COVID-19 LIVE: Recovery rate rises to 88.8%: Health Ministry

22:54 October 21

Madhya Pradesh reported 1,118 new COVID-19 cases, 1,222 recoveries and 17 deaths today, taking total cases to 1,63,296 including 1,48,082 recoveries, 12,386 active cases and 2,828 deaths: State Health Department

22:54 October 21

Number of active cases reaches 2,636 in Himachal Pradesh; death toll stands at 274: State Health Department

22:54 October 21

Mumbai reported 1,609 new coronavirus case and 48 deaths today, taking total cases to 2,45,871 including 2,15,269 recoveries and 9,869 deaths. Number of active cases in the city stands at 19,245: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra

22:54 October 21

West Bengal: IIT Kharagpur researchers claim that ‘COVIRAP,’ the diagnostic machine developed by them, has been successfully validated for its efficacy in COVID19 detection by ICMR. IIT says that various commercial units have already approached them for technology licensing.

After rigorous testing with patient samples by an authorized ICMR laboratory, ICMR has now granted certification for this COVID Diagnostic Test. This test has been designed to be fairly easy to conduct and affordable as well and can produce results within one hour: IIT Kharagpur

22:54 October 21

Maharashtra reports 8,142 new COVID19 cases, 180 deaths and 23,371 discharges in the last 24 hours, as per the state's Public Health Department. Total cases in the state rise to 16,17,658, including 42,633 deaths and 14,15,679 recovered patients. Active cases stand at 1,58,852.

22:54 October 21

1,193 new COVID-19 cases and 1,070 discharges reported in Haryana today. Total cases at 1,53,367 including 10,187 active cases, 1,41,506 discharges and 1,674 deaths: State Health Department

22:54 October 21

Punjab reported 499 new COVID19 cases, 562 discharged cases & 23 deaths, taking total positive cases to 1,29,088 till date, including 1,20,220 discharges, 4,808 active cases & 4,060 deaths: State Health Department

21:13 October 21

505 more test positive for COVID-19 in U'khand
Dehradun:  Uttarakhand's COVID-19 tally rose to 59,106 on Wednesday with 505 more people testing positive for the disease, while 14 patients died at different hospitals, according to the health department's bulletin.

Dehradun reported the highest number of 140 cases, Udham Singh Nagar 52,  Nainital 49, Pauri 47, Chamoli 39, Haridwar 37, Uttarkashi 30, Pithoragarh 26, Rudraprayag 25  Almora 24, Tehri 20, Champawat eight and Bageshwar eight, it said.

Meanwhile, 14 more coronavirus patients died at different hospitals in the state, taking the toll to 960, the bulletin said.

A total of 52,632 people have recuperated from the infection, 429 have migrated out of the state and 5,085 are under treatment, it said.

21:12 October 21

New Delhi: The Delhi government's excise department has directed clubs, hotels, liquor shops and restaurants to ensure strict compliance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to be followed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Assistant commissioner (enforcement) has been asked to deploy teams to check compliance of SOPs at bars in hotels, clubs and restaurants.  

21:12 October 21

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has capped the prices of N-95, double and triple layer masks for suppliers and private hospitals in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, state health minister Rajesh Tope has said. Wearing mask in public places is mandatory for all citizens as part of the government's guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection.  

"We have put a cap on the prices of masks and the rates which can be quoted by their suppliers and private hospitals," Tope said on Tuesday. The N-95 masks can be supplied in the state in the price range of Rs 19 to Rs 49, while double and triple layer masks will be available at Rs 3 to Rs 4 per unit, he said.

21:12 October 21

Bengaluru: Cargo volumes at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, recorded positive growth in September, with international freight leading the recovery following a prolonged slump due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Wednesday announced that inter-state bus services to destinations in Puducherry will resume from October 23 (Friday).

