Coronavirus India Highlights: There could be shortage of healthcare infrastructure if situation deteriorates: Uddhav

STATE CONGRESS president Nana Patole said on Friday that all individuals above the age of 18 years should be vaccinated against Covid-19. At present, only those above 45 years are being vaccinated across the country.

“Considering the increase in Covid-19 cases and its maximum impact on youths in age group of 20 to 45 years, it is necessary to vaccinate this group... Youths in both rural and urban areas are more vulnerable to Covid-19. Keeping them out does not serve the objective of containing the pandemic,” he told mediapersons. Read More

Two Mumbai-based lawyers have filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court, seeking directions to the Centre, state government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to provide door-to-door Covid-19 vaccination facility for senior citizens aged over 75 years, and for those who are physically challenged, bed-ridden or specially-abled, and facing difficulties in visiting vaccination centres. The plea stated they would need the jab at the earliest.Read More

IN ADDITION to different restrictions across the district to contain the spread of Covid-19, the PMC has decided to close swimming pools, spas, gyms, sports complexes and clubs for a week from Saturday, while violators of prohibitory orders on the gathering of five or more persons during the day will be fined Rs 1,000 each. Read More

SAKSHI GAUTAM, who is part of the management and design of a bar and eatery, finishes talking to a client who wants to come in late. "We will not have time to take your order," she says, indicating the 8 pm deadline in Pune. Now, Gautam and restaurant business professionals are gearing up for a stricter guideline under which eateries, bars and malls will remain shut for a week to combat the surge in Covid-19 cases Read More

Karnataka reported nearly 5,000 new cases on Friday as the test positivity rate rose to 4.12 per cent.

While the state logged 4,991 fresh cases in total on the day, with Bengaluru Urban district accounting for 3,509 of them.

Active cases in the state swelled to 34,219, with the capital city recording nearly 72 per cent of those. Among other districts that reported most cases on April 2 were Mysuru (174), Tumkur(142) and Bidar(126). Read More

Maharashtra on Friday recorded 47827 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The new figure took the state tally of positive cases to 2904076, a Health Department statement said.

As many as 202 coronavirus patients died in the state on Friday, taking the death toll to 55379, it said. (PTI)

As many as 280 persons tested positive for coronavirus in Goa on Friday, taking the tally of infections to 58,584, an official from the state health department said.

At least 81 patients were discharged from hospitals, while one died of the infection during the day, the official said.

With this, the toll in the district stood at 832 and the count of recoveries mounted to 55,838, he said, adding that the coastal state is now left with 1,914 active cases. (PTI)

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said that there could be a shortage of healthcare infrastructure if the COVID-19 situation deteriorates in the State. He also said Maharashtra has administered 65 lakh COVID19 vaccine doses till now, ANI reported.

Mumbai reported 8832 fresh covid cases today taking the total caseload to 4,32,192.

Mumbai reports 8832 new #COVID19, 5352 discharges and 20 deaths.

Total cases: 4,32,192
Total discharges: 3,61,043
Active cases: 58,455
Total deaths: 11,724 pic.twitter.com/2D01lGpU0G

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021

Eleven states and Union Territories, marked as "states of grave concern" because of their rising daily COVID-19 cases, have not shown a commensurate increase in enforcement of containment activities, the Centre said on Friday.
      
Chairing a high-level review meeting with chief secretaries, Directors General of Police and health secretaries of all states and UTs, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba asked these states to take strict action to contain the contagion. (PTI)

Madhya Pradesh on Friday reported 2,777 COVID-19 cases, taking its infection tally to 3,00,834, while the day also saw 16 deaths and 1,482 people getting discharged, an official said.

The toll in the state is 4,014 and the recovery count is 2,77,484, he added. (PTI)

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in Delhi, the positivity rate has mounted from just below one per cent to 3.57 per cent in the last two weeks, according to official data.
      
Delhi had recorded 2,790 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest daily count this year while nine more people had died due to the infection, taking the death toll to 11,036, according to the city health department.
    
The positivity rate also had mounted to 3.57 per cent amid a massive surge in cases in the span of the last few weeks. (PTI)

Amid the surging covid cases, Karnataka announced restrictions in districts with high caseloads including Bengaluru. Restaurants, cinema halls, and pubs in these districts are allowed only 50% seating.

