India’s COVID-19 cases soared by over 20,000 in a day for the first time taking the country’s total figure to 6,25,544 on Friday, while the death toll climbed to 18,213 with 379 new fatalities, according to Union Health Ministry data.
The country recorded 20,903 coronavirus infections in a 24-hour span till Friday 8 am, with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Telangana and Karnataka being the major contributors to the single day rise.
Tamil Nadu on Friday crossed the grim milestone of one lakh COVID-19 cases with the state reporting 4,329 fresh infections and 64 fatalities, pushing the death toll to 1,385.
Also on Friday, the ICMR said that it aims to launch the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine, the indigenously developed Covaxin, by August 15, and has told select medical institutions to fast-track its clinical trial approvals. But experts said such a timeline may not be realistic.
The Health Ministry also said that the total number of people being tested for COVID-19 in the country would soon touch one crore.
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Here are the latest updates:
Delhi reports 2,520 new cases
The Capital reported 2520 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 94,695 said a heath bulletin issued by the Delhi government on Friday. The bulletin added that 59 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of deaths to 2923.
Of the total cases, 65,624 people have recovered and there are 26,148 active cases. 2617 people recovered on in the past 24 hours.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi tests positive for COVID-19
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday announced that he has tested positive for the coronavirus disease and quarantined himself.
Taking to Twitter, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader said that this afternoon, he felt a slight fever and immediately quarantined himself at home.
SSLC exams conclude in Karnataka amid COVID-19 scare
The Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations in Karnataka concluded on Friday with an overall average of about 98 per cent attendance amid the coronavirus scare.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa congratulated the lakhs of students who appeared for the crucial exercise braving the coronavirus pandemic situation.
An average of about 98 per cent of 8.5 lakh odd enrolled students took the exams which began on June 25, after the government stuck to its decision to go ahead with them despite rising coronavirus cases but laid down a string of safety measures, including face masks and maintaining distancing by seating only one student a bench.
Parliamentary panel calls principal scientific advisor to government to brief it on COVID response
A parliamentary panel has called principal scientific advisor to the government K Vijay Raghavan and some other top officials to brief it on the response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the country’s preparedness to deal with a future pandemic.
Raghavan is also co-chair of the Empowered Committee for COVID-19 Response, along with NITI Aayog member Vinod Paul.
The meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change, headed by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, is scheduled for July 10.
This will be the first meeting of any parliamentary panel on the COVID-19 outbreak.
Maharashtra reports 6364 new cases
Maharashtra climbed a new single-day high in Covid-19 cases on Friday, adding a staggering 6,364 cases as the State's total case tally breached the 1.90 lakh mark to reach 1,92,990. Of the total case tally, 79,911 are active ones.
As many as 3,515 patients were discharged today to take the total number of recoveries to 1,04,687.
198 new deaths pushed the total death toll to 8,376. Of these, 150 were reported in the last 48 hours while the remaining 48 were from an earlier period, said State Health Department officials.
With 1,338 new cases reported today, Mumbai's total case tally has reached 82,074. The city's death toll has risen to 4,762. As many as 73 of the new deaths today were from Mumbai city and 18 from Pune district among other parts of the State.
Madhya Pradesh reports 191 new cases
Madhya Pradesh on Friday recorded 191 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 14,297. The number of active cases stands at 2,655. Four patients died of the illness on the day, taking the State-wide death toll to 593. As for recoveries, 234 patients were discharged from hospitals on the day. So far, 11,049 persons have been cured of the illness, says the State Directorate of Health Services.
JEE and NEET exams postponed to September
JEE and NEET exams have been postponed to September due to COVID-19 situation. JEE-Main will be held from September 1-6, JEE Advanced will be held on Sept ember 27 and NEET will be held on September 13, says HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
People coming to Punjab from other states to register on COVA app or government portal
People coming by road to Punjab will have to get registered either on the state government’s portal or the COVA app. However, they will be home quarantined, notwithstanding the Centre’s revised guidelines replacing home quarantine for domestic travellers with self-monitoring, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was quoted as saying in an official release on Friday.
Mr. Singh gave his approval for e-registration of people coming to the state through the Shambhu border to ensure strict monitoring of domestic travellers, the release said.
47 CISF personnel volunteer to donate blood plasma in Delhi, Mumbai
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Friday said 47 of its personnel, who were cured of COVID-19, were ready to donate their blood plasma to patients suffering from the disease in Delhi and Mumbai.
