The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Tuesday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

10:30 p.m.: The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 10:30 p.m. ET.

In Canada, the provinces are reporting 283,461 new vaccinations administered for a total of 19,088,652 doses given. Nationwide, 1,450,632 people or 3.8 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated. The provinces have administered doses at a rate of 50,366.797 per 100,000.

There were 608,400 new vaccines delivered to the provinces and territories for a total of 20,984,664 doses delivered so far. The provinces and territories have used 90.96 per cent of their available vaccine supply.

10:10 p.m.: Despite Ontario expanding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all residents 18-plus, residents of several health units say availability in their regions has been so low they have resorted to booking appointments in other cities.

The government initially announced it would lower requirements to age 30-plus this week. Instead, the province brought eligibility down to anyone over 18.

Of the 34 public health units the Star surveyed, of which 20 replied by deadline, eight indicated current vaccine supplies are not adequate to vaccinate residents 18-plus, including Hamilton, Niagara and Ottawa.

9:45 p.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 7:30 p.m. ET.

There are 1,338,141 confirmed cases in Canada (64,748 active, 1,248,375 resolved, 25,018 deaths). The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers.

There were 4,035 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 170.37 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 38,560 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 5,509.

There were 37 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 305 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 44. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.11 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 65.83 per 100,000 people.

There have been 33,668,274 tests completed.

8:55 p.m.: British Columbia health officials say second doses of COVID-19 vaccines may be given sooner than previously expected.

The province says officials are closely monitoring the supply of vaccines and more information will be released in early June.

In a statement, the province says with a large and steady vaccine supply after most people have had their first jab, officials will be able to consider how they might be able to accelerate the delivery of second shots.

The province implemented a four-month gap between doses in order to get more people vaccinated with their first shot.

8:50 p.m.: Alberta’s chief medical officer of health says the province has reached a COVID-19 vaccination milestone, with more than 50 per cent of the population over the age of 12 getting at least one shot.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw says new case numbers are dropping but the province’s positivity rate is still a concern, because it has been high for several weeks.

She notes that the positivity rate is 11.4 per cent, much higher than the 1.5 per cent it was last May.

Hinshaw says that difference shows why public health measures are still needed.

8:45 p.m.: Another British Columbia mink farm has been placed under quarantine after one mink tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans.

The Ministry of Agriculture says two other mink on the farm, which has about 25,000 animals, are suspected to be positive for the virus.

No workers on the farm have tested positive for COVID-19, and the ministry says all have received or have been offered their first dose of vaccination.

It’s the third farm in B.C. where mink have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic, including one farm where eight employees also tested positive for COVID-19.

8:25 p.m.: Hotspot postal codes in Ontario, generally home to more racialized, low-income people, are no longer receiving half the province’s vaccine supply as the strategy to get those who need the vaccine the most was halted on the weekend, just two weeks after it launched.

But Toronto and York Region are continuing with hotspot strategies of their own, even though both will receive a much lower supply in vaccines now that the provincial hotspot program is over.

Peel Region, which has the highest test positivity rate in the province at around 14.5 per cent according to ICES (formerly the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences), is instead considering the entire region a hot spot due to high transmission rates across the board.

The region is working to get 75 per cent of the population vaccinated as soon as possible, Dr. Lawrence Loh, the medical officer of health, said in an email.

Read the full story from the Star’s Olivia Bowden.

8:20 p.m.: An Ontario mayor who has peddled pandemic disinformation is under fire after he went on Facebook to ask a woman if the COVID-19 vaccine impacted her menstruation.

West Lincoln Mayor David Bylsma — who has suggested international images of body bags and hazmat suits were part of a ploy to instill fear and has been charged for speaking at an anti-lockdown rally — sent the message to Emily Spanton, a Niagara homeless outreach worker.

“You posted you received the vaccine a while back correct?” wrote Bylsma in a direct message later posted to Twitter by Spanton. “Not a usual question to ask an acquaintance but did you notice any changes in your period?”

Spanton said the out-of-the-blue question was upsetting.

“If he had reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, do you have time to talk about this?’ I would have made the time. For him to send a message like this and for it to be so intimate, that’s my problem with it.”

Read the full story from the St. Catharines Standard’s Grant LaFleche.

8:15 p.m.: The coroners service says suicide rates in British Columbia did not increase last year, despite concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health.

A statement from the BC Coroners Service says there were 534 confirmed deaths by suicide between April 2020 and February 2021.

That’s a 12 per cent decrease in suicide deaths from the same period in the year before the pandemic hit.

8:02 p.m.: Saskatchewan says it will be reducing COVID-19 vaccine appointments to make room for school immunizations.

The province says it wants to make sure students can be immunized before the end of the school year.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority says it will start delivering COVID-19 vaccines in elementary and high schools in early June, though no dates have been finalized.

The province has promised more than 90,000 vaccines in total for children 12 and older.

Currently, youth are only eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

7:45 p.m.: While much of the world is moving beyond the pandemic, Taiwan, which for so long had kept the virus at bay, is unnerved by scenes countries have long forgotten: listless streets, shuttered shops, a run on toilet paper and untold empty seats on subways.

The sudden reversal in Taiwan’s status mirrors setbacks unfolding across Asia. Nations that were lauded and often envied for the way they controlled COVID-19 — keeping death tolls low and allowing millions to work, attend schools and dine out — are now beset by new lockdowns, dwindling hospital beds and growing fatigue as the pandemic wears on.

Cases are soaring in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos for the first time and returning in numbers that haven’t been seen in months in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan, which is under pressure from health care workers and business leaders to cancel the Summer Olympics set for July in Tokyo.

Largely due to skyrocketing cases in India, which has become the epicentre of the latest surge, more than 60 per cent of the 10 million new cases recorded globally the first half of May were in Asia, according to the latest figures from the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford.

The new outbreaks of COVID-19 underscore the long road ahead for a global recovery, even as countries like the United States begin to reopen. They also point up the limitations of border controls, which have been deployed throughout Asia and relaxed in the U.S. and Europe.

7:00 p.m.: Ontario Premier Doug Ford is getting gang-tackled for his pandemic prohibition on outdoor sports.

The heads of Athletics Ontario, Golf Ontario, the Ontario Soccer Association, the Ontario Tennis Association, the Ontario Volleyball Association, and Pickleball Ontario say the ban is offside.

“We represent a coalition of sports and recreational organizations across Ontario. We are urging your government to follow the advice of your own health experts and immediately reopen outdoor activities such as tennis, golf, basketball, pickleball, volleyball, soccer and others,” they wrote in an open letter to Ford on Tuesday.

“There is … not a single documented COVID-19 infection anywhere in the world from casual outdoor interactions,” the sports executives continued.

“We understand the importance of reducing the strain on Ontario’s health-care capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic and appreciate the significant burden you face when making decisions,” the industry representatives wrote.

Read the full story from the Star’s Robert Benzie.

6:08 p.m.: A recent round of workplace inspections shows most Ontario employers are compliant with COVID-19 workplace safety precautions, the province says — as some experts warn existing requirements are still too lax.

In a Tuesday press, Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said inspectors visited 700 workplaces in the past week and found 85 per cent did not need a repeat visit, with workers “wearing masks properly, increased cleaning protocols, and buildings with capacity limits.” Inspectors issued just nine tickets for infractions.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” said McNaughton.

Workplaces are currently the largest single outbreak setting in Ontario, according to provincial data, although numbers have declined in recent weeks. There are 297 active workplace outbreaks in the province.

