Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Mutant COVID-19 cases reach 25 in India, says Health Ministry

Coronavirus Live updates: COVID-19 cases explained in charts

The total number of COVID-19 cases in India not stands at 1,02,66,674 with 98,60,280 recoveries and 1,48,738 deaths as per the December 31 update. The mortality rate in the country stands at 1.4 percent with Punjab reporting the highest (3.2 percent). More than 11 lakh daily tests were carried out on December 30 with more than 17.2 crore tests having been conducted till date.

With five new patients, India now has a total of 25 cases of the new strain of the novel coronavirus. As many as 20 returnees from the United Kingdom were found to be positive with the new strain of the virus on December 30.

Coronavirus Live updates: COVID-19 cases explained in charts

As many as 21,822 new COVID-19 cases were reported in India in the previous 24 hour-cycle, as per the health ministry’s update on December 31. India’s overall tally stands above 1.02 crore.

India reported 299 deaths (below the 300-mark for the sixth day) and 26,139 recoveries in 24 hours, the latest release shows. Active cases continued to drop, to 2,57,656 with a fall of 4,616 cases in a day.

Kerala reported the most 6,268 (or 29 percent) new cases in the previous 24 hours, followed by Maharashtra (3,537), West Bengal (1,178), Chhattisgarh (1,069) and Uttar Pradesh (1,025). These five states accounted for 60 percent of all the new cases reported in India during the period.

Coronavirus Live updates: Preparations in last stages for vaccination programme against COVID-19; people will get vaccine manufactured in India, says PM Modi.

The number of new cases of COVID19 infection in the country are decreasing now. We are preparing to run the world's largest vaccination program in the next year: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/FJVtLLTXCU

— ANI (@ANI) December 31, 2020

Coronavirus Live updates: Mutant COVID-19 cases reach 25 in India: Health Ministry

Twenty five people who returned to India from the United Kingdom have tested positive for the new UK variant genome of SARS-CoV-2 so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday after genome sequencing.

"Four new cases found by NIV, Pune and one new case sequenced in IGIB, Delhi. All 25 persons are in physical isolation at health facilities", said the Union Ministry of Health.

The health ministry on Wednesday said the mutated UK strain was detected in eight samples at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), one at the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani (near Kolkata), one at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune, seven at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences Hospital (NIMHANS) Bengaluru, two at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad and one at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi.

Coronavirus Live updates: Thane district's COVID-19 count rises by 390, death toll by 6

With the addition of 390 coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 2,42,835, an official said on Thursday. These new cases were reported on Wednesday, he said. As the virus claimed the lives of six persons, the death toll in the district rose to 5,946.

The mortality rate is 2.45 per cent, he added. So far, 2,32,797 patients have recuperated from the infection, which took the recovery rate to 95.87 per cent. There are 4,092 active cases in the district at present, the official said. In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 44,228, while the death toll is 1,184, he said.

Coronavirus Live updates: COVID-19 tally in Andamans rises to 4,941 with five new cases

Five more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, raising the tally in the Union Territory to 4,941, a health department official said on Thursday. The death toll remained at 62 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported, he said.

All the fresh cases were detected during contact tracing. Nine more people were cured of the disease on Wednesday, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 4,820, the official said. The Union Territory now has 59 active cases. The Andaman and Nicobar administration has conducted 1,80,626 sample tests for COVID-19 so far, and the positivity rate stands at 2.74 per cent, he added.

Coronavirus Live updates: 25 cases of mutant United Kingdom virus detected in India

A total of 25 cases of mutant United Kingdom virus detected in India after genome sequencing. Four new cases found by NIV, Pune and one new case sequenced in IGIB, Delhi. All 25 persons are in physical isolation at health facilities: Union Ministry of Health

A total of 25 cases of mutant United Kingdom virus detected in India after genome sequencing. Four new cases found by NIV, Pune and one new case sequenced in IGIB, Delhi. All 25 persons are in physical isolation at health facilities: Union Ministry of Health#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/HkC2taSkHg

— ANI (@ANI) December 31, 2020

Coronavirus Live updates: Night curfew to remain in place from 11 pm today to 6 am tomorrow

As people gear up to welcome 2021, the Mumbai police has announced a slew of restrictions on gatherings and celebrations on the New Year's eve in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

In a press release issued late in the night, the police pointed out that the Maharashtra government has already issued guidelines related to New Year's eve and called for low-key celebrations.

Coronavirus Live updates: Singapore further tightens COVID-19 measures on air crew

Crew members of Singapore carriers will have to undergo stricter COVID-19 control measures with immediate effect following coronavirus cases involving a steward and a pilot. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said on Wednesday that it was tightening measures to ensure the safety and well-being of the crew and to safeguard public health in Singapore.

Flight crew, who layover in "high-risk destinations", will be required to undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on three occasions - upon arrival in Singapore, and on the third and seventh day following their return, reported the Channel News Asia, citing a CAAS statement.

The move follows the recent COVID-19 cases involving a Singapore Airlines (SIA) steward and a pilot. The crew will also be required to self-isolate until they receive a negative result from their seventh-day PCR test, said CAAS.

The crew travelling to and from South Africa will also wear full personal protective equipment (PPE), including N95 masks, face shields, protective gowns and gloves. These requirements have already been in place for crew travelling to and from the United Kingdom since December 24.

South Africa and the UK have recently reported cases of the new variants of the coronavirus that are potentially more contagious. Singapore has reported 58,411 COVID-19 cases so far with 29 deaths. 

Coronavirus Live updates: Jharkhand reports 223 new COVID-19 cases, two more deaths

Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally mounted to 1,14,873 as 223 more people tested positive for the infection, a health department official said on Thursday. The death toll rose to 1,027 as two persons from Ranchi succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, he said.

Ranchi district registered the maximum number of fresh cases at 87, followed by East Singhbhum at 40, Bokaro at 20 and Dhanbad at 18. Jharkhand now has 1,640 active cases, while 1,12,206 people have been cured of the disease so far, the official said. The state conducted 15,534 sample tests for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, he added.

Coronavirus Live updates: President of Chapecoense club dies from COVID-19

The president of Chapecoense has died from COVID-19, the Brazilian club said, the latest tragedy to hit the side after an airline crash in 2016 killed almost all of their players and backroom staff.

“Our hearts are filled with sadness and incredulity as we report the death of Paulo Ricardo Magro, president of Chapecoense,” the club said in a statement.

Magro took over at Chapecoense in August 2019 and helped guide them to the top of Serie B and financial stability this year. In 2016, all bar six of the 77 people on board died when the plane carrying them to their biggest ever match, the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional of Medellin, crashed outside the Colombian city.

The accident prompted outpourings of grief and solidarity in the footballing world.

Coronavirus Live updates: New Year’s Eve celebration: Rules and guidelines for Delhi, Mumbai and other major cities

The New Year's Eve celebrations – just like Christmas and Diwali nights this year – will take place amid tight restrictions in view of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Major cities have been placed under night curfew to discourage large gatherings in public places.

This also comes at a time when there are growing concerns around the newly-detected fast-spreading strain of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.

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