Coronavirus News Highlights: Today is the 315th day since India implemented a nationwide lockdown to help curb the novel coronavirus pandemic. So far, India has recorded 1,07,66,245 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 1,54,486 deaths. A total of 1,04,34,983 people have recuperated from COVID-19 so far. There are 1,63,353 active cases in the country as of date, which comprises 1.52 percent of the total caseload, the data stated. India's recovery rate continues to rise and now stands at 97.05 percent. Globally, over 10 crore people have been infected by the coronavirus and 22.36 lakh have died so far. Many countries, including India, have granted emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines and have started vaccinating healthcare workers and high-risk groups. India's regulator has granted restricted emergency use approval for two vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin. Over 37.5 lakh people have been given their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in India so far.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | First phase of census, NPR updation postponed due to COVID-19: Home Ministry
The first phase of census and updation of NPR have been postponed due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the government told the Lok Sabha on February 2.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the government has decided to conduct Census 2021 under the Census Act, 1948 in two phases - House listing and Housing Census during April-September 2020 and Population Enumeration during February 9 to 28, 2021.
He said it was also decided to update the National Population Register (NPR) under the Citizenship Act, 1955 along with the first phase of the Census.
He added: “Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the first phase of census, updation of NPR and other related field activities have been postponed.” -- ANI
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
The cumulative number of healthcare workers vaccinated against COVID-19 has crossed 41 lakhs on February 2: Union Health Ministry
Coronavirus Vaccine LIVE Updates | Russia will begin Sputnik V vaccine delivery to India soon
“India is a key partner in terms of production of vaccine & we do expect that there will be restricted emergency use order for Sputnik V vaccine this month or next. After that we will be able to start our vaccine delivery to India”: Kirill Dmitriev, Russian Direct Investment Fund, told news agency ANI on February 2.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | South Africa’s virus lockdown helps reduce rhino poaching
The number of rhinos killed in South Africa’s national parks dropped by 33 percent last year, with COVID-19 restrictions helping by reducing movements around the country, the country’s environmental ministry announced on February 1.
According to authorities, 394 rhinoceroses were poached for their horns compared to 594 that were killed in 2019.
“During the COVID hard lockdown period we had a significant reduction in poacher incursions into Kruger National Park,” Minister Barbara Creecy announced in a statement.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Russia records less than 17,000 COVID-19 cases in past 24 hours
Russia’s single-day increase in COVID-19 cases fell below 17,000 for the first time since October 28, 2020, with 16,643 new infections being reported in the past 24 hours, the response centre said on February 2.
“Over the past day, 16,643 coronavirus cases were confirmed across 85 regions, including 1,597 cases (9.6 percent) that were detected actively, with people showing no clinical symptoms,” the centre said, adding that the cumulative case count has now reached 3,884,730 with the rate of increase at 0.43 percent.
Coronavirus Vaccine LIVE Updates | Pfizer-BioNTech to produce 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine in 2021
German pharmaceutical company BioNTech and United States-based pharma giant Pfizer will be increasing their manufacturing capacity to produce two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 in view of a global surge in demand.
BioNTech said: “To respond to an increased global demand, we plan to manufacture two billion doses of our COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 by expanding the previously expected output of 1.3 billion doses by more than 50 percent.”
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Russia's Sputnik V vaccine 91.6% effective in late-stage trial
Russia's Sputnik V vaccine was 91.6% effective in preventing people from developing COVID-19, according to peer-reviewed results from its late-stage clinical trial published in The Lancet international medical journal on February 2.
Scientists said the Phase III trial results meant the world had another effective weapon to fight the deadly pandemic and justified to some extent Moscow's decision to roll out the vaccine before final data had been released.
The results, collated by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow that developed and tested the vaccine, were in line with efficacy data reported at earlier stages of the trial, which has been running in Moscow since September.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Dubai bars shut until Feb end after COVID-19 case surge
Dubai has ordered the closure of bars and pubs until the end of the month to suppress a spike in coronavirus cases after tourists flocked to the emirates over the holiday period.
The closures, effective from February 2, are among a raft of steps “taken in response to rising violations of preventive measures,” authorities said in a statement.
Indoor venues, including cinemas and sports venues, will have their capacity cut by half. Additionally, shopping malls, hotels, swimming pools, and private beaches, will have to operate at 70 percent of capacity, and restaurants and cafes will have to be closed by 1.00 am.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Olympics will happen ‘however coronavirus evolves’: Tokyo 2020 Chief
The pandemic-postponed Olympics will go ahead this summer “however the coronavirus evolves”, Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said on February 2, brushing aside doubts about the event.
