Coronavirus LIVE: Cases close to 8.6 mn in India, death toll at 127,104

Coronavirus update: Maharashtra has 1,719,858 coronavirus cases, Karnataka 844,147, Andhra Pradesh 842,967, Tamil Nadu 739,147 and UP 497,000. Stay tuned for coronavirus India LIVE updates

12:48 AM

Boris Johnson cautiously welcomes loud toot' of the vaccine bugle

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday struck a note of caution as he welcomed the promising results from the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and warned that the new possible vaccine against COVID-19 has cleared only one significant hurdle and there are several more to go.

 

Addressing a briefing from 10 Downing Street here, Johnson urged the British public not to slacken their resolve as it is still very, very early days, even as he confirmed that the UK had pre-ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine enough for about a third of the UK population, taking into account that two doses each are required.

 

We have talked for a long time, or I have, about the distant bugle of the scientific cavalry coming over the brow of the hill, and tonight that toot of the bugle is louder. But it is still some way off. And we absolutely cannot rely on this as a solution, he said.

12:41 AM

Biden says goal is to reduce Covid-19 spread and save lives

US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday said that the goal of his administration would be to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and save lives from the deadly virus.

 

We cannot forego the important work that needs to be done between now and then to get our country through the worst wave yet of this pandemic. To reduce spread. To save lives, Biden said after major media networks declared him winner of the November 3 presidential elections.

 

Early this morning, Biden announced the formation of a Covid-19 advisory board. Comprising of a panel of eminent experts, it is co-chaired by Indian-American Dr Vivek Murthy, Dr David Kessler and Dr Marcella Nunez-Smith.

12:40 AM

Odisha reports 1,219 new Covid-19 cases, 16 fresh fatalities

Odisha's Covid-19 tally rose to 3,02,793 on Monday as 1,219 more people tested positive for the infection, while 16 fresh fatalities took the coastal state's coronavirus death toll to 1,441, a health official said.

The state also registered recovery of 1,521 patients taking the total number of Covid-19 cured people to 2,89,689. The recovery rate is 95.67 per cent now.

As many as 708 new cases were reported in quarantine centres, while 511 fresh infections were detected during contact tracing, the official said.

12:29 AM

Joe Biden urges Americans to wear masks to prevent Covid-19 spread

US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday (local time) implored American to wear masks in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus and exuded confidence that virus can be brought under control in the country and economy can be rebuilt.

 

"Maybe we saved the life of a person who stocks the shelf at your local grocery store. Maybe saves the life of a member of your place of worship. Maybe it saves the lives of one of your children's teachers. Maybe it saves your life. So please, I implore you, wear a mask. Do it for yourself. Do it for your neighbour," he said while speaking from Wilmington, Delaware, after being briefed by his newly formed coronavirus advisory board.

12:07 AM

The World Health Organization's chief called Monday on everyone to keep fighting Covid-19, warning that while we may be sick of battling the pandemic, the virus is "not tired of us"

11:26 PM

Surat records 189 Covid-19 cases, 209 recoveries; no new death

Surat reported189 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the highest for a district in Gujarat, taking its tally to 37,551, the state health department said.

 

No new Covid-19 fatality was reported from the south Gujarat district with its death toll remaining unchanged at 1,030, it said.

 

Recoveries exceeded new cases in the district with 209 patients getting discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the department said in a release.

 

Surat city reported 156 new cases and 162 recoveries, while the rural parts of the district recorded 33 fresh infections and 47 discharges, it said.

11:16 PM

Doctors considering tracheotomy on Soumitra Chatterjee

Doctors treating Soumitra Chatterjee are considering tracheotomy on the veteran actor, hoping that the surgery may improve his condition, a senior official said on Monday.

 

The doctors are also mulling to carry out plasmapheresis after consulting nephrologists, he said.

 

"We may consider administrating tracheotomy on Wednesday. This may improve his condition," the official said.

 

A team of senior doctors from the state health department visited Chatterjee at the private hospital and held elaborate discussions with the doctors treating him.

10:32 PM

Fresh 5,023 cases of Covid-19 take tally to over 440,000 in Delhi; death toll mounts to 7,060 with 71 new fatalities

10:17 PM

1,963 new Covid-19 cases, 19 more deaths in Karnataka

Karnataka reported 1,963 new Covid-19 cases 19 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 8,48,850 and the toll to 11,410, the health department said on Monday.

 

The day also saw 2,686 patients getting discharged after recovery.

 

Out of the fresh cases, 978 were from Bengaluru urban alone.

10:05 PM

Gujarat records 971 Covid-19 cases, 993 recoveries; 5 die

Gujarat's Covid-19 tally rose to 1,81,670 with the addition of 971 new cases on Monday, while nearly 1,000 patients recovered from the infection, the state health department said.

 

The number of Covid-19 fatalities in Gujarat increased to 3,768 after five more patients died, it said.

 

Recoveries outnumbered new cases with 993 patients getting discharged in the last 24 hours, the department said.

 

This pushed the number of recovered cases to 1,65,589, said the department in a release.

9:34 PM

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar records 163 new Covid-19 cases; tally climbs to 19,414

9:17 PM

Mumbai's Covid-19 tally rises to 265,142 with addition of 599 new cases; 20 deaths take toll to 10,462

8:54 PM

Karnataka reports 1,963 new Covid-19 cases, 2,686 discharges and 19 deaths

8:45 PM

Kin not allowed to meet prisoners amid Covid-19: Maharashtra minister

As Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari asked state home minister Anil Deshmukh to allow kin of arrested television journalist Arnab Goswami to see him, the senior NCP leader on Monday said relatives of inmates of jails are currently not allowed to meet them in  view of the Coronavrius epidemic

8:33 PM

Goa sees 144 new Covid-19 cases, 4 deaths; 232 recover

Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 144 to reach 45,209 on Monday, while the toll touched 647 as four people succumbed to the infection, an official said