Coronavirus LIVE: China puts curbs in Hebei province as outbreak worsens

Coronavirus live updates: At 1,958,282, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 924,137, Andhra Pradesh 883,876, Tamil Nadu 823,181, and Kerala 790,882

3:01 AM

US endures pandemic's deadliest day, overshadowed by Washington mob assault on Capitol

As the events that unfolded in Washington on Wednesday captured the nation's attention, the raging coronavirus pandemic claimed its highest US death toll yet, killing more than 4,000 people in a single day, according to a Reuters tally.
 

Covid-19 hospitalizations stood at 132,051, stetting a grim record for the fourth day in a row as of late Wednesday night, a Reuters analysis of public health data showed.
 

As thousands of mostly unmasked supporters of President Donald Trump laid siege to the US Capitol, daily reported cases of the novel coronavirus again soared past the 250,000 mark, taking the total case tally to 21.2 million.
 

The deadly virus surging in most of the nation is hammering parts of California most severely, including the Los Angeles metropolitan area, pushing hospitals to their limits.
 

Earlier this week, public health officials ordered the suspension of elective surgeries for at least three weeks in more than a dozen southern and central counties in the state.
 

Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania logged their highest single-day death toll on Wednesday.
 

The latest surge is compounded by the rapid spread of a new, highly transmittable Covid-19 variant that was first detected in the United Kingdom in December and has now spread to at least seven US states, including New York, Colorado and California.
 

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday announced the first confirmed case of the variant in Dauphin County, where an individual tested positive "after known international exposure."
 

The variant was also identified in Texas on Thursday, contracted by a resident, with no history of travel, of Harris County, which includes the Houston metropolitan area, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.
 

With the strain on stretched healthcare systems increasing across the country, federal and local officials announced steps to speed the sluggish pace of inoculating eligible residents with two authorized coronavirus vaccines.
 

1:26 AM

France keeps restaurants, ski resorts closed in coronavirus battle

Prime Minister Jean Castex said restaurants, cinemas and museums would remain closed throughout January and ski resorts might not reopen before the February holidays as France cranked up its vaccination rollout.
 

A nationwide nightly curfew was being extended until at least Jan. 20, said Castex, adding that he could not rule out a further nationwide tightening of measures at a time hospitals remain under severe pressure.
 

One in two intensive care beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients and non-essential procedures are still being postponed to ease the burden on hospitals.

"It is out of the question that we lower our guard," Castex told a news conference.
 

Castex said restaurants would remain shuttered until mid-February at the earliest.
 

The coronavirus has claimed more than 66,500 lives in France, the seventh highest death toll in the world. Health Minister Olivier Veran said France was closely tracking cases of the new British and South African variants of the virus.
 

Nineteen cases of the British variant have been identified in France, the minister said, including two particularly worrying clusters in the greater Paris region and Brittany.
 

France will continue to limit entry to France from Britain to French citizens and returning residents in possession of a negative Covid-19 test.
 

President Emmanuel Macron and his government have come under fire for the slow pace of the vaccine rollout which has been tangled in red tape and left France lagging behind European neighbours such as Britain and Germany.
 

12:04 AM

Four more Delhi residents test positive for new strain of coronavirus

Four more Delhi residents have tested positive for the new coronavirus strain, sources said on Thursday, even as Health Minister Satyendar Jain appealed to the Centre to extend the ban on flights between India and the UK till the end of January.
 

The total number of people found infected with the mutant variant of Covid-19 that was first detected in the UK now stands at 13.
 

Four more samples sent for genome sequencing have been found positive, as part of the door-to-door medical checkup of people who had recently arrived from the UK and persons who came in their contact in the city, sources said.
 

"So, the total number of people found positive with the new strain, now stands at 13 in Delhi," a source said.
 

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan chaired a meeting with health ministers of all states and union territories, regarding COVID-19 vaccination dry run to be conducted on January 8 in all districts of the country.
 

