Coronavirus: India registers 40,715 new cases, Maharashtra CM mulls lockdown in some cities

India on Tuesday registered 40,715 daily infections, data from the Union health ministry showed. With this, India’s tally rose to 1,16,86,796. The toll climbed by 199 to 1,60,166. Tuesday’s count is 13% lower than Monday’s numbers, which was at 46,951.

There are 3,45,377 active cases now and 1,11,81,253 people have recovered from the infection. India has so far administered 4,84,94,594 Covid-19 vaccine shots with 32,53,095 jabs given on Monday.

The health ministry in a statement said that the six states of Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu account for 80.9% of the cases in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra has been reporting the highest number of daily cases among all states in India. The state recorded 26,645 Covid-19 cases on Monday, according to The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, 80.4% of the deaths have been reported from Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. On the other hand 14 states and Union Territories did not report any death in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said.

The ministry also said that the doubling time of coronavirus cases in the country has reduced from 504.4 days on March 1, to 202.3 on March 23.

A government committee has concluded that there was no increased risk of blood clotting following vaccinations with Covishield and Covaxin so far, reported The Indian Express. The decision to review adverse reactions came after many European countries suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine amid cases of blood clots. The countries, however, restarted using the vaccine after the European drug regulator said the vaccine was safe.

The Director-General of Civil Aviation has extended the suspension of international flights till April 30. This does not include the flights already approved by the authorities. The order came within hours after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs released new coronavirus guidelines.

States updates

1. On Monday, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said people need to follow coronavirus-related safety protocols if the state was to avoid another lockdown, reported PTI. Tope said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was of the view that lockdown may become necessary in some cities if new cases continue to climb.   
2. The Karnataka government has made negative coronavirus certificate mandatory for people travelling to the state from Punjab and Chandigarh, as a measure to contain the spike in infections, reported the Hindustan Times.  
3. The Haridwar district administration and Kumbh Mela authorities have stepped up the preparations to handle the spread of the coronavirus at the event, a day after the Union health secretary wrote to the state chief secretary about inadequate measures, reported the Hindustan Times.  

Global updates

1. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 12.36 crore people and killed over 27.22 lakh, according to the John Hopkins University. Over 7 crore people have recovered from the infection in the world.
2. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will get his coronavirus vaccine shot on Tuesday, reported AP.  The country has had a comparatively slow rollout of the vaccination drive. Opponents have criticised Putin for not getting vaccinated, arguing that his reluctance is contributing to the extensive hesitance about the vaccine.
3. Spain will administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to any adult under the age of 65, said Health Minister Carolina Darias. 
4. Germany will enter a strict shutdown for five days from April 1 to 5 over Easter, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Tuesday, reported AFP. Almost all shops will be closed during the five days, and religious services will be virtual. Only grocers will be allowed to open on Saturday April 3. “The situation is serious,” said Merkel. “Case numbers are rising exponentially and intensive care beds are filling up again. Essentially, we have a new virus...it is much deadlier, much more infectious and infectious for much longer.”