Coronavirus news highlights: India's case tally crosses 18 lakh, recoveries surge to 11.86 lakh

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. Covid-19 survivors suffer higher rates of psychiatric disorders including post-traumatic stress (PTSD), anxiety, insomnia and depression, according to a study conducted by San Raffaele hospital in Milan on Monday.

. India on Monday registered 52,972 new patients, the highest single-day rise in the world, for the first time.

The US, which has the most number of Covid-19 patients in the world, reported 47,511 new cases as on Monday, while Brazil had registered 25,800 fresh infections.

. Maharashtra's Covid-19 tally on Monday increased to 4,50,196 with the addition of 8,968 fresh cases, while more than 260 patients succumbed to the infection, the state health department said.

. India on Monday registered 52,972 new patients, the highest single-day rise in the world.

The US, which has the most number of Covid-19 patients in the world, reported 47,511 new cases as on Monday, while Brazil had registered 25,800 fresh infections.

. Raksha Bandhan festivities in the national capital were subdued this year owing to the coronavirus pandemic, with siblings having to rely on technology to wish each other.

. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) sealed the "Ahmedabad One" mall here in Gujarat on Monday over alleged violations of guidelines in place to contain the spread of coronavirus.

. Congressional Democrats and Trump administration officials will resume talks aimed at hammering out a coronavirus relief bill on Monday afternoon, after missing a vital deadline to extend relief benefits to tens of millions of jobless Americans.

. President Donald Trump on Monday lashed out at his coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx after she sounded a grim warning about the pandemic's new surge, calling her remarks "pathetic."

. West Bengal government changes the lockdown dates again. Statewide complete lockdown shall now be observed on the following days: Wednesday 5th August, Saturday 8th August, Thursday 20th August, Friday 23 August, Thursday 27th August; Friday 28th August and Monday 31st August

. Imphal: 84 new cases of Covid-19reported in Manipur over the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 2,920, out of which 1,147 are active cases and 1,766 people have been discharged. 7 deaths reported in the state so war, recovery rate at 60.47%.

. Covid-19 cases in Mumbai are coming under control after a lot of hard work, therefore precautionary measures are being taken. Anybody who travels by air excluding those who will return in a fixed time period, have to undergo home-quarantine necessarily: Mumbai Police Commissioner

. Delhi reports 805 Covid-19 cases, 937 recovered/discharged/migrated cases and 17 deaths today. The total cases here rise to 1,38,482 including 1,24,254 recovered/discharged/migrated cases and 4021 deaths: Government of Delhi

. Uttar Pradesh reported 4,473 new Covid-19 cases and 50 death in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 40,191 and death toll to 1,778. A total of 55,393 have been discharged in the state so far: State Health Department

. 5,609 new Covid-19 cases and 109 deaths reported in Tamil Nadu in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 2,63,222 including 2,02,283 discharges and 4,241 deaths. 58,211 samples were tested for the disease in the last 24 hours: State Health Department

. Govtissues guidelines for reopening of gyms, yoga institutes like allowing only asymptomatic people, wearing of a visor, using Aarogya Setu app & maintaining social distancing

. Maha govt tells Bombay HC it does not intend to permit street vendors, hawkers to conduct their businesses amid Covid-19 as it is not possible to regulate them

. Number of cases globally has increased more than 5-fold to 17.5 million & the number of deaths has more than tripled to 680,000 since WHO's emergency committee on Covid-19last met 3 months ago: Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organisation (WHO)

. The Covid-19 pandemic may have taken away the pomp and glamour from this year’s Durga Puja. But it has added a unique humane aspect to it. This year instead of celebrities several big ticket Durga Pujas organizers in West Bengal have decided that Covid warriors and those who have overcome the deadly infection will be the “star attraction.”

. Four persons succumbed to coronavirus in Puducherry taking the death toll to 56 while 178 fresh cases were reported on Monday.

. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will continue to stay in hospital after a Covid-19 test conducted on the 9th day returned positive, said health officials and a state minister

. In a press note issued on Monday, he said he has no symptoms. But he is under home quarantine following the advice by doctors.

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. Reassuring people of the state that he was doing fine, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said that there was nothing to worry about his health and will be discharged soon.

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. With over 100 police trainees and staff testing positive for coronavirus in the last four days, the Police Training School located on Kalghatagi road in Dharwad has become a Covid-19 hotspot.

The spike in cases here has sparked panic among other trainees. The present batch has 380 trainees from different districts of the state.

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. This year, nothing about school will be typical. Many of the nation’s largest districts plan to start the academic year online, and it is unclear when students and teachers will be back in classrooms. Others plan hybrid models, while some are determined to go five days a week.

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. Single-day spike of 52,972 positive cases and 771 deaths in India in the last 24 hours.

India's Covid-19 tally rises to 18,03,696 including 5,79,357active cases, 1,186,203 cured/discharged/migrated and 38,135 deaths: Health Ministry

. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given nod to the Serum Institute of India (SII) for conducting phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the Oxford University developed Covid-19 vaccine candidate in the country.

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. Russia plans to launch a nationwide vaccination campaign in October with a coronavirus vaccine that has yet to complete clinical trials, raising international concern about the methods the country is using to compete in the global race to inoculate the public.

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. In the 48 hours before the government introduced a one-week lockdown in Bengaluru on July 14, thousands fled the city for other districts and states. Data now suggests that these people contributed to a sudden surge in cases inother districts.

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. Despite an FIR being slapped againsthim for breaching home quarantine, Prathap N M, the “Drone Boy” has done it again. On Saturday, the police had no choice but to register a second FIR against him for violating institutional quarantine.

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. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 4,601,526 cases of the novel coronavirus, an increase of 58,947 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,132 to 154,002.

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. India on Sunday reported 51,225 recoveries from Covid-19, the highest ever single-day discharges from healthcare facilities even as the infectious disease continued to spread through the country.

. Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa has tested positive for Covid-19. Yediyurappa in a tweet posted at 11:29 pm confirmed the same.

. Himachal Pradesh's coronavirus count rose to 2,704 on Sunday as 69 more people, including eleven armed forces personnel, tested positive for the disease.

. South Africa has surpassed 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, but President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday said he sees “promising signs” that the rapid growth of cases has stabilised and that the country's strained health system is managing to cope.

. Playing in empty stadiums is going to be the norm in the immediate aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic and athletes must get used to it amid lingering fear among people, reckons PV Sindhu, one of India's greatest sportspersons.

. Delhi registered 15 deaths due to the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the lowest number of fatalities in a single day since July 1.

. Rajasthan recorded 1,167 new Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths today, taking total cases to 44,410 out of which 12,488 cases are active. A total of 31,216 patients have been discharged after treatment: State Health Department

. 1,101 Covid-19 cases and 22 deaths reported in Gujarat in the last 24 hours. State tally rises to 63,675 including 46,587 discharges and 2,478 deaths: State Health Department

. Maharashtra reported 9,509 Covid-19 cases and 260 deaths today, taking total cases to 4,41,228 including 2,76,809 recoveries and 15,576 deaths. Number of active cases stands at 1,48,537 out of which 44,204 cases are in Pune: State Health Department

. Punjab reported 792 new coronavirus cases and 18 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 17,853 including 11,466 discharges and 423 deaths: State Health Department

. 5,532 new Covid-19 cases and 84 deaths reported in Karnataka in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 1,34,819 including 57,725 discharges and 2,496 deaths. The number of active cases stands at 74,590: State Health Department

. Andhra Pradesh reported 8,555 new Coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. Total cases rise to 1,58,764 including 82,886 recoveries and 1,474 deaths. Number of active cases stands at 74,404: State Health Department

. 5,875 new Covid-19 cases and 98 deaths reported in Tamil Nadu in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 2,57,613 including 1,96,483 discharges and 4,132 deaths. 60,344 samples were tested for the disease in the last 24 hours: State Health Department

. Kerala reported 1,169 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 11,342. A total of 14,467 patients have recovered from the disease in the state so far: Chief Minister's Office

. Centre tells all states and UTs that use of smartphones and tablet devices be allowed by hospitalised Covid-19 patients so that they can interact with family and friends through video conferencing, which would provide them with psychological support.

. Malls and Gymnasiums are allowed to operate between Monday and Friday on the same side of the street on which other shops are allowed in Kamrup Metropolitan District and both sides in case of all other Districts. Movement of individuals strictly prohibited between 6 PM & 6 AM.

. Recoveries among Covid-19 patients in India crossed the 11 lakh-mark on Sunday with over 51,000 patients recuperating in a 24-hour span, the highest recorded so far; recovery rate65.44per cent now: Union health ministry

. Tarannum (name changed) has many cut marks on her wrist, scars that constantly remind her of the several years she spent in a brothel where she was sexually exploited countless times."Three years of hell," she recalls.

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. The Covid-19 outbreak in India and the ensuing lockdown threw spotlight once again on the rung that became the face of the compounding misery – the migrant labourers. One scheme that promised easing at least some of their agony was the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ plan.

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. The Philippines' health department vowed on Sunday to update its game plan against Covid-19 within a week and sought to beef up the healthcare workforce in the capital Manila, where medical frontliners are calling for reviving strict lockdowns.

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. Tokyo confirmed 292 new coronavirus infections on Sunday after cases rose by more than 400 in the past two days, public broadcaster NHK said.

Governor Koike Yuriko said on Friday Tokyo could declare a state of emergency if the coronavirus situation in the Japanese capital deteriorates further, as debate deepened over how to respond to record increases in new infections. (Reuters)

. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Sunday said the Women's IPL or the Challenger series, as it is better known, is "very much on", ending speculation about the parent body not having a plan for Harmanpreet Kaur and her team.

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. The death toll in Latin America from the novel coronavirus passed 200,000 on Saturday night, a Reuters tally showed, after Peru reported another 191 deaths from the pandemic. (Reuters)

. The coronavirus pandemic has stress-tested the world. Beyond challenging human fortitude, national health services and international rivalries, it has forced a series of moral choices. Many have provoked impassioned disagreement — over whether governments can force businesses and schools to close, over sacrifices for the sake of the elderly and, most bitterly and surprisingly, over whether being asked to wear a simple face mask infringes individual liberty.

