Covid LIVE: EU regulator OKs Pfizer vaccine booster for 18 and older

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Kerala recorded 12,297 cases, Maharashtra 2,692, Delhi 33, Karnataka 664, Tamil Nadu 1,531 cases in the last 24 hours. Stay tuned for corona updates

12:20 PM

Schools reopen for classes 8-12 in Mumbai today with Covid-19 protocols

Mumbai schools re-opened for classes 8-12 on Monday in adherence with the Covid-19 Standard Procedure Protocols (SOP).

 

Bai Kabibi School and Junior College located in the Bora Bazaar area of Mumbai is all prepared to welcome students after school has closed for more than one and half years.

 

Speaking to ANI, Ajit Dubay, a teacher in Bai Kabibi School said the school administration is very happy to meet students. The school has been decorated and prepared with all the safety measures.

 

"We are very happy, finally schools are re-opened, we will welcome the students with flowers and sweets," the teacher said.

 

Dubay who has been teaching Kabibi school for almost 20 years said everything was so good before March 2020, and then the unprecedented corona has changed everything in our lives.

12:01 PM

Puducherry records 43 new cases

Puducherry recorded 43 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours taking the total tally to 126,587, PTI reported quoting the health department on Monday. A death due to Covid overnight increased fatalities to 1,842.

12:00 PM

New Zealand admits it can no longer get rid of coronavirus

New Zealand's government acknowledged Monday what most other countries did long ago: It can no longer completely get rid of the coronavirus.

 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a cautious plan to ease lockdown restrictions in Auckland, despite an outbreak there that continues to simmer.

 

Since early in the pandemic, New Zealand had pursued an unusual zero-tolerance approach to the virus through strict lockdowns and aggressive contact tracing.

 

Until recently, that elimination strategy had worked remarkably well for the country of 5 million, which has reported just 27 virus deaths.

11:39 AM

India's daily new cases less than 30,000 for 10th day

India reported on Monday 20,799 new Covid-19 infections in 24 hours: the 10th day running when daily infections stayed below 30,000, said the Health Ministry. The daily positivity rate-- percentage of all coronavirus tests performed that turn out to be positive—is  at 2.10 per cent. It has been less than three per cent for last 35 days. 

11:17 AM

Australia sees outbreak levelling off

Australia's Delta outbreak appears to have levelled off, with more than half the country in extended lockdowns and vaccination rates starting to approach national targets, health minister Greg Hunt said on Monday. Hunt said 80% of Australians will have had their first Covid-19 jabs this week, Reuters reported.

11:06 AM

Housing sales double in July-September: JLL

India housing sales increased two-fold at 32,358 units in July-September in seven major cities as demand returned due to the Covid-19 outbreak slowing down, JLL India has said. Sales of residential properties stood at 14,415 units in the year-ago period and 19,635 units in the previous quarter, PTI reported quoting the property consultant.

10:35 AM

Russia hits record number of daily Covid-19 deaths

Russia on Sunday reported a record daily death toll from Covid-19, the fifth time in a week that deaths have hit a new high.

 

The national coronavirus task force said 890 deaths were recorded over the past day, exceeding the 887 reported on Friday. The task force also said the number of new infections in the past day was the second-highest of the year at 25,769.

 

Overall, Russia, a nation of 146 million people, has Europe's highest death toll from the pandemic, nearly 2,10,000 people.

 

Yet despite the country's persistent rise in daily deaths and new cases, Russian officials say there are no plans to impose a lockdown. Mask-wearing regulations are in place but are loosely enforced.

9:47 AM

Coronavirus in India: Latest update by MoHFW

Summary of MoHFW data (October 4)

Active cases: 264,458 (Net reduction: 6,099)

Deaths: 448,997 (Net increase: 180)

Cured: 33,121,247 (Net increase: 26,718)

Total cases: 33,834,702 (Net increase: 20,799)

Total vaccination: 907,932,861 (Increase over previous day: 2,346,176)

9:47 AM

Israel to tighten Covid-19 Green Pass restrictions

Israel will start restricting its Covid-19 Green Pass to people who have received the third vaccine booster on Thursday, the government said on Sunday.

