India on Thursday reported a spike of 69,652 cases, 977 deaths in the last 24 hours as the COVID-19 tally crossed the 28-lakh mark.
According to the Health Ministry's latest update, the COVID-19 tally in the country has risen to 28,36,926 including 6,86,395 active cases, 20,96,665 cured/discharged/migrated & 53,866 deaths.
The Supreme Court, which faced 'unprecedented' challenge of COVID-19 pandemic crippling its physical hearings, set up 1,021 benches in last 100 days to deal with over 15,000 matters argued or represented by 50,475 advocates through video conferencing mode, an official statement said.
To encourage doctors and nursing staff working in COVID care hospitals, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced to give additional honorarium to them, a statement said. The decision was taken in a corona review meeting on Thursday.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said the state will document the steps taken to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, which could be used as a ready reference for any future health emergency. Sawant said the document will be a reference of how Goa fought the COVID-19 pandemic.
TN CM Edappadi Palaniswami wished singer S P Balasubrahmanyam, battling COVID, a speedy recovery. CM said he too prayed to the almighty for SPB's early recovery.
To spread awareness about the coronavirus pandemic, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday launched a first-of-its-kind, interactive video game and two new promotional videos urging people to adhere to key COVID-19-appropriate behaviours. (READ MORE)
Jammu and Kashmir reported 683 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the tally to 30,717, while six more fatalities took the death toll to 578, officials said. Among the new cases, 114 were from the Jammu region, while 569 were from Kashmir, they said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has lauded various steps taken by authorities in Gujarat to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state, said a top government official on Thursday. The WHO organised a webinar on Thursday to know more about Gujarat's COVID-19 response and best practices put in place to contain the virus, said Principal Secretary, Health, Jayanti Ravi.
Maharashtra reported its highest single-day spike of 14,492 coronavirus cases on Thursday, which pushed its overall count to 6,43,289, the state health department said. The death of 326 patients increased the toll to 21,359, it said. A total of 12,243 patients were discharged on Thursday following their recovery, the department said in a statement.
Nagaland recorded highest single day recovery of 215 COVID-19 patients amidst detection of 25 fresh cases, state Minister for Health and Family Welfare S Pangnyu Phom said. This is the sixth consecutive day that the state has recorded more recoveries of people infested with the virus. The previous highest single day recovery was recorded on August 6 with 136 of COVID-19 patients testing negative.
UP has become the first state in the country to conduct a session of legislature during the pandemic. During the four-day session, 16 ordinances are likely to get the nod of the House.
Manipur reports 49 new COVID19 cases, including 9 Central Armed Police Forces personnel, in the last 24 hours. Total cases now at 4,925, including 1,905 active cases and 3,002 recoveries. The death toll stands at 18.
Himachal Pradesh COVID19 positive cases tally rises to 4,472 cases in the last 24 hours, including 1,343 active cases, 3,066 recoveries and 21 deaths till date: State Health Department
Delhi reports 1,215 new COVID19 positive cases, 1,059 discharges and 22 deaths. Total number of cases now at 1,57,354 including 1,41,826 recovered cases, 11,271 active cases & 4,257 deaths.
6,010 RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 10,994 Rapid antigen tests conducted today. So far, 13,75,193 tests have been conducted so far & Tests Per Million (TPM) stands at 72378, said the Health Department
Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh today ordered a series of emergency measures, including the extension of weekend lockdown with daily night curfew from 7pm to 5am in all the 167 cities/towns of the state from tomorrow. Singh has also ordered a total ban on all gatherings except weddings & funerals across the state till August 31. Government & private offices will work at 50% capacity till the end of this month: Chief Minister's Office
Central Board of Secondary Education has introduced the facility of virtual inspection for up-gradation of affiliation. This step by CBSE will be a relief to schools in the challenging times of COVID19 pandemic: Education Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
The allegation came days after a section of media reported that 15 personnel of the Assam Rifles forced their way through a check gate at Vairengte on the Mizoram-Assam border by allegedly refusing to comply with the entry and screening protocol in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
1 new COVID19 case, 18 recovered cases reported in Mizoram today. The total number of cases stands at 874, including 472 active cases & 402 cured cases in the state till date. There has been zero death in the state so far: State Health Department
A total of 27.7% of the people in Punjab’s containment zones are found to be positive for Covid antibodies, indicating that they have already been infected and recovered from the COVID19: State government
Doctors and clinical investigators involved in treating coronavirus infection have claimed that there was no evidence of the disease recurring in people who have recovered from it. However, Dr Giridhar Babu, who is part of ICMR's research task force on Epidemiology and Surveillance, said it is difficult to say confidently where or not there is relapse in recovered patients as some signs post-recovery can be confused with COVID-19 symptoms.
