Coronavirus News Highlights: Today is the 287th day since India implemented a nationwide lockdown to help curb the novel coronavirus pandemic. India reported 16,375 new COVID-19 cases and 29,091 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) informed on Tuesday. With this, the total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 1,03,56,845, including 2,31,036 active cases and 99,75,958 recoveries. As many as 201 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll in the country to 1,49,850. The total number of samples tested up to 4th January is 17,65,31,997 including 8,96,236 samples tested on Monday. A total of 727 recoveries and 12 deaths were also recorded in the last 24 hours. The overall cases in the national capital reached 6,27,256 including 4,689 active infections, 6,11,970 recoveries. The death toll climbed mounted to 10,597. The case fatality rate reached 1.69 percent while the cumulative positivity rate is at 7.03 percent. India's regulator has granted restricted emergency use approval for two vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin.
Mumbai records 9 COVID-19 deaths, 539 new cases
After reporting three COVID-19 deaths for two consecutive days, Mumbai reported nine coronavirus fatalities on January 5, taking the city’s total death toll to 11,147.With the addition of 539 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the total coronavirus caseload of Mumbai now stands at 2,95,524, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
Premier League records 40 positive coronavirus tests in last week
The Premier League confirmed on January 5 that 40 players and staffers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease in the two rounds of testing that were conducted over the past week. However, the Premier League has insisted that the season continues as planned.
Denmark imposed new lockdown measures on January 5 to curb the rapid spread of a new coronavirus variant that is believed to be more transmissible, the country’s prime minister said.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said: “The mutation is already so widespread that it cannot be stopped. But we can delay it and drag out the time so we can vaccinate more people.”
Denmark had imposed a hard lockdown in December, including closing bars, restaurants, and other non-essential shops, to curb a worrying spike in new infections, which has pushed the country’s hospitals to the brim of their capacity.
More Chinese cities have begun mass COVID-19 vaccinations after the New Year holidays, days after China granted conditional approval for its domestically produced vaccine as the country prepares for the Spring Festival holiday next month.
Given the goal of vaccinating 50 million people ahead of the Spring Festival, which also marks the Chinese New Year holidays, a number of cities — including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen in South China’s Guangdong Province, Luliang and Linyi — have already started mass inoculations of the vaccine, covering nine key groups of people, the state-run Global Times reported on January 5.
|A 'dry run' will be conducted on January 7, 2021, across the state in all the districts, on six sites, including three urban and three rural sites, from 11 am to 1 pm: Haryana Government (ANI)
British actor Banita Sandhu, who was on the same flight that two youths who had tested positive for the mutant coronavirus strain had taken, has tested positive for COVID-19.
The actress who had starred opposite Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan in the movie ‘October’ had travelled to Kolkata for a movie shoot where she was detected with SARS-CoV-2 infections.
The actress reportedly refused to be admitted to a government facility for COVID-19 treatment and had to be admitted to a private hospital in the city.
|Andhra Pradesh reports 377 new COVID-19cases, 278 recoveries & 4 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 8,83,587 as per the State Health Department. Recovered Cases: 8,73,427 Active Cases: 3,038 Total Deaths: 7,122
|Rajasthan reported 397 new COVID-19cases, 5 deaths and 751 recoveries/discharges today. Total cases: 3,10,675 Death toll: 2,719 Total recoveries/discharges: 3,00,126 Active cases: 7,830.
Maharashtra govt will take appropriate steps if Centre doesn't make COVID-19 vaccinesavailable free of cost to people living below poverty line.
With two more UK returnees testing postive, a total of 41 people from that country who reached here have been found infected, as the state reported 5,615 new COVID-19 cases and 24 more fatalities on Tuesday, taking the tally to 7,84,488 and the death toll to 3,184. State health minister K K Shailaja said 4,922 people recovered from the infection today, taking the total cured in the state to 7,17,311. The state tested 61,269 samples in the last 24 hours and the test positivity rate was 9.6 per cent."Two more persons who reached the state from the UK have also tested positive for COVID-19 and currently, 41 people from that country have been found infected.Their samples have been sent to NIV for further tests," Shailaja said.
"Out of the new positive cases today, 59 people came from outside the state while 5,037 contracted the disease from their contacts.The source of infection for 475 people are yet to be identified," the minister said in a release.
Among those infected are 44 health workers."Currently, there are 63,802 people under treatment in the state, 1,90,990 people under observation of which 11,122 are in isolation wards of various hospitals," the minister said.
A sum of Rs 201.58 crore from the PM-CARES Fund is being allocated for installing 162 dedicated PSA medical oxygen generation plants in public health facilities across the country, the PMO said on Tuesday.It stressed that adequate and uninterrupted supply of oxygen is an essential pre-requisite for managing moderate and severe cases of COVID -19, in addition to various other medical conditions where this need arises.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in March announced the creation of the PM's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES) where people can contribute to help in the government's fight against the coronavirus and similar "distressing situations". The PM CARES Fund is allocating Rs 201.58 crore for the installation of additional 162 dedicated pressure swing adsorption (PSA) medical oxygen generation plants in public health facilities across the country, the Prime Minister's Office said.
The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday decided to restore the usual six-day week schedule in government offices and not to extend the night curfew imposed in four districts of the state, an official spokesman said.The state cabinet in its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur decided not to extend the night curfew in Shimla, Kangra, Mandi and Kullu districts, he added. In order to contain the spread of COVID-19, the state government had decided to impose night curfew in the four districts from 23 November to 15 December which was later extended till 5 January. The HP dispensation has decided to restore the usual six-day week schedule in government offices in the state.
