Coronavirus LIVE: Local restrictions only in containment zones, says Centre

Coronavirus update: At 1,789,800, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 876,425, Andhra Pradesh 863,843, Tamil Nadu 773,176 and Kerala 571,872

2:26 AM

Covid vaccine development in fast track mode, first immunisation by early-Jan: Biden

There's been significant record-breaking progress made recently in developing a vaccine & several of these vaccines look extraordinarily effective. It happens to be on track for the first immunisation to begin by late December-early January, said US President-elect Joe Biden. He added that US government will need to put in place a distribution plan to get the entire country immunised as soon as possible, which we will do, but it's going to take time.

1:43 AM

Pak PM rules out closing down businesses amid surge in Covid-19 cases

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday ruled out closing down businesses and urged the public to follow health guidelines as the country grappled with the second wave of the coronavirus with the national tally of infections reaching 382,892. Khan told media in Lahore that he was concerned about the situation after the daily COVID-19 death toll crossed 50 while being as low as below the single digit just two weeks ago. He said that despite the rising cases, his government would not shut down factories and businesses.

"We cannot render the daily wage worker unemployed, he said, adding that people should follow the guidelines. I strongly urge all factory, shop and shopping mall owners to strictly enforce safety protocols. And the easiest thing to do is just to wear a mask, he said. He said that Pakistan was successful in defeating the virus during the first wave and asked people to show the same willingness to follow safety measures. In reply to a question, he said that the opposition should stop holding public rallies as his government would not allow any such activity because it would spread the infection.

1:42 AM

Bihar logs 763 fresh Covid cases

Bihar's COVID-19 tally rose to 2,32,459 after 763 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, while four fresh fatalities took the death toll to 1,237, a health department bulletin said on Wednesday. It said that 350 patients recovered from the disease taking the total number of cured people to 2,25,797. The state now has 5,425 active cases.

The four new deaths were registered in Patna, Bhagalpur, Rohtas and Jamui districts, the bulletin said. It said that 763 fresh positive cases included 292 in Patna. Altogether 1,31,743 samples were tested for coronavirus since Tuesday, taking the total number of tests to 1.40 crore.

12:07 AM

Goa makes screening of air, rail passengers mandatory amid Covid

In a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Goa government on Wednesday made it mandatory for the passengers arriving at the state's airport and railway stations to undergo thermal screening. The government issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to this effect on Wednesday.

The order said that in view of the spread of COVID-19 due to the rising cases in other states and the likely risk to the public health and safety, the State Executive Committee has adopted the SOPs for persons travelling to Goa by air and trains with effect from November 25. "All the passengers arriving at the airport and railway stations in Goa will be subjected to compulsory thermal screening," the SOPs read.

11:59 PM

Assam's Covid-19 toll mounts to 978 with two more fatalities

Assam reported two more COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, raising the toll to 978, even as 182 fresh cases took the tally to to 2,12,021, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The two deaths reported during the day include an 85- year old man of Dibrugarh and a 74-year old man from Barpeta. "Sad to share the demise of two #COVID patient today... Condolences to the bereaved families," he tweeted.

The new infections include 64 from Kamrup Metropolitan district, and were detected out of 24,426 sample tests, with a positivity rate of 0.75 per cent, Sarma said. The total number of tests conducted in the state so far is 52,09,399. A total of 117 patients were discharged during the day, with the total number of recoveries increasing to 2,07,763.

11:13 PM

Himachal reports 837 new Covid-19 cases, 99 recoveries

11:12 PM

Robust Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing, delivery ecosystem initiated to meet demand: Vardhan

The government has initiated a robust COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing and delivery ecosystem to meet the demand, Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Wednesday. Vardhan, who is also the health and family welfare minister, said that as the world races to develop the vaccine for COVID-19, India is looking to be self-reliant in both its development and mass production. Addressing a virtual Global R&D Summit 2020, organised by FICCI, jointly with the Department of Science and Technology, Vardhan said, "Called as the pharmacy of the world, India has the largest capacity to produce COVID-19 vaccines.

"We have now initiated to look at a robust vaccine manufacturing and delivery ecosystem to meet our demands in the coming days. That is one area where your (industry) inputs will help us in not only addressing a topical issue but also creating best practices for the future." Research and innovation, he said, are the way of life. The current pandemic has further reinforced the belief in innovation and R&D to accelerate products and services that not only are helping in disease management but in turn to make the nation resilient and self-reliant, Vardhan said.

