As the India-wide COVID-19 case count increases at an alarming pace, experts say that the peak in infections is nowhere on the horizon. This inference was made following the analysis of sero-surveys conducted in different cities of India.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that gymnasiums and yoga institutes will be allowed to open from August 5 and night curfew will be ended, as a part of Unlock 3. Educational institutions, metro rail services and cinema halls are among services that will remain shut .
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:
Madhya Pradesh reports 834 new cases
Madhya Pradesh on Thursday recorded 834 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 30,968. The number of active cases stands at 8,454. Thirteen patients died of the illness on the day, taking the State-wide death toll to 857. As for recoveries, 723 patients were discharged from hospitals on the day. So far, 21,657 persons have been cured of the illness, says the State Directorate of Health Services.
Delhi HC, District courts’ functioning restricted till August 14
The Delhi High Court on Thursday decided to restrict its functioning as well as that of the district courts to urgent matters till August 14 in view of the prevalent COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, the High Court had restricted its functioning and that of the district courts till July 31.
Policymakers deliberating to identify groups of people to first receive COVID-19 vaccine: officials
Policymakers are actively holding deliberations to identify groups of people who will first receive the COVID-19 vaccine when it is developed, officials said.
Speaking at an international symposium on Novel Ideas in Science and Ethics of Vaccines against COVID-19 pandemic, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Rajesh Bhushan said prioritising who should get the vaccine first is a topic being discussed both within and outside the government.
Nagaland decides to extend lockdown till August 31
The Nagaland government on Thursday decided to extend the ongoing lockdown measures in the state by a month till August 31 in view of the spurt in Covid cases, a senior minister said.
It also decided to notify single Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all the districts to contain spread of the virus.
COVID-19 patient refused treatment, delivers baby in ambulance
A 25-year old COVID-19 positive woman in Tripura has delivered her baby in an ambulance during a 130-km arduous journey from Unakoti district hospital in Kailasahar to G B Pant hospital, the states main corona care hospital in Agartala where she was referred, officials said on Thursday.
The pregnant woman was taken to three hospitals in about 36 hours since Tuesday but all of them refused to treat her.
The incident has led to the state health director to initiate an inquiry against the Kailasahar hospital and order the submission of a report on its refusal to provide medical care to the woman within two days, official sources said.
- PTI
Government receives 131 claims under insurance scheme for healthcare providers
The central government has received 131 claims under an insurance scheme for healthcare workers engaged in COVID-19 related duty and payments have already been made in 20 of them, an officer said on Thursday.
The claims are coming in a bit slow as families are initially in a state of shock when a death occurs and, therefore, it takes time to do the necessary paperwork, Officer on Special Duty in the Health Ministry Rajesh Bhushan said at a press briefing.
Health Ministry flags high human cost of herd immunity
In a country like India, with its multi-crore population, herd immunity cannot be a strategic option because this will come at a very high cost in terms of human lives lost and cripple the health care system, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.
“Herd immunity can only be achieved through immunisation and till then COVID-19 appropriate behaviour is the only way forward,” said OSD, Health Ministry, Rajesh Bhushan at a press conference.
Karnataka reports largest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases
Karnataka on Thursday recorded the largest single day spike in number of positive cases reported as well saw the largest number of discharges so far.
With 6,128 new COVID 19 positive cases reported in Karnataka, the total number of cases now stand at 1, 18,632. Meanwhile, the number of discharges on Thursday was 3,793. With this the total numbers of discharges were 46,694.
An official in the Department of Health and Family Welfare said that the number of discharges were at an all time high as the number of cases reported in the last one week to ten days were crossing the 5000 mark. “There has been a huge increase in the number of tests conducted and most of the patients tested positive are asymptomatic and spend very few days in the hospital. In the next few days also, we are expecting the number of discharges to be high,” the official added.
COVID-19: CISF personnel dies in Bengal, CRPF man in Srinagar
Two personnel of the country’s paramilitary forces -- a 57-year-old from the CISF and a 56-year-old from the CRPF -- have succumbed to the COVID-19 disease, officials said on Thursday.
Assistant Sub Inspector S. K. Poddar, posted at the Farakka Super Thermal Power Plant in West Bengal, died during treatment on Wednesday in Malda.
A member of the fire wing of the force, he was reported positive for the pandemic on July 25, a senior official said.
