Covid-19 LIVE: 3 vax candidates in advanced stage of trials, says Vardhan

Coronavirus latest update: India's total number of corona cases has surged to 5,214,677. There now are 30,333,687 cases of coronavirus globally. Stay tuned for coronavirus India LIVE updates

9:32 PM

Mumbai's Covid-19 tally rises to 180,542 with 2,267 new cases; 52 deaths take toll to 8,372

9:31 PM

Covid-19 pandemic adversely impacted media and entertainment Industry: Govt

9:28 PM

Andhra Pradesh reports 8,096 new cases, 67 more fatalities. Infection tally crosses 600,000

9:27 PM

West Bengal reports 3,192 new Covid-19 cases and 59 deaths, taking total count to 218,772

9:21 PM

UK joins Covax initiative for Covid-19 vaccine discovery, distribution

The UK government on Friday formally joined the global Covax initiative, set up to boost the discovery, manufacture and effective distribution of a vaccine against Covid-19.
 

UK Business Minister Alok Sharma said the initiative, co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), will expedite the process for the worldwide search for a vaccine against the deadly virus.

“The global effort to find a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine is not a competition, but is among the most urgent shared endeavours of

our lifetime – it benefits us all to be better equipped to fight this virus,” said Sharma.

9:21 PM

Govt talking to Russia for advancement of its Covid vaccine: Health Minister

The Centre is in consultations with the Russian government for exploring the possibility of cooperation between the two countries for advancing the COVID-19 vaccine in India, Parliament was told on Friday.
 

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has informed that it has received information about one COVID-19 vaccine developed and approved in Russia,  Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey informed the Lok Sabha.

9:07 PM

Karnataka reported 8,626 new Covid-19 cases, tally crosses 500,000

9:00 PM

3 vaccine candidates in advanced stage of clinical trials: Vardhan

Three of the nearly 30 coronavirus vaccine candidates in the country are in advanced stages of clinical trials, while four are in pre-clinical development stage, Science and Technology Ministry Harsh Vardhan said on Friday.

 

A high-level expert group is looking into matters related to vaccine distribution and immunisation, he said.

 

"Nationally, nearly 30 vaccine candidates are under development, by both industry and academia. These vaccines are in different stages of pre-clinical and clinical development of which three candidates are in advanced stage of Phase I/II/III trials and four are in advanced pre-clinical development stage," Vardhan said in a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha.

8:52 PM

Govt talking to Russia for possible advancement of its Covid vaccine here: Health Min

The Central govt is in consultations with the Russian government for exploring the possibility of cooperation between the two countries for advancing the Covid-19 vaccine in India, Parliament was told on Friday.

 

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has informed that it has received information about one Covid-19 vaccine developed and approved in Russia, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey informed the Lok Sabha.

 

Further, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), an autonomous organisation under the Department of Health Research, has informed that as per information available from WHO draft landscape of Covid-19 vaccine (last update on September 17), globally there are 36 candidate vaccines which are under various stages of clinical trials.

8:44 PM

Maharashtra's coronavirus count rises by 21,656, death toll by 405

Maharashtra's Covid-19 tally rose to 11,67,496 on Friday with the single-day addition of 21,656 cases, the state health department said. Due to the death of 405 patients during the day, the fatality count in the state mounted to 31,791, it said.

 

A total of 22,078 patients were discharged on Friday after treatment, taking the number of recoveries in the state to 8,34,432, it said, adding that the state now has 3,00,887 active cases.

 

Mumbai city reported 2,283 positive cases during the day, which pushed its overall case count to 1,80,668, while its death toll rose to 8,375, of which 52 were reported on Friday alone. Pune city added 1,875 Covid-19 cases, which took its tally to 1,38,268, while 28 deaths pushed toll to 3,165.

8:36 PM

Two more Maharashtra ministers test Covid-19 positive

Two Maharashtra ministers- Nitin Raut and Hasan Mushrif- on Friday said they have tested coronavirus positive. The leaders shared the information on their Twitter handles. With this, the number of ministers in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, who tested positive for the infection has reached 11 so far.

 

Raut (63), who is the Energy Minister and the working president of the state Congress, tweeted, "I have tested positive for Covid-19. I would request all those who had come in contact with me to get themselves tested as a precautionary measure.

 

Mushrif, the Rural Development Minister and NCP leader, said on the micro-blogging site, "I have tested positive for Covid-19 and those who came in my contact should get themselves tested. I will soon be at your service defeating coronavirus. My health is fine."

 

8:29 PM

89 new Covid-19 cases take Meghalaya tally to 4,447

Eighty-nine more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Meghalaya on Friday, taking the state's tally to 4,447, a senior health official said. Two more fatalities pushed the death toll to 34.

 

At present, the state has 1,976 active cases, he said.

 

Altogether 95 patients recovered from Covid-19 on Friday, taking the total number of people who have been cured of the disease in Meghalaya to 2,437, Health Services director Aman War said.

8:24 PM

Nearly 30 Covid-19 vaccine candidates being developed: Health Ministry

Nearly 30 Covid vaccine candidates in pre-clinical and clinical stages are under development by pharmaceutical industry and academia in India. While three of them are in advanced stage of Phase I/II/III trials and 4 are in advanced pre-clinical development stage, union health minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, told the Parliament on Friday.

 

Vardhan informed the House that the government has extended its support for the development of vaccine associated research resources, establishment of clinical trial sites and notifying enabling regulatory guidelines.

8:18 PM

2817 new Covid cases push Punjab's tally to 92,833

8:11 PM

Effective Covid-19 vaccine likely to be available by first quarter of 2021: Choubey

If the advanced clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine succeed, then an effective vaccination is likely to be available by the end of first quarter of 2021, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey informed Lok Sabha on Friday. He was responding to a question about the time by which an effective Covid-19 vaccine is likely to be commercially launched.

 

The minister further said that no advance purchase agreement with any vaccine manufacturers have been entered into.

 

Responding to another question, Choubey said that the phase-I of clinical trials have revealed excellent safety of the two candidate vaccines indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Cadila Healthcare Ltd and now their immunogenicity testing is in progress.