Coronavirus LIVE Updates: After Oxford Vaccine Found 'Safe' in Early Testing, WHO Says 'Positive Result But Long Way to Go'

Human trials of Covaxin begins in Goa | Goa CM Pramod Sawant said today that human trials of Covaxin, an indigenously developed vaccine for COVID19 has begun at Redkar Hospital in Goa. This is a testimony of India's immense potential in healthcare innovation, the chief minister said.

Human trials of #Covaxin, an indigenously developed vaccine for #COVID19 has begun at Redkar Hospital in Goa. This is a testimony of India's immense potential in healthcare innovation. My best wishes to the entire team working on #Covaxin. #IndiaFightsCOVID19

— Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) July 20, 2020

SII to apply for Oxford vaccine trials in India  | The Serum Institute of India (SII) will soon apply to the Indian regulator for the licensure trials of the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid vaccine. Commenting on the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine's results, Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India, said, "The trials have shown promising results and we are extremely happy about it. We will be applying for the licensure trials to the Indian regulator in a week's time. As soon as they grant us permission, we will begin with trials for the vaccine in India. In addition, we will soon start manufacturing the vaccine in large volumes."

Goa Covid-19 Count nears 4k mark | The number of COVID-19 cases in Goa increased by 196 today to reach 3,853, while the death of a 29-year-old man in Margao took the toll to 23, said an official. A total of 143 people were discharged during the day, he added.

WHO official hails 'good news' from early trials | The head of emergencies at the World Health Organization is hailing  good news in results shown by two COVID-19 vaccine candidates in early trials, but warns there's a long way to go. We now need to move into larger-scale real-world trials, Dr Michael Ryan told reporters at a news conference in Geneva.  But it is good to see more data and more products moving into this very important phase of vaccine discovery.

MP to enforce 2-day lockdowns every week | There will be lockdown for two days every week, including Sundays, in districts with high incidence of coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said today. The government has also decided to enforce the night curfew in every district from 8 pm to 5 am in view of rising cases.

Nagaland's COVID-19 count surpasses 1,000 | Thirty-three people tested positive for COVID-19 in Nagaland today as the state's infection tally crossed the 1,000-mark, officials said. The new infections pushed the northeastern state's tally to 1,021, of which 576 are active cases and 445 people have recovered, they said. Sixteen fresh cases were reported from Dimapur district, 12 from Mon and five from Kohima, Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom said.

19 new COVID-19 cases in Meghalaya, 13 from BSF |  As many as 13 Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were among the 19 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya today, taking the state's tally to 469, officials said. Director of Health Services (MI) Dr Aman War told reporters that 19 persons ,16 from East Khasi Hills, 2 from West Garo Hills and 1 from South West Garo Hills have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of active cases to 413.

Nagpur records 68 new Covid-19 cases | The number of COVID-19 cases in Nagpur increased by 68 to reach 3,027 today, while 58 people were discharged during the day, taking the count of such cases to 1,939, an official said. The death toll touched 55 as two people succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, he said.

Bengal records 2,282 new Covid-19 cases, 35 deaths | Bengal has recorded highest single day spike in new cases today; marginal improvement in discharge rate compared to yesterday.  New positive cases were reported to be 2282 and total cases amounted to 44,769.  Active cases today were recorded at 17,204 (712 more compared to yesterday's figure).  The state registered 35 deaths in the last 24 hours. Total deaths in the state stands at 1147. Kolkata remains largest contributor to fresh cases and deaths. 

Need to accelerate vaccine research: WHO | Make no mistake, we must continue to accelerate Covid-19 vaccine research, while doing more with the tools we have, says WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

The full remarks by @DrTedros 👇 https://t.co/mhMYvA1DHG

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 20, 2020

Jubliant Gets Nod for emergency use of Remdesivir | Jubilant gets new drug permission for Remdesivir for emergency use with same conditions as given to other companies like Hetero , Cipla, Mylan, adding further boosting of production.

UP Records 1,924 new cases, 46 deaths | Uttar Pradesh reported 1,924 COVID-19 cases & 46 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 19,137 & death toll to 1,192. A total of 30,831 patients have been discharged so far. Highest 130 cases were reported in Kanpur where 1,114 cases are active, says the state’s Health Department.

Florida reports over 10,000 new cases for sixth day in a row | Florida reported 10,347 new cases of COVID-19 today, the sixth day in a row the state has announced over 10,000 new infections. It also reported 92 new deaths, bringing the state's death toll to 5,183.

Lockdown in 10 urban areas of 4 C'garh districts | Lockdown will be imposed in ten urban areas of four districts in Chhattisgarh due to a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in the last one month, an official said on Monday. Areas under urban bodies in Bilaspur, Surguja, Korba and Rajnandgaon districts have been declared as containment zone where several activities will be restricted for seven to eight days.

AIIMS-Delhi starts recruiting vaccine trial volunteers | AIIMS-Delhi today began the process of recruiting volunteers for conducting human clinical trials of the indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin, the premier medical institute's director Dr Randeep Guleria said.  AIIMS-Delhi is among the 12 sites selected by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting Phase I and II randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trials of Covaxin.

