Coronavirus LIVE: 119 armed forces personnel died of COVID-19, says govt

‘Second wave’ of COVID-19 infections impacting business normalization: Nomura

Mumbai: The ‘second wave’ of the pandemic is delaying business normalization in the country, as coronavirus infections rise in Maharashtra and other states, a report by a Japanese brokerage said on Monday. The Nomura India Business Resumption Index dipped to 95.1 for the week to March 21 from 95.4 in the previous week as a result of the rising infections, the brokerage said.COVID-19 infections are rising to new heights across the country and many local governments have been forced to re-introduce stricter measures like night-time curfews and sealing off premises in order to contain the spread. The pandemic’s second wave is now spreading to states outside Maharashtra and is starting to impact mobility. This suggests a likely sequential dip in contact-based services and a near-term delay of normalization, it said.

119 armed forces personnel died of COVID-19; total number of infection 44,766: Govt

As many as 119 armed forces personnel died of COVID-19 while 44,766 contracted the infection in the three services, according to data provided by the government on Monday. In response to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said the Army reported 81 deaths while the total number of coronavirus infections in the force was 33,003. Naik said two persons died of the infection in the Navy while the number of positive cases was 3,604.

COVID-19 surge: Nitish urges people to remain cautious during Holi festival

Amid surge in coronavirus cases in   some states in past few days, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday cautioned people of Bihar to remain alert and cautious, and suggested them to avoid congregating in large numbers or celebrating Holi publicly.    Kumar said this while participating via video conferencing at 109th “Bihar Diwas” programme being organised at Gyan Bhawan here in the state capital.

Bhutan PM thanks Modi for additional 4,00,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine

Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering on Monday expressed gratitude to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for making the nationwide rollout of the COVID19 vaccination programme in the Himalayan country possible, as it received additional 400,000 doses of Covishield from India.  Indian Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj handed over the vaccine consignment to Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji at Paro airport, according to a press release issued by the Indian Embassy in Bhutan.

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine showed better results than expected in US trial, found 79% effective

AstraZeneca’s COVID19 vaccine performed better than expected in a major latestage trial potentially paving the way for its emergency authorization in the United States and bolstering confidence in the shot after numerous setbacks in Europe. The drugmaker said on Monday that trials in Chile, Peru and the United States found the vaccine, developed in conjunction with Oxford University, was 79% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and, crucially, posed no increased risk of blood clots. It intends to request U.S. emergency authorization in coming weeks, Reuters reported.

COVID-19: BJP’s Patil, workers booked after Pune protest

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant   Patil and some 4050 of his party workers were booked for alleged violation of COVID19 norms during a protest held at Alka Chowk here, police said on Monday. The protest demanding the resignation of state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who is facing corruption allegations from IPS officer Param Bir Singh, was held on Sunday and was led by Patil.

Pakistan to start private imports of CanSino COVID-19 vaccine for sale

A private company in Pakistan will begin receiving shipments of China’s CanSino Biologics COVID19 vaccine this week for commercial sale, an official at the company’s local partner told Reuters on Monday.

India reports worst day for COVID-19 in months

India reported its most COVID19 cases and deaths in months on Monday, on the first anniversary of the start of a chaotic nationwide lockdown that left many people jobless and shrank the economy.

Actor Kartik Aaryan tests positive for COVID-19

Actor Kartik Aaryan on Monday said he has tested positive for COVID19 and asked his fans to pray for him.    The 30yearold actor, on Saturday, walked the ramp for designer Manish Malhotra at the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week, here.  He was joined by his upcoming “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2” costar Kiara Advani.  Aaryan took to Twitter and shared a picture of a first aid medical sign, writing, “I am positive. Pray for me.”  The actor was also shooting for “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2” with Advani and Tabu, who joined the crew on March 15.  Aaryan began his portions for the horrorcomedy earlier in March in Manali, Himachal Pradesh.  On Sunday, Mumbai reported 3,779 fresh COVID19 cases, taking the overall tally to 3,62,675. The death toll mounted to 11,586.

Centre writes to States/UTs to increase interval between two doses of COVISHIELD

The government has written to all states and Union Territories to increase the interval between two doses of COVISHIELD to 4-8 weeks. This recommendation is based on an advisory by NTAGI and NEGVAC. The reasoning offered is that COVISHIELD offers better protection if the second dose of COVISHIELD is administered between 6-8 weeks rather than the current 28 days. 

Telangana adds 337 fresh COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths push toll to 1,671

Telangana recorded 337 new COVID-19 cases and two related deaths taking the total tally of cases to 3,03,455 and the toll to 1,671 respectively, the state government said on Monday. A total of 2,958 patients were under treatment, it said in a bulletin, providing data as of 8 PM on March 21. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation reported the maximum of 91 cases followed by Ranga Reddy (37) and Medchal Malkajgiri districts (28).

Production halted on ‘The Chi’ after positive COVID-19 test

Shooting on the upcoming fourth season of the Showtime drama “The Chi” has been put on hold following a positive COVID-19 test. Created and executive produced by Emmy winner Lena Waithe, “The Chi” revolves around a neighbourhood on the South Side of Chicago. Disney TV Studios’ 20th Television, the company behind the series, has rigorous protocols in place according to which a temporary production shutdown has been imposed, reported Deadline.

Asaduddin Owaisi takes coronavrius vaccine at Hyderabad Hospital

AIMIM President And Hyderabad MP Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi took the first dose of Covid Vaccine Today at Owaisi Hospital And Research Centre, Kanchanbagh.

