Coronavirus: Tamil Nadu case count crosses 3 lakh, Andhra Pradesh tally rises to 2.35 lakh

11 pm: Here are the top coronavirus updates of the day.

10.47 pm: BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, his wife test positive for Covid-19 and are in hospital.

10.44 pm: Devotees visiting the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala will have to carry certificates showing that they are not infected with the coronavirus from November 16, PTI reports, quoting Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran.

10.04 pm: Goa’s Covid-19 tally rises to 9,029 as the state reports 317 new cases on Monday. The state’s toll stands at 80.

9.55 pm: New cases in other states:

Rajasthan: 1,173 new cases, tally rises to 53,670; toll at 800.

Karnataka: 4,267 new cases, tally rises to 1,82,354; toll at 3,312.

West Bengal: 2,905 new cases, tally rises to 98,459; toll at 2,100.

Haryana: 794 new cases, tally rises to 42,429; toll at 489.

9.52 pm: Andhra Pradesh records 7,665 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking its total to 2,35,525. Eighty more deaths push the state’s toll to 2,116.

9.49 pm: Andaman and Nicobar Islands extends lockdown for a week amid an increase in coronavirus cases.

8.15 pm: Delhi reports 707 new cases on Monday, taking its overall count to 1,46,134. The toll rises to 4,131. As many as 1,31,657 patients in the Capital have recovered from the infection.

8.08 pm: Tamil Nadu records 5,914 new cases and 114 deaths in a day. The state now has 3,02,815 infections. More than 2.44 lakh people have recovered. Tamil Nadu’s toll stands at 5,041.

8.06 pm: Maharashtra reports 9,181 new coronavirus cases and 293 deaths on Monday. The state’s overall count rises to 5,24,513 and the toll reaches 18,050. More than 3.58 lakh people in the state have recovered from the infection.

6.31 pm: Jammu and Kashmir records 470 new cases. Of these, 102 are from Jammu division and 368 from Kashmir division.

6.28 pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says 1,184 new cases, 784 recoveries and seven deaths have been reported in Kerala today. Of the new infections, 41 are health workers.

6.19 pm: Bihar’s Covid-19 case tally now stands at 82,741 with 28,151 active cases, 54,139 discharged cases and 450 deaths, says the state health department. The recovery rate is 65.43%.

6.13 pm: World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that the total number of infections will touch 2 crore this week, AP reports. Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that though there is a “great deal of pain and suffering”, there are also “green shoots of hope” around the world.

5.44 pm: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visits the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital to enquire about Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee’s health, who is admitted there after testing positive for Covid-19, ANI reports.

5.35 pm: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has been discharged from a hospital in Bengaluru after he tested negative for the coronavirus, ANI reports.

5.12 pm: In Iran, 189 more people have died from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. As many as 2,132 people have tested positive during the same time period. The total number of cases in the country is now 328,844, 286,642 of whom have recovered.

5.10 pm: Twelve more cases of the coronavirus have been reported from Mizoram, taking the state’s tally up to 620. Five of these cases are of Border Security Force personnel. Five cases were reported in Lunglei district, four in Kolasib, two in Aizawl and one in Champha, a health official says.

5.06 pm: Uttar Pradesh has reported 51 more coronavirus deaths, taking its toll to 2,120, PTI reports. The total number of infected persons has now gone up to 1,26,722 with 4,113 fresh cases, according to Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad.

4.57 pm: The World Health Organization says it has received only 10% of the funds it needs to combat the coronavirus, The Guardian reports. “While we’re grateful for those that have made contributions, we’re only 10% of the way to funding the billions required to realise the promise of the ACT Accelerator [an initiative to develop and distribute tools to counter the pandemic],” says WHO Director-General Tedros Adanom Ghebreyesus.

4.47 pm: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has decided to study the efficacy of Artificial Intelligence-based technology in detecting coronavirus infections, PTI reports. The “non-invasive voice sample analysis” claims to detect the viral infection by analysing sound waves of patients, detecting the presence of the virus in the body within half a minute.

4.40 pm: Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh is back in office after recovering from coronavirus. He had tested positive on July 24.

4.22 pm: In the past 24 hours, Catalonia in Spain has reported 863 new infections and five deaths, The Guardian reports. In Aragon, there are 633 new cases. Spain has so far recorded 3,14,362 cases and 28,503 deaths.

3.55 pm: Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan and 600 other people who were part of the rescue operations after the plane crash in Kozhikode, Kerala, have gone under quarantine as a precautionary measure, ANI reports.

3.34 pm: Meghalaya registers 52 new coronavirus cases, taking the state’s total tally of infections to 1,114, PTI reports. Of the 52 people who tested positive, 29 are personnel of the Border Security Force. The toll from the outbreak in the state is six.

