Coronavirus Updates: Amitabh Bachchan, son Abhishek test positive for COVID-19; both admitted to Mumbai hospital

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00:18 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Get well soon, wishes child activist Licypriya Kanjugam

00:08 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

 Abhishek Bachchan tests positive

Abhishek Bachchan said that he has also tested positive for the coronavirus infection and said that he and his father have mild symptoms. "The BMC has been in touch and we are complying with them," he added.

23:55 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Harsh Vardhan wishes Amitabh Bachchan a speedy recovery

23:42 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Praying for Amitabh Bachchan's speedy recovery, says Mamata Banerjee

23:34 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Pune Municipal Commissioner shunted out

 
The Maharashtra government on Saturday transferred Pune Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad and replaced him with Vikram Kumar who is currently CEO of Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority. Pune is among the worst-hit cities in the state and, as on Friday evening, had 25,893 cases, with the rise particularly sharp and worrying over the past few days.
 
Sources told PTI that Gaikwad was not keen on imposing lockdown and was in favour of opening up during a meeting chaired by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Friday. His transfer comes at a time when Pune city is set to undergo a 10-day lockdown with minimum exemptions from 13 July.

23:24 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Mumbai's case count climbs to 91,457 with 1,308 new patients

 
The coronavirus case count 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 toll due to the pandemic in the financial capital of the country to 5,241. However, the figures for Mumbai were different in the Maharashtra government's statement, which put the  toll in the city at 5,244 and increase in cases at 1,284 with over all count of 91,745 cases.
 
PTI

23:19 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Telangana Latest Updates

Telangana records 1,178 new cases, nine deaths

 
COVID-19 cases continued to surge in Telangana on Saturday, with as many as 1,178 new cases and nine fatalities being reported, taking the total number of
positive cases in the state to 33,402 and deaths to 348. Out of the 1,178 fresh cases, 736 were reported from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), followed by Ranga Reddy and Medchal districts with 125 and 101 cases respectively. A state government bulletin said 20,919 people
have been discharged so far, while 12,135 were under treatment.
 
PTI

23:01 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Amitabh Bachchan tests positive for coronavirus

Actor Amitabh Bachchan said that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection and has been shifted to the hospital. According to news agency ANI, the actor has been admitted in Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital. The 77-year-old actor urged those who has come into contact with him to get tested.

Read full story here...

22:45 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in West Bengal Latest Updates

Bengal BJP attacks govt for hospitals turning away COVID-19 patients

 
The BJP's West Bengal unit on Saturday attacked the state's Trinamool Congress government claiming that the administration is not doing anything to
check the growing trend of hospitals refusing admission to COVID-19 patients. There have been allegations that several private hospitals are refuting to treat COVID-19 patients.
 
State BJP president Dilip Ghosh alleged that the claim of the West Bengal government that there are sufficient beds for patients infected with coronavirus is untrue. "The government is repeatedly saying that there are enough beds in COVID-19 hospitals. But in practice, we are seeing that the patients are being harassed and turned away," Ghosh said.

22:18 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Updates

Uttar Pradesh caps COVID-19 treatment charges in pvt hospitals

Private super speciality hospitals across Noida and Greater Noida can charge no more than Rs 10,000 per day for isolation beds, Rs 15,000 for ICU and Rs 18,000 for ICU with ventilator care for COVID-19 treatment, an official order said on Saturday.These charges are for National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers-accredited private facilities and include the cost of personal protective equipment (PPEs), the order issued by the Uttar Pradesh government stated. For private hospitals that are not NABH-accredited, the charges have been capped at Rs 8,000 for isolation beds, Rs 13,000 for intensive care units (ICU) and Rs 15,000 for ICU with ventilator (invasive or non-invasive).

Noida and Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar are listed in 'A category' along with Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Bareilly, Lucknow, Agra, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Varanasi where these charges would apply, stated the order signed by Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad.

PTI

21:52 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Karnataka Latest Updates

Karnataka reports biggest single-day spike of 2,798 cases

 
Karnataka on Saturday reported the biggest single-day spurt of 2,798 cases and a record 70 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections in
the state to 36,216, the health department said.The day also saw a record 880 patients getting discharged after recovery. Out of 2,798 fresh cases, a whopping 1,533 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone.
 
