With that its a wrap to the day's LIVE coverage of the coronavirus pandemic from India and around the world. Do join us tomorrow for the told developments on the COVID-19 situation. Until then, stay safe and good night.

Coronavirus in Maharashtra LIVE Updates: 1.16 lakh COVID-19 tests done in Pune in 4 weeks, says official

The Pune district administration on Thursday said that it adopted an aggressive approach to curb the spread of COVID-19, as part of which it conducted over 1.16 tests in the city in the last four weeks. A senior official said that over 27,000 people tested COVID-19 positive during the tests conducted during this period. "We consciously adopted a strategy of aggressive testing in Pune to detect more cases and the purpose was to isolate the patients, provide them early treatment and contain the spread of the virus," officer on special duty Saurabh Rao said. He said that from June 25 to July 1, a total of 22,800 tests were done in Pune city and total 4,451 cases were detected. "From July 2 to 8, over 25,200 samples were tested and 6,063 people were found to be COVID-19 positive. From July 9 to 15, the number of testings done was over 32,100 in which 6,355 people were found infected," he added.

Coronavirus in Goa LIVE Updates: 174 new cases in Goa, count reaches 4,350

174 people tested positive for coronavirus infection in Goa and one patient died at the state's dedicated COVID-19 hospital on Thursday, said a state health department official. The coronavirus case count in the coastal state is now 4,350. With the death of a 71-year-old man at ESI Hospital in Margao, COVID-19 death toll in the state rose to 29, the official said. 114 patients were discharged on Thursday, taking the recoveries to 2,655. Goa's coronavirus figures are as follows: Positive cases 4,350, new cases 174, deaths 29, discharged 2,655, active cases 1,666, samples tested till date: 1,17,321.

Coronavirus in Gujarat LIVE Updates: COVID-19: Ahmedabad tops 25,000-mark with 210 cases; 5 die

Gujarat's Ahmedabad district recorded 210 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the tally beyond the 25,000-mark on Thursday, while five more patients died due to the infection, the state Health Department said. With 210 new coronavirus cases, the tally in Ahmedabad district rose to 25,173, it said. Ahmedabad's COVID-19 tally accounts for nearly half of the cases registered across the state till now, that is 52,563. Out of the 210 new cases, 187 were reported from from Ahmedabad city and 23 from rural parts of the district, said a release by the Health Department. While four deaths were reported from the city, one patient succumbed in a rural area in the last 24 hours, it said.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Non-invasive ventilator SwasthVayu's clinical trial to start soon: NAL

The National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) on Thursday said it would soon start human clinical trial of its indigenously developed non-invasive ventilator "SwasthVayu" to treat COVID-19 patients. The trial of the first Made in India non-invasive ventilator would begin at the Manipal Hospital, which also collaborated in its development in 'record' 36 days, the NAL said in a statement here. The device can be used for COVID patients and also support those suffering from other respiratory disorders and heart failure, it said. NAL had in May last announced the development of the ventilator which was simple to use without any specialised nursing and cost effective, compact and configured with majority of indigenous components.

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Coronavirus in Punjab LIVE Updates: COVID-19 tally reaches 11,739 with record single-day spike of 441 cases

Punjab recorded on Thursday 441 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike yet, taking the tally to 11,739, while the death toll climbed to 277 with eight more people succumbing to the disease, according to a medical bulletin by the state government. Jalandhar and Patiala reported two fatalities each. One death each was reported from Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Mohali. Among the fresh cases, 89 were reported from Ludhiana, followed by 63 from Jalandhar, 53 from Patiala, 42 from Bathinda, 30 from Mohali, 22 from Amritsar, 20 from Sangrur, 17 from Ferozepur and 13 each from Pathankot, Muktsar, Faridkot and Fatehgarh Sahib. Gurdaspur had 12 new cases of the coronavirus infection, Hoshiarpur nine, Fazilka eight, Tarn Taran seven, Mansa, SBS Nagar and Kapurthala four each, Moga three and Barnala two. A total of 100 patients were discharged from hospitals on Wednesday after recovering from COVID-19. Thirteen patients were in a critical state and have been put on ventilator while 70 are on oxygen support, the bulletin said.