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. South Africa surpassed 500,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases, representing more than 50 per cent of all reported coronavirus infections in Africa's 54 countries.

Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize announced 10,107 new cases Saturday night, bringing the country's cumulative total to 503,290, including 8,153 deaths.

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. India's Covid-19 tally crosses 17 lakh mark with 54,736 positive cases and 853 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Total Covid-19 cases stand at 17,50,724 including 5,67,730 active cases, 11,45,630 cured/discharged/migrated and 37,364 deaths: Health Ministry.

. Australia's Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the USOpen and again criticised some of his fellow professionals for their decisions to ignore health advice during the coronavirus pandemic.

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. Covid-19 cases in Dakshina Kannada saw a slight decline with the district administration recording 139 fresh cases including that of former MLC Ivan D’Souza and a one-month-old baby from Puttur, thus taking the total tally to 5,852.Six more Covid-19 fatalities were reported, taking the district's death toll to 159.

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. Mexico racked up a record number of new confirmed coronavirus infections on Saturday, registering more than 9,000 daily cases for the first time and passing the previous peak for the second day running, official data showed.

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. Seven Chinese health officials were due to arrive in Hong Kong on Sunday, the first members of a 60-person team that will carry out widespread testing for Covid-19 in the territory as the global financial hub races to halt the third wave of illness.

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. Brazil recorded 45,392 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus as well as 1,088 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours, its health ministry said on Saturday.

Brazil has registered more than 2.7 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 93,563, according to ministry data. (Reuters)

. First, the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast were hit hardest as the coronavirus tore through the nation. Then it surged across the South. Now the virus is again picking up dangerous speed in much of the Midwest — and in states from Mississippi to Florida to California that thought they had already seen the worst of it.

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. Australia's Victoria state will toughen its social distancing measures in the coming days as the country's second-most populous state struggles to contain the novel coronavirus, media reported on Sunday.

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. In cities across the country, ridership on public transportation has dropped precipitously as people have stayed home to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But for some, continuing to take mass transit was never optional.

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. India's Covid-19 tally of cases went past 17 lakh on Saturday evening, of which 11.1 lakh were reported in July alone thus accounting for about 65.48 percent of the total instances of the viral infection reported in the country so far.

. The BBMP is ready to issue certificates to residents of containment zones should they need them to take leave from work, the civic body’s chief N Manjunatha Prasad has said.

. Eid al-Adha was celebrated on a subdued note in Odisha on Saturday, with most of the devotees offering prayers from home in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

. When Nest, a cramped Moscow cocktail lounge, reopened for business in late June after more than two months of lockdown, it offered free masks and antiseptic lotion at the entrance to help calm any fears drinkers might have about sitting just inches from each other around tiny round tables.

. With a steady decline in the number of active Covid-19 cases in Delhi, the containment zones have come down to 496 from 715 following a review, providing relief to thousands of people living in these restricted areas, while a second seroprevalence survey kick-started on Saturday in the national capital.

. 738 new Covid-19cases reported in Jharkhand today. Total number of cases rises to 12,104 including 7,477active cases, 4,513 recovered and discharged cases and 114 deaths: State Health Department

. 1,457 new Covid-19cases detected out of 27,161 tests conducted in the last 24 hrs. Positivity rate at 5.36%. Total number of cases now at 41,726 including 30,357 discharged cases, 11,265 active cases and 101 deaths: Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Health Minister

. 1,136 Covid-19cases and 24 deaths reported in Gujarat in the last 24 hours. State tally rises to 62,574 including 14,327 active cases, 45,782 cured/discharged and 2,465 deaths: State Health Department

. 5,172 new Covid-19 cases and 98 deaths reported in Karnataka in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 1,29,287 including 53,648 discharges and 2,412 deaths. The number of active cases stands at 73,219: State Health Department

. Tamil Nadu continues to record a slight dip in the number of fresh Covid-19 cases with 5,879 patients contracting the infection on Saturday, taking the tally to 2,51,738: Health dept

. Belur Math, the global headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, has announced that entry of devotees will be banned in its premises from August 2 due to surge in Covid-19cases in West Bengal.

. Senior BJP leader and former minister P Manikyala Rao dies of Covid-19in a private hospital in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, say party sources. He was 59.

. Andhra Pradesh reported 9,276 new Coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. Total cases rise to 1,50,209 including 76,614 discharges and 1,407 deaths. Number of active cases stands at 72,188: State Health Department

. Himachal Pradesh's Covid-19case tally rises to 2,596. There are 1,105 active cases, 1,462 recovered cases and 12 deaths in the state: State Health Department

. 4 new cases of coronavirus reported in Mumbai's Dharavi today. Active cases in the area now stand at 72. Total number of positive cases in Dharavi is 2560: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

. The total number of recovered cases is nearly 11 lakh. With 36,569 patients discharged in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries have jumped to 10,94,374. The recovery rate stands at 64.53% amongst Covid-19 patients: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

. Case Fatality Rate stands at 2.15% today and it is lowest since the 1st lockdown started. It has been continuously reducing from around 3.33% in mid-June: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

. As the pandemic stretches on, some companies are souring on remote work. Maybe that’s because they’re not doing it right.

White-collar offices that have carried over the same conventions from the physical office have realized they don’t work well, executives and researchers say.

. The fifth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) has been postponed for the second time due to the Covid-19 pandemic with TNCA now hoping to host the T20 event either in November this year or March next year.

. In a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection among its medical staff, the state-run J J Hospital here has developed a transport chamber for contactless movement of Covid-19 patients within the premises.

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. Dr Anthony Fauci has said that he remains confident that a coronavirus vaccine will be ready by early next year, telling lawmakers that a quarter-million Americans already have volunteered to take part in clinical trials.

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. The second round of sero-prevalence surveys began in the national capital on Saturday, with the five-day exercise set to cover all districts and various demographic segments.

The exercise is being undertaken for a comprehensive assessment of the Covid-19 situation in Delhi.

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. Telangana reported 2,083 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day spike so far, breaching the two thousand mark for the first time, taking the tally of positive cases in the state to 64,786.

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. Mohol said he raised the issue during his meeting with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday when the latter was in the city to take stock of the coronavirus situation.

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. According to Deputy Commissioner Dr Rajendra K V, the total cases in the district stands at 5,713. 40,706 samples have been tested for Covid-19 so far in the district. As many as 2,929 infected are undergoing treatment in various hospitals orare in home isolation in the district.

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. Single-day spike of 57,117 positive cases and 764 deaths in India in the last 24 hours.

Total Covid-19 positive cases stand at 16,95,988 including 5,65,103 active cases, 10,94,374 cured/discharged and 36,511 deaths: Health Ministry

. "The deal means that there will be temporary 20% pay cuts reducing to 8% over two years and towards zero over the longer term", British Airline Pilots Association said in a statement.

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. USdeaths from the novel coronavirus rose by at least 1,453 on Friday, the biggest one-day increase since May 27, to reach a total of 153,882, according to a Reuters tally.

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. In Austin, Texas, the story is much the same. Just as it is in North Carolina, where the state’s health secretary recently told state lawmakers that its tracking program was hiring outside workers to keep up with a steady rise in cases, as a number of other states have done.

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. BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said directions have been issued tolodge criminal cases against St Martha's Hospital in Nrupathunga Road, Rangadore Hospital at Shankarapura, Shifa hospital on Queens Road, and Fortis Hospital on Cunningham Road.

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. The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa, according to a daily report. Deaths rose by 6,812. The four countries have dominated global headlines with large outbreaks.

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. Agriculture Minister BC Patil tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday. Earlier in the day, his wife, brother-in-law and five staff at his Hirekerur residence had tested positive for the virus.

. TheKarnataka State Drugs, Logistics and Warehousing Society (KSDLWS) paid at least three timesthe price for RT-PCR and RNA extraction kits, documents withDHshow.

. The World Health Organization reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Friday, with the total rising by 292,527.

. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan chaired the 19th meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Covid-19 response and issued directions for effective implementation of containment measures across the disease-hit region.

. "The pandemic is a once-in-a-century health crisis, the effects of which will be felt for decades to come," Tedros told a meeting of the WHO's emergency committee, according to remarks released by the agency.

. 2,496 new Covid-19 cases and 45 deaths reported in West Bengal today. The total number of cases now stands at 70,188 in the state including 20,233 active cases, 48,374 discharged cases and 1,581 deaths: State Health Department.

. Patna reported the maximum number of fresh cases at 535, raising the count in the district to 8,764. Other districts recording a sizeable number of new cases include Gaya at 126, Madhubani at 122, Muzaffarpur at 125, Nalanda at 146, Rohtas at 156 and Vaishali at 123.

. Rahul Chhabra, secretary (economic relations) to the MEA said that the Covid-19 pandemic is like a 'black swan' event which has caused the fastest decline in global output in history.

. Tamil Nadu reported 5,881 new Covid-19 cases and 97 deaths today, taking total cases to 2,45,859 including 1,83,956 discharges and 3,935 deaths: State Health Department

. The euro-area economy plunged into an unprecedented slump in the second quarter, putting it in a deep hole from which it may take years to fully recover.

. "Clearly, the BJP had no vision of the devastating consequences the unplanned lockdown would have. What is even more tragic is 129 days since, BJP still has NO vision," Congress slams Modi government in a tweet.

"Our Nation’s poor & migrant workers have had to face the brunt unnecessarily," the party said.

. 490 new Covid-19 cases reported in Jammu and Kashmir today; 143 from Jammu division and 347 from Kashmir division. The total number of cases stands at 20,359 including 7,765 actives cases, 12,217 recoveries and 377 deaths: Government of J&K

. 10,376 new Covid-19 cases reported in Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours. The total number of positive cases in the state is now 1,40,933 including 75,720 active cases and 63,864 discharged cases, death toll 1349: State Health Department

. Delhi reports 1,195 new Covid-19 cases, 1,206 recovered/discharged/migrated cases and 27 deaths in the last 24 hours.

