India registered a record single-day jump of 29,429 COVID-19 cases pushing its tally to 9,36,181 on Wednesday, while the death toll climbed to 24,309 with 582 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
Here is a list of State Helpline numbers . You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here .
Here are the latest updates:
M.P reports 638 new cases
Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday recorded 638 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 19,643. The number of active cases stands at 5,053.
Nine patients died of the illness on the day, taking the State-wide death toll to 682. As for recoveries, 333 patients were discharged from hospitals on the day. So far, 13,908 persons have been cured of the illness, says the State Directorate of Health Services.
- Sidharth Yadav
Maharashtra reports 7,975 new cases, 233 deaths
Maharashtra reporting a massive surge of 7,975 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday as its total case tally breached the 2.75 lakh mark to reach 2,75,640. As many as 233 new deaths pushed the total death toll to 10,928.
Of the total case tally, 1,11,801 are active ones, said State Health Department officials. With 3,606 patients being discharged today, the cumulative recoveries till date has gone up to 1,52,613.
With 1,374 new cases reported today, Mumbai's total case tally has now reached 96,474. However, only 22,888 of these are active cases. With 62 new deaths reported today, the city's death toll has risen to 5,467.
Pune district reported 48 deaths while Jalgaon and Nashik districts in North Maharashtra reported 14 and 13 fatalities respectively. In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Thane district reported 12 deaths while the Kalyan-Dombivli civic body reported 15 fatalities.
- Shoumojit Banerjee
5000 discharged in Tamil Nadu
As many as 5000 persons were discharged in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, while 4496 persons tested positive for COVID-19 on the day. There were 68 deaths recorded taking the death toll to 2167. The total positive is 151820, total discharged is 1,02,310.
- TN Bureau
Priyanka Gandhi slams U.P. govt. over handling of COVID-19 pandemic
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday attacked the Uttar Pradesh government over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the ground reality is completely different from the “propaganda” of the Yogi Adityanath dispensation.
“Looking at the condition of the coronavirus ward of the medical college in UP CM’s home district (Gorakhpur), you will know how much the ground reality is different from the false propaganda of the UP government,” Priyanka Gandhi said on Twitter.
The COVID-19 ward of the medical college is full of drainage water. The patients are worried and there is no system of draining out the water, the Congress general secretary in-charge of UP East tweeted in Hindi along with a video of the ward with drainage water.
- PTI
Punjab CM Amarinder Singh tests negative for COVID-19
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh tested negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday, a day after one of his cabinet colleagues contracted the infection.
Punjab Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday.
Mr. Singh urged all ministers, department secretaries and legislators to get themselves tested for COVID-19. He himself got tested and the result was negative, a spokesperson said.
- PTI
Sanitizers are disinfectants like soaps, dettol; will attract 18% GST: Finance Ministry
The government on Wednesday said sanitizers are disinfectants like soaps, anti-bacterial liquids, dettol, among others, which attract 18% duty under the GST regime.
In a statement, the Finance Ministry said various chemicals, packing materials and input services, among others, used for manufacturing hand sanitizers also attract a GST rate of 18%.
- PTI
Bihar BJP chief tests positive for COVID-19
A day after as many as 24 Bihar BJP leaders, staffs and office-bearers at the state party headquarter were found infected with the COVID-19 pandemic disease, the state party president Sanjay Jaiswal’s sample test report on Wednesday too came as positive.
His wife and mother too are said to be infected with the disease and all are advised to be in home quarantine.
Amarnath Tewary
Over 30 Raj Bhavan staff test positive in Bihar
Over three dozen staffs at Bihar Raj Bhawan (Governor's House) have found to be infected with the COVID-19.
The State reported 1320 fresh cases today, taking the cumulative total to 20,173. - Amarnath Tewary
Guidelines issued for conducting final class 12 re-exam in TN
The Revenue and Disaster Management Department has issued guidelines for the conduct of the final class 12 (Plus Two) exam for students who missed writing it due to the COVID-19 lockdown in March. The students will take up the exam in their respective schools.
The re-examination, on July 27, is being held for absentees who were unable to write the final exam for the subjects Chemistry, Accountancy and Geography on March 24 due to the restrictions in place for the lockdown.