In the second such incident, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Sub Inspector posted in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir died due to coronavirus on Wednesday.
The official was posted with the 198th battalion of the force and this is the 18th coronavirus death in the country’s largest paramilitary.
Maharashtra reports new single-day high of 11,147 cases
In its highest single-day jump till date, Maharashtra reported an unprecedented surge of 11,147 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday to take the State's total case tally to 4,11,798. A proportionately high fatality surge of 266 deaths saw the total death toll rise to 14,729.
Of the total case tally, 1,48,150 are active ones, said State Health Department officials. The rise was somewhat offset by a high number of recoveries, with 8,860 patients discharged today to take the cumulative recoveries till date to 2,48,615.
As per State health department figures, Pune district reported a big surge of more than 2,500 new cases and a record high spike of 83 fatalities as its total case tally reached 86,225 while its death toll reached 2,028. With 1,208 new cases reported today, Mumbai's total case tally reached has 1,13,199 of whom only 20,158 are active though.
With 53 new deaths reported today, the city's death toll has risen to 6,300. Satara and Solapur districts in western Maharashtra reported 10 fatalities each.
Delhi govt. sets up 4 panels to inspect hospitals reporting higher COVID-19 deaths
The Delhi government Thursday set up four committees, comprising medical specialists, who will inspect hospitals in the city from where a large percentage of COVID-19 fatalities are still being reported, according to an order.
The order issued by the Delhi health department was also tweeted by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who said, these panels will conduct inspections and offer suggestions on reducing mortality.
“It has been observed that the percentage of COVID deaths vis-a-vis admissions and the percentage of COVID deaths in wards in 11 hospitals, government and private, is on the higher side during the period July 1-23, 2020,” the order said.
Spurt in COVID-19 cases due to ramped up testing: Andhra Pradesh government
The Andhra Pradesh government has attributed the spike in the COVID-19 positive cases over the past few days to ramped up testing besides movement of people from other states with easing of lockdown restrictions.
Coronavirus cases surged to 1,30,556 in Andhra Pradesh yesterday as it reported a new single day high of 10,167infections.
Authorities said a record number of 70,584 tests were done during the last 24 hours ending at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
Gujarat reports 1,159 new cases
Gujarat adds 1159 new infections and 22 new deaths, increasing its fatality count to 2418 and caseload to 60285. Total 13793 active cases and 44074 discharges
- Mahesh Langa
Punjab to take call on opening of gyms, other relaxations after getting feedback from Deputy Commissioners
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday said he will take a final decision on the opening of gyms and other relaxations in the third phase of ‘unlock’ after receiving inputs from deputy commissioners.
He asked the Deputy Commissioner (DCs) to submit their views to Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan, according to a government statement.
The Chief Minister in a meeting with state officials said youngsters have been demanding to open gyms and coaching centres, but modalities would have to be thought through before any decision is taken.
- PTI
Tamil Nadu reports 5,864 new COVID-19 cases, 97 deaths
In a dip in fresh COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu, a total of 5,864 people tested positive on Thursday compared to around 7,000 in the last few days while the total infection count rose to 2,39,978.
The toll due to the disease shot up to 3,838 with 97 more deaths, a Health department bulletin said.
The State recorded 5,295 recoveries, taking the cumulative number of those discharged to 1,78,178.
Maharashtra CM reviews COVID-19 situation in Pune district
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday reviewed the COVID-19 situation in Pune district, which has recorded more than 78,000 cases so far and seen a spurt in infections in recent weeks.
He chaired a meeting of elected representatives, including MP and MLAs, and took stock of the COVID-19 situation and the local administration’s response to the pandemic so far.
This was Mr. Thackeray’s first visit to Pune since the COVID-19 outbreak more than four months ago.
Andhra Pradesh records highest single-day spike of 10,167 COVID-19 cases
Andhra Pradesh on Thursday reported the biggest single-day spike of 10,167 COVID-19 cases and a record 68 deaths due to the disease, taking the infection tally to more than 1,30,000 and death toll to 1, 281in the State.
As of now, there are 69, 252 active COVID-19 cases in the State.
- Tharun Boda
Oxford vaccine shows protection against COVID-19 in monkeys: Study
A COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford in the UK elicits an immune response and reduces the viral load in monkeys exposed to SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study published in the journal Nature on Thursday.
