For the second time in the past three days, India's single-day rise in coronavirus cases has breached the 1-lakh mark. A total of 1,15,736 infections were reported in a day, while the death toll increased to 1,66,177 with 630 daily new fatalities, according to Health ministry data.
Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered has exceeded the 8-crore mark , with 8,31,10,926 shots given as of 7 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a Health Ministry press release. "This is the highest single-day vaccination coverage in the country so far, " the release said.
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here . A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the latest updates:
People in Delhi opting for walk-in vaccination during curfew hours will need e-pass
COVID-19 vaccination beneficiaries choosing to go for walk-in vaccination facility will have to acquire an e-pass to travel during the night curfew hours in Delhi, officials said on Wednesday.
The Delhi government on Tuesday imposed a night curfew in the national capital from 10 pm to 5 am till April 30 in view of rising COVID-19 cases.
Those going for on-site registration during curfew hours will have to acquire an e-pass first, they said.
"As per DDMA guidelines, anyone going out for vaccination during night curfew will be allowed provided they have an e-pass with them," a senior police officer said.
The officer, however, said the number of people usually stepping out during night hours is fewer.
On e-passes procurement issues faced by people, the health minister Satyender Jain told reporters, it is a "teething problem" and should be sorted out soon.
Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, Mr Jain on Tuesday had said the city government was alert on the pandemic situation and keeping a "close watch" on it.
- PTI
Centre to allow COVID-19 vaccination at workplace
Central Government has decided that it will allow COVID-19 vaccination sessions in workplace, which has about 100 eligible/willing beneficiaries.
“States/UTs have been asked to prepare for the launch by April 11,” a health ministry source told The Hindu .
He added that the move is aimed at making vaccine accessible, quality focused and citizen-centric. - Bindu Shajan Perappadan
Maharashtra has only three days’ COVID-19 vaccine stock left, says State Health Minister
Warning that Maharashtra had only three days’ vaccine stock left, State Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday urged the Centre to expedite the delivery of vaccine doses to the State.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Mr. Tope remarked that the State daily vaccination rate was the fastest in the country and said that Maharashtra needed a stable supply of at least 40 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines each week.
The State, which contributes to more than 65% of the country’s active cases, has been reporting unprecedented single-day surges of over 50,000 cases in the past few days.
“At present, we just have 14 lakh vaccine doses which will get over in the next three days. We've asked for 40 lakh more vaccine doses per week. At the moment, Maharashtra is reeling under a severe shortage with many districts and vaccination centers reporting that they have no doses to give,” said the Health Minister. - Shoumojit Banerjee
Punjab CM Amarinder Singh extends night curfew to entire State
With Punjab witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on April 7 announced extension of night curfew to the entire State and ordered a ban on political gatherings.
Mr. Singh said those violating the ban on political gatherings, including leaders, will be booked under the Disaster Management Act and the Epidemics Diseases Act.
M.P. govt to procure Remdesivir injections for poor patients: CM
The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to procure Remdesivir injections so that they could be provided free of cost for the treatment of critical COVID-19 patients from the economically weaker sections, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday.
Remdesivir is considered a key anti-viral drug in the fight against COVID-19, especially in adult patients with severe complications.
Mr. Chouhan said the state government has also decided to set up one COVID-19 care centre in each district of state so that the infected people (who are advised home quarantine) having smaller houses can stay there.
He also said private hospitals will need to put up the rates of tests and treatment outside their facilities. - PTI
Tripura CM Biplab Deb tests positive for COVID-19
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19 and has self-isolated at home, he said in a tweet.
"I have been tested positive for Covid-19. I have isolated myself at home as per the advice of doctors. I request everyone to please follow all the covid appropriate behaviour and stay safe," he tweeted. - PTI
Bengaluru FC confirms 3 COVID-19 cases ahead of AFC Qualifiers
Indian football club Bengaluru FC on Wednesday said three COVID-19 cases have been detected among its players and staff after the side assembled for training here ahead of its AFC Qualifiers (Preliminary Stage Two) match on April 14.
The positive cases were reported during BFC's training camp which began here on April 5.
"Latest COVID-19 tests within the Blues' camp in Goa have shown three positive cases among players and staff," the club informed on its twitter handle.
