Coronavirus LIVE: 4,969 new Covid-19 cases, 27 deaths in Kerala in a day

The government is making all efforts to support and promote the development of vaccines for Covid-19, but there is a need to strengthen cold chain logistics

1:53 AM

France's coronavirus epidemic trend raises concern, says official

Jerome Salomon, the French director for public health, said the evolution of the coronavirus outbreak in his country was concerning, after incidence almost doubled since last week.

 

"In France, the evolution of the epidemic is concerning. There is a tendency toward increased circulation of the virus," he told reporters at a weekly press conference.

 

France recorded 18,254 new cases in the previous 24-hour period, up from a daily 10,000 seen last week. The French government hopes to contain the spread of the virus at 5,000 new cases a day.

1:20 AM

Assam sees 106 new cases

12:50 AM

Nagaland reports 33 fresh Covid cases

The detection of 33 fresh cases of coronavirus infection raised Nagaland's tally to 11,820 on Thursday, health department officials said.

 

In a tweet, Health and Family Welfare Minister S Pangnyu Phom said, "33 +ve cases of # COVID-19 have been detected today. Kohima- Mokokchung- 13 each, Tuensang- 6, Mon- 1. Also, 76 +ve patients have recovered. Kohima- 64, Tuensang- 6, Wokha- 4, Zunheboto- 2."

 

The caseload includes 11,071 recovered people while 547 are active patients, he said.

11:36 PM

Jharkhand coronavirus update

10:20 PM

1,584 new coronavirus cases in Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh's Covid-19 case count rose to 2,63,485 on Thursday as 1,584 new cases of infection came to light, a health official said.

 

With 11 more fatalities, the death toll due to the pandemic in the state reached 3,156, he said.

9:16 PM

Maharashtra coronavirus update

Maharashtra's Covid-19 tally rose to 18,84,773 on Thursday with the addition of 3,880 fresh cases, while more than 4,350 patients recovered from the infection, said a state health department official.

 

The state also reported 65 more deaths, taking the fatality count to 48,499, he said.

 

A total of 4,358 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, pushing the tally of recovered people to 17,74,255, the official said.

 

With this, the number of patients currently under treatment stood at 60,905, he said.

9:02 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Punjab records 449 fresh Covid-19 cases, 15 more deaths

Punjab's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 1,61,831 on Thursday with 449 fresh infections and the death toll climbed to 5,150 as 15 more people succumbed to the disease, according to a medical bulletin. Of the latest fatalities, three each were reported from Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar, two each from Gurdaspur, Kapurthala and Patiala, and one each from Ludhiana, Mohali and Sangrur, the bulletin said.

 

There are 6,045 active COVID-19 cases in the state, it said. Of the 449 fresh cases, 106 were reported from Mohali, 62 from Jalandhar and 52 from Ludhiana, among other districts.

 

A total of 629 coronavirus patients were discharged after recovering from the infection, taking the number of cured persons to 1,50,636, the bulletin said. Fifteen critical patients are on ventilator support, while 116 are on oxygen support, it said. So far, 36,09,574 samples have been collected for testing in the state, it said.

8:49 PM

Haryana reports 17 more coronavirus deaths, 714 fresh cases

Haryana on Thursday reported 17 more coronavirus deaths, taking the death toll to 2,782, even as 714 fresh cases pushed the state's infection tally to 2,55,728. According to the state health department's daily bulletin, the fatalities include four each from Faridabad and Panipat and three from Yamunanagar district.

 

Among the districts which reported a big spike in cases include Gurgaon (108) and Faridabad (165). The state's active cases stand at 7,013, while the recovery rate is 96.17 per cent.

8:23 PM

Health ministry, Niti Aayog officials likely to meet EC top brass over Covid-19 vaccine distribution

Officials of the Union health ministry and the Niti Aayog are likely to meet the Election Commission top brass in the coming days to seek their help in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine given the poll panel's robust network at the booth level, sources aware of the development said on Thursday. They said the officials have sought a meeting with the EC top brass to understand the process at the grass-roots level.

 

During the planned meeting, the health ministry and Niti Aayog could seek EC's help in distributing the vaccine to the right person and the poll panel's experience in managing voters at the booth level during massive electoral exercises could come in handy. By successfully holding the Bihar assembly polls recently amid the coronavirus pandemic, the EC has proved the robustness of its system, the sources pointed out.

