Active Covid-19 Cases In India Surge To 3,758; West Bengal Reports Maximum In 24 Hours
Last Updated:
India reported 363 new Covid-19 cases on June 1, with active cases rising to 3,758 and two new deaths recorded. Kerala has the highest number of active cases.
India on Sunday (June 1) reported 363 new cases of the Covid-19, taking the total active cases in the country to 3,758, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated on Monday.
According to the data, West Bengal reported 82 new cases – the maximum among all states, followed by Kerala, which reported 64, and Delhi, which reported 61 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours.
However, at 1400, Kerala presently has the highest number of total active cases.
The total active cases in Maharashtra were 485, while Delhi reported 436 total active cases.
The total number of active cases in Gujarat stood at 320, while 287 was the total in West Bengal.
Karnataka and Kerala reported one death each in the past 24 hours.
Since January 1, 2025, Kerala and Maharashtra reported seven deaths each due to Covid-19. Four deaths were reported from Karnataka, and three from Delhi.
The country has reported 28 deaths so far this year due to the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, a total of 383 Covid-19 patients recovered from the infection in the past 24 hours.
On May 29, a 63-year-old man with co-morbidities and who tested positive for Covid-19 died at a private hospital in Bengaluru.
He was admitted to a private hospital in Bengaluru Urban (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits) on May 21 after he complained of weakness and died a week later.
According to the health department statement, the elderly patient who was fully vaccinated was on post-operative chemotherapy and had co-morbidities like pulmonary TB with squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa.
Earlier, a 60-year-old woman who was suffering from acute intestinal obstruction died of Covid-19 in Delhi.
Last week, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said 19 Covid patients were hospitalised in Delhi, but there was no need to worry.
The Delhi government is alert and hospitals are ready, the Chief Minister told reporters at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital in the national capital.
'Nineteen patients are admitted to hospitals and the remaining are receiving treatment at their homes. But Covid-19 has not reached the point where people need to worry. The government is ready for every situation," Gupta said.
She also underlined the need for people to remain cautious.
Last week, the Delhi government issued an advisory to hospitals, asking them to ensure availability of beds, medicines and oxygen.
First Published:
June 02, 2025, 09:52 IST
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Indian Institute of Science scientists create artificial enzyme to tackle deadly blood clots
Bengaluru: Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science ( ) have created a novel metal-based nanozyme that could help prevent abnormal blood clotting linked to conditions such as pulmonary thromboembolism — when a blood clot, often originating from a deep vein in the leg, travels through the bloodstream and lodges in the lungs, obstructing blood flow. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The artificial enzyme imitates natural antioxidant enzymes and works by controlling levels of toxic reactive oxygen species, which can trigger excessive platelet activation and dangerous clot formation. "Blood clots normally form as a protective response when blood vessels are injured. However, in diseases like Covid-19 or pulmonary thromboembolism, this process can go into overdrive, creating excess clots that block blood vessels and contribute to thrombosis," IISc said Tuesday. The research team, led by Prof G Mugesh from the department of inorganic and physical chemistry, tested various nanomaterials before identifying "spherical vanadium pentoxide nanozymes" as the most effective. These materials mimic glutathione peroxidase, a natural enzyme that reduces oxidative stress. "The unique chemistry of the vanadium metal is crucial because the redox reactions that reduce reactive oxygen species levels are happening on the surface of the vanadium nanomaterial," Prof Mugesh explained. Tests on human blood platelets showed the nanozymes successfully prevented excessive clot formation. When injected into mice with pulmonary thromboembolism, the treatment significantly reduced thrombosis and improved survival rates, with no toxic effects observed over five days. Unlike conventional anti-clotting drugs, which can cause dangerous bleeding as a side effect, IISc said, the nanozymes don't interfere with normal blood clotting processes. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The nanozymes modulate the redox signalling and don't interfere with normal blood clotting. This means they won't cause bleeding complications that are a major concern with current therapies," PhD student Bidare N Sharath Babu, one of the study's authors, said. The team now plans to investigate whether the nanozyme could prevent ischaemic stroke, another condition caused by blocked blood vessels. Professor Mugesh expressed optimism about the potential human clinical trials, noting that the experiments used human platelets with successful results.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Sulphur-cleaning device in coal plants not necessary: Central scientific committee