 

Under the new guidelines, people who have got the third vaccine booster or recently recovered from Covid-19 are able to receive the Green Pass, a barcode valid for six months that enables entry to various venues, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

Israel promotes the Green Pass to encourage people to receive the third dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

9:39 AM

Karnataka minister to perform rituals for 1,200 unclaimed bodies of Covid victims

The Karnataka government on Monday is conducting the 'Pinda Pradana' ceremony for the unclaimed bodies of 1,200 Covid-19 victims at the Gosai Ghat on the banks of the river Cauvery near Sriranganapattana in Mandya district.

 

'Pindas' are balls of cooked rice mixed with ghee and black sesame seeds offered to ancestors during the Hindu funeral rites and ancestor worship. According to traditions in the Garuda Puran (Hindu religious scripture) offering a 'Pinda' to a recently departed soul helps to unite the soul with its ancestors. Revenue minister R. Ashok will take part in the ceremony along with Deputy Commissioner of Mandya district S. Ashwathi, Under Secretary to Government Manjunath Prasad and Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Narayana Gowda.

 

Earlier, Minister Ashok took part in the 'Asthivisarjan' (the ceremony of immersing ashes of dead bodies into the river) on June 2 for these 1,200 unclaimed bodies from Bengaluru and surrounding areas. The ceremony was held at the Cauveri River near Sri Kashi Vishwanatheshwara temple in Belakawadi in the Mandya district. The place is known as Dakshina Kashi.

9:23 AM

Uttar Pradesh news: Yogi to withdraw cases registered under Epidemic Act in lockdown

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to withdraw cases registered under the Epidemic Act for violation of pandemic guidelines during the Covid lockdown.

 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said keeping in view the larger public interest, cases relating to violation of the Act should be withdrawn.

 

He asked the home department to start proceedings in this regard. He also said tainted policemen would be identified and action taken against them.

 

It may be recalled that last month, the chief minister had also announced that the state government would withdraw cases filed against farmers for stubble burning.

9:05 AM

Covid-19: Pune city schools gear up for classroom teaching from today

Schools for classes VIII to XII will start in physical mode from Monday for the first time in 18 months in Pune city, and those running these institutions said all Covid-19 guidelines issued by the Maharashtra government will be adhered to strictly.

 

Physical distancing norms in the classrooms, mask usage, vaccination of teachers, thermal and oximeter screening of students, getting written consent from parents, and ensuring cleanliness, hand hygiene of students etc will be followed completely, Mahendra Ganpule, state spokesperson, Maharashtra Headmaster Association, told PTI..

 

"There will be three-clock hours working in the school. The students will come to the school after taking meals at home. Almost all teachers have been fully vaccinated. There are 1600 schools in the Pune district and we expect over 90 to open on Monday," he said. Read on...

8:57 AM

Maharashtra sees 2,692 Covid-19 cases, 2,716 recoveries, 41 fatalities

Maharashtra on Sunday reported 2,692 new coronavirus positive cases and 41 fatalities while 2,716 patients were discharged, the state health department said.

 

The new additions pushed Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally to 65,59,349, the death toll to 1,39,207 and the number of recoveries to 63,80,670, it said, adding that the state is now left with 35,888 active cases.

 

With 1,47,603 new tests, the number of samples examined in Maharashtra so far went up to 5,92,22,263. Read on...

8:44 AM

UK records another 30,439 coronavirus cases

Another 30,439 people in the UK have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 7,900,680, according to official figures released Sunday.

 

The country also recorded another 43 coronavirus-related deaths, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in the UK now stands at 136,953. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

 

There are currently 6,733 patients in hospital with Covid-19.