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Coronavirus News Highlights: India is witnessing a second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. So far, the country has recorded over 2.65 crore confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 2,99,266 deaths. A total of 2,34,25,467 people have recuperated from COVID-19 so far. There are 28,05,399 active cases in the country as of date, which comprises 10.57 percent of the total caseload, the data stated. India's recovery rate now stands at 88.3 percent. Globally, more than 16.64 crore people have been infected by the coronavirus and 34.49 lakh have died so far. India has begun the third phase of the vaccination drive in which everyone above 18 years of age will be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine. India's regulator has granted restricted emergency use approval for three vaccines -- Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V. The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India has crossed 19.5 crore, according to the Union Health Ministry.
This LIVE blog session has concluded. Stay tuned to Moneycontrol for the latest news, views and updates.
India on May 23 became the world's third country to cross three lakh deaths due to COVID-19. The two other countries which have crossed the toll are the United States and Brazil.
While the official update would be shared by the Health Ministry on May 24, the real-time Worldometers tracker has pushed the country's death count to 3,02,744.
To check the spread of Covid-19, the Rajasthan government on Sunday decided to extend the statewide lockdown till June 8.
This time, it will be a three-tier public discipline lockdown, said an order issued by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The lockdown will be in force from 5 am on May 24 to 5 am on June 8.
In a meeting on Saturday, the council of ministers and experts had suggested extending the lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Kerala reported 25,820 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking the total caseload to 23,17,911, while 188 deaths pushed the toll to 7,358. Recoveries outnumbered new cases with 37,316 people undergoing treatment testing negative for the virus, taking the total number to 20,62,635. Active cases stood at 2,77,598. Malappuram recorded the highest number of 3,943 cases, followed by Ernakulam with 2,771 and Palakkad 1,805, a health department release said. (PTI)
Goa reports 1,621 new positive cases, 2,545 recoveries, and 42 deaths in the last 24 hours. Total positive cases: 1,46,460, active cases: 17,277
Total positive cases: 24,24,904
Active cases: 4,72,986
Bengaluru, which has emerged as one of the hotspots of the second COVID-19 wave, has also been hit by a rise in mucormycosis infections. Hospitals in the city are reportedly running out of beds to treat the rare fungal infection, also known as black fungus.
A group of small and medium Indian technology companies and a defence PSU have joined hands to manufacture oxygen concentrators based on an open source design project Marut, initiated by robotic and automation startup Technido to meet the immediate need of patients and reduce dependency on imports.According to the companies involved in the project, the oxygen concentrator (OC) with 10 litres per minute flow with purity of above 93 percent and capability to operate round-the-clock can be retailed at about half the price of imported units in the range of Rs 65,000-70,000 per piece.The prices can further reduce to Rs 35,000-40,000 apiece on bulk purchase of 100 units or more, according to Technido.
Amid global concernsover the possibility of variant viruses breaking through the vaccine's protection, US-based pharmaceuticalmajor Moderna's CEO Stephane Bancel on May 23 said vaccination with a booster shot is a good way to protect those at risk against ever-emerging new COVID-19 variants.
Amid the raging coronavirus pandemic and some experts warning of a possible third wave, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday appealed to people to consult doctors immediately if children show any symptoms. Addressing paediatricians virtually, the chief minister said the immediate diagnosis was the need of the hour. "Don't be complacent and negligent regarding any symptoms in children. Consult a doctor immediately," Thackeray said. During his interaction with 6,300 paediatricians from different parts of Maharashtra along with the members of the paediatrics COVID-19 task force and other medical experts via a video link, guidelines for the treatment protocol for children were discussed. The CM hailed the efforts of the medical fraternity in dealing with the pandemic. Thackeray said paediatricians need to comfort parents and not cause fear among them. "We trust our doctors completely when it comes to treating children. Treatment shouldn't be a bigger problem than the actual disease itself. Doctors should advise parents properly. The threat of coronavirus still looms large," he said. A statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said paediatricians were advised on how to identify mild, medium and severe symptoms of coronavirus infection among children. The meeting also discussed aspects like treatment of infected children with comorbidities, precautions to be taken by parents while handling their infected children, the diet of child patients etc among other issues, it said.
Haryana extends lockdown-like curbs till May 31; some relaxations announced
The Haryana government has extended the lockdown-like curbs in the state till May 31. Some of the restrictions have been eased to allow shopkeepers to resume their business activities in a regulated manner."Standalone shops are allowed to open during the day when the night curfew is not in operation," stated the order issued by the chief secretary on May 23.The night curfew, which will continue in the state, stretches from 9 pm to 5 am. During this period, all shops would remain shut.The state government has also allowed the non-standalone shops to operate for up to five hours per day."Shops other than standalone shops are allowed to operate from 07:00am to 12 noon," the order said, further adding that such shops would be divided into two groups with each of them allowed to operate on alternative days.
ModernaInc, one of the leading COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers whose jabs are being administered in North America and Europe, has declined the Punjab government's request for direct supply of doses.The company, as per its policy, would "only deal with Government of India", saidVikasGarg, Punjab's nodal officer for vaccination, on May 23.The Punjab government has recently reached out to all top vaccine makers, includingModerna,Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson and the producers of Russia's Sputnik V for the direct supply of doses to the state.