"In today's vc (video conference) with @drharshvardhan I requested him that the ban on UK flights should be extended to 31st January, 2021 as UK is bearing all time high surge in cases and deaths," Jain tweeted.
 

At least 66 people, including those who recently returned from the UK and their contacts, have tested positive for the coronavirus. Most been kept in separate isolation facility at LNJP Hospital.
 

Thirteen of those have been discharged since December 29, a source said.
 

12:03 AM

12 fresh virus cases in Ladakh; total count 9,589

The union territory of Ladakh reported 12 new cases of coronavirus, pushing the infection count to 9,589, officials said on Thursday.
 

All fresh cases were detected in Leh, they said.
 

So far, the UT has recorded 127 deaths with Leh alone accounting for 84.
 

With the recovery of 28 more patients, the number of active cases came down to 219, they said.
 

A total of 9,243 patients have recovered after successful treatment so far, according to the officials.
 

With 12 new cases, Leh's tally has risen to 7,490. Kargil's infection count stands at 2,099, they said.
 

9:54 PM

Chhattisgarh records 1,010 new Covid-19 cases, 7 deaths

Chhattisgarh on Thursday reported 1,010 Covid-19 cases and seven more deaths, taking the infection count to 2,86,596 and the toll to 3,454, a health official said.
 

The number of recoveries reached 2,74,283 after 104 people were discharged from hospitals and 968 completed their home isolation period.
 

The tally of active cases stood at 8,859, he said.
 

Raipur district accounted for 172 of the new cases for the day, taking its total count to 53,882, including 734 deaths.
 

Durg witnessed 117 new cases, Bilaspur 80, Raigarh 80 and Rajnandgaon 74, among the other districts, he said.
 

Of the seven deaths, one each took place on Thursday and Wednesday, while five occurred earlier, but were added to the fatality count now, he said.
 

With 29,899 more samples tested on Thursday, the total number of tests in the state has gone up to 36,96,395.
 

Chhattisgarh's coronavirus figures are as follows: Positive cases 2,86,596, new cases 1,010, deaths 3,454, recovered 2,74,283, active cases 8,858, people tested so far 36,96,395.

9:53 PM

Aston Villa reports 'significant' virus outbreak

Aston Villa reported a "significant" coronavirus outbreak and closed its training ground on Thursday, a day before a scheduled FA Cup home game against Liverpool.
 

The Premier League club canceled first-team training ahead of the match.
 

"Discussions are ongoing between medical representatives of the club, the Football Association and the Premier League," Aston Villa said in a statement.
 

The club said "a large number" of players and staff returned positive tests following routine testing on Monday, and they "immediately went into isolation." "A second round of testing was carried out immediately and produced more positive results today," the club said Thursday.
 

Earlier, Southampton's FA Cup game against Shrewsbury was called off after the third-division team reported a coronavirus outbreak.
 

The third-round match was scheduled for Saturday at St. Mary's Stadium. It wasn't immediately clear if already tight schedules will allow the game to be played at a later date.
 

"Shrewsbury Town Football Club earlier confirmed several members of the Town squad and the first team staff tested positive for Covid-19," the League One team said.
 

The Football Association informed Southampton and said its Professional Game Board will meet early next week "to make a decision as to what will happen," the Premier League club said.
 

8:55 PM

Centre asks four states to take prompt steps to curb recent spike in Covid-19 cases

The Centre has asked four states recording a surge in COVID-19 cases -- Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal -- to maintain a "strict vigil" and take steps to curb the recent spike. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has written to these states to draw their attention "to the low and declining testing rates in the states, stating that any laxity at this crucial junction may squander the results of our collective actions in containing the transmission", according to a health ministry statement.

 

The states have been advised to maintain a "strict vigil" and to take steps to keep a check on the rising cases, especially in view of the new strain of the virus being observed in a few states in India.

 

They have been advised to analyse the surge at the district and sub-district levels to understand the reasons for this rise and plan adequate measures proactively to curb the same.