A spokesperson for the paramilitary force said CISF Director General (DG) Rajesh Ranjan has also made an appeal to the recovered troops to come forward for the noble cause that may help save many lives.
“Forty-seven CISF personnel, including an officer, who have recovered from COVID-19 have volunteered to donate blood plasma to save precious lives of critically ill patients suffering from coronavirus and are in need of plasma therapy."
“Services of these CISF personnel are available for the noble cause at Delhi and Mumbai,” the spokesperson said.
Mob booked for stopping medical team in Thane
A mob of 30 people has been booked in Uttan area of Bhayander in Thane district for allegedly stopping a medical team from taking three COVID-19 patients to hospital, police said on Friday.
The incident happened on Tuesday night, Uttan police station assistant inspector Satish Nikam said.
“The mob claimed the test reports were fake and cooked up to allow doctors to extract money from people. The medical team had to call in the police which controlled the mob and ensured patients were taken to hospital for treatment. They have been charged with unlawful assembly, disobedience etc under IPC,” he added
In Haryana’s five NCR districts, 14-fold rise in deaths, 7-fold jump in infections in June
Haryana’s five NCR districts together have registered a 14-fold rise in COVID-19 fatalities and seven-fold jump in cases of infection in June alone, prompting the state government to pay special attention to check the spread of the pandemic in these districts.
The five districts under Haryana government’s closer scrutiny are Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat, Jhajjar and Rohtak, said officials.
As per the state’s Health Department data, coronavirus-related fatalities in these five districts were 14 as on June 1 but rose to 197 by June 30.
The cumulative cases in these districts at the beginning of June were 1,653, which rose to 11,122 by June 30.
As on July 2, these five Haryana districts accounted for nearly 12,000 of the total 15,509 cases and 209 of the 251 fatalities.
Tamil Nadu crosses one lakh COVID-19 infections
As many as 4,329 persons test positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu on Friday. The total tally in the State crosses one lakh 1,02,721. With 64 deaths, the State's fatality figures rose to 1385.
About 2357 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24-hour period, taking the total number of discharged to 58,378.
Kerala to come out with stringent norms against virus
The Kerala government on Friday decided to implement strict restrictions in the state capital and Ernakulam district, among others, where COVID-19 positives cases and the number of those infected through contacts is on the rise.
State Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran told reporters here that the city Corporation has decided to implement strict health protocol in the capital city with the number of cases shooting up.
The city Corporation has taken steps to contain the pandemic. It has taken steps to disinfect the Saphalyam shopping complex and the Palayam Connemara market.
Other major shopping malls and institutions have been brought under scanner for stringentcompliance of health protocol, Mr. Surendran said.
He said the state government has given strict instruction to the district administrations to take stern action, including cancellation of licence of those shops and other institutions which refuse to adhere to the health protocol.
TN extends free ration to family cardholders for July
The Tamil Nadu government on Friday announced that the free ration for family cardholders will be continued for July, too, and that tokens for obtaining the essential commodities will be distributed at the doorsteps of the beneficiaries from July 6 to 9.
This is in view of the lockdown to contain COVID-19 having been extended till this month-end.
The essentials could be obtained from the respective fair price shops from July 10 at the time stipulated on the tokens.
However, for the benefit of those in the containment zones, arrangements have been made to deliver the essential commodities at their doorsteps, an official release here said.
Chief Minister K Palaniswami had announced free essential commodities to ration cardholders in the State during the lockdown in April and May, and later extended the relief measure to June.
Early detection, timely management push recovery rate over 60%: Health Ministry
Early detection and a timely clinical management of COVID-19 cases have resulted in increasing daily recoveries, with the recovery rate of coronavirus patients crossing 60 per cent in the country on Friday, the Union health ministry said.
The recovery rate of COVID-19 patients stands at 60.73 per cent, the ministry said as the number of India’s coronavirus cases soared by over 20,000 in a day for the first time, taking the country’s tally to 6,25,544, while the death toll due to the disease climbed to 18,213 with 379 new fatalities.
“Early detection and timely clinical management of COVID-19 cases have resulted in increasing daily recoveries. During the last 24 hours, a sharp rise of recoveries was observed with 20,033 COVID-19 patients having been cured, taking the cumulative figure to 3,79,891,” the ministry said in a statement.
