LIVE: UP restricts visitors to indoor events at 100 as Covid-19 tally rises

Coronavirus live updates: At 1,780,208, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 873,046, Andhra Pradesh 862,000, Tamil Nadu 769,000 and Kerala 562,735

1:59 AM

Despite Covid-19 warnings, air travel soars ahead of Thanksgiving

Millions of Americans appear to be defying health warnings and traveling ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, likely exacerbating a surge in coronavirus infections before a series of promising new vaccines become widely available. With U.S. COVID-19 infections hitting a record 168,000 per day on average, Americans are flocking to airports against the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. surgeon general and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert.

For Americans, the long holiday weekend, which begins on Thursday, is traditionally the busiest travel period of the year, and 2020 may prove to be no exception. Some 1 million passengers passed through airport screenings on Sunday, the highest number since March. It was the second time in three days that passengers screened topped 1 million but screenings are down nearly 60% from the same time last year, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration said. Meanwhile, the seven-day average number of U.S. COVID-19 deaths rose for a 12th straight day, reaching 1,500 as of Monday, according to a Reuters tally of official data.

1:34 AM

British PM announces 'tougher' tiered system of covid restrictions

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday a "tougher" tiered system of coronavirus restrictions to replace England's current lockdown when it ends on December 2. Under the "Covid Winter Plan" which Johnson revealed to the House of Commons (lower house of parliament), the revised three-tiered system "is designed to carry us safely to spring", the Xinhua news agency reported. According to the Prime Minister, under Tier One, the lowest of the new three-tier system, people in the areas will be urged to work from home wherever possible.

In Tier Two areas, pubs and bars must close unless they are serving substantial meals along with alcoholic drinks. In Tier Three areas all pubs, bars and restaurants must close except for delivery, takeaway and drive-through. Hotels and indoor entertainment venues must also close in these areas. Johnson said he will announce which areas will fall into which tier later this week, probably on Thursday. The Prime Minister said he was "very sorry for the unavoidable hardship to business owners who have already endured so much destruction this year". Meanwhile, shops, gyms and salons are allowed to reopen across the country after December 2. The "rule of six" will return, which means people will again be able to meet up to six people from different households outdoors across England.

1:03 AM

Assam logs 169 new coronavirus cases

Assams COVID-19 caseload went up to 2,11,682 after 169 more people tested positive for the virus on Monday, while one fresh fatality took the death toll to 975, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Altogether 131 patients recovered from the disease taking the total number of cured people to 2,07,525, the minister said.

The number of active cases currently is 3,179. "Sad to share the demise of one #COVID patient today.....Condolences to all bereaved families," Sarma tweeted. An 85-year old woman died in Dibrugarh while the death rate remained constant at 0.46 per cent, he said. The 169 new cases which include 56 from Kamrup Metropolitan district were detected out of 25,225 tests conducted during the day. The total number of tests conducted in the state reached 51,63,201 which includes both Rapid Antigen and RT-PCR tests. Of the total 2,11,682 positive cases, 975 people have died and three migrated out of the state.

12:29 AM

Allahabad HC asks Centre to arrange video-conferencing with ICMR to find out Covid vaccine status

The Allahabad High Court on Monday asked the Centre's counsel to arrange a video-conferencing session with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as it wants to know the status of the COVID-19 vaccine and preparations for its administration whenever possible. The court further directed SSP Prayagraj Sarvshresth Tripathi to apprise it with the progress in deployment of police to enforce the mandatory use of face masks in public places in the city.

The bench comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Ajit Kumar passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) on the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Tripathi, who was present in the court during the hearing, said he would personally look into the matter of deployment of police personnel in the city and shall also see that sustained efforts are made to ensure that people wear face masks as a rule. On October 11, the court had directed all shops apart from eateries to ensure that customers entering their premises must wear a mask.

The court had directed the police to take appropriate action against those flouting COVID-19 norms including wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing.

11:28 PM

Reserve ICU beds getting vacant for Covid-19 patients: Delhi govt to pvt hospitals

The Delhi government has directed private hospitals here to reserve ICU and normal beds for coronavirus patients once these get vacant after discharge of non-COVID-19 patients. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Delhi government in orders issued last week had enhanced the percentage of ICU and non-ICU beds in many private hospitals in view of rising number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi. Delhi government has ordered 90 private hospitals to reserve 60 per cent of their total bed capacity for treatment of COVID-19 patients, increasing 2,644beds.

