Covid LIVE: Vaccine should be available for public by April 2021, Serum CEO

Coronavirus update: Maharashtra has 1,757,520 coronavirus cases, Karnataka 865,931, Andhra Pradesh 857,395, Tamil Nadu 763,282 and Kerala 539,919. Stay tuned for coronavirus India LIVE updates

2:01 AM

Meghalaya's Covid-19 tally nears 11,000-mark, death toll at 104

Meghalaya reported 109 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 10,979, a senior health official said on Thursday. The death toll rose to 104 after one more patient succumbed to the virus, Health Services Director Aman War said.

He said 60 patients have recovered from the disease since Wednesday, increasing the number of those cured to 10,074 in the state. Meghalaya now has 801 active cases, War said, including 325 in East Khasi Hills district and 138 in West Garo Hills.

1:58 AM

CDC warns Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving

With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency advised Americans on Thursday not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. It was some of the firmest guidance yet from the government on curtailing traditional gatherings to fight the outbreak.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued the recommendations just one week before Thanksgiving, at a time when diagnosed infections, hospitalisations and deaths are skyrocketing across the country. In many areas, the health care system is being squeezed by a combination of sick patients filling up beds and medical workers falling ill themselves.

The CDC's Dr Erin Sauber-Schatz cited more than 1 million new cases in the US over the past week as the reason for the new guidance The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is at home with the people in your household, she said.

1:55 AM

22,609 new Covid cases take Germany's tally to 855,916

Germany has recorded 22,609 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the country to 855,916, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said. The increase is slightly above the previous week's level. Germany is currently in the second half of a month-long partial coronavirus lockdown, Xinhua news agency reported.

The situation is "still serious, very serious," said RKI President Lothar Wieler at a press conference on Thursday. The case numbers are "still very high overall, much too high." "The case numbers have stabilized at a high level in the last two weeks," said Wieler. "But we do not know whether this is already a trend reversal." The number of deaths related to COVID-19 in Germany increased by 251 on Thursday to a total of 13,370, according to the RKI.

1:50 AM

US Covid-19 hospitalisations jump 50% in 2 weeks, ushering in new shutdowns

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States has jumped nearly 50% in the last 14 days, straining the nation's healthcare system and forcing cities and states to impose new restrictions to curb the alarming viral spread. Nearly 79,000 people were being in treated for the disease in hospitals across the country on Thursday, a Reuters tally showed, the most at any time during the pandemic.

 

Meanwhile, Americans were grappling with a spate of new school and business closings aimed at slowing community spread and lowering infection rates.Suzanna Riordan, a Brooklyn mother, said she burst into tears upon hearing the announcement that classrooms inside New York City public schools would shut starting on Thursday as the city's 7-day positive test rate average hit a previously-agreed closure threshold of 3%.

 

Riordan's 7-year-old daughter Olivia had been excited at the prospect of adding one more day of in-person education a week starting next week, based on the city's previous hybrid learning plan, Riordan said."Since September she's gotten maybe seven days in school," Riordan told Reuters. "And those are the days where...she comes home excited and happy and she gets to see other second graders. And that's gone again."

 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio defended his decision to limit teaching in the nation's largest school district to virtual classrooms. He said additional safety standards to reopen schools would be announced before Thanksgiving Day after consultation with Governor Andrew Cuomo.

1:27 AM

Tripura reports 105 new Covid-19 cases

Tripura on Thursday reported 105 new Covid-19 cases, taking the state's tally to 32,217, a Health Department official said. There are 1,000 active cases in the state at present, he said.

Sixty-three patients were discharged from GB Pant Hospital after they recovered from the disease, the official said. So far, 30,833 people have recovered, while 23 patients have migrated to other states, he said.

Altogether 361 people have died of COVID-19 in Tripura. So far, 5,02,951 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the state.

1:09 AM

G20 leaders urged to provide funds for Covid-19 vaccines, drugs, tests

G20 leaders must help close a funding gap to buy vaccines, drugs and tests to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, a letter from South Africa's president, Norway's prime minister, and the heads of the World Health Organization and European Commission said.


