Covid LIVE: Kerala sees 22,182 new cases, 178 deaths in last 24 hrs

Coronavirus updates: WHO says progress is being in securing vaccines for Africa; India approves Russian vaccine for trial.

Coronavirus updates: India recorded 30,570 new cases of Covid-19 and 431 deaths from the disease in 24 hours, said the health ministry on Thursday, marking a 12.4 per cent rise in daily infections since Wednesday.

The country’s total Covid-19 cases reached 33.35 million and death toll is at 443,928, said the ministry after collating data overnight. Active cases in India account for 1.03 per cent of total infections. The recovery rate is 97.64 per cent.

The drug regulator has allowed Sputnik Light, the single-dose version of Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine, to conduct phase 3 bridging trials in India.

India is considering issuing tourist visas after suspending the document in March 2020, ANI reported quoting an unnamed home ministry civil servant.

World coronavirus updates: A third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech SE vaccine can dramatically reduce rates of Covid-related illness in people 60 and older, according to data from a short-term study in Israel. 

Headway is being made in efforts to secure more vaccines for Africa, where less than 3.5 per cent of the population has been fully inoculated, according to the head of the World Health Organization.

Hong Kong sees no urgent need for boosters because the city hasn’t recorded a local infection in three months. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s commercial hub, is considering a gradual reopening starting next month, Bloomberg reported. 

1:02 AM

No Delta plus variant of covid found in 376 samples tested in Mumbai: BMC

No Delta plus variant of COVID-19, considered highly contagious, was found among 376 samples tested in the second round of genome sequencing in Mumbai, a senior civic official said on Thursday.

Additional municipal commissioner (western suburbs) Suresh Kakani said the samples were examined at a genome sequencing facility inaugurated in the city last month. In a statement issued by the BMC, Kakani said, The genome sequencing facility at civic-run Kasturba Hospital has tested 376 samples so far (in second round). 

12:22 AM

20% of India's adult population fully vaccinated: Health ministry

Go against the grain: Open markets fetched lower prices than MSP

India has fully vaccinated 20 per cent of its adult population for Covid, while 62 per cent have received at least one dose, the health ministry said on Thursday. Amid studies indicating waning antibodies for both Covishield and Covaxin vaccines, the government said that booster dose is not the central theme of scientific and public health discussions.

 

“Getting full vaccination is a priority. Antibody levels should not be the measure of immunity,” said Balram Bhargava, director general, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). READ MORE...

11:13 PM

Chhattisgarh logs 31 new cases, zero death

Chhattisgarh's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,04,988 on Thursday with the addition of 31 new cases, while no fresh death due to the disease was reported in the state, a health department official said.

 

The death toll remained unchanged at 13,559, he said. The number of recoveries rose to 9,91,077 after 12 people were discharged from hospitals, while 17 others completed their home isolation during the day, the official said.

The state now has 352 active cases. Kondagaon district saw 11 new cases and Balodabazar 4. No fresh cases were reported in 15 districts, including Raipur and Durg on Thursday while four districts in the state have no active cases, he said.

With 27,446 samples examined during the day, the number of coronavirus tests conducted in the state so far went up to 1,27,63,223, the official said. Chhattisgarh's coronavirus figures are as follows: Positive cases 10,04,988, new cases 31, death toll 13,559, recoveries 9,91,077, active cases 352, total tests 1,27,63,223.

10:18 PM

122 new COVID-19 cases in Nashik, one dies

The COVID-19 tally in Nashik district of Maharashtra rose to 4,07,107 with the addition of 122 cases on Thursday, officials said.

 

The virus claimed the life of one patient during the day, which took the death toll in the district to 8,608, they said.

 

So far, 3,97,548 patients have recuperated from the infection, of whom 99 were given discharge from hospitals on Thursday.

 

As many as 25,22,488 samples have been tested till date and 4,514 of them were tested during the day, the officials said.

9:41 PM

Coronavirus: 22 new cases in Gujarat, no death; active infection count 149

Gujarat on Thursday reported 22 new coronavirus positive cases, increasing the overall case count to 8,25,677, the state health department said.

 

With 23 patients getting discharged during the day, the recovery figure in the state rose to 8,15,446.

 

The death toll in Gujarat remained unchanged at 10,082 as no new fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, the department in a release. Gujarat had last reported more than 20 cases in a day on September 10. There are 149 active cases in the state with six patients being on ventilator support, said the department.

