In New Delhi on November 16, 2020. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)Coronavirus India Live Updates: India detected 29,164 cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, taking the country’s tally to 88.74 lakh. The last time India reported less than 30,000 cases was in mid-July. The drop in cases follows a pattern of low detections on Mondays due to lesser testing over the weekend. In fact, tests have remained below 10 lakh for the last four days now.
India’s tally of 88,74,291 includes 4,53,401 active cases, 82,90,371 patients who have recovered and 1,30,519 deaths — the toll has been under 450 for three straight days.
American biotech company Moderna Monday announced its vaccine candidate against the novel coronavirus had shown an efficacy of 94.5 per cent. The company does not currently have an arrangement to supply its vaccine in India. Experts told The Indian Express Moderna’s candidate could have an edge over Pfizer’s.
One of the biggest concerns at this stage is the cold chain logistics in India for the last-mile distribution of vaccines in such a vast, hot country. While India has a 28,000-unit cold storage network that is used for the government’s universal immunisation programme, experts and logistics firms said no company had the capability or capacity to transport vaccines colder than -25 degrees Celsius.
Indian markets rallies on news of Moderna’s vaccine, with the Sensex rising over 450 points in early trade to cross the 44,000 mark. The broader Nifty increased 150 points to trade at 12,932.
In other news, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain Monday said there was “no chance” of another lockdown in the national capital, adding that the city had already witnessed its third peak of Covid-19 infections. “The virus cannot be contained through lockdown, people should protect themselves by wearing face masks. I can tell you the peak of the third wave is gone,” he said. Delhi recorded 3,797 cases on Monday and 99 deaths.
Meanwhile, Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya and Congress MP Manish Tewari Monday announced they had tested positive for Covid-19. Arya is in isolation in a hospital in Mohali.
Testing for Covid-19 in progress in Mumbai. (Express Photo: Amit Chakravarty)
The worsening pandemic situation seems to be making it difficult for Parliament to meet for winter session. Many MPs are learnt to have pointed that during monsoon session, many had contracted the disease despite precautionary measures taken, and the session had to be curtailed in the end. Now that the situation is worse in the national capital, even officials have advised that holding a session would not be wise.
Rajya Sabha secretariat officials, however, point out that this will not be the first time that the session will get cancelled. The Upper House didn’t have winter sessions in 1975, 1979 and 1984. In 1952 and in 2008, it only had two sessions. There were six sessions in 1991, five for seven years, four sessions each in 31 years and three sessions for 27 years.
The Sensex rose more than 450 points this morning to cross the 44,000 mark, while Nifty increase 150 points to 12,932. Markets are rallying on news of another vaccine by Moderna.
India detected 29,164 cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, taking the country’s tally to 88.74 lakh. The last time India reported less than 30,000 cases was in mid-July. The drop in cases follows a pattern of low detections on Mondays due to lesser testing over the weekend. In fact, tests have remained below 10 lakh for the last four days now.
India’s tally of 88,74,291 includes 4,53,401 active cases, 82,90,371 patients who have recovered and 1,30,519 deaths — the toll has been under 450 for three straight days.
Delhi Health Minister Sastyendar Jain Monday said there was “no chance” of another lockdown in the national capital, adding that the city had already witnessed its third peak of Covid-19 infections. “The virus cannot be contained through lockdown, people should protect themselves by wearing face masks. I can tell you the peak of the third wave is gone,” he said.
One of the fastest-growing cities in the country, Delhi currently has over 4 lakh cases. Over the last week, Delhi contributed the maximum number of new cases in the country, breaching the 8,500-mark for a day and recording over 51,000 cases in the last week. Since Friday, the capital has recorded more than 90 deaths per day. The day’s bulletin released by the Delhi government in the afternoon recorded 3,235 cases and 95 deaths with a positivity rate of 15.33 per cent. Read more here
Good morning and welcome to our live blog on the Covid-19 situation in India. The top story this morning is on Moderna's vaccine candidate against the novel coronavirus, which has shown an efficacy of 94.5 per cent. The company does not currently have an arrangement to supply its vaccine in India, but experts told The Indian Express Moderna's candidate could have an edge over Pfizer’s. Follow our live blog through the day for the latest news and updates on the pandemic.