Coronavirus: India’s case count rises to 94.9 lakh; actor and BJP MP Sunny Deol tests positive
The daily count has remained below 50,000 for the 25th straight day.
India’s coronavirus cases rose by 36,603 on Wednesday, making it the 25th straight day when daily infections have stayed below the 50,000 mark. The country now has total 94,99,413 cases, while as many as 89,32,647 people have recovered so far. The toll rose by 501 to 1,38,122.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP and actor Sunny Deol tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday. He asked all those who came in contact with him to isolate themselves and get tested.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government reduced the fixed cost of RT-PCR or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test for the coronavirus at private laboratories from Rs 1,600 to Rs 700. This came a day after Delhi and Gujarat governments also revised the rates of the tests.
Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 6.37 crore people and killed over 14.78 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University. Over four crore people have recovered from the infection.
Live updates
10.15 am: American scientists are studying if technology developed for gene therapy could be used to create a nasal spray that will prevent Covid-19, AFP reports.
“The advantage of our approach is that you don’t need a competent immune system for this to be effective,” James Wilson, a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, who is leading the project, says. Scientists at the university are conducting the research with biotech firm Regeneron.
10.10 am: Assam reported 222 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the state’s tally to 2,12,998, PTI reports. The state now has 3,486 active cases and 981 deaths.
10.05 am: Nagaland reported 108 recoveries and 23 new cases on Tuesday. This was the highest daily recovery in the state so far, according to PTI. The state now has a total of 11,209 cases, of which 840 are active, while 10,194 people have recovered. Sixty people have died.
10 am: The Indian Council of Medical Research has so far tested 14,24,45,949 samples. This included 10,96,651 samples tested on Tuesday.
COVID-19 Testing Update. For more details visit: https://t.co/dI1pqwfbRz @MoHFW_INDIA @DeptHealthRes #ICMRFIGHTSCOVID19 #IndiaFightsCOVID19 #CoronaUpdatesInIndia #COVID19 #Unite2FightCorona pic.twitter.com/gDRD4VUhV0
— ICMR (@ICMRDELHI) December 2, 2020
9.50 am: India’s coronavirus cases rise by 36,603 in 24 hours, taking the total count to 94,99,413. As many as 89,32,647 people have recovered so far. The toll rose by 501 to 1,38,122.
The daily count has remained below 50,000 for the 25th straight day.
8.41 am: The Uttar Pradesh government has reduced the price of RT-PCR or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test for the coronavirus at private laboratories from Rs 1,600 to Rs 700. If tests are done at home, then it will cost Rs 900 now, reports the Hindustan Times.
8.38 am: European countries have been given a clear time frame for the start of their vaccination programmes after the bloc’s medicines regulator said it would decide by December 29 whether to grant emergency approval for the first Covid-19 jabs, reports AFP.
8.33 am: Bharatiya Janata Party MP and actor Sunny Deol tests positive for the coronavirus. Deol has been staying in Kullu district for last few days, according to PTI. He asks all those who came in contact with him to isolate themselves and get tested.
मैंने कोरोना टेस्ट करवाया और रिपोर्ट पॉजिटिव आई है। मैं एकांतवास में हूं और मेरी तबीयत ठीक है। मेरा अनुरोध है कि आप में से जो भी लोग गत कुछ दिनों में मेरे संपर्क में आयें हैं, कृपया स्वयं को आइसोलेट कर अपनी जाँच करवाएं।
— Sunny Deol (@iamsunnydeol) December 2, 2020
8.30 am: A quick update of developments from Tuesday: