Coronavirus News Highlights: Karnataka reports 4,272 new Covid-19 cases, 115 deaths

A single-day rise of 48,698 Covid-19 infections took India's case tally to over 3.01 crore, according to Union Health Ministry data on Saturday. The number of active Covid-19 cases declines to 5,95,565 in India. Meanwhile, the Centre on Friday clarified that both Covishield and Covaxin work against SARS-CoV-2 variants Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta, while effectiveness tests against the Delta Plus variant are ongoing. Stay tuned to DH for latest updates.

Banquet halls for marriages with 50 people attending, gyms allowed to open in Delhi from Monday

The Delhi government on Saturday allowed weddings at banquet, marriage halls and hotels with 50 people in attendance, and reopening of gyms and Yoga centres at 50 per cent capacity under the phased unlock process initiated with an improvement in the city's COVID-19 situation.

The relaxations will come into force from Monday.

The Delhi Diaster Management Authority(DDMA) in its order said the prohibited and restricted activities will continue till 5 am on July 5.

Gyms and banquet halls were closed on April 19 when Delhi was facing the brutal second wave of COVID 19. In second week of May, weddings were permitted at home and in courts with not more than 20 people in attendance.

Over 3 crore doses of Covid vaccine administered: UP govt

The Uttar Pradesh government said it has administered over three crore doses of coronavirus vaccine since January, with more than eight lakh people vaccinated on Saturday, according to an official release issued here.

The state crossed the milestone around 1.30 pm on Saturday, it said, adding that the maximum 13,70,405 doses have been given in Lucknow.

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MP logs 46 new Covid-19 cases; 25 casualties; 204 recoveries

With the addition of 46 new Covid-19 cases and 25 casualties, the tally of infections in Madhya Pradesh reached 7,89,657, while the toll rose to 8,896 on Saturday, an official from the state health department said.

At least 35 out the 52 districts in the central state did not record a single new case in the last 24 hours, the official said. As many as 204 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the count of recoveries to 7,79,834, he said.

Carry momentum forward, ensure pace of testing doesn't go down: PM Modi at Covid-19 vaccination review meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed satisfaction at the rising speed of Covid-19 vaccination in the country. He said that it is important to carry this momentum forward.

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1,028 new Covid-19 cases, nine deaths reported in Telangana

Telangana on Saturday reported 1,028 fresh Covid-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,19,865, while the toll rose to 3,627 with nine more fatalities.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 132, followed by Khammam (76) and Nalgonda (66) districts, a health department bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM on Saturday.

Covid-19: No provision for ex-gratia by Finance Commission, Centre tells SC

The Union government has told the Supreme Court that though Covid-19 has been notified as a disaster, the Finance Commission did not make any recommendation to grant ex-gratia payment to those who died of the disease.

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Karnataka reports 4,272 Covid-19 new cases, 115 deaths.

Total active cases in the state stand at 1,05,226.

Hypoxia key factor in driving mucormycosis: Researchers

A peer-reviewed paper on black fungus (mucormycosis) in the British Medical Journal has said low oxygen saturation levels in patients is a key trigger for the fungal infection.

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Fearing Covid, Maoist-couple surrenders before Telangana police

Fearing the spread of coronavirus among Maoist cadre, a Maoist-couple surrendered before the police in Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana on Saturday.

Police said Surender, an area committee member of Manuguru LOS (local organisation squad) and his wife, a dalam member of Manuguru LOS, gave themselves up.

Both of them feared for their lives due to harassment by the Maoist leadership and also the spread of coronavirus among the cadre, the police said.

Testing ramped up at Goa borders to filter out Delta Plus cases: CM

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday said testing has been ramped up at the borders of the coastal state as a precaution in view of the detection of the Delta Plus variant of coronavirus in a neighbouring state.

Speaking to reporters at the Keri-Sattari border adjoining Karnataka, Sawant said private laboratories have been roped in to set up testing facilities as a precaution against the fresh strain of coronavirus.

Kerala reports 12,118 new Covid-19 positive cases, 118 deaths

Delhi records 85 fresh Covid-19 cases, lowest daily count this year; 9 more deaths, positivity rate 0.12%

Uttar Pradesh reports 173 new Covid-19 cases, 40 deaths

Delta variant of Covid-19 starting to dominate in S.Africa, scientist says

The Delta variant of the coronavirus first identified in India appears to have started dominating Covid-19 infections in South Africa, top local scientist Tulio de Oliveira told a news conference on Saturday.

Russia's Euro host Saint Petersburg posts record Covid toll

Russia's Euro 2020 host Saint Petersburg on Saturday reported the country's highest daily Covid-19 toll for a city since the start of the pandemic, data showed.

Official figures said the city, which is hosting seven Euro 2020 matches including a quarter final, recorded 107 virus deaths over the last 24 hours. Russian news agencies said this was the hightest toll of any Russian city since the start of the pandemic.

New Zealand suspends travel bubble with Australia

New Zealand announced a three-day suspension of its quarantine-free travel arrangement with Australia on Saturday, with the government citing "multiple" outbreaks of Covid-19 in Australian states and territories.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the suspension would give officials time to consider measures "to make the bubble safer, such as pre-departure testing for all flights" between the two countries.

BMC ropes in Salman Khan for Covid-19 vaccine campaign

Vaccination of 60-plus population sluggish after initial high; experts raise concerns

The pace of vaccination of the 60-plus population has become sluggish in the past few weeks after an initial high, with healthcare experts attributing it to mobility issues and misinformation and unsubstantiated apprehensions about the jabs.

According to Health Ministry data, 2.29 crore elderly people have been fully vaccinated so far while 6.71 crore have received just one dose of Covid-19 vaccine till now.

