Coronavirus News Highlights: Haryana extends Covid-19 lockdown by a week till May 17

Tamil Nadu's coronavirus spike continued unabated with 28,897 fresh cases being recorded in a single day, pushing the total caseload to 13.80 lakh while 236 deaths in the last 24 hours took the toll to 15,648. The state government said the Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin district would commence production of oxygen from May 11 onwards.

. The Indian variant of SARS-CoV-2 (B1.617) causes worse lung disease in hamsters than earlier versions of the coronavirus, the Indian Council of Medical Research has said in a new study days after the Union Health Ministry described it as a “variant of concern.”

. The Haryana government on Sunday announced extending the coronavirus-induced lockdown in the state by a week till May 17.

Making the announcement on Twitter, Home and Health Minister Anil Vij said that stringent measures will be taken to contain the spread of coronavirus infections in the state.

. With very little testing and treatment facilities in smaller towns and districts, Covid-19 may be silently claiming lives of people in large numbers in the villages across Uttar Pradesh.

. A controversy has erupted in Uttarakhand over a BJP MLA's 25-year-old son getting the anti-coronavirus vaccine jab despite the fact that inoculation of people in his age group is yet to begin in the state.

The vaccination process for people aged 18-44 years begins officially in Uttarakhand on Monday. However, BJP MLA from Khanpur Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion's son Divya Pratap Singh Champion got the jab on May 5.

. Total cases: 6,81,012 Total recoveries: 5,33,004 Death toll: 8,394

Active cases: 1,39,614

. Total recoveries: 13,51,097 Death toll: 18,776 Case tally: 19,34,378

Active cases: 5,64,485

. Coronavirus claimed the lives of 67 patients in Goa on Sunday, the highest single-day death count in the state since the pandemic began, a health official said.

With this, its fatality count increased to 1,679, while the overall caseload went up to 1,18,846 with the addition of 2,633 infection cases, he said.

. Fresh positive cases : 35,801

Test positivity rate: 28.88%

Recovered during the day :29,318

Deaths reported during the day : 68

Samples tested in last 24 hrs : 1,23,980

Under treatment : 4,23,514

Recovered so far : 14,72,951

Total deaths : 5814 (+ 346 non-covid)

Total reported so far: 19,02,628

. Delhi vaccinated over 1.28 lakh people against coronavirus on Saturday, AAP MLA Atishi said on Sunday.

She said Delhi currently has 4.65 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccines available for those above 45, and healthcare and frontline workers, while 2.74 lakh doses are available for the 18-44 age category.

. South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has said that four cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus have been detected in the country, but there was no cause for panic as all such cases were quarantined.

"The four cases of B.1.617.2 (Indian variant of coronavirus) have been detected in Gauteng (2) and KwaZulu-Natal (2) and all have a history of recent arrival from India. All cases have been isolated and managed according to the national Covid-19 case management guidelines and contact tracing has been performed in order to limit the spread of this variant," Mkhize said in a statement on Saturday.

. India, South Africa and other developing countries are likely to push for a wider waiver of intellectual property rights for Covid-19 drugs and medical tools after US President Joe Biden and Trade Representative Katherine Tai backed their call to waive off intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines.

. Emirates airline said on Sunday it will fly medical supplies from Dubai to nine cities in India free of charge from this week to help battle a devastating upsurge in the coronavirus. International aid has poured in for India, where record infection rates have overwhelmed hospitals, depleting medicines, oxygen tanks and other supplies.

Earlier this month, Qatar Airways also airlifted 300 tonnes of aid free of charge from Doha to India.

. Corporate India is stepping up to shoulder coronavirus-induced challenges by lending a helping hand through various initiatives like testing, vaccination camps, financial aid, medical help and resource access for Covid-19 care.

. Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi are among 10 states that account for 71.75 per cent of the 4,03,738 new Covid-19 cases registered in a day, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday.

. Amid the rise in cases of mucormycosis or 'black fungus' infection among Covid-19 survivors, the Gujarat government has started setting up separate wards in hospitals for such patients and has procured 5,000 vials of a medicine used in its treatment.

. (PTI)

. Total cases: 13,23,567 Death toll: 19,344 Total recoveries: 12,17,991

Active cases: 86,232

(ANI)

. Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi are among 10 states that account for 71.75 per cent of the 4,03,738 new Covid-19 cases registered in a day, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday.

. Ahead of the fortnight-long lockdown like restrictions starting from May 10 in Karnataka, Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant on Sunday urged people to strictly abide by the guidelines and warned of stringent action against violators.

. (ANI)

. Essential services allowed, gathering permissible for marriages is reduced to 25 only.

(ANI)

. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to waive all forms of taxes and customs duty on equipment and drugs being used to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

. After launching the Covid-19 vaccination drive for the 18 to 44-years group ‘symbolically’ a few days ago, the state government on Sunday announced that the vaccination of the 18 to 44 age group will begin from Monday in Bengaluru.

. (ANI)

. As India grapples with the devastating second wave of the pandemic, an anti-Covid oral drug, developed by DRDO in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use.

. (ANI)

. For three consecutive days earlier this week, Paromita, a young woman living at Noida Extension, drove from one hospital to another, looking for an oxygen bed for her 46-year-old husband, whose blood oxygen level had dipped to a dangerously low level. Her husband died without receiving any treatment.

. With Covid-19 patients in Bengaluru struggling to find beds and oxygen, the state government is taking a cue from Mumbai and decided to constitute ward-level committees for efficient Covid care management.

. At a time when India is reeling under severe shortage of medicines and medical oxygen to treat patients of Covid-19, the Maharashtra chapter of the IMA has asked the administration to make available everything needed for treatment.

. A Covid-19 variant spreading in India is more contagious and may be dodging vaccine protections, contributing to the country's explosive outbreak, the World Health Organization's chief scientist said Saturday.

. (ANI)

. On May 2, 19-year-old Keerthana, an employee of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadi Kendra in Kollegal town in Chamarajanagar district, fell seriously ill, complaining of weakness and breathlessness. She was rushed to Kollegal taluk hospital, where she gave a Covid test but was referred to the Chamarajanagar district hospital, citing a lack of oxygen.

. Cases of mucormycosis, a fungal infection, are rising among Covid-19 survivors, causing blindness or serious illness and even death in some cases, health officials in Maharashtra and Gujarat said on Saturday.

. South Africa's health ministry said on Saturday it had detected the first four cases of a new coronavirus variant that emerged in India and was responsible for a surge of infections and deaths.

(PTI)

. (PTI)

Coronavirus News Highlights: Haryana extends Covid-19 lockdown by a week till May 17

Tamil Nadu logs 28,897 new Covid-19 cases; Sterlite plant to produce oxygen from May 11

Indian Covid-19 variant is highly pathogenic, finds ICMR study

Haryana extends Covid-19 lockdown by a week till May 17

Covid-19 tentacles reach UP's hinterlands, deaths going unreported

West Bengal registers highest single-day spike of 19,441 Covid-19 cases, 124 more fatalities: Health Department

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