Coronavirus LIVE: Two-day vaccine dry run to begin in four states on Monday

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: On the eve of the three-day session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, 61 employees and officials of the Assembly secretariat and five MLAs have tested coronavirus positive

3:05 PM

Gujarat: Over 750 volunteers get Covaxin first dose in phase 3 trial

Over 750 volunteers have been administered the first dose of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' as part of its phase-3 trials at a city hospital, and none of them have experienced any side effects so far, a senior doctor said on Sunday.

 

Bharat Biotech is developing Covaxin in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Virology (NIV).

 

The phase-III trials of the vaccine are being conducted at Sola Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.

2:11 PM

India to play key role in vaccine rollout around the world: Pharma industry

With vaccine rollout beginning in some countries, the world ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic is looking to India for the large-scale production and supply of coronavirus vaccines as it enters 2021.

 

As the pandemic hit the world in 2020, Indian pharma industry rose to the occasion and was able to manufacture and maintain supply chains even during the lockout period, and exported medicines such as HCQ and paracetamol to more than 150 countries, keeping its image of 'Reliable Pharmacy of the World'.

"India contributes 60 per cent of the vaccine production to the world. India is going to play a vital role in equitable distribution of vaccines around the world," Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) Secretary General Sudarshan Jain told PTI.

 

1:26 PM

48 new Covid-19 cases, 1 death in Puducherry

The Covid-19 tally in the Union territory of Puducherry rose to 37,995 with the addition of 48 new cases, while one more fatality took the toll to 631, the government said on Sunday.

As many as 43 patients were discharged from various hospitals in the last 24 hours ending 10 am on Sunday, taking the cumulative recoveries to 37,005.

There were 359 active cases in the union territory, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said.

12:59 PM

European Union nations kick off mass Covid-19 vaccinations

European Union nations on Sunday officially kicked off a coordinated effort to give Covid-19 vaccinations to adults among their 450 million citizens, marking a moment of hope in the continent's battle against the worst public health crisis in a century.

 

Shots were administered Sunday morning to the most vulnerable people. health care workers who take care of them, and some politicians to reassure the public that the vaccinations are safe.

 

The vaccines, developed by Germany's BioNTech and American drugmaker Pfizer, started arriving in EU countries on Friday. The EU has seen some of the world's earliest and hardest-hit virus hot spots, including Italy and Spain.

 

Others EU countries, like the Czech Republic, were spared the worst early on only to see their health care systems near collapse in the fall.

12:27 PM

Germany reports 13,755 new Covid-19 cases

Germany reported 13,755 new coronavirus cases oon Sunday, bringing the national tally to 1,640,858, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

 

The nationwide death toll rose by 356 to 29,778, Xinhua news agency reported citing the RKI data.

 

Germany reported its first case of the new Covid-19 variant on December 24.

12:24 PM

Hyderabad set to emerge as global hub for Covid-19 vaccine in 2021

As the world is set to brace for a new year amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the city is poised to emerge as a 'saviour' from the killer virus, with as many as five vaccine manufacturing firms based here racing to bring out an antidote. The vaccine development process by Bharat Biotech, Biological E Ltd and Aurobindo Pharma are currently in various stages, while Dr Reddy's and Hetero have tie ups for manufacturing the vaccine.

 

Some of these companies have also drawn up plans to scale up their vaccine manufacturing capacities.

 

Besides vaccine makers, the International Airport here has also stepped up the cold-chain infrastructure for vaccine transportation.

 

GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC is in talks with various stakeholders towards meeting specific requirements of export and import of COVID-19 vaccines.

 

A recent visit of over 60 envoys to vaccine manufacturing facilities of Bharat Biotech and BE establishes the fact that the city will be in the forefront in making and supplying vaccines for COVID-19 which is rocking the world with over 77 million cases and nearly two million deaths as of now.

11:48 AM

In Uttar Pradesh, 8 UK returnees test positive for Covid, 1 missing

With eight of the 609 UK returnees, who were tracked and tested in Uttar Pradesh, testing positive to Covid-19, the Yogi Adityanath government has pressed the panic button. Out of the eight positive patients, one has been reported missing.

 

Even though the strain of the virus is yet to be identified, the state government is not taking any chances.

 

State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to maintain the effective system of contact tracing and surveillance. He said that the arrangements of the Covid-19 hospitals should be up-to-date and senior doctors should take regular rounds of Covid-19 wards.

