Coronavirus LIVE: 4,969 new Covid-19 cases, 27 deaths in Kerala in a day

The government is making all efforts to support and promote the development of vaccines for Covid-19, but there is a need to strengthen cold chain logistics

11:11 AM

WHO: Vaccination in Asia-Pacific expected mid or late 2021

The World Health Organization said Thursday that countries in the Asia-Pacific region are not guaranteed to have early access to COVID-19 shots and urged them to adopt a long-term approach to the pandemic. The development of safe and effective vaccines is one thing. Producing them in adequate quantities and reaching everyone who needs them is another," WHO Regional Director Dr. Takeshi Kasai told reporters in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. While some countries that have independent vaccine purchase agreements might start vaccination campaigns in the coming months, others could see vaccination begin in the middle or late 2021, said Dr. Socorro Escalante, WHO's coordinator for essential medicines and health technologies.

11:00 AM

Biden, Pence set to get COVID-19 vaccine soon

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President Mike Pence are set to receive the COVID-19 vaccine soon. According to two transition officials familiar with the matter, Biden will receive the vaccine publicly as early as next week. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to discuss it publicly. The White House says Pence and his wife, Karen, will receive the vaccine publicly on Friday. Biden said on Tuesday that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, advised him to get the vaccine sooner than later. Biden has said that he wants to keep front-line health care workers and vulnerable people as the top priority as the vaccine is rolled out throughout the country.

10:41 AM

With 24,010 new Covid-19 infections, India's total cases rise to 99,56,558

With 24,010 new Covid-19 infections, India's total cases rise to 99,56,558. With 355 new deaths, toll mounts to 1,44,451.  Total active cases at 3,22,366. Total discharged cases at 94,89,740 with 33,291 new discharges in the last 24 hours.

10:28 AM

Belgium reports 3,636 new COVID-19 cases, 615,058 in total

Belgium registered on Thursday 3,636 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing its national tally to 615,058, the public health institute Sciensano reported. It also reported 100 coronavirus-related deaths, taking the country's death toll from the disease to 18,278. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said last week that Belgium's COVID-19 figures will be good enough for current restrictions to be eased "in mid-January."

10:21 AM

Covid-19 isn't relatively harmless for younger adults as thought earlier

The largest burden of Covid-19 has undoubtedly fallen on people older than 65, accounting for around 80 percent of deaths in the United States. But if we momentarily eclipse that from our mind’s eye, something else becomes visible: The corona of this virus. Young adults are dying at historic rates. In research published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, we found that among U.S. adults ages 25 to 44, from March through the end of July, there were almost 12,000 more deaths than were expected based on historical norms. Read More

10:09 AM

Germany braces for Christmas Covid-19 lockdown

As the partial lockdown appears to have failed to reverse the trend of the increasing number of new Covid-19 cases, Germans are in for an unusual holiday season as the country has entered a hard lockdown to curb the virus spread. Uder the new lockdown which came into effect on Wednesday, at least until January 10, 2021, private gatherings have been limited to two households or to a maximum of five people, reports Xinhua news agency. All non-essential stores and services in Germany have to remain closed. All schools in Germany are also closed as compulsory attendance has been suspended. With some exceptions, the same applies to daycare facilities for children.

 

9:59 AM

Jharkhand reports 190 new COVID-19 cases, three more deaths

Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally rose to 1,12,121 as 190 more people tested positive for the infection, a health department official said on Thursday. The death toll increased to 1,004 as three persons succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, he said. Three fresh fatalities were reported from Palamu, Hazaribagh and Dumka. Ranchi district registered the maximum number of new cases at 87, followed by East Singhbhum at 30 and Bokaro at 18.

9:47 AM

COVID-19 tally in Andamans rises to 4,850 with eight new cases

Eight more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, raising the tally in the Union Territory to 4,850, a health department official said on Thursday. The death toll remained at 61 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported, he said. Of the fresh cases, three were detected during contact tracing and five have travel history. Ten more people were cured of the disease on Wednesday, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 4,698, the official said.

9:34 AM

Covid-19 under control in Cuba since onset: Health Minister

The coronavirus pandemic has been "under control" in Cuba since its onset, thanks to comprehensive management, and national production of 85 per cent of the medical therapies and tools needed to deal with the disease, Minister of Public Health Jose Angel Portal said. "The trend graphs confirm that the pandemic in our country has been under control throughout the time that has elapsed until today," Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying in a statement on Wednesday.

 

9:16 AM

15,78,05,240 samples tested for Covid-19

A total of 15,78,05,240 samples tested for COVID19 up to 16th December. Of these, 11,58,960 samples were tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

9:07 AM

US angling to secure more of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine

US officials say they're actively negotiating for additional purchases of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine after passing up a chance to lock in a contract this summer since it was still unclear how well the shots would work. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and special adviser Dr. Moncef Slaoui also told reporters Wednesday that Pfizer had been unable to commit to a firm delivery date. Azar called that the core issue. There was no immediate comment from the company, whose CEO Albert Bourla told CNN this week it is working very collaboratively with the government to deliver additional vaccine through the federal Operation Warp Speed. That's a White House-backed, taxpayer-funded effort to quickly develop coronavirus vaccines and treatments.

 

9:00 AM

Italy approves national plan for COVID-19 vaccination

Italian authorities approved a national plan for COVID-19 mass vaccination on Wednesday after a meeting between the central government and regional governors. The announcement came from Italy's Extraordinary Commissioner for the Coronavirus Emergency Domenico Arcuri, after the State-Regions Conference, which comprises cabinet ministers and governors of the 20 Italian regions, approved the mass vaccination program. The plan will begin with population groups considered at highest risk for COVID-19, such as medical staff and the elderly, and will later be expanded to the general public, Arcuri's office said, adding that the vaccination will be free and not compulsory.

8:43 AM

Mizoram reports 5 new Covid-19 cases

Mizoram has registered five new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the state to 4,085 according to the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) of Mizoram. As per the state government's data, the total discharged cases in the state are 3,907. The active cases in the state are 171, while the death toll due to the infection is at seven. The five new cases were confirmed through Rapid Antigen Test and no cases were reported by the Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and TrueNat.

8:30 AM

New Zealand secures two new Covid vaccines, enough for every citizen: PM

The New Zealand government will purchase COVID-19 vaccines from pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Novavax, meaning every New Zealander will be able to be vaccinated, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday. The new agreements secure access to 7.6 million doses from AstraZeneca -- enough for 3.8 million people, and 10.72 million doses from Novavax -- enough for 5.36 million people. Both vaccines require two doses to be administered, according to a government statement. The four pre-purchase agreements secured to date are 750,000 courses from Pfizer/BioNTech; 5 million courses from Janssen; 3.8 million courses from the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca; and 5.36 million courses from Novavax, said the statement.

8:21 AM

Recovery rate of states improving across India: Health Ministry