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Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Maharashtra reports 6,738 new cases; 8,430 recover, 91 die
The number of coronavirus positive patients in Maharashtra rose to 16,60,766 with the addition of 6,738 cases on October 28, a state health department official said.
The fatality count in the state reached 43,554 after 91 persons died due to the infection, he said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | UP reports 2,049 new cases, 18 deaths
With 2,049 fresh cases, the COVID-19 tally of Uttar Pradesh rose to 4,76,034 on October 28 while the death toll due to the disease reached 6,958 as 18 more people succumbed to the virus.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Situation not normal, don't lower guard: Delhi's first COVID-19 patient
With experts predicting a major surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming months in Delhi, the city's first coronavirus patient on Wednesday cautioned people to stay indoors as much as possible during the festive season while emphasising that the situation is "not back to normal".
Rohit Datta, who was diagnosed with the infection on March 1, made an appeal to the masses to "not lower our guard" by getting into a casual festive mode.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Govt's eSanjeevani OPD completes six lakh tele-consultations amid COVID-19 pandemic
The Union Health Ministry''s telemedicine initiative eSanjeevani OPD has completed six lakh consultations since its launch in April this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the last one lakh consultations being done in just 15 days.
The health ministry said on October 28 that considering the usefulness and ease of its use for extending the reach of health services, states are actively considering using eSanjeevani OPD for inmates of old-age homes and prisons.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Over 2 million virus cases in just 1 week: WHO
The World Health Organisation said countries globally reported more than 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases last week — the shortest time ever for such an exponential increase since the pandemic began.
In a weekly analysis of COVID-19, WHO said for the second consecutive week, the European region accounted for the biggest proportion of new cases, with more than 1.3 million reported cases or about 46% of the worldwide total. The U.N. health agency said deaths were also on the rise in Europe, with about a 35% spike since the previous week.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | COVID-19 deaths in India crosses 1.2 lakh mark
India's COVID-19 death toll soars past 1.2 lakh with 508 fatalities; 43,893 fresh cases reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | UK says COVID-19 vaccine roll out could start before Christmas
A COVID-19 vaccine could be rolled out in Britain for some people before Christmas but an early 2021 launch is more likely, the woman responsible for procuring possible jabs in Britain said on October 28. (Reuters)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Hong Kong bars Air India flights for fourth time as passengers test positive for COVID-19
Hong Kong has banned Air India flights from Mumbai till November 10 after a few passengers on its flight earlier this week tested positive for COVID-19 post arrival, a senior government official said on October 28.
This is the fourth time that Air India flights from India have been banned by the Hong Kong government for bringing passengers who tested positive for the infection after arrival.
Previous bans were on the airline''s Delhi-Hong Kong flights during September 20-October 3 and August 18-August 31 and October 17-October 30.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Private schools in Noida struggle for attendance as parents still wary of COVID-19
Private schools in Uttar Pradesh''s Gautam Buddh Nagar are struggling to get students of classes 9 to 12 back in classrooms as parents continue to feel unsafe to send their wards for physical classes due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Private schools recorded a mere 14 percent attendance of students on October 28, while government and aided schools clocked 39 per cent in Noida and Greater Noida, according to government officials.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | British Safety Council offers robust 'Return to Work' COVID-19 protocol
The British Safety Council, one of the world's most trusted leaders in health, safety, and environmental management, has developed a detailed COVID-19 framework applicable to all sectors.The framework aims to enable organisations to develop robust protocols and arrangements, designed to effectively manage the risk of COVID-19 as far as is reasonably possible within their workplace.
Coronavirus India News LIVE updates | Cyber attack that led to pause in worldwide operations was ransomware: Dr Reddy's
Dr Reddy's Laboratorieson October 28 said it isstill investigating the cyber attacks on the company's information technology (IT) systems and officiallycalled it aransomware attack for the first time. In a ransomware attack, the hackers breach the systems, install malware thatencrypts a victim's files, then demanda ransom from the victim to restore access to the data.
The companysaid the investigation has not ascertained if any data breaches in the incident pertain to personally identifiable information stored in the company's systems. The company added that it had isolated the impacted IT services. Continue reading..
