Coronavirus updates | June 18, 2021

About 23.1% of adults in India, 43.3% of those aged above 45, and 46.8% of people aged above 60, have been administered at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, until 8 p.m. on Thursday.

June 18, 2021 09:03 am | Updated 11:21 pm IST

Liquor outlets in Kerala reopened on Thursday, June 17, 2021, maintaining strict COVID-19 protocols following the relaxation after a 41-day lockdown. A scene from an outlet in Kochi.

Liquor outlets in Kerala reopened on Thursday, June 17, 2021, maintaining strict COVID-19 protocols following the relaxation after a 41-day lockdown. A scene from an outlet in Kochi.

India continued to record the highest number of 7-day average daily deaths globally as of June 16. The two other countries with the highest daily fatality count after India were Brazil (2,025) and Colombia (595). Nearly 34.6% of the world’s new deaths were recorded in India on June 16.

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 :

New Delhi

Country records 30% decline in new cases

Addressing a pressing conference, Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary (Health) said there was a decline of 30% in the average daily new cases recorded in the country last week. He stressed on the importance of Covid-appropriate behaviour as the virus was still around.

NITI Aayog Member V.K. Paul, while speaking at the press conference, said that vaccine hesitancy will be counter-productive.

"We now have two studies regarding the type of protection vaccines offer in healthcare workers," Mr. Paul said while adding that the chance of hospitalisation had gone down to about 20%. The need for oxygen support reduced to 8% and ICU requirement was down to 6%, he said.

Mr. Paul also said that updated treatment guidelines were issued for children testing positive.

- Bindu Shajan Perappadan

Andhra Pradesh

Curfew relaxation from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from June 21 to 30 in Andhra

The AP State government announced a relaxation in curfew with effect from June 21 till June 30. The relaxation will thus be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

A decision to that effect was taken in a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday morning. 

However, the relaxation will be from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. up to June 30 in East Godavari district due to high positivity rate.

According to an official release, shops and commercial establishments have to shut down by 5 p.m.

All government offices will function as usual (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) from June 21 owing to the relaxation in curfew from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. - V. Raghavendra

Bengaluru

Decision on further relaxing of restrictions in Karnataka on Saturday, says CM Yediyurappa

A decision on the further relaxation of 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.

"The situation is improving. There is also a possibility of a third wave in the future, but despite that we will have to give some relaxations. We will discuss it at a meeting tomorrow evening, and take a decision," Mr. Yediyurappa told reporters.

According to official sources, the government may announce relaxations in 11 districts where lockdown measures have continued, while further relaxations in terms of movement of people and opening of businesses may be announced in the remaining 19 districts from June 21. - PTI

Agartala

Tripura extends COVID curfew till June 25

The Tripura government has extended the COVID curfew from 2 p.m. to 5 a.m. in Agartala and 11 other urban local bodies (ULBs) till June 25.

However, night curfew from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. has been lifted from the villages.

The restrictions, first imposed on May 16 and then repeatedly extended, were scheduled to end on June 18.

The COVID curfew will remain in force in the jurisdiction of Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) and 11 other ULBs from June 19 to 25, the notification issued by Chief Secretary Kumar Alok said. - PTI

National

India records 62,480 fresh COVID-19 cases

With 62,480 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 2,97,62,793, while the death toll climbed to 3,83,490 with 1,587 fresh fatalities, the lowest in 61 days,  according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday, June 18, 2021.

The active cases have fallen below 8 lakh after 73 days and the national COVID-19 recovery rate has crossed 96 per cent.   The active cases have declined to 7,98,656 comprising 2.68 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 96.03 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.    A net decline of 28,084 cases has been recorded in the COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

  A total of 19,29,476  tests were conducted on Thursday taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 38,71,67,696.

The daily positivity rate  was recorded 3.24 per cent. It has been less than 5 per cent for 11 consecutive days, the ministry said, adding the weekly positivity rate has declined to 3.80 per cent. — PTI

Vaccines

Over 2.18 cr. vaccine doses available with States, Union Territories: Centre

More than 2.18 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are available with States and Union Territories, and over 56,70,350 more are in the pipeline and will be received by them in the next three days, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.

More than 27.28 crore (27,28,31,900) doses have been provided to the States and Union Territories so far by the Government of India (free of cost channel) and through direct State procurement category, the Ministry said.

 

USA

U.S. to spend $ 3.2 billion to tackle pandemics

The United States has announced that it will spend $ 3.2 billion on developing antiviral treatments for COVID-19 and prepare for other “pandemic threats” – viruses that have the potential to cause pandemics.

Watch | Dr. Anthony Fauci on the second wave of COVID-19 in India, mucormycosis and more

“Vaccines will continue to remain the ‘centrepiece of our arsenal’ against COVID-19,” Anthony Fauci, medical advisor to the U.S. President, said on Thursday, when he described the programme, called the Antiviral Program for Pandemics.

 

CBSE

CBSE to record Class 10, 12 marks throughout the year

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is considering a system of continuous assessment for 2021-22, whereby all student scores — from unit tests, mid-terms, project work and pre-Board exams — would be regularly recorded with the Board throughout the year, so that it will be possible to compute and declare final results even if COVID-19 prevents a final Board examination again, Controller of Examinations Sanyam Bhardwaj told The Hindu on Thursday.

 

National

Frequency of infection in children similar to that among adults

Going by sero-surveillance reports, COVID-19 infection in children above 10 years occurs in similar frequency to that of adults, notes the ‘Guidelines on Operationalization of COVID Care Services for Children and Adolescents’, released by the Health Ministry earlier this week.

While children have less severe disease compared to adults, intermittent surges in the number of cases are anticipated and so it is desirable to augment the existing facilities to provide care to children with acute COVID, it says.

 

Kerala

State opening up cautiously

The State on Thursday took its first baby steps towards normalcy after a draining second COVID-19 lockdown season that lasted 41 days.

The spectre of a third wave, driven by new and virulent strains of the mutating coronavirus, loomed large even as the State slowly opened up except for critical containment zones. A large swathe of the State fell in low spread (average test positivity rate [TPR] less than 8%) and moderate spread (TPR between 8% and 20%) zones.

 

( With inputs from our Correspondents and agencies )

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