Covid LIVE: 'Final decision' on Covaxin clearance next week, says WHO

Coronavirus LIVE updates: Kerala recorded 12,297 cases, Maharashtra 2,692, Delhi 34, Karnataka 397, Tamil Nadu 1,531 cases in the last 24 hours. Stay tuned for corona updates

5:45 PM

29 Odisha districts turn into Green Zones' as active Covid-19 cases fall below 1,000

Twenty-nine of Odisha's 30 districts have been declared Green Zones', as active COVID-19 cases came down across the state, a health department official said.

Khurda was the only district identified as Yellow Zone' for reporting over 2,000 active cases, while the figure in all other districts stands at below 1,000, he said.

Meanwhile, the state registered 453 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 53 children under 18 years of age, raising the tally to 10,28,819.

5:01 PM

Andhra Pradesh logs 671 fresh Covid-19 cases, 11 deaths

Andhra Pradesh logged 671 new COVID-19 infections, taking the tally to over 20.53 lakh, while the toll went up to 14,219 with 11 casualties.

West Godavari district accounted for the highest number of cases with 109 followed by Chittoor (102), a state government bulletin said on Tuesday, giving figures of the last 24 hours ending at 9 AM.

The active cases stood at 9,141. The total number of cases in the state stood at 20,53,863, while with 1,272 people being cured, the total recoveries are at 20,30,503.

4:51 PM

Plasma therapy 'futile' as treatment for critically ill Covid-19 patients: Study

Convalescent plasma therapy is "futile" as a treatment for most critically ill COVID-19 patients, according to a study published on Tuesday.

The findings, published in the journal JAMA, are the latest from REMAP-CAP trial, which has enrolled thousands of patients in hundreds of hospitals globally to quickly determine what COVID-19 treatments work best in which patients.

"There were biologically plausible reasons to turn to convalescent plasma early in the pandemic when hundreds of thousands of people were getting sick and treatments had yet to be discovered," said study co-lead author Bryan McVerry, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPMC) in the US.

4:31 PM

J&J seeks US clearance for Covid-19 vaccine booster doses

Johnson & Johnson asked the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to allow extra shots of its COVID-19 vaccine as the U.S. government moves toward expanding its booster campaign to millions more vaccinated Americans.

J&J said it filed a request with the FDA to authorise boosters for people who previously received the company's one-shot vaccine. While company said it submitted data on several different booster intervals, ranging from two to six months, it did not formally recommend one to regulators.

Last month, the FDA authorised booster shots of Pfizer's vaccine for older Americans and other groups with heightened vulnerability to COVID-19. It's part of a sweeping effort by the Biden administration to shore up protection amid the delta variant and potential waning vaccine immunity.

3:45 PM

Uttarakhand govt expects tourism to recover to pre-Covid-19 level next year onwards

With the gradual easing of restrictions on movement and the national vaccination drive in full swing across the country, the Uttarakhand government expects tourist footfalls to gather momentum and reach the pre-COVID-19 levels 2022 onwards.

"Even with the restrictions on the number of visitors in certain destinations due to the pandemic, we are witnessing full bookings.

"Therefore, looking at the current demand we are expecting the tourist footfalls to gather momentum after the vaccination drive and the sector is likely to reach pre-Covid levels 2022 onwards," Uttarakhand Tourism secretary and Uttarakhand Tourism and Development Board (UTDB) CEO Dilip Jawalkar told PTI.

However, the state is taking precautionary measures and seeing the further possibility of a third wave this year, he noted.

3:40 PM

J-K's Ramban achieves 100% coverage of first Covid vaccine dose: Officials

Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district has vaccinated all eligible beneficiaries with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and nearly 45 per cent of them have taken their second dose, officials said on Tuesday.

On September 15, Samba had become the first district in the union territory to vaccinate all people in the 18-44 age group with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Amid apprehensions of a third wave of the pandemic, good news is coming from Ramban, where 100 per cent coverage of first Covid vaccine dose has been achieved, even as 45 per cent of beneficiaries have taken both doses, Chief Medical Officer, Ramban, Dr Mohammad Freed Bhat said.

