Coronavirus Latest News Updates: Goa hospital body count goes up by 13; 75 dead in just 4 days

Coronavirus News LATEST Updates

UK, US scientists call for fuller probe into COVID-19 Wuhan lab leak theory

A group of leading UK and US scientists, including Indian-origin Cambridge University immunology and infectious disease expert Ravindra Gupta, on Friday called for more investigation to determine the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the theory of an accidental release from a lab in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

In a letter published in the journal Science’, the experts from world leading universities such as Harvard, Stanford and MIT said knowing how COVID-19 emerged is critical for informing global strategies to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks. They caution that hypotheses about both natural and laboratory spillovers must be taken seriously until there is sufficient data.

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75 death in four days at Goa’s biggest COVID hospital

Seventy-five patients have died at the Goa Medical College and Hospital – the state’s biggest Covid facility – in the past four days, because of “logistic issues” in the supply of medical oxygen, according to NDTV. 

Thirteen people died between 2 am and 6 am on Friday at the Goa hospital after oxygen levels once again dropped in Covid ward, as per reports. At least 15 deaths were reported on Thursday while 20 patients had died on Wednesday. Tuesday recorded 26 deaths allegedly attributed to oxygen shortage, various media reports said.

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Maharashtra cases drop below 40,000 for first time in 45 days

Maharashtra on Friday reported 39,923 new COVID-19 cases and 695 deaths, the state health department said. The number of new infections dipped below 40,000 for the first time since March 31 when 39,544 cases had been recorded. On Thursday, the daily case count was 42,582. The state’s caseload now is 53,09,215, while the death toll has reached 79,552. 

Of 695 fatalities reported on Friday, 311 had occurred in the past 48 hours, 142 last week and the rest before the last week but were added to the tally now.

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Odisha logs highest one-day spike in cases

Odisha on Friday registered its highest single-day spike of 12,390 new COVID-19 cases, which pushed the tally to 5,88,687, while a record number of 22 fatalities raised the toll to 2,273, a senior health department official said.
Accordingly, the number of active cases climbed to 1,04,016, the official said.

Of the 12,390 new cases, 6,938 were reported from various quarantine centres, and the rest detected during contact tracing, he stated.

Khurda district, of which state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, accounted for 2,201 new cases, followed by Sundergarh at 882, Cuttack at 719, Sambalpur at 677 and Angul at 532.

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Finance ministry urges states to vaccinate banking staff on priority

The Finance Ministry has once again written to the States requesting them to consider putting in place a special dispensation for vaccinating the staff of banks, insurance companies, business correspondents, payment systems and other financial services providers on ‘priority’ basis.

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Tamil Nadu govt announces new timings for grocery shops

According to the Tamil Nadu government’s new rules, grocery shops, vegetable shops, fish and meat shops will be allowed to function only between 6 am and 10 am, The Times of India reported.

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Delhi reports lowest number of COVID-19 cases since 10 April

Delhi reported 8,506 new cases, the lowest since 10 April, on Friday with a positivity rate of 12.40 percent, even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal noted that the number of serious patients has not declined much as ICU beds in hospitals are still full.

The less number of fresh cases can also be attributed to a smaller number of tests — 68575 — conducted on Thursday. As many as 289 more patients succumbed to the disease, according to a health bulletin.

At 12.40 percent, the positivity rate is the lowest since 11 April when it stood at 9.4 percent. The number of new infections is the lowest since 10 April when 7,897 people were diagnosed, according to government data.

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Kerala govt to invoke Essential Articles Control Act for COVID-19 prevention items

The Kerala government on Friday announced that it will invoke the Kerala Essential Articles Control Act, 1986 to control prices of articles required for treating COVID-19.

Earlier on Friday, the LDF government extended the lockdown in the state till 23 May. “Triple lockdown in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram. Free food kits in June too. Rs 823.23 crore will be distributed as Welfare Pensions in May. Financial assistance of Rs 1,000 for all members of Welfare Boards,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted.

Kerala Essential Articles Control Act, 1986 is being invoked to control prices of articles required for treating #COVID19.

