The G-20 leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have agreed that the WHO would be strengthened to fast-track the process for emergency use authorisation for COVID-19 vaccines, India's G-20 Sherpa Piyush Goyal said on Sunday.
They also vowed to take steps to boost its supply in developing nations and remove relevant supply as well as financing constraints for advancing toward the global goal of vaccinating at least 40% of the population in all countries by the end of 2021 and 70% by mid-2022.
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You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the latest updates:
Indonesia authorises Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6-11
Indonesia has approved the Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6-11, its food and drug agency said on Monday, following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for younger kids. -Reuters
Australia recognises India’s Covaxin
Australia's medicines and medical devices regulator on November 1 formally recognised India’s Covaxin, a vaccine against the coronavirus as the country's border was reopened for the first time in nearly 20 months.
Australia has already recognised Covishield.
"Today, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) determined that Covaxin (manufactured by Bharat Biotech, India) and BBIBP-CorV (manufactured by Sinopharm, China) vaccines would be 'recognised' for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status,” Australia's medicines and medical devices regulator TGA said.
This recognition is for travellers aged 12 and over who have been vaccinated with Covaxin, and those 18 to 60 who have been vaccinated with BBIBP-CorV. - PTI
S.Korea eases curbs, imposes vaccine passports in 'living with COVID-19' campaign
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. -Reuters
U.A.E. approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11
The United Arab Emirates has approved for emergency use the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11, the health ministry said in a statement carried by state media on Monday.
Before this decision the only vaccine that had been approved for use in very young children was the Sinopharm vaccine which was approved for ages 3-17, with Pfizer shots being available to children above 12. -Reuters
Covid booster dose effective in reducing severe disease outcomes: Lancet study
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. -PTI
Schools reopen from Classes 1 in Tamil Nadu
Schools for all classes barring kindergarten reopened for students after a gap of nearly 20 months. Classes for 9th standard and above have already started.
Several schools welcomed students with chocolates. -T.N. Bureau
Active COVID-19 cases lowest in 248 days
With 12,514 people testing positive for coronavirus in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,42,85,814, while the active cases declined to 1,58,817, the lowest in 248 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.
The death toll climbed to 4,58,437 with 251 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.
The daily rise in new coronavirus infection has been below 20,000 for 24 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 127 consecutive days now.
The active cases comprise 0.46% of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.20%, the ministry said. -PTI
Cambodia reopens to 'new way of life' after beating COVID-19 vaccine target
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. -Reuters
Schools reopen for all classes in Delhi after 19 months of COVID-forced closure
Several schools in the national capital reopened on Monday with 50% seating capacity for junior classes after remaining closed for 19 months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Several private schools, however, have chosen to defer the reopening post Diwali. -PTI
U.S. gives 1.5 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan
The United States is delivering an additional 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan, a senior U.S. administration official told Reuters, increasing to 4 million the total number of shots donated by Washington to the self-ruled island, which is under increasing pressure from China.
The new delivery of Moderna Inc doses will depart from Louisville, Kentucky, on Sunday aboard a flight belonging to Taiwan's China Airlines, the official said. -Reuters
Australia eases international border ban for first time since March 2020
Australia eased its international borders restrictions on Monday, allowing some of its vaccinated public to travel freely and many families to reunite for the first time since March last year.
After 18 months of some of the world's strictest coronavirus border policies that banned citizens from coming back into the country, and leaving it, unless granted an exemption, some 14 million Australians in Victoria, New South Wales and Canberra are now free to travel. -Reuters
Moderna says FDA needs more time to complete review of its COVID-19 shot for adolescents
Moderna Inc said on Sunday it has been told that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will require additional time to complete its assessment of the company's COVID-19 vaccine for use in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years.
The FDA informed Moderna that the review may not be completed before January 2022, the company said in a statement, dealing a potential setback to the timing of an emergency use authorization (EUA) for that age group. -Reuters
Odisha extends unlock process for November, no weekend shutdown
As part of the fresh Covid guidelines for graded unlocking till December1, the Odisha government Sunday said night curfew will remain in force from 10 pm to 5 am in all urban areas of the State during November and there will be no weekend shutdown, an official order said.
All kinds of shops, malls, and business establishments will remain open from 5 am to 10 am every day, a release issued by the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said. -PTI