The highest number of containment zones are in Nadia district followed by East Burdwan and NorthDinajpur districts, as per the state government's website 'Egiye Bangla'. The total number of containment zones in West Beengal is 2304, it said. Nadia district, which has reported 764 active coronavirus patients, has 396 such zones, while East Burdwan has reported 550 active cases and has 350 containment areas.
Recoveries among COVID-19 patients in India surge to 20,96,664, pushing country's recovery rate to 73.91 per cent, while only 0.28 per cent people of 6,86,395 active cases are on ventilator support: Union Health Ministry
The Mumbai police have recently issued a tweet warning action against non-essential vehicular movement, leaving several netizens with the question of whether the coronavirus-induced lockdown was still in force or the unlock phase was on. On their official Twitter handle, the city police on Tuesday night had warned that strict legal action would be taken against people who step out for non-essential purposes.
A survey conducted by the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) to assess the impact of the lockdown on shrimp aquaculture revealed that unprecedented circumstances following the pandemic led to a significant reduction of 500 tonnes in shrimp production in Kerala, which has left thousands unemployed.
The Maharashtra government has issued a circular saying Muharram should be observed in a simple manner and that processions will not be allowed in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. (READ MORE)
A record number of 9,18,470 COVID-19 tests conducted in a single day in the last 24 hours. Tests Per Million (TPM) continue to rise, stand at 23668 today. India’s total recoveries reach nearly 21 lakhs as recovery rate rises to nearly 74%: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
This has resulted in multifold increase in COVID patients admitted in hospitals. Even more importantly, the number of patients requiring intensive hospital care and high flow of oxygen has markedly increased. This has forced JIPMER to focus on caring for acutely sick patients.
25 new COVID19 reported in Nagaland today. State also reports 215 recoveries in the last 24 hours: S Pangnyu Phom, Minister for Health & Family Welfare
To deal with rising COVID-19 cases, Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), a COVID hospital would be closing down all OPDs and Special clinics from August 24 due to shortage of manpower and relocating the doctors and nursing staff from other areas to COVID care. OPD services at JIPMER were being conducted in a limited manner, and by giving people appointments over consultations by phone or video.
This took the total tally to 9292, active cases to 3523 and death toll to 137. Among the new cases, 484 are in Puducherry region, 35 in Karaikal region and 35 in Yanam region. Releasing the information on Thursday, Minister for Health Malladi Krishna Rao said that the rate of infection is much higher than that predicted with an average of 400 cases per day.
Amid a spurt in COVID-19 cases, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has identified several OYO hotel rooms for paid isolation of asymptomatic patients. The decision in this regard was taken by the civic body after the Odisha capital registered a record 370 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
To buffer agricultural sector from shock of COVID19, a special saturation drive is on to provide concessional credit to farmers through Kisan Credit Card (KCC). As on 17 August, 1.22 crore KCCs have been sanctioned with credit limit of Rs.1,02,065 cr: Govt
Ganesh Chaturthi is just around the corner on August 22. Idol makers in Siliguri said they usually get bulk orders ahead of Ganesha Chaturthi but this year so far no such orders have been received. ((READ FULL REPORT HERE)
Ganesh Chaturthi is just around the corner on August 22. Idol makers in Siliguri said they usually get bulk orders ahead of Ganesha Chaturthi but this year so far no such orders have been received. They added that there are no major events taking place this year and so no big orders were received and people are also hesitant to step out. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
Venkateswara Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, a private medical college in Puducherry has been taken over by the Government for extending COVID-19 treatment and all other private medical colleges have been ordered to admit COVID patients without refusal and extend treatment as per ICMR guidelines. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
On Thursday, the first bus from Mumbai Central depot, where the MSRTC headquarters is located, left around 8.30 am for Chiplun in Ratnagiri district with six passengers boarding at the starting point, a transport corporation official said. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
The COVID-19 tally in the country rises to 28,36,926 including 6,86,395 active cases, 20,96,665 cured/discharged/migrated & 53,866 deaths: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
The COVID-19 death toll in Assam mounted to 213 on Wednesday after 10 people succumbed to the disease, while the state's coronavirus caseload has gone up to 84,317 with 2,116 fresh infections, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Of the fresh fatalities, two each were reported from Kamrup Metropolitan, Cachar and Karimganj districts while one each was registered in Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Nagaon and Hailakandi, Sarma said.