Presently, there are 2,27,439 active coronavirus cases in the country and all are under medical supervision, it added.
A high-level review meeting on COVID-19 preparedness was held by the cabinet secretary with the states and Union territories on Friday, the ministry said.
“Coordinated efforts at all levels of government for prevention, containment and management of COVID-19 are showing good results with a consistently increasing gap between recoveries and active cases,” the ministry said.
India to operate 9 more flights to evacuate stranded citizens from UAE
India will operate nine more flights on Friday to evacuate its citizens stranded in the UAE due to the travel restrictions imposed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
Air India Express will operate these flights as part of the Vande Bharat Mission to south Indian cities from Sharjah, according to the Indian Consulate in Dubai.
All Indian nationals are advised to take note of direct sale of Air India Express flights from Sharjah. Following flights will be opened for sale effective 4pm UAE Time on July 3. Make sure to book your tickets once the sale is live, the mission announced on Twitter.
The flights scheduled to operate from July 9 to 14 are flying to Madurai, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Kochi and Hyderabad, the Gulf News reported.
Indian nationals registered with the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi or the Consulate-General of India in Dubai, fulfilling the required entry conditions can book through Air India Express booking offices or online on www.airindiaexpress.in or through authorised travel agents in the UAE, the statement with the flight details posted on Twitter said.
List of hospitals in Karnataka that treat COVID patients
With several cases of COVID patients being refused beds in private hospitals being reported, the Karnataka government has put out a list of private hospitals with dedicated beds for COVID patients.
Here is a list of hospitals published by the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust. People can visit:www.arogya.karnataka.gov.in/sast
Over 35% active cases, 28% deaths in Meerut division
Over 35 per cent of all active COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh are in six districts of the Meerut administrative division, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wants special attention to combat the pandemic, according to official data.
The division, which comprises Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Meerut and Baghpat districts, has also reported over 28 per cent of the total deaths recorded in the state due to the novel coronavirus, the data stated.
There are 6,869 active cases in Uttar Pradesh, of which 2,456 (35.75 per cent) are from the Meerut division, according to the state Health Department’s data updated till Thursday.
The maximum such cases are in Ghaziabad (931) followed by Gautam Buddh Nagar (929), Meerut (272), Bulandshahr (141), Hapur (127) and Baghpat (56), the data showed.
The region also accounted for 207 (28.16 per cent) of the 735 COVID-19 deaths recorded in the state till Thursday.
Scheduled international flights suspended till July 31, some on selected routes may be allowed: DGCA
The aviation regulator DGCA said on Friday it was extending the suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country till July 31 but added that some international scheduled services on selected routes may be permitted on a case to case basis. Scheduled international passenger flights were suspended in India on March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis,” said the circular by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Goa to curtail monsoon Assembly session to one day
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the upcoming monsoon session of the Goa legislative Assembly will be curtailed to a day instead of two weeks as scheduled earlier, a senior official said on Friday.
The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Speaker Rajesh Patnekar with all party leaders at Porvorim, the official said.
Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat, who participated in the meeting, told PTI that it was unanimously decided to curtail the session to just a day to avoid the possible spread of coronavirus.
Earlier, Governor Satya Pal Malik had summoned a two- week long session from July 27 onwards.
At least 1,500 people, including policemen and legislature staff, are on duty during these sessions, Mr. Kamat said.
The Leader of Opposition said that the Business Advisory Committee would meet soon to decide about the agenda for the session.
On Thursday, Mr. Patnekar had urged all MLAs to get themselves tested for coronavirus infection ahead of the session, while the state legislature department also advised the MLAs not to hold any meetings amid the pandemic.
Steps taken for safe disposal of COVID-19 victims’ bodies: BMC
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday told the Bombay High Court that it was taking adequate safety measures and scrupulously following the guidelines prescribed for the safe disposal of bodies of persons who died due to COVID-19.
The civic body was responding to a petition filed by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar, which alleged that there were several lapses in handling of COVID-19 victims’ bodies in crematoriums at Shivaji Park in Dadar, at Sion in central Mumbai and at the Chandanwadi crematorium in south Mumbai.
As per the plea, the staff at these crematoriums are not provided with safety gears like PPE kits, masks and sanitizers.
BMC counsel Anil Sakhare told a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice N J Jamadar that the civic body was following the guidelines laid down by the Union government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for safe disposal of COVID-19 infected bodies.
