Coronavirus news updates: Karnataka reports 5,815 new cases, 11,832 discharges and 161 deaths

India reported 60,753 new Covid-19 cases and 1,647 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry. As many as 38,92,07,637 samples were tested for Covid up to June 18, of which 19,02,009 were tested yesterday, reported the ICMR.

As Covid curve dips, railways carries more passengers to cities, less oxygen

As the coronavirus shows a decreasing trend, the railways is carrying more passengers from labour-supplying states to cities and less oxygen via its Oxygen Express trains which were put into service to augment supply to states dealing with the shortage of the life saving gas.

According to a statement issued by the railways, in the past seven days, the railways ferried 32.56 lakh passengers from states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, indicating the return of migrant workers to their workplaces after cities gradually unlocked. (PTI)

BJP’s Rajasthan unit president Satish Poonia on Saturday wrote to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot demanding a priority in the investigation and treatment of elderly and differently-abled people infected with the coronavirus. He also stressed the need to accord them priority in the doorstep vaccination. (PTI)

MP govt suppressing Covid-19 death numbers with new order: CPI(M)

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday said the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh was suppressing the number of Covid-19 deaths, in the process depriving the kin of victims benefits announced for them.

In a statement, CPI(M) state secretary Jaswinder Singh claimed MP Economic and Statistics Directorate Commissioner Abhishek Singh had issued an order on June 1 through letter number 2732/2021 directing district registrars of deaths and births to ensure the cause of death was not recorded in death certificates. (PTI)

Mumbai has reported 696 new Covid-19 cases, 790 discharges, and 13 deaths in the past 24 hours

Chandigarh reports 23 new cases, 2 fatalities in 24 hours

Himachal Pradesh reports 239 new Covid-19 cases, and 10 deaths in the last 24 hours

All 14 political leaders from J&K invited to meeting with PM Modi have been asked to present Covid-19 negative report (PTI)

Tamil Nadu reports 8183 new Covid-19 cases, 18,232 recoveries & 180 deaths in the last 24 hours

Punjab government has decided to cancel examinations of Class 12due to Covid-19pandemic. Punjab School Education Board would declare the results as per the pattern of the CBSE, State School Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla has said. (ANI)

Thane civic body arranges special vaccination drive for transgender people

The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) on Saturday conducted a special drive for administering anti-Covid-19 jabs to transgender people in the city, which the civic body claimed to be the first such initiative in Maharashtra. A total of 16 transgender people received the vaccines at the vaccination centre of the TMC, an official release said. (PTI)

Sikkim registers 151 new Covid-19 cases, 1 fresh fatality

Sikkim's Covid-19 tally rose to 19,209 on Saturday as 151 more people tested positive for the infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the Himalayan state's coronavirus death toll to 291, a health bulletin said. (PTI)

Karnataka has reported 5,815 new Covid-19 cases, 11,832 discharges and161 deaths today. Active case tally is at 1,30,872. (ANI)

2,95,000 Covid vaccines available for 18-44 age group in Delhi: AAP MLA

With Delhi receiving fresh stock of 1,67,000 Covishield doses for people in the 18-44 age group, the total number of Covid vaccines available for the group has now gone up to 2,95,000, senior AAP leader and MLA Atishi said on Saturday.

Presenting a daily vaccination bulletin, the MLA from Kalkaji said Delhi now has 2,58,000 doses of Covishield and 37,000 doses of Covaxin available for the 18-44 age group. (PTI)

Delhi has recorded 135 fresh cases of Covid-19 and seven deaths, lowest since April 1

Indonesia to get Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine from August - ministry

Indonesia will receive 50 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine jointly made by Pfizer and BioNTech with the first batch expected in August, a senior health ministry official said on Saturday.

"Pfizer vaccines will start arriving from August, with shipments of between 7.5 million to 12 million doses per month,” said Siti Nadia Tarmizi, adding that the supply is the result of a direct government purchase. (Reuters)

Odisha has reported 3,427 new Covid-19 cases, 42 fresh fatalities. Infection tally rose to 8,73,925 and the death toll is at 3,550. The state now has 40,471 active cases of the disease. (PTI)

All govt staff will be vaccinated by month-end: Lt Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Tamilisai Soundararajan on Saturday said all government staff and workers would be vaccinated by the end of this month. The territorial government has issued circulars in this regard.

She said there was good coverage of the vaccination drive and the extension of the special vaccination festival till June 21 was an indication. (PTI)

Class 10 andClass 12 students who failed in 2 subjects will be given 8 marks as grace. With this, over 2 lakh students will be declared pass. The decision was taken because compartmental exams couldn't be conducted due to Covid-19: Bihar Education Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary to ANI

MP govt to set up Covid-19 pandemic research institute

The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to set up a state-level research institute for the Covid-19 pandemic and other diseases here, state medical education minister Vishvas Sarang said on Saturday. He said the proposal was approved by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday.

“A state-level public health institute will come up in Bhopal for the research of the Covid-19 pandemic and other diseases including contagious diseases,” Sarang told reporters. (PTI)

DPIIT Secretary Guruprasad Mohapatra dies of Covid-related complications

Secretary in the Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Guruprasad Mohapatra died of COVID-19 related complications at AIIMS on Saturday.

