Coronavirus News Highlights| COVID-19 cases in India cross 96.44 lakh, recovery rate at 94.37%

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1,950 new COVID-19 cases take UP's tally to 5,54,944; death toll 7,924

The COVID-19 death toll in Uttar Pradesh rose to 7,924 on December 6 with 24 new fatalities, while 1,950 fresh cases took the infection tally to 5,54,944, an official statement issued here said. The statement said among the 24 new deaths, five were reported from Lucknow, three from Varanasi and two each from Kanpur and Ayodhya.

Of the fresh COVID-19 cases, 283 were reported from Lucknow followed by 223 from Ghaziabad, 171 from Meerut, 138 from Gautam Buddh Nagar and 108 from Varanasi.

Chhattisgarh on December 6 recorded 1,229 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 2,46,809, a health official said.
With 12 more patients succumbing to the infection, the cumulative toll in the state rose to 2,989, he said.

The number of recoveries mounted to 2,23,772 after 93 people were discharged from various hospitals while 623 patients completed their home isolation during the day.

Delhi records 2,706 fresh cases; positivity rate dips to below 4 per cent

Delhi recorded 2,706 fresh COVID-19 cases on December 6 with the positivity rate dipping to below 4 per cent, authorities said. The positivity rate on Thursday, Friday and Saturday had stood at 4.96 per cent, 4.78 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively.

Twenty more fatalities related to the coronavirus infection took the death toll in Rajasthan to 2,429 on December 6, while 2,089 new cases pushed the infection tally to 2.80 lakh, according to a health department bulletin.
Of the total caseload, 22,427 are under treatment while 2,55,729 people have been discharged after treatment till now, it stated.

In Jaipur, the death toll stood at 455, followed by 253 in Jodhpur, 198 in Ajmer, 163 in Bikaner, 147 in Kota, 113 in Bharatpur, 104 in Udaipur and 95 in Pali.

Kerala''s COVID-19 recoveries on December 6 crossed 5.72 lakh as 5,217 people recuperated from the disease and 4,777 new cases were reported, Health Minister K K Shailaja said. The total virus caseload mounted to 6,36,392 and 60,924 are presently under treatment.

Andhra PradeshCOVID-19 tally reaches 8.71 lakh, 667 new infections

Active coronavirus cases in Andhra Pradesh dropped below the 6,000 mark to 5,910 on Sunday even as 667 were added fresh, taking the gross to 8.71 lakh. In 24 hours ending 9 am on Sunday, 914 patients also recovered while nine others succumbed to COVID-19, the latest bulletin said.

A total of 17 volunteers have been administered Russia''s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine at a Pune hospital as part of the human clinical trials, doctors said on December 6. Sputnik V vaccine has been developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). As per reports, India has purchased 100 million doses of the candidate from Russia.

"Seventeen healthy volunteers were administered Sputnik V vaccine in the last three days as part of human trials," Dr S K Raut, Head of Clinical Research Department of Noble Hospital here, said.

Odisha's COVID-19 tally on December 6 mounted to 3,21,196 after 393 more people tested positive for the infection, while six fresh fatalities pushed the toll to 1,771, a health department official said.
Of the 393 new cases, 229 were reported from various quarantine centres, and the rest detected during contact tracing, the official said.

Khurda district, of which state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, recorded the maximum number of new cases at 49, followed by Sundargarh at 45 and Mayurbhanj at 32.

UK prepares for historic moment' of vaccination against COVID-19

The first 50 National Health Service (NHS) hospitals are gearing up for what the UK government has described as the “biggest immunisation programme in history” as the first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 arrived at “secure locations” in the country from neighbouring Belgium this weekend.

Odisha's COVID-19 tally on Sunday mounted to 3,21,196 after 393 more people tested positive for the infection, while six fresh fatalities pushed the toll to 1,771, a health department official said.
Of the 393 new cases, 229 were reported from various quarantine centres, and the rest detected during contact tracing. Khurda district, of which state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, recorded the maximum number of new cases at 49, followed by Sundargarh at 45 and Mayurbhanj at 32. Two districts, Boudh and Subarnapur, did not report any new case in the last 24 hours, he said. Odisha currently has 4,102 active cases, while as many as 3,15,270 patients have recovered.
According to the official, Khurda reported two fresh casualties, which one each succumbed to the infection in Balasore, Bolangir, Kalahandi and Nuapada districts. Fifty-three COVID-19 patients in the state have died due to comorbidities. The positivity rate in the coastal state stands at 5.23 per cent. Over 61.43 lakh samples have been examined so far, including 41,110 on Saturday, he added. (PTI)

Haryana Minister Anil Vij, who was part of the Covaxin third phase trial and on December 5 announced that he has tested COVID positive, said doctors had informed him about the timelines of the vaccine. Speaking to PTI, Vij said experts “would know better about how the vaccine works.”
“I was told that antibodies start to develop after the second dose, which is administered after 28 days of getting the first shot. And full antibodies are developed 14 days after the second dose is given. So, the complete cycle takes 42 days. In between there is no protection,” he said. Read more here

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