Coronavirus LIVE: 'First vaccine administered in the US, says Donald Trump

Coronavirus live updates: At 1,883,365, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 901,410, Andhra Pradesh 875,531, Tamil Nadu 798,888, and Kerala 669,330

1:33 AM

Recoveries outnumber new Covid-19 cases in Karnataka

With 2,164 people discharged in a day, recoveries outnumbered 830 new cases in Karnataka, taking its Covid-19 tally to 9,02,240, including 16,065 active cases till Sunday, said the state health bulletin on Monday.

 

"Recoveries have increased to 8,74,202 till date, with 2,164 discharged in the last 24 hours. With 10 patients succumbing to the infection, the state's death toll rose to 11,954 till date," said the bulletin.

 

As epicentre of the pandemic, Bengaluru registered 369 fresh cases, taking its tally to 3,78,898, including 10,852 active cases, while recoveries rose to 3,63,807, with 1,576 discharged in the last 24 hours.

1:06 AM

Turkey announces 4-day curfew over New Year's to fight virus

Turkey's president has announced a four-day lockdown starting New Year's Eve to curb the spread of Covid-19.

 

Speaking after a cabinet meeting Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the curfew would begin the evening of Dec. 31 and go until the morning of Jan. 4 The government this month re-introduced weekend lockdowns as well as nighttime curfews amid a spike in infections and deaths. It has avoided a full lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic to keep the country's beleagured economy running.

1:06 AM

Top US officials expected to get Covid-19 vaccine this week

Senior US officials will begin receiving coronavirus vaccines this week as part of updated federal continuity of government plans that now include terrorism and pandemics as threats to the nation, and its leaders.

 

The effort comes after President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday that White House aides should receive the Covid-19 vaccine somewhat later in the program. Still, doses are expected to be administered at the White House, Capitol Hill and other facilities within the week, according to senior administration officials.

12:04 AM

Conducting large-scale testing for Covid-19, issued directions for compliance of SOP: Delhi govt tells HC

11:10 PM

Teachers should be among first for Covid jabs: UN

The United Nations agency for education, UNESCO, on Monday called on governments to give teachers priority access to the new Covid-19 vaccines and be treated like "frontline" workers.

 

The call came as the United States, the country worst hit by the virus, kickstarted the biggest vaccination drive in its history by giving the jab to a nurse in New York.

 

"As we see positive developments regarding vaccination we believe that teachers and education support personnel must be considered a priority group," UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said in a joint video message with the head of the Education International (EI) teachers' organisation, David Edwards.

10:54 PM

Israel set to start second phase of human trials of its coronavirus vaccine candidate

10:16 PM

MP sees 1,058 new Covid-19 cases

Madhya Pradesh on Monday reported 1,058 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the infection count to 2,24,636, health officials said.

 

Three people died in Indore, two in Bhopal and one each in Khargone, Mandsaur and Mandla to take the toll to 3,412.

 

Officials said 1,084 people were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the state's overall recovery count to 2,08,421.

9:52 PM

We have an opportunity to position India globally as post-Covid care hub: Tourism minister

9:39 PM

Punjab reports 464 new Covid-19 cases, 21 deaths and 633 discharges today.

9:32 PM

Ahmedabad sees 247 coronavirus cases, 7 deaths in last 24 hours; 238 recover

9:09 PM

Haryana reports 993 new Covid-19 cases, 1,744 recoveries, and 16 deaths in the last 24 hours

8:58 PM

Largest vaccination drive in US history begins with Pfizer's Covid-19 shots

The biggest vaccination drive in American history got underway on Monday as health care workers started receiving Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, providing a glimpse of hope as the nation nears the grim milestone of 300,000 coronavirus deaths. A nurse in New York City was among the first people to receive the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on Monday morning.

 

"I feel hopeful today," said Sandra Lindsay, the critical care nurse at New York's Long Island Jewish Medical Center, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo watched via livestream.

 

The news comes as the United States approaches 300,000 deaths from Covid-19. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said he would be among those getting a vaccine. "People will believe much more in the vaccine if the CEO is getting vaccinated," he said Monday on CNN. READ ON...

8:45 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: At 2.1%, Delhi records lowest Covid-19 positivity rate so far

At 2.15 per cent, Delhi on Monday reported the lowest positivity rate of new Covid-19 cases recorded so far. The positivity rate came out of 63,94 samples tested in the last 24 hours, wherein 1,376 turned out positive. Meanwhile, 2,854 patients recovered from the disease while 60 succumbed to it in the same duration. The case positivity rate on Sunday stood at 2.74 per cent, authorities said. It was 4.96 per cent on December 3, 4.78 per cent on December 4, 4.2 per cent on December 5, 3.68 per cent on December 6 and 3.15 per cent on December 7.

 

However, on December 8, the positivity rate rose to 4.23 per cent, but again fell to 3.42 per cent on December 9 and 2.46 per cent on December 10. It had risen to 3.33 per cent again on December 11 before falling to 2.64 per cent on December 12.

