychloroquine arm of the SOLIDARITY trial has been stopped," WHO expert Ana Maria Henao-Restrepo told a news briefing. (Reuters)

The government has decided to reimburse the cost of pulse oximeter purchased by Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) beneficiaries in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.According to an office memorandum issued by the Union health ministry on Tuesday, CGHS beneficiaries who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been allowed to purchase one pulse oximeter per family. Even in a case where there are more than one COVID-19 positive cases in a family of CGHS beneficiary, they can claim reimbursement only for one device. (PTI)

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that more Intensive Care Units (ICUs) may be needed in the coming days as the national capital continued to witness a spurt in COVID-19 cases in the city."We may need more ICUs in the coming days. Discussed wid doctors of our Del govt hospitals on how to increase no of ICUs," he said in a tweet. (PTI)

In a first, Tamil Nadu tested a record 25,463 samples in a single day while 2,174 people tested positive for the coronavirus, the highest increase in a 24-hour period, propelling the tally over 50,000, the health department said here on Wednesday. With the addition of the fresh cases, the infection count for the state reached 50,193, of which Chennai accounted for 35,556 and active cases stood at 21,990. (PTI)

A CRPF official has succumbed to COVID-19, taking the death toll from the disease in the country's largest paramilitary force to five, officials said on Wednesday. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) also reported 35 fresh cases of the infection in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of coronavirus-affected personnel to 783 out of which 338 are active while 440 patients have recovered. (PTI)

Maharashtra on Wednesday reported3,307 new COVID-19 cases and 114 deaths, taking the case count to 1,16,752 and fatalities to 5,651, a Health official said. With discharge of 1,315 patients in the day, the number of the recovered cases mounted to 59,166, he said.

The number of active cases in hospital stands at 51,921, the official added. Maharashtra's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 1,16,752, new cases 3,307, deaths 5,651, discharged 59,166, active cases 51,921, people tested so far 7,00,954. (PTI)

The world has now recorded more than 8 million cases of COVID-19. In the first two months, 85,000 cases were reported. In the past two months 6 million cases have been reported. However, there are green shoots of hope, which show that together through global solidarity, humanity can overcome this pandemic.: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO)

Former Union minister and veteran RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh tested positive for COVID-19 here on Wednesday, a close aide said. Singh, who had been suffering from fever and cough for quite some time, was admitted to AIIMS, Patna on Tuesday following the advice of doctors and his samples were also sent for COVID-19 testing.The sample report has come out and he has tested positive, the close aide of the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader said. (PTI)

Following Union Home Minister Amit Shah's decision to double COVID-19 tests in Delhi, 16,618 samples have been collected on June 15 and 16, compared to 4,000 to 4,500 daily till June 14, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Wednesday.

The ministry also announced that the price for COVID-19 test in Delhi has been fixed at Rs 2,400 as suggested by a high-level committee set up by the home minister on Sunday and now tests will be done via Rapid Antigen methodology.

"In pursuance of decisions taken by HM @AmitShah on 14th June, to double the #COVID19 testing in Delhi; 16,618 test samples collected on June 15 and 16 (till 14th June daily collection varied between 4000-4500). Reports of 6,510 tests received so far, remaining to be received by 18th June," an MHA spokesperson tweeted. (PTI)

Gujarat's COVID-19 case counton Wednesday crossed the 25,000 mark and reached 25,148 with the addition of 520 new cases, a Health official said.
COVID-19 death toll rose by 27 to 1,561, he said. With 348 patients being discharged in the day, the number of the recovered cases in the state increased to
17,438. There are 6,149 active cases in Gujarat and 69 of them are in critical condition, the official added. (PTI)

There were 38 more novel coronavirus cases in Ladakh, taking the tally to 687 on Wednesday, the Health Department said. The number of active cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is 594 -- 479 in Kargil and 115 in Leh -- and seven more people were discharged, taking the total recoveries to 92, officials said.
Twenty-seven of the 38 new COVID-19 cases were from Kargil district and 11 in Leh district, the department officials said. (PTI)