Coronavirus vaccine update | UK vaccine chief says impact of early COVID-19 jabs may be limited
The woman in charge of procuring possible COVID-19 treatments for Britain said a fully effective vaccine might never be developed, and that any early versions that do get approved might not work at all for some people. There is no clinically proven vaccine against the coronavirus, though nearly 200 candidates are in development worldwide, and late-stage trial results are expected for the first of them by the end of 2020.
"However, we do not know that we will ever have a vaccine at all. It is important to guard against complacency and over-optimism", Kate Bingham, the chair of the UK Vaccines Taskforce, wrote in an article published overnight in The Lancet medical journal. (Reuters)
Coronavirus in Mizoram | Mizoram reports first COVID-19 fatality
Mizoram, the only state which hadnot reported any COVID-19 fatality so far, registered its first coronavirus death on Wednesday as a 62-year-old man
succumbed to the infection at a hospital near Aizawl, a health official said. The patient was undergoing treatment for 10 days at the state-run Zoram Medical College, its medical superintendent, Dr H C Laldina, told PTI.
The man, who resided in Aizawl, was also suffering from a heart ailment, he said.Mizoram had reported its first coronavirus case on March 24 as a 52-year-old pastor, with a travel history to the Netherlands, tested positive for the infection. He was discharged from the ZMC after 45 days of intensive treatment.
Coronavirus in Goa LIVE Updates | Goa government allows casinos to reopen from Nov 1
The Goa cabinet on Wednesdaydecided to allow casinos to reopen in the state from November 1 by following the COVID-19 prevention guidelines. The coastal state has six offshore and around a dozen onshore casinos, which have been shut since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in March this year.
Talking to reporters here after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said, "The state cabinet has decided to allow casinos to reopen from November 1 onwards."
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Scientists find brain abnormalities in COVID-19 patients
An analysis of more than 80 studies reporting complications experienced by COVID-19 patients has revealed that about one-third of them have abnormalities in the frontal lobe of the brain, findings which shed light on the neurological symptoms of the disease.The review of studies, published in Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy, focused on abnormalities detected using electroencephalogram (EEG) scans, which are used to evaluate the electrical activity in the brain.
"We found more than 600 patients that were affected in this way. Before, when we saw this in small groups we weren't sure if this was just a coincidence, but now we can confidently say there is a connection," said Zulfi Haneef, assistant professor of neurology at Baylor College of Medicine in the US.
The scientists explained that patients are recommended an EEG test when they have a slowed reaction to stimuli, followed by seizure-like events, speech issues, confusion, or an inability to wake up after sedation. From the review of studies, the researchers said the most common findings from the EEG were slowing or abnormal electrical discharge, mostly in the frontal lobe of the patients.
Coronavirus in Indonesia LIVE Updates | Indonesia coronavirus case tally tops 400,000
Indonesia's coronavirus infections have passed the 400,000 mark, with 4,029 new cases confirmed on Wednesday, according to health ministry data. The Southeast Asian country has 400,483 cases. With the addition of Wednesday's 100 more COVID-19 deaths, it has recorded 13,612 fatalities.
Coronavirus India News LIVE Updates | Delhi schools to remain closed till further orders: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia
All schools in Delhi will continue to be closed till further orders in view of the COVID-19 situation, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced on Wednesday. "Parents are not in favour of reopening schools either," Sisodia said at an online press conference.The Delhi government had earlier announced that schools will remain closed till October 31. Continue reading..
Coronavirus vaccine update | Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine still possible in 2020 despite data lag
Pfizerexecutives expressed measured optimism Tuesday over the prospect of providing a coronavirusvaccinein 2020 even as they signaled key data on thevaccinewould not be released before the US election.
PfizerChief Executive Albert Bourla said the drug giant could supply some 40 million doses in the United States in 2020 if clinical testing proceeds as expected and regulators approve avaccine.
Coronavirus India News LIVE Updates | States controlling COVID-19 testing to show lower number of cases, says Thyrocare
Thyrocare Technologies on October 28 said that many state governments were controlling COVID-19 testing to show reduced numbers of cases due to pressure on them to show lower infections than others.
