LIVE: Home ministry extends guidelines on containing pandemic till January

Coronavirus live updates: At 1,922,048, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 915,345, Andhra Pradesh 881,000, Tamil Nadu 814,000, and Kerala 735,611

7:04 PM

continuous decline in number of active Covid-19 cases in India: Ministry of Home Affairs

Ministry of Home Affairs says there has been a continuous decline in number of active Covid-19 cases in India, but surge in cases globally. MHA tells states to demarcate containment zones carefully, to strictly follow SOPs.

6:40 PM

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey tests positive for Covid-19

6:31 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: 300 mn vaccine doses by July 2021, says Serum Institute

Coronavirus LIVE: 300 million Covid-19 vaccine doses by July 2021, says Serum Institute of India

6:07 PM

3,047 fresh coronavirus cases and 4,172 recoveries reported in Kerala today

3,047 fresh coronavirus cases and 4,172 recoveries reported in Kerala today

5:52 PM

India is a part of 'COVAX': Serum Institute of India

5:32 PM

Lasting immunity against Covid-19 found after mild or asymptomatic infection: Study

Scientists have found evidence of protective immunity against COVID-19 in people up to four months after mild or asymptomatic coronavirus infection, providing hope for the long-lasting efficacy of vaccines. The researcher, including those from Queen Mary University of London analysed antibody and T cell responses in 136 healthcare workers in the UK, who had mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection dating back to March.

The study, published in the journal Science Immunology, found that 89 per cent of healthcare workers analysed carried neutralising antibodies 16-18 weeks after infection.

The team, also involving researchers Imperial College London and University College London, UK, found most workers also had T cells capable of recognising multiple different parts of the virus. However, they noted that the two responses did not always persist in harmony, with some individuals showing T cell immunity but no evidence of antibodies, and vice versa.

4:58 PM

India's Covid-19 recoveries rise to 97,82,669, exceed active cases by over 95 lakh

India's COVID-19 recoveries rose to 97,82,669 on Monday and it exceeded active cases by more than 95 lakh, the health ministry said. There has been a steady drop in the active caseload as the number of people recuperating daily have been outnumbering new infections recorded in a day for over a month now. Within a span of 24 hours, a net decline of 1,389 cases from the total active caseload was registered. The country now has 2,77,301 active cases, which is 2.72 per cent of the total infections recorded so far.

 

"Daily recoveries have been outnumbering daily new cases for more than a month now. In a span of 24 hours, 20,021 people were found to be COVID positive in the country. During the same period, 21,131 new recoveries were registered ensuring a drop in the active caseload," the ministry said.

 

The gap between recoveries and COVID-19 active cases is consistently widening and stood at 95,05,368 on Monday, it underlined.

4:04 PM

Will review Delhi's Covid-19 situation by Jan 15: AAP govt to HC

The Delhi government on Monday informed the Delhi High Court that a meeting of the expert committee which is reviewing the Covid-19 condition in the national capital will take place on January 5. The submissions were made before the vacation bench of the high court presided by Justice S. Prasad who was hearing a petition challenging the order of the Delhi government reserving 80% ICU beds in 33 private hospitals in the national capital for the Covid-19 patients.

 

Following these submissions the bench directed the Delhi government to file its status report regarding the outcome of the expert committee meeting before the roster bench and the placed the matter for further hearing on January 8.

 

In a status report filed before the court, the Delhi government said that it endorses the recommendation made by the de-escalation committee with regards to de-escalation of reservation of 80 per cent Covid ICU beds to 60%, freeing up 20 per cent Covid ICU beds for non-Covid patients.

3:26 PM

People with severe Covid-19, secondary blood infections may have worse health outcomes: Study

People with severe COVID-19 who also had secondary infections in the bloodstream were sicker, had longer hospital stays, and worse health outcomes, according to a study that may lead to new treatment strategies. The research, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, is the first to assess the microbiology, risk factors, and outcomes in hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 and secondary bloodstream infections.

 

In the study researchers from Rutgers University in the US assessed 375 patients diagnosed with severe COVID-19 from March to May 2020. They sampled 128 cases from the group that had secondary bloodstream infections -- 92 per cent of which were bacterial infections.

 

"These patients were more likely to have altered mental status, lower percent oxygen saturation, septic shock and to be admitted to the intensive care unit compared to those without bloodstream infections," said study co-lead author Pinki Bhatt from Rutgers University.

2:59 PM

Covid-19 positive Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat admitted to AIIMS

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, who tested positive for Covid-19 on December 18, was on Monday admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi following a chest infection he developed during his home isolation in Dehradun, sources informed IANS. Rawat has been kept in the AIIMS trauma centre and a team of doctors led by the hospital director is checking on his health.

 

Sources told IANS that he has developed Pneumonia and was admitted to Delhi after his condition worsened.

 

Earlier, Rawat was admitted to a hospital in Dehradun on Sunday after he complained of fever. The investigations by the doctors there revealed that Rawat has developed an infection in the chest. Later on Monday, Rawat was flown to Delhi after consulting doctors at the AIIMS. The Chief Minister had been in home isolation after he tested positive for Covid-19 on December 18.

2:32 PM

Covid-19 vaccination dry run begins in two Gujarat districts

A two-day dry run to check the preparedness of health authorities for a future nationwide COVID-19 vaccination programme began on Monday in Rajkot and Gandhinagar districts of Gujarat. The state is one of the four states chosen by the Centre to conduct the mock COVID-19 vaccination drive.

 

"In Gujarat, the dry run is being carried out in Rajkot district, Rajkot city, Gandhinagar district and Gandhinagar city," State Immunisation Office Dr Nayan Jani told reporters. "The actual field visits will begin on Tuesday," Jani said, adding that actual (potential) vaccine shots will not be administered on people during the dry run.

 

He said local health officials of these districts and cities will engage in administrative work on the first day of the drive. Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) has identified 125 beneficiaries in the city who will be covered during the mock drill on Tuesday, said GMC Health Officer Dr Kalpesh Goswami.

2:17 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Dry run for Covid-19 vaccine going on in Punjab

2:05 PM

11 UK returnees found Covid-19 infected in Mumbai since Nov 25

A total of 11 out of about 2,200 passengers who returned to Mumbai from the United Kingdom since November 25 have been found coronavirus positive, the civic body officials said on Monday. Of these 11 passengers, five passengers had arrived last week, while the six others had returned before December 22, Dr Managala Gomare, executive health officer, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), told PTI.

 

Another official said samples of these 11 passengers have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for genome sequencing to find if they are infected with a new strain of the coronavirus.

 

"Currently, 187 of the 590 passengers who returned from the UK last week are placed under institutional quarantine at various hotels," Dr Gomare said.

 

She said the state government had handed over to the civic body two lists of more than 2,000 passengers, who arrived from England between November 25 and December 22. She said all of them are not yet contacted.

1:38 PM

China jails citizen journalist Zhan for 4 years over Wuhan Covid reports

Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who was detained in May for her live stream reporting from Wuhan over COVID-19, has been sentenced to four years of imprisonment on Monday, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported.

 

She has been convicted of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" for her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak. Read on...

12:34 PM

Coronavirus update: Kerala has reported a maximum number of single-day recoveries