 

According to guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination drive, the latest electoral roll for Lok Sabha and assembly elections will be used to identify the priority population over the age of 50 years. Twelve identity documents, such as Voter ID, Aadhar card, driving licence, passport and pension document, will be required for beneficiary identification.

7:55 PM

4,969 new Covid-19 positive cases, 4,970 recoveries, 27 deaths in Kerala today

Kerala's COVID-19 tally climbed to 6.88 lakh and the toll to 2,734 with the addition of 4,969 new cases and 27 deaths, including that of a centenarian. As many as 4,970 people joined the list of cured, taking the cumulative recoveries to 6,27,364, Health Minister K K Shailaja said. A total of 58,155 people were presently undergoing treatment for the disease, the minister said in a release. The overall infection count in the state has touched 6,88,409.

 

A 100-year old man from Kollam was among the latest fatalities, she said.

 

In the last 24 hours, a sum of 60,851 samples were sent for testing and the test positivity rate was 8.17 per cent. So far, 71,79,051 samples have been sent for testing. Of the positive cases, as many as 47 are health care workers, 99 had come from outside the state and 4,282 infected through contact. At least 2,96,747 people were under observation in various districts with 13,358 of them in hospitals, the release added.

7:36 PM

Goa records 88 new coronavirus cases, 89 recoveries; three more deaths

Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 88 to reach 49,745 on Thursday, a health department official said. The death toll rose to 716 after three more patients succumbed to the infection during the day, he said. The tally of recovered patients in the state increased to 48,054 as 89 persons were discharged from hospitals, the official said.

 

The number of active cases stood at 975, the official said.

 

"A total of 1665 samples were tested during the day," he added. Goa's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 49,745, new cases 88, deaths 716, discharged 48,054, active cases 975, people tested so far 3,77,343.

6:59 PM

4,969 new Covid-19 positive cases, 4,970 recoveries, 27 deaths in Kerala today

4,969 new Covid-19 positive cases, 4,970 recoveries, 27 deaths in Kerala today

6:44 PM

US Vice President Mike Pence to take Covid-19 vaccine publicly

US Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence will publicly receive a Covid-19 vaccine on Friday to promote the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and build confidence among the American people. They will be joined by US Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who will also receive the vaccine, the White House said on Wednesday.

 

US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday said that Dr Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser, asked him to get vaccinated against Covid-19 "sooner than later."

 

Biden told reporters that he would get it "by the numbers" and that he would get it done "publicly," the USA Today reported. The US FDA gave the emergency use authorisation for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine last week.

6:32 PM

Delhi reports 1,363 new Covid-19 cases, 2,391 recoveries and 35 deaths in last 24 hours

Delhi reports 1,363 new Covid-19 cases, 2,391 recoveries and 35 deaths in last 24 hours

6:00 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: French President Macron tests positive for Covid-19

French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Elysee Palace confirmed in a statement on Thursday, joining a long list of world leaders to be infected with the disease. The statement said that the 42-year-old President was diagnosed "following a PCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms", reports CNN.

 

"In accordance with current health regulations applicable to all, the President of the Republic will isolate himself for seven days. "He continues to work and carry out his activities remotely," it added.

 

It is yet to confirmed how Macron caught the virus, but his office said it was identifying those he had been in close contact, reports the BBC. One of the worst-hit European nations, France has so far reported a total of 2,465,126 coronavirus cases and 59,472 deaths since the onset of the pandemic earlier this year.

5:35 PM

LIVE: Sputnik V vaccine over 95% effective, says Russian President Vladimir Putin

Sputnik V, the world's first COVID-19 vaccine, is over 95 per cent effective, said Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. Taking to Twitter, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) cited Putin saying that some health specialists have claimed that the vaccine's protection level reaches up to 96-97 per cent.

 

"Putin: Russia has been the first country in the world, which has invented and started to produce the COVID19 vaccine. And we have a good vaccine, safe and efficient - over 95 percent - and specialists say its protection level reaches 96-97 per cent," tweeted MFA Russia.

