LIVE: India will provide 200,000 vaccine doses to UN Peacekeepers, says EAM

Coronavirus live updates: Only two states -- Maharashtra and Kerala -- contribute to 72 per cent of active cases of Covid-19, says health ministry. Global Covid cases have crossed 110-million mark.

3:02 AM

Government rushes virus gene-mapping as mutations spread

The US is scrambling to expand DNA mapping of coronavirus samples taken from patients to identify potentially deadlier mutations that are starting to spread around the country.
 

On Wednesday, the White House announced a scaled up push by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and by a US Army biodefense institute. But the more significant action is on Capitol Hill, where a House bill headed for floor debate would provide $1.75 billion for genomic sequencing.
 

“I don't think this is going to be a light switch; I think its going to be a dial,” CDC head Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters, as she described the effort.
 

The US now maps only the genetic makeup of a minuscule fraction of positive virus samples, a situation some experts liken to flying blind. It means the true domestic spread of problematic mutations first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa remains a matter of guesswork.
 

Such ignorance could prove costly. One worry is that more transmissible forms such as the UK variant could move faster than the nation's ability to get the vaccine into Americans' arms.
 

“You've got a small number of academic and public health labs that have been basically doing the genomic surveillance,” said David O'Connor, an AIDS researcher at the University of Wisconsin. “But there is no national coherence to the strategy.” The CDC is trying to shepherd those efforts and align them with the government's own expanded commitment. Officials said Wednesday the administration will spend $200 million for the CDC to increase genomic sequencing to about 25,000 samples a week, or triple the current level.
 

3:00 AM

Odisha reports 75 new Covid-19 cases, over 500,000 inoculated so far

Odisha's Covid-19 caseload on Wednesday went up to 3,36,397 after 75 more people tested positive for the virus, a health department official said.

The state also registered recovery of 88 patients taking the total number of cured people to 3,33,788, which is 99.22 per cent of the caseload.
 

The state's case fatality ratio (CFR) stands at 0.56 per cent while its positivity rate remains at 4.16 per cent, he said.
 

Meanwhile, 5,03,614 health care workers and frontline workers were vaccinated for Covid-19 till 6 pm on Wednesday.
 

Of the 13,230 targeted beneficiaries, 10,919 received jabs on Wednesday which is 82.5 per cent, the official said.
 

Of the 75 new cases detected in 17 of the state's 30 districts, 46 were reported from different quarantine centres while 29 are local contact cases.

The state's coronavirus death toll remained unchanged at 1,912 as no new fatality has been reported since Tuesday, he said.
 

11:46 PM

Covid-19: 29,071 more vaccinated in Maharashtra; 7,065 get 2nd dose

As many as 29,071 beneficiaries, most of them frontline workers, received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines in Maharashtra on Wednesday, while 7,065 health professionals were administered the second dose, the state government said. With this, 7,77,506 people have received vaccine doses in the state since January 16, when the inoculation drive against COVID-19 was launched in Maharashtra along with the rest of the country, an official statement said.

Out of the 29,071 beneficiaries, 21,112 were frontline workers and 7,959 healthcare workers," it said. Though Mumbai has inoculated 91,451 healthcare workers with the first dose, the city saw only 649 people turning up till Wednesday to receive the second shot (which is being given since Feb 15), the statement said.

10:45 PM

Chhattisgarh sees 311 new Covid-19 cases, 5 more deaths

Chhattisgarh's COVID-19 tally rose to 3,09,934 on Wednesday with 311 fresh cases while the death toll climbed to 3,788 as five more people succumbed to the disease, an official said. While one fatality occurred on Wednesday, three patients died on Tuesday and another the day before, he said. The number of recoveries in the state reached 3,03,137 after nine more people were discharged from various hospitals and 164 others completed their home isolation.

The number of active cases in the state stands at 3,009, the official said. With 118 new cases, Raipur district's caseload mounted to 54,859, including 799 deaths. Among other districts, Durg recorded 66 new cases and Surguja 16, he said.

10:41 PM

Delhi reports 134 new Covid-19 cases, 75 recoveries

9:36 PM

Aviation ministry releases updated SOP for international passengers arriving in India

8:52 PM

At UNSC, Dr S Jaishankar calls for cooperation within framework of COVAX

At UNSC, S Jaishankar calls for cooperation within framework of COVAX, which is trying to secure adequate vaccine doses for poorest nations

8:50 PM

India will provide 200,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to UN Peacekeepers as gift: Dr S Jaishankar

India will provide 200,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to UN Peacekeepers as gift: EAM Dr S Jaishankar

 

8:43 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Kerala reports 4,892 new Covid-19 cases in past 24 hours

Kerala logged 4,892 new COVID-19 cases, including 24 health workers, and 16 deaths, taking the total caseload to 10.16 lakh and the toll to 4,032 on Wednesday. A total of 69,953 samples were tested and the test positivity rate was 6.99 per cent, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said

 

The tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 10,16,848. A total of 1,07,71,847 samples have been tested so far.

