Meanwhile, the United States on Monday lifted its travel ban from Canada, Mexico and most of Europe. (Image Source: Reuters)Coronavirus Variants and Vaccinations, Coronavirus Active Cases in India Today: According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India has recorded 10,126 new cases (lowest in 266 days) and 332 deaths in the last 24 hours. As per recent data, active caseload stands at 1,40,638 which has been the lowest in 263 days.
The cumulative vaccine doses administered in India crossed a landmark milestone of 109 crore on Monday, the government said. Over 54 lakh doses of vaccine were administered on Nov 8. The number of fresh cases in Mumbai on Monday were up to 210 and 5 fresh fatalities were recorded. On the other hand, zero Covid-19 related deaths were reported in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana with a few freshcases.
Internationally speaking, China’s health authority on Tuesday confirmed 62 new cases for Nov 8. As of Monday, mainland China had 97,885 confirmed cases of Covid-19. A few countries in Eastern Europe saw a record number of new Covid-19 cases on Monday. As per Reuters analysis, the virus is still infecting 50 million people every 90 days due to the delta variant. Health experts have warned that colder weather and upcoming holiday gatherings might increase the fresh number of cases. Meanwhile, the United States on Monday lifted its travel ban from Canada, Mexico and most of Europe. The air travel is applicable only for those who are fully vaccinated and are tested Covid-19 negative.
Here are latest COVID-19 updates
Highlights
Karnataka has achieved a COVID-19 vaccination coverage of 89 per cent in the first dose and 48 per cent in the second, Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Tuesday as he urged the people to take both shots and not let their guard down. "People should not neglect to take a second dose within the prescribed time as both the doses are necessary to get maximum protection against the virus. We must not let our guard down until the pandemic is completely eradicated," he said. Stating that the union government would soon start supplying vaccines for children, he said, "We will provide vaccination to children based on priority as we have already identified kids with vulnerabilities, through the Arogya Nandana program." The state has already administered about 6.75 crore vaccine doses and the entire process has now been we streamlined, the minister added. (PTI)
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People who have not taken a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine will not be allowed entry at historic sites and monuments in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, an official said on Tuesday. District collector Sunil Chavan has passed the orders, which came into effect on Tuesday, the official said. The district administration has taken the step after the vaccination figures in the region were found to be low, he said. As per the order, at least one dose of vaccine is mandatory for people who wish to visit historic sites and monuments. The government as well as private offices connected to the tourism industry are instructed to ensure that their staff is fully vaccinated against coronavirus, it stated. Tourists visiting ticketed monuments, museums and places such as Bibi Ka Maqbara, Aurangabad, Ajanta, Ellora and Pitalkora caves should have taken at least one jab of COVID-19 vaccine, the order said. (PTI)
Kerala recorded 6,409 fresh coronavirus infections and 384 deaths, raising the caseload to 50,27,318 and the fatalities to 34,362, the state government said on Tuesday. With 6,319 more people recovering from the virus since Monday, the total recoveries touched 49,21,312 and the active cases reached 71,020 today, an official press release said. Of the 384 deaths, 47 were reported over the last few days and 337 were designated as COVID deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and Supreme Court directions, it said. As many as 68,692 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. Among the 14 districts, Thiruvananthapuram recorded the highest with 972 cases followed by Kollam (789) and Ernakulam (767). Of the new cases, 32 were health workers, 23 from outside the state and 5,988 infected through contact, with the source of it not being clear in 366. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh reported 231 fresh COVID-19 cases and two deaths on Tuesday. Also, 362 more people recovered from the infection in 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday, a health department bulletin said. The total coronavirus positives increased to 20,68,718, recoveries to 20,51,082 and the toll to 14,403. The active caseload in the state decreased to 3,233, the bulletin added. In 24 hours, Chittoor district reported 37, East Godavari 36, Guntur 31, Krishna 28 and Visakhapatnam 22 fresh cases. While seven districts added less than 20 new cases each, Kurnool registered nil. (PTI)
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Over 15.92 crore balance and unutilised Covid vaccine doses are still available with the states and Union territories, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. According to it, more than 116 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far, it said. The inoculation drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to states and UTs to enable them to plan better, and by streamlining the vaccine supply chain, the ministry said. The Union government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination in the country, it said. (PTI)
