Coronavirus Cases in India: The recovery rate is 96.16 per cent.
India added 18,177 coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, placing its overall number at 1.03 crore cases, the Health Ministry's data showed. The number of fresh infections is 4.7 per cent lower than on Saturday. In this period, India reported 217 deaths linked to the virus, taking the total number of fatalities to 1,49,435.
Meanwhile, Covaxin, the coronavirus vaccine from Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, has been recommended for "restricted use in emergency situation in public interest" by a government-appointed panel, which submitted its findings to the Drugs Controller General of India on Saturday evening.
The DCGI will take the final call on approving of the vaccine. The national regulator is scheduled to address the media at 11 am today.
The recommendation comes despite the lack of efficacy data at this time. Covaxin has completed only two of three trial phases; the third - which tests for efficacy and which the company has called "the largest... ever conducted in India" - began in November.
Free coronavirus vaccines will be given in the first phase to three crore people who have been on the frontline in the fight against the highly contagious disease, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said today. The government will give priority to 1 crore healthcare workers and 2 crore frontline workers when India begins the rollout of Covid vaccine.
"In 1st phase of #COVID19Vaccination free #vaccine shall be provided across the nation to most prioritised beneficiaries that incl 1 crore healthcare & 2 crore frontline workers. Details of how further 27 cr priority beneficiaries are to be vaccinated until July are being finalised (sic)," Dr Harsh Vardhan tweeted on Saturday.
Here are the LIVE updates on Coronavirus Cases:
Just In| Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin get final approval by drug regulator, will be India's first vaccines
Over 4.2 Million Administered With Covid Vaccine In US: Top Health Body
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had administered 4,225,756 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 13,071,925 doses.
The tally of vaccine doses distributed and the number of people who received the first dose are for both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, vaccines as of 9:00 AM ET on Saturday, the agency said.
According to the tally posted on Dec. 30, the agency had administered 2,794,588 first doses of the vaccines and distributed 12,409,050 doses.
Japan to consider new COVID-19 emergency declaration
Japan will consider issuing a new emergency declaration after governors in the capital region urged action to tackle a record surge in COVID-19 cases, the head of the nation's pandemic response said on Saturday.
The government needs to consult with health experts before deciding on a new declaration, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters after a meeting with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and leaders from three neighbouring prefectures.
"The national government and the three governors shared the view that the situation in the Tokyo area is getting more severe such that an emergency declaration may be necessary," Nishimura said.
As an interim measure, restaurants and karaoke parlors in the Tokyo area would be asked to close at 8 p.m., while businesses that serve alcohol should close at 7 p.m., he said.
Thailand reports 315 new coronavirus cases in second wave
Thailand confirmed 315 new coronavirus cases on Sunday in a second wave of infection where the majority of the cases were local transmission.
The new cases include 21 cases imported from abroad, the government's COVID-19 taskforce said.
Thailand has confirmed a total of 7,694 coronavirus cases and 64 deaths since its first case last January.
The government is eyeing tougher measures to restrict businesses and limits people's movement in 28 provinces, including the capital Bangkok to curb the spread of the virus.
India A Step Closer To Covid Vaccine, Drug Regulator Approval Awaited: 10 Facts
India has moved a step closer to getting a coronavirus vaccine as two candidates - Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and the Serum Institute of India's Covishield - have been recommended by a government-appointed panel to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use in the last two days. The country has been preparing for the vaccine rollout for the last four months, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday as he reviewed the dry run in Delhi. Read more
Just In| India records 18,177 new cases, 4.7% lower than yesterday; 1.03 crore total cases, 1.49 lakh deaths
Australia's COVID-19 cases on the rise as masks made compulsory
Australia's most-populous state of New South Wales (NSW) reported eight new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, while neighbouring Victoria's tally increased by three, as new measures to combat the disease kicked in.
The NSW outbreak started around mid-December in Sydney's Northern Beaches area, where a quarter of a million people are in strict lockdown until Jan. 9. Cases associated with the cluster now total 148.
A smaller cluster in the west of the city, linked to a different genome sequence, has 13 confirmed cases. But the state's chief health officer, Kerry Chant, said authorities are worried as recent transmission at a liquor store occurred with "fleeting" exposure.
