Coronavirus LIVE: Phase 2/3 trials of Sputnik V vaccine starts in India

Coronavirus LIVE update: At 1,828,826, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 884,897, Andhra Pradesh 868,064, Tamil Nadu 781,915 and Kerala 602,982

2:07 AM

Russian envoy says cooperation in countering Covid-19 priority area of bilateral partnership

After phase 2/3 clinical trials for Sputnik V commenced in India on Tuesday, Russian Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev said comprehensive cooperation in countering the spread of coronavirus is a priority area of the Russia-India bilateral and multilateral strategic partnership. "Comprehensive cooperation in countering the spread of novel coronavirus infection is a priority area of the Russia India bilateral and multilateral strategic partnership. Ready to continue every interaction and coordination in this area to support global efforts to combat COVID-19," Nikolay Kudashev tweeted.


Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Tuesday said they have commenced adaptive Phase 2/3 clinical trials for the vaccine.  Russia became the first country to register the world's first Covid-19 vaccine on August 11. Sputnik V was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Healthcare Ministry.

2:06 AM

West Bengal logs 3,340 single-day Covid recoveries, 52 deaths

West Bengal's COVID-19 discharge rate rose to 93.28 per cent after 3,340 people recovered on Tuesday, a bulletin released by the health department said. So far, 4,54,102 people have been cured of the disease in the state, it said.  total of 52 COVID-19 deaths were reported since Monday, including 11 fatalities from North 24 Parganas district, which pushed the toll to 8,476.

The metropolis accounted for eight deaths, South 24 Parganas (six) and Hooghly (4), among others, the bulletin said. Of the 52 deaths, 45 were due to comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental. The coronavirus tally climbed to 4,86,799 with 3,315 fresh cases, it said. Kolkata topped the list of new infections with 807 cases, followed by North 24 Parganas (796), South 24 Parganas (209), Hooghly (118) and Howrah (117). West Bengal now has 24,221 active cases. Since Monday, at least 43,241 samples have been tested in the state, taking the total number of such clinical examinations to 59,16,174, it said.

12:59 AM

Bihar reports 4 more Covid deaths, 482 fresh cases

Four more persons succumbed to COVID-19 in Bihar in the past 24 hours raising the death toll to 1,268, while 482 fresh cases took the tally to 2,36,097, a health department bulletin said on Tuesday. It said that 567 patients recovered from the disease taking the total number of cured people to 2,29,365. The recovery rate in the state at present is 97.15 per cent.

Bihar now has 5,464 active cases, the bulletin said. Two of the four new coronavirus casualties were registered in West Champaran district and one each in Patna and Vaishali. The 482 fresh positive cases included 133 from Patna, the bulletin said. Altogether 1,29,984 samples were tested for COVID-19 since Monday, taking the total number of such tests in the state to 1.47 crore.

12:15 AM

Phase 2/3 clinical trials of Sputnik V Russian vaccine starts in India

Welcome the launch of adaptive phase 2/3 clinical trials for Sputnik V vaccine in India by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd and Russian Direct Investment Fund. Comprehensive cooperation in countering spread of Covid infection is priority area of Russia-India bilateral & multilateral strategic partnership. Ready to continue every interaction & coordination in this area to support global efforts to combat Covid-19: Russian envoy to India: Nikolay Kudashev, Ambassador of Russia to India 

12:13 AM

Record 21 Covid deaths in HP, cases tally crosses 41,000-mark

The number of COVID-19 deaths in Himachal Pradesh has reached 657 as 21 more people succumbed to the virus on Tuesday, official data showed. The 21 deaths are the highest COVID-related deaths on a single day in the state.

Six deaths were reported from Kangra, four from Mandi, three each from Shimla and Kullu, two from Solan and one each from Hamirpur, Chamba and Una, according to the health department data. Of the deaths, 11 were females and 10 were males of the ages between 47 and 89. Meanwhile, 709 new cases pushed the infection count to 41,228. A total of 759 patients recovered from the disease on the day, pushing the total recoveries to 32,309. Thirty-four people have migrated out of the state, the health department said. The state currently has 8,218 active COVID-19 cases.