Mayawati urges people, governments to pay heed to COVID-19 guidelines
Inaction towards COVID-19 guideline violation in poll rallies is worrying, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati said on Wednesday, urging people and governments to take the surge in the infections very seriously.
"The central and the state governments as well as the public should take the increase in coronavirus cases in the country very seriously. But inaction towards violation of COVID protocol, especially in election rallies and road shows, is a matter of grave concern. It needs appropriate attention," Ms. Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi. - PTI
BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi discharged from hospital after treatment for coronavirus
Ramesh Jarkiholi, BJP leader, who was admitted to the taluk hospital in Gokak reportedly for COVID-19 treatment, was discharged on Wednesday morning.
He went home from the hospital along with his staff.
Olympic-bound Indian archers first to get fully vaccinated
The Olympic-bound Indian archers took their second shots of COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first fully vaccinated lot of athletes from the country ahead of the Tokyo Games.
In an initiative undertaken by the Army Sports Institute, where the national camp for the recurve archers is being held, all the eight senior archers, the coaches and support staff were administered the second shot at the Military Hospital in Pune.
The eight archers included Atanu Das, Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav and B. Dhiraj (reserve) in men's and Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, Komolika Bari and Madhu Vedwan (reserve) in the women's section. - PTI
Sharad Pawar gets second dose of COVID-19 vaccine
NCP chief Sharad Pawar received the second dose of vaccine against COVID-19 at his residence here on Wednesday, on the occasion of the World Health Day.
The 80-year-old leader got the first dose on March 1, a statement from the party said.
A medical team from the government-run JJ Hospital was present at Mr. Pawar's residence to complete the vaccination procedure.
Mr. Pawar appealed to people to get their inoculation completed, as per Centre's guidelines, at the earliest. - PTI
Every Indian deserves chance to safe life, says Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday batted for a COVID-19 vaccine for all, and said every Indian deserves a chance to a safe life.
"It's ridiculous to debate needs and wants.Every Indian deserves the chance to a safe life," he said, using the hashtag "#CovidVaccine".
The health ministry on Tuesday said that the vaccine need to be given to those who need it and not those who want it.
The COVID-19 vaccine is currently available to all Indians above the age of 45 years. - PTI
M.P. suspends bus operations with Chhattisgarh till April 15
The Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday suspended bus operations with Chhattisgarh till April 15 in the wake of a rise in COVID-19 cases in the neighbouring state.
An order to this effect was issued by the Madhya Pradesh transport department.
On Sunday, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh said the state government will restrict the movement of people from Chhattisgarh to curb the spread of COVID-19.
As per the transport department's order issued on Wednesday, the movement of passenger buses between MP and Chhattisgarh will remain suspended from April 7 to 15. - PTI
Daniel Sams latest tests positive, Padikkal joins RCB team
IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday said their young batsman Devdutt Padikkal has joined the team's bio-bubble here after recovering from COVID-19.
The development comes on a day when RCB's Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams tested positive for COVID-19.
RCB and defending champions Mumbai Indians will start the IPL here on Friday. "We are pleased to inform that Royal Challengers Bangalore, left-handed batsman Devdutt Padikkal, has joined the team on 7th April 2021 with negative reports for COVID-19 as per BCCI protocols," the franchise said in a statement.
Earlier, Daniel Sams tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the IPL starting on April 9 in Bengaluru.
According to a statement issued by RCB on its twitter handle, the 28-year-old all-rounder arrived in India on April 3 and had a negative COVID-19 test report at that time. RCB will take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament-opener on Friday.
"His (Sams') report from the 2nd test on 7th April came positive. Sams is currently asymptomatic and he is currently in isolation at a designated medical facility," the RCB said.
"Royal Challengers Bangalore medical team is in constant touch with Daniel Sams and continue to monitor his health and abide by the BCCI protocals", the statement added.
Wearing of mask while driving alone mandatory during pandemic, says Delhi HC
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday held that wearing of a mask while driving alone in a private vehicle was mandatory during COVID-19 , noting that the face covering is like a ‘suraksha kavach’ amid the pandemic.
Justice Prathiba M. Singh also refused to interfere with the Delhi government’s decision to impose challans for not wearing a mask while driving a private vehicle alone and dismissed the pleas challenging the same.