 

The tally of cases has reached 6,08,830 while the toll has risen to 10,074. Of the tests conducted in the last 24 hours, 36,176 were done through RT-PCR and 27,768 were Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT). The capital city has conducted 72,86,847 tests so far, according to the bulletin by the Delhi Health Department.

8:35 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Covid-19 vaccine to be available in India soon, says govt

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday that the Coronavirus crisis is now "on its way out" and "soon" vaccines would be available in India too. He was speaking at the International Coronavirus Short Film Festival. He took the opportunity to caution people against letting the guard down before antibodies are created and second dose of the vaccine administered.

 

Javadekar said that the pandemic has caused major upsets in countries across the globe. However, he noted, that India has been able to handle the crisis well under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, who, he said, recognised the crisis early.

 

Calling the idea of organising a film festival to celebrate short films made on coronavirus as wonderful, Javadekar said that the Film Festival witnessing participation of 2,800 films from 108 countries on a single topic is an example of people's immense talent.

8:06 PM

'First vaccine administered in the US, tweets President Donald Trump

7:55 PM

Doctors' surgeries to begin Covid-19 vaccine drive in UK

General Practitioners (GPs) and doctors' surgeries across the UK on Monday began receiving the first deliveries of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 and will be ready to administer the doses from this week, adding to the hospital hubs already vaccinating the high-risk groups of elderly and frontline workers.

 

According to the National Health Service (NHS), practices in more than 100 parts of the country are taking delivery of the vaccine, with some kicking off their vaccination drive on Monday itself and the majority starting on Tuesday. Groups of health providers are also setting up local vaccination centres in villages, towns and cities in order to cover different parts of the country.

 

"GPs, nurses, pharmacists and other primary care staff are eager to play their part in protecting people against coronavirus," said Dr Nikki Kanani, practising GP and NHS Director of Primary Care.

7:37 PM

Maharashtra's Covid-19 tally rises to 18,83,365 with 2,949 fresh cases; 60 new deaths take toll to 48,269

7:35 PM

Delhi reports 1,376 new Covid-19 cases and 60 deaths in the last 24 hours

7:32 PM

Coronavirus latest update: Efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine is 91.4%

7:23 PM

Jammu and Kashmir reports 246 fresh Covid-19 cases, three more deaths

Jammu and Kashmir on Monday reported 246 fresh cases, while three more deaths pushed the death toll to 1,802, officials said. The union territory's infection tally has reached 1,16,254, of which 4,558 patients are undergoing treatment. Of the fresh cases, 120 were from Kashmir and 126 from Jammu division, they said. The officials said Jammu recorded the highest of 87 cases, followed by 58 in Srinagar district.

 

The number of active cases dropped to 4,558 in the union territory as 387 more patients recovered from the infection. so far, 1,09,894 patients have recovered, the officials said. The union territory reported three more COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours two from Jammu and one from Kashmir region.

7:03 PM

Kerala reports 2,707 new Covid-19 cases amid fewer testing

With just 31,893 samples send for testing in the past 24 hours, 2,707 new Covid cases were reported in Kerala on Monday.

 

In a statement issued here by State Health Minister K. K. Shailaja it said the number of active cases stands at 57,640, while the day saw 4,481 recoveries taking the total number to 6,11,600.

 

24 people succumbed to the virus on Monday taking the total death toll to 2,647. 3,10,107 people are under observation across the state including 13,187 in the hospitals.

6:11 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Centre issues guidelines for Covid-19 vaccination drive

Vaccinating 100-200 people in each session per day, monitoring them for 30 minutes after administering the shots for any adverse event and allowing only one beneficiary at a time are among the guidelines issued by the Centre for the COVID-19 inoculation drive.

 

According to the guidelines issued to states recently, the COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network (Co-WIN) system--a digitalised platform--will be used to track enlisted beneficiaries for the vaccination and anti-coronavirus vaccines on a real-time basis. At the vaccination site, only pre-registered beneficiaries will be vaccinated in accordance with the prioritisation, and there will be no provision for on the-spot registrations.

 

The states have been asked, as far as possible, to allocate the vaccine from one manufacturer to a district to avoid mixing of different COVID-19 vaccines in the field. As per the 'COVID-19 Vaccine Operational Guidelines', all measures should be taken to avoid exposing the vaccine carrier, vaccine vials or ice packs to direct sunlight, the document stated.

5:50 PM

305 new Covid-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh, 541 recoveries

About 45,000 sample tests turned out 305 positives for coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh while 541 patients recovered and two more succumbed in 24 hours ending 9 am on Monday. The cumulative COVID-19 positives after 1.08 crore sample tests touched 8,75,836 at a positivity rate of 8.05 per cent.

 

The recovery rate rose to 98.65 per cent after 8,64,049 Covid-19 patients got cured while the mortality rate remained steady at 0.81 per cent with the gross toll touching 7,059. The state had 4,728 active cases on Monday, which was 0.6 per cent. As per government data, COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh grew at a meager 0.1 per cent in the last week while the recovery rate too improved at the same rate.