#Karnataka announces more restrictions in districts with high caseload, including #Bengaluru, to keep #Covid19 second wave in check

-Only 50% seating allowed in cinema halls, pubs, restaurants

-Restrictions to be in force till April 20 (1/2) @IndianExpress

— Ralph Alex Arakal (@ralpharakal) April 2, 2021

Kerala reported 2,506 new coronavirus cases Friday, taking the number of active cases in the state to 26,407. 

Even as the Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday said his government has not yet taken a decision to impose a lockdown in the city. "Not considering imposing lockdown. If such need arises, will consult people of Delhi first," he said. 

Kejriwal said Delhi is witnessing the fourth wave of coronavirus which is resulting in the exponential increase in positive cases. "Centre should allow states to vaccinate everyone on war footing. We need to involve non-healthcare facilities in inoculation drive," he said.

The rapidly rising coronavirus numbers in the last month has brought back the spectre of a lockdown. Limited lockdowns have already been imposed in some cities, and the threat of a more stringent lockdown looms large over a state like Maharashtra which is the worst-affected.

Several assessments of the effectiveness of the previous lockdown have already been made. The ongoing second wave of infections offers us another lens to estimate how effective that lockdown was.

On Thursday, more than 80,000 new infections were detected in the country. Even as late as February 22, the case count was only about 10,000. The journey from 10,000 to 80,000 cases-a-day has taken less than 40 days. Last year, the 10,000-mark was first breached on June 11, while the 80,000-figure was crossed on September 2, a gap of 83 days, or more than twice the duration it has taken this time. This, when the conditions for the spread of the disease were far more conducive than it is now. Read this explainer by Amitabh Sinha

Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday inaugurated a special vaccination drive against COVID-19 for those above 45 years old by taking the shot. 

Tamilisai, aged 60, took the vaccination at the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital for Women. (PTI)

I got #Corona #vaccine first dose as per my turn alongwith public at govt Hospital.I feel I have injected My country's pride as vaccine today. Thank you honourable @PMOIndia @MoHFW_INDIA @ICMRDELHI & Scientists of @SerumInstIndia @BharatBiotech You all made Mother India proud pic.twitter.com/nepSMEDoqz

— Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan (@DrTamilisaiGuv) April 2, 2021

The Madhya Pradesh government has placed urban areas of Chhindwara district and Ratlam city under lockdown, while it will come into force in Betul district and parts of Khargone from Friday night to prevent the spread of coronavirus, officials said.

The lockdown in Chhindwara's urban areas and Ratlam city came into force from 10 pm on Thursday, which will continue till 6 am on April 5, they said.

The entire Betul district will be placed under lockdown from 10 pm on Friday and urban areas of Khargone district from 8 pm. The curbs there will continue till 6 am on April 5, the officials said. (PTI)

Scientists have predicted using a mathematical model that the ongoing second-wave of COVID-19 pandemic across the country could peak by mid-April, following which the infections may see a steep decline by the end of May.
       
During the first wave of COVID-19 infections across India, the mathematical approach, named SUTRA, predicted that the initial surge of infections in August would peak by September and lower in February 2021.
     
Scientists, including Manindra Agrawal from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, applied the model to predict the trajectory of the current surge in infections and found that the number of daily new infections is likely to peak in mid-April for this ongoing pandemic wave. (PTI)

Odisha's COVID-19 tally surged to 3,41,772 on Friday as 461 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said.

Of the new cases registered in 24 of the state's 30 districts, 272 were reported in quarantine centres, while the remaining infections were detected during contact tracing, he said. (PTI)

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is isolating herself after her husband Robert Vadra tested positive for Covid-19. While she has tested negative for Covid, Gandhi announced that she will not be campaigning for the Congress in Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala for the next few days. 

??? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ?? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?? ????????????? ???? ??? ???????? ???? ?? ????????? ???? ??? pic.twitter.com/B1PlDyR8rc

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 2, 2021

Addressing the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the state, Maharashtra Mayor Kishori Pednekar said, "Nobody wants lockdown but keeping in mind the manner in which cases are rising and creating pressure on the health infrastructure, some strict measures will have to be taken."

