Coronavirus Live News: India’s cumulative vaccination coverage crosses a landmark milestone of 117 crore; more than 63 lakh doses administered till today

With an addition of 13 new cases, the COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh rose to 7,93,040, while no fresh death due to the infection was reported in the state, a health department official said. The death toll remained unchanged at 10,526 as no fatality due to the infection was reported in the state during the day, he said. The state's recovery count increased to 7,82,423 after seven patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the official said. There are now 91 active coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh. With 51,097 swab samples examined during the day, the number of tests conducted in the state went up to 2,14,13,205, he said. According to an official release, a total of 8,08,10,697 anti-coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered so far in the state, including 5,70,044 on Monday. Cronavirus figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 7,93,040, new cases 13, death toll 10,526 (no change), recoveries 7,82,423, active cases 91, total tests 2,14,13,205. (PTI) 

Tamil Nadu on Monday recorded 750 new coronavirus cases and 13 deaths, with the cumulative infections climbing to 27,21,021 and fatalities to 36,388. Recoveries of 843 outnumbered new infections, a government bulletin here said, adding the total number of persons cured of the virus so far touched 26,76,017. The active cases dropped to 8,616, maintaining the declining trend of such persons over the past many days. Coimbatore witnessed the highest single day fresh infections of 125, followed by Chennai at 110. Perambalur, Ranipet and Thirupathur recorded nil new cases, while many of the 38 districts saw emergence of single-digit fresh infections. (PTI) 

Goa's COVID-19 tally reached 1,78,677 on Monday with the addition of 16 cases, while the death toll remained unchanged at 3,378, an official said. The recover count increased by 20 during the day and stood at 1,75,068, leaving the state with 231 active cases, he said. With 2,127 samples being examined in the last 24 hours, the number of tests in Goa went up to 15,26,248, he added. Goa's COVID-19 figures: Positive cases 1,78,677, new cases 16, death toll 3378, discharged 175068, active cases 231, samples tested till date 15,26,248. (PTI) 

After consistently maintaining a high number of infections over the past few months, Kerala recorded a significant fall on Monday, logging 3,698 fresh cases and 180 deaths, raising the caseload to 50,92,873 and the toll to 37,675. The state had logged 5,080 cases on Sunday. With 7,515 more people recovering from the virus since Sunday, the total recoveries reached 50,12,301 and the active cases dropped to 54,091, an official press release said. Of the 180 deaths, 75 were reported over the last few days and 105 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court, the release said. As many as 45,190 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, it said. Among the 14 districts, Kozhikode recorded the highest with 724 cases followed by Ernakulam (622) and Thiruvananthapuram (465). Of the new cases, 13 were health workers, 15 from outside the State and 3,432 infected through contact with the source of it not being clear in 238. There are currently 1,88,979 people under surveillance in various districts, of whom 1,83,929 are in home or institutional quarantine and 5,050 in hospitals, the release said. (PTI) 

Greece on Monday introduced a wide range of new restrictions aimed at curbing a COVID-19 infection spike that has pushed the rate of death to nearly double the European Union average. A government order went into effect through December 6, mandating masks at all workplaces, staggering opening hours in the public and private sector, and allowing access for adults to indoor recreation and entertainment areas only to those carrying a certificate of vaccination or recent recovery. The restricted spaces include indoor areas at bars, restaurants, movie theatres and museums. Additional capacity limits and entry restrictions were also imposed at courts and places of worship. About a third of the country's population and a quarter of adults remain unvaccinated and deaths have risen rapidly since late October to reach the highest level in six months. The measures were imposed after ICU occupancy for COVID-19 treatment exceeded 90 per cent.

