Variants of the coronavirus are driving new surges, say experts (File)
The 'delta' variant of COVID-19 - the version first detected in India in October last year - is capable of infecting people even after they have received both doses of the Covaxin or Covishield vaccines, according to separate studies by AIIMS (Delhi) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
It is important to note that neither study has been peer-reviewed as yet.
The AIIMS study suggests the 'delta' variant - which others, including one by British health authorities, say is between 40 and 50 per cent more infectious than the 'alpha' version first reported from the UK - is likely behind the majority of breakthrough infections in India.
India reported 92,596 new cases COVID-19 cases and 2,219 new deaths today. The country has so far reported a total of 2,90,89, 069 cases and 3,53,528 deaths. The positivity rate - the number of positive cases identified per 100 - stood at 4.67 per cent. It was the second straight day that India reported a positivity rate below 5 per cent.
Delhi, which began 'unlocking' from Monday, reported 316 new cases in the last 24 hours, and logged 41 deaths over the same time period.
Here are the updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
COVID-19: 500 vaccinated at special vaccination drive in ShimlaAbout 500 people were vaccinated during a special vaccination drive organised on Tuesday.
The camp was set up at Shakti Sadan, Corporate Headquarters (CHQ) by Satluj Jal Vidhut Nigam (SJVN) in collaboration with Fortis Healthcare.
The SJVN is a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Power.
The benefitted individuals included SJVN''s permanent employees, contractual workers, security personnel, other staff and eligible members of their families.
This is in addition to the 1,700 people who were vaccinated during a three-day vaccination Drive at SJVN Shimla last week.
COVID-19: Sikkim reports 209 new cases, 3 more fatalitiesAt least 209 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Sikkim, taking the tally in the state to 18,659, a health department bulletin said on Tuesday.
The death count rose to 284 as three more fatalities due to the infection were reported in the last 24 hours, it said.
Of the fresh cases, 83 were reported from East Sikkim, 72 from South Sikkim, 51 from West Sikkim and three from North Sikkim.
The Himalayan state now has 3,239 active cases, and 14,887 people have recovered from the disease, the bulletin said.
The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state currently stands at 79.7 per cent.
COVID-19: Assam's ''vaccine man'' goes door to door to create awareness on efficacy of jabs
With the Centre and the state having stepped up the COVID-19 vaccination drive, a 36-year-old man in Assam's Dhubri district has taken it upon himself to convince people, especially those from the underprivileged sections, about the efficacy of the jabs amid reports that many were hesitant to get themselves inoculated.
Stating that he has taken a pledge to free Dhubri of coronavirus, Dipankar Mazumder, a medical representative by profession, is moving from one door to another on his motorcycle trying to bust all myths surrounding the available COVID-19 vaccines.
Mr Mazumder, popularly known as the ''vaccine man'', told PTI that he has so far succeeded in persuading 80 people to visit nearby inoculation centres.
Centre Confirms 1 Death Due To Vaccine, Says "Benefits Outweigh Risks"A government report has, for the first time, acknowledged one death in India due to vaccination.
A 68-year-old man, fully vaccinated, died on March 31 and it has been labelled as "vaccine product related reaction" in a report assessing 31 severe cases reported since the government launched the vaccine drive in January.
The report is by the National Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) committee under the Union Health Ministry. Of the 31 cases, 28 are deaths.
Haryana reports 528 fresh COVID-19 cases, 940 recoveries, and 40 deaths
South Asian Nations Turn To China, Russia For COVID-19 Vaccine SuppliesSri Lanka began injecting pregnant women with a Chinese coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday and Nepal resumed inoculations with a China-made jab as India's neighbours turn to Beijing and Moscow for help with supplies.
Nepal halted inoculations at the end of May after its stock of AstraZeneca shots and Chinese Sinopharm jabs ran short.
The programme resumed on Tuesday after a million more Sinopharm doses arrived from China, the only country that has so far responded to its appeals for help.
Big Relief For Delhi As It Receives Major Supplies Of Covid Vaccine DosesThe national capital is in for considerable relief on the Covid vaccination front with the state receiving key supplies of both Covishield and Covaxin. An acute shortage of doses had forced the government to suspend the inoculation drive for the 18-44 years age group towards the end of May till some supplies were restored last week.
The state has now received 1,27,420 doses of Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute. This is for use among adults in the 18-44 years age group.
Besides, it has also got 20,000 more doses of Covaxin for the same set of people. This vaccine is produced by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech which also developed it together with the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Delhi's Daily Covid Cases See Slight Rise On Day 3 Of UnlockDelhi reported 337 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours with a positivity rate of 0.46 per cent - a slight increase from Tuesday's figures - according to the health bulletin on Wednesday. The city's total caseload now stands at 14,30,128.
Thirty-six Covid patients died in the last 24 hours in Delhi taking the death count in the national capital to 24,704. The death rate in the capital stood at 1.73 per cent.
The city recorded 316 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and 41 related fatalities, while the positivity rate stood at 0.44%, according to the Delhi government's data.
