Coronavirus LIVE: Around 150 Army personnel test positive for Covid-19

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: The union government is planning a dry run for administering the Covid-19 vaccine in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat and Punjab next week as a prep before the inoculation

5:55 PM

Andhra Pradesh coronavirus tally reaches 8.80 lakh with 282 new cases

Confirmed cases of coronavirus touched 8.80 lakh in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday as the state added 282 afresh to its count while the active caseload fell further to 3,700. The latest bulletin said 442 patients had recovered while only one death was reported in the state in 24 hours ending 9 am on Saturday. The total recoveries now increased to 8,69,920 and deaths to 7,092.

 

Kurnool and Prakasam districts reported only one new case each, the lowest in about six months, while Srikakulam and Vizianagaram added four each.

 

Guntur and East Godavari reported 56 and 53 fresh cases while the remaining seven added less than 40 each. Only Krishna still has 639 active cases while all other districts have les than 500 each. In fact, Vizianagaram and Kurnool have only 62 and 86 active cases now. Government data said that after 1.15 crore sample tests, the overall infection positivity rate in the state came to 7.61 per cent while the recovery rate touched 98.77 per cent. The mortality rate remained constant at 0.81 per cent.

5:30 PM

One UK returnee tests coronavirus positive in Maharashtra's Thane district

One of the over 50 persons, who returned to the Kalyan Dombivli region in Maharashtra's Thane district from the UK in the last one month, has tested COVID- 19 positive, the authorities said on Saturday. As many as 55 persons have returned to the areas under Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) limits from the UK from November 25 onwards, the civic body said.

 

"Swab testing of 20 of them was conducted and one person from Dombivli tested positive for the infection. That person has been isolated," the KDMC said in a statement.

 

The swab sample of that person has been sent to Pune for further analysis, it said. According to officials, as many as 349 people have returned to Thane district from the UK in the last one month.

5:09 PM

Oxford Covid-19 vaccine may become the first to get Indian regulator's nod for emergency use

With preparations underway for a possible vaccine-rollout by January, the Indian drug regulator is looking at the UK, which sources believe may give its nod to the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine next week, before deciding on giving emergencyuse authorisationto the Serum Institute that is manufacturing the shots.

 

Once the UK drug regulator gives its approval to the Oxford vaccine, the expert committee on COVID-19 at the CDSCO will hold its meeting andthoroughly review the safety and immunogenicity data from the clinical evaluations conducted abroad and in India before granting any emergency authorisationfor the vaccine here, official sources said.

 

The process ofgranting emergency use approval for Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' may take time as its phase 3 trials are still underway, while Pfizer is yet to make a presentation.

 

"Going by this, Oxford vaccine 'Covishield' is likely to be the first to be rolled out in India," a source said.

4:08 PM

Decline in India's active Covid-19 caseload due to rise in recoveries, lower daily cases: Govt

The exponential rise in Covid-19 recoveries in tandem with lower daily infections has resulted in a consistent decline in India's active caseload, which presently stands at2,81,667, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday. The active cases comprise 2.77 per cent of the country's total infections, it said. India's total number of recovered cases is nearing 97.5 lakh (97,40,108) and the cumulative Covid-19 recoveries are the highest in the world, the ministry said.

The recovery rate has crossed 90 per cent in all states and union territories, it added. Since the last 29 days, the daily recoveries recorded in the country have been more than the daily cases. A total of 22,274 people recovered and were discharged the previous day, the ministry said. It said 73.56 per cent of the new recovered cases were observed to be concentrated in 10 states and UTs. Among these, Kerala reported the highest number of single-day recoveries at 4,506, followed by 1,954 in West Bengal and 1,427in Maharashtra.

Kerala also reported the highest number of fresh cases at 5,397, followed by 3,431 in Maharashtra and 1,541 in West Bengal. As many as 251 case fatalities were reported in the country the previous day, the ministry said. Ten states and UTs account for 85.26 per cent of the new deaths. Of these, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of fatalities at 71, followed by 31 in West Bengal and 30 in Delhi.

2:59 PM

Tokyo confirms record-high of 949 new coronavirus cases

Tokyo has confirmed 949 new cases of the coronavirus, a new high for the Japanese capital, as the country struggles with an upsurge that is spreading nationwide.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government said on Saturday that the additional cases bring the prefectural total to 55,851. Japan had 3,823 new cases on Friday for a national total of 213,547, with 3,155 deaths, the health ministry said. Japan has not been able to slow the infections despite government requests for the people to avoid going out for dinner and parties before and during the holiday season.

 

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has ordered bars to close early and urged residents to avoid nonessential outings. But many people have continued commuting on crowded trains and going out for dinner and drinks. 