The government has ruled out a return to a general lockdown but Health Minister Thanos Plevris said the current restrictions would be re-assessed in two weeks. “It is our unvaccinated fellow citizens who are getting very sick, are being admitted to ICU wards, and are dying,” he told private Antenna television. “The vaccinated do not require the same level of protection.” A senior prosecutor, meanwhile, has filed criminal and misdemeanour charges against more than 40 people in central Greece allegedly involved in an operation selling vaccination certificates to people who have not received the shot. It was the first time the serious criminal charges of participation in a criminal organisation and money laundering were imposed in a vaccination fraud case in Greece. (AP) 

Karnataka logged 178 fresh COVID-19 cases and two deaths on Monday, taking the total number of infections to 29,93,777 and the toll to 38,177. The day also saw 373 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,48,704, a health department bulletin said. Bengaluru Urban continued to top the list in number of cases with 112, as the city saw 300 discharges and one death. Total number of active cases in the state was 6,867, the bulletin said. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.31 per cent, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 1.12 per cent. Out of two deaths reported on Monday, one each were from Bengaluru Urban and Dharwad.Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 112, Dakshina Kannada 16, Mysuru 14, Kodagu 7, followed by others. Bengaluru Urban district topped the list of positive cases, with a total of 12,55,166, followed by Mysuru 1,79,578 and Tumakuru 1,21,020. Among discharges too, Bengaluru Urban was on top with 12,33,232, followed by Mysuru 1,76,953 and Tumakuru 1,19,754. Cumulatively a total of 5,27,30,403 samples have been tested in the state so far, out of which 55,699 were on Monday alone. (PTI)

Nepal has reported 385 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the country to 914,718, the health ministry said on Monday. The Ministry of Health and Population also said that there have been deaths of four coronavirus patients in the country in the last one day. “The total number of coronavirus infections in the country has touched 914,718 with the fresh 385 cases reported in the last one day. Four deaths were reported too in the same period taking the total number of fatalities due to the disease to 11,500,” the health ministry said in a statement As many as 12,697 samples were tested for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Of them, 367 PCR and 18 antigen tests turned out to be positive for the deadly virus. There are currently 7,544 active cases of COVID-19 across the country. (PTI)

Another 127 coronavirus cases have been added to Andhra Pradesh's tally on Monday, taking the total so far to 20,71,371. A health department bulletin said 184 infected persons got cured in 24 hours ending 9 am on Monday, pushing the total recoveries up to 20,54,737. Two more deaths took the gross toll to 14,428, it said. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the state is now 2,206. Chittoor and SPS Nellore districts reported 22 fresh cases each, Guntur 18, East Godavari, Krishna and Visakhapatnam 15 each in 24 hours. The remaining seven districts added less than 10 new cases each, with Kadapa logging zero. Guntur and Krishna districts reported one more COVID-19 death each. (PTI)

The national capital recorded 26 cases of COVID-19 and zero daily deaths on Monday with a positivity rate of 0.06 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here. The city has recorded four deaths due to the infection in November so far. Four people had succumbed to it in October and five in September. With the new cases, the coronavirus infection tally in the city climbed to 14,40,692. Over 14.15 lakh patients have recovered from the disease. The death toll stands at 25,095, the health bulletin showed. According to the bulletin, the authorities conducted 40,532 tests, including 37,147 RT-PCR ones, the previous day. There are 297 active Covid cases in Delhi, of which 126 are in home-isolation. The number of containment zones stands at 120, the bulletin showed. (PTI)

Germany's health minister said Monday that the rapid rise in coronavirus cases means it's likely everyone in the country who isn't vaccinated will have caught COVID-19 by the end of the winter — and some of those will die. Official figures Monday showed more than 30,000 newly confirmed cases in Germany over the past 24 hours — an increase of about 50% compared to one week ago. The country is this week expected to pass 100,000 coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic. Hospitals have warned that ICU capacities are nearly exhausted, with some patients having to be transferred to other clinics far away. Health Minister Jens Spahn urged Germans to get vaccinated, including with booster shots if their first round of inoculation occurred more than six months ago, to reduce the risk of serious illness. “By the end of this winter pretty much everyone in Germany will have been vaccinated, recovered or died,” Spahn told reporters in Berlin. He acknowledged some had described this view as cynical. “But it's true. With the highly contagious delta variant this is very, very likely and that's why we are recommending vaccination so urgently,” said Spahn. (AP)

