10.46 pm: Maharashtra records 9,350 new Covid-19 cases, 15,176 recoveries and 388 deaths, reports ANI.

10.45 pm: Punjab reports 642 new cases, 38 deaths and 1,691 discharges, reports ANI.

10.43 pm: Chennai’s snake park faces seeks help from the government after it faces money problems, reports ANI.

10.41 pm: Only 650 visitors will be allowed to enter the Taj Mahal at a time when the monument reopens on Wednesday, PTI reports.

10.40 pm: Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar district records 15 new Covid-19 cases, while Ghaziabad registers 18 fresh infections, reports PTI. With this, the overall number of positive cases mounts to 62,973 in Gautam Buddh Nagar and 55,453 in Ghaziabad.

10.38 pm: The coronavirus tally in Madhya Pradesh rises to 7,88,649 with the addition of 224 new cases, reports PTI. The toll climbs to 8,615 with 27 deaths.

10.28 pm: The ban on inter-state movement of passenger buses between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh will be lifted from Wednesday, reports PTI. An official says the the curb from Maharashtra will continue till June 22.

10.24 pm: The Union health ministry says that pre-registration for Covid-19 vaccination through online registration and prior booking of appointment is not mandatory, reports the Hindustan Times.

“Anyone, aged 18 years or more, can directly go to the nearest vaccination center where the vaccinator performs the on-site registration and provides vaccination in the same visit,” the ministry said. “This is also popularly known as ‘walk-ins’,”

8.25 pm: Mumbai records 575 new coronavirus infections, taking the city’s active tally since the pandemic broke out in January 2020 to 15,390, reports ANI. With 14 deaths, the toll rises to 15,216.

8.08 pm: Here are the coronavirus figures of different states:

  • Kerala: 12,246 new cases takes its tally to 27,48,204. Deaths rise by 166 to 11,508.
  • Goa: 327 new cases takes its tally to 1,63,048. Deaths rise by 10 to 2,947.
  • Delhi: 228 new cases takes its tally to 14,31,498. Deaths rise by 12 to 24,851.
  • Meghalaya: 450 new cases takes its tally to 42,759. Deaths rise by seven to 750.

7.47 pm: The health ministry says that beneficiaries above the age of 18 can walk in to the nearest vaccination centre to register on the government’s CoWIN digital platform, reports NDTV.

7.45 pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says the coronavirus lockdown will be relaxed on the basis of test positivity rate under local self-government bodies, reports ANI.

“Local bodies with below 8% test positivity rate to function normally with restrictions, to be allowed to open shops,” he adds.

Vijayan also says that government offices can function with 25% employees, public transport can operate partially, shops selling essential items will be allowed to function on all days and that bars will open from June 17.

6.28 pm: The Haj Committee of India announces that all the applications for the pilgrimage this year are cancelled as Saudi Arabia has stated that only a limited number of people residing in the country will be allowed to perform Haj due to the coronavirus pandemic, reports PTI.

6.26 pm: Dharavi records zero new Covid-19 cases for the second consecutive day, reports PTI.

6.23 pm: Andhra Pradesh records 5,741 Covid-19 cases, pushing the infection tally in the state to 18,20,134, reports PTI. This is the second consecutive day when all the 13 districts registered less than 900 new cases. The toll in the state rose to 12,052 after 53 more fatalities were reported in the 24 hours.

6.13 pm: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh allows restaurants, cinema halls and gymnasiums in the state to open up and operate at 50% capacity, reports NDTV. The state government has not allowed bars and clubs to open yet and the night curfew from 8 pm to 5 am will continue to remain in place.

6.10 pm: The Uttar Pradesh government relaxes the Covid-19 restrictions in the state, allowing restaurants and malls to open with 50% capacity, reports the Hindustan Times. The night curfew timing has been revised to 9 pm to 7 am from 7 pm to 7 am.