5,629 RT-PCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 13,462 rapid antigen tests conducted today in Delhi. Total tests done so far stands at 10,32,785

. Ambassador of Israel to India, Ron Malka visited special testing site created at RML Hospital today to witness ongoing trials since last 3 days of rapid Covid-19 testing. It's being jointly developed in cooperation with DRDD Ministry of Defence Israel & DRDO, CSIR and PSA, India. (ANI)

. It’s looking increasingly likely that India will wind up being the country with the most cases in the world. This is not just a function of its massive population; China, too, has over 1 billion people. It is a reflection of the fact that big, diverse countries are at a disadvantage in dealing with pandemics.

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. SC asks Centre to do needful to ensure that salaries of health workers involved in Covidfight are paid in time.

ANI

. Of the 169 Covid-19deaths, Ganjam accounted for the highest 90 fatalities followed by Khurda (21), Cuttack (11), Gajapati (nine), Rayagada and Sundergarh (seven each) while 24 other casualties were reported from 15 other districts.

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. Total number of confirmed positive cases in India reaches 15,97,271; death toll stands at 35,537 as of July 31

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. The number of recovered coronavirus patients crossed the 10-lakh mark on Thursday and is now 1.9 times the total active cases while the fatality rate has dropped to 2.21 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said.

. Government of Jharkhand orders extension of lockdown related restrictions currently in place in the state outside containment zones, up to 31st August, due to Covid-19. The order to come into effect from 1st August.

. The World Health Organization's chief scientist said on Thursday that any country that supports the Covax financing initiative has a better chance of getting a successful Covid-19 vaccine.

. Six months after recording the country's first Covid-19 case, Kerala is now gearing up to face "a big war" against the pandemic with the state under a third wave with the total cases crossing the 22,000-mark.

. It has been a comforting refrain in the national conversation about reopening schools: Young children are mostly spared by the coronavirus and don’t seem to spread it to others, at least not very often.

. The last thing that Mayra Ramirez remembers from the emergency room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago is calling her family to say she had Covid-19, was about to be put on a ventilator and needed her mother to make medical decisions for her.

. 2,112 new Covid-19 cases detected in Assam out of 41,028 tests in the last 24 hrs. The total number of cases in the State stands at 38,407 including 27,832 recovered, 10,478 active cases and 94 deaths: Himanta Biswa Sarma, State Health Minister

. An experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson protected monkeys from infection in a new study. It is the second vaccine candidate to show promising results in monkeys this week.

. Karnataka on Thursday reported the biggest single-day spike of 6,128 new cases of Covid-19 and 83 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 1,18,632 and the death toll to 2,230, the health department said.

. Karnataka has decided to do away with total lockdowns on Sundays and the daily night curfew under Unlock 3.0, whose guidelines were issued Thursday.

. The ban on passenger flights to Kolkata from six cities -- all Covid-19 hotspots -- has been extended till August 15, amid a spurt in coronavirus cases in the state, airport sources here said on Thursday.

. 13 deaths and 834 new Covid-19 cases reported in Madhya Pradesh today, taking the total number of cases in the State to 30,968 including 21,657 recovered cases, 8,454 active cases & 857 deaths: State Health Department

. Maharashtra reports 266 deaths and 11,147 new Covid-19 cases today. The total number of cases is now 4,11,798 including 2,48,615 recovered cases and 1,48,150 active cases: State Health Department

. Delhi reports 1093 Covid-19positive cases, 1091 recovered/discharged/migrated and 29 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total cases here rise to 1,34,403 including 1,19,724 recovered/discharged/migrated and 3936 deaths: Government of Delhi

. 1,159 Covid-19 cases and 22 deaths reported in Gujarat in the last 24 hours. State tally rises to 60,285 including 13,793 active cases, 44,074 cured/discharged and 2,418 deaths: State Health Department

. 450 new Covid-19 cases reported in Jammu and Kashmir today; 83 from Jammu division and 367 from Kashmir division. The total number of cases stands at 19,869 including 7,662 actives cases, 11,842 recoveries and 365 deaths: Government of J&K

. In a country with the size of the population like India, herd immunity can't be strategic choice or option, says Health Ministry while urging people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour till a vaccine is developed

. 5,864 new Covid-19cases and 97 deaths reported in Tamil Nadu today, taking the total to 2,39,978 cases and 3,838 deaths till date. 5,295 patients were discharged today. 57,962 cases still active in the state: Health & Family Welfare Department

. Govt of Jammu & Kashmir issues protocols for the passengers arriving in the UT through the air, rail or road. All passengers to undergo mandatory Covid-19antigen, using RT-PCR or Rapid Antigen testing or any other prescribed method.

. Kerala government starts allowing asymptomatic Covid-19 patients to undergo treatment at their homes if it has an independent room with a toilet. Thiruvananthapuram District Collector issues an order as the home isolation is first being implemented in the state capital.

. 16 states of the country have a recovery rate that is more than the national average. Of these, Delhi has recovery rate of 88%, Ladakh 80%, Haryana 78%, Assam 76%, Telangana 74%, Tamil Nadu & Gujarat 73%, Rajasthan 70%, MP 69% and Goa 68%: R Bhushan, Secretary, Ministry of Health

. More than 1 million people have recovered from Covid-19in the country. This landmark recovery has been achieved because of the selfless work and dedication of our doctors, nurses and frontline workers: Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Ministry of Health

. India doing around five lakh Covid-19 tests every day, plans to double the number in next one-two months, says Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

. They said the female hormone estrogen also increases the chance of blood clots during pregnancy and in women taking birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy.

If infected with Covid-19, the risk of blood clotting could be even higher, and these women may need to undergo anticoagulation therapy, or discontinue their estrogen medicines, noted the research, published in the journal Endocrinology.

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. A priest and 16 policemen on duty at Ayodhya for the 'Bhoomi pujan' for the Ram temple, expected to be held on August 5, have tested positive for coronavirus , according to an NDTV report .

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. Ganjam district reported the highest 250 new cases, followed by Khurda 220, Cuttack 97, Sundergarh 74, Gajapati 72 and Malkangiri 65, the official said.

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. Now a study suggests that people who have received certain routine vaccines in the recent past — including childhood vaccinations like measles-mumps-rubella and polio, as well as adult flu vaccines — have lower coronavirus infection rates than those not recently vaccinated.

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. Total Covid-19 positive cases stand at 15,83,792 including 5,28,242 active cases, 10,20,582 cured/discharged & 34,968 deaths, saysHealth Ministry.

. Total number of confirmed positive cases in India reaches 15,73,201; death toll stands at 34,885 as of July 30

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. The United Nations has warned that the fallout of Covid-19 - from lockdowns and business closures to shut borders - could drive more people into forced labour or sexual exploitation, and mean victims are less likely to be rescued or receive support.

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. The two lakh rupees cash in his pocket and recommendations of top cops could not help a head constable of Telangana police save his wife’s life in this pandemic time.

. The one-day Monsoon session of the Nagaland Assembly has been deferred from July 30 to August 13 after six staffers of its secretariat tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.

. Outdoor non-team sports like Golf courses, outdoor firing range, outdoor gymnastics, tennis, outdoor badminton and malkhamb will be allowed with physical distancing & sanitation measures from 5 August. Swimming pools will not be allowed to operate: Govt of Maharashtra.

. Of the 344 players tested for Covid-19on the National Basketball Association campus since test results were last announced on July 20, zero have returned confirmed positive: National Basketball Association (NBA)

. Maharashtra Govt allows opening of malls, market complexes without theatres, food courts and restaurants between 9 am and 7 pm from August 5: Official

. Filmmaker SSRajamoulion Wednesday said he and his family members have tested positive for coronavirus and are currently quarantined at home.

. Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday appealed to the Maharashtra government to do away with rapid antigen tests to detect Covid-19 cases and rely only on RT-PCR tests, which he said are known for maximum accuracy.

. The Railways has halted all new infrastructure works sanctioned for 2020-21 after the government issued orders suspending new schemes, with costs up to Rs 500 crore, till March 2021 due to the financial crunch brought in by the coronavirus pandemic, a Railway Board order has said.

. An impoverished under-graduate student of Presidency University, who was abandoned by his father many years ago, on Wednesday claimed that the hostel authorities are pressuring him to vacate his room immediately, but he has nowhere to go in the country.

. 14 deaths & 917 new Covid-19 cases reported today, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 30,134 including 20,934 recovered cases, 8,356 active cases & 844 deaths: Madhya Pradesh Health Department

. 1,144 Covid-19 cases, 992 recovered & 10 deaths reported in Rajasthan today, as of 8:30 pm. Total number of cases in the state is now at 39,780, including 28,309 recovered, 10,817 active cases & 654 deaths: State Health Department

. 1,144 Covid-19 cases and 24 deaths reported in Gujarat in the last 24 hours. Total cases increase to 59,126, including 13,535 active cases, 43,195 cured/discharged and 2,396 deaths: State Health Department

. Over 500 medical camps operating in Chennai, due to which 14,50,000 people being benefited. Door-to-door check-up drive boosted in Chennai with over 20,000 members on duty. 70 mobile hospitals started in Chennai & 1,126 mobile hospitals in other districts: Tamil Nadu CM

. Uttarakhand's Covid-19 cases rise to 6,866 with 279 new infections reported today. The numbers of active and recovered cases are 2,945 and 3,811 respectively: Uttarakhand Health Department

. CM Biplab Kumar Deb has decided that the lockdown in the state will be extended till 5 AM onAugust 4: Tripura Minister Ratanlal Nath.

. Best Western Resort in Manesar, Gurugram was served a notice on 23rd July. The hotel administration informed that it is a Covid-19centre and no MLAs are staying there: Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) on alleged horse-trading case

. 540 Covid-19cases reported in J&K today, 151 from Jammu division & 389 Kashmir division. Total number of cases in the Union Territory is now at 19,419, including 7,749 active cases, 11,322 recovered & 348 deaths: J&K Government

. Parenthood can be daunting at the best of times but when it happens for the first time and that too in the middle of a pandemic without the family-friends support structure, well that’s when it takes on a whole new dimension – exciting but oh-so-scary.

. Odisha's Covid-19 tally crossed the 29,000-mark on Wednesday after 1,068 more people tested positive for the disease, while the death toll rose to 159 with five more patients succumbing to the infection, a Health Department official said.