10:28 PM

Jharkhand reports 237 new Covid-19 cases

10:21 PM

Haryana reports 2,197 new Covid-19 case

10:10 PM

Bengal's Covid-19 toll rises to 8,172 with 51 more fatalities

The COVID-19 death toll in West Bengal climbed to 8,172 after 51 more patients succumbed to the disease on Wednesday, a bulletin released by the state health department said. The coronavirus tally mounted to 4,66,991 with 3,528 fresh cases, it said. The discharge rate improved to 92.95 per cent after 3,605 recoveries were registered since Tuesday.

West Bengal now has 24,752 active cases. In the past 24 hours, 44,631 samples have been tested, it added.

9:47 PM

87 more test Covid-19 positive in Chandigarh

Chandigarh on Wednesday reported 87 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the infection tally to 16,925, according to a medical bulletin. The death of a 57-year-old coronavirus positive man pushed the related toll to 266, the bulletin said. Chandigarh has 1,127 active COVID-19 cases, as of now, according to the bulletin.

Seventy-seven more patients were discharged after they recovered from the infection, taking the number of recoveries to 15,532. A total of 1,35,876 samples have been taken for COVID-19 testing and 1,18,166 of them came out negative while reports of 120 are awaited, according to the bulletin.

9:10 PM

Pandemic LIVE: US weekly jobless claims rise as Covid-19 infections surge

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits increased further last week, suggesting that an explosion in new COVID-19 infections and business restrictions were boosting layoffs and undermining the labor market recovery. Other data on Wednesday showed business spending on capital remained solid at the start of the fourth quarter, though momentum has cooled from the prior months. The economy is shifting into slower gear as the boost from more than $3 trillion in government coronavirus relief ends.

 

Another rescue package is expected only after President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20. President Donald Trump is heavily focused on contesting his electoral loss to Biden.

 

"There is a two-tier recovery from the pandemic recession where the top of society continues to spend as normal while the bottom-half of the country sits in long lines at food banks with the opportunities for employment few and far between," said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG in New York.

8:54 PM

5,246 new coronavirus cases, 5,361 recoveries, and 99 deaths in last 24 hours in Delhi

8:45 PM

Haryana reports 42 coronavirus deaths, 2,197 new cases

Haryana on Wednesday recorded 42 more coronavirus-related deaths, its highest single-day fatality count so far, pushing the toll to 2,291 while 2,197 fresh cases took the state's infection tally to 2,24,489. The new fatalities include six each from Faridabad and Panipat and five each from Rohtak and Bhiwani while three people each died in Gurugram, Hisar and Fatehabad, according to the state health department's daily bulletin.

 

Earlier on November 24, Haryana had reported 33 deaths linked to the virus.

 

Haryana has witnessed a surge in cases and fatalities over the past several days, especially in districts falling in the National Capital Region. Among the districts which reported a big spike in cases included Gurugram (661), Faridabad (485), Hisar (147) and Sonipat (100). The state has 20,948 active cases of the novel coronavirus and a recovery rate of 89.65 per cent.

8:29 PM

Coronavirus positivity rate in Kerala continues to be below 10%

The Covid-19 test positivity rate in Kerala continues to hover below 10 per cent, indicating things are looking better, as 6,491 people tested positive on Wednesday from 66,042 samples tested in the past 24 hours. In a statement issued here, state Health Minister K.K. Shailaja also said that on Wednesday, 5,770 people turned negative, taking the total cured to 5,11,008 while the state has 65,106 active cases.

 

Wednesday also saw 26 Covid fatalities, taking the death toll to 2,121. Across the state, there were 3,14,676 people under observation at various places, including 16,060 people at hospitals. There were 546 hot spots in the state.

8:19 PM

Maharashtra reports 6,159 new coronavirus cases, 65 deaths

Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 6,159 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 17,95,959. With 65 more people succumbing to the viral infection, the cumulative toll in the state mounted to 46,748. A total of 4,844 patients were discharged after treatment during the day, taking the tally of recovered people to 16,63,723, a health department official said.

