The uneven pace of vaccination remains a worry in India's acheivement of 100 crore vaccination. (Picture: Reuters)Coronavirus Variants and Vaccinations, Coronavirus Active Cases in India Today’s New, November 1 Live Updates: Almost after 19 months, schools in Delhi will reopen today with 50% capacity, as the AAP-led government allowed schools and colleges to resume offline classes with improvement in the Covid-19 situation. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority recommended reopening schools for classes 6 to 8 with 50% capacity after noting that there had been no instances of increased local transmission after the reopening of classes 9 to 12. With strict adherence to Covid protocols, staggered timetables, no shared lunches, and fully vaccinated staff are some of the measures to be taken schools for reopening, as the surge in fresh Coronavirus infections in some parts of the country triggers the fear of the Covid-19 third wave.
States like West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, and Assam have witnessed a huge spike (up to 40%) in new Covid-19 cases after the Durga Puja festivals. The festive season is still on in India. Some states/UTs have already relaxed Covid restrictions for the festive season. It has been noticed people are lowering guard during celebrations of festivals. The government and health experts are advising people to follow appropriate Covid behavior in order to curb any spread of Coronavirus infection during the festivals.
Meanwhile, the vaccination drive in India has been going smoothly. India has already achieved the 100 crore mark in Covid vaccination last month. However, the uneven pace of vaccination remains a worry. Even over 75% of the eligible population in the country has received at least the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, there are still 48 districts where the first dose coverage is less than 50%. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold review meeting districts with low vaccination coverage on Wednesday. According to data from the Union Health Ministry, out of the 48 districts, 27 are from the northeast.
India reported 12,514 fresh coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, taking its overall Covid-19 tally to 3,42,85,814, while the active cases declined to 1,58,817, the lowest in 248 days, according to data from the Union Health Ministry on Monday. With 251 fresh fatalities, The Covid-19 death toll surged to 4,58,437, the Health Ministry said. The daily rise in new coronavirus infection has been below 20,000 for 24 straight days and below 50,000 for 127 consecutive days now. The number of active Covid-19 cases now accounts for 0.46% of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national recovery rate was recorded at 98.20%, the Health Ministry said.
Globally, the US, UK, and Russia reported a huge spike in fresh Coronavirus infections as they battle new waves. According to World Health Organisation, the number of new cases and Covid-19 deaths globally have started increasing for the first time in two months. While new infections witnessed a rise of 4%, Covid deaths surged 5% in the past week globally. Even the Covid-19 situation in India is under control, the possibility of a third wave looms large amid a record spike of Covid-19 cases in several countries across the globe.
Here are the latest updates on Coronavirus from India and around the globe:
Highlights
A third dose of COVID-19 vaccine is effective in reducing severe disease outcomes compared to individuals who have received two doses at least five months ago, according to the largest real-world study of Pfizer booster shot published in The Lancet. The study by researchers from The Clalit Research Institute and Harvard University was conducted in Israel, an early global leader in third-dose COVID-19 vaccination rates. It is the first to estimate the effectiveness of a third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine against severe outcomes with adjustment for various possible confounders, including comorbidities and behavioural factors. A recent clinical trial conducted by BioNTech included a smaller sample size and did not estimate the third-dose's effects for more severe outcomes. The study took place from July 30 through September 23, 2021, coinciding with Israel's fourth wave of coronavirus infection and illness, during which the Delta variant was the dominant strain in the country for most new infections. Researchers reviewed data from 728,321 individuals aged 12 or above who had received the third dose of the Pfizer vaccine. (PTI)
