Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek have tested positive for COVID-19. The 77-year-old actor, who has now been hospitalised, took to Twitter to announce the news of his illness and requested all 'who have been in close proximity to him' to get themselves tested.
With a record single-day increase of 27,114 cases, India's COVID-19 tally zoomed past the eight-lakh mark on Saturday, just four days after crossing the seven-lakh post, according to health ministry data.
The total coronavirus caseload in the country surged to 8,20,916 on Saturday while the death toll climbed to 22,123 with 519 people succumbing to the disease in 24 hours, the updated data at 8 am showed.
This was the eighth consecutive day that COVID-19 cases in the country increased by more than 22,000.
The rise in the number of coronavirus cases has gained pace significantly.
It took 110 days for the number of cases in the country to reach one lakh but just 53 days more to race past the eight-lakh mark.
A day after the World Health Organisation lauded Mumbai's Dharavi for breaking the chain of COVID-19 transmission, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday congratulated all those responsible for the achievement. At a virtual press conference on Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Dharavi, among other places in the world, is an example that shows that even if the outbreak is very intense, it can still be brought under control.
Tripura registered its second COVID-19 death on Saturday when a 72-year-old man succumbed to the disease at a government-run hospital in Agartala, an official said. The coronavirus count in Tripura also rose to 1,932 after 141 more people tested positive for the virus.
Punjabi singer Gurnam Bhullar and forty-three other people were booked for conducting a video shoot in violation of the administration's COVID-19 guidelines here on Saturday, a statement said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of Patiala Police raided a mall in Rajpura and found that the video shoot was in progress in complete violation of the COVID-19 guidelines, it said.
Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Saturday wished speedy recovery to Amitabh Bachchan, who has tested positive for coronavirus infection. "I join the whole nation in wishing Shri @SrBachchan a quick recovery. All of India will be praying for your speedy recovery from COVID19. Get well soon!" Rane tweeted.
The coronavirus case tally in Mumbai rose to 91,457 on Saturday with 1,308 new patients found, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). 39 patients died, taking the death toll due to the pandemic in the financial capital of the country to 5,241.
Pune district reported a single-day highest spike of 1,417 new coronavirus patients since previous evening which took its case count to 37,414 on Saturday, a health official said. The death toll in the district reached 1,036 with 29 patients succumbing to the infection. "Of 1,417 cases, 826 are from Pune Municipal Corporation limits, which now has 26,719 patients. However, 808 patients were also discharged from hospitals," the official said.
A 51-year-old official of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) died due to coronavirus infection on Saturday taking the pandemic death toll in the country's largest paramilitary to eleven, officials said. The force also reported 58 fresh cases of the disease across its various units in the country. (READ MORE)
The Arunachal Pradesh government on Saturday extended the lockdown in the capital complex for another week till July 20 in view of the spurt in COVID-19 cases in the region. The state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu took the decision to extend the total lockdown in the capital region till 5 am on July 20, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar told reporters in a virtual press conference.
With the shadow of coronavirus pandemic looming, the Maharashtra government on Saturday decided to restrict the height of idols installed by Ganpati Mandals to only four feet during the coming Ganesh festival. Even the Ganesh idols installed at home can not be taller than two feet, said a notification issued by the Home Department.(READ MORE)
The death toll due to COVID-19 in Assam reached 36 after a 55-year-old patient succumbed to the disease on Saturday while the infection tally in the state climbed to 15,536, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The patient with a history of kidney ailment was intubated and ventilated when he was admitted in the ICU of Guwahati Medical College Hospital, where he died on Saturday morning, Sarma said.
The Meghalaya government on Saturday announced a two-day total lockdown in capital Shillong from Monday after the state reported the highest single-day spike of 97 COVID-19 cases. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that the decision was taken to contain the spread of COVID-19, besides ensuring behavioural changes among citizens to follow coronavirus-related guidelines.
Aiming to conduct clinical examinations of at least one lakh COVID-19 samples daily, the West Bengal government has placed orders for advanced testing equipment from a Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company, an official said on Saturday. The device, which can conduct novel coronavirus tests on the Cobas 6800/8800 system, is being brought to the state via waterways and delivery is expected soon, the official said.
