10.54 pm: The UN Environment Programme says a “steady stream” of animal-borne infectious diseases is likely in the near future unless wildlife exploitation and ecosystem destruction is tackled, reports The Independent.

“The science is clear that if we keep exploiting wildlife and destroying our ecosystems, then we can expect to see a steady stream of these diseases jumping from animals to humans in the years ahead,” says executive director of the UN’s Environment Programme, Inger Andersen.

10.51 pm: West Bengal has set up its first plasma bank, following Delhi, reports The Times of India. The plasma bank is at Kolkata Medical College and Hospital.

10.47 pm: Cases in Telangana go up by 1,831 today, reports ANI. This takes the total coronavirus cases in the state to 25,733.

10.05 pm: The University Grants Commission issues revised guidelines on examinations and academic calendar for final year exams. According to the new guidelines, the exams can be held online and offline. In case a student cannot appear in September, provisions will be made so she/he can take the exams later.

10 pm: Jammu and Kashmir to reopen for tourism soon, says Principal Secretary (Power) Rohit Kansal. “Government to issue detailed guidelines and SoP [standard operating procedure] shortly,” he tweets. “LG [lieutenant governor] issues directions in high level meeting in Srinagar today.”

9.55 pm: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray says the ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic will be definitely won, adding that success against adversities can be achieved only when every section of the society comes together, reports News18.

9.49 pm: More new cases in states and Union Territories, according to ANI:

  • Rajasthan: 524 new cases, total rises to 20,688.
  • Jammu and Kashmir: 246 new cases, total rises to 8,675.
  • Haryana: 499 new cases, total rises to 17,504.

8.58 pm: Gujarat sees 735 positive cases and 17 deaths in the last 24 hours. The state has total 36,858 infections and the toll rises to 1,962.

8.55 pm: Meanwhile, Karnataka records 1,843 new coronavirus cases. With this, the state’s count has risen to 25,317.

8.52 pm: The Karnataka government has cancelled the licence of 110 pharmacies for not maintaining details of customers purchasing drugs related to Influenza-like Illnesses, Severe Acute Respiratory Illnesses, cough, sneeze and fever, reports ANI.

8.49 pm: More than 1,100 people are expected to be enrolled in the first two phases of human clinical trials for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, reports NDTV. The Indian Council of Medical Research’s timeline is to launch a coronavirus vaccine by August 15. Several vaccine candidates are at various stages of development around the world to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

8.45 pm: Actor-politician Kamal Haasan attacks Tamil Nadu government’s “lack of transparency and mismanagement” in tackling the coronavirus crisis in Chennai, reports NDTV. “I think it is too late to talk about mismanagement,” he adds. “So we have moved into managing the situation to the best of our capabilities as citizens, because this would have gone much better if the government had been keen on citizen participation.”

8.42 pm: West Bengal records 861 new coronavirus cases and 22 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 22,987 and toll to 779, according to ANI.

8.37 pm: The Centre has allowed universities and institutes to conduct final term exams as per guidelines. “The final Term Examinations are to be compulsorily conducted as per the UGC Guidelines on Examinations and Academic Calendar for the Universities; and as per the Standard Operating Procedure approved by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,” says a home ministry statement.

8.12 pm: Uttarakhand reports 37 new cases, taking the total number of infections to 3,161. The state’s recovery rate stands at 81.81%.

8 pm: Mumbai records 1,200 new cases and 39 deaths, taking the total to 85,724 with 4938 deaths. Meanwhile, Dharavi area saw an increase of 11 new cases today.

7.52 pm: Maharashtra reports a jump of 5,368 new coronavirus cases, taking the state’s total to 2,11,987. With 204 more deaths, the toll stands at 9,026. Meanwhile, as many as 3,522 patients were discharged today, taking the total number of recoveries till date to 1,15,262.

