Coronavirus LIVE: India cases at 10,141,215; global death toll 1,740,762

Coronavirus live updates: At 1,909,951, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 912,340, Andhra Pradesh 879,718, Tamil Nadu 810,080, and Kerala 721,510

3:12 AM

Bollywood, reeling from coronavirus pandemic, shifts to streaming

“Coolie No. 1” has all the hallmarks of a big Bollywood film: colorful costumes, larger-than-life sets, foot-tapping music and a melodramatic story about a man who pretends he has a twin to woo the woman of his dreams.
 

After shooting wrapped in February, the film was set for a May theatrical release. But when “Coolie No. 1” finally reaches screens on Christmas Day, it will not show up in one of India’s 3,000 theaters. Instead, it will debut on Amazon’s streaming service.

 

“I make films for the theater, but this time there was no way we could do that,” said David Dhawan, the director. After the coronavirus pandemic barreled in and shut down movie theaters, the wait for a theatrical debut became excruciating, he said. So a deal to send the film to Amazon after its release shifted to a direct streaming plan.

 

“It’s a compromise, definitely,” said Mr. Dhawan, whose movie is a remake of a 1995 blockbuster of the same name that he also directed. “But at least my film is releasing.” Read more

3:01 AM

205 new coronavirus cases in Ahmedabad district, three deaths

Ahmedabad district recorded 205 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, highest in the state, the Gujarat Health Department said on Thursday evening.

 

It took the district's caseload to 56,412.

 

Three Covid-19 patients from the city died during this period, taking the death toll in the district to 2,226, the department said in a release.

 

Of 205 new coronavirus cases, 197 cases were from the city while only eight cases emerged from rural areas.

2:59 AM

Covid-19: Ghaziabad admin sets up dedicated wing for UK, Europe returnees

The Ghaziabad adminstration has established a dedicated wing inside the integrated Covid-19 control room to treat people who have returned from the UK and Europe after a new Covid-19 strain was found in Britain, officials said on Thursday.

 

Private Covid-19 hospitals have also been instructed to set up a separate wing and reserve beds to provide treatment to people suspected to be infected by the new strain of the virus, district magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey told PTI.

2:56 AM

Masks, RT-PCR kits handed over to healthcare workers in J&K

In an effort to protect frontline workers and improve compliance around wearing face masks, Action Against COVID-19 Team (ACT) Grants along with Ekdesh, a non-profit organisation, on Thursday handed over one lakh N95 masks, 15,000 RT-PCR and RNA extraction kits and high flow oxygen cannula (HFNC) devices for healthcare workers in Jammu and Kashmir.

 

The mask distribution drive was flagged off by Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education, Atal Dulloo in presence of volunteers and local coordinator Ashim Khuda and Founder of Ekdesh Poonam Kaul in Jammu.

9:07 PM

Zydus Cadila seeks nod for phase three clinical trials of Covid vaccine

Zydus Cadila on Thursday submitted data from phase one and two clinical trials for its coronavirus vaccine ZyCov-D and sought approval for the next phase of tests. The vaccine was found to be safe and well tolerated in tests on more than a thousand healthy adult volunteers, said the company, adding phase three clinical trial in around 30,000 volunteers upon receiving necessary approvals.

 

The multi-centre and randomized trials were reviewed by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB). Reports have been submitted to Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) regularly for the update on safety outcome.

 

Zydus Group chairperson Pankaj Patel said that company is optimistic of the phase III clinical trial outcomes as well. "We would be able to start production of the novel vaccine on its successful completion," he said. READ ON...

8:56 PM

Centre chooses Punjab to conduct dry run for Covid-19 vaccine

8:45 PM

Delhi reports 1,063 new Covid-19 cases; total caseload 620,681

8:38 PM

Gujarat govt collected Rs 115 crore in fines from mask violators

The Gujarat government on Thursday informed the Gujarat High Court that it has collected nearly Rs 115 crore in fines from over 23 lakh people found without masks amid the coronavirus outbreak. The state government, in its affidavit, stated that till December 22, Rs 1,15,88,00,000 have been collected from 23,64,420 persons for not wearing masks or appropriately covering their faces.

 

The affidavit was submitted to the division bench comprising Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice J B Pardiwala.

 

The bench is hearing a suo motu plea regarding various aspects related to the COVID-19 outbreak in the state. The bench admitted the reply and kept further hearing on January 8. While listing several steps it had taken to stem the viral spread, the state government said it had restricted celebrations of various festivals, such as Navratri, Eid, Janmashtmi and Holi.