Mohapatra, 59, was admitted to AIIMS in mid-April. He is the first serving secretary to the Government of India to have succumbed to Covid-19.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over Mohapatra's demise. (PTI)

Jharkhand on high alert as mucormycosis cases rise

With a rise in mucormycosis or 'black fungus' cases inJharkhand, the state government has directed the health machinery to be on high alert and extend all possible care to the affected people, an official said on Saturday.

A total of 79 confirmed and 53 suspected cases have been reported to date in 18 of the 24 districts, he said. (PTI)

Russia reports 17,906 new Covid-19 cases, 466 deaths (Reuters)

South China airport cancels flights after Covid case

The airport in China's southern city of Shenzhen cancelled hundreds of flights and tightened entry controls Saturday after a restaurant employee tested positive for the Delta coronavirus variant.

Anyone entering the facility must show a negative virus test from the last 48 hours, Shenzhen Airport Group said in a statement on its official WeChat social media account. (AFP)

Mizoram logs 314 new Covid-19 cases (PTI)

Jharkhand reports 141 new Covid-19 cases, 2 fresh fatalities (PTI)

Step up pace of Covid-19 vaccination: Centre to states, UTs

The easing of Covid-related lockdown norms has led to crowding in some markets and other places, the Centre said on Saturday, as it urged states to ensure the "extremely important" five-fold strategy of Covid-appropriate behaviour, test-track-treat and vaccination to prevent the spread of the disease.

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4 lions at Chennai's Arignar Anna Zoological Park found infected with delta variant of Covid (ANI)

Number of people allowed to attend marriage, funeral restricted in Maharashtra's Latur

Even as the number of coronavirus positive cases in Maharashtra's Latur is on the decline, the district administration has restricted the number of people allowed to attend a marriage to 50, while only 25 persons can remain present at a funeral, an official said on Saturday.

The district collector imposed these restrictions by issuing an order to this effect on Friday evening, he said.

As per the fresh notification, Latur falls under level-I of the state government's five-level "unlock" plan. (PTI)

Assam targeting 3 lakh Covid-19 vaccinations daily from June 21: State CM

The aim isinoculating half of the state's population in one month, saidChief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

28 new Covid-19 cases push Andamans tally to 7,363 (PTI)

Puducherry logs 295 new coronavirus cases, tally touches 1,14,596 (PTI)

Cambodia reports 20 deaths from Covid, record for single day (Reuters)

BioNTech shots have stronger antibody response than Sinovac: Hong Kong study

People who are vaccinated againstCovid-19 with BioNTech's vaccine were found to have "substantially higher" levels of antibodies than those who received Sinovac's jab, the South China Morning Post reportedon Saturday, citing a Hong Kong study.

Some who received the Sinovac vaccine might need a third booster shot as well, the newspaper said, citing lead researcher Professor Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist with the University of Hong Kong. (Reuters)

Arunachal Pradesh reports 209 new Covid-19 cases, 1 more death (PTI)

Copa America's Covid-19 cases increase again from 66 to 82 (AP)

India's active Covid-19 caseload stands at 7,60,019: Health Ministry

India reports 60,753 new Covid-19 cases,1,647 deaths in the last 24 hours: Health Ministry

Thane records 417 new Covid-19 cases, 13 deaths (PTI)

38,92,07,637 samples were tested for Covid up to June 18, of which 19,02,009 were tested yesterday: ICMR

SIT to probe fake Covid testing during Kumbh (PTI)

Australia's largest state records two new local Covid-19 cases

Australia's largest state New South Wales (NSW) recorded two locally acquired coronavirus cases on Saturday, as concerns grow over the further spread of infections amid an increase in exposure sites. The point of transmission of the new infections hasn't been determined, but authorities believed they are linked to the first case of the Sydney cluster of the highly-infectious coronavirus Delta variant, which now stands at six cases. (Reuters)

Delta variant constitutes over 6% of tested Covid cases with virus variants in NYC

The Delta variant, first detected in India, constituted over 6 per cent ofCovid-19 cases tested for virus variants in New York City, according to official data from the city's health department.

The New York City Health Department said in its recent update that out of the 105 NYCCovid-19 cases tested for variant viruses for the week ending June 5, the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) constituted 6.7 per cent. (PTI)

China reports 30 new Covid-19 cases versus 23 the day before

China reported 30 new confirmedCovid-19 cases in the mainland for June 18, up from 23 infections a day earlier, the country's health authority said on Saturday.

Of the new cases, six were local infections in southern Guangdong province, while the rest were imported cases, the National Health Commission said. (Reuters)

Biden warns of 'potentially deadlier' delta variant, urges public to get vaccinated

Mexico to vaccinate migrants in Baja California under new border initiative (Reuters)

India says it hopes to resume Covid-19 vaccine exports

India, the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines, wants to resume exports of coronavirus doses but can't do so until its domestic needs are met, the head of the country's Covid-19 task force said Friday.

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Maharashtra govt to launch Covid-19 vaccination drive for 30-44 age group from June 19

The Maharashtra government will be starting a special Covid-19 inoculation drive for 30-44 years age group from Saturday, an official said here. Until now, the inoculation of 18-44 age group is taking place largely at private hospitals.

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Decision on relaxing more Covid-19 curbs today: BSY

A decision on further relaxing lockdown restrictions in the state after June 21 when the current curbs come to an end, will be taken on Saturday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said.

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