The researchers from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US and the Oxford University found that the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine protects the macaques from COVID-19 pneumonia -- a complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection in which the lungs become inflamed and may fill with fluid.
Preliminary results from this research were used to facilitate the start of clinical trials of the vaccine in humans, the researchers noted.
UP CM asks SGPGI to send specialists to Kanpur, other districts
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday asked the director of the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI ) here to send a team of specialists to some of the districts worst affected by COVID-19, including Kanpur and Varanasi.
He said special efforts should be made to improve treatment of coronavirus patients in these districts which also include Prayagraj, Bareilly, Jhansi and Gorakhpur
Take lockdown seriously, Chhattisgarh CM tells people
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday urged people to take the ongoing lockdown to contain coronavirus seriously.
He, however, also noted that the pandemic situation in Chhattisgarh was better than many other States in the country.
“We had to take the decision to enforce lockdown in urban areas to contain the spread of the infection. People should take lockdown seriously,” he said in a video message.
Lockdown in coronavirus-hit urban areas including capital Raipur has been extended till August 6.
Send accused in judicial custody after COVID-19 test: Odisha prison authority to police
The Odisha prison authority has asked the police to conduct RT-PCR test to detect coronavirus infection in accused before sending them to judicial custody, an official said on Thursday.
According to sources in the state prison directorate, 96 inmates of 10 prisons in the state were found to have been infected by the novel coronavirus. Seventeen staff of four jails have also tested positive for COVID-19, they said.
The officials expressed anxiety over the viral infection spreading in prisons despite several precautionary measures. They said the highest 54 cases of coronavirus infection have been detected in prisons of Berhampur circle, that also includes Ganjam district which has been hit hardest by the pandemic in Odisha.
- PTI
Record 57 COVID-19 deaths, highest single-day spike of 3,705 cases in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh on Thursday reported the biggest single-day spike of 3,705 COVID-19 cases and a record 57 deaths due to the disease, taking the infection tally to more than 81,000 and death toll to 1,587 in the State.
“There are 32,649 active COVID-19 cases in the state and 46,803 patients have been discharged after treatment,” Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health, Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters.
“The death toll due to the disease has reached 1,587,” he said.
-PTI
WHO has not defined community spread: Health Ministry
OSD to Health Ministry says there is no definition of community spread given by WHO. As per epidemiology text books, community spread is a situation where it is impossible to determine the chain of infection.
In that context, there are cluster of cases and pockets of localised transmission in India
As per 2011 census, there were 640 districts, now there are 739 districts and only 50 of them comprise 80% Covid-19 case load. In other districts, the cases are scattered. In such a situation, can we say that there is a community transmission?
Within 72 hours we are able to detect the sources of infection and their close contacts in 80% cases, then how can we say that there is community transmission.
COVID Health Insurance
The Health Ministry's press briefing is still on. The spokesperson says, under the insurance scheme for frontline healthcare workers, so far the Health Ministry has received 131 claims.
Of these claims, in 20 cases the payments have been made, in 64 cases the payments have been processed, 47 cases are with different State governments. Maximum number of cases are in Maharashtra, Delhi and Telangana.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s top COVID-19 management adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci is speaking at ICMR's symposium. Here are the highlights:
India and the United States have had a long history of being associated in vaccine development projects.
The US has a a program called Operation Warp speed to test vaccines. We have a phase-3 trial to test a mRNA vaccine by the company Moderna. There's also a phase-2 trial by Pfizer.
Human challenge studies are not necessary at this time. Good random control trials are adequate, according to the conclusions of an expert meeting that we had.
Vaccine trials
During the media brief on COVID-19, the Health Ministry's spokesperson says:
On July 24, WHO released a bulletin as per which 24 vaccine candidates are currently under clinical evaluation in the world.
141 vaccine candidates are in pre-clinical evaluation stage (under research).
Three of the vaccine candidates are at the phase-3 clinical trials, after which regulatory permissions are required for manufacturing. There are being developed in US, UK and China.
In India, there are two vaccine candidates which are in the phase-1 and phase-2 clinical trials.
One is being tested on 1,150 volunteers at eight sites, the other one is being tested on about 1,000 volunteers at five sites.
WHO has developed a mechanism, Access to Covid-19 Accelerator, under which a facility has been created (Covax), which is dedicated to only vaccines.
Apart from this, there are Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and in both of them India is playing a leading role.
