Coronavirus Cases in India: The recovery rate is 96.04 per cent.
Amid global fears over the new mutant strains of coronavirus, detected in the United Kingdom and South Africa, India recorded 21,822 fresh infections in the last 24 hours, 6 per cent higher than yesterday.
India's tally has surged to 1,02,66,674; 1.48 lakh deaths linked to the disease have been recorded so far. A consortium of 10 government labs has started genome sequencing of new Sars-CoV-2 variant believed to be significantly more infectious.
Applications for the emergency use approval for the coronavirus vaccines filed by the Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech and Pfizer were taken up for consideration by a government-appointed panel of experts on Wednesday.
Serum Institute which is making the vaccine 'Covishield' developed by Oxford University and pharma major AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech which has partnered the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for its 'Covaxin' made presentations before the panel. Pfizer has sought more time to present their data.
The analysis of the data is ongoing and the panel will meet again on Friday, a government statement said.
Once the vaccines are cleared by the expert panel, the applications will move to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for final approval. The government wants to start administering the shots starting next month.
Here are the LIVE updates on Coronavirus Cases:
Two new COVID-19 cases take Arunachal's tally to 16,711
Arunachal Pradesh reported two new COVID-19 cases, which raised the tally in the state to 16,711, a health department official said on Thursday.
Two fresh cases from Tawang and East Siang were detected through rapid antigen tests, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
At least eleven people were cured of the disease on Wednesday, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 16,549.
The recovery rate among coronavirus patients currently stands at 99.03 per cent, he said.
Arunachal Pradesh now has 106 active cases, while 56 people have succumbed to the infection so far, he said.
JustIn| 5 new cases of UK coronavirus strain in India, total 25 cases so far
Chennai: No #newyear celebrations on beaches, other public places. Bars, restaurants to close by 10 pm tonight. Heavy police deployment on roads leading to beaches
- NDTV (@ndtv) December 31, 2020
NDTV's J Sam Daniel reports pic.twitter.com/gfupv9mQrJ
China Is Making It Harder To Solve The Mystery Of How Covid Began
In the year since seafood hawkers started appearing at Wuhan's hospitals sickened with a strange and debilitating pneumonia, the world has learned a lot about Covid-19, from the way it spreads to how to inoculate against the infection. Despite these advances, a chasm remains in our understanding of the virus that's killed nearly 2 million people and whipsawed the global economy: we still don't know how it began. Read more
In the year since seafood hawkers started appearing at Wuhan's hospitals sickened with a strange and debilitating pneumonia, the world has learned a lot about Covid-19, from the way it spreads to how to inoculate against the infection. Despite these advances, a chasm remains in our understanding of the virus that's killed nearly 2 million people and whipsawed the global economy: we still don't know how it began. Read more
China Gives Its First Coronavirus Vaccine Approval To Sinopharm
China approved its first COVID-19 vaccine for general public use on Thursday, a shot developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, as it braces for greater transmission risks over the winter.
No detailed efficacy data of the vaccine has been publicly released but its developer, Beijing Biological Products Institute, a unit of Sinopharm subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG), said on Wednesday its vaccine was 79.34% effective in preventing people from developing the disease based on interim data.
The approval, announced by the National Medical Products Administration, comes after the United Arab Emirates this month became the first country to roll out the vaccine to the public.
Update| Night curfew to remain in place from 11 pm today to 6 am tomorrow. Section 144 to remain imposed prohibiting gathering of 5 or more persons. No parties allowed in restaurants, pubs, bars, beaches, rooftops and boats. We'll keep watch using drones: S Chaitanya, Mumbai Police Spokesperson.
People should not think that they can escape if they drink and drive just because breathalysers are not being used in view of COVID. We can always collect blood samples and examine its alcohol content. Action will be taken against offenders: S Chaitanya, Mumbai Police Spokesperson
JustIn| 21,822 fresh COVID-19 cases in India, 6% higher than yesterday; 1.02 crore total cases, 1,48,738 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.
