Coronavirus News highlights: Moderna's booster vaccine will bolster India's Covid-19 fight, Cipla tells government

India to have 20-25 crore vaccine doses per month by August, said Covid-19 working group chairman. India on Monday reported 1.52 lakh fresh cases while 3,128 more people died of the virus, data by the Union Health Ministry on Monday showed. The total cases have now breached 2.8 crore-mark in the country. The daily infections have shown a downward trend, however, states across India have maintained restrictions on movement and gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus.

That's all for today readers. Thank you for tuning in to our coverage of Covid-19 cases in India. For more latest news visit www.deccanherald.com.

Moderna's booster vaccine will bolster India's Covid-19 fight, Cipla tells government

Karnataka to vaccinate overseas students, working professionals for Covid-19 from June 1

Expanding the list of preferential groups for Covid-19 vaccination, the Karnataka government on Monday declared that students and working professionals travelling overseas for employment will be provided with vaccine from June 1. Read more

Assam to start door-to-door surveillance to track, test and tackle Covid-19

With Covid-19 cases gradually going up in rural areas, Assam is launching a community surveillance project from Tuesday under which health workers will visit door-to-door to track, isolate and treat those testing positive for the virus. Read more

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan writes to 11 CMs of non-BJP ruled states seeking united effort to press Centre to procure Covid-19 vaccines and ensure free universal vaccination.

The great jab giveaway: Enticements offered to boost Covid vaccine take-up

Even as many countries around the world struggle to secure vaccine doses, in other places, governments and companies have had to entice hesitant citizens to get jabbed. Read more

Nearly 12 crore (11,95,70,000) doses will be available to States and UTs in June 2021 enabling them to ramp up the vaccination numbers, says Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan. He has askedStates/UTs to maximize the use of flexibilities like Near to Home CovidVaccination Centers to step up vaccination drive.

Covid-19 Wrap-up: India reports 1.52 lakh new cases, lowest daily rise in 50 days

This will hopefully never become part of our normalcy. Six more bodies of suspected Covid-19 victimswere found floating in the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh.Read more

A look at how Delhi battled the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in May

After the national capital reeled under the harsh Covid-19 second wave in April, the month of May brought some respite to New Delhi due to strict lockdown and possibly the national vaccination drive. Read more

Maharashtra's youngest sarpanch keeps his village Covid-19 free; says micro-management is key

Implementation of a five-point programme and inculcating a sense of responsibility among people was the mainstay of various measures undertaken by Ruturaj Deshmukh, the youngest sarpanch in Maharashtra, and his task force to rid their village in Solapur district of coronavirus.

India to study feasibility of mixing 2 different Covid-19 vaccine doses

India may soon start testing the feasibility of mixing two different doses of Covid-19 vaccines to see if it helps in boosting one's immune response to coronavirus. Read more

What we know about the Covid-19 variant found in Vietnam

After a surge in Covid-19 cases in Vietnam in the past month, a more transmissible Covid-19 variant was discovered in the country which is a combination of the strains first found in India and the UK. Read more

Karnataka govt mulls lifting lockdown curbs in a phased manner: Revenue Minister R Ashoka

The Karnataka government is contemplating to unlock the lockdown in a phased manner by easing restrictions provided Covid-19 infections in Bengaluru come down to less than 1,000 a day, Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka said. Read more

BBMP bats for relaxing Covid lockdown in Bengaluru in phased manner

Amid confusion over withdrawal or extension of Covid-19 lockdown in Bengaluru from June 7, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Monday clarified that it has suggested gradual and phased unlock to keep the pandemic under control in all zones of Bengaluru.Read more

By August we will have 20-25 crore vaccine doses per month. Another 5-6 crore doses will come from other manufacturing units or if we get international vaccine doses. The objective is to vaccinate 1 crore people every day, says Dr N K Arora.

India may soon start in few weeks testing the feasibility of a regimen that mixes twodifferent doses of Covid-19vaccines to see if it helps boost the immune response to the virus, saysDr N K Arora, chairman of Covid-19 working group under National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI).

