India continued to maintain its higher spike in daily COVID-19 cases as 65,002 new infections and 996 deaths were reported on Saturday.
The COVID-19 tally in the country rises to 25,26,193 including 6,68,220 active cases, 18,08,937 discharged/migrated and 49,036 deaths, as per the latest Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data.
As lockdown was lifted from Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, the authorities at Kerala capital has also decided to repoen gyms, salons and beauty parlours.
While Gyms will be needed to provide oximeters to record oxygen saturation, the salons have been asked to adopt token system of appointment for staggered client entry.
All shops can also functiom from 7 am to 7 pm. The bars and beer parlours in the city will now open for takeaway while government, private offices and other financial eatablishments can function with 50 percent staff.
Pune district reported 2,432 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking its case count to 1,22,397, a health official said on Saturday. The death toll in the district reached 2,957 with 62 persons succumbing to the infection during the day.
With 428 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths, Chhattisgarh's case count rose to 14,987 and death toll to 134 on Saturday, a health official said. Three patients died on Friday while the information about a death that took place at a private hospital here on August 12 was received on Saturday, he said.
Karnataka on Saturday reported the biggest single-day spike of over 8,800 new cases of COVID-19 and 114 related fatalities. With this, the total number of infections rose to 2,19,926 and death toll to 3,831 in the state, the health department said.
The Manipur government on Saturday extended the complete lockdown till August 31 to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state, where 192 more people tested positive, pushing the tally to 4,390.
The COVID-19 death toll in Assam rose to 182 after seven people succumbed to the disease on Saturday, while the number of the state's coronavirus caseload has gone up to 74,501, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Maharashtra's coronavirus case tally increased to 5,84,754 on Saturday with the addition of 12,614 new cases, the state health department said. With 322 COVID-19 patients dying during the day, the death toll due to the pandemic rose to 19,749, the department said.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra's Amravati district went up by 129 to 3,687 on Saturday, officials said. Significantly, 129 patients were also discharged in the day, taking the number of recoveries to 2,496.
Nagaland on Saturday reported 18 new COVID-19 cases while 123 people recovered from the disease in the state, officials said. With the 18 new COVID-19 cases, the state's tally rose to 3,340 of which 2,005 are active cases, according to data released by Additional Director of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Denis Hangsing.
Goa's COVID-19 case count rose by 369 to 11,339 on Saturday, while five deaths took toll to 98, the state health department said. A total of 331 patients were discharged in the day, taking the number of recoveries to 7,488.
Madhya Pradesh on Saturday saw its single-day highest spike of 1,019 coronavirus cases, taking the total count to 44,433, state health officials said. The coronavirus death toll rose to 1,094 after 13 patients succumbed to the viral infection since Friday evening, officials said.
A total of 325 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Uttarakhand on Saturday, taking the infection tally to 11,940 while the death toll rose to 151 with four more fatalities, according to the health department's bulletin.
Citing the surge in COVID-19 cases and fatalities in Maharashtra, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday termed the state as the "COVID capital" of the country. He stressed that testing need to be ramped up to check the spread of coronavirus and to bring the fatality rate under control.
Ten more deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in Haryana on Saturday, while 796 fresh cases took the state's caseload to 46,410, the health department said.
Maharashtra's coronavirus case tally increased to 5,84,754 on Saturday with the addition of 12,614 new cases, the state health department said. With 322 COVID-19 patients dying during the day, the death toll due to the pandemic rose to 19,749, the department said.
West Bengal reported its highest single-day spike of 3,074 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, pushing the tally in the state to 1,13,432, the health department said. The death toll climbed to 2,377 after 58 more patients succumbed to the virus, it said in a bulletin.
Tripura on Saturday reported 167 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the state's tally to 6,952, while the death toll reached 50 as four more patients succumbed to the disease, a health department official said.
It was a proud moment for seven COVID warriors who were invited to the Delhi government's Independence Day function, as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal praised them for their work during the pandemic.
The COVID-19 death toll in Punjab reached 771 on Saturday with a record 40 fatalities, while 1,033 new cases took the infection tally to 30,041, according to a medical bulletin.
Chandigarh on Saturday reported 81 fresh coronavirus cases, including that of four minors, taking the city's tally to 2,009, as per a medical bulletin. The death toll in the Union Territory stands at 28.
Sikkim on Saturday reported 68 new COVID-19 cases, taking the Himalayan state's tally to 1,148, an official said. Director General (DG)-cum-Secretary, Health, Dr Pempa T Bhutia said that South Sikkim reported 41 positive cases and East Sikkim 27 cases.
Delhi recorded 1,276 fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking the caseload to over 1.51 lakh, while the death toll rose to 4,188 with ten new fatalities, authorities said.
Ahmedabad reported 162 new coronavirus patients on Saturday, raising the district's case tally to 28,840, the Gujarat health department said. The COVID-19 death toll in the district rose to 1,655 with three new fatalities, it said.
As many as 733 persons tested positive for coronavirus infection and 14 succumbed to it Maharashtra's Nashik district on Saturday, a district official said. With the detection of 733 new cases, the district's COVID-19 tally now stands at 13,478, the official said.
Fifty-six more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram on Saturday, taking the northeastern state's caseload to 713, officials said. The new cases were reported from Aizawl (27), Kolasib (26) and Lunglei district three, they said.