 

Adequate availability of medicines, medical equipments and oxygen, including backup, should be ensured in Covid-19 hospitals and the testing work should be conducted with full capacity. He has further asked the nodal officers to visit districts and monitor the situation.

11:31 AM

Covid-19 ups vulnerability for displaced people in Iraqi camps

The raging coronavirus pandemic has raised vulnerability levels among the Internal Displaced People (IDP) in Iraq as fewer aid agencies are engaged to help contain the contagious virus in camps.

 

Strict restrictions were put in place on residents in IDP camps from March to September to prevent Covid-19 infections, Xinhua news agency said in a report on Sunday.

 

Now as temperatures were plummeting to below zero degree Celsius, the pandemic is overlapping the flu season, creating an alarming situation for displaced families living in tents.

 

On an average day, the primary health facility at the Hasansham U3 Camp in Nineveh province receives 70 to 130 people with various health complaints.

 

The number of those seeking help for respiratory diseases, including flu, tops the list.

11:06 AM

Andamans reports no fresh Covid-19 case, tally at 4,912

Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not report a single case of Covid-19 in the last 24-hours, a health department official said on Sunday. The Union Territory's Covid-19 tally remained at 4,912, the official said.

 

Eight more people were cured of the disease in the last 24-hours, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 4,789, he said.

 

The Union Territory now has 61 active Covid-19 cases, while 62 people have died so far due to the disease, the official said.

11:06 AM

Telangana reports 472 new Covid-19 cases, two deaths

As many as 472 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths have been reported from Telangana on Saturday, while 509 patients have been discharged during the day, the state's health department said.

 

The total number of positive cases in the state has gone up to 284,863.

 

Of these, a total of 276,753 have recovered. While there are a total of 6,579 active cases currently, 1,531 patients have succumbed to the virus till now in Telangana, it added.

10:12 AM

Jharkhand reports 192 new Covid-19 cases, 2 more deaths

Jharkhand's Covid-19 tally mounted to 1,14,146 as 192 more people tested positive for the infection, a health department official said on Sunday.

 

The Covid-19 death toll rose to 1,018 as two more persons succumbed to the infection in the last 24-hours, he said.

 

Ranchi district registered the maximum number of fresh cases at 75, followed by East Singhbhum (45) and Dhanbad (15).

9:50 AM

Lowest daily spike in India's Covid-19 tally since June 30

With 18,732 new Covid-19 infections, India's total cases rise to 10,187,850

 

With 279 new deaths, toll mounts to 147,622 . Total active cases at 278,690 

 

Total discharged cases at 9,761,538 with 21,430 new discharges in the last 24 hours.

9:07 AM

Study sheds light on critical windows in pregnancy for Covid-19 vaccination

 

Scientists have found evidence of lower than expected transfer of protective antibodies against the novel coronavirus via the placenta from mothers who are infected in the third trimester, findings that shed light on critical windows in pregnancy that may be most desirable for vaccination.

 

According to the researchers, including those from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the US, the findings may be explained by a process where the carbohydrate molecules in the body alter antibodies after they are produced.

 

They explained that altered attachments of carbohydrates to the coronavirus-specific antibodies - a process called glycosylation - may be to blame for the reduced transfer from mother to fetus.

8:53 AM

On 55th birthday, Salman urges fans to follow Covid-19 norms

On the occasion of his 55th birthday, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan on Sunday said this year's celebration will be muted due to the pandemic and urged fans to follow Covid-19 norms.

 

"This time we will not have any birthday celebrations. Only our family will be here (Panvel) and no one else. This year we are not planning to do anything because this has been a terrible year for everybody, and people have faced a lot of difficulties," Salman told reporters at his Panvel farmhouse.

 

"Hopefully, next year everything will go back to normal. I hope that everyone is happy, healthy and safe," the actor said.

7:53 AM

Brazil registers 307 more deaths from Covid-19

The Brazilian government on Saturday reported 307 deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the country's death toll to 190,795.

 

Meanwhile, 17,246 more infections were recorded, taking the national tally to 7,465,806.Brazil has the second-largest number of deaths, behind the United States, and ranks third in the number of cases, behind the United States and India.

 

The state of Sao Paulo, the most populous in the country, has been the most affected by the virus, with 1,423,340 cases and 45,808 deaths, followed by Rio de Janeiro with 420,075 cases and 24,905 deaths.