 

"Out of those infected today, 90 reached the state from outside while 4,497 contracted the disease through their contacts. The source of infection of 281 persons are yet to be traced.

8:34 PM

Coronavirus latest update: 46 new cases in Goa

Goa on Wednesday reported 46 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the state to 54,369, a state health department official said. The death toll reached 786 after two more patients succumbed to the virus during the day, he said. With 39 people being discharged during the day, the total number of recoveries in the state went up to 53,074. Goa has 509 active COVID-19 cases, the official said.

 

"With 1,625 new tests, the total number of samples tested for coronavirus in Goa until now rose to 4,76,682," he added.

 

The official said that till date 4,76,682 samples have been tested.

8:14 PM

Tamil Nadu reports 454 new Covid-19 infections, six more fatalities

Tamil Nadu on Wednesday reported 454 new COVID-19 cases and six more fatalities, taking the tally to 8,46,480 and the toll to 12,438, the health department said. Recoveries outnumbered new infections with 462 people getting discharged, taking the cumulative number to 8,29,850, leaving 4,192 active cases.

 

Chennai accounted for the most number of cases at 147, taking the total in the city to 2,33,779. The state capital also accounted for a little over one-third of the COVID-19 fatalities at 4,127 deaths. Five of the deceased had pre-existing morbidities.

7:33 PM

Healthcare workers' first vaccine dose coverage of less than 50% in 8 States/UTs: Govt

7:18 PM

UK to begin world-first human trials to study Covid-19

The UK is to begin the world's first COVID-19 human trials to study the impact of the deadly virus on a healthy body's immune system, after receiving the approval of the country's clinical trials ethics body on Wednesday.

 

The initial study is intended to help scientists understand how the immune system reacts to the virus that causes COVID-19, and identify factors that influence how it is transmitted -- including how a person who is infected sheds infectious virus particles into the environment.

 

The study will involve up to 90 carefully selected healthy adult volunteers being exposed to the virus in a safe and controlled environment. Our eventual aim is to quickly test which vaccines and treatments work best in beating this disease, said Chief Investigator Dr Chris Chiu, from the Department of Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London.

6:57 PM

4,892 new coronavirus cases and 16 deaths in last 24 hours in Kerala

4,892 new coronavirus cases, 4,832 recoveries and 16 deaths have been confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kerala.

6:05 PM

No data on efficacy of India's Covid-19 vaccines against South African, Brazilian variants: Scientists

Preliminary research shows the two vaccines against COVID-19 approved in India are effective against the UK variant of the novel coronavirus but there is no data on their efficacy against the South African and Brazilian mutants detected in the country. On Tuesday, the Health ministry said four people were detected with the South Africa variant of SARS-CoV-2 and one tested positive for the Brazil variant, a first for India, prompting scientists to stress the need for more data and studies so the country's vaccine programme can be tailored to evolving exigencies.

 

The number of people who have tested positive for the UK variant in the country has climbed to 187, officials added.

 

The vaccines currently approved for emergency use in India are Covishield, from the Oxford-AstraZeneca stable manufactured by Pune's Serum Institute of India, and Covaxin, developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

5:43 PM

Vaccine should be available in open market by year-end: AIIMS director

Dr Randeep Guleria, director, All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), received his second dose of Covid vaccine here on Wednesday after a month of taking the first shot.

 

Dr Guleria said the vaccine will be available in open market only when prime targets-people to be vaccinated-are covered and there's equivalence of supply-demand. 

 

"Hopefully there'd be such situation by year-end or before that. Then there would be likelihood of vaccine to come to open market," he said. Guleria, who is also the member of National Task Force on Covid-19, has not reported any major side-effects following the first jab, officials said. READ ON...

5:15 PM

Function halls under scanner amid rise in Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra

In light of the rise in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, local authorities have been instructed to crackdown on function halls where the number of guests are beyond the permissible limits, an official said on Wednesday. According to the police, as many as 50 guests are allowed to attend indoor events, while 200 can participate in outdoor functions.

 

Divisional commissioner Sunil Kendrekar said authorities in eight districts of Aurangabad division have been asked to reach out to function halls in the region to check if the number of guests are within the permissible limits. If the number of people is found beyond limit, the administration will register an offence against the establishments, the official said.

 

"The administration should monitor function halls and check the number of persons present during functions. If the number is found beyond limit and COVID-19 guidelines are flouted, the administration will serve a notice and if the practise continues, an offence will be registered and the premises will be sealed," he said.

4:50 PM

DATA STORY: 97.33% of all Covid cases in India have now recovered

With 276,943 more vaccinations across India on Tuesday, the total count of those inoculated reached 8,999,230. The count of recovered coronavirus cases across India, meanwhile, reached 10,644,858 – or 97.33 per cent of total caseload – with 11,833 new cured cases being reported on Wednesday. India’s recovery rate has inched up to 97.33%, while fatality rate remains unchanged at 1.43%. READ MORE HERE...