For private candidates who are taking up the exam as well, they will have to write it in the same centres that they wrote their other papers in. If any of these centres is in a containment zone, an alternative school nearby will be assigned to the candidates.
Chief Educational Officers across districts have been asked to arrange transport facilities for the candidates taking up the exam. Fresh hall tickets too will be issued for the candidates, which can be downloaded from www.dge.tn.gov.in
Kerala High Court asks political parties to strictly adhere to COVID-19 protocol
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has directed all the political parties and other organisations in the state to strictly abide by the Central government's COVID-19 guidelines issued for the Unlock-2 period, which prohibits social, political, religious and other large congregations.
The Bench led Chief Justice S. Manikumar also directed the State government to ensure that the Centre government guidelines issued on June 29 are implemented strictly in the state.
Virus-hit Telangana Congress headquarters being sanitised
Gandhi Bhavan, the headquarters of the Congress in Telangana here, is being sanitised after some party leaders and activists tested positive for COVID-19.
The party state unit secretary, who was among those infected, died two days ago.
In view of the sanitisation, the Gandhi Bhavan would remain closed for a few days, Congress sources said on Wednesday.
Some leaders of the NSUI (National Students’ Union of India), the student wing of the Congress, had tested positive for the virus earlier.
State Congress secretary Narender Yadav succumbed to the infection on July 13 while undergoing treatment.
Three-day lockdown in Goa from Friday
A three-day lockdown with stricter provisions will be enforced in Goa from Friday in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.
Besides, there will also be a “Janata Curfew” in the state from 8 pm to 6 am every day with effect from Wednesday till August 10, he told reporters.
Only people associated with essential services and those having medical emergencies will be allowed to move out during the curfew and lockdown.
All Punjab ministers to undergo coronavirus test
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has advised his cabinet colleagues to undergo test for coronavirus after one of the ministers tested positive for the infection.
All the cabinet ministers will give their samples for testing (coronavirus) today. Their results will come by today evening or tomorrow, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu told reporters.
Punjab Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa on Tuesday had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He is the first minister in the state to contract the infection. - PTI
Partial lockdown in Shivamogga from Thursday
The Shivamogga district administration has imposed partial lockdown across the district with effect from Thursday. Shops and business establishments will be allowed to open only up to 2 p.m. The lockdown will be in effect until the administration takes a further decision.
This was decided in a meeting chaired by Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj K.S. Eshwarappa, who is also Minister in charge of the district, in Shivamogga on Wednesday. Elected representatives, officials and members of various organisations attended the meeting.
The Minister, briefing the media, said the administration had to take this decision to avoid the spread of COVID-19 infection in the district. The police would be given full powers to avoid people gathering in big numbers. “There will be no restriction on agriculture activities. Industries can also function normally; however, the employees should carry identity cards”, he said.
TN govt gives consent to BCG trial at ICMR’s Chennai institute
Sanction has been accorded to a trial by the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Tuberculosis institute to study the efficacy of BCG vaccine in the elderly in the fight against COVID-19.
Chief Minister K Palaniswami, in an order, has given the State’s approval after ICMR sought Tamil Nadu government’s permission to study the efficacy of the Bacillus Calmette- Gurin (BCG) vaccine in senior citizens at its National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) at Chetpet in Chennai,Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said.
Not all pregnant women going to hospitals need to undergo COVID-19 test, AAP govt tells HC
Not all pregnant women are required to undergo COVID-19 tests when they go to a hospital for obstetrical care (child birth), the AAP government told the Delhi High Court on Wednesday.
The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan by the Delhi government on affidavit which stated that only suspected cases of COVID-19 are tested for the viral infection.
However, obstetrical care cannot be delayed for want of testing, the Delhi government said, adding that not all symptomatic pregnant women would be tested.
Only those coming from hotspots or those who have had contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 are tested for the viral infection, the government has said.
Coimbatore District Collector K. Rajamani tests COVID-19 positive
Coimbatore District Collector K. Rajamani tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
Confirming it, a senior official of the district administration said Mr. Rajamani had mild symptoms and he was admitted to a private hospital in Coimbatore.