. Amid the chaos of the pandemic's early days, doctors who faced the first coronavirus onslaught reached across oceans and language barriers in an unprecedented effort to advise colleagues trying to save lives in the dark.

. A total number of recovered cases fast approaching 1 million. Recovery rate reaches another high of 64.51% amongst Covid-19 patients. The recoveries/deaths ratio is 96.6%: 2.23% now: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

. Central govt relaxes norms for its employees who were either on leave or on an official tour and could not join office due to non-availability of public transport during the Covid-19lockdown

. The Noida Stadium has reopened for athletes and the public with curtailed timings on Wednesday after staying closed for more than four months due to the Covid-19 outbreak, officials said. A slew of guidelines has been issued which include mandatory installation of the Aarogya Setu app on mobile phones of visitors seeking entry into the stadium, among others.

. The Andaman and Nicobar administration has decided to impose a complete lockdown on weekends beginning August 1 to contain the spread of coronavirus , an official said on Wednesday. The strict restrictions will be in force on Saturdays and Sundays till the Covid-19 situation improves in the Union Territory, Chief Secretary, Chetan B Sanghi, said in an order issued on Tuesday.

. Brazil's extreme poverty has plunged due to a monthly federal handout during the coronavirus pandemic, but threatens to bounce back once the government ceases the stopgap welfare programme, a report said Tuesday. The study by the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a university and think tank, said the number of Brazilians living in extreme poverty fell to 6.9 million in June, or 3.3 per cent of Brazil's population — the lowest level since the late 1970s. As this year began, 6.2 per cent Brazilians were in extreme poverty, the study said.

. India's Hetero Labs Ltd said on Wednesday it received local regulatory approval to launch its version of anti-viral drug favipiravir for the treatment of Covid-19. The drug, priced at 59 rupees (79 cents) per tablet, will be available at drug stores from Wednesday, privately held Hetero said.

. Telangana continues to witness a sharp increase in Covid-19cases with 1,764 additions and 12 deaths being reported on Wednesday. The total number of Covid-19 cases rises to 58,906.

. Himachal Pradesh's Covid-19cases tally rises to 2,334. There are 1,043 active cases, 1,262 recovered cases and 12 deaths, saysState Health Department.

. Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami holds a virtual review meeting with district collectors on Covid-19 situation. He says, "So far, the state has recorded 3,659 deaths. The fatality rate in the state at 1.6%."

. Meanwhile, US biotech firm Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine induced a robust immune response and prevented the coronavirus from replicating in the noses and lungs of monkeys, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine said Tuesday.The fact that the vaccine prevented the virus from replicating in the nose is seen as particularly crucial in preventing it from being transmitted onward to others.

Track lastest updates on Covid-19 vaccine here

. Ninety one people including 19 security personnel test positive for Covid-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the northeastern state's caseload to 1,330 on Wednesday: Official

. First Covid-19 death reported in Manipur's Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal. The patient had multiple co-morbidities, says ProfArunkumar Singh, Medical Superintendent, RIMS Hospital, Imphal.

. At least 328 fresh Covid-19 cases reported in Rajasthan today till 8.30 am. The total number of cases in the state is now 38,964 including 10,745 active cases, 27,569 recovered cases and 650 deaths, says State Health Department.

. India reports 48,513 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours and along with 768 fatalities. The Covid-19 tally reached 15.31 lakh, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. India for the seventh day in a row recorded more than 45,000 cases.

. Temporary jails will be set up in the districts which do not have such jails yet, to ensure that new inmates be kept at these jails. Antigen test of new inmates will be mandatorily done before being kept at temporary jails, says Awanish K Awasthi, Additional Chief Secy, Home Department, Uttar Pradesh. He adds that those who test positive for Covid-19 will be taken to L-1 hospitals for treatment and those who test negative will be kept in quarantine for 14 days at the temporary jail itself.

. Over 50,000 smartphones are ready for distribution. They’ll be given to girl students of government schools of class XI & XII to facilitate online learning on priority during Covid-19 crisis, says Punjab Chief Minister's Office.

. Biocon, India’s biggest biopharmaceutical company, is testing two coronavirus vaccines, but expects the AstraZeneca vaccine to hit the market first. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the founder of the Bengaluru-based company, spoke to Krupa Joseph of DH about India’s response to the pandemic, drugs in the making, and how the ‘new normal’ open up fresh opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Read the excerpts here

. The spread of the novel coronavirus in India has quickened in the last few days with new cases of Covid-19 and deaths reported every day. The epidemic has expanded its footprint in the country and has affected more than 15 lakh people since the first positive case was confirmed on January 30 in Kerala.

. Good morning readers and welcome to our live coverage of novel coronavirus cases in India. Over 15 lakh people in the country have been infected by Covid-19 and the virus has claimed over 34,000 lives. Stay tuned for live updates.

. India’s Case Fatality Rate (CFR) further improves and further reduces to 2.25%.This achievement is a result of effective house-to-house surveys, aggressive testing and standardized clinical management protocols

. Odisha CM inaugurated 2nd plasma bank at Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar today. After encouraging of plasma therapy results in initial phases, plasma banks will start functioning at IGH, Rourkela, VIMSAR, Burla & MKCG Medical, Berhampur to treat serious patients.

. India on Tuesday crossed the grim landmark of 15 lakh Covid-19 cases, with Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh reporting new infections at a faster pace.

. 277 Covid-19 cases, 267 discharged and1 death reported in Chhattisgarh today. Total number of cases in the state is now at 8,257, including 2,772 active cases, 5,439 discharged and 46 deaths

. The coronavirus outbreak is accelerating a push to digitize India’s food-rationing system, allowing citizens to receive entitlements anywhere in the country -- boosting labor mobility and the country’s economic recovery.

. 1072 fresh Covid-19 infections reported in Rajasthan today. The total number of positive cases in the state is now 38,636 including 10,675 active cases, 27,317 recovered and 644 deaths:

. 749 Covid-19 cases, 712 recovered and9 deaths reported in Haryana today. Total number of cases in the state is now at 32,876, including 25,758 recovered and 406 deaths.

. Goa's Covid-19 tally reaches 5,287 with 168 new positive cases reported today. The number of active and recovered cases in the state is 1,656 and 3,595 respectively. Death toll stands at 36.

. 1,108 Covid-19 cases and 24 deaths reported in Gujarat in the last 24 hours. Total cases increase to 57,982, including 13,198 active cases, 42,412 cured/discharged and 2,372 deaths

. West Bengal records 2,134 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours. Total cases at 62,964. Total number of active cases19,493. 38 deaths in 24 hours. Total deaths: 1,449. Discharged: 42,022

. Total death in Maharashtra 14,165 Total positive Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra is now 3,91,440

. This takesthe total number of cases in the State to 2,317. The number of active and recovered cases are 702 and 1,615 respectively

. This takesthe total number of positive cases in the state to 29,217 including 20,343 recovered cases, 8,044 active cases & 830 deaths

. The total number of cases in the state is now 14,378. The number of patients discharged is 9,752, the number of active cases is 4,290 and total deaths are 336

. Serological Surveillance for SARS-CoV2 infection was commissioned by NITI-Aayog, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai andTata Institute of Fundamental Research. In the first round, 6936 samples were collected from 3 wards in slum&non-slum areas, says Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

Systematically conducted study estimates around 57% Sero-prevalence in slums and 16% sero-prevalence in non-slums, on an average, in the three wards that were studied, the corporation added.

. Follow DH state-wise tally of coronavirus cases here

Here's DH's India coronavirus tracker

. 489 Covid-19cases reported in Jammu and Kashmir today, 134 from Jammu division and355 Kashmir division. Total number of cases in the Union Territory is now at 18,879, including 7,661 active cases, 10,885 recovered & 333 deaths

. Karnataka reports highest daily spike of 5,536 new cases. The state reports 2,819 discharges, 102 new Covid-19 deaths. Total number of cases in state at 1,07,001

. 6,972 new Covid-19cases and 88 deaths reported in Tamil Nadu today. Total number of cases stand at 2,27,688 including 57,073 active cases, 1,66,956 discharges and 3,659 deaths:

. Kerala's Covid-19case tally rises to 20,896 with 1167 new cases and 4 new deaths reported today. There are 10,091 active cases till today while 679 people recovered today

. Total number of cases in the national capital is now at 1,32,275, including 1,17,507 recovered/discharged, 10,887 active cases, & 3,881 deaths: Health Department

. Scientists don't know for sure yet, but they believe it's unlikely. Health experts think people who had Covid-19 will have some immunity against repeat infection. But they don't know how much protection or how long it would last.

. No lockdown in the state on August 1st on the occasion of Bakr Eid, she said

. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a virtual cabinet meeting. He told us that he does not have a fever today along with some relief in his cough: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra

. Only 700 cases today in Mumbai & that too with highest testing till date in Mumbai in a single day (8776). This is chase the virus in full capacity. A major relief after 3 months. Caution: don’t let the guard down! Don’t let your mask down! Only get numbers down! tweets Aaditya Thackeray.

. Scientists have found neutralising antibodies to the SARS CoV-2 virus, that causes Covid-19, in a small proportion of household cats and dogs sampled in Italy, suggesting that the pets may be susceptible to the disease.

. The Recovery Rate is more than 64% as on today. With 35,176 patients discharged in the last 24 hours, the total number of recoveries stands at 9,52,743.

. The brief said that while pollution and greenhouse gas emissions have fallen sharply during the pandemic when countries halted their economies to contain the spread of the virus, these environmental gains are expected to be temporary if economies reopen without policies in place that prevent air pollution and promote decarbonisation.

Read more here.

. The British High Commission in a statement said the five projects are planned for September and the UK is contributing 4 million pounds from the UK Research and Innovation Fund for International Collaboration. India will also contribute 4 million pounds.

Read more here.

. The study, published in the journal Nature, found that all patients shared a common Covid-19 "signature" in immune system activity early in the course of disease.

Read more here.

. Evidence emerging around the world suggests that people who are overweight or obese are at increased risk of getting more severely ill with Covid-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus.

Read more here.

. To revive the fast-deteriorating economy, a number of industrial groups have requested the government to ease the lockdown restrictions from the next month.

