Coronavirus LIVE Updates: US Firm Eli Lilly Suspends Phase 3 Trial of Lab-produced Antibody Treatment; India's Covid-19 Tally Crosses 72 Lakh-mark

Earlier the vaccine trials were scheduled to begin from October 15 at SGPGI and BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur including some other places in the country.

Private Hospitals Request Bengal Govt to Lower GST on Covid-19 Test Kits | Private hospitals in the city have welcomed the state government's decision to reduce the cost of the COVID-19 test from Rs 2,250 to Rs 1,500 as well as fixing rates for ambulance services. They have requested the state government to consider lowering the GST on COVID-19 test kits.

UPDATE | Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah has postponed all meetings scheduled for the next two weeks due to coronavirus curbs, according to a senior palace official. Reuters reports that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is bidding to replace Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, met the king on Tuesday to prove he has a “convincing” parliamentary majority to form a new government.

Shopkeepers outside Shirdi Sai Baba Temple say they are incurring losses due to state govt's decision of not opening religious places in the state. A shopkeeper says, "We suffered financial loss due to COVID included lockdown & now govt is adding on to our misery."

Reinfection cases tell us that we cannot rely on immunity acquired by natural infection to confer herd immunity; not only is this strategy lethal for many but also it is not effective.

Covid-19 toll in Pondy Climbs to 568 with One More Death |  A 36-year-old man succumbed to coronavirus in Puducherry on Wednesday, raising the toll to 568 in the union territory. Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release that 246 new cases were identified at the end of examination of 4,521 samples, pushing the caseload to 32,245. Of the new cases, 189 were from Puducherry, 41 in Karaikal, 6 in Yanam and 10 in Mahe region.

French President to Announce More Restrictions Amid Rising Cases | The French president, Emmanuel Macron, will give a televised address to the nation on Wednesday against a backdrop of a sharp rise in cases. He is expected to announce more restrictions to prevent the spread.

Iran is One of the Worst-hit Countries, Records Largest Number of Deaths | Iran is one of the worst-hit countries in the world and passed two unwanted records this week – its largest number of deaths in a single 24 hours since the outbreak started in March, and the largest number of new infections. Covid-19 has so far killed 29,070 Iranians, according to official statistics, including 254 on Wednesday alone, just down on the daily record set on 12 October of 272. Many believe the actual numbers are much higher.

Movie Theatres Set to Open from Tomorrow at 50% Capacity | "Our preparations for running operations are very solid & we have been training for it for the last 7 months. We aim to provide a safe movie experience during COVID," says Regional Operations Head, Miraj Cinemas

Tope said that the National Institute of Virology, a unit of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), had discovered that the quality of the RT-PCR kits was

Eight Deaths, 1,446 New Covid-19 Cases in Telangana | Telangana registered 1,446 fresh coronavirus cases and eight related fatalities, taking the tally of infections in the state to 2.16 lakh. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for 252 of the fresh cases, followed by Rangareddy
135, Medchal Malkajgiri 131 and other districts, a state government bulletin said on Wednesday, providing data as of 8 PM on October 13.

Dangerously inadequate" Response to Global Food Insecurity | The international community’s response to global food insecurity is “dangerously inadequate”, the NGO Oxfam said in a new report, published just days after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the UN’s World Food Programme. “The threat of ‘Covid famines’ and widespread extreme hunger is setting off every alarm bell within the international community, but so far sluggish funding is hampering humanitarian agencies’ efforts to deliver urgent assistance to people in need,” Oxfam wrote. “The international community’s response to global food insecurity has been dangerously inadequate,” said the report Later Will Be Too Late.

Makerita Iosefo Vaa hasn't been home for nearly eight months the longest she's ever been away from American Samoa.

Nagaland s Covid-19 Tally Rises to 7,363 | Nagaland reported 123 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the coronavirus tally in the state to 7,363, an official said. Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom said 123 new COVID-19 cases were detected during the day while 16 patients recovered from the disease. "123 positive cases of COVID-19 were detected today  Dimapur 66, Kohima 37, Mokokchung 19 and one in Mon district," the minister tweeted.

Coronavirus Clusters Emerge in Australia | Coronavirus clusters have emerged in Australia’s two most populous states, officials said, prompting the most populous, New South Wales, to delay easing some restrictions. Australia is one of the most successful countries to combat the virus, recording 904 deaths and around 245 active cases according to official tallies.

