Coronavirus News highlights: Delta Plus variant a 'Variant of Concern' in India, says Centre

India on Tuesday reported 42,640 fresh Covid-19 cases and 1,167 new deaths. India saw less than 50,000 single-day infections after 91 days, the Union Health Ministry said. On the global front, Cuba says its vaccine, Abdala, is 92.28 per cent effective in late-stage trials. Stay tuned with DH for live updates.

Tamil Nadu reports 6,895 new Covid cases, 13,156 recoveries, and 194 deaths today.

Active cases: 56,886
Total recoveries: 23,48,353
Death toll: 31,580

(ANI)

40% drop in single-day Covid-19 vaccinations after record 88 lakh shots

India on Tuesday administered around 53 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines – nearly 40% drop from Monday’s record-breaking 88 lakh inoculations – with experts pointing out that sustaining such a high level of vaccination would depend on supplies, states' collaboration, and public enthusiasm.

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Delta Plus variant of coronavirus is a 'Variant of Concern' in India, says Union Health Ministry

(ANI)

Soha Ali Khan, Radhika Apte get Covid-19 vaccine shot

South star Suriya, actors Radhika Apte and Soha Ali Khan on Tuesday received their jabs of the coronavirus vaccine.

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Karnataka reports 3,709 new Covid cases, 8,111 discharges and 139 deaths today.

Active cases: 1,18,592
Total recoveries: 26,62,250
Death toll: 34,164

(ANI)

Vehicles stuck in a traffic jam in central business district after certain restrictions of Covid-induced lockdown were eased, in Bengaluru, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Credit: PTI Photo

Delhi reports 134 new Covid-19 cases, 467 recoveries and 8 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Active cases: 1,918
Total recoveries: 14,05,927
Death toll: 24,933

(ANI)

Pfizer now in final stages to get approval for Covid-19 vaccine in India. I hope very soon we will finalise an agreement with the govt: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla

(ANI)

Rural areas administered more doses than urban in record Covid vaccination on June 21: Govt

As India achieved a "historic milestone" of administering 88.09 lakh coronavirus vaccine doses in a single day on June 21, nearly 64 per cent of the jabs were given in rural areas, the government said on Tuesday.

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Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is likely to get clearance from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) today: Sources

(ANI)

In India, 16 of the 22 cases of Delta Plus variant have been found in Ratnagiri and Jalgaon (Maharashtra) and some cases in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan

(ANI)

Between June 15 and June 21, there were 553 districts in the country where the positivity rate was less than 5 per cent: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan

(ANI)

Andhra Pradesh reports 4,169 new Covid-19 cases, 8,376 recoveries, and 53 deaths.

Active cases: 53,880
Total recoveries: 17,91,056
Death toll: 12,416

(ANI)

Will finalise policy on door-to-door Covid-19 vaccination in one week: Maharashtra govt to HC

The Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that it will finalise within a week its policy on starting door-to-door Covid-19 vaccination drives for the elderly, disabled persons and those who are bedridden and unable to visit the inoculation centres.

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Covaxin shows 77.8% efficacy in phase 3 trial data in review by subject expert committee (SEC): Sources

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Over 2.14 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses available with states: Centre

More than 2.14 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs and over 33,80,590 vaccine doses are in the pipeline and will be received by them within the next three days, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday..

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India tests longer-range drone flights, eyes Covid-19 vaccine deliveries

An aviation firm has carried out the first tests in India of longer-range drone deliveries, as hopes grow that they could deliver medicines as well as Covid-19 vaccines to remote areas.

Greater use of drones could be a game-changer for medical services in the South Asian nation's hard-to-reach rural areas where healthcare is limited and roads often poor, experts say.

Vanishing hesitancy, walk-in, free vaccines: mantra for more jabs, say top districts with high coverage

Districts struggling with erratic supply of vaccines and paltry vaccination coverage received a shot in the arm by Monday's 'Maha Lasika Abhiyana', an aggressive vaccination drive where doses were supplied to match the district's vaccination potential.

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Abu Dhabi opens up free Covid-19 vaccines to tourists

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is offering tourists free COVID-19 vaccinations that were previously restricted to UAE citizens and residency visa holders.

There is no indication that the change applies to Dubai, the most populous emirate, or the other five emirates that make up the UAE.

Visitors with visas issued by Abu Dhabi and passport holders eligible for tourist visas when they arrive in the UAE through Abu Dhabi can book free vaccines, according to information provided by the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), which operates the emirate's public health infrastructure.

Gujarat BJP chief defends distributing Remdesivir from party office during Covid-19 peak

Defending himself and the BJP's move to distribute the critical Covid-19 drug Remdesivir to people from the party's office in Surat during the peak of the second wave of coronavirus in April, state unit president Chandrakant R Paatil said that "at no point were the injections were kept for the purpose of hoarding at any place, including the party office".

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UK health minister says data looking good on easing lockdown

British Health Minister Matt Hancock said on Tuesday the Covid-19 data looks encouraging and currently suggests England's lockdown can fully end on July 19 as planned because a recent rise in cases is not resulting in deaths.

Australia struggles to quash persistent coronavirus outbreaks

Sydney was battling a fresh Covid-19 cluster on Tuesday just as Melbourne's latest outbreak receded, highlighting Australia's difficulty in quashing persistent small virus flare-ups.