2:10 PM

14 UK returnees to Karnakata test positive for Covid-19; samples sent for genetic sequencing

Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Saturday said 14 people who have come to the state from the UK so far have tested positive for Covid-19 and their samples have been sent for genetic sequencing to find whether it is a new strain of virus that has infected them. "A total of 2,500 people have come (from the UK), of them 1,638 have been tested. According to information I received last night 14 of them have tested positive. All the 14 (samples) have been sent to NIMHANS for (genetic sequencing)," he said.

 

Speaking to reporters here, he said, the Central government has notified ten designated labs in the country for genetic sequencing, out of them two are in Bengaluru- NIMHANS and National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS). "The 14 samples are undergoing genetic squening. The second variant of virus in the UK is said to have undergone 17 mutations, the genetic sequencing will test in detail about mutations, which may require 48 hours, probably it (report) will come tomorrow," he said.

 

A total of 2,500 people have come to the state from the UK from November 25 till December 22 in two flights-Air India and British Airways- that operate, and efforts were on to trace, monitor their health and subject them to tests.

12:32 PM

8 UK returnees to Kerala test positive

Eight people who recently returned from the UK to Kerala, have tested positive for coronavirus and their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune for genomic analysis.

 

Health Minister K K Shailaja said on Saturday that samples of eight returnees were found positive for COVID-19 and their samples have been sent to NIV for further tests.

11:51 AM

Beijing residents told to stay put for holidays

China's capital has urged residents not to leave the city during the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays, implementing fresh restrictions after several coronavirus infections last week.

 

Two domestic cases were reported on Friday, a convenience store worker and a Hewlett Packard Enterprise employee. Another two asymptomatic cases were discovered in Beijing earlier in the week.

 

Beijing is conducting testing on a limited scale in the neighbourhoods and workplaces where the cases were found.

11:45 AM

Puducherry logs 33 new Covid-19 cases

Puducherry reported 33 new coronavirus cases while a 77-year man succumbed to the infection taking the toll to 630, a top Health department official said on Saturday.

 

Of the 33 new cases, the Puducherryregion reported 18, followed by Mahe (9), Karaikal(4) and Yanam (2), Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release.

 

The fresh infections were reported at the end of the examination of 3,391 samples pushing the overall tally to 37,947.

 

The patient who succumbed was a 77-year old resident of neighbouringMuthialpet village, Mohan Kumar said, adding that the toll rose to 630 in the union territory.

11:36 AM

A pandemic Christmas: Services move online, people stay home

Families that usually reunite on Christmas over a hearty, lingering meal celebrated apart Friday, services shifted online, and gift exchanges were low-key in one of the most unusual and subdued holiday seasons in decades.

 

The coronavirus left almost no one unaffected.

 

Patricia Hager, 60, delivered homemade caramel rolls for breakfast to family and friends in Bismarck, North Dakota, a state that didn't get hit until later in the pandemic but was struck hard. It seemed every time she opened her door this holiday season, someone had left smoked salmon, baskets of nuts or cookies.

 

This year Christmas love is expressed at the door, she said. I'm glad that people will probably be with us next year with the vaccines. I can give up anything for that.

11:30 AM

New virus variant: Genomics researcher answers key questions

A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, is thought to be driving increased transmission of the disease in parts of the UK. The government has placed some regions including London under new, stricter coronavirus restrictions, known as Tier 4. People in Tier 4 areas will not be able to gather with anyone outside their household for Christmas, while those in the rest of the country can only gather on Christmas Day itself. Read here

11:15 AM

India's recovery rate one of the highest in the world at 95.78 per cent

11:09 AM

Thane district's Covid tally rises by 355, death toll by 7

With 355 new coronavirus positive cases, the infection tally in Maharashtra's Thane district mounted to 2,41,142, an official said on Saturday.

 

These new cases were reported on Friday.

 

11:05 AM

Arunachal Pradesh reports no fresh Covid-19 case

Arunachal Pradesh did not record a single fresh Covid-19 case in the last 24 hours, a health department official said on Saturday.

 

The state's coronavirus tally remained at 16,678, while a total of 56 people have so far died due to the contagion, he said.

 

At least 16 people were cured of the disease since Friday, taking the total number of recoveries to 16,454, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Lobsang Jampa said.

10:47 AM

New York Covid-19 test positivity rate up to 6.69 per cent

New York City's coronavirus test positivity rate on a seven-day average has increased to 6.69 per cent in the last 24 hours, compared with 6.29 per cent a day earlier, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

 

There were 208 new hospitalisations and 3,012 new cases of the coronavirus in the city, Xinhua news agency quoted de Blasio as saying on Twitter on Friday.

 

"I hope you and your loved ones are having a safe and happy holiday -- but we need constant vigilance against Covid-19.