Read more here.

. One of the most talked-about weapons in humanity's fight against Covid-19 is herd immunity. And this weapon has become all the more crucial in India where multiple rounds of lockdown have failed to flatten the curve and we do not know when the pandemic will run its course. But what exactly is herd immunity, how does it work and when will India get there? Let's find out...

Read more here.

. It will be months before results trickle in, and there is no guarantee the vaccine will ultimately work against the scourge that has killed about 650,000 people around the world, including almost 150,000 in the US.

Read more here.

. A case has been registered & investigation is being done, saidRanvijay Singh, Additional Deputy Superintendent.

ANI

. Total number of confirmed positive cases in India reaches 14,78,608; death toll stands at 33,358 as of July 28

Read more here.

. Bihar govt removes Health Department's Principal Secretary Uday Singh Kumawat, replacing him with senior IAS officer Pratyaya Amrit, amid surging Covid-19 cases in state

. 1134 fresh positive cases reported in Rajasthan today till 2030 hours. The total number of positive cases in the state is now 37,564 including 10,097 active cases and 25,663 discharged cases. Death toll 633: State Health Department

. 51 fresh positive cases reported in Manipur in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the state to 2286. The numbers of active and recovered cases are 727 and 1559, respectively. The recovery rate is 68.19%: State Health Department

. 557 fresh Covid-19 cases reported in Punjab today. The total number of cases in the state is now 13,769. The number of patients discharged is 9,064 and the number of active cases is 4,387: Punjab Government

. 227 deaths and 7924 fresh Covid-19 cases reported in the state today. The total number of positive cases in the state is now 3,83,723 including 2,21,944 recovered cases and 1,47,592 active cases: Maharashtra Health Department

. IndiGo says it is implementing 'deeper' pay cuts of up to 35 per cent for its senior employees in order to reduce its cash outflow amid Covid-19 pandemic

. Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang says a surge in Covid-19 cases in the state is due to gross violations of lockdown guidelines by people, asks police to take action against violators

. 86 new Covid-19 cases reported in Puducherry today, taking the total number of positive cases in the Union Territory to 2872: Government of Puducherry

. Due to complete lockdown in West Bengal on 29th July, it has been decided that Howrah-Mumbai CSMT special which was earlier rescheduled to leave Howrah on 29th July will short originate from Rourkela at 2:11 am on 30th July: South Eastern Railway

. 6993 new Covid-19cases and 77 deaths reported in Tamil Nadu in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 2,20,716. 5723 patients were discharged today. 54,896 cases still active in the state: Health & Family Welfare Department, Tamil nadu

. The Covid-19 situation in the state capital continues to be serious with seven large community clusters. A committee headed by the Chief Secretary has been asked to submit a report on whether any relaxations should be given in the existing lockdown: Kerala CM

. 2 deaths and 702 new Covid-19 cases reported in the state today. The total number of cases is now 19,727. There are 495 Covid hotspots in the state: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

. Uttar Pradesh reports 3,578 new Covid-19cases and 31 deaths in the last 24 hours. Active cases in the state stands at 26,204 and death toll rise to 1,456: State Health Department

. Many festivals are going to come in the coming time. Let us take every precaution to cause our celebration, gaiety, not to spread the infection among the people. We also have to keep in view that poor families are not suffering during this festive time: PM Shri

. At one point, India did not produce even one PPE a day. Today, it is the second-highest producer of PPE kits globally. Six months back, there was no manufacturing of PPE kits. Today, over 1200 manufacturers are producing over 5 lakh kits per day: PM

. Today, there are more than 11,000 Covid-19 facilities & more than 11 lakh isolation beds in the country. We also have nearly 1300 testing labs in the country & more than 5 lakh tests are being conducted daily: PM at launch of high throughput Covid-19 testing facilities in 3 cities

. West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh will benefit massively in the fight against Covid-19 after the launch of these high throughput Covid-19 testing facilities: PM Modi

. 23 new Covid-19 cases reported in Chandigarh, taking the total number of cases to 910. This includes 575 recoveries and 321 active cases. The death toll stands at 14: Health Department, UT-Chandigarh

. Total Covid-19 positive cases in Bihar at 41,111. The Break up is as follows: 812 cases reported on July 26, 1,048 additional cases reported on July 25 and 332 cases reported on July 24: State Health Department

. With coronavirus cases surging in the northeastern state of Assam and critical medicines running low, local authorities are rolling out the red carpet for now-cured patients - all for their blood plasma believed to be rich in virus antibody, although research on its efficacy has not been conclusive.

Read more here.

. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are among the states where the maximum number of daily cares are being reported. The world’s second-most populous country has been ramping up testing, with 515,472 samples taken on Sunday, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Read more here.

. 3821 RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 7685 Rapid antigen tests conducted today. A total of 9,58,283 tests done so far: Government of Delhi

ANI

. There was no need to impose a second lockdown in Delhi. This is a matter of satisfaction, Kejriwal added.

"As of now, there's an arrangement of 15,500 beds at hospitals in Delhi. Only 2800 Covid-19patients remain at these hospitals,12,500 beds are vacant. In June, we were at 2nd position in the country as far as states with the highest cases were concerned. Today we're 10th," said theDelhi CM.

ANI

. The number of people who would require ventilators is expected to increase with a surge in cases. Apart from Covid patients, these ventilators could also benefit patients with other respiratory disorders like complex sleep-disordered breathing such as obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and heart failure.

Read more here.

. The country's death toll rose to 32,771 with 708 fatalities being recorded in a day, the data updated at 8 am showed.

Read more here.

. Total number of confirmed positive cases in India reaches 14,33,443; death toll stands at 32,758 as of July 27.

Read more here.

. Highest spike of 534 new Covid-19 cases in Punjab, tally 13,218, active cases 4,102; toll rises to 306 with record 15 more deaths: Health bulletin

. Delhi has conducted over 9.46 lakh Covid-19 tests till date, with experts attributing the high number to the rapid antigen tests which started last month.

. Gujarat on Sunday saw the highest single-day spike of 1,110 new Covid-19 cases, taking the state tally to 55,822, the Health department said.

. The National Task Force on Covid-19 has decided against including Itolizumab drug in clinical management protocols for treating the disease even though the DCGI has approved its "restricted emergency use" in infected patients, official sources said.

. While the national and financial capitals, Delhi and Mumbai are reporting remarkable recoveries, the Covid-19 situations in Bengaluru, Pune and Guwahati areon a downward spiral, with these citiesreporting more active casesthan recoveries.

. Two weeks after Disney World started opening its theme parks for the first time since closing in March because of Covid-19, the Barkers' quandary affects not only Disney World's future but that of central Florida's tourism-reliant economy.

. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to announce a series of initiatives in the next few days as the AAP government is chalking out a detailed plan to revive the city's lockdown-hit economy, officials said on Sunday.

. 6,044 patients discharged today; 2,13,238 Covid-19 patients discharged after fullrecovery until today; Recovery rate in the state is 56.74%

9,431 new cases in the state today; state tally is3,75,799

267 Covid-19 deaths reported in the state today. Case fatality rate in the state: 3.63%

Out of 18,86,296 laboratory samples, 3,75,799 have been tested positive (19.92%) forCOVID-19 until today.

Currently, 9,08,420 people are in home quarantine and 44,276 people are in institutionalquarantine.

. As many as 615 Covid-19 positive cases were reported from Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, taking the cumulative number in the Union Territory to 17,920.

. Total infected so far: 19,025

Now under treatment : 9,655

Recovered so far :9,302

61 died

927 fresh cases today

689 recovered today

1.47 lakh in home and institutional quarantine

8,920 in hospital observation

6.72 lakh samples tested so far

7,492 results pending

. A detailed analysis of deaths due to Covid-19 in Delhi carried out by the Health Department, Government of NCT Delhi (GNCTD), for the period 1-12 June and 1-12 July has revealed a 44% decline in deaths – from 1089 during 1-12 June to 605 during 1-12 July: Government of Delhi. - ANI

. Terrorists groups are using the Covid-19 pandemic to advance propaganda and fundraising, a UN report has said warning that the "fear of irrelevance" with terrorism going out of the news cycle could lead to outfits planning attacks once restrictions are eased.

. The number of patients in Puducherry will be over 6,000 by end of August. Around 2,000 beds will be needed. Private hotels and government hostels will be turned into a temporary Govt Hospital. Full curfew is required for a day every week: M Krishna Rao, Puducherry Health Minister. - ANI

. Scientists, including those of Indian-origin, have resolved the structure of a molecule which the novel coronavirus uses to make its genetic sequence seem like a part of the host's own, an advance that may lead to the development of new antiviral drugs against Covid-19.

. The much-awaited Financial Action Task Force (FATF) mutual evaluation of India's anti-money laundering regime and legal measures framed to check financial crimes, scheduled for this year, has been postponed till early next year in view of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.

. Stranded on a tiny Italian island, a cancer researcher grew increasingly alarmed to hear that one, and then three more visitors had fallen ill with Covid-19.

. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is undergoing treatment for coronavirus at a hospital, has opened up about the mental health struggles Covid-19 patients face under isolation in order to curb the spread of the disease.

. As a tribute to soldiers who fought in the Kargil war, President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday donated Rs 20 lakh to the Army hospital here to buy equipment that will help doctors and paramedics combat Covid-19 effectively.

. India's fatality rate further declines to 2.31%.

. The committee, led by a second senior-most judge, Justice N V Ramana also resolved that for the present, the court functioning will continue through video conferencingin order to obviate the risk of spread of infection in the premises.

Read more here.

. Brazilian news reports said later that he departed the presidential palace, where he had been isolating for more than two weeks, and went for a motorcycle ride, accompanied by security aides.

Read more here.

. Here’s the tally of Covid-19 positive cases in India and the state-wise impact:

Read here.

. India added 1.38 lakh new cases of Covid-19 in the past three days even as it stepped up testing for the infectious disease sharply as a network of state-run and private laboratories tested more than 4.2 lakh samples in a single day.