5.06 pm: Vaccination per million population in tribal districts is higher than the national average, says the health ministry. The vaccination per million population (10 lakh) in tribal districts is 1,73,875, which is higher than the national average of 1,68,951. The gender ratio for people vaccinated is also better in tribal districts, it adds.

5.05 pm: Over 1.05 crore Covid vaccine doses are available with the states and Union Territories, says the government.

4.58 pm: During the second wave, 11.62% Covid cases seen in below 20 years age group, says the government. It was 11.31% during the first wave.

4.47 pm: Paul says the pace of vaccination will see “new energy” from the coming week.

4.46 pm: Talking about Novavax, Paul says the initial results are promising. “What we’re learning from data available in public domain that this vaccine is very safe and highly effective,” he adds. “It’ll be produced in India. Clinical trials are being conducted and are in advanced stage of completion.”

4.45 pm: Niti Aayog member Dr VK Paul says the virus transmission is very low right now. “We are dealing with a highly transmissible variant this year than we were in 2020, hence we exercise greater caution and strictly abide by Covid appropriate behaviour,” he adds.

4.42 pm: Agarwal urges residents to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour.

4.41 pm: Giving a break-up of the infection trajectory among children, Agarwal says in the age group of 1-10 years, 3.28% of children contracted the infection in the first wave while 3.05% during the second wave. “8.03% got infected in 11-20 years of age group in first wave and 8.5% in the second wave.”

4.40 pm: Lav Agarwal, the joint secretary of the health ministry, says there has been an almost 85% decline in daily cases since the highest reported peak. “We are witnessing this situation after 75 days, thus indicating an overall decline in infection rate,” he adds.

3.43 pm: The Uttar Pradesh government has relaxed coronavirus-induced restrictions in the state, reports the Hindustan Times.

Restaurants and malls can open with 50% of their capacity by following the prescribed guidelines. Parks and street food kiosks can also function.

3.30 pm: At least 1 lakh coronavirus test reports were forged by a private agency during the Kumbh Mela in Uttarakhand, reports The Times of India.

An official tells the newspaper that a single phone number was used to register over 50 people. Meanwhile, one antigen test kit was shown to have tested 700 samples.

“Addresses and names were fictional,” the official adds. “Almost 530 samples were taken from ‘House Number 5’ in Haridwar. Is it possible to have over 500 residents?”

The violation of Covid-19 protocols at the religious gathering had attracted attention from across the world. However, state authorities, including the chief minister, had tried to downplay the risks.

3.13 pm: Bharat Biotech says supply price of its Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, to the central government at Rs 150 per dose is not sustainable in the long run, reports PTI.

“Fundamental business reasons ranging from low procurement volumes, high distribution costs and retail margins among few others contribute to higher pricing of Covaxin,” says the manufacturer. “The supply price of Covaxin to the government of India at Rs 150 per dose, is a non-competitive price...Hence a higher price in private markets is required to offset part of the costs.”

3.10 pm: The Jharkhand government allows all government and private offices to open till 4 pm with 50% staff capacity, reports ANI. All shops, including fruits and grocery, will remain closed from Saturday 4 pm till Monday 6 am.

1.19 pm: Mumbai’s Dharavi area has recorded zero new Covid-19 cases, according to civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s update on Monday night.

1.06 pm: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announces extension of restrictions till June 22 with certain relaxations. All offices, government and private, can now remain open till 5 pm, shops can operate till 6 pm. A night curfew will be in place till 5 am.

10.59 am: Less than 0.5% people have signed up for vaccination through Common Service Centres in rural areas so far, The Indian Express reports.

10.56 am: Jharkhand records 151 new coronavirus cases and one death on Tuesday, PTI reports. Its tally of infections rises to 3,43,609, while toll is 5,085.

9.53 am: Two major hospitals in Afghanistan have been unable to take in new patients because of a lack of beds amid the third wave of the pandemic, Reuters reports.

9.48 am: The World Health Organization warns that Covid-19 is moving quicker than vaccines, adding that the G7’s promise to share doses with poorer countries is not enough, AFP reports.