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will address the people of the state at 8:30 PM today, Mayor Kishori Pednekar announced. 

At a COVID-19 review meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, it has been decided to revise the night curfew timings to 6 pm to 6 am (it was earlier 8 pm to 7 am) in Pune district. It has also been decided to completely shut restaurants, bars, malls and public transport utility (PMPMPL) for seven days, Pune Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao said after the meeting. Restaurants will be allowed to provide food parcel and delivery services.

The revisions, which will be implemented from Saturday, will be reviewed next Friday, on April 9, Rao said.

Rao said that these measures were in addition to other steps being taken by the administration for COVID management. Read the full report here. 

More than 36.7 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day coverage till now, the Union Health ministry said on Friday. Of the 36,71,242 vaccine doses, 33,65,597 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 51,215 sessions for the first dose and 3,05,645 beneficiaries received the second dose of vaccine, the Health ministry said in a statement. The ministry said this is the highest single-day vaccine coverage till now. Cumulatively, more than 6.87 crore (6,87,89,138) vaccine doses have been administered through 11,37,456 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am on Friday. (PTI)

The administration in Chhattisgarh's Durg district on Friday announced a complete lockdown from April 6 to 14, in light of the spike in COVID-19 cases in the region, an official said. District Collector Sarveshwar Narendra Bhure said in view of the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases, it has become necessary to break the chain of transmission by imposing a lockdown and public support is required for it.

The lockdown will be imposed from April 6 to April 14, the statement issued by the district administration said. The statement, however, did not mention which activities will be allowed and restricted during this period. Appealing to people to stay indoors, the collector urged citizens to get tested if they come in contact with COVID-19 infected persons.

He also urged people above the age of 45 to get vaccinated at the nearby vaccination centres. As on Thursday, the COVID-19 tally in Durg district stood at 40,068, including 754 casualties. (PTI)

The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered the closing of all schools — both government and private — for students of classes 1-8 till April 11, in the wake of an aggressive second wave of coronavirus cases, ANI reported.

Taluk health official R Makandar was suspended after he administered the Covid-19 vaccine to Karnataka minister BC Patil at his residence in Hirekerur, Haveri on 2nd March, ANI reported.

A few days after he tested positive for Covid-19, Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar said that he had been hospitalised as a precautionary measure. 

Thank you for your wishes and prayers. As a matter of abundant precaution under medical advice, I have been hospitalised. I hope to be back home in a few days. Take care and stay safe everyone.

Wishing all Indians & my teammates on the 10th anniversary of our World Cup ?? win.

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 2, 2021

Telangana recorded 965 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single day spike so far this year, pushing the tally to over 3.08 lakh, while the death toll rose to 1,706 with five more fatalities, the state government said on Friday.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 254, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri 110 and Rangareddy 97, it said in a bulletin, providing details as of 8 PM on April 1.

The total number of cases stood at3,09,741 while with 312patients being cured, the total recoveries were at 3,01,876. The state has 6,159 active cases and59,343 samples were tested on Wednesday. Cumulatively, over 1.02 crore samples have been tested. The samples tested per million population was over 2.75 lakh, the bulletin said. (PTI)

Eight people tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram on Friday, making it the highest single- day spike in cases in over two months, an official said. Among the new patients are two children, both aged seven, he said.

Two elderly women, 65 and 76, were also found to be COVID-positive, he added. Five of the new cases were reported from the Aizawl district, two from Champhai and one case was detected in the Hnahthial district.

Three patients, including the two elderly women, have developed symptoms while the rest are asymptomatic. Five of the new patients were found to be COVID- positive after they returned from other states, the official said. This is the highest single-day jump in cases since January 21, he said. (PTI)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will chair a high-level meeting with top officials to discuss the recent surge in coronavirus cases across the state, ANI reported. 

India recorded a sharp surge of 81,466 new infections in the last 24 hours, taking the country’s overall caseload to 12,302,110. Maharashtra accounted for 43,183 of the new cases, a new high for the state. Chhattisgarh and Karnataka reported more than 4,000 cases each. Meanwhile, with 469 new deaths, the country's death toll rose to 1.63 lakh. 

India reports 81,466 new #COVID19 cases, 50,356 discharges, and 469 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry.

