Coronavirus highlights: Tamil Nadu reports first case of Omicron BA.4 variant

India on Saturday reported 2,323 Covid-19 cases as active cases fell below the 15,000-mark. Meanwhile, North Korea reported 219,030 more people with fever symptoms and one additional death as the country fights its first confirmed coronavirus outbreak.

A health rule imposed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic that has blocked most asylum seekers at the US border with Mexico must stay in place

(Credit: AFP Photo)

Tamil Nadu reports first case of Omicron BA.4 variant

Tamil Nadu has reported its first case of Omicron BA.4 variant after a teenager was tested Covid-19 positive recently and the health department on Saturday appealed members of the public 'not to panic' following the identification of the new variant. Tamil Nadu Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian said the 19-year-old woman detected with the new variant was visited by top health officials on Friday.

Madhya Pradesh sees 43 Covid-19 cases, no death; active tally now 262

TheCovid-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh reached 10,42,167 on Saturday after the detection of 43 cases, while the death toll remained unchanged at 10,735 as no one succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, an official said.

Karnataka reports 155 new Covid-19 Karnataka on Saturday recorded 155 fresh COVID-19 cases taking the total infection count to 39,50,378, the state health department said. There were zero fatalities due to COVID-19 in the state on the dacases, zero deaths

Karnataka on Saturday recorded 155 freshCovid-19 cases taking the total infection count to 39,50,378, the state health department said. There were zero fatalities due toCovid-19 in the state on the day. Of the total infections, Bengaluru urban district contributed 150 while Dakshina Kannada reported three and Tumakuru and Davangere reported one each.

A health worker collects a swab sample of a woman for Covid-19 test, at District hospital, in Noida

(Credit: PTI Photo)

Maharashtra reports 307 Covid-19 cases, active tally stands at 1,828

US sees risk of Covid supply rationing without more funds

The White House is planning for “dire” contingencies that could include rationing supplies of vaccines and treatments this fall if Congress doesn't approve more money for fightingCovid-19.

Spain eases Covid entry for unvaccinated tourists

Spain on Saturday easedCovidentry rules for unvaccinated tourists from outside the European Union, in a boost for the key tourism sector ahead of the peak summer holidays.

Until now travellers from outside the bloc -- including Spain's main tourism market Britain -- could only enter with proof of vaccination or recovery fromCovid-19.

But as of Saturday visitors from outside of the EU will also be allowed to enter Spain with a negativeCovidtest result, the transport ministry said in a statement.

Delhi logs 479 Covid-19 cases, 1 death in a day. Positivity rate 2.06%: Health Bulletin

A worker disinfects a dining room at a sanitary supplies factory, amid growing fears over the spread of the coronavirus disease, in Pyongyang, North Korea

(Credit: Reuters Photo)

Nashik Covid cases tally rises to 4,76,090; active caseload now 13

Health workers wearing personal protective equipment are seen at the entrance of a fenced residential area under lockdown due to Covid-19 restrictions in Beijing

(AFP Photo)

Students arrive at school as in-person classes in Thailand resumed nationwide for a new term, after years of disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, at Pimarnvit School in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat

(Credit: AFP Photo)

UK’s Covid alert level reduced as Omicron sub-types monitored

The UK's coronavirus alert level has been reduced from four to three asCovid-19 cases continue to fall, even as two rare types of the Omicron variant sub-types have been reclassified as variants of concern.

The health authorities said on Friday that the current BA.2 driven Omicron wave is “subsiding” but it is expected the number of cases will increase due to BA.4 and BA.5 sub-types, which the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has elevated in classification to monitor their growth.

The agency said it will continue to analyse the rise as the full impact of the sub-types remains “uncertain”.

“The reclassification of these variants as variants of concern reflects emerging evidence on the growth of BA.4 and BA.5 internationally and in the UK,” said Dr Meera Chand, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections at UKHSA.

Biden, S Korea's Yoon vow to deter N Korea while offering Covid-19 aid

President Joe Biden and his new South Korean counterpart agreed on Saturday to hold bigger military drills and deploy more U.S. weapons if necessary to deter North Korea, while offering to sendCovid-19 vaccines and potentially meet Kim Jong Un.

Biden and Yoon Suk-yeol said their countries' decades-old alliance needed to develop not only to face North Korean threats but to keep the Indo-Pacific region "free and open" and protect global supply chains.

The two leaders are meeting in Seoul for their first diplomatic engagement since the South Korean president's inauguration 11 days ago. The encounter between allies was clouded by intelligence showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is prepared to conduct nuclear or missile tests.

