Coronavirus News Highlights: Cumulative number of Covid vaccine doses administered in India exceeds 35 crore

The cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in India has exceeded 35 crore, said the Union Health Ministry. India reported 44,111 new Covid-19 cases, 57,477 recoveries, and 738 deaths in the last 24 hours.

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Number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in India has crossed 35 crore: Health ministry

The cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has exceeded 35 crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.

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The cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in India has exceeded 35 crore: Union Health Ministry.

Record 7 lakh-plus Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Maharashtra

More than seven lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses, highest in a single day so far, were administered in Maharashtra on Saturday, a senior official said. "We surpassed our previous best performance... as of 7 PM we had administered 7,85,311 doses, the highest-ever figure for the state," said health secretary Pradeep Vyas.

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Kerala starts publishing list of Covid-19 victims amidst concerns of privacy

In a bid to resist the allegations of underreporting of Covid deaths, Kerala government has started publishing list of Covid victims from Saturday.

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Zoo animals are getting experimental Covid vaccines

The Oakland Zoo in California started this week with bears, mountain lions, tigers and ferrets, the first of about 100 animals that are set to receive an experimental vaccine against the coronavirus over the summer.

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Fully-vaccinated ASHA worker succumbs to Covid in Odisha

An ASHA worker, who had received both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine, succumbed to the infection in Odisha's Kendrapara district, an official said on Saturday.

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Centre sanctions funds from PM Cares for new vaccine-testing lab

The Centre has sanctioned funds from the PM Cares Fund for setting up a vaccine-testing laboratory here, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said on Saturday.

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Auto ambulances to carry Covid-19 patients introduced in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K Ramachandran on Saturday flagged off six auto ambulances in Coonoor in Nilgiris district to carry Covid-19 patients.

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Progressive decline in Covid-19 cases in Northeast: Jitendra Singh

Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said there is a progressive decline in Covid-19 cases in all eight Northeastern states but cautioned that the fall in active cases must be followed with greater thrust on vaccination and strict observance of relevant protocols.

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Amid Covid-19, 59% men feel work stress taking toll on personal lives: Survey

With work from home becoming a norm due to Covid-19, a survey has revealed that 59 per cent men interviewed admitted that work-related stress is affecting their personal lives.

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Iran at risk of fifth Covid wave as Delta variant spreads: Rouhani

Iran may face a fifth wave of Covid-19 infections as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus spreads through the Middle East's worst-hit country, President Hassan Rouhani warned on Saturday.

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In Pic | Beneficiaries wait to receive a dose of Covid-19 vaccine at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (Shatabdi) BMC Hospital, in Mumbai. Credit: PTI Photo

Govt has, so far, paid bills of 30% Covid-19 patients treated under quota in Bengaluru

Around 2.66 lakh Covid-19 patients have been hospitalised in the city from last year till date under the government quota. However, bills for only 78,658 patients, amounting to
Rs 310.99 crore, have been paid by the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (implementing agency for Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka).

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Mind the gap, says Rahul Gandhi claiming difference between actual and targeted Covid jabs

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed a growing gap between the actual and targeted vaccinations and asked where are the vaccines.

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One more arrested in vaccination scam in Kolkata

Kolkata Police has arrested another associate of Debanjan Deb, who was apprehended for allegedly masterminding fake vaccination camps in the metropolis, officials said on Saturday.

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Covid-19: Kids are using soft drinks to fake positive tests – the science and how to spot it

Children are always going to find cunning ways to bunk off school, and the latest trick is to fake a positive Covid-19 lateral flow test (LFT) using soft drinks. So how are fruit juices, cola and devious kids fooling the tests and is there a way to tell a fake positive result from a real one? I’ve tried to find out.

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Beneficiaries wait to receives a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, at a centre in Karad. Credit: PTI Photo

Indonesia caught between Covid surge and slow vaccine rollout

Sri Dewi stood in the graveyard with her family, waiting their turn to bury her brother. He suffered a stroke and needed oxygen, but there wasn't any in a hospital overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients.

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Covid-19: Clinical trials underway for Covaxin's booster dose

Bharat Biotech International Limited has stated that clinical trials to determine the safety and immunogenicity of Covaxin's booster dose are in process.

The Hyderabad-based vaccine maker on Saturday announced that its two-dosed Covid-19 vaccine is showingan overall efficiency of 77.8%against Covid-19 and is 93.4% effective in severe infection cases.

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Covid-19: Navi Mumbai civic body vaccinates sex workers

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) held a special anti-coronavirus vaccination camp for sex workers in the city, a civic official said on Saturday. The camp was organised on Friday as part of the civic body’s attempt to cover the neglected sections of the society under the vaccination programme, spokesperson of the NMMC, Mahendra Konde, said.

