Coronavirus India News LIVE Updates: AstraZeneca’s preventative Covid-19 shot shown to work longer-term; Kerala logs 6,111 new cases, 51 deaths

European health regulator said on Thursday it was assessing a marketing authorisation application for GSK-Vir Biotechnology's monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 and could give its opinion within two months. The drug, sotrovimab, branded as Xevudy was already under a speedy review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and GSK's application makes the drug the fourth application currently under EU lenses for the treatment of COVID-19. The drug is authorised for emergency use in the United States to prevent mild or moderate cases of COVID-19 from worsening. The EMA has given its go-ahead for use by member states but Thursday's application would count for an EU-wide approval, if recommended by the EMA. Unlike oral options from Merck and Pfizer, sotrovimab is given via an infusion. Sotrovimab belongs to a class of drugs known as monoclonal antibodies that are lab-generated compounds mimicking the body's natural defences. However, last week GSK and Vir said a study showed the antibody treatment would work when given as a shot in the arm as well, potentially offering more convenience. (Reuters)

Karnataka has reported 313 new cases of COVID-19 and 4 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 29,92,897 and the toll to 38,165, the health department said on Thursday. The day also saw 369 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,47,354. Out of 313 new cases reported today, 179 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 236 discharges and 2 deaths. Total number of active cases in the state is at 7,349. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.36 per cent, case fatality rate (CFR) was at 1.27 per cent. Out of 4 deaths reported on Thursday, 2 are from Bengaluru Urban and one each from Ramanagara and Uttara Kannada. Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 179, Mysuru 51, Tumakuru 20, Hassan 13, Uttara Kannada Kannada 11, followed by others. Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 12,54,642, followed by Mysuru 1,79,494 and Tumakuru 1,20,984. (PTI)

AstraZeneca on Thursday cemented its lead in bringing a preventative COVID-19 shot for the non-infected to market for people who do not respond well to vaccines, saying its antibody drug cocktail offered 83% protection over six months. The therapy, called AZD7442 or Evusheld, had previously been shown to confer 77% protection against symptomatic illness after three months, in an earlier readout of the late-stage PROVENT trial in August. The Anglo-Swedish company also said a separate study in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 showed a higher dose of AZD7442 cut the risk of symptoms worsening by 88% when given within three days of first symptoms. The treatment is given in one go, as two sequential shots in the arm. The latest results from the longer-term follow-ups potentially position AstraZeneca, like rival Pfizer as a future supplier of both COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, with AstraZeneca having said the therapy's "real advantage" was as a preventative shot. (Reuters)

Pfizer Inc said on Thursday the U.S. government had signed a $5.29 billion deal for 10 million courses of its COVID-19 oral antiviral drug for delivery by 2022. If authorized, Pfizer said it would supply the drug beginning later this year and concluding in 2022. "This promising treatment could help accelerate our path out of this pandemic by offering another life-saving tool for people who get sick with COVID-19," said Xavier Becerra, secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. (Reuters)

Google today announced several new product features and partnerships to extend the benefits of the country’s growing digital economy. The announcements at the seventh Google for India event underline the tech giant’s focus on product innovations to help India’s new Internet users get easier access to information. Google India Country Head and Vice President Sanjay Gupta said: “Across people, businesses, and institutions, the outbreak of Covid-19 has catapulted India’s adoption of digital to unprecedented levels.” “It is now imperative that we step up our efforts in building products that are even more inclusive of India’s diverse and unique needs. Today’s announcements aim at bridging more gaps and further broadening the inclusive base of India’s digital economy.” READ MORE

With the addition of 53 new cases of coronavirus, the tally of infections in Maharashtra's Nashik district rose to 4,11,778 on Thursday, an official said. As many as 31 patients were discharged from hospitals, while two died of the disease during the day, taking the count of recoveries to 4,02,632 and toll to 8,698, the official said. Of the cases reported so far, 2,31,743 were from Nashik city, 1,57,454 from other parts of the district, 12,683 from Malegaon and 5,982 patients were from outside the district, it was stated. A total of 28,12,415 swabs have been tested till date, of which 4,617 were tested on Thursday, the official added. (PTI)

