Coronavirus Updates: EC moves SC against 'disparaging' remarks by Madras HC on COVID-19 protocol at rallies

Coronavirus LATEST Updates

Delhi’s MD City hospital sends out SOS tweet seeking urgent oxygen supply

CNN-News18 quoted a statement from the hospital as saying, “Our daily requirement of oxygen is 3.5 ton against which we received only .7 so rest of balance is needed in addition to this 4 micro required otherwise system would collapse. 140 patients are on oxygen.”

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West Bengal reports toll as high as 103 today

West Bengal on Saturday reported its highest single-day COVID-19 deaths with 103 new deaths, the health department said in a bulletin. The state’s coronavirus toll rose to 11,447 now. The tally rose to 8,45,878 as a record single-day spike of 17,512 cases was registered.

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Doctor posted at Delhi’s Max hospital dies by suicide

Dr Vivek Rai, resident doctor at the Max Hospital in Delhi’s Saket, on Saturday died by suicide, former Indian Medical Association (IMA) chief Dr Ravi Wankhedkar tweeted.

“He Was doing covid duty since one month and was dealing with ICU patients every day and was providing CPR and ACLS for about 7 to 8 patients per day, from which not many were surviving,” Wankhedkar said.

“Due to this frustrating situation he was into, he took such a difficult decision of ending his own life than living with the suffering and emotions of the people who died on his watch,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV , and added that Rai is survived by his wife, who is two-month pregnant.

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EC moves SC against Madras HC’s ‘murder charges’ remark

The Election Commission on Saturday moved the Supreme Court against the “uncalled for, blatantly disparaging and derogatory remarks” made by Madras HC. The HC had observed that the EC  “should be put on murder charges probably” as political parties flouted COVID-19 protocol in rallies, Bar and Bench reported.

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‘Modi angry and unhappy by foreign media criticism’: Yashwant Sinha

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Everything falls on my shoulders but can’t do it alone: SII CEO Adar Poonawalla

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on Saturday spoke out about the pressures he was under over the production of COVID-19 vaccines to meet the ever-increasing demand in India as the country battles through a devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

In his first comments since he was provided with Y’ category security by the Indian government earlier this week, Poonawalla told The Times in an interview about receiving aggressive calls from some of the most powerful people in India, demanding supplies of Covishield — the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine that the Serum Institute is producing in India.

That pressure is largely behind his decision to fly into London to be with his wife and children, the 40-year-old entrepreneur said. “I’m staying here (London) for an extended time because I don’t want to go back to that situation. Everything falls on my shoulders but I can’t do it alone…I don’t want to be in a situation where you are just trying to do your job, and just because you can’t supply the needs of X, Y or Z you really don’t want to guess what they are going to do,” Poonawalla told the newspaper.

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Jammu and Kashmir govt extends night curfew in all districts

“Corona curfew at night will continue in all municipal/urban local body limits of all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Night curfew will be in force from 8 pm to 7 am. Other restrictions will continue as before,” the Jammu and Kashmir government said on Saturday.

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‘A tale of four TIME magazine covers’, tweets Shashi Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday shared a collage of four TIME magazine covers from 2014 to 2021, each with a different story about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The latest shows a picture of a cremation ground accompanying a cover story titled ‘India in crisis. 

The international media has been critical about the Centre’s handling of the second COVID-19 wave, as India reports highest number of new cases anywhere in the world and battles a severe shortage of medical oxygen and other resources.

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Narendra Modi govt focussed on ‘imagery, brand-building’: Rahul Gandhi

As India logged a world record of over four lakh coronavirus infections on Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the entire world is shaken by what is happening and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “dropping the ball and throwing it to states” after prematurely taking credit for having “won against COVID-19” when the second wave was already underway.

“Rely on yourself is the motto. No one will come to help you. Definitely, not the prime minister,” Gandhi said, while alleging that the COVID-19 situation has gone completely out of control for the Modi government, and wondered whether it was their way of making the states and the citizens truly ‘Aatmanirbhar’.

In an exclusive interview to PTI, the former Congress chief alleged that the government completely failed to understand or to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, right from the very beginning, despite repeated warnings including from scientists.