A high-powered committee of experts, chaired by Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) Ajay Sood, has recommended that India do away with a decade-long policy of mandating equipment, called Flu Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) units, in all coal-fired thermal power plants (TPPs), according to documents perused by The Hindu. These FGD units are required to be retro-fitted in TPPs to cut harmful sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions. While 92% of India's 600 TPPs have not yet installed FGD units, the recommendation would exempt about 80% of them from needing to install such equipment. The limited number of vendors capable of installing such equipment in India, the high installation costs, the potential rise in electricity bills, and disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been some of the reasons historically cited by the Power Ministry, the overseer of India's TPPs, for plants' inability to adhere to previous deadlines. In theory, the costs of non-compliance could run to crores of rupees in fines, though these have not materialised thanks to deadline extensions. 'FGD not necessary' However, this was the first time that multiple arms of the government congregated to deliberate on whether FGDs were required in the first place. Their verdict draws on three reports by the CSIR-NEERI, the National Institute of Advanced Studies, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The lead scientists of these three institutions – each 'supported' by different arms of the government – were at the meeting on April 23, along with representatives from the Office of the PSA, the Union Power Ministry, and the NITI Ayog. They were all largely unanimous that FGD 'was not necessary.' The guiding principles informing the committee's recommendation are that: SO2 levels in ambient air across the country are around 10-20 micrograms/cubic metre, well below India's air quality norms of 80; Indian coal is low in sulphur; SO2 levels in cities near plants with operational FGD units do not differ significantly from those without these units, and all of these were anyway well below permissible levels. The committee opined that concerns about sulphates – a potential by-product when SO2 emissions reach certain atmospheric levels, thus forming particulate matter (PM) – are unfounded. They cited an analysis of 5,792 PM samples across the country, which found 'low elemental sulphur' content (max 8 micrograms/m3 after outlier removal) which was deemed 'insignificant — for considering PM removal as a benefit of FGD.' FGDs may worsen carbon emissions One argument mentioned in the report was that using FGDs might result in additional carbon dioxide emissions and accentuate global warming. 'Installing FGDs in all TPPs by 2030 will increase the Auxiliary Power Consumption (APC) of the TPPs, thereby adding approximately 69 million tons of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere (2025-30) while reducing SO2 emissions by —17 million tons. Adding more long-lived CO2 emissions while removing short-lived SO2 emissions by installing FGDs indiscriminately in all TPPs in India despite the low Sulphur content of Indian coal will enhance global warming.' On the other hand, given that burning coal is India's primary source of electricity, India's annual SO2 emissions has risen from 4,000 kilotonnes in 2010 to 6,000 kilotonnes in 2022. By comparison, Indonesia, a source of imported coal to India has averaged about 2,000 kt in the same period, according to data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a Helsinki-based think tank. This is when India's emission standards, at 100 micrograms/m3 (thus requiring FGD), is lower than Indonesia's 800. Environment Ministry 'studying' order Those who attended the meeting included the Secretary, Minister of Power and three other senior officials; Secretary, Environment and Forests and two other officials; four officials of the Office of the PSA; representatives of the NITI Ayog, Central Electricity Authority (the power regulator), Central Pollution Control Board, and academicians. A detailed questionnaire to the Power Ministry was unanswered until press time. Tanmay Kumar, Secretary, Environment Ministry, told The Hindu that his Ministry was 'studying' the order. India has 180 coal-fired thermal power plants, each of them with multiple units. The 600 TPPs, depending on their size, age, proximity to densely populous cities, and background pollution levels, were given different timelines by the Environment Ministry to comply with the FGD installation requirements. Deadlines have been shifted three times, with the most recent extension coming on