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Coronavirus India Live Updates: Kerala clocks 10,402 new Covid cases; TPR at 16.41%

Coronavirus India Live updates: The Haryana government, Sunday, extended the Covid-19 restrictions in the state for another fortnight, till September 6 

Updated: August 22, 2021 9:30:56 pm

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India reported 30,948 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday. Active cases declined to 3.53 lakh.(File Photo)


Coronavirus India Live updates: Kerala on Sunday, recorded 10,402 new Covid-19 with a test positivity rate of 16.41 per cent. An addition of 66 fatalities took the Covid-related death toll in the state to 19,494. The state also reported 25,586 recoveries in the past 24 hours. With this, there were 1,63,212 active cases in the state while 36,31,066 recovered from the virus infection till date.


Meanwhile, the Haryana government, Sunday, extended the Covid-19 restrictions in the state for another fortnight. The ‘Mahamari Alert-Surakshit Haryana’ will now continue to remain imposed till 5 am on September 6. The new order issued by chief secretary Vijai Vardhan urged the various service providers to follow ‘no mask-no service’ rule.


India, Sunday, logged 30,948 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases declined to 3,53,398 comprising 1.09 per cent of the total infections, according to the Union Health Ministry. The total tally of Covid-19 cases has increased to 3,24,24,234. The death toll has climbed to 4,34,367 with 403 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.


The active cases have declined to 3,53,398, the lowest in 152 days, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has increased to 97.57 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.



Coronavirus India Live updates: India reports 30,948 new cases, 403 deaths; Want to provide vaccines to schools, says Zydus

21:30 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

Delhi sees more vaccinations in 18-44 group as compared to people over 45

Four months into the vaccination drive opening for the 18-44 age group in Delhi, more doses have now been administered in this category than to those aged above 45. The nation-wide vaccination drive started on January 16 but had begun for people aged below 45 in Delhi only on May 3. Since then, the drive has been stalled multiple times owing to stock running out at government-run centres. Read full report here


21:13 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

4,141 new cases, 145 deaths in Maharashtra; 4,780 recuperate

Maharashtra reported 4,141 new coronavirus positive cases on Sunday, which took its infection count to 64,24,651, while 145 deaths pushed the toll to 1,35,962, the health department said. A total of 4,780 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day. With this, the overall recovery count of the state grew to 62,31,999, it said in a statement.


Maharashtra's recovery rate is 97 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.11 per cent. With 1,67,881 tests conducted on Sunday, the state's overall test count climbed to 5,22,92,131, it said. At present, there are 53,182 active COVID-19 cases in the state. Mumbai reported 294 cases and one death on Sunday that took its total case count to 7,41,164 and fatality figure to 15,947. (PTI)


20:27 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

Covid curfew extended in Goa till August 30

The coronavirus-induced curfew in Goa was on Sunday extended till August 30, officials said. As per a notification issued in the evening, restrictions on the opening of auditoriums, community halls as well as ban on operation of river cruises, spas, massage parlours and casinos will continue as earlier. The curfew was first imposed in May this year amid a spike in cases and has been extended routinely since then. (PTI)



19:29 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

Uttarakhand: 'Bagwal' stone-pelting festival held in low-key manner amid Covid pandemic

The 'Bagwal' festival, in which devotees traditionally pelt stones at each other, was held in a low-key affair at the Devidhura temple in Uttarakhand's Champawat district on Sunday due to Covid-19 restrictions.


The festival sees devotees divided into four clans, hurling stones at each other to please the deity. It was held for just seven minutes, Khim Singh Lamharia, chairperson of the Devidhura temple committee said. But even in that short span of time, 77 out of a total of 300 devotees sustained injuries, he said.


The festival is held every year as a ritual to please the goddess. As a precaution due to Covid-19, nobody from the administration took part in the festival, and no guests were invited from outside, Lamharia said. "Bagwal was played with flowers and local fruits. A total of 1,250 local people witnessed it," he added. (PTI)


18:41 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

High schools, pre-university colleges in Karnataka reopen tomorrow after nearly 18 months

High schools and pre-university colleges in Karnataka are gearing up to welcome students back on campuses from Monday after a gap of nearly 18 months. Whiles classes IX and X will open in schools, pre-university colleges conduct classes equivalent to grades XI and XII. All institutes are required to adhere to Covid-19 guidelines. Read full report here


18:13 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

Kerala reports 10,402 new Covid-19 cases, TPR at 16.41%

Kerala on Sunday reported 10,402 new Covid-19 cases, 25,586 recoveries, and 66 deaths in the last 24 hours. The test positivity rate was recorded at 16.41 per cent.


17:26 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

Delhi reports 24 fresh Covid cases and 56 recoveries today

Delhi on Sunday reported 24 Covid-19 cases, zero death with a test positivity rate of 0.04 per cent.