7.45 pm: Delhi reports 1,379 new coronavirus cases, taking its total count beyond the 1-lakh mark. The city now has 1,00,823 cases and the toll has risen to 3,115 after 48 new casualties, according to a health bulletin released by the Delhi government. Of the total cases, 72,088 people have recovered and there are 25,620 active cases.

7.16 pm: With updated figures coming in from the state governments about new cases today, India has crossed 7 lakh cases. On Monday morning, the Ministry of Health said the country had 6,97,413 cases.

According to a calculation by PTI, India now has 7,00,150 cases.

7.11 pm: Apollo Hospitals in Bengaluru gets a notice from the National Health Mission director for charging Rs 6,000 for coronavirus tests when the upper limit fixed for the tests in the state is Rs 4,500, reports ANI.

6.55 pm: Madhya Pradesh records 354 new coronavirus cases, taking its tally to 15,284.

6.52 pm: “Tata Son’s Foundation handed over 20 ambulances, 100 ventilators and Rs 10 crore for setting up Immunology and Virus Infection Research Centre,” says Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s office.

6.50 pm: Kerala reports 193 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of positive cases to 5,522.

6.48 pm: Tamil Nadu records 3,827 new coronavirus cases and 61 deaths today, according to ANI. With this, the state now has 1,14,978 cases and the toll has risen to 1,571.

6.03 pm: Maharashtra allows hotels and lodges to open with certain conditions. Only hotels and lodges outside of containment zones will be allowed to operate, reports ANI.

“Only asymptomatic guests shall be allowed,” the order reads. “Large gatherings/congregations continue to remain prohibited inside the premises. However, use of meeting halls at 33% capacity subject to max of 13 participants is permitted.”

5.40 pm: The national coronavirus positivity rate has reduced and now stands at 6.73%, reports PTI, citing the Centre.

5.38 pm: Andhra Pradesh’s coronavirus tally surges beyond 20,000, with a record 1,322 cases per day. Seven more deaths take toll to 239, reports PTI.

5.33 pm: The World Bank and the Indian government have signed a $750 million agreement for the micro, small and medium enterprises Emergency Response Programme to support increased finance flow into the hands of these ventures that are severely impacted by the pandemic, reports ANI.

5.32 pm: Himachal Pradesh records 1,071 coronavirus cases, of which 301 are active, reports ANI, citing the health department.

5.05 pm: So far, 279 officers of the Maharashtra Police tested positive for the coronavirus in one day, taking the total number of infections in the force to 5,454, reports ANI. A total of 70 police personnel have died so far.

5 pm: The headquarters of the Chandigarh Police has been closed for two days for sanitisation after an employee in the education department office has tested positive for the coronavirus, reports ANI. The headquarters and the government office are adjacent to each other in sector nine, says Superintendent of Police (headquarters) Manoj Kumar.

4.39 pm: The Union health ministry says testing in Delhi was increased from 5,481 tests per day in the first week of June to 18,766 per day in July.

4.29 pm: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant says his government will soon start conducting rapid antigen tests for the coronavirus in the state, PTI reports.

4.24 pm: The Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, a sports facility converted into a coronavirus treatment centre, is ready to take in patients, the government says.

4.23 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visit the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital to review arrangements for coronavirus treatment.

4.16 pm: A doctor at a hospital in Bengaluru appealed to other healthcare professionals to join the fight against the coronavirus, saying that there weren’t enough frontline workers to manage the escalating health crisis.

Read here: Coronavirus: Doctor at private hospital in Bengaluru appeals for help as staff disappears

4.12 pm: United Kingdom-based Institute of Fiscal Studies says 13 universities in the country will not be able to survive the coronavirus lockdown without financial support from the government.

4.02 pm: Top United States health official Stephen Hahn on Sunday said he doubted whether it will be safe to hold the Republican National Convention in Florida next month amid a surge in coronavirus cases, Reuters reports.

