Coronavirus LIVE: Around 150 Army personnel test positive for Covid-19

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: The union government is planning a dry run for administering the Covid-19 vaccine in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat and Punjab next week as a prep before the inoculation

12:10 AM

Two more UK returnees test Covid-19 positive in Telangana

Two more persons who returned to Telangana from the United Kingdom tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday and their samples have been sent for genome sequencing to check whether it is a new strain detected in the UK, a health official said. With this, the total number of UK returnees who have tested positive for the disease in the state has risen to 18, he said.

 

According to state Director of Public Health G Srinivasa Rao, the Telangana government is following a policy of 'tracing, testing and treating' to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the wake of a mutated variant of coronavirus detected in the UK.

 

He said 1,216 people have arrived in Telangana from the UK since December 9 and 92 of them belong to other states. Rao said 937 out of the 1,216 people have been identified and tested for the infectious disease and that two persons were found positive on Saturday. They have been admitted to special wards in different hospitals, he said in a release.

11:23 PM

Himachal Pradesh's Covid-19 death toll crosses 900-mark

The death toll due to COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh crossed the 900-mark on Saturday after 11 more people died, the Health Department data said. The state also reported 222 fresh cases, taking the infection tally to 54,281.

 

Four deaths were reported from Shimla, three from Solan and one each from Una, Lahaul-Spiti, Hamirpur and Bilaspur. Of them, eight were men and three women aged between 38 and 75.

 

Also, 266 more patients recovered from the disease on Saturday, pushing the total number of recoveries to 49,040. The death toll has reached 902 and 35 people have migrated. The state has 4,292 active COVID-19 cases.

11:09 PM

16 UK returnees test positive for virus since screening began

Sixteen persons who had recently returned from the UK and two family members of such returnees have tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra so far, a health official said. "Their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune to find out if they are carrying the new strain of the virus that was detected in the UK," he said.

Screening of passengers arrived from the UK began after a new variant of the coronavirus was detected in that country. Flights from the UK were barred earlier this week. As many as 1,222 passengers who had arrived in Maharashtra from the UK were tested using RT-PCR kits in the last few days and reports of 16 returned positive.

"As per protocol, we also tested 72 kin-contacts (relatives who came in contact) of these 16, and two relatives have been detected with the infection," the official said. All passengers who arrived in the state from UK between November 25 and December 23 are being screened to find out if any of them is carrying the new strain.

10:35 PM

Bengal reports 1,253 new Covid-19 cases, 33 fresh fatalities

West Bengal's COVID-19 tally mounted to 5,46,008 on Saturday as 1,253 more people tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said. Thirty-three more people succumbed to the infection, pushing the state's coronavirus death toll to 9,569. As many as 1,861 more people have been cured of the disease, taking the state's recovery count to 5,22,331, the bulletin said.

 

The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state has improved to 95.66 per cent, it said. North 24 Parganas district reported the highest number of new cases at 270, followed by Kolkata (262), the bulletin said.

 

Kolkata reported the highest number of fresh fatalities at 12, followed by North 24 Parganas (eight), it said, adding 31 fatalities were due to comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental. The state now 14,108 active coronavirus cases, the bulletin said. West Bengal so far has tested over 69.27 lakh samples for COVID-19, including 30,641 in the last 24 hours.

10:07 PM

Tamil Nadu records 1,019 new coronavirus cases, 11 fatalities

Tamil Nadu reported 1,019 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking the infection count to 8,13,161, while 11 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 12,059. Recoveries continued to outnumber the new infections with 1,098 people getting cured, taking the aggregate to 7,92,063, a health department bulletin said. The number of active cases stood at 9,039.

 

A total of 64,441 samples were tested on Saturday, taking the cumulative total to 1,38,60,244 specimens examined so far. According to the bulletin, five more returnees from the United Kingdom tested positive for the virus, taking the total number of such cases to 10. Four were from Chennai, three from Thanjavur and one each from Nilgiris, Theni and Madurai,it said, adding all the UK returnee patients have been kept in separate isolation wards.