“To be very honest, government is still controlling. I am not referring to the Maharashtra government, it’s all over the country. In some states, Thyrocare has been told not to pick up samples, verbally. In some states – ‘don’t report to ICMR, reverse the data, we will tell you the cut-off, then you report’,” said A Velumani, CMD & CEO of Thyrocare Technologies, in an interview to CNBC-TV18. Read the full story here..
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | Health Ministry:
The deaths per million populations in India are87, substantially lower than the world average of 148. India’s targeted strategies in COVID-19 management and the proactive, as well as calibrated public health response over the last several months, have resulted in encouraging outcomes.
Coronavirus India News LIVE Updates | Evidence shows children could be COVID-19 spreaders: ICMR
There is some evidence which shows that children who were earlier thought to be protected against coronavirus infection can be "spreaders, rather than super-spreaders”, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said on Tuesday. Speaking on the coronavirus infection spread in the country among children, Bhargava said that overall the figure in India is that below the age of 17 years, only 8 percent are COVID-19 positive.
"Below five years, the figure would probably be less than a per cent but then we can come back with a figure for this,” he said. Read the full story here..
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Breaking: DGCA extends suspension of international commercial flights till November 30
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) onOctober 27,extended the suspension of international commercial flights till November 30, 2020, even as COVID-19 cases have seen a re-surge in Europe.
"In partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of 30th November 2020," a notification from the industry regulator said.
Coronavirus vaccine update | Russia begins production of second COVID-19 vaccine despite pending Phase 3 trials
Russia has started mass production of its second COVID-19 vaccine developed by Vector State Virology and Biotechnology Centre in Novosibirsk, despite the candidate not completing Phase 3 trials.Anna Popova, the head of Russia’s public-health watchdog on October 27 said that output of the vaccine will be ramped up by 2020-end, Bloomberg reported.
Coronavirus in Odisha LIVE Updates: Odisha's COVID-19 tally mounts to 2,85,482
Odisha'sCOVID-19 caseloadmounted to 2,85,482 on Wednesday as 1,540 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said. Twelve fresh fatalities pushed the coastal state's coronavirus death toll to 1,284, he said. Odishanow has 16,030 active coronavirus cases, while 2,68,115 people have recovered from the infection so far, he said.
The state has so far tested over 44.22 lakh samples for COVID-19, including 36,905 on Tuesday.
Coronavirus in Tripura LIVE Updates | Tripura registers 160 new COVID-19 cases, 202 more recoveries
Single-day recoveriesoutnumbered new COVID-19 cases in Tripura, as 160 more peopletested positive for the infection while 202 more people were cured of the disease on Wednesday, a health official said. The new cases have pushed the northeastern state'sCOVID-19 caseload to 30,453, he said.
Tripura now has 1,757 active coronavirus cases, while 28,332 people have recovered from the disease and 341 patients have succumbed to the infection so far, the official said, adding 23 patients have migrated to other states. The state has tested 4,52,233 samples for COVID-19 so far, he added.
Coronavirus Impact | Some COVID-19 patients' brains may age 10 years
People recovering from COVID-19 may suffer significant brain function impacts, with the worst cases of the infection linked to mental decline equivalent to the brain ageing by 10 years, researchers warned on Tuesday. A non-peer-reviewed study of more than 84,000 people, led by Adam Hampshire, a doctor at Imperial College London, found that in some severe cases, coronavirus infection is linked to substantial cognitive deficits for months.
"Our analyses ... align with the view that there are chronic cognitive consequences of having COVID-19,” the researchers wrote in a report of their findings. Continue reading..
Coronavirus in Arunachal Pradesh LIVE Updates | Arunachal reports 81 new COVID-19 cases
ArunachalPradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 14,472 on Wednesday as 81 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said.ArunachalPradesh now has 2,139 active coronavirus cases, while 12,297 people have been cured of the disease so far, taking the recovery rate among the COVID-19 patients in the state to 84.97 percent.