3.55 pm: The Delhi High Court directs the Aam Aadmi Party government to respond to suggestions to set up a helpline that health workers can reach in case they have complaints about not being provided personal protective equipment by private hospitals, PTI reports.

3.49 pm: The Centre extends the deadline to link PAN card with Aadhar till March 31, 2021.

3.46 pm: The health ministry also gives a list of states with a lower positivity rate than the national average.

3.44 pm: The Union health ministry says India’s coronavirus positivity rate is 6.73%.

3.39 pm: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa dismisses Congress leader Siddaramaiah’s allegations of corruption in medical purchases, ANI reports. “He [Siddaramaiah] can examine all necessary documents and if any corruption is found, we will take stringent action against the guilty,” he says. “But making allegations without evidence isn’t right.”

3.31 pm: Diamond polishing units and markets in Gujarat’s Surat city will remain closed till July 13 and July 9, respectively, because of coronavirus risks, PTI reports.

3.22 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urges hospitals to counsel their coronavirus patients to donate their plasma after recovering. He adds that the number of plasma donations in the Capital is yet to pick up.

3.08 pm: Russia records 6,611 new coronavirus cases and 135 deaths on Monday, Reuters reports. The country’s overall count rises to 6,87,862 and the toll reaches 10,296.

3.04 pm: The border between Australia’s Victoria and New South Wales states will be closed for the first time in a 100 years on Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reports.

2.59 pm: Punjab government makes e-registration mandatory for all incoming travellers, ANI reports. quoting the state government.

2.49 pm: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray says it is not right to fire workers at a time when the government is allowing business activities to resume in the state, PTI reports.

2.43 pm: Pakistan’s Minister of State for Health Zafar Mirza tests positive for the coronavirus, Associated Press reports.

2.36 pm: Karnataka revises guidelines to allow 14-day home quarantine for people coming in from all states, including Maharashtra. The government’s previous guideline mandated seven-day institutional quarantine for people arriving from Maharashtra.

2.33 pm: British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday introduced a 1.57-billion GBP rescue package of emergency grants and cheap loans for arts, culture and heritage industries to help them tide over the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, PTI reports.

2.30 pm: Kerala Public Service Commission postpones all interviews scheduled to be held between July 7 and July 10 at its office in Ernakulam district, ANI reports.

1.55 pm: Bihar reports 276 more coronavirus cases in a day. This takes the state’s tally to 12,140, according to ANI.

1.38 pm: As many as 114 Indians who were stranded in Pakistan amid the coronavirus crisis will be repatriated to India via the Attari-Wagah border on July 9, ANI reports.

1.25 pm: Puducherry reports 65 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, taking its overall count to 1,009, PTI reports. The toll stands at 14.

1.02 pm: BJP leader Sambit Patra, who has recovered from the coronavirus, donates plasma in Gurugram, ANI reports.

12.41 pm: The coronavirus cases in Himachal Pradesh reach 1,069, ANI reports.

12.23 pm: The Karnataka government sets up a helpline for people to file complaints about hospitals refusing to accept suspected coronavirus cases, News18 reports.

12.18 pm: The chief minister urges people who are eligible to come forward to donate plasma as the number of people who need it are more than those coming forward to donate it. He says: “It will not cause any pain or weakness. Those donating plasma are doing selfless service to society.”

12.17 pm: “Out of 25,000 active patients, 15,000 are being treated at home,” Kejriwal says, according to ANI. He adds that the death rate has come down. “We’ve also started the country’s first corona plasma bank. Our trials have shown that plasma therapy can help moderate patients improve significantly.”

12.16 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claims there is no need to panic about Covid-19 cases having crossed the 1 lakh mark in the Capital as around 72,000 people have recovered, ANI reports.

12.15 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan rises to 2,31,818 after 3,344 new infections were detected in 24 hours, PTI reports. The toll in the country is 4,762.

12.02 pm: Odisha reports 456 new coronavirus cases and 290 recoveries in 24 hours, ANI reports. This takes the state’s total to 9,526.