Tirath Singh Rawat tests positive for COVID-19

Pakistan govt to cap prices of Russian, Chinese vaccines imported by private firms

Pakistani authorities have decided to cap the maximum retail price of the Russian and Chinese COVID-19 vaccines imported by private firms, amid a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in the country. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) last week notified the procedure for determining the maximum retail prices of imported COVID-19 vaccines in the country. Official sources said that the maximum sale price of the Sputnik V Russian vaccine will be fixed at Rs8,449 for two doses and China’s Convidecia at Rs 4,225 per injection. In Pakistan, COVID-19 vaccination is so far being carried out through the Adult Vaccination Counters (AVCs). However, the government’s response to procure vaccines remained very slow and it is largely eyeing donations to vaccinate the increasingly vulnerable population. Pakistan, with a population of 220 million, last month allowed private firms to import coronavirus vaccines and agreed to exempt them from price caps. The move to cap prices of the vaccines came as the country witnessed a rise in the number of coronavirus cases. Pakistan reported 3,669 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the infection tally to 630,471 on Monday.

BMC to carry out over 47,000 rapid antigen tests at public places every day

No new COVID-19 case in Arunachal for three days

Arunachal Pradesh did not report any fresh COVID-19 case in the last three days, a senior health official said here on Monday. The northeastern state’s caseload stood at 16,842, he said. Currently, there are three active cases in West Kameng, Changlang and Papumpare districts, and 16,783 people have recovered from the disease so far, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

Puducherry reports 47 fresh COVID-19 cases, overall count goes

Puducherry logged 47 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours taking the overall tally in the union territory to 40,433, a senior official of the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services said on Monday. The number of active cases in the union territory stood at 412 while 39,345 patients had recovered and were discharged so far, the Health department Director said.

COVID: Jammu Divisional Commissioner conducts surprise inspection of Lakhanpur entry point

Jammu Divisional Commissioner Raghav Langer has made a surprise visit to Lakhanpur, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir bordering Punjab, amid a spike in coronavirus cases, and called for a strict vigil on travellers, officials said on Monday. The late Sunday night visit was necessitated to check efficiency and accountability of COVID-19 set-up at the Lakhanpur entry point in the wake of various types of complaints and non-compliance of the COVID-19 protocol, they said. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has directed the officers concerned to keep an extra vigil on travellers coming from outside the Union Territory and not to let anyone go without sampling, the officials said.

India records highest single-day surge since mid November

India added 90,797 cases of coronavirus in two days with 46,951 new infections being recorded in a span of 24 hours, the highest so far this year, taking the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 1,16,46,081, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. Registering an increase for the 12th day in a row, the total active caseload has increased to 3,34,646, which now comprises 2.87per cent of the total infections. The recovery rate has further dropped to 95.75 per cent, the data stated. The daily rise in infections was the highest recorded in 130 days, while the death toll increased to 1,59,967 with 212 daily new fatalities, the highest in 72 days, the data updated at 8 am showed. As many as47,905 new infections were recorded in a span of 24 hours on November 12. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,11,51,468 and the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.37 per cent, the data stated.

One new COVID-19 case in Andamans; tally at 5,039

The COVID-19 caseload in Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 5,039 as one more person has tested positive for the disease in the Union Territory, a health department official said on Monday. The fresh case was detected during contact tracing, he said. The death toll remained at 62 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the last 24 hours.

One new case takes Mizoram’s COVID-19 tally to 4,448

Mizoram on Monday reported just one new COVID-19 case, which took the state’s tally to 4,448, an official said. A 27-year-old woman from Aizawl was diagnosed with the disease, and efforts are being made to trace her contacts. The new patient has no travel history, the official said. The northeastern state now has 14 active cases, and 4,423 people have recovered from the disease. At least 11 people have died due to the infection, he said.

No new COVID-19 cases reported in Nagaland for 8 days

Nagaland did not report any fresh COVID-19 case and recoveries for the eighth consecutive day on Sunday, keeping the tally unchanged at 12,225, a health official said. The caseload includes 11,978 recovered people, Director of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Denis Hangsing, said in the daily COVID-19 update. The number of active cases is two, which is 0.02 percent of the confirmed cases. Altogether 91 people, including 10 with comorbidities, have succumbed to the disease, and 154 have migrated to other states, he said. Nagaland has so far tested 1,34,886 samples for COVID-19 samples, Hangsing added.

Maharashtra: Thane district sees 2,195 new COVID-19 cases, five deaths

With the addition of 2,195 fresh coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 2,88,444, an official said on Monday. These new cases were reported on Sunday, he said. As the virus claimed the life of five morepersons, the death toll in the district, which falls under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), went up to 6,382. The mortality rate in Thane district now stands at 2.23 percent, he added.

Global coronavirus tally tops 12.38 cr; death toll over 27.27 lakh

Here’s the break-up of state-wise COVID-19 case tally; Maharashtra tops

Key Trends:

– 46.95k new cases in India, 21.18k new recoveries, 212 new deaths, 25.56k rise in active cases

– New cases in India highest in 130 days. New deaths highest in 72 days

– Highest ever single day rise in active cases in India

– Maharashtra reports 30.5k new cases, Punjab 2.6k, Kerala 1.86k, Karnataka 1.7k, Gujarat 1.56k

– Active cases in Maharashtra over 2 lakh for the first time since October 14

– 8 states report more than 1k new cases

– Maharashtra reports all time high new cases and new deaths highest in 107 days

– India reports more new cases than USA in the last 24 hours

Surge in COVID cases; one-day lockdown in Bhopal, Jabalpur, Indore every Sunday