8:27 PM

Kerala logs 5,051 new Covid-19 cases, 5,638 recoveries; tally nears 800,000

Kerala recorded 5,051 new COVID-19 cases, including four UK returnees and 5,638 recoveries on Thursday as the total caseloadinched towards the eight lakh mark.

 

In the last 24 hours ending 2 PM, 60,613 samples have been tested and the test positivity rate was 8.83 per cent, Health Minister K K Shailaja said.

 

So far, 82,85,394 samples have been sent for testing. The toll has gone up to 3234 with 25 more deaths being added to the tally. Ernakulam continues to report the highest number of cases with 663 and presently 8,902 people are undergoing treatment for the infection in the district.

8:06 PM

Maharashtra reports 3,729 new cases, 3,350 discharges, and 72 deaths in a day

7:39 PM

Covid-19 vaccination likely to begin in India by Jan 12

The much-anticipated inoculation programme against Covid-19 in the country is expected to begin by January 12, government sources told IANS.

 

"In all likelihood, the Covid immunisation drive is expected to start early next week. Considering the preparations, the roll-out may start on January 11 or latest by January 12," a senior government official inducted in the vaccine distribution programme said.

 

The sources also informed that the government has started preparing the freight carrying the vaccine vials for transportation to different hubs located across the country. The agencies involved in the vaccine roll-out programme will start dispatching the vaccine vials from Thursday onwards, they added.

 

"The dispatch is expected to start late on Thursday evening or early in the day on Friday," the officials said.

6:56 PM

AP adds 295 new coronavirus cases, overall tally crosses 8.84 lakh mark

COVID-19 cases added up to 8,84,171 in Andhra Pradesh as 295 were reported afresh in the state on Thursday. In the 24 hours ending 9 AM on Thursday, 368 patients had recovered while only one succumbed in the state, the latest bulletin said. The total recoveries touched 8,74,223 and deaths 7,125, leaving an active caseload of 2,822.

 

West Godavari district crossed the 94,000 gross cases mark, the second largest number in the state, while Guntur went past 75,000 and Srikakulam 46,000 on Thursday.

 

Krishna district reported 45 fresh cases, 54 recoveries and one death in 24 hours even as its active cases fell to 416. All other districts added less than 40 new cases each in a day, according to the bulletin.

6:16 PM

Odisha reports 230 new coronavirus cases

Odisha reported 230 COVID-19 cases, 230 discharges and one death on Thursday. The State Health Department said the total count of cases stands at 3,31,151 and includes 3,27,008 recovered cases.

 

Of 230 new recovered cases, the maximum recoveries were reported from Sundargarh (31) and Anugul (30). The state had 2,202 active cases on Wednesday.

 

The department said a 70-year old male COVID-19 patient of Khordha district died on January 7. He was also suffering from a chronic liver disease with pulmonary hypertension and chronic kidney disease.

5:55 PM

South Africa buys 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine

South Africa says it will import 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to inoculate the country's health workers. This is South Africa's first announcement of the purchase of a COVID-19 vaccine as cases there soar.

 

The first 1 million doses will be delivered later this month from the Serum Institute of India, followed by an additional 500,000 doses in February, Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize announced Thursday.

 

South Africa is battling a dramatic resurgence of COVID-19 that is quickly outstripping its first peak. It announced record highs of 21,832 new confirmed cases and 844 deaths late Wednesday.

 

The country of 60 million people has reported by far the most cases of the coronavirus in Africa, with more than 1.1 million confirmed infections, including 31,368 deaths, representing more than 30% of all cases on the continent of 1.3 billion.

5:33 PM

Prioritise MSME labourers, give them Covid-19 vaccine free of cost: Industry body urges PM

Industry body Noida Entrepreneurs' Association (NEA) on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prioritise labourers working in the MSME sector for COVID-19 vaccine and provide them the jabs free of cost. In a letter to the prime minister, the city-based NEA, which has over 6,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) as members, cited media reports that claim that the vaccine may cost anything between Rs 200 and Rs 1,000.

