Coronavirus LIVE: India's tally hits 8.8 mn, Shah reviews Delhi situation

Coronavirus LIVE: updates: Maharashtra has 1,740,461 coronavirus cases, Karnataka 857,928, Andhra Pradesh 851,000, Tamil Nadu 752,521 and UP has 514,060

11:48 PM

Bihar reports 247 new Covid-19 cases, five more deaths

Bihar's Covid-19 tally rose to 226,915 as 247 more people tested positive for the infection, while five fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 1,184, a health department bulletin said on Sunday.

 

At least 614 people were cured of the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 2,19,864, it said.

10:55 PM

Chhattisgarh reports 530 new cases of coronavirus, 16 deaths

With 530 new Covid-19 cases and 16 deaths, Chhattisgarh's total count rose to 210,534 and toll to 2,578 on Sunday, a health official said.
 

The number of people who have recuperated so far increased to 188,869 as 44 of them were discharged from various hospitals, while 579 patients completed their home isolation during the day.

10:54 PM

West Bengal reports 51 more fatalities, 3,053 new cases and 4,480 recoveries. Death toll rises to 7,661, infection tally reaches 431,551

10:36 PM

Andhra reports 1,056 fresh Covid cases, 15 more deaths

The death toll due to Covid-19 in Andhra Pradesh rose to 6,868 on Sunday with 15 more fatalities being reported, while 1,056 new cases pushed the state's infection tally to 8,54,011.

 

The state's mortality rate stands at 80 per cent, lower than the national average of 1.47 per cent.

 

Covid claimed two lives each in Anantapur, Chittoor, Krishna and Visakhapatnam districts. East Godavari, Guntur, Kadapa, Prakasam, Vizianagaram and West Godavari districts accounted for a death each.

10:23 PM

Delhi's Covid spike: Stepping in, Amit Shah announces slew of measures; more ICU beds, house-to-house survey

10:09 PM

Surat adds 187 new Covid-19 cases, 208 recover

Surat district on Sunday reported187 new coronavirus positive cases, taking its tally to 38,659, Gujarat health department said.

 

With one death, the toll rose to 1,037, it said.

9:10 PM

Ahmedabad adds 219 fresh Covid-19 cases, 229 recover

Ahmedabad district on Sunday reported 219 new Covid-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 45,343, the Gujarat health department said.

 

The districthas been reporting the highest number of new cases in the state and has overtaken Surat that topped the tally of new infections earlier.

 

With three deaths, the Covid-19 toll in Ahmedabad districtrose to 1,932, it said.

 

Meanwhile, 229 patients were discharged in the day, exceeding the new cases.

8:26 PM

Spike in COVID cases: More ICU beds, testing in Delhi, says HM Amit Shah

To deal with the recent spike in coronavirus cases in Delhi,the Centre on Sunday said it will soon make available 300 additional ICU beds and double the number of daily RTPCR tests in the national capital.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also said some of the hospitals under the municipal corporations of Delhi will be converted into dedicated COVID hospitals and doctors and paramedics of paramilitary forces will be deployed in the national capital to deal with the shortage of manpower.

Shah said to save more lives, the Centre will also provide oxygen, high flow nasal cannula and other health equipments to Delhi.

The decisions were taken at a high level meeting chaired by Shah and attended byDelhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan among others.

6:54 PM

2,544 new coronavirus cases in Maha, death toll rises by 60

Maharashtra reported 2,544 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, which took the state's infection tally to 17,47,242, the health department said. The death of 60 patients took the fatality count in the state to 45,974, it said.

A total of 2,707 patients were discharged during the day, it said. As many as 16,15,371 patients have recovered from the infection so far.There are 84,918 active cases in the state now, the department said.

6:53 PM

J-K reports 460 new COVID-19 cases, nine fatalities in a day

Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday recorded 460 new COVID-19 cases taking the infection tally to 1,02,619, while while nine fatalities pushed the death toll to 1,589, officials said.

