Covid-19: Mumbai records 37 deaths, lowest since April 9, Maharashtra registers 24,136 new cases

10.09 pm: Bharat Biotech says it expects Emergency Use Listing of its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin from the World Health Organization by July-September.

10.05 pm: Haryana records 2,817 new coronavirus cases and 128 deaths on Tuesday, PTI reports. The state’s total cases rise to 7,44,602, while toll reaches 7,735.

9.57 pm: The Delhi government caps transportation charges for oxygen cylinders, PTI reports.

For B-type oxygen cylinder, the charge is fixed at Rs 50, for D-type and Jumbo-type it is Rs 150 and Rs 250 per unit, respectively.

9.52 pm: Maharashtra records 24,136 new Covid cases and 601 deaths on Tuesday. The state’s total count of cases rises to 56,26,155, while the toll is 90,349.

9.47 pm: Karnataka records 22,758 new cases, 38,224 recoveries and 588 deaths on Tuesday. Even though the number of recoveries is more than the new infection, there are concerns about the rise in cases in rural areas and an increasing number of cases of mucormycosis or “black fungus”, NDTV reports.

9.41 pm: Mumbai records 37 deaths on Tuesday, the lowest since April 9, NDTV reports. The city records 1,037 new coronavirus cases.

9.39 pm: Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine is found to be effective in adolescents aged 12-17, Reuters reports.

7.27 pm: The Assam government has extended curfew in its urban areas till June 5, according to ANI. Under the new guidelines, all shops, commercial establishments and government and private offices will be closed by 1 pm on all days.

7.21 pm: Kerala Health Minister Veena George says Covid cases are decreasing, and testing has increased. “Rise in deaths due to surge in positive cases a few weeks ago but death rate remains same, not increasing,” she tells ANI. “More mucormycosis [or black fungus] cases are being reported. As of now, there are about 44 or 46 cases.”

7.19 pm: Kerala reports 29,803 new Covid-19 cases, 33,397 recoveries and 177 deaths, reports ANI. The toll rose to 7,731.

5.57 pm: Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital administration in Pune says it will administer coronavirus vaccines to low-income citizens for free, reports ANI.

5.49 pm: The Telangana government directs officials to vaccinate citizens against the coronavirus who are employed in fruit, vegetable and flower markets and petrol pump, reports ANI. Those delivering liquified petroleum gas as well as auto and cab drivers would also be covered in this special drive.

5.46 pm: Union Minister of State for Chemical and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya says that nearly 15-16 lakh vials of amphotericin B, the medicine used in the treatment of mucormycosis, or “black fungus”, is expected in June, reports ANI. He says that 8 lakh vials to be produced in India while 7 lakh will come from import.

5.43 pm: The Telangana government gives its permission to start coronavirus vaccinations for residents above 18 years in hospitals as well as workplaces on the request of institutions, companies and gated communities, reports ANI.

5.40 pm: Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu announces that the state government has decided to provide free treatment to coronavirus patients under the Sarbat Sehat Beema Yojna in empanelled private hospitals, reports ANI.

5.36 pm: The Union health ministry says it has so far sent 17,755 oxygen concentrators, 16,301 oxygen cylinders, 19 oxygen generation plants; 13,449 ventilators, around 6.9 lakh of anti-viral drug remdesivir vials, about 12 lakh favipiravir tablets between April 27 and May 24 to states and Union Territories from the foreign aid the country received.

4.32 pm: Delhi reports 1,568 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the national Capital to 14,19,986. With 156 deaths, the toll climbs to 23,565. The city’s positivity rate falls to 2.14%

4.26 pm: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan says that the coronavirus outbreak has placed unprecedented demand on the health system, reports ANI. “Our health facilities and workforce are currently inundated with a plethora of activities related to controlling the pandemic,” he adds.

4.24 pm: Odisha registers 10,939 new coronavirus cases and 33 deaths, reports PTI.

4.18 pm: Deputy Commissioner of Kalaburagi district in Karnataka imposes lockdown for three days from Thursday 6 am to May 30 6 am, reports ANI. The officer says that everything except essential goods and services will be restricted during the lockdown.

4.13 pm: National Human Rights Commission issues notice to chief secretaries of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, seeking a report on action they have taken to control the spread of the coronavirus infection at sites where farmers are protesting against the agriculture laws, reports ANI. The human rights body has sought the report in four weeks and issued the notice on the basis of a complaint.

4.09 pm: Maharashtra health department says that 1,780 patients of mucormycosis, or ‘black fungus”, are being treated in the state, reports ANI. It adds that 120 have died because of the disease.

4.08 pm: The Chandigarh administration allows all shops to open on weekdays from 9 am to 3 pm, reports ANI.

2.17 pm: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope says that the state government has not received any response to the global tender floated for procurement of vaccines, reports ANI. “We are requesting the central government to float tender and provide us vaccines,” he adds.