Coronavirus impact | 4 must-have insurance policies during the COVID-19 pandemic
The world has seen various pandemics, right from the Plague of Athens in 430 BC to the recent ones such as the Ebola virus in 2013 and now the COVID-19, which started in 2019. All these pandemics have been unpredictable and came along with new challenges every time. However, one thing which is common across all these pandemics is that they have helped us become more resilient and prepare for uncertainties with greater vigour.
None of us anticipated that the COVID-19 pandemic will last so long that it will transform our lifestyle and the kind of risks we face. Hence, we need to be better prepared. Is it possible to safeguard ourselves and minimize the financial losses during such tough times? Click here to know 4 must-have insurance policies during the COVID-19 pandemic
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates: India's recovery rate improves to 90.85%
A total of 72,59,509 people have recuperated from COVID-19 so far, pushing the national recovery rate to 90.85 percent, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.50 percent: Health Ministry
Coronavirus in Telangana LIVE Updates | Telangana adds 1,481 fresh COVID-19 cases, 4 fatalities
With 1,481 new cases, Telangana'scoronavirus tally reached 2.34 lakh while four more deaths pushed the toll in the state to 1,319.Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 279, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri 138 and Rangareddy 111 districts, a government bulletin said on Wednesday providing data as of 8 PM on October 27. As many as 17,916 are under treatment and 40,081 samples were tested on October 27.
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | COVID-19 cases rise unabated in some states even as national caseload falls
While the five most-affected states in India have recorded a consistent fall in the number of COVID-19 cases being reported on a daily basis, infections are rising unabated in some of the other regions.
On October 27, Maharashtra – the worst-affected state with over 16.5 lakh total cases so far – reported around 5,000 new infections. This is significantly lower than its peak of around 25,000 new cases per day in mid-September. Similarly, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, have reported 2,000-3,000 new cases – significantly less than what was being recorded during their peaks. Read the full story here...
Coronavirus in Andaman and Nicobar Islands LIVE updates | 21 new cases push COVID-19 tally of Andamans to 4,274
The COVID-19 tally of Andamanand Nicobar Islands rose to 4,274 on Wednesday as 21 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said. Five new patients have travel history, while 16 infections were detected during contact tracing, he said. Twenty-two more people have been cured of the disease, the official said.
The Union territory now has 197 active coronavirus cases, while 4,019 people have recovered from the disease and 58 patients have succumbed to the infection so far, he said. The administration has so far sent 84,308 samples for COVID-19 tests, of which 84,298 reports have been received and 10 are awaited, the official added.
Coronavirus India LIVE updates: Here are the five most-affected states in India due to COVID-19
> Maharashtra - 16,54,028 cases
> Andhra Pradesh - 8,11,825 cases
> Karnataka - 8,09,638 cases
> Tamil Nadu - 7,14,235 cases
> Uttar Pradesh - 4,74,054 cases
Coronavirus state-wise tally October 28: Delhi's COVID-19 tally rises to 3.6 lakh
Delhi reported 4,853 new cases of the novel coronavirus on October 27, its highest single-day spike, taking its tally to 3.64 lakh.With over 16.54 lakh cases, Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally remains the highest among Indian states and union territories, according to the Union Health Ministry's latest update. Check out the complete state-wise tally here..
Coronavirus in China LIVE Updates | Mainland China reports most new COVID-19 cases in more than two months
Mainland China reported 42 new COVID-19 cases on Oct. 27, the highest daily toll in more than two months due to a rise in infections in the northwestern Xinjiang region, the country's health authority said on Wednesday. The daily toll marks the highest since 44 confirmed infections were reported on August10, though it remains far off the peaks in February at the height of the outbreak in mainland China that forced the country into a virtual standstill.
Coronavirus in France LIVE Updates | France reports 523 new deaths from COVID-19, highest daily toll since April
France reported 523 new deaths from coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the highest daily toll since April 22, health ministry data showed. Tuesday's death toll data included hospital deaths, which are reported on a daily basis, and 235 retirement home deaths over the past four days.
The ministry also reported 33,417 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours - from 26,711 on Monday and record 52,010 on Sunday - taking the cumulative total to 1,198,695. Compared to last week Tuesday, when France reported 20,468 new cases, the number of new cases is up more than 60%.