Read the full story from the Star’s Sara Mojtehedzadeh.

5:24 p.m.: Quebec Premier Francois Legault says that on May 28 his government will lift the COVID-19 curfew that has been in place across much of the province for more than four months.

The measure is part of the government's gradual reopening plan, under which restaurant patios can reopen for dining on May 28.

The premier adds that if 75 per cent of Quebecers over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated by the end of August, masks will no longer be required in most public places.

5:04 p.m.: Canada’s environment minister is asking Canadians to camp carefully as a second COVID-19 summer begins.

Jonathan Wilkinson says Parks Canada has instituted rules at its various national parks that conform to local public health rules.

As well, parks have brought in some of their own measures to try to keep campers safe while enjoying the outdoors.

For example, kitchen shelters in Banff National Park will be closed and the visitor centre will only be open online.

Trails in Pacific Rim National Park will only be one-way.

Some parks, such as Haida Gwaii, will be closed.

Wilkinson says campers should check the websites of any national parks they plan to visit to see the local rules.

4:19 p.m.: Health officials announced Tuesday that New Brunswickers as young as 18 can book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine.

New Brunswick has 121 active reported cases of COVID-19. Nine New Brunswickers are hospitalized with the disease, five of whom are in New Brunswick and four are in hospital outside the province.

3:44 p.m.: Linda Neilson had waited a long time to get her second COVID-19 vaccination and thanks to the generosity of the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana her wait ended at the Canada-United States border on Tuesday.

Neilson, who is from nearby Cardston, Alta., was in one of hundreds of vehicles lined up at the Carway crossing in southern Alberta.

The Blackfeet Tribe, based 150 kilometres south of Lethbridge, Alta., had an abundance of vaccine and decided last month to share it with Canada rather than let it go to waste. Initially it was just open to First Nations, but the tribe soon decided to offer it to everybody.

"I'm going to be all done, finally. It feels great. It's been a bit of a wait, but it's worth it," said Neilson, who received her first shot of Moderna in March.

"I was amazed and grateful because it's too slow getting it any other way. We're just glad they were able to help us."

Albertans who attend the clinic are given exemptions from having to quarantine for 14 days. They line up in their cars, drive through a loop that takes them just across the border, receive their shots through the window, are monitored for 15 minutes and return home.

Health workers from the Blackfeet Tribe and members of the Montana National Guard administer the vaccine.

Tuesday marked the second offering of shots. The lineup was more than a kilometre long by 9 a.m. Some people slept in their cars on the highway and on road allowances to ensure they got a turn before supply ran out.

2:27 p.m Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says she expects Canadians who got Oxford-AstraZeneca in the first round of vaccinations will be able to choose which vaccine they get for their second dose.

Tam's comments Tuesday come hours after a small Spanish study on mixing and matching vaccines reported that giving a Pfizer-BioNTech for the second dose after AstraZeneca is safe and produced a stronger immune response than a second dose of AstraZeneca.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is still awaiting further data from another mixing and matching study underway in the United Kingdom, but Tam said advice on second doses should be ready before most people are due to get their second vaccination.

"It is likely that people in Canada who've received one dose of AstraZeneca will have a choice for their second dose," she said at a news conference from Ottawa.

2:25 p.m. Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting six new cases of COVID-19.

Health officials say all six cases are linked to travel or to previously identified infections.

Public health says there are now 83 active reported cases of COVID-19 in the province, including three linked to a small school in the western part of Newfoundland.

As of this afternoon, 47 per cent of residents aged 12 and over had received at least one dose of the vaccine.

2:07 p.m. Health officials in New Brunswick have announced the 42nd COVID-19 death in the province.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell says the person in their 70s was a resident of the Pavillon Beau-Lieu special care home in Grand Falls and died in hospital in Edmundston.

Officials reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 in the province today — nine in the Fredericton region and one in the Bathurst area.

2:05 p.m Manitoba is reporting 335 new COVID-19 cases and one death.

The five-day test positivity rate is 13 per cent provincially and 14.4 per cent in Winnipeg.

2 p.m. The premier of Prince Edward Island says while no date has been set to reopen the Atlantic travel bubble, his province is ready to start welcoming some visitors again starting June 8.

“Building on what we have learned from last year, we feel comfortable from a health perspective to begin processing family connections and reunifications as well as Canadian seasonal residents of P.E.I. for entry to the province beginning on June 8,” Dennis King said Tuesday.

The premier said anyone wishing to travel to the province will require preapproval and a plan to isolate for 14 days upon arrival. The Island is currently closed to non-essential travel.

“New this year, there will be added health and safety precautions,” he said. “Individuals will need proof of a negative test within 72 hours before entering the province and they will be tested upon arrival at all points of entry for a COVID-19 test,” he said.

King said the same rules will apply regardless of whether a visitor has had one or two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

“By the week of June 8, 90,000 Islanders will have received at least one dose of vaccine,” he said. “These are careful steps forward, but they are forward steps.”

It’s still unclear when the Atlantic travel bubble will reopen, inside which residents of the region can cross provincial boundaries without having to isolate.

1:55 p.m. “(Customers) shop with their masks on. They are hot. They can’t wait to get out of the store. We can’t always meet their needs quickly. They are losing patience. They let themselves shout, because I believe that in their heads, we are just petty cashiers.”

These are the words Martine Poirier, a cashier at the Réno-Dépôt in Pointe-Claire, used to describe the atmosphere in the store, where she said she has heard shouting every day since the start of the pandemic.

She has worked at the hardware store for 27 years and is not the only one to feel the wrath of unhappy customers because of lineups, shortages of certain products and a lack of employees on the floor.

While working with the public can bring its own share of tensions, the situation has gotten worse over the past year, according to testimonies collected by La Presse.

1:45 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is suggesting that three-quarters of Canadians will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the Canada-U.S. border can be reopened.

Trudeau acknowledges that discussions about the border are ongoing, but he’s tamping down any expectations that travel restrictions could be lifted soon.

Discretionary travel between Canada and the United States has been prohibited since March 2020, a restriction that will be extended into June before the end of the week.

Trudeau says Canada is still not out of the current third wave of COVID-19 and has much more work to do before it’s safe for travel to resume.

1:31 p.m. The City of Toronto announced Tuesday it would be able to offer 120,000 new vaccine appointments at city-run clinics after concerns about a lack of vaccine foe the new eligible 18+ cohort.

A press release said the province has assured the city of pending vaccine shipments, allowing them to create 40,000 new appointments per week for three weeks starting June 14.

Those appointments can be booked by calling 1-833-943-3800 or going to.ca/covid-19 and clicking the dark blue “Book a Vaccine” button.

1 p.m. Canadian business leaders are calling on the federal government to lay out a clear and predictable plan for reopening the economy as the country’s vaccination rollout gains speed.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the leaders of 61 industry groups say a roadmap for easing restrictions would instil public confidence in a safe and gradual return to a more normal life.

They urge Ottawa to work closely with the premiers to develop a consistent pan-Canadian approach to reopening communities, schools and businesses.

The letter points to the reopening plans of some jurisdictions, such as the U.K.’s four-stage roadmap out of lockdown or Saskatchewan’s detailed three-step “reopening roadmap,” as blueprints.

Read the full story from the Star’s Rosa Saba.

12:45 p.m. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is confirming they believe it is safe and effective to offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to adolescents.

Health Canada authorized Pfizer for kids between 12 and 15 years old on May 5, after the company completed a clinical trial which found it was safe and 100 per cent effective at preventing kids in that age group from getting COVID-19.

