Coronavirus LIVE: India's active caseload drops below 250,000 mark

Coronavirus live updates: At 1,938,854, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 918,544, Andhra Pradesh 882,612, Tamil Nadu 818,935, and Kerala 765,924

3:13 AM

Nine new cases take Sikkim's Covid-19 tally to 5,920

At least nine more people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Sikkim, raising the tally in the state to 5,920, an official said on Sunday.

All the fresh cases were reported from East Sikkim district, he said.
 

Sikkim now has 506 active cases, while 94 have migrated to other states and 5,190 patients recovered from the disease so far, the official said.

The Covid-19 death toll remained at 129 as no new fatality was reported.
 

The Himalayan state conducted 146 sample tests for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of such clinical examinations to 69,260.
 

1:37 AM

Delhi records 424 new Covid-19 cases, lowest in over seven months

Delhi recorded 424 fresh Covid-19 cases, the lowest in over seven months, and 14 fatalities on Sunday, even as the positivity rate slipped to 0.62 per cent, authorities said.
 

The infection tally in the city stands at over 6.26 lakh and the death toll linked to the pandemic rose to 10,585, they said.
 

The 424 new cases came out the 68,759 tests conducted the previous day, including 39,217 RT-PCR tests and 29,542 rapid antigen tests, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.
 

Delhi had recorded 494 cases on Saturday while the positivity rate had stood at 0.73 per cent.
 

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain tweeted on Saturday that the positivity rate had been below one per cent for the past 11 days, and fresh Covid-19 cases were the lowest since May 17.
 

From December 21-23, the daily cases count had been below the 1000-mark. On December 21, 803 cases were reported; 939 on December 22 and 871 on December 23.
 

However, on December 24, 1,063 cases were recorded, dropping again to 758 on December 25 and 655 on December 26. On December 27, a total of 757 cases were recorded while on December 28, the daily cases count was 564, the lowest in the last five months.
 

On December 29 and 30, the city recorded 703 and 677 cases, respectively. On December 31, it reported 574 new cases and 585 on January 1.
 

The active cases tally on Sunday dropped to 5,044 from 5,342 the previous day.
 

The Sunday's bulletin said the total number of cases has climbed to 6,26,872.
 

According to it, out of the total number of 14,067 beds in Covid hospitals, 12,125 are vacant.
 

1:30 AM

At 3,Mumbai reports lowest Covid-19 deaths since March last year

Mumbai on Sunday reported three Covid-19 deaths, which are the lowest in a single day since March last year, city civic commissioner I S Chahal said.
 

In a statement, the city civic chief said the hard work of the Maharashtra governmentand teams of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is paying off.
 

"I congratulate the eminent citizens of Mumbai for their outstanding cooperation andsupport. A big salute to all the doctors & supporting frontline workers and the media who created great positive awareness which has made this possible," Chahal stated.
 

With three new fatalities, the overall death toll in Mumbai has reached 11,135.
 

The city reported 581 new coronavirus positive cases during the day, taking the overall case count to 2,95,241, the state government said in a release.

1:29 AM

160,000 health workers will be first to get Covid-19 vaccine in Punjab: Minister

Around 160,000 health workers in Punjab will receive a Covid-19 vaccine in the first phase, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said on Sunday.
 

Principal Secretary (Health) Hussan Lal said the data regarding 1.60 lakh healthcare workers has already been uploaded on the CoWin portal -- an online platform for monitoring the delivery of Covid-19 vaccine.
 

Talking to reporters, Sidhu said, "...the vaccine which is coming will first be given to 1.60 lakh healthcare workers in the state." Giving details of the vaccination process, Lal said the vaccine will be given to about 70 lakh people in the state in a phased manner.
 

He said that after health workers, the vaccine will be administered to around three lakh frontline workers, including policemen, paramilitary forces, sanitation workers and disaster management volunteers.
 

Thereafter, the Principal Secretary (Health) said, people above 50 years and those aged below 50 with co-morbid conditions will be covered under the inoculation drive.
 