“The Collector's chamber is closed and it will be fumigated. The staff strength has been reduced to 50 %,” the official said.
Health Department sources said that efforts were being made to prepare a list of people who were in contact with the Collector over the last several days. Apart from being part of several public events and meetings, Mr. Rajamani was also seen inspecting COVID-19 affected areas and treatment facilities. He was giving directions to officials until Monday.
Delhi in much better position than estimated, says Kejriwal
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the capital was in a much better position regarding COVID-19 than had been estimated amid rising cases in June, but asserted that there was no room for complacency.
Both active cases and deaths had reduced in the city due to the ‘Delhi Model,’ also been praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.
“Precisely 1.5 months ago, around June 1, we had estimated on the basis of a formula created by the Centre that there would be 2.25 lakh cases, but these are actually half of that; there are 1.15 lakh cases,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
“The Delhi government on its own would have failed at this; we went to all stakeholders from the Centre to banquet hall owners in the city for help. All this has been achieved by all of us and especially (the) 2 crore Delhiites,” he said, while thanking all those engaged on the frontline in combating the pandemic.
Home white-ball series against England set to be postponed
The Indian cricket team’s six-match limited-overs home series against England scheduled in September is all set to be postponed along with New Zealand A’s visit of the country next month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The BCCI is yet to make any formal announcement in this regard but it is expected that it will happen soon.
Bishop Franco Mulakkal tests positive
Former Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of raping a nun in Kerala, has tested positive for COVID-19, a Health Department official said on Tuesday.
A Kottayam court in Kerala had cancelled Mulakkal’s bail on Monday citing his failure to appear for the trial. It issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
Mulakkal’s report, confirming him to be positive for COVID-19, came on Monday evening, said COVID-19 nodal officer for Jalandhar, T.P. Singh.
A.P. to ‘unlock’ tourist destinations from August 1
Tourism Minister Muthamsetti Srinivasa Rao has said the State will throw open tourism destinations to visitors from August 1.
He said the department had incurred a revenue loss to the tune of ₹60 crore on account of the lockdown which saw all tourist destinations shutting down. If there were any repairs to be carried out, they would be done in the next 15 days and from August 1, all tourist destinations would be ready to welcome visitors, he added.
COVID-19 resurges in Kerala as migrants return, testing rate drops
Once known for flattening the curve, Kerala is witnessing resurgence in the COVID-19 cases.
On Tuesday, Kerala recorded 608 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike since its first case on January 30.
There are four reasons behind this spike. Here is our data story on Kerala's COVID-19 resurgence.
Goa govt starts online admissions in colleges
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Goa government has started online admissions from Wednesday in all colleges affiliated to the state Directorate of Higher Education (DHE).
Under the centralised online process, students can apply for admission on DHE’s portal for various degree courses and need not visit the colleges.
“Online admissions in government and aided colleges under administrative control of DHE Goa for courses such as Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Bachelor of Science (BSc) Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA), Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), law, music, home science, agriculture, Bachelor of Education (BEd) and others shall start from July 15, 2020,” a circular said.
Students can apply for admissions on DHE’s website - www.dhe.goa.gov.in
Zydus Cadila begins human clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidate
Drug firm Zydus Cadila on Wednesday said it has started human clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate ZyCoV-D.
In the phase of trials, the company will be enrolling over 1,000 subjects across multiple clinical study sites in India, it said in a regulatory filing.
The adaptive phase I/ II human clinical trials of ZyCoV-D have commenced with the first human dosing, it said, adding that the adaptive phase I/II dose escalation, multi-centric study will assess the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the vaccine.
Earlier this month, Zydus had received approval from domestic authorities to start human trials for its COVID-19 vaccine contender - the second Indian pharmaceutical firm to get such nod amid a surge in novel coronavirus infections worldwide. - PTI
J&K BJP chief tests positive, Union Minister goes into quarantine
J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina
J&K BJP unit president Ravinder Raina on Tuesday tested positive for the novel coronavirus, forcing Union Minister Dr. Jitender Singh and national vice president Avinash Rai Khanna to go into self-quarantine.