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People turn out in large numbers to get inoculated as Covid-19 vaccination resumes after four days in Nagpur

Covid-19 restrictions relaxed in Aurangabad district, monuments allowed to be open till 4pm for visitors

Vaccines almost eliminate chances of Covid deaths: Study

Two doses of Covid-19 vaccine reduced the occurrence of death by 98% among the Punjab Police staff, NITI Ayog member Vinod Paul said, quoting a study carried out by PGI, Chandigarh and Punjab government.

The incidence of death reduces by 92% among those who have received a single shot, Paul said, underscoring the importance of vaccination.

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Pfizer, J&J Covid-19 vaccines more effective against Delta than Beta variant, say South African experts

The Covid-19 vaccines by US pharma majors Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) that are being used in South Africa are more effective against the Delta variant of the coronavirus than the Beta strain, experts have said.

The Beta variant, which was first detected in South Africa, caused a second wave at the beginning of this year whereas the Delta variant, first detected in India, is driving the current third wave in South Africa, resulting in increased lockdown restrictions as the number of infections and deaths have already surpassed those of the previous two waves.

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Villagers adopt unique ways in Chhattisgarh for Covid vaccination awareness

Australian officials report biggest daily Covid-19 caseload for 2021

Australia's New South Wales state recorded its biggest daily rise in Covid-19 infections this year, even as residents in several major cities across the country were released from snap lockdowns on Saturday.

Sydney, the New South Wales state capital and home to a fifth of Australia's 25 million population, has been hit hardest in a flurry of outbreaks of the highly contagious Delta variant around the country over the past two weeks.

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Delta variant is dangerous and is continuing to evolve and mutate: WHO chief

The world is in a very "dangerous period" of the Covid-19 pandemic compounded by more transmissible variants like Delta, which is continuing to evolve and mutate, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned.

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Wedding service providers in Jaipur say they're facing losses due to Covid restrictions

Six new cases take Covid-19 tally of Andamans to 7,475

Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported six new Covid-19 cases, which took the tally in the Union Territory to 7,475, a health department official said on Saturday.

Four new patients have travel history and two were detected during contact tracing, he said.

Indonesian police block streets on first day of tougher Covid-19 curbs

Indonesian police threw up road blocks and more than 400 checkpoints on the islands of Java and Bali to ensure hundreds of millions of people stayed home on Saturday, the first day of stricter curbs on movement to limit the spread of Covid-19.

As it battles one of Asia's worst coronavirus outbreaks, the world's fourth most populous nation has seen record new infections on eight of the past 12 days, with Friday bringing 25,830 cases and a high of 539 deaths.

(Reuters)

One more arrested in West Bengal fake vaccine scam

Indrajit Shaw has been arrested in connection with fake vaccine scam case. The accused was Deb's employee and was instrumental in organising a vaccination camp in City College, Kolkata.

Mexico reports 5,879 new cases of Covid-19, 177 more deaths

How India could have averted 1.3 crore Covid-19 cases, 1.1 lakh deaths

Imposing even a moderate lockdown by mid-March would have helped India avert nearly 1.3 crore Covid-19 cases and 1.1 lakh deaths over the next two months during the second surge of the epidemic, says a new study.

Carried out by epidemiologist Bhramar Mukherjee at the University of Michigan and her collaborators, the study analyses the Covid-19 second surge in India and the possible role of government interventions using sophisticated computer models.

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Delhi's Laxmi Nagar market which was closed due to breach of Covid protocols, reopened

Bharat Biotech concludes final analysis of Covaxin, shows 77.8% efficacy in symptomatic Covid patients

Bharat Biotech concludes final analysis for Covaxin efficacy as part of phase 3 clinical trials, after evaluation of 130 confirmed cases. Covaxin's efficacy demonstrated at 77.8% against symptomatic Covid-19 patients.

Efficacy analysis demonstrates Covaxin to be 93.4% effective against severe symptomatic Covid-19and65.2% protection against the Delta variant.

Flexible, agile vaccination strategy vital in saving lives in India, says Lancet report

Flexible and agile vaccination strategies can play a vital role in protecting lives in India as Covid-19 pandemic continues to unfold, according to a latest Lancet report.

The report 'Responsive and Agile Vaccination Strategies Against Covid-19 in India' published by the Lancet Global Health on Friday highlighted the importance of sentinel site based surveillance and detection of early warning signal through test positivity ratio (TPR).

(PTI)

BBMP yet to formulate strategy to vaccinate pregnant, lactating women

Despite women forming a significant portion of Bengaluru’s adult population, the civic authority is yet to formulate a plan to vaccinate them.

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A BMC health worker collects swab sample of a passenger for Covid-19 test, at a station in Mumbai, Friday, July 2, 2021. India's official death toll from the coronavirus crossed 4,00,000. Credit: PTI Photo

Third Covid wave won't be so bad, say Bengaluru doctors

July 1 was observed as National Doctor’s Day. Metrolife spoke to senior doctors about challenges they faced during Covid second wave and what they’re expecting ahead.

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WHO recommends Covid tests in schools to avoid closures

The World Health Organization said Friday that Covid-19 tests should be carried out in schools in some circumstances to avoid the "harmful" effects of closures and remote learning.

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