Coronavirus LATEST Updates: Over 5.06 crore COVID-19 samples have been tested so far, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), adding 10,98,621 samples were tested on Monday alone.

At least 348 more tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Maharashtra Police in the past 24 hours, said the police department on Tuesday. With this, the overall count in the force increases to 17,439, ANI reported.

The COVID-19 toll has climbed by one to 177.

With 75,809 new COVID-19 cases in India, the overall count has gone up to 42,80,442 on Tuesday, said the Union Health Ministry. The toll has risen to 72,775 with 1,133 more fatalities.

As many as 33,23,950 people have been cured of COVID-19 so far, pushing India’s recovery rate to 77.31 percent, according to the recent data released by the health ministry on Tuesday.

Mumbai’s COVID-19 cases climbed to 1,57,410 on Monday with 1,788 more people testing positive for the infection, the BMC said.

India on Monday overtook Brazil to become the second worst-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the national caseload crossed the 42 lakh-mark with a spike of 90,802 new cases.

The total coronavirus cases in the country reached 42,04,614, including 8,82,542 active cases, 32,50,429 cured, and 71,642 deaths, as per the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, Brazil has 41,37,521 COVID-19 cases and the United States continues to remain the worst affected with over 62 lakh cases.

In India, five states — Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh — contribute over 60 percent of total COVID-19 cases, 62 percent of active cases, and 70 percent of overall fatality reported due to the virus.

Maharashtra is at the top with 21.6 percent, followed by Andhra Pradesh (11.8 percent), Tamil Nadu (11 percent), Karnataka (9.5 percent), and Uttar Pradesh at 6.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the ICMR said that the total number of samples tested up to 6 September is 4,95,51,507, including 7,20,362 samples tested on Sunday.

‘India in talks to join Covax plan’

The World Health Organisation on Monday said that it is in discussion with India to be included in the ‘Covax’ global vaccine allocation plan.

“India is certainly eligible, like all countries in the world, to be part of the Covax facility and discussions are ongoing in that regard,” Bruce Aylward, senior WHO adviser was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“We would welcome Indian participation… India has extensive experience (with vaccines),” he added.

The WHO and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) vaccine alliance are “leading the COVAX facility, aimed at helping buy and distribute vaccination shots against the novel coronavirus fairly around the world,” NDTV reported.

WHO, UNICEF, World Bank, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are the “core partners” of the GAVI alliance, the report added.

Meanwhile, The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced that it will be leading the procurement and supply of coronavirus vaccines to ensure that all countries have safe, fast and equitable access to initial doses when they are available.

UNICEF is the world’s largest single vaccine buyer, procuring more than 2 billion doses of various vaccines annually for routine immunisation and outbreak response on behalf of nearly 100 countries.

With several vaccine candidates showing promise, the UN agency, in collaboration with the Revolving Fund of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), will lead efforts to procure and supply doses of COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility for 92 low and lower middle-income countries, whose vaccine purchases will be supported by the mechanism.

“We are ready for an immense new challenge: to lead the global supply of COVID-19 vaccines and help end the worst stage of this pandemic,” UNICEF tweeted on Saturday.

“UNICEF is the world’s largest single buyer of vaccines for diseases like measles and polio, procuring over 2 billion doses on behalf of nearly 100 countries each year. Thanks to our supporters, we now have the experience and expertise to deliver a COVID19 vaccine to the world,” it said.

Metro services resume across country

Five months after being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, metro services resumed across the country in a graded manner with strict COVID-19 precautions, including social distancing and masks and face shields for passengers.

In accordance with the Union home ministry’s ‘Unlock 4’ guidelines, metros in containment zones remained shut.

The metro in Mumbai, one of the cities most affected by the pandemic, also remained closed.

Union minister Hadeep Singh Puri had announced the resumption of metro services with multiple routes from 7 September.

Uttarakhand minister positive

Uttarakhand cabinet minister Madan Kaushik has tested positive for COVID-19. Kaushik was admitted to AIIMS, Rishikesh on Sunday night after his antigen report came positive, PTI reported.

Though he was in complete isolation since Saturday, after coming in contact with an infected person, he decided to admit himself at AIIMS after testing positive. His sample has also been sent for an RT-PCR test for dual confirmation.

The minister, who is also the state government’s official spokesman, has appealed to party leaders and journalists who came in contact with him to get themselves tested for COVID. Kaushik had attended a cabinet meeting last week chaired by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.

Bengaluru COVID-19 care centre to shut

The COVID Care Centre at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre in the city, that was touted to be the biggest such facility for the treatment of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients in the country will shut from 15 September due to lack of patients, PTI reported.

In an order dated 4 September, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city civic body has said the decision to close the facility with a potential capacity of over 10,000 beds was taken at a meeting chaired by the chief minister on the advice of the head of the Covid Care Care Task Force.

It has been decided to give the furniture brought for the said centre like- beds, mattress, pedestal fans, dustbins, water dispensers among others to government-run hostels and hospitals at free of cost.

The Social Welfare Department will get 2,500 furniture for its hostels, while the horticulture university hostel at Bagalkote, Minority Welfare Department hostel and the GKVK, Bengaluru will get 1,000 each.

The remaining furniture will be given to government hospitals and hostels based on request, it added.

Following the government’s decision to allow home isolation of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic COVID-19 cases, there has been a drastic fall in people getting admitted to the centre, official sources said.

With inputs from agencies