Covid LIVE: India's cumulative vaccination coverage crosses 830 mn

Coronavirus LIVE updates: India's active Covid-19 cases drop to 301,989. Delhi reported 39 Covid-19 cases, Maharashtra 3,131 cases in the last 24 hours. Stay tuned for corona updates

10:24 PM

Haryana reports one Covid death, 16 new cases

Haryana reported one coronavirus-related fatality and 16 fresh cases on Wednesday, pushing the death toll to 9,809 and the infection count to 7,70,770, according to an official bulletin.

 

The new death was reported from Jhajjar district, the health department's daily bulletin said.

 

Gurugram and Panchkula districts reported five and three fresh cases, respectively. The number of active cases stands at 102, while a total of 7,60,629 people have recovered from the infection in Haryana.

 

The state has a COVID-19 recovery rate of 98.68 per cent, the bulletin said.

9:59 PM

Tamil Nadu reports 1,682 new COVID-19 cases, 21 deaths

Tamil Nadu on Wednesday witnessed 1,682 new coronavirus cases with Coimbatore, Erode and Tiruppur districts contributing the maximum numbers, taking the overall caseload to 26,50,370. With 21 deaths due to the infection, including six in private hospitals and 15 in government facilities, the toll has risen to 35,400.

 

With 1,627 patients getting discharged following treatment today, the cumulative recoveries stand at 25,97,943. The number of active cases, including isolation as on today, remains at 17,027, according to a bulletin here.

 

Coimbatore saw 235 new cases, Chennai 194, Erode 130, Chengalpattu 110 and Tiruppur 101. Ramanathapuram, Perambalur, Theni, Tenkasi, Dindigul and Virudhunagar saw new cases in single digits while 27 districts reported fresh cases below 100, the bulletin said.

 

The State capital reported three deaths due to the infection taking the COVID-19 related fatalities to 8,453. With 2,068 active cases, Chennai's total cases have mounted to 5,48,289. The total recoveries, including 176 today, stand at 5,37,768.

9:44 PM

UK includes Covishield in approved vaccine list for travel but keeps India out

The UK government on Wednesday issued an updated international travel advisory to include AstraZeneca Covishield among the eligible COVID-19 vaccine formulations but kept India out of the 18 countries on an approved vaccinations list, requiring Indians to follow rules set out for "non-vaccinated" travellers.

 

Despite the inclusion of Covishield, Indian travellers are not exempt from the quarantine rules under the UK's new international travel norms that will come into force from October 4, with the British officials in New Delhi maintaining that the main issue is vaccine certification and not the vaccine and that both India and the UK are holding talks to mutually resolve the matter.

 

There is no official reaction from India on the inclusion of Covishield to the approved list of vaccines by the UK.

9:19 PM

Biden to double US global donation of COVID-19 vaccine shots

President Joe Biden is set to announce that the United States is doubling its purchase of Pfizer's COVID-19 shots to share with the world to 1 billion doses as he embraces the goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population within the next year.

 

The stepped-up U.S. commitment is to be the cornerstone of the global vaccination summit Biden is convening virtually Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where he plans to push well-off nations to do more to get the coronavirus under control.

 

World leaders, aid groups and global health organisations are growing increasingly vocal about the slow pace of global vaccinations and the inequity of access to shots between residents of wealthier and poorer nations.

9:06 PM

Over 83 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in India: Govt

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 83 crore on Wednesday, the Union health ministry said. More than 64 lakh (64,98,274) vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm on Wednesday, it said, adding that the tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final report for the day by late night.

 

The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, the ministry underlined.

 

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated against the viral disease in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2.

9:00 PM

US is buying another half-billion Pfizer doses to donate to low, middle-income countries: Biden

8:54 PM

Madhya Pradesh sees 12 new Covid-19 cases

The Covid-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh rose to 7,92,422 on Wednesday with the addition of 12 cases, a health department official said.

The death toll remained unchanged at 10,517, he added.

The count of recoveries in Madhya Pradesh now stands at 7,81,815, leaving the state with 90 active cases.

8:48 PM

India at forefront of global response to Covid pandemic: President Kovind

President Ram Nath Kovind reiterated on Wednesday that India has been at the forefront of the global efforts to forge a decisive and coordinated response to the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure collective health and economic well-being.

Kovind also stated that under the world's largest vaccination campaign, Indians have received more than 800 million doses so far.

8:35 PM

India’s cumulative vaccination coverage crosses 830 mn landmark milestone

8:31 PM

Four deaths, 212 fresh cases in Himachal Pradesh

Four more people died of coronavirus in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 3,643, while 212 fresh cases pushed the infection count to 2,17,615, a health official said.

Of the fresh deaths, two were reported from Shimla and one each from Hamirpur and Mandi, he said.

8:21 PM

Goa records 102 Covid-19 cases, 38 recoveries; no new death

Goa's coronavirus caseload rose by 102 and reached 1,75,792 on Wednesday, while no fresh death due to the infection was reported in the state, a health department official said.

The death toll remained unchanged at 3,297, he said.

8:18 PM

Mumbai adds 488 Covid-19 cases, four more die; active tally 4,706

Mumbai reported 488 coronavirus positive cases and four fatalities on Wednesday, taking the infection tally to 7,39,364 and the fatality count to 16,063, a civic official said.

As compared to Tuesday, the city recorded 136 more cases, while the number of fatalities rose by three. Mumbai had reported 352 infection cases and one death on Tuesday.

