9.21 pm: The Union home ministry extends the countrywide coronavirus restrictions, put in place after its April 29 order, till June 30, reports the Hindustan Times. The ministry says the curbs are necessary to keep a check on the spread of the infection.

8.20 pm: Here’s a look at the Covid figures of states on Thursday evening:

Puducherry: 1,137 new cases and 20 deaths in the last 24 hours; total positive cases: 1,00,677, toll now 1,455,

Andhra Pradesh: 16,167 new cases, 104 deaths; total positive cases 16,43,557, while toll is 10,531,

Rajasthan: 3,454 new cases, 85 deaths; total cases now 9,31,200, while toll is 8,103,

Manipur: 813 new infections, 18 deaths; total cases now 47,111, while toll is 748,

Karnataka: 24,214 new cases, 476 deaths; total cases rise to 25,23,998, while toll is 27,405;

Telangana: 3,614 new cases, 18 deaths; total cases now 5,67,517, while toll rises to 3,207;

Uttarakhand: 2,146 new cases, 81 deaths; total cases now 3,23,483, while toll is 6,201;

West Bengal: 13,046 new cases, 148 deaths; total cases now 13,31,249, while toll is 14,975;

Himachal Pradesh: 1,472 new cases, 59 deaths; total cases now 1,85,819, while toll is 2,976.

7.37 pm: Medical supplies comprising of 8,500 antigen detection kits arrives at Delhi airport from South Korea, reports ANI.

7.35 pm: Chandigarh registers 200 new coronavirus cases and seven deaths, reports ANI.

7.34 pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says one-time financial help of Rs 3 lakh will be given to the children who have lost their parents due to the coronavirus, reports ANI. “Rs 2000 per month will be given to these children till the 18 years of age,” he adds. “The state government will bear the cost of their education till degree-level.”

7.24 pm: Kerala registers 24,166 new Covid-19 cases and 181 deaths in the last 24 hours, reports ANI.

7.15 pm: The Centre dismisses a New York Times report that claimed that India’s toll is likely 4.2 million, 42 lakh, in the worst case scenario, reports PTI. The analysis by the newspaper also showed that the total coronavirus infections in the country to be around 700.7 million, 70.07 crore.

“The NYT report is not backed by any evidence and based on distorted estimates,” the Centre said, adding it is “false and baseless”.

5 pm: Uttar Pradesh reports 3,278 new cases and 188 deaths, PTI reports. This takes that state’s total cases to 16,83,866 and toll to 19,900.

4.50 pm: The Centre claims “distorted statements, half-truths and blatant lies” have given rise to myths about the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.

In a statement Niti Aayog member and Chair of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19, Dr Vinod Paul, lists out seven myths and responded with the facts. According to the government, the myths are:

  • Centre is not doing enough to buy vaccines from abroad
  • Centre has not approved vaccines available globally
  • Centre is not doing enough to ramp up domestic production of vaccines
  • Centre should invoke compulsory licensing
  • Centre has abdicated its responsibility to the states
  • Centre is not giving enough vaccines to the states
  • Centre is not taking any step to vaccinate children

4.45 pm: Delhi reports 1,072 new coronavirus cases and 117 deaths on Thursday. The positivity rate drops to 1.53%, ANI reports.

4.38 pm: Niti Aayog member VK Paul says India is in conversation with Pfizer and that the vaccine manufacturer has indicated it could make a certain amount of shots available in the next few months, ANI reports.

4.36 pm: The Punjab government says 188 cases of mucormycosis or black fungus have been reported from the state, ANI reports. “Due to shortage of Amphotericin, CM has ordered ramping up of stocks of alternate drugs to treat the disease, making Punjab the first state in country to use alternative medicines to treat the disease,” the Chief Minister’s Office says.

4.35 pm: Punjab extends its lockdown till June 10 but adds that some restrictions will be eased, ANI reports.

4.34 pm: Referring to reports that 20 villagers in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district were administered one dose of Covishield and a second dose of Covaxin during vaccinations, Niti Aayog member says the incident should be investigated, ANI reports.

“Our protocol is clear that both doses given should be of the same vaccine,” he says.

“If second dose of different Covid vaccine is given, any significant adverse effect is unlikely, but we need more scrutiny,” he adds, according to PTI.

Also read:

Covid: At least 20 UP villagers get mixed doses of vaccines, government official admits to oversight

4.32 pm: West Bengal extends its lockdown till June 15, ANI reports.

4.30 pm: Niti Aayog member VK Paul says India is on the “downswing of the second wave” and adds that it is reassuring, according to ANI. “It will be sustained if restrictions open up systematically as the time comes,” he adds.

