Coronavirus LIVE: 5,739 fresh Covid-19 cases, 27 deaths in Delhi today

Coronavirus Live update: Maharashtra has 16,66,668 coronavirus cases, Andhra Pradesh 814,774, Karnataka 812,784, Tamil Nadu 716,751 and UP 476,034 . Stay tuned for coronavirus India LIVE updates

5:22 PM

Coronavirus latest update: Dharavi reports 14 new Covid-19 cases

The COVID-19 tally in Mumbai's slum colony of Dharavi increased to 3,536 with the addition of 14 new cases on Thursday, according to a senior BMC official. He said 3,088 COVID-19 patients in Dharavi have already recovered and discharged from hospitals.

 

The official said the slum-dominated area has only 139 active coronavirus cases at present. The civic body has stopped sharing death figures from the densely populated locality. Spread across 2.5 square kilometres, Dharavi has a population of more than 6.5 lakh.

5:13 PM

UP records 1,979 fresh coronavirus cases, 25 more fatalities

As many as 1,979 fresh COVID-19 cases pushed Uttar Pradesh's virus count to 4,77,895 on Thursday, while the death toll climbed to 6,983 as 25 more people succumbed to the disease, a senior official said.

 

"The number of active cases in the state is 24,858, while 4,46,054 patients have been treated and discharged," Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health, Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters.

 

A total of 2,465 patients were discharged the previous day, he said. The total number of COVID-19 cases stands at 4,77,895 with 1,979 fresh cases, Prasad said. "The death toll due to the disease has reached 6,983 with 25 fresh deaths," he said. The officer said Uttar Pradesh's recovery rate is 93.33 per cent.

5:02 PM

Maharashtra minister Dilip Walse-Patil tests positive for coronavirus

Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Dilip Walse-Patil on Thursday said he has tested positive for coronavirus and is undergoing treatment for the infection. Over a dozen state ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, have tested positive for the disease over the past few months.

 

Taking to Twitter, the minister of excise and labour department said he had undergone a COVID-19 test and the reports have come out positive.

 

Walse-Patil informed that his health is fine and as a precautionary measure on the advice of doctors, he is undergoing treatment. The minister also urged people who had come in contact with him to get themselves tested as a precaution.

4:42 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: India conducts 10 million Covid-19 tests in last nine days, says Health Ministry

The Union Health Ministry on Thursday informed that the country has conducted about one crore tests to diagnose coronavirus in the last nine days. The government mentioned that on average, nearly 11 lakh COVID-19 tests were being performed every day for the past six weeks.

 

"India has demonstrated a consistent rise in the COVID-19 testing infrastructure since Jan 2020. With 10,75,760 covid tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the cumulative tests have crossed 10.65 crores (10,65,63,440). Nearly 11 lakh tests have been conducted daily on an average during the past six weeks," said the Health Ministry in a statement adding that the country is capable of doing 15 lakh tests every day now.

 

According to the Central Government, the cumulative positivity rate has been falling progressively as testing has increased and it has touched 7.54 per cent as of October 29. At least crore tests were conducted in the last nine days and the daily positivity rate stands at 4.64 per cent.

4:29 PM

Marshall Islands records first Covid-19 cases

The Marshall Islands authorities have recorded two cases of the coronavirus infection in the country at the US military base on Kwajalein Atoll, for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, the Office of the Chief Secretary said.

 

"The Marshall Islands first border cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been identified on the military base on Kwajalein Atoll," a press release published on Facebook on Wednesday said. The statement that the two infected individuals arrived from Honolulu on October 27 on the same flight, their tests for coronavirus were positive while both people remained in a mandatory quarantine.

 

The Marshall Islands authorities said there was no internal transmission of the coronavirus and there was no need to impose new restrictions. Up until this incident, the Republic of the Marshall Islands had been one of the few nations in the world where no cases of COVID-19 were recorded. Only a few island states such as Samoa, Tonga and Nauru are free of coronavirus so far.