“We will certainly go ahead however the coronavirus (pandemic) evolves,” he told a meeting of Olympic organisers and members of Japan's ruling party in Tokyo.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
Classroom teaching in Odisha universities and colleges for 2020-21 pre-Final Year UG/First Year PG students will start from February 10, 2021, the Odisha government announced on February 2.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
Children want to go back to schools and colleges, but parents & teachers are worried. Since vaccines are here, we hope we will be able to open schools soon. We will start the process of nursery admission soon: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | 1500 Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial volunteers received wrong dosage, were not informed
About 1,500 of the initial volunteers in a late-stage clinical trial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine were given the wrong dose but were not informed that a mistake had been made after the blunder was discovered, documents obtained by Reuters show.
Instead, the dosing mishap was presented to the trial participants in a letter dated June 8 as an opportunity for University of Oxford researchers to learn how well the vaccine works at different doses. The letter was signed by the trial’s chief investigator, Oxford professor Andrew J Pollard, and sent to the trial subjects.
As Reuters reported on December 24, participants were given about a half dose due to a measuring mistake by Oxford researchers. The Pollard letter did not acknowledge any error. Nor did it disclose that researchers had reported the issue to British medical regulators, who then told Oxford to add another test group to receive the full dose, in line with the trial’s original plan.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates |
At 62.18%, Southwest Delhi district reported maximum seroprevalence, North Delhi (49.09 %) lowest, says Health Minister Satyendar Jain
Coronavirus in Delhi LIVE Updates |
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jainsaid the number of COVID-19 cases, fatalities and hospital admissions have declined significantly, but insisted that people continue to use masks for a few more months and maintain "COVID-19-appropriate behaviour".
Coronavirus in Delhi LIVE Updates |
The Delhi government conducted the fifth serological survey — the largest till now — to get an idea about the percentage of the population with antibodies against COVID-19, before the vaccination drive. The survey report said that 56 percent of the over 28,000 people whose blood samples were collected in January during a serological survey have developed antibodies against COVID-19, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain.The highest percentage of antibodies was 62 percent in the South East district, Jain said.
Coronavirus in Arunachal Pradesh LIVE Updates | No new COVID-19 case in Arunachal for 2 days
Arunachal Pradesh did not report any fresh COVID-19 case in the last two days, a senior health department official said today. The total coronavirus caseload in the northeastern state is 16,828, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Lobsang Jampa said. A total of 16,762 people have recovered from the disease so far, he said. Arunachal Pradesh currently has only 10 active COVID-19 cases, while 56 people have succumbed to the infection so far. The recovery rate in the state has touched 99.6 percent, while the positivity stands at 0.05 percent and the fatality rate at 0.33 percent, the official said. (PTI)
Coronavirus in Delhi LIVE Updates | Satisfied with Delhi govt order to reduce ICU beds reservation to 25% for COVID-19 patients: Hospitals to Delhi HC
A healthcare providers' association told the Delhi High Court today that various private hospitals, which were earlier asked to reserve 80 percent ICU beds for COVID-19 patients, were satisfied with the Delhi government's recent decision to reduce the number to 25 percent. Justice Navin Chawla was informed by the counsel for the Association of Healthcare Providers that he has instructions to withdraw the petition seeking quashing of the government's September 12, 2020 order to reserve 80 percent ICU beds for COVID-19 patients in 33 private hospitals which are its members. (PTI)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | COVID-19 travel restrictions: Less than 3 million foreign tourists visited India in 2020, says govt
Less than three million foreign tourists visited India in 2020, a dip of around 75 percent as compared to the previous year, due to travel restrictions imposed to control the coronavirus pandemic, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.Tourism MinisterPrahladPatel said that while in 2019, the number of foreign tourist arrivals was 10.93 million, the number stood at 10.56 million in 2018. It was in 2017 that foreign tourist arrivals crossed the 10 million-mark. There were 10.4 million arrivals in that year, he said in a written reply inRajyaSabha.Last year, foreign tourist arrivals stood at 2.68 million and "no formal study has been instituted for assessment of loss of revenue in 2020", Patel said."However, several rounds of discussions and brainstorming sessions with industry stakeholders indicate massive loss of revenue, foreign exchange and jobs. In view of the highlyunorganisednature of the sector, the impact in numerical terms can only be ascertained in due course," the minister said."With an aim to incentivize stakeholders in the tourism industry, the guidelines for the scheme of Market Development Assistance (MDA) for providing financial support to stakeholders for the promotion of domestic tourism have been modified to enhance the scope and reach of the scheme, so as to provide maximum benefits to the stakeholders," Patel told the House.In addition, promotional activities have been incorporated including online promotions and the extent of financial assistance permissible has been enhanced, he said.Tourism departments of states and union territories are also now eligible for obtaining financial support under the scheme, Patel said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Union Health Minister in a written reply in Parliament:
162 doctors, 107 nurses & 44ASHAworkers died due to COVID-19 in the country till January22.