3:08 PM

Russia records 25,110 Covid-19 cases in past 24 hours

2:42 PM

Pakistan confirms 1,308 new Covid-19 cases, 54 more deaths

Pakistan on Monday confirmed 1,308 new COVID-19 cases and 54 more deaths, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Tuesday.

The NCOC, a department leading campaign against the pandemic, said that the country's number of overall confirmed cases had risen to 1,252,656, including 1,178,883 recoveries.

The number of active cases has dropped to 45,826 who are under treatment across the country, while 3,110 are in critical condition.

2:38 PM

Pfizer vaccine effective against Covid hospitalisations for 6 months: Study

Two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are 90 per cent effective against hospitalisation from the disease for all variants, including Delta, for at least six months, according to a study published in The Lancet journal on Tuesday.

The researchers found that over the study period, effectiveness of the vaccine against all SARS-COV-2 infections declined, falling from 88 per cent within one month after receiving two vaccine doses to 47 per cent after six months.

2:04 PM

Mega vaccination camp to be organised on Oct 10, will vaccinate 3.3 million people: Tamil Nadu

A mega vaccination camp will be organised by Health Department on October 10 in which 30,000 camps will be made.

We've targeted to vaccinate 33 lack people: Ma. Subramanian, Health Minister, Tamil Nadu

1:50 PM

64% of people have been vaccinated with 1st dose, 22% with 2nd dose here: Tamil Nadu

1:20 PM

WTO hikes trade forecasts but cautions on Covid-19 pandemic risk

The World Trade Organization revised upwards its forecasts for growth of global goods trade this year and in 2022, but warned of a two-track recovery leaving poor countries behind and downside risks from the Covid-19 pandemic and supply chain problems.

 

The WTO said on Monday it expected merchandise trade would grow this year by 10.8% after a fall of 5.3% in 2020. In March, it had forecast 2021 growth of 8.0%.

 

The Geneva-based trade body said that trade growth should slow to 4.7% in 2022, more than its previous forecast of 4.0%, with trade approaching its pre-pandemic long-term trend. Read on...

1:02 PM

Pondicherry reports 82 coronavirus cases

Puducherry registered 82 fresh cases of Covid-19 during the last twenty-four hours ending 10 a.m. on Tuesday, raising the overall tally to 1.26 lakh.

 

The new cases identified at the end of examination of 5,368 samples were spread over Puducherry 46, Karaikal 22, Yanam four and Mahe 10. One more person from Mahe succumbed to the viral infection taking the toll to 1,843. Director of Health Department G Sriramulu said so far 18.15 lakh samples have been tested and 15.40 lakh out of them were found to be negative.

12:12 PM

Covid fallout: Turkey sees price hikes amid near 20% inflation

Turkey's economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic has caused painful increases in prices of consumer goods for most people amid troublesome inflation that authorities are struggling to take under control.

 

Annual inflation rose to 19.58 in September from 19.25 per cent in August, according to the official data published on Monday.

 

Turkey's economy was already vulnerable last year with the coronavirus outbreak and a deepening current account deficit, and the import-reliant nation's woes have been exacerbated by lockdowns and health restrictions, reports Xinhua news agency.

 

While the Turkish economy grew 21.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2021 year on year, the country's economic prospects remain fragile, observers said.

11:12 AM

Supreme Court okays Rs 50,000 compensation for Covid-19 victims

The Supreme Court on Monday said no state should deny the ex-gratia compensation of Rs 50,000, as recommended by National Disaster Manage­ment Authority, to the kin of persons who died of Covid-19 on the sole ground that death certificate does not mention it as the cause of death.

.

The Bench said that the compensation would be disbursed from state disaster relief funds within 30 days of submitting application and cause of death being certified as of Covid-19.