Coronavirus live India updates: cases and deaths, latest news today
Coronavirus live India: latest Covid-19 news - Tuesday 28 April
India coronavirus update at 03:30 IST on Wednesday 29 April (00:00 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 3,110,219 cases have been detected worldwide, with 216,808 deaths. 923,724 people now recovered.
In India, there have been 31,360 cases, with 1,108 deaths. 7,747 people have recovered from the virus.
The Indian health ministry came out with "a categorical and emphatic warning" on Tuesday saying that plasma therapy for the treatment of coronavirus should only be used for testing and research purposes.
BBC explores India's low death rates from coronavirus
India has a surprisingly low death rate with cases caused by coronavirus and the BBC have taken a lock at why. The number, generally, to look at is how long it takes for deaths to double and it took longer for that to happen in India than it did in New York and other places. The 'grinding lockdown' is posited as another reason but ultimately, physician and oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee says he doesn't know but suspects if there were more tests done, they might have a more plausible explanation.
India's Serum Institute to make millions of potential coronavirus vaccine doses
The Serum Institute of India said today it plans to produce this year up to 60 million doses of a potential vaccine against the new coronavirus that is under clinical trial in Britain.
Serum, the world’s largest maker of vaccines by volume, is mass-producing the vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford, which started testing it on humans last week, and is a leader in the global race to develop an antidote to the novel coronavirus.
While the Oxford vaccine, called "ChAdOx1 nCoV-19", is yet to be proven to work against COVID-19, Serum decided to start manufacturing it as it had shown success in animal trials and had progressed to tests on humans, Serum Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla said.
Serum envisages a price of 1,000 rupees per vaccine but governments would give it to people without charge, he said.
F1 shutdown period extended again
The mandatory shutdown period in Formula One due to the Covid-19 pandemic has been extended by a further four weeks, the FIA announced today.
With confirmed cases of COVID-19 continuing to rise, the shutdown period for competitors has been increased again and now encompasses 63 consecutive days "during the months of March, April, May and/or June".
The handymen can
Regulations allowed across districts for the likes of electricians and plumbers.
Full report:
Coronavirus pandemic inspires global graffiti artists
Corona-ffiti
The pandemic has seen a series of Covid-19 inspired graffiti and street art from East London to New York's East Village.
Tokyo Olympics 'will be scrapped' if 2021 is unfeasible
Tokyo Olympics 'will be scrapped' if 2021 is unfeasible
Yoshiro Mori has made it clear the Olympics will not be moved back further to 2022 if plans to stage the Games next year have to be shelved.
Coronavirus cases in India climb towards 30,000
India was nearing 30,000 coronavirus infections on Tuesday, second only to China in Asia, a steady rise that would make it difficult to lift a nearly six-week lockdown that ends this weekend, health officials and some government leaders said.
Neighbouring Pakistan also recorded a jump in cases and deaths from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, and there were concerns that many people were gathering in mosques for Ramadan prayers despite strict rules on distancing.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has allowed some farm and industrial activity to resume in less-affected rural areas after the shutdown of the economy left millions without work and short of food and shelter.
But with about 1,500 new cases each day on an average over the past week, the government is facing calls not to ease further and instead keep the world's biggest shutdown in force beyond May 3, even though the economic distress is deepening.
"India is still on the ascending limb of the epidemic curve and so to ease the restrictions will mean the cases will multiply uncontrollably," said Dr S.K. Sarin, who leads a government group tackling the outbreak in the capital, New Delhi, one of the hotspots.
In pictures: Stranded Kashmiri labourers sit with their luggage waiting for buses to reach their hometowns after receiving permission from the local administration during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a bus station in Palampur on April 28, 2020. (Photo by Shailesh Bhatnagar / AFP)
Health ministry warns against plasma therapy for coronavirus
The Health Ministry has warned that plasma therapy is currently at an experimental stage and could even be life-threatening for a patient with coronavirus. The convalescent plasma therapy aims at using antibodies from the blood of a recovered Covid-19 patient to treat those critically affected by the virus.
Tiger King, Unorthodox and other Netflix essential lockdown viewing
Tiger King, Unorthodox and other Netflix essential lockdown viewing
With many parts of the world under lockdown, platforms such as Netflix have seen a major boost in subscribers as we look for avenues of escape from the Covid-19 virus.
China says Indian criticism of coronavirus test kits is 'irresponsible'
China has criticised India's decision to stop using Chinese testing kits for the novel coronavirus because of quality issues as unfair and irresponsible in the latest strain in their ties.
The Indian Council of Medical Research, the top agency dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, said on Monday it planned to return the kits for antibody tests procured from two Chinese firms because of poor accuracy.
The Chinese embassy said it was deeply concerned by the Indian decision and Chinese authorities had validated the equipment produced by the two firms, Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics.
"It is unfair and irresponsible for certain individuals to label Chinese products as 'faulty' and look at issues with preemptive prejudice," embassy spokeswoman Ji Rong said in a statement.
The Supreme Court has called for the temporary adoption of the 'one nation, one ration card' scheme during the ongoing coronavirus lockdown period...
The Asian Development Bank has approved a $1.5 billion loan for India to help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic...
Indians abroad are doing their part to help those back home in need during the coronavirus crisis...
In pictures (Kolkata): A Hindu priest burns a replica of the coronavirus made from plastic as he performs a 'Yagya', a Hindu ritual, for the eradication of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), during a nationwide lockdown to slow the spreading of the disease, at a temple in a slum area in Kolkata, India, April 28, 2020. (Photo by REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri)
Mumbai take police constables over 55 off duty after three coronavirus deaths
Mumbai police constables over 55 years old will not be pressured into working during the coronavirus, after the death of three members of the police force in the space of 48 hours. The three victims were 56, 57 and 52 years old.
"The elderly constables have been asked to stay at home and follow lockdown guidelines of social distancing," said joint commissioner of police, Naval Bajaj.
According to local figures, India has registered 1,463 cases and 60 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the respective totals 28,380 and 886...
"Anything for Mumbai"
Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar, who worked as a nurse before entering politics, has donned her uniform once more to help out in the city's fight against Covid-19.
Coronavirus in India: how to apply online for the curfew e-pass by state during lockdown
How to apply online for the curfew e-pass by state during lockdown
Since India was placed under a three-week lockdown on 24 March, movement has been restricted but some state governments are issuing e-passes online.
Full details:
Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic
Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic
All the information you need to understand the coronavirus and ways to stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic:
Coronavirus live India: welcome
Hello and welcome to our India-focused live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which has now registered over 3,000,000 cases worldwide.
We'll be looking to bring you the latest news and numbers as they emerge throughout the course of the day.