Before feasting on pancakes, burgers and milkshakes inside the Fred 62 diner in Los Angeles, patrons must now fork over proof of their COVID-19 vaccines for a waiter's inspection under new city coronavirus rules that are among the country's strictest. The greasy spoon, famous for putting an LA spin on diner food, is one of thousands of businesses across the city where patrons were required to show proof of their vaccination status on Monday as the new measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus took effect. For general manager Ian Hillan, the mandate is just one more thing the restaurant has to contend with during the pandemic. Staffing and supply chain issues -- they recently had trouble getting napkins and certain kinds of beer -- are more pressing problems. In the last few weeks, Fred 62 finally reached pre-pandemic levels of patrons. Hillan is hoping the mandate might prove to be a good thing if more diners feel comfortable eating inside. "It may just help us stay busier," Hillan said. The new rule covers businesses ranging from restaurants to shopping malls and theatres to nail and hair salons. Business trade groups say the mandate will sow confusion and could present safety concerns for employees tasked with checking customers' vaccination status. (AP)
Denmark wants to again consider COVID-19 as "a socially critical disease," paving the way for the reintroduction of a digital pass months after the label was removed and restrictions were phased out. The move, which still needs approval in parliament, will also allow Denmark to reintroduce other restrictions if deemed necessary. A majority seems to be backing the suggestion of the minority Social Democratic government. The pass was introduced on July 1 but removed on Sept 10, when Denmark declared that the outbreak no longer was to be considered "a socially critical disease," citing the high rate of vaccination. However, Denmark has like many other countries seen an uptick in cases, with health authorities saying the number of infections and hospitalisations has risen faster than expected. On Monday, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said the COVID pass must apply to nightclubs, cafes, party buses and indoor restaurants but also outdoor events where the number of people exceeds 2,000. The Danish pass app shows a QR code with a green banner if the holder is fully vaccinated or received a first dose at least two weeks ago, has recently recovered from COVID-19 or has had a negative test in the past 72 hours. A paper version is also available. The call to reintroduce the pass was immediately welcomed by the industry. (AP)
Pakistan's coronavirus positivity rate has dropped below one per cent for the first time since March 2020, the health ministry said on Tuesday. The country recorded 400 new cases in the last 24 hours, registering a positivity rate of 0.94 per cent, the ministry said. It is for the first time that the positivity rate has dropped below 1 per cent since the government started tracking the spread of the disease in March 2020, it said. Pakistan detected its first coronavirus case on Feb 26 last year and soon instituted a system to keep a track of the new cases along with other essential data. The data maintained by the health ministry showed that so far 1,277,560 confirmed cases and 28,558 deaths, including 11 fatalities in the last 24 hours, have been reported in the country. While 1,226,157 people have fully recovered, 1,206 are in critical care at various hospitals. Pakistan has fully vaccinated more than 45 million people and partly vaccinated more than 75.27 million people. (PTI)
Russia on Tuesday reported a record daily COVID-19 death toll of 1,211, just one day after a nationwide workplace shutdown aimed at curbing a surge in cases was lifted across most regions. Officials also reported 39,160 new coronavirus cases nationwide in the last 24 hours, down from a peak of 41,335 on Saturday. (Reuters)
Ladakh has recorded 12 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the virus tally to 21,059 while the active cases has gone up to 122, officials said on Tuesday. Ladakh has registered 209 COVID-related deaths -- 151 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. Eleven patients were cured and discharged from hospital in Leh. The total number of cured patients stands at 20,727, they said. Of the 12 fresh cases, all of these cases were reported in Leh, they said. A total of 293 sample reports in Ladakh were found negative, they said. There was no death reported due to COVID in Ladakh on Monday. With this, the total number of COVID-19 active cases in Ladakh has gone up to 123 comprising 119 in Leh and 4 in Kargil district. (PTI)
Over 3.15 lakh people were fined between April 19 and November 8 for violating of Covid-related norms, of which the highest were for not wearing face masks, police said on Tuesday. According to the latest data shared by the Delhi Police, 3,15,772 challans were issued for such violations during this period. The data showed that 2,79,198 people were fined for not wearing masks, followed by 30,379 for not adhering to social distancing norms and 3,046 for consumption of liquor, pan and tobacco at public places. Another 1,685 challans were issued for spitting in public places and 1,464 for holding large public gatherings and congregations, the data stated. Lockdown was imposed in Delhi in April in the wake of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ''unlock'' process began in a phased manner with the government allowing construction and manufacturing activities from May 31. In the following weeks, markets, malls, metro trains, restaurants and bars and many other activities were allowed. (PTI)
Puducherry logged 39 fresh cases of coronavirus on Tuesday raising the overall tally to 1,28,263. The new cases identified at the end of examination of 2,453 samples were spread over Puducherry 19, Karaikal 13, Yanam 4 and Mahe 3. No fresh fatality was reported from any of the four regions-Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam and total toll remained 1862. Forty-two patients recovered and were discharged during last twenty -four hours and the overall recoveries were 1,26,134. The active cases were 267 of whom 75 patients were in hospitals under treatment and remaining 192 were in home isolation. The Department of Health has evaluated so far 19.34 lakh samples and found 16.36 lakh to be negative. The test positivity rate was 1.59 percent while the fatality and recovery rates were 1.45 percent and 98.34 percent, respectively. The department has administered so far 11,41,247 doses which comprised 7,29,196 first doses and remaining 4,12,051 second doses. (PTI)
