The single-day rise in Coronavirus infections in India has been below 20,000 for the past 45 days. Coronavirus Variants and Vaccinations, Coronavirus Active Cases in India Today’s News, November 22 Live Updates: As India’s active caseload is at its lowest in more than 530 days, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is on Monday set to hold a review meeting to check the progress and planning of the coronavirus vaccination drive in Puducherry, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Manipur. The review meeting is scheduled since the first dose coverage in these states is less than 70%, with Nagaland not having touched 50% first dose coverage yet. Meanwhile, the vaccination drive is going strong in the country with more than 116.87 crore doses of vaccine having been administered as of Sunday morning.
Will chair a review meeting today with the States of Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and UT of Puducherry.
Our discussion will centre around the progress of #COVID19 vaccination in these regions and the roadmap to further scale up our fight against the pandemic.
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) November 22, 2021
As far as the cases are concerned, the cases in India have been steadily declining. India reported 8,488 new Coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the lowest in 538 days, taking its overall tally of Covid-19 cases to 3,45,18,901, while the active cases declined to 1,18,443, according to data from the Union Health Ministry data on Monday. With 249 fresh fatalities, the Covid-19 death toll climbed to 4,65,911, the Health Ministry said. The single-day surge in new Covid-19 cases has been below 20,000 for the past 45 days and below 50,000 for 148 consecutive days now. The active cases now account for just 0.34% of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate improved to 98.31%, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.
Across the country, several initiatives are being taken to persuade people to get themselves vaccinated. Madhya Pradesh government has announced that ration benefits would be given to those who get fully vaccinated, and now, the Union Health Ministry has decided to hold weekly or monthly lucky draw programmes and other such initiatives for fully vaccinated people only.
At the same time, cases in Europe are steadily increasing with Austria having announced a lockdown to combat the spread of the virus. Moreover, stricter restrictions are being imposed by many countries in the continent to curb the spread. The WHO has also expressed concerns over the situation regarding COVID-19 cases in Europe.
Here are the latest and verified updates related to the Coronavirus pandemic from India and around the globe:
Highlights
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)
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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)
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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)
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)
#COVID19 | Of the 8,488 new cases, 12,510 recoveries & 249 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, Kerala recorded 5080 cases, 7908 recoveries and 40 deaths. (ANI)
India reports 249 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per Health Ministry. (ANI)
At least 437 people, including 41 students, teachers and other staff of a private school in Aizawl, tested positive for coronavirus in Mizoram, pushing the tally to 1,31,685, a health department official said on Sunday. The COVID-19 death toll rose to 477, with two more persons, one from Lawngtlai and another from Champhai, succumbing to the infection, he said. The single-day positivity rate was 13.95 per cent as the new cases were detected from 3,133 samples. Of the new cases, Aizawl district registered the highest at 225, followed by Lunglei (106) and Kolasib (36), the official said. The number of active cases in the state now stands at 4,900, which is 3.72 per cent of the total cases. Altogether 145 Covid-19 have recovered on Sunday, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,26,308. (PTI)
Union Health Min Mansukh Mandaviya will chair a review meeting today with Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland & Puducherry. "Our discussion will centre around progress of #COVID19 vaccination in these regions & the roadmap to further scale up our fight against the pandemic," he tweets. (ANI)
Austria went into a nationwide lockdown early Monday to combat soaring coronavirus infections, a step being closely watched by other European governments struggling with national outbreaks that are straining health care systems. The measures are expected to last for a maximum of 20 days but will be reevaluated after 10. They require people to stay home apart from basic reasons like getting groceries, going to the doctor and exercising. Restaurants and most shops must close and larger events will be canceled. Schools and day care centers can remain open, but parents are encouraged to keep their children home. Austria hopes to lift the measures on Dec. 13 but may keep a further lockdown on the unvaccinated. The new lockdown measures kicked in a day after many Austrians hurriedly enjoyed a last day out at coffeehouses and Christmas markets across the country. (AP)
Sikkim recorded eight new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, a Health Department bulletin said. The state has so far recorded 32,169 COVID-19 cases, it said. The toll remained at 403 with no reports of any new death, it added. Of the new cases, East Sikkim registered six, while South Sikkim reported two. Sikkim now has 123 active cases, while 31,309 people recovered from the disease. Altogether, 334 patients have migrated to other states. (PTI)