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Tamil Nadu reports 19,588 new COVID-19 cases

The state of Tamil Nadu on Saturday reported 19,588 new COVID-19 cases, which is the highest figure reported by the state so far. The active cases rose to 1,15,128.

There were also 147 new deaths and 17,164 new recoveries, the state government said.

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Four more COVID-9 patients die in Delhi’s Batra hospital due to lack of oxygen

Twelve COVID-19 patients, including the HOD of gastroenterology department, of Batra Hospital here died allegedly due to oxygen shortage, officials said on Saturday.           

“Once a patient is pushed to the edge without the support of oxygen, it is very difficult to revive him. Unfortunately, we are expecting more fatalities,” said Sudhanshu Bankata, executive director of the hospital.

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Pune mayor says received only 5,000 vaccine doses from state govt

“We just got 5,000 vaccines from state govt for 7 days. We’ve more than 20 lakh people from 18 to 44 yrs so it’s very difficult for us to manage with this supply of vaccines,” Pune mayor Murlidhar Mohol was quoted as saying by The Times of India on Saturday.

The third phase of nationwide COVID-19 inoculation began on Saturday, however several states, including Maharashtra, flagged a shortage of vaccine doses and expressed doubts about being able to conduct the vaccination drive.

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Sixteen coronavirus patients killed in hospital fire in Bharuch

At least eighteen people, including 16 COVID-19 patients, died in a fire at a hospital at Bharuch in Gujarat in the early hours of Saturday. The state government said a judicial inquiry will be conducted into the fire that destroyed the Intensive Care Unit of Patel Welfare Hospital, run by a charitable trust.

“Sixteen coronavirus patients and two nursing staff were caught by the fire or died due to suffocation inside a COVID-19 unit,” Superintendent of Police Rajendrasinh Chudasama said.

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India gets first consignment of SputnikV vaccine from Russia

India on Saturday received the first consignment of Russia’s SputnikV COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

The CBIC in a tweet said that Hyderabad customs expedited the clearance of the COVID-19 vaccine imported from Russia. “Hyderabad Customs, @cgstcushyd facilitated expeditious clearance of #SputnikV Vaccine imported from Russia,” the CBIC tweeted.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in tweet said: “Appropriate timely response @cgstcushyd. Need of the hour.” 

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Delhi lockdown extended by one week

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Saturday evening announcing that the lockdown has been extended by one week. The lockdown has been ongoing for the last two weeks, as the National Capital battles a shortage of medical oxygen and rising cases.

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Delhi receives 4.5 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses, says report

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday was quoted by The Indian Express as saying that the state government has received 4.5 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses for the third phase of inoculation for people between the ages of 18-45.

Kejriwal said that the inoculation is likely to begin from Monday but “walk-ins will not be allowed”.

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SpiceHealth starts walk-in RT-PCR testing in Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai

SpiceHealth has started walk-in RT-PCR testing at multiple locations in Delhi, Mumbai and Gurugram, a statement issued by the company said on Saturday. Till now, SpiceHealth’s laboratories in these cities were conducting RT-PCR tests on samples collected from home.

An RT-PCR test shows if a person has been infected with COVID-19 or not. SpiceJet’s promoters Ajay Singh and Avani Singh own SpiceHealth.

In a press release, SpiceHealth said its walk-in RT-PCR testing facility is available at various locations in Delhi, including at the fruit market in Azadpur Mandi (near gate no. 5), Government Co-Ed Senior Secondary School in Sector 6, Dwarka and School Of Excellence in Sector 23, Rohini.

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Twenty-eight tonnes of medical equipment to be delivered from France tomorrow

A total of 28 tonnes of medical equipment that was sent to India by France is set to reach the country on Sunday, The Times of India reported.

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PMO directs installation of 150 ventilators at ITBP COVID centre in Delhi

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has provided 150 medical ventilator machines from the PM CARES fund to a Delhi-based COVID care centre run by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), officials said on Saturday. Bhaskar Khulbe, advisor to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has written in this context to the Union Health Ministry, as per a copy of the letter provided by ITBP officials.