Read more here

. The Karnataka government on Saturday announced waiver of crematorium fees for those who succumb to the Covid-19 infection in Bengaluru and said the city civic body would bear the cost. It said that from now on, families of the Coviddeceased need not pay any fees fixed by the city civic body- Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)- across 12 electric crematoriums in the city.

Read more here

. Meconium is the newborn's first poop, which babies typicallypass within the first few hours and days of birth.Doctors handlingchildbirthsare seeing rising intrauterine fetal deaths (stillbirths) and babies passing meconiumever since the pandemic began.

Read more here

. Serum Institute of India (SII), which has partnered with AstraZeneca for manufacturing the Oxford vaccine candidate for Covid-19, has sought permission from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for conducting phase 2/3 human clinical trials of the potential vaccine, highly-placed sources said on Saturday.

Read more here

. City Corporation Mayor B G Ajaykumar was tested positive for Covid-19, here on Saturday. He was in home quarantine for the past some days after he complained of cough and body ache.He underwent a rapid antigen test and the results confirmed that he was infected by Covid-19. His spouse and son were also tested positive. But his daughter has been tested negative.

. Over 8,200 police personnel have contracted coronavirus infection in Maharashtra so far, while 93, including seven officers, have succumbed to it, an official said on Saturday.

Read more here

. The peak could be witnessed in states like Delhi by this month end or early August while it may be around September in others such as Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka, Director of the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) here Prof. G V S Murthy said. IIPH was set up under the aegis of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).

Read more here

. Scientists, including those of Indian-origin, have identified 21 existing drugs that stop the replication of the novel coronavirus which causes Covid-19 in lab studies, an advance that may lead to the development of new therapeutic combinations against the disease.

Read more here

. “Screening of the volunteers is under progress and their swab samples have been sent for tests. Those who test negative for Covid-19 will be shortlisted for tests,” Dr Amit Bhate, the director of the hospital, said.

Read more here.

. The first dose was given to a 30-year-old man in AIIMS-Delhi yesterday.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Bharat Biotech have joined hands to developCovaxin.

. The Union Govt has advised all states to keep up the strategy of aggressive testing, tracking & treatment which may lead to a higher number of daily positive cases but would eventually achieve a decline as has been demonstrated after Union Govt's efforts in Delhi, it added.

. "Centurion Halamana of Bellary district, Flowering Hood, won against Corona and delivered a message of hope to the people of the state. Corona is not stigmatizing, not even deadly, there is no need to worry, just take precautions. Don't be afraid if you get infected, you will be cured with confidence, confidence and appropriate treatment," said Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa.

. Cabinet Secretary reviews the management of Covid-19 in 9 States with a high active caseload

Advises Telangana, Andhra, Karnataka, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, W. Bengal & Assam to urgently ramp up testing and strictly implement containment plan.

(PIB)

. Karnataka: Hallamma, a 100-year-old woman from Huvina Hadagali town of Bellary district who had tested positive for Covid-19, claims that she has now recovered from the disease. She says, "Doctors treated me well. I am healthy now." Her son had also tested positive for novel coronavirus. (ANI)

. "Government of India has extended medical assistance worth about US$ 1 million to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to a request received from the World Health Organisation (WHO)," said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

"India is sensitive to the shortage of medical supply situation in DPRK & decided to grant humanitarian assistance of US$1mn in the form of anti-Tuberculosis medicines. The assistance is under aegis of an ongoing World Health Organisation’s anti-tuberculosis programme in DPRK," the Ministry said.

(ANI)

. The phase-I human clinical trial of India's first indigenously-developed vaccine against novel coronavirus, Covaxin, began at the AIIMS here on Friday with the first dose of the injection given to a man, who is in his 30s.

. Even as Covid-19 spike continues, Kerala heaved a sigh of relief on Friday as the number of recoveries was higher than the fresh cases, thereby slightly bringing down the number of active cases.

. The Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to adopt a revised standard operating procedure (SoP) for Covid-19 screening of Army, paramilitary forces, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel.

. Cab aggregator Ola helped over 55,000 families of its driving partners and aided over 800 medical emergencies in 25 cities during the Covid-19 pandemic, the company said on Friday.

. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy stated that his government would spend Rs 1,000 crore, in the next six months, towards Covid-19 medical care.

. Karnataka on Friday registered 5,007 new cases of Covid-19 and a record 110 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 85,870 and the death toll to 1,724, the health department said.

. New Cases: 1,025

Total: 1,28,389

In July: 42,310 (32.95% of total)

Deaths: 32

Total: 3.777

Discharged: 1,866

Total:1,10,931

Active cases: 13,681 (7,778 in home isolation)

Samples tested: 9,08,735 (19,138 new samples - 5,328 RTPCR etc + 13,810 Rapid Antigen Tests)

. Cabinet Secy stressed the need for prompt & proper delineation of containment zones as per guidelines of Govt; intensive contact tracing & house-to-house active case search within containment zones so as to effectively break chain of transmission. Also emphasized is the imperative of keeping the fatality rates low. For this, mapping of high-risk population must be done, particularly the elderly and aged people and those with co-morbidities: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare - ANI

. 5,714 patients discharged today; 1,99,967 patients discharged after full recovery until today; Recovery rate in the state is 55.99%

9,615 new cases in the state today; tally rises to 3,57,117

278 deaths reported in the state today. Case fatality rate in the state: 3.68%

Out of 17,87,306 laboratory samples, 3,57,117 have been tested positive (19.98%) until today

Currently, 8,88,976 people are in home quarantine and 45,838 people are in institutional quarantine

. The Gujarat Congress on Friday urged the Election Commission (ECI) to use ballot papers instead of EVMsin the upcoming by-elections to eight Assembly seats in the state to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

. The European Union is not interested in buying potential Covid-19 vaccines through an initiative co-led by the World Health Organization as it deems it slow and high-cost, two EU sources told Reuters, noting the bloc was in talks with drugmakers for shots cheaper than $40.

. The upper and lower limits on domestic airfares have been extended till November 24 or until further orders, the Aviation Ministry said Friday.

. Drug firm Jenburkt Pharmaceuticals on Friday said it has launched antiviral drug Favipiravir under the brand name 'Favivent' for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 symptoms at a price of Rs 39 per tablet.

. Indian Railways working onintroducing a 'zero-based' timetable for all trains once thetrains services normalise in post-Covid-19period to improve efficiency in train services.

. Home-made cloth face masks may need a minimum of two layers, and preferably three, to prevent the dispersal of viral droplets associated with Covid-19, according to a study.

. The Maharashtra government is the biggest beneficiary of the Centre's supplyof N95 masks, tablets and the ventilators. This was revealed in replies sought under RTI by veteran activist Anil Galgali.

. Cipla Ltd has received Indian regulatory approval to sell anti-viral drug favipiravir to treat Covid-19, the drugmaker said on Friday, as coronavirus infections in the world's third worst-hit nation show no sign of abating.

. After the rapid spread of Covid-19 and successful Chase-the-Virus strategy, Dharavi seems to be leading in plasma donation. The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is organising screening camps in Dharavi.

. According to the ‘State of the Sector’ report released by the Central Square Foundation, private schools students in both urban and rural areas are not performing well, thus raising questions on the standard of education of the schools.

. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Friday asked officials to work out a plan for enhancing the coronavirus testing capacity in the state to one lakh per day.

. President Donald Trump's refusal this week to say if he would accept the results of November's election, and his repeated assertions that the vote will be "rigged" because of mail-in ballots, have raised the specter of a disputed election that could take weeks, or even months, to resolve.

. The chief scientist at the World Health Organization estimates that about 50 per cent to 60 per cent of the population will need to be immune to the coronavirus for there to be any protective “herd immunity” effect.

. A Delhi court Friday allowed 53 people from Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan and South Africa to walk free on payment of fines, after they accepted mild charges under the plea bargain process, related to various violations including visa norms while attending the Tablighi Jamaat event here during the coronavirus lockdown.

. Actions undertaken by financial sector regulators and the Govt to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 eased operational constraints & helped in maintaining market integrity & resilience in the face of severe risk aversion: RBI in the 21st issue of its Financial Stability Report - ANI

. The overleveraged non-financial sector, simmering global geopolitical tensions, and economic losses on account of the pandemic are major downside risks to global economic prospects: RBI

. Animal tests of a potential Covid-19 vaccine being developed by Chinese researchers show it triggers an immune response against the novel coronavirus, offering some promise as it goes into early-stage human trials, according to a peer-reviewed study.

. The Bengaluru city Mayor M Gautham Kumar on Friday urged officials to speed up the process of tracing primary and secondary contacts in the wake of Covid-19.

.Seven councillors of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation have tested positive for Covid-19, following which Corporation Mayor went into self-quarantine. - ANI. In view of the ongoing concern due to Covid-19 outbreak, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has further extended the relaxations in the terms and conditions for other service providers up to December 31, 2020 to facilitate work from home. In March, the DoT had relaxed certain norms for OSPs till April 30 to facilitate work from home, which was further extended till July 31. It is estimated that nearly 85% of the IT workforce is working from home and only those performing critical functions are going to offices.

"In the spirit of the avowed objectives of the NDCP 2018 and keeping in view the current pandemic situation and with great business sensitivity, DoT has been very prompt and proactive in announcing these exemptions since mid-march. This enables call centers with an OSP license to continue routing calls to Work-from-Home agents via VOIP, which in turn is critical for business continuity. We welcome these timely measures and share the relief it has brought for many of our customers. May the regulation evolve in the light of this newfound and time tested (for the last 3 months) confidence basis which the same gets extended for the next 6 months. We strongly suggest that these be made permanent as Work From Home of associates has not posed any threats for the last 3 months and is a proven method now," said CSN Murthy, Chief Executive Officer, Ozonetel.

. We have performed over 15 million RTPCR tests so far, and are now performing more than 0.35 million tests per day with a projected quantum of performing 1 million tests per day, says Union Health MinisterDr Harsh Vardhan.

India has so far reported 1.25 million cases and more than 30,000 deaths due to Covid-19. India has one of the lowest cases and deaths per million population. Our recovery rate stands at 63.45% whereas our mortality is at 2.3%, he adds.

. Recovered cases of Covid-19 stands at 8,17,209. Recovery rate improves to 63.45%.