Coronavirus in Mumbai LIVE Updates: 1,257 new cases and 55 deaths reported in Mumbai

The tally of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai increased to 1,05,829 on Thursday with 1,257 new patients detected, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. The death toll due to the pandemic in India's financial capital rose to 5,927 with 55 patients succumbing, it said. 1,984 COVID-19 patients were discharged from city hospitals during the day, taking the number of recovered patients to 77,102. The recovery rate of coronavirus patients in Mumbai has now gone up to 72 per cent from 71 per cent the day before, the BMC said. There are 22,800 active cases in the city and 886 new suspected patients have been admitted to hospitals. So far 4.56 lakh COVID-19 tests have been carried out in the city, it said. Based on the past seven days' data, the city has an average case doubling rate of 61 days and average case growth rate of 1.14 per cent.

Coronavirus in Gujarat LIVE Updates: Record 1,078 new cases in Gujarat, 28 deaths reported

With a highest single-day spike of 1,078 cases, the coronavirus case count in Gujarat crossed 52,000 on Thursday, the state health department said. While the number of cases reached 52,563, death toll due to the pandemic in the state rose to 2,257 with 28 patients dying since Wednesday evening, it said. 718 persons were discharged from hospitals in the state during this period, taking the total of recovered coronavirus patients to 37,958. Gujarat COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 52,563, new cases 1,078, deaths 2,257, discharged 37,958, active cases 12,348 and people tested so far 5,92,123.

Coronavirus in Maharashtra LIVE Updates: 9,895 cases reported across state; 298 die, 6484 recover

Maharashtra registered 9,895 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the states tally to 3,47,502, the health department said. With 298 more deaths, the state-wide toll increased to 12,854, said a statement from the health department. It said 6,484 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to 1,94,253. There are 1,40,395 active cases in the state at present, the release said. So far, 17,37,716 people have been tested for coronavirus in Maharashtra, it added.

Coronavirus in Kerala LIVE Updates: Over 1,000 new cases recorded for 2^nd day; tally crosses 16,000

Kerala's daily COVID-19 cases continued to witness a sharp rise with 1,078 people testing positive, a new single day high, on Thursday as the infection count soared past 16,000 while the toll mounted to 50 with five more deaths. This is the second consecutive day that the fresh positive cases have crossed the 1,000 mark, taking the tally to 16,110. On Wednesday, the state had logged 1038 cases, the first time it crossed four digits. As many as 798 people contracted the virus through contact, 219 returned from overseas and other states while the source of infection of 65 patients was not yet known, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. The deaths have been reported from Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Parassala, Kollam and Kannur. The active cases touched9,458while at least 432 were discharged from hospitals after recovery.A total of 1.58 lakh people are under observation,Vijayan said. Among the districts which recorded high number of cases on Thursday were Thiruvananthapuram (222), Kollam (106), Ernakulam (100), Malappuram (89), Thrissur (83), Alappuzha (82) and Kottayam (80). In the last 24 hours, a total of 22,433 samples were sent for testing. As of now, 1.58 lakh people are under observation.

Coronavirus in Tamil Nadu LIVE Updates: TN sees highest spike of 6,400 plus cases, tally inches towards 2 lakh mark

Tamil Nadu on Thursday reported 6,472 fresh COVID infections, the highest single day spike, with the tally inching towards two lakh cases while death toll touched 3,232 with 88 fatalities, the government said. More than three fourths of the fresh cases were from districts other than Chennai, which continued to clock lower numbers, and of the dead, 77 had co-morbidities and 11 none, a health department bulletin said. A 24-year old woman, and three men, aged 26, 35 and 94 were among the fresh victims of the deadly virus. Tamil Nadu's COVID tally and Chennai's share of it inched towardstwo lakh and one lakh mark respectively. The state's case count stood at 1,92,964 while that of Chennai touched 90,900, including 1,336reported on Thursday. As many as 5,210 patients were discharged in a single day, the highest so far, and the cumulative recoveries and active cases stood at 1,36,793 and 52,939 respectively.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Stay positive to overcome Covid-19 crisis, Super 30 founder tells students

With schools still shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, noted mathematician Anand Kumar has lauded the Centre's decision to launch educational TV channels for students to keep them engaged at home, and said it was important they stay positive to overcome the crisis. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had in May announced that the government would launch TV channels to impart lessons to school students, especially those who do not have access to the Internet. The Super 30 founder, who has shared his views on the pandemic and its impact on students in a book compiled by two alumni of Brunel University London, also said that he had written to the HRD ministry to start a 24x7 TV channel to cater to the needs of lakhs of poor students. 'Together: An anthology from the COVID-19 pandemic', the book by Pauldy Otermans and Dev Aditya, has a rich collection of human experiences - mostly in the form of poems, prose and letters -- shared by established authors, leaders, celebrities, teachers, actors, students, frontline workers as well as those who have survived the outbreak.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Over 7.88 lakh Indians brought back from foreign countries