The 150 ventilators, equipped with global positioning system (GPS), will be installed at the Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre (SPCCC) that began operating on 26 April at the Radha Soami Beas campus in south Delhi’s Chhattarpur area. The ITBP, a border guarding force, has been entrusted to run the centre with the administrative support and funding of the state government.

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COVID-19 cases cross 1 lakh-mark in Himachal Pradesh, toll at 1,500

Himachal Pradesh on Saturday recorded 885 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the total number of cases to 1,00,172, a senior health official said. Besides, 16 more people succumbed to the virus pushing the death toll to 1,500, Special Health Secretary Nipun Jindal said citing the data updated till 2 pm.

There are 18,130 active COVID-19 cases in the state, the official stated. As many as 1,164 coronavirus patients have recuperated from the infection in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 80,478, Jindal said.

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Fishing festival held in Madurai despite COVID-19 restrictions

Flouting COVID-19 norms, a large number of village residents from in and around Thiruvathavur near Madurai participated in the traditional fishing festival held late on Friday night.

According to the residents, the recent rains had enabled them in filling up water in the tanks and fishlings were let in a few months ago. 

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BJP MP Gautam Gambhir to distribute 200 oxygen concentrators in Delhi

After being lambasted by court over distributing COVID-19 drug Fabiflu, BJP MP Gautam Gambhir will now provide 200 oxygen concentrators to those having mild or moderate symptoms of the infection in the National Capital.

The East Delhi MP said the oxygen concentrators will be provided free of cost and the step has been taken to strengthen the city’s fight against the deadly second wave of COVID-19 which has cost so many lives.

The Delhi High Court had earlier this week questioned if Gambhir had license to procure and distribute Fabiflu in large quantities.

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Delhi HC pulls up Centre for requesting it to hold the order

Delhi High Court pulled the Centre’s counsel for requesting it to hold its direction to send Delhi its allocated supply of 490 MTs by Saturday. “Who is asking for a gram more than what’s allocated. If you cannot supply, then don’t supply. We know what to do,” the court told the Centre.

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Centre has to arrange oxygen for Delhi ‘by whatever means’: HC

Hospitals in the National Capital must be given medical oxygen on Saturday “by whatever means”, the Delhi High Court told the Centre as it heard petitions on how the health infrastructure is trying to cope with the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Water has gone above the head. You have to arrange everything now. You have made the allocations. You have to fulfill it. Eight lives have been lost. We can’t shut our eyes to it,” the high court said today.

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Eight lives are lost in Delhi today, we can’t shut our eyes to it: Delhi HC to Centre

In a scathing attack to the Central government, the Delhi High Court while hearing the COVID-19 related cases and oxygen shortage in the National Capital on Saturday said it is the responsibility of the Centre to fulfill the allocation of oxygen in different states. , “You made an allocation of oxygen. You fulfill it. Don’t tell us that. Eight people have died..will we shut our eyes to people dying in Delhi,” said the court. 

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Delhi HC directs Centre to send 490 MT of oxygen to Delhi by today, warns of contempt proceedings

Delhi High Court directed the Central government to ensure that the 490 MT of oxygen be allocated to the National Capital be given to it by Saturday positively. “We direct Centre to ensure that Delhi receives its 490 MT oxygen supply today by whatever means. Delhi is not an industrial state, it doesn’t have cryogenic tankers,” observed the court.

The court may consider initiating contempt proceedings against the Centre if 480 MT of oxygen is not supplied to Delhi by Saturday.

“If order is not implemented, concerned authority to remain present in Court on the next date of hearing. We may even consider issuing contempt proceedings,” said the court.

The Delhi High Court is hearing the COVID-19 related cases in the National Capital for the 11th straight day.

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Eight COVID-19 patients, including one doctor, die in Delhi’s Batra hospital due to oxygen shortage

At least eight COVID-19 patients admitted in the ICU of Batra hospital in Delhi’s Mehrauli died on Saturday afternoon, with hospital authorities linking the casualties to shortage of oxygen. Among the deceased is the hospital’s gastroenteritis head Dr RK Himthani.

Hospital officials told the Delhi High Court – holding a 11th straight day of hearings into the oxygen crisis in the National Capital – that re-supply tankers only reached the hospital at around 1.30 pm on Saturday, meaning that around 230 critically ill patients were without oxygen for around 80 minutes.