The letter, seen by Reuters, was sent ahead of the Group of 20's virtual summit at the weekend in Riyadh organised by Saudi Arabia, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the club of rich nations and big emerging powers. "A commitment by G20 leaders at the G20 summit in Riyadh to invest substantially in the ACT (Access to COVID-19 Tools) Accelerator's immediate funding gap of US $4.5 billion will immediately save lives, lay the groundwork for mass procurement and delivery of COVID-19 tools around the world, and provide an exit strategy out of this global economic and human crisis," it said.

12:40 AM

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar records 235 fresh Covid-19 cases, infection tally rises to 20,989: Official data

12:08 AM

Noida: 235 new Covid-19 cases, tally nears 21,000-mark

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded 235 new Covid-19 cases that pushed the district's infection tally to 20,989 on Thursday, official data showed.

Active cases rose to 1,411, the third highest in the state, from 1,300 the previous day, according to data released by the Uttar Pradesh Health Department for a 24-hour period.

On the bright side, 129 more patients got discharged during the period in Gautam Buddh Nagar with the overall recoveries reaching 19,505, the fifth highest in the state, it showed.

12:02 AM

India's Covid-19 tally nears 9 million mark after 45,576 new cases in a single-day

After a dip in daily coronavirus cases count for some days, India is again witnessing a surge in fresh infections as 45,576 confirmed cases were reported on Thursday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The country's Covid-19 tally has risen to 8,958,484 including 8,383,602 recoveries and ,443,303 active cases. With 585 new deaths, the cumulative toll mounted to 131,578.

This is the twelfth consecutive day when India reported less than 50,000 cases in a day. The last time daily new cases crossed the 50,000-threshold was on November 7. The new recoveries continue to overtake the daily new cases continuously since the past 47 days. India's active caseload has fallen under the five per cent mark today, according to an official press release.

Delhi remains one of the worst affected states with 7,546 new Covid-19 cases (out of 62,437 tests), 6,685 discharges, and 98 deaths, according to Delhi Health Department Total cases: 5,10,630 Total recoveries: 459,368 Active cases at 43,221 Death toll at 8,041.

11:22 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Vaccine should be available for public by April 2021, Serum CEO

Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India's CEO Adar Poonawalla on Thursday said the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine should be available for healthcare workers and elderly people by around February 2021 and by April for the general public, and will be priced at a maximum of Rs 1,000 for two necessary doses for the public, depending on the final trial results and regulatory approvals.

Probably by 2024, every Indian will get vaccinated, he said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS), 2020. "It will probably take two or three years for every Indian to get inoculated, not just because of the supply constraints but because you need the budget, the vaccine, logistics, infrastructure and then, people should be willing to take the vaccine. So these are the factors that lead up to being able to vaccinate 80-90 per cent of the population.

"It will be 2024 for everybody, if willing to take a two-dose vaccine, to be vaccinated,"Poonawalla said. Asked at what price the public will get it, he said it will be around USD 5-6 per dose with an MRP of around Rs 1,000 for the two necessary doses.

"The government of India will be getting it at a far cheaper price at around USD 3-4, because it will be buying in a large volume and get access to the price that is similar to what COVAX has got. We are still pricing it far cheaper and more affordable than other vaccines we have in the market today," Poonawalla said. Asked about the efficacy of the vaccine, he said the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine is so far proving to work very well even in elderly people, which was a concern earlier.

11:11 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda tests positive

Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilisers D V Sadananda Gowda on Thursday said he has tested positive for coronavirus. "After initial symptoms of Covid-19, I got myself tested and the report came out positive. I have isolated myself," the Union Minister tweeted on Thursday.

He requested everyone who had come in his contact to be careful and adhere to the protocol. Following the tweet, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Karnataka cooperative minister S T Somashekar prayed for Gowda's early recovery and wished that he would return to his duties as usual.

10:57 PM

ICC postpones women's T20 World Cup from 2022 to 2023 due to Covid

The South African edition of the Women's T20 World Cup was on Thursday postponed by three months to February 2023 to avoid a cluster a big-ticket events in 2022 and manage players' workload, International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday. The tournament was scheduled in November 2022 but will now be held in February 2023.

In August this year, the ICC had postponed the 50 over Women's World Cup slated in New Zealand from 2021 to 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and women's T20 cricket is also set to make its debut in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.. "The Board confirmed that the ICC Women's T20 World Cup will move from its current slot at the end of 2022 to 9-26 February 2023," ICC said in a statement.
 