India sees another single-day surge
The number of new coronavirus cases in India hit a record daily high since the outbreak of the pandemic with over 1.15 lakh new infections being reported in a span of 24 hours, pushing the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 1,28,01,785, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
The single-day rise in coronavirus cases breached the 1-lakh mark for the second time in three days.
A total of 1,15,736 infections were reported in a day, while the death toll increased to 1,66,177 with 630 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Massive surge in COVID-19 cases in Telangana
Massive surge in COVID-19 cases was detected in Telangana. The State recorded 1,914 cases on Tuesday, which is 416 jump from 1498 cases on Monday. The cases on Tuesday are the highest in the past 182 days, from October 7, 2020.
Health Minister, Eatala Rajender is scheduled to hold a meeting on Wednesday afternoon with superintendents and directors of government health facilities where COVID-19 patients are admitted.
With this surge, number of people suffering from severe COVID too is on rise. Corporate hospitals managements were asked to reserve 50% of beds for severe COVID-19 cases. Government hospitals too are being readied to attend more cases. — K. Shiv Shanker
Not possible to ramp up immunisation suddenly: Health Ministry
With a growing public clamour for making vaccines available to all adults , the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday that India was following a scientific protocol regarding administering vaccines and that it wasn't possible “to suddenly ramp up” vaccinations.
On a day that the country reported administering a single-day record of 4.3 million inoculations, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, “When people say that India isn’t vaccinating fast enough, we must remember that vaccinating isn’t like buying something and carrying it home in a bag; it can’t be immediately accelerated. We are following a scientific protocol. We have to observe people for half hour for side effects, reactions. Vaccines aren't given as a matter of individual choice, but according to need.”
Brazil's daily deaths from COVID pass 4,000 for first time
Brazil reported a 24-hour tally of COVID-19 deaths exceeding 4,000 for the first time, becoming the third nation to go above that daily threshold. Many governors, mayors and judges are reopening parts of the economy despite lingering chaos in overcrowded hospitals and a collapsed health system in several parts of the country.Brazil's health ministry on Tuesday said 4,195 deaths were counted in the previous 24 hours, with the nation's pandemic toll quickly approaching 340,000, the second highest in the world. Only the US and Peru have had daily death tolls higher than 4,000.
Sao Paulo state, Brazil's most populous with 46 million residents, registered almost 1,400 deaths in the latest count. Health officials said the figure was partly due to the Easter holiday, which delayed the count Local authorities nationwide argue that numbers of cases and hospitalizations are trending downward after a week of a partial shutdown.
U.S. still in life and death race against coronavirus: Biden
The United States is still in a "life-and-death race" against coronavirus , President Joe Biden said as his administration raced through a record 150 million vaccine shots in just 75 days.
The new record is against his initial target of 100 million shots in 100 days. Mr. Biden has now set the goal of getting 200 million vaccines to his fellow countrymen in the first 100 days of his administration.
Distancing goes for a toss at booths during polls
Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, polling turned out to be a huge challenge as compliance with safety protocols had to be ensured. There was better adherence to masking across booths but physical distancing went for a toss, while indiscriminate dumping of used polythene gloves turned an eyesore across centres.
Wearing of masks was made mandatory for voters. At several booths, staff and volunteers kept hand sanitisers and polythene gloves ready, while voters were also screened for temperature before entry.
Second wave spreading fast in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram
The Srikakulam and Vizianagaram district administrations are on high alert over a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases. Srikakulam district is witnessing almost 100 new cases on a daily basis. The active caseload is 490, but it is expected to rise sharply in the coming days. As many as 415 patients are under home isolation while 51 persons have been admitted to hospital. Twenty-four patients are under observation at COVID Care Centres.
Call for extra caution during festival weekend, bypolls
While COVID-19 experts have warned that the coming four weeks are crucial for Karnataka, they are now concerned that this long weekend due to festivals (Ugadi and the start of Ramzan) followed by the bypolls will only trigger a steep rise if people do not follow the standard guidelines of SMS (Social distancing, Masking and Santisation).
While some experts suggest that the State may consider a weekend lockdown and night curfew as done in Maharashtra, members of the State’s Technical advisory Committee (TAC) said a weekend lockdown and night curfew have a limited role in reducing the speed of transmission.
( With inputs from our Correspondents and agencies )