NACI’s advice comes after most provinces have already added the age group to their vaccination plans.

Manitoba began allowing kids that age to book appointments this week and Ontario plans to open up vaccinations to youth under 18 by the end of the month.

Most other provinces are working on expanding to that age group as well.

12:38 p.m. Ontario expanded vaccine eligibility to everyone over the age of 18, leaving many scrambling to book appointments Tuesday morning. The province reports more than 183,000 vaccine appointments were booked within the first two hours of expanded eligibility starting at 8 a.m.

People 18 and older in hot spot communities have been eligible to book a vaccine since early May, but on Tuesday the province expanded eligibility to all adults.

The province announced the expanded eligibility on Monday, with 2.2 million doses set to arrive a week earlier than expected.

Read the full story from the Star’s Cheyenne Bholla

12:20 p.m. Canada’s chief public health officer says COVID-19 disease activity continues to decline but there are areas of the country experiencing very high infection rates.

Dr. Theresa Tam says over the past seven days, an average of 5,700 cases were reported daily and 3,600 people were treated in hospital each day, including over 1,300 in intensive care.

She says there were an average of 43 deaths reported daily.

But nevertheless, she says Canada is making steady progress with a 25 per cent decrease in reported active cases since the peak of the third wave in April.

12:15 p.m. The Manitoba government says it issued 70 tickets for COVID-19 public health order infractions last week.

Most were given to individuals for exceeding gathering limits outdoors or in private homes.

The province says 22 of the tickets were related to anti-lockdown rallies in early May in Winkler and Winnipeg, in addition to tickets issued the previous week after those rallies.

12:05 p.m. Ontario health units are asking for patience and warning of limited COVID-19 vaccine appointments after all adults in the province became eligible for shots Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the premier’s office says more than 183,000 vaccine appointments were booked within the first two hours of expanded eligibility.

People aged 18 and older became eligible for shots starting at 8 a.m.

Health units across the province warned that appointments might not be available right away amid skyrocketing demand.

The City of Ottawa announced that community clinics were fully booked as of 11 a.m., saying more appointments would become available when the city receives more supply.

In Hamilton, the city acknowledged residents’ frustration while trying to book shots, saying there may be “limited or no appointments” at some of the city’s mass clinics.

Lambton Public Health in southwestern Ontario asked for patience in a social media post and urged people to check back again for new appointments.

“While we’ve opened vaccine eligibility, there may be a delay in getting your vaccine appointment,” the health unit said Tuesday. “Additional clinics will open as more vaccine is confirmed, so check back daily.”

Lambton County also announced on Tuesday that the largest vaccination clinic in the region, an arena in Point Edward, Ont., would start taking vaccine appointments for youth aged 12 and older, or those turning 12 this year.

“We want to encourage families with children 12 years of age and older to book their vaccination appointments together,” Dr. Sudit Ranade, the region’s top doctor, said in a statement. “So, we are opening our mass immunization clinic at the Point Edward Arena to all eligible groups to receive Pfizer, which is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use in 12-15-year-olds by Health Canada.”

Mayors of the largest cities in the Hamilton and Toronto areas had called for greater vaccine supply on Monday in order to keep up with the expected surge in demand. That came after the province shifted back to allocating vaccines on a per capita basis following two weeks of sending half its supply to hot spots.

11:55 a.m. (will be updated) Prime Minister Justin says Canada will receive 9 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine in June. Trudeau urged the Canadian public to continue following public health measures and warned of the prospect of a fourth wave.

The federal government will pump more than $190 million into the expansion of a Mississauga medical facility to boost Canada’s capacity to make specialized vaccines in the coming years, the Star learned Monday.

11:50 a.m. The United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday that it will begin offering booster shots to those who received the Chinese state-backed Sinopharm vaccine six months after vaccination.

The brief statement comes after some in the UAE received a third shot amid concerns of a low antibody response from the vaccine. Last month, China’s top disease control official, in a rare acknowledgement, said current vaccines offer low protection against the coronavirus.

China has distributed hundreds of millions of doses of domestically made vaccines abroad and is relying on them for its own mass immunization campaign. The state-owned company has not reported detailed late-stage test results for scientists to independently analyze.

“As part of the state’s proactive strategy to provide maximum protection for society, the door has been opened for the public to receive an additional supportive dose of Sinopharm vaccine for people who have received the vaccine previously and who have completed more than six months on the second dose,” said Dr. Farida al-Hosani, an Emirati health spokeswoman, during a statement broadcast on state television.

The UAE initially said the vaccine was 86% effective in the first public release of information on the shot’s efficacy. But in the time since, it has offered no study data to support its figures.

The capital of Abu Dhabi extensively used Sinopharm, while the neighboring emirate of Dubai began offering Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-Astrazeneca. In recent weeks, Abu Dhabi also began to offer the Pfizer shot as well.

The World Health Organization recently gave the shot emergency approval, potentially paving the way for millions of the doses to reach needy countries through a U.N.-backed program rolling out coronavirus vaccines.

The UAE boasts it is among the world’s fastest vaccination campaigns per capita. The country had heavily relied on the Sinopharm shot to vaccinate its vast foreign labor force.

11:40 a.m. Prince Edward Island is reporting two new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday.

Health officials say the two cases are travel related and involve a person in their 20s and someone in their 40s.

The province has 10 active reported cases of COVID-19.

Prince Edward Island has reported a total of 194 infections and no deaths linked to the virus.

11:25 a.m. Quebec is reporting 549 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday and nine more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, including four within the past 24 hours.

Health officials say hospitalizations dropped by 17 to 484, and 118 people were in intensive care, a rise of two.

Officials say 70,122 doses of vaccine were administered within the past 24 hours, for a total of 4,469,055.

Health Minister Christian Dubé says 75 per cent of adults in the province have received at least one dose of vaccine or have a vaccination appointment.

11 a.m. How, when and where will you get your COVID-19 vaccine?

Those questions are front and centre for Ontario residents as the 34 local public health units have been tasked with devising their own plans to roll out vaccines in their regions.

As of Tuesday, May 18 the province has opened bookings for those turning 18 and older in 2021, ahead of schedule, due to an influx of vaccine supply.

Over 2.2 million doses of vaccine are arriving this week. Individual public health units can determine whether to offer the Pfizer vaccine to those 12 and older at mobile clinics, pop-up clinics and walk in appointments were the shot is offered.

COVID-19 vaccinations now open to those 18 and older, plus everything else you need to know about getting a COVID vaccine

10:46 a.m. Nunavut is reporting six new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday.

There are 64 active cases of COVID-19 in Nunavut, 63 in Iqaluit and one in Kinngait.

An outbreak was declared in Iqaluit on April 15 and has swelled to 235 cases to date.

Iqaluit remains under a strict lockdown, with all non-essential businesses, schools and workplaces closed.

On Monday, Nunavut’s chief public health officer said the territory had requested enough doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to vaccinate all of the territory’s population aged 12 to 17, about 4,300 people.

Two Iqaluit residents with COVID-19 are in an Ottawa hospital.

10:33 a.m. Canada has reached 25,000 COVID-19 deaths. Ontario is reporting 17 new fatalities related to the virus Tuesday, taking the national toll to 25,000. The country’s first COVID-19 death was reported on March 9, 2020.

10:16 a.m. (updated) Ontario is reporting another 1,616 COVID-19 cases and 17 more deaths, bringing the national toll to 25,000, according to its latest report released Tuesday morning.