 

The state is now left with 84,464 active cases. Mumbai reported 1,144 new COVID-19 cases, taking its caseload to 2,78,598. With 17 fatalities, the total toll in the city rose to 10,725. The state has so far conducted 1,04,56,962 tests.

8:03 PM

Late hospital admissions, rising pollution behind surge in Covid-19 deaths in Delhi: Experts

Late hospital admissions leading to COVID-19 cases turning critical, shortage of ICU beds, unfavourable weather and rising pollution are among the factors experts attribute to the spike in COVID-19 deaths in Delhi. The national capital's COVID-19 fatality rate has increased to 1.89 per cent as against a national average of 1.46 per cent. The city has been reporting the highest number of coronavirus cases and fatalities for the last few days.

 

Going by the epidemiological trend, the severity of the disease is more in this phase of the pandemic compared to the last one and several factors, including weather and pollution, are contributing to it, a health ministry official said.

 

Dr Samiran Panda, the head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases (ECD) Division at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said not following home isolation guidelines, late reporting to hospital despite deterioration in symptoms are some of the factors playing a major role in patients landing up at hospitals in severe conditions.

7:46 PM

Gujarat reports highest 1,540 coronavirus cases in a day; 14 die

Gujarat on Wednesday reported its highest single-day spike of 1,540 COVID-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 2,01,949. This is the second time in the last four days that the number of daily cases crossed the 1,500-mark. With 14 more persons succumbing to the infection, the cumulative toll in the state went up to 3,906, it said.

 

At the same time, 1,283 patients were discharged from hospitals after treatment, taking the tally of recoveries to 1,83,756, the department said.

 

The state has ramped up COVID-19 testing for early detection of cases. A total of 91,459 tests were conducted in a single day, raising the total samples tested so far to 74,80,789.

7:31 PM

3,285 new coronavirus cases in Rajasthan, 18 more die

Rajasthan recorded 18 more fatalities due to the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the death toll to 2,218, while 3,285 fresh cases brought the infection tally to 2,53,767, according to a health department bulletin. The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 26,320 in the state. According to the bulletin, so far 2,25,229 people have been discharged after recovering from the infection.

 

The death toll from the pandemic stands at 421 in Jaipur, followed by 225 in Jodhpur, 173 in Ajmer, 159 in Bikaner, 129 in Kota, 102 in Bharatpur, 86 in Udaipur and 84 in Pali.

 

Of the fresh COVID-19 cases, 615 were recorded in Jaipur, 370 in Jodhpur, 296 in Alwar, 270 in Kota, 245 in Ajmer, 185 in Bhilwara, 147 in Sriganganagar, 140 in Udaipur, 115 in Nagaur, 99 in Bharatpur, besides cases reported in other districts of the state.

7:17 PM

Sunday Covid-19 lockdown to return in Dehradun from this week

Uttarakhand's Dehradun district will be locked down on Sundays from this week to contain the spread of COVID-19.

 

Dehradun District Magistrate Ashish Shrivastava issued an order on Wednesday seeking strict compliance of the lockdown on Sundays for carrying out sanitisation drives in busy market areas. Only shops selling essentials like medicines, fruits, vegetables, milk, petrol pumps and LPG agencies will be allowed to open.

 

Weekend lockdown had been temporarily suspended in the district due to the festive season. COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in Uttarakhand with Dehradun district reporting the maximum number of infections in the state for several weeks.

7:02 PM

Uttar Pradesh records 29 more coronavirus deaths, 2,318 new cases

With 2,318 fresh COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh, the infection tally in the state rose to 5,33,355 on Wednesday, while 29 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 7,644, a health department bulletin said. There are 24,876 active cases in the state, of which 11,718 are in home isolation, Additional Chief Secretary Health Amit Mohan Prasad said.

 

Altogether 5,00,835 people have recovered from the infection so far and discharged from hospitals, the bulletin said. A total of 325 fresh cases were reported from Lucknow followed by 242 from Meerut, 223 from Gautam Budhnagar and 179 from Ghaziabad, among others.

Five deaths were reported from the state capital, two each from Kanpur Nagar, Varanasi, Meerut, Sultanpur, Farrukhabad and Banda, among others. On Tuesday, over 1.78 lakh COVID-19 tests were done in the state, which is the highest in a day so far, Prasad said, adding that over 1.84 crore tests have been conducted in UP till now.