“I welcome the announcement that G7 countries will donate 870 million (new) vaccine doses, primarily through Covax,” World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says. “This is a big help, but we need more, and we need them faster. Right now, the virus is moving faster than the global distribution of vaccines.”

The WHO chief adds: “More than 10 thousand people are dying every day... these communities need vaccines, and they need them now, not next year.”

9.47 am: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announces Rs 1 lakh relief each to families below the poverty line who lost an earning member to Covid-19, PTI reports.

9.44 am: Nearly 73% of the elderly population in India suffered increased abuse during the lockdown in the second wave of Covid-19, a report from the Agewell Foundation shows, according to PTI.

9.42 am: The Covid-19 positivity rate in Jammu falls t0 1%, PTI reports. The city’s recovery rate is 96%.

9.30 am: The total number of Covid-19 tests done in India crosses 38.13 crore.

9.16 am: India records 60,471 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking its overall tally to 2,95,70,881 since the pandemic broke out in January 2020. The toll rises by 2,726 to to 3,77,031. This is the lowest single-day rise in cases since March 31, NDTV reported. The number of active cases stay below 10 lakh for the second day in a row. India now has 9,13,378 active cases.

Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

9.13 am: Pfizer and AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing hospitalisation due to infection caused by the Delta variant, the Financial Times reports, citing Public Health England.

The Pfizer vaccine found 96% effective in preventing hospitalisation, while AstraZeneca was 92%. effective.

9.09 am: A group of students from Assam urge the Supreme Court to cancel state board exams for Class 10 and 12 in view of the coronavirus crisis, the Hindustan Times reports.

8.45 am: The Archaeological Society of India says the Taj Mahal and other centrally protected monuments and sites will reopen on Wednesday. They were closed on April 15 due to the second wave of coronavirus pandemic.

8.40 am: The United Kingdom has delayed its plans to ease lockdown restrictions by a month, Reuters reports.

“I think it is sensible to wait just a little longer,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, adding that the Delta variant was more infectious and deadlier. “As things stand, and on the evidence that I can see right now. I’m confident that we will not need more than four weeks.”

According to the UK’s plan in February, most social restrictions, including those on restaurants, pubs and nightclubs were expected to be lifted on June 21. They will now be removed on July 19.

8.30 am: Globally, the coronavirus disease has infected over 17.62 crore people and killed more than 38.08 lakh since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Here are the updates from Monday:

  1. The All India Institute Of Medical Sciences in Delhi will start recruitment and clinical trial of Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, for children in the age group of 6-12 age group from Tuesday.
  2. India on Monday reported 70,421 new coronavirus cases, taking its overall tally to 2,95,10,410 since the pandemic broke out in January 2020. The toll rose by 3,921 to 3,74,305. This is the lowest single-day rise in cases since April 1, when the country logged 72,330 cases. The number of active cases fell below the 10-lakh mark for the first time in more than two months. India now has 9,73,158 active cases.
  3. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the lockdown strategy will change after June 16 and restrictions will be imposed region-wise based on the coronavirus situation.
  4. The Centre told the Bombay High Court that its guidelines at present do not allow a door-to-door drive to vaccinate people against the coronavirus infection.
  5. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the extension of coronavirus-induced restrictions in the state till July 1 with some relaxations.
  6. American biotechnology company Novavax announced that its Covid-19 vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, showed 100% protection against moderate and severe infections with 90.4% efficacy overall in phase three trials. The news assumes significance for India as the Serum Institute and the Indian Council of Medical Research have collaborated to manufacture Covovax.
  7. The Central Industrial Security Force took over the security of Bharat Biotech facility in Hyderabad that produces Covaxin. As many as 64 personnel of the force will secure the company’s office and plant.
  8. A study published in medical journal, The Lancet, said that citizens infected with Covid-19’s delta variant, which was first detected in India, are more than twice likely to end up in a hospital than with the alpha variant, identified in the United Kingdom, reported Bloomberg. However, the study said that Pfizer and AstraZeneca’s vaccines can protect the delta strain.