G20 leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have vowed to strengthen the World Health Organisation to fast-track the process for emergency use authorisation for COVID-19 vaccines and to take steps to boost supply of jabs in developing nations so as to move towards the global goals of vaccinating at least 40 per cent of the population in all countries by the end of 2021 and 70 per cent by mid-2022. In the Rome Declaration on Sunday, the G20 leaders thanked healthcare and frontline workers, international organisations and scientists for their relentless efforts to cope with the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. "Recognising that vaccines are among the most important tools against the pandemic, and reaffirming that extensive COVID-19 immunisation is a global public good, we will advance our efforts to ensure timely, equitable and universal access to safe, affordable, quality and effective vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, with particular regard to the needs of low- and middle-income countries," the G20 nations said in their declaration at the Summit here. "To help advance toward the global goals of vaccinating at least 40 per cent of the population in all countries by the end of 2021 and 70 per cent by mid-2022, as recommended by the World Health Organisation's (WHO) global vaccination strategy, we will take steps to help boost the supply of vaccines and essential medical products and inputs in developing countries and remove relevant supply and financing constraints," the leaders said. They also asked their health ministers to monitor progress toward this end and to explore ways to accelerate global vaccination as necessary. (PTI)
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South Korea on Monday began to allow larger social gatherings and lifted business-hour restrictions on restaurants in what officials described as the first step toward attempting to restore some pre-pandemic normalcy. The capital area has been under the country's strongest social distancing measures short of a lockdown since July. Citing pandemic fatigue and economic concerns, officials had eased the measures in mid-October to allow for gatherings of up to eight people if at least four were fully vaccinated. Under the changes starting Monday, the limit on private social gatherings in the capital, Seoul, and nearby metropolitan areas was raised to 10 people and 12 in other regions, regardless of whether participants are fully vaccinated or not. Restaurants and coffee shops are now allowed to open for 24 hours, rather than being forced to close at 10 p.m. in the greater Seoul area and at midnight in the rest of the country. However, high-risk entertainment venues such as nightclubs are required to close at midnight. (AP)
Eight new COVID19 cases, 7 recoveries were reported in the state yesterday. The state's active case tally is at 116. Recovery rate is 98.6%: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra (ANI)
Singapore is "making progress" in its fight against COVID-19 but there could be potential "surprises" like those being faced by some European countries, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said. It would take a few months, but Singapore will eventually reopen safely like Italy, which has one of the highest vaccination rates in Europe at more than 72 per cent fully vaccinated, Lee said while speaking to the media at the end of the G20 Summit in Rome on Sunday. The country, which had two strict lockdowns previously, has relaxed most of its COVID-19 rules, including the wearing of masks outdoors. But Lee warned about potential "surprises", pointing out that cases in Europe are rising, especially in the Western Europe, and authorities there are monitoring the situation. "It may happen to us too, but we take it one step at a time," the Channel News Asia quoted Lee in a report from Rome. "So far it has taken us a while, it has been very wearing on our people because each time we think we have arrived, something new turns up and you have to carry on a little bit longer," said the Singapore Prime Minister. "But we are making progress and I think we have confidence we will get there." Lee also made a comparison of the COVID-19 situation between Singapore and Italy, whose population is 11 times bigger. (PTI)
Arunachal Pradesh reported only one new COVID-19 case on Monday, officials said. Nineteen people recovered in the last 24 hours, following which the number of active cases dipped to 101, they said. The toll in the frontier state remained at 280 as no new death was reported, they added. The state has so far reported 55,155 cases, while 54,774 patients have recovered. Tawang district has the highest number of active cases at 24, followed by Lower Dibang Valley (18), West Kameng (13) and East Siang (11). The new case was detected after testing 334 samples. (PTI)
New Zealand will extend coronavirus curbs for another week in its largest city of Auckland, but ease some after that, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, another day of record new infections. As New Zealand battles the spread of the infectious Delta variant of COVID-19, it has agreed on a Nov. 10 re-opening date for retail stores and institutions such as libraries and museums, Ardern told a news conference. "Because of the high vaccination rates in Auckland we can move with greater confidence," Ardern said. "These decisions are carefully balanced and allows us to release some of the pressure and fatigue that we know exists in Auckland." The city's limit on the size of outdoor gatherings was lifted to 25 people. New Zealand won global praise last year for a response that stamped out the coronavirus, but has proved unable to quash the current outbreak, forcing it to adopt a strategy of living with the virus instead of the earlier aim of elimination. Still, it has fared far better than many other countries, with tough curbs that have held COVID-19 infections to about 6,000 and a toll of just 28 deaths. Daily cases have been rising to record highs in the last few days, with 162 on Monday. (Reuters)
