Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra records 6,185 fresh cases, 85 deaths

Coronavirus live updates: At 1,808,550, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 879,560, Andhra Pradesh 865,000, Tamil Nadu 776,174 and Kerala 583,000

Coronavirus update: On Thursday, India reported 43,174 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking its tally to 9,314,017. The country's death toll mounted to 135,796. At 1,802,365, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 879,560, Andhra Pradesh 865,000, Tamil Nadu 776,174 and Kerala 583,000. Delhi recorded 5,475 fresh Covid-19 cases in a day as the number of RT-PCR tests crossed the 28,000 mark, while 91 more fatalities pushed the city's death toll to 8,811.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital climbed to 551,262. Nearly seven per cent of India's population aged ten and above was exposed to SARS-CoV-2, amounting to an estimated 74.3 million infections by August, with the sero prevalence being highest in urban slum areas followed by urban non-slum and rural areas, the findings of ICMR's second national sero survey has stated.

World coronavirus update: The global tally of coronavirus cases stands at 61,288,165. While 42,384,573 have recovered, 1,436,941 have died so far. The US, the worst-hit country, has 13,247,756 cases, and 269,555 have died from the disease there. It is followed by India, which has 9,309,871 cases, Brazil (6,204,570), Russia (2,187,990), France (2,183,660).

Stay tuned for the latest coronavirus-related news.

2:04 AM

Sikkim reports 37 fresh cases of Covid-19, one more death

Sikkim reported 37 fresh Covid-19 cases and one more fatality, an official said on Friday.

 

State IEC member Sonam Bhutia said East Sikkim registered 31 cases, while South Sikkim and West Sikkim logged three cases each.

 

The coronavirus tally in the state has risen to 4,908, and active cases stand at 264, Bhutia said.

12:32 AM

Bihar reports five more Covid deaths, 698 fresh cases

Bihar's Covid-19 tally rose to 233,839 after 698 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, while five fresh fatalities took the death toll to 1,248, a health department bulletin said on Friday.

 

It said that 654 patients recovered from the disease taking the total number of cured people to 227,046.

 

The state now has 5,545 active cases.

12:15 AM

BJP leader Baijayant Panda tests Covid-19 positive

National vice president of the BJP and incharge of the party's Delhi unit, Baijayant Panda, on Friday said he has tested positive for Covid-19.

 

In a late night tweet, Panda advised those who came in his contact to take precautions and get tested for the novel coronavirus.

 

"Because of certain symptoms, I got tested today & have been found Covid positive. I am now in isolation on doctor's advice. Request all those who came in contact with me in the last few days to take the necessary precautions & isolate or get tested," he tweeted.

11:20 PM

Many turn to real Christmas trees as bright spot amid virus

Ani Sirois, a respiratory nurse, has spent months caring for coronavirus patients at a Portland, Oregon, hospital, and she's only getting busier as infections and hospitalizations surge before the holidays.

 

But on a recent sunny day, Covid-19 seemed far away as she, her husband and their 2-year-old daughter roamed a Christmas tree farm in search of the perfect evergreen for a holiday season unlike any other. The family was tree-shopping nearly a week before Thanksgiving and, for the first time, they were picking their own tree instead of buying a pre-cut one.

 

It's nice to have home be a separate safe space away from the hospital, and whether we can have a gathering with family or not, I know we'll have our own little tree with the purple lights, and that'll be something small to look forward to, she said.

 

The real Christmas tree industry, which has been battling increased interest in artificial trees, is glad to see that more Americans appear to be flocking to fresh-cut evergreens this season, seeking a bright spot amid the virus's worsening toll.

11:09 PM

Ladakh records 5 more Covid deaths, 109 fresh cases

Five more deaths due to Covid-19 pushed Ladakh's toll to 113, while 109 fresh cases were reported on Friday, officials said.

 

All the new deaths were reported from Leh, taking the district's Covid-19 death toll to 72, while Kargil has recorded 41 fatalities so far, the officials said.

 

The union territory's caseload has reached 8,228 and the number of active cases stands at 813 - 700 in Leh and 113 in Kargil.

10:08 PM

West Bengal's Covid-19 death toll mounts to 8,270 with 46 more fatalities

10:07 PM

Over 800 new Covid-19 cases in Himachal, 13 more die

Thirteen more patients succumbed to Covid-19 in Himachal Pradesh, bringing the death toll from the pandemic to 603, while 830 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 38,328 in the state, official data showed.

 

Seven new deaths linked to the novel coronavirus were reported from Shimla, two from Kangra and one each from Kinnaur, Hamirpur, Lahaul-Spiti and Solan, according to the state Health Department data.

