Covid LIVE: 'Final decision' on Covaxin clearance next week, says WHO

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Kerala recorded 12,297 cases, Maharashtra 2,692, Delhi 34, Karnataka 397, Tamil Nadu 1,531 cases in the last 24 hours. Stay tuned for corona updates

12:48 AM

Bengal's Covid vaccination coverage crosses 6 crore mark

West Bengal administered over 9.66 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses on Tuesday and crossed the milestone of inoculating 6 crore people with at least one dose, a health department official said.

 

The last one crore jabs were given in 17 days.

 

"Around 9,66,563 doses were administered in the state today. And cumulatively, 6,03,46,913 doses have been administered," the official said.

 

Altogether 5.8 lakh beneficiaries got the jab on Monday, he said.

 

Meanwhile, West Bengal's Covid-19 toll on Tuesday rose to 18,848 after 11 more people, one less than the previous day, succumbed to the disease, the state health department said in a bulletin.

11:56 PM

Central team in Mizoram to assess COVID-19 situation amid surge in infections

A four-member central team, led by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) consultant-epidemiologist Dr Vinita Gupta, arrived in Aizawl on Tuesday to assess the COVID-19 situation, amid the surge infections in the state, an official statement here said.

 

Shortly after the team's arrival in the state capital on Tuesday, its members held a meeting with officials of State Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), chief medical officers (CMOs) of Aizawl East and Aizawl West and discussed ways to combat the situation.

 

The team will hold another virtual meeting with chief medical officers of various districts on Wednesday to review the measures being taken to control the spread of the disease across the state, the statement said.

11:15 PM

Three Covid deaths, 155 new cases in Himachal Pradesh

Three more people died from COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday as 155 fresh cases pushed the state's infection count to 2,19,746, an official said on Tuesday.

 

So far, the infection has claimed 3,672 lives in the state.

 

Of the fresh deaths, two were reported from Kangra and one from Una district, he added.

 

Meanwhile, 161 more patients recovered from the infection, the official said.

 

The active cases today stood at 1,400, he added.

 

The number of recoveries has reached 2,14,657, the official said.

10:07 PM

24 fresh cases raise Sikkim's Covid tally to 31,561

Sikkim has reported 24 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the tally to 31,561, a health department bulletin said on Tuesday.

 

The death toll due to the disease remained unchanged at 388 as no fresh fatalities were reported.

 

Of the new cases, East Sikkim district registered 18, followed by West Sikkim (four) and South Sikkim (two).

 

The Himalayan state now has 421 active cases, while 316 patients have migrated to other states.

 

Altogether 30,436 coronavirus infected people have recovered from the disease, the bulletin said.

 

Sikkim has tested 469 samples for coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of such tests to 2.51 lakh so far.

 

The state's Covid-19 positivity and recovery rates are 5.1 per cent and 97.4 per cent respectively, the bulletin said.

9:47 PM

Delhi reports 27 Covid cases, zero death in a day; positivity rate 0.05%

The national capital reported 27 cases of COVID-19 and zero death in a day while the positivity rate stood at 0.05 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here on Tuesday.

 

Delhi has recorded only one death due to the infection in October so far. Last month, five people succumbed to the viral disease.

 

With the new cases, the coronavirus infection tally in the city climbed to 14,39,027. Of this, over 14.13 lakh patients have recovered from the disease. The death toll stands at 25,088. According to the health bulletin, authorities conducted only 55,537 tests, including 34,326 RT-PCR ones, the previous day. There are 349 active Covid cases in Delhi, of which 109 are in home isolation. The number of containment zones stands at 100.

9:11 PM

CO2 monitors can track indoor Covid risk

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a way of using carbon dioxide (CO2) monitors to help estimate the risk of catching Covid-19 and other airborne diseases in near real time.

 

The researchers said that it could help track the evolving risk of transmission in indoor spaces such as schools and offices and may also lay the groundwork for air quality monitoring systems of the future.

 

"CO2 monitoring has been used for decades to assess the quality of air handling in buildings, and can now be re-purposed to assess the risk of indoor airborne disease transmission, including Covid-19," said Martin Z. Bazant, professor of chemical engineering and applied mathematics at MIT.

 

"We've shown how it can be used in conjunction with our safety guideline to assess that risk and hope to inform personal and policy decisions about closing and re-opening indoor spaces, such as schools and businesses," he added.

8:54 PM

Mumbai reports 433 new Covid-19 cases, 2 deaths, 525 recoveries

Mumbai logged 433 new coronavirus cases and two fresh deaths on Tuesday, taking the infection tally to 7,45,163 and the toll to 16,129, a civic official said.

The city witnessed a rise in cases, but daily fatalities remained unchanged as compared to Monday, when it reported 341 infections cases and two deaths. According to the BMC official, with 31,969 COVID-19 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, their cumulative number climbed to 1,05,34,673.

