Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: WHO Tells Vaccine Makers, Rich Nations to Stop Making Bilateral Deals

New Delhi: Chaotic scenes were witnessed at the Delhi airport on Friday as many passengers arriving from the UK vociferously complained against the national capital government's belated decision to…

The 10-day annual cultural extravaganza 'Taj Mahotsav', which was to begin here from February 18-28, has been cancelled over fears of further spread of the novel coronavirus, officials said on…

India used to import PPE kits, masks, ventilators and testing kits from outside but today our nation is self-reliant. Today, India is ready to save humanity with two 'Made in India' COVID-19 vaccines: PM Narendra Modi at 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention.

Khamenei Bans Import of Vaccines From US, UK | Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced in a televised address a ban on the import of coronavirus vaccines from the US and the UK, saying the two countries were "not trustworthy". "I have already said it to government officials, and now announce it publicly. The import of American and British vaccines is prohibited," Khamenei said in his address on Friday. "American and British vaccines are not allowed in the country. The US and Britain are not trustworthy," Xinhua news agency quoted the top leader as saying in his address on Friday.

Testing Update

Today's Data Highlights

- 18.2k new cases, 19.3k new recoveries, 228 new deaths, 1.3k fall in active cases 

- Kerala reports 5.1k new cases, Maharashtra 3.7k, Chhattisgarh 926

- Only 2 states report more than 1k new cases 

- Maharashtra reports 73 new deaths, Kerala 23, West Bengal 21

- New deaths below 300 for the last 15 days

- 9.16 lakh tests. Tests below 1 million for the 8th consecutive day

- India's total tests cross 18 crore

- USA surpasses 3 lakh daily coronavirus cases

- Global cases surge by a record 8.26 lakh in the last 24 hours. 14.8k new deaths

- UK reports highest ever 68k new cases and 1.3k new deaths 

- 5 countries have reported more than 1k new deaths in the last 24 hours: USA, UK, Germany, Brazil and Mexico

- Deaths per million population is more than 1000 in 20 countries now. India figure is 109

Covid-19 World Update

Covid-19 India Update

Over 18K New Cases in 24 Hrs | India reports 18,222 new COVID-19 cases, 19,253 discharges, and 228 deaths in last 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry

Total cases: 1,04,31,639
Active cases: 2,24,190
Total discharges: 1,00,56,651  
Death toll: 1,50,798

WH Task Force Warns of Possible 'USA Variant' | The White House Coronavirus Task Force has warned of a possibility that there would be a more transmissible Covid-19 variant that evolved in the US. The new strain, in addition to the variant found in Britain, is already spreading in communities and may be 50 per cent more transmissible, according to a report obtained by US media that the task force issued to states on January 3. The task force said the recent spike in cases has been at nearly twice the rate seen in the spring and summer seasons, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

Greece Extends Lockdown Till Jan 18 | Greece will extend the nationwide lockdown by another week to January 18 to cope with the new wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Nikos Hardalias, Deputy Minister for Civil Protection and Crisis Management, announced. The second lockdown in Greece started on November 7, 2020 and was initially scheduled to end on November 30, 2020. However, as the rising numbers of new infections, deaths and intubated patients put huge strains on the national healthcare system, the lockdown has been extended four times, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. Only elementary schools and kindergartens will reopen across Greece. All other students will have classes online.

Global Cases Top 88.8M | The overall global coronavirus caseload has topped 88.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 1.91 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Saturday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 8,88,21,629 and 19,11,637, respectively. The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 2,18,57,293 and 3,68,736, respectively, according to the CSSE. India comes in second place in terms of cases at 1,04,13,417, while the country's death toll soared to 1,50,570.

Rich Nations, Vaccine Firms Should Stop Bilateral Deals: WHO | The World Health Organisation chief appealed to makers of COVID-19 vaccines and the wealthier countries buying them to stop making bilateral deals, saying they hurt a UN-backed effort to widen access to the jabs. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 42 countries are now rolling out such vaccines, mostly high-income and a few middle-income countries. He called on countries that have more jabs than they need to make some available to the COVAX Facility the UN-backed project to get vaccines deployed widely. Now, we are also seeing both high- and middle-income countries that are part of COVAX making additional bilateral deals, he told reporters in Geneva. This potentially bumps up the price for everyone and means high-risk people in the poorest and most marginalized countries don't get the vaccine. I urge countries and manufacturers to stop making bilateral deals at the expense of COVAX, said Tedros, the WHO director-general.

CPI(M) on Friday expressed concern over the way the coronavirus vaccine dry runs are being conducted in the country and said a mass vaccination programme is needed to meet the health challenge. India is preparing for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and the second nationwide mock drill was conducted on Friday. India's drug regulator has approved Oxford vaccine Covishield, being manufactured by the Serum Institute, and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country.

China has sealed off two cities south of Beijing, cutting transport links and banning millions of residents from leaving, as authorities move to stem the country's largest Covid-19 outbreak in six…

China has denied permission for India to operate chartered flights citing reinforced strict COVID-19 measures, the Indian Embassy here said, advising Indian students studying in Chinese universities…

Alert | US sets new record with nearly 2,90,000 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours: Johns Hopkins

Saudi Arabia's King Salman taking first shot of Covid-19 vaccine.

PM to Meet CMs on Monday | PM Narendra Modi will meet all chief ministers of all States to discuss Covid-19 vaccine roll-out on Monday, January 11 at 4pm.

About 23,000 employees of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has been identified in the category of "frontline workers" for vaccination against COVID-19, officials said on Friday. According to the Directorate of Press and Information, among the people who have been identified by the EDMC for vaccination in the first phase are safai karamcharis, health workers, public health workers, engineers, property tax department employees, horticulture and community service departments employees. Several employees of civic bodies in Delhi had contracted the coronavirus infection in 2020. The EDMC has submitted its list of frontline workers in view of the preparations for the vaccination, it said in a statement.

Cinema halls reopened in Odisha yesterday, with 50 per cent occupancy and strict guidelines in place. 

Odisha: Cinema halls reopened in the state yesterday, with 50 per cent occupancy and strict guidelines in place. "Against the reduced capacity of 400, only 20-25 tickets were booked through online mode," said director of a cinema hall in Bhubaneswar. pic.twitter.com/nmx9QNniGO

— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2021

Taj Mahotsav Cancelled | In view of COVID-19 pandemic, Taj Mahotsav will not be organised in Agra this year, said Dr Prabha Kant Awasthi, ADM, Agra (City) on Friday.