Coronavirus News LIVE: India's COVID-19 infection tally raced past 19 lakh on Wednesday, two days after it crossed the 18-lakh mark, with 52,509 people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in a day, while the recoveries have mounted to 12,82,215, according to the Union Health Ministry data. Zydus Cadila announced that its plasmid DNA vaccine to prevent COVID-19, ZyCoV-D was found to be safe and well tolerated in the Phase I clinical trial. The company will now commence Phase II clinical trials from the 6th of August, 2020.
Aug 5, 2020
19:53
Pondy minister and his son test positive for coronavirus, admitted to JIPMER
Puducherry Welfare Minister M Kandasamy and his son tested positive for coronavirus and were admitted to JIPMER on Wednesday,officials said.
Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar told PTI that both were admitted in the evening.
According to sources, the minister and his son had got infected through contact as one of the members in the family was admitted in JIPMER for treatment of the infection recently.
Meanwhile, opposition AINRC legislator N S J Jayabal was discharged from hospital after COVID-19 treatment.
Official sources said the legislator was admitted to the hospital on July 24.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
19:24
86-year-old man with comorbidities recovers from COVID disease
An 86-year-old man with underlying health conditions has recovered from the COVID-19 disease and discharged from a hospital here in Maharashtra, an official said on Wednesday.
The patient was admitted in Mission Hospital here 18 days ago and shifted to its isolation ward after he tested positive for coronavirus, said hospital superintendent C D Moses.
The senior citizen had comorbidies like blood pressure and a kidney disorder, Dr Moses said, adding that the patient was put on ventilator for 12 days.
He said the octogenarian was given anti-viral drugs, to which he responded well.
He was discharged on Tuesday.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
18:12
Tamil Nadu to allow gyms to reopen from August 10 onwards
The Tamil Nadu governemnt has decided to allow gyms to reopen from August 10 onwards. A detailed SOP will be issued shortly for these establishments to follow.
Its noteworthy that TN allowed reopening of dine-in services at non-air-conditioned restaurants from August 1 onwards. Malls and F&B services at hotels have remained shut since March.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
17:39
India's 'amazing' support could help bring 'good news' to world on rapid COVID-19 testing: Israel
Applauding as "amazing" India's support in developing a rapid test for COVID-19, Israel on Wednesday expressed hope that the joint efforts could bring "good news" to the world within a few months.
Israeli and Indian scientists are jointly working on an ambitious project to develop a rapid corona test that can provide results within tens of seconds.
The Directorate of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D), in the Israel Ministry of Defence (IMoD), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have completed their mission of collecting samples to test and validate four Israeli diagnostic technologies, a press statement by IMoD here said.
"The goal is to bring to the world the technological capability to perform rapid Corona tests within tens of seconds, which will enable the opening of airports, office buildings, schools, train stations and more," Col. Asaf Maller, Israel's Defense Attache to India, was quoted in the statement as saying.
"The Indian support for the project is amazing. All research and development bodies, including the Scientific Adviser to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, have joined the operation in full force. We hope that in a few months we will be able to bring good news to the world," Maller emphasised.
The Israeli team which left for India on July 26 will be returning in the coming days with more than 20,000 samples collected from COVID-19 patients, sources here said.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
17:01
90% of recovered COVID-19 patients in Wuhan suffering from lung damage
Ninety percent of a sample group of coronavirus-recovered patients from a prominent hospital in China's Wuhan city where the pandemic broke out have reported lung damage and five per cent of them are again in quarantine after testing positive for the virus, according to a media report on Wednesday.
A team at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University led by Peng Zhiyong, director of the hospital's Intensive Care Unit, has been conducting follow-up visits with '100 recovered patients' since April.
The first phase of this one-year programme finished in July. The average age of the patients in the study is 59.
