10.55 pm: Punjab registers 1,293 new Covid-19 cases, taking the infection count to 5,80,829, 82 more deaths pushes the toll to 15,160, reports PTI.

10.44 pm: Delhi government offices resume after one-and-a-half months with limited attendance as restrictions are eased, reports PTI.

10.15 pm: The Rajasthan government relaxes Covid-19 restrictions in the state, reports ANI. Under the new guidelines, a curfew will be in place between 5 pm on Friday and 5 am on Monday and between 5 pm and 5 am on weekdays, reports ANI.

9.45 pm: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has constituted a task force in each district of the Union Territory for providing care and protection to children infected with Covid-19, reports PTI.

8.02 pm: The Centre announces that the passports of athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics and students going abroad for courses will be linked to vaccination proof.

6.56 pm: Delhi’s Women and Child Development Department will gather data on children who have lost one or both parents to Covid-19 so that they can be given government benefits, PTI reports.

6.54 pm: Bengaluru’s case fatality rate is 7.71%, compared to 2.62% for Karnataka overall, NDTV reports.

6.48 pm: The West Bengal government cancels board exams for Class 10 and 12, The Telegraph reports.

6.36 pm: The Punjab government extends Covid-19 curbs till June 15, but allows certain relaxations, PTI reports. It permits shops to open till 6 pm. Twenty people will be allowed at weddings and funerals.

5.55 pm: Delhi reports 231 new cases of coronavirus and 36 deaths due to the infection, in the last 24 hours, according to ANI. The number of new cases recorded in Delhi on Monday is the lowest since March 2, PTI reports.

5.40 pm: The Centre will continue to provide free ration to 80 crore beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana, till Diwali this year, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

5.35 pm: Highlights of the new vaccination policy announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi:

  • All citizens above the age of 18 will be eligible for free vaccines procured by the Centre.
  • The 25% quota of vaccines for those aged 18-45, that was being procured by states since May 1, will now be bought by the Centre from manufacturers.
  • The Centre will take over the process in the next two weeks.
  • The remaining 25% quota will continue to be procured by private hospitals, and those willing to pay for the shots, may opt for them.
  • Private hospitals can charge a maximum of Rs 150 as service charge, apart from the stipulated price of respective vaccines.

5.29 pm: Private hospitals can charge a maximum of Rs 150 as service charge, on the stipulated price of vaccines, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

5.28 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces that the Centre will provide free vaccines for all citizens above the age of 18. The procurement of vaccines for those in the age group of 18-45 was so far being done by the states. The Centre will take over the process over the next two weeks, says Modi.

5.20 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says vaccine supply in the country will go up in the coming days.

“Seven companies are at various stages of producing vaccines in India,” says Modi.

5.15 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says there were very few vaccine manufacturers in the world, as compared to the demand.

Play

4.26 pm: Spain has opened its borders to all travellers vaccinated against Covid-19, reports AFP.

4.20 pm: Shops in Maharahstra’s Nagpur open as part of the state government’s five-phased unlock strategy, reports ANI.

Read more here:

Covid-19: Maharashtra unveils five-level unlock plan. Here is a list of what is allowed

4.18 pm: The Rajasthan government has issued an order for forming panels at the state, district and block levels to make sure coronavirus vaccines are being used properly, reports PTI.

4.17 pm: The Delhi government informs the High Court that it has directed all government centres, private hospitals and nursing homes in the city to administer Covaxin only to those in 18-44 age group who received it as first dose, reports PTI.

4.15 pm: The Tamil Nadu government allots Rs 25 crore from Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund towards the procurement of anti-fungal drug Amphotericin B and other medicines to treat mucormycosis or “black fungus” cases, reports PTI.

3.23 pm: The Indian Space Research Organisation developed three types of ventilators and says it wants to transfer the technology to industry for clinical usage, reports PTI.

3.21 pm: The Centre tells the Supreme Court that it needs some more time to apprise the court of the modalities on the recently launched ‘PM-CARES for Children’ scheme for kids orphaned by Covid-19, reports PTI.

2.07 pm: Uttarakhand extends lockdown in the state for another week till June 15 with some relaxations, reports PTI.

2.01 pm: Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar says local trains are currently running for essential services only as the unlock process begins, reports ANI. “Decision on whether to open it up for general public will be taken after a week, depending on Covid situation in the city,” Pednekar adds.

1.58 pm: Shiromani Akali Dal protests near the residence of Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu in Mohali over the selling of Covid-19 vaccines at a higher price, reports ANI.

1.56 pm: The Andhra Pradesh government extends the statewide curfew till June 20. reports ANI. The curfew will be imposed between 6 am till 2 pm and government offices are allowed to function between 8 am and 2 pm.

1.52 pm: Shops reopen at Janpath market in Delhi, reports ANI.

12.40 pm: The Union Health Ministry and Family Welfare’s directorate general of health services has issued revised guidelines to stop the use of ivermectin and doxycycline in Covid-19 treatment, reports News18.

12.31 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announces the “Jahan vote, Wahan vaccination” campaign. “Under this campaign, we will tell people to visit their designated polling stations to get vaccinated,” he says. “Door-to-door vaccination to be done soon. In 4 weeks, all above 45 years of age to be vaccinated.” There are 57 lakh people in Delhi who are above 45 out of which 27 lakh have received their first jab, according to NDTV.