If not postponed, the year would have "three major events in 2022 with the Commonwealth Games in July 2022 and the ICC Women's T20 World Cup due to be held in November 2022." "As there are currently no major women's events scheduled to take place in 2023 the Board confirmed the switch for the T20 World Cup to better support player preparation and to continue to build the momentum around the women's game beyond 2022," the apex body said.

10:55 PM

Update: Gujarat govt decides to impose 'complete curfew' in Ahmedabad from 9 pm of November 20 to 6 am of November 23.

10:37 PM

Update: Death toll reaches six in plastic factory explosion in Malda in West Bengal, says SP Alok Rajorai

10:17 PM

7,546 fresh cases of Covid-19 in Delhi take tally to over 501,000; death toll rises to 8,041 with 98 more fatalities: Authorities

10:02 PM

2,212 fresh Covid cases, 20 more deaths in Haryana

Haryana on Thursday reported 2,212 fresh Covid-19 cases, pushing the caseload to 2,09,251, while 20 more fatalities took the death toll to 2,113. Of the fresh deaths, four were from Hisar, three each from hardest-hit Gurgaon and Faridabad, two each from Rewari, Sirsa and Bhiwani, while one death each was reported from Jind, Kurukshetra, Panchkula and Ambala, according to the state health department's daily bulletin.
 

Among the districts which reported the biggest spike in cases included Gurgaon (645), Faridabad (489), Hisar (162), Sonipat (130) and Rewari (106).

The number of active cases in the state currently stands at 19,579 while the recovery rate was 89.63 per cent.

9:36 PM

Mumbai reports 924 Covid-19 cases, 1,192 recoveries; 12 fatalities

Mumbai reported 924 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, taking its tally to 272,449, while 1,192 more patients were discharged from hospitals following recovery, the city civic body said. This was the highest daily count so far this week.

Cases have registered a steady rise after 409 new coronavirus patients were detected on November 16, the lowest daily count since April. On November 17 and 18, the city had recorded 541 and 871 new cases, respectively.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) updated data, the death toll increased to 10,624 with 12 fresh fatalities being reported in the last 24 hours. The city has conducted 1.72 mn Covid-19 tests since February 3, 2020.

9:03 PM

SC says everybody can't be permitted to treat Covid, seeks Centre response on alternative medicines

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought response from Centre on the manner and extent of alternative medicine that can be permitted as an immunity booster against Covid-19 disease.

 

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan was hearing a plea filed by Dr. AKB Sadbhavana Mission School of Homeopharmacy against the Kerala High Court decision in August this year holding that doctor under AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) can prescribe immunity boosters in the backdrop of Covid-19, but it cannot be prescribed as a cure for the viral infection.

 

The bench also comprising Justices Subhash Reddy and M. R. Shah asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, to file a counter affidavit detailing to what extent the alternative medicine could be are permitted in view of COVID.

8:57 PM

Coronavirus tests conducted at Inter-State Bus Terminus in Chandigarh

8:48 PM

Rajasthan reports 2,549 new coronavirus cases, 15 more deaths

Rajasthan reported 15 more COVID-19 fatalities on Thursday, taking the death toll to 2,116, while 2,549 new cases pushed the state's infection tally to 2,34,907. According to a health department bulletin, 20,168 patients are currently undergoing treatment for the disease in the state. The total number of recoveries is 2,12,623, it said.

 

The death toll from the coronavirus infection stands at 403 in Jaipur, 210 in Jodhpur, 160 in Ajmer, 154 in Bikaner, 120 in Kota, 98 in Bharatpur, 81 in Udaipur and 81 in Pali.

 

Of the new cases reported in the state, 519 are in Jaipur, 346 in Jodhpur, 210 in Ajmer, 205 in Alwar, 203 in Kota, 197 in Bikaner, 88 in Sikar and 85 in Sriganganagar, besides those in other districts.

8:40 PM

Madhya Pradesh records 1,363 fresh coronavirus cases; state tally 188,018

Madhya Pradesh on Thursday recorded 1,363 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking its tally to 1,88,018, while 14 fatalities pushed the toll to 3,129, health officials said.

 

A total of 887 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the state's overall recovery count to 1,75,089. Of the new fatalities, three died in Indore, two each in Gwalior, Sagar and Raisen and one each in Bhopal, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Damoh and Mandsaur. Out of the 1,363 fresh cases, Bhopal accounted for 231, Indore 255, Gwalior 92 and Jabalpur 60.

