Covid LIVE: 8 new Omicron cases in Maharashtra today; 7 from Mumbai

Till date, a total of 28 patients infected with Omicron have been reported in the state

Latest live news: The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the widening of roads for the Char Dham project in environmentally sensitive Uttarakhand, agreeing with government arguments that wider roads were of strategic importance.

National security concerns need to be met, said the court.

Indonesia issued a tsunami warning after an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck its region of East Nusa Tenggara, the meteorological department said. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre estimated the magnitude at 7.7, placing it at a depth of 5 km, said Reuters.

At least one person has died in the United Kingdom after contracting the Omicron coronavirus variant, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday, the first publicly confirmed death globally from the swiftly spreading strain.

The Asian Development Bank on Tuesday trimmed its growth forecasts for developing Asia for this year and next to reflect risks and uncertainty brought on by the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

12:29 AM

Covid-19 cases among children on the rise, says US report

Covid-19 cases among children in the US are on the rise, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has reported.

 

Over 1,64,000 child cases were added the past week, an increase of nearly 24 per cent over the prior week, the AAP wrote in a report published on Monday, adding that child Covid-19 cases are above 1,00,000 for the 18th week in a row, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

As of December 9, nearly 7.2 million children in the US have tested positive for Covid-19 since the onset of the pandemic.

11:30 PM

Our vaccines may become ineffective in emerging situations, says VK Paul

Amid concerns over Omicron, India's COVID Task Force chief VK Paul on Tuesday said there is a potential scenario that "our vaccines may become ineffective in emerging situations" and emphasised the need to be ready to modify the vaccines as per requirement.

 

He also hoped that COVID in India is possibly moving in the direction of endemicity, where there is a low or moderate level of transmission going on.

 

"We have experienced Delta shock and now the Omicron shock... there is a potential scenario that our vaccines may become ineffective in emerging situations in the wake of the last three weeks of living with Omicron, we have seen how such doubts have come up, some of them may be genuine, we still don't have the final picture," he said.

10:48 PM

Gujarat govt pays compensation in 22,000 COVID-19 death cases after SC ruling

The Gujarat government on Tuesday said it has paid an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 50,000 each to the kin in around 22,000 cases where the death of patients was linked to COVID-19 even as its official toll currently stood at 10,100, citing the changes made by the Supreme Court in defining coronavirus-related fatalities. Revenue Minister Rajendra Trivedi said the number of people provided with the compensation at around 22,000 is much higher than the official death figure of 10,100 (as on Dec 14) because of a revision in the definition of deaths due to COVID-19 made by the Supreme Court while hearing a plea related to payment of financial assistance in such cases.

10:08 PM

South Africa blames technical glitch for bungle of Covid cases number

South Africa's sudden spike in Covid infections reported on Sunday was due to a technical glitch and the actual number of cases was less than half the reported figure of over 37,000, the country's top body for communicable diseases has confirmed.

 

The massive jump to 37,875 new Covid cases on Sunday from the previous day's figure of 17,154, followed by 13,992 cases on Monday caused concern among both the public and scientists.

 

In a press statement on Monday, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said the reported overnight Covid-19 infections of over 37,000 was actually less than half that figure.

 

On Sunday, the NICD reported 18,035 Covid cases, however, over 19,000 earlier cases got added to the figure due to a technical glitch, it said.

9:39 PM

Covid toll nears 800,000 to close out year filled with death

Carolyn Burnett is bracing for her first Christmas without her son Chris, a beloved high school football coach whose outdoor memorial service drew a crowd of hundreds.

 

The unvaccinated 34-year-old father of four died in September as a result of COVID-19 after nearly two weeks on a ventilator, and his loss has left a gaping hole for his mother, widow and family as the holidays approach.

 

How, she thought, could they take a holiday photo without Chris? What would Christmas Day football be like without him offering up commentary? How could they play trivia games on Christmas Eve without him beating everyone with his movie expertise?

 

The US is on the verge of yet another depressing pandemic milestone --800,000 deaths. It's a sad coda to a year that held so much promise with the arrival of vaccines but is ending in heartbreak for the many grieving families trying to navigate the holiday season.

9:24 PM

Maharashtra reports 684 new Covid cases

Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 684 new coronavirus cases, eight of them infected with the Omicron variant, and 24 fresh fatalities, the health department said.

 

With these fresh additions, the statewide coronavirus caseload rose to 66,45,136 and the death toll increased to 1,41,288, a health bulletin said.

 

On Monday, the state reported 569 new COVID-19 cases and five fatalities. Eight new patients were found to be infected with Omicron, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Pune-based National Institute of Virology, the health department said. Seven of them were from Mumbai and one from its satellite township of Vasai-Virar, the department said, adding none of the eight had an international travel history. A total of 686 patients were discharged during the day, which raised the state's overall recovery count to 64,93,688, the bulletin said. There are now 6,481 active coronavirus cases in Maharashtra.

9:11 PM

UK scientists trial first needle-free air-powered COVID-19 vaccine

Scientists at the University of Cambridge on Tuesday began a clinical trial of a needle-free air-powered vaccine, which is expected to help combat future variants of COVID-19.

 

Developed by Professor Jonathan Heeney at the University of Cambridge and spin-out company DIOSynVax, the new DIOSvax technology is dubbed a next generation coronavirus vaccine administered through a blast of air that delivers the dose into the skin.

 

It offers a possible future alternative to people who fear needle-based jabs and, if successful, it could be scaled up and manufactured as a powder to boost global vaccination efforts, particularly in low and middle-income countries.

 

"The response of the scientific and medical communities to the development and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines has been incredible, but as new variants emerge and immunity begins to wane we need newer technologies, said Heeney.

8:51 PM

WTO panel asks India to withdraw subsidies in sugar dispute

A World Trade Organisation panel ruled in favour of Brazil, Australia and Guatemala on Tuesday in their trade disputes with India over sugar subsidies and asked New Delhi to conform with global rules.

 

In the cases brought before the WTO in 2019, the rival producers alleged that India had broken WTO rules by providing excessive domestic support and export subsidies for sugar and sugarcane.

 

India is the world's top sugar producer after Brazil.

7:32 PM

8 new Omicron cases in Maharashtra today; 7 from Mumbai

6:05 PM

'Group Captain Varun Singh’s medical condition continues to be critical'

5:57 PM

KCR meets Stalin

5:39 PM

Pre-booked RT-PCR test must for passengers from 'at risk' countries

5:11 PM

NIA makes an arrest in connection with the seizure of 3,000 kg of heroin from Gujarat's Mundra Port

4:39 PM

Number of tourists to Varanasi in 2019-20 doubled compared to 2014-15: PM

4:15 PM

Musk says Tesla will accept dogecoin for merchandise