Coronavirus live updates: Highest single-day rise of 3,845 coronavirus cases in Haryana

"A lockdown cripples the economy as it impacts livelihoods of people. Decisions on lockdown are taken in war rooms only after conducting discussions with experts. We are keeping an eye on neighbouring states too. If cases continue to rise then the option of lockdown cannot be ruled out," Manoj Parida, Adviser to Chandigarh Administrator, told ANI.

The BMC will acquire rooms in four-star and five-star hotels and shift “substantially recovered” Covid-19 patients there so that beds can be freed in overburdened hospitals for critical patients. Patients moved to these newly created Covid Care Centres in hotels will be managed by doctors and staff from major private hospitals and their medical parameters will be constantly monitored, assured civic officials. According to the BMC, patients will have to bear the cost of the hotel room and food.

Both Covaxin and Covishield — the two vaccines against Covid in use in India — are effective against the UK variant, which is one the two prevailing mutations found in the country, senior officials said. Officials said so far there has been no Indian variant as only a double mutation has been found in Maharashtra. It requires multiple mutations for a new variant to be recognised as such and to make a discernible impact.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has said that India has become the 60th country to approve the use of Sputnik V against coronavirus and more than 850 million doses of the vaccine are going to be produced in the country annually. The DCGI has registered the vaccine under the emergency use authorisation procedure. This is based on results of clinical trials in Russia as well as positive data of additional Phase III local clinical trials in India conducted in partnership with Dr Reddy's Laboratories.