“We ran out of oxygen at 12.45 pm. Supply came at 1.30 pm on Saturday. We were out of oxygen for 1 hour and 20 mins,” the hospital told the court.

“We hope no lives were lost,” the court responded, to which the hospital said: “We have, including one of our own, one doctor.”

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Delhi HC asks Centre to send oxygen tankers seized by Rajasthan govt to National Capital

The Delhi High Court directed the Centre to take necessary steps to fulfill its assurance of getting INOX’s four oxygen tankers, which have been seized by Rajasthan government, be allocated to the National Capital.

The tankers were supposed to be put in use for Delhi by INOX. On 26 April, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had assured the court that strict action will be taken and it “shall be ensured that the tankers are freed so that they can proceed to their destination for the propose of filling and supplying liquid medical oxygen”.

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SII to start vaccine production outside India: Report

The Serum Institute of India, which manufactures the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, is planning to start vaccine production in other countries as it struggles to meet supply commitments, its chief executive officer told The Times.

“There’s going to be an announcement in the next few days,” Adar Poonawalla was quoted as saying by the newspaper in an interview published on Friday.

Poonawalla said last week that the Serum Institute would be able to raise its monthly output to 100 million doses by July, later than a previous timeline of end-May. Several states in India have run out of vaccines against COVID-19.

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Jailed SP leader Azam Khan tests positive for COVID-19

Senior Samajwadi leader Mohammad Azam Khan tested positive for COVID-19 along with 13 other prisoners in Sitapur jail, officials said on Saturday.

The Rampur MP and the other prisoners tested positive for the infection in both rapid antigen and RT-PCR tests, said RS Yadav, jailer, Sitapur Jail.

He said the tests were conducted after complaints of fever and cough. Initially, the rapid antigen was done and later the samples were sent for the RT-PCR test, the reports of which came positive late Friday night, he said.

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Times Now suspends Assembly polls coverage on 2 May, says ‘will keep COVID-19 priority’

English news channel Times Now on Saturday announced that it will suspend its coverage of Assembly elections results in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry on 2 May, in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation.

The channel made the announcement on its social media handle that it has decided to track the “the biggest health emergency” and keep news on COVID-19 as its main priority. India recorded its biggest-ever daily spike of 4 lakh new cases.

“As part of the coverage, viewers can expect COVID-related news reports, the latest on the status of the vaccination drive, information on helplines, and can interact with healthcare and mental wellness experts on the channel. For our viewers looking for election results from the five states where polls were conducted, we will carry regular news updates,” it stated.

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Batra hospital in Delhi flags oxygen shortage, says ‘an hour of supply left’

Batra hospital in Delhi flagged oxygen shortage in the High Coourt on Saturday. “We’re only left with one hour of oxygen supply. Suppliers like  Inox and Goel have said they can only deliver by evening,” said the hospital in court.

Around 230 COVID-19 patients are on oxygen support, we are again on SOS mode since 6 am, said the hospital.

The Delhi High Court is hearing the COVID-19 related cases in the National Capital for the 11th straight day.

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Suppliers diverting oxygen from Delhi to other states: Govt tells HC

The Delhi government told the High Court on Saturday that suppliers seem to be diverting medical oxygen to other states. Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the government, told the court that when the National Capital should be getting the allocated 490 MTs supply, there’s a shortfall by about 100 MTs. 

“Our tankers are not given priority. What’s happening behind the scenes. My officers will have a breakdown,” Mehra added. 

The Division Bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli is currently hearing the cases in which it has been monitoring the COVID-19 situation and oxygen shortage in Delhi.

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Former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin dies after testing COVID-19 positive

Former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammad Shahabuddin passed away on Saturday after being infected with the novel coronavirus. He was being treated at the DDU hospital in New Delhi.

DG (Tihar) Sandeep Goel said Shahabuddin, who was serving a life sentence for murder in Tihar jail, had contracted the virus on 20 April, after which he was admitted to DDU hospital.

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Reliance Industries produces over 11% of medical oxygen in Jamnagar facility

Reliance Industries Ltd produces over 11 percent of India’s total production of Medical Grade Liquid Oxygen, meeting needs of nearly every 1 in 10 patients, said the company in a statement on Saturday.