The Nagaland government has decided to extend the ongoing lockdown in the state till July 31, and charge fees for COVID-19 tests and stay at quarantine centres at a later stage. The ongoing lockdown in the state, which was supposed to be lifted on July 16, was extended for another 15 days at a meeting of the High Powered Committee (HPC) on COVID-19 on Friday.
People living in the area, which is under triple lockdown, had demanded re-opening of shops selling necessary food items to meet their needs. Over 100 residents of the fishermen hamlet had skirmishes with the police and special commando officers deployed at the spot. There were also reports of health workers who had visited the town to collect samples of COVID-19, reportedly being threatened, attacked and spit on by some locals. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
A study, which documented details related to 406 patients in the Government Medical College, Kota and hospitals associated with it, has revealed that a majority of the patients -- 244 -- who were hospitalized had no symptoms at all and less than 5 per cent had severe respiratory issues requiring ICU or mechanical ventilation. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
id the reports of a mad rush for experimental drugs such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab for Covid-19, the Centre has asked states and medical colleges across the country to focus mainly on standard care and cautioned against indiscriminate use of investigational therapies. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
Among hospitalised patients in Italy recovering from COVID-19, 87.4 per cent have reported persistence of at least one symptom, particularly fatigue and dyspnea even after two months of being discharged from the hospital and very few were symptom-free, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has found. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
A swab test conducted on Balakrishnan, a 79-year-old resident of Pulluvazhi near Perumbavoor in Ernakulam, who died on Friday night, turned positive on Saturday. He had been admitted to MOSC Medical College at Kolencherry on Friday morning with high fever. According to officials, he was a diabetes patient.(READ FULL REPORT HERE)
Out of the 310 samples tested in the last 24 hours, seven of them were reported from Kohima, three from Mon and one from Mokokchung.
Two COVID-19 fatalities and 170 cases were reported in Rajasthan on Saturday, taking the death toll to 499 and the total caseload to 23,344, according to an official report. The fresh deaths were reported from Jaipur and Ajmer, it stated. Among the new instances of coronavirus infection, the maximum 40 were reported from Alwar, followed by 33 from Jaipur.
The MMRDA has informed RTI activist Anil Galgali that it spent Rs 53 crore on account of constructing the COVID hospital in BKC. With 2,118 beds available in the facility, the expense of each bed is Rs 2,50,000. Galgali had sought information about the makeshift facility constructed in phase 1 and phase 2 by the MMRDA.
At least 500 more beds will soon be made available for COVID-19 patients and this will take the bed capacity to 2,000 in Thane rural, district health officer Manish Renge said.
This period will be used to sanitise areas, step up cleanliness drive and screen people in the containment zones, health department officials said, early Saturday morning. With 17 fresh cases, Agra's tally now stands at 1,374. The death toll is 91, while 1,115 have been discharged after recovery. The number of active cases is 168. The recovery rate is 81.15 per cent.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has ruled out the possibility of imposing further lockdowns in the coastal state, which is grappling with the rise in COVID- 19 cases. Speaking to a TV channel on Friday, Sawant said the process of unlocking has started and priority should be given to resume economic activities.
Out of the total count, 521 positive cases have been reported from Guwahati alone. The total number of COVID-19 cases now stands at 15,536, including 5,650 active cases and 9,848 recoveries.
The cumulative death toll due to COVID-19 in the district reached 261.
This will be the second repatriation flight arranged by the India Club, an ethnic, socio-cultural group. Over 50 of the passengers are IT employees from Bengaluru who have been stuck in South Africa after their contracts with various local companies expired prematurely with businesses scaling down operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 352 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Bihar on Friday, informed the State Health Department. With the addition of these new cases, the state tally of coronavirus cases has climbed to 14,330, including 9,792 recovered cases, said the health department.
"...Some examples are Italy, Spain and South Korea, and even in Dharavi - a densely packed area in the megacity of Mumbai - a strong focus on community engagement and the basics of testing, tracing, isolating and treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission and suppressing the virus," said the UN Health Body Chief at Geneva.
Public transport service in the city was largely unaffected on Friday with the main thoroughfares remaining open, even as containment zones were put under strict lockdown to check the spread of COVID-19, police said here. The number of private buses were, however, less compared to other days as a majority of transport workers hailing from the neighbouring districts could not join duty owing to the lockdown, Joint Council of Bus Syndicates general secretary Tapan Banerjee said.