4.25 pm: The recoveries are now exceeding the number of daily cases though Covid testing has increased manifold, the Ministry of Health says in its press briefing, ANI reports. “The recovery rate has increased from 85.6% to 90% now, it’s a positive indication.”

As many as 24 states have shown a decline in active cases since last week, the ministry adds.

2.23 pm: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel says the Centre was doing politics and asks it to not give misleading reports about vaccine shortage, reports ANI. Baghel says that there has been 0.6% vaccine wastage in the 45 and above age group and around 0.8% vaccine wastage in the 18-44 category, which is less than the 1.6% wastage guideline by the Centre.

“All our reports are going to them,” he adds. “Those who go for vaccination without registering on CoWIN are being deemed by them to be cases of vaccine wastage.”

2.19 pm: Mizoram registers 207 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the state’s tally to 11,143 since the pandemic broke out in the country in January 2020, reports PTI. The positivity rate was 10.54%, an official says.

2.16 pm: More than 1.84 crore coronavirus vaccine doses are still available with states and Union Territories and they will receive over 11 lakh shots within the next three days, says the Union health ministry. It adds that the government has so far given 22,16,11,940 doses to states and Union Territories.

2.11 pm: Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu says that the coronavirus vaccine supply in the state is not at par with the demand, reports ANI. “It is a matter of concern,” he says. “It is a ‘hand to mouth’ situation for us almost every day.”

On vaccine wastage, Sidhu says it could be 1-2%. He adds that the wastage cannot be to an extent that the shots reach their expiry date.

2.08 pm: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia inaugurates a drive-in coronavirus vaccination Centre’s at Saket in the national Capital, reports ANI.

1.37 pm: Delhi HC allows duty free import of Amphotericin-B, drug used to treat “black fungus” patients, on bond by importers till Centre takes a decision, reports PTI.

12.21 pm: Wardha-based Genetic Life Sciences has manufactured Amphotericin-B injections for treating “black fungus” disease, ANI reports, quoting office of Union minister Nitin Gadkari.

Distribution of vials of the injection will begin from Monday at Rs 1,200 each.

12.16 pm: The Centre has had multiple rounds of discussions with vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna, says Niti Aayog member VK Paul.

12.08 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says India should procure vaccine developed by pharmaceutical company Pfizer as soon as possible to inoculate children. Kejriwal tweeted after Pfizer sought fast-track approval for its jab in India.

12.07 pm: Delhi High Court seeks response of the Centre and Delhi government on a plea seeking directions to them to ensure adequate supply of Covid-19 vaccine for the residents of the national capital, reports PTI.

11.02 am: Drug firm Zydus Cadila seeks Drugs Controller General of India’s approval to carry out clinical trials for monoclonal antibodies cocktail that can neutralise Covid-19 infection.

10.56 am: The B.1.617 coronavirus variant, first found in India, has now been detected in 53 countries, according to the WHO, reports PTI.

10.55 am: The Gujarat High Court has asked the state administration to consider keeping aside some Covid-19 vaccines for beneficiaries looking for spot registration, especially in rural areas, reports PTI.

10.50 am: Bharat Biotech has filed a new request in Brazil for certification of its vaccine, Covaxin, reports PTI. The company has earlier been denied permission in the country as it did not meet the Good Manufacturing Practice requirements.

9.30 am: Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta says the state will run out of its stock of vaccines in a day or two, reports ANI.

“It has been said that there’s 37% of vaccine wastage in our state with no evidence,” says Gupta. “But the wastage is of 4.65% which is lower than that of the other states.”

9.28 am: India reports 2,11,298 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the overall tally to 2,73,69,093 since the pandemic first broke out in January 2020. The toll rises by 3,847 to 3,15,235, while the active caseload stands at 24,19,907.

9.26 am: More than 21.5 lakh (21,57,857) samples were tested for detecting coronavirus in India on Wednesday, says the Indian Council of Medical Research.

9.24 am: In a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, France President Emmanuel Macron says the country will continue to stand by India to fight the pandemic together, reports ANI.

9.18 am: Here are the top updates from Wednesday:

  • India reported 2.08 lakh new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the overall tally past 2.71 crore since the pandemic first broke out in January 2020. The toll rose by 4,157 to 3,11,388, while the active caseload declined by over 91,000 to 24,95,591.
  • The Union health ministry said in its revised protocol for clinical management of Covid-19 that the majority of transmission is believed to happen through the “airborne route” and droplets released when the infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.
  • The Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh governments dismissed Union health ministry data that showed they were the top wasters of coronavirus vaccine doses.
  • The Indian Medical Association wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling for an end to yoga guru Ramdev’s “misinformation campaign” against coronavirus vaccines and demanding action against him under the sedition law.