New rules aimed at moving South Koreans toward 'living with COVID-19' came into effect on Monday, with the easing of a range of curbs and the introduction of vaccine passports at high-risk venues such as gyms, saunas and bars. The switch of focus comes as more than 75% of the country's population has been fully vaccinated. The first phase of the revised rules is due to last for a month, with plans to scrap all restrictions by February. 'The return path to everyday life, to which we're taking the first step today, is a path we've never been on,' Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol told an infra-agency COVID-19 meeting. He asked people to keep wearing masks, regularly ventilate rooms and get a test if symptoms emerge, noting that there are still concerns about a potential resurgence of new cases due to risk factors such as unvaccinated people, future declines in immunity among the vaccinated, and year-end gatherings. While never under lockdown, South Korea has been battling a fourth wave of infections since July, when the government imposed tighter gathering and social distancing restrictions. Among a raft of changes, operating hour curfews on restaurants and cafes were lifted, and outdoor sports events will be allowed to host spectators at 50% of capacity. Up to 100 people can attend musicals or concerts regardless of vaccination status, while gyms will no longer have to limit treadmill speeds or ban playing music with high beats per minute during group exercises. (Reuters)
A declassified U.S. intelligence report saying it was plausible that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in a laboratory is unscientific and has no credibility, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a statement on Sunday. The updated U.S. intelligence briefing, published on Saturday, said that a natural origin and a lab leak were both plausible hypotheses to explain how SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, first infected humans, but that the truth may never be known. In a response Sunday on the website of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang said "a lie repeated a thousand times is still a lie", adding that U.S. intelligence services "have a reputation for fraud and deception." (Reuters)
Fireworks boomed as the visitors at Shanghai Disneyland waited for their COVID-19 test results, surrounded by healthcare workers dressed from head to toe in the white protective suits. Shanghai Disneyland suddenly announced Sunday evening that they were no longer accepting any visitors and that they were cooperating with an epidemiological investigation from another province. They then locked down the park, as Shanghai city healthcare workers and police rushed to the scene to conduct a mass testing. The park is shut for Monday and Tuesday as they continue to cooperate with the pandemic prevention efforts, Shanghai Disneyland said in a notice on Monday. The park's sudden lockdown and temporary closure underscored just how serious China is about enforcing its zero-tolerance pandemic prevention strategy. Globally, many countries have turned to living with the virus, whether out of choice or necessity, although as virus surges come and go, many face overburdened healthcare systems, and excess deaths. In China, which has kept its borders sealed since March last year, the policy response has been to cut the chain of transmission of the virus as quickly as possible. With a strict quarantine on arrival policy, the authorities have aimed to get to zero locally transmitted cases in each outbreak they face. One individual who tested positive of COVID-19, discovered by authorities in the nearby city of Hangzhou, had visited Disneyland on Saturday, local media reported. (AP)
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen declared his country reopen and ready for a new way of life on Monday, having surpassed its COVID-19 vaccination target and recorded one of Asia's highest inoculation rates. Cambodia has vaccinated nearly 86% if its more than 16 million people, with two million given booster shots already and 300,000 school children age 5 set to be inoculated on Monday alone. The ratio is similar to that of Singapore. Hun Sen, said it was time to get on with life. "From now on, the full reopening of the country in all areas and living with COVID-19 in a new way of life starts from today," he said. "I won't be in a crab cave anymore," he said.Cambodia has recorded more than 118,522 coronavirus cases and 2,788 deaths overall, the vast majority this year. The country, among the poorest in Asia, has been lauded for its early success in administering vaccines. Hun Sen said the government had a supply of 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for boosters and more were on order. The country reopened its theatres and museums at the weekend, reflecting a decline in new coronavirus cases. It will also reopen three tourist locations to vaccinated visitors from the end of this month, with quarantine reduced to five days in Sihanoukville, nearby Koh Rong and Koh Kong provinces. (Reuters)
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#COVID19 | Of the 12,514 new infections and 251 deaths reported in India in the last 24 hours, Kerala reported 7,167 new cases and 167 deaths. (ANI)