The Centre on Friday advised the Tamil Nadu government to ramp up COVID-19 testing besides taking up other containment strategies. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, in a tweet, said the spurt in the number of COVID-19 positive cases in rural areas remains a point of concern.
Pune district saw its highest 24- hour period jump in COVID-19 cases with 1,598 people testing positive for novel coronavirus, taking the count here to 35,997, an official said on Friday. The death toll crossed the 1000-mark and reached 1,007 as 28 people succumbed to the infection during the day, he added.
Short-term lockdowns will not be of any help in arresting the transmission of coronavirus, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said on Friday as cities like Pune in Maharashtra announced shutdowns of up to 10 days to stem the spread of the pandemic.
Intense outbreaks of the new coronavirus can still be brought under control, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday, lamenting that global case numbers had more than doubled in the past six weeks. “There are many, many examples from around the world,” said Tedros, that even if the Covid-19 outbreak is “very intense, it can still be brought back under control”.
With the highest single-day spike of 875 new cases, the coronavirus case tally in Gujarat breached the 40,000-mark on Friday, the health department said. The number of coronavirus cases in the state rose to 40,155, it said in a release. 14 COVID-19 patients died since previous evening, taking the death toll to 2,024.
Karnataka on Friday reported the biggest single-day spike of 2,313 new COVID-19 cases and 57 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 33,418 and death toll to 543, the health department said. The day also saw a record 1,003 patients getting discharged after recovery. Out of 2,313 fresh cases reported, a whopping 1,447 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone.
For three months since the imposition of COVID-19 lockdown, there was one definite relief. Power cuts disappeared. But now Chennai residents will have to prepare for them all over again. (READ MORE)
Sticking to the stiff deadline set by the regulator IRDAI, several insurance companies on Friday launched short-term 'Corona Kavach' health insurance policies to cover the treatment expenses of COVID-19. Amid rising cases of coronavirus in the country, the IRDAI had asked general and health insurance companies to launch 'Corona Kavach' health insurance policy for the benefit of the people by July 10.
Online food delivery firm Zomato said that its core business has recovered to 60% of pre-COVID levels even though the Gross Merchandise Volume(GMV) hit its lowest point in two years (down by 80%) due to the pandemic in the last week of March 2020. (READ MORE)
On a day when the third minister in the state tested positive for COVID-19 but preferred to be admitted to a private hospital, BJP and Congress leaders have urged them to get treatment at government hospitals. The statements come in the wake of widespread social media chatter on the issue. (READ MORE)
Punjab Government cancels pending examinations of class 12th. Punjab School Education Board to declare results on the basis of best-performing subjects formula: Government of Punjab
From 13-23 July there'll be lockdown in the city. It'll be in two phases - first between 13 to 18 July when only medical shops, dairies & hospitals will be allowed to remain open. Newspapers also allowed: Shekhar Gaikwad, Commissioner, Pune Municipal Commission
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Climate Change on Friday met for the first time since the lockdown due to COVID-19 was enforced on March 25, with Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu expressing happiness over the development.
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Friday ruled out categorically imposition of total lockdown in the Union Territory on Sundays, saying it was not the 'exclusive solution' to check the spread of coronavirus.
A team, deputed by the Central government to assess the COVID-19 situation in Tamil Nadu, met Chief Minister K Palaniswami here on Friday and discussed the strategy to contain the spread of the virus.
A lockdown with minimal exemptions that is in force in Thane city till July 12 has now been extended till July 19, a senior official said on Friday. The order was issued by Thane Municipal Corporation Additional Commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh.
The COVID-19 tally in Uttar Pradesh rose to 33,700 on Friday with the highest single-day spike of 1,338 cases, while the death toll reached 889 after 27 patients succumbed to the disease, a senior official said on Friday.
The West Bengal tourism department has reopened at least 10 of its facilities in different parts of the state, even as the travel industry reels under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, an official said on Friday.
In a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19, a 10-day lockdown will be imposed in Pune, neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad and a few other parts of the district starting July 13, a senior official said on Friday. The lockdown will come into force from midnight of July 13 and end on July 23, he said.
The West Bengal tourism department has reopened at least 10 of its facilities in different parts of the state, even as the travel industry reels under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, an official said on Friday.