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Breaking:
Total active COVID-19 cases in India are6,10,803 after a decrease of 15,054 in last 24 hours. Total 72,59,509 patients have been cured with 58,439 new discharges in last 24 hrs.
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Breaking:
India registers 43,893 new COVID-19 cases, pushing total caseload to 79,90,322. With 508 new deaths reported in 24 hours, toll mounts to 1,20,010.
Coronavirus India News LIVE Updates | Just In:
Total 10,54,87,680 samples tested for COVID-19 up to 27th October. Of these 10,66,786 samples were tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
Coronavirus in Italy LIVE Updates | Italy approves stimulus package after COVID-19 cases hit new record
Italy approved a package of measures on Tuesday to support businesses hit by new restrictions aimed at reining in the coronavirus, hours after daily infections hit a new record high and COVID-19-related deaths jumped. The measures will cost 5.4 billion euros ($6.38 billion) and include grants, tax breaks and additional funds for temporary lay-off schemes, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said at a news conference.
Earlier, the health ministry reported 21,994 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours with 221 deaths, the first time Italy registered more than 200 fatalities in a single day since mid-May. Gualtieri said the national tax agency would aim to transfer funds directly into people's bank accounts by mid-November using "a mechanism which is fast, simple and effective."
The latest aid package includes 2.4 billion euros of one-off payments in favour of 460,000 business, tax credits for rents and the scrapping of the IMU housing tax payment due in December, Gualtieri said.
Coronavirus in Jharkhand LIVE updates: Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally crosses 1 lakh-mark; death toll mounts to 876
Jharkhand's COVID-19 tallycrossed the 1 lakh-mark on Wednesday as 318 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said. The new cases have taken the state's caseload to 1,00,224, he said. Four more people have succumbed to the infection, pushing the state's coronavirus death toll to 876, the
official said.
Jharkhand now has 5,474 active cases, while 93,874 people have been cured of the disease so far, he said. The state has tested 22,162 samples for COVID-19 inthe last 24 hours, the official said.
Coronavirus in Russia LIVE Updates | Russia issues nationwide mask requirement amid rapid COVID-19 resurgence
Russian authorities on Tuesday have issued a nationwide mask requirement amid a rapid resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak. Health authorities registered 16,550 new cases and 320 new deaths on Tuesday, the highest daily death toll since the beginning of the pandemic.
Russia's public health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, ordered all Russians to wear masks in crowded public spaces, on public transport, in taxis, at parking lots and in elevators starting on Wednesday.
Coronavirus in Mexico LIVE Updates | Mexico passes 900,000 confirmed coronavirus cases
Mexico's health ministry reported on Tuesday 5,942 additional cases of the novel coronavirus and 643 more deaths in the country, bringing the official number of cases to 901,268 and the death toll to 89,814. Health officials have said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. On Sunday, the ministry said the true death toll from Covid-19 may be around 50,000 higher.
Coronavirus in Meghalaya LIVE updates | Meghalaya's COVID-19 tally rises to 9,136 with 70 more cases
Meghalaya reported 70 freshcoronavirus cases, pushing the tally to 9,136, a senior health official said on Tuesday. With the death of one more person, the state's toll has risen to 82, he said. East Khasi Hills, comprising the state capital, continues to be the worst-affected district with 41 new cases and 802 overall.
Meghalaya now has 1,411 active cases, the official said. A total of 1.98 lakh samples have been tested so far in the northeastern state.
Coronavirus India News LIVE Updates | Kerala, West Bengal and Delhi nearing third peak: NITI Aayog
Despite COVID-19 pandemic showing a declining trend in India, the government said on October 27 that two states and a Union Territory (UT) continue to remain a matter of concern.NITI Aayog (health) member and head of the national task force for COVID-19, VK Paul said, "The pandemic, largely in the northern hemisphere, has struck again in several countries. The third peak has come in the US, Paul said, adding that "becoming a bit lax..slowing down surveillance, containment strategies also must be playing a role".
He said that Kerala, West Bengal and Delhi are proceeding towards a third peak.This is a matter of concern and there can be no complacency in following COVID-19 "appropriate behaviour" in the coming times as more challenges will emerge, Paul said. Read the full story here..