The seven-day average is at 2,287 cases daily, or 110 weekly per 100,000. Ontario’s seven-day average for deaths is at 23.4 daily.

The province says 22,915 tests were completed the previous day, with a 7.9 per cent positivity rate, the lowest for a Tuesday since March 30.

There are 1,484 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in the province, including 764 patients in intensive care. There are 559 people on ventilators.

Read the full story from the Star’s Cheyenne Bholla

9:50 a.m. India’s total virus cases since the pandemic began swept past 25 million as the country registered more than 260,000 new cases and a record 4,329 fatalities in the last 24 hours.

The numbers reported Tuesday follow a trend of falling cases after infections dipped below 300,000 for the first time in weeks a day earlier.

Active cases in the country also decreased by more than 165,000 on Tuesday — the biggest dip in weeks. But deaths have continued to rise and hospitals are still swamped by patients.

India has recorded nearly 280,000 virus deaths since the pandemic began. Both the number of deaths and total reported cases are thought to be vast undercounts.

The government on Monday announced that 17 new labs will help track variants, boosting India’s genome sequencing abilities as concern grows over a potentially worrisome variant first detected here. The variant may spread more easily but the country has lagged behind in doing the testing needed to track it and understand it better.

The variant first identified in India has prompted global concern — most notably in Britain, where it has more than doubled in a week, defying a sharp nationwide downward trend in infections.

9:45 a.m. The federal Liberal government on Monday named Brig.-Gen. Krista Brodie to replace Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin who stepped down three days ago as commander of a complex federal vaccine delivery operation that is at a pivotal point.

Brodie becomes vice president of vaccine logistics and operations, the title Fortin held. While she was on the file initially, she had returned to the military as it faced the sexual misconduct crisis this spring.

“Brigadier-General Brodie has played a pivotal role in the vaccine rollout as part of the initial deployment to the agency in November. Following a brief return to the Canadian Armed Forces in February as the commander of military personnel generation group, Brigadier-General Brodie’s appointment allows for a seamless transition as she resumes her leadership role with PHAC,” said Iain Stewart, the civil servant who is president of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Read the full story from the Star’s Tonda MacCharles

9:30 a.m. The only Canadian vaccine maker with a contract to sell doses to the federal government has posted a promising midpoint look at trial results as researchers work to secure Health Canada approval by as early as this summer.

Data for the second phase of human testing suggests the vaccine candidate, made by Quebec-based Medicago, prompted volunteers to produce as much as 10 times the neutralizing antibodies, which fight off COVID-19, as those who had actually been infected by the virus. No serious adverse reactions were observed, the company said.

The research was posted online in an article that still has to be peer-reviewed, or vetted by other experts, but the “promising results” suggest the finishing line is approaching, says one of the scientists involved.

Read the full story from the Star’s Alex Boyd

8:50 a.m. From the latest scientific thinking on how young is too young for vaccination to the ongoing struggles with remote learning, parents want to know what’s best for children. The pandemic has been hard on everyone, but there are particular challenges having a great impact on younger Canadians and their families.

Questions abound: Is it safe to vaccinate my child? Should I send my kids to school? How do I know my daycare is safe? Is my child coping?

Subscriber event: Star journalists and experts answer your questions Tuesday at 1 p.m.

8:40 a.m. Vaccination against COVID-19 is the first step toward safety for Arefin Chowdhury and his young family at Rebecca Towers in Hamilton.

He, his mother and wife received their first doses at 235 Rebecca St. over the weekend along with dozen of others amid a rising case count.

“Obviously, we’re feeling safer now and we wanted to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” Chowdhury, 34, said Monday.

They’re among 86 tenants at Rebecca Towers who received vaccinations over the weekend.

Public health transported 58 in buses to the FirstOntario Centre vaccination clinic on York Boulevard, while 28 received shots in their units.

Chowdhury and his wife — who welcomed a daughter to this world in late April just as he and his mother fell ill — were among those who opted for needles at home.

Rebecca Towers is the largest outbreak of the pandemic’s local third wave.

On Monday, the total case count was 110 cases, of which 14 were still considered active.

8:30 a.m. Last week was another busy one for COVID-19 rule enforcement in Mississauga.

A city report showed 27 COVID-19-related tickets and fines were issued in Mississauga May 10 to 16, mostly for alleged gatherings at private residences.

13 $880 tickets were issued related to alleged gatherings at private residences, the report showed, with 11 of those fines handed out at separate incidents Friday, May 14.

That same day, a Part 3 Summons tickets was given to an alleged private gathering, which can carry fines of $10,000 and up.

Several $880 tickets were issued in connection with an alleged Mississauga car meet, the report also showed, with seven being given out Saturday, May 15. That’s the third time in less than a month that an alleged car meet has generated multiple tickets for alleged COVID-19 rule violations.

8:15 a.m. Quebec Premier François Legault is scheduled to announce the province’s reopening plan Tuesday.

Earlier this month, Legault said he was impressed with Saskatchewan’s “Re-Opening Roadmap” and asked Health Minister Christian Dubé to develop a similar plan.

Saskatchewan’s three-step plans calls for a gradual reopening with various restrictions lifted after 70 per cent of people above certain age thresholds are vaccinated. It lifts most restrictions three weeks after 70 per cent of all adults in the province receive their first vaccines doses.

Quebec has set a goal of vaccinating 75 per cent of all adults in the province by the June 24 Fête nationale holiday. So far, 49 per cent of Quebec adults have received at least one dose of vaccine.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has said she wants bars and restaurants to be able to open patios in early June.

The reopening plan comes one day after Quebec reported 551 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest number of daily new cases reported in the province since September.

8:10 a.m. Ontario golfers could be permitted to hit the links before the pandemic stay-at-home order is lifted June 2, says Health Minister Christine Elliott.

She said Monday that golf courses, tennis and basketball courts and other outdoor amenities will be allowed to open as soon as Dr. David Williams, the chief medical officer of health, deems it safe.

“It may be very soon. It may be June 2 or perhaps even before that, but today is not the day to open everything up,” said Elliott in opposing a legislative motion by the New Democrats to reopen outdoor sports.

Read the full story from the Star’s Robert Benzie

8 a.m. At this time of year in years past, Japanese tourists would begin to pour into this country’s smallest province, moths to the flame of Canada’s most famous redhead.

They’re drawn to P.E.I.’s northern shore, to the small town of Cavendish, where sits the legendary Green Gables; to soak up the house, the Lovers’ Lane, the Haunted Woods — the ostensible stomping grounds of the island province’s most famous export, one Anne Shirley.

There is no real Anne Shirley, of course — with an “e” or otherwise. There is no real Green Gables and there is no Avonlea. They’re all part of the idyllic rural world of the Anne of Green Gables books created in the early 1900s by author Lucy Maud Montgomery.

That’s never stopped the tourists though. Every year, by the thousands they come, a pilgrimage ignited by the first Japanese translations of the books in the postwar 1950s — which thereupon entered schools’ curriculums — then stoked and fanned by a Japanese animated series in the ’70s, a movie in the ’80s and the periodic cinematic revisits since then.

Read the full story from the Star’s Steve McKinley

7:40 a.m. Ontario is opening COVID-19 vaccinations to anyone 18 and older one week ahead of schedule, thanks to a larger-than-expected shipment of vaccine doses in time for the long weekend.

Chief medical officer Dr. David Williams said those who will turn 18 this year can also register for shots starting Tuesday at 8 a.m.

