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Sri Lanka bans travellers from India; 3980 deaths reported

Coronavirus (Covid-19) India Lockdown News Live Updates: India on Thursday reported 4,12,262 new cases and 3,980 deaths in the last 24 hours. India had become the first country in the world to register over 4 lakh infections in a single day on April 30, when it reported 4.08 lakh infections.

Women mourn the death of a family member who died from the coronavirus outside a crematorium in New Delhi, India

Coronavirus India Live Updates:  Sri Lanka on Thursday announced that all arrivals from India will be banned with immediate effect due to the record rise in COVID-19 cases in the neighbouring country. Several countries like the UK, the UAE, Australia and Singapore have already banned travellers from India as well as other South Asian countries.

Continuing the surge, India on Thursday reported 4,12,262 new cases and 3,980 deaths in the last 24 hours. India had become the first country in the world to register over 4 lakh infections in a single day on April 30, when it reported 4.08 lakh infections. The new infections have pushed India’s caseload to over 2.06 crore while active cases stand at 35.66 lakh.  With no respite in the surge of new coronavirus infections, the Kerala government has announced a lockdown in the state from May 8 to May 16.

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and former Union minister Ajit Singh passed away on Thursday after losing battle to Covid-19, his son Jayant Chaudhary confirmed on Twitter. He was 82.

In other news, the Biden administration on Wednesday came out in support of waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines, siding with international efforts to bolster production

Kerala: Covid control room in Ernakulam monitors oxygen stock, bed availability

Kerala’s active caseload is 3.75 lakh, the third highest in India. Its test positivity rate on Wednesday was 25.69 per cent. With the number of patients admitted to hospitals increasing, the state’s health infrastructure has come under immense pressure.

The state government recently urged the Centre to allot it 1,000 MT of imported liquid medical oxygen, apart from demanding tankers, PSA plants, oxygen concentrators and ventilators.

Tamil comedy actor Pandu dies of Covid-19 at 74

Popular comedy actor Pandu passed away on Thursday due to Covid-19 related complications. He and his wife Kumudha had tested positive for the virus recently and were admitted to a private hospital. His condition deteriorated on Thursday morning and he breathed his last at the hospital. He was 74.

Supplied 730 MT oxygen to Delhi on May 5, Centre tells SC

The Centre Thursday told the Supreme Court that it has complied with its order and instead of 700 MT oxygen, it ensured a supply of 730 MT to Delhi for treating COVID-19 patients. The apex court, while staying contempt proceedings initiated by Delhi High Court against central government officials for non-compliance of direction to supply 700 MT of oxygen to Delhi, had sought an answer from the Centre on Thursday morning.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that a survey was conducted in 56 major hospitals of the national capital on May 4 and it revealed that they had significant stock of liquid medical oxygen (LMO).

Sri Lanka bans travellers from India with immediate effect

Sri Lanka on Thursday announced that all arrivals from India will be banned with immediate effect due to the record rise in COVID-19 cases in the neighbouring country. Several countries like the UK, the UAE, Australia and Singapore have already banned travellers from India as well as other South Asian countries. The Civil Aviation Authority on Thursday said that travellers from India will not be allowed to disembark in Sri Lanka. The decision has been taken as the coronavirus continues to spread rapidly in India.

India’s struggle to track new Covid variants could worsen crisis

Variants are already outracing vaccination progress in many parts of the world, fueling bigger outbreaks that spread faster. While some rich nations that secured effective vaccines early have seen their epidemics wane, the virus is still spreading like wildfire in developing economies, prolonging the pandemic.

The India strain has been called a double mutant because of the presence of two changes in the virus’s genome, called E484Q and L452R. Both affect a portion of the spike protein, called the receptor binding domain, that’s key to the virus entering cells. Some researchers estimate that the B.1.617 variant is as transmissible as the B.1.1.7 variant that emerged in the U.K., thought to be as much as 70% more transmissible than earlier versions of the virus.

Indian-American doctors’ group in talks with Canada to send 5,000 unused ventilators to India

A powerful Indian-American doctors’ group has initiated talks with the Canadian government to urgently donate to India as many as 5,000 ventilators that it had purchased last year at the peak of their COVID-19 wave and are now unused. Dr Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, said: "We’re working with Canada and the government. They have about 5,000 ventilators." "It is with the Red Cross of Canada. We are urging the Canadian Government to donate this to India through the Red Cross to address the current COVID-19 crisis," he told PTI in an interview.

‘Madras HC remarks harsh but can’t be expunged’: Supreme Court tells EC

Lauding the high courts for effectively supervising the Covid-19 pandemic management, the Supreme Court Thursday refused to expunge critical remarks of the Madras High Court holding the poll panel responsible for the surge in COVID cases in the country. It also trashed the plea that media be restrained from reporting observations of judicial proceedings, saying it will be a “retrograde” act.

A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud, however, acknowledged that the high court’s remarks were “harsh”, but did not expunge them saying they do not form part of the judicial order.

Maharashtra: ‘Sterile’ test swab sticks, made in Ulhasnagar slum

Dozens of slum households at Sant Gyaneshwar Nagar in Ulhasnagar, 50 km east of Mumbai, have been packing RT-PCR nasopharyngeal kits since last week through a local supplier, Maneesh Keswani. On Wednesday, the local police and the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) seized leftover swab stick stock from at least five households. Keswani has been booked under Indian Penal code and Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

Kerala govt announces lockdown from May 8 to May 16

With no respite in the surge of new coronavirus infections, the Kerala government has announced a lockdown in the state from May 8 to May 16. Kerala registered almost 42,000 cases in the last 24 hours, setting new records.
Difficult to say how Covid entered IPL bubble, says Sourav Ganguly

The BCCI asserts that organising the Indian Premier League (IPL) in India this year was not a mistake. In an interview, BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly spoke about the thought process behind organising it at home, why the Board chose six cities as venues, and that Indian domestic players will be compensated irrespective of the fate of the 2021 IPL season.

Positivity rate declines in Delhi, gradually

The daily positivity rate in Delhi has gradually declined over the last week, though the capital’s healthcare infrastructure continues to remain strained. On Wednesday, the city saw 20,960 new cases and 311 deaths due to Covid-19. The positivity rate was recorded at 26.37% after testing 79,491 people. Delhi had recorded the highest number of daily cases on April 20, with 28,395 people testing positive. The highest positivity rate in a single day was recorded as 36.24% on April 22, while the highest number of mortalities were reported on May 3 at 448.

India reports 4,12,262 new Covid-19 cases, 3,980 deaths

India on Thursday reported 4,12,262 new cases and 3,980 deaths in the last 24 hours. India had become the first country in the world to register over 4 lakh infections in a single day on April 30, when it reported 4.08 lakh infections.