17:02 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

Haryana extends Covid curbs till Sept 6; emphasises on ‘no mask, no service’ rule

The Manohar Lal Khattar government, Sunday, extended the Covid-19 restrictions in the state for another fortnight. The ‘Mahamari Alert-Surakshit Haryana’ will now continue to remain imposed till 5 am on September 6. Read full report here 


16:02 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

721 children in child care institutions contracted Covid since outbreak, reveals RTI

Over 720 children in child care institutions in 11 states and Union Territories have contracted Covid-19 till now and no fatalities have been reported, according to data from the country's apex child rights body. The data, which was shared by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in response to an RTI query from PTI, also stated that 686 children living in child care institutions (CCIs) have been infected with Covid-19 so far this year. (PTI)


15:34 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

Pune circle: Over 1 crore people given Covid-19 shots to date

Pune circle, which includes the districts of Pune, Satara and Solapur, has administered over 1 crore Covid-19 vaccines to date. Pune has been able to inoculate 72,61,612 people, Satara 15,97,624 and Solapur 11,90,324, the district health authorities said. Read the full report here


13:07 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

Pakistan to allow Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib amid COVID wave

Pakistan has decided to allow Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur from next month amidst efforts to contain the fourth wave of the coronavirus.


The decision to open Kartarpur shrine was taken by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday due to the approaching death anniversary of Sikhism founder Baba Guru Nanak Dev on September 22.


Dawn newspaper reported that the NCOC meeting unanimously decided to allow Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur next month under strict COVID-19 protocols. (PTI)


11:12 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

After being evacuated from Kabul, people wait for their RTPCR tests at Hindon Air Force Station, Ghaziabad

People evacuated from Kabul in an Indian Air Force transport aircraft arrived at at Hindon Air Force Station, Ghaziabad, where they were made to undergo an RTPCR test. 


10:36 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

Active cases lowest in 152 days

The active cases have declined to 3,53,398, the lowest in 152 days, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 97.57 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the health ministry said.


A reduction of 7,942 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. As many as 15,85,681 tests were conducted on Saturday taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 50,62,56,239. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.95 per cent. (PTI)


09:44 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

India reports 30,948 new cases, 403 deaths

India reported 30,948 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday. Active cases declined to 3.53 lakh. With this, the country’s overall caseload has risen to over 3.24 crore. Kerala reported 17,106 cases while Maharashtra had 4,575. More than 3.24 crore people have so far been found to be infected.


08:52 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

Year later, many participants of vaccine trials await certification

AK Khanna, 65, a former top official at a pharmaceutical firm and presently chairman of a healthcare company, was among the first five participants in the clinical trials of Covishield vaccine conducted by the Serum Institute of India and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) a year ago. Along with his wife and daughter, Khanna received his vaccine doses in August last year.


A year later, he has to furnish RT-PCR test results every time he has to board a flight, because, unlike other vaccinated people, he still doesn’t have a government software-generated certificate. The one that the trial site had provided has often been dubbed “fake”.


Khanna is not alone. There are 1,600 volunteers who participated in the Covishield trials, and 25,800 who were part of Covaxin trials conducted by Bharat Biotech. Of the 25,800 participants in the Covaxin trials, a Bharat Biotech official said, 50% were vaccine recipients, and the other half were placebo recipients. “The placebo recipients were contacted after trial completion and were administered vaccines,” the official said. Read the full report here. 


08:51 (IST)

22 AUG 2021

Covid group ups projection, readies for 23% hospitalisation

In recommendations shared with the government last month, the group tasked with the Covid emergency strategy has suggested preparing for 23 hospitalisations every 100 positive cases in a future surge.


This estimation, by the Empowered Group 1 headed by NITI Aayog member V K Paul, is higher than the projection it had made in September 2020 ahead of the second wave, when it calculated that about 20% patients with “severe/ moderately severe” symptoms would require hospitalisation.


As per a source, the recommendation to set aside a larger number of hospital beds is based on the pattern seen during the second wave. During its peak, on June 1 for example, when the active caseload across the country was 18 lakh, 21.74% cases required hospitalisation in the 10 states with the maximum cases. Of them, 2.2% were in ICU. Read the full report here. 





People line up to get inoculated against Covid-19 outside a vaccination centre in Mumbai. (AP Photo)



Haryana government misleading state on Oxygen deaths, says Hooda, cites media reports

A day after Haryana government informed the Vidhan Sabha that no deaths due to a lack of oxygen have been reported in state during the Covid pandemic, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Saturday accused the ruling BJP-JJP alliance of misleading the public.


Showing copies of news reports related to the deaths during the second wave of Corona, Hooda said, “The government has given wrong information in the Assembly”.


Year later, many participants of vaccine trials await certification

A K Khanna, 65, a former top official at a pharmaceutical firm and presently chairman of a healthcare company, was among the first five participants in the clinical trials of Covishield vaccine conducted by the Serum Institute of India and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) a year ago. Along with his wife and daughter, Khanna received his vaccine doses in August last year.


A year later, he has to furnish RT-PCR test results every time he has to board a flight, because, unlike other vaccinated people, he still doesn’t have a government software-generated certificate. The one that the trial site had provided has often been dubbed “fake”.


New research: People with prolonged or severe Covid have highest antibody levels

People who have had severe or long-lasting cases of Covid-19 are more likely to have high levels of an important antibody needed to fight against future infection, according to a new study from Rutgers University published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.


The published paper, ‘Determinants and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a diverse population: 6-month evaluation of a prospective cohort study’, was part of the larger Rutgers Corona Cohort study, which followed 548 healthcare workers and 283 others from the start of the pandemic.