Coronavirus News Highlights: Today is the 295th day since India implemented a nationwide lockdown to help curb the novel coronavirus pandemic. India added 15,968 new cases to its COVID-19 tally in the last 24 hours taking the total cases to 1,04,95,147, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. With 17,817 more discharges, the cumulative recoveries reached 1,01,29,111. As many as 202 deaths were also reported in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 1,51,529. According to the Ministry of Health, India has 2,14,507 active COVID-19 cases currently. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 18,34,89,114 samples were tested for COVID-19 up to January 12 including 8,36,227 samples tested yesterday. With 729 new COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths being reported on Tuesday, Chhattisgarh's caseload rose to 2,90,813 and the death toll to 3,517, a health official said. The COVID-19 recovery rate in West Bengal rose to 96.91 per cent on Tuesday after 879 more people were discharged from various hospitals in the state, the health department said. The toll increased to 9,975 after 18 fatalities were registered in Bengal, the department said in its bulletin. Globally, more than 9.15 crore people have been infected by the coronavirus and 19.59 lakh have died so far. Many countries have granted emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines and have started the process of vaccinating healthcare workers and high-risk groups. India's regulator has granted restricted emergency use approval for two vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | English cricketer Moeen Ali infected with new UK strain of COVID-19
England's Moeen Ali is infected with the new UK variant of the coronavirus, Sri Lankan authorities said Wednesday, after the cricketer tested positive for Covid-19 on his arrival in the country 10 days ago. Deputy Chief Epidemiologist Hemantha Herath told reporters in Colombo that the 33-year-old England all-rounder was Sri Lanka's first case of the UK strain, which is believed to be more transmissible. The health ministry said extra precautions were ordered to ensure Moeen did not spread the new variant in the country -- which is battling an upsurge in infections -- but did not elaborate on what they were.
Coronavirus Vaccine LIVE Updates | Bolivia inks deal with Serum Institute for 5 million doses of Covishield
The Bolivian government said on January 13 that it has signed a contract with the Serum Institute of India for the supply of five million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine Covishield. Bolivian President Luis Arce said that combined with another recent deal to buy Sputnik V vaccine dosages from Russia, the country can now expect to inoculate all of its vaccinable population.
Coronavirus Vaccine LIVE Updates |
Let me congratulate India on very effective governance in the field of vaccination and how generally India has been tackling COVID-19 crisis. With its pharmaceutical production capacity, the entire world is seeking opportunities here in India: Katrin Kivi, Estonian Envoy to India
Coronavirus in Kerala LIVE Updates
|Kerala reports 6,004 new COVID-19cases and 5,158 recoveries today. Total recoveries: 7,56,817, Active cases: at 65,373.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Health Ministry:
Full initial procurement amount of 1.65 cr doses ofCovishield&Covaxinvaccines have been allocated to all States/UTs in proportion of Health Care Workers database.Therefore, there is no question of discrimination against any State in allocation of vaccine doses.This is the initial lot of supply of vaccine doses and would be continuously replenished in the weeks to come. Therefore, any apprehension being expressed on account of deficient supply is totally baseless and unfounded.States have been advised to organize vaccination sessions taking into account 10% reserve/wastage doses & average of 100 vaccinations/session/day. Therefore, any undue haste on the parts of States to organize unreasonable numbers of vaccination per site per day is not advised.The States & UTs have also been advised to increase the number of vaccination session sites that would be operational every day in a progressive manner as the vaccination process stabilizes and moves forward.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia to start mass vaccinations next week
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday tasked officials with launching mass coronavirus vaccinations from next week, touting Russia's homemade jab as the world's best."I ask you to begin the mass vaccination of the entire population next week," Putin told officials at a televised government meeting."The Russian vaccine is the best in the world," he said.Russia in August registered Sputnik V -- named after the Soviet-era satellite -- months ahead of Western competitors and before the start of large-scale clinical trials."Thank God our vaccine does not require extreme conditions during transportation," Putin said."This is much simpler and more effective," he added, referring to Western-made jabs.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Philippines reports first imported case of new coronavirus variant
The Philippines has detected its first case of the highly contagious variant of the coronavirus first found in Britain, in a Filipino who had travelled from the United Arab Emirates, the health department said on Wednesday. The individual was quarantined on arrival, the department said. The government has temporarily banned flights from Britain and other countries where community transmission of the new COVID-19 variant has taken place.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Goa records 96 new COVID-19 cases; 78 recoveries