“I had been staying in Kashmir’s Bandipora for five days after our party leader Wasim Bari was killed by militants. I felt some mild fever on Tuesday and my swab sample turned out to be COVID-19 positive,” Mr. Raina said.
He was accompanied by BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, Dr. Singh and Mr. Khanna on July 12 when they visited the house of Bari, who was killed by militants along with his father and brother.
A BJP source said around 20 leaders have been isolated after the reports. - Peerzada Ashiq
Moderna's COVID vaccine trial 'promising'
Biotech firm Moderna Inc's experimental vaccine for COVID-19 showed it was safe and provoked immune responses in all 45 healthy volunteers in an ongoing early-stage study, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
Moderna was the first to start human testing of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus on March 16, 66 days after the genetic sequence of the virus was released. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whose researchers developed Moderna's vaccine candidate, called the results “good news,” noting that the study found no serious adverse events and the vaccine produced “reasonably high” levels of virus-killing or neutralising antibodies.
Comprehensive lockdown in Kolkata
Policemen keep vigil outside a containment zone in Kolkata on July 14, 2020.
Home Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said broad-based containment zone approach will remain in place till July 19. The notification said “rigours of containment zones be particularly enforced in and around the city of Kolkata, and inter alia in towns of Jalpaiguri, Malda, Coochbehar, Raiganj and Silliguri where comprehensive lockdown will be affected from Wednesday”.
J&K opens for tourists but tour operators cautious
Just another day in paradise A CRPF jawan stands guard on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar on Tuesday. Authorities have decided to open Jammu and Kashmir to tourists in a phased manner subject to certain guidelines. NISSAR AHMAD
Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday re-opened for tourists for the first time since the nationwide lockdown was imposed in the second week of March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, stakeholders in the tourism industry termed the announcement “sudden and without preparations”.
The J&K administration has chalked out standard operating procedures (SOPs) for prospective tourists to make their travel hassle free. According to the guidelines, COVID-19 testing and pre-bookings for accommodation and transport facility is a must.
New quarantine policy for air passengers from today
Many passengers coming to Visakhapatnam by air have been demanding for some time that swab testing should be done at the airport itself. Earlier, all the air passengers were being taken to the Sri Sitarama Kalyana Mandapam near Akkayyapalem Highway in RTC buses for swab testing involving a long, tedious process, which drew flak from passengers.
The new order issued by the State government a couple of days ago provides for random swab testing of 10% of domestic air passengers at the airport itself and sending them to home quarantine for 14 days. Those aged above 60 and below 10 would not be tested.
Kerala to ready 50,000 beds in 10 days
Beds arranged for COVID-19 patients at the Kasaragod Medical College Hospital in Kerala.
Anticipating a massive surge in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the coming weeks, the government on Tuesday issued an order deputing IAS officials to every district to assist all Collectors in setting up and operationalising more COVID-19 first-line treatment centres (CFLTCs) and reverse quarantine facilities in districts.
CFLTCs with a minimum of 100 beds per panchayat and 50 beds per urban wards should be identified and readied for operation to contain the spread.
Udupi borders to be sealed for a fortnight
Health workers at a testing centre in Sir C.V. Raman General Hospital in Bengaluru. File
Health workers at a testing centre in Sir C.V. Raman General Hospital in Bengaluru. File
The Udupi administration on Tuesday decided to seal the district borders at 8 p.m. on Wednesday night till July 29 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Movement to and from the district will not be allowed during the period, while commercial activities can go on as they did during Unlock 2.0, Deputy Commissioner G. Jagadeesha has said.
Week-long total lockdown in border areas in Tripura
The Tripura government on Tuesday announced a week-long “total lockdown” in areas along the border with Bangladesh to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar, who is also Chairman of State Executive Committee on COVID-19, said the measure will be enforced for seven days from 7 a.m. on July 17.
Is there special facility to conduct COVID-19 test for public servants on duty during lockdown, asks HC
Expressing concern over the health of a large number of public servants who will be on duty during the lockdown, the High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday asked the State government whether any special facility was in place for them in case they had to be tested for COVID-19.