WATCH | Photos Of Packed Stadium In New Zealand Spark Envy On Twitter

13 New Cases Push Covid-19 Tally of Andamans to 4,036 | The COVID-19 tally in Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 4,036 as 13 more people have tested positive for the infection in the Union Territory, a health department official said on Wednesday. Of the fresh cases, 10 were detected during contact tracing, while three have travel history, he said

US First Lady Melania Unseen After Covid-19 | President Donald Trump and his wife received their positive COVID-19 tests on the same day. He's already returned to campaigning, but there's been no public sighting yet of the first lady. Melania Trump last provided a health update over a week ago after saying her symptoms were mild, and the White House has not indicated when she will make her next public appearance. 

India Reports a Spike of 63,509 New Covid-19 Cases, Tally Crosses 72 lakh-mark | India reports a spike of 63,509 new COVID-19 cases and 730 deaths in the last 24 hours. Total case tally stands at 72,39,390 including 8,26,876 active cases, 63,01,928 cured/discharged/migrated cases & 1,10,586 deaths: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Hindu Rao Hospital Removed from List of Covid-19 Facilities in Delhi, OPD Resumes | Civic-run Hindu Rao Hospital, whose resident doctors are currently agitating over due salaries, was removed from the list of COVID-19 facilities by the Delhi government. North Delhi Mayor Jai Prakash said, the general OPD services resumed at the facility and nearly "160 patients visited". The Delhi government's health department in an order issued on Tuesday said, in view of the surge in COVID-19 cases then, Bara Hindu Rao Hospital was declared as a designated hospital on June 14.

US pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly on Tuesday suspended its Phase 3 trial of its lab-produced antibody treatment in hospitalized patients over an unspecified incident.

Northern Ireland Set for Tough New Restrictions | Northern Ireland is set to re-enter a tough lockdown after executive ministers agreed to closures of schools, pubs and restaurants. A UK news agency says it “understands pubs and restaurants will close for four weeks, with the exception of takeaways, while schools will close for two, one of which will cover the half-term Halloween break”.

Covid-19 May Cause Irreparable Hearing Loss: Study | Covid-19 may cause sudden and irreparable hearing loss, according to a study by scientists at University College London. The research, published in the journal BMJ Case Reports, highlights the case of a 45-year-old man with asthma who was admitted to intensive care with Covid, ventilated, and given drugs including the antiviral remdesivir and intravenous steroids.

Germany Records Another 5,132 Cases | Germany has recorded another 5,132 cases, taking its total to 334,585, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed. The reported death toll rose by 40 to 9,677, the tally showed.

Government has issued Covid-19 Guidelines to be followed during the upcoming festive season. 

Meerut: Idol makers, preparing Durga idols ahead of #Navratri, say their business is affected due to #COVID19.

An idol maker says, "We are making small idols this year. Business has been adversely affected due to the pandemic. Market condition is very bad." (13.11) pic.twitter.com/vpyhBeN9BC

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 13, 2020

Mexico Reports 4,295 New Cases | Mexico has reported 4,295 new cases of Covid-19 and 475 more fatalities. The country has racked up 825,340 cases and 84,420 deaths.

Economic Hardships Grip Australia Amid Pandemic | Australia might have an enviably low number of coronavirus cases, but that does not mean that the country is immune to economic hardship from the pandemic as news from South Australia shows. The historic West End brewery in Adelaide is to close after catering to thirsts for 160 years. Although the inner-city brewery had been operating under-capacity for some time, declining demand for draught beer in pubs during the pandemic was the final straw, according to its owners Lion.

India continues to report one of the lowest cases per million & lowest deaths per million in the world. India's recoveries are the highest in the world, stated the Ministry of Health. 

Trump's Handling of Covid-19 Pandemic 'Erratic' Just Like his Presidency: Biden | Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been "erratic" just like his presidency, his Democratic challenger Joe Biden has said, terming the US president's leadership as "chaotic and divisive" that has cost Americans far too much. The former vice president said Trump was playing games with people's lives and the only senior Donald Trump seems to care about is himself. "His handling of this pandemic has been erratic just like his presidency. And it has prevented Florida seniors and people all across the country from getting the relief that they need, Biden said. 

Stock Markets Down in Asia Pacific Region | Stock markets in Asia Pacific are down today after Wall Street took fright at the suspension of two treatments in the US – but not as much as first was feared. Sydney is off 0.1%, Tokyo about the same, and Shanghai has lost 0.46% and Hong Kong 0.23%.