All the three have come together to set up the Covax facility, under which the requirement of vaccines and manufacturing capabilities are being pooled. Individual countries can also have an agreement with manufacturers for supply of vaccines. India has not yet signed any agreement with any company for prospective vaccine.
There have been discussions with all stakeholders on how the vaccine will be distributed once it is available, he says.
The vaccine, whenever it comes, would have to administered on a much larger scale compared to the existing vaccines. The questions being discussed are on issues of logistics and procurement and on who would get them first, says OSD to Health Ministry.
Herd immunity
To a question on herd immunity, the Health Ministry spokesperson says: " Herd immunity is a kind of indirect protection from an infectious disease like COVID-19, it happens only when a population becomes immune either through vaccination or develops immunity due to previous infection."
"India's population is currently about 138 crore. Herd immunity in a country like India cannot be a strategic choice or a strategic option, it can only be an outcome that too at a very high cost.
"It can be achieved through immunisation. Therefore, till a vaccine is developed, we have to observe social distancing and take other preventive measures."
Positivity rate less than 10%
In 21 States/UTs the positivity is less than 10% (based on seven day rolling average). In Rajasthan it is 3.5%; Punjab: 3.9%, MP: 4%, J&K:4.7%, Jharkhand: 5.9%, Kerala: 7.5%, Assam: 7.9%, Goa: 8%, Gujarat : 8.3% and Tamil Nadu: 8.8%
The States where positivity is more than 10% are Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra Puducherry, Odisha and Karnataka. We are in constant touch with the respective State governments to ensure better testing and timely treatment to patients, he says.
Fatality rate
Fatality rate has decreased from 3.33% on June 18 to 2.21% on July 30, says Health Ministry.
The case fatality rate in the rest of the world is 4%. In Russia it is 1.6%, US: 3.5%, Brazil: 3.6%, Iran: 5.5%, Mexico: 11.1% and UK: 15.3%
The fatality rate in 24 Indian States and UTs is lower than the national average. They include Assam, Kerala, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.
'Credit for million recoveries goes to doctors, healthcare personnel'
If we look at the figures of recoveries as they stand in the morning, over one million patients have recovered. This is the occasion to stand up and applaud the work of doctors and nurses, say Health Ministry spokesperson.
The National average of recoveries is showing an increase week-by-week, he says adding that in terms of percentage increase there is a positive trend. Delhi and Ladakh has shown highest percentage of recoveries.
The fatalities are also showing download trend. The active COVID case load is around five lakh, he says.
The recoveries (10,20,582) are 1.9 times the number of active cases (5,28,242).
Convert properties at Lavasa into COVID-19 facilities: BJP MP
BJP Lok Sabha member from Pune Girish Bapat has demanded that some properties including a private hospital in Lavasa hill city near Pune be converted into COVID-19 facilities for patients from nearby areas.
The demand, however, has been opposed by Lavasa residents and they have written a letter to the Pune district collector expressing their apprehensions.
It maybe noted that the upscale Lavasa Corporation has been undergoing corporate insolvency resolution process before theNational Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
Fishing activity along Kerala coast to resume on August 5
Fishing activities along Kerala shores will be allowed to resume from August 5 subject to stringent conditions, given the worsened COVID-19 scenario in the State. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting convened by Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma on Thursday as the 2020 edition of the monsoon season trawling ban is ending on July 31 midnight. For the time being, boats and crew from neighbouring states will not be allowed to enter Kerala harbours/fish landing centres or participate in fisheries-related activities in view of the COVID-19 situation. Formal orders in this regard are expected to be out on Friday. - Tiki Rajwi
CPI leader Atul Kumar Anjaan tests COVID-19 positive
Atul Kumar Anjaan | File
Senior CPI leader Atul Kumar Anjaan has tested positive for coronavirus and is undergoing treatment in a hospital in Barabanki. Talking to PTI over phone, Mr. Anjaan said that he tested positive on July 22.
As of now, I am admitted to the Mayo COVID hospital in Safedabad, Barabanki for treatment, the CPI national secretary said.
40 students with COVID-19 appear for CET
The Karnataka Common Entrance Test (CET), a gateway exam for those aspiring for professional seats in engineering, agriculture among others, began today with precautionary measures in place amid surge in COVID-19 cases in the State.
As many as 1.94 lakh are expected to write the exam that will be held today and tomorrow across the State.
