Coronavirus LIVE updates: Maharashtra's Covid-19 tally hits 2-million mark

Coronavirus live updates: India has given the first dose of covid antidote to almost 800,000 beneficiaries five days into the nation-wide vaccination drive

4:53 PM

South Africa to pay $5.25 a dose for AstraZeneca vaccine from India's SII

South Africa will pay $5.25 per dose for 1.5 million shots of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII), a senior health ministry official said on Thursday, more than some wealthier countries are paying, Reuters reported.

 

The price is higher than the $3 a dose that South Africa and other countries on the continent are due to pay for the same vaccines under an African Union (AU) arrangement, and the price European Union countries have agreed to pay.

 

The SII doses are intended for South Africa's frontline healthcare workers, who have been under huge strain during a second wave of coronavirus infections. They are due to start arriving before the end of the month, before the AU doses become available from March. 

4:29 PM

Uttar Pradesh reports six more Covid-19 deaths, 195 new cases

Uttar Pradesh recorded six COVID-19-linked fatalities on Thursday, taking the death toll due to the disease to 8,597 in the state, while 195 fresh cases pushed its infection tally to 5,97,823. The number of active coronavirus cases in the state stands at 7,717.

 

"In the last 24 hours, six deaths and 195 fresh cases were reported in the state and 345 people were discharged," Principal Secretary, Health Alok Kumar told reporters. "There are 7,717 active cases in the state and the total number of recoveries has risen to 5,81,509. Of the active cases, 2,577 are in home isolation, while the death toll has climbed to 8,597," he said.

 

So far, over 2.66 crore samples have been tested for COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh, including more than 1.39 lakh on Wednesday, the officials said.

4:18 PM

One NDRF team moved for Serum Institute in Pune where a fire broke out

4:12 PM

Fire in Serum Institute; Covishield facility not affected

Three persons were evacuated from a building in the Serum Institute of India's Manjari premises here after a fire broke out there on Thursday, police said. There is no impact on the Covishield vaccine making process as the fire broke out in a facility away from the place where the anti-coronavirus vaccines are made, sources said.

 

Deputy Commissioner of Police Namrata Patil told PTI the fire broke out at 2.45 pm on the fourth and fifth floor of the SEZ 3 building in the Serum Institute premises.

 

"As per the primary information, three people have been evacuated," she said. Viral visuals from the site showed smoke billowing out from the Serum Institute facility.

 

"We have sent water tenders to the spot," a fire brigade official said, adding the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The Manjari facility is where the Covishield vaccine used in the nationwide inoculation drive against the pandemic is made. The building where the fire broke out is part of the under-construction site of the Serum facility and Covishield production has not been affected by the fire, sources said.

3:58 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Fire breaks out at Serum Institute building in Pune

A fire broke out at the Serum Institute of India's Manjari premises here on Thursday afternoon, a fire brigade official said.

 

"The fire broke in a building in the premises. We have sent water tenders to the spot," the official said.

 

The Manjari facility is where Covishield vaccine, used in the nationwide inoculation drive against the coronavirus pandemic, is made.

3:24 PM

Sri Lanka's Covid-19 caseload tops 50,000

Sri Lanka's overall coronavirus caseload surpassed the 55,000 mark on Thursday after over 700 people tested positive for the disease, the Health Ministry announced. According to official figures, out of the 55,189 patients reported to date, 47,215 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals, with the number of active cases standing at 7,700, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

The island nation has so far registered 274 deaths from the virus.

 

Sri Lanka is presently in the midst of the second wave of the pandemic after two new clusters were detected in October 2020 -- one at a from a garment factory in Minuwangoda and the second at a fish market in Colombo. Since then, several areas in Colombo have been placed under isolation to prevent a further spread of the pandemic. Wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing have been made mandatory by the Health Ministry.

2:53 PM

V K Sasikala admitted to hospital for suspected Covid-19 infection

Late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa's close aide V K Sasikala has been admitted to Bengaluru's Bowring Government Hospital after she complained about breathlessness, fever and back pain. According to the health bulletin released by the Karnataka Health Department, the 63-year-old was admitted on Wednesday with comorbidities of hypertension diabetes and hypothyroidism and cough and fever.

 

"On arrival to hospital, oxygen saturation at room air 79 per cent and febrile (feverish). Stable with supportive measures and antibiotics and oxygen. She will be further evaluated and monitored. Investigation reports are awaited," the bulletin added.

