Coronavirus LIVE updates: Containment zones rise to over 4,550 in Delhi

Coronavirus update: US is the worst-hit country with 12,072,560 coronavirus cases, followed by India, which has 9,004,365 cases, Brazil (5,912,903), France (2,065,138), Russia (1,991,998)

11:11 AM

Questionable testing may be the reason India's Covid-19 numbers are down

India’s daily coronavirus infections have been cut in half since a peak of more than 97,000 in mid-September, but the significant drop has raised fresh questions over the South Asian nation’s testing regime and whether it reflects the true state of its epidemic.
 

As the country on Thursday surpassed the grim milestone of 9 million total infections, the official daily numbers appear to show a marked slowdown in the spread of the disease. Once poised to overtake the U.S. as the nation with the highest caseload, India for weeks has been reporting fewer than 50,000 new cases a day, while infections are skyrocketing across America. Read on...

11:09 AM

Coronavirus patients likely to be most infectious during first week after symptom onset: Study

Although the genetic material of the novel coronavirus may still be detected in the respiratory or stool samples of COVID-19 patients for several weeks, no infectious virus particle was found beyond nine days of symptom onset, a new study says.

 

The research, published in The Lancet Microbe journal, noted that people with the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection are most likely to be highly infectious from symptom onset and the following five days.

 

"This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis that has comprehensively examined and compared viral load and shedding for these three human coronaviruses," said study lead author Muge Cevik from the University of St Andrews in the UK.

 

"It provides a clear explanation for why SARS-CoV-2 spreads more efficiently than SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV and is so much more difficult to contain," Cevik said.

10:52 AM

Uttarakhand: Reopening Of Colleges Postponed After Spike In COVID-19 Cases

Uttarakhand government has postponed the reopening of the colleges amid rising cases of COVID-19. Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik on Wednesday said that after a long discussion in the cabinet, it has been decided that the colleges will "probably" reopen in December.

There are 4,147 active cases of coronavirus at present here, while 64,032 people have recovered from the deadly virus, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

 

This comes after 84 schools in five blocks of Pauri District in Garhwal Division were closed for five days after 80 teachers tested positive for COVID-19, an official said on November 6.

10:18 AM

Coronavirus India update: Five states with most active cases

Maharashtra (80,728)

Kerala (68,352)

Delhi (43,221)

West Bengal (25,873)

Karnataka (25,188)

9:56 AM

Brazil will not exempt Covid19 vaccine makers from liability, deputy minister says

Brazil does not intend to draw up legislation that would exempt makers of COVID-19 vaccines from liability, the country’s deputy health minister Elcio Franco said on Thursday.

 

Franco said meetings held this week in Brasilia with vaccine developers should lead to non-binding memorandums of understanding on possible future purchases of vaccines against COVID-19.

 

He said the prices and target populations will be factors in deciding any purchase.

9:54 AM

Coronavirus India update: 1,083,397 samples were tested yesterday, says ICMR

9:53 AM

People in Delhi welcome UT govt's decision to impose Rs 2,000 fine for not wearing mask

9:42 AM

Mexico becomes 4th country to hit 100,000 deaths due to coronavirus

Mexico passed the 100,000 mark in Covid-19 deaths Thursday, becoming only the fourth country behind the United States, Brazil and India to do so.

 

Jos Luis Aloma Zegarra, Mexico's director of epidemiology, announced that Mexico had 100,104 confirmed Covid-19 deaths.

 

But the living will bear the scars too: along with their lost friends and loved ones, many surviving coronavirus victims in Mexico say the psychosis caused by the pandemic is one of the most lasting effects. Read on...

9:26 AM

Oil slips a second day as coronavirus cases spiral amid stimulus talks

U.S. oil prices slipped on Friday, dropping for a second day as concerns mounted about the hit to demand from the surge in COVID-19 infections forcing new lockdowns, but prices were supported by signs of movement on a stimulus deal in Washington.

 

West Texas Intermediate was down 9 cents, or 0.2%, at $41.65 a barrel by 0039 GMT, after dropping around 0.2% on Thursday. Brent crude was yet to trade, having fallen 0.3% in the previous session. The contracts are heading for a third week of gains.

 

U.S. Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to resume discussions on providing more COVID-19 relief as cases surge across the United States, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday, according to CNBC. Read on...

9:23 AM

Coronavirus India update: Summary of MoHFW data (November 20)

Active cases: 443,794 (Net addition: 491)

Deaths: 132,162 (Net addition: 584)

Cured: 8,428,409 (Net addition: 44,807)

Total cases: 9,004,365 (Net addition: 45,882)

8:50 AM

Mizoram reports 28 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases in the state to 3,541

8:29 AM

World coronavirus update: Vladimir Putin praises China as good example of combating coronavirus

China sets a good example for other countries of how to successfully contain the Covid-19 pandemic, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

 

"China has shown to the world that one can successfully defeat the coronavirus," Putin said on Tuesday during the 12th BRICS Summit hosted by Russia via video conference, Xinhua reported.

 

"China's anti-pandemic results are indeed significant and remarkable, setting a good example for other countries," he said. Read on...

8:28 AM

Tripura coronavirus update: State reports 105 new Covid-19 cases

Tripura on Thursday reported 105 new COVID-19 cases, taking the state's tally to 32,217, a Health Department official said.

 

There are 1,000 active cases in the state at present, he said.

 

Sixty-three patients were discharged from GB Pant Hospital after they recovered from the disease, the official said. Read on...

8:13 AM

Mainland China reports 17 new Covid-19 cases vs. 12 a day earlier

Mainland China reported 17 new COVID-19 cases on Nov. 19, up from 12 a day earlier, the country’s health authority said on Friday.

 

The National Health Commission said all new cases were imported infections originating from overseas. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed infections, also rose to 14 from 10 a day earlier.

 

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 infections to date in Mainland China stands at 86,398 cases, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.

8:04 AM

Meghalaya's coronavirus tally nears 11,000-mark, death toll at 104

Meghalaya reported 109 fresh Covid-19 cases, pushing the tally to 10,979, a senior health official said on Thursday.

 

The death toll rose to 104 after one more patient succumbed to the virus, Health Services Director Aman War said.

 

He said 60 patients have recovered from the disease since Wednesday, increasing the number of those cured to 10,074 in the state. Read on...