Covid LIVE: Kerala reports 19,688 new Covid cases; 3,626 in Maharashtra

1:07 PM

Puducherry adds 32 new COVID-19, overall tally rises to 124,184

The test positivity rate was 0.93 per cent as against Sunday's 2.09 per cent. The fatality and recovery rates were 1.46 per cent and 97.80 per cent, the Health department official said in a release. 

 

He said the 32 new cases were identified at the end of the examination of 3,434 samples. 

 

They were spread over Puducherry (20), Karaikal (6), Mahe (5) and Yanam (one). The Health department Director said the number of active cases stood at 914 with 175 in hospitals and the remaining 739 patients in home isolation. 

12:50 PM

80 per cent COVID-19 immunity lost in 6 months in some after Pfizer shot: US study

COVID-19 antibodies produced by the Pfizer vaccine decreased more than 80 per cent in senior nursing home residents and their caregivers six months after receiving their second dose, a US study has found. 

 

The research led by Case Western Reserve University and Brown University in the US studied blood samples of 120 nursing home residents and 92 health care workers. 

 

The researchers particularly looked at humoral immunity -- also called antibody-mediated immunity -- to measure the body's defences against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. 

 

The yet-to-be published study, posted on the preprint server medRxiv, found that individuals' antibody levels decreased more than 80 per cent after six months. The results were the same in seniors, with a median age of 76, and caregivers, with a median age of 48, and old alike, according to the researchers. 

12:49 PM

Single-day recoveries outnumber new COVID-19 cases in Arunachal

Single-day recoveries outnumbered new COVID-19 cases in Arunachal Pradesh as 107 people were cured of the disease and 36 tested positive for the infection in the last 24 hours, a health department official said on Monday.

 

The new infections raised the coronavirus tally to 53,338, while 52,383 people have recovered from the disease so far, he said.

 

The recovery rate among COVID patients improved marginally to 98.21 per cent from 98.07 per cent on the previous day, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

12:31 PM

Over 68 cr COVID-19 vaccine doses supplied to states, UTs, more than 1.44 cr in pipeline

Over 68 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states and union territories so far through all sources and a further 1,44,80,110 doses are in the pipeline, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday.

 

As per the ministry, 68,04,93,215 vaccine doses have been provided to states and union territories so far by the Central government for free under the direct state procurement category.

 

More than 5,08,76,490 balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered, the ministry said.

12:31 PM

PM Modi urges healthcare workers to avoid COVID vaccine wastage

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with healthcare workers and beneficiaries of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Himachal Pradesh through video conference.

 

The Prime Minister during the interaction urged the healthcare workers to avoid the wastage of the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

Interacting with Dr Rahul, who is posted in the Civil Hospital in Dodra Kwar area in Shimla, the Prime Minister said, "Using the COVID vaccine carefully can decrease the expenses of vaccination by 10 per cent."

12:07 PM

Schools reopen for students of classes 6 to 8 in Karnataka

Schools reopened for students of classes 6 to 8 in Karnataka on Monday, by following strict COVID-19 protocols and standard operating procedures (SOP).

 

As per government directions, schools have been reopened in taluks where COVID-19 positivity rate is below 2 per cent.

 

Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh said that the government decided to reopen schools after approval from the state's technical advisory committee on COVID-19.

 

11:54 AM

PM Modi interacts with health workers, vaccine beneficiaries in HP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with healthcare workers and beneficiaries of the Covid vaccination programme in Himachal Pradesh through video-conferencing.

 

Interacting with Dr Rahul, posted at the Dodra Kwar Civil Hospital in Shimla district, Modi said 10 per cent of the expenditure can be saved if all 11 shots in a single vial are used while administering Covid vaccines.

 

Himachal Pradesh has become the first state to achieve the target of administering the first dose of Covid vaccine to all eligible people above 18 years.

11:53 AM

China's export, import growth likely eased in Aug on COVID-19 cases, supply bottlenecks: Reuters poll

China's export growth is expected to have moderated in August amid port congestion caused by fresh COVID-19 cases, a Reuters poll showed, while the pace of imports also slowed, highlighting the growing pressure on the world's second-largest economy.

 

The forecast slackening in overall trade add to a flurry of soft Chinese data since July and is likely to reinforce market expectations for more near-term support measures https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-economy-policy-idUSKBN2F013X to revitalise the flagging economic recovery.

 

Exports are expected to have risen 17.1% in August from a year earlier, the median forecast in a Reuters poll of 31 economists showed on Monday, compared with growth of 19.3% in July. The data are due out on Tuesday.

11:45 AM

No new COVID-19 case in Andamans, tally at 7,572

Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not record a single fresh COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, a health department official said on Monday.

 

The caseload in the archipelago remained at 7,572.

 

The death toll stood at 129 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported during the period, he said.

11:24 AM

Thane logs 239 new COVID-19 cases, 3 more deaths

Thane has reported 239 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 5,52,901, an official said on Monday.

 

These new cases were reported on Sunday, he said.

 

Three more people also succumbed to the viral infection, which took death toll in the district to 11,317, he said, adding that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 2.04 per cent.

11:05 AM

Africa's Covid cases surpass 7.89 million

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Africa reached 7,891,341 as of Sunday afternoon, the Africa Centres 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 199,132, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

Some 7,075,737 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease so far, it was noted.

 

10:09 AM

India logs 38,948 new infections, lowest fatalities reported in 167 days

India logged 38,948 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 33,027,621, while the death toll climbed to 440,752 with 219 fresh fatalities, the lowest in 167 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

 

The case fatality rate has declined to 1.33 per cent, according to the data updated at 8 am.

 

India had reported 199 deaths in a single day on March 23.

 

The active cases have declined to 404,874 comprising 1.23 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.44 per cent, the ministry said.

 

A decrease of 5,174 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

9:55 AM

PM Modi to interact with healthcare workers, COVID-19 vaccine beneficiaries in Himachal today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday would interact with healthcare workers and beneficiaries of the COVID-19 vaccination program in Himachal Pradesh at 11 AM through video conferencing.

 

"Himachal Pradesh has set a benchmark in the fight against COVID-19 by giving the first dose of vaccine to all eligible people. Will have the privilege of interacting with many such beneficiaries and health workers of the state through video conferencing tomorrow at 11 am," informed PM Modi in a tweet in Hindi.

 

Himachal Pradesh has successfully covered its entire eligible population with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination, the Prime Minister's Office said.

9:29 AM

Thousands of people protest COVID-19 restrictions in Amsterdam

Thousands of people took to the streets of Amsterdam on Sunday to protest COVID-19 restrictions in the Netherlands, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

 

The protesters began gathering at the city's Dam Square at 9:00 GMT. Despite the requests from the mayor's office to disperse, the crowd was only swelling in size.

 

The protesters marched 7 kilometres through the city, finishing at the Dam Square at 13:00 GMT.

9:16 AM

Brazil-Argentina WC qualifier suspended; players accused of Covid-protocol breach

Brazil's home World Cup qualifier against Argentina was suspended on Sunday after four players from the visiting team were accused of breaching COVID-19 protocols.

 

Officials from Brazilian health regulator Anvisa walked onto the Corinthians Arena pitch seven minutes after kickoff to order the game be halted.

 

According to the government agency, Premier League players Emiliano Martinez, Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Emiliano Buendia failed to comply with entry regulations for travellers.