9:41 PM

2,854 new coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, 60 deaths

Maharashtra's COVID-19 caseload rose to 19,16,236 on Saturday as it recorded 2,854 new cases. The state also reported 60 fatalities, taking its death toll due to the pandemic to 49,189. A total of 1,526 patients were discharged after treatment, taking the tally of recovered people to 18,07,824.

 

There are 58,091 active patients in the state now. Mumbai city reported 536 new cases during the day, which pushed its overall case count to 2,90,336, while its death toll rose to 11,068 with 12 new fatalities.

 

With 50,282 new tests, the number of samples tested in the state went up to 1,24,51,919. Maharashtra's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases: 19,16,236, new cases: 2,854, death toll: 49,189, discharged: 18,07,824, active cases: 58,091, people tested so far: 1,24,51,919.

9:23 PM

Delhi reports 655 new Covid-19 cases, 988 recoveries and 23 deaths in last 24 hours

8:56 PM

Uttar Pradesh records 1,102 new Covid-19 cases, 14 deaths

Uttar Pradesh recorded 1,102 fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday, raising the tally to 5,81,080, while the death toll reached 8,293 with 14 more fatalities. There are 15,875 active cases in the state as of now, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said, adding 7,017 patients are in home isolation and 1,690 others are undergoing treatment at private hospitals.

 

As many as 5,56,912 people have so far recovered from the infection, and the state's recovery rate stands at 95.84, he said. On Friday, over 1.23 lakh tests were done, taking the total number of those tested for coronavirus in the state so far to over 2.32 crore, Prasad said.

 

A health department bulletin said three fresh deaths were reported from Kanpur Nagar, two each from Bareilly and Rae Bareili, and one each from Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Ballia, Barabanki, Etawah, Rampur and Bhadohi. Among the fresh cases, 229 were reported from Lucknow, the bulletin stated.

8:42 PM

Rajasthan reports 785 new Covid-19 cases and 990 recoveries in last 24 hours

Seven more people succumbed to COVID-19 in Rajasthan, taking the death toll from the pandemic to 2,664 on Saturday, while 785 new cases brought the infection tally to 3,04,517, according to a health department bulletin. The state has 11,488 active cases of the novel coronavirus, it said.

 

According to the bulletin, 2,90,365 people have recovered from COVID-19 in the state.

 

The death toll from the pandemic stands at 496 in Jaipur, followed by 284 in Jodhpur, 218 in Ajmer, 165 in Bikaner, 164 in Kota, 118 in Bharatpur, and 109 each in Udaipur and Pali. Of the fresh cases, 139 were recorded in Jaipur, 85 in Jodhpur, 78 in Kota, 57 in Bhilwara, besides cases reported in other districts of the state, the bulletin said.

8:10 PM

Gujarat sees 890 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1,002 recoveries; 7 die

Gujarat on Saturday reported 890 new coronavirus positivecases, taking the count of infections to 2,40,995, the state health department said. With seven more persons succumbing to the viral disease, the overall death toll in the state mounted to 4,275, it said.

 

A totalof 1,002 patients were discharged after treatment in Gujarat during the day, taking the cumulative number of recoveries to 2,26,208, the department said in a release.

Gujarat's COVID-19 case recoveryrate has improved to 93.86 per cent, the department said. With 53,539 new tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the total number of the tests conducted in Gujarat went up to 93,84,030, the release added.

7:48 PM

Kerala logs 3,527 new cases, 3,752 recoveries; death toll nearing 3,000-mark

Kerala recorded 3,527 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, while 3,782 people have been cured of the infection, as the death toll is inching towards the 3,000 mark with 21 more deaths being added, Health Minister K K Shailaja said. While the total virus caseload has touched 7,35,611, recoverieswent up to 6,68,733 and at least 63,752 people are undergoing treatment for the infection.

 

In the last 24 hours, 35,586 samples were tested and the test positivity rate was 9.91 per cent, the minister said in a press release.

 

So far, 76,49,001 samples have been sent for testing.