According to the first phase results, 90 percent of the patients' lungs are still in a damaged state, which means their lungs ventilation and gas exchange functions have not recovered to the level of healthy people, state-run Global Times reported.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
16:30
Karnataka: State Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar inaugurates state's first Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved mobile #COVID19 testing labs. pic.twitter.com/ITgEMMJTiV
India has continued testing over 6 lakh COVID-19 samples for the second consecutive day. With 6,19,652 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the cumulative testing as on date has reached 2,14,84,402. The tests per million has seen a sharp increase to 15568: Union Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/usB7LUcfOY
Coronavirus News LIVE updates: Arthritis drug can shorten hospital stay for severe COVID-19 patients: Study
The drug tocilizumab, which is used in the treatment of various forms of arthritis, can greatly shorten the time on ventilation and hospital stays for patients with severe COVID-19, according to a Swedish study. The study, published in The Journal of Internal Medicine, included 87 patients with severe COVID-19 in intensive care at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
16:22
Coronavirus News LIVE updates: 36-year-old cardiac surgeon dies of COVID-19 in Kolkata
A 36-year-old cardiac surgeon has died of COVID-19 in Kolkata, Health Department sources said on Wednesday. Dr Nitish Kumar was diagnosed with COVID-19 in mid-July and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital where he worked, they said. Dr Kumar got infected around 25 days back while serving the people. All efforts were made to save him but his condition continuously deteriorated," a doctor at the hospital said.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
16:21
Coronavirus News LIVE updates: India's COVID-19 recovery rate rises to 67.19%; case fatality drops to 2.09%: Govt
A total of 51,706 patients have recuperated from COVID-19 in India in a span of 24 hours, the highest in a day, pushing the recovery rate to 67.19 percent on Wednesday while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 2.09 percent, the Union health ministry said. The recoveries have surged to 12,82,215 and are more than twice the active cases of the coronavirus infection, it said.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
15:46
7 die of COVID-19 in Puducherry as toll reaches 65
Puducherry recorded seven COVID-19 deaths, including three women, on Wednesday while 286 fresh cases, the highest-ever on a single day here, were reported taking the overall tally of cases to 4,432.
The deaths during the 24 hours in the Union Territory took the toll to 65 so far since the outbreak of the virus, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao told a virtual press conference. Of the four men who died, one aged 48 passed away in JIPMER while another patient died at the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College Hospital (IGGMCH).
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
15:30
COVID-19 in Andamans; 98 new cases reported
Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported the first death of a child due to COVID-19 as an eight-year-old boy succumbed to the infection on Wednesday, a health official said. Ninety-eight more people have tested positive for COVID-19, taking the Union Territory caseload to 928, he said. Three of the new patients have travel history, while 95 people tested positive for the infection during contact tracing, the official said, adding the number of active cases in the archipelago now stands at 639.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
14:50
Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam tests positive for COVID-19
Veteran singer-actor SP Balasubrahmanyam on Wednesday said he has been admitted to a hospital after testing positive for coronavirus.
The 74-year-old singer, who has worked across Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam film industries, shared the news in a video message on Facebook.
Balasubrahmanyam said he was feeling chest congestion, cold and "on and off" fever since two-three days, following which he got himself tested for COVID-19.
"They said it is a very mild case of coronavirus positive. They said you can stay at home and self quarantine and asked me to take some medications.
"But I didn't want to do that with all my family members being very concerned for me. So, I got admitted to a hospital, my friends are here and taking good care of me," the veteran singer said.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
14:39
10,026 Maha cops contract COVID-19, death toll reaches 107
Over 10,000 Maharashtra Police personnel have so far tested positive for coronavirus and 107 of them have died due to the viral infection, an official said
on Wednesday.
The police personnel who tested positive for the disease included 1,035 officers, he said.
"So far, 10,026 personnel have tested positive for COVID-19. Of them, 107 personnel, including 10 officers, have died," the official said, adding that more than 50 per cent of the casualties were reported from the Mumbai Police force.
As of now, there are 1,859 active cases in the police force while 8,060 personnel have recovered from the disease.