Covid-19 deaths in May raise an alarm in Jammu & Kashmir

Even as Jammu and Kashmir’s positivity rate has started to slide, the high number of Covid-19 fatalities in May has become a cause for concern.

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Covid-19 survivor ends life over fear of mucormycosis

An 80-year-old man from Ahmedabad who had recovered from coronavirus allegedly committed suicide out of fear of contracting the mucormycosis infection, police said on Monday.

Mucormycosis, also known as the black fungus, is a serious infection which has been found in several Covid-19 patients in various states.

Lakshadweep Collector S Asker Ali extended the complete shutdown in Lakshadweep as Covid-19 cases surge.

Complete shutdown in 5 islands will come into force at 5 pm today & night curfew imposed in another 5 islands from 5 pm to 6 am, as per order

Policy makers must have 'ears on ground', SC says on mandatory registration on CoWIN

The Supreme Court Monday posed searching questions to the Centre on the Covid-19 vaccine procurement policy and need for mandatory registration on the CoWIN app for people to get vaccinated without keeping in mind the real 'digital India' situation, observing that the policy makers must have an ear to the ground.

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Delhi HC pulls up drug controller for not properly examining how BJP MP Gautam Gambhir procured huge quantity of Covid-19 medicine, Fabiflu

We will get a batch of Sputnik V after June 20th. Currently, it is in importing phase, I think its production will begin in August in India, says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

Supreme Court asks Centre about Covid vaccine-procurement policy

The Supreme Court asked the Centre on Monday about the vaccine-procurement policy by referring to the fact that states are in the process of issuing global tenders to procure jabs for coronavirus.

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Arunachal reports 172 new Covid-19 cases, 1 fresh fatality

Arunachal Pradesh's Covid-19 tally rose to 26,950 on Monday as 172 more people tested positive for the infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the northeastern state's coronavirus death toll to 115, a senior health official said.

The Capital Complex region recorded the highest number of fresh cases at 52, followed by Lower Subansiri (20) and Upper Subansiri and Tawang (17 each), State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

Karnataka has reported 1,250 cases of Mucormycosis (Black fungus). Currently, 1,193 patients are undergoing treatment.

Is mixing and matching Covid-19 vaccines effective?

In the face of changing eligibility for the AstraZeneca vaccine, new variants of the coronavirus and supply constraints, many people are wondering whether they can “mix and match” Covid-19 vaccines.

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Daily recoveries continue to outnumber the daily new cases for the 18th consecutive day, according to Union Health Ministry.

82-year-old Khaira Babaji has fed over 30 lakh during Covid-19

For close to 15 months, octogenarian Baba Karnail Singh Khaira is working 24x7 and his selfless social work is sure to inspire many.

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Railway employee sets up oxygen bank in tribal areas

As India reels under shortage of medical oxygen, a Nagpur-based railway employee has set up a small Oxygen Bank to cater to the needs of tribal and forest areas of Vidarbha districts like Amravati and Yavatmal.

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Producers Guild of India to vaccinate members from Tuesday

The Producers Guild of India (PGI), the association of Indian film, television and digital content producers, on Monday announced a vaccination drive for its members and associated production crews beginning from June 1.

According to a press release, the guild said the members will be vaccinated over the multi-day drive to be held at Mehboob Studios in suburban Bandra.

Siddharth Roy Kapur, President of the Producers Guild of India, said the initiative was key to getting the film industry back on its feet amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Maharashtra issues FAQs on Covid-19 restrictions in the state

Chaos at Mangaluru PHC after hundreds gather to receive Covid vaccine

People had arrived as early as 4 am to stand in a queue to get the jab. Unfortunately, only 200 tokens were issued for the jab by the staff. In fact, people were standing in a long queue for nearly 500 meters at the venue, said the onlookers.

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Thane records 708 new Covid-19 cases, 51 more deaths

With the addition of 708 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 5,15,827, an official said on Monday.

These new cases were reported on Sunday, he said.