 

In the letter, NEA President Vipin Malhan said the MSME sector employs lakhs of labourers who are aged below 50 years and earn around Rs 15,000 a month.

 

"These labourers make an important contribution for the country, work on daily wages and work day and night to manage a living for themselves and their families," Malhan said.

 

He added that an amount of Rs 1,000 for the vaccine will be a big sum for them to bear.

5:06 PM

Delhi Govt orders re-opening of medical colleges

4:11 PM

Be prepared to receive first supply of Covid-19 vaccine likely to be sent shortly: Centre to states, UTs

The Union health ministry has informed states and union territories that they are likely to receive the first supply of COVID-19 vaccine shortly and asked them to remain prepared to accept these consignments.

 

In a communique, the ministry said vaccine will be supplied to the identified consignee points of 19 states and union territories -- Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal -- by the supplier.

 

The vaccine for remaining 18 states and union territories -- Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Daman and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand -- will be received from their respective government medical store depots.

3:47 PM

Delhi reports 486 new Covid-19 cases, 780 recoveries and 19 deaths in the last 24 hours

3:34 PM

Announcing successful completion of volunteer enrolment for Phase-3 Clinical trials of COVAXIN: BharatBiotech

Announcing successful completion of volunteer enrolment for Phase-3 Clinical trials of COVAXIN: BharatBiotech

3:15 PM

Govt finalises Covid-19 vaccine transport module

Government has prepared a detailed draft for air transportation of COVID-19 vaccines and the movement of vaccine to different parts of the nation is likely to begin by today or tomorrow.

 

"For vaccine transportation across the country, a common draft has been made. It will shortly be shared with stakeholders. The transportation of vaccine is likely to begin by today or tomorrow," government sources said.

 

Transportation of COVIDvaccine module has been finalised by the Government of India.

 

Sources indicated Pune will be the central hub from where the distribution of vaccine will take place. Passengers aircraft will be allowed to transport vaccine in the belly of the carrier. Since the Pune airport is under the Indian Air Force, they will also be a part of it.

2:39 PM

83.88% of new confirmed coronavirus cases are from 10 States and UTs

2:05 PM

China reports 63 new Covid-19 cases

China on Thursday said 63 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the mainland on Wednesday, of which 52 were locally transmitted and 11 were imported infections. Of the locally transmitted cases, 51 were reported in Hebei province and one in Liaoning, 'the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

 

A total of 21 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery in the Chinese mainland on Wednesday.

 

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the mainland reached 87,278 by Wednesday, including 485 patients still receiving treatment, it said. A total of 82,159 patients had been discharged from hospitals following recovery in the mainland, and 4,634 had died of the virus, according to the report.

1:30 PM

Harsh Vardhan to meet state health ministers on Covid vaccine's dry-run

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is slated to hold a video conferencing on Thursday with health ministers of all the states and union territories to review preparedness for another nationwide dry run of administering Covid-19 vaccine on January 8.

 

The Central government is gearing up for the roll out of Covid-19 vaccine across the country. As a simulation of actual execution, another round of dry run will now be conducted in all 700 plus districts of all states and UTs, except Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, on Friday.

1:26 PM

Keeping coronavirus at bay, Vietnam revs up economy to race ahead of rivals

Vietnam's success in curbing the coronavirus so far, while its Southeast Asia neighbours struggle, is helping the country power ahead in economic growth and attracting funds, foreign investors, experts and analysts say.

 

Its strength in containing the pandemic saw it build on the foundations of two free trade agreements signed in 2020, also outpacing peers in luring manufacturers moving production out of China because of the Beijing-Washington trade war. Vietnam was one of the world's few countries to record growth last year - well down on 2019, but still a 2.9% expansion.

 

Vietnam watchers expect the country to ride high as long as it keeps the virus - resurgent in many countries - at bay. Thanks to rigorously targeted testing, a centralised quarantine programme and early border closures, Vietnam's coronavirus tally stands at just over 1,500 cases and 35 deaths to date - far fewer than any comparable country given its population of nearly 98 million.