Shanghai district to require all shops to shut, residents to stay home

Shanghai's central Jingan district, a key commercial area of the Chinese financial hub, said on Saturday it will require all supermarkets and shops to shut and residents to stay home until at least Tuesday.

The district plans to carry out Covid mass testing from Sunday until Tuesday, it said on its official WeChat account.

The use of all exit permits previously given to residents that allowed them to leave their homes will be suspended, the district added without saying why.

A young student has their temperature checked while arriving at school as in-person classes in Thailand resumed nationwide for a new term, after years of disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic

(Credit: AFP Photo)

No new Covid cases in NZ camp ahead of Sussex warm-up game

New Zealand have reported no newCovid-19 cases among players and staff before their warm-up match against English county side Sussex, the country's cricket board (NZC) said on Saturday.

Puducherry reports seven new Covid-19 cases

Thousands of Covid-negative Beijing residents sent to quarantine

Thousands ofCovid-negative Beijing residents were relocated to quarantine hotels overnight due to a handful of infections, as the capital begins to take more extreme control measures resembling virus-hit Shanghai.

Beijing has been battling its worst outbreak since the pandemic started. The Omicron variant has infected over 1,300 since late April, leading city restaurants, schools and tourist attractions to be closed indefinitely.

China's strategy to achieve zeroCovidcases includes strict border closures, lengthy quarantines, mass testing and rapid, targeted lockdowns.

BA.4 Omicron variant likely in Chennai teen: Tamil Nadu Minister

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Saturday said that initial reports from a whole-genome sequencing lab have indicated the possibility of BA.4. Omicron variant in the state.

Confirmation of the same will be obtained after the report from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). If confirmed, this will be the second case of BA.4.Omicron after a case of the variant was confirmed in Telangana on Friday.

A medical worker collects a swab sample from a woman at a nucleic acid testing site on a street during lockdown, amid the coronavirus pandemic, in Shanghai

(Reuters Photo)

Employees of the Central Ideals Zoo disinfecting the zoo to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Pyongyang

(AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS)

Manipur's active Covid-19 case count drops to zero for the first time in the last 26 months

Beijing city reports 63 new local Covid cases over 24 hours

Beijing reported 63 new domestically transmittedCovid-19 infections during the 24 hours to 3 p.m. (0700 GMT) on Saturday, a disease control official at the Chinese capital said.

Of the infections, 56 were found in controlled areas and seven during community screening tests, Liu Xiaofeng, deputy director at Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, told a news briefing.

The city has recorded 1,399Covid infections since April 22, Liu said.

Biden says US offered Covid vaccines to North Korea but no response

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday his country had offered to provide coronavirus vaccines to North Korea, which has imposed a sweeping lockdown and other restrictions during its first confirmed outbreak, but there had been no response from Pyongyang.

He made the remarks at a joint news conference with South Korea's new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, following their first summit in Seoul.- Reuters.

North Korea reports more fevers as Kim claims virus progress

North Korea said Saturday it found nearly 220,000 more people with feverish symptoms even as leader Kim Jong Un claimed progress in slowing a largely undiagnosed spread of Covid-19 across an unvaccinated population of 26 million.

The outbreak has caused concern about serious tragedies in the poor, isolated country with one of the world's worst health care systems and a high tolerance for civilian suffering.

Experts say North Korea is almost certainly downplaying the true scale of the viral spread, including a strangely small death toll, to soften the political blow on Kim as he navigates the toughest moment in his decade of rule. - AP.

India reports 2,323 Covid-19 cases; active cases fall below 15,000-mark

Thane district's Covid-19 count rises by 27

With the addition of 27 coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 7,09,494, an official said on Saturday.

These cases were reported on Friday.

The death toll in the district remained unchanged at 11,895, he said, adding that the mortality rate is 1.67 per cent.

In neighbouring Palghar district, the caseload stood at 1,63,612, while the death toll is 3,407, another official said. - PTI.

Global Covid caseload tops 526.6 million

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 526.6 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 6.28 million and vaccinations to over 11.43 billion, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Saturday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 526,690,884 and 6,287,461, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered increased to 11,437,712,256. - IANS.

Centre to start door-to-door Covid vaccine campaign in June-July for booster shots among elderly

To accelerate the coverage of those vaccinated against Covid-19, the Union Health Ministry on Friday announced it will launch a two-month long door-to-door campaign in June and July. The campaign will give preference to eligible senior citizens to be inoculated with a booster dose.

Read more

In Xi Jinping's big year, political price of China's pandemic policy climbs

Protests bubbling in big cities, dismal economic indicators and rampant discontent online -- China's zero-Covid policy is morphing from a propaganda victory to a political liability for President Xi Jinping.

Read more