According to Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister Ashwath Narayan, atleast 40 students infected with COVID-19 will be writing CET 2020 from COVID Care Centres (CCCs) and transportation and food facilities will be arranged for such students.
Plan to increase COVID-19 tests to 10 lakh per day in 1-2 months: Harsh Vardhan
India is currently conducting around five lakh COVID-19 tests every day and the plan is to double the number in next one-two months, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said.
During the launch of a compendium on ‘Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Technologies for COVID-19 Mitigation’, Dr. Vardhan said the country’s recovery rate of over 64 per cent is the best in the world while the fatality rate is nearly 2.2 per cent.
No change in e-pass mandate, says T.N. Chief Secretary
There is no change in the mandate for obtaining e-pass for inter-district/ inter-state movement of vehicles in Tamil Nadu during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, according to Chief Secretary K.Shanmugam.
The mention of the reference, in the Unlock 3 guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday, to the bar on States in imposing intra-State and inter-State movement has prompted many to wonder whether the requirement for getting e-passes has been done away with.
However, as far as the Tamil Nadu government is concerned, people need to take e-passes for movement and the paragraph in question has not made any difference to the situation.
Pointing out that the same points were there even in the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry on Unlock 2 on June 29, the Chief Secretary, said the States “do impose restrictions.” - T. Ramakrishnan
Mata Chintpurni temple begins home delivery of prasad
After launching the facility for online darshan of Mata Chintpurni Devi, the temple administration has now started home delivery of prasad, an official spokesperson said.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday virtually launched the facility from Shimla.
Devotees may get prasad from the temple, located in Amb tehsil of Himachal Pradesh’s Una district, by placing an order on http://www.matashrichintpurni.com/online-prasad in any of three categories of ₹201, ₹601 and ₹1,101, the spokesperson said. - PTI
TN govt extends lockdown till August 31
The Tamil Nadu government has extended lockdown in the State till August 31, albeit with more relaxations. In Greater Chennai, with the exception of containment zones, following activities will be allowed:
- Private firms, industries and export firms can now allow 75% workforce to come to office. Earlier it was 50%.
- Restaurants, hotels and tea shops can allow dine-in customers upto 50% seating capacity between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. AC is not allowed. Parcel services will be allowed till 9 p.m.
- Small places of worship (those with annual revenue of less than ₹10,000) will be open for public in towns and municipalities. Those under corporations not allowed. (applicable for whole of TN, minus containment zones)
- Grocery and vegetable marts can function from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m, and other shops can stay open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- E-Commerce firms can deliver non-essential goods too henceforth.
- Complete lockdown on Sundays to continue.
- E-pass for inter-State travel to continue.
Complete lockdown on weekends in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar administration has decided to impose a complete lockdown on weekends, beginning August 1, to contain the spread of coronavirus, an official said.
The strict restrictions will be in force on Saturdays and Sundays till the COVID-19 situation improves in the Union territory, Chief Secretary Chetan B. Sanghi said in an order.
All commercial establishments, shops and transport, barring those dealing with essential commodities and services, will remain shut, it said. - PTI
India’s gold demand in Apr-Jun sinks 70% on COVID-19 disruptions
Gold demand in India plunged 70% during the April-June quarter to 63.7 tonnes compared with the same period last year mainly due to the nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and high prices, according to a World Gold Council (WGC) report.
In terms of value, India’s gold demand during the second quarter of this year was ₹26,600 crore, down by 57% compared to ₹62,420 crore in the corresponding period of 2019. - PTI
India's National Sports Awards likely to be delayed due to pandemic
The National Sports Awards ceremony this year is likely to be delayed by a month or two due to the COVID-19 pandemic but a final decision will be taken only after receiving guidance from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, a Sports Ministry official has said.
The National Sports Awards include the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyanchand honours, conferred every year by the President of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 29.
The ceremony coincides with the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. But this year, it might be delayed due to the pandemic, although a final decision is still awaited. - PTI
DCGI asks Serum Institute to revise protocol for phase 2, 3 trials of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine
A CDSCO expert panel has sought clarifications from Serum Institute of India (SII) over its application to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking permission for conducting phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate for COVID-19, official sources said.
The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 which held its meeting on Tuesday deliberated on the application by SII and asked the Pune-based firm to revise its protocol for the phase 2 and 3 clinical trials, besides seeking some additional information.
