1. India reported 3,26,098 new Covid-19 cases and 3,890 fatalities in 24 hours. This pushed the country’s case count to 2,43,72,907 and toll to 2,66,207 since the pandemic began in January. There are 36,73,802 active cases and 2,04,32,898 patients have recovered from the disease so far.
  2. The National Human Rights Commission released an advisory to the Union government, all the states and Union Territories, calling for a special law to uphold the dignity of the dead amid multiple reports of bodies being buried along the banks of the river Ganga.
  3. Over 2,000 bodies have been found floating or buried in an 1,140 km stretch along the river Ganga, the Dainik Bhaskar reported on Friday. The stretch covers 27 districts along Ganga before the river enters Bihar. In a ground report carried out by 30 reporters, the Hindi daily found that the situation was grim in Kanpur, Unnao, Ghazipur, Ballia and Kannauj districts.
  4. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced setting up oxygen concentrator banks in each district of the city. He also said that home delivery of oxygen will be done if coronavirus patients in home isolation need it.
  5. West Bengal will be under a complete lockdown from Sunday till May 30 in view of the surge in coronavirus cases. All government and private offices, schools, shopping malls, cinema halls, bars and beauty parlours will remain shut during this period, West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said. Private and public transport, including Kolkata Metro services, will also remain prohibited.  
  6. The coronavirus situation in India remains “hugely concerning” as several states in the country were continuing to see a “worrying number of cases, hospitalisations and deaths”, said World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
  7. All India Institute of Medical Sciences Director Dr Randeep Guleria noted that cases of mucormycosis, commonly known as black fungus, were rising, adding that it was causing greater morbidity and mortality. The infection has been reported among Covid-19 patients in several states.  
  8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting on the coronavirus situation in the country and vaccination. Modi took note of reports that ventilators were lying unused in some states, and ordered an immediate audit of their installation and operation.
  9. United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said that the country’s plans to ease on Covid-19 restrictions may face “serious disruption” due to the infectious B.1.617 coronavirus strain first detected in India.
  10. Globally, the coronavirus has now infected 16.15 crore people and killed over 33.53 lakh since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.