Haryana recorded its highest jump of 994 novel coronavirus cases, taking the tally near the 50,000 mark on Wednesday, while the toll rose to 567 with 10 more deaths, the Health Department said. It was for the third straight day that the state had a record spike in cases. On Tuesday, the state had registered 896 cases, and it was 887 a day earlier.
An IIT Kharagpur student staying in its campus on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19, following which the institute decided to seal all the hostels, an official said. The institute had in June asked all students, who got stranded because of lockdown, to leave the campus by June 30 and return two months later for the next semester, but a few of them remained there.
Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Wednesday asked civil surgeons to ensure that COVID-19 patients are charged by private hospitals as per the rates fixed by the state government. He issued instructions while taking notice of reports that coronavirus patients were being overcharged by some private hospitals. (READ MORE)
Highlighting the key role played by healthy food in combating morbidities and building one's resilience and immunity towards various kinds of diseases, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said people of the same household have been showing different responses to COVID-19 based on their immunity acquired through nutrition. (READ MORE)
The National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority has started investigations into alleged overpricing of drugs by three super speciality hospitals -- Yashoda Hospital, Medicover Hospital and Care Hospital -- after patients who received treatment raised complaints. (READ MORE)
Nagaland reported more recoveries than new COVID-19 cases for the fifth consecutive day on Wednesday, said Health and Family Welfare Minister, S Pangnyu Phom. A total of 42 people recovered from COVID-19 while 38 people tested positive for the infection during the day.
111 new COVID19 cases, 96 recoveries reported in the last 24 hours in Manipur, taking the total number of cases in the state to 4,876, including 1,973 active cases, 2885 recovered cases & 18 deaths till date.
Leader of Congress Party in Loksabha, Adhir Ranjan Chaudhry, writes to Speaker Om Birla, urging him to allow members to attend parliament proceedings virtually, in view of the COVID19 situation.
This has been revealed in a study by the Hyderabad-based Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), which conducted COVID-19 surveillance in the city by testing sewage samples collected from various Sewage Treatment Plants. This finding highlights that the actual number of people infected by COVID-19 is many times higher than the number of cases being reported after people develop symptoms and get tested.
Coronavirus case tally in Dharavi area of Mumbai rises to 2,680 with addition of four new cases.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Wednesday gave approval for opening of hotels and weekly markets in the city, the Delhi government sources said. The decision was taken in a meeting of DDMA which was also attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal through video conference. The proposal to open gyms was not approved in the meeting headed by Lt Governor Anil Baijal, reports PTI.
Delhi reports 1,398 new COVID19 cases, 1,320 recoveries and 9 deaths over the last 24 hours. Total number of cases now at 1,56,139 including 1,40,767 dischraged/recovered/migrated patients, 11,137 active cases and 4,235 deaths.
A new research from AIIMS, Delhi has shown that the highest mortality rate in Covid-19 patients is among those who have had pre-existing chronic liver diseases. These patients fare even far worse than those with other comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes. The mortality rate among people suffering from serious liver ailments was found to be over 42% by researchers associated with the country's top government medical institution. The mortality rate due to the infection in patients with other pre-existing illnesses, on the other hand, has been found to be up to 30 %.
Number of COVID-19 active cases reaches 1,306 in Himachal Pradesh; death toll stands at 19: State Health Department
ED conducts multi-city searches in connection with money laundering case filed against Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, trusts linked to Jamaat and others.
Asked if drivers were worried about transporting flyers from the airport due to COVID-19 fears, the official said all precautionary measures and safety gear were made available for drivers to make them feel safe when carrying out their duty.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee forms 3-member panel to probe allegations of irregularities in purchase of materials to upgrade state health infrastructure after finance dept relaxed norms of tender process amid COVID-19 pandemic: Senior official
The 'eSanjeevani' digital platform of the Union government has provided two lakh tele-consultations, the health ministry said on Wednesday. This milestone was achieved in 10 days only since August 9 when Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan presided over a review meeting with states and Union territories to commemorate the completion of 1.5 lakh tele-consultations.
In the last 24 hours, 5156 new infections have come forward in Uttar Pradesh. This has taken the total number of active cases to 49645: Chief Health secretary Amit Mohan Prasad
2,884 new COVID19 cases reported on 18th August in Bihar, taking the total number of active cases in the state to 31,460: State Health Department,
C T Gunavelli, wife of D Yoganathan from Manavely, was cremated after her body was accidentally swapped at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (IGMCRI) on Monday with that of a COVID-19 patient Anandhayee, 74. Yoganathan petitioned Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Wednesday seeking his intervention in the matter.