4:32 PM

Delhi AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria receives second dose of Covid-19 vaccine shot

4:16 PM

Mumbai Mayor hits the streets, orders people to wear masks

As the state apparently hurtles towards a second lockdown, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Wednesday took to the streets and with folded hands, appealed to the people to follow all Covid-19 protocols in public interest.

 

Reiterating her warnings since Tuesday, Pednekar said that nearly 60 percent of the people are violating Covid-19 protocols like not wearing face-masks, maintaining physical distancing and cleanliness.

 

"I appeal to you all Do not force the government to impose another lockdown. Please maintain all protocols very strictly Its in your hands to avoid another lockdown," the Mayor appealed.

4:01 PM

Russia's daily Covid tally drops below 13,000

Russia daily Covid-19 cases came down to 12,828 from 13,233 the previous day, health officials said on Wednesday. The national tally has thus increased to 4,112,151, with 81,446 deaths and 3,642,582 recoveries, officials added.

 

Moscow remained as the worst-hit region, reporting 1,282 new cases, down from 1,409 the previous day, taking the city's total to 960,687. More than 107.5 million Covid-19 tests have been conducted across the country.

3:37 PM

Pfizer-BioNTech to get EU 200 million more Covid-19 shots

Pfizer and BioNTech said Wednesday they have reached an agreement to supply the European Union with another 200 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine. The US and German companies said in a statement that the doses come on top of the 300 million initially ordered. The EU's executive Commission has an option to request a further 100 million doses.

 

They said the 200 million doses are expected to be delivered this year, with an estimated 75 million of them in the second quarter.

 

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first of three so far to be approved for use in the EU, which faces criticism for a slow start to its vaccination campaign. The other two approved vaccines are from Moderna and AstraZeneca.

3:03 PM

Mumbai Mayor today travelled in local train to urge people to wear masks

2:55 PM

148 new Covid-19 cases in Telangana

Telangana logged 148 new Covid cases and one death during the last 24 hours, health officials said on Wednesday. The fresh cases pushed the state's tally to 2,96,950 while the deaths rose to 1,620.The fatality rate remained 0.54 per cent against the national average of 1.4 per cent. According to the director of public health and family welfare, while 44.96 per cent of the deaths occurred due to Covid, 55.04 per cent had co-morbidities.

 

Of the total 33 districts, no cases were registered in five districts during the last 24 hours.

 

Greater Hyderabad saw maximum number of cases at 26, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (11), Rangareddy (10) and Karimnagar (10). Remaining districts reported new cases in single digits.

2:42 PM

103 residents of SNN Raj Lakeview apartment in Bengaluru test Covid-19 positive

2:04 PM

No Covid-19 deaths in last 24 hours in 18 states, UTs: Health ministry

Eighteen states and Union Territories, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, have not reported any death due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday. India's cumulative recoveries have been showing a progressive increment on a daily basis, the ministry said.

 

"Eighteen states/UTs have not reported any COVID-19 death in the last 24 hours. These are Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Ladakh, Assam, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu," the ministry said in a statement.

 

Nearly 90 lakh vaccine doses have been given to beneficiaries through 1,91,373 sessions till 8 am on Wednesday, as per the provisional report.

12:58 PM

SAARC virtual meet: India invites Pak to Covid-19 workshop

India will host a health secretary-level meet virtually with other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries on Thursday to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Pakistan has also been invited to attend the workshop.

 

It is a virtual workshop on management of Covid-19, response to the pandemic and exchange of best practices amid the pandemic.

 

On March 15, 2020, during a video conference of the SAARC Heads of State, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed a Coronavirus Emergency Fund for the region.

12:18 PM

Centre being grossly negligent, overconfident about Covid-19, says Rahul Gandhi

Centre being grossly negligent, overconfident about Covid-19. It's not over yet: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on South African, Brazilian variants of coronavirus being detected in India

12:00 PM

United Nations gets airlines to deliver Covid-19 vaccines as a priority

The United Nations children's agency launched an initiative Tuesday to get airlines to give priority to delivering coronavirus vaccines, medicine and other critical supplies to respond to the global pandemic.

 

UNICEF said more than 15 airlines have signed agreements to support the priority delivery of pandemic-related materials. Read on...

11:14 AM

Japan begins vaccination drive against Covid-19 amid supply worry

Japan's first coronavirus shots were given to health workers Wednesday, beginning the vaccination campaign considered crucial to holding the already delayed Tokyo Olympics.

 

The government gave its belated first approval for shots developed and supplied by the Pfizer shots, already been used in many other countries since December.

 

Supplies of imported vaccines are a major concern because of supply shortages and restrictions in Europe, where many are manufactured. Read on...