It has also ordered 42 private hospitals to reserve 80 per cent of their total ICU bed capacity for treatment of COVID-19 patients, thus enhancing 260 ICU beds for treatment of COVID-19 patients. In the last fortnight, there has been an unprecedented surge in the number of clinically severe COVID-19 cases, having less than 90 per cent oxygen saturation at the time of arrival to the hospital, requiring intensive care, said the DGHS order. "However, if in some hospitals, non-COVID patients are already admitted in more than 20 per cent of their ICU/HDU beds then in such cases once these non-COVID patients are discharged, the vacant ICU/HDU bed shall thereafter be kept reserved for COVID-19 patients only," said the order.

A similar order has been issued to the private hospitals where 60 per cent non-ICU beds have been reserved for COVID-19 patients.

10:37 PM

Madhya Pradesh reports 1,701 new Covid-19 cases, 1,120 discharges

10:09 PM

Delhi logs 4,154 new Covid cases, tally at 534,317

9:55 PM

Can't wait for majority to be caccinated, need to topen borders: IATA DG

Countries across world should not wait for majority of people to be vaccinated against coronavirus and need to open their borders by implementing systematic pre-departure testing: International Air Transport Association (IATA) DG Alexandre de Juniac

IATA chief Alexandre de Juniac. Photo: Twitter @IATA

9:53 PM

Himachal records 454 new Covid cases, tally at 34,781

9:01 PM

Haryana reports 2,633 new coronavirus cases, 2,567 discharges, and 28 deaths

8:52 PM

Gujarat reports 1,487 new coronavirus cases, 17 fatalities

Gujarat on Monday reported 1,487 fresh coronavirus positive cases, taking the count of infections to 1,98,899, the state health department said.

 

With 17 more people succumbing to the viral infection, the cumulative toll in the state mounted to 3,876, the department said in a release.

 

At the same time, 1,234 patients were discharged after treatment, taking the tally of recoveries to 1,81,187, it said. The number of active cases has risen to 13,836. Gujarat's COVID-19 case recovery rate now stands at 91.09 per cent.

8:28 PM

Maharashtra records 4,153 coronavirus cases, 30 deaths; 3,729 recover

Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally rose to 17,84,361 with the addition of 4,153 new cases on Monday, the state health department said. With 30 fresh deaths reported during the day, the state's fatality count increased to 46,653, the department said in a statement here.

 

A total of 3,729 patients were discharged from hospitals, which took the number of recovered persons to 16,54,793. There are 81,902 active cases in the state at present. 

8:18 PM

Covid-19: AstraZeneca delivers but can't match rivals, here's what we know

The pressure was on AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford after stunning Covid-19 vaccine trial results from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., and the U.K. partners delivered, even if they couldn’t match the data from the two front-runners.

 

Scientists will now closely scrutinize the preliminary results. The report is significant because Astra and Oxford are taking a different approach from the one used by Pfizer and Moderna, and vaccine advocates say multiple shots will be needed to stop a contagion that’s killed almost 1.4 million people. Here’s what we know, and what the results could mean in the battle.

 

8:05 PM

608 recoveries in Jammu and Kashmir in 24 hrs against 351 new Covid cases

Recoveries continued to outnumber the new Covid cases in J&K on the second consecutive day on Monday as 608 patients were discharged while 351 tested positive in the last 24 hours.

 

Out of 351 new Covid cases, 185 were reported from Jammu division while 166 from Kashmir, the official bulletin said.

 

The total tally of UT reached 1,06,899 while the total recoveries were reported to be 99,827. So far, 1,641 people have succumbed to the deadly virus, including 12 who died on Monday. The number of active cases is 5,431 out of which 1,882 are from Jammu division and 3,549 are from Kashmir division.

7:59 PM

LIVE: UP restricts visitors to indoor events at 100 as coronavirus tally rises

7:47 PM

Covid-19 LIVE: 3,232 fresh coronavirus cases, 18 deaths in Rajasthan

Rajasthan recorded 18 more fatalities due to coronavirus on Monday, taking the death toll to 2,181, while 3,232 new cases pushed the infection count to 2,47,168 in the state, a health department bulletin said.