However, Williams also cautioned Ontarians to continue with public health measures — such physical distancing and masking — with warmer weather coming for the Victoria Day.

“We do not need a new surge,” he told a briefing Monday as the province reported the seven-day average of cases has fallen to 2,352, down from just over 3,000 a week ago, with an average test positivity rate still high at 6.8 per cent. A month ago, the number of new daily cases peaked at 4,800.

Read the full story from the Star’s Rob Ferguson

7:30 a.m. Your kids’ favourite summer camp will look a little bit different this year – but at least there’s a good chance it will be open.

Premier Doug Ford announced camps would be “opening up” while speaking at a mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Sunday, but was light on details. On Monday, Health Minister Christine Elliott told reporters the province was “looking at both day camps and overnight camps.”

“We know that this is an issue that many families are concerned about and, of course, the operators of those camps are concerned about,” said Elliott.

“We’re watching all of these issues very closely. But again, it’s a question of what the clinical data tells us and when it will be safe to reopen them.”

Read the full story from the Star’s Omar Mosleh

7:15 a.m. At a time when concern is growing over new, more contagious COVID-19 variants from India, Toronto will not likely have enough vaccines for all the additional residents becoming eligible to get one this week, Mayor John Tory said Monday.

“I think it’s fairly clear that the capacity in terms of vaccine availability ... will likely not match the number of people seeking to get a vaccination,” Tory told reporters after a morning news conference.

He made the comments shortly after Premier Doug Ford’s government announced that, starting Tuesday at 8 a.m., all Ontarians aged 18 or older this year can make vaccine appointments through the provincial booking system.

General eligibility had been restricted to people ages 40 and older.

Read the full story from the Star’s David Rider and Francine Kopun

6:35 a.m.: The federal government will pump more than $190 million into the expansion of a Mississauga medical facility to boost Canada’s capacity to make specialized vaccines in the coming years, the Star has learned.

The money is meant to cover roughly half the cost of a $400-million project to expand facilities owned by Resilience Biotechnologies, which makes a range of drugs under contract for other companies.

The Mississauga facilities should be able to crank out up to 640 million doses of mRNA vaccines per year after the expansion is finished in 2024, said a government source who shared the information on the condition they aren’t named.

Those vaccines are the same type made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for COVID-19, which Canada has had to purchase from other countries because of a lack of domestic manufacturing capacity when the pandemic hit.

Read the full story from the Star’s Alex Ballingall here.

6:34 a.m.: The head of the World Health Organization is calling on some of the world’s top COVID-19 vaccine makers to do more to get doses to needy people around the world, especially in the developing world — and more quickly.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appealed in particular to U.S.-based Moderna to accelerate its planned timetable for doses of its vaccine to be available to the U.N.-backed COVAX program, which aims to get vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

“Moderna has signed a deal for 500 million doses with COVAX, but the majority has been promised only for 2021,” Tedros said Monday. “We need Moderna to bring hundreds of millions of this forward into 2021 due to the acute moment of this pandemic.”

The WHO chief also said COVAX was working toward a deal with U.S.-based Johnson & Johnson that could get doses to the program by the second half of this year, “but this has not been finalized and we do not know when they will arrive.”

Tedros said “we appreciate the work of AstraZeneca” — the British-Swedish manufacturer that has been the main pillar so far of COVAX and the source of the vast majority of doses in the program that has now deployed some 65 million doses.

U.S.-based Pfizer, along with German partner BioNTech, has committed to 40 million doses this year to COVAX, “but the majority of this would be in the second half of 2021,” he said.

Tedros cited figures from UNICEF, which is helping the deployment, that COVAX is facing a “huge shortfall” of 190 million doses in its planned rollout because of tight supplies and a surge in cases.

6:34 a.m.: Vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks or social distance in New York starting Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

The governor said the state is adopting the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last week.

“Let’s get back to life,” Cuomo said. “If you are vaccinated, you are safe, no masks, no social distancing.”

Cuomo urged people who are unvaccinated and immunocompromised to continue to wear a mask and social distance.

6:33 a.m.: Germany’s health minister says the country will open up coronavirus vaccinations to everyone starting on June 7. Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters on Monday that the current system of prioritization in which the most vulnerable groups are to be vaccinated first will no longer be valid then.

The minister said, “this does not mean that everyone will get an appointment within days, but ... everyone who wants to get vaccinated will get an offer.”

Spahn said that the vaccination campaign has picked up speed in recent weeks and that by the end of May about 40 per cent of all people in Germany will have received at least one shot. He said 70 per cent of those above the age of 60 have received one shot, about one-quarter of them are fully vaccinated. All in all, 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been given and around nine million people are fully vaccinated, in this country of 83 million.

After months of lockdown, the infection rate has been dropping in Germany and some states are slowly starting to open up outdoor dining and various shopping possibilities.

6:32 a.m.: Health officials say they have quarantined the residents of two highrise buildings in the western German town of Velbert after several people tested positive with the coronavirus variant first detected to India.

Officials from the county of Mettmann said “there are currently several infections with the Indian virus variant in Velbert.”

They said several families who were in close touch with each other were affected and that everyone was being tested. Local broadcaster WDR reported about 200 people in the two buildings were affected. They have been quarantined, are getting tested and the Red Cross is providing food and other help.

So far, the COVID-19 variant that was first detected in India has not been found a lot in Germany, but is said to be more contagious than other variants currently more prevalent in Germany.

6:32 a.m.: California won’t lift its mask requirement until June 15 to give the public and businesses time to prepare and ensure coronavirus cases stay low, the state health director said Monday, a decision that runs counter to many other states including Oregon and Washington that quickly aligned with last week’s new federal guidelines.

“This four-week period will give Californians time to prepare for this change, while we continue the relentless focus on delivering vaccines particularly to underserved communities and those that were hard hit throughout this pandemic,” Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said.

The timing reflects California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s earlier announcement that if cases remain low, the state will drop nearly all COVID-19 restrictions on June 15.

6:31 a.m.: India’s total virus cases since the pandemic began swept past 25 million on Tuesday as the country registered more than 260,000 new cases and a record 4,329 fatalities in the past 24 hours.

The numbers continue a trend of falling cases after infections dipped below 300,000 for the first time in weeks on Monday. Active cases in the country also decreased by more than 165,000 on Tuesday — the biggest dip in weeks.

But deaths have continued to rise and hospitals are still swamped by patients.

India has recorded nearly 280,000 virus deaths since the pandemic began. Experts warn that both the number of deaths and total reported cases are likely vast undercounts.

Infections in India have surged since February in a disastrous turn blamed on more contagious variants as well as government decisions to allow massive crowds to gather for religious festivals and political rallies.

In the last month, cases have more than tripled and reported deaths have gone up six times — but testing has only increased by 1.6 times, according to Bhramar Mukherjee, a biostatistician at the University of Michigan tracking India’s battle with the virus. With infections outrunning testing capabilities, there are fears that many cases are going undetected.

6:30 a.m.: A Phase 2 trial of Canada’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine is showing promising antibody results.

Medicago executive vice-president Nathalie Landry says the Quebec-based company’s vaccine produced 10 times the antibodies in adults compared with those who have had COVID-19.

The results are not yet peer-reviewed but Landry says her team is “quietly confident” the vaccine will also prove to be very effective at preventing COVID-19 infections.

Medicago’s vaccine uses a cousin of the tobacco plant to grow a particle that resembles the virus that causes COVID-19 but contains none of the genetic material.