Coronavirus in United States LIVE Updates | US promises undocumented migrants equal access to COVID-19 vaccines
The US government has promised undocumented migrants the same access to COVID-19 vaccines as other civilians, and said inoculation centres would be immigration enforcement-free zones. The announcement marked the latest in a series of moves by US President Joe Biden to reverse the hardline strategy on immigration adopted by his predecessor Donald Trump. (Reuters)
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | India's COVID-related deaths per million higher than South Asian nations due to multiple factors: Govt
Multiple factors may have contributed to India reporting higher COVID-19 related deaths per million population than other South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the government said today. According to Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey comparison of deaths per million may not be apt as there are factors such as varied geography, case definitions, surveillance, testing and reporting protocols. (PTI)
Coronavirus in United Kingdom LIVE Updates | UK begins door-to-door testing of 80,000 people as new COVID variants spread
Britain begins door-to-door COVID-19 testing of 80,000 people today in a bid to stem the spread of a new highly infectious so-called South African variant of the novel coronavirus. To contain the new outbreaks, residents in eight areas of the country will now be tested whether or not they are showing symptoms, a process known as "surge testing". (Reuters)
Coronavirus in Tanzania LIVE Updates | Tanzania says no plans in place to accept COVID-19 vaccines
Tanzania's health ministry says it has no plans in place to accept COVID-19 vaccines, just days after the president of the country of 60 million people expressed doubt about the vaccines without offering evidence. Health Minister Dorothy Gwajima told a press conference in the capital, Dodoma, yesterday that the ministry has no plans to receive vaccines for COVID-19. Any vaccines must receive ministry approval. It is not clear when any vaccines might arrive, though Tanzania is eligible for the COVAX global effort aimed at delivering doses to low- and middle-income countries. The health minister insisted Tanzania is safe. (AP)
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates |
As many as 8,635 new cases of novel coronavirus were reported, with India’s total COVID-19 cases now above 1.07 crore, as per the health ministry’s February 2 update. New cases lowest in 8 months, since June 2, 2020. India reported 94 new deaths (lowest since May 12, 2020) and 13,423 new recoveries in the last 24 hours, the latest release show. Active cases drop to 1,63,353 with a fall of 4,882 cases on February 2.
Read more | COVID-19 cases explained in charts
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Centre to depute teams to Kerala, Maharashtra for COVID-19 management support
The Union Health Ministry has decided to depute two multi-disciplinary teams to Kerala and Maharashtra, which are contributing to almost 70 percent of total COVID-19 active cases, to collaborate with state health authorities in instituting public health measures for virus management. At a time when almost all states and union territories are showing a declining trend in the number of cases and deaths due to COVID-19, Kerala and Maharashtra continue to report a large number of cases, the ministry said. (PTI)
Coronavirus in United States LIVE Updates |
Chicago Public Schools and the city's teachers union said progress was made yesterday in talks on a COVID-19 safety plan, putting on hold a threatened confrontation over the district's plan to resume in-person classes for thousands of students. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Janice Jackson said in a joint statement that the two sides secured an agreement on one issue and made substantial progress on the framework that addresses the remaining issues. As a result, teachers will not be locked out from their online systems and all students will remain virtual on Tuesday and Wednesday, the statement said. (Reuters)
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates |
The COVID-19 active caseload remained below two lakh for the 14th consecutive day. There are 1,63,353 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprise 1.52 percent of the total caseload, according to Union health ministry data updated today.
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates |
The number of people who have recuperated from COVID-19 in India surged to 1,04,48,406 pushing the national recovery rate to 97.05 percent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate has dropped to 1.43 percent.
Coronavirus in Telangana LIVE Updates | Telangana records 152 new cases, 1 death
Telangana added 152 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total infection count to over 2.94 lakhwhile one fatality pushed the toll to 1,602. The total number of cases stood at 2,94,739 while recoveries were at 2,91,115. The case fatality rate in the state was 0.54 percent, while it was 1.4 percent at the national level.The recovery rate in Telangana was 98.77 percent, while it was 97 percent in the country. (PTI)
Coronavirus in United States LIVE Updates | Many US nursing home staff decline first COVID shots
A little more than a third of nursing home workers have been getting COVID-19 vaccines when the shots are first offered, US health officials have said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave a national accounting of a problem that's been reported anecdotally many nursing home workers are not getting the shots. The CDC looked at more than 11,000 nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities that had at least one vaccination clinic between the middle of December and the middle of January. The researchers found that while 78% of residents got at least one shot, only 37.5% of staff members did. (AP)
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | JUST IN
Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in India have risen to 1,07,66,245, according to the latest update from the Union Health Ministry. This number includes cases involving foreign nationals, patients who have recovered and the death toll.
