COVID-19 update: Amid spike in cases, Maharashtra warns of a second wave

The Maharashtra government February 21, 2021 announced a new set of guidelines in the wake of rising novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases. These include lockdowns in five districts as well as night curfews. The state recorded 6, 971 cases in the last 24 hours — the biggest jump since January, according to covid19india.org.

• Pune, for example, imposed fresh curbs, including on night-time movement, large gatherings and restaurants and bars. Schools and colleges will stay shut till February 28.
• Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray February 21 warned during a webcast that “a second wave knocking on the door” and that it needed to be seen in the next two weeks if it has arrived. He cautioned people to not lower their guard or “be prepared for another lockdown starting March 1”.
• The Centre, meanwhile, has written to five states — Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh — asking them to implement a multi-pronged strategy to control the spread of COVID-19, The Indian Express reported.
• Kerala continued to report a surge in daily COVID-19 cases; a total of 4,070 cases (out of 57,241 tested) were registered in the last 24 hours, according to covid19india.org.
• Punjab continued to report a high death rate of 3.2 per cent, despite recording cases in three digits. The state registered 348 cases and six deaths in the last 24 hours, according to covid19india.org.
• India’s total caseload stood at 11,005,370 as of February 22. As many as 156,422 people have died of the virus; 11,116,854 people have been administered COVID-19 vaccine jab so far, according to covid19india.org.
• The country registered 14,199 news cases and 83 deaths in the last 24 hours. 
• Herd immunity is difficult to achieve and one should not think of it in practical terms, Randeep Guleria, AIIMS director said during a session of Jaipur Literature Festival. He added that the mutant strains of the virus and varying immunity can cause people to have reinfection. 
• More than 205 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across 92 countries, according to data collected by news agency Bloomberg. 
• In the United States, more Americans have received at least one dose than have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began, according to the data. 

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