12.05 pm: Gujarat has also eased restrictions from Monday. Offices can now function with their full capacity.

12.04 pm: Union health minister Harsh Vardhan meets the Group of Ministers to discuss the Covid-19 crisis.

12.02 pm: Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava urges people to continue to exercise caution. “Unlock may have happened but public must exercise caution,” he says, ANI reports. “People must remember that the impact of the disease has gone down but the disease is still out there.”

11.59 am: Here are some visuals from states where the lockdown was eased on Monday morning.

11.57 am: The Indian Medical Association writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to resolve its long pending pleas and “to ensure the optimum milieu for modern medical professionals to work with compassion and dedication, without mental and physical fear”.

11.50 am: Sprinter PT Usha urges Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to vaccinate athletes participating in the Olympic qualifying event later this month. “We just can’t ignore sports section!” she says.

10.23 am: Several United States legislators and governors have urged the Biden administration to ensure that India receives Covid-19 vaccines and medical aid, saying the crisis in the country is “devastating” and the US has a responsibility to help its close allies fight the pandemic, reports News18.

10.14 am: The Indian Council of Medical Research has tested 36,63,34,111 samples till Sunday, with 15,87,589 tests conducted on June 6.

10.09 am: Migrant workers return to Delhi after curbs to contain the coronavirus infection are eased in the national Capital, reports ANI.

9.17 am: India registers 1,00,636 Covid-19 new cases, pushing the infection tally in the country to 2,89,09,975 since the pandemic broke out in January last year. With 2,427 deaths, the toll climbs to 3,49,186. There are 14,01,609 active cases and 2,71,59,180 patients have recovered so far from the infection.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

8.25 am: Two doses of the Covishield vaccine have produced more antibodies than two doses of Covaxin, according to a real-world study on vaccinations in healthcare workers in India, The Hindu reports. The study is yet to be peer reviewed.

As many as 515 healthcare workers from 22 cities were surveyed between January and May. Only 6% tested positive after receiving either one or both shots of the Covishield or Covaxin vaccines.

Of 515 participants, 90 received Covaxin shots.

One dose of Covishield produced 10 times more antibodies than Covaxin. After a second dose was added, it was found that two shots of Covishield produced about six times more antibodies than Covaxin.

However, the study adds that there were fewer “breakthrough infections” after the Covaxin shots. Breakthrough infections are those where a patient tests positive for the coronavirus two weeks after receiving the second shot of the vaccine. As many as 5.5% recipients of Covishield reported breakthrough infections, while that number went down to 2.2% for Covaxin.

8.15 am: Bus services will restart in Mumbai today, while in Delhi, metro services will open with a 50% capacity of passengers.

8.05 am: Lockdown restrictions in several states will ease from today.

The Maharashtra government unveiled a five-level unlock plan based on positivity rate and availability of oxygen beds in various districts. In Capital Mumbai, restaurants, salons and spas will operate at 50% occupancy till 4 pm. Shops will also have to be shut by 4 pm. However, local train services will be available only for passengers in medical and essential services.

In Delhi, malls and markets in the city will resume operation on an odd-even basis of shop numbers. Metro services will begin but with only half the capacity of passengers.

The Uttar Pradesh government has lifted coronavirus-related restrictions in all districts except Lucknow, Meerut, Gorakhpur and Saharanpur. Active cases in these four cities are more than 600.

In Tamil Nadu, while the government has extended the lockdown till June 24, some curbs have been relaxed. Street vendors selling vegetables, fruit and flowers, and standalone provision shops and meat stalls can now function between 6 am and 5 pm. Government offices can function with 30% workforce, while matchbox industries can work with 50% of their staff by following the standard operating procedure.

8 am: The coronavirus disease has now infected over 17.31 crore people and killed over 37.26 lakh in the world since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Here are the top updates from Sunday:

  1. United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the leaders of Group of Seven or G7 countries to promise to vaccinate the whole world by the end of 2022. “Vaccinating the world by the end of next year would be the single greatest feat in medical history,” he said.
  2. India reported 1,14,460 new coronavirus infections during the previous 24 hours on Sunday morning while deaths rose by 2,677. The country’s tally of cases since the pandemic broke out in January 2020 stands at 2,88,09,339, with the toll rising to 3,46,759. India’s daily new cases were the lowest in the last two months. The country has recorded less than 2 lakh cases for 10 straight days.
  3. Sikkim extended its statewide lockdown till June 14. Haryana also extended its restrictions till June 14, but allowed bars and malls to open with 50% capacity. The Uttar Pradesh government, meanwhile lifted the curfew imposed in view of Covid-19 from all districts barring Meerut, Saharanpur and Gorakhpur as active cases in each of them are over 600.
  4. Delhi recorded 381 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking its total count of infections since the outbreak of the pandemic last year to 14,29,244. This is the Capital’s lowest daily rise in cases since March 15. Delhi’s toll rose by 34 to 24,591. Its positivity rate reduced to 0.50%.
  5. Maharashtra recorded 233 Covid-19 deaths on Sunday, taking its toll to 1,00,130. The tally of cases rose to 58,31,781 as the state recorded 12,557 new infections.