Kerala reported 6,111 new COVID cases, 7,202 recoveries, and 51 deaths today Active cases: 72,288 Total recoveries: 49,84,328 Death toll: 36,847 

Virologists in the Netherlands have proposed extending holidays over Christmas to slow a surge in COVID-19 cases among children that has forced half of schools nationwide to send classes home. The National Institute for Health (RIVM) this week reported a record of over 110,000 cases through Nov. 16, an increase of 44% from the week before. The strongest rise was among children aged 4-12.Infections among children of primary school age, five to nine, jumped almost 85% and rose 76% among children aged 10-14. "Keeping primary schools closed for longer is an effective way to keep the virus under control," immunologist Ger Rijkers told the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper. "Children are virus factories and infect adults as well as each other." Not all experts say closing schools is the best option but Marion Koopmans, a virologist and member of the country's leading COVID-19 advisory board, told the paper "we need to consider other measures” if rates don't fall.All 12 Dutch provinces were expected to be dark red - the highest alert level - for the first time on a weekly chart published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Thursday. (Reuters)

Greece on Thursday ordered private sector doctors in five regions in the north of the country to assist its health system as it grapples with a surge in COVID-19 infections. The government had called on private sector doctors to help out earlier this month, as Greece's public hospitals and intensive care wards have been overwhelmed by rising infections in recent weeks. The requisition order, published in the official government gazette, is effective for a month. Greece reported 6,682 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday and 87 deaths, bringing total infections to 853,841 since the pandemic began last year, while 17,012 people have died. Earlier in November, the government imposed restrictions to unvaccinated citizens in an effort to curb soaring infections. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to address the nation later on Thursday, calling for more Greeks to get vaccinated. About 61.8% of a population of about 11 million are fully vaccinated, while authorities had hoped for a rate of about 70% by autumn. (Reuters)

The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 115 crore on Thursday, the Union Health Ministry said. According to officials, over 80 per cent of the eligible population in India have received the first dose of the vaccine while more than 41 per cent have been fully inoculated. In a tweet, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, "The country is getting protected through vaccination every day. As India's vaccination coverage crosses the 115 crore mark, PM Narendra Modi ji's words ring true -- once Indians decide to do something, nothing is impossible! "Har Ghar Dastak strengthening the world's largest vaccination drive!" he said. The ministry had on Wednesday declared that the number of individuals fully vaccinated individuals against COVID-19 surpassed the partially vaccinated population. (PTI)

Coronavirus deaths in Russia hit record highs for the second straight day Thursday, while new daily cases appeared to be taking a downward trend but still remained higher than during previous waves of the pandemic. Russia's state coronavirus task force reported that 1,251 people died of COVID-19 since the day before, the most since Russia had its first virus outbreak in March 2020. The previous record of 1,247 deaths was recorded Wednesday. The task force also reported 37,374 new confirmed cases. Until this week, Russian authorities had recorded higher daily case numbers since late October. Health experts have blamed the latest surge in infections and deaths on low vaccination rates and lax public attitudes toward taking precautions. Fewer than 40 per cent of Russia's nearly 146 million people have been fully vaccinated, even though the country approved a domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine months before most of the world. To boost immunisation rates, the government said new restrictions would take effect next year and limit access to many public places, as well as domestic and international trains and flights, to those who have been fully vaccinated, have recovered from COVID-19 or are medically exempt from vaccination. Officials have urged Russians to get vaccinated in the meantime. (AP)