8:34 PM

India talking to vaccine companies, to procure 400-500 mn doses till July: Harsh Vardhan

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Thursday that India is in talks with the vaccine companies for the procurement of 400 to 500 million doses till July next year.

 

Speaking at an event on 'Shifting Healthcare Paradigm During and Post-Covid', the Health Minister stressed the importance of following safety protocols, and said that vaccine distribution will be rolled out with a scientific and systematic approach.

 

Harsh Vardhan said, "Priority will be given on medical grounds. We are a country of 135 crore people, and it's not possible to procure vaccines for such a large population at one go. By July-August 2021, we will have 400-500 million dosages available."

8:33 PM

To ramp up Delhi's medical infrastructure, all 75 doctors, 251 paramedics from paramilitary have reported to duty: MHA

8:23 PM

5,535 new coronavirus cases in Maharashtra

Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally on Thursday went up to 17,63,055 with the addition of 5,535 fresh cases, a state health official said. As the virus claimed 154 lives, the fatality count reached 46,356, he said.

 

A total of 5,860 patients were discharged during the day. With this, the state's recovery count increased to 16,35,971. The count of active patients is now 79,738, he said. Mumbai city reported 924 positive cases during the day, which pushed its overall case count to 2,72,455, while its death toll rose to 10,627 as 12 patients succumbed to the infection.

8:15 PM

Anti-Covid-19 nasal spray developed for use in humans: University of Birmingham

A nasal spray that can provide effective protection against the COVID-19 virus has been developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham, using materials already cleared for use in humans, the varsity said on Thursday.

 

A team in the University's Healthcare Technologies Institute formulated the spray using compounds already widely approved by regulatory bodies in the UK, Europe and the US.

 

The materials are already widely used in medical devices, medicines and even food products. This means that the normal complex procedures to take a new product to market are greatly simplified, so the spray could be commercially available very quickly.

8:09 PM

Maharashtra reports 5,535 new coronavirus cases, tally rises to 17,63,055

8:01 PM

Delhi accounts for 22.39% single-day coronavirus deaths in India: Health Ministry

Delhi accounted for 22.39 per cent of the fatalities reported across the country due to the coronavirus infection in a span of 24 hours by recording 131 deaths and became the largest contributor to the single-day COVID-19 deaths in India, the health ministry said on Thursday.

 

Even in terms of new single-day cases, Delhi reported the highest number of infections, followed by Kerala and Maharashtra. Delhi recorded 7,486 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the infection tally in the national capital to over five lakh, even as 131 new fatalities, the highest single-day death count till date, pushed the toll to 7,943.

 

The ministry said 79.49 per cent of the585COVID fatalities reported in a span of 24 hours were from 10 states and Union territories -- Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

7:51 PM

Delhi govt orders 90 private hospitals to reserve 60% of total bed capacity for treatment of Covid-19 patients

7:36 PM

560 people tested positive for Covid-19 in Jammu and Kashmir in past 24 hours

A total of 560 people tested positive for Covid-19 in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 24 hours taking the union territory's tally to 1,04,715. With 565 patients discharged from different hospitals after recovery on Thursday the number of recoveries from the pandemic stood at 97,537. An official bulletin said 247 tested positive for Covid from Jammu division while 313 were from Kashmir.

 

So far 1,618 patients have succumbed to the disease, including five on Thursday. The number of active cases is 5,560 out of which 1,722 are from Jammu division and 3,838 are from Kashmir division.

7:17 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Fine for not wearing mask raised to Rs 2,000 in Delhi

Battling the surge in coronavirus cases in Delhi on a war-footing, the AAP government on Thursday announced sweeping measures including a steep Rs 2,000 fine for not wearing masks, reservation of 80 per cent ICU beds in private hospitals, doubling testing centres in every district and postponement of non-critical surgeries at health facilities.

 

Private hospitals have also been directed to increase the percentage of non-ICU COVID-19 beds from 50 per cent to 60 per cent. The government will increase the number of RT-PCR test to 27,000 a day in the national capital and MBBS students and interns will be engaged to tackle the COVID-19 situation.

 

Addressing an online media briefing, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the fine for not wearing masks has been raised from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000. The hard line by the AAP government comes days after Kejriwal repeatedly appealed to Delhiites to wear masks amid a surge in coronavirus cases.