A day after dipping to less than 55,000 cases, India once again recorded a single-day spike of over 60,000 cases and 834 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the tally to 23,29,639 and 46,091 deaths on Wednesday..According to the Union Health Ministry data on Wednesday, the COVID-19 tally now stands at 23,29,639 including 6,43,948 active cases, 16,39,600 cured/discharged/migrated and 46,091 deaths..Meanwhile, Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has recovered from the coronavirus and is expected to be discharged by this week, while former President Pranab Mukherjee, who tested positive for COVID-19 as well, remains critical after undergoing a brain surgery..A video of Patnaik, riding the bike wearing a PPE, and carrying Barik to the hospital has gone viral on social media. (READ MORE).Defying government directives, a state-run school in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district restarted classes on Wednesday, prompting the government to issue a notice to the headmaster. (READ MORE).Jharkhand on Wednesday reported 679 new cases of COVID-19, following which the state's tally crossed the 20,000-mark, as per an official bulletin. Eight persons also died during the day, taking the state's toll to 202, it said..Assam on Wednesday recorded the highest single-day spike in coronavirus infection with 4,593 new cases, taking the total cases to 68,999 while six patients died of COVID-19 during the day, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said..Pune district reported 2,997 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking its case count to 1,15,128, a health official said on Wednesday. The death toll in the district reached 2,619 with 67 patients succumbing to the infection..The COVID-19 death toll in Bihar mounted to 474 after nine patients succumbed to the disease, while 3,741 fresh cases of infection pushed state's coronavirus caseload to 90,553, a health department bulletin said on Wednesday..With 438 more people, including the wife of a former chief minister, testing positive for coronavirus in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, the case count in the state rose to 13,498, a health officials said..Defying government directives, a state-run school in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district restarted classes on Wednesday, prompting the government to issue a notice to the headmaster..The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) on Wednesday said that those who reside in COVID-19 hotspots in the city should immerse the Ganpati idols at their home instead of stepping out for it..Alarmed at the unabated surge in Covid-19 cases in the state, the Odisha Government on Wednesday decided to bring an ordinance to enhance the punishment for non-compliance of the guidelines laid down for containing the spread of the deadly infection..COVID-19 patients' phone call detail records (CDRs) were being used by the police in Kerala as part of adopting innovative and scientific methods for effective contact tracing, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday..The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra's Amravati district rose by 154, which is the highest single-day addition so far, to 3,391 on Wednesday, officials said..Amid rising COVID-19 cases in the Union Territory of Puducherry, a total lockdown would be enforced every Tuesday to contain the spread of the virus. This was announced by Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Wednesday when the Union Territory registered its highest single-day spurt of 481 coronavirus cases and five deaths..Karnataka on Wednesday reported the biggest single-day spike of 7,883 COVID-19 cases and 113 fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 1,96,494 and the death toll to 3,510. The day also saw 7,034 patients getting discharged after recovery..Union Minister Shripad Y Naik on Wednesday said he has tested positive for coronavirus infection and has opted for home isolation. The minister of state for AYUSH and defence said he opted for self-isolation as he is asymptomatic and added his vitals are within normal limits. (READ MORE).Thirty-seven people, including a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday in Meghalaya, taking the state's coronavirus count to 1,179, a health department official said. Nineteen BSF staffers and two armed forces personnel were also among the 37 fresh cases..Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday registered record 139 new COVID-19 cases within 24 hours, taking the state's overall tally to 3,637. So far, the state has reported 17 deaths..Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Wednesday put a complete ban with immediate effect on leaves and transfers of Health Department employees in the state till September 30. The decision was taken in the wake of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the state..The number of coronavirus cases in Surat district rose to 16,554 with 272 new cases being reported on Wednesday, the highest in the state, said the Gujarat health department. With five new fatalities, the death toll in the district rose to 710..The usual hustle and bustle of devotees on the occasion of Janmashtami on Wednesday was missing in temples across Rajasthan this year as coronavirus-induced restrictions kept them confined to their homes..Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday crossed 2.50 lakh overall cases of COVID-19, while Karnataka reported its highest single-day spike of 7,000-plus infections and Tamil Nadu witnessed yet another day of over 100 virus-related deaths..Eleven members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly violating COVID-19 guidelines while protesting in central Delhi against the Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2020, police said..A total of 53 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in Ladakh, taking the Union Territory's tally to 1,770, officials said on Wednesday. Ladakh accounted for nine coronavirus-related deaths, while 1,255 patients have recovered from the disease since its outbreak in March..Nagaland on Wednesday reported 87 new COVID-19 cases while 129 people recovered from the virus in the state, an official of the Heath department said. With the 87 fresh cases, the state's COVID-19 tally has increased to 3,118 of which 1,991 are active cases as 1,113 people have recovered from the disease, eight have died and six have migrated to other states, the official said..Palem Srikanth Reddy, popular industrialist and a former TDP candidate who stood against current CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, passed away on Wednesday after a month-long battle againt COVID-19. (READ MORE).The count of COVID-19 cases in Nashik district of Maharashtra rose to 21,839 on Wednesday with the single-day addition of 763 patients, health officials said. With 16 patients succumbing to the infection, the toll in the district went up to 648, they said..Sikkim on Wednesday reported 17 new cases of COVID-19, taking the state's tally to 930, an official said. All the new cases have been reported from East Sikkim, said Director General-cum-Secretary, Health, Pempa T Bhutia..With the single-day rise of 1,132 COVID-19 cases, the infection tally in Mumbai rose to 1,26,371 on Wednesday, while the death toll mounted to 6,940 with 50 new fatalities, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said..Three more deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in Haryana on Wednesday, taking the total fatalities in the state to 503, according to the health department's daily bulletin..The COVID-19 toll in West Bengal rose to 2,203 on Wednesday after 54 people succumbed to the disease, the health department said. The state's coronavirus count has gone up to 1,04,326 after 2,936 new cases of infection were reported, a bulletin released by the department said..Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Wednesday recorded 84 new COVID-19 patients, pushing the tally of cases in the district to 6,182, official data showed..The Mizoram government will purchase 10,000 more rapid antigen kits to boost the states COVID-19 testing capacity, Chief minister Zoramthanga said on Wednesday..The massive crowds of devotees in temples, elaborately decorated tableaus and Dahi Handi revelry were all missing this year on Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, as celebrations were dampened by COVID-19 restrictions..The coronavirus surge continued in Uttarakhand with 439 people testing positive on Wednesday, taking the state's tally to 10,886, while four fresh deaths pushed the toll to 140, officials said..Chandigarh recorded 81 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the union territory's tally to 1,751, a medical bulletin said. The death toll in Chandigarh stands at 26, it said. There are 700 active cases in the union territory at present, according to the bulletin..The COVID-19 count in Madhya Pradesh rose to 41,604 with the addition of 870 cases in the state on Wednesday, health officials said. The fatality figure rose to 1,048 after 15 patients succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, they said..The number of COVID-19 cases in Ahmedabad district rose by 159 to 28,351 on Wednesday, the Gujarat health department said. With four patients succumbing to the infection, the death toll went up to 1,644, it said..Punjab on Wednesday witnessed a record 39 fatalities due to COVID-19, pushing the death toll to 675, while 1,020 cases took the state's infection tally to 26,909..Gujarat reported 1,152 new coronavirus positive cases on Wednesday, pushing the overall tally of the state to 74,390, the health department said. With the death of 18 patients, its fatality count rose to 2,715, it said..Tamil Nadu on Wednesday reported 5,871 fresh COVID-19 cases taking the tally to 3,14,520 while 119 fatalities pushed the death toll to 5,278. Active cases stood at 52,929 with 5,633 discharges from various health care facilities and in total 2,56,313 have recovered, a health department bulletin said. (READ MORE).Adding 9,597 to its tally of COVID-19 cases, Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday crossed the 2.50 lakh mark as the infection positivity rate continued to spiral, reaching 9.59 per cent, overtaking Tamil Nadu. (READ MORE).West Bengal state secretariat 'Nabanna' will remain closed on Thursday and Friday for a sanitisation drive, an official said. The 14-storied building, located in Howrah, will undergo an intense cleaning and sanitisation process on these two days, the official said on Wednesday..Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday recorded 482 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infected people to 26,413, even as eight COVID-19 patients died during the last 24 hours in the union territory, officials said..Kerala on Wednesday reported 1,212 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 22 health workers, and five deaths taking the infection count to38,144 and the toll to 125. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the day's recoveries stood at 880 and there were 13,045 active cases..Goa on Wednesday reported 480 new coronavirus patients, which took the tally of new cases to 9,924, the state health department said. 161 people recovered from the infection in the state, taking the number of recovered patients to 6,641, it added..Following complaints on exorbitant fee charged by private hospitals for COVID-19 treatment, the Telangana government has ordered the healthcare facilities to display the rates..The one-day monsoon session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) will be held on Thursday amid surging Covid-19 cases in the state. The House which was earlier convened on July 30 could not meet at that time after at least 6 assembly staff were found positive for virus a day before..Nagpur district on Wednesday reported 621 new coronavirus patients, taking the number of cases to 10,982, an official release said. 27 COVID-19 patients died in the district during the day, which took the death toll to 400 (279 from Nagpur city), it said..The Maharashtra government has reduced by Rs 300 the rates of COVID-19 tests conducted by laboratories, bringing them in the range of Rs 1,900 to Rs 2,500. State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said this in a statement on Wednesday..Twenty-five more people, including five BSF personnel, have tested positive for COVID- 19 in Mizoram, taking the northeastern state's virus count to 648 on Wednesday, a health official said. Aizawl and Kolasib districts reported 10 cases each while Lunglei registered five fresh infections, he said..COVA Mobile App, helping citizens and government agencies during COVID-19 pandemic, reaches more than 50 lakh users: Punjab Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan.The Odisha government has decided to distribute health kits to people with COVID-19 who are under home isolation. The kits comprise dos and don’ts, a few basic medicines and a list of telephone numbers of doctors, counsellors, tele-medicine professionals and government officials. (READ MORE).All those with COVID-19 will be moved to a separate block where they will be tended to by a medical team. With the prisons department now deciding to test all the prisoners here, more tests will be done on Thursday. All the 59 patients are asymptomatic.FULL REPORT HERE .41 new COVID19 positive cases, 76 recovered cases reported in Manipur in the last 24 hours. The state's total cases tally now stands at 3,982 including 1,739 active cases, 2,231 recovered cases and 11 deaths: State Health Department.The petitioner stated that both state and central governments have given various benefits to general public, labourers etc. and announced packages to different sectors including industries and tourism in view of the situation arising from the pandemic.FULL REPORT HERE.Odisha relaxes weekend shutdown imposed in Ganjam, Khorda, Gajapati, Cuttack & Rourkela municipal corporation areas on Aug 15 up to 11 am to allow citizens to unfurl flag at their premises subject to condition that not more than 10 persons shall congregate at a place: State Govt .The Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly has begun preparations to conduct the upcoming monsoon session in a safe environment by strictly following the prescribed guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic. The four-day session will start from August 25.FULL REPORT HERE.9 new COVID19 positive cases have been reported in Dharavi area of Mumbai today, taking the total number of cases to 2,643, including 87 active cases and 2298 discharges: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation .In view of COVID19, Air India (AI) has decided to close down its stations in Vienna, Milan, Madrid, Copenhagen, & Stockholm. AI would immediately initiate action for closure in consultation with local lawyers & advise the timelines by which the stations will be closed: Air India.AAP govt to invite 'corona warriors', including a doctor, nurse and a plasma donor, for Independence Day event to be held at Delhi Secretariat instead of Chhatrasal Stadium due to COVID19 pandemic; celebrations to be low-key affair this year: Delhi minister Gopal Rai .23 more people, including 18 BSF personnel, test positive for COVID19 in Meghalaya, raising state's tally to 1,165; active case count 642: Official .India's COVID19 recovery rate soars past 70 per cent, record 56,110 people recuperate in one day; so far 16,39,599 people in country recovered from the infection: Union Health Ministry .Govt has received over 5 lakh applications under 'PM SVANidhi' scheme which aims to provide street vendors loans of up to Rs 10,000 to restart their business post COVID19 lockdown: Official statement.In a short span of 1.5 months more than 100 COVID19 patients received Convalescent Plasma at Sheri-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). Thanking the donors, SKIMS Director Dr. A.G Ahangar has directed to issue a certificate of appreciation to warriors: SKIMS, Srinagar.There was no casualty in the blaze that erupted on the second floor of Bodeli Dhokalia Public Hospital, the official said, adding that 10 COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at the facility were shifted to its lower floor and some of them were later admitted to other hospitals.FULL REPORT HERE.65-year-old COVID19 patient allegedly jumps to death from second floor of AIIMS, Raipur building where he was undergoing treatment: Police .We've decided to permit devotees inside temples, following COVID19 precautions. Only 5 devotees allowed inside the temple at a time. People above 65 yrs & below 10 yrs not allowed. Devotees will collect 'prasadam' from outside temple: Travancore Devasowm Board President N Vasu .Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) denies social media reports that it has prohibited Ganpati immersion in the sea. BMC clarifies that it has not banned any immersion in the sea though it has constructed 167 artificial ponds for idol immersion..In view of the rising cases of coronavirus in Punjab, State Health & Family Welfare Minister, Balbir Singh Sidhu has issued orders for complete ban on departmental transfers and leave till September 30, 2020, with immediate effect: Government of Punjab.The mayor of the Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation Babasaheb Wakade told The New Indian Express that the municipal commissioner has already ordered an inquiry into the incident. “We will not spare any one. This is a very shameful incident. Strict action will be taken against those involved and responsible for this unfortunate act,” Wakade said. In Ahmednagar, a total of 10,400 people have been detected with COVID-19 so far and 109 have died.FULL REPORT HERE.SC was hearing a PIL filed by law student Gursimran Singh Narula seeking ban on usage, installation, production, advertisement of disinfection tunnels involving spraying of organic disinfectants. FULL REPORT HERE.Citizens can call the helpline number 9745697456 anytime and get a call back from a healthcare expert in a few minutes to understand the needs of the caller. After the caller explains the symptoms, if required, a doctor would be put through to guide them further. TS Raghavendra Prasad, founder, StepOne, said that this is an effective method to prevent overburdening of our healthcare workers.FULL REPORT HERE.39 new COVID19 cases & 19 recovered cases reported in Himachal Pradesh, pushing the tally in the state to 3,536, including 1,200 active cases, 2,292 recoveries and 16 deaths till date: State Health Department, .96 more people, including 61 security personnel, test positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh; tally rises to 2,327: Health official .His remarks come in the backdrop of Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that his country has developed the world's first vaccine against coronavirus.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).The 84-year-old former President was admitted to the military hospital around noon on Monday, where he underwent a medical check, and had tested positive for COVID-19 prior to his brain surgery.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).“To be the first one out of the block with a coronavirus vaccine would be a real — pardon the pun — shot in the arm for the Kremlin," said Timothy Frye, a political science professor at Columbia University who specializes in post-Soviet politics.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).The COVID-19 caseload of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 1,764 on Wednesday as 139 more people tested positive for the infection, while one more fatality pushed its coronavirus death toll to 21, a health official said.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).Five of his teammates were also admitted to the same hospital. "The Sports Authority of India decided to shift the other five players, to SS Sparsh Multi-speciality hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday afternoon, as a precautionary measure," the SAI said.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).FIFA & Asian Confederation have jointly decided that the upcoming qualifying matches for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 & AFC Asian Cup China 2023, originally scheduled to take place during international match windows in October & November 2020,will be rescheduled to 2021: FIFA (Photo | FIFA Media Twitter).Nearly 51 per cent of the excess amount charged by hospitals from COVID-19 patients has been refunded by the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) here in Maharashtra, the civic body said on Wednesday.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).Six among the deceased were diabetic and two were suffering from hypertension. One of the rest two had no comorbid conditions while the other one had bronchial asthma and other comorbidities.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).COVID-19 rapid testing kit. (Photo | Shekhar Yadav, EPS).A key question to be discussed in the meeting, headed by Dr V K Paul, member (health) Niti Aayog, would be who gets the vaccine first, once it’s available.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).(Photo | U Rakesh Kumar, EPS).The total number of coronavirus cases has climbed to 23,29,639 including 6,43,948 active cases, 16,39,600 cured/discharged/migrated. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 7,33,439 samples, the highest so far were tested for COVID-19 on August 11. (READ FULL REPORT HERE).Health experts suggest that symptoms of hypochondria can worsen if the person is excessively worried about his financial status, health and the current scenario.