7:53 PM

847 new Covid-19 cases, 20 deaths in Karnataka

Karnataka logged 847 new COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths on Wednesday, taking the total number of infections to 29,70,208 and the toll to 37,668.

The day also saw 946 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,18,890.

Out of 847 new cases reported on Wednesday, 312 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 219 discharges and six deaths.

7:41 PM

Close-knit society, ignoring Covid-appropriate behaviour behind rising cases in Mizoram

A close-knit society, negligence towards COVID-19 appropriate behaviour (CAB) and presence of the highly contagious Delta variant have resulted in a significant increase in the transmission of coronavirus infections in Mizoram, recent studies have revealed.

The state registered a sustained rise in COVID-19 cases since April this year and over 1,000 single-day cases were reported several times.

Mizoram has only one dedicated COVID-19 hospital, Zoram Medical College (ZMC), and one laboratory for conducting RT-PCR tests.

7:31 PM

Africa's Covid-19 cases near 8.18 million: Africa CDC

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Africa reached 8,177,919 as of Wednesday noon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic across the continent stands at 207,132, Xinhua news agency reported.

7:09 PM

Nagaland logs 31 new Covid-19 cases, 1 fresh fatality

Nagaland's Covid-19 tally rose to 30,990 on Wednesday as 31 more people tested positive for the infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the northeastern state's coronavirus death toll to 658, a health bulletin said.

Dimapur district registered the highest number of new cases at 19, followed by Mokokchung (five) and Kohima and Phek (three each), it said, adding that the fresh fatality was recorded in Dimapur.

6:24 PM

Kerala reports 19,675 new infections, 142 deaths

6:11 PM

Ex-gratia assistance to kin will be provided from state disaster response fund: Centre

6:08 PM

Rs 50k ex-gratia to kin of those who died due to Covid: Centre

5:57 PM

Nearly 28% urban Indians plan to spend on gold this Diwali as Covid effects wane: Survey

Nearly 28 per cent of urban Indians are planning to spend on gold in the next three months, signalling a renewed appetite for the yellow metal amid the waning effects of second wave of COVID-19, as per a survey.

The gems and jewellery industry, which was impacted by the COVID-induced disruptions in 2020, had shown signs of recovery in January-March this year. However, the second wave of the pandemic put a halt to it.

Businesses are beginning to look up as state governments are slowly easing restrictions on movements, and organised retailers are hoping consumer demand to show positive sentiment during the festive season this year.

5:42 PM

US to donate 500 million additional Covid vaccines to world

5:16 PM

Andhra Pradesh reports 1,365 new Covid-19 cases

5:15 PM

HC questions Kerala govt rationale behind fixing rates for treating post Covid complications

When deaths even after 30 days of a person turning negative for coronavirus is treated as a Covid death, then by the same rationale treatment for post-Covid complications should also be reckoned as part of corona care was the prima facie view expressed by the Kerala High Court on Wednesday.

A bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and Kauser Edappagath expressed the view while directing the state government to clarify why it issued the August 16 order by which treatment charges were fixed for post-Covid complications for those above poverty line. 

4:40 PM

Delhi reports 30 new Covid-19 cases, 19 recoveries and zero deaths in the last 24 hours

4:29 PM

Pull up your socks to protect lives of Covid warriors from attacks: Kerala HC to police

Pained by a recent attack on a woman health worker at night by two bike-borne assailants while she was returning home after duty, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the police to pull up their socks to protect lives of COVID-warriors like her from unscrupulous elements.

"We are not taking it as a solitary issue. We are taking note of it as the issue will have larger ramifications for the future. Time has come to put a stop to it," a Bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and Kauser Edappagath said.

 

4:23 PM

Full vaccination mandatory for I-League players, except U-18 and those recovered form Covid recently

All the footballers taking part in the I-League starting in December will have to be fully vaccinated except for U-18 players and those who have recently recovered from COVID-19 infection, League CEO Sunando Dhar said on Wednesday.

The I-League 2021-22 is expected to be held under bio-secure environment with strict COVID-19 protocols in Kolkata and its surrounding suburbs.

"It will be mandatory for all the players and officials taking part in the I-League and I-League qualifiers to have both doses of COVID-19 vaccination. The only exception will be the players who are under-18 years and those who cannot be vaccinated due to recent recovery from the infection," Dhar told PTI in an interview.

4:07 PM

President Biden doubling vaccine purchase, calls for more global shots

President Joe Biden is set to announce that the United States is doubling its purchase of Pfizer's COVID-19 shots to share with the world to 1 billion doses as he embraces the goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population within the next year.

The stepped-up U.S. commitment is to be the cornerstone of the global vaccination summit Biden is convening virtually Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where he plans to push well-off nations to do more to get the coronavirus under control.

3:29 PM

Indians still require to undergo 14-day quarantine on arrival in the UK

3:23 PM

Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer T Natarajan tests positive for COVID-19

3:09 PM

Delta Covid variant now spread to 185 countries: WHO

The Delta Covid variant is the current dominant strain of the infectious virus, with its presence reported in 185 countries, as of September 21, the World Health organisation has said.

"The Delta variant now accounted for 90 per cent of the sequences submitted to GISAID with a sample collection date (between 15 June-15 September, 2021)," the global health agency said in its weekly epidemiological update on Tuesday. GISAID, which stands for Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data, is an open-access database.