PTI

21:35 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Madhya Pradesh Latest Updates

Madhya Pradesh reports 544 new cases, six deaths

 
Madhya Pradesh on Saturday registered the biggest single-day rise of 544 new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection count to 17,201, reports PTI. With six more people succumbing to the viral infection, the death toll has risen to 644, they said. Among the six, three fatalities were reported in Indore, two in Bhopal and one in Rajgarh. Of the 544 new cases, the highest 101 infections were reported from Morena, followed by 89 in Indore, 72 in Bhopal and 58 in Gwalior, according to officials. Meanwhile, a total of 198 persons were discharged from hospitals after recovery in the day, taking the number of the recovered cases to 12,679.
 
PTI

21:27 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

'Total' lockdown extended in Thane dist, Navi Mumbai, UMC

 
A lockdown with minimum exemptions in place in Thane district, excluding city limits, and Navi Mumbai municipal areas was extended on Saturday till 19 July
due to rise in coronavirus cases over the past few days, officials said. The order for Thane district was issued by Collector  Rajesh Narvekar and Municipal Commissioner AB Misal announced the extension for Navi Mumbai, they added.
 
The "total" lockdown in Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) limits, also part of Thane district, has been extended by civic chief Raja Dayanidhi till 22July. 
PTI

21:09 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Arunachal Pradesh Latest Updates

Arunachal govt extends lockdown in capital complex till July 20

The Arunachal Pradesh government on Saturday extended the lockdown in the capital complex for another week till 20 July 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 20 July, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar told reporters in a virtual press conference.
 
PTI

 

20:49 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam Latest Updates

Jailed activist Akhil Gogoi tests positive

Activist Akhil Gogoi, arrested by the National Investigation Agency for his role in anti-CAA protests, tests COVID-19 positive in Guwahati jail, reports PTI quoting officials. The news agency also said that 55 inmates of Guwahati Central Jail were found to be COVID-19 positive and an order has been issued to test all prisoners

20:44 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Updates

Delhi reports 1,781 new cases, 34 fatalities

 
Delhi recorded 1,781 fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking the tally in the city to over 1.1 lakh while the toll from the disease climbed to 3,334, reports PTI.  Thirty-four fatalities have been recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the Delhi health department bulletin. The bulletin on Saturday said the death toll from coronavirus infection has risen to 3,334, and the total number of cases mounted to 1,10,921
 

20:24 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Maharashtra records 8,139 new cases, 223 deaths

 
Maharashtra reports 8,139 new infections and 223 deaths, taking the total number of cases to 2,46,600, including 99,202 active cases, 1,36,985 discharged and 10,116 deaths, reports ANI quoting the state health department.

20:17 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Karnataka Latest Updates

Complete lockdown in Bengaluru from night of 14 July to 22 July morning

Complete lockdown will be imposed in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts from 8 pm on 14 July to 5 am on 22 July in view of rising COVID-19 cases. Essential services will be exempted, reports ANI quoting the Karnataka Chief Minister's Office (CMO). Detailed guidelines will be released on Monday, said the chief minister.

20:07 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Gujarat Latest Updates

Gujarat records 872 new cases, 10 deaths

 
With 872 new patients, coronavirus case count rises to 41,027 in Gujarat and toll goes up by ten to 2,034, report PTI quoting the state health department.

19:57 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Punjab Latest Updates

Amarinder Singh writes to Narendra Modi over UGC's exam guidelines

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to advise the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to withdraw its guidelines mandating conduct of final exams by university by September end. "UGC should go by its earlier guidelines of 29 April to let states decide on the issue," he said.

Earlier in the day, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee too had reached out to the prime minister with a similar request, stating that the 6July guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC) will adversely affect the interests of students.

19:36 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Nagaland Latest Updates

Nagaland extends lockdown till 31 July

 
The Nagaland government has decided to extend the ongoing lockdown in the state till 31 July, 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 16 July, was extended for another 15 days at a meeting of the High Powered Committee (HPC) on COVID-19 on Friday. Planning and Coordination Minister Neiba Kronu told news agency PTI  that the present arrangement of free testing and staying in quarantine facilities without any charge will continue till the extended period of the lockdown. The rates will be fixed later but they will be minimal, the minister said.

19:25 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Kerala  Latest Updates

Kerala records close to 500 new cases

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that 488 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths were reported in Kerala in the last 24 hours. Sixteen more areas have been designated as COVID-19 hotspot, taking the total number of hotspots to 195 in the state, he said.

ANI

19:13 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam Latest Updates

Lockdown extended in Assam's Kamrup Metropolitan district till 19 July

 
Lockdown in Assam's Kamrup Metropolitan district has been extended till  7 pm on 19 July, reported ANI quoting the state police. 
 

