LIVE: Maharashtra records highest single-day spike of 31,855 Covid-19 cases

Maharashtra vaccinated 189,001 people on Tuesday, reports PTI citing government officials.

Low turn-out of beneficiaries in Gadchiroli, Gondia, Jalgaon, Hingoli, Jalna, Nandurbar, Osmanabad, Bhandara and Sindhudurg districts might cause a significant drop in Wednesday numbers, officials said.

More than 1.3 million Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered in the country today as the cumulative vaccinations reached 52,197,380, the Union health ministry said.

Himachal Pradesh recorded 266 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, as cumulative cases reached 61,301. Also 65 patients recovered from the diseases in the same time, reports ANI.

Maharashtra reports 31,855 new Covid-19 cases, the state's highest single-day spike since the pandemic, taking the tally to 2,564,881 cases so far. Also, 95 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 53,684 patients.

Mumbai's Covid-19 tally reached 374,611 cases and death toll climbed to 11,606 as the city reported 5,185 new cases and six new deaths, reports ANI.

Kerala reported 2,456 new Covid-19 cases and 2,060 recoveries. With 10 new fatalities, death toll climbed to 4,527, reports ANI.

Cumulative cases in Kerala stands at 110,9908, according to a bulletin from the state government.

Rajashtan reported 669 new Covid-19 cases and one related death taking the state's tally to 327,175 cases and death toll reached 2,808, reports ANI. Active cases stands at 4,672 and 319,695 people have recovered from the disease.

Covid-19 tally in Manipur reached 29,362 cases with 10 new cases reported on Wednesday and one new fatality pushed the death toll to 374, reports ANI.

With 2,298 new Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths in the last 24 hours, Karnataka's tally reached 975,955 cases and death toll climbed to 12,461, reports ANI.

"The Election Commission of India has issued detailed guidelines on how to conduct elections during Covid times. They are in public domain and there are clear-cut guidelines. Structured SOP has been issued by the Election Commission of India," says Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan when asked about risks by upcoming state assembly elections.

"Vaccines that are available in our country are effective against the UK and Brazilian variant. The research work against the South African variant is ongoing," says ICMR chief Balram Bharghava when asked about efficacy of vaccines against the coronavirus variants.

"This applies to both the vaccines. Have no doubt," Dr VK Paul added.

"Most grateful to the Delhi government for this decision (to restrict Holi celebrations). We would like to request all the state governments that please invoke these provisions by the ministry of home affairs and please avoid such situations which are known to enhance chains of transmission," Dr VK Paul on upcoming festivals in different states.

"Covishield is safe. Please proceed with its scale-up and uptake with the speed that is required. We would like to assure you that there is no risk of blood clotting related complications. Our own scientific community has told us that it is safe," says Dr VK Paul.

As of 10am on Wednesday, more than 50 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the country, says Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan.

The Haryana government has banned all Holi celebrations in the state due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country, tweeted minister Anil Vij on Wednesday.

Poland on Wednesday recorded 29,978 new cases of Covid-19, outdoing its previous peak at 27,875 recorded last year in November, reported Bloomberg. The country also reported 575 fatalities in the span of 24 hours.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan tested positive for Covid-19, said his spokesperson, adding that the actor is currently self-quarantining and following all necessary protocols.

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Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not report any fresh cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI. The total case load in the Union territory currently stands at 5,039, with 5 active cases.

In the wake of rising cases in the capital, the Delhi government has declared cinema halls, metros, malls, and religious places as 'Supreme spreader' areas. All concerned district magistrates have been asked to increase surveillance in these areas of concern, reported news agency ANI.

The government called the move preventative in nature, taken to ensure the safety and efficacy of the vaccination process.

Colombia will impose new restrictions on movement and enact nightly curfews in municipalities with high occupancy levels in intensive care units as it tries to avoid a severe third wave of Covid-19, President Ivan Duque said on Tuesday.

The South American country has reported more than 2.3 million coronavirus infections and 62,274 deaths. It has administered more than 1.23 million vaccine doses so far.