 

The toll has mounted to 2,951 with 21 more deaths being confirmed due to coronavirus. At least 2,59,083 people are under observation in various districts, including 13,200 in various hospitals. Of the positive cases, 34 are health workers, 63 had come from outside the state, and 3,106 had been infected through contact. Kozhikode recorded 522 fresh cases today, Malappuram 513 and Ernakulam 403 cases, while Idukki accounted for 67 and Kasaragod 52.

7:20 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Around 150 Army personnel test positive for Covid-19

Around 150 Army personnel who arrived in the national capital from various locations in the last few weeks to participate in the Republic Day and Army Day parades have tested positive for Covid-19, PTI reported. The infection was detected during a mandatory testing for Covid-19 under a strict protocol formulated to insulate all the personnel taking part in the two parades from the Covid-19 infection, they said.

 

Over 2,000 Army personnel have arrived in Delhi since late November for the Republic Day and Army Day parades using various modes of transport and all of them had to undergo the Covid-19 test before they were put into a "safe bubble", the sources said.

 

Those who have tested negative are being put into the "safe bubble" that has been created to accommodate all the personnel who will be part of the marching contingents, they said.

6:57 PM

Rajasthan reports 785 new Covid-19 cases and 990 recoveries in last 24 hours

6:47 PM

Covid-19 LIVE: Second UK returnee tests positive in Indore

A 39-year-old man, who recently returned to Indore in Madhya Pradesh from the UK, on Saturday became the second such person to be found infected with coronavirus in the last two days. However, it was not yet clear if the strain he is carrying is the same as the one detected in the European nation. The man, who returned from the UK on December 6, is fine and is being closely monitored, while his family has been placed under isolation at their home in Rau, said Indore district COVID-19 prevention nodal officer Amit Malakar.

 

On Friday, a 29-year-old man who returned here from Scotland via Delhi on December 18 was detected with coronavirus.

 

"Samples of both these persons are being sent to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Delhi to find out if they are infected with the same strain of coronavirus that has been reported in Britain," Malakar informed. Since March 24 this year, Indore had seen 53,624 people testing positive for the infection, with 857 succumbing to it.

6:16 PM

Ahmedabad civc body starts online facility for Covid vaccine registration

The civic body in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city has launched an online facility for people from priority groups to register for the COVID-19 vaccine, an official said on Saturday. According to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, citizens from priority groups in the city who have not yet registered themselves with health workers carrying out house- to-house survey or at urban health centres (UHCs) can get themselves registered on www.ahmedabadcity.gov.in.

 

The civic body has begun the registration process for healthcare workers, frontline workers, people above the age of 50 and those under 50 who are suffering from comorbid conditions, an official release stated.

 

People from these priority groups who have not yet registered themselves with health workers can approach their nearest UHCs carrying their identity cards such as driving licence, PAN card, or voters' ID etc, it was stated. READ MORE...

5:55 PM

Andhra Pradesh coronavirus tally reaches 8.80 lakh with 282 new cases

Confirmed cases of coronavirus touched 8.80 lakh in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday as the state added 282 afresh to its count while the active caseload fell further to 3,700. The latest bulletin said 442 patients had recovered while only one death was reported in the state in 24 hours ending 9 am on Saturday. The total recoveries now increased to 8,69,920 and deaths to 7,092.

 

Kurnool and Prakasam districts reported only one new case each, the lowest in about six months, while Srikakulam and Vizianagaram added four each.

 

Guntur and East Godavari reported 56 and 53 fresh cases while the remaining seven added less than 40 each. Only Krishna still has 639 active cases while all other districts have les than 500 each. In fact, Vizianagaram and Kurnool have only 62 and 86 active cases now. Government data said that after 1.15 crore sample tests, the overall infection positivity rate in the state came to 7.61 per cent while the recovery rate touched 98.77 per cent. The mortality rate remained constant at 0.81 per cent.

5:30 PM

One UK returnee tests coronavirus positive in Maharashtra's Thane district

One of the over 50 persons, who returned to the Kalyan Dombivli region in Maharashtra's Thane district from the UK in the last one month, has tested COVID- 19 positive, the authorities said on Saturday. As many as 55 persons have returned to the areas under Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) limits from the UK from November 25 onwards, the civic body said.