18:56 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Tamil Nadu reports 69 deaths, 3,965 new cases

Tamil Nadu reports 69 deaths, 3,965 new coronavirus positive cases and 3,591 discharges on Saturday. The total number of positive cases stands at 1,34,226 including 46,410 active cases and 1,898 deaths, reports ANI quoting the state health department.

18:35 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Meghalaya announces two days total lockdown in Shillong

Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma said that the Meghalaya government has decided to impose a total lockdown in Shillong city agglomeration on 14 and 14 July. "During this time, Shillong city and surrounding areas shall be under curfew till 6 am of the 15 July, 2020," he said on Twitter.

18:30 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Containment work in areas  with high infection rate priority, says Narendra Modi

18:17 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Mumbai's Dharavi records 11 new patients

 
11 new coronavirus cases were reported in Dharavi area of Mumbai on Saturday, reports ANI quoting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) .The total number of cases in the slum has climbed to 2,370, including 122 active cases and 2002 discharges, it said.

18:08 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Jharkhand Latest Updates

Hemant Soren tests negative 

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has tested negative for the coronavirus infection, said the Chief Minister's Office. Soren, his wife Kalpana and officials from the CMO had taken the test earlier in the day. Soren had been under quarantine since 8 July after coming in contact with state minister Mithilesh Thakur and MLA Mathura Mahato, who have tested positive for COVID-19.

17:56 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Prior permission necessary for Ganpati celebrations in Maharashtra

 
The Maharashtra Home Department has issued a circular making it mandatory for all 'mandals' to take prior permission from the concerned municipality or local authority for conducting Ganeshotsav celebrations this year, reports ANI. Also, the maximum idol height has been capped at four feet.

17:36 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Asaduddin Owaisi undergoes COVID-19 test

 AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said he got his antigen and RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests done for COVID-19 and that antigen test result was negative. He said the outcome of RT-PCR test would be known after 30 hours.

17:23 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Over 2.82 lakh samples tested yesterday, says health ministry

 
The health ministry also said that as many as 1,13,07,002 samples have been tested through the collective public and private labs under ICMR’s diagnostic network of 1180 labs in the country. The number of public sector labs has increased to 841 while the number of private labs has also been strengthened to a total of 339, it said. The number of tests carried out per day is showing steep upward trend with 2,82,511 samples tested on Friday. As on date, the Test per Million (TPM) for the country stands at 8,193, it claimed.

17:06 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Recovery rate climbs to 62.78%, says health ministry

 
The total number of recoveries in India crossed the five lakh mark on Saturday, said the health ministry in a statement. As many as 5,15,385 COVID-19 patients have so far been cured and the recovery rate has climbed to 62.78 percent, it said, adding that recovered cases outnumber active COVID-19 cases by 2,31,978.

16:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Karnataka Latest Updates

No decision on Saturday lockdown, says Karnataka Dy CM

 
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan on Saturday clarified that the government has not taken any decision on imposing lockdown on Saturdays, amid spike in COVID-19 cases and said necessary action will be taken if the need arises, depending on the situation.Under Unlock 2.0 the state government has already announced complete lockdown on five Sundays in Karnataka, starting from 5 July to 2 August.
 
PTI

16:33 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Odisha Latest Updates

570 new cases take Odisha's COVID-19case count to 12,526

Odisha's tally of coronavirus cases rose by 570 to reach 12,526 on Saturday, while five more people succumbed to the disease taking the death toll to 61, a health department official said. Of the new fatalities, two were reported from Ganjam which is worst-hit by the infection, and one each from Puri, Cuttack and Khurda, the official said.
 
PTI

16:22 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Jharkhand Latest Updates

Hemant Soren, his wife's samples sent for testing

The swab samples of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana and officials working in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) were collected on Saturday for COVID-19 tests, reports PTI quoting a CMO statement. Soren has quarantined himself at his Ranchi residence since 8 July  after coming into contact with Drinking and Sanitation Minister Mithilesh Thakur and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA Mathura Mahato, who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are undergoing treatment at the state-run Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).

15:54 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Narendra Modi stresses on raising awareness, maintaining hygiene 

 
In a review meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the need to observe personal hygiene and social discipline in public places. Modi said the awareness about the pandemic should be disseminated widely and a continuous emphasis on preventing the spread of the infection should be laid. He said there is no room for any complacency in this regard, according to a statement. Modi also directed that real-time national level monitoring and guidance should be provided to all affected states and places with high test positivity rate. 
 
