Coronavirus News Live: No shortage of vaccines, government tells Lok Sabha

India reported 35,342 new Covid-19 cases, 38,740 recoveries, and 483 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry. Meanwhile, a day after the experts' panel resolving to recommend the state government on the phased reopening of schools across Karnataka, the National Health Mission (NHM) on Thursday directed all the DCs to vaccinate the entire aided and unaided school teaching and non-teaching staff. Stay tuned for updates.

Kerala on high alert for third wave as Covid-19 cases escalate, says CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that although the present marginal increase in Covid-19 TPR in Kerala did not indicate the onset of athird wave so far, the state was considering the situation with utmost seriousness as the centre has alerted that thecountryis on the verge of a thirdwave.

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Over 60% in Telangana have antibodies against Covid-19: Study

A serosurvey by the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition in June has found that just over 60 per cent of people in Telangana have developed antibodies againstCovid-19compared to67% at the national levelduring the same time.

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Nearly 39 lakh Covid-19 vaccines administered today, total doses now at 42.75 crore: Union Health Ministry

Karnataka logs 1,705 single-day Covid-19 cases, 30 deaths

Karnataka on Friday reported 1,705 new Covid-19 cases and 30 deaths, taking the tally to 28,91,699 and the toll to 36,323.

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Andhra Pradesh logs 1,747 new Covid-19 cases, 14 deaths

The cumulative coronavirus positives shot up to 19.50 lakh inAndhraPradesh with the addition of 1,747 afresh on Friday.

With 2,365 more patients getting cured in 24 hours, the total recoveries went up to 19,14,177.

(PTI)

No shortage of vaccines: Government tells Lok Sabha

There has been no shortage of vaccines and the Government of India has been supplying the jabs to states and Union Territories for free to be given to prioritized beneficiaries as recommended by NEGVAC, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.

(PTI)

Madhya Pradesh begins Covid-19 vaccination drive for pregnant women in Bhopal

Himachal Pradesh schools allowed to reopen for students in Classes 10-12 from August 2

No timeline can be indicated now on completing Covid-19 vaccination: Centre in Lok Sabha

No fixed timeline can be indicated for the completion of vaccination drive but the government expects that all those above 18 years will be vaccinated by year-end, Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

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Karim Benzema tests Covid positive, delays Madrid start

Striker Karim Benzema tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of preseason training, Real Madrid said Friday.

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43,34 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine administered so far in India: Union Health Ministry

67.6% Indians above 6 years found to have Covid antibodies in 4th national serosurvey, Lok Sabha told

Of India's population above the age of six, 67.6 per cent have developed antibodies against Covid-19, found the Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) fourth national serosurvey done between June 14 and July 6, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

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Odisha records 1,917 new Covid-19 cases, 69 single-day deaths

Odisha’sCovid-19 tally mounted to 9,63,851 on Friday as 1,917 more people tested positive for the infection, while 69 fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 5,377, a health department official said.

Of the fresh cases, 1,109 were reported from quarantine centres and the remaining 808 detected during contact tracing, he said.

(PTI)

Tokyo 2020 grappling with Covid-19 testing kit shortfall: Report

Olympics organisers are grappling with a shortage of Covid-19 testing kits needed for their daily testing programme, with competitors staying at the athletes' village in Tokyo not tested as scheduled due to the shortfall, broadcasterNHKreported.

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Indonesia reports record 1,566 Covid-19 deaths

Indonesia reported a record daily number of 1,566Covid-19 deaths on Friday, taking total fatalities to 80,598, data from the country'sCovid-19 task force showed.

It also recorded 49,071 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of cases 30,82,410.

(Reuters)

Bangkok closes public spaces as coronavirus surges in Thailand

Thailand's already locked down capital shut parks and the few remaining public places available to residents Friday, as the country registered a new high ofcoronavirusinfections.

The near-total restriction on movements in the capital came as the prime minister demanded officials find ways to get the sick into hospitals after people with Covid-19 were found dead on the streets of Bangkok.