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | JUST IN:
As many as 1,04,48,406 COVID-19 patients have been cured and discharged so far, the Union Health Ministry has said in its latest update.
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | JUST IN:
The reported active COVID-19 cases in India stand at 1,63,353, according to the Union Health Ministry.
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | JUST IN:
The death toll in India due to the novel coronavirus pandemic has risen to 1,54,486, the Union Health Ministry has said.
Coronavirus in Maharashtra LIVE Updates | Thane's COVID-19 count rises by 215, death toll by 3
Thane has added 215 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the Maharashtradistrict to 2,54,104, an official said today. Three more deaths due to COVID-19 were also reported on the day, taking the toll in the district to 6,158, he said. Currently, the COVID-19 fatality rate in the districtis 2.42 percent, the official said. (PTI)
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates |
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 19,77,52,057 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to February 1 with 6,59,422 samples being tested on Monday.
Coronavirus in United States LIVE Updates | Biden, Harris meet 10 Republican senators on $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have held a meeting with a group of 10 Republican senators to discuss the $1.9 trillion relief package for Americans affected by COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed over 443,000 lives and infected more than 26 million people in the country. The meeting held yesterday in the Oval Office of the White House lasted for about two hours, but ended on an inconclusive note. (PTI)
Coronavirus in China LIVE Updates | WHO-led COVID-19 probe team in China visits animal health facility
A team of investigators led by the World Health Organization (WHO) arrived today at an animal health facility in China's central city of Wuhan in the search for clues about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The independent team has already visited key hospitals, the regional disease control centre and the city's Huanan seafood market, where the first cluster of infections was believed to have originated late in 2019. The trip was going "really well, excellent," one of its members, Peter Daszak, president of the EcoHealth Alliance, told Reuters today, responding to a query just before entering the animal health centre.
Coronavirus Vaccine LIVE Updates |
As many as 5,700 people were administered the COVID-19 vaccine in Himachal Pradesh yesterday, taking the number of those who have received the jabs so far in the state to 33,452, a senior health official said. A total of 7,614 health workers were to be administered the vaccine across 85 sessions the day, out of which 5,700 could be given the jabs which is 75 percent coverage, he said. (PTI)
Coronavirus in West Bengal LIVE Updates | Bengal reports 179 new COVID-19 cases, 6 more deaths
West Bengal reported 179 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, while six more people died, according to the Health Department. The state has so far reported 10,179 fatalities and5,70,177 cases. The state's discharged rate is currently at 97.26 percent with 306 recoveries in the last 24 hours. So far, 5,54,578 people have recovered from COVID-19in West Bengal. There are 5,420 active cases in the state at present. (PTI)
Coronavirus Vaccine LIVE Updates |
A total of 40,782 healthcare staffers were administeredCOVID-19 vaccines at 531 centres held on February 1 across Maharashtra, taking the tally of those inoculated so far to more than 3 lakh, the state government said. According to an official statement, 40,311 of the beneficiaries were administered theCovishield vaccine. The remaining 471 beneficiaries received the Covaxin jabs, the government said. (PTI)
Coronavirus in Karnataka LIVE Updates | Karnataka reports 388 new COVID-19 cases, three deaths
Karnataka logged 388 new COVID-19 cases and three related fatalities, taking the total infection count to 9,39,775 and the toll to 12,220, the health department said yesterday. The day also saw 470 patients getting discharged after recovery. Cumulatively 9,39,775 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 12,220 deaths and 9,21,592 discharges, the Health department said in a bulletin. Of the 5,944 active cases, 5,799 patients are stable andin isolation at designated hospitals, while 145 are in Intensive Care Units. (PTI)
Coronavirus in Chhattisgarh LIVE Updates | 322 new COVID-19 cases in Chhattisgarh, 5 deaths
Chhattisgarh's COVID-19 tally mounted to 3,05,689 yesterday with the addition of 322 freshcases, while five fatalities pushed the toll to 3,706, a health official said. The number of recoveries reached 2,97,859 after 58 people were discharged from hospitals while 462 otherscompleted their home isolation period in the day, leaving the state with 4,124 active cases, he said. (PTI)
Hello and welcome to Moneycontrol’s LIVE coverage of the novel coronavirus pandemic and its socio-economic impact.
The COVID-19 outbreak has spread across 191 countries and territories. Today is the 315th day since India implemented a nationwide lockdown.
Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for the latest updates through the day.