Total cases: 1,23,03,131
Total recoveries: 1,15,25,039
Active cases: 6,14,696
Death toll: 1,63,396

Total vaccination: 6,87,89,138 pic.twitter.com/QkmQxfpsNB

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2021

The Union Cabin Secretary is set to hold a meeting today with representatives of 11 states witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases, ANI reported.  

Hello and welcome back to our coronavirus LIVE blog! Follow this space for the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic, and the third phase of India's vaccination drive. 

Gujarat reported a record high of 2,410 cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, even as the state health department gave the first dose of the Covid vaccine to a total of 3.69 lakh people aged above 45 years on day one. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also declared that migrants in Gujarat living in Ahmedabad, Surat and Kutch will be eligible for the vaccine.

The three districts which have a markedly high population of migrant workers, will see the shot administered to only migrants who are 45 years of age or above. Vaccination for the same in Surat’s textile and diamond factories via vaccination camps have already been readied and the other two districts’ municipal commissioners and district collectors have been notified to make similar arrangements. Read More

With the surge in Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra, patients from Dhule and Nandurbar districts, which are close to the Gujarat border, have been coming to Surat for treatment in private and government-run Covid-19 hospitals.

Patients of Dhule and Nandurbar are undergoing treatment in New Civil Hospital and Surat Municipal Corporation-run SMIMER hospitals in Surat city, apart from private hospitals. Read More

In order to overcome vaccine hesitancy, there should be an emphasis on education and a social media campaign that is scientific and attractive, according to representatives of social organisations. Disinformation and confusion being created on social media should be countered with a special cell, they said.

Dr Abhay Shukla, Dr Dnyaneshwar Mote, Dr Sanjay Dabhade, Purnima Chikarmane, Kiran Moghe, Dr Anant Phadke and others have released a statement that has also pulled up the administration for lack of adequate planning to tackle the second wave of Covid-19. Read More

Countries around the world have stepped up vaccination as new variants of the novel coronavirus emerge. According to Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker and figures provided by Our World in Data (a University of Oxford-led initiative), more than 580 million doses of the vaccine have been administered and 127 million people fully vaccinated. However, that accounts for under 2% of the global population as there are many countries that are yet to kick off inoculation drives.

As per data from the aforesaid sources, European nations seem to be faring better than the rest of the world. Vaccine rollouts in advanced economies are better than those in emerging and developing countries as the latter is largely dependent on imports. On the other hand, despite being two of the largest vaccine manufacturers, India and China, too, have struggled to inoculate large percentages of their populations. Read More

Punjab scaled yet another Covid peak Thursday as it reported 3,187 fresh Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day spike since the outbreak of the pandemic, and 60 more fatalities due to it.

The state on March 26 had recorded a maximum daily surge of 3,176 infections. The fresh infectons pushed the cumulative count of cases to 2,42,895 while the death toll jumped to 6,926, as per a medical bulletin issued by the government. Read More

The Maharashtra government has directed that all the government and private Covid vaccination centres should function on all holidays throughout the month of April. A press statement issued by the commissioner of health services said this was necessary to fulfil the target of vaccinating 4 lakh people per day.

In the second wave of the pandemic, Maharashtra has again emerged as the worst affected state with nearly 40,000 cases being reported on a daily basis. In the third phase of vaccination, the central government has allowed universal vaccinations for every one above the age of 45. In the earlier two phases, healthcare workers, frontline workers, senior citizens and people with medical conditions were allowed for vaccinations. Read More

Sri Lanka will not receive its due of a million doses of Covishield vaccine from the vaccine manufacturing company Serum Institute of India (SII) within the timeline earlier pledged, the Sunday Times reported onThursday.

“We are unable to meet that commitment, leave alone in mid-March and April,” a top source from the Pune-based Institute told The Sunday Times. This comes after the management had earlier weighed options of issuing a statement on the disruption in the  supplies to Sri Lanka in the backdrop of a campaign of misinformation by a State Minister and an official of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) carried out through the local media. The SII source told The Sunday Times, “This (agreement) is one of several additional capacities we were to fulfil on behalf of AstraZeneca and the Indian government. The fire did not affect production as such, but due to increasing commitments, we need to ramp up our capacity. Hence this delay."