The Health minister said the Centre should provide Covid-19 vaccine to Punjab free of cost.
 

Sidhu further said Punjab is fully prepared for the vaccination drive.

1:26 AM

Bengal reports 896 new Covid-19 cases, 26 fresh fatalities

The Covid-19 death toll in West Bengal rose to 9,792 on Sunday with 26 more people succumbing to the disease, the health department said in a bulletin.

At least 896 fresh coronavirus cases pushed the tally to 5,54,975, it said.
 

According to the bulletin, 1,432 people were cured of the disease during the day, taking the total number of recoveries to 5,34,737.
 

The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state now stands at 96.35 per cent, while the percentage of positive cases, out of samples tested, stood at 7.70 per cent, it said.
 

Since Saturday, 32,256 samples have been tested in the state.
 

West Bengal now has 10,446 active cases, the bulletin said.

1:08 AM

Covid-19: S Africa to vaccinate 67% of population; healthcare workers 1st in line

South Africa plans to vaccinate about 40 million of its citizens with the Covid-19 vaccine in a phased rollout this year, with healthcare workers being first in line, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Sunday.
 

Mkhize was briefing the nation on the latest developments, together with leading advisers on the pandemic, amid growing concern about daily huge spikes in infections due to a new variant of the coronavirus.
 

"The only way of being able to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic is the provision of immunity through vaccination. We have been trying to follow what the best way is to deal with this. The vaccines will need to be made available quickly so that most of our citizens are covered by the end of the first year of rollout - this year.

“We knew early on that the only way to fight Covid-19 would be to achieve herd immunity through vaccination,” the minister said.
 

The priorities after healthcare workers would be the elderly and those with comorbidities, and people in overcrowded settings such as prisons, shelters and care homes.
 

Next in line would be people working in the hospitality and tourism industry; educational institutions; and essential workers, including police officers, miners, and those in the security, retail food industry, funeral, travel, and banking industries; as well as essential municipal and government services, all designed to address the crisis with as little harm to the economy as possible.
 

9:00 PM

ICMR says clinical trial data show Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is 'safe'

Hours after Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved restricted use in an emergency situation to Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Sunday said data generated through pre-clinical studies and various phases of clinical trial shows Covaxin is 'safe.'

8:32 PM

Logistics to be at core of next stage of battle against Covid, say experts

The domestic logistics sector is expected to continue at the core of the next stage of the battle against the virus in 2021 even as some easing in freight charges and container shortage, which hit the exports in the last quarter of the previous year, is also expected during the year, experts have said.

 

8:09 PM

Mexico to vaccinate all citizens over 60 by March, co-morbidity cases next

Mexico is planning to have everyone over 60 years old vaccinated by late March, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has said in a video address.

The country has already received over 53,000 vaccine doses and will have 1.4 million by the end of the month to vaccinate its medical staff.
 

7:40 PM

Two vaccine jabs 28 days apart, antibodies form 2 weeks after second: AIIMS Director

In a video issued by the Health Ministry, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) answered commonly asked questions regarding the dosage of the vaccine saying that two doses of the vaccine will have to be taken 28 days apart and protective levels of antibodies generally would develop two weeks after the second dose.
 

He further informed that after all doses of the vaccine are administered, a QR-code based certificate will also be sent to the mobile number of the beneficiary and recommended that after vaccination, patients should take rest for at least 30 minutes.

7:16 PM

Health workers, police to get Covid-19 shots on priority in Maharashtra

Health workers, including paramedics, doctors, and police personnel will be administered a Covid-19 vaccine on priority in Maharashtra, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Sunday and added the government will take steps to prevent black marketing of the vaccines.

 

6:45 PM

It will make every Indian proud: Kiran Bedi on nod for Covid vaccines use

Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi has expressed happiness over two indigenous Covid-19 vaccines being approved for emergency use.

In her Twitter handle, the former IPS officer said,"It will make every Indian proud that the two vaccines that have been given emergency use approval are made in India."

