Coronavirus News Highlights: Travellers from Kerala will need Covid-19 negative RT-PCR report to enter Karnataka

Switzerland approves Covishield vaccine. India's drug regulatory body has denied permission to Dr Reddy’s to conduct phase 3 trials for Sputnik Light. India reported 48,786 cases and 61,588 recoveries in 24 hours. Zydus Cadila applies for Emergency Use Authorisation seeking DCGI approval for the launch of their DNA vaccine for 12 years & above. The vaccine has completed the third phase of trial. Meanwhile, an expert panel of the country's central drug authority on Wednesday recommended against granting permission to the Serum Institute of India (SII) to conduct the phase 2/3 trial of Covid-19 vaccine Covovax on children aged two to 17 years, sources said.

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Fall in daily jabs after a week of high Covid-19 vaccination

After a week-long high, India's Covid-19 vaccination slumped once again in the last three days with 41 lakh vaccinations being carried out on Thursday (till 8 pm) preceded by 27.54 lakhs and 36.46 lakhs in the past two days.

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84 test Covid positive in Gujarat, 300 recover; active cases below 3,000

Gujarat on Thursday registered 84 fresh Covid-19 cases, while 300 more patients recovered from the infection in the state, the Health Department said. With the addition of 84 infections, the statewide coronavirus tally rose to 8,23,607 and recoveries increased to 8,10,751, said a release by the Health Department.

Maharashtra reports 9,195 Covid-19 cases, 252 deaths

Maharashtra reported 9,195 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday which took its infection tally to 60,70,599, the health department said. With 252 fatalities, the death toll due to the pandemic rose to 1,22,197, it added.

Maharashtra reports 9,195 Covid-19 cases, 252 deaths

Maharashtra reported 9,195 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday which took its infection tally to 60,70,599, the health department said. With 252 fatalities, the death toll due to the pandemic rose to 1,22,197, it added.

Britain's Covid-19 cases up 72% in past week

Britain reported 27,989 new cases of Covid-19, government data showed on Thursday, the highest number since Jan. 25 and taking the rise in cases between June 25 and July 1 to nearly 72 per cent compared with the previous seven days.

A further 22 people were reported as having died within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19, taking the seven-day rise to just under 11 per cent.

Meghalaya records 577 new Covid-19 cases, six deaths

Meghalaya on Thursday recorded 577 new Covid-19 cases, which pushed the caseload to 50,090, while six more deaths raised the toll to 844, a senior official said.

Goa reports 231 new Covid-19 cases, 6 deaths; 221 recover

Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 231 and reached 1,66,920 on Thursday, while 221 more patients recovered from the infection, a health department official said. The death toll rose to 3,060 as six more patients succumbed to the infection during the day, he said.

Delhi govt waives 2 month-licence fee for bars in hotels, restaurants closed due to lockdown

In a relief for the hospitality sector, the Delhi government has waived two months of licence fee of bars in hotels and restaurants that were closed due to lockdown during the second wave of Covid-19 infection in the city.

The move will help hotels, restaurants, guest houses, motels and clubs in the city that serve liquor in saving money ranging from a few thousand to lakhs of rupees.

Delhi went into a lockdown when it was hit by a second wave of Covid-19 infections. All bars in the hotels and restaurants were closed from April 16 to June 20 following an order from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman talks to a nurse during her visit to a 100-bed Covid Care facility inside the campus of Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), at Yelahanka in Bengaluru

Credit: PTI Photo

Double Covid jab seems to curb Delta variant: EMA

Two doses ofCovidvaccine appear to provide protection against the rapidly spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus, the European Medicines Agency said on Thursday.

The upbeat assessment came as the World Health Organization warned that the variant first spotted in India could fuel a new wave of cases in Europe.

Medical fraternity stood out in tackling COVID-19: Union health secy

The medical fraternity has stood out in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on the occasion of Doctor's Day on Thursday.

"Your (doctors) efforts will be recorded in golden letters in history. I salute the doctors and healthcare workers without whom the journey would not have been possible," he said at a virtual event of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

It was organised to mark Doctors’ Day and pay tribute to healthcare professionals who lost their lives fighting the pandemic.

Delhi reports 93 new Covid-19 cases, 4 deaths.

The daily recoveries of 111 outnumbered the daily cases while the positivity rate stood at 0.12%

Budget for healthcare sector doubled to Rs 2 lakh crore: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the contribution of doctors in saving lives from coronavirus and asserted that his government gave paramount importance to augmenting healthcare infrastructure to combat the pandemic.

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Will one dose of two-dose Covid-19 vaccine protect me?

Will one dose of a two-dose Covid-19 vaccine protect me? Yes, but not nearly as much as if you had both doses. Experts recommend getting fully vaccinated, especially with the emergence of worrisome coronavirus mutations such as the delta variant first identified in India.

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Covid cases in Europe up again after 10 weeks of decline: WHO Europe

The World Health Organization on Thursday said Covid cases were on the rise again in Europe after two months of decline and warned a new wave would come "unless we remain disciplined."