8:25 PM

Maharashtra reports 3,580 new Covid-19 infections; state tally rises to 1,909,951

8:21 PM

Covid-19 LIVE: Rajasthan records 1,001 fresh cases, eight more fatalities

With 1,001 fresh cases, Rajasthan's COVID-19 tally went up to 3,02,709 on Thursday while eight more fatalities pushed the death toll due to the disease to 2,650 in the state. Two deaths were reported from Jodhpur while Bundi, Chittorgarh, Jaipur, Jhalawar, Pali and Tonk recorded a death each, according to an official report issued here.

 

Of the fresh cases, Jaipur reported the maximum of 175 while Kota and Jodhpur recorded 113 and 100 respectively. The remaining cases were reported from other districts.

 

A total of 2,88,388 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the infection so far in the state, while the number of active cases is 11,759, the report said.

7:56 PM

Coronavirus LIVE updates: 5,177 new Covid-19 positive cases in Kerala

Of the 56,073 samples that were tested across Kerala on Thursday, 5,177 people tested positive for Covid-19, a statement from state Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said. The statement also said that there are 63,155 active cases in the state at present. On a positive note, 4,801 people got cured on Thursday, taking the totalnumber of recoveries to 6,60,455.

 

Meanwhile, 22 persons succumbed to the dreaded virus on Thursday, taking the state's death toll to 2,914. Across the state there are 2,70,725 people under observation, including 13,712 in hospitals. There are 459 hotspots in the state at present.

7:28 PM

Andhra Pradesh Covid-19 caseload crosses 8.80 lakh; Active cases 3,862

The total COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh crossed the 8.80 lakh mark on Thursday with 357 more people testing positive for the infection. After a sum of 1.14 crore sample tests, 8,80,075 turned positive for coronavirus at an overall positivity rate of 7.67 per cent, the latest government bulletin said. The total recoveries increased to 8,69,124 as 355 patients got cured in 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday.

 

The overall COVID-19 toll in the state rose to 7,089 as four more succumbed during the period, the bulletin said.

 

The active case count fell to 3,862. East Godavari district reported 58 fresh cases while Chittoor and Krishna added 54 each, followed by Guntur 42. The remaining nine districts added less than 30 new cases each. Anantapuramu, Krishna, Kadapa and West Godavari districts reported one more COVID-19 fatality each on Thursday.

7:10 PM

Fully ready to receive, store, give vaccine to 51 lakh priority category people in Delhi: Kejriwal

The Delhi government is fully prepared to receive, store and administer COVID-19 vaccine to 51 lakh priority category persons in the city in the first phase of vaccination, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday. He said his government is all set to start the vaccination drive as soon as it gets the vaccine from the Centre, and registration is underway for people in three priority categories who will receive it first.

 

Asked about the charges for the vaccine, and if it will be free of cost, a senior official in the Chief Minister's Office said the government has not taken any decision in this regard so far.

 

"There are a total of 51 lakh priority category persons in Delhi -- three lakh health workers, six lakh frontline workers, and 42 lakh of those aged above 50 and those below 50 but having co-morbidities," the chief minister said at a virtual press briefing.

 

Each person will be given two doses, and a total of 1.02 crore doses will be required in the first phase of vaccination in Delhi, he said. Currently, there is storage capacity for 74 lakh doses, and it will be scaled up to 1.15 crore within a week, Kejriwal said.

6:45 PM

Delhi's North-West district logs highest Covid-19 cases in Dec, shows govt data

Out of the eleven districts of the national capital, the North-West district recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases this month, according to a recent Delhi government data. The North-West district, with over 36 lakh population and area of 440 square km, recorded 7,316 coronavirus cases from December 1 to 19, the highest among all the districts in the national capital. South-West and West districts recorded 6,723 and 5,923 coronavirus cases in 19 days, respectively.

 

The data was submitted to the Delhi High Court on Wednesday on a petition seeking ramping up of testing. There is, however, an uneven spread of cases in the districts. The city's most densely populated North-East district logged only 1,483 cases - lowest among all the districts.

 

Suneela Garg, advisor to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), told IANS that there is diversity among all the districts due to different population density, socio-economic profile and religious distribution.

6:16 PM

Asymptomatic passengers won't be tested on arrival: Maharashtra govt

Passengers arriving from Europe, South Africa and the Middle-East will not be subjected to RT- PCR test for coronavirus immediately upon arrival, the Maharashtra government said in a fresh circular on Thursday. The circular amended the Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) issued for dealing with passengers arriving from these regions on December 21 following the detection of a new variant of coronavirus in the UK.

 

Seven-day institutional quarantine has been made mandatory for asymptomatic passengers arriving from Europe, South Africa and the Middle-East. Symptomatic passengers are immediately shifted to designated hospitals.

 

The circular said that no RT-PCR test will be conducted on arrival for asymptomatic passengers. The test will be conducted at the hotel where the passenger is quarantined between 5th and 7th day, it said, adding that the cost of test will be borne by the passenger.