The first of nearly 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine being donated by the European Union by year-end have begun arriving in African countries, a statement by the GAVI vaccine alliance said on Monday. Belgium negotiated the deal as part of the bloc's overall pledge to share at least 500 million doses with low and lower-middle income countries by mid-2022, the Geneva-based group, which leads the COVAX initiative, said in a statement. "The first doses have reached Niger, with more doses arriving in a number of countries this week," Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, said in the statement that also listed Guinea Conakry, Mauritania, the Central African Republic, Djibouti, Nigeria, Togo and the Republic of Congo. (Reuters)

Austria went into a nationwide lockdown early Monday in a desperate effort to contain spiralling coronavirus infections. The lockdown in the Alpine nation comes as average daily deaths have tripled in recent weeks and some hospitals have warned that their intensive care units are reaching capacity. The lockdown will last at least 10 days but could extend to 20, officials said. People will be able to leave their homes only for specific reasons, including buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising. Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg also announced last week that Austria will introduce a vaccine mandate as of February 1. The details of how the mandate will work aren't yet clear, but the government has said that people who do not adhere to the mandate will face fines. Schallenberg apologised to all vaccinated people on Friday, saying it wasn't fair that they had to suffer under the renewed lockdown restrictions. Earlier, Austria had tried out a lockdown just for unvaccinated people but it did not slow infections enough. (PTI)

There is no scientific evidence so far to support the need for a booster vaccine dose against COVID-19, ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava said on Monday underlining the completion of second dose for India's adult population is the priority for the government for now. According to sources, the booster dose issue is likely to be discussed in the next meeting of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in India (NTAGI). "Administering the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine to all adult population and ensuring that not only India but the entire world gets vaccinated is the priority of the government for now. "More so, there is no scientific evidence so far to support the need for a booster vaccine dose against COVID-19," Bhargava told PTI. On the probability of administering a booster dose, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently said that adequate stocks are available and the aim is to complete the vaccination of the target population with two doses. After that, a decision on booster dose would be taken based on expert recommendation, he had said. "The government cannot take a direct decision in such a matter. When the Indian Council of Medical Research and expert team will say that a booster dose should be given, we will consider it then," he had said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always depended on expert opinion, be it vaccine research, manufacturing or approval. According to officials, around 82 per cent of the eligible population in India have received the first dose of the vaccine while around 43 per cent have been fully inoculated. (PTI)

Russia's coronavirus death toll was still hovering near all-time highs Monday, but the number of new infections continued to decline. The state coronavirus task force reported 1,241 COVID-19 deaths, down from the pandemic's record of 1,254 recorded last week. The task force also reported 35,681 new confirmed cases, reflecting a steady downward trend since early November when the daily numbers topped 41,000, the highest level since the start of the pandemic. The surge in deaths comes amid low vaccination rates and lax public attitudes in Russia toward taking precautions. About 40% of Russia's nearly 146 million people have been fully vaccinated, even though the country approved a domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine -- Sputnik V -- months before most of the world. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that on Sunday he got a booster shot of Sputnik Light, a single-dose version of Sputnik V that he received in the spring. Putin said he was feeling fine and felt no side effects.  The Kremlin has delegated the power to introduce restrictions to regional authorities depending on the local situation, and many provinces across Russia have tightened restrictions, allowing access to public places only to those who are immunised or test negative for the virus. (AP)

Had a slight cough after returning from a US trip. COVID19 infection was confirmed after the test and I got isolated at the hospital: Makkal Needhi Maiam chief and actor Kamal Haasan (ANI)

Eric Zemmour, the hard-right French political commentator and likely presidential candidate, said on Monday that fears about the new coronavirus had been overblown. Zemmour's stance contrasts with the position of governments across Europe, which are reintroducing restrictions on movement to curb a fifth wave of the pandemic, with Austria on Monday going into a full lockdown. "We need to put this epidemic back in the right proportion. We have played a lot on people's fears. We have gone too far, and we've been going too far since the beginning," Zemmour told France Info radio. French opinion polls have Zemmour challenging rival far-right politician Marine Le Pen, from the Rassemblement National party, for second place, and thus a place in a runoff in next year's election against the survey leader and incumbent president, Emmanuel Macron. Polls make Macron the likely winner in the second round. Zemmour, known for his hardline position on issues such as immigration, Islam and national identity, said would roll out a third, COVID vaccine booster shot only for those aged over 65 - as opposed to the French regulator's recommendation to make itavailable to those aged over 40. (Reuters)