6:45 PM

Kerala records 6,491 fresh coronavirus cases; death toll touches 2,121

Kerala on Wednesday registered 6,491 fresh COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths, taking the total caseload to 5,78,132and the toll to 2,121. A total of 5,770 people recovered from the viral infection, state Health Minister K K Shylaja said. With this the total number of cured in the state has risen to 5,11,008. The state has 65,106 active cases as of Wednesday.

 

"Kerala has tested 66,042 samples in the last 24 hours and the test positivity rate is 9.83 per cent. The state has tested 60,18,925 samples so far," she said.

 

Northern district of Kozhikode reported the highest number of cases on Wednesday at 781, followed by Ernakulam (566) and Malappuram (628) cases.

6:23 PM

Centre asks states to take steps to reopen medical colleges from or before Dec 1

The Union Health Ministry Wednesday asked state governments to initiate steps for reopening of medical colleges from December 1 or before it, but with strict adherence to all COVID-19 related guidelines. Educational institutions in the country have been closed since March in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

In a letter to the chief secretaries and the administrators of all states and Union Territories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan also suggested making non-COVID beds available in sufficient numbers in affiliated medical college-hospitals to facilitate undergraduate training.

 

The Health Ministry has obtained concurrence from the Ministry of Home Affairs for re-opening of medical colleges, the letter mentioned. Accordingly, the states and UTs may take necessary steps to open the medical colleges on or before December 1, 2020, the health secretary said in his letter dated November 25.

5:54 PM

State, UT govts will have to take permission from Centre if they want to impose any local lockdown outside containment zones: MHA

5:48 PM

MHA guidelines: Local restrictions like night curfew allowed; Prior consultation with Centre needed for any lockdown outside containment zones

States and union territories can impose local restrictions like night curfew to check the spread of COVID-19, but they will have to consult the Centre before imposing any lockdown outside the containment zones, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Wednesday. While issuing guidelines for "Surveillance, Containment and Caution" for December, the MHA said the main focus of the directive is to consolidate the substantial gains that have been achieved against the spread of COVID-19 that are visible in the steady decline in the number of active cases in the country.

 

The guidelines said that keeping in view the recent spike in new cases in a few states and UTs, ongoing festival season and onset of winter, it is emphasised that to fully overcome the pandemic there is a need to maintain caution and to strictly follow the prescribed containment strategy. The containment strategy should be focussed on surveillance, containment and strict observance of the guidelines and SOPs issued by the MHA and Ministry of Health, they said.

 

"States and UTs, based on their assessment of the situation, may impose local restrictions, with a view to contain the spread of COVID-19 such as night curfew. "However, state and UT governments shall not impose any local lockdown (state/ district/ sub-division/City level), outside the containment zones, without prior consultation with the central government," the guidelines said.

 

The guidelines will be effective from December 1 to December 31.

5:36 PM

Pakistan's Covid-19 tally crosses 3.8 mn mark with 3k new cases

Pakistan recorded the highest single-day spike of 3,009 coronavirus cases in over four months, taking the cumulative tally to 382,892. According to the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), the SARS-CoV-2 virus claimed 59 lives across the country in the past 24 hours taking the death toll to 7,803, Geo TV reported on Wednesday.

 

The number of active cases has jumped to 41,115 while 1,867 patients are under critical care. The positivity rate remains stagnant for the third consecutive day at over 7 per cent.

 

With the COVID-19 pandemic progressively getting worse in Pakistan, the government has placed fresh restrictions across the country to prevent the spread of the virus during its second wave.

5:21 PM

Bangladesh to get 68 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from Gavi by 2021

Bangladesh is expected to get 68 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from the Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, under the global arrangement called Covax facility within 2021.

 

The Daily Star citing the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Wednesday reported the cost for each shot of vaccine from Gavi arrangement has been estimated between USD 1.62 to USD 2.

 

"Those, who will submit the National Vaccine Deployment Plan first, will receive the vaccine supply first," Dr Shamsul Haque Mridha, Director of Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI), said in a press conference at the health directorate.

 

 

5:01 PM

State, UT govts will have to take permission from Centre if they want to impose any local lockdown outside containment zones: MHA

4:37 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: There is need to maintain caution, says MHA

4:34 PM

MHA issues guidelines for Covid-19 surveillance; asks states to strictly enforce containment measures, regulate crowd