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).The suspension of operations can create more trouble for contract employees, who are already facing massive lay-offs with many space missions put on the backburner.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).56-year-old Uthamadas had taken part in the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) operations in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990 and also in the Kargil War of 1999. When the Kalliyoor native retired in 2001, he started nursing his ambition to start an industry making sculptures for homes and temples as he was good at sculpting.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).According to the Aam Aadmi Party government, almost 8 per cent of Delhi’s economy depends on hotels and guest houses. Meanwhile, hotel and gym owners continue to demand the opening of facilities which have been locked up for almost five months now. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)(Photo | Ashwin Prasath, EPS).India’s first plasma bank was opened on July 2 at the national capital’s Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) Hospital and since then, according to the Delhi government, the bank has so far received 921 convalescent plasma donations from recovered coronavirus patients.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).Maharashtra will soon become the first state in the country to cap the prices of masks and sanitisers, which are crucial to keep the coronavirus at bay, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Tuesday..The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Maharashtra government to consider representations by the Jain community seeking permission to enter Jain temples during the eight-day Paryushan festival..As many as 43 people, including 14 jail inmates, tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Muzaffarnagar on Tuesday, officials said. With the latest cases, the number of active COVID-19 patients rose to 236 in the district..The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday started rapid antigen testing of local residents at nine urban health centres as the Odisha capital has reported a surge in COVID-19 cases, an official said..The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra's Nagpur district spiked by 977 on Tuesday, which is the highest addition in a single day so far, to 10,361, an official release said..The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district rose by 254 to 17,304 on Tuesday,an official said. With four persons succumbing to the infection, the toll went up to 562 in the district, he said..Over 700 COVID-19 patients in Delhi have received plasma from designated banks enabling their recovery from coronavirus infection, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday..After a gap of over four months, the State Tourism Development Corporation of Madhya Pradesh has opened all its hotels and restaurants, an official said on Tuesday. The outbreak of coronavirus had forced closure of over 60 hotels and restaurants that the corporation runs in the state in March..Uttarakhand's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,432 on Tuesday with 411 people testing positive, while two more deaths due to the virus pushed the toll to 136 in the state, the health department said..Chandigarh reported 75 fresh coronavirus cases and one death due to the disease on Tuesday, taking the infection tally to 1,670 in the Union territory. An 81-year-old woman succumbed to the infection on Monday..Punjab will release 3,500 to 4,000 more prisoners to ensure better compliance with COVID-19 guidelines in jails, a minister said on Tuesday. The state has already released a total of 9,500 prisoners to decongest jails in view of the pandemic..Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Tuesday recorded 89 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally of coronavirus cases in the district to 6,101, official data showed..The number of coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh rose to 40,734 on Tuesday after 843 more people tested positive for the infection, health officials said. The death toll due to the pandemic reached 1,033 with 18 patients succumbing since Monday evening..The number of COVID-19 cases in Pune district might cross 1.60 lakh at the end of this month as per the projection of the Maharashtra health department, a senior official said here on Tuesday..The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Tuesday directed the state government not to shift COVID-19 patients from Sirmaur and Solan to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital here unless health facilities in these districts run out of required infrastructure..Ahmedabad reported 150 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the total in the district to 28,192, the Gujarat health department said. The death toll rose to 1,640 with three new fatalities, it said. The number of recovered cases rose to 22,816 with 204 more patients getting discharged, the department said..Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday recorded 564 new coronavirus cases, taking the caseload to 25,931, while 12 patients died due to the disease in the last 24 hours, officials said. Ten deaths were reported in the Kashmir valley, while two patients died in the Jammu region..The Delhi Police Tuesday advised invitees for the Independence Day function at the Red Fort here to refrain from attending it if they experienced any COVID-19 symptom within two weeks before the event and haven't got tested..Gujarat on Tuesday reported 1,118 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total count to 73,238 in the state, Health department said. The number of fatalities increased by 23 to 2,697, it said. With 1,140 patients getting discharged in the day, the number of recoveries mounted to 56,416, the department said in a release..Deep sea fishing is likely to start on September 1 in the Karnataka Coast after a gap of nearby five months. Kota Srinivas Poojary, minister for ports and fisheries who held a meeting with district officials and stakeholders in the business, said free COVID test will be conducted on fishing labourers coming from outside the state if they do not possess a COVID negative certificate. (READ MORE).Chhattisgarh reported 313 new COVID-19 cases, nine of them ITBP personnel, and five more deaths, taking the statewide tally to 12,938 and the toll above the 100-mark to 104 on Tuesday, a health official said..Bihar reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases on Tuesday as 4,071 more people tested positive for the infection, while 15 more fatalities pushed its coronavirus death toll to 465, a health bulletin said..Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to continue the arrangement for providing RTPCR test kits and other COVID-related equipment for use in the state..Southern states continued reporting high COVID-19 caseloads on Wednesday, the numbers being close to 25,000, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the situation with four of the most affected ones from the region--Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana..Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 11,088 fresh cases of COVID-19, taking its tally to 5,35,601, while 256 more patients died due to the infection, said a state health official. After the addition of new cases, the state's tally rose to 5,35,601, while the COVID-19 fatality figure increased to 18,306, he said..Punjab on Tuesday reported a record 32 fatalities due to COVID-19, pushing the death toll to 636, while 1,002 fresh cases took the state's infection tally to 25,889. Eleven fatalities were reported in Ludhiana, four in Sangrur, three each in Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar and Mohali and one each in Gurdaspur, Bathinda, Kapurthala, Muktsar and Tarn Taran, according to a medical bulletin..Ruling Biju Janata Dal MLA and editor of Odia daily 'Sambad' SR Patnaik on Tuesday tested positive for COVID-19. Patnaik, the BJD MLA from Khandapada in Nayagarh district, in his twitter post informed about him being detected as COVID-19 positive..Nepal has decided to halve the number of designated entry points for Indian nationals to 10 from the existing 20 and extended the suspension of domestic and international flights until August 31 due to the spike in coronavirus cases in the country. (READ MORE).The coronavirus tally in Surat rose to 16,282 with 236 new cases reported on Tuesday in the district, the Gujarat health department said. The COVID-19 death toll in Surat crossed the 700-mark and rose to 705 with ten new deaths - five each in the city and rural parts of the south Gujarat district, the department said in a release..Nagaland's COVID-19 tally rose to 3,031 on Tuesday as 20 more people tested positive for the infection, health officials said. Ten new cases were detected in Kohima district, nine in Dimapur and one in Tuensang, Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom tweeted..Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Tuesday the Punjabi attitude of 'koyi gal nahin' was causing people to delay their COVID-19 testing until it became inevitable, warning them it could prove detrimental in some cases. Singh blamed the attitude for the higher-than-Haryana mortality rate in Punjab..The Haryana government on Tuesday decided not to allow large gatherings and advised against the participation of children below 10 years in the Independence day functions across the state, according to an official. The decision has come in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak..The Punjab government has decided to give a two-hour relxation in the coronavirus curfew across the state on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday in the wake of Janmashtami, an official said..Over one lakh COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far after recovery in Karnataka, as the state on Tuesday reported 6,257 new cases and 86 fatalities. The total number of infections now stood at 1,88,611 and death toll was 3,398, the health department said. Recoveries overtook the number of cases reported on Tuesday, with 6,473 patients being discharged..The COVID-19 tally in West Bengal breached the one lakh-mark on Tuesday to reach 1,01,390 after 2,931 new infections were reported, the state health department said. The death toll mounted to 2,149 with 49 fresh fatalities, the department said in a bulletin..Sikkim on Tuesday reported three new COVID-19 cases, taking the Himalayan state's tally to 913, an official of the Health department said. Director General (DG)-cum-Secretary, Health, Dr Pempa T Bhutia said that South Sikkim has reported two positive cases and East Sikkim one case..The Raj Bhavan in Aizawl is open for those in need of shelter or assistance due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Mizoram Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai said on Tuesday. A state-wide partial lockdown is in force till August 31..Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said despite the pandemic, treatment for patients suffering from other illnesses was being provided in government hospitals without any break..The West Bengal BJP unit on Tuesday alleged that the Trinamool Congress government has failed to tackle the COVID-19 crisis as the number of coronavirus cases in the state is rising..A 78-year-old woman died of COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district on Tuesday, raising the death toll due to the disease to 17, officials said. The hilly state also reported 18 fresh infections, taking the COVID-19 case tally to 3,482, they said..Delhi recorded 1,257 fresh coronavirus cases, and eight deaths, the lowest in over two months, in the last 24 hours, authorities said on Tuesday. This is the first time in over two months that the daily number of deaths has dropped below 10, according to the Delhi government's health bulletin..Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday distributed relief materials among the people hit by floods in Gorakhpur district and said the state government was committed to help all those affected by flooding and the COVID-19 pandemic..Andhra Pradesh's COVID-19 tally went up to 2,44,549 on Tuesday as 9,024 fresh cases were added, while 87 more deaths pushed the overall toll to 2,203. According to the latest bulletin 9,113 patients were discharged from hospitals in the state after recovering from the disease. More positive cases were detected in rapid antigen tests as compared to RT-PCR, TruNat and other tests in the last 24 hours in the state..Kerala continued to witness a spike in COVID-19 infections reporting 1,417 cases on Tuesday, including 36 health workers, as the death toll climbed to 120 with five more fatalities. As many as 1,426 people recovered from the infection today, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters..The Health Ministry on Tuesday said states should not get overawed by a "mere increase" in daily positive cases of COVID-19 and should keep pursuing the policy of aggressive testing, comprehensive tracing and tracking and efficient treatment of cases.(READ MORE).Worship in religious places in Gurugram district to be permitted from August 12, subject to operators of temples complying with certain terms and conditions. Large gathering/congregation continue to remain prohibited..Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday raised the issue of West Bengal's financial dues from the Centre during a video conference on the pandemic and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the Centre issues guidelines on which vaccine to be procured and used to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. (READ MORE).The condition of former President Pranab Mukherjee has worsened and he remains on ventilator support, the Army's Research and Referral (R&R) Hospital said on Tuesday, a day after he underwent a brain surgery..Fresh cases in Tamil Nadu: 5,834Total cases in Tamil Nadu: 3,08,649Fresh cases in Chennai: 986Fresh deaths in Tamil Nadu: 118Total deaths in Tamil Nadu: 5159Active cases: 52,810.Regular passenger & suburban train services continue to remain suspended till further notice. 230 special trains, running at present, will continue to operate. Local trains in Mumbai, being run on limited basis only on requisition of state govt, will continue to run:Govt of India.The Odisha Joint Entrance Examinations (OJEE) 2020 is likely to commence from September 9..Successful implementation of containment strategy, aggressive testing coupled with standardized clinical management of critical patients have resulted in the rise of COVID-19 recovery rate to nearly 70 per cent while the case fatality rate has fallen below 2 per cent, the Union Health ministry said on Tuesday..According to the guidelines issued by the Home department on Tuesday, there will be no parade and march past during the celebrations. Around 50 to 75 guests including Covid warriors will be invited to the celebrations using e-invites. About 15 to 20 Covid warriors including doctors and health and sanitation workers will be invited. (READ MORE).Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday said that capital's doubling rate of coronavirus cases has now gone up to over 50 days while across India it is around 20 days..The Mizoram government on Tuesday capped the quantity of fuel that can be purchased per vehicle as the state's stock was running out due to restrictions imposed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as per an official order. (READ MORE).The cricketer's wife had a heated argument with head constable Sonal Gosai when the latter stopped her car at Kisanpara Chowk after noticing that she was not wearing a mask. (READ MORE).The Puducherry administration will seek Rs 25 crore from the central government to meet the requirements for combating COVID-19 in the Union territory, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said here on Tuesday..The 84-year-old was admitted to the military hospital around noon on Monday, and had also tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the surgery. (READ MORE).Putin said that the vaccine has proven efficient during tests, offering a lasting immunity from the coronavirus.(READ MORE).