21:12 October 21

Jaipur: Rajasthan recorded 14 more fatalities due to COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking the death toll due to the disease in the state to 1,778, according to a health department bulletin. The state also reported 1,810 fresh cases of the disease, pushing the total number of people infected with COVID-19 to 1,78,933. Of these, 19,185 are under treatment. According to the bulletin, 1,57,960 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from various hospitals of the state till now

21:12 October 21

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court today heard the writ petitions, seeking to quash the restriction on the height of idols at Durga Puja pandals imposed by the state government.

Following this, the high court allowed the 9 puja committees in Cuttack city to build and worship idols of Goddess Durga over the authorised height of 4ft.

19:18 October 21

Highest single-day spike of 64 deaths pushes West Bengal's COVID-19 toll to 5,808

Kolkata: West Bengal reported the highest single-day COVID-19 fatality count of 64 on Wednesday, pushing the death toll to 5,808, the health department said in a bulletin.

The state's coronavirus tally climbed to 3,05,697 with 3,677 fresh cases -- the biggest one-day spike so far -- it said.

19:16 October 21

3,746 fresh COVID-19 cases, 27 more deaths in Andhra Pradesh

Amaravati:The cumulative confirmed cases of coronavirus increased to 7,93,299 in Andhra Pradesh as 3,746 were added afresh on Wednesday. As 27 more patients died, the gross toll rose to 6,508 while the number of those who recovered went up to 7,54,415 after 4,739 got cured in 24 hours ending 9 am on Wednesday.

The latest bulletin said the state now had 32,376 active cases of COVID-19.

The overall infection positivity rate decreased further to 10.91 per cent, though it is still higher than the national average of 7.87 per cent.

19:16 October 21

Election Commission issues advisory to political parties, asking to follow its instructions related to COVID-19 during polls. It reads, "The commission has taken serious view of laxity on part of the parties & candidates, on the ground, in terms of maintaining crowd discipline."

19:16 October 21

Kerala reports 8,369 new COVID19 cases, taking active cases in the state to 93,425. A total of 2,67,082 people have recovered till now: Government of Kerala

19:16 October 21

Jammu and Kashmir reports 624 new COVID19 cases and 5 deaths today. The total positive cases in the UT rises to 89,582 with 8,088 active cases, 80,092 recoveries, and 1,402 deaths: Government of Jammu and Kashmir

16:03 October 21

Lives of more than 2000 people, including mine, have been saved through Plasma therapy, so ICMR shouldn't remove it. Even U.S has said that it's beneficial: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on ICMR considering to remove plasma therapy from COVID19 national treatment protocol.

16:03 October 21

Economy will start looking up as COVID19 cases ease. Have asked departments to push expenditure which has a multiplier effect. Cabinet approval for the privatisation of public sector policy should happen soon: Tarun Bajaj, Secretary, Department of Economic Affair

16:02 October 21

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to be used for the first time in Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council polls, Ladakh

"We've taken steps to ensure no voter is left with postal arrangements for senior citizens and COVID19 patients," says Additional Deputy Commissioner, Leh

16:02 October 21

Election Commission issues advisory to political parties, asking to follow its instructions related to COVID-19 during polls. It reads, "The commission has taken serious view of laxity on part of the parties & candidates, on the ground, in terms of maintaining crowd discipline."

16:02 October 21

One may get reinfected with coronavirus if the antibodies against the infection diminish in the body in five months' time after recovery: senior ICMR official.

16:01 October 21

Active COVID-19 cases in country stand at 7,40,090, while 67,95,103 people have recovered from the disease: Union Health Ministry

10:58 October 21

Recoveries overtake new Covid cases in Karnataka

Recoveries at 8,500 were more than 6,297 new Covid cases registered for the second consecutive day in Karnataka.

"With 8,500 discharged from across the state on Monday, recoveries have gone up to 6,62,329 till date, while Covid tally rose to 7,76,901 with 6,297 fresh cases and 1,03,945 active cases so far," said the state health bulletin on Tuesday.