Africa CDC says delays in vaccine supply from India could be 'catastrophic'Africa is unlikely to meet its targets for vaccinating the continent against COVID-19 if supply delays from a key Indian manufacturer continue, the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Thursday. Dr John Nkengasong told a press briefing that officials hope the problems at the Serum Institute of India will only be temporary otherwise it would definitely impact our ability to continuously vaccinate people. "I really want to deliberately hope that it is a delay not a ban "because that would be catastrophic," he said. --PTI

The Delhi government on Thursday announced that students of any class should not be called to schools physically in the new academic session till further orders. The Directorate of Education (DoE) also told schools that teaching and learning activities may commence from April 1 for students through digital mode for academic session 2021-22. "It is clarified that students of any class should not be called physically in school for the academic session 2021-22 till further orders. However, teaching learning activities may be commenced from 1t April 2021 for the students through digital modes for the new academic session," the DoE said in an official order. The directive by DoE comes following a surge in coronavirus cases in the national capital. Schools in Delhi closed in March last year ahead of a nationwide lockdown to contain spread of novel coronavirus. While several states partially reopened schools in October, the Delhi government allowed schools to reopen for students in classes 9 to 12 for practical works and remedial lessons, from January 18 and February 5. "It is reiterated that the students of classes 9 to 12 (session 2020-21) may be called to school only for providing the academic guidance and support to the students for mid term exams, pre-board exams/ annual exams/ board examinations, practical exams, project work, internal assessment following the Standard Operating Procedure for COVID safety and with the consent of the parents," the DoE added. --PTI

Cumulative Covid-19 tally crosses 1 million in Karnataka, third state in India behind Maharashtra, Kerala to do so.

Cumulative #Covid19 tally crosses 1 million in #Karnataka, third state in India behind #Maharashtra, #Kerala to do so. 4234 new cases today, 2906 in #Bengaluru alone. @IndianExpress

— Ralph Alex Arakal (@ralpharakal) April 1, 2021

The Kumbh Mela formally began in Haridwar on Thursday with several restrictions imposed on devotees coming to attend the event amid rising cases of Covid-19 in various states including Uttarakhand. Officials associated with organising the event, including Mela Officer Deepak Rawat, Mela IG Sanjay Gunjyal and Haridwar SSP Janmejay Khanduri, worshipped in temples along the banks of the Ganga to pray for a safe and unhindered Kumbh fair. Checking on Uttarakhand's borders with Uttar Pradesh at Narsan in Roorkee and Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district has been intensified to ensure that only people with a negative RT-PCR test report proceed for the Kumbh Mela. "Besides registering on our portal, it is compulsory for devotees to bring a negative RT-PCR test report with them," Mela Officer Deepak Rawat said. A negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours before arrival has been made mandatory for devotees gathering for the Kumbh by the Uttarakhand High Court. --PTI

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and his wife Bharati got the first dose of Covaxin administered in Guntur city on Thursday, marking the launch of the new phase of the COVID-19 vaccination programme. The Chief Minister said all persons above the age of 45 years would be administered the coronavirus vaccine in this phase in the next 90 days. The state has targeted one crore people for vaccination in this phase. Since the first phase of vaccination began on January 16, with the healthcare workers, so far 23.58 lakh people got the vaccine administered. --PTI

More than 6.5 crore vaccine doses have been administered in India till April 1. Priority groups, including frontline and healthcare workers, the elderly and people with comorid conditions, have been eligible for the vaccine. On March 31 (Day 75 of the vaccination drive), 20,63,543 doses were administered of which 17,94,166 beneficiaries received their first dose and 2,69,377 received their second dose.

As India launched its third phase of Covid-19 vaccination, the government today said the inoculation drive will be conducted on all days of April, including gazetted holidays, and at all public and private centres. "This step has been taken after detailed deliberations with the states and Union Territories on March 31 to optimally utilise all COVID-19 Vaccination Centres across the public and private sectors to ensure rapid increase in the pace and coverage of COVID vaccination," the Health Ministry said.

"This decision is in line with the graded and pro-active approach employed by the government of India along with the states and UTs for COVID-19 vaccination," it added in a statement.