4:24 PM

81% of new Covid-19 deaths in 10 states and UTs: Health Ministry

4:16 PM

Covid-19 vaccine not likely to be available by next year: Fauci

Anthony Fauci, America's top infectious disease expert, has said that it was not likely for a Covid-19 vaccine to be available in the US until next year, the media reported.

 

He made the remarks on Wednesday during a virtual session with the editor-in-chief of the JAMA medical journal, The Hill news website reported.

 

Fauci said that even though companies "would have enough data for the independent safety monitoring board to recommend applying for emergency authorization" by December, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) might not grant that authorization early next year.

4:14 PM

Govt to prioritise Covid-19 vaccine for front line health workers: Report

3:57 PM

Russia registers record 17,717 coronavirus cases in past 24 Hours

Russia has registered a new record single-day increase of 17,717 COVID-19 cases, up from 16,202 yesterday, taking the cumulative total to 1,581,693, the country's coronavirus response center said on Thursday. The previous single-day record of 17,347 COVID-19 cases was reported on October 26.

 

"In the past 24 hours, Russia has confirmed 17,717 COVID-19 cases in 85 regions, of which 4,691 (26.5 percent) were detected actively, with people showing no clinical symptoms," the response center said, adding that the case count has reached 1,581,693.

 

The largest increase was identified in Moscow, where 4,906 new positive tests were registered (up from 3,670 yesterday). A total of 758 new cases were recorded in St. Petersburg (up from 727 yesterday) and 514 cases were confirmed in the Moscow Region (up from 505 yesterday).

3:37 PM

Nearly 11 lakh Covid-19 tests conducted daily on an average in past six weeks, cumulative tests cross 10.65 crore-mark: Health Ministry

3:34 PM

Coronavirus Factoid: India tally crosses 8 million, recovery rate above 90%

The global count of coronavirus cases is nearing 45 million, of which over 10.8 million are currently active. The global death toll is now over 1.17 million, with the US reporting the highest number of deaths.

 

In India, the confirmed case count is now over 8 million, of which 603,687 cases are currently active. Recovery rate has now crossed 90 per cent and the death toll stands at 120,527

 

Here are some insights on the spread of the virus:

3:14 PM

95 Maharashtra Police personnel test positive for coronavirus

As many as 95 police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the force to 26,395, the Maharashtra Police informed on Thursday. The total number of cases include 1,517 active cases and 24,595 recoveries.

 

So far, 283 Maharashtra Police personnel have lost their lives to the infectious virus. Maharashtra continues to be the worst-affected state in the country with 1,30,286 active cases, 14,86,926 recoveries and 43,554 deaths, as per the Union Health Ministry.

2:56 PM

Philippines reports 1,761 new coronavirus infections

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday reported 1,761 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the country's total tally to 376,935.

 

The DOH said 740 more patients have recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 329,848. The death toll climbed to 7,147 after 33 more patients died from the coronavirus epidemic.

 

The number of infections in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and the region south of Manila has continued to decline, Carlito Galvez, the chief implementer of the country's overall plan to fight COVID-19, said at an online press briefing. Galvez stressed the need to remain vigilant against the COVID-19 pandemic and said infections in the Mindanao region in the southern Philippines are increasing.

2:42 PM

Two out of five Srinagar residents have Covid-19 antibodies, sero-survey shows

Over 40 per cent people living in Srinagar district have developed COVID-19 antibodies, according to a latest sero-prevalence study which suggests a large fraction of the population in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir may have been infected by the novel coronavirus.

 

The results of the study conducted by the Government Medical College Srinagar (GMC) reveal a quantum jump from 3.8 per cent sero-prevalence recorded in a similar study conducted in the city in June. A sero-survey involves testing the blood serum of individuals to check for the prevalence of antibodies against an infection.

 

"We have conducted a sero-survey in Srinagar district which has revealed that over 40 per cent of the 2,400 persons tested negative but had developed antibodies," said Dr Muhammad Salim Khan, head of community medicine at GMC Srinagar.

2:31 PM

79% of new coronavirus cases are from 10 States and UTs