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

7:43 AM

Turkey to require negative Covid test result for travel

Turkey is enacting precautions for international travel, requiring a negative Covid-19 test for passengers to enter the country starting Monday until March.

 

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted a statement Friday saying travellers would need to present a negative result from a PCR test taken in a 72-hour window to board international flights en route to Turkey. Previously, tests weren't required for travel to Turkey.

 

The rule would apply to all land and sea arrivals starting Wednesday. Travellers would be quarantined at their destination if they don't have test results.

7:42 AM

Brazil's Covid-19 death toll tops 190,000

Brazil's Covid-19 death toll rose to 190,488 on Friday after 482 more patients died from the virus in the previous 24 hours.

 

Tests detected 22,967 more infections, raising the nationwide tally to 7,448,560, said the Ministry of Health.

 

Brazil has a Covid-19 mortality rate of 91 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, and its case rate stands at 3,544 per 100,000 inhabitants.

7:41 AM

Boston doctor has severe allergic reaction to Moderna vaccine: Report

A doctor in Boston with a shellfish allergy developed a severe allergic reaction after receiving Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing the doctor.

 

Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncology fellow at Boston Medical Center, said he had a severe reaction almost immediately after being vaccinated, feeling dizzy and with a racing heart, the NYT reported.

 

It is the first severe reaction publicly linked to Moderna’s vaccine, which is in its first week of a nationwide rollout.

7:26 AM

Black doctor dies of Covid after racist treatment complaints

A Black doctor who died battling Covid-19 complained of racist medical care in widely shared social media posts days before her death, prompting an Indiana hospital system to promise a full external review" into her treatment.

 

Dr. Susan Moore, 52, tested positive for Covid-19 late last month and was admitted to IU Health North Hospital in Carmel, Indiana, according to a Facebook post.

 

Acutely aware of her condition and medical procedures, the physician said had to repeatedly ask for medication, scans and routine checks while admitted at a hospital in Carmel, Indiana. She noted a white doctor in particular who seemingly dismissed her pain and said she didn't trust the hospital.

7:03 AM

France registers first case of new virus strain

France has registered the first case of the new strain of the coronavirus that had been firstly detected in the United Kingdom, French media reported.

 

The French citizen, who had recently returned from the United Kingdom, has tested positive for the new strain of the coronavirus in the city of Tours, the BFMTV broadcaster reported on late Friday, citing the national Health Ministry.

 

The man has no symptoms of the disease and is currently undergoing self-isolation at home.

7:02 AM

Nine more UK returnees test positive in Telangana

A total of nine more returnees from the United Kingdom, who arrived in Telangana after December 9 tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, taking the tally of coronavirus cases among the returnees to 16.

 

Samples of the 16 persons have been sent to the Centre for Cellular and Micro Biology (CCMB) for genome sequencing to confirm its variant. The results are expected in two days.

 

"Out of 1,200 UK returnees, 926 have been tested and 16 tested positive for Covid-19 (including previous 7). These people were in immediate contact with 76 others--they have been put under quarantine. 16 members' samples sent to #CCMB-results expected in 2 days," said Dr G Srinivasa Rao, the Director Public Health of Telangana.