 

Earlier this week, the efficacy of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine has been confirmed to be 91.4 per cent, based on data analysis of the final control point of clinical trials, announced the Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

4:46 PM

Saudi Arabia starts Covid-19 vaccination

Saudi Arabia on Thursday started a vaccination programme for the novel coronavirus, the Health Ministry announced.

 

In a tweet, Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah, who received the vaccine, said: "In the last nine months, I was observing with concern the number of cases, today I will happily observe the number of people who will get the vaccine."

 

The Kingdom received on Wednesday the first shipment of the vaccine.

 

More than 150,000 individuals registered to receive the free-of-charge vaccine. The three-stage vaccination process covers citizens and residents in the country who wish to receive the vaccine. As of Thursday, Saudi Arabia has reported a total of 360,335 coronavirus cases and 6,080 deaths.

4:16 PM

Covid-19 recovery rate in India among highest in the world: Health Ministry

India's COVID-19 recovery rate is amongst the highest in the world, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday, underlining that countries like the US, Brazil, Russia, and Italy are reporting lesser recovery rates. With focussed strategy and proactive as well as calibrated measures of the Centre along with the States and UTs, India has sustained a very high COVID-19 recovery rate along with rapidly declining active cases and low mortality rate, it said.

 

"While the global figure for recovery rate is 70.27 per cent, India is recording 95.31 per cent.The USA, Brazil, Russia, and Italy are reporting lesser recovery rates," the ministry said.

 

Recoveries outnumbering new cases on a daily basis have ensured a high recovery rate among patients. The total recovered cases are nearing 95 lakh.

 

"The gap between recoveries and active cases is also increasing consistently and presently stands at 91,67,374," the ministry said.

3:46 PM

Ladakh reports 21 fresh coronavirus cases, 110 recoveries

With 21 fresh cases, the COVID-19 tally of Ladakh has gone up to 9,238, officials said on Wednesday. The Union Territory has also recorded 110 more recoveries from the disease, they added.

 

Ladakh has recorded a total of 123 COVID-related deaths -- 80 in Leh district and 43 in Kargil district -- while 8,576 patients or 96 per cent have recovered from the infection after successful treatment.

 

Of the fresh cases, 18 were detected in Leh, while three were reported from Kargil, the officials said. Of the 110 fresh recoveries, 105 patients were discharged from hospitals in Leh and five in Kargil, bringing down the number of active cases in the Union Territory to 539 -- 438 in Leh and 101 in Kargil.

3:17 PM

French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for Covid-19: Reuters

2:20 PM

Russia's Covid-19 vaccine rollout draws wary, mixed response

While excitement and enthusiasm greeted the Western-developed coronavirus vaccine when it was rolled out, the Russian-made version has received a mixed response, with reports of empty Moscow clinics that offered the shot to health care workers and teachers the first members of the public designated to receive it.

 

Kremlin officials and state-controlled media touted the Sputnik V vaccine as a major achievement after it was approved August 11. But among Russians, hope that the shot would reverse the course of the COVID-19 crisis has become mixed with wariness and scepticism, reflecting concerns about how it was rushed out while still in its late-stage testing to ensure its effectiveness and safety.

 

Russia faced international criticism for approving a vaccine that hasn't completed advanced trials among tens of thousands of people, and experts both at home and abroad warned against its wider use until the studies are completed.

2:05 PM

Covid-19 vaccines not a silver bullet: World Health Organization

A top World Health Organization (WHO) official has called for greater vigilance amid the roll-out of a Covid-19 vaccine, saying the vaccine is not a "silver bullet" that will end the nearly year-long pandemic which has infected over 74 million people across the global and killed more than 1.64 million others.

 

"Whoever you are, wherever you live, as long as the virus is circulating somewhere, we all remain at risk, and we must keep preparing for the worst-case scenario," Xinhua news agencyy quoted WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai as saying in a virtual media briefing on Wednesday.

 

Kasai appealed to the younger and socially active people under 40 years of age to "do everything you can to avoid infection for yourself and everybody around you" despite the anxiety and uncertainties brought about by the pandemic.

 

"By following the advice of health authorities you can directly contribute to protecting the lives of people in your community and in doing so to reviving your society's economies in 2021," the top official said.