 

"Swab testing of 20 of them was conducted and one person from Dombivli tested positive for the infection. That person has been isolated," the KDMC said in a statement.

 

The swab sample of that person has been sent to Pune for further analysis, it said. According to officials, as many as 349 people have returned to Thane district from the UK in the last one month.

5:09 PM

Oxford Covid-19 vaccine may become the first to get Indian regulator's nod for emergency use

With preparations underway for a possible vaccine-rollout by January, the Indian drug regulator is looking at the UK, which sources believe may give its nod to the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine next week, before deciding on giving emergencyuse authorisationto the Serum Institute that is manufacturing the shots.

 

Once the UK drug regulator gives its approval to the Oxford vaccine, the expert committee on COVID-19 at the CDSCO will hold its meeting andthoroughly review the safety and immunogenicity data from the clinical evaluations conducted abroad and in India before granting any emergency authorisationfor the vaccine here, official sources said.

 

The process ofgranting emergency use approval for Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' may take time as its phase 3 trials are still underway, while Pfizer is yet to make a presentation.

 

"Going by this, Oxford vaccine 'Covishield' is likely to be the first to be rolled out in India," a source said.

4:08 PM

Decline in India's active Covid-19 caseload due to rise in recoveries, lower daily cases: Govt

The exponential rise in Covid-19 recoveries in tandem with lower daily infections has resulted in a consistent decline in India's active caseload, which presently stands at2,81,667, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday. The active cases comprise 2.77 per cent of the country's total infections, it said. India's total number of recovered cases is nearing 97.5 lakh (97,40,108) and the cumulative Covid-19 recoveries are the highest in the world, the ministry said.

The recovery rate has crossed 90 per cent in all states and union territories, it added. Since the last 29 days, the daily recoveries recorded in the country have been more than the daily cases. A total of 22,274 people recovered and were discharged the previous day, the ministry said. It said 73.56 per cent of the new recovered cases were observed to be concentrated in 10 states and UTs. Among these, Kerala reported the highest number of single-day recoveries at 4,506, followed by 1,954 in West Bengal and 1,427in Maharashtra.

Kerala also reported the highest number of fresh cases at 5,397, followed by 3,431 in Maharashtra and 1,541 in West Bengal. As many as 251 case fatalities were reported in the country the previous day, the ministry said. Ten states and UTs account for 85.26 per cent of the new deaths. Of these, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of fatalities at 71, followed by 31 in West Bengal and 30 in Delhi.

2:59 PM

Tokyo confirms record-high of 949 new coronavirus cases

Tokyo has confirmed 949 new cases of the coronavirus, a new high for the Japanese capital, as the country struggles with an upsurge that is spreading nationwide.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government said on Saturday that the additional cases bring the prefectural total to 55,851. Japan had 3,823 new cases on Friday for a national total of 213,547, with 3,155 deaths, the health ministry said. Japan has not been able to slow the infections despite government requests for the people to avoid going out for dinner and parties before and during the holiday season.

 

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has ordered bars to close early and urged residents to avoid nonessential outings. But many people have continued commuting on crowded trains and going out for dinner and drinks. 

2:10 PM

14 UK returnees to Karnakata test positive for Covid-19; samples sent for genetic sequencing

Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Saturday said 14 people who have come to the state from the UK so far have tested positive for Covid-19 and their samples have been sent for genetic sequencing to find whether it is a new strain of virus that has infected them. "A total of 2,500 people have come (from the UK), of them 1,638 have been tested. According to information I received last night 14 of them have tested positive. All the 14 (samples) have been sent to NIMHANS for (genetic sequencing)," he said.

 

Speaking to reporters here, he said, the Central government has notified ten designated labs in the country for genetic sequencing, out of them two are in Bengaluru- NIMHANS and National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS). "The 14 samples are undergoing genetic squening. The second variant of virus in the UK is said to have undergone 17 mutations, the genetic sequencing will test in detail about mutations, which may require 48 hours, probably it (report) will come tomorrow," he said.