Another COVID-19 death in Kerala
Kerala's Kollam district reported its sixth COVID-19 death after a 73-year-old Kottarakara resident was confirmed dead by hospital authorities at Government Medical College, Kollam.
According to the hospital, the patient was brought dead to the causality at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday from Kollam District Hospital, where she was undergoing treatment after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. She was being treated for diabetes mellitus and hyper tension, and the patient also had acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). She was referred to GMC after her condition deteriorated. Her body is currently kept at the hospital morgue for further proceedings. - Navamy Sudhish
Prepare ‘lockdown-minus’ plan to tackle COVID-19 in MP: CM
As he recuperates in hospital after diagnosed with COVID-19, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asked officials to prepare a strategy to control spread of the viral infection without resorting to lockdown.
He reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the State, which has recorded more than 30,000 cases so far, through video-conferencing from his hospital bed in Bhopal.
Speaking at the video meeting, Mr. Chouhan told officials that a strategy should be put in place to effectively control the coronavirus spread without resorting to wide-ranging curbs on public and business activities. He said the strategy to tackle COVID-19 should be lockdown-minus. - PTI
Lockdown in Shillong to be lifted from midnight, says CM
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said the State government will lift the lockdown in Shillong agglomeration from midnight.
“The government has decided that the lockdown will not be extended in the Shillong Agglomeration. However, we appeal to all our citizens to not be complacent but stay safe and be vigilant by adhering to the protocols and SOPs,” he said. - PTI
Tripura extends total lockdown till August 4; restrictions on Eid festivities
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has announced that a total lockdown will continue in the state till 5 a.m. on August 4 to break the chain of coronavirus transmission.
A three-day total lockdown came into effect in the north eastern State on July 27 and was supposed to end at 5 a.m. on July 30.
In a televised address, the CM said continuous lockdown is required to break the chain of transmission and it should continue for at least eight days consecutively. - PTI
Kalaburagi Rural MLA Basavaraj Mattimud tests positive for COVID-19
Basavaraj Mattimud, a BJP MLA for Kalaburagi Rural constituency, tested positive for COVID-19. He is the third legislator to be infected by the virus, after Sedam MLA Rajkumar Patil Telkur and Jevargi MLA Ajay Singh.
Mr. Mattimud, who was home-quarantined after he came in contact with a COVID-19 infected person a few days ago, is presently admitted to a private hospital in Bengaluru. He has appealed to all those who came in contact with him to get quarantined and take necessary precautions. - Kumar Buradikatti
India sees over half-a-lakh cases in 24 hours
India has registered the worst single-day jump of 52,123 infections in the past 24 hours, pushing COVID-19 caseload to 15,83,792. The death toll has risen by 775 to 34,968, said the Union Health Ministry in its daily bulletin.
The number of active cases stand at 5,28,242, while 10,20,582 people have recovered from the infection, it added.
Kuwait allows international travel from August 1 but Indians excluded
Kuwait will allow citizens and residents to travel to and from the country, starting August 1, the government communication center tweeted on early Thursday, citing a cabinet decision.
The decision excludes residents coming from Bangladesh, Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal.
Last month, Kuwait announced it would partially resume commercial flights from August, but does not expect to reach full capacity until a year later, as its aviation sector gradually recovers from a suspension sparked by the COVID-19 crisis.
‘Baahubali’ director Rajamouli, family test positive for COVID-19
Filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli said he and his family members have tested positive for coronavirus and are currently quarantined at home.
HYDERABAD, TELANGANA, 26-04-2017: Director S.S. Rajamouli during the press conference in Hyderabad. Photo: K.V.S. Giri
“My family members and I developed a slight fever few days ago. It subsided by itself but we got tested nevertheless. The result has shown a mild COVID positive today. We have home quarantined as prescribed by the doctors (sic)” he said.
In a subsequent tweet, Rajamouli said he and his kin are asymptomatic and “feeling better”. They are, however, following all the precautions and instructions.
Coronavirus deaths top 1,50,000 in worst-hit U.S.
The United States marked a grim milestone on Wednesday when its coronavirus deaths topped 1,50,000 — far exceeding the toll in any other pandemic-hit nation.
Brazil is second to the U.S. in terms of cases and fatalities, and also reported a sobering figure as it surpassed 90,000 deaths. - AFP