The Health Ministry reported 14,575 new cases and 114 deaths around the country, bringing deaths since the pandemic began last year to 3,811. Nearly all of the deaths happened since April following a number of spreading events and public holidays.

(AP)

UK food sector workers exempt from self-isolation rules

Supermarket shelves were empty in some parts of Britain after the staff shortagesThousands of UK food sector workers will be exempt from self-isolation if they come into contact with a Covid-19 case, a minister said Friday, after staff shortages led to empty supermarket shelves.

Ascoronaviruscases once again soar in the UK, many sectors are complaining of a "pingdemic" -- a reference to notifications from the phone app telling users they have come into contact with an infected person and need to self-isolate.

(AFP)

Philippines orders children back indoors amid fears of virus surge

The Philippines sent millions of children back into lockdown Friday as hospitals prepared for a surge incoronaviruscases fuelled by the highly contagious Delta variant ravaging neighbouring countries.

Nearly half of the 47 cases of the more virulent strain detected so far were locally acquired, the health department said, raising fears of a sharp uptick in infections that have topped 1.5 million since the start of the pandemic.

Delhi's Tilak Nagar market shut till July 27 for flouting Covid rules

An expert group of the Indian govt is still in talks with Pfizer over Covidvaccine supply: Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Lok Sabha

(ANI)

Tokyo reported 1,359 Covid-19 cases on Friday, part of a wave of infection in the capital as the Olympic Games kick off.

Tokyo reported 1,359Covid-19 cases on Friday, part of a wave of infection in the capital as the Olympic Games kick off.

At least 100 US athletes unvaccinated as Olympics begin

About 100 of the 613 USathletes descending on Tokyo for the Olympics are unvaccinated, the USOlympic and Paralympic Committee's medical chief said hours before Friday night's opening ceremony.

Medical director Jonathan Finnoff said 567 of the American athletes had filled out their health histories as they prepared for the trip, and estimated 83% had replied they were vaccinated.

(AP)

Tokyo Olympics linked Covid count goes past 100 on day of opening ceremony with 19 new cases

TheCovid-19 cases associated with the Tokyo Olympics breached the 100-mark on Friday with the announcement of 19 new infections and the Czech contingent seemed among the worst hit after a fourth athlete -- road cyclist Michal Schlegel -- tested positive for the virus.

The worrying milestone was touched on the day the Games will officially open here with a ceremony to be attended by less than 1,000 dignitaries and sans any spectators. The city logged 1,359 cases on Friday.

(PTI)

Russia reports 23,811 new Covid-19 cases, 795 deaths

Russia reported 23,811 newCovid-19 cases on Friday, including 3,425 in Moscow, taking the official national tally since the pandemic began to 6,078,522.

The government coronavirus task force said 795 people had died of coronavirus-linked causes in the past 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 152,296.

(Reuters)

Tanzania says to start vaccine rollout soon

Tanzania's government said it is gearing up to roll out vaccinations againstCovid-19 soon, in a shift from the policies of the country's formerCovid-sceptic leader.

Health Minister Dorothy Gwajima said late Thursday the government was also banning all "unnecessary gatherings" to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Tanzania's late leader John Magufuli had downplayed the gravity of the pandemic and shunned masks for the healing power of prayer, even as neighbouring countries shut their borders and imposed curfews and lockdowns.

(AFP)

Coronavirus will not mutate as much in the coming months, says AIIMS director Randeep Gulleria

Odisha administers 1.5 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses

4 new Covid-19 cases push Andamans tally to 7,525

Andaman and Nicobar IslandsCovid-19 caseload rose to 7,525 as four more persons tested positive for the virus in the union territory, a health department official said on Friday.

Three cases were detected during contact tracing and one was airport arrival, he said.

All passengers arriving by flight have to undergo mandatory RT-PCR test before they are allowed entry into the islands, the official said.

TheCovid-19 death toll remained at 129 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours, the official said.

(PTI)

Australian states squabble as NSW seeks Covid vaccine priority

Australia's largest state of New South Wales on Friday urged the federal government to divert vaccine doses to Sydney, the epicentre of a flaringCovie-19 outbreak, raising objections from other states desperate for protection from the virus.