People were lining up for COVID-19 shots outside Budapest's main hospitals on Monday as Hungary for the first time offered vaccinations without prior registration amid a surge in new infections. Europe has again become the epicentre of the pandemic, accounting for half of global cases and deaths, and protests turned violent in the Netherlands and Belgium over the weekend over new curbs on movement. Austria entered its fourth national lockdown on Monday after tens of thousands marched against new restrictions. Germany is debating making COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory. Hungary reported a record high tally of 11,289 new cases on Friday and on Monday reported 27,209 new cases for Friday to Sunday and 392 deaths.Hungary, with a population of 10 million, has reported 33,172 coronavirus deaths in total. Despite people lining up for shots, Hungary's vaccination rate lags the EU average, with about 5.8 million people having had the two shots. The government imposed mandatory mask wearing in closed spaces last week and said it would make COVID shots mandatory for all healthcare workers. But these fall short of the strict measures that the Hungarian Medical Chamber called for on Wednesday. Janos Szlavik, of Budapest's main COVID-19 hospital, said late on Sunday on commercial television ATV that further measures could soon be necessary to curb infections. (Reuters)

The CoWIN portal has started displaying a ‘Partially Vaccinated’ or ‘Fully Vaccinated’ badge next to an individual’s name when they log in. The badge will appear on the CoWIN profile after logging in with phone number and OTP. Tweeting about the new feature on the portal, National Health Authority CEO Dr RS Sharma mentioned that users would also be able to download the badge and share it with friends and family members on social media and let them know about their vaccination status while encouraging them to take the vaccine. READ FULL STORY

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday urged Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Puducherry, which have been reporting a low vaccination coverage, to launch aggressive campaign to increase the pace and ensure full COVID-19 inoculation of the adult population. Reiterating that vaccination is the most potent weapon in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Mandaviya urged the states and the union territory to innovatively rope in all stakeholders, including NGOs, faith-based organisations, religious leaders, community influencers and other partners, to motivate and mobilise all eligible population towards full Covid vaccination, a health ministry statement said. "We are in the last lap of COVID-19 vaccination. Let us launch aggressive campaign to ensure full COVID-19 vaccination by increasing the pace of vaccination and expanding the coverage," he said while virtually interacting with health secretaries and senior officials of the health department from Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Puducherry during a meeting he chaired to review the status of Covid vaccination in these states and the union territory and the progress under the 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign. These states and the UT have been reporting low vaccination coverage, the health ministry statement said. (PTI)

Odisha on Monday reported 171 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 34 children, which took the tally to 10,47,174 while one new fatality pushed the coronavirus death toll to 8,394, a health department official said. The daily COVID-19 cases in the state dropped below 200 after a week. While 205 infections were detected on Sunday, 239 on Saturday, 242 on Friday, 229 on Thursday, 226 on Wednesday and 206 on Tuesday. The new cases were reported from 21 districts while nine others did not report any new infection. The rate of infection among people in the 0 to 18 years age group stands at 19.88 per cent on Monday against the previous day's 21.95 per cent. Of the new cases, Khurda district of which the state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, reported the highest of 76 new infections, followed by Sambalpur (13) and Cuttack (10). One fatality was reported from Balasore district, he said, adding that 53 other COVID-19 patients have so far died due to comorbidities. As 171 people tested positive out of 58,104 samples tested on Sunday, the daily test positivity rate (TPR) stands at 0.29 per cent. The TPR was 0.40 per cent on Sunday, 0.41 per cent on Saturday, 0.42 per cent on Friday, 0.39 per cent on Thursday, and 0.37 per cent on Wednesday. The state currently has 2,226 active COVID-19 cases. (PTI)

