Coronavirus LIVE: Delhi records 4,067 new cases, positivity rate at 4.78%

Covid-19 update: At 1,842,587, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 889,113, Andhra Pradesh 870,076, Tamil Nadu 786,163, and Kerala 620,049

11:32 AM

Coronavirus India update: Five states with most active cases

Maharashtra (86,612)

Kerala (61,342)

Delhi (29,120)

Rajasthan (25,544)

Karnataka (24,708)

11:21 AM

Coronavirus India update: Five most affected states by cases

Maharashtra (1,837,358)

Karnataka (889,113)

Andhra Pradesh (870,076)

Tamil Nadu (786,163)

Kerala (620,049)

10:59 AM

Telangana registers 631 new coronavirus cases, 2 additional deaths

Telangana reported 631 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to over 2.72 lakh while two fatalities pushed the toll to 1,467, the state government said on Friday.

 

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 109, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (57) and Rangareddy (49), it said in a bulletin, providing details as of 8 PM on December 3.

 

As many as8,826 patients are under treatment and 57,405 samples were tested on Thursday. Read on...

10:57 AM

Covid-19 could push 207 mn more people into extreme poverty by 2030: UNDP

An additional 207 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty by 2030, due to the severe long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic, bringing the total number to more than a billion, a new UN Development Programme (UNDP) study has revealed.

 

According to the study released on Thursday, such a "high damage" scenario would mean a protracted recovery from Covid-19, anticipating that 80 per cent of the pandemic-induced economic crisis would continue over a decade, reports Xinhua news agency. Read on...

9:26 AM

Coronavirus testing update: Total number of samples tested up to December 3 is 144,727,749

Total number of samples tested up to December 3 is 144,727,749, including 11,70,102 samples tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

9:21 AM

Coronavirus India update: Summary of MoHFW data (December 4)

Active cases: 416,082 (Net reduction: 6,861)

Deaths: 139,188 (Net addition: 540)

Cured: 9,016,289 (Net addition: 42,916)

Total cases: 9,571,559 (Net addition: 36,595)

8:59 AM

Andhra Pradesh records 664 more Covid cases, tally reaches 870,000

Andhra Pradesh reported 664 new Covid positive cases, increasing the state's tally to 8.7 lakh, even as 835 more patients recovered from the virus to outnumber infections on Thursday. Chittoor and Krishna districts accounted for the highest number infections in the past 24 hours, 105 each, followed by Visakhapatnam (73), Guntur (72) and West Godavari (70). Among other places, East Godavari (67), Prakasam (40), Nellore (34), Anantapur (29), Kadapa (21), Kurnool and Vizianagaram (19 each) and Srikakulam (10).

 

 

With the new additions, East Godavari continues to shoulder the highest number of cases at 1.22 lakh. On Wednesday, 835 more patients recovered from the disease to increase the total number of recoveries to 8.56 lakh, narrowing the gap between total number of infections and recoveries. Of the 8.7 lakh cases, active cases have plummeted to 6,742. With 63,049 more Covid tests, the total number of tests crossed the one crore mark to reach 1.02 crore.

8:29 AM

Dr Fauci says UK rushed approval of Covid vaccine

Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, on Thursday said the UK was not as rigorous as the US health authorities in its COVID-19 vaccine approval process. The UK on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for the coronavirus. "The UK did not do it as carefully," he told Fox News. "If you go quickly and you do it superficially, people are not going to want to get vaccinated." "We really scrutinise the data very carefully to guarantee to the American public that this is a safe and efficacious vaccine," he said.

 

 

We have the gold standard of a regulatory approach with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The UK did not do it as carefully and they got a couple of days ahead," the 79-year-old expert said. The Pfizer/BioNTech is the fastest ever vaccine to go from concept to reality, taking only 10 months to follow the same developmental steps that normally span a decade. The UK has defended its approval process, and said the jab is safe and effective.

8:20 AM

Mexican presidents says Trump helped him get Covid vaccine

Mexico's president said Thursday he plans to give the military a role in distributing coronavirus vaccines, which he says U.S. President Donald Trump helped him get. President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador said that on his visit to Washington in July he spoke with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and they helped facilitate so that Mexico was taken into account and could get the vaccine. Lpez Obrador suggested Mexico will probably wait until U.S. regulators approve the Pfizer vaccine later this month before giving it the go-ahead in Mexico.

 

 

On Wednesday, Mexico's Health Department signed a contract for 34.4 million doses of that vaccine, and said it hoped to receive 250,000 doses in December. Each person requires two doses. The president said the government is discussing with the army and the navy, and we are defining the whole operation to distribute the vaccine. Lpez Obrador has given the military an unprecedented array of responsibilities in his two years in office, including distributing medical supplies and guarding hospitals.

7:41 AM

The coronavirus vaccine’s “cold chain” is under cyberattack

Researchers in IBM’s cybersecurity division recently discovered a series of cyberattacks against the companies and government organizations that will be distributing the coronavirus vaccine.

 

Both IBM and the Department of Homeland Security said the attackers appeared to be trying to steal the network credentials of key people in the “cold chain,” or the refrigeration process that protects vaccine doses. Many of the approaches came in the form of “spear phishing” emails that impersonated an executive at a major Chinese company that is a legitimate participant in the distribution chain.

 

Researchers believe they are state sponsored attacks, but so far don’t know who’s behind them — although hackers in Russia and North Korea are prime suspects.

 

The motive is also unclear. The attackers may want to steal the technology behind the cold chain, sabotage vaccine distribution, or lock up the system and demand ransom for the doses.

7:41 AM

Supply chain challenges led to target cut for Covid vaccine doses: Pfizer

Challenges in Pfizer Inc's supply chain for the raw materials used in its Covid-19 vaccine played a role in its decision to slash its 2020 production target, a Pfizer spokeswoman told Reuters.

 

Pfizer has said in recent weeks that it anticipates producing 50 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year. That is down from an earlier target of 100 million doses. Pfizer's vaccine relies on a two dose regimen, meaning 50 million doses is enough to inoculate 25 million people. Read on...

7:30 AM

Coronavirus in US: Will ask Americans to commit to 100 days of wearing masks, says Joe Biden

Joe Biden said Thursday that he will ask Americans to commit to 100 days of wearing masks as one of his first acts as president, stopping just short of the nationwide mandate he's pushed before to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

 

The move marks a notable shift from President Donald Trump, whose own skepticism of mask-wearing has contributed to a politicisation of the issue. Read on...