 

Of the fresh cases, 189 were from Jammu division and 271 from the Kashmir Valley, they said. Srinagar district recorded the highest 120 cases, followed by 94 in Jammu.

 

There are 5,688 active cases in the Union Territory, while 95,342 patients have recovered so far, the officials said.

 

Of the nine deaths reported in the Union Territory, four were from Jammu and five from Kashmir valley.

6:52 PM

Dharavi reports one COVID-19 case

Dharavi slum colony here on Sunday reported one new COVID-19 case, the second time in the last four days, a Mumbai civic body official said.

The tally of cases now stands at 3,620, he said, adding that Dharavi had reported a single COVID-19 case on November 10. The slum colony added four infections to its tally on November 14.

6:23 PM

Shah takes stock of Covid-19 situation in Delhi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday took stock of Delhi's COVID-19 situation in the wake of recent spike in cases in the national capital, officials said.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain and senior officers of the central government attended the meeting chaired by Shah.

The home minister reviewed the situation arising due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in Delhi and discussed ways to deal with it, a home ministry official said.

Delhi recorded 3,235 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the infection tally to over 4.85 lakh on Sunday, while ninety-five more fatalities pushed the death toll to 7,614.

The meeting was convened to devise a strategy to contain the spread of the virus in Delhi, especially in view of the festive season and decreasing temperatures accompanied by rising pollution, the official said.

5:49 PM

AP COVID-19 tally touches 8.54 lakh with 1,056 new cases

Andhra Pradesh added 1,056 fresh cases of coronavirus, taking the cumulative to 8.54 lakh on Sunday.

In 24 hours ending 9 am on Sunday, 2,140 patients got cured while 14 others succumbed in the state.

The latest bulletin said the total recoveries increased to 8.28 lakh and the toll to 6,868, leaving 18,659 active cases.

Guntur district reported 206, West Godavari 154, Krishna 153 and East Godavari 139 fresh Covid-19 cases in 24 hours.

Nine other districts added less than 100 each, with Srikakulam accounting for the lowest 24.

4:40 PM

India reports under 50K new daily COVID-19 cases since 8 days; active caseload contracts further

India has reported less than 50,000 new daily cases of COVID-19for the eighth continuous day, a trend which assumes wider significance as many countries in Europe and America continue to see a surge in their daily numbers, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday.

 

A total of41,100persons were found to be infected with COVID-19 in India in a span of 24 hours, while42,156 people recuperated during the same period, leading to a further contraction of the active caseload.

 

There are 4,79,216 active cases of coronavirus as on date which comprise merely 5.44 per cent of the total cases.

 

Last time the daily new cases crossed the 50K threshold was on November7.

4:38 PM

In Covid-19 vaccine race, Hungarian village firm takes global role

In an unassuming house in rolling hills east of the Hungarian capital, a small family firm is helping oil the wheels of the world's big pharmaceutical companies on the path to a coronavirus vaccine.

Biologist Noemi Lukacs, 71, retired to Szirak, her birth village, to establish English & Scientific Consulting (SciCons) and manufacture a genetic sensor so sensitive that a few grams can supply the entire global industry for a year.

"We produce monoclonal antibodies," Lukacs told Reuters in the single-storey house where she was born, now partly converted into a world-class laboratory. The white powder ships worldwide from here, micrograms at a time.

4:36 PM

Delhi tests over 21,000 samples, only one third of its earlier figures

Delhi witnessed significantly low numbers of coronavirus tests in the last 24 hours on Sunday, with latest government figures recording 3,235 new cases and pushing the national capital's total tally to 4,85,405.

 

While the lesser number of cases reported in the last 24 hours may bring a sigh of relief, the fact remains that the figures came after mere 21,098 tests in the last 24 hours amid Diwali celebrations in Delhi.

 

The infection rate in Delhi remained as high as 15.33 -- every 7th sample tested positive. The statistics are worrying.

