Coronavirus LIVE: 786,842 beneficiaries vaccinated in India since Saturday

Coronavirus live updates: Till now 786,842 beneficiaries have been vaccinated in India. Globally, 96.6 million people have been infected, of which, 10,596,442 are in India

7:00 PM

LIVE: Health Ministry briefing on Covid-19 vaccination

6:36 PM

6,815 fresh coronavirus cases and 7,364 recoveries reported in Kerala today

5:54 PM

Uttar Pradesh reports eight more Covid-19 deaths, 390 new cases

Uttar Pradesh recorded eight COVID-19-linked fatalities on Wednesday, taking the death toll to 8,591, while 390 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 597,628. The number of active cases of the disease in the state stands at 7,873, they said.

 

"In the past 24 hours, eight deaths and 390 fresh cases were reported in the state and 682 people were discharged," a health bulletin issued said. "There are 7,873 active cases in the state, and the total number of recoveries has risen to 5,81,164. Of the active cases, 2,657 are in home-isolation, while the death toll rose to 8,591," it added.

 

So far, over 2.65 crore samples have been tested for COVID-19, including more than 1.29 lakh on Tuesday. The state has recorded the highest number of consultations through eSanjeevani, a web-based comprehensive telemedicine solution, in the country, they said. Till now, 4,16,512 people in Uttar Pradesh have used the facility, the officials added.

5:07 PM

Health worker dies after jab, death not due to it: Govt

A 42-year-old healthcare worker in Nirmal district of Telangana, who received COVID-19 vaccination, died early Wednesday after complaining of chest pain, with preliminary findings suggesting the death is unrelated to the vaccination, a health official said.

 

The worker was vaccinated at about 11.30 AM on Tuesday at a Primary Health Centre (PHC) in the district and he is said to have developed chest pain at around 2.30 AM on Wednesday.

 

He was brought dead to the district hospital at about 5.30 AM, state Director of Public Health G Srinivasa Rao said in a press release. "Preliminary findings suggest that the death seems to be unrelated to vaccination," it said. As per the guidelines, post-mortem would be conducted by a team of doctors.

4:24 PM

Indian vaccines reach Maldives: Dr S Jaishankar

3:57 PM

Nasal Covid-19 vaccine will be easy to give to children: AIIMS director

A nasal COVID-19 vaccine will be easy to be give to school-going children who bear a "very mild" load of the disease but they are infectious, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said on Wednesday. The noted pulmonologist, who was interacting with the personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) during their 16th Raising Day celebrations here, also said that people who have contracted coronavirus should also get the jab about 4-6 weeks after recovery.

 

"It (coronavirus infection) is very mild in children but they are infectious. They can spread the disease."

 

"The vaccines that have come are not approved for children because there have been no studies conducted on children but this (vaccination) is a very important step and trials are being done," he said.

3:30 PM

Odisha logs 157 new coronavirus cases, tally rises to 333,723

Odisha's COVID-19 tally on Wednesday surged to 3,33,723 after 157 more people tested positive for the infection. The coronavirus death toll remained at 1,902, as no new fatality due to the infection was reported since Tuesday. The 157 new COVID-19 cases were detected in 24 of the state's 30 districts, 93 were reported from different quarantine centres while the remaining 64 were contact cases.

 

Sundergarh district recorded the highest of 30 new cases followed by Puri (20) and Sambalpur (18). Six districts- Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Malkangiri and Nayagarh - did not register any new positive case since Tuesday.

 

Apart from 1,902 coronavirus fatalities reported so far, 53 COVID-19 positive patients have also died due to comorbidities.

2:54 PM

79.2% of the new cases are concentrated in seven States and UTs

2:46 PM

Russia registers 21,152 Covid-19 cases in past 24 hours

Russia registered 21,152 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, down from 21,734 the day before, taking the tally to 3,633,952, the coronavirus response centre said on Wednesday.