. In today's episode, DH Journalists Varsha Gowda and Ahmed Shariff talk to Mrityunjay Bose about small businesses in Mumbai and what's the situation ahead of the biggest festival in India's financial capital.

Tune in here.

. One solution that is starting to attract the attention of public health experts is a so-called weighted lottery, which gives everyone a chance at access, although some get a better shot than others.

Read more here.

. Two sets of mathematical modelling studies by Indian researchers hint at 10 lakhactivecases by the Independence Day as the pandemic has begun to spread far and wide in the areas that reported low numbers so far.

Read more here.

. The United States recorded over four million cases of coronavirus on Thursday, Johns Hopkins University reported in its real-time tally.

With a total of 4,005,414 cases and more than 143,000 deaths, the United States is by far the hardest-hit country in the world, with Brazil and India trailing in second and third place for infection numbers. (AFP)

. “We have introduced a QR code system, which will be given on tickets. If one buys online, the code will be provided on the ticket. Even on window tickets, where one gets a physical ticket, a text message will be sent to the passenger’s mobile phone, which will have a link, and the QR code will be displayed when the link is touched", Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav told reporters.

Read more here

. Fancy a smart social-distancing device that alerts you whenever a Covid-19 patient gets too close to you? This is precisely what a young US-based team of Indian researchers and a collaborating partner in Delhi has come up with to combat the pandemic spread.

Read more here

. As the Covid-19 cases tally in Telangana crossed the 50,000 mark on Thursday, a top health official indicated the virus as showing signs of community transmission in the state.

Read more here

. The eagerly-awaited Indian Premier League will start on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates with the final slated on November 8, well-placed BCCI sources told PTI on Thursday.

Read more here

. Lockdown to remain imposed in Jabalpur dist from 7 pm onJuly 24 to 5 am on July 27. Essential services, dairy, medical stores, petrol pumps, gas agencies to remain open. General stores, fruit/vegetable shops, Pvt offices to remain closed: District Magistrate, Jabalpur, MP

. People undergoing Covid-19 tests in Tirupati but providing incorrect contact information are posing a challenge for the authorities in tracing those who tested positive among them.

. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama blasted Republican President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic in a video aired on Thursday, as the Biden campaign tapped the star power of America's first Black president.

. Haryana reports 6 more Covid-19 deaths, raising toll to 378, infection tally rises to 28,975 with 789 fresh cases; number of active cases stands at 6,348: Health dept

. India's growth rate may plunge to 6 to 9 per cent during the current financial year due to Covid-19 pandemic and may bounce back next fiscal if correct policies were worked out, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy said on Thursday.

. 1,041 Covid-19 positive cases, 1,415 recovered/discharged/migrated and 26 deaths reported in Delhi today. 1,27,364 total positive cases, 1,09,065 recovered/discharged/migrated and 3,745 deaths reported in the national capital so far: Government of Delhi

. 718 new Covid-19positive cases have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir today; 117 from Jammu and 601 from Kashmir division, taking the total number of cases to 16429. Death toll rises to 282 after 9 deaths were reported today: Govt of J&K

. 9895 new Covid-19 positive cases and 298 deaths have been reported in Maharashtra today. Total number of positive cases now stand at 3,47,502 including 1,36,980 active cases, 1,94,253 discharged cases and 12,854 deaths: State Health Department

. Karnataka reports 5030 new Covid-19 positive cases of which 2207 cases are from Bengaluru Urban. Total number of cases now at 80863 and death toll rises to 1616 after 97 deaths were reported today: State Health Department

. Assam govt to release 376 prisoners in next few days to decongest jails across state after 535 inmates tested Covid-19 positive: Official

. 441 new Covid-19 positive cases and 8 deaths have been reported in Punjab today. Total number of cases now stands at 11739 including 3721 active cases, 7741 discharged cases and 277 deaths: Department of Information & Public Relations, Punjab Govt

. Andhra Pradesh reports 7998 new Covid-19 positive cases and 61 deaths in the last 24 hours. Total number of cases now at 72711 including 34272 active cases, 37555 discharged cases and 884 deaths: State COVID-19 Nodal Officer

. 1078 new Covid-19positive cases and 5 deaths have been reported in Kerala today. Number of active cases stands at 9468: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

. In phase 4 of Vande Bharat Mission, 1197 flights have been scheduled so far, including 945 international flights & 252 feeder flights. These flights are operated by Air India group, IndiGo, SpiceJet & GoAir. They covered 29 countries. They'll be reaching 34 airports in India: MEA

. The total number of Covid-19 positive cases in Mizoram is 326 including 184 cured/discharged cases and 142 active cases: Department of Information and Public Relations, State Govt

. As many as29,557 Covid-19 patients have recuperated in the past 24 hours, the highest recorded in a day so far, taking the recovery rate to 63.18 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

. Covid-19 patients violating home isolation instructions, andowners of restaurants&commercial eating places violating social distancing norms in Punjab will have to pay Rs 5,000 as fine. Rs 10,000 penalty to be imposed for social gatherings of more than permitted strength: Punjab CMO

. 6 new Covid-19 positive cases have been reported in Dharavi area of Mumbai today, taking the total number of cases in Dharavi to 2,513 including 2,121 discharges and 142 active cases: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)

. Families of the people who succumb to Covid-19 will be provided Rs 1 Lakh from Chief Minister's Relief Fund on behalf of the government: Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy announces in the legislative assembly

. 2,529 new Covid-19positive cases reported in the State in the last 24 hours. Total active cases now stand at 21,003. A total of 35,803 people have been discharged after recovering from the disease. The death toll is at 1,298: Uttar Pradesh Principal Health Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad

. While some mutations in the novel coronavirus are directed by the human immune system proteins which degrade it, a new study says the virus is able to bounce back, findings that may help in the design of new vaccines against Covid-19.

. The Congress general secretary has been criticising the UP government's response to the Covid-19 crisis, alleging that it is indulging in propaganda , instead of dealing with the pandemic.

"In the Covid-era, health facilities should be up and running. But, Mahoba's women's hospital is in this condition. You have seen the bad state of hospitals in Bareilly and Gorakhpur," she said in a tweet in Hindi, tagging a video showing the hospital in Mahoba waterlogged.

. Some players have brought their own pillows and one even has a box of Lego as the much-delayed Chinese Super League prepares to launch on Saturday in a tightly controlled environment to thwart the coronavirus.

. The six-day strict lockdown announced by the government across Kashmir to prevent the spread of coronavirus began on Thursday with strict restrictions imposed across the Valley.

. Himachal Pradesh detects 44 new Covid-19 positive cases today, taking total number of positive cases to 1769 including 630 active cases, 1112 recoveries and 10 deaths: State Health Department

. DRDO has established a COVID-19 testing facility at Leh based laboratory Defence Institute of High Altitude Research to enhance the rate of testing to identify COVID19 cases in Ladakh. The testing facility at DIHAR is capable of screening 50 samples per day: Ministry of Defence

. 84 people including security personnel & fire service staff working at Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan have tested positive for Covid-19. None of these people came in contact with the Governor: Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan, Chennai

. The application of Elgar Parishad-Maoists links case accused Varavara Rao for bail on health grounds was a mere "ruse" and he was trying to take undue benefit under the garb of the Covid-19 pandemic situation and his old age, the NIA has told the Bombay High Court.

. People will need e-passes for movement. People are requested to purchase essential items before implementation of lockdown:Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam

. The total number of positive COVID-19 cases in Puducherry rises to 2420, including 987 active cases, 1400 discharged and 33 deaths: Government of Puducherry

. The high prevalence of Covid-19 infections in Mumbai and Pune will help test the efficacy of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, its local manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII) has said.

By end of August, between 4,000 to 5,000 people in Pune and Mumbai will be injected with the vaccine as part of trials that are scheduled to last over two months, SII said.

. Australia reported its highest daily number of coronavirus-related deaths in three months on Thursday as new infections continued to climb in its second most populous state.

. Odisha detects 1,264 new Covid-19 cases today today, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 21,099 including 7,205 active cases and 13,749 recoveries: State Health Department

. India is the world's biggest exporter of rice and the world's second-biggest producer after China. Across the country's grain bowl states of Haryana and neighbouring Punjab, thousands of farmers have been forced by the coronavirus to mechanise planting.

. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur in collaboration with IIT Jodhpur and Indian Institute of Information Technology, Nagpur has indigenously designed & developed a ‘smart wrist band’ for tracking & monitoring of COVID-19 positive and suspect patients

Dr Prathamesh Kamble, Assistant Professor, Physiology, AIIMS Nagpur says, "This device can provide mobile free operation, using a geo-fencing technology which will provide real-time alert on any breach in the quarantine zone."

. China plans to provide a $1 billion loan to make its coronavirus vaccine accessible for countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, the Mexican foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

. The USdeaths from the novel coronavirus rose by more than 1,100 for the second day in a row on Wednesday, including a record one-day rise in fatalities in Alabama, California, Nevada and Texas, according to a Reuters tally.

. This includes 4,26,167 active cases and 7,82,606 cured/discharged/migrated & 29,861 deaths: Health Ministry data

. India's Covid-19 tally crosses 12 lakh mark with highest single-day spike of 45,720 new cases & 1,129 deaths in the last 24 hrs: MoHFW

. A Cabinet minister in Madhya Pradesh government has tested positive for COVID19. He took part in state Cabinet meeting yesterday and also attended the last rites ceremony of Governor Lalji Tandon. He has been admitted to a hospital in Bhopal.

. It is important to ensure that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield in India) reaches the most vulnerable and remotest corner of the country and this can be achieved by strengthening the healthcare infrastructure, revisiting the healthcare policies, fast tracking regulatory approvals while complying with necessary trials and tests, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla, said.

. The mayor of Washington on Monday tightened rules for wearing masks in the US capital, ordering city residents to don face coverings as soon as they leave their home.

"People must wear a mask when they leave their homes if they are likely to come into contact with another person for more than a fleeting moment," Muriel Bowser's office announced.

. As nations around the world race to lock up coronavirus vaccines even before they are ready, the Trump administration on Wednesday made one of largest investments yet, announcing a nearly $2 billion contract with Pfizer and a German biotechnology company for 100 million doses by December.