India could resume deliveries of COVID-19 shots to global vaccine-sharing platform COVAX in a few weeks for the first time since April, two health industry sources said, ending a suspension of supplies that has hurt poor countries. The World Health Organization (WHO), which co-leads COVAX, has been urging to restart supplies for the programme, especially after it sent about 4 million doses to its neighbours and partners in October. Based on an informal approval from India, COVAX officials have started planning allocations of the Covishield shot for various countries, said one of the sources, both of whom declining to be identified pending a final agreement.Covishield is a licensed version of the AstraZeneca shot made by the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine maker.SII has nearly quadrupled its output of Covishield to up to 240 million doses a month since April, when India stopped all exports in order to inoculate its own people during a surge of cases. "There will need to be purchase orders confirmed to SII, labelling and packing, export authorisation granted for each of these shipments," said the source. "So the first deliveries, assuming the Indian government grants export authorisation, won't happen until a few weeks from now." WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that COVAX had the money and the contracts to buy vaccines for low-income countries but "manufacturers have not played their part". COVAX in September cut its 2021 delivery target by nearly 30% to 1.425 billion doses. (Reuters)
The UK government has said that India's Covaxin will be added to its list of approved COVID-19 vaccines for international travellers from November 22, meaning that those inoculated with the Bharat Biotech-manufactured jab will not have to self-isolate after arrival in England. The move follows the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Emergency Use Listing for Covaxin, which is the second most used formulation in India. Covishield, the India-manufactured Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, was added to the UK's approved list last month. "More good news for Indian travellers to the UK. From 22 November travellers fully vaccinated with a COVID19 vaccine recognised by WHO for Emergency Use Listing, including Covaxin, will not have to self-isolate; so joining those fully vaccinated with Covishield," Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, said on Twitter on Monday. The changes will come into effect at 4 am on November 22. The UK government has also simplified the travel rules for all under-18s coming to England. They will now be treated as fully vaccinated at the border and will be exempt from self-isolation requirements on arrival, day-8 testing and pre-departure testing. They will only be required to take one post-arrival test and a confirmatory free PCR test if they test positive. (PTI)
Ten more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the total caseload in the northeastern state to 55,190, a senior health official said here on Tuesday. The state had reported zero COVID-19 cases on Sunday, four on Saturday and two on Friday, he said. The COVID-19 death toll in the frontier state remained at 280 as no new fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, he said. Arunachal Pradesh currently has 46 active COVID-19 cases. West Kameng, Tawang and Lower Dibang Valley districts have the highest number of active cases at eight each, followed by Lohit at seven cases, the SSO said. State Immunisation Officer Dr Dimong Padung said that a total of 13,39,901 people have been inoculated so far in the state. (PTI)
The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported one new COVID-19 case, three less than the previous day, pushing the tally to 7,665, a health department official said on Tuesday. The archipelago had reported four COVID-19 cases on Sunday, one on Saturday, zero on Friday, one on Thursday and zero on Wednesday. The union territory now has 10 active COVID-19 cases and all the patients are in the South Andaman district of which the capital Port Blair is a part. The other two districts - North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar - are coronavirus free. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 129 as no fresh fatality has been reported in the last 24 hours, the official said. Over 6.07 lakh samples have been tested for COVID-19 so far and the cumulative test positivity rate is 1.26 per cent. A total of 5,07,915 beneficiaries have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccine so far, the official said. (PTI)
With the addition of 139 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has reached 5,66,687, while two more deaths pushed the fatality toll to 11,545, an official said on Tuesday. These new cases and deaths were reported on Monday, he said. The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 2.03 per cent, he added. In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,38,185, while the death toll stands at 3,289, another official said. (PTI)
With the fresh cases, the country's total tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 3,43,77,113. The death toll climbed to 4,61,389 with 332 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 32 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 135 consecutive days now. The active cases settled at 1,40,638 comprising 0.41 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.25 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. A decrease of 2,188 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. (PTI)