“As on date, 2,44,675 patients have recovered, which works out to a recovery rate of 80.8 percent, one of the highest in the country. Tamil Nadu is currently conducting the maximum number of PCR tests in the country. The proactive and aggressive approach has resulted in the declining trend of new positive cases in Chennai. A similar approach is being adopted in the rest of the state,” the Chief Minister said during his discussions with the Prime Minister on COVID-19 prevention measures. (READ MORE).Prime Minister Modi during a virtual meeting with Chief Ministers said that the active number of COVID-19 cases have come down. "The average fatality rate has been continuously decreasing while the recovery rate is increasing every day, this shows that measures being taken by us are in the right direction. We have seen that in some districts of UP, Haryana & Delhi, there was a phase when COVID-19 became a huge problem. Then we held a review meeting & a committee was formed under the chairmanship of Amit Shah and to a great extent, we achieved the results that we wanted," he added.."Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has decided that a retired high court judge will probe the fire incident at Shrey Hospital so that no person responsible for it goes scot-free," a release issued by the state government said.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).Varkala police that is probing the incidents said inmates escaped through the ventilation. Two other prisoners had also escaped in this manner from the centre last month.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).Chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh have been invited for the virtual meet. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also present in the meet.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).Pakistan's coronavirus tally reached 285,191 with the detection of 531 new cases in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Tuesday. The death toll rose to 6,112 after 15 more people died overnight.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).In the early hours of Tuesday, the hospital staff checking on the patients, did not find him in the room. They initially searched for him and alerted the hospital authorities. Later they found he had died by suicide.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).'If this COVID-19 pandemic had not hit the country then in 7-8 years we would have been in the top three world economies,' said Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. (Photo| Twitter).The Prime Minister also urged people not to panic and that food supplies will be available at doorsteps. Lotay said the lockdown is expected to last between five days to a maximum of three weeks.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).The committee on vaccine administration will engage with all the stakeholders including state governments and vaccine manufacturers, the ministry said in a tweet.(READ FULL REPORT HERE)."During night monitoring of vitals on August 10 (Monday), it was found that Mandeep Singh's blood oxygen level was dropping below normal which indicated he is moving from mild to moderate severity of COVID-19," a press release issued by Sports Authority of India said. (READ FULL REPORT HERE).With the fresh cases, India's COVID-19 tally rose to 22.68 lakh, while the recoveries have surged to 15,83,489, pushing the recovery rate to 69.80 per cent.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).PM Narendra Modi to hold a video conference with Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh today, to discuss corona related situation. (Inputs from ANI)(File Photo | ANI).“One lakh houses have been completed in different districts as on August 5. Around 44,000 houses were constructed during the same period last year,” said Panchayati Raj Principal Secretary DK Singh after a high-level meeting.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).The tally in the state rose to 2,35,535 after 7,665 tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday. With another 80 casualties, the toll has reached 2,116. According to a media bulletin issued by the State Command Control Room, the number of recoveries continued to be better than the active cases.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).As per Delhi government’s claims, out of the 13,000 beds available in hospitals assigned for Covid-19 patients, a little over 3,000 beds are currently occupied.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).The first case in the State was reported on March 7. Mapping the caseload trajectory in the State, it took over four months to cross the one lakh figure on July 3, and thereafter, took only 23 days for the cases to double, registering over 2 lakh cases on July 25.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).The number of confirmed cases COVID-19 worldwide has surpassed 20 million, according to Johns Hopkins UniversityIt said the global case tally stood at 20,001,019 on Monday night, with 733,897 deaths and 12,200,847 recoveriesWhile the global coronavirus death toll surpassed 728,000 peopleWHO declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus a pandemic on March 11.Odisha registered its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 deaths on Monday as 14 patients succumbed to the disease, while 1,528 new infections pushed its caseload to 47,455.(READ FULL REPORT HERE).Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp Download the TNIE app to stay with us and follow the latest