Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra records 6,185 fresh cases, 85 deaths

Coronavirus live updates: At 1,808,550, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 879,560, Andhra Pradesh 865,000, Tamil Nadu 776,174 and Kerala 583,000

2:04 AM

Sikkim reports 37 fresh cases of Covid-19, one more death

Sikkim reported 37 fresh Covid-19 cases and one more fatality, an official said on Friday.

 

State IEC member Sonam Bhutia said East Sikkim registered 31 cases, while South Sikkim and West Sikkim logged three cases each.

 

The coronavirus tally in the state has risen to 4,908, and active cases stand at 264, Bhutia said.

12:32 AM

Bihar reports five more Covid deaths, 698 fresh cases

Bihar's Covid-19 tally rose to 233,839 after 698 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, while five fresh fatalities took the death toll to 1,248, a health department bulletin said on Friday.

 

It said that 654 patients recovered from the disease taking the total number of cured people to 227,046.

 

The state now has 5,545 active cases.

12:15 AM

BJP leader Baijayant Panda tests Covid-19 positive

National vice president of the BJP and incharge of the party's Delhi unit, Baijayant Panda, on Friday said he has tested positive for Covid-19.

 

In a late night tweet, Panda advised those who came in his contact to take precautions and get tested for the novel coronavirus.

 

"Because of certain symptoms, I got tested today & have been found Covid positive. I am now in isolation on doctor's advice. Request all those who came in contact with me in the last few days to take the necessary precautions & isolate or get tested," he tweeted.

11:20 PM

Many turn to real Christmas trees as bright spot amid virus

Ani Sirois, a respiratory nurse, has spent months caring for coronavirus patients at a Portland, Oregon, hospital, and she's only getting busier as infections and hospitalizations surge before the holidays.

 

But on a recent sunny day, Covid-19 seemed far away as she, her husband and their 2-year-old daughter roamed a Christmas tree farm in search of the perfect evergreen for a holiday season unlike any other. The family was tree-shopping nearly a week before Thanksgiving and, for the first time, they were picking their own tree instead of buying a pre-cut one.

 

It's nice to have home be a separate safe space away from the hospital, and whether we can have a gathering with family or not, I know we'll have our own little tree with the purple lights, and that'll be something small to look forward to, she said.

 

The real Christmas tree industry, which has been battling increased interest in artificial trees, is glad to see that more Americans appear to be flocking to fresh-cut evergreens this season, seeking a bright spot amid the virus's worsening toll.

11:09 PM

Ladakh records 5 more Covid deaths, 109 fresh cases

Five more deaths due to Covid-19 pushed Ladakh's toll to 113, while 109 fresh cases were reported on Friday, officials said.

 

All the new deaths were reported from Leh, taking the district's Covid-19 death toll to 72, while Kargil has recorded 41 fatalities so far, the officials said.

 

The union territory's caseload has reached 8,228 and the number of active cases stands at 813 - 700 in Leh and 113 in Kargil.

10:08 PM

West Bengal's Covid-19 death toll mounts to 8,270 with 46 more fatalities

10:07 PM

Over 800 new Covid-19 cases in Himachal, 13 more die

Thirteen more patients succumbed to Covid-19 in Himachal Pradesh, bringing the death toll from the pandemic to 603, while 830 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 38,328 in the state, official data showed.

 

Seven new deaths linked to the novel coronavirus were reported from Shimla, two from Kangra and one each from Kinnaur, Hamirpur, Lahaul-Spiti and Solan, according to the state Health Department data.

9:54 PM

Ahmedabad sees 353 Covid-19 cases, 11 deaths; 356 recover

Ahmedabad district's Covid-19 tally increased by 353 in the last 24 hours to reach 49,063, while 11 people died and 356 were discharged during this period, an official said on Friday.

 

The district's toll has now reached 2,026, he added.

9:25 PM

1,074 new coronavirus cases in Mumbai, 17 deaths

Mumbai reported more than 1,000 new Covid-19 cases on the third day in a row on Friday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) said.

The city reported 1,074 new cases during the day, taking the tally to 2,80,811, while the death toll rose to 10,756 with 17 fresh fatalities, the BMC said.

The city had recorded 1,144 new cases on November 25 and 1,147 cases on November 26.

 

9:24 PM

Prominent Iranian nuclear scientist Fakhrizadeh assassinated: Report

An Iranian nuclear scientist long suspected by the West of masterminding a secret atomic weapons programme was assassinated near Tehran on Friday, Iranian state media reported.Mohsen Fakhrizadeh died of injuries in hospital after armed assassins fired on his car, Iranian media reported.

 

Fakhrizadeh has long been described by Western, Israeli and Iranian exile foes of Iran's clerical rulers as a leader of a covert atomic bomb programme halted in 2003. Iran has long denied seeking to weaponise nuclear energy.