As India starts vaccinating everyone above the age of 45 from April 1, a commonly asked question remains whether taking the jab will mean you can no longer drink alcohol. There is no need to abstain from alcohol only because you have taken your shot of the vaccine. Alcohol will not by itself render the vaccine ineffective against the novel coronavirus infection.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare clarified this point early on, and you can check the government’s advisory in the FAQs posted on the Health Ministry’s website. Read here

Brazil’s health regulator has rejected an application to give Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin a certificate of Good Manufacturing Practices following an inspection of the company’s site in Hyderabad earlier this month. The move, which does not affect Bharat Biotech’s application for emergency use authorisation of the vaccine in Brazil, could potentially still delay its ability to supply doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to the country until the issue is resolved. Read Prabha Raghavan's report

Osaka and two other prefectures, Hyogo and Miyagi, will see restrictions again amid a rise in cases and ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Economy revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told a government panel meeting the three prefectures would be designated for semi-emergency status under a new rampancy prevention law beginning next Monday for one month, reported Reuters. Japan recently lifted its state of emergency in the Toyo area.

As of Wednesday, Japan had 474,773 Covid-19 cases and 9,162 deaths.

Kaushambi district court in Uttar Pradesh has been shut after two judges and one staffer tested positive for Covid-19. According to news agency PTI, Additional Civil Judges Sumit Kumar and Abhishek Gupta, and an employee identified as Pankaj Kumar were found infected with the virus. 

Judge Kumar and Pankar are being treated for the disease in Allahabad, and Judge Abhishek is admitted in a district hospital in Kaushambi. The court will remain closed for three days while the building is sanitised.

Veteran singer and music composer Bappi Lahiri has tested positive for COVID-19. His daughter Reema Lahiri Bansal confirmed his diagnosis and shared that he has been admitted to south Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital. “Bappi Da has exercised immense precaution but has been detected with mild Covid symptoms. He has been admitted under the care of Dr Udwadia at Breach Candy Hospital purely as a precautionary measure due to his age. He will be fine and home soon. Thank You for keeping him in your prayers always,” she said.

“He seeks blessings and wishes of his fans, friends & everyone from India and abroad. On behalf of Bappi Da, we passing his message to all his well-wishers and fans to stay healthy, stay blessed,” her statement further read. 

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has warned of stricter Covid-19 restrictions if the situation in the state does not improve over the next one week. The state is reeling under a massive surge of cases and deaths despite the administration imposing night curfew. Amarinder will review the situation on April 8 and take a decision on further curbs if the Covid spread continues unchecked. “I will watch things for a week, and then if there is no improvement, we may have to go for stricter curbs,” he said. 

The daily count of coronavirus cases in Pune scaled a new high, with 8,553 infections detected on Wednesday. This figure is only marginally less than the all-time record for any city, set by Delhi on November 11, when it had reported 8,593 cases.

But even Delhi has not reported more than 8,000 cases on more than one occasion. Pune has crossed this figure twice in the last four days. Pune reported almost as many cases on Wednesday as Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, the second and third-biggest contributor of cases after Maharashtra, put together.

Pune is now contributing almost 20 per cent of all cases in Maharashtra, and more than 10 per cent of cases in all of India. Read more here

A mix up at a vaccine manufacturing plant in Baltimore, United States, has led to contamination of nearly 15 million doses of Johnson and Johnson's Covid-19 shot. According to The New York Times, workers at the plant accidentally conflated the ingredients several weeks ago. The report states that the error does not affect any of the J&J vaccine doses that are currently being delivered and used across the US. Read more here

The recent laws in Jharkhand and Haryana that reserve private sector jobs for local residents are “nativist” and should be struck down, panelists said Tuesday at the second edition of the eight-part webinar series — Thinc Migration — organised by The Indian Express. Watch here:

India detected over 72,330 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, of which Maharashtra accounted for 39,544. 459 deaths were reported from across the country, the highest since December 5, 2020.

? 459 deaths on Wednesday, highest since Dec 5

? Apart from #Maharashtra which reported 243 deaths, #Punjab (55), #Chhattisgarh (39), #Karnataka (26), #TN (19) were big contributors

? 14 states reported zero deaths on Wednesday

- @amitabhsin #ExpressExplained (2/2)

— Express Explained (@ieexplained) April 1, 2021