11:06 (IST)
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International flights not operating since March 2020: Aviation minister reminds Delhi CM
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri on Tuesday evening reminded Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that international passenger flights to and from India have been suspended – with some exceptions – since March last year, when the country went into a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.
The minister’s response came hours after Kejriwal called on the Centre to suspend flights to and from Singapore over concerns about a “new Covid strain” in the southeast Asian country. The Delhi chief minister had claimed the “new strain” was “extremely dangerous for children”.
“Kejriwalji, international flights have been closed since March 2020. We do not even have an ‘air bubble’ arrangement with Singapore. There are only a few flights – Vande Bharat Missions – to bring back Indians stranded there. After all, these are our own people,” Puri tweeted.
केजरीवाल जी, मार्च 2020 से ही अंतर्राष्ट्रीय उड़ानें बंद हैं। सिंगापुर के साथ एयर बबल भी नहीं है।
बस कुछ वन्दे भारत उड़ानों से हम वहाँ फँसे भारतीय लोगों को वापस लाते हैं। ये हमारे अपने ही लोग हैं।
फिर भी स्थिति पर हमारी नज़र है। सभी सावधानियाँ बरती जा रही हैं। pic.twitter.com/wOZMX0Q5CK
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 18, 2021
10:54 (IST)
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India’s COVID-19 recovery rate improves to 86.23%
The number of people who have recuperated from the novel coronavirus surged to 2,19,86,363, taking the national COVID-19 recovery rate to 86.23 percent on Wednesday. The case fatality rate however increased to 1.11 per cent.
10:52 (IST)
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India’s active caseload reduces from 13.3% to 12.66% in a day
The active COVID-19 cases in India have further reduced to 32,26,719 comprising 12.66 percent of the total infections, said the health ministry on Wednesday. The country registered over 2.67 lakh new cases taking the tally over 2.54 crore.
The Central government Tuesday said that a continued decline has been noted in the active cases in the last 15 days. “Continued decline noted in active COVID-19 cases in the last 15 days. From 17.13% of total caseload on 3 May, it has reduced to 13.3%,” Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said.
10:31 (IST)
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Ex-Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya tests COVID-19 positive
Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has tested positive for COVID-19 and doctors have advised him to be in home isolation, health department sources confirmed.
The wife of veteran CPM leader, Mira Bhattacharya, also tested positive for the infection, following which she was admitted to a city hospital late Tuesday evening, they said.
“Swab samples of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, his wife and their attendant were collected this morning and they tested positive for the disease,” a source said on Tuesday.
10:27 (IST)
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Tamil Nadu to begin vaccination of people in 18-44 age group from 20 May
Tamil Nadu will commence vaccinating people in the 18-44 age group on 20 May, Health Minister M Subramanian said on Tuesday.
“Initially, the government will vaccinate those people aged between 18 years and 44 years from whom the coronavirus can spread much faster like auto-rickshaw drivers and factory workers,” he said.
“Chief Minister MK Stalin will formally inaugurate the programme day after tomorrow (20 May),” Subramanian told reporters after inaugurating the “oxygen on wheels” initiative launched by Inner Wheel Club of Adyar.
09:58 (IST)
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US vaccines effective against COVID-19 strain first detected in India: Anthony Fauci
COVID-19 vaccines that are available in the United States are effective against the deadly variant that was first detected in India, top US health officials said on Tuesday.
The B.1.617 virus variant, first identified in India last year, has been classified as a ”variant of concern” at the global level by the World Health Organisation.
“The modest neutralization resistance to the 617 antibodies suggests that the current vaccines that we are all using that we’ve been speaking about would be at least partially and probably quite protective,” Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the chief medical advisor to the President told reporters during a news conference.
09:44 (IST)
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Record single-day deaths in India with 4,529 patients succumbing to virus
With the death of 4,529 more patients, the highest so far, the total number of fatalities in the country climbed to 2,83,248 on Wednesday, said the Union health ministry. This takes the national fatality rate to 1.11 percent.
09:41 (IST)
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India adds 2.67 lakh new cases
India registered 2,67,334 fresh coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, taking the overall count over 2.54 crore on Wednesday, said the Union health ministry.
09:37 (IST)
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Singapore rejects Kejriwal’s tweet on ‘very dangerous’ COVID-19 strain in country
Singapore on Wednesday denied that it has any homegrown COVID-19 strain that’s affecting children, as tweeted by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Responding to Kejriwal’s tweet calling for a stop to air-traffic to and from the country, Singapore High Commission said, “There is no truth in the assertion that there is a new COVID strain in Singapore. Phylogenetic testing has shown that the B.1.617.2 variant is the prevalent strain in many of the COVID cases, including in children, in recent weeks in Singapore.
Kejriwal’s tweet came amid concerns over a possible third wave, which many experts said is likely to target children. The first wave has affected the elderly the most, and the younger people have been infected in the second wave, they pointed out.