12:11 AM

Pak to procure Covid-19 vaccine in first quarter of 2021: health advisor

Pakistan is hoping to get the coronavirus vaccine in the first quarter of next year, a top health official said on Tuesday as the country's COVID-19 cases crossed the 400,000-mark. Advisor on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said as Pakistan struggled to turn the tide against the pandemic after the second wave hit the country, the cabinet approved USD 150 million to procure the vaccine. "I think its first stage (to procure vaccine) will be possible in the first quarter of 2021," Sultan told the media after the meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He said the government would consider all relevant factors before buying a vaccine to ensure that it was safe and effective. Several companies working on the development of a vaccine have been shortlisted and negotiations have started, he said. Sultan said that in the first stage frontline healthcare workers will be vaccinated, followed by elderly people, other healthcare workers, and finally the common public. The Cabinet also reduced the price of the 100-milligram injection of remdesivir, a drug used to treat COVID-19 patients, from Rs 9,244 to Rs 5,660, said the advisor.

11:57 PM

Sunny Deol tests Covid-19 positive, says Himachal Pradesh health secretary

Bollywood actor and BJP MP from Gurdaspur Sunny Deol has tested positive for COVID-19, the Himachal Pradesh health secretary said on Tuesday. Deol have been staying in Kullu district for some days, Health Secretary Amitabh Awasthi said.

The health secretary told PTI that according to information received from the district chief medical officer, the MP and his friends were planning to leave for Mumbai, but his COVID-19 test result came out positive on Tuesday. The 64-year-old bollywood actor had undergone a shoulder surgery at Mumbai and was recuperating at a farmhouse near Manali in Kullu district.

11:37 PM

Chinese paper claiming India as origin of Covid won't stand peer-review: CSIR head

A Chinese paper has been submitted for consideration of publication in Lancet, claiming India as origin of SARS COV2 virus. It hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet. Study is badly done & won't stand the scrutiny of peer-review as its methodology is faulty: CSIR Director Dr Shekhar Mande

10:51 PM

Andhra logs 685 more Covid cases, tally 868,000

Andhra Pradesh registered 685 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, increasing the state's tally to 8.68 lakh, even as 1,094 more patients recovered. Krishna district, at 146, accounted for the highest number of cases, followed by Chittoor (95), Guntur (87), West Godavari (77) and Visakhapatnam (71). With the new additions, East Godavari continues to shoulder the highest number of cases at 1.22 lakh.

Meanwhile, four more people succumbed to the virus on Tuesday, raising the total number of Covid deaths in the state to 6,996. Chittoor has witnessed the highest number of Covid deaths at 829. On Tuesday, 1,094 more patients recovered from the disease to increase the total number of recoveries to 8.54 lakh, narrowing the gap between total number of infections and recoveries. The state's active cases currently stand at 7,427. ith 51,854 more Covid tests, the total number of tests crossed the 1 crore mark to reach 1.01 crore.

10:03 PM

Mumbai reports 724 new Covid-19 cases

8:57 PM

Coronavirus latest update: 1,330 new cases in Karnataka, 14 deaths

Karnataka has reported 1,330 new cases of COVID-19 and 14 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 8,86,227 and the death toll to 11,792, the health department said on Tuesday. The day also saw 886 patients getting discharged after recovery.

 

A total of over 1,11,97,240 samples have been tested so far, out of which 94,885 were tested today alone, and 20,629 among them were rapid antigen tests.

 

Out of 1,330 fresh cases reported, 758 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone. As of December 1 evening, cumulatively 8,86,227 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 11,792 deaths and 8,50,707 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin.

8:18 PM

Rajasthan records 19 coronavirus deaths, toll climbs to 2,347

Rajasthan recorded 19 more fatalities due to the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, taking the COVID-19 death toll in the state to 2,347, according to a health department bulletin. The state also reported 2,331 new cases on Tuesday. The total number of people infected by COVID-19 now stands at 2,70,410 in Rajasthan and out of these 27,974 are under treatment.

 

As per the bulletin, 2,40,105 people have been discharged after treatment till now. In Jaipur, the death toll due to the virus is 439 till now, followed by 242 in Jodhpur, 188 in Ajmer, 162 in Bikaner, 137 in Kota, 105 in Bharatpur, 96 in Udaipur and 90 in Pali.

 

On Tuesday, Rajasthan recorded 2,347 new cases, including 692 in Jaipur, 314 in Jodhpur, 169 in Kota, 117 in Alwar, 110 in Udaipur, 95 in Bharatpur, 93 in Nagaur and 84 in Ajmer, besides cases reported in other districts of the state.

8:01 PM

Maharashtra reports 4,930 fresh coronavirus cases

Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 4,930 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 18,28,826, the state health department said. With 95 more patients succumbing to the viral infection, the overall toll mounted to 47,246, it said.