 

A total of 2,500 people have come to the state from the UK from November 25 till December 22 in two flights-Air India and British Airways- that operate, and efforts were on to trace, monitor their health and subject them to tests.

12:32 PM

8 UK returnees to Kerala test positive

Eight people who recently returned from the UK to Kerala, have tested positive for coronavirus and their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune for genomic analysis.

 

Health Minister K K Shailaja said on Saturday that samples of eight returnees were found positive for COVID-19 and their samples have been sent to NIV for further tests.

11:51 AM

Beijing residents told to stay put for holidays

China's capital has urged residents not to leave the city during the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays, implementing fresh restrictions after several coronavirus infections last week.

 

Two domestic cases were reported on Friday, a convenience store worker and a Hewlett Packard Enterprise employee. Another two asymptomatic cases were discovered in Beijing earlier in the week.

 

Beijing is conducting testing on a limited scale in the neighbourhoods and workplaces where the cases were found.

11:45 AM

Puducherry logs 33 new Covid-19 cases

Puducherry reported 33 new coronavirus cases while a 77-year man succumbed to the infection taking the toll to 630, a top Health department official said on Saturday.

 

Of the 33 new cases, the Puducherryregion reported 18, followed by Mahe (9), Karaikal(4) and Yanam (2), Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release.

 

The fresh infections were reported at the end of the examination of 3,391 samples pushing the overall tally to 37,947.

 

The patient who succumbed was a 77-year old resident of neighbouringMuthialpet village, Mohan Kumar said, adding that the toll rose to 630 in the union territory.

11:36 AM

A pandemic Christmas: Services move online, people stay home

Families that usually reunite on Christmas over a hearty, lingering meal celebrated apart Friday, services shifted online, and gift exchanges were low-key in one of the most unusual and subdued holiday seasons in decades.

 

The coronavirus left almost no one unaffected.

 

Patricia Hager, 60, delivered homemade caramel rolls for breakfast to family and friends in Bismarck, North Dakota, a state that didn't get hit until later in the pandemic but was struck hard. It seemed every time she opened her door this holiday season, someone had left smoked salmon, baskets of nuts or cookies.

 

This year Christmas love is expressed at the door, she said. I'm glad that people will probably be with us next year with the vaccines. I can give up anything for that.

11:30 AM

New virus variant: Genomics researcher answers key questions

A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, is thought to be driving increased transmission of the disease in parts of the UK. The government has placed some regions including London under new, stricter coronavirus restrictions, known as Tier 4. People in Tier 4 areas will not be able to gather with anyone outside their household for Christmas, while those in the rest of the country can only gather on Christmas Day itself. Read here

11:15 AM

India's recovery rate one of the highest in the world at 95.78 per cent

11:09 AM

Thane district's Covid tally rises by 355, death toll by 7

With 355 new coronavirus positive cases, the infection tally in Maharashtra's Thane district mounted to 2,41,142, an official said on Saturday.

 

These new cases were reported on Friday.

 

11:05 AM

Arunachal Pradesh reports no fresh Covid-19 case

Arunachal Pradesh did not record a single fresh Covid-19 case in the last 24 hours, a health department official said on Saturday.

 

The state's coronavirus tally remained at 16,678, while a total of 56 people have so far died due to the contagion, he said.

 

At least 16 people were cured of the disease since Friday, taking the total number of recoveries to 16,454, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Lobsang Jampa said.

10:47 AM

New York Covid-19 test positivity rate up to 6.69 per cent

New York City's coronavirus test positivity rate on a seven-day average has increased to 6.69 per cent in the last 24 hours, compared with 6.29 per cent a day earlier, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

 

There were 208 new hospitalisations and 3,012 new cases of the coronavirus in the city, Xinhua news agency quoted de Blasio as saying on Twitter on Friday.

 

"I hope you and your loved ones are having a safe and happy holiday -- but we need constant vigilance against Covid-19.