10.52 pm: Madhya Pradesh reports 747 new cases of the coronavirus and 14 deaths on Wednesday, ANI reports. The state now has 14,842 Covid-19 cases and the toll stands at 770.

10.36 pm: The Covid-19 count in Chhattisgarh increases to 5,968 after 230 new cases were reported on Wednesday, PTI reports. Of the 230 new infections, 50 were reported in paramilitary personnel. The toll in the state stands at 230.

10.33 pm: Rajasthan registers 961 new coronavirus cases and six deaths on Wednesday, ANI reports, quoting the state health department. With this, the total tally of infections in the state rises to 32,334 and the toll is now 583.

10.32 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday rises to 1,725, including 10 deaths, ANI reports.

10.30 pm: Telangana registers 1,554 new cases of the coronavirus and nine deaths on Wednesday, ANI reports, quoting the figures by the state health department. The total number of cases in the state now stands at 49,259, including 438 deaths.

9.40 pm: New cases reported today:

Delhi: 1,227 new cases, 29 deaths; total rises to 1,26,323, toll stands at 3,719,

West Bengal: 2,291 new cases, 39 deaths; total rises to 49,321, toll now 1,221,

Manipur: 45 new cases, total rises to 2,060

Punjab: 414 new cases, total rises to 11,301, toll now 269,

Haryana: 724 new cases, total rises to 28,186, toll 372,

8.15 pm: Maharashtra records 10,576 new cases in a day. This is the state’s highest single-day rise so far. The total number of positive cases in the state is now 3,37,607. This includes 1,87,769 recoveries and 12,556 deaths.

Mumbai reports 1,310 new cases and 58 deaths in a day. The total number of positive cases rises to 1,04,572, while 75,118 have recovered and 5,872 people have died.

7.44 pm: Bihar registers 1,502 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total tally of infections in the state to 30,066, ANI reports, quoting the state health department. The toll stands at 208.

7.39 pm: A lockdown will be imposed in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, for ten days starting from 8 pm of July 24, Home Minister Narottam Mishra announces, according to ANI.

7.35 pm: United States President Donald Trump’s administration will pay American pharmaceutical firm Pfizer nearly $2 billion ( Rs14,922 crore) for a December delivery of 100 million (10 crore) doses of a Covid-19 vaccine the company is developing, PTI reports, quoting Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.

7.30 pm: Vijayan adds that out of the 226 new cases reported in Thiruvananthapuram, 190 people contracted the coronavirus through local transmission, ANI reports. “The situation is serious and the government is considering whether a complete lockdown should be imposed,” he says.

7.07 pm: Kerala registers its biggest single-day rise of 1,038 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says, according to ANI. Of these, 226 cases were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, he adds. With this, the state’s total tally of infections rises to 8,818.

6.54 pm: Karnataka reports 4,764 new Covid-19 infections and 55 deaths in 24 hours on Wednesday, ANI reports. The state now has 47,069 active cases and the toll stands at 1,519.

6.53 pm: Manipur government announces a complete lockdown for 14 days that will come into effect on July 23, Thursday, ANI reports.

6.52 pm: Samba District Magistrate imposes a complete lockdown in Samba and Bari Brahmana tehsils of Jammu and Kashmir from July 23 to July 26, ANI reports. However, the restrictions will not apply to essential services.

6.49 pm: Tamil Nadu registers 5,849 coronavirus cases and 74 deaths on Wednesday, taking the total tally of infections in the state to 1,86,492, ANI reports, quoting state health department’s figures. The toll rises to 2,700.

6.48 pm: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur says he will go into self quarantine after an official at his office tests positive for the coronavirus, ANI reports.

6.06 pm: Andhra Pradesh reports 6,045 new coronavirus cases and 65 deaths. With this, the state now has 64,713 cases and the toll stands at 823.

6 pm: The Centre says recovery rate of coronavirus patients has crossed 63% now.

“Highest ever recoveries have been registered in a single day ie 28,472,” it says in a press release. “This is also the highest number of Covid-19 patients cured/discharged in last 24 hours. With this, the number of patients that have recovered stands at 7,53,049. This has strongly boosted the recovery rate among Covid-19 patients to 63.13%.”

5.45 pm: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath has directed officials to study the case history of recovered coronavirus patients, reports PTI. He also suggests that findings of such studies should be shared with high level medical research institutions.

5.42 pm: The Goa Education Department is expecting to start the new academic session from September, says director Santosh Amonkar, according to PTI. The annual academic session in Goa begins in the first week of June, but it has been delayed this year due to the coronavirus outbreak.