PTI

15:49 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Updates

Uttar Pradesh records 1,403 new cases in 24 hours

Uttar Pradesh reported 1,403 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the number of active cases to 11,490. A total of 22,689 patients have recovered and as many as 913 have died due to the disease till date, ANI quotes State Principal Health Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad as saying.

15:42 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak Latest Updates

WHO believes 'unknown pneumonia' in Kazakhstan could be COVID-19

The emergencies chief of the World Health Organization Dr Michael Ryan says the agency believes an unexplained pneumonia outbreak in Kazakhstan is likely due to the coronavirus.He said that Kazakh authorities have reported more than 10,000 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last week and just under 50,000 cases and 264 deaths as of Tuesday.
 
"We're looking at the actual testing and the quality of testing to make sure that there haven't been false negative tests for some of those other pneumonias that are provisionally tested negative," Ryan said.  He added that many pneumonia cases were likely to be COVID-19 and just have not been diagnosed correctly. "While we believe that many of these cases will be diagnosed as COVID-19, we keep an open mind," says Ryan, noting a WHO team was already in Kazakhstan.

15:14 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Proactive screening helped curb COVID-19 spread in Dharavi: BMC

Kiran Dighavkar, Assistant Commissioner of the G North ward of BMC said the civic body had to change its traditional approach of waiting for patients, contact tracing, isolation and home quarantine to begin proactive screening instead.

"Proactive screening helped in early detection, timely treatment and recovery," he said.

15:12 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

COVID-19 cases go past 800 in Amravati

With 25 fresh COVID-19 cases being reported on Saturday, the overall count in Amravati district of Maharashtra increase to 820, a health official said.

The new cases were reported from various areas in the city and villages. The case count in the district stood at 700 as on 6 July 6.

15:09 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Narendra Modi praises efforts to control COVID-19 in Delhi

During the COVID-19 review meeting on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated the concerted efforts of the Centre, state and local authorities in containing the pandemic situation in Delhi.

He further directed that similar approach should be adopted with other state governments in containing the outbreak in entire NCR area, ANI reported.

15:03 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Goa Latest Updates

Pramod Sawant rules out further lockdown in Goa, says resuming economic activity priority

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.

Sawant said the process of unlocking has started and priority should be given to resume economic activities.

15:01 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Meghalaya Latest Updates

312 COVID-19 infections in Meghalaya​

With 76 new coronavirus cases, Meghalaya on Saturday reported the highest single-day spike taking the overall count to 312, PTI quoted officials as saying. 

14:59 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in South Korea Latest Updates

South Korea records 35 fresh COVID-19 infections

South Korea reported 35 new cases of coronavirus, bringing its overall count to 13,373, with 288 deaths. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday that 13 of the new cases came from Seoul.

Infections have also been detected in other major cities such as Gwangju and Daejeon. At least 15 new cases were linked to international arrivals.

14:56 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Sonia Gandhi meets Congress MPs to discuss COVID-19 situation 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi held a meeting with the party's Lok Sabha MPs through video conferencing on Saturday and is learnt to have discussed with them the COVID-19 situation in the country.

The Congress has been critical of the BJP-led government over various issues, especially its handling of the pandemic as COVID-19 cases have risen exponentially after the easing of the lockdown, and the situation at the border with China in eastern Ladakh where 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent standoff with Chinese troops on 15 June.

14:19 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Widespread awareness about COVID-19 is needed: PM 

Reiterating the need to maintain personal hygiene and social distancing in public spaces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the COVID-19 review meet on Saturday said there must be a widespread awareness about the infection. 

"There is no room for any complacency in this regard," said Modi. 

14:05 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Narendra Modi holds COVID-19 review meet 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the COVID-19 situation across the country. The meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Member of NITI Aayog, Cabinet Secretary and other senior officials of the Centre. 

13:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Updates

Delhi govt cancels all university exams, including final year: Manish Sisodia 

The Delhi government has decided to cancel all Delhi state university exams, including the final year exams, Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Saturday.

The government has asked all the state universities to evaluate students according to their previous academic record or come up with a progressive plan to grade students.

13:37 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Jammu and Kashmir Latest Updates

Restrictions reimposed in Rajouri after increase in COVID-19 cases

Strict lockdown restrictions were reimposed on Saturday in parts of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district following a spike in coronavirus cases, officials said.