 

Of the fresh cases, 599 were reported in Jaipur, 435 in Jodhpur, 276 in Alwar, 275 in Kota, 187 in Ajmer, 182 in Bikaner, 160 in Bhilwara, 134 in Nagaur and 102 in Sriganganagar besides cases in other districts of the state. A total of 2,20,871 people have been discharged from hospitals after treatment till now.

 

The death toll from the infection in Jaipur has reached 416, followed by 220 in Jodhpur, 165 in Ajmer, 158 in Bikaner, 125 in Kota, 101 in Bharatpur, 84 in Udaipur and 82 in Pali.

7:31 PM

Coronavirus latest update: 1,509 new cases in Karnataka, 24 deaths

Karnataka on Monday reported 1,509 new cases of COVID-19 and 24 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 8,74,555 and the death toll to 11,678, the health department said. The day also saw 1,645 patients getting discharged after recovery. Out of 1,509 fresh cases reported on Monday, 725 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone.

 

As of November 23 evening, cumulatively 8,74,555 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 11,678 deaths and 8,38,150 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin.

 

It said, out of 24,708 active cases, 24,270 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and stable, while 438 are in ICU. As many as 10 out of the total 24 deaths reported on Monday are from Bengaluru urban, followed by Dakshina Kannada (4), Mysuru (2), Bagalkote, Ballari, Belagavi, Chamarajanagara, Dharwad, Raichur, Uttara Kannada and Vijayapura (1).

7:17 PM

Tamil Nadu reports 1,624 new coronavirus cases and 17 deaths in last 24 hours

7:08 PM

Researchers create 3D-printed nasal swab for Covid-19 testing

Researchers have developed 3D-printed nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs using a point-of-care 3D printer in response to the critical shortage of NP swabs for Covid-19 testing.

 

"To date, we have printed more than 100,000 3D NP swabs, and hospitals around the world have used our 3D files to print tens of millions more swabs for point-of-care use," said study author Summer Decker from University of South Florida in the US. The 3D swab has received national and international recognition as an example of the power of medical 3D printing and quick innovation to provide clinical solutions.

 

The flocked NP swab, which collects a test sample of nasal secretions from the back of the nose and throat for lab analysis, is the current standard of care for diagnosing Covid-19. It consists of a narrow plastic rod and a tip covered in a flocked polyester material.

6:59 PM

UP govt restricts number of indoor event attendees; coronavirus tally reaches 5,28,833

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday restricted the number of people attending an indoor event to 100, while less than 40 per cent of the area of an outdoor programme venue will be allowed to be occupied by people in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, in both the scenarios, use of face masks, sanitisers, thermal scanning and maintaining social distancing remain intact, an official said.

 

Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health, Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters that 50 per cent of the capacity of an indoor place, be it a hall or a room (outside containment zones), but not exceeding 100 people, has been allowed in case of any social, religious, cultural, sports, educational, entertainment and political programme or wedding.

 

Earlier, 200 people were allowed in a hall, room or any indoor place. Similarly in the case of outdoor programmes, less than 40 per cent of area of the venue will be allowed to be occupied by people.

6:50 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Nepal achieves over 90% Covid-19 recovery rate

Nepal's COVID-19 recovery tally has crossed the 200,000 mark as 3,043 more people recovered from the novel coronavirus across the country in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Population said on Monday. As many as 202,067 patients have so far recovered from the deadly virus, it said.

 

The number accounts for 90.9 per cent of the total cases in the country. As of Monday, 222,288 people were diagnosed with the disease including 1,980 in the past 24 hours.

 

According to the Health Ministry, the COVID-19 death toll has jumped to 1,337 with 16 more fatalities. Nepal reported the first death on May 16. There are currently 18,884 active cases across the country.

6:30 PM

Maharashtra not to allow entry to those with Covid-19 symptoms

Maharashtra government on Monday announced that people with COVID-19 symptoms seeking to enter the states from Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa would be turned back.

 

"The passengers without symptoms will be allowed entry. Passengers with symptoms shall have the option of turning back and going to their home to recuperate," a state government order said.

