LIVE: 447 adverse events following vaccination seen so far, most are minor

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Globally, more than 94 million people have been infected, of which, 10,558,710 are in India

Coronavirus LIVE updates: India's Covid-19 caseload climbed to 10,558,710 on Sunday with 15,144 fresh infections while recoveries surged to 10,196,885, pushing the national recovery rate to 96.58 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The country continues to be second-most-affected globally, and ranks 13th among worst-wit nations by active cases, according to data from Worldometer.

The first Covid-19 vaccine shots in India were given on Saturday to more than 190,000 frontline healthcare and sanitary workers as Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled out the world's largest inoculation drive against the pandemic that has caused 152,311 deaths and upended millions of lives in the country.

India has rolled out two coronavirus vaccines — Covishield and Covaxin. Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the citizens not to pay heed to rumours about the vaccine since experts have given emergency approval following scientific rigour. He said India had a great track record in vaccine production and that 60 per cent of children of the world get vaccines made in India. 

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (1,981,623), Karnataka (929,960), Andhra Pradesh (885,616), Kerala (831,259), and Tamil Nadu (828,952).

World coronavirus update: Coronavirus cases rise unabated across the globe, with more than 94 million infected by the deadly contagion. While 67,758,836 have recovered, 2,029,648 have died so far. The US remains the worst-hit country with 24,099,511 cases, followed by India, Brazil, Russia and the United Kingdom. However, it terms of the total number of active cases, US tops the charts, followed by France, UK, Brazil and Belgium.

Stay tuned for the latest coronavirus-related news.

1:38 AM

UK seeks to give 1st Covid shot to all adults by September

The UK government plans to offer a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine to every adult by September as the nations health service battles the worst crisis in its 72-year-history.
 

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Sunday that the government is still opening new vaccination sites and will soon begin trials that will give round-the-clock injections at some locations to help increase the pace of delivery.
 

“Our target is by September to have offered all the adult population a first dose, he told Sky News. “If we can do it faster than that, great, but thats the roadmap.” Britain has more than 51 million adults in its population of 67.5 million people.
 

The ambitious vaccination program comes amid crushing pressures on the National Health Service. Already beleaguered hospitals are admitting another Covid-19 patient every 30 seconds, putting the service in its most precarious situation ever, said Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England.
 

“The facts are very clear and Im not going to sugarcoat them, hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure, he told the BBC. “Since Christmas Day weve seen another 15,000 increase in the in-patients in hospitals across England. That's the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients.” Britains health care system is staggering as doctors and nurses battle a more contagious variant of the coronavirus coupled with cold, wet winter weather that drives people inside, where infections spread more easily.
 

The surge in infections has pushed the number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 to a record 37,475, more than 73 per cent higher than during the first peak of the pandemic in April. 
 

1:38 AM

Brazil's health agency approves the use of two vaccines

Brazil's health regulator on Sunday approved the urgent use of coronavirus vaccines made by Sinovac and AstraZeneca, enabling Latin America's largest nation to begin an immunisation programme that's been subject to months of delay and political disputes.
 

Brazil currently has 6 million doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine ready to distribute in the next few days, and is awaiting the arrival of another 2 million doses of the vaccine made by AstraZeneca and partner Oxford University.
 

On Saturday night, the health regulator Anvisa rejected an application for use of a Russian vaccine called Sputnik V, submitted by Brazilian company União Química. Anvisa said it didn't evaluate the application because it didn't meet minimum requirements to start an analysis.
 

Vaccination in Brazil is beginning later than neighbors such as Argentina and Chile despite a robust public health system and decades of experience with immunization campaigns.
 

The process to present and approve the Covid-19 vaccines was fraught with conflict, as allies of President Jair Bolsonaro sought to cast doubt on the efficacy of the Sinovac shot backed by his political rival, Sao Paulo state's Gov. João Doria.
 

“The rivalry between Brasilia and the state governments prevented any cooperative work,” said Maurício Santoro, professor of political science at the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. “The governor lost the leadership position, but made Bolsonaro act more quickly to guarantee the start of vaccination.”

The vaccination priority will be health professionals on the front line against coronavirus. Vaccination by the federal government could begin on Wednesday, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said last week. Sao Paulo state started immunisation Sunday after Anvisa's decision. As more doses are available, immunisation will be extended to others including the Indigenous population, people over 60 years of age and people with pre-existing diseases, according to the vaccination plan presented by the federal government.
 

1:36 AM

Low turnout for the shot as six states vaccinate 17,000 on Sunday

India vaccinated over 17,000 health care workers in 553 sessions on the second day of the Covid vaccination drive across six states, taking the total number of vaccinations to 224,301. There were more than 400 adverse events following the jab, such as fever, headache and nausea, the health ministry said on Sunday.

 

The number of vaccinations has been less than half the targeted number, given the government planned to vaccinate 100 beneficiaries per session, for reasons ranging from lack of confidence in the vaccine to technical glitches.