The contract is part of what the White House calls the Warp Speed project, an effort to drastically shorten the time it would take to manufacture and distribute a working vaccine. So far, the United States has put money into more than a half dozen efforts, hoping to build manufacturing ability for an eventual breakthrough.

. Brazil recorded a new daily record of coronavirus cases Wednesday with nearly 68,000 infections, a sign COVID-19 is still far from being brought under control in the hard-hit country.

The health ministry said 67,860 new infections and 1,284 deaths had been reported in the past 24 hours in Brazil, which has the second-biggest outbreak in the world, after the United States.

. Karnataka on Wednesday reported 4,764 fresh cases, with 10 districts for the first time registering more than 100 cases on a single day, a sign that the virus is tightening its grip in other parts of the state, even though Bengaluru remained the hardest-hit district.

Read more here

. Indians have not been untouched by the epidemics and pandemics the world has seen over the past 30 years. India is better placed today to tackle and counter pandemics such as Covid-19. We had our share of failures and learning over decades while managing pandemics like cholera, plague, influenza, polio, SARS, Japanese Encephalitis, Chikungunya, H1N1 and Nipah.

Read more here

. For nearly two months the Indian Council of Medical Research has not disclosed the detailed results of a national-level survey that would showcase the extent of the people’s exposure to novel coronavirus-2019 in India.

Read more here

. 961 Covid-19 positive cases, 6 deaths, 620 recovered and 542 discharged in Rajasthan till 8:30 PM today. The total number of positive cases in the state rises to 32,334 including 583 deaths, 23,364 recovered and 22,470 discharged: State Health Department

. ICMR has validated and approved two more antigen test kits. While one of them is Indian manufacturer - LabCare Diagnostic Ltd, other is Belgium based company- Coris BioConcept. Previously, ICMR had approved SD Biosensor, a Korean company for antigen test kits: ICMR

. In the last 24 hours, 1020 new Covid-19 positive cases and 20 deaths have been reported in Gujarat. State tally rises to 51,485 including 12,016 active cases, 37,240 cured/discharged cases and 2,229 deaths: State Health Department

. 2291 new Covid-19 positive cases and 39 deaths have been reported in West Bengal today. Total number of cases now at 49,321 including 18,450 active cases, 29,650 discharged cases and 1,221 deaths: State Health Department.

. 1502 new Covid-19 positive cases have been reported in Bihar, taking the total number of cases to 30066 including 19876 discharged cases, 208 deaths and 9981 active cases: State Health Department

. 1227 Covid-19 positive cases, 1532 recovered/discharged/migrated and 29 deaths reported in Delhi today. 1,26,323 total positive cases, 1,07,650 recovered/discharged/migrated and 3,719 deaths reported in the national capital so far: Government of Delhi

. In the last late 24 hours, 45 new Covid-19positive cases have been reported in Manipur. Total number of cases nor stands at 2060 of which 642 are active and 1418 recovered cases: State Govt

. 5,849 new Covid-19positive cases and 74 have been reported in Tamil Nadu today. Total number of cases stand at 1,86,492 including 51,765 active cases, 1,31,583 discharges and 2700 deaths: State Health Department

. 1,038 new Covid-19 have been reported in Kerala today, which is the highest single-day spike in cases in the state. Out of the new cases, 276 cases have been reported in Thiruvananthapuram. Number of active cases now stands at 8,818: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

. 24 people, including 6 BSF personnel, test positive for Covid-19 in Meghalaya, 7 patients recover; active case count 433: Official

. 5 new Covid-19 positive cases have been reported in Dharavi area of Mumbai today, taking the total number of cases to 2507 including 2116 discharges and 141 active cases: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)

. Five of over 88,000 students, who took up Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical examination held recently across the state, test positive for Covid-19: Officials

. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath asks officials to study case history of patients discharged after treatment for #COVID19 , says it could help in improving state's recovery rate

. The total number of Covid-19 positive cases in Mizoram is 317 including 179 cured/discharged cases and 138 active cases: Department of Information and Public Relations, State Govt

. India is responding with utmost urgency to Covid-19 from start. It's been continually strengthening preparedness&response measures, including ramping up testing capacities, readying more hospitals, arranging&stocking up medicines & essentials: WHO Regional Director, South-East Asia

. UP reported 2,308 new Covid-19 cases, taking active cases to 20,825 activein the last 24 hours. Number of discharges & deaths stand at 33,500 & 1,263 respectively. Over 45,650 samples were tested in the state yesterday, over 16 lakhs tests done so far: UP Principal Health Secretary

. Madhya Pradesh govt will not organise traditional public functions to mark Independence Day this year in view of coronavirus crisis: Home Minister Narottam Mishra

. Over 2 lakh cases of violation of prohibitory orders registered in Maharashtra till date since coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March, say officials.

. A new snapshot of the frantic global response to the coronavirus pandemic shows some of the world's largest government donors of humanitarian aid are buckling under the strain: Funding commitments, for the virus and otherwise, have dropped by a third from the same period last year.

The analysis by the UK-based Development Initiatives, obtained in advance by The Associated Press, offers a rare real-time look at the notoriously difficult to track world of aid.

. Global coronavirus infections surged past 15 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, with the pandemic gathering pace even as countries remain divided in their response to the crisis.

The total of 15,009,213 cases is at least triple the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to World Health Organization data, while the death toll of more than 616,000 in seven months is close to the upper range of yearly influenza deaths.

. Over 300 of our police personnel have recovered from Covid- 19 . Today, 26 of them are donating their blood plasma. We want others who have recovered from COVID19 to come forward and donate plasma. We will facilitate all donors: J&K Police DGP Dilbag Singh

. Twenty more people, including 16 Assam Rifles personnel and two BSF jawans, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, taking the state's tally to 317 on Wednesday, a government statement said.

Of the 306 samples tested on Tuesday, 18 people from Aizawl district and two from south Mizoram's Lunglei district were found infected with COVID-19, the Information and Public Relations Department said in the statement.

The new patients are 16 personnel of Assam Rifles, two BSF jawans, an National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) staffer and a civilian, it said.

. Scientists have genetically modified a "mild virus" which generates antibodies in humans just like the novel coronavirus, but without causing severe disease, an advance which they say will enable more labs across the world to safely test drugs and vaccine candidates against COVID-19.

The researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis in the US engineered the mildly infecting vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) which virologists widely use in experiments by swapping one of its genes for one from the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

. Pakistan has recorded 1,332 new coronavirus cases, taking the nation-wide tally of infections to 267,428, the health ministry said on Wednesday, a day after the country registered its lowest daily COVID-19 count in more than two and a half months.

. The coronavirus crisis has taken a heavy toll on the economies of the oil-rich Gulf, heavily reliant on low-paid foreign workers.

They are the backbone of the Gulf economies, taking jobs in construction, services and transport, and are now facing the realities of the pandemic.

Many have racked up debt and would go hungry without the help of charities as they wait for work and to be paid.

Some said they found little reason to stay without work and wanted to return to their home countries despite being owed months of wages; hundreds of thousands have already left.

. District In charge Minister Shashikala Jolle inaugurated a new RT-PCR labouratory established at district Covid hospital. About 200 to 250 swabs can be tested a day.

. Serum Institute of India on Tuesday said it will be starting trials of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca by the end of August on up to 5,000 Indian volunteers after getting the necessary nods, and launch the vaccine by June next year if all goes well.

. 1,078 new COVID-19 cases reported in Odisha in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 19,835 including 6387 active cases and 13,309 recovered: State Health Department

. Hundreds of irate commuters staged an impromptu 'rail-roko' agitation at Nalasopara station demanding resumption ot suburban train services. Nalasopara is located on Mumbai's Western line in Palghar district

. Spike of 37,724 cases and 648 deaths reported in India in the last 24 hours. Total # positive cases stand at 11,92,915 including 411133 active cases, 7,53,050 cured/discharged/migrated and 28,732 deaths: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

. Australia reported a record 501 new coronavirus infections Wednesday, nearly four months after the pandemic supposedly peaked in the country.

Most of the cases were reported in Victoria state, where authorities have struggled to bring an outbreak in Melbourne under control despite Australia's second-biggest city being locked down for nearly two weeks.

Australia's new coronavirus infections previously peaked on March 28 when 459 cases were reported, according to data compiled by AFP, before the country appeared to bring the virus under control and began easing harsh restrictions.

Australia, like neighbouring New Zealand, has been lauded for its pandemic response.

. In this episode, DH journalists Akash Sriram and Manasi Pawar discuss the state of Mumbai's iconic dabbawalas and how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the hunger saviours of India's financial capital, which also incidentally is the worst-hit city by the pandemic.

. A Chinese-made vaccine against the new coronavirus entered the final stage of testing Tuesday in Brazil, where volunteers received the first doses of what officials hope will be a game-changer in the pandemic

. About 2,000 Israelis rallied outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu residence in Jerusalem on Tuesday as protests mounted against him over his handling of a worsening coronavirus crisis and alleged corruption.

. USPresident Donald Trump expressed a willingness on Tuesday to work with China or other countries to bring a successful coronavirus vaccine to the United States, despite rising tensions between Beijing and Washington.

. Democratic USHouse of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday the $1 trillion Republicans say they are considering as the size of a coronavirus aid package would not be sufficient to do what is needed for the USeconomy and Americans' health.

. The Covid-19 pandemic may have peaked in Delhi and the daily caseloads are on the wane in Mumbai and Chennai, but there is no sign of the disease reaching anywhere close to its peak in the rest of the country.

Read more here

. Every other day, somebody, somewhere in the world, presents a new mathematical model of how much worse the Covid-19 pandemic is going to get, or perhaps when the pandemic will end. Nobody can see into the future. So why should we believe these models any more than we believe astrological forecasts?

Read more here

. Despite being badly bruised by the Covid-19 outbreak, more than half of Indian businesses are prepared to deal with any future blow from the pandemic, while 29% are operating normally, a survey of 2,600 businesses across 14 countries, including India, has found.

Read more here

Coronavirus news highlights: India's case tally crosses 18 lakh, recoveries surge to 11.86 lakh

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