Goa's coronavirus caseload rose to 52,079, after 96 persons tested positive for the infection on Wednesday, an official from the health department said.At least 78 patients were discharged from various hospitals, while one died of the infection during the day, the official said.This has taken the number of recoveries in the coastal state to 50,515 and the toll has reached 750, he said.There are currently 814 active cases in the state, the official said.With the addition of 1,942 samples tested in the day, the total number of tests conducted in the state has gone up to 4,21,490, he added.Goa's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 52,079, new cases 96, death toll 750, discharged 50,515, active cases 814, samples tested till date 4,21,490. (PTI)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Uttar Pradesh records 487 fresh COVID-19 cases, 15 more deaths
Uttar Pradesh recorded 487 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday which took its tally to 5,94,641 while 15 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 8,529.This is the first time in almost seven months that the state has reported less than 500 infections in a day, said Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad.The number of active cases in the state stands at 10,132. Of these, 3,746 are in home isolation, 1,010 are undergoing treatment in private hospitals, and the remaining are being treated in government facilities, he said.So far, 5,75,980 people have recovered from the infection and been discharged from hospitals. The recovery rate of the state stands at 96.86 per cent, he added.There have been 8,529 deaths due to COVID-19, Prasad said.So far, over 2.57 crore tests have been done in the state, with over 1.38 lakh conducted on Tuesday alone, he said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Jordan launches Covid vaccination campaign
Jordan launched a Covid-19 vaccination campaign on Wednesday, beginning with jabs for healthcare workers, people with chronic illnesses and those over the age of 60.The kingdom said on Saturday that it had granted an "emergency licence" for the use of China's Sinopharm vaccine, the second vaccine it approved after the US-German Pfizer-BioNTech.The first injections were given at hospitals and other healthcare facilities,after the authorities designated 29 vaccination centres across Jordan, including seven in the capital Amman.Wael Hayajneh, head of the epidemics and communicable diseases deaprtment at the health ministry, said Jordan was among the "first 40 countries to be vaccinated" against the novel coronavirus."I advise everyone to take the vaccine as it is the only trusted solution to end the coronavirus," Doctor Etimad al-Khawaja told AFP after getting a shot."The health situation in Jordan will not get better unless we all get vaccinated."
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Mumbai airport delivers 2,74,400 doses of Covishield vaccine to 22 cities
The Mumbai airport on Wednesday said it is facilitating the delivery of about 2,72,400 doses of the Covishield vaccine to 22 domestic destinations on the first of commencement of flights carrying COVID-19 vaccines from the city.Earlier in the day, the country's second busiest airport commenced transportation of the vaccines with low-cost carrier GoAir's first flight to Goa.This came a day after a massive pan-India inoculation drive against COVID-19 was set in process with more than 56 lakh doses of the Covishield vaccine leaving Pune for 13 cities across the country.The vaccinations are scheduled to begin on January 16.As part of the momentous mission, CSMIA will facilitate the distribution of a total of 227 boxes containing about 2,72,400 doses of the vaccine, the private airport operator said in a statement on Wednesday.These shipments are being carried out by SpiceJet, IndiGo, GoAir and Vistara. These will be delivered to Goa, Bagdogra, Rajkot, Ranchi, Imphal, Agartala, Cochin, Bhopal, Kanpur, Jammu, Srinagar, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Gorakhpur, Raipur, Dehradun, Varanasi, Indore, Trivandrum and Jabalpur, it said.The first vaccine shipment departed from the airport at 5:20 am to Goa through GoAir carrying two boxes of the vaccine, followed by a flight to Rajkot at 6:00 am, which carried seven boxes of the vaccines and was operated by SpiceJet, CSMIA said.The Mumbai airport has facilities such as Asia's largest temperature-controlled export pharma excellence centre and pharma-dedicated import cold zone, and a first-of-its-kind ''cooltainer'' facility, it said.Additionally, it has an exclusive station dealing with storage and maintenance of both e-type, and t-type active containers that help facilitate the seamless distribution of vaccines across India.The airport has placed a well-defined process for the faster turnaround of COVID-19 vaccine EXIM and transhipment movements, CSMIA said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Japan expands COVID state of emergency as people cool to holding Summer Olympics
Japan expanded a state of emergency in the Tokyo area to seven more prefectures on Wednesday amid a steady rise in COVID-19 cases as a survey by public broadcaster NHK showed most people want to cancel or postpone the already delayed Summer Olympics.The governors of Osaka, Kyoto and other hard-hit prefectures asked the government to announce the emergency, which gives local authorities the legal basis to curb movement and business.Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has been wary about taking measures that would hamper economic activity, while he has put on a brave face against the mounting challenges of hosting the Olympics, delayed from 2020, in Tokyo.