PPE Kits ₹273
N95 Mask ₹22
Triple Layer Mask ₹3.90
Face Shield ₹21
Disposable Apron ₹12
Surgical Gown ₹65
Inspection Gloves ₹5.75

— CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) May 14, 2021

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Total lockdown in Mizoram’s district HQ till 24 May

The Mizoram government on Friday ordered a total lockdown in Aizawl and other district headquarters in the state till 24 May, The Times of India reported.

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WHO urges to donate vaccine doses to Covax instead of inoculating children

World Health Origanization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday urged countries not o inoculate children but donate vaccine doses to Covax instead.

“We’re on track for the second year of this pandemic to be far more deadly than the first,” the World Health Organization’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference, adding: “I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to Covax.”

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Ghazipur admin announces Rs 5,000 for families who can’t bear cremation expenses

The Ghazipur administration on Friday capped the price of firewood at Rs 650 per quintal and said that the ‘dom raja’ will not take more than Rs 500 for cremating a body.

“We’re setting up a control room at each crematorium where police personnel and lekhpal would be stationed,” Ghazipur DM MP Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.

“If any person is unable to bear expenses of cremation (of the body of their relative/family member) and goes to any crematorium, we will provide them with Rs 5000 immediately and bear all expenses of cremation,” he added. The announcement comes days after at least 150 bodies were reportedly fished out of the Ganga in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

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Fire services, civil defence and home guard chief dies of COVID-19

Senior IPS officer Mohammed Jawed Akhtar who headed the directorate general of fire services, civil defence and home guard under the home ministry died of COVID-19 on Friday, officials said. He was 59.

Officials said he was admitted to a private hospital in Delhi following coronavirus infection and breathed his last early morning of Friday.

“We are deeply grieved by the untimely demise of Mohd Jawed Akhtar IPS (UP 1986), DG Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guards. He succumbed to #Covid19. May his soul rest in peace,” the IPS association said in a tweet.

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Telangana HC stays state govt’s order on restricting entry of ambulances from neighbouring states

The Telangana High Court on Friday stayed the state government’s order demanding the requirement of a prior tie-up with hopsitals in the state before allowing entry to ambulances with patients coming from neighbouring states. The high court’s order comes after two COVID-19 patients allegedly died after their ambulances were denied entry at Pullur Toll Plaza on the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border in Kurnool district. 

Meanwhile, the Telangana Police confirmed to ANI that it is halting the entry of ambulances and private vehicles carrying COVID patients if they fail to show hospital appointment as well as authorisation pass from Director of Health Covid control center.

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DMK MPs, MLAs will give a month’s salary for CM Relief Fund, says MK Stalin

Amid surging COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu, DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday said his party MPs and MLAs would donate one month salary to the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund.

At a time when the state was severely affected by the second wave of coronavirus, “DMK MLAs and MPs will give their one month salary to the CMPRF,” Stalin said in a statement.

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India’s Vaccine Timeline:

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Many Australians test COVID-19 positive before repatriation flight from India

Several Australians in India who were scheduled to return home by a repatriation flight initiated by the Australian government were grounded on Friday because either they were infected with COVID-19 or were considered a close contact of someone who was positive, a top Australian diplomat said.

The repatriation flights facilitated by the Australian government for its stranded citizens in India resumed from Friday following a two weeks ban due to COVID19 health crisis in India. Many passengers on the first flight on Friday were grounded due to COVID-19 positive test results, Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell was quoted as saying by the ABC News.

About half of the 150 seats on the flight set to leave New Delhi on Friday night will be left empty after more than 40 people tested positive to the virus, meaning they and their close contacts  a total of about 70 people  cannot fly, the report said.

Coronavirus News LATEST Updates

Lockdown extended till 23 May in Kerala, says CM

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday announced the extension of the lockdown in Kerala till 23 May.

“The positivity rate remains high, so the state government has decided to extend the present complete lockdown in Kerala till 23 May,” he said.

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Madhya Pradesh govt to give free treatment to journalists, kin hit by COVID-19

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday announced that the state government will provide free medical treatment to all media persons, whether they are accredited or not, and their family members, if they are infected with coronavirus.

Earlier this week, Chouhan had also declared accredited journalists as frontline workers (Corona warriors). “We have seen that while performing their duties and in the process of disseminating news, many journalists got infected with COVID-19 and some of them even unfortunately died,” the chief minister said in a media statement.