Andhra Pradesh saw a further decline in active Covid-19 cases as 222 fresh positives were added against 275 recoveries and two deaths in 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday. The total coronavirus positives touched 20,70,738 while recoveries increased to 20,53,755, according to the latest bulletin. The Covid-19 toll so far in the state was 14,423, it said. The number of active cases is now 2,560. In 24 hours, Guntur district reported 38, Visakhapatnam 35, Krishna 31, Chittoor 28, SPS Nellore 24, West Godavari 22, East Godavari 17 and Kadapa 10 new cases. The remaining five districts added less than six new cases each. (PTI)

A mutation of the Delta variant of COVID-19, classed in the UK as a Variant Under Investigation (VUI) amid concerns of its increased transmissibility, is less likely to display any symptoms, a new real-world study said on Thursday. The latest results from the long-running Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission [REACT-1] study show the prevalence of the Delta AY.4.2 variant has been growing at a rate of 2.8 per cent a day since September and is driving some of England's high infection rate. The analysis by Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI is based on swab tests taken at home by over 100,000 people in England between October 19 and November 5. It found that people who were infected with AY.4.2 were less likely to have any of the "classic" symptoms of loss or change of sense of taste or smell, fever or new persistent cough and also less likely to have any other kind of symptoms. (PTI)

J&K: Reasi's chief medical officer, 11 students from Govt General Zorawar Singh Memorial Degree College test positive for COVID-19, classwork suspended till November 24. (ANI)

Google held the Google for India 2021 event on Thursday, and before we delve into more details about the event, here is (what we think to be) the most important announcement from the digital inclusion aspect at the moment. Google has made it easy for new internet users and for those not very well-versed with apps and such technologies to book their vaccination appointments on their own. Google Assistant will now be able to act as a step-by-step guide for those who might need it and help them book their vaccination slots using the CoWIN app. | Read More

Ladakh has recorded 23 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 21,252 while the number of active cases in the union territory has gone up to 206, officials said on Thursday.Ladakh has registered 211 Covid-related deaths -- 153 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.Fourteen patients were discharged after recovery from hospital in Leh. The total number of those recovered is 20,835, they said.All the 23 new cases were reported from Leh, the officials said.A total of 635 sample reports in Ladakh were found negative, they said.

There was no death reported due to Covid in Ladakh on Wednesday.With this, the total number of active COVID-19 cases in Ladakh has gone up to 206, including 197 in Leh and nine in Kargil district. (PTI)

India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage crosses 115-crore mark: CoWIN data (ANI)

A mutation of the Delta variant of COVID-19, classed in the UK as a Variant Under Investigation (VUI) amid concerns of its increased transmissibility, is less likely to display any symptoms, a new real-world study said on Thursday.The latest results from the long-running Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission [REACT-1] study show the prevalence of the Delta AY.4.2 variant has been growing at a rate of 2.8 per cent a day since September and is driving some of England's high infection rate.The analysis by Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI is based on swab tests taken at home by over 100,000 people in England between October 19 and November 5.It found that people who were infected with AY.4.2 were less likely to have any of the “classic” symptoms of loss or change of sense of taste or smell, fever or new persistent cough and also less likely to have any other kind of symptoms.“Why it is more transmissible we don't know. It does seem to be less symptomatic,” said Professor Paul Elliott, director of the REACT programme from Imperial's School of Public Health.The data show that only 33 per cent of those with the mutation had these classic symptoms, compared to 46 per cent of those with Delta.Overall, the study found that infections across England have been falling but are still very high, and are now at a similar rate to January this year.  | Read More

Alcohol will be sold at the liquor stores to only those people who have received both doses of COVID vaccine: Khandwa  District Excise Officer in Madhya Pradesh (ANI) 