5:49 PM

13 new Covid-19 cases, 46 recoveries recorded in a day in Ladakh

The Union Territory of Ladakh recorded 13 new COVID-19 cases in a day taking the infection tally to 9,309, while 46 patients have been cured during the same period, officials said on Thursday. Out of the 13 fresh cases, 11 were reported in Leh district and two in Kargil, they said.

 

Forty-six patients recovered from the viral disease in a day, bringing down the number of active cases in the region to 237. Leh district has 216 active cases and Kargil 21.

 

So far, 125 people have died of COVID-19 in the Union Territory. Eighty-two deaths were reported from Leh district and 43 from Kargil. Out of 46 recovered cases, the officials said 12 patients were discharged in Kargil and 36 others in Leh. The number of recovered cases has now gone up to 8,947, which is 96 per cent of the total cases registered in the Union Territory since the outbreak of the pandemic in March.

5:28 PM

No RTPCR for asymptomatic passengers coming from Europe, South Africa and Middle-East: Maharashtra Govt

5:14 PM

New Covid-19 strain: Yogi Adityanath asks authorities to remain vigilant in UP

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday directed authorities to maintain extra vigil especially at airports amid concerns over a new strain of coronavirus spreading in the UK. Adityanath held a high level meeting with senior officials and directed that arrangements be made for proper treatment of COVID-19 patients, an official release issued here said.

 

The Central government on Monday had directed testing of all passengers coming from the UK on arrival at Indian airports. It had issued a stringent set of SOPs mandating RT-PCR tests at airports for each traveller from the country and isolation in a separate unit of an institutional facility for positive cases.

 

India suspended all passenger flights connecting the UK from Wednesday till December 31 or till further orders. Adityanath also said that there was a need to upgrade laboratories and develop necessary expertise to deal with the new strain of the virus.

4:56 PM

Covid-19 positive UK returnee flees from quarantine centre in Delhi, reaches Ludhiana

A man, who had recently flown in from the UK and was tested COVID-19 positive but had escaped from an isolation centre in the national capital and reached Ludhiana in Punjab.

 

"The UK returnee who tested positive for COVID-19 and escaped isolation center in Delhi, and went to Ludhiana had been sent back to Lok Nayak Hospital in National Capital," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana said on Thursday. "We received a call from Delhi that a man, who returned from the UK, escaped isolation and came to Ludhiana and admitted himself at a private hospital. He was tested Positive for COVID-19 but the strain was not clear. We were asked to send him back to Lok Nayak Hospital, and we had sent him back yesterday (Wednesday)," said Sandeep Kumar, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana.

 

He said that actions are also being taken against the hospital which admitted the man without informing the district administration.

 

"We are inquiring about all the people the man came in contact with. His wife is tested negative for COVID-19, despite that she is being isolated," Kumar added.

4:38 PM

11 UK returnees in Dec have tested Covid-19 positive in Goa

Eleven passengers among those who arrived in Goa from the UK after December 9 have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Thursday, amid concerns over detection of a new coronavirus variant in Britain. Talking to PTI, Rane also said that RT-PCR testing of 979 passengers, who came to Goa from the UK after December 9, is currently going on.

 

The state government has decided to designate the ESI Hospital in South Goa district for the purpose of keeping all the patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 after their arrival from the UK, he said.

 

"As per guidelines, RT-PCR testing of 979 passengers who came after December 9 is going on. Nine passengers were initially found positive for COVID-19 after their arrival from the UK, while two more subsequently approached after being symptomatic and have tested positive," the minister said.

 

Samples of these patients have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for further testing, said Rane, who is in Mumbai for his health checkup.

3:54 PM

Delhi govt fully prepared for Covid-19 vaccination: CM Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said his government is fully prepared to initiate Covid-19 vaccination. The vaccine's first doses may arrive in the national capital any time after getting the Central government's approval. Addressing a virtual press briefing, Kejriwal said everyone is waiting for the vaccine even as the number of Covid-19 cases has gone down, the infection rate is also less than 1 per cent, daily deaths have decreased significantly and the recovery rate has improved in the national capital.

 

"Delhi government is fully prepared to provide vaccine to the people of Delhi. It is ready to receive the vaccine from the Central government," Kejriwal said.

 

He said the Central government has defined three priority categories. Among them the first doses will be administered to health care workers. Kejriwal said that as per an estimate around 3 lakh health care workers in Delhi will receive the first dosage of the vaccine.

 

"Secondly, the vaccine will be given to the front-line workers like police personnel, municipal workers and civil defence personnel, whose number is around 6 lakh in Delhi. In the third category, we have identified more than 42 lakh people who are more than 50 years old or those who are comorbidity patients," said the Delhi Chief Minister.

