Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India Reports 29,398 New Cases; Delhi Sees Lowest Rise Since Sept 1, Mortality Rate Highest in Punjab

COVID-19 Tally in Andamans Rises to 4,791 with 8 New Cases | Eight more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, raising the tally in the Union Territory to 4,791, a health department official said on Friday. The death toll remained at 61 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported, he said. Of the fresh cases, five were detected during contact tracing and three have travel history, he said. Five more people were cured of the disease on Thursday, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 4,652, the official said.

Telangana Crosses 60 Lakh-mark in COVID Sample Testing | Telangana crossed a milestone on Friday in its fight against Covid-19 as the state so far conducted over 60 lakh tests. With 56,178 samples tested during the last 24 hours, the cumulative tests mounted to 60,29,209.

Singapore Approves COVID-19 Test Using Saliva from Inside Throat | Singapore has approved Advanced MedTech Holdings' COVID-19 kit for use in testing saliva from deep within the throat, the company said, as the country looks to ramp up testing to help re-open its borders and resume more economic activity. The test is the first of its type to receive approval from Singapore's Health Sciences Authority, Advanced MedTech, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore state investor Temasek, said in a statement on Thursday.

5,076 Covid-19 Recoveries in Karnataka; New Cases Dip to 1,238 | Recoveries in Karnataka shot up to 5,076 in a single day, taking the total number of patients cured of the infection to 8,66,664 till date. "With 1,238 new cases on Wednesday, the state's Covid tally rose to 8,97,801, including 19,206 positive cases," said the state health bulletin on Thursday.

Today's Data Highlights

- New cases in India below 30,000, 37.5k new recoveries, 414 new deaths, 8.5k dip in active cases

- 8.72 lakh tests on Thursday. Lowest for a Thursday since August 20. 

- Kerala reports 4.5k new cases, Maharashtra 3.8k, West Bengal 2.8k, Delhi 1.6k

- New cases in Delhi lowest since September 1

- Maharashtra reports 70 new deaths, Delhi 61, West Bengal 49

- Total deaths in Punjab now more than 5,000 (5007) with a mortality rate of 3.2%. Highest in India. India's mortality rate is 1.5%. 

- Active cases in Karnataka below 20k now. 4 Indian states now have more than 20k active cases (Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh)

- Global total COVID-19 cases now over 70 million. Total cases per million population crosses 9k mark (9070 cases/million).

- 15 countries now have more than a million total cases. These 15 countries account for 74% of the total cases.

- USA reporting more than 2 lakh daily new cases for 10 days in a row. Total cases over 16 million

Active Caseload Below 4 Lakh for 5th Consecutive Day | India had recorded a daily rise of 26,567 cases on December 8. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 92,90,834 on Friday, pushing the national recovery rate to94.84 per cent. The COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent. The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 4 lakh for the fifth consecutive day. There are 3,63,749 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprise3.71per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

Surge in Covid-19 Recoveries | The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 92,90,834, pushing the national recovery rate to94.84 per cent. The COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent. The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 4 lakh for the fifth consecutive day.

Mizoram reports 14 new COVID-19 cases. The total number of cases in the state is 4,008 including 3,800 discharged cases, 202 active cases and six deaths.

State-wise COVID-19 data in India:

29,398 New Cases, 414 Deaths in India in 24 Hours | India on Thursday recorded 29,398 new COVID-19 infections and 414 fresh fatalities. While the total cases rose to 97,96,770, the death toll mounted to 1,42,186. Meanwhile, the total number of active cases stood at 3,63,749, said the data shown by the Union Health Ministry. Besides, the country discharged 37,528 patients in the last 24 hours. India has, so far, reported 92,90,834 discharges.

An employee monitors a vial making machine inside a manufacturing unit of Schott Kaisha, India's largest vial manufacturer, in Daman.

Mexico's COVID-19 Deaths Average 55 Years vs 75 in Europe |  Mexico's coronavirus spokesman said Thursday the country's median age of death from COVID-19 was a shockingly young 55, as compared to an average of 75 in many European countries. Assistant Health Secretary Hugo Lpez-Gatell said that nonetheless, Mexico's future coronavirus vaccination programme would target the oldest Mexicans first.

Assam Reports 146 New COVID-19 Cases, 1 More Death | Assam reported 146 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the tally to 2,14,165, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. A 60-year-old man from Dibrugarh who was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 died, following which the toll rose to 998, he said. There are 3,516 active cases in the state at present. Total 165 COVID-19 patients recovered and were discharged during the day. In all, 2,09,787 patients have recovered.

Bihar Records 595 New COVID-19 Cases, Four More Deaths | Bihar on Thursday reported 595 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 2,41,533, as per a bulletin issued by the Health Department. Two COVID-19 patients each died in Nawada and Supaul districts, following which the toll increased to 1,307, it said. A total of 442 people recovered in the last 24 hours. There are 5,286 active cases in the state at present.

Karnataka Slashes Fines for Violating Covid-19 Guidelines | Reeling under backlash from citizens and businesses, the Karnataka government has slashed the fines imposed for violators of Covid-19 guidelines such as wearing mask and maintaining physical distance in shops, hotels, party halls, cinema halls, shopping malls and other public places, an official said on Thursday.

Bengal Reports 46 More COVID Deaths, 2,801 New Cases | West Bengal's COVID-19 death toll went up to 8,916 after 46 people succumbed to the disease on Thursday, while 2,801 fresh cases of infection took the tally 5,13,752, the health department said in a bulletin here. The discharge rate of coronavirus patients in the state improved to 93.70 per cent after 2,951 recoveries were registered on Thursday.

Australian COVID-19 Vaccine Dropped over False Positive HIV Result | Development of a Covid-19 vaccine in Australia was abandoned Friday after clinical trials produced a false positive HIV result among subjects involved in early-stage testing. The result prompted the government to axe plans to purchase millions of doses of the candidate vaccine and instead increase orders of alternatives from AstraZeneca and Novax, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

The U.S. recorded 3,124 deaths Wednesday, the highest one-day total yet, according to Johns Hopkins University. Up until last week, the peak was 2,603 deaths on April 15, when New York City was the epicenter of the nations outbreak.

One-day US Deaths Top 3,000, More Than D-Day or 9/11 | Just when the U.S. appears on the verge of rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine, the numbers have become gloomier than ever: Over 3,000 American deaths in a single day, more than on D-Day or 9/11. One million new cases in the span of five days. More than 106,000 people in the hospital. The crisis across the country is pushing medical centers to the breaking point and leaving staff members and public health officials burned out and plagued by tears and nightmares.

Talk Show Host Ellen DeGeneres Tests Positive for Coronavirus | Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres said on Thursday that she had tested positive for the coronavirus but was feeling fine. The American comedian said on Twitter that all her close contacts had been notified. "I want to let you all know that I tested positive for Covid-19. Fortunately, I'm feeling fine right now," she said in a Twitter posting.

A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to endorse emergency use of Pfizer Inc’s coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for the agency to authorize the shot for a nation that has lost more than 285,000 lives to COVID-19.

Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine Clears Last Hurdle | Pfizer had asked that the two-dose vaccine be approved for use in people aged 16 to 85. Several advisory panel members discussed whether 16 and 17-year-olds should be included in the recommendation because the risk to these individuals is low, and the evidence in the trial was scant.