The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not record any new COVID-19 case for the third consecutive day, a health department official said on Thursday.The COVID-19 tally remained at 7,674, he said.The archipelago had recorded zero COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, Tuesday, and Monday, four cases on Sunday, zero cases on Saturday, and two on Friday.A total of 7,539 people have recuperated from COVID-19 so far, including three persons in the last 24 hours, the official said.The union territory now has only six active COVID-19 cases and all the patients are in the South Andaman district while the other two districts - North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar - are coronavirus free, he said.The COVID-19 death toll remained at 129 as no fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours.The administration has so far tested 6,20,619 samples for COVID-19 and the cumulative test positivity rate is 1.24 per cent.A total of 5,26,368 beneficiaries have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccine so far, of which 2,95,542 have received the first dose and 2,30,826 both doses of the vaccine, he said. (PTI)

Moderna Inc said it had applied with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for authorisation of its COVID-19 booster vaccine for all adults aged 18 and older. (Reuters) 

Overuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs during the pandemic is helping bacteria develop resistance that will render these important medicines ineffective over time, the Pan American Health Organization warned. (Reuters) 

Indian states are sitting on more than 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines due to a reluctance among people to get inoculated, the chief executive of top vaccine maker the Serum Institute of India said. (Reuters) 

South Korea reported a record high 3,292 new COVID-19 cases, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, as the country moves into the first phase of its "living with COVID-19" with loosened restrictions. (Reuters)

Melbourne's pubs and cafes can have unlimited patrons from Thursday night, while stadiums can return to full capacity as authorities lifted nearly all remaining COVID-19 restrictions for the vaccinated residents in Australia's second-largest city. (Reuters) 

Brazil registered 11,977 new coronavirus cases and 373 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. (Reuters) 

Canada is set to announce on Friday that it is no longer obliging Canadian travellers returning from short foreign trips to take expensive molecular COVID-19 tests, a government source said on Wednesday. (Reuters) 

Russia reported a new record one-day official death toll of 1,247 from COVID-19. (Reuters) 

Spain is now offering third doses of vaccines to people aged 60 and over, expanding the booster shot programme from the previous age threshold of 70 as infections rise. (Reuters) 

Germany's coronavirus situation is dramatic Chancellor Angela Merkel warned, calling for an extra push on vaccinations a day before federal and regional leaders meet to agree on measures to curb a fourth wave of the virus. (Reuters) 

Half of the eligible population in Madhya Pradesh has received both the doses of vaccine against coronavirus and the state government has set a target of providing both the jabs to everyone by December 25, state's Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Prabhuram Choudhary said on Thursday.On Wednesday, 16,83,512 eligible people were administered the vaccine doses till 9 pm under the mega campaign-6 in the state, he said, adding that the figures will go up as statistics from remote areas and those collected through offline mode were yet to be added.Out of the total estimated eligible population of 5.59 crore in the state, 2,75,43,593 people have been administered both the doses of vaccine, the minister said after reviewing the mega campaign.So far, the first dose of the vaccine has been administered to 5,04,56,163 eligible people in the state, he said.The minister praised the health department staff, administrative officials and employees, school, college students and social and religious organisations for cooperating with the state government in the vaccination drive.If the cooperation continues during other scheduled mega vaccination campaigns, then the state will surely achieve the target of inoculating all eligible persons with both the doses of vaccine by December 25, he said.Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also congratulated the people and the state health department for achieving the target of vaccinating 50 per cent of the eligible population with both the doses of vaccine.He also urged the remaining people to get fully vaccinated by December 25 and to make the state free of the coronavirus.On Wednesday, MP reported five new cases of coronavirus, raising its tally to 7,92,986, while the death toll remained unchanged at 10,525 as no fatality due to the virus was recorded, a health official earlier said. (PTI) 

Over 22.45 Crore balance and unutilized vaccine doses still available with States & Union Territories, says Union health ministry

Update on #COVID19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs✅More than 128 Crore vaccine doses provided to States/UTs✅More than 22.45 Crore balance and unutilized vaccine doses still available with States/UTsRead more: https://t.co/peDI00HY9A pic.twitter.com/zd009YA16y

— PIB India (@PIB_India) November 18, 2021

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Over 73.44 lakh Covid-19 doses administered in last 24 hours, says Union health ministry.