Former MLA of Chamarajanagar Assembly constituency C Guruswamy, undergoing treatment for coronavirus, died of a heart attack at a hospital in Mysuru on Wednesday, Health Department said. Guruswamy (68) was admitted to the private hospital on August 5 after testing positive for COVID-19
Having completed their 14-day self-isolation period, the Indian senior men and women core probables resumed training with the national camp, which is expected to continue till September 30 at SAI South Centre. "When you are a professional athlete, it gets really hectic sometimes...As such you don't really get the chance to introspect at length, but these few months and especially the past 14 days, I've had the chance to look back on a lot of things and understand myself better," said Savita.
Guidelines given by Karnataka Govt applies to Ganesha Idol installation in Bengaluru too. Only one idol allowed to be installed in each ward, idol must not be more than 4 ft tall. Idols installed at home should be only 2 ft tall, immersion to be done at home: BBMP Commissioner
The three-day Monsoon Session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly will commence on Thursday, with authorities making special seating arrangments following COVID-19 protocols and setting up testing centres near residences of MLAs for easy collection of swab samples.
Assembly Speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit has said all members will undergo COVID-19 test in a day and there will also be thermal screening facility outside the House.
The US Govt, through U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in coordination with the Govt of India & the Indian Red Cross Society, donated the second shipment of 100 new, state-of-the-art ventilators to assist India in its fight against COVID-19: US Embassy in India
The Chennai corporation is set to issue directions to its zonal officers on Wednesday to initiate action against any Tasmac liquor outlet found to violate social distancing norms. The fine amounts have not yet been decided but will be finalised by the end of Wednesday, said corporation officials. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
The fine amounts have not yet been decided but will be finalised by the end of Wednesday, said corporation officials. A senior corporation official told The New Indian Express that officers in all 15 zones of the city will be asked to form special teams that visit liquor outlets twice every day.
Scientists have made it clear that lockdowns and restrictions are mere temporary efforts. In the long run, herd immunity—developed through vaccination—is the only solution. But challenges to achieving that are many. For starters, scientists have warned against ‘vaccine nationalism’. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
On Monday, 44 people tested positive in the antigen assay test and the rest on Tuesday, turning the entire panchayat into a containment zone.(READ FULL REPORT HERE)
At a press briefing on the outbreak management, Dr V K Paul, member (health), Niti Aayog, who also heads the National Expert Group on Covid- 19 Vaccine Administration, said “it won’t be appropriate to assume any vaccine under trial will emerge as successful”. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
Considerably high Covid-19 testing positivity rates (TPR) in Maharashtra, Telangana and Delhi have raised concerns that the disease is silently spreading through the population at a much more alarming rate than acknowledged by the governments, and these states are yet to reach optimal testing rates to contain the contagion. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
As per a performance report prepared by the Covid War Room on Karnataka, the state has exceeded its RT-PCR testing target, with several districts testing over and above their target.
Adding another feather to the cap of Kerala’s battle against Covid, a 103-year-old patient recovered from the viral infection and was discharged from the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) in Kalamassery.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a sea change in our appreciation about the need for cleanliness and disinfection in public spaces. Extensive efforts are being made by the Health Department, by spraying and fumigating streets and marketplaces, to contain the virus.
In a significant achievement amid the corona gloom, the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital successfully handled deliveries of 100 Covid positive women as of 12th August.
After the State government announced instant issuance of e-pass, more than one lakh people have applied, according to a revenue department official.
Two Goa MLAs, one of them a former minister, tested positive for the COVID-19 infection on Tuesday, a senior health department official said. Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLA Sudin Dhavalikar, a former Goa minister, and BJP legislator Nilkant Halarnkar have tested positive for coronavirus, he said.
Jharkhand's Health Minister Banna Gupta said on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Gupta said that he got tested for COVID-19 during the day and the report came in as positive. "In the last few days, all those who have come in contact with me are requested to get your COVID-19 test done," he said in a tweet.
Positivity rate of COVID-19 has come down from 10.03% to 7.72%, says Health Ministry
Death toll due to COVID crosses 6000 in Tamil Nadu as 121 more succumb to virus
Andhra Pradesh becomes third state to record over 3 lakh cases
Two more CRPF personnel die taking death toll in paramilitary force to 28
COVID-19 played a role in Dhoni's retirement, says Yuzvendra Chahal