Coronavirus News Highlights: Today is the 354th day since India implemented a nationwide lockdown to help curb the novel coronavirus pandemic. India on Sunday recorded 25,320 COVID-19 infections, the highest daily rise in 84 days, taking the case tally to 1,13,59,048,according to Union health ministry data. As many as 26,624 new infections were recorded on December 20. The death toll increased to 1,58,607 on Sunday with 161 new fatalities, the highest in 44 days, the data updated at 8 am showed. The country's active caseload increased to 2,10,544 and constitutes1.85 percent of the total infections. The recovery rate dropped to 96.75 percent from 96.82 percent on Saturday. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,09,89,897, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.40 percent, the data stated. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 22,67,03,641 samples had been tested up to March 13 with 8,64,368 being tested on Saturday. Globally, more than 11.94 crore people have been infected by the coronavirus and 26.47 lakh have died so far. India has begun the second phase of the vaccination drive in which everyone above 60 years of age and those over 45 years with comorbidities will be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine. India's regulator has granted restricted emergency use approval for two vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin. The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India has crossed 2.82 crore, according to the Union Health Ministry.
Italy’s northern Piedmont region on Sunday suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after the death of a teacher who had received it the day before, the regional health authority said.
The woman, whose age has not been disclosed, died Sunday at Biella, a town north of Turin.
“This is an extreme precautionary measure while waiting to see if there exists a causal link between the vaccination and the death,” said a statement from regional health advisor Luigi Genesio Icardi.
Elon Musk-owned Tesla factory in the state of California saw 450 COVID-19 cases till December 2020 after it shut and then reopened the plant defying the public health order.
A Canadian public health authority has ordered retail and e-commerce behemoth Amazon to shut one of its fulfillment centres owing to an increase in COVID-19 caseload.
Passengers coming from Maharashtra will undergo thermal screening & will have to undergo in 7 days of mandatory quarantine: Madhya Pradesh government
Palestinian authorities have announced a decision to extend the full lockdown on the West Bank for five more days, starting March 15 onwards, amid increasing daily COVID-19 cases and deaths.
A security guard at a Sydney quarantine hotel has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, despite having already received the first jab of a COVID-19 vaccine, ending the 55-day streak of zero locally acquired cases in New South Wales.
With 16,620 fresh COVID-19 cases being logged in the past 24 hours, Maharashtra reported its highest single-day spike in coronavirus infections in 2021. The state’s total tally now is 23,14,413. The tally of cured COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra reached 21,34,072 after 8,861 patients got discharged on March 14, taking the recovery rate to 92.21 percent.
Amid the ongoing third wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan, a major lockdown will be imposed in seven cities in Punjab province starting from Marc 15 onwards.
A team of researchers has found a visual correlation between the severity of COVID-19 in the lungs using CT scans and the severity of effects on patient’s brains using MRI scans.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on March 14 that additional funding will be provided to extend the COVID-19 health response until at least the end of 2021.
With 1,963 new cases and seven deaths, Mumbai’s tally reached 3,43,692 cases and 11,535 fatalities.
Maharashtra reported 16,620 new COVID-19 cases and 50 related deaths in the past 24 hours taking the state’s tally to 2,314,413 cases and 52,861 deaths.
Using gamma oryzanol -- a powerful antioxidant -- in supplement form on COVID-19 patients with obesity can significantly prevent cytokine storm in them and thereby safeguard them from negative clinical outcomes, health experts said on March 14.