5.33 pm: Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Abdul Sattar says he has tested positive for coronavirus, reports PTI. He adds that he is in home quarantine in Mumbai and urges those who came in contact with him to get themselves tested.

5.29 pm: The World Health Organization says India has been responding with utmost urgency to the coronavirus pandemic since the start, reports ANI. “It’s been continually strengthening preparedness and response measures, including ramping up testing capacities, readying more hospitals, arranging and stocking up medicines and essentials,” says Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director, WHO South-East Asia Region. “Scaling up capacities and response remains constant need in India.”

5.27 pm: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has gone into self-quarantine after an official tests positive for the coronavirus, reports PTI.

5.25 pm: Mumbai’s Dharavi area reports five new coronavirus cases, taking the total in the area to 2,507, according to ANI.

4.15 pm: Uttar Pradesh reports 2,308 new coronavirus cases in a day. This takes the total cases to 55,588. This includes 20,825 active cases, 33,500 recoveries and 1,263 deaths.

3.42 pm: Iran says 138 health care professionals have died so far while tackling the coronavirus pandemic, reports AP. This includes 90 doctors and 28 nurses.

3.40 pm: Kerala Minister VS Sunil Kumar says curfew will be imposed in Aluva region in Kochi from midnight to contain the coronavirus crisis, reports ANI. He adds that essential services will be allowed between 10 am and 2 pm. Chemist shops can operate 24 hours.

3.19 pm: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant says everyone entering the state will be given a rapid antigen tests from Thursday, reports PTI.

2.40 pm: The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government to explain how physically fit persons, who are 65 years or above, are expected to lead a dignified life if they are not allowed to go out of homes and earn livelihood, reports LiveLaw.

The court was hearing a writ petition filed by Pramod Pandey, who said that he has been performing small roles in films and TV serials since last 40 years and now his livelihood is in danger because of the lockdown restrictions imposed in the state. Actors above 65 years will not be permitted from entering film or TV sets, according to the rules.

2.06 pm: A group of junior nurses of the Sagar Dutt Medical College Hospital in West Bengal held a protest outside the hospital superintendent’s residence in North 24 Parganas on Tuesday, reports ANI. The nurses claimed shortage of staff and beds in the Covid-19 dedicated hospital.

1.51 pm: The Jammu and Kashmir administration imposes a six-day lockdown across the Valley, except Bandipore district, to contain the spread of the coronavirus, reports PTI.

12.48 pm: The Centre has extended work from home guidelines for IT and BPO companies till December 31, reports PTI.

12.35 pm: Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain says the government has decided to conduct sero-survey every month, reports ANI. This will be done from the 1st till 5th every month.

The survey on Tuesday revealed that 23.48% of Delhi residents had antibodies – that is, they may have at some point been exposed to the coronavirus.

12.32 pm: Bihar BJP MLC Sunil Kumar Singh, 69, died of the coronavirus late on Tuesday, reports PTI. He is the first legislator from Bihar to die of the infection. Bihar has seen an alarming rise in cases in the last few days.

12.28 pm: Madhya Pradesh Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Prabhuram Choudhary has warned of “strict action” against those violating physical distancing norms amid the coronavirus crisis, reports The Hindu. “The way forward to organise political rallies is through videoconferences,” he says. “However, we have decided to take strict action against those organising gatherings inviting a huge number of people.”

12.25 pm: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urges government to provide assistance to family of doctor, who died after contracting coronavirus, while working with Delhi’s National Health Mission.

11.19 am: China’s Xinjiang province reports 9 new cases, ANI reports quoting the local media.

11.16 am: Nagaland registers 57 fresh infections, says Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom.

11.14 am: State-wise updates

Odisha: 1,078 new cases; tally rises to 19,835

Rajasthan: 226 new cases; total count is now 31,599

11.10 am: Puducherry’s tally rises to 2,300, including 900 active cases, 1,369 discharged and 31 deaths.

10.14 am: The coronavirus situation “is in control” in Mumbai with the number of cases being reported daily being less than 1,500, says a senior official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Every day, 6,000-7,000 tests are being done and most of the citizens are following the safety protocols, Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani tells PTI.

10.10 am: India tested 3,43,243 samples on Tuesday, says the Indian Council of Medical Research.

10.05 am: People head out in Dharwad in Karnataka as the state government lifts the lockdown.

9.30 am: India registers 37,724 new cases, taking its total count to 11,92,915. The toll increases by 648 to 28,732.

9.03 am: The vaccine against the coronavirus being developed at the Oxford University in the United Kingdom is likely to arrive in India by November and will be worth around Rs 1,000. The Serum Institute expects to vaccinate everyone in India in two years. Half of the stock of the Covishield vaccine manufactured at the institute will be exported, which implies out of around 60 million vials made every month, India will receive 30 million.