6:17 PM

Vaccines nod 'turning point' in India's fight against Covid: NITI Aayog

Terming theapproval given to two coronavirus vaccines for emergency use as"turning point" in India's fight against Covid-19, Niti Aayog member V K Paul on Sunday saidthe speed with which scientists and the industry came together to meet this challenge epitomizes the spirit and potential of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.

India's drug regulator DCGI on Sunday approved Oxford Covid-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute, and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country, paving the way for a massive inoculation drive.

5:49 PM

Coronavirus found on multiple auto part packaging samples in China

Multiple auto part packaging samples have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in various parts of China after a company engaged in auto part sales reported a confirmed Covid-19 case.

In the city of Jincheng, north China's Shanxi Province, the local center for disease control and prevention detected the virus on auto tire packaging, according to the city's Covid-19 prevention and control office late on Saturday.

The office then activated an emergency response. Personnel who came in close contact with the goods have been quarantined and all have tested negative. Related goods have been sealed.

 

5:10 PM

Delhi reports the lowest number of coronavirus cases in over seven months

Delhi recorded 424 fresh Covid-19 cases, the lowest in over seven months, and14 more fatalities due to the disease on Sunday, even as the positivity rate slipped to 0.62 per cent, authorities said.

The Covid-19 case tally in the city stands at over 6.26 lakh and the death toll due to the disease has climbed to 10,585, they said.

Delhi recorded 494 cases on Saturday while the positivity rate was 0.73 per cent.

4:44 PM

Congress leaders divided over DCGI approval to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin

Some Congress leaders on Sunday raised serious concern over the grant of approval to Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine for restricted use, saying it is "premature" and can prove dangerous.

However, there were different voices within the party as its chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala lauded scientists and researchers of Bharat Biotech for the indigenous vaccine.

Leaders like Anand Sharma, Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor asked the health minister to explain why mandatory protocols and verification of data "had been dispensed with", prompting a sharp retort from Union Minister Hardeep Puri who said the Congress leaders were behaving "true to their form" and were on a "quest for permanent political marginalisation".

4:21 PM

US surpasses 350,000 coronavirus deaths: Johns Hopkins University

The United States surpassed 350,000 Covid-19 deaths on Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, as vaccinations against the virus have begun at a slow pace.

According to the data, the US reported 2,398 new deaths during the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 350,186.

On Friday, the US surpassed a grim milestone of 20 million Covid-19 cases. Over the past week, there has been an average of 205,840 cases per day,

3:44 PM

160,000 health workers will be first to get Covid-19 vaccine in Punjab: Minister

Around 160,000 health workers in Punjab will receive a Covid-19 vaccine in the first phase, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said on Sunday.

Principal Secretary (Health) Hussan Lal said the data regarding 160,000 healthcare workers have already been uploaded on the CoWin portal -- an online platform for monitoring the delivery of Covid-19 vaccine.

2:59 PM

Our goal now is to provide it globally: Bharat Biotech on Covaxin approval

Bharat Biotech on Sunday said the approval for emergency use of its Covid-19 vaccine --Covaxin -- is a giant leap for innovation and novel product development in India.

The Hyderabad-based vaccine maker expressed its delight after Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) granted permission for emergency use of its Covid-19 vaccine.

"The approval of Covaxin for emergency use is a proud moment for the nation and a great milestone in India's scientific capability, a kickstart to the innovation ecosystem in India. While this vaccine addresses an unmet medical need during this pandemic, our goal is to provide global access to populations that need it the most," said Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Krishna Ella.

2:36 PM

Approval to Covaxin premature, could be dangerous, says Shashi Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said that the emergency approval to Covid-19 vaccine--Covaxin is premature and could be dangerous as it is still under phase 3 trial. He urged Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to wait till full trials of the vaccine are completed.

Taking to Twitter, Member of Parliament from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram said, "The Covaxin has not yet had Phase 3 trials. Approval was premature and could be dangerous."

 

2:02 PM

India's Covid-19 active caseload drops below 250,000: Health ministry

The Covid-19 active caseload in India has dropped below 250,000 with the recoveries exceeding new cases and low number of fatalities per day, the Health ministry said on Sunday.