 

Besides, the total tests done was only one third of the highest number of tests done so far in the national capital -- more than 60,000 sample tests on many days in the past. If this figure is taken into the account, the new cases could be between 9,000 and 10,000.

3:38 PM

Senior Cong leader Ahmed Patel in ICU weeks after contracting Covid-19

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who tested positive for Covid-19 a few weeks ago, has now been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon for further treatment, his family said on Sunday.

 

Patel, 71, had announced on Twitter on October 1 that he had contracted coronavirus.

 

In a tweet on Sunday, Ahmed Patel's son Faisal said, "On behalf of his family, we would like to share that Shri Ahmed Patel had tested positive for Covid19 a few weeks ago. He has now been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon for further treatment."

 

"His condition is stable and he continues to be under medical observation...We request you to pray for his speedy recovery," he said.

2:50 PM

Amit Shah calls meeting to take stock of Delhi's Covid-19 situation

As the national capital continues to report a surge in Covid-19 cases, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has called a meeting at North Block to take stock of the coronavirus situation in Delhi.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal will be present in the meeting.

Shah and Kejriwal have met at least twice in the last few months to discuss the coronavirus situation in the national capital and the home minister had also intervened when Delhi witnessed its first spike.

In June, Shah and Kejriwal had visited Covid-19 Care Centre at Radha Soami Beas in Chhatarpur after the Chief Minister had written to the former inviting him to inspect the campus.

2:48 PM

No decision so far on reopening monuments in Maharashtra: Minister

The Maharashtra government has not taken a decision so far on reopening monuments for tourists, Minister of State for Tourism Aditi Tatkare said on Sunday.

 

An association of tourist guides in Aurangabad on Friday wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, demanding that monuments, like the world famous Ajanta and Ellora caves and others, here be reopened for visitors as the shutdown due to COVID-19 has brought many to the brink of "starvation".

 

When contacted, Aditi Tatkare told PTI, "I will not be able to say anything about this as this is a decision of the chief minister. A decision on opening tourist sites is yet not taken."

 

Aurangabad Collector Sunil Chavan said he has met several people who are dependent on tourism for their bread and butter.

 

"They are facing problems trouble and even the hotel industry here has demanded that monuments be reopened. The district administration is preparing a proposal for this and it will be sent to the state government," he said.

2:47 PM

Covid dampens Himachal's 'rain of stones' spirit

There was no 'rain of stones' ritual on Sunday in a century-old festival that falls a day after Diwali and observed in the former princely state of Dhami, some 33 km from state capital Shimla.

 

Owing to Covid restrains, this unique practice was done away with amid the pandemic.

 

Old-timers say as far as their memory and knowledge goes this is for the first time that the ritual of pelting stones associated with the 'pattharon ka mela' (festival of stones) was cancelled.

 

"As per my memory and memory of my parents, this is for the first time the ritual of pelting one another with small stones was not exercised," said local resident S.R. Verma.

1:23 PM

Mizoram reports 25 new Covid-19 cases; tally mounts to 3,393

Mizoram's COVID-19 tally mounted to 3,393 with 25 more people testing positive for the virus, an official said on Sunday. The COVID-19 death toll in the state rose to four with one more person succumbing to the disease, the official said.

 

State Nodal officer of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma, who is also Health department spokesperson on COVID-19, said a 34-year-old man succumbed to the disease at Zoram Medical College (ZMC) on Saturday night.

 

His body will be buried as per the existing COVID-19 protocol on Sunday, Pachuau said.

1:12 PM

Mexico's Covid-19 tally surpasses 1 million, death toll nears 100,000

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Mexico has topped 1 million, while the death toll is close to 100,000 people, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said on Sunday.

 

"As of November 14, 2020, there were 1,003,253 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 1,222,753 negative [test] results, 98,259 confirmed deaths and 745,361 recovered people," the official tweeted.