 

5:22 PM

Remdesivir may be highly effective against coronavirus

Remdesivir may be a highly effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a new single-patient study that contradicts previous research which found the drug had no impact on death rates from the disease. The researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK who gave the drug to a patient with COVID-19 and a rare immune disorder, observed a dramatic improvement in his symptoms and the disappearance of the virus.

 

Scientists had previously pinned hope on remdesivir which was originally developed to treat hepatitis C and subsequently tested against Ebola.

 

However, results from large clinical trials have been inconclusive, and the World Health Organization (WHO) announced in October that the drug did not significantly reduce mortality rates. The new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, used a different approach to determine the effects of the drug on COVID-19 in a closely monitored patient.

4:31 PM

100 people will receive Covid vaccine at booth per day, eventually, everyone will: MoS Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey

As India is on the brink of welcoming the coronavirus vaccine, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Sunday claimed that "everyone will get the vaccine". Talking to the reporters in Patna, Choubey said that initially, only 100 people will be given the vaccine but eventually, everyone will receive the vaccine shot.

 

"We are going to start the process of sending necessary equipment for storage and handling of coronavirus vaccine to states. For now, only 100 people will be given the vaccine at a booth per day. Eventually, everyone will get the vaccine," he said.

 

On October 22, BJP released its manifesto for three-phased Bihar elections and promised that after the approval of the coronavirus vaccine from ICMR, every person in the State will get vaccinated free of cost. Briefly speaking about the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal, Choubey said that the people of Bengal will not spare the government as they are watching everything. In Agra, television footage showed police using mild force to disperse protesting Samajwadi Party workers..

4:07 PM

Tamil Nadu CM inaugurates 2,000 Amma mini-clinics for Covid-19 testing

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami inaugurated Amma 2,000 mini-clinics for COVID-19 testing at an event in Royapuram, Chennai. "Two thousand mini-clinics have been opened simultaneously all over Tamil Nadu," the Chief Minister said.

 

While addressing the gathering, Tamil Nadu Deputy CM, O Panneerselvam, said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appreciated our government's efforts in controlling coronavirus. We have conducted a home-to-home campaign to trace the spread of COVID-19. The deadly virus is under control in Chennai."

 

"We have achieved a milestone in the history of Tamil Nadu by inaugurating these mini-clinics today. I appeal to the people to co-operate with government efforts and help us eradicate COVID-19," he added.

 

On December 13, Tamil Nadu reported 1,195 new cases of COVID-19, taking the tally of total cases to 7,98,888, said the State Health and Family Welfare Department on Sunday.

3:48 PM

Free Covid-19 vaccine announcement not in violation of poll code: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday dismissed the opposition allegation of poll code breach, saying the free COVID-19 vaccine announced by him was part of the treatment for the infection already being given without any charges in the state and he has not committed any violation.

 

He was responding to the charge by the UDF and the BJP which petitioned the State Election Commission on Sunday a day ahead of final phase of local body polls in Kerala, contending that the chief minister's remarks that the vaccine would be given free of cost violated the model code of conduct.

 

After casting his votein Kannur district, Vijayan asserted that the Left front was going to achieve an "iconic victory" in the local body polls, seen as a curtain raiser ahead of the state assembly elections due in April-May, 2021.

 

"We have been providing free treatment for COVID-19 and the preventive medicine is part of that treatment. We made it clear that it will be provided free of cost. There is no violation of any model code of conduct," the Chief Minister told reporters.

3:17 PM

Over 100 from IIT-Madras test positive for Covid-19, institute shuts down

The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras here has been hit by the coronavirus outbreak with over 100 people, a majority of them students, testing positive for the contagion, a top health official said on Monday. A total of 104 students and others have contracted the disease and all were doing well in a hospital, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said, allaying fears of further spread

 

Of the 444 samples lifted till date, 104 have tested positive for COVID-19, he said, adding from December 1 to 12, samples from the institute turning positive steadily increased from a few to 33 specimens today.

 

"All of them are being treated at the King's Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research as per the directive of Chief Minister K Palaniswami and they are all doing well," he told reporters.

2:15 PM

Ten States/UTs account for 79.46% of 336 case fatalities reported in past 24 hours

2:01 PM

India's Covid active caseload further contracts to 3.52 lakh; lowest in 149 days

India's COVID-19 active cases as on date stands at3,52,586comprising3.57 per cent of the total caseload, the lowest after 149 days, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. The total active cases were 3,58,692 on July 18. The daily recoveries exceeding new cases have ensured a total net reduction of the active caseload. A net decline of 3,960cases has been recorded in a span of 24 hours. A total of 27,071 new infections were added to the national tally in a span of 24 hours against 30,695 recoveries registered during the same period. The daily recoveries are exceeding the new cases from the last 17 days, the ministry highlighted.

 

The total recovered cases are nearing 94 lakh. "The gap between recoveries and active cases continues to grow and presently stands at9,035,573," the ministry said.

 

It said that75.58 per cent of the new recovered cases are observed to be concentrated in 10 states and union territories. Kerala reported the maximum number of single-day recoveries with 5,258 recoveries. Maharashtra follows with 3,083 new recoveries. West Bengal recorded another 2,994 daily recoveries.