The National Green Tribunal has slammed the UP chief secretary for allowing brick kilns to operate in the state despite its prohibition during the coronavirus lockdown. The NGT said it was surprised how the Chief Secretary could have passed a contrary order in violation of the order of this tribunal which amounts to a criminal offence.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked officials to carry out rapid antigen tests in every household during the three-day special cleanliness campaign initiated from Friday.
From 2.82 per cent a month earlier, India's COVID-19 case fatality rate has declined to 2.72 per cent which is lower than that of many other countries, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. It also noted that 30 states and Union Territories have a fatality rate lower than the national average.
Over 1.6 lakh offences have been registered and more than 29,000 people have been arrested for violating prohibitory orders during the COVID-19 lockdown in Maharashtra, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Friday.
The COVID-19 tally in Andhra Pradesh crossed the 25,000 mark on Friday and now stands at 25,422 with a total 1,608 new cases confirmed out of 21,020 samples tested in the last 24 hours till 9 a.m. on Friday. (READ MORE)
A few lockdown relaxations have been made in the buffer zones in Thiruvananthapuram city corporation. Fishing has been permitted as long as the catch is sold inside the buffer zones. Shops will be open here till 5 pm every day as part of the relaxations. (READ MORE)
The Delhi High Court Friday refused to entertain a petition challenging the Bar Council of India's notification directing the universities across the country to conduct final year law examinations through online mode.
We had announced that penalty amount for not wearing face mask in public would be raised from Rs 100 to Rs 500. A notification has been issued to this effect today: Uttar Pradesh Principal Health Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad
222 new COVID-19 positive cases and 3 deaths reported in the state Police force in the last 48 hours. The total number of positive cases in the Force now stands at 5,935 including 74 deaths and 4,715 recovered: Maharashtra Police
352 new COVID-19 positive cases reported in Bihar today taking the total tally in the state to 14,330 including 9792 recovered cases: Government of Bihar
352 new COVID-19 positive cases reported in Bihar today taking the total tally in the state to 14,330 including 9792 recovered cases: Government of Bihar
Andhra Pradesh reports 1,608 new COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths over last 24 hours. Total cases in the state climb to 25,422, out of which 11,936 are active patients: State Health Department
The Delhi High Court has sought the AAP government's response on a school's plea challenging its circular directing all schools not to deny ID and password for online classes to students who did not pay fees due to financial constraints.
Taking a cue from the CBSE, the Rajasthan government is planning to cut short the syllabus for the current academic session on the basis of number of working days of schools.
A timer-fitted sanitising device, which uses UV radiation to kill microbial pathogens, has been developed by the Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology in Jalandhar to disinfect a variety of articles including packed food and currency. The portable box-shaped gadget is fitted with ultra-violet lights on the top and at the bottom. It can sanitise packed food items and disinfect currency notes and credit cards besides sanitising papers, files, used masks and gloves, keys etc, the NIT said in a statement.
Twenty-six more personnel of the BSF have tested positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya, taking the number of infections in the border-guarding force in the state to 91, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Friday.
A day after testing positive for coronavirus, a diamond trader in Gujarat's Surat city allegedly committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving train on Friday, police said.
A PIL has been moved in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to the AAP government to take steps for waiving tuition fees charged by schools in the national capital during the COVID-19 lockdown as no physical classes were held. The plea also seeks refund of the tuition fees paid by parents from April onwards.
BJP ally Lok Janshakti Party on Friday appeared to be in favour of postponing the Bihar assembly polls, with its president Chirag Paswan saying that voter turnout may be very low if the elections are held amid the spread of COVID-19, and put people at risk.
The national capital's COVID-19 count crossed the grim one lakh milestone this week but the number of active cases is dipping as is the positivity rate while the recovery rate is going up, raising hopes of the epidemic curve flattening if the trends continue.
Vast swathes of West Bengal wore a deserted look on Friday as most people preferred to stay indoors on the second day of the seven-day lockdown clamped on the state's containment zones.
Minister for Cooperation Sellur K Raju on Friday tested positive for COVID-19. Sources said he is being treated at a private hospital in Chennai. Raju is the third minister to contract the virus. (READ MORE)
AIADMK MLAs on Friday sat on a dharna in the lobby of the legislative assembly demanding COVID-19 relief for the people of Puducherry as was done by the Tamil Nadu government. (READ MORE)
Pune district in Maharashtra reported its highest single-day spike of 1,803 new COVID-19 cases, which pushed its overall count to 34,399, a health official said on Friday. This single-day rise was reported on Thursday, he said. The death toll in the district reached 978 with 34 more people succumbing to the infection on Thursday, the official said.