 

According to the updated figures shared by the health ministry, one the first day of the vaccine launch India had administered the first dose of the Covid antidote to 207,229 beneficiaries — the highest Day One vaccinations in the world, ahead of the UK, the US, and France. However, the number fell short by almost 100,000 in reaching the expected target, with several health workers either not showing up or not willing to take the vaccine being offered.

 

On Day One, for instance, a controversy had erupted after a letter by Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital doctors was made public, citing apprehension by doctors in taking Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin vaccine instead of Serum Institute’s Covishield, which was being administered in Delhi’s state hospitals. Read more

8:14 PM

Madhya Pradesh sees 355 new COVID-19 cases

Madhya Pradesh's Covid-19 tally rose to 2,51,578 on Sunday with the addition of 355 fresh cases, a health official said.

 

With two more people succumbing to the viral infection, the overall death toll in MP went up to 3,753, he said.

8:02 PM

Sero-positivity for Covid-19 found to be lesser in smokers, vegetarians: CSIR

Smokers and vegetarians were found to have lower seropositivity indicating that they may be at a lesser risk of getting infected by coronavirus, according to a pan-India serosurvey conducted by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in its nearly 40 institutes.

 

The survey also found that those with blood group 'O' may be less susceptible to the infection, while people with 'B' and 'AB' blood groups were at a higher risk.

 

For its study, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) took samples of 10,427 adult individuals working in its laboratories or institutions and their family members, based on voluntary participation, to assess the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.

 

The study which was piloted by CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi said of the 10,427 individuals, 1,058 (10.14 per cent) had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

7:53 PM

Vaccination drive to pick up momentum in next 5-10 days in Assam: Official

Over 3,500 healthcare workers, including prominent doctors, were administered the Covid-19 vaccine on the first day of the immunisation drive in Assam and the exercise was expected to pick up momentum in the next five to ten days, National Health Mission Director of the state Dr S Lakshmanan said on Sunday.

 

The state had expected 6,500 beneficiaries to be vaccinated on the first day of the inoculation drive on Saturday, but 3,528 of the targeted people turned up, he said.

7:36 PM

447 adverse events reported so far, most of them were minor

7:35 PM

207,229 people were vaccinated on Day 1, the highest day one number in the world: Govt

7:15 PM

A total of 224,301 beneficiaries vaccinated so far: Health Ministry

6:33 PM

12 new cases push Meghalaya's Covid-19 tally to 13,704

Meghalaya's Covid-19 tally rose to 13,704 on Sunday as 12 more people tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said.

 

The state recorded an all-time low of 148 active coronavirus cases during the day, while the total number of recoveries rose to 13,412 as 12 more people were cured of the disease, Health Services Director Aman War said.

6:32 PM

Goa sees 60 Covid-19 cases

Goa's Covid-19 tally went up by 60 to 52,405 on Sunday, a health department official said.

 

No fresh death due to the viral disease was reported in the coastal state during the day, he said, adding the total toll remained 756.

6:09 PM

Lebanon inks final deal for 2.1 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

 Lebanon's caretaker health minister signed a final deal on Sunday to secure 2.1 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine as the country battles a steep rise in infections.

 

The vaccines are expected to arrive in batches starting February, the ministry said in a statement.

 

The ministry is also cooperating with the private sector to secure 2 million vaccine doses from Astrazenca and Sinopharm, it added.

5:56 PM

No side-effects of Covid-19 vaccine in Maharashtra so far: State Health Minister

There has been no case of adverse reaction or side-effects of Covid-19 vaccine in Maharashtra so far, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Sunday, a day after the inoculation drive was undertaken across the country.

 

Talking to PTI, Tope also expressed confidence that "everything will be safe".

 

As many as 18,425 beneficiaries, or 65 per cent of the target for the first day, were given vaccine shot across the state on Saturday, a health department official earlier said.

5:55 PM

TMC leaders in Bengal received vaccine meant for health workers: BJP

The BJP on Sunday alleged that several TMC leaders in West Bengal were administered Covid-19 vaccines meant for healthcare personnel and frontline workers, resulting in a shortfall of doses in the state.

 

Several TMC leaders, including two MLAs, were among the people who received the Covid-19 vaccine in Purba Bardhaman district on Saturday, the opening day of the nationwide vaccination programme.

5:39 PM

527 Covid-19 positive women delivered babies at LNJP Hospital since March last year

More than 500 pregnant women have delivered babies while being treated for coronavirus infection at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP) in Delhi since March last year when it was declared a dedicated Covid-19 facility, officials said.

 

The national capital reported its first novel coronavirus case on March 1. After the viral infection began to spread, the LNJP Hospital in central Delhi was converted into a dedicated Covid-19 facility.

 

It is now one of the 81 sites in Delhi chosen for the mega anti-coronavirus immunisation exercise that was launched on Saturday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.