 

The order also stipulated that all domestic passengers travelling from airports in NCR Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa shall carry RT-PCR negative test reports with them before boarding and show them to the teams at the arrival airport in the state. The RT-PCR sample collection should have been done within 72 hours of scheduled time of landing at airports in Maharashtra, the order said.

6:20 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Fine for not wearing masks in Goa increased to Rs 200

Fine for not wearing masks in public places in Goa has been doubled from Rs 100 to Rs 200, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Monday. Sawant also said urged people not to visit beaches, airports, railway stations and bus stands without masks in order to control the pandemic.

 

"Till now we have been charging Rs 100 (per offence). From today onwards the fine (for not wearing a mask) has been increased to Rs 200. At least in public, people will have to wear masks or they will be compulsorily fined," Sawant said.

 

The CM's comments come after a busy tourist weekend in Goa, during which thousands of tourists (without masks) were seen on the state's beaches as well as casinos, throwing social distancing norms to the wind. "No one should be seen without masks on beaches, bus stands, airport. If this happens, only then we will be able to control the pandemic," Sawant said.

6:02 PM

60 health workers at Ahmedabad civil hospital Covid-19 infected

Nearly 60 health workers at a civil hospital in Ahmedabad, the largest COVID-19 facility in Gujarat, are currently infected by coronavirus amid a recent spike in cases across the city, officials said on Monday. The civil hospital's medical superintendent, J V Modi, said with this, around 430 doctors, nurses and other staff of the facility, including paramedics and sanitation workers, have contracted COVID-19 so far since the outbreak of the disease in March this year.

 

Three of these staff members - a nurse and two sanitation workers - died of COVID-19, he said.

 

The civil hospital, located in Aswara area and having a capacity of 1,200 beds, has seen a rise in number of new COVID-19 patients since the last week, with several of them in moderate and severe health condition and requiring oxygen.

5:52 PM

People travelling from Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa to carry RT-PCR negative test report: Maharashtra Govt

5:50 PM

Coronavirus latest update: Delhi records five Covid-19 deaths an hour

At least five persons died due to COVID-19 every hour on an average in Delhi in the last 24 hours, accounting for the largest chunk of such fatalities across the country, which recorded an average of 21 deaths in this period. The analysis was based on the data from the Union Health Ministry which gave the total number of deaths recorded in the country and all states and UTs due to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

 

While a total of 511 COVID-19 deaths were recorded across the country in the past 24 hours, Delhi accounted for the largest chunk of such fatalities with 121 fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. According to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department, the national capital recorded 6,746 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday and a positivity rate of 12.29 per cent while 121 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 8,391.

5:49 PM

Maharashtra makes it a must for people from NCR, Rajasthan and Gujarat to bring Covid-negative report: NDTV

5:23 PM

Tripura reports 19 new coronavirus cases, three more deaths

Tripura on Monday reported 19 more COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 32,434. The state's COVID-19 death toll rose to 366 after three more patients succumbed to the infection, he said.

 

West Tripura district, of which state capital Agartala is a part, has accounted for 185 of the 366 COVID-19 deaths. There are 799 active cases in the state at present, while 31,246 people have recovered from the disease and 23 patients migrated to other states. Ninety patients were discharged from the GB Pant Hospital after recovery on Sunday. As many as 5,13,040 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the state so far, he said.

5:12 PM

Home Minister Amit Shah flags off a mobile RT-PCR lab at ICMR headquarters in Delhi

5:03 PM

Coronavirus death toll reaches 100 in Ladakh; civil society calls for week-long shutdown

The COVID-19 death toll in the Union Territory of Ladakh reached 100 as two more people died due to the infection in Leh district, thereby prompting the civil society to call for a self-imposed week-long shutdown here from Monday to contain the spread of the virus. A total of 73 people tested positive for coronavirus during the past 24 hours, taking the virus count in the region to 7,939, officials said on Monday.

 

Meanwhile, the authorities assured adequate arrangements to meet the challenge posed by the spike in the cases and announced that Ladakh is expected to receive COVID-19 vaccine by February next year.

 

Both the latest fatalities were reported from Leh on Sunday, taking the death toll in Ladakh to 100, the officials said, adding of them, 59 deaths have taken place in Leh and rest 41 in Kargil district. Out of the 73 new cases, the officials said 69 cases were detected in Leh and four in Kargil.