Coronavirus LIVE Update: India's Cases Rise To 59,92,532; 94,503 Dead

US Could Report 1 Lakh New COVID-19 Cases Daily: Dr Fauci

Dr Anthony Fauci, the Director of US' National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has warned that the US is "not in total control" of the pandemic and said it  might start reporting more than 1,00,000 new COVID-19 cases daily. Speaking at a US Senate hearing, Dr Fauci said, "Well I think the numbers speak for themselves. I'm very concerned and I’m not satisfied with what’s going on because we’re going in the wrong direction if you look at the curves of the new cases, so we really have got to do something about that and we need to do it quickly."

Dr Fauci also urged states to follow federal guidelines when reopening and also asked individuals to follow guidelines, practice physical distancing and wear masks in public. He also lamented the "anti-science, anti-authority, anti-vaccine feeling" among some Americans and warned that the country won't develop herd immunity even when a vaccine is developed due to the refusal of many Americans to get vaccinated.

India's COVID-19 Death Toll Crosses 17k Mark

507 patients died due to COVID-19 in India in the last 24 hours according to data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The death toll stands at 17,400. India reported 18,653 new COVID-19 cases to take the total case count to 5,85,493.

3,47,978 patients have been discharged so far while the number of active cases stands at 2,20,114.

10-Day Lockdown Announced In Thane

The city of Thane announced a total lockdown for 10 days starting July 2, after a meeting between the Thane Municipal Corporation and the city police. Only necessities such as milk shops, pharmacists, and other essentials would be allowed.

India Reports Less Than 19,000 Cases After Two Days

India reported 18,522 cases of COVID-19 on June 30 taking the total count of cases to 5,66,840. The country reported less than 19,000 cases after two days. 

The country also reported 418 deaths taking the total number of deaths to 16,893. 

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain Recovering At Home

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain took to Twitter to congratulate Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the plasma bank initiative. Jain was provided plasma therapy after his worsened when he was tested positive for COVID-19 on June 17. 

He tweeted that he was now recovering at home after he was discharged from the hospital three days ago. 

Maharashtra Extends Lockdown Till July 31st

A day after Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray addressing the citizens and Mumbai Police urging citizens to travel only within a 2km radius for non-essential activities, the Maharashtra government has decided to extend the lockdown in the state till July 31. 

Maharashtra is the worst affected state with over 1 lakh 64 thousand total COVID-19 cases. According to media reports, only those attending offices and emergencies will be allowed unrestricted movement in the state. 

Maharashtra Launches Convalescent Plasma Therapy Clinical Trial For 500 Patients

Maharashtra Chief Minister  Uddhav Thackeray launced Project PLATINA- a  convalescent plasma therapy trial cum treatment for 500 severe COVID-19 patients in the state.  This will be the world's largest trial to use convalescent plasma to tackle COVID-19.

The Maharashtra government has approved Rs. 16.65 crore for the project from the Chief Minister Relief Fund which aims to provide 400 ml of plasma to critical patients for free. This project will be undertaken at 17 medical colleges under the Maharashtra Medical Education and Drugs Department as well as 4 hospitals under the BMC. So far, around 10 people have been provided plasma therapy, nine of whom have recovered and seven are even out of hospitals. 

Convalsecent plasma therapy was being carried out in Nair and Kasturba hospital in Mumbai through the ICMR's clinical trials for the same. It is when antibodies from recovered patients are inserted into critical patients to support their immune response to fight the infection. 

Delhi To Create A Plasma Bank For Treating COVID-19 Patients

As the second most COVID-19 affected area in the country, the Delhi government is all set to start a plasma bank for treating COVID-19 patients. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged citizens who had recovered from COVID-19 to donate their blood for creating this bank. 

The Delhi government has so far conducted clinical trials on 29 patients with encouraging results. The plasma bank is going to be functional in the premises of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj  and will serve the purpose of coordination between plasma donors and recipients, Mr Kejriwal added. 

Delhi has currently recorded 83,077 total cases of COVID-19 with 2623 deaths.  

Saliva Tests To Test For COVID-19 In Australia

Australian health authorities are moving towards a saliva based test to confirm the presence of COVID-19 in Melbourne. Melbourne reported 49 cases of COVID-19 on Sunday while the rest of the country reported only 4 new cases of COVID-19. 

This test is still in the trial stages but is more comfortable to use than the regular nasal swab test, according to Australian Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth. 

India Reports Highest One-day Spike In COVID-19 Cases For Eighth Day In A Row

India reported it's highest one-day spike in new COVID-19 cases for the eighth consecutive day as 19,459 patients tested positive to take the total case count to 5,48,318.

380 patients died due to disease as the death toll rose to 16,475. 3,21,722 patients have been discharged so far.