Latest News Today: The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh. (File)
India's COVID-19 caseload rose to 1,05,27,683 with 15,590 people testing positive for the infection in a day, while the recoveries have surged to 1,01,62,738, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.
The country's deaths increased to 1,51,918 with 191 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,01,62,738 pushing the national COVID-19 recovery rate to 96.53 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.44 per cent. The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh.
Meanwhile, the Centre has circulated the dos and don'ts for vaccination to the states on Thursday. The rollout on Saturday is expected to cover 3 lakh healthcare workers across 3,006 sites across the country. Interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines is not permitted and pregnant and lactating women should not be administered the shots as they have not been part of any anti-coronavirus vaccine clinical trial so far, the Health Ministry said.
In a letter to all states and Union territories, the ministry highlighted that under the emergency use authorisation, coronavirus vaccination is indicated only for 18 years and above. If required, COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines should be separated by an interval of at least 14 days.
"Interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines is not permitted. Second dose should also be of the same COVID-19 vaccine which was administered as the first dose," the letter written by Manohar Agnani, Additional Secretary, Union health ministry said.
The ministry has listed precautions and contraindications for COVID-19 vaccination along with a comparative factsheet for both the vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) which contains information on vaccine platform, physical specifications, dosage, cold-chain storage requirements, contraindications and minor AEFIs (adverse event following immunization).
Here are the live updates:
Germany's COVID-19 Cases Cross 2 Million
Germany's total coronavirus cases topped two million on Friday, as Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed for a "significant" tightening of restrictions to slow the infection rate. The European Union's most populous country added another 22,368 new cases over the past 24 hours, Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) health agency said, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 2,000,958.
COVID-19: India Records 15,590 Fresh Cases
India's COVID-19 caseload rose to 1,05,27,683 with 15,590 people testing positive for the infection in a day, while the recoveries have surged to 1,01,62,738, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.
7 New COVID-19 Cases In Andamans; Tally At 4,976
The COVID-19 caseload in Andaman and Nicobar Islands mounted to 4,976 as seven more people have tested positive for the disease in the Union Territory, a health department official said on Friday. The fresh cases were detected during contact tracing, he said.
No fresh COVID-19 fatality in Jharkhand, tally rises to 1,17,384
Jharkhand has not reported any fresh COVID-19 fatality in the past 24 hours, even as 144 new cases pushed the tally to 1,17,384, a health department official said on Friday. The coronavirus deaths remained at 1,048 in the state.
"No fresh virus-related death was reported in the state for the third consecutive day on Thursday," the official said. The new infections include 77 from Ranchi district, East Singhbhum (27) and Dhanbad (9), he said.
Jharkhand now has 1,327 active coronavirus cases, while 1,15,009 people have recovered from the disease so far.
The state has tested 12,133 samples for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the official added.
"Can COVID-19 Vaccine Cause Infertility?": Health Minister Tackles Myths
Ahead of the COVID-19 vaccination drive that starts Saturday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan took to Twitter on Thursday, to dispel doubts about the vaccines. Posting a series of graphics on Twitter, the minister addressed fears like the vaccine causing infertility or spreading the coronavirus infection.
Read Here UK Bans Travel From South America Over Brazil Variant Fears
The United Kingdom is banning travel from the whole of South America and Portugal amid concerns over a new variant of the coronavirus in Brazil, authorities here announced. British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that as of 4 am Friday, arrivals from more than a dozen countries, including Argentina, Chile and Peru, will be halted "following evidence of a new variant in Brazil." Outside South America, the Cape Verde islands off the west coast of Africa and Panama in Central America were also slapped with travel bans.
Ahead Of Covid Vaccine Rollout, Centre Sends Rulebook To States
Two days to go for the rollout of the Covid vaccines, the Centre circulated the dos and don'ts for vaccination to the states this evening. The rollout on Saturday is expected to cover 3 lakh healthcare workers across 3,006 sites across the country. Vaccination is allowed only for those who are above the age of 18 years, the Centre said. Women who are pregnant or not sure of their pregnancy and lactating mothers should not receive the vaccine.
Read Here "Can COVID-19 Vaccine Cause Infertility?": Health Minister Tackles MythsAhead of the COVID-19 vaccination drive that starts Saturday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan took to Twitter on Thursday, to dispel doubts about the vaccines.
Posting a series of graphics on Twitter, the minister addressed fears like the vaccine causing infertility or spreading the coronavirus infection.
"There is no scientific evidence to suggest that #COVIDVaccine could cause infertility in either men or women. Kindly do not pay heed to such rumours or information from unverified sources," he said in one tweet.
Farmers' Protest: Day After It Was Set Up, Member Quits Supreme Court Panel On Farm LawsBhartiya Kisan Union's national president Bhupinder Singh Mann has stepped down from the Supreme Court-appointed committee to look into the Centre's contentious farm laws, saying he did not wish to "compromise farmers' interests". His decision came a day ahead of the next round of talks between the government and the farmers. The matter will now go back to the court for further orders.
A statement from Mr Mann today read: "As a farmer myself and a Union leader, in view of the prevailing sentiments and apprehensions amongst farm unions and the public in general, I am ready to sacrifice any position offered or given to me so as not to compromise the interests of Punjab and farmers of the country."
Coronavirus news: Ahead Of Covid Vaccine Rollout, Centre Sends Rulebook To StatesTwo days to go for the rollout of the Covid vaccines, the Centre circulated the dos and don'ts for vaccination to the states this evening. The rollout on Saturday is expected to cover 3 lakh healthcare workers across 3,006 sites across the country.
Vaccination is allowed only for those who are above the age of 18 years, the Centre said. Women who are pregnant or not sure of their pregnancy and lactating mothers should not receive the vaccine.
The Centre also said that interchangeability of vaccine is not permitted. The second dose of the vaccine should also be of the one that was administered as first dose.
Both vaccines cleared by the country's drug regulator -- Serum Institute's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin -- are two-dose vaccines which have to be administered at a 28-day gap.