9:19 PM

ICMR study highlights issues faced by healthcare workers involved in Covid management

Excessive workload with erratic timings accentuated by the extended duration of inconvenient personal protection equipment usage, periods of quarantine, long durations of separation from family, risk of infecting families and stigma from community were among the most common issues reported by healthcare workers involved in the COVID-19 management, according to an ICMR study.

 

The study was conducted between September and December last year through telephonic interviews with 111 healthcare workers (HCWs) involved in the COVID-19 management across 10 states.

 

Most respondents expressed that the erratic work timing was a challenge across all layers that included doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and supporting staff. Many of them also reported that this, along with the workload, did not allow them to take their eligible leave to go home to be with their families.

8:55 PM

Covid: One more death, 28 new cases in Delhi; positivity rate 0.04%

Delhi recorded one more COVID-19 death and 28 fresh cases on Thursday with a positivity rate 0.04 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department, PTI reported.

 

This is the second Covid-related fatality reported this month, the earlier death being on September 7, according to official figures.

 

The death toll due to the coronavirus in Delhi rose to 25,084, according to the latest health bulletin.

 

8:48 PM

TN reports 1,693 new Covid-19 cases, 25 deaths

Tamil Nadu on Thursday logged 1,693 new Coronavirus cases, taking the overall caseload to 26,40,361. With 25 more deaths, the death toll has risen to 35,271, PTI reported.

 

According to a bulletin from the health department here, 1,548 COVID-19 positive patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,88,334.

8:27 PM

Maha logs 3,595 Covid-19 cases, 45 deaths

Maharashtra on Thursday reported 3,595 new coronavirus cases and 45 fatalities, taking its infection tally to 65,11,525 and death toll to 1,38,322, a health department official said, PTI reported.

 

As many as 3,240 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the count of recovered cases to 63,20,310. 

7:45 PM

Covid vax protection wane over time, boosters important: Pfizer, Moderna

US drug makers Pfizer and Moderna have, in different studie,s claimed that protection from their mRNA vaccine against Covid-19 can last only for about six months, or a little more, pitching a strong case for booster shots -- ignoring the calls against it by a slew of scientists, IANS reported.

 

On Wednesday, Moderna in a new analysis from its phase three study showed that a low dose of the Moderna vaccine lasts for at least six months.

 

The findings showed that the incidence of breakthrough Covid cases was less frequent in participants who were more recently inoculated, indicating that immunity for people vaccinated earlier had started to wane.

7:16 PM

Mizoram Rajya Sabha MP K Vanlalvena tests positive for Covid-19

Mizoram Rajya Sabha MP K Vanlalvena has tested positive for COVID-19, PTI reported.

 

The 51-year-old Mizo National Front (MNF) leader told PTI over the phone that he had his sample tested after he developed symptoms and he was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Thursday through an RT-PCR test.

 

Vanlalvena said that he has isolated himself in Mizoram House at Chanakyapuri in Delhi.

7:15 PM

Delhi should continue vigorous testing as Covid, flu have similar symptoms: Experts

As flu and coronavirus have similar symptoms, the Delhi government should continue vigorous testing to keep the spread of COVID-19 in check during the flu season, experts said at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) held recently, PTI reported.

 

At the meeting held under the chairmanship of Delhi LG Anil Baijal, Delhi's Covid situation was discussed and it was advised that the city should continue with its containment strategy.

 

According to the minutes of the meeting, Dr Sujit Kumar Singh, Director, National Centre For Disease Control said new Covid cases have been fewer than 100 for quite some time in Delhi.

6:57 PM

Covid-19 booster dose not central theme at the moment: Govt

The government on Thursday said COVID-19 booster shot is not the central theme in scientific discussion as well as in the public health domain at the moment and getting the two doses remain the main priority, PTI reported.

 

Responding to a question at a press briefing, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said administering both the doses is absolutely essential and there should be no breakage in that.

 

"We need to remember one thing very clearly that booster dose is not the central theme at the moment in the scientific discussion as well as in the public health domain. Getting the two doses remains the major priority," Bhargava said.

6:32 PM

AP logs 1,367 new Covid-19 cases, 14 deaths

The Covid-19 caseload in Andhra Pradesh increased to 20,34,786 as 1,367 were added afresh on Thursday, PTI reported.

 

In the 24 hours ending 9 am today, 1,248 infected persons got cured while 14 succumbed, leaving 14,708 active cases, the latest bulletin said. The total recoveries increased to 20,06,034 and deaths to 14,044, the bulletin said. 

6:23 PM

Kerala reports 22,182 fresh cases