Dec 31, 2024. Major population centres The committee, according to the minutes of the meeting seen by The Hindu, will 'recommend' to the Power and Environment Ministers that only power plants located within a 10-km radius of the National Capital Region and other cities with a million-plus population be required to install FGDs. These are called Category A plants. There are 66 such plants, and only 14 of them have installed FGDs. Currently, all these plants are required to comply by 2027. Plants within a 10-km radius of 'Critically Polluted Cities' or 'Non Attainment Cities', called Category B plants, would be eligible for exemption on a 'case by case' basis, on a joint review by the Central Electricity Authority or Central Pollution Control Board. There are 72 such plants, with only four having installed FGD. These plants currently have a deadline of 2028. The remaining 462 plants all come under Category C, of which 32 have installed FGDs. These plants have been given a 2029 deadline, but the committee has now recommended that Category C plants be exempted completely, along with some units in Categories A and B which were set up at least 20 years ago. 'Will not affect public health' 'The key common point in these studies is that fitment of FGDs in all TPPs in India is not necessary to comply with the NAAQ (National Ambient Air Quality) standards whose compliance is essential to safeguard public health. While all TPPs must comply with the December 2015 stack emission standards for PM pollution and freshwater consumption, the SO2 stack emission standards can be relaxed to ensure that they are in conformance with the NAAQ standards which are notified by CPCB, keeping in mind the human health and other aspects. This way, TPPs may be able to comply with these standards without fitting FGDs. Since the existing NAAQ standards (for ambient SO2) must be complied with, this change will not affect human health in India,' the committee concludes. Currently, State governments or affiliated companies run a majority of the Category A TPPs, whereas private authorities hold the highest share in Categories B and C.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Season's 1st Covid death in state is 43-yr-old with comorbidities
1 2 Kolkata: Bengal saw its first Covid-related death this year, after a 43-year-old woman passed away at a south Kolkata hospital on Tuesday. The deceased had heart and kidney ailments, said sources. This was among the five Covid deaths reported across the country on Tuesday. While the current spike is causing mostly mild infections, individuals with comorbidities need to remain cautious as they were vulnerable to severe infections, said health experts. The state reported 41 fresh cases in the past 24 hours, taking its total active caseload to 372, most of which are concentrated in Kolkata. At present, almost all major hospitals across the city have patients admitted for Covid treatment. The 43-year-old woman was admitted to CMRI Hospital on May 28 with complaints of a two-week-long bout of fever and respiratory distress. Suspected of an infection, her respiratory samples were sent for a viral panel test and she tested positive for Covid-19. While she apparently had no existing health conditions, tests revealed her heart ejection fraction was as low as 20%. Her urine output kept declining, due to which she was given dialysis. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Initially under BiPAP support, doctors had to put her on ventilation as she kept sinking. "On finding sepsis indications, our medical team put up their best. But the decline in her condition, including the organ damage, was very swift. Some adjuvant health conditions were probably the cause of such a fast decline," said the unit medical head of the hospital. The death report cites acute coronary syndrome, acute kidney injury and septic shock in a case of Covid-19. Of the eight Covid-19 positive patients admitted at the hospital, the 43-year-old was the only one under intensive care. Reacting to this, Peerless Hospital chief microbiologist Bhaskar Narayan Chaudhuri said: "Whenever there is an outbreak of any infection like influenza, adenovirus, or Covid-19, there would be a few mortalities. That is the reason why the vulnerable need to remain protected." Peerless's lab detected three positive cases on Tuesday, including that of a child, who is admitted at the hospital. Critical care and ECMO specialist Arpan Chakraborty of Apollo Multispecialty Hospital said that a section of patients with comorbidities was likely to need intensive care if they tested positive for Covid. Among the seven Covid positive patients admitted at the hospital was an 80-year-old man who had heart issues. "Timely detection and close monitoring in hospital are required for patients," said infectious diseases specialist Sayan Chakraborty of Manipal Hospital Dhakuria. "We have three Covid patients, including one in the ICU, while we discharged two recently," said Doli Biswas, chief nursing officer of Fortis Hospital Anandapur. RN Tagore Hospital has two Covid-19 positive patients.
