Covid LIVE: RT-PCR must for those arriving in India from 7 more nations

Coronavirus updates: India reported on Thursday 47,092 new Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours: the biggest single-day rise in two months.

Coronavirus updates: India reported 49,029 new cases of Covid-19 and 509 deaths from the disease in 24 hours, said the health ministry on Thursday, marking a 12 per cent rise in daily infections since Wednesday.

The new cases are the biggest single-day rise in two months.
 
Active cases constitute 1.15 per cent of total cases, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate stands 97.48 per cent, said the ministry.

Goods and Services Tax collection crossed Rs 1.12 trillion in August, a 29.6 per cent year-on-year jump and the highest ever for the month since its launch five years ago, signalling recovery in business activities after the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.

India’s drugs regulator has permitted Biological E Limited to conduct phase 2/3 clinical trials of its 'Made in India' Covid-19 vaccine on children aged 5 and 18.

World coronavirus updates: Moderna Inc. and its distributor Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. ruled out a link between its Covid-19 vaccine and the deaths of two recently vaccinated men in Japan, saying a formal investigation is still needed to confirm the analysis, Bloomberg reported.

The head of the World Health Organisation says he opposes “widespread use of boosters” for healthy people for now, underscoring the need to get doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to poorer countries. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus He says the U.N. health agency last week witnessed the first decline in new global cases in more than two months.
 

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the government won’t impose another lockdown as the country prepares for general elections next month.

1:24 AM

Bengal logs 695 new COVID-19 cases, 13 fresh fatalities

West Bengal's COVID-19 tally rose to 15,49,978 on Thursday as 695 more people tested positive for the infection, while 13 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus toll to 18,472, a health bulletin said.

 

Of the fresh fatalities, five deaths were reported from Nadia district, and three from North 24 Parganas.

 

The state now has 8,734 active cases, while 15,22,772 people have recovered from the disease to date, including 749 in the last 24 hours. The recovery rate among coronavirus patients now stands at 98.24 per cent. West Bengal has thus far tested 1,70,79,421 samples, including 40,270 in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said. As many as 5,75,886 people have been inoculated in the state, of whom 4,21,97,811 have received the first dose, a health department official said.

11:11 PM

Africa's COVID-19 cases surpass 7.81 million

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 7,816,222 as of Thursday afternoon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

 

The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic across the continent stands at 197,150. And 6,983,155 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease so far.

 

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Ethiopia are among the countries with the most cases in the continent, according to the agency.

 

In terms of the caseload, southern Africa is the most affected region, followed by the northern and eastern parts of the continent, while central Africa is the least affected region in the continent.

10:36 PM

New Covid variant C.1.2 may be more infectious, evade vaccines: Task force

A new variant of coronavirus - C.1.2 - which has been detected in South Africa and some other countries, could be more infectious than earlier strains and may evade vaccines, said an infectious diseases consultant who is also a member of the Maharashtra COVID-19 task force on Thursday.

 

Dr Vasant Nagvekar, an infectious diseases consultant with a Mumbai hospital and a member of the government task force on COVID-19, said the new variant also has mutation rate that is nearly "twice as fast" as the rate of other variants.

 

It requires more detailed study as we know very little about it, he said. "A new SARS-CoV-2 variant, C.1.2, just identified in South Africa and other countries with concerns that it could be more infectious and evade vaccines. What sets this variant apart is the speed at which it is mutating. This variant is changing and mutating at a rapid rate which are seen in many variants of concern and variants of interest," he said in a statement. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus which causes COVID-19. Masking, vaccination and avoiding major gatherings are precautions that need to be taken, Nagvekar said. If one experienced symptoms associated with coronavirus, then that person should immediately get tested and opt for early treatment based on diagnostic result, he said.

9:25 PM

Cumulative Covid vaccine doses administered in India cross 67 crore: Health ministry

The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 67 crore on Thursday, the Union health ministry said. More than 64.70 lakh (64,70,901) vaccine doses were administered on Thursday, according to the 7 pm provisional report.

 

The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night, the ministry said. The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, it underlined.

9:08 PM

Mumbai logs over 400 covid cases for second day; count of sealed buildings up

Mumbai reported 441 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the second straight day of more than 400 infections, and three fresh fatalities, while over 200 patients recovered from the disease, a senior civic official said.

 

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said with these additions, the tally of COVID-19 cases surged to 7,45,012, while the death toll jumped to 15,984. The case doubling rate dropped to 1,446 days from 1,479 in the last 24 hours, indicating a steady rise in coronavirus infections. The financial capital has logged over 400 new COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day. Also, the number of sealed buildings has increased to 47 from 32 on Wednesday, indicating spread of infections in residential apartments.

Mumbai has reported a marginal rise in new coronavirus infections, but a drop in fatalities as compared to September 1, when it had registered 416 cases and four deaths. The city has been witnessing a steady rise in COVID-19 infections from the day after reporting 190 cases on August 16, which was the lowest daily count since April 2020.

8:52 PM

Telangana: 313 new Covid-19 cases, two deaths

Telangana on Thursday reported 313 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 6,58,689, while the death toll rose to 3,878 with two more fatalities, PTI reported.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 77, followed by Warangal Urban (28) and Karimnagar (21) districts, a state government bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM on Thursday. 

8:51 PM

About 80% teaching, non-teaching school staff have got at least 1st Covid jab: MoE officials

Around 80 per cent teaching and non-teaching staff employed in schools across the country have received at least the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Education Ministry officials said on Thursday, PTI reported.

"Among the variety of factors that will contribute to the reopening of schools across the county, vaccination of teachers will have a big contribution. The ministry is rigorously following up with the state governments.

"The initial feedback from the states and UTs is very positive and we have seen in most of the states almost 80 per cent and more teaching and non-teaching staff have received either one or both the doses of COVID-19 vaccines," a senior ministry official said.

8:50 PM

Madhya Pradesh sees 11 new Covid-19 cases; active infections at 91

With 11 new COVID-19 cases reported on Thursday, the tally of infections in Madhya Pradesh reached 7,92,197, an official from the state health department said, PTI reported.

The count of recoveries rose to 7,81,590, while the toll stood at 10,516, as no new casualties were reported during the day, the official said.

The central state is now left with 91 active cases, he said.

8:26 PM

Mumbai reported 441 new cases

8:25 PM

Tamil Nadu reports 1,562 new cases

7:58 PM

Amid fear of new Covid strains, RT-PCR test compulsory for those arriving from 7 more nations

Amid fear of new COVID-19 strains, RT-PCR test is compulsory for passengers arriving from seven more countries, including South Africa, Bangladesh and China, the Centre said on Thursday, PTI reported.

 

In a letter to all states and Union territories (UTs), the government said considering reports of new mutations in SARS-CoV-2 and rising number of Variants of Concern (VOCs) and Variants of Interest (Vols) globally, seven countries have been added in the list of countries whose travellers will have to get another RT-PCR test done upon landing at Indian airports apart from the one they need to get before embarking on the flight.

 

These seven countries are South Africa, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.

7:57 PM

Maharashtra reports 4,342 new cases

7:56 PM

Karnataka reports 1,240 new cases

7:38 PM

Visas for foreign nationals stranded in India extended till Sep 30

7:28 PM

J&K reports 89 fresh Covid cases, no death

Jammu and Kashmir recorded 89 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, taking the number of infections to 3,25,618, officials said, according to PTI.

Of the fresh cases, 16 were from the Jammu division and 73 from Kashmir division, they added.

Srinagar district recorded the highest number of 48 cases followed by 11 in Budgam district.