“Today, we have decided that all journalists and media persons, whether they are accredited on non-accredited, working in print, electronic and digital media, and their family members if found infected with COVID-19, then the Madhya Pradesh government will take care of their treatment and will not leave them on their own,” Chouhan said.

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Goa governor reviews COVID-19 preparedness in state

Goa governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Friday reviewed the coronavirus situation in the state through an online meeting with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.

Koshyari enquired about vaccination planning, oxygen supply, awareness, testing, involvement of university students and volunteers and other relevant issues, his office said in a tweet.

As of Thursday, Goa had a COVID-19 tally of 1,30,130, including 1,937 deaths, while 95,240 people had recovered, leaving it with an active caseload of 32,953.

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Coronavirus is a ’living organism’, says ex-Uttarakhand chief minister

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Thursday said that coronavirus is a living organism which has a right to live.

“Seen from a philosophical angle, coronavirus is also a living organism. It has the right to live like the rest of us. But we (humans) think ourselves to be the most intelligent and are out to eliminate it. So it is constantly mutating itself,” he told a private news channel. 

However, he said man needs to outpace the virus to stay safe.

Rawat was trolled on social media for his unusual observation on coronavirus as it went viral at a time when the entire country is battling a strong second wave of COVID-19. One Twitter user sarcastically said, “This virus organism should be given shelter in the Central Vista.”

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Over 2,000 Indians stranded in Nepal set to be evacuated, say reports

More than 7,000 foreigners, including some 2,000 Indians, are set to be evacuated soon after Nepal has permitted special flights to evacuate stranded tourists. The foreign nationals got stuck in the Himalayan country after it suspended all international flights to check its worst COVID-19 surge amid acute shortages of medical facilities. Foreign embassies have stepped up efforts to repatriate stranded trekkers and mountaineers.

Most of the Indian nationals stranded in Nepal were using Kathmandu as a transit point to go to Saudi Arabia for employment after a number of countries banned direct flights from India after it was overwhelmed by a second wave. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has permitted Nepal Airlines and Himalaya Airlines to conduct seven flights to evacuate Indian nationals to Saudi Arabia.

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MP govt to give free treatment to journalists, kin hit by COVID-19

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday announced that the state government will provide free medical treatment to all media persons, whether they are accredited or not, and their family members, if they are infected with coronavirus. Earlier this week, Chouhan had also declared accredited journalists as frontline workers (Corona warriors).

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev mocks covid patients suffering from hypoxia

An older video of Baba Ramdev mocking covid patients who are in severe need of oxygen support, has gone viral on the internet.

In the clip, Ramdev can be seen saying “that patients just don’t know how to breathe properly, and therefore, spread negativity and complain of shortage of oxygen and cremation sites”. 

India’s oxygen crisis has brought forward heart-rending stories of patients dying due to hypoxia, because timely medical intervention was not available. Ramdev’s callous claims have been widely criticised on social media as well. Here is Manjul toons’ take on it. 

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270 black fungus cases reported in Pune; therapy SOPs framed

Around 270 cases of Mucormycosis, a rare but dangerous fungal infection, have been reported so far in Pune district, prompting a government task force to ome up with a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for patient management in hospitals, officials said on Friday. 

Symptoms of Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, include headache, fever, pain under the eyes, nasal or sinus congestion and partial loss of vision. It affects the sinuses, the brain and the lungs and can be life-threatening in people who are diabetic or have suppressed immunity. Mucormycosis, whose treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach, has come in focus during the pandemic as it has been detected in some recovering and recovered coronavirus patients.

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Two Andhra patients die on Telangana border after cops deny entry to ambulances

Two Covid-19 patients have allegedly died after their ambulances were denied entry at Pullur Toll Plaza on the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border in Kurnool district, according to media reports. 

Meanwhile, the Telangana Police confirmed to ANI that it is halting the entry of ambulances and private vehicles carrying COVID patients if they fail to show hospital appointment as well as authorisation pass from Director of Health Covid control center
 
The news comes despite a Telangana High Court order from two days ago which slammed the state government for stopping ambulances at state borders. The bench questioned as to why ambulances were stopped at the Telangana border despite not having any inter-state regulations in place, terming it as ‘unconstitutional’ and a violation of the fundamental rights of citizens. The court directed the state to ensure that no ambulances are prevented from entering the state as it impedes the rights of citizens for free movement between territories.