Over 2 cr. N95 masks, 1.18 cr. PPE kits, 11,000 ventilators supplied to states, UTs since Apr 1: Govt
Since April 1, the Centre has distributed more than 2.02 crore N95 masks and over 1.18 crore PPE kits among the states, Union territories and central institutions for free, the Union health ministry said on Friday.
In addition, 11,300 “Make in India” ventilators have so far been dispatched to various states, Union territories and central institutions, of which 6,154 have already been delivered to various hospitals, it said.
“The central government is also ensuring their installation/commissioning. This will help to bridge the massive gap in availability of ventilators in COVID ICU facilities,” the ministry said in a statement.
The health ministry is also supplying 1.02 lakh oxygen cylinders to the states and Union territories, of which 72,293 have been delivered to strengthen the oxygen-beds there.
837 new cases in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh has reported 837 new cases of COVID-19, taking the total virus cases to 16,934 in the State, as on July 3, 2020. With 8 deaths, the State's fatality figures rose to 206.
About 319 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24-hour period, taking the total number of discharged to 7,632.
The active cases in the State is 9,096. — Tharun Boda
Plasma treatment cannot be made conditional on a person: Delhi High Court
Covid treatment cannot be made conditional on a person giving an undertaking that he or she will mandatorily donate plasma after recovering, the Delhi High Court said on Friday.
A Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan made the observation while hearing a petition to make mandatory for all the hospitals to obtain plasma from the recovered patients, both who were admitted in hospitals as well as who were under home quarantine/isolation, by framing proper guidelines. T
The High Court, while declining to entertain the petition, asked the government to treat it as representation and decide on the suggestions made in the petition filed by Mr Piyush Gupta, an advocate and a social worker, in accordance with law.
If the person does not give the undertaking, should he be denied treatment? Treatment cannot be made conditional on a person. What kind of world are you imagining?," the Bench remarked. "We should encourage volunteerism. Those messages are coming everyday," the High Court said. — Soibam Rocky Singh
ICMR aims to launch indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by August 15
Prof (Dr) Balram Bhargava, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research. File photo
Looking at launching the country’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine for public health use latest by August 15, 2020 after completion of all clinical trials, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has directed “strict fast track for all approvals related to initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrolment is initiated no later than 7th July 2020.”
In its letter, the ICMR said that the Council had partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to fast-track clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Also read: Health workers must get COVID-19 vaccine first: PM Modi
Bharat Biotech had recently received a nod for a clinical trial of its vaccine — Covaxin
“This is the first indigenous vaccine being developed by lndia and is one of the top priority projects which is being monitored at the topmost level of the Government. The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS- CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the preclinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine,” noted the letter.— Our Delhi Correspondents
It’s not business as usual, not the time to profiteer in public health emergency, says NPPA
File picture shows health workers with Oximeters and Thermal scanners which was handed over to them by the Chennai Corporation to carry out door to door health check up in Tiruvottiyur zone.
To ensure sufficient availability of critical medical equipment for clinical management of COVID-19 in the country, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday that it has identified a list of critical medical equipment and has requested National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to ensure its availability at affordable prices to the consumers.
“In order to keep check on the price rise of critical medical equipment, NPPA, in exercise of powers conferred under DPCO, 2013, has called for price-related data from manufacturers/importers of Pulse Oximeter and Oxygen Concentrator to ensure that prices existing as on 1st April, 2020 should not be increased more than 10% in a year,” noted a release issued by the Ministry.
All the medical devices have been notified as Drugs and have come under regulatory regime of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 w.e.f. 1st April 2020. — Bindu Shajan Perappadan
93-year-old woman succumbs to COVID-19
The death of a 93-year-old woman with chronic kidney disease who tested positive for COVID-19 took the number of fatalities in Puducherry to 13 on Friday.
The Union Territory also saw 24 new admissions, including one in Karaikal.
Now, the cumulative cases in Puducherry is at 824 with 427 active cases and those who were discharged at 384.— Dinesh Verma
A health worker in a protective chamber collects samples for a swab test at a fever camp, in Vyasarpadi, Chennai.
Odisha sees single-day spike in cases
Odisha on Friday registered a record single-day spike in COVID-19 positive cases. y reporting 561 new cases, including 425 from quarantine and 136 from community. With this the State’s tally has shot up to 8,106 cases. After the recovery of 5,502 persons, active cases stood at 2,567.