The official said there have been 324 incidents of attacks on police personnel so far during implementation of the prohibitory orders amid the coronavirus-induced restrictions.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
14:06
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Scientists engineer decoy protein that neutralises coronavirus
Scientists have engineered a decoy protein which binds to the novel coronavirus and blocks infection in cultured cells, an advance that may lead to a therapeutic or preventive agent against COVID-19.
According to the researchers, including Erik Procko from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in the US, in order to infect a human cell, a virus must first bind to a receptor protein on the surface of the cell.
For the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, they said this happens via a receptor protein called ACE2, which is found particularly in tissues in the lungs, heart, arteries, kidneys and intestines, playing a number of roles, including the regulation of blood pressure and inflammation.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
13:50
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Sean Penn marries in 'COVID wedding'
Actor Sean Penn has confirmed that he tied the knot with his girlfriend Leila George in an intimate ceremony during the coronavirus pandemic.
There were rumours floating on social media that 59-year-old Penn had secretly married George, 28. The two have been in a relationship for the past four years.
On Tuesday, the actor broke the news during a virtual appearance on talk show "Late Night with Seth Meyers". Meyers asked Penn about the rumours and he confirmed them by showing his wedding ring.
The Oscar winner revealed that he and George got married on 30 July.
"We did a COVID wedding. By that I mean it was a county commissioner on Zoom and we were at the house, my two children and her brother, and we did it that way, Penn said.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
13:44
Coronavirus India LIVE Updates
A thick blanket of security was thrown over Ayodhya in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit here on Wednesday to lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple, and it has been ensured that all 300 police personnel deployed for PM's security are COVID-19 negative.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
13:05
Coronavirus India LIVE Updates: Bhubaneswar COVID testing results will be uploaded on ICMR portal on real time basis
The COVID-19 test results coming from various testing centers across Bhubaneswar will be uploaded on the ICMR portal in real time basis for quick contact tracing, an official said. Instruction in this regard has been issued by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary, the official said.
Chairing a meeting of all the city-based COVID testing agencies on Tuesday for smooth testing and reporting, the BMC Commissioner ordered that the data be uploaded on the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)- portal - cvanalytics.icmr.org.in/login.php - timely in a phase-wise manner from Thursday, PTI reported.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
12:55
Mothers should continue to breastfeed infants even if they are COVID positive: Women and Child Development Ministry
The Women and Child Development Ministry has instructed all field functionaries and healthcare providers to reassure mothers to initiate and continue to breastfeed their infants as per guidelines even if they have tested positive for COVID-19. Noting that breastfeeding helps to protect a baby even if the mother is infected with coronavirus, the WCD ministry said the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare must be followed by those who are suspected or confirmed to have infected with the coronavirus.
Reassuring mothers, the WCD ministry said the coronavirus has not been found in amniotic fluid or breast milk which means that the virus is not being transmitted during pregnancy or through breast milk. (PTI)
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
12:50
Coronavirus India LIVE Updates: The COVID19 tally in Himachal Pradesh rises to 2879, including 12 deaths and 1714 cured patients: Government of Himachal Pradesh
The #COVID19 tally in Himachal Pradesh rises to 2879, including 12 deaths and 1714 cured patients: Government of Himachal Pradesh pic.twitter.com/PDTVhpOXuK
Coronavirus India LIVE Updates: Odisha's COVID-19 caseload crosses 39,000-mark; death toll mounts to 225
Odisha's COVID-19 caseload crossed the 39,000-mark with the detection of 1,337 fresh infections, while nine more fatalities pushed its coronavirus death toll to 225 on Wednesday. The fresh infections reported in 28 districts took the state's tally to 39,018, a health official said. As many as 815 new cases were reported from quarantine centres, while 522 people tested positive for the infection during contact tracing, the official added.