 

Over the past 24 hours, Mexico registered 5,860 new cases and 635 related deaths.

12:59 PM

India's active Covid-19 caseload stands at 479,216: Health Ministry

12:49 PM

Coronavirus LIVE:250 register for Covid-19 vaccine trial at Aligarh Muslim University

More than 250 applications have been received for the trial of Covid-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital of the Aligarh Muslim University. According to Prof Mohd Shameem, principal investigator, all applications will be screened as per the protocol and procedure laid down by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) before inclusion in the study/trial.

 

The resource persons from Bharat Biotech will visit AMU in the coming days for training of staff for the vaccine trials.

 

Shameem informed that the registration is moving satisfactory but there is an exclusion, as well as inclusion criteria, and other detailed procedural/protocol formalities for the COVAXIN trial. He said that written consent and other related formalities will be completed in due course of time.

12:40 PM

Puducherry reports 25 new coronavirus cases, active tally at 984

As many as 25 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Puducherry in the last 24 hours, the health department said on Sunday. According to the Puducherry administration, while 95 people suffering from the virus have recovered and discharged, no fatalities due to the pathogen have been recorded since Saturday.

 

With this, the Union Territory has reported 36,324 COVID-19 cases which include 984 active cases, 34,732 recovered cases and 608 deaths.

 

The case fatality rate in Puducherry stands at 1.67 per cent while the recovery rate is at 95.62 per cent. A total of 3,61,101 samples have been tested for the disease till now, out of which, 475 samples were tested yesterday.

12:34 PM

Odisha reports 753 new coronavirus cases, 17 more fatalities

Odisha's COVID-19 tally on Sunday mounted to 3,08,659 with 753 more people testing positive for infection, while 17 fresh fatalities pushed the state's toll to 1,527, a health department official said.

 

Of the 753 cases, 434 were reported from quarantine centres, and the remaining detected during contact tracing.

 

All 30 districts in the coastal state reported less than 100 cases each, the official said. Sundargarh recorded the maximum number of cases at 75, followed by Khurda at 74 and Nuapada at 65.

12:26 PM

China finds Covid-19 virus on imported frozen beef samples

Authorities in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, found that three frozen beef samples tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, local health authorities have said.

 

The batch of products dispersed in 1,006 boxes, weighing 27 tonne, were imported from Brazil to customs in the east Chinese city of Qingdao on August 7.

 

They arrived in a warehouse in Wuhan on August 17 and have not entered the market.

12:16 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Amit Shah to review Covid-19 situation in Delhi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday will review the situation arising in Delhi in the wake of a spike in the number of coronavirus cases, officials said.

 

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyendra Jain are expected to attend a meeting with Shah in the evening.

 

The home minister will take stock of the situation arising due to the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi and how to deal with it, a home ministry official said.

12:03 PM

Donald Trump calls on Congress to pass Covid-19 relief bill

US President Donald Trump has called for Congress to pass a "big and focused" Covid-19 relief bill as the number of confirmed cases continued to surge across the country.

 

"Congress must now do a Covid Relief Bill. Needs Democrats support. Make it big and focused. Get it done," Xinhua news agency quoted Trump as saying in a tweet on Saturday.

 

Trump's comments came after the US reported an all-time high of nearly 200,000 new cases November 12, setting a new record for the fifth time in a week. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on on November 13 also called the resurgence a "red alert" that requires "all hands on deck" in Congress.

11:56 AM

South Korea reports 208 more Covid-19 cases, 28,546 in total

South Korea reported 208 more cases of the COVID-19 as of midnight Saturday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 28,546.

 

The daily caseload hovered above 200 for two straight days, growing in triple digits for the 8th day due to small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province as well as imported cases.

 

Of the new cases, 81 were Seoul residents and 41 were people residing in Gyeonggi province.Thirty-two were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 4,136. One more death was confirmed, leaving the death toll at 493. The total fatality rate stood at 1.73 per cent.