8:38 PM

The Emergency Use Listing process is centred on determining if a manufactured product is quality-assured: WHO

8:29 PM

'Final decision' on Covaxin clearance next week, says WHO

8:04 PM

Hockey India withdraws from 2022 Commonwealth Games over Covid concern

7:50 PM

Ladakh reports 3 new Covid cases, 5 discharged

Ladakh on Tuesday reported three fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 20,825 while the active cases in the Union Territory came down to 50, officials said.

Ladakh has registered 207 Covid-related deaths -- 149 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

Five patients of coronavirus infection were cured and discharged from hospitals, taking the tally of cured patients to 20,658, they said.

7:40 PM

Nashik sees 63 new Covid-19 cases; two more deaths

With the addition of 63 fresh cases of Covid-19, the tally of infections in Maharashtra's Nashik district rose to 4,08,856 on Tuesday, an official said.

Apart from this, 71 patients were discharged from hospitals, while two died of the infection during the day, taking the toll to 8,641 and the count of recoveries to 3,99,314, the official said.

According to the district authorities, 357 casualties have been reported from Malegaon, 3,986 from Nashik city and 4,172 in other parts of the district so far.

 

7:14 PM

One in 7 children have mental health issues & Covid has exaggerated that: UNICEF India

6:28 PM

Kerala reports 9,735 new Covid-19 cases

6:05 PM

AstraZeneca asks FDA to authorise Covid antibody treatment

AstraZeneca, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker that developed one of the first COVID-19 vaccines, has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorise the emergency use of an antibody treatment to prevent the disease.

The company said Tuesday that the treatment, known as AZD7442, would be the first long-acting antibody combination to receive an emergency use authorization for COVID-19 prevention. The treatment may help protect people whose immune systems don't respond adequately to vaccination, AstraZeneca said.

5:45 PM

29 Odisha districts turn into Green Zones' as active Covid-19 cases fall below 1,000

Twenty-nine of Odisha's 30 districts have been declared Green Zones', as active COVID-19 cases came down across the state, a health department official said.

Khurda was the only district identified as Yellow Zone' for reporting over 2,000 active cases, while the figure in all other districts stands at below 1,000, he said.

Meanwhile, the state registered 453 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 53 children under 18 years of age, raising the tally to 10,28,819.

5:01 PM

Andhra Pradesh logs 671 fresh Covid-19 cases, 11 deaths

Andhra Pradesh logged 671 new COVID-19 infections, taking the tally to over 20.53 lakh, while the toll went up to 14,219 with 11 casualties.

West Godavari district accounted for the highest number of cases with 109 followed by Chittoor (102), a state government bulletin said on Tuesday, giving figures of the last 24 hours ending at 9 AM.

The active cases stood at 9,141. The total number of cases in the state stood at 20,53,863, while with 1,272 people being cured, the total recoveries are at 20,30,503.

4:51 PM

Plasma therapy 'futile' as treatment for critically ill Covid-19 patients: Study

Convalescent plasma therapy is "futile" as a treatment for most critically ill COVID-19 patients, according to a study published on Tuesday.

The findings, published in the journal JAMA, are the latest from REMAP-CAP trial, which has enrolled thousands of patients in hundreds of hospitals globally to quickly determine what COVID-19 treatments work best in which patients.

"There were biologically plausible reasons to turn to convalescent plasma early in the pandemic when hundreds of thousands of people were getting sick and treatments had yet to be discovered," said study co-lead author Bryan McVerry, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPMC) in the US.

4:31 PM

J&J seeks US clearance for Covid-19 vaccine booster doses

Johnson & Johnson asked the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to allow extra shots of its COVID-19 vaccine as the U.S. government moves toward expanding its booster campaign to millions more vaccinated Americans.

J&J said it filed a request with the FDA to authorise boosters for people who previously received the company's one-shot vaccine. While company said it submitted data on several different booster intervals, ranging from two to six months, it did not formally recommend one to regulators.

Last month, the FDA authorised booster shots of Pfizer's vaccine for older Americans and other groups with heightened vulnerability to COVID-19. It's part of a sweeping effort by the Biden administration to shore up protection amid the delta variant and potential waning vaccine immunity.

3:45 PM

Uttarakhand govt expects tourism to recover to pre-Covid-19 level next year onwards

With the gradual easing of restrictions on movement and the national vaccination drive in full swing across the country, the Uttarakhand government expects tourist footfalls to gather momentum and reach the pre-COVID-19 levels 2022 onwards.

"Even with the restrictions on the number of visitors in certain destinations due to the pandemic, we are witnessing full bookings.

"Therefore, looking at the current demand we are expecting the tourist footfalls to gather momentum after the vaccination drive and the sector is likely to reach pre-Covid levels 2022 onwards," Uttarakhand Tourism secretary and Uttarakhand Tourism and Development Board (UTDB) CEO Dilip Jawalkar told PTI.

However, the state is taking precautionary measures and seeing the further possibility of a third wave this year, he noted.

