Latest News LIVE Updates: Biden meanwhile called on states that have loosened mask mandates.
US President Joe Biden's administration on Monday announced a raft of new actions to ramp up the national immunization campaign and ensure that 90 percent of adults will be eligible for vaccination against Covid by April 19.
The move came as the nation's top public health official pleaded with people to "hold on a little longer" with measures to stop the coronavirus, admitting she felt a sense of "impending doom" as data showed the country tipping into another wave.
According to a White House statement, Biden will say his administration is increasing the number of pharmacies in the federal pharmacy vaccination program from 17,000 to nearly 40,000 while creating a dozen more mass vaccination sites by April 19, AFP reported.
Meanwhile, there would be no lockdown or curfew in Karnataka, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa confirmed on Monday. Mr Yediyurappa had chaired a meeting to discuss ways to deal with the continuous spike in coronavirus cases in Bengaluru. The daily average of new COVID-19 cases in the Bengaluru has reached around 1,377 while the city recorded 16,921 cases in just the last 14 days.
However, the state government is not considering any lockdown in the city. After the meeting with officials, the chief minister said there would be no lockdown or curfew.
Here are the Latest News Live Updates:
Covid Probably Came To Humans From Animals: WHO Experts
A team of international experts will present details Tuesday of their findings from a mission to China, which concluded Covid-19 probably passed to humans from a bat via an intermediary animal, all but ruling out a laboratory leak. But the report, drafted by World Health Organization-appointed international experts and their Chinese counterparts, offers no definitive answers on how the new coronavirus jumped to humans.
WHO Report Says "Very Low" Chance Of Frozen Food COVID-19 Origin
The chances that Covid-19 emerged in Wuhan because of imported frozen food are "very low", international health experts said Monday, casting doubt on one of the main theories China has embraced for the cause of the first coronavirus outbreak in late 2019. China has questioned the initial assumption the virus originated in the central city as it tries to deflect claims it mishandled the early outbreak, instead focusing on other potential causes as the country began to recover.
Pfizer, Moderna Vaccines Highly Effective Even After 1st Shot: US Study
COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc with BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc reduced the risk of infection by 80 per cent two weeks or more after the first of two shots, according to data from a real-world study of vaccinated US healthcare personnel and first responders released on Monday. The risk of infection fell 90 per cent by two weeks after the second shot, the study of just under 4,000 people found.
No Lockdown In Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister As Covid Cases Rise
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa chaired a meeting this evening to discuss ways to deal with the continuous spike in coronavirus cases in Bengaluru -- the state government describes the rate of spike as alarming. The daily average of new COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru has reached around 1,377 while the city recorded 16,921 cases in just the last 14 days.
Read Here Brazilian foreign minister resigns after criticism over vaccine shortage: Report
Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo has resigned amid rising criticism over what is perceived to be diplomatic failure to secure coronavirus vaccines as the country is grappling with supply shortages, Sputnik reported citing local media.
Goa reports 128 new COVID-19 cases
Goa reported 128 new COVID-19 cases, 101 recoveries and two deaths in the last 24 hours.
The total cases of COVID-19 in the state so far has reached 57,712. Total recoveries are 55,455, while the death count is 828, ANI reported.