"A declaration of a state of emergency is a powerful means, based on the law, for tackling the spread of infections, but it also places big restrictions on people's lives," Suga told a news conference."A very careful decision is therefore required of the government," he said. "A very careful decision is therefore required of the government," he said.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | UAE Daily Coronavirus Cases Cross 3,000 as authorities push vaccine
The daily number of COVID-19 cases in the United Arab Emirates crossed the 3,000 threshold for the first time this week as authorities in the Middle East’s business and tourism hub urged people to accept vaccinations.The health ministry late on Tuesday reported 3,243 new daily infections and six deaths. That was the highest in the Gulf Arab region where daily cases in each of the other five states have fallen below 500. The surge in infections in the UAE, an international travel hub, prompted Britain to remove the country from its travel corridors list on Tuesday.Most coronavirus restrictions have been lifted in the UAE, but social distancing and mask-wearing in public are still required. Visitors have flocked to Dubai during its peak winter tourism season as other countries impose new lockdowns.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | US to require negative COVID-19 tests for arriving international air passengers
Nearly all air travelers will need to present a negative coronavirus test to enter the United States under expanded test testing requirements announced on Tuesday.Under the rules taking effect January 26, nearly all travelers including US citizens must show a negative test within three days of departure or documentation of recovery from COVID-19, under an order signed by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Transported 3.5 tonnes of COVID-19 vaccines to 11 cities on Wednesday: SpiceJet
SpiceJet said it transported 3.5 tonnes of COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday from Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad to 11 cities across the country.The movement of COVID-19 vaccines began on Tuesday morning. The shots will be used in the vaccination drive beginning Saturday."On January 13, 2021, SpiceJet shipped 111 boxes of Covid-19 vaccine, weighing 3.5 tonnes from Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad to 11 cities including Bagdogra, Dehradun, Srinagar, Jammu, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Jabalpur, Ranchi, Rajkot, Delhi and Bengaluru," the airline said in a statement.The carrier said its freighter flight SG7555 operating from Hyderabad to Bengaluru took-off at 8.50 AM on Wednesday with a consignment of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin weighing 90 kg. It landed in Bengaluru at 10.23 am."From Mumbai, SpiceJet carried 74 boxes of Serum Institute of India's (SII's) Covishield vaccine to various cities including two to Bagdogra, 10 to Dehradun, seven to Srinagar, six to Jammu, six to Kanpur, nine to Gorakhpur, 13 to Jabalpur, 14 to Ranchi & seven to Rajkot," it noted.From Pune, SpiceJet carried 34 boxes of Covishield to Delhi on Wednesday."This follows the successful shipment of 4 million doses of Covishield by SpiceJet on January 12," it noted.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu:
There are 1 crore 60 lakh health care workers in Punjab. We have received 2.04 lakh doses of the vaccine. All those who register on our portal will be given the vaccine for free.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Malaysia To Study Sinovac Clinical Trial Data Before Approving Vaccine
Malaysia, which is negotiating supplies of a COVID-19 vaccine with China’sSinovacBiotech, will only go ahead with procurement if it satisfies the safety and efficacy standards of local regulators, a minister said on Wednesday.Brazil has triggered concerns overSinovac’svaccine, after clinical trials found that it was only 50.4% effective at preventing symptomatic infections.The findings were released just as Indonesia rolled out one of the world’s biggest coronavirus vaccination campaigns on Wednesday, with PresidentJokoWidodobeing the first to be inoculated withSinovac’sCoronaVacvaccine.Malaysia will first reviewSinovac’sclinical data before deciding, Science, Technology and Innovation MinisterKhairyJamaluddinsaid on Twitter.“If we are not satisfied with the safety and efficacy, we will not go through with the procurement,”Khairysaid.On Tuesday, Malaysia’sPharmaniagaBhdsigned a deal withSinovacto purchase 14 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and later to manufacture it domestically.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Vistara joins COVID-19 vaccine transportation drive, carries shipments to various destinations
Vistara, a joint venture airline of the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, also joined the COVID-19 vaccine transportation drive in the country on Wednesday, carrying multiple shipments to various destinations including a flight to Varanasi from Mumbai.Vistarais actively participating in transportation of COVID-19 vaccines and collaborating with the government approved suppliers, the Delhi-based airline said in a statement.As part of this, the airline carried multiple shipments of the vaccines on various routes on Wednesday, it said.According toVistara, it airlifted four boxes (weighing 90.5 kg) ofCovaxin, the indigenous coronavirus vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech, to Delhi from Hyderabad on its flight UK 860.Vistaraalso operated a flight to Varanasi, which transported 16 boxes (weighing 512 kg) ofCovishieldfrom Mumbai'sChhatrapatiShivajiMaharajInternational Airport on Wednesday, it said.Covishieldis developed by Oxford University and British-Swedish companyAstraZenecaand manufactured by Pune-basedpharmafirm Serum Institute of India (SII).