The entire Rajouri city and adjoining areas were sealed and people were asked to stay indoors as part of the efforts to slow the spread of the infection, they said.

"The restrictions were reimposed as a precautionary measure after some locals were tested positive for COVID-19. While in most cases the source of the infection is known, there are some cases where the source is unknown," Additional Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, Sher Singh told PTI.

13:03 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam Latest Updates

Over 470 Assam Police personnel test COVID-19 positive 

As many as 472 police personnel in Assam have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, reported News18 on Saturday. Over 900 officials are currently under home quarantine while, one succumbed to the viral infection.

Coronavirus Updates: "Earlier today both my father and I tested positive for COVID 19. Both of us having mild symptoms have been admitted to hospital," said Abhishek Bachchan.

Actor Amitabh Bachchan said that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection and has been shifted to the hospital. According to news agency ANI, the actor has been admitted to Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital.

The Karnataka government has decided to implement complete lockdown in Bengaluru Urban and Rural Districts for seven days starting 8 pm on 14 July, said chief minister BS Yediyurappa.

Kerala's total case count climbed to 7,438 while the toll due to COVID-19 reached 29 with two more deaths reported on Saturday.

The Nagaland government has decided to extend the ongoing lockdown in the state till 31 July.

The COVID-19 case count in Tamil Nadu climbed to 1,34,226  and toll reached 1,898 as the state reported 3,965 new cases and 69 deaths.

Meanwhile, the Meghalaya government announced a total lockdown in Shillong on Monday and Tuesday.

The health ministry said that a total of 5,15,385 COVID-19 patients have so far been cured and discharged, of which 19,870 were discharged in the last 24 hours. With this, the recovery rate has risen to 62.78 percent and the number of recoveries exceeds active cases by 2,31,978.

The civic body had to change its traditional approach of waiting for patients, contact tracing, isolation and home quarantine to begin proactive screening instead in Dharavi.

"Proactive screening helped in early detection, timely treatment and recovery," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the COVID-19 situation across the country. He stressed on the need for widespread awareness about the viral infection.

The Delhi government has asked all the universities to evaluate students according to their previous academic record or come up with a progressive plan to grade students.

In a series of tweets, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh also said fines to the tune of over Rs 11 crore were collected from offenders during this period.

The central bank governor, while speaking at the 7th SBI Banking & Economics Conclave, said that COVID-19 has dented the existing world order, global value chains, labour and capital movements across the globe.

After 27,114 more people tested COVID-19 positive for the first time in a day, India's overall count crossed 8 lakh on Saturday.

India's drug regulator has approved Itolizumab, a drug used to cure skin ailment psoriasis for "restricted emergency use" to treat COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress.

The World Health Organization said Friday that it is still possible to bring coronavirus outbreaks under control, even though case numbers have more than doubled in the past six weeks.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the examples of Italy, Spain, South Korea and Dharavi, largest slum in Maharashtra, showed that however bad a outbreak was, the virus could still be reined in through aggressive action.

Dr Mike Ryan, head of the WHO's emergencies programme, said that by extinguishing clusters of infection, the world could "potentially avoid the worst of having second peaks and having to move backwards in terms of lockdown".

India, the third worst-hit country by the novel coronavirus, on Friday registered its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases with 26,506 new infections being reported in 24 hours. Additionally, the Union health ministry said that 475 deaths were also reported, taking the toll to 21,604.

The total number of cases rose to 7,93,802 on Friday, including 2,76,685 active cases, and 4,95,513 cured/discharged/migrated patients. The ministry also said that the recovery rate stands at about 63 percent.

Meanwhile, the ICMR said that with 2,83,659 samples being tested for coronavirus on Thursday, the total number of samples tested up to 9 July is 1,10,24,491.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday said the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients in India currently stands at about 63 percent and asserted that India has not reached the community transmission stage, despite being a large country.

"Recovery rate among COVID-19 patients stands at about 63 percent. The mortality rate is just 2.72 percent. We are not concerned about the number of cases. We are ramping up testing so that maximum cases can be detected and treated," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

In the meantime, the BSF on Friday said that 73 new coronavirus cases and 14 recovered/cured patients in the force were reported in the last 24 hours. The total number of positive cases in BSF stands at 1,659, including 927 recovered cases.

No COVID-19 vaccine till next year, officials tell MPs

A vaccine for COVID-19 is expected only by early next year, a parliamentary panel was informed on Friday.

