Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Over 40,000 Vaccinated People Test Positive in Kerala; Skip RT-PCR for Fully Jabbed, States Told

Over 40,000 Vaccinated People Test Positive in Kerala | Kerala has reported over 40,000 cases of breakthrough Coronavirus infections, where the people have contracted the disease a second time or those who are fully vaccinated. Top health ministry sources have told India Today familiar with the developments in the state said that the role of new variant cannot be ruled out. India has reported a total of 1 lakh such breakthrough infection cases and Kerala alone has reported 40,000 infections, ICMR sources told India Today.

READ | Lockdown Will Be Imposed In Maha If Oxygen Need Crosses 700mt: Rajesh Tope

Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday that lockdown will again be imposed in the state if the need for medical oxygen crosses 700 metric tonne.

Sydney Tightens Curbs, Canberra to Enter Lockdown | Extra Australian military personnel may be called in to ensure compliance with lockdown rules in Sydney, the New South Wales state government said on Thursday, as the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant spreads into regional areas. The move comes as Australia's capital, Canberra, 260 km (160 miles) southwest of Sydney, announced a snap one-week lockdown from Thursday evening after reporting its first locally acquired case of COVID-19 in more than a year.

DCGI Nod to Bharat Biotech for Study on Mixing Covaxin & Its Nasal Covid Jab | The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has allowed Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech to conduct a study on mix and match of their two coronavirus vaccines — Covaxin and Adenoviral Intranasal Vaccine — in order to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety in healthy volunteers. “A phase 2/3 randomised, multi-centric, clinical trial of heterologous prime boost combination of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines BBV 152 (Covaxin) with BBV154 (adenoviral intranasal vaccine) has been granted by the drug regulatory body,” a government official told CNN-News18.

Punjab Records Jump in Covid Cases | Punjab on Wednesday registered a jump in COVID-19 infections, 107 cases surfacing in the state in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 5,99,678. With no Covid-related death reported on Wednesday, the toll stood at 16,325, according to the health bulletin. The toll, however, included three deaths, which were not reported earlier, as per the bulletin. Ludhiana reported the maximum 34 cases, followed by nine in Amritsar and eight each in Bathinda and Fazilka.

Bengal Reports 6 Covid-19 Deaths, 700 Fresh Cases | Six people died of COVID-19 in West Bengal on Wednesday, taking the toll to 18,258, while 700 fresh cases pushed the tally to 15,35,699, a bulletin issued by the health department said. The city and its neighbouring South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly districts reported no coronavirus deaths while North 24 Parganas accounted for one fatality. The state currently has 10,163 active cases.

Assam Reports 14 COVID-19 Deaths, 886 New Cases | Assam reported 14 deaths due to COVID-19 on Wednesday, while 886 new cases pushed the caseload to 5,77,035, the National Health Mission said. With the death of two persons each in Dibrugarh, Kamrup Metro, and Udalguri, and one each in Cachar, Dhubri, Kamrup Rural, Kokrajhar, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, and West Karbi Anglong districts, the death toll rose to 5,434.