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Maharashtra: Over 64,000 vaccine doses reach Aurangabad
The first consignment of 64,460 doses ofCovishieldvaccine reached the storage facility in Aurangabad inMarathwadaregion of Maharashtra on Wednesday, officials said.This storage facility will cater to districts ofJalna,Hingoli, andParbhani, besides Aurangabad, an official toldPTI."We have received 64,460 doses of the vaccine from theSIIin Pune. (Some) Doses were dispatched toJalna,HingoliandParbhanifrom Aurangabad," he said, adding that a refrigerated van has left forLatur.The vaccine doses were stored at the Health and Family Welfare department's building in Aurangabad."The central storage unit in Aurangabad currently has the capacity to store 10 lakh doses of vaccines. We are planning to double this capacity soon," the official said.Aurangabad district collector SunilChavantold reporters that vaccination will begin at 18 centers here from January 16.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Muktesh Chander, Special CP operations
:We've strength of over 80,000 Delhi Police personnel. 70% data has been uploaded on CoWIN portal, rest will be uploaded today. People over 50 yrs of age will be given priority. They'd receive COVID-19vaccination date, time ¢revia SMS.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Italy's Health Minister Roberto Speranza: Italy to extend COVID state of emergency to end of April
Italy's Health Minister RobertoSperanzasaid on Wednesday the government will extend the country's COVID-19 state of emergency to the end of April, as infections currently show no sign of abating.The state of emergency, which was to expire at the end of January, gives greater powers to central government, making it easier for officials to bypass the bureaucracy that smothers much decision-making in Italy."The government sees it appropriate to extend to April 30 the state of emergency. There has been a dramatic rise in the risk index,"Speranzatold the lower house of parliament.Italy has registered 79,819 COVID-19 deaths since its outbreak came to light on Feb. 21, the second-highest toll in Europe and the sixth-highest in the world. The country has also reported 2.303 million cases to date. (Reuters)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Thane division receives 1.03 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine
Maharashtra's Thane division received the first lot of 1.03 lakh doses ofCovishieldvaccine on Wednesday, a senior district official said.The first lot of the vaccine arrived in the district in the early hours of the day and has been stored at the office of the deputy director of health here, collector RajeshNarvekarsaid.A total of 1.03 lakh doses of the vaccine have been sent for Thane division, which includes Thane,Raigad,RatnagiriandPalghardistricts.Of these, 74,000 doses have been earmarked for Thane district, and will be further distributed to 29 vaccinationcentres, the collector stated in a release.Deputy director DrGauriRathod, civil surgeon DrKailasPawarand district health officer DrManishRengewill coordinate for the vaccination drive, it was stated. (PTI)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Senior VP of Municipal Corporation Teachers' Association, Delhi:
We haven't been paid for the past 5 months. We have doneCOVIDduties as of now. Going forward, we appeal to the govt to pay our dues. Else we won't help and get ourselves vaccinated during the vaccination drive.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Directorate of Education
: Delhi govt allows schools to reopen for Classes 10, 12 from Jan 18.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Bharat Biotech air-ships Covaxin to 11 cities on Tuesday
Bharat Biotech on Wednesday said it successfully air-shipped its COVID-19 vaccine,Covaxin, to 11 cities across the country on Tuesday.The Hyderabad-based vaccine major said it has donated 16.5 lakh doses to the Government of India."After having received the government purchase order for 55 lakh doses, the company shipped the first batch of vaccines (each vial containing 20 doses)," Bharat Biotech said in a statement.It added that the vaccine have been sent toGanavaram,Guwahati, Patna, Delhi,Kurukshetra,Bengaluru, Pune,Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Chennai and Lucknow.On Wednesday, the company also inked a pact withPrecisaMedicamentos, a Brazilian company, to supply the COVID-19 vaccine candidate to the Latin American country.Covaxinhas been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology.The Covid-19 vaccine has been developed and manufactured in Hyderabad-based bio-containment facility.Earlier, this month, India's drugs regulatorDCGIapproved the Oxford COVID-19 vaccineCovishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and indigenously-developedCovaxin, for restricted emergency use in the country.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Manish Tewari:
Either govt shouldn't roll out Covaxin till its efficacy & reliability is completely established & phase 3 trials are over. It should act in a manner whereby there's complete confidence in people. You can't use rollout as phase 3 trial, Indians are not guinea pigs.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates | CM Arvind Kejriwal:
I request everyone to not spread misinformation aboutCovid-19 Vaccine. I had appealed to Central govt thatCOVIDvaccination should be provided free of cost to all. If Centre does not do it and a need arises, the vaccine will be provided for free to people of Delhi.
