India
Coronavirus Latest News LIVE Updates: India Records Over 4 Lakh Covid Cases In 24 Hours In New High
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: There were 3,523 fatalities, bringing the death count to 2,11,853.
New Delhi:
India recorded on Saturday over 400,000 new Covid cases in 24 hours for the first time, the first country to do so in the pandemic, official data showed.
According to the health ministry, 401,993 new infections were registered taking the total caseload to 1,91,64,969. There were 3,523 fatalities, bringing the death count to 2,11,853.
Authorities lowered their guard in the early part of the year after infections fell below 10,000 per day, lifting restrictions on most activity.
Mass religious gatherings such as the Kumbh Mela, attracting millions of Hindu pilgrims, and political rallies were allowed to continue even when cases numbers began rising sharply in late March.
Meanwhile, the United States will restrict travel from India starting next week, due to rampant spread of Covid-19 in the country, the White House said Friday.
“On the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the administration will restrict travel from India,” Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
She cited “extraordinarily high Covid-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in the India” and said the policy will come into effect from May 4.
Here are the Latest News Live Updates:
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday urged all political parties to come forward to make the COVID-19 vaccination programme for people above 18 years, which is starting from today, successful.
“All the political parties and governments should come forward mutually to rise above politics and selfishness with full loyalty and honesty to make the vaccination program starting from today (May 1) in which people aged above 18-year will be eligible for taking the shot of the COVID-19 vaccine,” the BSP Supremo tweeted.
People who have registered on CoWIN app & received a message can go to vaccination centres. Don’t go to centres until and unless you receive a message. If you have registered but have not received a message, don’t go to the centre: Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar#COVID19pic.twitter.com/Jph3IEk3Lj
– ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2021
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.
Mr 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.
India reports 4,01,993 new #COVID19 cases, 3523 deaths and 2,99,988 discharges in the last 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry
Total cases: 1,91,64,969
Total recoveries: 1,56,84,406
Death toll: 2,11,853
Active cases: 32,68,710Total vaccination: 15,49,89,635 pic.twitter.com/S56SPyLZtq
– ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2021
The UN children’s agency has sent critical life-saving supplies, including 3,000 oxygen concentrators, diagnostic tests and other equipment to help India combat a “devastating new wave” of COVID-19.
The UNICEF also said it is continuing to support the Indian government in the acceleration of its national vaccine rollout to equitably reach all population groups.
During the daily press briefing on Friday, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the UN chief, referred to the tweet by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that he and the UN family stand in solidarity with the people of the country as they face a horrific COVID-19 outbreak and the UN stands ready to step up its support to the country.
As the COVID-19 cases in the state continue to rise, Kerala Chief Minister Pinaryi Vijayan on Friday said a complete lockdown may be imposed in the districts with a higher positivity rate from May 4.
“The surge in the Covid cases shows that the situation in the state is going worse. In this context, the interventions have been strengthened at all levels. Apart from the restrictions announced earlier, a full lockdown may have to be imposed in some districts where the Test Positivity Rate is exceeding 50 per cent. We will be going for more stringent restrictions from May 4,” Mr Vijayan said on Friday.
The Chief Minister said that during the lockdown only essential services will be functional.
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 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.
Odisha govt has constituted an Expert Committee for taking decision on the use of Tocilizumab and other new drugs for treatment of #COVID19 patients. The Committee will examine and assess the proposal of use of such drugs on case to case basis under the supervision Of DMET. pic.twitter.com/udhbjS7C70
– ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2021
Australian residents and citizens who have been in India within 14 days of the date they plan to return home will be banned from entering Australia as of Monday and those who disobey will face fines and jail, government officials said.
The emergency determination, made late on Friday, is part of strict measures to stop travellers to Australia from the world’s second most populous nation as it contends with a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
The restrictions come into effect from May 3 and breaching the ban risks civil penalties and up to five years imprisonment, Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement.
“Our hearts go out to the people of India – and our Indian-Australian community. The friends and family of those in Australia are in extreme risk. Tragically, many are contracting COVID-19 and many, sadly, are dying every day,” Hunt said.
The Australian government will reconsider the restrictions on May 15, he said.
The over 17.46 lakh COVID-19 cases Maharashtra added in April this year was equal to the tally it had racked up in 196 days, giving an indication of the intensity of the second wave that has hit the state.
Maharashtra added 17,46,309 cases between April 1 and 30, taking the tally from 28,56,163 cases on April 1 to 46,02,472 on April 30, state government data revealed.
The caseload was 10,97,856 on September 16 last year, and it took 196 days for the tally to reach 28,56,163 as on April 1, it showed.
The month of April also saw 13,915 COVID-19 deaths, taking the count to 68,813, up from 54,898 as on April 1, as per the state government’s data.
It took 167 days to witness 14,039 deaths before April, as the count was 40,859 on October 15 last year, which rose to 54,898 as on April 1.
However, the state has also increased the number of tests to detect the infection, with April seeing 1,99,75,341 samples being examined, the data revealed.
The number of people discharged in April stood at 14,35,608, as the number of people who recovered shot up from 24,33,368 on April 1 to 38,68,976 on the last day of the month.
The Assam government on Friday extended the night curfew till May 7, following a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state.
The restrictions on movement of individuals from 8 pm to 5 am were to end on Saturday.
All shops and market places will close by 6 pm, though pharmacies, hospitals, animal care centres and veterinary clinics may operate without restrictions, being providers of essential services, according to an official order by Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah.
Services like electricity, water and sanitation and public transport are also exempt from the purview of the night curfew, it said.
Officials and persons entrusted with election-related work are exempted, too, on production of a valid identity card.
Regarding containment zones, the order said district magistrates shall take the call.
Assam on Friday reported 26 COVID-19 deaths and 3,197 fresh cases.