Arunachal Pradesh on Friday reported 15 new cases of COVID-19, taking the state's total tally to 302, a senior health official said. Seven of the new cases were detected in Changlang district, five were reported from Lower Subansiri, two from Leparada and one from Capital Complex which comprises Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa towns.
The Maharashtra government on Friday informed the Bombay High Court that the prohibitory order against spreading of incorrect or false information on social media amid the COVID-19 pandemic has ended and no extension has been given to it.
Five more people succumbed to COVID-19 in Assam, pushing the death toll to 32 in the state, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
The Delhi High Court Friday suggested to the jail authorities to consider the requirement of prisoners for having video conferencing with their family for the duration when physical meetings in jails are suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A 58-year-old official of the Central Industrial Security Force has died due to the coronavirus infection, taking the death toll in the paramilitary force because of the disease to nine, officials said on Friday.
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday said he would work from home as a precautionary measure after some of the staff in his office- cum-residence here tested positive for coronavirus.
The Supreme Court Friday refused to entertain a plea by parents from different states seeking deferment/moratorium on school fees for the COVID-19 lockdown period and asked them to approach the high courts for relief.
The Supreme Court Friday refused to entertain a plea by parents from different states seeking deferment/moratorium on school fees for the COVID-19 lockdown period and asked them to approach the high courts for relief.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday demanded cancellation of university exams and urged the UGC to promote students on the basis of past performance during the coronavirus pandemic.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that the state government has decided to impose fine of Rs 500 on people who violate the COVID-19 safety protocols which include social distancing, wearing of mask, not spitting in public places.
A Delhi court Friday granted bail to 82 Bangladeshi nationals who were chargesheeted for attending Tablighi Jamaat congregation here for allegedly violating visa conditions, indulging in missionary activities illegally and violating government guidelines, issued in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.
Odisha on Friday registered its highest single-day spike of 755 COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 11,956, while the death toll mounted to 56 with four more patients succumbing to the infectious disease, a health department official said.
The Bombay High Court on Friday sought to know why should the names of persons who have tested positive for COVID-19 be disclosed and said the issue involves privacy rights of such patients.
In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, Yediyurappa said that he was healthy and will continue to work from his residence. The Chief Minister will remain in home quarantine till next week as protocol mandates. Three persons -- an electrician, a standby driver and a pilot vehicle staffer -- have tested positive for COVID-19. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
People living in the area, which is under triple lockdown, demanded re-opening of shops selling necessary food items to meet their needs. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
One animal health expert and one epidemiologist during their visit will work to fix the "scope and terms of reference" for the future mission aimed at learning how the virus jumped from animals to humans, the statement from the United Nations body said. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
The number of recoveries stands at 4,95,512 while there are 2,76,685 active cases of coronavirus infection presently in the country, the updated data at 8 am showed. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
India reports 475 deaths and the highest single-day spike of 26,506 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. Positive cases stand at 7,93,802 including 2,76,685 active cases, 4,95,513 cured/discharged/migrated & 21,604 deaths: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
India oreports 475 deaths and the highest single-day spike of 26,506 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. Positive cases stand at 7,93,802 including 2,76,685 active cases, 4,95,513 cured/discharged/migrated & 21,604 deaths: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The final results of the sero-survey conducted by the ICMR in May, which focused on infections of mid-April is still under process, Rajesh Bhushan, Officer on Special Duty in the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
In an open letter published this week in a journal, two scientists from Australia and the US wrote that studies have shown "beyond any reasonable doubt that viruses are released during exhalation, talking and coughing in microdroplets small enough to remain aloft in the air." (READ FULL STORY HERE)
The Health Ministry also said instead of spending a lot of time on these models, focussing on containment, surveillance, testing and treatment will give better results. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has permitted two vaccines -- one developed by the Bharat Biotech International Limited in collaboration with ICMR and another by Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd -- to go in for phase 1 and 2 human clinical trials, said Rajesh Bhushan, Officer on Special Duty in the health ministry. (READ FULL STORY HERE)
Read here the highlights of India's COVID-19 situation in last two days. (CLICK THE LINK HERE)