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

6:16 PM

Dubai suspends AI Express flights till Oct 2 for bringing people with Covid-positive certificates

The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Air India Express flights till October 2 for bringing passengers with Covid-positive certificates twice during the last couple of weeks, senior government officials said on Friday.

 

As per the UAE government rules, each passenger travelling from India is required to bring an original Covid-negative certificate from the RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the journey.

 

"A passenger, who had a Covid-positive certificate dated September 2, travelled on Air India Express' Jaipur-Dubai flight on September 4. A similar incident had happened with a passenger on one of the airline's other Dubai flights previously," said one of the government officials.

6:08 PM

Can yoga help Covid-19 patients? Research on in Delhi hospitals

Clinicians and meditation practitioners have undertaken research in at least three Delhi hospitals to ascertain if yoga can improve the overall condition of Covid-19 patients.

 

The Department of Science and Technology under the Ministry of Science and Technology had invited proposals for the study in April. In the national capital, the research is being conducted at the AIIMS, the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and the Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital (RGSSH).

 

The study evaluates the effect of yoga -- pranayama and relaxation -- on stress, mood, sleep quality, symptom severity, quality of life and clinical outcomes in coronavirus patients, Dr Ajit Jain, the nodal officer for Covid-19 at RGSSH, said.

 

Only those diagnosed with Covid-19 through RT-PCR testing, who have mild symptoms and are aged between 18 and 60 years are being included in the research, he said.

5:47 PM

Czech Republic reports month-worth number of new Covid-19 cases in one day

The increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the Czech Republic over the past day was equivalent to the entire toll of cases detected in March, the Czech Ministry of Health said on Friday.

 

"The number of new daily coronavirus cases has for the first time surpassed 3,000 and reached 3,130. The number of active cases is 20,289, including 413 hospitalised patients, including 91 in serious condition," the ministry said.

 

The Czech Republic reported its first coronavirus cases on March 1 and by the end of the month the cumulative toll grew to 3,002 cases.

5:37 PM

Andhra Pradesh reports 8,096 new Covid-19 cases, tally at 6,09,558

5:26 PM

Phase 2 clinical trial for Covid vax underway with 600 volunteers: AIIMS Doctor

5:12 PM

UP reports 98 more Covid-19 deaths; tally climbs to 342,000

Uttar Pradesh reported 98 more fatalities due to Covid-19 on Friday, taking the death toll to 4,869, while 6,494 fresh cases took the infection tally to 3,42,788. The state now has 67,825 active Covid-19 cases and 2,70,094 people have recovered from the disease till date, Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.

 

On Thursday, the total number of Covid-19 cases were 3,36,294. Taking it into account the fresh Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours were 6,494.

 

Prasad said the recovery rate of Covid-19 patients in the state is 78.79 per cent.

5:02 PM

Schools in Delhi to remain closed for all students till Oct 5, says govt

All schools in the national capital will continue to remain closed till October 5 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Delhi government announced on Friday.

 

"All government and private schools will remain closed for all students till October 5. However, online teaching and learning activities will continue as usual," an official order issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE) said.

 

School principals are authorised to call "staff as per requirement for smooth conduct of online classes or any other work", it said.

 

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

4:53 PM

Day after RS speech BJP MP tests Covid positive; TMC leader sounds alarm

Bharatiya Janata Party's Rajya Sabha member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe has tested positive for Covid-19 after giving an elaborate speech on Maharashtra's handling of the pandemic on Wednesday, and TMC MP Derek O Brien has raised a red flag.

 

"He made a 15 min speech in Parliament sitting in the Treasury benches. He would have also spent time in RS lobby & Central Hall. I appeal to all RS colleagues who came into contact with him or were sitting near him, Please Isolate," O'Brien remarked by taking to Twitter.

 

Sahasrabuddhe said that after having a headache and mild fever, he got examined following which he tested positive for Covid-19. Interestingly, he tested negative before attending the monsoon session of Parliament.

4:44 PM

UV light kills Covid-19 virus without harming people: Study

In a significant breakthrough, researchers have discovered that using Ultraviolet C (UVC) light with a wavelength of 222 nanometres (touted as safer to use around humans) effectively kills the Covid-19 virus.

 

Other studies involving 222 nm UVC, also known as Far-UVC, have so far only looked at its potency in eradicating seasonal coronaviruses, that are structurally similar to the SARS-CoV-2 but not on the Covid-19 causing virus itself.

 

According to the study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control, in-vitro experiment by Hiroshima University researchers showed that 99.7 per cent of the SARS-CoV-2 viral culture was killed after a 30-second exposure to 222 nm UVC irradiation.

4:36 PM

Former Gujarat CM Keshubhai Patel tests Covid positive

Former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel has tested positive for novel coronavirus, health officials said on Friday. He underwent a Covid-19 test as one of his attendants was detected with the infection on Thursday after which samples of the former were taken for antigen and the RT-PCR process, said Gandhinagar Civil Hospital Superintendent Dr Niyati Lakhani.

 

"His antigen test returned positive while the results for the RT-PCR test is yet to come," Lakhani informed.

 

The 92-year-old leader's family said he is in home isolation in Gandhinagar.

4:28 PM

Karnataka MLAs undergo Covid-19 tests ahead of Assembly session

4:18 PM

Himachal Pradesh records 100 new Covid-19 cases tally at 11,290

4:08 PM

Singapore reports 11 new Covid-19 cases

Singapore on Friday reported the lowest number of 11 new Covid-19 cases in six months as the national tally of infections reached 57,543, the health ministry said. Of the new cases, one is from the community who is a Singaporean and another is an imported case placed on stay-home notice (SHN) upon arrival in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

 

This is the lowest daily figure since March 12 when nine new Covid-19 cases were reported, according to the Channel News Asia.

 

The total number of cases in Singapore has reached 57,543, the ministry said.

3:56 PM

Kolkata Police DCP tests Covid-19 positive, admitted to hospital

A Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police has been admitted to hospital after she tested positive for Covid-19, police sources said on Friday.

 

Deputy Commissioner of South East Division of Kolkata Police Debasmita Das was taken to the hospital on Thursday where she is undergoing treatment, they said.

 

"She is undergoing treatment and we are keeping a close watch on her health conditions," hospital sources said.

3:48 PM

Students sit on the floor: Covid-19 fears loom in overcrowded French varsities

Can mandatory masks offer enough protection in lecture halls so packed that late arrivals have to sit on the floor? That's what worries many students at the centuries-old Sorbonne University in Paris as the coronavirus is on the rebound across France.

 

At least a dozen COVID-19 clusters have emerged since French campuses and classrooms opened this month. The clutches of cases are a warning sign for countries elsewhere in Europe, where most universities are readying to resume teaching and research in coming weeks.

 

We go back to university in conditions that are a bit extreme, and we fear we might get COVID-19, Elise Gilbert, 20, who is studying literature at the Sorbonne, said of the overcrowding students encountered.