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No decision yet on pending class 12 board exams: CBSE

CBSE said it has not taken any decision yet on class 12 board exams even as a section of students and parents have been demanding cancellation of exams in view of the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

“It is clarified that no such decision (cancellation of exams) has been taken regarding class 12 board examination, as being speculated. Any decision taken in this matter will be officially communicated to the public,” a senior CBSE official said.

The board had on 14 April announced cancellation of class 10 exams and postponed class 12 exams in view of surge in COVID-19 cases.

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Two bodies found near Ganga cremated after video of dogs mauling them goes viral

Two more bodies found lying on the banks of the Ganga were cremated by the Ballia district administration, after a video of a few stray dogs dragging and mauling the corpses went viral on social media.

Fefna SHO Sanjay Tripathi said he got the information about the corpses on Thursday afternoon, following which a team of Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rajesh Yadav reached Sagarpali village and cremated the bodies.

It appears that the bodies were left in the river by family members after completing rituals, he said.

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Delhi government to provide financial help to families which lost earning members to COVID

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Delhi government will extend financial help to families which have lost their earning members to COVID-19 and also bear the cost of education and upbringing of children orphaned by the pandemic.

He also said the number of fresh COVID-19 cases has come down to around 8,500 and the positivity rate has dipped to around 12 percent.

But the fight against the coronavirus has not ended and there is no room for leniency, the chief minister said in an online press conference.

“I know many children who have lost both their parents. I want to tell them that I am still there. Do not consider yourself an orphan. The government will take care of their studies and upbringing,” Kejriwal said.

“I know elderly citizens who have lost their children. They depended on their earnings. I want to tell them that their son (Kejriwal) is alive. The government will help all such families who have lost their earning members,” the chief minister said.

Around 3,000 beds for coronavirus patients have become available in the last 10 days. However, ICU beds remain almost full, Kejriwal said.

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Ex-civic chief booked for hosting event amid curbs in Maharashtra

A case has been registered against the former chief of the civic body in Mahad of Maharashtra’s Raigad district for allegedly violating COVID-19 curbs by holding an event to celebrate her wedding anniversary, police said on Friday.

The former president of the Mahad Municipal Council Bharati Sakpal and her husband Satish hosted an event to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary at Ladavali Tal village on Wednesday night, an official from the Mahad police said.

A case was registered against 28 people, who were present at the event and 50 to 60 others who had gathered in the area, under relevant sections of the IPC, COVID-19 Rules and Maharashtra Police Act

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Karnataka Congress drafts Rs 100 crore plan to procure vaccines

The Karnataka Congress said it has prepared a Rs 100 crore plan to procure vaccines directly from manufacturers, a day after the state government closed vaccination for those between 18 and 44 years owing to a shortage in doses.

DK Shivakumar, the Karnataka Congress chief, said that Rs 10 crore will come from the Congress and the remaining Rs 90 crore can come from funds of their MLA/MLCs. “I appeal to the Yediyurappa government to please allow us to use the MLA/MLC funds to procure vaccines directly in a transparent manner because the Modi and Yediyurappa governments are failing to do so for months now,” Shivakumar said in a statement.

“Since the Central, and state governments have collectively failed to vaccinate the masses, we want to do it ourselves. We just need two small permissions, one from the Centre and the other from the state government. My appeal to the BJP to not let politics come in the way and in the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat, allow the Congress to directly procure and administer vaccines,” he said.

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First dose of Sputnik V administered in Hyderabad

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories administered the first dose of Sputnik V vaccine in Hyderabad, the company said it a statement.

The company said that imported doses of Sputnik V vaccine are presently priced at Rs 948 plus five percent GST per dose, with the possibility of a lower price point when local supply begins.

India was administering Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and SII’s Covishield so far.

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Delhi’s positivity rate drops from 36% to 14.24%: Satyendar Jain 

The COVID-19 positivity rate in Delhi has declined to 14.24 percent from 36 percent since 24 April, said health minister Satyendar Jain on Friday.

Yesterday we reported 10,489 positive cases and the positivity rate was 14.24 percent. The highest positivity rate was 36 percent in Delhi so now it is less than half of it. We’re seeing a decline in trends from 24 April, said Jain.