The 60-plus population in India was projected to be at 14.3 crore in 2021, so that would imply that just 16 per cent of them have been fully vaccinated till now.

Eight cases of Covid-19 Delta Plus variant found in MP: Minister

At least eight persons have been found infected with the Delta Plus variant of coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh so far, state Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said on Saturday, adding none of the contacts of these patients was found to be infected with this strain.

According to officials, two persons who died in May this year were found to be infected with the Delta Plus variant.

Corona will win if stakeholders fight with each other: Kejriwal after oxygen controversy

Seeking to move on from the controversy over a Supreme Court-appointed panel report on Delhi's oxygen demand, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday called for everyone to work together to ensure there is no shortage of oxygen in the next Covid wave.

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Punjab: A case of Delta plus variant found in Ludhiana. The 62-year-old patient, a resident of Jand village in Pakhowal block has no travel history. He is in better condition. So far, no other villager found Delta plus positive: Deputy Commissioner VK Sharma

(ANI)

'Alarming' Delta Covid variant surge prompts new Bangladesh lockdown

Bangladesh has announced it will impose a tough new lockdown starting Monday, after a "dangerous and alarming" surge in Delta variant cases of coronavirus.

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People wait to receive Covid vaccine dose during a special vaccine drive at Mahankali temple Secunderabad, near Hyderabad, Saturday, June 26, 2021. Credit: PTI Photo

Coronavirus may have existed over 20,000 years ago!

A coronavirus may have swept across East Asia more than 20,000 years ago, leaving traces in the DNA of people in modern China, Japan and Vietnam. Our research, published in Current Biology, found evidence of genetic adaptation to the coronavirus family of viruses in 42 genes in modern populations in these regions.

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Tamil Nadu reports first Delta Plus Covid variant death

Tamil Nadu has registered its first death due to the Delta Plus variant of Covid-19 with a person from Madurai succumbing to it, according to the state health department.

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Unemployment during Covid-19: Federal Bank gives 400-odd part-time jobs in Kerala

Federal Bank on Saturday said it has provided 400-odd part-time jobs with a monthly salary of Rs 18,000 at its branches in Kerala so far, in a bid to help those who lost their employment due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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ICMR has achieved the milestone of conducting 40 crores testing on June 25, 2021.

With average testing of more than 18 lakhs per day in the month of June, India has tested 40,18,11,892 samples across the country till June 25, 2021: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

(ANI)

Centre cautions Karnataka over Delta Plus Covid-19 variant, directs to prevent crowding

Close on the heels of Maharashtra government slowing down the unlock process in Mumbai, the Union Health Ministry on Friday alerted the Karnataka government over the possible surge of ‘Delta Plus' variant. The Centre has directed the state government to prevent crowding and intermingling of people in districts that have reported the new variant of Covid-19.

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Over 1.45 crore Covid-19 vaccines available with states, UTs: Centre

More than 1.45 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses are still available with states and union territories and over 19,10,650 jabs are in the pipeline and will be received by them within the next three days, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.

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People who have been vaccinated with two doses of the Covid vaccine will be exempted from mandatory testing on arrival at airports or railway stations in Assam: Assam Govt

(ANI)

Health workers carrying boxes containing Covid-19 vaccines, prepare to board a ferry after a vaccination drive at an island in the Sundarbans area of south 24Parganas district, some 100 Km south of Kolkata on June 25, 2021. Credit: AFP Photo

The coronavirus infection tally in Thane district of Maharashtra has gone up to 5,30,288 with the addition of 488 cases, an official said on Saturday.

(PTI)

Nurse injects man with empty syringe in Bihar’s Chapra

Covid-positive prisoner escapes from Assam hospital

A prisoner, undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at the Diphu Medical College and Hospital in Assam's Karbi Anglong district, escaped, police said on Saturday.

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A total of 40,18,11,892 samples were tested up to June 25. Of which, 17,45,809 samples were tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

(ANI)

India records 48,698 new Covid-19 cases, 1,183 deaths

A single-day rise of 48,698 Covid-19 infections took India's case tally to 3,01,83,143 while the weekly positivity rate declined to 2.03 per cent, according to Union Health Ministry data on Saturday.

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Suvendu Adhikari wrote a letter to Harsh Vardhan demanding central agencies to investigate the Kolkata vaccine fraud case

WHO: Delta is 'most transmissible' variant identified so far

The head of the World Health Organization said the Covid-19 delta variant, first seen in India, is “the most transmissible of the variants identified so far,” and warned it is now spreading in at least 85 countries.

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Honduras to receive 1.5 million Moderna Covid vaccines from the US on Sunday (Reuters)

China reports 25 new Covid-19 cases vs 24 a day earlier (Reuters)

Sydney flags broader lockdown as Delta variant cases swell (AFP)

Mizoram reports 232 new Covid cases on Friday

Needy people wait in queues to receive free food packages under 'Chief Minister Covid Special Relief Package Scheme', in Agartala, Friday, June 25, 2021. Credit: PTI Photo

WHO's Tedros says vaccine shortage in poor countries a global failure

The world's inability to provide enough Covid-19 vaccines for poor countries is a global failure that highlights injustice, the head of the World Health Organization said on Friday.

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Pregnant women can be vaccinated against Covid-19: MoFHW

In a change in its earlier stance, Union Health Ministry on Friday said that pregnant women "can and should" be vaccinated against Covid-19.

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Covid third wave unlikely to be as severe as second wave: Study

A third wave of Covid-19 -- if it occurs -- is unlikely to be as severe as the second wave given the extent of spread of coronavirus infections that has already taken place in the country, according to a study.

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