11.55 am: The Indian Council of Medical Research says Covid-19 tests in India have crossed the 1 crore mark. As many as 1,00,04,101 tests have been conducted as of 11 am.

11.35 am: Delhi High Court calls officials from both central and the Delhi government over a PIL claiming that nurses in private hospitals and nursing homes are not being provided PPE, ANI reports.

11.35

11.24 am: Two more police personnel die of Covid-19 in Maharashtra, taking the toll in the department to 70, News18 reports. As many as 1,078 police personnel are undergoing treatment.

11.20 am: The number of coronavirus cases in Peru crosses 3,00,000, Reuters reports. As many as 10,589 people have died in Peru, making it the 10th highest toll in the world.

11.15 am: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claims that in the future, Harvard Business School will have case studies on failures of the Narendra Modi-led government, such as its handling of the coronavirus crisis, demonetisation and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax.

Read more here:

Rahul Gandhi claims Harvard will have case study on ‘failures’ like Covid-19, note ban and GST

11.06 am: US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn casts aspersions on President Donald Trump’s claims that a Covid-19 vaccine would be available by this year. “I can’t predict when a vaccine will be available,” Hahn says, according to BBC. The development of the vaccine would be “based upon the data and science”, he adds.

Hahn is a member of the White House coronavirus task force.

10.59 am: In an open letter to the World Health Organization, 239 scientists from 32 countries have claimed that the Covid-19 coronavirus is airborne, The New York Times reported on Saturday. The scientists plan to publish their findings in a journal this week. The claim contradicts previous evidence that suggested that it was transmitted from person to person through droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when a person with the disease coughs, sneezes or speaks.

Read more here:

Coronavirus can transmit through air, claim 239 scientists in open letter to WHO

10.50 am: India on Monday surpassed Russia’s coronavirus count to become the third worst-affected nation.

Read more here:

Coronavirus: India surpasses Russia to become third worst-hit nation; records 6.97 lakh cases

10.47 am: Rajasthan has reported 99 new coronavirus cases and three deaths in 24 hours, ANI reports. This takes the total number of cases in the state to 20,263 and the toll to 459.

10.40 am: Three men allegedly abducted a man and tortured him in Kothrud in Pune over a financial dispute regarding his stay in Delhi on company money during the lockdown, PTI reports. The victim worked for one of the three men who tortured him.

10.30 am: Broadway actor Nick Cordero dies in Los Angeles following severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus. He was 41. The actor, who was nominated for a Tony award in 2014, spent more than 90 days in hospital. He was in a medically-induced coma for a period of time and his leg had to be amputated in April.

“God has another angel in heaven now,” his wife Amanda Kloots posted on Instagram. “Nick was such a bright light. He was everyone’s friend, loved to listen, help and especially talk. He was an incredible actor and musician. He loved his family and loved being a father and husband.”

9.36 am: The Goa government plans to designate special teams at the primary health centres and community health centres to collect samples of suspected coronavirus patients, says Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, according to PTI. They will collect samples and co-ordinate with the testing centres. “After deliberations with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, we have taken a decision to recruit new teams on a contractual basis to designate them at the primary health centres (PHCs) and community health centres (CHCs), and they will report to the respective health officers,” Rane adds.

9.34 am: India’s recovery rate stands at 60.85%, according to the Union health ministry.

9.22 am: India’s coronavirus tally rises to 6,97,413 with 24,248 new cases over the last 24 hours, says the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The toll rises by 425 to 19,693. The overall recoveries is now 4,24,432.

9.11 am: Australia to seal off the state of Victoria from the rest of the country. The border between Victoria and New South Wales will also close from Wednesday, reports BBC.

9.09 am: As many as 1,80,596 samples were tested on Sunday, says the Indian Council of Medical Research. Till July 5, India has tested 99,69,662 samples.

8.24 am: The United States records 39,379 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University on Sunday. The country recorded 234 new deaths, taking the total toll to 1,29,891.