1:25 PM

Odisha reports 230 fresh Covid-19 cases, one more death

With 230 more people testing positive for the infection, Odisha's Covid-19 tally on Thursday mounted to 331,151, while one more fatality pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 1,888, a health department official said.

 

The new cases were detected in 23 of the state's 30 districts, with 134 reported from different quarantine centres and 96 are local contact cases.

 

Sundergarh district recorded the highest of 30 new cases followed by Angul (24) and Bolangir (18).

1:24 PM

Bharat Biotech concludes recruitment for Covaxin's phase 3 study

Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech has concluded the recruitment of volunteers for the phase III trials of its Covid vaccine, Covaxin, on Thursday after achieving the sample size it had promised to the ethics committee. The firm has achieved the targeted number of volunteers, which is 25,800 participants, in total.

 

The recruitment was supposed to be concluded by December 31 but was extended by a week since it was short of 4,000 volunteers that time. Read on...

12:12 PM

Media captures unprecedented storming of US Capitol

The storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump played out on television in searing fashion Wednesday, with stunning pictures of guns drawn in the House of Representatives and hand-to-hand combat with police.

 

The scenes of bedlam and fear at the center of national government erupted quickly, but journalists wondered whether they should have been a surprise.

 

It's hard to believe that this is going on, said CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

 

This is unprecedented, it is dangerous and this is so, so embarrassing for the United States of America.

12:10 PM

30% severely infected patients have post-Covid digestive issues, say doctors

Cough, fever, body ache, neurological symptoms, brain fog, poor appetite, fatigue, and shortness of breath are classic post-covid symptoms that require immediate attention. But, gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea, digestive issues, swelling of the liver, low sugar, and pancreas problems are getting missed by the people. As per doctors, around 30 per cent of the severely infected critical patients and senior citizens who come out of the ICU after recovery have post-covid digestive issues, while youngsters may exhibit mild symptoms like diarrhea.

 

Nysha Khanna (name changed), a 30-year-old working professional from Mumbai was admitted to Zen Multispecialty Hospital, Chembur due to hyper insulin secretion post-Covid recovery. She was repeatedly getting episodes of low blood sugar. Her sugar level was 40 mg/dL and she was thoroughly examined to rule out the presence of a pancreatic tumor. It was confirmed that she suffered from a rare condition called autoimmune response wherein the body produces an extremely high amount of insulin and the patient gets repeated hypoglycemia, sweating, drop in sugar levels, and diarrhea because of the Covid and antibiotics, said the hospital.

11:27 AM

Covid-19: 379 new cases, 3 fatalities in Telangana

Telangana recorded 379 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the total positives to over 2.88 lakh while three more deaths were added pushing the toll to 1,559.

 

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 71, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri and Rangareddywith 37 and 36 respectively, a government bulletin said on Wednesday providing details as of 8 pm on January 6.

11:06 AM

India reports 20,346 new Covid cases, 222 deaths; recoveries cross 10 mn

India's Covid-19 caseload rose to 1,03,95,278 with 20,346newinfections being reported in a day, while the number of recoveries surpassed one crore, according to data updated by the Union health ministry on Thursday.

 

The death toll increased to 1,50,336as 222 people succumbed to the disease in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

 

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,00,16,859, pushing the national recovery rate to 96.36 per cent, while the COVID-19casefatality rate stood at 1.45 per cent. Read on...

9:01 AM

Upcoming Covid-19 lockdown in Israel to cost $2 billion: Central bank

The upcoming nationwide coronavirus lockdown in Israel will cost about $2 billion, the state's central bank said on Wednesday.

 

The tightened lockdown will last for 14 days, starting overnight between Thursday and Friday, shuttering schools and most businesses, the Xinhua news agency reported.

 

The bank noted that this is only the direct cost of the full lockdown, not including indirect costs such as business bankruptcies, and increasing unemployment. Read on...