Over 7.88 lakh Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the "Vande Bharat" evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. Under the Phase 4 of the Vande Bharat mission, a total of 1,197 flights have been scheduled so far, including 945 international flights and 252 feeder flights, MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at a media briefing. "These flights are operated by the Air India group, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir. They cover 29 countries. They will be reaching 34 airports in India," he said. Of these, 694 flights have reached India as on July 22, repatriating nearly one lakh people so far, he said. Phase 4 is expected to continue until August 2, by which time around 80,000 more people are expected to return, Srivastava said.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Brinton Pharma gets nod to launch Favipiravir, to price it at Rs 59 per tablet

Brinton Pharmaceuticals on Thursday said it has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to market antiviral drug Favipiravir under the brand name 'Faviton' for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. To be available in 200 mg tablets, the drug will be sold at a maximum retail price of Rs 59 per tablet, Brinton Pharmaceuticals said in a statement. Emerging favourable global clinical evidence suggests, Favipiravir is an effective treatment option in the management of mild-to-moderate COVID-19, it added. In India, Favipiravir was first approved by the regulatory authorities in June 2020 under emergency use authorisation to treat COVID-19 patients, Brinton Pharmaceuticals said.

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Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Gauhati HC registers suo motu PIL over COVID-19 cases in Assam jails

The Gauhati High Court on Thursday ordered the Assam government to provide the best treatment to prisoners who have tested positive for COVID-19 after filing a suo motu PIL on rising number cases inside the jails. Registering the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) after receiving a letter from senior advocate Nilay Dutta, the bench comprising of Chief Justice Ajay Lamba and Justice Manish Choudhury also ordered the Inspector General of Prisons to file an affidavit on the issue and listed the case on September 8 for next hearing. "We hereby direct the Inspector General of Prisons, Assam to file his personal affidavit clearly indicating -- how many covid positive cases have been detected in each of the jails," the order said. The affidavit will also have to include points like the precautions taken before the inmates were found to be COVID-positive, the steps being taken for disinfecting the jails and giving treatment to inmates and how many patients are asymptomatic and symptomatic in each of the jails.

Coronavirus in Nepal LIVE Updates: Nepal's COVID-19 tally rises to 18,241

Nepal's coronavirus tally reached 18,241 with the detection of 147 new cases in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday. The death toll rose by one to 43 after a fatality was reported, Health Ministry Spokesperson Jageshwor Gautam said. In the last 24 hours, 156 coronavirus patients have recovered, the spokesperson said. In total, 12,840 people have recovered from the disease and 5,358 active cases are undergoing treatment. Nepal has so far conducted 331,095 Polymerase chain reaction tests in 28 laboratories across the country. The government lifted the nationwide lockdown earlier in the week. Long-route public transportation will be allowed from August 17.

Coronavirus in Puducherry LIVE Updates: CM Narayanasamy announces solatium of Rs 1 lakh to kin of COVID-19 victims

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Thursday announced a Rs one lakh solatium each to the families of those who succumbed to COVID-19 in the Union Territory. He made the announcement in the assembly here during a debate on the COVID-19 situation in the union territory. The Chief Minister said the territorial government had mopped up Rs 9.16 crores so far towards the COVID-19 fund through contributions from public and other sources. Essential commodities worth Rs 700 were being distributed to each of the families in the containment zones. The government would also provide a solatium of Rs 1 lakh to each of the families of victims of the pandemic, he added. Earlier, members of both the ruling and opposition block expressed their views on intensifying the battle against the virus.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Israel to send a high level team to develop rapid COVID-19 testing

Israel has said that it will be sending a high ranking research and development team to India to work with DRDO to develop a 30-second rapid testing kit. The Israel MoD team and DRDO will work to bring breakthrough emerging Israeli technologies to combat COVID-19. Israel is also sending mechanical ventilators to India via a special flight. Private sector Israeli representatives are also traveling to India, CNBC-TV18 reported.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Recovered Delhi cop tests positive again, raises question if coronavirus can reinfect