3.31 pm: About 13% of coronavirus patients in Indore, the worst-affected district of Madhya Pradesh, have recovered in home isolation, PTI reports, quoting health officials. “Since May 5, a total of 786 patients have recovered from Covid-19 by undergoing treatment while staying at home,” Indore District Collector Manish Singh says. “These include patients with mild or no symptoms. This is 13% of total number of recovered cases which stands at 5,961.”

2 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other political leaders wish former President Pranab Mukherjee a quick recovery from the coronavirus.

Also read: Former President Pranab Mukherjee tests positive for coronavirus

1.56 pm: Death of doctors in Bihar is nine times more than national average, reports The Hindu. “In Bihar the doctors death percentage due to Covid-19 has been 4.42% while, the national average is 0.5%”, says Dr Ajay Kumar, senior vice-president of Indian Medical Association, Bihar chapter.

1.48 pm: Himachal Pradesh records four new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, according to ANI. The state now has total 3,375 cases.

1.44 pm: The Centre says India’s case fatality rate – the number of deaths among the cases detected – has dropped to a new low of 2%. “With the highest ever single day recoveries of 54,859 in the last 24 hours, the recovery rate amongst the Covid-19 patients has scaled another high of almost 70%,” says a press release.

1.24 pm: Former President Pranab Mukherjee says that he has tested positive.

1.04 pm: The toll from the coronavirus in Odisha rises to 286 after 14 more deaths were reported on Monday, PTI reports, quoting a health department official. With 1,528 new cases, the total tally of infections rises to 47,455.

12.58 pm: Pakistan’s coronavirus tally reaches 284,660 on Monday, after 539 new cases were reported in 24 hours, PTI reports, quoting the country’s health ministry. With 15 more deaths, the toll rises to 6,097.

12.54 pm: Puducherry registers 254 new coronavirus cases and two deaths on Monday, ANI reports. With this, the state’s tally of infections rises to 5,624 and the toll stands at 89.

12.51 pm: The Supreme Court adjourns the hearing of a plea seeking timely payment of wages to doctors and healthcare workers engaged in Covid-19 duty, Live Law reports. The court was hearing a plea filed by Arushi Jain, seeking suitable accommodation, quarantine and other facilities for the workers.

11.57 am: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani raises the fine for not wearing a mask in the state to Rs 1,000 from August 11, ANI reports.

11.52 am: The Supreme Court adjourns hearing a plea challenging the University Grants Commission’s guidelines to conduct final year examinations in all universities, Live Law reports. The top court has granted time to the Centre to file their response on affidavits by governments of Maharashtra and Delhi Government, which contended that all exams should be cancelled in light of Covid-19 outbreak. The matter will now be taken up on August 14.

11.42 am: Arunachal Pradesh’s tally of coronavirus cases rises to 2,155, after 38 more people tested positive for the disease, PTI reports, quoting a health department official. Of these 38 new cases, 20 are security personnel.

11.10 am: The World Health Organisation has renewed its invite to countries to join the COVAX facility, an international alliance aimed at accelerating the development and manufacture of coronavirus vaccines, and ensuring equitable access to all, The Indian Express reports.

11.04 am: Indian hockey team forward Mandeep Singh tested positive for Covid-19, the Sports Authority of India says, according to PTI. He is the sixth national player to contract the disease.

11.01 am: Telangana recorded 1,256 new coronavirus cases, 1,587 recoveries and 10 deaths on Sunday, ANI reports. With this, the state’s total tally of infections rose to 80,751 and the toll is 637. The state has 22,528 active cases.

10.58 am: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath holds a meeting with the officers of the “Covid-19 management team-11” to discuss the coronavirus situation in the state, ANI reports.

10.57 am: Rajasthan registers 598 new coronavirus cases and six deaths on Monday, pushing the state’s tally of infections to 53,095, ANI reports quoting the state health department. The toll rises to 795.

10.10 am: Brazil registers 23,010 new cases and 572 deaths in the last 24 hours, says the health ministry.

10.07 am: Mexico’s health ministry reports 4,376 new infections and 292 additional deaths. With this, the country’s tally is now 4,80,278 while toll stands at 52,298 deaths.

10.04 am: Sub-Inspector Palthurai, who was arrested in connection with Tamil Nadu’sThoothukudi custodial deaths, succumbs to Covid-19, reports ANI.

10.03 am: China reports 49 new cases in the mainland, reports Reuters citing the health authority. Of these, 35 were imported cases. There were no new deaths on Sunday.

9.58 am: The Hong Kong government postpones the parliamentary elections by a year, reports BBC. The polls were supposed to be held in September.

9.57 am: Australia’s Victoria state registers record 19 deaths in a day, reports BBC. However, there has been a drop in the rate of daily infections. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the internal border closures are unlikely to be lifted before Christmas, according to Reuters.