Ganjam district, Odisha's COVID-19 hotspot, reported the highest number of new cases at 201, followed by Khurda (196), Cuttack (168), Sundergarh (83), Keonjhar (80), Gajapati (75), Puri (72) and Nayagarh (60). Twenty other districts reported less than 60 cases each, he said. (PTI)
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
12:12
Coronavirus India LIVE Updates: Zydus Cadila to commence phase II clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine from August 6
Zydus Cadila announced that its plasmid DNA vaccine to prevent COVID-19, ZyCoV-D was found to be safe and well tolerated in the Phase I clinical trial. The company will now commence Phase II clinical trials from the 6th of August, 2020.
The company reports that the doses of the vaccine administered to healthy volunteers in the Phase I clinical trial, which began on 15th July 2020, has been well tolerated. Previously, the vaccine was found to be safe, immunogenic and well tolerated in the pre-clinical toxicity studies. The vaccine was able to elicit high level of neutralizing antibodies in animal studies.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
11:43
Coronavirus India LIVE Updates: Lupin launches Favipravir drug for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 priced at Rs 49/tablet.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
11:33
Rajasthan COVID-19 cases rise over 47,000
593 #COVID19 cases reported in Rajasthan today; 10 deaths and 68 recovered cases. Total COVID tally in the state rises to 47,272 including 742 deaths and 32,900 recovered cases: Government of Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/vQHrknL5q5
- Dip in active cases for the first time since May 30.
- India's total cases have crossed 19 lakh. New cases: 52.5k. New recoveries more than 51k (51,706). Previous highest: 51,255 (August 2)
- Number of active cases in Delhi slips below 10k. Recovery rate is now 90%. Ranked No.14 in India now in active cases.
- India's recovery rate improves further to 67.2% (from 66.3% yesterday)
- Andhra Pradesh reports more new cases than Maharashtra (9,747 v/s 7,760)
- Maharashtra new recoveries continue to be more than new cases (12,326 vs 7760). Also in Tamil Nadu (6,501 v/s 5,063)
- Uttar Pradesh crosses 1 lakh total cases. 6 Indian states have more than 1 lakh total cases.
- Global coronavirus deaths cross 7 lakh mark. Global deaths per million population is 90 (29 for India). USA alone accounts for 23% of the deaths.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
11:11
Coronavirus India LIVE Updates: 52,509 fresh COVID-19 cases push India's 19 tally to 19,08,254; death toll climbs to 39,795
India's COVID-19 infection tally raced past 19 lakh on Wednesday, two days after it crossed the 18-lakh mark, with 52,509 people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in a day, while the recoveries have mounted to 12,82,215, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The total coronavirus cases in the country surged to 19,08,254 while the death toll climbed to 39,795 with 857 people succumbing to the disease in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
11:00
Global coronavirus deaths exceed 7,00,000, one person dies every 15 seconds on average
The global death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 7,00,000 on August 5, according to a Reuters tally, with the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico leading the rise in fatalities. Nearly 5,900 people are dying every 24 hours from COVID-19 on average, according to Reuters calculations based on data from the past two weeks. That equates to 247 people per hour, or one person every 15 seconds. The United States and Latin America are the new epicenters of the pandemic and both are struggling to curb the spread of the virus. (Source: Reuters)
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
10:45
Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan discharged from Bhopal's Chirayu Hospital after recovering from #COVID19. He had tested positive for the disease on 25th July. The hospital has advised him to isolate himself at home and self monitor his health for a further 7 days.
Share:
Aug 5, 2020
10:34
India's #COVID19 tally crosses 19-lakh mark with single-day spike of 52,509 new cases & 857 deaths in the last 24 hours.
The total number of positive cases is 19,08,255 including 5,86,244 active cases, 12,82,216 cured/discharged/migrated & 39,795 deaths: Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/JbTtxwbD2y
Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: UP Cabinet Minister Brajesh Pathak on Wednesday tested positive for Covid-19. Pathak said that he got himself tested after he showed symptoms for Covid-19 and appealed to people who came in contact with him to quarantine themselves.