Coronavirus Live updates | First batch of 94,000 doses of Covishield vaccine reaches MP
The first consignment of about 94,000 doses of theCovishieldvaccine reached the Bhopal airport inMadhyaPradesh on Wednesday, a state government official said.The batch of the vaccine doses arrived at the RajaBhojAirport in a scheduled flight from Mumbai, said the official of the Public Relations Department."About 94,000 vials of the vaccine in different boxes have arrived in Bhopal," he said.
Hesaid the insulated van of the state Health department transported these boxes of the doses to the State Vaccine Centre.These doses would be dispatched to eight districts from Bhopal under the supervision of officials, the official said.Medical Education MinisterVishvasSaranginspected the arrangements made at the vaccinecentre, he said.According to officials, about five lakh health and frontline workers will be administered the shots in the first phase of the inoculation drive beginning January 16.The dispatch of of theCovishieldvaccine began on early Tuesday from the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII).As on January 12,MadhyaPradesh''s COVID-19 case tally stood at 2,49,553, as perthe state government.
Coronavirus Live updates: Second COVID vaccine consignment arrives in Odisha
Odisha received the second consignment of COVID vaccine on Wednesday as a special plane carrying 20,000 vials of indigenously developed ''Covaxin'' arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here, an official said. The state had received its first consignment of COVID vaccine on Tuesday when 40,822 vials of ''Covishield'', manufactured by Pune''s Serum Institute of India, arrived on a special flight.
The vials of Covaxin, manufactured in Hyderabad by Bharat Biotech and ICMR, were transported to the State Vaccine Store here amid tight security, he said. Covaxin will be administered to people in the state capital and Covishield in the districts, the official said. If more Covaxin doses are available, those will be administered to people in other urban areas, he said.
The first consignment of Covishield comprising 4.08 lakh doses will be dispatched to all the districts within 48 hours before the launch of the vaccination drive on January 16, the official said. Vaccines have already reached Cuttack, Puri and Nayagarh districts and special vehicles with police escorts have been lined up for transportation of the vials to all the 162 vaccination centres.
Coronavirus Live updates: Odisha reports 210 new COVID-19 cases, 1 fresh fatality
Odisha's COVID-19 tally mounted to 3,32,541 on Wednesday as 210 more people tested positive for infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the state''s coronavirus death toll to 1,895, a health official said. As many as 122 new cases were reported in quarantine centres, while 88 infections were detected during contact tracing, he said.
Sundergarh district reported the highest number of new cases at 30, followed by Angul (24) and Sambalpur (16), the official said. "Regret to inform the demise of a 70-year-old male COVID positive patient of Bhubaneswar who was also suffering from Diabetes Mellitus & Hypertension," the health department tweeted. Fifty-three coronavirus patients have died due to comorbidities so far.
Khurda district, under which Bhubaneswar falls, has so far reported the highest number of coronavirus fatalities at 331, followed by Ganjam (248) and Sundergarh (169). Odisha now has 2,141 active cases, while 3,28,452 people have recovered from the disease so far. The state has so far tested over 72.16 lakh samples for COVID-19, including 31,952 on Tuesday.
Coronavirus Live updates: COVID-19 norms violators fined Rs 3.63 cr in 4 days in Gujarat
Gujarat police have collected fines worth Rs 3.63 crore between January 8 and 11 from people violating the mask rule for COVID-19 prevention and those spitting in public, officials said on Wednesday. The fine for not wearing a mask in public places in the state is Rs 1,000. On an average, around 9,000 people were fined every day from January 8 to 11 for the COVID-19 related violations in Gujarat, the state police said in a release.