Ten people were diagnosed with Covid-19 in Sydney overnight, taking the cluster that first emerged in the city's Bondi Beach area last week to 21 cases.

Rahul Gandhi releases white paper on Covid management

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday released a "white paper" by the party on the Centre's Covid management and urged the government to prepare for the third wave of coronavirus.

Releasing the "white paper", the former Congress chief said it is clear that the management of the first and second wave of Covid-19 was "disastrous".

ZyCov-D third phase trials satisfactory, could be approved for emergency use by DCGI

The results of the third phase trials of ZyCov-D vaccine for children in the age group of 12 to 18 years have been satisfactory. Children who volunteered for the trials have developed antibodies against the Covid-19 virus.

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North Korea tells WHO it has detected no Covid-19 cases

North Korea has told the World Health Organisation it tested more than 30,000 people for the coronavirus through June 10 but has yet to find a single infection.

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Philippines community raffles off bags of rice to boost vaccine drive

A community in the Philippines has been raffling off huge sacks of rice in exchange for getting vaccinated against Covid-19, after finding it hard to persuade people to get their shots.

Twenty weekly winners who get their shots in Sucat on the outskirts of the capital Manila have been taking home a 25 kg (55 pound) sack of rice each.

Copa America in Brazil up to 140 Covid-19 cases

There were 140 known Covid-19 cases at the Copa America in Brazil, up from 66 positive tests on Thursday.

CONMEBOL said in a statement that of the 15,235 tests, the number of people infected was 0.9% of the total.

“Most of the affected are workers, members of squads and outsourced staffers,” the South American soccer body said on Monday.

India on Tuesday reported 42,640 fresh Covid-19 cases and 1,167 new deaths. India saw less than 50,000 single-day infections after 91 days, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement.

21 cases of Covid-19 'Delta plus' variant found in Maharashtra: Minister

21 cases of the 'Delta plus' variant of Covid-19, considered highly infectious, have been found in Maharashtra so far, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope has said.

The highest nine cases were reported in Ratnagiri, followed by seven in Jalgaon, two in Mumbai, and one case each in Palghar, Thane and Sindhudurg districts, Tope told reporters on Monday.

Bengaluru Urban first among districts, Karnataka second among states in nationwide Covid vaccine drive

Karnataka on Monday administered a whopping 10.36 lakh jabs in a single day as part of a mega vaccination drive undertaken by the state. This is the second-highest in the country, after Madhya Pradesh, which administered 14.71 lakh doses, according to Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar.

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Vaccines showing reduced efficacy against Delta variant: WHO

A World Health Organization epidemologist on Monday said that it is seeing 'reduced efficacy' of Covid-19 vaccines against the Delta variant.

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Ladakh reports 33 new Covid-19 cases and 31 recoveries

The total number of Covid-19 active cases in the Union Territory has come down to 365.

Australia's New South Wales extends mask mandate for Sydney as virus cluster grows

Australia's most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), on Tuesday reported its biggest rise in new locally acquired Covid-19 cases in nearly a week, prompting authorities to extend a mask mandate in Sydney for a week.

Brazil reports 38,903 new coronavirus cases, 761 deaths

Brazil recorded 38,903 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 761 deaths from Covid-19, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

A health worker administers a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine to a woman belonging to Gujjar community during door to door inoculation drive, at Tosamaidan in Budgam district in J&K.

Credit: PTI Photo

Covid chaos disrupts England and Scotland at Euro 2020

England's bid to win their Euro 2020 group has been thrown into chaos ahead of Tuesday's clash with the Czech Republic after Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell were forced to isolate following Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour's positive coronavirus test.

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India administers record 85 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses on day one of free shots

India administered a record 85 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines on Monday, as the Centre started providing free vaccines to all above 18 years as part of the liberalised immunisation drive.

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Covid-19 leads to cognitive, behavioural problems in patients: Study

Dual-antibody drugs effective against Covid-19 variants in animal study

Covid-19 therapies made from a cocktail of two types of antibodies were effective against a wide range of variants of the coronavirus in a mice and hamster study, the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reported on Monday.

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Cuba says Abdala vaccine 92.28% effective against coronavirus

Cuba said on Monday its three-shot Abdala vaccine against the coronavirus had proved 92.28% effective in last-stage clinical trials.

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91% beds reserved for Covid fall vacant in Bengaluru's private hospitals

With the dramatic fall in Covid numbers, 91% of the beds in private hospitals reserved for government quota have fallen vacant, allowing hospitals to get back many of the beds and provide them for non-Covid services.

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It’s sad that Amarnath Yatra had to be postponed for 2nd consecutive year due to Covid: Altaf Thakur, BJP spokesperson, J&K - ANI

It’s sad that Amarnath Yatra had to be postponed for 2nd consecutive year due to Covid. Be it Pahalgam or Baltal, people wait for the yatra as it's a sign of Hindu-Muslim unity. People whose livelihoods depend on it, are suffering economically. Tourism has been shut for 2 years, it’s a major setback for them (traders). Earlier it was due to abrogation of Article 370 & now this. They're bearing heavy losses; but it’s important to follow Covid SOPs.

Italy to end mask mandate from June 28

Face masks will no longer be compulsory in Italy, one of the countries in Europe worst hit by the coronavirus, from June 28, the health ministry said Monday.

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