There is no truth in the assertion that there is a new COVID strain in Singapore. Phylogenetic testing has shown that the B.1.617.2 variant is the prevalent strain in many of the COVID cases, including in children, in recent weeks in Singapore.https://t.co/uz0mNPNxlE https://t.co/Vyj7gyyzvJ
— Singapore in India (@SGinIndia) May 18, 2021
09:30 (IST)
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At least 32.03 cr COVID-19 samples tested so far: ICMR
According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), as many as 32,03,01,177 COVID-19 samples have been tested up to 18 May, of which 20.08 lakh samples were tested on Tuesday alone.
09:25 (IST)
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Mumbai’s daily count drops below 1,000-mark, lowest since 2 March
Mumbai reported 953 new coronavirus infections and 44 fatalities on Tuesday, taking its overall count to 6,90,889 and toll to 14,352, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
For the first time since 2 March the city reported less than 1,000 COVID-19 cases, though the number of tests also dropped. On 2 March, the financial capital had recorded 849 COVID-19 cases, after which daily infections surged to four digits.
Coronavirus Latest News LIVE Updates: The active COVID-19 cases in India further reduced to 32.26 lakh comprising 12.66% of the total infections, said the health ministry on Wednesday. The country registered over 2.67 lakh new cases taking the tally over 2.54 crore.
With the death of 4,529 more patients, the highest so far, the total number of fatalities in the country climbed to 2,83,248 on Wednesday, said the Union health ministry. This takes the national fatality rate to 1.11 percent.
India registered 2,67,334 fresh coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, taking the overall count over 2.54 crore on Wednesday, said the Union health ministry.
Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 28,438 fresh coronavirus positive cases and 679 deaths, the state health department said. The overall count now stands at 54,33,506 and the toll at 83,777, it said.
Maharashtra had on Monday reported 26,616 infections and 516 COVID-19 fatalities.
Of the 679 new fatalities, 422 occurred over the past 48 hours, while 257 deaths had taken place last week, but they were added to the overall toll data on Tuesday, the
department said.
Some of the earlier deaths, which had taken place before the last week, were also added to the cumulative report.
The figure for the cumulative deaths due to COVID-19 on Monday was 82,486, which is now increased by 1,291 to 83,777.
There has been no official comment from the state government over the change in reporting the COVID-19 deaths.
Till 16 May evening, COVID-19 deaths that had occurred over a week ago also used to be included in the daily reporting. However, the state stopped reporting the deaths in this manner from Monday.
A total of 52,898 patients were discharged from hospitals on Tuesday, taking the number of recoveries in Maharashtra so far to 49,27,480. The state is now left with 4,19,727 active cases.
The case recovery rate in Maharashtra now stands at 90.69 percent, while the mortality rate is 1.54 percent, the statement said, adding the case positivity rate continues to
be at 17.2 percent, as per the department.
Mumbai reported 961 new cases, taking its tally to 6,90,023, while 44 new deaths pushed the toll to 14,316, it said.
The Mumbai division, which includes the MMR region and satellite towns, reported 2,559 fresh cases and 129 fatalities, including 58 from municipal areas in Vasai and Virar, during the day.
The Nashik division saw 5,308 cases and Ahmednagar district 1,917.
A total of 1,284 cases were reported from rural parts of the Nashik district. The Nashik division also reported 85 casualties – 22 in rural areas, 15 in Nashik city and Nandurbar district, 12 in Jalgaon and 11 in Ahmednagar district, the department said.
The Pune division added 7,160 new cases and 84 deaths. The Solapur division reported 2,106 cases. Pune rural areas reported 2,053 infections and Pune city 1,090.
Satara added 1,270 new infections. Of the 84 deaths, 34 occurred in Satara alone followed by 26 in Solapur, 13 in Pune city and 11 in its rural parts, the department said.
Rural areas in Sangli and Kolhapur added 1,740 and 1,250 fresh cases, respectively.
At 194, the Kolhapur division reported one of its worst numbers of COVID-19 fatalities.
In the Marathwada region, the Aurangabad division added 1,034 new cases and seven deaths.
While most of the districts in the Latur division reported a fall in new cases, Beed district added 1,295 infections to the Latur division’s tally of 2,468 cases on Tuesday.
Similarly, out of 63 deaths, 27 were reported from Beed, while 12 deaths occurred in Latur and 10 in Osmanabad district, the department said.
The Akola division reported 3,294 cases and 53 deaths, of which Amaravati district added 13 fatalities, Yavatmal 12 and Akola 10, it said.
The Nagpur division’s caseload went up by 2,605 while the fatality count rose by 64, including 20 in Nagpur city and 16 in Chandrapur, the department said.
With 2,50,310 new tests, Maharashtra has so far examined 3,15,88,717 samples.
A total of 30,97,161 people are in home quarantine and 25,004 are in institutional quarantine, the department said.
Maharashtra’s Covid-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases – 54,33,506; new cases – 28,438; deaths – 83,777; discharged – 49,27,480; active cases – 4,19,727; people tested
so far – 3,15,88,717.