The virus also claimed the lives of 51 more people, raising the death toll in Thane to 9,214, he said, adding that the mortality rate in the district stood at 1.78 per cent.

India's Serum Institute to raise AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine output in June

The Serum institute of India will raise production of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to about 90 million doses in June from about 65 million a month now, a company spokesman told Reuters on Monday.

India's total Covid-19 cases cross 2.8-crore mark

India's single-day Covid-19 cases rose by 1,52,734 while 3,128 more people died of the virus, data by the Union Health Ministry on Monday showed.

The country has now seen over2.8 crore infections.

Covid-19 sparks desire to work from 'third space': Accenture survey

Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way people live, work and socialize, and it has fuelled a desire to work occasionally from a “third space”, according to findings of a new global survey from Accenture.

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Australian cricketers exit quarantine after fleeing India

Australian cricketers who fled Covid-ravaged India when the IPL was suspended earlier this month were released from quarantine in Sydney on Monday, after spending 14 days isolating in hotel rooms.

Steve Smith, David Warner and Pat Cummins were among the players, coaches and officials who completed the mandatory quarantine period after returning on a charter flight from the Maldives.

Covid-19 fight: Ethnic groups from New England pledge to donate $1 million to India

A coalition of various Asian-American groups, including Indian and Chinese, on Sunday announced to have pledged $1 million towardsCovid-19assistance in India.

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Two European scientists claim coronavirus made in Wuhan lab: Report

Two European scientists have claimed that the pandemic-causing SARS-CoV-2 was artificially created in a laboratory by Chinese scientists, who later covered their tracks by reverse engineering virus to give it an appearance of a natural pathogen.

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Japan considers asking Olympic fans for negative Covid tests, vaccinations

Japan is considering requiring negative Covid-19 test results or vaccination records from fans attending the Tokyo Olympics, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Monday, as a new poll showed public opposition to the Games remained strong.

With the opening of the Games less than two months away, public confidence has been shaken by a fourth wave of coronavirus infections and a slow vaccination rollout.

Australia's Victoria, in lockdown, reports 5 more Covid-19 cases

Australia's second most populous state of Victoria, the epicentre of the country's latest coronavirus hotspot, reported five new cases of community transmission on Monday, taking the current cluster to 45.

Mizoram reports 99 new Covid-19 cases, 2 deaths

Mizoram on Monday reported 99 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths. Active cases in the state stood at 3,034.

Brazil Covid-19 deaths at 461,931 as total cases hit 16.5 million

Brazil registered 43,520 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, reaching a total of 16.5 million cases.

The country, which has the world's second largest number of Covid-19 deaths, registered 874 new deaths, raising the total to 461,931.

Not aware of kids dying due to Covid-19: K Sudhakar

Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar has said that the government was making extensive preparations for tackling the predicted third wave of Covid-19.

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UK Covid vaccine passport plans to be scrapped

Britain plans to drop Covid-19 passports as a legal requirement for large events, The Daily Telegraph reported on Sunday.

The UK officials working on the review into Covid-19 status certificates believe there is no chance the law will be changed to mandate their use within the UK, the report added.

Centre offers loan guarantee for hospital oxygen plants

The Centre on Sunday announced a 100% guarantee cover for loans up to Rs 2 crore to hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and medical colleges for setting up on-site oxygen generation plants.

Read more here

Post-Covid inflammatory syndrome on the rise among kids

Cases of a rare inflammatory syndrome among children who recently recovered from Covid-19, which had been seen last year, have made a comeback in the second wave, doctors said.

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Covid-19 vaccination drive gains steam in Karnataka

Vaccinations in Karnataka have picked up steam over the last 10 days, with the health minister stating that the programme is on track with more than 24 lakh doses administered in Bengaluru alone.

Read more here

Maharashtra extends Covid-19 curbs till June 15

The Maharashtra government on Sunday extended the lockdown-like curbs till June 15 and also announced that relaxations will be granted depending upon the Covid-19 positivity rate and availability of oxygen beds.

Read more here