Canada pre-purchased 20-million doses of Medicago’s vaccine but most Canadians will be vaccinated before the shot is approved.

6:30 a.m.: Anyone 18 and older living in Ontario is eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment starting today.

Appointments can be booked through the provincial online portal, call centre or local health units’ booking systems.

People who are turning 18 this year can book Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.

Eligibility opens at 8 a.m.

The provincial government is expanding eligibility ahead of schedule after expected doses arrived early.

Mayors in large Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area cities have called for more vaccines to keep up with an expected surge in demand for appointments today.

On the web: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/

4 a.m.: The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday May 18, 2021.

In Canada, the provinces are reporting 389,655 new vaccinations administered for a total of 18,805,191 doses given. Nationwide, 1,424,266 people or 3.8 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated. The provinces have administered doses at a rate of 49,618.865 per 100,000.

There were no new vaccines delivered to the provinces and territories for a total of 20,376,264 doses delivered so far. The provinces and territories have used 92.29 per cent of their available vaccine supply.

4 a.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday May 18, 2021.

There are 1,334,104 confirmed cases in Canada (67,639 active, 1,241,482 resolved, 24,983 deaths). The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers.

There were 4,586 new cases Monday. The rate of active cases is 177.97 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 39,905 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 5,701.

There were 35 new reported deaths Monday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 301 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 43. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.11 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 65.74 per 100,000 people.

There have been 33,592,273 tests completed.

The government of Singapore has announced a new strain of the COVID-19 virus that is affecting children, thus shutting down schools. The government also issued a warning saying that the new virus variant first found in India was affecting children.

Singapore's education minister Chan Chun said that "mutations are much more virulent, and they seem to attack the younger children". The education minister added that the government is working on a plan to vaccinate all the students under the age of 16 in the country. 

Singapore had recorded  333 COVID-19 cases on Monday putting the authorities on high alert. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung also said that the B.1.617 strain is affecting the children more. 

"We know that this is a very difficult period for everyone. This is clearly a setback in our fight against COVID-19. But we are resolved to keep fellow Singaporeans safe and to see Singapore safely through this crisis." Minister for Education of Singapore, Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai added.

As Singapore draws up plans to vaccinate its young, reports state that the children who have contracted the virus so far are not seriously ill and a few of them have mild symptoms of coronavirus.

In view of this, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Tuesday, urged the Centre to suspend all air operations with the Southeast Asian country.

Kejriwal flagged the new COVID strain which he said has been detected in Singapore and is proving dangerous for children. Arguing that it can come as a third wave in India, Kejriwal said the Centre should take immediate measures, including suspension of flights to and from Singapore.

"The new form of Coronavirus in Singapore is said to be very dangerous for children. It could reach Delhi as a third wave. My appeal to the Central government: 1. Cancel all air services with Singapore with immediate effect; 2. Work on vaccine alternatives for children on a priority basis," Kejriwal tweeted.

As per media reports, Singapore will shut schools from Wednesday as the authorities concerned have warned that new coronavirus strains, such as the one first detected in India, were affecting more children.

Two southern states in India became the latest to declare lockdowns, as coronavirus cases surge at breakneck speed across the country and pressure mounts on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to implement a nationwide shutdown. AP

Bombay HC directs Maharashtra govt to transfer Hany Babu to Breach Candy Hospital by tomorrow

Bombay High Court directs the Maharashtra government to transfer Prof Hany Babu to a hospital of his choice (Breach Candy Hospital) by tomorrow as he suffering from Mucormycosis and is coronavirus positive, reports LiveLaw.  The cost of treatment will be borne by Babu and his family is permitted to communicate with him and the doctors. According toBar&Bench,The court says that Breach Candy is to submit a report on 9 June and also serve it to the NIA.The court also directs that if Hany Babu recovers before 9 June, he will be discharged and the report will be submitted whenever he is discharged.

Babu, 55, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, was arrested in July last year. He was admitted to the government-run J J Hospital last week and later moved to the GT Hospital.

Can BMC conduct door-to-door vaccination drive: Bombay HC seeks response

Can BMC conduct door-to-door vaccination drive: Bombay HC seeks response

Bhubaneswar: With the Covid-19 graph continues to surge in Odisha, the State Capital reported 1151 new infections in the last 24 hours. On the other hand, 896 more patients have also recuperated and discharged from hospital in the city.

The new cases have pushed the active caseload in the city to 12,273. Of the total fresh cases reported in the last 24 hours, 184 were categorised as quarantine cases while the rest 967 were local contact cases.

According to the information shared by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, Baragada, Jharpada and Dumduma reported 37 cases each, while Khandagiri witnessed 35 infections. 

Similarly, Chandrasekharpur registered 25 cases while Laxmisagar witnessed 24 cases.

While 51,056 persons have been recuperated, the virus has claimed 299 lives in the city so far, the BMC statistics said.

Notably, Odisha on Tuesday reported 10,321 new Covid-19 cases while 22 more patients succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours.

With today’s surge, the Covid-19 positive tally in the State rose to 6,33,302 while the death toll mounted to 2,357.

Bhubaneswar: With the Covid-19 graph continues to surge in Odisha, the State Capital reported 1151 new infections in the last 24 hours. On the other hand, 896 more patients have also recuperated and discharged from hospital in the city.

The new cases have pushed the active caseload in the city to 12,273. Of the total fresh cases reported in the last 24 hours, 184 were categorised as quarantine cases while the rest 967 were local contact cases.

According to the information shared by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, Baragada, Jharpada and Dumduma reported 37 cases each, while Khandagiri witnessed 35 infections. 

Similarly, Chandrasekharpur registered 25 cases while Laxmisagar witnessed 24 cases.

While 51,056 persons have been recuperated, the virus has claimed 299 lives in the city so far, the BMC statistics said.

Notably, Odisha on Tuesday reported 10,321 new Covid-19 cases while 22 more patients succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours.

With today’s surge, the Covid-19 positive tally in the State rose to 6,33,302 while the death toll mounted to 2,357.

The catastrophic scale of the Covid-19 pandemic could have been prevented, an independent global panel concluded Wednesday, but a "toxic cocktail" of dithering and poor coordination meant the warning signs went unheeded.

The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPPR) said a series of bad decisions meant Covid-19 went on to kill at least 3.3 million people so far and devastate the global economy.

Institutions "failed to protect people" and science-denying leaders eroded public trust in health interventions, the IPPPR said in its long-awaited final report.

Early responses to the outbreak detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019 "lacked urgency", with February 2020 a costly "lost month" as countries failed to heed the alarm, said the panel.

To tackle the current pandemic, it called on the richest countries to donate a billion vaccine doses to the poorest.

And the panel also called on the world's wealthiest nations to fund new organisations dedicated to preparing for the next pandemic.

'Delay, hesitation and denial'

The report was requested by World Health Organization (WHO) member states last May.

The panel was jointly chaired by former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The report, "Covid-19: Make it the Last Pandemic", argued that the global alarm system needed overhauling to prevent a similar catastrophe.

"The situation we find ourselves in today could have been prevented," Sirleaf told reporters.

"It is due to a myriad of failures, gaps and delays in preparedness and response."

The report said the emergence of Covid-19 was characterised by a mixture of "some early and rapid action, but also by delay, hesitation, and denial.

"Poor strategic choices, unwillingness to tackle inequalities and an uncoordinated system created a toxic cocktail which allowed the pandemic to turn into a catastrophic human crisis."

The threat of a pandemic had been overlooked and countries were woefully unprepared to deal with one, the report found.