"Last week, the number of cases rose by 10 percent, driven by increased mixing, travel, gatherings and easing of social restrictions," WHO's regional director for Europe Hans Kluge told a press conference.

Delhi civic bodies preparing for Covid third wave, to set up dedicated care facilities for children

The three municipal corporations of Delhi will set up dedicated Covid care facilities for children as part of their preparations to deal with a possible third wave, officials said on Thursday.

It is being anticipated that the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic will majorly affect children, so arrangements are being made to avoid any crisis-like situation and provide better care to kids, municipal officials said.

Over 1.24 crore unutilised Covid-19 vaccine doses still with states: Centre

More than 1.24 crore balance and unutilised Covid-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs and over 94,66,420 doses are in the pipeline and will be received by them within the next three days, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.

Over 32.92 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far through Government of India (free of cost channel) and direct state procurement category.

Of this, the total consumption, including wastage is 31,67,50,891 doses, the ministry said.

Assam fails to achieve 30 lakh inoculation target due to short supply of vaccines: Official

The BJP-led Assam government could vaccinate only 16.63 lakh people in the last 10 days, almost 45 per cent less than Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's target of inoculating 30 lakh people, due to a massive shortage of Covid-19 vaccines, a senior health official said on Thursday.

As per the daily Covid-19 bulletin issued by the National Health Mission under the state Health Department, a total of 16,63,405 people were inoculated across the state from June 21 to June 30.

Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, and Spain have confirmed accepting Covishield. Switzerland also allows Covishield for Schengen state

Data collected shows 67 cases of orphaned children due to (in Delhi),651 children lost mothers & 1311 lost fathers: Delhi Minister

Delhi govt to give compensation to children orphaned by Covid-19

Delhi Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said that Rs 50,000 compensation will be given for the death of one parent. Compensation of Rs 1 lakh will be given alongside an amount of Rs 2,500 per month to the orphaned children.

Not much data to suggest Delta Plus is more infectious: Randeep Gulleria

There isn't much data on Delta plus variant to suggest it's more infectious, causing more deaths, or has developed significant immune escape mechanism. But if we follow Covidappropriate behaviour, we'll be safe against any of emerging variants, said Dr Randeep Gulleria of AIIMS

India subtly warns of retaliation if EU nations do not recognise Covaxin, Covishield for 'Green Pass'

India has subtly warned of retaliatory action if its citizens inoculated with Covaxin or Covishield are placed in quarantine or subjected to other travel restrictions while visiting any European Union nations.

New Delhi has asked the European Union’s member nations to individually exempt its citizens inoculated with Covaxin or Covishield from travel restrictions even though the two anti-Covid-19 vaccines are not among the ones approved by the bloc for its “Green Pass” programme coming into effect on Thursday.

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A mother in Tokyo created a Covid-19 vaccine database amid lack of information

One new case takes Covid-19 tally of Andamans to 7,467

Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported just one new Covid-19 case, which took the tally in the Union Territory to 7,467, a health department official said on Thursday.

The fresh case was detected during contact tracing, he said.

The death toll remained at 128 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours, the official said.

Zydus Cadila applies for emergency use nod from DCGI for its Covid-19 vaccine

Indian drugmaker Zydus Cadila said on Thursday it has applied to the DCGI for emergency use approval of its Covid-19 vaccine and that it plans to manufacture up to 12crore doses of the shot annually.

Coronavirus cases in India dropped from a devastating peak in April and May, however, experts have warned of a third wave and reiterated that widespread vaccination remains one of the best defences against the pandemic.

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Indonesia 'emergency' Covid-19 curbs to be effective July 2-20

Bhubaneswar-based Care hospital starts administering Sputnik V doses

Govt panel recommends against allowing SII to conduct trial of Covovax on children aged 2-17 years

An expert panel of the country's central drug authority on Wednesday recommended against granting permission to the Serum Institute of India (SII) to conduct the phase 2/3 trial of Covid-19 vaccine Covovax on children aged two to 17 years, sources said.

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New Covid-19 cases drop below 15,000 in West Bengal

Almost after three months, West Bengal's daily Covid-19 count on Wednesday was recorded below the 1,500-mark with 1,478 new cases, the health department said.

The death toll rose to 17,708 after 29 fresh fatalities were registered in the state.

(PTI)

A man walks past wall murals depicting a health worker (R) and boy wering facemasks and holding shields to spread awareness about the Covid-19 coronavirus, in Mumbai on June 30, 2021. Credit: AFP Photo

Fuelled by variants, Covid-19 surges again in many parts of the world

In Indonesia, gravediggers are working into the night, as oxygen and vaccines are in short supply. In Europe, countries are slamming their doors shut once again, with quarantines and travel bans. In Bangladesh, urban garment workers fleeing an impending lockdown are almost assuredly seeding another coronavirus surge in their impoverished home villages.

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Manipur extends Covid-19 curfew till July 10

The Manipur government on Wednesday extended the coronavirus-induced curfew in seven districts of the state till July 10, a notification said. The restrictions were scheduled to end on June 30.

(PTI)

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