Around 18 lakh people in West Bengal have not turned up in time for the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, owing to a number of reasons - contracting the virus after the first shot, death or migration to other states for work - according to a recent survey conducted by the health department. The figure includes beneficiaries of the first dose of both Covaxin and Covishield, the prescribed duration of the second dose of which are 28-42 days and 84-112 days, respectively, the study conducted in 23 districts and five health districts of the state showed. "Close to 18 lakh people have not appeared for the second dose. It's a very serious matter," a senior health department official told PTI. Hooghly topped the list of people who are yet to take the second dose of the jab (1,40,403), while the lowest count was in Kalimpong (11,746), he said, quoting the survey. "There are many who passed away before their scheduled second dose, while some contracted the virus after the first shot and could not proceed for the next dose," the official said.  Quite a few of them also changed their mobile numbers after the initial dose and could not be traced, he added.    (PTI)

China administered about 6.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines on Nov. 21, bringing the total number of doses administered to 2.437 billion, data from the National Health Commission showed on Monday. (Reuters)

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle P. Walensky on Friday expanded recommendations for booster doses for Covid-19 to all adults. The recommendation means all adults who received a dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine are eligible for a booster shot six months after their second dose. The US has around 47 million unvaccinated adults, the CDC said. Booster shots have demonstrated that it can increase protection against Covid-19 infections and severe outcomes, Walensky said in a CDC release. The third shot is an important public health tool to strengthen the defence against the virus ahead of the winter holidays. Based on compelling evidence, all adults should have equitable access to a booster dose, she added. READ FULL STORY

Puducherry saw a sharp fall in the  number of fresh coronavirus cases with 17 being reported in the last 24 hours. The 17 new infections saw the overall tally in the union territory rise to 1,28,680, Director of the Health Department G Sriramulu said in a release. The fresh cases were identified at the end of  the examination of 1,265 samples and were spread over Puducherry  (11), Mahe (4) and Karaikal (2) while the Yanam region, an enclave in Andhra Pradesh, did not report any infection  in the last 24 hours ending 10 AM Monday. The union territory had logged 32 cases on Sunday.  The Director said that no fresh fatality was reported from any of the four regions of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam and the toll remained at 1,870. (PTI)

Held a review meeting on vaccination progress with States & UT of Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland & Puducherry.Spoke about augmenting Govt's #HarGharDastak vaccine campaign.Requested taking help from religious leaders, NGOs & political groups to speed-up vaccination coverage. pic.twitter.com/GmD6P8rkAs

— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) November 22, 2021

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Mizoram's COVID-19 tally surged to 1,31,897 as 212 people including 80 students of three private schools in Aizawl tested positive for novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, an official statement said on Monday. The statement issued by the state Information and Public Relations department said that two more persons from Aizawl district succumbed to the infection on Sunday night, taking the COVID-19 death toll to 479. Of the 212 new cases, Aizawl district reported 149 cases, Champhai (24), Khawzawl (14), Lunglei (10), Mamit (6), Serchhip (4), Kolasib (3) and Lawngtlai (2), it said. The single-day positivity rate increased to 19.31 per cent as the fresh cases were detected from 1,098 sample tests, it said. A total of 509 people recovered from COVID-19 on Sunday, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,26,672, the statement said. Mizoram currently has 4,746 active COVID-19 cases, it said. (PTI)

When Cambodia rolled out COVID-19 vaccines, lines stretched down entire streets and people left their shoes out to save their places as they sheltered from the sun. But three months into its campaign, just 11% of the population had received at least one dose. In far wealthier Japan, it took two weeks longer to reach that level. Now both countries boast vaccination rates that rank among the world's best. They are two of several nations in the Asia-Pacific region that got slow starts to their immunisation campaigns but have since zoomed past the United States and many nations in Europe. The countries with high rates include both richer and poorer ones, some with larger populations and some with smaller. But all have experience with infectious diseases, like SARS, and strong vaccine-procurement programs, many of which knew to spread their risk by ordering from multiple manufacturers. Most started vaccinating relatively late due to complacency amid low infection rates, initial supply issues and other factors. But by the time they did, soaring death tolls in the US, Britain and India helped persuade even the sceptical to embrace the efforts. "I did worry, but at the moment we are living under the threat of COVID-19. There is no option but to be vaccinated," said Rath Sreymom, who rushed to get her daughter, 5-year-old Nuth Nyra, a shot once Cambodia opened its programme to her age group this month. Cambodia was one of the earlier countries in the region to start its vaccination programme with a Feb 10 launch -- still two months after the United States and Britain began theirs. As elsewhere in the region, the rollout was slow, and by early May, as the delta variant started to spread rapidly, only 11% of its 16 million people had gotten at least their first shot, according to Our World in Data. That's about half the rate reached in the United States during the same timeframe and a third of the UK's. Today Cambodia is 78% fully vaccinated -- compared to 58% in the US. It is now offering booster shots and looking at extending its programme to 3- and 4-year-olds. From the beginning, it has seen strong demand for the vaccine, with the rollout to the general public in April. Prime Minister Hun Sen leveraged his close ties with Beijing to procure nearly 37 million doses from China, some of which were donated. He declared last week that Cambodia's "victory of vaccination" could not have happened without them. The country also received large donations from the US, Japan, Britain and from the international COVAX programme. (AP)