Hyderabad's NIMS begins clinical trials | As part of human trials of Covaxin, India's first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, two volunteers were given its first dose at the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) today, doctors said. The healthy volunteers, who were administered the first dose of the vaccine in the morning, were stable. "Both are stable and we have not found any reaction or side-effects," said Dr G. Srinivas, a member of the research team conducting the clinical trials.

Record High of 998 cases in Guj | Gujarat has reported the highest single-day spike of 998 COVID-19 cases, taking the total count to 49,439, the state health department said. With 20more patients succumbing to the infection, the toll has risen to 2,167, it said.

DGHS Writes to States/UTs on N-95 masks | Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health has written to all states and UTs stating, "the use of valved respirator N-95 masks is detrimental to the measures adopted for preventing spread of Coronavirus as it doesn't prevent the virus from escaping out of the mask."

Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health has written to all states and UTs stating, "the use of valved respirator N-95 masks is detrimental to the measures adopted for preventing spread of Coronavirus as it doesn't prevent the virus from escaping out of the mask." pic.twitter.com/TEA8BAqxzz

— ANI (@ANI) July 20, 2020

Cuomo warns lockdown rollback if New Yorkers continue partying | New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said that local governments and police departments were failing to disband parties that violated social distancing orders and warned that he might need to roll back the state's reopening if that continued. The warning came after a warm summer weekend when people across New York City were seen gathered in groups of hundreds partying outdoors at bars and restaurants, some not wearing masks.

J-K admin says hefty fines for flouting COVID-19 norms | The Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to impose hefty fines on people violating the coronavirus management guidelines like not wearing a face mask or spitting in public places as a measure to check the rising number of infections in the union territory. It authorised deputy commissioners to implement these standard operating procedures in the areas of their respective jurisdictions.

Stringent rules for face masks in France | Face masks are now required in France's supermarkets, shopping malls, banks, stores and indoor markets to curb worrisome signs that the coronavirus is making inroads again. The measure took effect today. A fine of 135 euros (USD 155) can be levied against those who don't comply. Masks were already required in museums, on public transport, in cinemas, places of worship and other enclosed spaces open to the public.

Maha reports 176 new deaths | Maharashtra registered 8240 new patients today and 176 deaths. The total number of cases in the state is at 3,18,695. Total deaths recorded in state stands at 12030. Mumbai added 1035 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 1,02,423. The city also reported 41 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.  Total deaths reported in Mumbai is 5755.

Coronavirus Vaccine Prompts Protective Immune Response in Early Test | Scientists at Oxford University say their experimental coronavirus vaccine has been shown in an early trial to prompt a protective immune response in hundreds of people who got the shot. British researchers first began testing the vaccine in April in about 1,000 people, half of whom got the experimental vaccine. Such early trials are usually designed only to evaluate safety, but in this case experts were also looking to see what kind of immune response was provoked. READ MORE

UK’s Coronavirus vaccine is safe and induces an immune reaction, according to preliminary results, a report on Lancet says

NEW—UK’s #COVID19 vaccine is safe and induces an immune reaction, according to preliminary results https://t.co/rDPlB9fDKr pic.twitter.com/z2t9Aubjim

— The Lancet (@TheLancet) July 20, 2020

Another report on a second COVID-19 vaccine trial, led by Chinese scientists..

Here is a second COVID-19 vaccine trial, led by Chinese scientists. This recombinant adenovirus type-5 vaccine induces a rapid humoral and cellular immune response within 14 days. No serious adverse reactions. Again, congratulations to Feng-Cai Zhu et al. https://t.co/onf8ZnBy2W

— richard horton (@richardhorton1) July 20, 2020

Oxford Phase ½ of Covid-19 vaccine trial out | Results of phase 1/2 Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine trial published. Editor in Chief of UK based medical Journal ‘The Lancet’ says it is “safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic.”

The phase 1/2 Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial is now published. The vaccine is safe, well-tolerated, and immunogenic. Congratulations to Pedro Folegatti and colleagues. These results are extremely encouraging. https://t.co/oQp2eoZYIg

— richard horton (@richardhorton1) July 20, 2020

Uber launches service to contact trace | Uber Technologies has quietly launched a service to give public health officials quick access to data on drivers and riders presumed to have come into contact with someone infected with COVID-19. The service, offered free of charge, could help burnish the image of the ride-hailing giant, which recently launched a new ad campaign spotlighting its "No Mask, No Ride" policy in the United States. 

Centre needs to accept community spread, says AAP | The Centre needs to accept that community spread of the coronavirus is happening in the country and follow Delhi's lead in containing the virus by ramping-up testing "on a large scale", senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said today. The Rajya Sabha MP said people are not realising that the community spread is underway and hence contracting the virus.

IndiGo to lay off 10 percent workforce | IndiGo has decided to lay off 10 per cent of its workforce due to the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, its CEO Ronojoy Dutta said today. “From where things stand currently, it is impossible for our company to fly through this economic storm without making some sacrifices, in order to sustain our business operations," Dutta said in a statement.

Sikkim to go for full lockdown from July 21 to 27 | The Sikkim government has decided to impose a complete lockdown in the state from July 21 to July 27 in view of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, officials said. The decision to impose the lockdown was taken after reviewing guidelines for the management of the COVID-19 situation in the state, a notification issued by Chief Secretary SC Gupta said.