The Sydney outbreak has ballooned to nearly 1,800 cases since mid-June, and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian branded the situation a "national emergency".

Australia's Lorna Jane activewear fined $4 mn for misleading Covid-19 claim

Athleisure clothing chain Lorna Jane Pty Ltd was fined A$5 million ($3.7 million) by an Australian court on Friday after claiming its garments could prevent Covid-19, which a judge labelled as "exploitative, predatory and potentially dangerous".

The company with 134 stores across Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Singapore was sued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) last year after saying its LJ Shield Activewear range "eliminated", "stopped the spread" and "protected wearers" against the coronavirus.

The misleading claims, which centred around the "groundbreaking technology" of the company's garments, were made on in-store signs, on its website, on social media website Instagram, in emails to customers and in media releases, the consumer watchdog said.

(Reuters)

India's daily Covid-19 cases decline to 35,342; 483 more deaths

India saw a single-day rise of 35,342 coronavirus infections on Friday, lower than the 41,000-plus new cases the previous day, taking the total tally of Covid-19 cases to 3,12,93,062, while the active cases were recorded at 4,05,513, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

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‘Not out of the woods’: CDC issues blunt new warning on Covid-19

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Thursday that the United States was “not out of the woods yet” on the pandemic and was once again at a “pivotal point” as the highly infectious delta variant ripped through unvaccinated communities.

Just weeks after President Joe Biden threw a Fourth of July party on the South Lawn of the White House to declare independence from the virus, the director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, called the now dominant variant “one of the most infectious respiratory viruses” known to scientists.

The renewed sense of urgency inside the administration was aimed at tens of millions of people who have not yet been vaccinated and therefore are most likely to be infected and become sick. Her grim message came at a time of growing anxiety and confusion, especially among parents of young children who are still not eligible to take the shot. And it underscored how quickly the pandemic’s latest surge had unsettled Americans who had begun to believe the worst was over, sending politicians and public health officials scrambling to recalibrate their responses.

(NYT)

Taiwan's Covid-19 curbs drive spike in food packaging waste

Taiwan has become inundated with waste after a surge Covid-19 cases prompted movement curbs that led to a spike in online shopping and food deliveries and that is threatening to set back efforts to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic.

Taiwan has been dealing with an outbreak of community Covid-19 transmissions since April after months of few domestic infections and has since mid-May been under curbs that limited personal gatherings and curtailed restaurants to take-out service.

(Reuters)

Northeastern states struggle to contain Covid-19 cases, positivity rate

Northeastern states appear to be emerging as Covid-19 hotbeds when the rest of the country is easing out restrictions following a dip in cases in the second wave.

The surge in daily cases and positivity rate has, in fact, forced the states in the Northeast to go for fresh lockdown, curfew and other restrictions.

Manipur and Mizoram, where Covid-19 cases and deaths were very low in the first wave, reported 1,326 and 807 new cases on Wednesday, which was the highest single-day figure so far. The two states resorted to lockdown as their positivity rate stood at over 14 to 16 per cent on Wednesday.

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Troubled Tokyo Olympics set to open under Covid cloud

The most troubled Olympics in modern history finally get under way in Tokyo on Friday, struggling to emerge from the clutches ofCovid-19 after a one-year postponement following a build-up marred by scandal and controversy.

Eight years after gold ticker tape rained down as Tokyo celebrated winning the right to stage the Games, Friday's opening ceremony will take place with the Japanese capital in a state of emergency.

Fears that the global gathering of 11,000 athletes could trigger a colossal super-spreader event have prompted organisers to clamp the Games in a biosecure straitjacket.

Pandemic restrictions mean that for the first time in Olympic history, no domestic or overseas spectators will be allowed to attend the Games.

(AFP)

Karnataka govt orders Covid-19 vaccination of school staff on a priority basis

A day after the experts' panel resolving to recommend the state government on the phased reopening of schools across Karnataka, the National Health Mission (NHM) on Thursday directed all the DCs to vaccinate the entire aided and unaided school teaching and non-teaching staff.

Read more