 

A total of 6,290 patients were discharged during the day, taking the tally of recoveries to 16,91,412, a health department official said, adding that the state is now left with 89,098 active cases.

 

Mumbai city reported 724 new cases, taking its caseload to 2,84,191 while the count of fatalities rose by nine to 10,893, he said. The state has so far tested 1,09,15,683 samples.

7:35 PM

Never spoke about inoculating entire country with Covid-19 vaccine: Govt

There was never any talk of inoculating the whole population of the country with COVID-19 vaccine, the Centre said on Tuesday said. Responding to a question at a press briefing, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said the purpose of the COVID vaccine drive would be to break the chain of viral transmission.

 

"Our purpose is to break the chain of virus transmission. If we are able to vaccinate a critical mass of people and break the chain of transmission, then we may not have to vaccinate the entire population," he said.

 

"The role of masks is also vitally important and that will continue even after the vaccination. Because we are starting with a small group of population at a time and therefore masks will be protective and continue to be used so as to help in breaking the chain of viral transmission," Bhargava said. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said there was never a talk about inoculating the whole population of the country with COVID-19 vaccine.

7:21 PM

Kerala registered 5,375 Covid-19 cases and 6,151 recoveries

Kerala registered 5,375 COVID-19 cases and 6,151 recoveries on Monday, while over 60,000 people are presently undergoing treatment for the disease. The toll has climbed to2,270 with26 fatalities, she said in a press release.

 

In the last 24 hours, 58,809 samples have been tested and the test positivity rate touched 9.14 per cent.

 

So far 63,21,285 samples have been sent for testing, the minister said. While Malappuram recorded the maximum of 886 cases, Thrissur had 630, Kottayam 585, Kozhikode 516 and Ernakulam 504. Of the positive cases, 48 are health workers, 114 people had come from outside the state and 4,596 were infected through contact. Active cases stood at 61,092.

 

6:56 PM

Delhi govt unlikely to go for night curfew as Covid-19 positivity rate declining

The Delhi government is unlikely to go for a night curfew as the COVID-19 case positivity rate in the city has been showing a declining trend for the last few weeks, PTI reported on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said in a media briefing that Delhi's positivity rate has fallen by a margin of nearly 55 per cent since early November and it should reduce further in the next two weeks.

 

"Positivity rate in Delhi has decreased to 7.35 per cent from 15.26 per cent on November 7. There were 3,726 new cases in Delhi yesterday with a positivity rate of 7.35 per cent," he said.

 

Last week, the Delhi government had informed the High Court that it may decide in three to four days whether to impose night curfew in the national capital to contain the spread of COVID-19. The government's decision to decide about curfew was tied to positivity rate. Since positivity rate has declined considerably meaning decreased infection, it is unlikely that the government will favour night curfew.

6:24 PM

Delhi reports 4,006 new coronavirus cases, 5,036 recoveries, and 86 deaths

Delhi recorded 4,006 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the infection tally in the national capital to over 5.74 lakh, while 86 new fatalities pushed the toll from the disease to 9,260, authorities said.

 

These fresh cases came out of the 58,456 COVID-19 tests conducted the previous day, including 30,297 RT-PCR tests, while the positivity rate stood at 6.85 per cent, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi Health Department.

 

The active COVID-19 case count stood at 31,769 in Delhi on Tuesday. The bulletin said the total number of novel coronavirus cases has climbed to 5,74,380 in the national capital.

6:08 PM

Govt never spoke about vaccinating the entire country: Health Ministry

5:50 PM

Delhi reports 4,006 new coronavirus cases, 5,036 recoveries, and 86 deaths

5:34 PM

More than one-third of kids with Covid-19 show no symptoms: Study

More than one-third of kids infected with the novel coronavirus are asymptomatic, according to a study which confirms that children diagnosed with COVID-19 may represent just a fraction of those infected. The research, published in the journal CMAJ, analysed results for 2,463 children in Alberta, Canada, who were tested during the first wave of the pandemic -- March to September -- for COVID-19 infection.

 

"The concern from a public health perspective is that there is probably a lot of COVID-19 circulating in the community that people don't even realise," said Finlay McAlister, a co-author of the study from the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry in Canada.

 

"When we see reports of 1,200 new cases per day in the province of Alberta, that's likely just the tip of the iceberg -- there are likely many people who don't know they have the disease and are potentially spreading it," he said.