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Delhi has stock of Covidshield for 18-44 age group for just 2-3 days: Satyendar Jain

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain Friday said that the National Capital has a stock of Covidshield vaccines for 18-44 age group for only two-three days.

“Covaxin stock has almost ended. We only have 2-3 days of stock for Covidshield vaccines for 18-44 years of age group. We can’t mix already assigned centers for Covaxin and Covishield vaccines,” said Jain.

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Covaxin dispatched to various states like Gujarat, Assam: Bharat Biotech

Bharat Biotech on Friday said it has dispatched COVID vaccine Covaxin to various states like Gujarat, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Odisha.

The Hyderabad-based vaccine major, which has come under fire from the Delhi government over supply-related issues, said it has also dispatched Covaxin lots to Kerala and Uttarakhand.

“Covaxin goes to Gandhinagar, Guwahati, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru & Bhuvneshwar. thank all our employees @ BHarat bio who worked thru the holy month of Ramzan…” Bharat Biotech Co-Founder and Joint Managing Director Suchitra Ella tweeted.

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Manipur BJP chief S Tikendra Singh dies of COVID-19

Manipur BJP chief S Tikendra Singh who had been undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at a hospital in Imphal passed away on Thursday evening. 

The 69-year-old tested positive for the virus on 27 April.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh while informing about the death tweeted, “Im at a loss of word to learn that Prof S Tiken Singh, president BJP Manipur, has passed away just a while ago.

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Black fungus has claimed 52 lives in Maharashtra: Official

As many as 52 people have died due to Mucormycosis, a rare but dangerous fungal infection, in Maharashtra since the COVID-19 outbreak last year, a senior health department official told News18 said on Friday.

Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, came to the fore after some recovering and recovered coronavirus patients were found infected with the disease, whose symptoms include headache, fever, pain under the eyes, nasal or sinus congestion and partial loss of vision.

All the 52 people were COVID-19 survivors, but succumbed to the black fungus infection, the official said.

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Increasing gap between Covishield doses unlikely to impact efficacy: Anthony Fauci

America’s top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said increasing the gap between Covishield doses is unlikely to impact the vaccine’s efficacy, a day after the government increased the gap between SII-produced vaccine’s doses to 12-16 weeks.

Fauci told ANI, “When you don’t have enough vaccines, you have to try and get as many people vaccinated as you possibly can. For that reason, when you have a shortage of vaccine, extending the duration between the first and second dose, in order to get more people to at least get their first dose, is a reasonable approach.”

“It is very unlikely it will have a negative effect on the efficacy of the vaccine,” he adds.

#WATCH When you don't have enough vaccines, extending duration b/w 1st & 2nd dose to get more people to at least get 1st dose is a reasonable approach. Unlikely that long delay would've negative effect on vaccine efficacy: Dr Anthony Fauci, top US infectious disease expert to ANI pic.twitter.com/25cO35jgR2

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2021

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Ex-Delhi MLA Jarnail Singh passes away due to COVID complications

Former Delhi MLA Jairnal Singh passed away on Friday morning. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member was an MLA representing Delhi’s Rajouri Garden constituency from 2015 till 2017.

According to a report in The Tribune, the former AAP MLA passed away due to COVID-19 induced complications after undergoing intensive care treatment at a Delhi hospital for nine days.

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India adds 3.43 lakh new COVID-19 cases, 4000 fresh fatalities

With 3,43,144 people testing positive for coronavirus in a day, India’s COVID-19 tally of cases climbed to 2,40,46,809, while the death toll rose to 2,62,317 with 4,000 daily fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated at 8 am.

The active cases have reduced to 37,04,893 comprising 15.41 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 83.50 percent. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,00,79,599, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.09 percent, the data stated.

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Nearly 18 cr vaccinated against COVID-19 till now

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country inched closer to 18 crore, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.

It said 4,37,192 beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years received their first dose of COVID vaccine on Thursday and cumulatively 39,14,688 across 32 states and union territories since the start of the third phase of the vaccination drive.

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Over 31.13 cr COVID-19 samples tested so far: ICMR

According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), as many as 31,13,24,100 COVID-19 samples have been tested till 13 May, including 18,75,515 samples tested on Thursday alone.