Puducherry saw a sharp fall in the  number of fresh coronavirus cases with 17 being reported in the last 24 hours. The 17 new infections saw the overall tally in the union territory rise to 1,28,680, Director of the Health Department G Sriramulu said in a release. The fresh cases were identified at the end of  the examination of 1,265 samples and were spread over Puducherry  (11), Mahe (4) and Karaikal (2) while the Yanam region, an enclave in Andhra Pradesh, did not report any infection  in the last 24 hours ending 10 AM Monday. The union territory had logged 32 cases on Sunday. The Director said that no fresh fatality was reported from any of the four regions of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam and the toll remained at 1,870. (PTI)

Brazil has recorded 5,126 new COVID-19 cases and 72 new deaths in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Sunday. The South American country has now registered 22,017,276 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 612,659, according to ministry data, in the world's second-deadliest COVID-19 outbreak, trailing only the United States. As vaccination advances, the rolling 14-day average of COVID-19 deaths has fallen to below 230 a day, the lowest since April 26 of last year, a month and a half after the first fatality in Brazil. That compares to a toll of almost 3,000 deaths a day at the peak of the pandemic in April of this year. (PTI)

Single-day COVID-19 recoveries surpassed fresh cases in Arunachal Pradesh, as six more people recuperated from the disease while only one person tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said here on Monday. As many as 54,929 people have been cured of COVID-19 so far in the northeastern state, including six on Sunday, the official said. The COVID-19 recovery rate now is 99.42 per cent while the active percentage dipped to 0.07, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa 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 38 active COVID-19 cases. Tawang district has the highest number of active cases at 9, followed by the Capital Complex Region -- comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas (8), West Kameng (5) and East Siang (4), the SSO said. (PTI)

The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not record any new COVID-19 case for the seventh consecutive day, a health department official said on Monday. The COVID-19 tally in the archipelago remained at 7,646, he said. The union territory reported four new COVID-19 cases on November 14 and since then has not reported any new case. The archipelago now has only two active COVID-19 cases and both the patients are in the South Andaman district while the other districts - North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar - are coronavirus free, the official said. Four more patients recuperated from the disease on Sunday, taking the total number of COVID-19 recoveries to 7,545, he said. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 129 as no fresh fatality has been reported in the last 24 hours. (PTI)

New Zealand will adopt a new system of living with the virus from Dec. 3, which will end tough coronavirus measures and allow businesses to operate in its biggest city, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement on Monday. New Zealand has been unable to beat an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 centred in Auckland, forcing Ardern to abandon her acclaimed elimination strategy and switch to a system of treating the virus as endemic. Its biggest city Auckland has been in lockdown for over 90 days, although some measures were eased recently. "The hard truth is that Delta is here and not going away, but New Zealand is well set to tackle it because of our high vaccination rates and our latest safety measures including the traffic light system and Vaccine Pass," Ardern said. In the new system, regions will be put into a red, orange or green setting depending on their level of exposure to COVID-19 and vaccination rates. Auckland, which is the epicentre of the outbreak, will start at red. Ardern said about 83% of eligible New Zealanders are fully vaccinated now and if all those people who are due for their second shot get it, that number would rise to 88%. (Reuters)