RIL has ramped up production of medical oxygen from near zero to 1000 MT per day free of charge. “1000 MT of oxygen to meet the needs of over 1 lakh people everyday on an average,” read the statement.

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SC directs UP govt to impose curfew till vote counting ends

A curfew will be imposed in areas near the counting centres and no victory rallies will be allowed in Uttar Pradesh after the results are announced, the Supreme Court was assured by the state poll commission.

The poll body further said that senior officials will ensure that COVID-19 protocol is followed at all the counting centres.

The apex court on Saturday ordered refusal to stop counting of votes for UP panchayat elections amid raising concerns over COVID-19 surge. The court cited a petition from a teachers’ body that said 700 teachers had died while they were on duty during the four-phased election.

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SC asks UP poll commission to follow COVID-19 protocols during counting

Teachers’ association has filed a petition, and they are unwilling to work. How do you handle the situation? the apex court asked the UP state election commission on Saturday, referring to the plea which mentioned the death of school employees who attended polling duty.

At the beginning of the hearing, the state election commission had assured the top court that it will adhere to covid-19 protocol for the counting process. Oximeter tests will be done at the entrance of counting centres, no crowds will be allowed inside the counting centres and outside, centres will be sanitised after every shift, social distancing will be maintained and thermal checking will be done, it said.

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Supreme Court allows counting of UP panchayat polls

The Supreme Court Saturday allowed counting of panchayat election votes, which will be held on Sunday (2 May) after the state election commission assured the top court that it will adhere to COVID-19 protocol for the counting process.

Citing the frightening COVID-19 spike in the state, the apex court asked the poll body: “Despite the situation, you need to go ahead? Can you have it after two weeks so that the medical facilities can be improved? Heavens will not fall if counting is deferred by three weeks,” the top court said in a sharp remark.

The UP Election Commission, however, told the court: “We have taken a decision to go ahead.”

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Uttar Pradesh begins vaccination for 45+ age category in 2,500 centres

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said the third phase of inoculation drive began in 2,500 centres for those above 45 years while, vaccination for 18+ age group will begin in seven districts reporting highest active cases and positivity rate.

Eighty five separate vaccine centres have been set up in districts reporting high positivity rate – Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Gorahpur, Bareilly, Kanpur and Meerut – for 18+ age group, said Adityanath.

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Priyanka Gandhi slams holding of UP panchayat polls

At least 700 school employees, including a pregnant lady, on panchayat poll duty succumbed to COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh, tweeted Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi.

“These elections have been conducted in almost 60,000 gram sabhas of UP without any thought of the catastrophic onslaught of the second wave,” she said.

In letters to chief minister Yogi Adityanath and the state election commission (SEC), the Uttar Pradeshiya Prathmik Shikshak Sangh has listed the names of all deceased and said they were infected during training and poll duty. 

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Phase 3 vaccination drive begins in Nagpur

We’ve received update from head office that vaccine will be administered only to people between 18-44 yrs of age on Saturday. Their vaccination will begin at 2 pm, said an official at the vaccine centre in Nagpur.

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Bengal’s daily COVID-19 cases increased by 21 times since start of Assembly polls

Since the time when Assembly polls in West Bengal commenced on 27 March till the eighth phase on 29 April, the daily COVID-19 case count increased 21 times, reported the Times of India . 

The report stated that when elections were announced on 26 February, Bengal reported over 200 new cases with the active case count around 3,300. 

From 4,000-odd new cases, 21,000 active cases and 12 deaths on 10 April, when the fourth phase of elections was held, the case count had crossed the 7,500 mark on 17 April, active case count spiralled beyond 45,000 and 43 deaths were recorded on 17 April, when the fifth phase of election was held, read the report.

While the spread of COVID-19 depends on multiple factors such as total population and density, the most reliable indicator is the positivity rate. 

The surge in positivity rate in West Bengal was from 1.1 percent (26 February) to 31.3 percent (28 April), according to a  India Today report. 