"India's present active caseload consists of just 2.39 per cent of India's Total Positive Cases. The new recoveries of 20,923 in the last 24 hours have led to a net decline of 2,963 in the Total Active cases," the Health ministry said in a statement

1:31 PM

A watershed moment in India’s famed battle against Covid-19: Health Minister

A watershed moment in India’s famed battle against Covid-19 under leadership of PM Modi. Our wait for the vaccine is over with Covishield from Serum Institue of India and Covaxin from Bharat Biotech approved for emergency use in India: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan

1:25 PM

19 new Covid-19 cases detected in NZ

A total of 19 new coronavirus cases were reported at the New Zealand border in the last three days, as the country announcing tightened border restrictions on Sunday. The new cases were all detected in managed isolation while no new infection was found in the community, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry of Health as saying in a statement on Sunday. The Ministry's last media statement on the Covid-19 case numbers was on December 31, 2020.

 

1:17 PM

Mizoram's Covid-19 caseload rises to 4,223

At least four people, including a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan and a minor girl, tested positive for novel coronavirus in Mizoram, pushing the caseload to 4,223, an official said on Sunday. The fresh cases include two persons who had recently returned from West Bengal and Assam, he said. Mizoram now has 104 active cases, while 4,111 people have recovered from the disease so far.

1:08 PM

WHO welcomes India's vaccine announcement

WHO welcomes India's decision giving emergency use authorisation to Covid-19 vaccines: Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region

1:00 PM

Chinese mainland reports 24 new Covid-19 cases

China's National Health Commission said on Sunday that it received the reports of 24 newly confirmed coronavirus cases on the mainland, including eight locally transmitted infections. Four locally transmitted cases were reported in Heilongjiang province, two in Liaoning province and one each in Beijing and Hebei, Xinhua news agency quoted the Commission as saying in its daily report. The 16 other cases were imposted, according to the Commission. No new suspected cases or deaths related to the disease were reported.

 

12:56 PM

Covid-19 vaccines 110% safe, impotency rumours complete nonsense: DCGI

As India gears up for the world's largest vaccination programme, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Sunday quelled rumours surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines regarding impotency, rubbishing such speculations as "complete nonsense". "We will never approve anything if there is even the slightest safety concern. Vaccines are 110 per cent safe. Some side effects like mild fever, pain and allergy are common for every vaccine. It (rumours of impotency) is complete nonsense," VG Somani, Drug Controller General of India said. When asked if people would face side effects after taking the vaccine, the DCGI said, "Yes, minor side effects will be there, including a little like pain in the shoulders, a slight fever, little allergies. This occurs in every vaccine but of-course, the vaccine is 110 per cent safe."

12:50 PM

US Covid-19 deaths top 350,000: Johns Hopkins University

The US has hit another grim milestone as the country's overall coronavirus deaths have surpassed the 350,000 mark, according to Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Sunday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the country's overall death toll currently stood at 349,933, while the cases have increased to 20,396,243. New York State reported 38,273 fatalities, the highest in the country.

12:26 PM

Cong leaders raise concern over grant of permission for restricted use of Covid-19 vaccine

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Sunday raised concerns over India's drugs regulator granting permission for restricted use of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine and asked the government to explain why mandatory protocols and verification of data has been dispensed with. India's drugs regulator DCGI on Sunday approved Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for restricted emergency use. Sharma, who heads the Parliamentary panel on Home Affairs which dealt with the issue at length, said the issue of granting authorisation to the vaccine use needs to be taken carefully as no country has dispensed with the mandatory phase 3 trials and verification of data.

12:14 PM

Brazil registers 314 new Covid-19 deaths

Brazil has registered 314 new coronavirus fatalities, which increased the country's overall death toll to 195,725, the Ministry of Health said. Besides the new fatalities, the country on Saturday reported 15,827 new cases, bringing the number of the total infections to 7,716,405, Xinhua news agency reported. Brazil currently accounts for the third highest Covid-19 caseload after the US and India and the second highest death toll after the US.