The death toll rose to 10,608, with 66 succumbing to the infection in the last 24 hours across the state.

As the epi-centre of the pandemic, Bengaluru registered 2,821 new cases, taking its Covid tally to 3,12,842, including 64,523 active cases, while 2,798 discharges in the last 24 hours rose the recovery rate for the city to 2,44,740.

With 36 deaths due to the virus in the city, the toll rose to 3,578 so far.

10:57 October 21

Gujarat records 1,126 cases

Gujarat on Tuesday recorded 1,126 new coronavirus cases, taking its tally to 1,61,848, while the death toll rose to 3,654 with eight new deaths.

In October so far, the state has added 23,273 cases at a daily average of 1,163.

A total of 1,128 patients were discharged on Tuesday, taking the total to 1,43,927, while there are 14,267 active cases, out of which 76 critical patients are on ventilator.

Surat saw 231 new cases, Ahmedabad 178, Vadodara 113, Rajkot 104 and Jamnagar 71.

Mehsana had 46, Gandhinagar 43, Narmada 33, Surendranagar 30, Sabarkantha 28, Banaskantha 26, Junagadh 21, Amreli 20, Bharuch 19, Panchmahals 17, Kutch 16, Anand 14, Gir-Somnath and Patan 13 each, Morbi 12, Dahod 11, Navsari nine, Kheda and Tapi seven each, Chotta Udepur and Porbandar five each, Devbhumi Dwarka and Botad four each, Aravalli, Mahisagar, and Valsad two each and Dangs one.

Two deaths each were reported from Ahmedabad and Surat, and one each from Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Mehsana, and Rajkot.

Health authorities have so far conducted 54,79,536 RT-PCR tests, while there are 5,40,559 people under quarantine.

10:56 October 21

Andhra logs 3k new Covid cases as recoveries outnumber

Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday registered 3,503 new Covid positive cases, increasing the state's tally to 7.8 lakh, even as 5,144 more patients recovered from the virus.

West Godavari accounted for the highest number of cases in the past 24 hours, 524, followed by Chittoor (459), East Godavari (457), Krishna (398), Guntur (387) and Prakasam (308).

Other places included Visakhapatnam (240), Kadapa (190), Nellore (182), Anantapur (123), Srikakulam (94), Vizianagaram (93) and Kurnool (48).

With the new additions, West Godavari tally crossed 80,000 cases to reach 80,102.

Meanwhile, 28 more patients succumbed to the virus, increasing the statewide toll to 6,481.

10:55 October 21

ICMR mulling to remove plasma therapy from Covid treatment protocol

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) issued a big statement on Tuesday regarding plasma therapy, which is touted as a life-saving intervention for patients suffering from severe Covid-19.

The Director-General (DG) of ICMR, Balram Bhargava, stated that plasma therapy may be deleted from the national clinical protocols for the management of Covid-19.

"We have had a discussion with the National Task Force for Covid-19 management. We are discussing further with the joint monitoring committee and contemplating on removing the plasma therapy from the national guidelines," he said.

"We are more or less reaching towards a decision (to remove plasma therapy from the national clinical protocols)," Bhargava said during the weekly press briefing of the Union Health Ministry.

The statement has come in the wake of several studies conducted on the efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy which suggested that it did not reduce mortality or progression to severe disease condition.

10:54 October 21

Maharashtra deaths, new cases spike again

After a low for two days, Maharashtra's Covid-19 deaths and new cases again shot up through the state's fatality rate remained stable, health officials said here on Tuesday.

The state witnessed 213 more deaths - nearly half compared with the peak of 515 (September 15) -- taking the states' death toll to 42,453.

A total of 8,151 new cases - almost one third compared with a single-day peak tally of 24,886 (Sep 11) -- increased Maharashtra's total tally to 16,09,516 cases.

In another positive development, its recovery rate continued to remain high but dropped from Monday's 86.48 per cent to 86.05 per cent, while the current mortality (death) rate remained stable at 2.64 per cent.