Night Curfew In Delhi Today, Tomorrow To Restrict New Year Celebrations
No public gatherings will be allowed in Delhi tonight and tomorrow between 11 PM and 6 AM as the state government has announced a night curfew to restrict the New Year celebrations. The centre had asked the states to consider a series of restrictions and tone down the New Year celebrations after 20 cases of new mutant coronavirus strain - believed to be significantly more infectious - were reported across the country. Read more
No public gatherings will be allowed in Delhi tonight and tomorrow between 11 PM and 6 AM as the state government has announced a night curfew to restrict the New Year celebrations. The centre had asked the states to consider a series of restrictions and tone down the New Year celebrations after 20 cases of new mutant coronavirus strain - believed to be significantly more infectious - were reported across the country. Read more
UK Covid Strain Could've Entered India Prior To December: AIIMS Director
With India confirming at least 20 cases of the new UK strain of Covid-19, All India Institute of Medical Sciences director Randeep Guleria on Wednesday said that it is a possibility that the new mutation could have been present in the country even in November as the mutant strain was reported in the United Kingdom in September and there might be people who would have been infected. Read Here
India Will Have COVID-19 Vaccine Within Days: AIIMS Director
Terming the approval for Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for use in the UK as a "big step forward", AIIMS Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Wednesday said that India will have the COVID-19 vaccine within days.
US Logs More Than 3,900 COVID-19 Deaths In New Daily Record: Report
More than 3,900 people died of Covid-19 in the US Wednesday, according to a count released by Johns Hopkins University, a new daily record for fatalities from the virus.
Expert Panel Reviews COVID-19 Vaccines, To Meet Again Friday
Applications for the emergency use approval for the coronavirus vaccines filed by the Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech and Pfizer were taken up for consideration by a government-appointed panel of experts on Wednesday. Read Here
"Highly Unlikely" 91-Year-Old's Death Due To Vaccine: Switzerland
There is no indication the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 was responsible for the death of an elderly person in Switzerland just days after she received the jab, Swiss authorities said Wednesday.
The Swissmedic regulatory authority and regional authorities in the central canton of Lucerne confirmed reports that a 91-year-old person who was among the first to receive the vaccine in Switzerland last week had died.
But a Swissmedic spokesman insisted to AFP that the timing of the death on Tuesday in a Lucerne nursing home, just five days after receiving the vaccine, "was a coincidence".
"Investigations by the cantonal health authorities and by Swissmedic have shown that, based on the medical history and disease development, a connection between the death and the Covid-19 vaccination is highly unlikely," Swissmedic said in a statement.
Canada To Require Negative COVID-19 Test For People Entering Country
Canada will require travellers to obtain a negative Covid-19 test before being allowed into the country, the government announced Wednesday.
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests will need to be conducted within three days of boarding a flight, officials told a news conference.
Upon arrival travellers will still have to quarantine for 14 days.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic Leblanc said the new measure -- along with increased monitoring at Canadian airports -- would be in place "quickly," but did not provide a specific date.
It comes after a new strain was identified in Britain, and has already spread to Canada.
Priority Groups Identified, Centre Working Aggressively For Covid Vaccination Drive: AIIMS Director
The government is aggressively working on the Covid-19 mass vaccination program and there will be no delay in the inoculation process, Dr Randeep Guleria, director All India Institute of Medical Sciences said on Wednesday. He also said that priority groups have been identified and the vaccine will be free for healthcare workers, frontline workers, and the elderly.
In an interview to ANI, Dr Guleria explained the mechanism and the twin aims of the vaccination drive- "to decrease mortality as we do not want more people to die because of COVID-19, second is to break the chain of vaccination in which we will aim having a sufficient number of people vaccinated, therefore the cases come down automatically."
"With these aims, we have to see how many people we have to vaccinate. We want to vaccinate our higher population--those having co-morbidity and the elderly because they have a higher chance of having a severe Covid-19 infection.
"We know that there are people who have got the infection and already have the immunity and if we give the vaccine to them then another significant number of people get immunity, In that way, we may have reached so-called ''herd immunity'' and we may not need to vaccinate larger number of the entire population because we broke the chance of transmission," he added.
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