1:39 PM

21 new cases push Arunachal's coronavirus tally to 16,574

At least 21 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the tally in the northeastern state to 16,574, a health department official said on Thursday. Of the fresh cases, five were reported from the Capital Complex region, four from Anjaw district and three each from East Siang and Lower Dibang Valley, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

 

Two new cases were also recorded in Longding and one each in West Kameng, Lohit, Tawang and West Siang, he said.

 

Eighteen fresh infections were detected through rapid antigen tests, while two were found through TrueNAT method and one through RT-PCR, the SSO said. Barring two, all the new patients were asymptomatic, he said. Fourteen people were cured of the disease on Wednesday, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 16,278. The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state currently stands at 98.21 per cent.

1:30 PM

In Pics | Testing underway as India awaits Covid-19 vaccine

A health worker collects swab sample from COVID suspected man at Anand Vihar bus terminal, in New Delhi

A health worker collects swab sample from HAM (S) President Jitan Ram Manjhi for COVID-19 test in Patna on Sunday.

A healthcare worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) collects a sample using a swab from a man to conduct tests for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), amid the spread of the disease at a Bus Depot in New Delhi on Monday.

1:20 PM

21 new cases push Arunachal's COVID-19 tally to 16,574

At least 21 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the tally in the northeastern state to 16,574, a health department official said on Thursday. Of the fresh cases, five were reported from the Capital Complex region, four from Anjaw district and three each from East Siang and Lower Dibang Valley, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said. Two new cases were also recorded in Longding and one each in West Kameng, Lohit, Tawang and West Siang, he said. Eighteen fresh infections were detected through rapid antigen tests, while two were found through TrueNAT method and one through RT-PCR, the SSO said.

1:13 PM

I feel 100 per cent, really good: Ellen DeGeneres on her battle with Covid-19

Popular TV host Ellen DeGeneres, who was recently diagnosed with the coronavirus, has shared a health update, saying that she is on the mend. The 62-year-old comedian and host had revealed last week that she had contracted the virus in a statement posted on Twitter. On Wednesday, DeGeneres upload a video on her Twitter handle and said that she is "feeling good" but also experiencing "excruciating back pain" as a symptom of the disease. "Hi everybody, just saying thank you to all the well wishes out there, I appreciate it very much. I'm feeling 100 per cent, I feel really good," she said in the video shot at home by her wifePortia de Rossi.
 

12:14 PM

Health officials track safety as COVID-19 vaccines roll out

As COVID-19 vaccinations roll out to more and more people, health authorities are keeping close watch for any unexpected side effects. On Tuesday, a health worker in Alaska suffered a severe allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. She is in the hospital for another night under observation while another worker, vaccinated Wednesday, has recovered. Doctors already knew to be on the lookout after Britain reported two similar cases last week. In the U.S., vaccine recipients are supposed to hang around after the injection in case signs of an allergy appear and they need immediate treatment exactly what happened when the health worker in Juneau became flushed and short of breath 10 minutes after the shot. The second worker experienced eye puffiness, light headedness and scratchy throat.

 

12:03 PM

Puducherry adds 40 new COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 37,622

The union territory of Puducherry logged 40 new coronavirus cases while no fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, a top Health department official said on Thursday. The 40 fresh infections took the overall tally to 37,622, Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release. The death toll remained at 622 as no death was reported from any of the four regions-Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam- in the last 24 hours ending 10 AM Thursday.

11:42 AM

Telangana logs 509 new Covid cases, recovery rate nears 97%

A total of 509 new positive cases were detected and three persons died of Covid-19 and comorbidities in Telangana during the last 24 hours. The recovery rate improved to 96.89 per cent against the national average of 95.3 per cent. health officials said on Thursday. With the fresh fatalities, the death toll mounted to 1,505 while new cases took the state's tally to 2,79,644.

11:33 AM

Maha: 450 new COVID-19 cases, 11 more deaths in Thane

The COVID-19 tally in Maharashtra's Thane district has reached 2,37,329 with the addition of 450 new cases, an official said on Thursday. Eleven more patients have also succumbed to the viral infection, raising the death toll in the district to 5,842, he said. Currently, there are 4,922 active COVID-19 cases in the district, while 2,26,565 patients have recovered.