The case of a Delhi policeman having a relapse of the novel coronavirus has baffled experts and the doctors treating him and has raised the question whether a recovered patient can contract the infection again. The policeman, 50, had tested positive for the virus in May and was treated at the Indraprastha Apollo hospitals between May 15 and 22. Thereafter, he had tested negative and resumed duty. However, on July 10, he again felt unwell with a fever and dry cough and got himself tested on July 13. The report came positive through the rapid antigen test as well as the RT-PCR test, said Dr Rajesh Chawla, Senior Consultant, Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Apollo Hospitals. The policeman, who has no other underlying ailment, complained of chest pain on July 16 and was admitted to the hospital, the senior doctor said, adding that he is stable and his vitals are being monitored.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Amitabh Bachchan rubbishes reports on testing negative for COVID-19

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan who is undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at a Mumbai hospital rubbished reports that suggested he had tested negative for COVID-19. The actor took to Twitter and posted a video of the report and said: "this news is incorrect, irresponsible , fake and an incorrigible LIE !!" The actor's son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya and granddaughter had tested positive for coronavirus recently.

Coronavirus in Jharkhand LIVE Updates: Rs 1 lakh fine for not wearing mask, 2-year jail for violating lockdown guidelines in Jharkhand, says report

The Jharkhand government has reportedly announced that it was imposing a Rs 1 lakh fine on those who do not wear a mask in public places and a two-year jail term on those who are found violating lockdown guidelines. According to reports, the state cabinet is believed to have issued the Infectious Diseases Ordinance (IDO) 2020 on Wednesday, as coronavirus cases have been on the rise in the state. COVID-19 beds in government hospitals are unavailable as more and more patients are contracting the virus. The state government had decided to use beds at private hospital and convert banquet halls into Isolation wards for COVID-19 patients. CNBCTV18.com could not independently verify the report.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Scientists develop safe, rapid COVID-19 antibody test

Scientists have developed a rapid test to detect antibodies in COVID-19 patients that specifically block the novel coronavirus, an advance that may lead to faster methods for estimating the population level infection rate of the disease. According to the study, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, a rapid test to detect neutralising antibodies -- capable of blocking the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 -- is urgently needed to facilitate monitoring of infection rates, as well as to determine vaccine efficacy during clinical trials. In order to facilitate this, the researchers, including those from the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, developed a new assay which is much faster than conventional tests for neutralising antibodies, taking only one or two hours to complete. They said the new method, validated in two groups of patients who had COVID-19 from Singapore and Nanjing, China, does not require the use of the live virus.

Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates: 29,557 patients recuperate from COVID in 24 hours, highest single-day recovery so far

As many as 29,557 COVID-19 patients have recuperated in the past 24 hours, the highest recorded in a day so far, taking the recovery rate to 63.18 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. According to data updated at 8 am, total recoveries have surged to 7,82,606 and exceeded the active cases of COVID-19 by 3,56,439 as on date. The number of tests for detection of COVID-19 has also crossed the 15-million mark as the number of cases surged to 12,38,635 on Thursday. A total of 1,50,75,369 samples have been tested up to July 22 with 3,50,823 samples being tested on Wednesday, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) officials said. "One million tests were done in three days till Wednesday. The testing capacity has been increased to around 4 lakh per day," scientist and media coordinator at ICMR Lokesh Sharma said. "While the total number of recovered cases has jumped to 7,82,606, there has been appreciable growth in the recovery rate, which stands at 63.18 per cent," the ministry said.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Emirates says it will cover COVID-19 medical bills of passengers

Long-haul carrier Emirates now says it will cover the costs of passengers' coronavirus-related medical expenses in an effort to encourage more travellers to fly on the airline. In a statement Thursday, Emirates said passengers can claim medical expenses of up to 150,000 euros and quarantine costs of 100 euros per day for 14 days if they are diagnosed with COVID-19. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman and CEO of the government-owned airline, said: "We know people are yearning to fly as borders around the world gradually reopen, but they are seeking flexibility and assurances should something unforeseen happen during their travel." The airline said the coverage is good for passengers flying until October 30.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Hong Kong reports 1-day high of 118 new cases

Hong Kong's coronavirus infections hit a record high on Thursday with 118 new cases. Of those, 111 were locally transmitted while authorities are unable to trace the source of others. Hong Kong now has a total of 2,250 confirmed cases with 14 deaths. To combat the outbreak, the Hong Kong government has made masks compulsory on public transport and in public indoor areas. Health officials have urged people to stay home as much as possible, especially the elderly and those with underlying conditions. Social distancing measures have also been tightened in light of the worsening situation, with gatherings of more than four people banned. Businesses such as gyms and amusement parks are also temporarily shuttered, while eateries and restaurants can only operate at a limited capacity.