"We know these transmission events have happened through very minimal exposure. We are asking members of the community who did purchase alcohol or enter that premises for that period to be very vigilant," Chant told reporters.
UK Variant Continues To Spread Around The World As Coronavirus Enters 2021
Over 30 countries have reported cases of the highly-transmissible UK variant of the novel coronavirus, raising fears of increased global spread of the virus, even as countries begin to unroll vaccination programs in the new year. Read more
Over 30 countries have reported cases of the highly-transmissible UK variant of the novel coronavirus, raising fears of increased global spread of the virus, even as countries begin to unroll vaccination programs in the new year. Read more
India Successfully Cultures UK Coronavirus Strain: Top Medical Body
India has successfully cultured the new coronavirus strain, which originated in the UK, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Saturday.
In a tweet, the ICMR claimed that no country has yet reported successful isolation and culture of the UK-variant of SARS-CoV-2.
Culture is the process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside their natural environment.
"UK-variant of the virus, with all signature changes, is now successfully isolated and cultured at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) from the clinical specimens collected from UK-returnees," the ICMR said.
Luxury Hotel In Chennai Turns Into Covid Cluster, 85 Test Positive
About 85 people, including staff members, at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai have tested positive for COVID-19 since December 15 last year, a senior official said on Saturday. Of the total of 609 samples collected so far, 85 were found to be positive for the virus.
Mexican Doctor Hospitalised After Receiving Pfizer Covid Vaccine
Mexican authorities said they are studying the case of a 32-year-old female doctor who was hospitalized after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The doctor, whose name has not been released, was admitted to the intensive care unit of a public hospital in the northern state of Nuevo Leon after she experienced seizures, difficulty breathing and a skin rash.
Bharat Biotech's Vaccine Cleared By Panel, Regulator's Approval Awaited
Covaxin, the coronavirus vaccine from Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, has been recommended for "restricted use in emergency situation in public interest" by a government-appointed panel, which submitted its findings to the Drugs Controller General of India on Saturday evening. Read Here
Covid Vaccine To Be Available In UP Around 'Makar Sankranti': Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said COVID-19 vaccine will be available in the state close to the Hindu festival, 'Makar Sankranti', which will be celebrated on January 14.
Speaking at a programme, he said, "We initiated the campaign against COVID-19 in March 2020 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and at the beginning of this year we could say firmly that the dry run of the vaccine will be held on January 5 across the state and the vaccine will be available near around Makar Sankranti."
The Chief Minister added that a dry run of the vaccine was being held at some places in the state on Saturday.
Mexican Doctor Hospitalised After Receiving Pfizer Covid Vaccine
Mexican authorities said they are studying the case of a 32-year-old female doctor who was hospitalized after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
The doctor, whose name has not been released, was admitted to the intensive care unit of a public hospital in the northern state of Nuevo Leon after she experienced seizures, difficulty breathing and a skin rash.
"The initial diagnosis is encephalomyelitis," the Health Ministry said in a statement released on Friday night. Encephalomyelitis is an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.
The ministry added that the doctor has a history of allergic reactions and said that there is no evidence from clinical trials that anyone has developed an inflammation of the brain after the vaccine's application.
Russia Inoculates Over 800,000 People Against Covid, Issues Vaccination Certificates
More than 800,000 people in Russia have been inoculated so far against the new coronavirus and more than 1.5 million vaccine doses have been dispatched, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Saturday.
Russia, which began rolling out its Sputnik V vaccine in early December, has the world's fourth higher number of COVID-19 cases and is putting high hopes on several vaccines it plans to produce.
From Jan. 1, people who are inoculated in Russia will get an electronic vaccination certificate, the TASS news agency quoted Murashko as saying. The ministry is keeping a database of Russians who have been vaccinated, TASS reported.
The Sputnik V vaccine, which Russia already started supplying to other countries, is administered in two doses, which use different components, 21 days apart.
Russia sent 300,000 doses of the vaccine to Argentina last week, causing frustration at home, with some people arguing that more shots should be made available at home.
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