"A penalty of Rs 3.63 crore was collected in the four days from 36,510 people who were found moving out without mask or spitting in public," the police said. As many as 1,763 FIRs under Indian Penal Code Section 188 were also registered during this period against those not adhering to various directions issued by the administration to curb the spread of coronavirus, the release said. Since night curfew (from 10 pm to 6 am) is in force in Gujarat''s four major cities - Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat, police arrested 2,944 people found roaming during the night between January 8 and 11.
Coronavirus Live updates: COVID-19 active caseload in India dips to 2.14 lakh
India's active caseload has fallen to 2.14 lakh, which is the lowest after 197 days, and its share in the total cases has further shrunk to 2.04 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. The total active cases were 2,15,125 on June 30, 2020.
A net decline of 2051 cases has been recorded in the total active cases in a span of 24 hours. "The share of active cases in the total cases has further shrunk to 2.04 per cent. This is lowest after 197 days," the ministry said. The daily cases in India are registering a consistent decline on a daily basis, the ministry underlined.
Less than 16,000 daily new cases (15,968) were added to the national tally in a span of 24 hours while 17,817 recoveries were registered during the same period. "Recoveries outnumbering new cases have ensured a steady fall in the active cases," the ministry said.
Coronavirus Live updates: 102 people found infected with UK strain of coronavirus, says Health Ministry
The number of people in India who have tested positive for the new UK variant of coronavirus has climbed to 102, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. Till January 11, the number of people affected by this strain of the coronavirus was 96.
On Wednesday, the ministry said, "The total number of persons found to be positive with the new UK variant genome stands at 102 today."
All these people were kept in single-room isolation in designated healthcare facilities by respective state governments. Their close contacts have also been put in quarantine and comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others.
Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on, the ministry said, adding the situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) labs, the ministry said
Coronavirus Live updates: China sees spike in coronavirus cases ahead of WHO team visit to probe COVID-19 origins
China’s COVID-19 cases crossed the 100-mark for the first time in recent months, ahead of Thursday’s visit of the WHO team to Wuhan to probe the origins of the coronavirus. The number of coronavirus cases in China climbed to 115 on Tuesday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Wednesday, adding that 107 of the infections were locally transmitted and the rest arrived from outside.
Of the locally transmitted cases, 90 were reported in north China’s Hebei Province, which neighbours Beijing; 16 in Heilongjiang Province and one in Shanxi Province, the NHC said. As of Tuesday, China reported a total of 87,706 COVID-19 cases and 4,634 deaths due to the virus.
Coronavirus Live updates: Public trust crumbles amid COVID, fake news, says Survey
Trust in governments, business chiefs and media is crumbling amid a perceived mis-handling by leaders of the coronavirus pandemic and a widespread feeling among ordinary citizens that they are being misled, a global survey has found.
The Edelman Trust Barometer, which for two decades has polled thousands of people on their trust in core institutions, found 57% of people believe government leaders, business chiefs and journalists are spreading falsehoods or exaggerations.
Breaking out responses according to a person's media habits and voting patterns, the survey found a greater hesitancy on vaccines among those who rely mostly on social media, and underlined the polarization of politics in the United States.
Coronavirus Live updates: Maharashtra gets 9.83 lakh vaccine doses against 17.5 lakh, says Rajesh Tope
Maharashtra goverment has so far received 9.83 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines out of the total requirement of 17.5 lakh for inoculation in the first phase, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday. The state has received only 9.63 vials of Covishield vaccine from the Serum Institute of India and merely 20,000 vials from the Bharat Biotech of its indigenously-made vaccine, Tope told reporters.
"We have to give the doses twice to a person in a gap of four weeks, hence 55 per cent of the around eight lakh registered health workers will undergo vaccination as of now," he said. "The need of vials for Maharashtra is 17.50 lakh for the first phase. We need slightly more vials because 10 per cent wastage is expected. But, we have received 9.63 lakh vials from the Serum Institute of India," he said.
Coronavirus Live updates: China-backed AIIB to support COVID-19 vaccine rollout, expects steady lending this year
The Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will follow other development banks in helping to finance the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, its president said on Wednesday, while its total lending in 2021 will be similar to last year's. "The World Bank and ADB (Asian Development Bank) have allocated resources to finance (purchases of) the vaccine, which is in my view very, very important, and we will certainly do the same," said Jin Liqun, speaking at a news conference in Beijing, without detailing plans.
The World Bank in October approved $12 billion to help developing countries buy and distribute COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments. The Asian Development Bank launched a $9 billion vaccine facility in December. Jin said he expects the bank's total loans this year to be on a similar scale to last year, when it set up a $13 billion funding facility to help public and private sectors fight the pandemic.