3:40 PM

J-K's Ramban achieves 100% coverage of first Covid vaccine dose: Officials

Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district has vaccinated all eligible beneficiaries with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and nearly 45 per cent of them have taken their second dose, officials said on Tuesday.

On September 15, Samba had become the first district in the union territory to vaccinate all people in the 18-44 age group with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Amid apprehensions of a third wave of the pandemic, good news is coming from Ramban, where 100 per cent coverage of first Covid vaccine dose has been achieved, even as 45 per cent of beneficiaries have taken both doses, Chief Medical Officer, Ramban, Dr Mohammad Freed Bhat said.

3:08 PM

Russia records 25,110 Covid-19 cases in past 24 hours

Russia recorded 25,110 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, down from 25,781 the day before, bringing the cumulative total to 7,637,427, the federal response center said on Tuesday.

"Over the past day, 25,110 Covid-19 cases were confirmed across 85 Russian regions, including 2,110 cases (8.4%) without clinical symptoms," the center said, adding that the rate of increase fell to 0.33%.

Moscow has the highest number of new cases with 3,827 daily infections, down from 4,410 the day before. The Russian capital is followed by St. Petersburg with 1,894 cases, down from 2,198, and the Moscow region with 1,788 cases, up from 1,733.

2:42 PM

Pakistan confirms 1,308 new Covid-19 cases, 54 more deaths

Pakistan on Monday confirmed 1,308 new COVID-19 cases and 54 more deaths, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Tuesday.

The NCOC, a department leading campaign against the pandemic, said that the country's number of overall confirmed cases had risen to 1,252,656, including 1,178,883 recoveries.

The number of active cases has dropped to 45,826 who are under treatment across the country, while 3,110 are in critical condition.

2:38 PM

Pfizer vaccine effective against Covid hospitalisations for 6 months: Study

Two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are 90 per cent effective against hospitalisation from the disease for all variants, including Delta, for at least six months, according to a study published in The Lancet journal on Tuesday.

The researchers found that over the study period, effectiveness of the vaccine against all SARS-COV-2 infections declined, falling from 88 per cent within one month after receiving two vaccine doses to 47 per cent after six months.

2:04 PM

Mega vaccination camp to be organised on Oct 10, will vaccinate 3.3 million people: Tamil Nadu

A mega vaccination camp will be organised by Health Department on October 10 in which 30,000 camps will be made.

We've targeted to vaccinate 33 lack people: Ma. Subramanian, Health Minister, Tamil Nadu

1:50 PM

64% of people have been vaccinated with 1st dose, 22% with 2nd dose here: Tamil Nadu

1:20 PM

WTO hikes trade forecasts but cautions on Covid-19 pandemic risk

The World Trade Organization revised upwards its forecasts for growth of global goods trade this year and in 2022, but warned of a two-track recovery leaving poor countries behind and downside risks from the Covid-19 pandemic and supply chain problems.

 

The WTO said on Monday it expected merchandise trade would grow this year by 10.8% after a fall of 5.3% in 2020. In March, it had forecast 2021 growth of 8.0%.

 

The Geneva-based trade body said that trade growth should slow to 4.7% in 2022, more than its previous forecast of 4.0%, with trade approaching its pre-pandemic long-term trend. Read on...

1:02 PM

Pondicherry reports 82 coronavirus cases

Puducherry registered 82 fresh cases of Covid-19 during the last twenty-four hours ending 10 a.m. on Tuesday, raising the overall tally to 1.26 lakh.

 

The new cases identified at the end of examination of 5,368 samples were spread over Puducherry 46, Karaikal 22, Yanam four and Mahe 10. One more person from Mahe succumbed to the viral infection taking the toll to 1,843. Director of Health Department G Sriramulu said so far 18.15 lakh samples have been tested and 15.40 lakh out of them were found to be negative.

12:12 PM

Covid fallout: Turkey sees price hikes amid near 20% inflation

Turkey's economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic has caused painful increases in prices of consumer goods for most people amid troublesome inflation that authorities are struggling to take under control.

 

Annual inflation rose to 19.58 in September from 19.25 per cent in August, according to the official data published on Monday.

 

Turkey's economy was already vulnerable last year with the coronavirus outbreak and a deepening current account deficit, and the import-reliant nation's woes have been exacerbated by lockdowns and health restrictions, reports Xinhua news agency.

 

While the Turkish economy grew 21.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2021 year on year, the country's economic prospects remain fragile, observers said.

11:12 AM

Supreme Court okays Rs 50,000 compensation for Covid-19 victims

The Supreme Court on Monday said no state should deny the ex-gratia compensation of Rs 50,000, as recommended by National Disaster Manage­ment Authority, to the kin of persons who died of Covid-19 on the sole ground that death certificate does not mention it as the cause of death.

.

The Bench said that the compensation would be disbursed from state disaster relief funds within 30 days of submitting application and cause of death being certified as of Covid-19.