Vaccine ultimatum

The panel did not spare the WHO, saying it could have declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) -- its highest level of alarm -- on January 22, 2020.

Instead, it waited eight more days before doing so.

Nevertheless, given countries' relative inaction, "we might still have ended up in the same place", said Clark.

It was only in March after the WHO described it as a pandemic -- a term that is not officially part of its alert system -- that countries were jolted into action.

As for the initial outbreak, "there were clearly delays in China -- but there were delays everywhere", she added.

Without the lag between the first identification in Wuhan and the PHEIC declaration -- and then the "lost month" of February 2020 -- "we believe we wouldn't be looking at an accelerating pandemic, as we have for the last 15 or 16 months or so. As simple as that", said Clark.

The panel made several recommendations on how to address the current pandemic.

Rich, well-vaccinated countries should provide the 92 poorest territories in the Covax scheme with at least one billion vaccine doses by September 1, and more than two billion by mid-2022, it said.

The G7 industrialised nations should pay 60 percent of the $19 billion ($15 billion euros) required to fund vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics via the WHO's Access to Covid Tools Accelerator programme in 2021, it added.

Fellow G20 nations and others should provide the rest.

The WHO and the World Trade Organization should also get major vaccine-producing countries and manufacturers to agree voluntary licensing and technology transfers for Covid-19 vaccines, the panel said.

"If actions do not occur within three months, a waiver of... intellectual property rights should come into force immediately."

Invest billions, save trillions

To tackle future outbreaks and pandemics, the panel called for a Global Health Threats Council made up of world leaders, plus a pandemic convention.

The G20 should also create an International Pandemic Financing Facility, able to spend $5-10 billion a year on preparedness, with $50 to $100 billion ready to roll in the event of a crisis.

"Ultimately, investing billions in preparedness now will save trillions in the future, as the current pandemic has so clearly illustrated," Clark told reporters.

The panel also proposed an overhaul of the WHO to give it greater control over its funding and more authority for its leadership.

Its alert system needed to be faster and it should have the authority to send expert missions to countries immediately without waiting for their green light, it added.

The panel believe their recommendations would have stopped Covid-19 from becoming a pandemic, had they been in place before the outbreak.

20Comments(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

The savage second Covid wave that wreaked havoc across the country killing thousands and infecting lakhs of people daily apart from breaking the back of medical infrastructure may finally be waning. However, the war against the deadly infection is far from over. 

The government on Tuesday said that an early trend of decline in daily new COVID-19 cases and deaths has been noted in the country.

States like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, which were worst affected by the second wave, were among 18 states and union territories showing continued plateauing or decrease in daily new COVID-19 cases.

ALSO READ: Delhi records 12,481 Covid cases in 24 hours, positivity rate drops further to 17.8%

However, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Punjab, Assam, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura were among 16 states and union territories were still showing continued increasing trend in daily new cases, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said.

Several districts showing decline in cases

Districts which are showing continued decline in cases since last two weeks include Pune, Nagpur, Palghar and Nashik districts of Maharashtra; Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar (Uttar Pradesh); Bhopal, Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh); Surat (Gujarat); Patna (Bihar); Ranchi (Jharkhand); Raipur, Durg (Chhattisgarh); and Kota (Rajasthan).

ALSO READ: India records 3,29,942 new COVID cases, 3,876 deaths; active cases drop by over 30,000

But there are also districts that have been showing continued increase in cases since last two weeks such as Bengaluru Urban and Muysuru in Karnataka; Chennai, Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu;  Ernakulam and Malappuram in Kerala; 24 Paraganas North and Kolkata in West Bengal; Jaipur in Rajasthan; Dehradun in Uttarakhand; East Godavari and Visakhapatanam in Andhra Pradesh; Satara in Maharashtra; and Khordha in Odisha.

Thirteen states have more than 1 lakh active COVID-19 cases each and 26 states have a positivity rate of over 15 per cent, the government said.

Stricter measures helped in reducing cases

Citing the case of Pune, Luv Agarwal said night curfew alone with no restriction on gatherings has shown less significance in terms of controlling the growth trajectory of daily new cases.

ALSO READ: Kejriwal urges Centre to share vaccine formula with other companies to scale up production

He said stricter measures such as restrictions on mass gatherings and shutting of non-essential activities for a period of 15 days have helped reduce the rate of infection growth and the cases started plateauing.

18-20 lakh Covid tests per day

India is conducting 18-20 lakh tests for detection of COVID-19 per day, ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava said, underlining that despite infection among laboratory staff, the test performance is still being maintained.

He the national COVID-19 positivity rate is around 21 per cent and about 42 per cent (310/734) of the districts are reporting a positivity rate more than the national average.

India cases decline

New cases of coronavirus in India fell to 3.29 lakh after 14 days, taking the infection tally to 2,29,92,517, the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday morning showed.

A total of 3,29,942 infections were reported in a span of 24 hours, while the death toll climbed to 2,49,992 with 3,876 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

After registering a steady rise for two months, the active cases have reduced to 37,15,221, accounting for 16.16 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 82. 75 per cent.

Both travel advisory has been marked ''Level 4'' which is the highest warning level. (Representational)

Washington: 

The US has reissued its travel advisory on India, urging its citizens not to travel to the country due to an unprecedented surge in the COVID-19 cases there.

India is struggling with a second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new coronavirus cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds.

"Do not travel to India due to COVID-19. Exercise increased caution due to crime and terrorism," the State Department said on Wednesday in its latest travel advisory that looked identical to the one issued on April 28.

Both the travel advisory has been marked ''Level 4'' which is the highest warning level.

On April 28, the Department approved the voluntary departure of family members of US government employees.

On May 5, the Department approved the voluntary departure of non-emergency US government employees.

"US citizens who wish to depart India should take advantage of available commercial transportation options," it said.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for India due to COVID-19, indicating a very high level of COVID-19 in the country.

 record 3,780 fresh COVID-19 fatalities were registered in a single day in India taking the death count to 2,26,188, while 3,82,315 new coronavirus infections were recorded, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

With the fresh cases, the total tally of COVID-19 cases in the country climbed to 2,06,65,148. 

As per reports, the residents of the city can now obtain necessary permissions for marriage and funerals by dialing on 100 or calling on 8144207100 number.

Informing about the new facility, Bhubaneswar DCP, Umashankar Dash said, “As per the usual format, the applicants have to come to the DCP office to get permission for marriages and funerals in Bhubaneswar. But with a surge in COVID cases, we do not want people to go outside unnecessarily.”

“I urge the residents to call on 100 or on the mobile number (8144207100) of our licensing cell. Upon calling us, we will provide the applicant a softcopy of the format. The applicant has to fill that up and send it through Whatsapp following which we will send them the license again through Whatsapp,” informed Dash.

The applicant can either take a printout or keep the softcopy of the license to produce it whenever the authorities ask them to.

It is worthwhile to mention here that, the Bhubaneswar police have started doorstep FIR service during the 14-day lockdown period under which the police will reach the complainant’s house after receiving complaint through phone call.
[9:19 pm, 05/05/2021] Kittu..:

(Edited By Suryakant Jena)

With 3,449 deaths, the toll is now over 2.22 lakh. (Express Photo Amit Mehra)

Coronavirus India Live Updates: As Covid crisis continues in the capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced free ration for all ration card holders for a period of 2 months. “We have decided that all ration card holders in Delhi, around 72 lakhs in number, will be given free ration for the next 2 months. It doesn’t mean that the lockdown will continue for 2 months. It is just being done to help the poor going through financial issues, Kejriwal said in a presser.