Presentations were given by the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the principal scientific adviser to the government before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Climate on the Centre's COVID-19 preparedness.

The panel is chaired by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who, along with six other members, attended the meeting.

Sources said it was conveyed to the panel that a vaccine for COVID-19 could be available only by early next year.

This was the first meeting of the panel since the nationwide lockdown was imposed on 25 March.

Lockdown to be imposed in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad areas

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 in Maharashtra starting 13 July. The lockdown will come into force from midnight of 13 July and end on 23 July.

The district reported a record spike of 1,803 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday that pushed the tally to 34,399, while the toll rose to 978.

The decision to enforce the lockdown was taken in a meeting chaired by Maharashtra deputy chief minister and district guardian minister Ajit Pawar.

Lockdown extended in Thiruvananthapuram, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli municipal regions

Various lockdown guidelines were extended by respective authorities in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram and in Maharashtra's Kalyan-Dombivli, and Thane municipal areas as coronavirus cases continued to rise. This is in addition to the lockdown restrictions enforced in areas of West Bengal and Bihar.

Kerala's COVID-19 tally inched towards 7,000, with 416 people testing positive on Friday in the highest single-day spike of the infection so far, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan warned that the situation was "becoming alarming". He also said the triple lockdown imposed in Thiruvananthapuram corporation limits has been extended by another week. The state government had on Sunday decided to enforce the lockdown in the capital city following a spike in coronavirus cases.

In addition to the complete lockdown announced in Maharashtra's Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) announced the extension of the lockdown in the area till 19 July. The Thane municipal corporation also announced a similar extension.

Conduct rapid antigen tests in every households, Adityanath tells UP officials 

Meanwhile, 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.

"A special cleanliness campaign has been initiated from 10-13 July to create awareness about COVID-19, vector-borne diseases and other ailments. Under the campaign, door-to-door surveillance should be done and rapid antigen tests should be conducted in every household," Adityanath was quoted in a statement  released by the government.

He said the number of lab technicians should be increased and 15,000 rapid antigen tests should be conducted per day.

During the meeting with officials, Adityanath said that a massive sanitisation should be undertaken to check the spread of coronavirus. He added that all ministers should monitor the campaign in their respective districts.

State-wise COVID-19 cases and deaths today

With as many as 2,38,461 COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra continues to remain the worst-affected state, followed by Tamil Nadu (1,30,261) and Delhi (1,09,140). Maharashtra reported a record 7,862 new cases on Friday, while Tamil Nadu recorded 3,680 new infections.

Meanwhile, Delhi reported 2,089 new cases.

As many as 1,608 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours in Andhra Pradesh, taking the coronavirus tally to 25,422.

Himachal Pradesh detects two new COVID-19 positive cases, taking the total number of cases to 1,143 including 268 active, 851 recoveries and nine deaths.

Jharkhand reported 170 more COVID-19 cases taking the state's tally of coronavirus cases to 3,362. The total number of active cases in the state stands at 1,129, while 2,210 patients have recovered so far.

Meanwhile, 115 more COVID-19 cases have been reported from Rajasthan on Friday. With this, the total number of cases in Rajasthan stands at 22,678, including 5,043 active cases and 17,140 recoveries.

Prisons across Maharashtra reported a total of 763 COVID-19 cases till date. The figure includes 596 inmates and 167 jail staff, informed the Maharashtra Prison Department on Friday.

The highest number of cases was reported from Nagpur Central Prison with 219 inmates and 57 jail staff testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

As many as 222 new COVID-19 positive cases and three 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, said Maharashtra Police.

As many as 352 new COVID-19 positive cases reported in Bihar today taking the total tally in the state to 14,330 including 9792 recovered cases, the Bihar government said.

Odisha's COVID-19 case tally rises to 11,956 with 755 new positive cases reported in the last 24 hours. The number of recovered patients in the state is 7,407, toll 56, said state health department.

Nine new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Ladakh; two patients cured and discharged. COVID-19 active cases in the Union Territory has gone up to 1,064 (350 in Leh district and 714 in Kargil district), said the Department of Information and Public relations Leh, Ladakh.

Cases 'more than doubled' in six weeks,s ays WHO

"Today the world recorded 12 million cases. In the last six weeks cases have more than doubled," said Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday.

Ghebreyesus was also quoted by News18 as saying, "In Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, South Korea and even in Dharavi, a densely packed area in 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."

With inputs from agencies



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3erFOS4
FP Staff

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