Simultaneously, 7,429 recovered patients returned home, taking total discharged patients to 13,92,308 -- much higher than 174,265 active cases currently in the state.

10:53 October 21

589 more test corona positive in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir's COVID-19 tally rose to 88,958 on Tuesday as 589 more cases were detected.

Of its 8,124 active cases now, 3,078 are in Jammu division and 5,046 in Kashmir division.

The Information and Public Relations Department said 241 new cases were reported from Jammu division and 348 from Kashmir division.

Of the total coronavirus cases in the Union Territory, 79,437 have recovered with the discharge of 770 more patients from hospitals. A total of 1,397 patients have died, including nine who succumbed on Tuesday.

10:53 October 21

Agra Covid cases show downward trend

Agra reported 42 fresh Covid-19 cases and one death in the last 24 hours, the health department said on Wednesday. For the past ten days, the daily reporting of the Covid cases remained almost stable under 50, while the recovery rate too, continues to remain healthy at over 90 per cent.

The total number of Covid cases in Agra is 6,820 while the number of recoveries is 6,197 and the death toll is 138. The number of samples collected so far is 2,41,779.

The Health Department officials said there was no room for complacency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's televised message had given a clear direction. "We are maintaining a high level of vigil and taking appropriate measures to ensure that the guidelines are followed in letter and spirit," an official said.

10:51 October 21

1,579 new cases, 5 deaths in Telangana

Telangana registered 1,579 fresh coronavirus cases taking the infection count to 2.26 lakh while five more fatalities pushed the toll to 1,287.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 256, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri 135 and Khammam 106, a government bulletin said on Wednesday providing data as of 8 PM on October 20.

As many as 20,449 are under treatment and 41,475 samples were tested on October 20.

Cumulatively, 39.40 lakh samples have been tested.

The samples tested per million population was1.05 lakh, the bulletin said.

The case fatality rate in the state was 0.56 per cent, while it was 1.5 per cent at the national level.

The recovery rate in Telangana was 90.38 per cent, while it was 88.8 per cent in the country.

10:50 October 21

15 new cases push tally of Andamans to 4,141

At least 15 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, raising the tally in the Union Territory to 4,141, a health department official said on Wednesday.

Of the fresh cases, 12 were detected during contact tracing, while three have travel history, he said.

Ten more people were cured of the disease on Tuesday, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 3,902, the official said.

The Union Territory now has 183 active COVID-19 cases, and 56 patients have succumbed to the infection so far, he said.

The Andaman and Nicobar administration has sent 77,200 samples for COVID-19 tests, of which 76,837 reports have been received, the official added.

10:39 October 21

COVID-19 LIVE: Recovery rate rises to 88.8%: Health Ministry

New Delhi: With a spike of 54,044 new COVID-19 cases and 717 deaths in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 count crossed the 76-lakh mark and reached 76,51,108 on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

As per the MoHFW, the COVID-19 count includes 7,40,090 active cases  and 67,95,103 cured/discharged/migrated cases. With 717 deaths in the last 24 hours, the total death count due to the disease has reached 1,15,914.

With 1,74,755 total active cases, Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected state by COVID-19 in the country. While 13,92,308 patients have recovered from the disease in the state, 42,453 have died so far.

Among other severely affected states, Karnataka has 1,03,964 active cases, while 6,62,329 people have recovered, 10,608 have succumbed to the coronavirus.

The Health Ministry in a tweet said that COVID-19 cases on oxygen support (in ICUs, through ventilators and Oxygen supported beds) have shown a significant decrease since the last week of September.

"This aligns with the national decline of active cases to less than 10 per cent of the total cases," it said.

There were 43,022 COVID-19 cases on oxygen support on September 1. A total of 72, 575 on October 1 and 57,357 on October 19, according to the data of Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 9,72,00,379 samples have been tested in the country for COVID-19 till Tuesday. This includes 10,83,608 samples tested on October 18.