Kerala on Saturday reported the highest single day spike of 1,608 COVID-19 cases, including 31 health workers, taking the the tally to 42,885, while seven deaths took the total number of fatalities to 146.
Gujarat's COVID-19 tally went up to 77,663 on Saturday with addition of 1,094 new cases, state health department said. Cumulative fatalities rose by 19 to to 2,767, it said.
The COVID-19 tally in Himachal Pradesh reached 3,908 on Saturday with 33 more people testing positive for the disease, an official said. There are 1,274 active cases in the state, while a total of 2,580 patients have recovered from the infection so far, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said.
The COVID-19 death toll in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday reached 2,393 with 58 more fatalities, while 4,774 fresh cases took the state's infection tally to 1,50,061. A total of 96,231 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the disease.
Andhra Pradesh's COVID-19 infection positivity rate crossed the 10 per cent mark on Saturday as the states aggregate number of cases reached 2,81,817, with the addition of 8,732 in the last 24 hours. The latest bulletin said after a cumulative 28,12,197 sample tests, the infection positivity rate touched 10.02 per cent, the highest so far.
Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Saturday recorded 102 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the district's tally to 6,408, official data showed. The number of active cases in the district stood at 867, up from 826 on Friday, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period.
Scientists are working hard on coronavirus vaccine and if their efforts bear fruit, COVID-19 warriors will be the first ones to get the dose, Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey said on Saturday.
Meghalaya reported 64 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking the northeastern state's tally to 1,292 officials said. Health Services director Aman War said 34 COVID-19 cases were detected in West Garo Hills district that includes eight Border Security Force (BSF) troopers.
Oximeters help in measuring the oxygen level and are found to be extremely useful for coronavirus patients who in many cases battle breathlessness due to lack of oxygen. In his address to AAP volunteers, Kejriwal said lives of people can be saved through these oximeters.(READ FULL REPORT HERE)
In case of Delhi, home isolation was a measure that helped us in fighting the battle against COVID19. For instance, if there are 10,000 cases, only 1000 are severe&taken to hospitals, the remaining get cured at home. It saves 9000 beds, this can be followed in villages: Delhi CM
Rajasthan recorded 686 fresh coronavirus cases and 13 deaths due to the disease on Saturday, taking the state's infection tally to 59,378. The COVID-19 death toll in the state stands at 859, officials said.
Paris and the Bouches-du-Rhone area around Marseille are classified as high-risk zone for coronavirus infection, said a government decree, a move that enables authorities to toughen restriction rules.
Maharashtra Cooperation Minister Balasaheb Patil has tested positive for coronavirus infection and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Karad. According to a statement issued by Patil's office, the NCP leader tested positive for the infection on Friday night and has been admitted to Krushna Hospital in Karad.
The number of people in India who have recuperated from COVID-19 went past 18 lakh on Saturday with a record 57,381 patients discharged in 24 hours pushing the recovery rate to 71. 61 per cent, according to the health ministry data. India's 'test, track and treat' strategy has achieved another peak with 8,68,679 COVID-19 tests done in a 24 hours taking the cumulative tests done till Friday to more than 2. 85 crore, the ministry said.
Bihar detects 3,536 more COVID19 positive cases in the last 24 hours. Active cases in the state stand at 36,237: State Health Department
Shuttler N Sikki Reddy and physiotherapist Kiran Challagundla on Saturday returned negative for COVID-19 in a second round of tests, clearing the decks for resumption of the national badminton camp in Hyderabad from Monday.
Using state-of-the-art computer simulations, scientists have identified a preexisting drug, used to treat multiple diseases, including bipolar disorders and hearing loss, that could prevent the novel coronavirus from replicating in host cells, an advance that may lead to a therapeutic solution against COVID-19. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, assessed the molecule main protease, Mpro, of the novel coronavirus which is a key enzyme that plays a central role in its life cycle.
The COVID19 tally in the country rises to 25,26,193 including 6,68,220 active cases, 18,08,937 discharged/migrated & 49,036 deaths: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Delivering his Independence Day speech at Delhi Secretariat, Kejriwal said the COVID-19 situation in the national capital is under control as compared to what it was two months back and thanked all the stakeholders, including the central government, 'corona warriors' and different organisations. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
"The research team, which carried out sequencing of 1,536 samples including 752 clinical samples, reported two lineages -- B.1.112 and B.1.99 -- for the first time in India," Dr Jayashankar Das, lead investigator and director (research) of the IMS and SUM Hospital, said on Friday. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
According to figures from the ministry, 18.08 lakh people have so far recuperated from the disease, pushing the recovery rate to 71.61 per cent. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India's 74th Independence Day, Modi said three vaccine candidates are in different stages of trials in the country, adding the talent of our scientists is like that of 'rishi munis'. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
Spike of 65,002 cases and 996 deaths reported in India, in the last 24 hours.The COVID-19 tally in the country rises to 25,26,193 including 6,68,220 active cases, 18,08,937 discharged/migrated and 49,036 deaths: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The Opposition Congress had yesterday slammed the ruling Left over its decision to allow police to use the CDRs of COVID-19 patients for effective contact tracing, saying it was an "infringement" on the privacy of citizens and the state cannot be allowed to be converted into a "Police State." (READ FULL HIGHLIGHTS HERE)