 

"Over the past day, 21,152 coronavirus cases were confirmed across 85 Russian regions, including 2,452 cases (11.6 per cent) that were detected actively, with people showing no clinical symptoms," the centre said, adding that the cumulative case count has now reached 3,633,952, with the rate of increase falling to 0.59 per cent.

 

For a second consecutive day, St. Petersburg sees the largest increase, as it confirmed 3,347 new coronavirus cases over the given period, up from 3,281 the day before. It was followed by Moscow with 2,452 cases, down from 3,115 the day before, and the Moscow Region with 994 new cases, down from 1,072 the day before.

2:08 PM

Loss of smell may be best sign of Covid-19, research confirms

Loss of smell may be the best predictor of COVID-19 among patients with symptoms of respiratory diseases, according to new research. The findings of two new international studies, published in the journal Chemical Senses, show that there is frequent loss of smell in COVID-19 patients which often lasts for a long time.

 

Over 4,500 COVID-19 patients from a total of 23 nationalities responded to the researchers' questionnaire. The studies found that the average loss of the sense of smell was 79.7 on a scale from 0-100, indicating a large to complete sensory loss.

 

"This emphasises how important it is to be aware of this symptom, as it may be the only symptom of the disease," said Alexander Wieck Fjaeldstad from Aarhus University in Denmark.

11:07 AM

UAE daily Covid tally crosses 200-mark after over a month

New coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia crossed the 200-mark for the first time in more than a month with 226 infections reported.

 

The Kingdom has been reporting less than 200 cases regularly. On December 7 last year, 209 new Covid-19 cases were recorded, the Saudi Gazette reported on Tuesday.

 

According to the Ministry of Health, six more patients died over the past 24 hours due to complications caused by Covid-19 over the past 24 hours.

10:06 AM

Coronavirus in India: Latest update by MoHFW

Active cases: 197,201 (Net reduction: 3,327)

Deaths: 152,718 (Net increase: 162)

Cured: 10,245,741 (Net increase: 16,988)

Total cases: 10,595,660 (Net increase: 13,823)

Total vaccination: 674,835 (Increase over previous day: 220,786)

9:48 AM

Positive Covid tests by Oz Open players believed to be 'virus shedding'

Positive Covid-19 tests attributed to two Australian Open players are now suspected to be instances of 'virus shedding' following evidence of past infections, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.

 

Victoria's Minister for Emergency Services Lisa Neville has clarified the total number of cases linked to the event that weren't considered shedding was seven, none of which were players, reports Xinhua news agency.

 

Neville explained that one of the players initially reported as positive on Tuesday was in hotel lockdown and was reclassified as a virus shedding case, while the other who tested positive along with a support staff member was also suspected to be a case of virus shedding, which health officials were working to confirm.

9:45 AM

Indemnity clause: Serum Institute of India knocks on govt door again

Amid adverse events following vaccination coming from across the country, Pune-based vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) again raised the issue of indemnity in a meeting with the health ministry this week, said someone close to the development.

 

SII did not wish to comment on the matter. While there are reports of adverse events, no causal link to the vaccine has been established. SII Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla earlier indicated legal indemnity was required to ensure that the vaccination drive could be completed smoothly.

 

In an interview with Business Standard, Poonawalla, who is also president of the Indian Vaccine Manufacturers Association, had said an indemnity clause during the period of the pandemic would ensure the vaccination drive did not halt if there was an injunction. Read on...

9:28 AM

Average US air fares fall to lowest price after Covid-19 pandemic

Average US airfare prices in the three months ending in September fell to the lowest inflation-adjusted price since the government began tracking the issue in 1995, the Transportation Department said Tuesday.
 

The average ticket price was $245, down 30% over the same period in 2019 and down 7% over the second quarter, when average prices were $262 a ticket.

Prices have declined as air demand has fallen sharply, especially for business travel. US airlines reported 27 million passengers in the third quarter, down from 86 million passengers a year earlier. Read on...