As cases continue to rise, Bihar has decided to implement a complete Covid-19 lockdown till May 15, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Tuesday. In a tweet, Kumar said, “After discussion with the associate ministers and officials yesterday, it was decided to implement the lockdown in Bihar by May 15, 2021. In relation to its detailed guidelines and other activities, today the Crisis management group has been instructed to take action.”

India recorded over 3.57 lakh new covid-19 cases in the 24 hours ending 8 am Tuesday, taking the total infections past the 2 crore mark. With this the country reported a decline in daily spike for the third consecutive day. Over 34 lakh cases are currently active, the lowest rise in active cases in a month, while over 1.66 crore people have recovered after testing positive. With 3,449 deaths, the toll is now over 2.22 lakh.

In another development, drug major Pfizer has said that it is in talks with the government to seek an “expedited approval pathway” for its Covid-19 vaccine, adding that while application to register its vaccine “was submitted months ago”, it has not been done yet.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took some key decisions to boost availability of medical personnel in fighting Covid-19. He said that the final year MBBS students and BSc GNM-qualified nurses can be deployed for Covid duties, and added the medical personnel completing 100 days of Covid duties will be given priority in forthcoming regular government recruitments.

AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria

The Health Ministry on May 3 listed out signs and symptoms to look out for to get COVID positive patients hospitalised. The ministry said dipping level of oxygen saturation and excessive fatigue or chest pain may require immediate hospitalisation.

“Falling oxygen saturation (below 93), excessive fatigue or chest pain are warning signs indicating that a patient in home isolation may need hospitalisation. Thus, such patients should stay in touch with a doctor and high-risk group people having comorbidities also need to take special care,” news agency PTI quoted the director of All India Institute of Medical Science (Aiims) Dr Randeep Guleria as saying.

With 3,449 deaths, the toll is now over 2.22 lakh. (Express Photo Amit Mehra)

Coronavirus India Live Updates: As Covid crisis continues in the capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced free ration for all ration card holders for a period of 2 months. “We have decided that all ration card holders in Delhi, around 72 lakhs in number, will be given free ration for the next 2 months. It doesn’t mean that the lockdown will continue for 2 months. It is just being done to help the poor going through financial issues, Kejriwal said in a presser.

As cases continue to rise, Bihar has decided to implement a complete Covid-19 lockdown till May 15, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Tuesday. In a tweet, Kumar said, “After discussion with the associate ministers and officials yesterday, it was decided to implement the lockdown in Bihar by May 15, 2021. In relation to its detailed guidelines and other activities, today the Crisis management group has been instructed to take action.”

India recorded over 3.57 lakh new covid-19 cases in the 24 hours ending 8 am Tuesday, taking the total infections past the 2 crore mark. With this the country reported a decline in daily spike for the third consecutive day. Over 34 lakh cases are currently active, the lowest rise in active cases in a month, while over 1.66 crore people have recovered after testing positive. With 3,449 deaths, the toll is now over 2.22 lakh.

For the first time in the last 30 days, Maharashtra’s daily coronavirus cases dropped below 50,000 to 48,621 on Monday, taking the tally to 47,71,022. With 567 more patients succumbing to the disease, the cumulative toll mounted to 70,851, the state health department said. On April 3, the state had reported 49,447 infections, while 43,183 and 47,827 cases were added on April 1 and 2, respectively. The state had reported an average of 60,000 cases in most of April.

Drug major Pfizer on Monday said it was in talks with the government to seek an “expedited approval pathway” for its Covid-19 vaccine, adding that while application to register its vaccine “was submitted months ago”, it has not been done yet.

Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took some key decisions to boost availability of medical personnel in fighting Covid-19. He said that the final year MBBS students and BSc GNM-qualified nurses can be deployed for Covid duties, and added the medical personnel completing 100 days of Covid duties will be given priority in forthcoming regular government recruitments.

COVID-19 Cases in India: Across world, nearly 14.96 crore people have been infected so far (File)

New Delhi: 

The Centre today told the Supreme Court there is more than adequate stock of oxygen to meet the demand and that there is no need to panic. "There is no shortage of medical oxygen in the country, supply being augmented for COVID-19 relief," the Centre said, at the hearing on issues related to COVID-19.

Earlier, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to adopt national immunisation model as poor people will not be able to pay for coronavirus vaccines. "What happens to the marginalised and SC/ST population? Should they be left to the mercy of private hospitals," it asked.

The top court said the government must consider National Immunisation Programme for various vaccines and must think of providing free vaccination to all citizens. Private vaccine manufacturers cannot be allowed to decide which state should get how much, it added.

The Supreme Court yet again questioned the government over the pricing of vaccines. "Why is the government not buying 100 per cent of doses produced in this time? Why should there be two prices for the centre and the states... what is the rationale," it asked.

Further, it said no state should clampdown information if citizens communicate their grievances on social media. "We don't want any clampdown of information. We will treat it as a contempt of court if such grievances is considered for action. Let a strong message go to all the states and DGP of states", the Supreme Court said.

Coronavirus has infected over 3.86 lakh people in India in yet another worrying high and killed 3,498 the last 24 hours. The record numbers come even as a huge international aid operation has been launched with many countries promising help.

Covid-19 patients receive oxygen at Gurudwara Damdama Sahib in New Delhi on Sunday. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

Coronavirus India Live Updates: Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, the Uttar Pradesh government on Monday decided to increase the duration of the weekend lockdown by 48 hours to cover Tuesday and Wednesday also. “The curfew from Friday 8 pm to Tuesday 7 am has been extended for 48 hours. Now it will continue till May 6 till 7 am,” Additional Chief Secretary, Information, Navneet Sehgal told PTI.

Meanwhile, Delhi has sought the help of the Army to set up, operationalise and run Covid-19 health facilities with oxygenated non-ICU and ICU beds, as the Capital is fighting against an increase in the number of fresh infections, daily deaths, while people are running from pillar to post in search of oxygen and other medical essentials.

On the other hand, as many as 24 patients, including 23 suffering from Covid-19, died in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar due to alleged oxygen shortage in the district hospital, officials said. Family members of the victims also staged a demonstration at the hospital and alleged there was a shorten of oxygen and raised slogans.

Also, the Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday has been postponed after two Indian players in the KKR team — spinner Varun Chakravarthy and medium pacer Sandeep Warrier — tested positive for Covid-19. India, in the last 24 hours, recorded 3,68,147 new Covid-19 cases, taking the cumulative tally to 1,99,25,604. As many as 3,417 new coronavirus-related fatalities were also recorded, taking the nationwide death toll to 218,959.

However, there are no restrictions on health care or other emergency services.

“There will be complete shutdown on Saturdays & Sundays during the 14-day lockdown in Odisha. Vaccination and testing will continue during lockdown. Those people who have registered for vaccination can visit the nearest centre,” said State Chief Secretary Suresh Mohapatra.

As Pipili by-poll is on the cards, election related activities and movements have been exempted from the lockdown and the shutdown, stated Mohapatra.

“Sarpanchs need to ensure those coming from outside must stay in home isolation or Covid centre so that they don’t spread the virus. Sarpanchs also need to create awareness among people,” added the Chief Secretary.

“In view of the present situation in the State, we can break the chain only if all will cooperate and follow the guidelines. It’s a war-like situation and we are forced to take such a decision to contain the spread of the virus,” said the CS.