 

Of the 2,463 children, 1,987 had a positive test result for COVID-19 and 476 had a negative result, and of those who tested positive, 714 -- about 36 per cent --reported being asymptomatic.

5:08 PM

Delhi's Covid-19 positivity rate should decelerate in next two weeks: Satyendar Jain

The COVID-19 positivity rate in the national capital has fallen by a margin of nearly 55 per cent since early November and it should reduce further in the next two weeks, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Tuesday.

 

Interacting with reporters, he also said the labs taking samples are being operated at their full capacity, hence there are some delays in test outcomes and this matter was being taken up with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Delhi recorded 3,726 fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest in 15 days, while the daily death toll crossed the 100-mark again and stood at 108.

 

The positivity rate stood at 7.35 per cent on Monday. It was 15.26 per cent on November 7. There has been a reduction of nearly 55 per cent since then. In the coming one-two weeks, it should further reduce and come under control, Jain said.

 

While a total of 50,670 tests for the detection of coronavirus cases were conducted on Sunday, the number of RT-PCR tests surpassed that of rapid antigen ones, according to a bulletin issued by the Delhi health department on Monday.

5:08 PM

Govt never spoke about vaccinating the entire country: Health Ministry

4:38 PM

On average 10,55,386 coronavirus tests conducted daily: Health Ministry

4:29 PM

Pfizer-BioNTech apply for EU emergency authorization for Covid-19 vaccine

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech have applied to the European drugs regulator for conditional authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine, following similar steps in the United States and Britain, the companies said on Tuesday. The application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) comes after the companies applied for U.S. approval on Nov. 20, taking them a step closer to launching their vaccine.

 

In their pursuit of a European launch, potentially this year, the partners are neck-and-neck with rival Moderna, which said on Monday it would ask the EU regulator to recommend conditional approval for its shot.

 

US drugmaker Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech reported final trial results on Nov. 18 that showed their vaccine candidate was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19, with no major safety concerns, raising the prospect of U.S. and European approval as early as December.

 

4:25 PM

Number of recoveries more than number of new Covid-19 cases: Health Ministry

3:57 PM

77.79% of new Covid-19 cases concentrated in 10 States and UTs: Health Ministry

3:36 PM

HC asks AAP govt about protocols for disposal of used Covid-19 test kits

The Delhi High Court Tuesday asked the AAP government as to what guidelines or protocols were in place for disposal of used COVID-19 testing kits and whether they were being followed by the hospitals, clinics and doctors under its jurisdiction. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan asked the Delhi government additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose and advocate Naman Jain to find out the guidelines or protocols in place, the authority which issued them and whether they were being implemented.

 

"Come with instructions," the bench said to the Delhi government counsels and listed the matter for hearing on December 3.

 

The direction came on a PIL by a lawyer alleging improper disposal of used swabs from Rapid Antigen testing for COVID-19 at the office of the District Magistrate (South East Delhi) at Lajpat Nagar.

 

The petitioner, Pankaj Mehta, has alleged that used swabs were being "thrown out in public" and "tests were being carried out over a pile of used swabs for COVID-19" at the DM's office.

3:11 PM

Serum says AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine safe, no co-relation with side-effects

Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, on Tuesday denied allegations that a COVID-19 trial volunteer suffered serious side effects from a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, saying that the vaccine is safe and immunogenic.

 

"We would want to assure everyone that the vaccine won't be released for mass use unless it is proven immunogenic, and safe," it said in a blog.

 

Last week, a volunteer in Chennai claimed to have suffered serious neurological and psychological symptoms after taking the experimental shot and has sued the company along with others and a sought compensation of Rs 5 crore.

 

"The incident with the Chennai volunteer though highly unfortunate was in no way induced by the vaccine and Serum Institute of India is sympathetic with the volunteer's medical condition," the Pune-based institute said. Serum is conducting trials of AstraZeneca's vaccine in India as part of a manufacturing agreement.

2:20 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Mizoram reports 22 new Covid-19 cases

As many as 22 new COVID-19 were reported in Mizoram in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the state to 3,847, the state Information and Public Relations Department informed on Tuesday.

 

The total figure includes 343 active cases and 3,499 recoveries. The state has witnessed five COVID-19 fatalities so far. With India reported 31,118 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, the tally has surged to 94,62,810, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.

 

Of these, 4,35,603 are active cases, and 88,89,585 have recovered. With 482 new deaths, the cumulative toll mounted to 1,37,621.

1:56 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: India's Covid-19 recovery rate improves to 93.94%