Coronavirus LIVE: Govt panel advises sustainable pricing model at hospitals

Coronavirus update: US is the worst-hit country with 12,268,678 coronavirus cases, followed by India, which has 9,050,442 cases, Brazil (5,912,903), France (2,109,170), Russia (2,039,926)

8:12 AM

Pfizer, BioNTech seek emergency use of coronavirus shots in US

Pfizer formally asked U.S. regulators Friday to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month and eventually an end to the pandemic -- but not until after a long, hard winter.

 

The action comes days after Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech announced that its vaccine appears 95% effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19 disease in a large, ongoing study. Read on...

8:01 AM

Donald Trump Jr. tests positive for coronavirus, placed in quarantine

United States President Donald Trumps eldest son Donald Trump Jr. has tested positive for the coronavirus and is quarantining "out at his cabin", according to a spokesperson.

 

Trump Jr, 42, is the latest in the Trump family to be infected after Donald Trump, Melania Trump and their son Barron were diagnosed with Covid-19 in October, exactly a month before the US election. Read on...

7:48 AM

Covid-19 impact: FIFA awards ceremony to be virtual event on December 17

FIFA's annual awards ceremony will be held as a virtual event on Dec. 17, soccer's governing body said Friday, announcing the most-prized individual honors in a pandemic-hit year when France Football magazine canceled its Ballon d'Or contests.

 

The Best FIFA Football Awards was intended as a gala event in September in Milan until the coronavirus pandemic forced its cancellation. Read on...

7:40 AM

Covid-19 crisis: Maharashtra mulls curbs on flights, trains from Delhi

Maharashtra is considering curbs on flights and train services between Mumbai and Delhi as the capital city grapples with a rise in Covid-19 infections.

 

While both the railway and civil aviation ministries denied plans to suspend services, media reports on Friday said Maharashtra was considering such a move. Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar was quoted saying in a report that the proposal was still under discussion. Read on...

7:37 AM

4 million lost job amid Covid-19 crisis, eligible for EPF subsidy: Data

Around four million formal sector workers will be eligible for provident fund subsidy from the central government as they had left their jobs during March-September.

 

The payroll data released by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Friday showed around 3.9 million workers had exited the firms that were making EPF contributions towards them. Read on...

7:35 AM

Assam coronavirus update: State's Covid-19 death toll rises to 971

Two more persons succumbed to COVID-19 in Assam on Friday, pushing the death toll to 971, while 164 fresh cases took the tally to 2,11,204, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

 

The deceased are an 80-year old man from Nalbari and a 55-year old man from Morigaon, he said.

 

The current death rate in the state is 0.46 per cent and recovery rate is 98.02 per cent.

 

The new cases were detected out of 18,270 tests conducted during the day, lower than the 22,970 samples tested on Thursday. Read on...

7:16 AM

US averaging 1,300 deaths per day, alarming spike in coronavirus cases

Daily coronavirus deaths in the US are now averaging more than 1,300 - the worst toll recorded since May this year when New York became the original epicentre of the pandemic.

 

More than 253,000 Americans are dead, morgues are running out of room in several states, and total confirmed infections have blown past 11.7 million.

 

The single biggest case count came on Thursday - nearly 188,000. More than 80,000 are hospitalised. Read on...