Coronavirus Live updates: Kerala gets first Covishield vaccine consignment
The first consignment of Covidshield vaccine from Pune-based Serum Insititute of India arrived at the Cochin international airport here on Wednesday morning to combat COVID-19, official sources said. The Go Air flight carrying the vaccine for Ernakulam and Kozhikode landed at the airport at 10.35 am, they said. Special refrigerated vans were arranged to transport the vaccine safely to the respective centres. Transfer of vaccine boxes from the plane to vans was completed in 10 minutes, they said. The second flight carrying the vaccine is expected to reach Thiruvananthapuram international airport this afternoon.
Coronavirus Live updates: 355 new COVID-19 cases in Thane, 5 more deaths
With the addition of 355 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra''s Thane district has reached 2,47,757, an official said on Wednesday. Five more people also succumbed to the viral infection on Tuesday, raising the death toll in the district to 6,038, the official said.
As of now, the COVID-19 mortality rate in the district stands at 2.44 per cent, he said. So far, 2,37,659 patients have recovered from the infection, taking the COVID-19 recovery rate in the district to 95.92 per cent. There are 4,060 active COVID-19 cases in the district at present, the official said.
In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 44,658, while the death toll has reached 1,193, an official from the district administration said.
Coronavirus Live updates: Africa secures close to 300 million vaccine doses, says Official
The African Union has secured close to 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in the largest such agreement yet for Africa, a continental official said Tuesday. Nicaise Ndembi, senior science adviser for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press in an interview that the current AU chair, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, is expected to announce the news on Wednesday.
The 300 million doses are being secured independently of the global COVAX effort aimed at distributing COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income countries, Ndembi said. “We have reached the final stage of our deals,” he said, referring questions about who will be providing the vaccines and at what cost to the upcoming announcement.
The news comes as coronavirus infections spike again in parts of Africa, especially South Africa, where a rapidly spreading variant of the coronavirus now makes up most of the new cases. The continent over the weekend surpassed 3 million confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, with more than 1.2 million in South Africa.
Coronavirus Live updates: COVID-19 cases explained in charts
The total number of COVID-19 cases in India is now at 1,04,95,147 with 1,01,29,111 recoveries and 1,51,529 deaths as per January 13, update. The mortality rate in the country now stands at 1.4 percent with Punjab reporting the highest (3.2 percent). Less than 9 lakh daily tests were reported on January 12 with more than 18.34 crore tests carried out to date.
Despite the high number of cases and deaths reported by India, the country fares better when compared with other nations in terms of per million population.
More than 28 million COVID-19 vaccination doses have been administered world-over as of January 12, with India to kick-start its drive from January 16.
Coronavirus Live updates: COVID-19 cases explained in charts
About 13 states and union territories--Andaman and Nicobar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Dadra and Nagar Haveli/Daman, and Diu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim did not report any deaths today.
India’s recovery rate is now 96.5 percent. Dadra Nagar Haveli/Daman & Diu record the highest (99.8 percent) recovery rate, while Kerala now reports the lowest (91.7 percent). In terms of cases, Kerala recorded 4,270 new recoveries, the most, followed by Maharashtra (3,282), Chhattisgarh (1,207), Karnataka (1,181), and West Bengal (879).
Coronavirus Live updates: COVID-19 cases explained in charts
As many as 15,968 new cases of novel coronavirus were reported, with India’s total COVID-19 cases above 1.04 crore, as per the health ministry’s January 13, 2021 update. New cases below the 20,000 mark for the sixth day in a row.
India reported 202 new deaths and 17,817 new recoveries in the last 24 hours, the latest release show. Active cases drop to 2,14,507 with a fall of 2,051 cases on January 13.
Kerala reported the most (5,507 or 34 percent) new cases in the last 24 hours, followed by Maharashtra (2,936), Karnataka (751), West Bengal (751), and Chhattisgarh (729). These five states account for 67 percent of all the new cases reported in India.
Maharashtra also reported the most (50 or 25 percent) new deaths, followed by Kerala (25), West Bengal (18), Delhi (16), and Chhattisgarh (12). These five states account for 60 percent of all the new deaths reported across the country.
Coronavirus Live updates: 23,500 doses of Covishield vaccine reach Goa
The first consignment of 23,500 doses of the Covishield vaccine reached Goa from Mumbai on Wednesday morning, a state health official said. The vaccine doses were transported to the coastal state by a flight. Goa Health Services Director Jose D'Sa told
Coronavirus Live updates: Indonesia starts COVID-19 vaccination campaign with President Joko Widodo
Indonesian PresidentJokoWidodoon Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the worlds fourth most populated country.AfterWidodo, top military, police and medical officials were vaccinated, as well as the secretary of the Indonesian Ulema Council, the clerical body that last week had ruled the vaccine was halal and could be taken by Muslims.
“This vaccine is the instrument we can use to protect us. But more importantly, the vaccine is the instrument to protect our family, ourneighbour, Indonesian people and the humancivilisation,” Health MinisterBudiGunadiSadikinsaid on Wednesday.“This vaccine is given to achieve herd immunity. All 70% of the worlds people must be vaccinated for that to be achieved. The participation of all Indonesians will greatly determine the success of thisprogramme,” he said.
Conditional use of theSinovacBiotech Ltd vaccine is scheduled to be rolled out in the coming months with health care workers, civil servants and other at-risk populationsprioritisedfirst. It will be free for all Indonesian citizens.For Indonesia to vaccinate two-thirds of its population, 181.5 million people, to reach herd immunity,Sadikinsaid the two-shot vaccine would require almost 427 million doses, including the estimate that 15% may be wasted.
Distribution will not be easy in the vast archipelago where transportation and infrastructure are inadequate in places. Health officials have cited concerns about keeping the vaccine refrigerated at the required 36–46 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain its safety and effectiveness.
Coronavirus Live updates: Indian companies fared better than global counterparts amid COVID-19 pandemic
Indian companies on average have fared “much better” than their counterparts across the world, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a study by Cognizant’s Centre for the Future of Work showed. In the region itself, during 2020, 36 percent of Indian companies reported ‘slight negative to very negative impact on business performance’ against the regional average of 44 percent, The Economic Times reported.
As per the study India has the highest revenue from digital channels among APAC countries at 12 percent, and this is expected to increase to 17 percent by 2023. It also found that Indian companies at 52 percent are the “most bullish” about adopting digital – also the highest among APAC countries.
Technologies that companies have pinpointed to implement future projects include artificial intelligence (40 percent), sensors or Internet of Things (35 percent) and big data or analytics (35 percent). Forces of impact on work were noted as hyper-connectivity (49 percent), privacy and security concerns (46 percent) and process process automation (44%)
Coronavirus Live updates: COVID-19 India vaccine news today - Vaccines begin to reach states ahead of inoculation drive
Ahead of the pan-India inoculation drive against COVID-19, more than 56 lakh doses of the Covishield vaccine flown to 13 cities across India from Pune and taken to designated national and state-level stores amid tight security. India will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive from January 16 in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the world's largest inoculation programme with priority to be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers.
Here are all developments related to the COVID-19 vaccine in India:
> The Centre has said that all the COVID-19 vaccine vials -- 1.1 crore of Covishield from the Serum Institute of India and 55 lakh of Covaxin from Bharat Biotech -- will be received by January 14.
> Mumbai received over 1.39 lakh doses of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, from the SII early on January 13.
> COVID-19 vaccine transportation from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) commenced on January 13 with budget carrier GoAir airlifting 2,400 vials of Covishield to Goa.
> The Delhi Police has made adequate security arrangements in the city for the smooth transportation of COVID-19 vaccines when the countrywide vaccination roll-out will begin later this week.
> The first consignment of about 6.48 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Bengaluru on January 12 and the Karnataka government said it was committed to conducting the vaccination drive in a transparent way.
> The Maharashtra government has received 9.63 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine from SII, said state health minister Rajesh Tope.
> First consignment of COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Kolkata airport in the afternoon on January 12, said Bengal health department official.
> The Telangana government has also received the first consignment of 3.64 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine Covishield from the Pune-based Serum Institute.
> The Chhattisgarh government has said the state will get 3.23 lakh doses of Covishield as part of the first batch of consignment for the upcoming vaccination drive.
> Sikkim will receive 12,500 vials of COVID-19 vaccine in the next couple of days for the inoculation exercise beginning from January 16
> Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy has announced that the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to all people free of cost in the Union Territory.
> The first batch of Covishield vaccine vials reached Delhi's central storage facility at Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital (RGSSH) in the afternoon on January 12, reported news agency PTI citing sources.
> Budget carrier GoAir operated a flight to Chennai from Pune, containing 70,800 vials of COVID-19 vaccines as the much-awaited rollout of the vaccine commenced on January 12.
> Zydus Cadila, Russia's Sputnik V, Biological E, and Gennova are the other vaccines that are in advance stages of clinical trials in India.
