Coronavirus LIVE: India's cumulative Covid-19 tests inch closer to 150 mn

Coronavirus live update: At 1,859,367, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 895,284, Andhra Pradesh 872,839, Tamil Nadu 792,788, and Kerala 644,696

8:59 AM

Coronavirus world update: Moldovan Prime Minister Ion Chicu contracts Covid

Moldovan Prime Minister Ion Chicu has contracted the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19), but will continue to fulfill his duties remotely, the cabinet said in a statement.

 

"Prime Minister Ion Chicu developed symptoms characteristic of the Covid-19 virus, he took a test and the result was positive," the Moldovan cabinet said on Facebook.

 

"The prime minister will continue to carry out his official duties remotely," it said.

8:33 AM

Coronavirus world update: Israel studying alternatives to curfew for holidays

The Israeli government is studying measures alternative to curfew to prevent crowding for the coming holidays due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, the cabinet told Sputnik.

 

A day earlier, reports said the coronavirus response center had decided to impose a night curfew in Israel from Wednesday, then the decision was to be submitted to the government for approval.

 

"Due to legal difficulties in approving the night curfew to prevent total quarantine, alternative measures are currently being explored to prevent crowding during Hanukkah and the New Year holidays," the cabinet said.

8:11 AM

France reports 13,713 new Covid-19 infections

Another 13,713 people in France have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to over 2.3 million, according to official figures released Tuesday.

 

The new count was the highest tally in six days, and well above the target of 5,000 daily cases the government has set as condition to lift the lockdown next week.

 

The country's total coronavirus-related deaths stood at 56,352, after 831 patients in hospitals and nursing homes had succumbed to the virus, the data showed.

7:30 AM

Coronavirus in US: President-elect Biden announces new health team to manage Covid-19 in US

US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time) formally announced key members of his incoming administration's health team, which includes Indian-American doctor Vivek Murthy, who will be responsible for managing the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

 

"Today, I'm pleased to announce a team who's going to do just that. It's a team of world-class experts at the top of their fields, crisis tested, defined by a deep sense of duty, honor and patriotism," he said in a briefing from Wilmington, Delaware. Read on...

7:18 AM

Coronavirus vaccine update: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine effective, further scrutiny needed among elderly

On the day Britain began immunizing its population with a Covid-19 shot developed by Germany’s BioNTech SE and the U.S.’s Pfizer Inc., a peer-reviewed study of the U.K.’s homegrown vaccine left some key questions unanswered.

 

While trial results published Tuesday in The Lancet found that a vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc is safe and effective, more analysis will be needed to see how well it works in people over 55, among those at higher risk from the pandemic. Read on...

6:48 AM

Coronavirus vaccine boost helps send Wall Street to record levels

 US stocks rose on Tuesday as each of the major averages touched record levels in part due to a boost from the healthcare sector on positive COVID-19 vaccine news, while uncertainty over fresh fiscal stimulus held gains in check.

 

Johnson & Johnson gained 1.67% to help lift both the Dow and S&P 500 after the company said it could obtain late-stage trial results of a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine it is developing in January, earlier than expected. Read on...