Update on #COVID19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs✔️More than 131 Crore vaccine doses provided to States/UTs✔️More than 21.64 Crore balance and unutilized vaccine doses still available with States/UTsRead more: https://t.co/VkrJC7859g pic.twitter.com/q7lFGOz6xA

— PIB India (@PIB_India) November 22, 2021

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Ladakh has recorded 16 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 21,327 while the active cases in the union territory has come down to 230, officials said on Monday. Ladakh has registered 212 Covid-related deaths -- 154 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. Ten patients were recovered and discharged from a hospital from Leh. The total number of those recovered is 20,885, they said. All the 16 fresh cases were reported in Leh, the officials said.  A total of 492 sample reports in Ladakh were found negative, they said. There was no death reported due to Covid in Ladakh on Sunday. (PTI)

#Unite2FightCorona#LargestVaccineDrive➡️ India’s Cumulative #COVID19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 116.87 Cr (1,16,87,28,385).➡️ Nearly 33 Lakh doses administered in last 24 hours.https://t.co/Dh64uaYIgs pic.twitter.com/SNolqk2DSy

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) November 22, 2021

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Tens of thousands of people demonstrated through central Brussels on Sunday to protest reinforced COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Belgian government to counter the latest spike in coronavirus cases. Many among the police estimate of 35,000 at the rally had already left for home when the demonstration descended into violence as several hundred people started pelting police, smashing cars and setting garbage bins ablaze. Police, responded with tear gas and water cannons and sought to restore order as dusk settled on the Belgian capital. Three police officials and one demonstrator were injured in the clashes. In addition, 42 protesters were detained and two were arrested and charged in the violent spree that followed the march, said police spokesperson Ilse Vande Keere. The marchers came to protest the government's strong advice to get vaccinated and any possible moves to impose mandatory shots. Shouting "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" and singing the anti-fascist song "Bella Ciao," protesters lined up behind a huge banner saying "Together for Freedom" and marched to the European Union headquarters. Amid the crowd, the signs varied from far-right insignia to the rainbow flags of the LGBT community. The World Health Organization said last week that Europe was the hot spot of the pandemic right now,  the only region in which COVID-19 deaths were rising. The autumn surge of infections is overwhelming hospitals in many Central and Eastern European nations, including Ukraine, Russia, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. (AP)

• Ahmedabad | Schools reopen for classes 1st to 5th in Gujarat, today. Govt gave the decision yesterday, so parents & School aren't fully prepared; will prepare in accordance with the no. of consent letters. School is obeying all the guidelines: Vishal Patel, a School Co-ordinator
• We had sanitized the school, yesterday. In case, we receive 100% consent, we'll call the students in an odd-even method, as per their roll no. We allow their entry only after mandatory masks, normal temperature, consent letter & sanitization: Vishal Patel, a School Co-ordinator (ANI)

The Australian government expects 200,000 vaccinated foreign students and skilled workers will soon return without quarantining when the country further relaxes pandemic restrictions next week. From Dec 1, students, skilled workers and travellers on working vacations will be allowed to land at Sydney and Melbourne airports without needing to seek exemptions from a travel ban, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Monday. "The return of skilled workers and students to Australia is a major milestone in our pathway back, it's a major milestone about what Australians have been able to achieve and enable us to do," Morrison said. The government expects 200,000 arrivals in the two categories by January, he said. Vaccinated citizens of Japan and South Korea will also be allowed in without quarantining, as well as people on humanitarian visas. But the government has yet to decide when general tourists will be allowed to return. "I think Australians are very keen to see us take this step-by-step approach," Morrison said. "They've been through a lot and they've sacrificed a lot to ensure that we can open safely so we can stay safely open," he added. While vaccinated travellers will be able to arrive without quarantining in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia's most populous states, parts of the country with lower vaccination rates still impose pandemic restrictions at state lines. (AP)

With the addition of 98 fresh coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 5,68,454, an official said on Monday. These cases were reported on Sunday, he said. The COVID-19 death toll remained unchanged at  11,572 as no fresh fatality was reported in the district. The mortality rate in the Thane district now stands at 2.03 per cent, he added. In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,38,453 while the overall death toll is 3,292, an official from Palghar said. (PTI)