2.14 pm: Virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang says that as daily coronavirus cases tally has stabalised, deaths are expected to taper off, reports ANI. “If they don’t, there’s issue with some aspect of our reporting systems,” she adds.

2.10 pm: Virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang says that she think that mucormycosis, or “black fungus”, is not related to coronavirus variants, reports ANI. Kang says that India has so many cases that steroids are being used freely, adding that there are a lot of diabetics, which is also a risk factor for the fungal infection.

2.06 pm: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope says that the state government has classified mucormycosis, or “black fungus”, as a notified disease, reports ANI. Tope says that there are 2,245 mucormycosis cases in the state. He adds that the patients will receive free treatment at state-run hospitals under a government scheme.

1.55 pm: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope says the government has decided to stop home isolation of patients in 18 districts, where the positivity rate is high, reports ANI. He says that the patients in these districts will have to go to a quarantine centre.

12.21 pm: A court in Delhi has adjourned the hearing on the bail application filed by businessman Navneet Kalra in connection with the oxygen concentrator black marketing case to May 28, reports PTI.

12.14 pm: The number of active cases in India decline by 1,33,934 in the last 24 hours, says health ministry. Daily positivity rate stands at 9.54%.

12.11 pm: Union ministry of chemicals and fertilisers says the Centre allocated another 19,420 vials of Amphotericin-B to states on Monday. The drug is used to treat patients with post-Covid complication “black fungus”.

A patient needs six vials a day. Last week the government said there were 8,800 patients, which means the country needs 52,000 vials a day.

12.08 pm: The Delhi High Court dismisses petition seeking directions to the Indian Council of Medical Reserach, Niti Aayog and others to reconsider the prevalent treatment protocol for mild cases of Covid-19, reports ANI. The petition had suggested that rampant use of paracetamol, antibiotics and steroids should be restricted as they were having an adverse effect on the immunity system.

11.40 am: Following the Centre’s directive, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation allows lactating women to get Covid-19 vaccines without pre-registration, reports The Indian Express. The civic body has also allowed all pregnant women to get immunised if they get a gynaecologist’s certificate and give a consent form for vaccination.

11.36 am: Russia sends antiviral drug remdesivir vials to India, reports ANI. Russian Deputy Envoy to India Roman Babushkin supplies of coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V is going on according to the contract obligations and schedules. “We are getting some more requests from other Indian companies and state governments and all proposals are being studied very carefully,” he adds.

11.33 am: Uttarakhand Health Department says that no company has responded to the global tender for coronavirus vaccines procurement floated by the state government, reports ANI. The time for submission of interest for tender has been extended till May 31.

11.27 am: The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers says that states and Union Territories have been allotted 19,420 additional vials of Amphotericin-B, the drug used for the treatment of mucormycosis, or “black fungus”, reported ANI.

10.28 am: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren says the state is facing a severe shortage of Covid-19 vaccines and has barely two-three days of shots left for those in the 18-44 age group, reports PTI.

10.26 am: The Gujarat government says it will continue to conduct vaccinations through the system of prior registration and appointment, even as the Centre has now allowed on-site registration, reports PTI.

10.25 am: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging to float global tender of vaccines in anticipation of a hike in prices of shots, reports PTI.

10.23 am: The social justice and empowerment ministry asks states to ensure that there is no discrimination against transgender persons at vaccination centres, reports PTI.

10.22 am: The Russian Direct Investment Fund and Indian drug firm Panacea Biotec has started production of Sputnik V vaccine in India, reports PTI.

10.17 am: Flight from Russia carrying Remdesivir vials along with other medicines arrives in India.

9.55 am: India reports 1,96,427 new coronavirus cases, taking the infection tally to 2,69,48,874 since the pandemic first broke out in January 2020. This is the first occasion since April 15 that the single-day rise in cases has come under two lakh. The toll climbs by 3,511 to 3,07,231.

9.17 am: National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation chief NK Arora asserts India’s decision to extend the gap between two doses of Covishield and other vaccine-related moves are based on scientific evidence, reports ANI.

Also read

Should India reduce the gap between Covishield doses based on UK data?

9.12 am: A total of 20,58,112 samples were tested for Covid-19 across the country on Monday, says Indian Council of Medical Research.

9.07 am: Here are the top updates from Monday:

• India reported 2,22,315 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections to 2,67,52,447 since the pandemic first broke out in January 2020. The toll climbed by 4,454 to 3,03,720. With this, India is now the third country in the world, after the United States and Brazil, to log over 3 lakh deaths.
• The Centre allowed on-site registrations and appointments for Covid-19 vaccination for beneficiaries between the ages of 18 and 44 on the government’s CoWin platform. Initially, the facility will only be available for government vaccination centres.
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences Director Randeep Guleria said there is no indication that the third wave of Covid-19 will affect children severely.