Foreign Secretary, US Envoy Discuss Supply Of Vaccines, Covid SituationForeign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Wednesday held talks with US Charge D'Affaires Daniel B Smith focusing on ways to combat the coronavirus pandemic including supply of COVID-19 vaccines.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said regional issues, and cooperation in the United Nations also figured in the "productive meeting".
Over 25 Crore Free Covid Vaccine Doses Given To States: CentreAs many as 25,06,41,440 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states/Union Territories so far, free of cost by the central government, informed the Union Health Ministry.
As per data available till 8 am today, out of the total vaccine doses given, the total consumption, including wastages is 23,74,21,808 doses.
China Administers Total Of 808.96 Million Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccines
China administered about 14.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines on June 8, bringing the total number administered to 808.96 million, data from the National Health Authority showed on Wednesday.
Singapore Finds Delta Most Prevalent Among Covid Variants LocallySingapore has found the Delta variant of the coronavirus to be the most prevalent among local cases of variants of concern (VOCs), according to health ministry data, highlighting its level of infectiousness.
There were 449 local cases with VOCs as of May 31, of which 428 were the Delta variant first detected in India and nine of the Beta variant first identified in South Africa, the health ministry said in emailed statement on Wednesday.
Singapore authorities first reported the presence locally of the Delta variant in early May.
Joe Biden, Advisor Anthony Fauci Flag Delta Variant ConcernsUS President Joe Biden and the country's top medical expert Anthony Fauci have sounded a warning about the highly infectious Delta variant that was first found in India, and which is now the dominant strain in the United Kingdom.
The Delta variant now accounts for more than 6 per cent of the cases being sequenced in the U.S., said Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and an adviser.
The actual number is likely higher, as the U.S. is running the genetic sequence on a fraction of cases.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Will achieve target of producing billion vaccine doses for South Asia region till 2022, says top White House official
President Joe Biden's policy coordinator for the Indo-Pacific region Kurt Campbell on Tuesday said that he is confident of completing the target of production of a billion vaccine doses for the region by the end of year 2022, ANI reported.
The top White House official for Asia said that by the end of 2022 the target would be met, despite the COVID-19 crisis in India, where they are proposed to be made. Campbell said that he is "relatively confident on the production of a billion vaccine doses for the region".
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Tripura logs 700 new COVID-19 cases, 5 more deaths
Tripura's COVID-19 tally rose to 56,169 as 700 more people tested positive for the virus, while five new fatalities pushed the coronavirus death count to 574, a health official said on Wednesday. The state currently has 5,152 active COVID-19 cases, PTI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India's daily COVID-19 positivity rate dips to 4.66 per cent, recovery rate at 94.55 per cent
As the country records less than one lakh cases for the second successive days, the daily positivity rate of India has declined to 4.66 per cent, informed to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Wednesday.
"The weekly positivity rate is currently at 5.66 per cent while the daily positivity rate stands at 4.66 per cent today. It has remained less than 10 per cent for 16th consecutive days now," the health ministry said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Spike in new COVID-19 cases in Puducherry for 2nd consecutive day
For the second straight day, Puducherry registered an increase in number of daily cases of
coronavirus with 642 infections reported on Wednesday, while the fresh deaths fell during the same period, PTI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Lockdown to be lifted on Australia's second largest city
The two-week lockdown of Melbourne, the second most populous city of Australia, will end on Thursday midnight as the state recorded only one new confirmed case of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
Health authorities have been battling an outbreak of the coronavirus, including the highly infectious Delta strain, since the first new locally acquired case was recorded in late May, ANI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: 23 new cases push Andaman & Nicobar Islands tally to 7,154
Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported 23 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally in the union
territory to 7,154, a health department official said on Wednesday. The COVID-19 death count rose to 125 as two more persons died due to the infection in the last 24 hours, PTI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Errors on COVID-19 vaccine certificates can now be corrected
Vaccine beneficiaries can now correct errors in their COVID-19 inoculation certificate themselves on the CoWIN portal, PTI reported. The government has added a new feature to the CoWIN platform for making corrections in COVID-19 vaccination certificates, Vikas Sheel, Additional Secretary, Union Health Ministry, said on Wednesday.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Decision on free vaccination appropriate but late, says Mayawati
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Wednesday welcomed the Centre's announcement on free vaccines to all above 18 years of age, but called it a "delayed decision". She asked the central government to stay away from politics and focus on vaccinating the public against coronavirus, PTI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Arunachal Pradesh reports 304 new COVID-19 cases, 1 more deathArunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 caseload rose to 30,000 as 304 more people tested positive for
the infection, a senior health official said on Wednesday. The COVID-19 death count in the northeastern state climbed to 126 with one more person died due to the infection on Monday, PTI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Parliament PAC to meet on June 16 to deliberate on Covid-19 vaccination policy
The Parliament Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hold a meeting on June 16 to deliberate on the country's Covid-19 vaccination policy.
This will be the first Standing Committee meeting with physical presence amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, ANI reported.