#Unite2FightCorona#LargestVaccineDrive➡️ India’s Cumulative #COVID19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 114.46 Cr (1,14,46,32,851).➡️ More than 73.44 Lakh doses administered in last 24 hours.https://t.co/7fM7v6nXOi pic.twitter.com/RuvsEbC1Ny

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) November 18, 2021

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The UK Health Security Agency said children aged between 12 and 15 should delay getting a COVID-19 vaccine if they've recently had COVID to at least 12 weeks after they were infected. (Reuters) 

A subvariant of Delta that is growing in Britain is less likely to lead to symptomatic COVID-19 infection, a coronavirus prevalence survey found, adding that overall cases had dropped from a peak in October. (Reuters) 

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation on Wednesday added two new micro-containment zones as the city reported 28 fresh Covid-19 cases. During the day, Gujarat reported 54 cases, its highest daily caseload addition in almost four months.

Ahmedabad, and Gujarat overall, has increased daily testing. However, Surat continues to clock the highest testing figures across the state’s 33 districts — to 11,000 on Tuesday from 9,873 on Sunday. Ahmedabad tested 8,200 samples on Tuesday. | Read More

Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 55,232 after two more persons tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said here on Thursday.The coronavirus death toll in the state remained unchanged at 280 as no fresh fatality was registered in the last 24 hours, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.The northeastern state now has 48 active COVID-19 cases, while 54,904 people have recovered from the disease so far, including four on Wednesday, the official said.The COVID-19 recovery rate in the state now is 99.41 per cent.Tawang district has the highest number of active cases at nine, followed by West Kameng and East Siang at eight each and Capital Complex region – comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, at seven cases.The state has thus far tested 11,94,893 samples for COVID-19, including 426 on Wednesday, the SSO said, adding that the positivity rate stood at 0.46 per cent.State Immunisation Officer Dr Dimong Padung said that a total of 13,70,372 people have been inoculated thus far. (PTI)

South Korea reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic as hundreds of thousands of masked students flocked to schools on Thursday for the country's highly competitive college entrance exam amid growing concerns about the delta-driven spread.The 3,292 new cases reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Thursday marked the second straight day of over 3,000 cases and brought the national caseload to 406,065. The agency said 29 virus patients died in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 3,187, while 506 others were in serious or critical condition.About 509,000 students were taking the one-day exam at 1,395 sites across the nation, including hospitals and shelters where 68 infected students and 105 others in self-quarantine took the hours-long test in isolation, the Education Ministry said.At schools, students were required to have their temperatures taken before entering classrooms for the test, and those with fevers were sent to separate testing areas. (AP) 

At least 570 people, including 118 students, teachers and staff of a private school in Aizawl tested positive for novel coronavirus, pushing Mizoram's COVID-19 tally to 1,30,415, an official statement said on Thursday.The state had reported 495 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.The COVID-19 death toll remained at 467 as no fresh fatality has been reported in the last 24 hours, the Information and Public Relations department statement said.Of the fresh 570 cases, 321 were reported from Aizawl district, Lunglei (52), Champhai (41), Sechhip (37), Kolasib (26), Mamit (25), Hnahthial (21), Khawzawl (18), Lawngtlai (14), Siaha (9) and Saitual (6), it said.The single-day positivity rate increased to 13.26 per cent from 8.87 per cent the previous day, it said.Mizoram now has 5,616 active COVID-19 cases, while 1,24,332 people have recovered from the infection, including 344 people on Wednesday.The COVID-19 recovery rate now is 95.33 per cent and the death rate is 0.35 per cent.The northeastern state has so far tested 13.88 lakh samples for COVID-19 including 4,298 samples on Wednesday.Over 7 lakh people have been vaccinated and of this 5.43 lakh beneficiaries have already received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine till Wednesday, state Immunisation officer Dr Lalzawmi said. (PTI)