India reports 12,514 #COVID19 cases, 12,718 recoveries and 251 deaths in last 24 hours as per the Union Health MinistryCase tally: 3,42,85,814Active cases: 1,58,817 (lowest in 248 days)Total recoveries: 3,36,68,560 Death toll: 4,58,437 Total Vaccination: 1,06,31,24,205 (ANI)
Thane has reported 137 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection tally in the Maharashtra district to 5,65,881, while two more deaths pushed the fatality toll to 11,521, an official said on Monday. These new cases and deaths were recorded on Sunday, he said. The COVID-19 mortality rate in the district is 2.03 per cent, he added. In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,38,013, while the death toll stands at 3,282, another official said. (PTI)
Sydney's international airport came alive with tears, embraces and laughter on Monday as Australia's border opened for the first time in 20 months, with some arriving travelers tearing away mandatory masks to see faces of loved ones they've been separated from for so long. "Just being able to come home without having to go to quarantine is huge," arriving passenger Carly Boyd told reporters at Sydney's Kingsford-Smith Airport, where Peter Allen's unofficial national anthem "I Still Call Australia Home" was playing. "There's a lot of people on that flight who have loved ones who are about to die or have people who died this week so. For them to be able to get off the plane and go see them straight away is pretty amazing," Boyd added. Australia is betting that vaccination rates are now high enough to mitigate the danger of allowing international visitors again after maintaining some of the lengthiest and strictest border controls anywhere during the coronavirus pandemic. Thailand, too, was reopening its border Monday. Fully vaccinated tourists arriving by air from 46 countries and territories no longer have to quarantine and can move freely. And local restrictions such as a curfew in some areas were being lifted. Before the pandemic, Sydney was Australia's busiest international airport but until Monday had been almost deserted. The new freedoms mean that outbound fully vaccinated Australian permanent residents and citizens can leave the country for any reason without asking the government for an exemption from a travel ban that has trapped most at home since March 15, 2020. (AP)
Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in some parts of the country, the Police Commissionerate of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, has imposed section 144 CrPC from October 31 to November 30 ahead of festivals. (ANI)
Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia visits Rajkiya Sarvodaya Bal/Kanya Vidyalaya in West Vinod Nagar for inspection as schools for all students reopen 'Happy that schools have reopened today especially for nursery to 8th classes. We're following all COVID protocols,' he says. (ANI)
Nine in 10 New York City municipal workers received COVID-19 vaccinations as a Monday deadline loomed under a city mandate, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio tweeted Saturday night that 91% of city workers had received the vaccine, which represented a jump from about 83% as of Friday night. Under a city mandate, those who haven't received at least one dose of the vaccine will be put on unpaid leave starting Monday, raising the possibility of shortages of police, fire and EMS workers. New York has more than 300,000 employees. The police department, which employs about 36,000 officers and 19,000 civilian employees, reported an 84% vaccination rate as of Sunday morning, while the fire department said Sunday afternoon that 80% of its employees were vaccinated -- 75% of firefighters, 87% of EMTS and 90% of civilian employees. (AP)
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COVID-19 | Assam reported 212 new cases, 236 recoveries and 1 death, yesterday. Active cases 2,327 and total positive cases 6,10,645 (ANI)
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday she has contracted COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms. Psaki, 42, said she was last in contact with President Joe Biden on Tuesday, when she met him in the White House, where they were more than 6 feet apart and wearing masks. Biden, who is tested frequently, last tested negative on Saturday, according to the White House. Psaki did not accompany Biden on his trip abroad to Rome this weekend for the Group of 20 summit and next Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday for a U.N. climate summit. Psaki had planned to travel with the president but scrapped the trip just as he was set to depart for Europe after learning that members of her household had tested positive for COVID-19. "Since then, I have quarantined and tested negative (via PCR) for COVID on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday," Psaki said in a statement. "However, today, I tested positive for COVID." Psaki said she is only exhibiting mild symptoms. "While I have not had close contact in person with the President or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday, and tested negative for four days after that last contact, I am disclosing today's positive test out of an abundance of transparency," Psaki said. (AP)