 

According to the hospital sources, as soon as she was admitted to hospital, authorities conducted a Rapid Antigen Test on her, which has come back negative for Covid-19. But to be doubly sure, the hospital authorities have taken a swab sample which is now being tested using the more reliable RT-PCR test to confirm if she is affected by Covid disease.

2:17 PM

Two million Covid-19 vaccine doses from India reach Dhaka airport

Two million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India arrived in Dhaka on Thursday as a gift from New Delhi. The Air India charter flight 1232 from Mumbai carrying the consignment landed at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 11.20 a.m. on Thursday. In a tweet, Indian Minister of External Affars S Jaishankar said: "Touchdown in Dhaka.

 

#VaccineMaitri reaffirms the highest priority accorded by India to relations with Bangladesh."

The vaccines which came as a gift will be handed over at a formal ceremony at State Guesthouse Padma on Thursday afternoon. Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Health Minister Zahid Maleque, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami and other high government officials will be in attendance. READ ON...

 

2:06 PM

China registers 144 new Covid-19 cases, 113 asymptomatic infections

Chinese health officials on Thursday registered 144 new COVID-19 cases in addition to 113 cases of asymptomatic infections detected over the past 24 hours. This is up from 103 new symptomatic and 58 asymptomatic cases registered the previous day. No deaths were attributed to the disease, ANI reported.

 

The northern Heilongjiang province registered the highest number of cases showing symptoms at 68, while the neighbouring Jilin and Hebei provinces posted 33 and 20 cases respectively, according to a daily update from China's National Health Commission.

 

The commission's data showed that 18 symptomatic and 16 asymptomatic cases were imported from abroad. This takes the total in the country since the beginning of the pandemic to 88,701 cases and 4,635 fatalities. China has been battling an uptick in transmissions since the beginning of the year with lockdowns affecting over 20 million people in large cities of the country's northeast.

12:44 PM

Inactive cancer patients also at high risk of severe Covid illness: Study

Patients with inactive cancer and not currently undergoing treatments also face a significantly higher risk of severe illness from Covid-19, a new study suggests.

 

The findings underscore the importance of Covid-19 mitigation, like social distancing and mask wearing, and vaccinations for all patients, not just those recently diagnosed or with active disease.

 

"Patients who have cancer need to be careful not to become exposed during this time," said researcher Kara N. Maxwell, Assistant Professor at University of Pennsylvania in the US.

12:22 PM

Arthritis drug no better than standard care for severe COVID-19, says study

Treating severe COVID-19 patients with the arthritis drug tocilizumab along with standard care is no better than standard care alone in improving clinical outcomes at 15 days, says the results of a trial which was stopped early due to increased number of deaths among those receiving the drug.

 

The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal The BMJ, noted that there was an increased number of deaths at 15 days in severe COVID-19 patients receiving tocilizumab -- contradicting earlier observational studies suggesting a benefit of the drug.

 

However, the scientists, including those from Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo in Brazil, said these contradictory effects need to be assessed in future studies.

11:40 AM

Japan to receive Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for 72 million people within 2021

The Japanese government has signed agreements with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. to receive the drugmaker's Covid-19 vaccine doses enough for a total of 72 million people within this year, the Health Ministry said.

 

The additional supply added to the country's agreement last year with the drugmaker to acquire doses for 60 million people, which accounted for roughly half the country's population of 126 million, reports Xinhua news agency. Read on...

11:33 AM

Britain hits another record daily virus deaths

For the second day running, Britain had another record increase in coronavirus-related deaths.

 

The government says another 1,820 people died in the 28 days after testing positive for the coronavirus. That takes the confirmed total to 93,290, which is Europe's highest virus-related death toll and fifth highest in the world.

 

The lockdown restrictions across the UK have helped reduce the number of people contracting the virus, although the UK is still recording high levels of infections when compared with other nations in Europe, such as France or Germany.

11:33 AM

France's daily Covid-19 cases hit two-month high

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in France hit a two-month high at 26,784, health authorities said on Wednesday.

 

A higher daily tally, at 28,393, was registered on November 18, 2020, according to official data, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

Meanwhile, the country's coronavirus death toll increased by 310 within a day.

 

Currently, a total of 25,686 people are hospitalized, 2,852 of them in intensive care.

11:22 AM

Coronavirus vaccination drive: PM Modi, chief ministers to get Covid vaccine in Phase 2

Coronavirus vaccination drive: PM Modi, chief ministers to get Covid vaccine in Phase 2