8.19 am: Chile recorded 10,159 deaths on Sunday, reports AFP.

8.18 am: Saudi Arabia announces protocols for 2020 Haj season, reports Reuters. Touching the Kaaba will be banned this year while pilgrims will have to maintain a distance of 1.5 meter during the rituals. Wearing masks all the time will be mandatory for both pilgrims and organisers.

8.10 am: Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala goes into “triple lockdown” from today for a week, reports PTI. “People should not venture out,” says Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran. “We need strict restrictions to contain the spread of the virus. During triple lockdown, there will be more restrictions. Only necessary services will be allowed.”

Read more here:

Thiruvananthapuram: ‘Triple lockdown’ for a week from today after surge in coronavirus cases

7.50 am: The Delhi government on Sunday decided to conduct compulsory rapid antigen detection testing on all patients with influenza-like symptoms or other individuals who are at high risk. These tests are expected to give results in 30 minutes.

The Delhi Health department in its order directed all medical directors, medical superintendents and directors of all state-run hospitals to ensure rapid antigen detection testing is compulsorily done for the people listed.

Also read:

Covid-19: Delhi orders rapid antigen detection testing for high-risk patients as cases near 1 lakh

7.48 am: Monuments in Agra like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort will remain closed untill further orders as they fall in “buffer zone”, says the district magistrate, according to ANI. All monuments under Archaeological Survey of India are set to open from today.

Also read:

Coronavirus: Taj Mahal, other monuments in Agra to remain closed amid surge in cases

7.35 am: With 4,683 new cases, Mexico’s tally is now 256,848.

7.33 am: Brazil registers 26,051 new cases of coronavirus, 602 deaths, according to Reuters.

7.32 am: The Meerut administration cancels the licence of a private hospital after a viral video shows its staff member giving fake Covid-19 report for Rs 2,500, reports Hindustan Times. “We have registered a case in this regard,” says Meerut District Magistrate Anil Dhingra. “We have suspended the licence of the nursing home. Today, we have sealed it also. Strict action will be taken against anybody who will do something like this in this time of crisis.”

Read more here:

Coronavirus: Meerut hospital sealed, licence revoked for providing fake negative report for Rs 2,500

7.29 am: Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma says the virus is now “in the community”, reports NDTV. Guwahati reported 2,700 cases in the last 10 days. “With this, Guwahati has formally entered into the pandemic situation now and it is becoming bigger and bigger,” Sarma adds.

Also read:

Coronavirus is now in the community, says Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

7.28 am: After consecutive days of record highs, India is all set to cross Russia’s tally and become third worst-affected nation. India added a record number of cases on Sunday. In its daily morning update on Sunday, the health ministry said the country reported more than 24,000 cases and 613 deaths in the last 24 hours. This was the biggest daily surge in fresh infections.

7.25 am: Here are the biggest updates from Sunday

  • India’s coronavirus tally rose to 6,73,165 on Sunday with a record 24,850 new cases over the last 24 hours. The toll went up by 613 to 19,268, and the overall recoveries is now 4,09,082.  
  • Delhi reported 2,244 new coronavirus cases and 63 deaths, taking the Capital’s tally to 99,444 and the toll to 3,067. Meanwhile, Maharashtra saw an increase of 6,555 new cases, pushing the total count to 2,06,619. With 151 new deaths, the toll rose to 8,822.
  • The Ministry of Science and Technology said that the development of a potential coronavirus vaccine “is unlikely to be ready for mass use before 2021”, but later edited the press release to remove the specific line.
  • World Health Organization chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan has said that the development of a potential coronavirus vaccine must show efficacy and safety, adding that the completion of its trials could take six to nine months.
  • Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath said that big events in the state can be organised while following coronavirus guidelines. The chief minister was referring to the “Van Mahotsav” or afforestation festival under which the state government has set a target of planting record 25 crore saplings.