3:26 PM

India Coronavirus Dispatch: New strain might have already reached India

New Covid-19 strain may be in India already, warn experts

 

Experts warn that a fast-spreading mutated Coronavirus strain detected in the UK may have already arrived on Indian shores. The experts called for increased whole genome-sequencing-based surveillance to detect the new mutation and prevent any further spread, the writer of the article says citing experts.

 

The new strain, called "VUI–202012/01" is thought to be 70% more infectious than the original Coronavirus that went on to ravage the global economy. The new variant accounted for about 60% of all cases in London by mid-December. Scientists are still hard at work figuring out the effects, virulence, and severity of the new strain.

 

The Indian government pre-emptively banned flights originating from the United Kingdom earlier this week. The experts warned that the new variant may trigger superspreader events if not contained adequately. However, in what is a note of reassurance, they said the vaccines would remain effective despite the mutation. Read more here
 

2:57 PM

Will talk to airport authorities: Jain on two Covid-positive flyers from UK slipping out

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said the city government will approach airport authorities here over a report that two COVID-positive flyers from the UK had slipped out from the airport. Amid mounting concern over a new strain of the virus detected in UK, the Delhi government on Tuesday had said people who have arrived here recently from that country, are being traced and tested, while an institutional quarantine facility was being set up separately for positive cases at the LNJP Hospital.

 

At a press conference, asked about the report that two passengers from the UK, who had landed at Delhi airport on Tuesday, had further travelled to Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, despite testing positive for COVID-19, Jain said, "I have also read about it in the newspaper today".

 

"Flight operations and security there is under the airport authorities... But, a person who has tested positive, should not have moved out," Jain said.

 

Asked about the responsibility of the nodal officer for COVID-19 at the Delhi airport, the health minister said, "We will talk to airport authorities about it".

 

2:32 PM

Priority list for Covid-19 vaccine ready, 21,000 personnel in Tamil Nadu

A list of people who should be inoculated on priority in Tamil Nadu is ready and 21,000 personnel were being trained and 46,000 centres identified in the state for the rollout of the immunisation exercise after the vaccine is made available, a top state health official said here on Thursday.

 

The comprehesive list, including about five lakh health workers, all other frontline personnel like those from municipal administration, revenue and police, the elderly and those with co-morbidities is ready, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said.

 

Referring to a meeting with Secretary, Union Health Ministry via a virtual link on Wednesday, the top official said 21,000 personnel who could give vaccination shots have been identified and they were being trained. Also, he said 46,000 centres for the purpose of vaccination has been identified and requisite infrastructure to handle the immunisation drive like cold chain facilities was ready, he told reporters.

1:59 PM

Have storage capacity for 74 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

1:52 PM

Less than 400 daily deaths registered for the last 12 days: Health Ministry

1:43 PM

Have storage capacity for 74 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

1:42 PM

Odisha reports 263 new Covid-19 cases, four fresh fatalities

Odisha's COVID-19 caseload rose to 3,27,542 after 263 more people tested positive for infection, while four fresh fatalities took the coronavirus death toll to 1,850. The 263 new cases were detected in 22 of the 30 districts of the state, with 151 reported from different quarantine centres, while 112 are local contact cases.

 

Angul district recorded the highest of 45 new cases followed by Sundargarh (41) and Cuttack (29).

 

Eight districts - Boudh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Subarnapur and Nayagarh, did not register any new COVID-19 cases during the last 24 hours. Taking to Twitter, the Health and Family Welfare department said: "Regret to inform the demise of four numbers of Covid positive patients while under treatment in hospitals."

1:33 PM

UK bans entries from South Africa after new COVID-19 strain different to UK variant found

The United Kingdom on Thursday has banned the entry of passengers travelling from South Africa after a second new variant of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, allegedly originating from South Africa was found in the country, said the Department of Transport.

 

According to Sputnik, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Wednesday that the UK had identified a second new variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 responsible for the COVID-19 disease in two patients who had been in contact with people that arrived from South Africa.

 

"From 9 am Thursday 24 December 2020, visitors arriving into England who have been in or transited through South Africa in the previous 10 days will not be permitted entry and direct flights will be banned," the statement read as quoted by Sputnik."This excludes cargo and freight without passengers. This does not include British and Irish Nationals, visa holders and permanent residents, who will be able to enter but are required to self-isolate for 10 days along with their household," the statement added.

12:51 PM

Meghalaya bars entry of travellers from UK amid concerns of virus mutation

Amid concerns over the detection of a mutated and more infectious strain of COVID-19 in the UK, the Meghalaya government has barred the entry of individuals from the European country into the state.

 

The government has also urged people who have recently returned from Britain or transited through the country to stay in isolation and inform the government about their travel history, according to an official order.

 

"Tourists coming from the UK are prohibited from entering the state with immediate effect in view of the (detection of) a new highly infectious COVID-19 strain.