Daily cases on 28 April: 17,207

Daily cases on 26 February: 216

Positivity rate on 28 April: 31.3%

Positivity rate on 26 February: 1.1%

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Maharashtra to begin limited vaccination for 18-45 age group with 3 lakh doses from today

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray Friday said that the state has 3 lakh COVID-19 vaccines, but will begin the vaccination for 18+ from Saturday. “Today we have received 3 lakh vaccine doses. From Saturday, we will start vaccination for adults above the age of 18 years with whatever vaccine supply that is made available to us,” he said.

“We will be receiving 18 lakh doses in May. I again urge the Central government to increase the supply,” he added.

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Vaccine centres in Pune to be shut for two days: Ajit Pawar

We had planned a big event for Saturday, but we received only 3 lakh vaccine doses. Out of that 20,000 have been given to Pune district. Today we don’t have vaccines to inoculate people aged 45 years and above. Hence vaccination centres in Pune dist are closed for next two days, said Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday.

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India becomes first country to register over 4 lakh daily COVID-19 cases

With 4,01,993 new COVID-19 cases recorded in the past 24 hours, India on Saturday became the first country in the world to register over 4 lakh infections in a single day. As many as 3,523 new deaths were also reported on the day.

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India’s COVID-19 recoveries over 1.56 crore

The total number of people who recuperated from the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours rose to 2,99,988 on Saturday, said the health ministry. With this, the total number of COVID-19 recoveries surged over 1.56 crore. 

The national COVID-19 recovery rate is currently at 81.83 percent.

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3,523 COVID-19 deaths in India in a day 

With the death of 3,523 more COVID-19 patients in the past 24 hours, the total number of fatalities in the country climbed to 2,11,853 on Saturday, said the Union health ministry. This takes the national fatality rate to 1.1 percent.

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More than 4 lakh COVID-19 cases in India, biggest spike in 24 hours

India registered 4,01,993 fresh COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, taking the overall tally to more than 1.91 crore on Saturday, said the Union health ministry.

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Delhi won’t begin third phase of inoculation drive today 

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday asked the people between the age group of 18 and 44 not to queue up outside COVID-19 vaccination centres from 1 May (Saturday), adding the National Capital hasn’t yet received doses. He said around 0.3 million doses of Covishield are expected by 3 May.

Kejriwal said his government has placed orders for 6.7 million doses each of Covishield and Covaxin which will be delivered over three months. “We aim to vaccinate everyone in the next three months if a sufficient quantity of vaccines is supplied by the companies,” he added.

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Gujarat govt to provide Rs 4 lakh each to kin of victims of Bharuch hospital fire

I express my condolences to the patients, doctors and hospital staff who lost their lives in the fire accident at Bharuch Hospital. The state government will provide assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the families of each of the victims of the accident, said Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday.

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At least 17 states, UTs to miss phase 3 vaccination launch today

A whopping 17 states and Union Territories have expressed doubts over their ability to launch the third phase of COVID-19 vaccination, set to begin today (Saturday, 1 May), for people between the ages of 18 and 45.

These states include Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Telangana. In other states like Uttar Pradesh, the government said that the third phase of the nationwide vaccination drive will be launched only in certain districts.

This is even as India saw 3,86,452 new coronavirus infections in a span of 24 hours, the highest single-day rise so far, pushing the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,87,62,976.

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Joe Biden restricts travel to US from India

US President Joe Biden on Friday issued a proclamation, restricting travel to the United States of all non-citizens who have stayed in India in the past 14 days.

The proclamation, which comes into effect on 4 May, has been issued due to the “extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in India”.

US nationals, those on Green Cards, their non-citizen spouses and children below 21 years of age, are among the various categories exempted from the restrictions.

The new travel restrictions have been imposed for an indefinite period and will require another presidential proclamation to end it.

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Gujarat hospital fire kills 18 COVID-19 patients 

At least 18 coronavirus patients died after a fire broke out at a hospital in Gujarat’s Bharuch in the early hours on Saturday.

Gut-wrenching visuals of the tragedy showed remains of some patients burned alive on stretchers and beds.

There were around 50 other patients at the four-storeyed Welfare Hospital when the fire broke out in the COVID-19 ward at 1 am. They were rescued by locals and firefighters, an official said.