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8.31 am: The Delhi airport announces 7-day institutional quarantine for international passengers at their own cost, reports NDTV. Passengers who arrive by international flights and plan to stay on in Delhi-NCR will have to mandatorily undergo a primary health screening by airport health officials. This will be followed by a secondary screening at the Delhi government post, after which they will be allowed to proceed to the approved quarantine location in the national Capital.

Passengers heading to other states will be screened by health officials from their respective states at designated places inside the airport premises.

8.03 am: The United States is leading the world in terms of testing and India is at second position, says President Donald Trump.

7.59 am: Japan approves dexamethasone as coronavirus treatment, reports Reuters.

7.40 am: Ireland to ease travel restrictions with 15 European countries, reports Reuters.

7.28 am: Nepal to resume commercial international flights from mid-August, reports AFP.

7.26 am: Donald Trump says US coronavirus crisis will “get worse before it gets better”. As he resumes his daily briefings, Trump adds: “Some areas of our country are doing very well. Others are doing less well. It will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better.”

7.25 am: Mexico’s toll crosses 40,000 with 915 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, reports AFP.

7.23 am: Chinese Covid-19 vaccine starts final tests in Brazil, reports AFP. Around 9,000 health workers across six Brazilian states will receive the vaccine, known as CoronaVac, in two doses over the next three months.

7.22 am: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accuses Opposition parties of trying to sabotage the government’s mitigation methods, reports PTI. “They called for protest violating COVID protocol,” he says. “The damage it causes will not only affect them but the whole state. They have always taken a negative approach and said there was no need for following the instructions given by the state and the health workers.”

7.14 am: The Karnataka government comes out with detailed guidelines for the unlock phase as Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa decides against another lockdown from Wednesday. Night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am will continue to be in place. Sunday curfew through the day will also continue.

7.06 am: Assam’s tally crosses 26,000-mark with record 1,680 new cases, says Minister for Health and Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma. The state also registers six more deaths.

7.01 am: Here are the top updates from Tuesday

  • India on Tuesday added 37,148 new cases to its tally, taking the its total count to 11,55,191. The toll rose by 587 to 28,084. The total active cases are now more than 4 lakh, while over 7.24 lakh people have recovered. The Centre, meanwhile, said its ultimate aim was to maintain aggressive testing to bring the positivity rate in India below 5%. It also warned against the use of N-95 masks with valved respirators, saying they do not prevent the virus from spreading out and are “detrimental”.
  • The Amarnath Yatra has been cancelled this year in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the board that manages the shrine in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, said on Tuesday. The yatra was set to begin today. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, announced that this year’s Hajj pilgrimage will begin on July 29. In June, the kingdom had announced it would hold a “very limited” Hajj this time to include only around 1,000 Muslim pilgrims, to control the spread of the coronavirus.
  • Maharashtra’s coronavirus tally rises to 3,27,031 with 8,369 new cases, and the toll rose to 12,276. Tamil Nadu, the second most affected state in India, reported 4,965 new infections, taking the tally to 1,80,643, and the toll to 2,626. Delhi, meanwhile, reported 1,349 new cases, taking the Capital’s count to 1,25,096 and toll to 3,690.
  • Karnataka, which has been reporting a steady increase in cases over the past few weeks, crossed the 70,000-mark on Tuesday. It now has 71,069 infections and 1,464 deaths. But Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced on Tuesday that his state will not go into another lockdown from Wednesday as the economy “is also very important”. He added that the restrictions will only be imposed in containment zones.
  • The Serum Institute of India on Monday said it will apply for a licence to start clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine developed at Oxford University. The Pune firm is the world’s largest vaccine maker in terms of the number of doses produced and sold globally. Meanwhile, the vaccine manufactured by the University of Oxford could be rolled out for public use by the end of the year, but there is no certainty that will happen, the lead developer of the vaccine Sarah Gilbert said on Tuesday.
  • A serological survey done in Delhi has revealed 23.48% of the participants developed Immunoglobulin G antibodies that indicate they may have been infected by the coronavirus, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. The study also noted that a large number of those infected were asymptomatic. But the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum on Tuesday alleged that the results of the survey showed the “utter failure” of the central and state governments to control the pandemic.
  • United States President Donald Trump said wearing a face mask was patriotic – a marked departure from his stance so far. Trump publicly wore a mask for the first time only on June 11. The US has been the country worst hit by the coronavirus by far.
  • The global coronavirus count is now over 1.47 crore, and the toll has crossed 6.11 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 83.38 lakh people have recovered so far.