Coronavirus LIVE Updates: 700 healthcare workers in Goa to get COVID-19 vaccine tomorrow

Coronavirus LIVE updates | 700 healthcare workers to get COVID-19 vaccine in Goa tomorrow

As many as 700 healthcare workers will be administered the COVID-19 vaccine in Goa on the first day of the vaccination drive tomorrow, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said today. Vaccination will initially take place at seven centres, including two private facilities in the state, chief minister said. (Input from PTI)

Coronavirus LIVE updates | Scientists think COVID-19 vaccines will work on Brazilian virus variant: UK minister

Britain's transport minister said scientists think that COVID-19 vaccines will work on a new variant of the coronavirus found in Brazil and a decision to ban flights from South America and Portugal was made over concerns it spreads faster.

"We had a look at this particular mutation, as opposed to many other thousands very carefully, saw there may be an issue, not so much that the vaccine won't work, in fact scientists think it will work, but just the fact it is more spreadable," Grant Shapps told the BBC. (Input from Reuters)

Coronavirus in United States LIVE Updates | Biden announces $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus plan to revive US economy

US President-elect Joe Biden has announced a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package to tackle the economic fallout from the pandemic, including direct financial aid to average Americans, support to businesses and to provide a boost to the national vaccination programme. The relief package, announced yesterday, includes $415 billion focused on combating the COVID-19 pandemic, over $1 trillion in direct aid to individuals and families and $440 billion in assistance to businesses. (PTI)

Coronavirus in Odisha LIVE Updates | Odisha reports 186 new COVID-19 cases, two more deaths

Odisha's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 3,32,949 today as 186 more people tested positive for the infection, while two fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 1,898, reported news agency PTI citing a health department official. Odisha now has 2,166 active cases, while 3,28,832 people have recovered from the disease so far.

Coronavirus in China LIVE Updates | China COVID-19 cases surge to over 10-month high

China reported the highest number of daily COVID-19 cases in more than 10 months, official data showed today, due to a severe outbreak in the northeast that has put more than 28 million people under lockdown. A total of 144 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Jan. 14, the National Health Commission said in a statement, up from 138 cases a day earlier and marking the highest daily increase since 202 cases reported on March 1.
Total case numbers remains well below what China saw at the height of the outbreak in early 2020, but concerns about a new country-wide wave are growing with a major national holiday a month away and estimates of 296 million railway passenger trips during the Lunar New Year break. (Reuters) 

Coronavirus in Telangana LIVE Updates | Telangana adds 202 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths

Telangana recorded 202 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total positives to over 2.91 lakh while two fatalities pushed the toll to 1,574, the state government said. The total number of cases stood at 2,91,118 while recoveries were at 2,85,102. As many as 4,442 patients are under treatment. (PTI) 

Coronavirus Live updates: COVID vaccination in Delhi: 75 sites for Covishield, 6 for Covaxin

Two days ahead of the massive coronavirus inoculation drive, authorities have released a list of 81 sites that will be part of the immunisation exercise in the national capital, with a senior official saying Covishield will be administered at 75 centres, while Covaxin will be given at the remaining six facilities. As many as 100 people will be vaccinated at each of these locations per day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced on Thursday.

The locations, with nearly an even split of government and private hospitals, include six central government facilities -- AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, Kalawati Saran Children Hospital and two ESI hospitals. The rest 75 sites -- spanning all 11 districts of Delhi, include Delhi government-run facilities -- such as LNJP Hospital, GTB Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, DDU Hospital, BSA Hospital, Delhi State Cancer Institute, ILBS Hospital, and private facilities include Max Hospital, Fortis Hospital, Apollo Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

Coronavirus Live updates: Ex AIIMS director says Covaxin is safe, slams skeptics for doubting research

Former AIIMS director Tirath Das Dogra along with a group of doctors, scientists, and medical professionals have slammed those who have questioned the efficacy of the Covid 19 vaccines. He said such reprehensible utterances are causing huge credibility crisis for the Indian scientific community.

In a statement released on Thursday, Dogra, "We condemn the irresponsible statements made by people with vested interests in print, electronic and social media defaming the Indian scientific community and casting aspersions upon its integrity by making politicised statements doubting the recent research in the field of Covid-19 vaccines."

The statement also said that though the efficacy data is not available, the safety parameters of Covaxin are very good and there is a robust immune response seen with this vaccine. This vaccine is a whole virus inactivated vaccine that may have better protection even against mutant strains of the virus as the immune response will be against multiple antigens and not only against Spike protein, it adds.

Coronavirus Live updates: 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. The country's death toll 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 percent, while the COVID-19 casefatality rate stands at 1.44 percent.

The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh.

There are 2,13,027 active cases of coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 2.02 percent of the total caseload, the data stated.

Coronavirus Live updates: Paris extends curfew nationwide to fight virus

All of France will be under a stricter curfew starting Saturday at 6 p.m. for at least 15 days to fight spread of the coronavirus. French Prime Minister Jean Castex also announced strict new controls for those arriving in France from countries outside the European Union. Starting Monday, they must produce a PCR test with negative results and self-isolate for seven days followed by a new, negative test.

France wants to coordinate a response with the European Union about arrivals from EU countries, he says. The French government is trying to avoid a third lockdown with partial measures like curfews the prime minister calls both “preventative” and “reactive.” Most regions were under an 8 p.m. curfew, but now “everyone must be home at 6 p.m.,” Castex says. That means that stores must close by then. Bars and restaurants have been closed for months.