As many as 283 positive cases were detected in Ganjam district. — Satya Sundar Barik
Patient beaten to death for non-payment of medical bill in Aligarh
An Aligarh resident was allegedly beaten to death by the staff of a private hospital over unpaid bill on Thursday, police said.
The deceased has been identified as Sultan Khan, 44, a resident of Iglas tehsil of Aligarh.
“The police have recovered a CCTV footage which suggests a scuffle near the said hospital,” Abhishek, Superintendent of Police (City) said. The SHO of Quarsi police station has been asked to register an FIR and ascertain the facts. “We are waiting for the post mortem report to understand the nature of injuries,” he added. As doctors have found Mr Khan as a possible case of COVID 19, the police official told The Hindu , they would wait for the report before the post mortem was done. — Anuj Kumar
Faith no bar for some in performing last rites
With cases of the kin of deceased COVID patients or those who died with coronavirus-like symptoms, facing stigma and difficulties in performing their last rites coming to light, members of the civil society have come forward to liaise with the authorities concerned and facilitate burials or cremations.
What is heartening is that this is being done irrespective of the faith to which the deceased belong.
Youth Welfare Telangana, an NGO led by a businessman and ‘Serve the Needy’, a project launched by a group of techies to perform the last rites of COVID patients, have been performing cremations and burials as the family members have been kept in quarantine.
Eight scribes test positive in Anantapur
Eight journalists from electronic and print media tested positive for COVID-19 in Anantapur city in the past one week and are being treated in various hospitals and home isolation.
Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists has sought covering all the journalists, working on the field during the pandemic, under the ₹50 lakh insurance scheme provided by the State government for the frontline ‘COVID warriors’. - Ramesh Susarla
Revised guidelines issued for home isolation of very mild/pre-symptomatic/asymptomatic cases
Any patient under home isolation will stand discharged after 10 days of symptom onset and no fever for three days. Thereafter, the patient will be advised to isolate at home and self-monitor their health for a further seven days. There is no need for testing after the home isolation period is over, the Union Health Ministry has noted in its revised guidelines for home isolation of very mild/pre-symptomatic/asymptomatic COVID-19 cases.
The guidelines issued on Friday are in supersession to those issued on the subject on May 10.
As per the guidelines, the patients should be clinically assigned as very mild/mild, moderate or severe and accordingly admitted to COVID Care Centre, Dedicated COVID Health Centre or Dedicated COVID Hospital respectively. - Bindu Shajan Perappadan
Zydus Cadila gets DCGI nod for human clinical trials
A potential COVID-19 vaccine indigenously developed by the Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd has got nod from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for human clinical trials, according to a government source.
Also read the Editorial On India’s first COVID-19 vaccine ((COVAXIN): Promise and delivery
The assent for human trials was given after the company submitted data of clinical trial on animals to the DCGI, in which the vaccine candidate was found to be successful with respect to safety and immunogenicity, the source said. The company is likely to start enrolment of subjects soon. — PTI
Death toll in Hassan district rises to 6
A 75-year-old lady with Severe Acute Respiratory Infections died of Covid-19 in Hassan on Friday early morning.
The woman was being treated at ICU of Covid Hospital in Hassan. The woman, native of Sakaleshpur taluk breathed her last around 2.50 am.
With this, the number of people died due to Covid-19 in Hassan district increased to six.
Recovery rate in Tamil Nadu is 57%, says Health Minister
After reporting 3,000-plus COVID-19 cases daily for the past week, Tamil Nadu, for the first time, recorded over 4,000 cases on Thursday. A total of 4,343 persons tested positive for COVID-19, taking the State’s tally to 98,392*.
Noting that the State’s recovery rate was 57%, Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar said that a total of 56,021 persons had been discharged after treatment till now. This included 3,095 persons discharged on Thursday.
A healthcare worker checks the temperature of a resident during a medical campaign for the coronavirus disease in Mumbai.
19 deaths in Karnataka on Thursday
The State saw the highest ever jump in COVID-19 tally on Thursday, with 1,502 new cases being reported. With this, the total number of positive cases touched 18,016. With 19 more deaths, the toll touched 272, apart from four non-COVID-19 deaths.
While a total of 8,334 people being discharged so far, 9,406 patients are being treated in various designated hospitals.