9:54 PM

Ahmedabad sees 353 Covid-19 cases, 11 deaths; 356 recover

Ahmedabad district's Covid-19 tally increased by 353 in the last 24 hours to reach 49,063, while 11 people died and 356 were discharged during this period, an official said on Friday.

 

The district's toll has now reached 2,026, he added.

9:25 PM

1,074 new coronavirus cases in Mumbai, 17 deaths

Mumbai reported more than 1,000 new Covid-19 cases on the third day in a row on Friday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) said.

The city reported 1,074 new cases during the day, taking the tally to 2,80,811, while the death toll rose to 10,756 with 17 fresh fatalities, the BMC said.

The city had recorded 1,144 new cases on November 25 and 1,147 cases on November 26.

 

9:24 PM

Prominent Iranian nuclear scientist Fakhrizadeh assassinated: Report

An Iranian nuclear scientist long suspected by the West of masterminding a secret atomic weapons programme was assassinated near Tehran on Friday, Iranian state media reported.Mohsen Fakhrizadeh died of injuries in hospital after armed assassins fired on his car, Iranian media reported.

 

Fakhrizadeh has long been described by Western, Israeli and Iranian exile foes of Iran's clerical rulers as a leader of a covert atomic bomb programme halted in 2003. Iran has long denied seeking to weaponise nuclear energy.

9:11 PM

Schools in Mizoram to remain closed till year end to prevent spread of coronavirus

9:00 PM

3,093 new coronavirus cases in Rajasthan, 18 more die

Rajasthan recorded 18 more fatalities due to the novel coronavirus on Friday, taking the COVID-19 death toll in the state to 2,255, according to a health department bulletin. The state also reported 3,093 fresh cases that brought the infection count to 2,60,040 on Friday. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 28,183. According to the bulletin, 2,29,602 people have been discharged after treatment till now.

 

The death from the pandemic stands at 426 in state capital Jaipur, followed by 230 in Jodhpur, 181 in Ajmer, 160 in Bikaner, 133 in Kota, 103 in Bharatpur, 90 in Udaipur and 85 in Pali.

 

Of the fresh COVID-19 cases, 643 were recorded in Jaipur, 531 in Jodhpur, 290 in Ajmer, 241 in Kota, 147 in Alwar, 127 in Udaipur, 104 in Bikaner, 101 in Bhilwara, 89 in Bharatpur, 88 in Nagaur, besides cases reported in other districts of the state.

8:47 PM

Tamil Nadu records 1,442 new coronavirus cases, 12 deaths

Tamil Nadu on Friday logged 1,442 new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection count to 7,77,616, while 12 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 11,681. Recoveries continued to outnumber the fresh cases with 1,494 people being discharged from health care facilities, pushing the aggregate to 7,54,826, a health department bulletin said.

 

Active cases in the state stood at 11,109.

 

A total of 61,610 samples were tested today, aggregating to 1,18,64,177 specimens examined so far. The State has been witnessing a decline in new cases and since November 13 daily new infections were below 2,000. Two districts, including the State capital, logged cases in triple digits today with Chennai adding 392 and Coimbatore 145, while the rest were scattered across other districts.

8:31 PM

199 new coronavirus cases in UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar; tally 22,310

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded 199 new COVID-19 cases that pushed the district's infection tally to 22,310 on Friday. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the district came down to 1,282 from 1,285 the previous day, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period. The active case count in Gautam Buddh Nagar is the fourth highest in the state.

 

On the bright side, 202 more patients got discharged during the period with the overall recoveries reaching 20,947, the fifth highest in the state.

 

With the death toll at 81, the district has a mortality rate of 0.36 per cent. The recovery rate of COVID-19 patients reached 93.89 per cent. Meanwhile, the number of active cases in Uttar Pradesh rose to 25,639 from 25,422 on Thursday, while the overall recoveries reached 5,04,411 and the death toll linked to COVID-19 climbed to 7,697 on Friday, the data showed.

8:10 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: 6,185 new cases in Maharashtra; state tally 1,808,550

Maharashtra's COVID-19 case tally on Friday reached 18,08,550 as 6,185 fresh infections were recorded. The state also reported 85 fatalities during the day, taking the COVID-19 death toll to 46,898. On the other hand, 4,089 patients were discharged from hospitals after treatment, taking the tally of recovered patients to 16,72,627. There are now 87,969 active coronavirus patients in Maharashtra.

 

Mumbai city reported 1,074 new cases, which pushed its caseload to 2,80,818, while its death toll rose to 10,757 with 17 fatalities being recorded on Friday.

 

The state has so far conducted 1,06,35,600 tests. Maharashtra's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases: 18,08,550, New cases: 6,185, Death toll: 46,898, Discharged: 16,72,627, Active cases: 87,969, People tested so far: 1,06,35,600.