9.55 am: West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh says the state government has failed to handle the pandemic adding that it must seek the Centre’s views, reports The Indian Express. “Every day we are getting reports of Covid patients being denied treatment at state-run hospitals,” he says. “Even some are dying after failing to get a hospital bed. Patients are also committing suicide. It is clear from these incidents that there is a lapse in providing treatment to covid patients. The state government is neither acknowledging its failures nor rectifying it.”

9.52 am: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams officials say that 743 employees have tested positive till Sunday, reports News18. The Tirumala Venkateswara temple was reopened on June 11.

9.51 am: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has sealed Central Mall in Navrangpura ward “until further orders” for violating Covid-19 norms, reports The Indian Express. During an inspection by the corporation’s solid waste management department, it was found that physical distancing norms have been flouted and trial rooms were used rampantly. It also found several people not wearing masks.

9.43 am: India registers 62,064 new cases on Monday, taking the overall tally to 22,15,074. The toll for the first time rises by 1,007 to 44,386.

9.39 am: The Centre once again asks the West Bengal government to allow the entry of 2,680 people stranded in Bangladesh since the lockdown began, reports PTI. “Our Mission in Dhaka has once again reported that 2,399 people are seeking to return to West Bengal from Bangladesh through the Petrapole-Benapole integrated checkpost and further 281 citizens are seeking to do so through the Phulbari-Banglabandha land border,” reads the letter by Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Vikram Doraiswami to state Chief Secretary Rajiv Sinha.

9.37 am: India on Sunday tested 4,77,023 samples, says the Indian Council of Medical Research.

9.30 am: Britain has recorded over 1,000 new Covid-19 infections in one day for the first time since late June, reports AP.

9.20 am: In Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai, gyms reopen from Monday as part of the relaxations of restrictions under “Unlock 3”, reports ANI.

9.15 am: Assam’s coronavirus tally reached 58,837 on Sunday after 1,123 new cases were reported, reports PTI. The state’s toll stood at 145 after five more patients died.

9.10 am: Odisha’s Covid-19 toll rose to 272 on Sunday after 13 more patients died, reports PTI. The state’s coronavirus tally went up by 1,734 to 45,927.

8.38 am: Saudi Arabia will begin its Phase III clinical trials soon on around 5,000 people for a coronavirus vaccine developed by China’s CanSino Biologics Inc, reports Reuters.

8.12 am: New Zealand has marked 100 days with no new reported coronavirus cases, a milestone as the pandemic continues to devastate other countries, reports AP.

“It was good science and great political leadership that made the difference,” says professor Michael Baker, an epidemiologist at the University of Otago. “If you look around the globe at countries that have done well, it’s usually that combination.”

7.50 am: Andhra Pradesh recorded 10,820 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking its total to 2.27 lakh, reports PTI. With 97 deaths, the toll stood at 2,039.

7.45 am: India’s coronavirus recoveries have crossed 15 lakh-mark. “[This] has been made possible because of the policy of testing aggressively, tracking comprehensively and treating efficiently,” says the health ministry. “Better ambulance services, focus on standard of care and use of non-invasive oxygen have given desired results.”

It also says that the coronavirus cases remain concentrated in 10 states, which contribute to more than 80% of the new cases.

7.30 am: Here are the top updates from Sunday:

1. India registered its highest recovery with 53,879 patients discharged in last 24 hours. With this, the country’s recovery rate stands at 68.78%. India also registered a record 64,399 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking its total to 21,53,010. The toll rose by 861 to 43,379. India also tested a record 7,19,364 samples.  
2. Maharashtra’s Covid-19 tally reached 5,15,332 with the addition of 12,248 cases. The toll rose to 17,757 with 390 more deaths. Goa registered a record 506 new cases. Tamil Nadu recorded 5,994 fresh infections and 119 deaths. The state’s total count is now 2,96,901. In Andhra Pradesh, a whopping 10,820 new patients were added to the state tally, and 97 people died.  
3. Delhi reported 1,300 fresh cases. With this, the Capital’s tally rose to 1,45,427 and toll stood at 4,111. Health Minister Satyendar Jain claimed the recent rise in cases in the national Capital to was because “patients from outside getting [were] tested here”. Otherwise, he asserted, there had been a decline in cases within Delhi.
4. Amit Shah has not undergone any new Covid-19 test, a home ministry official clarified on Sunday hours after Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manoj Tiwari tweeted that the Union home minister has tested negative for the virus. Tiwari later deleted the tweet.
5. Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu said he had tested positive for the coronavirus. “Following fever, I got myself tested and was found to be infected by coronavirus,” Sriramulu tweeted in Kannada. Sriramulu has been admitted to the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru.    
6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an Agricultural Investment Fund worth Rs 1 lakh crore to provide an impetus to the farming sector amid the coronavirus crisis. Modi also transferred Rs 17,000 crores to the bank accounts of over 8 crore farmers as the sixth installment of the PM-KISAN scheme.