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8:26 AM

J&K reports 172 more coronavirus cases; no new virus-related death

Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday recorded 172 fresh cases of coronavirus, taking the infected number of persons to 3,28,590 while no fresh death due to the virus was reported from the Union Territory, officials said.

 

Out of the 172 fresh cases, 21 were from Jammu division and 151 from Kashmir division of the UT, the officials said.

 

They said Srinagar district recorded the highest number of 67 cases followed by 36 cases in Baramulla district.

 

There are 1,617 active cases in the UT, while the number of recovered patients was 3,22,554, the officials said.

 

The death toll in the UT due to the pandemic was 4,419 as no fresh death was reported in the past 48 hours.

8:01 AM

66% adults in India have got first Covid-19 vaccine dose: Health ministry

Two-thirds of India’s adult population has received the first dose of the Covid vaccine and nearly one-fourth, or 23 per cent, is now fully vaccinated. Also, according to the health ministry, private hospitals accounted for only six per cent of the Covid vaccines given in the country since May this year.

 

States and union territories that have covered their entire eligible population with at least one dose of the Covid vaccine include Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh and Sikkim.

 

Earlier, the government had revised its national vaccine guidelines from June 21, allowing private hospitals to procure 25 per cent of the monthly vaccines produced. With free-of-cost vaccination at government centres, private hospitals had said demand for paid vaccination had plunged. Also, there are more than 62,900 government vaccination sites in the country and just a little over 3,200 private centres, according to the CoWin dashboard. Read on...

7:41 AM

No festivities in districts with over 5% Covid positivity rate: Centre

Ahead of the upcoming festive season, the Centre has asked states and Union Territories to ensure that mass gatherings are not allowed in containment zones and in districts reporting over five percent Covid case positivity rate.

 

In a letter to chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said these gatherings should also be monitored and necessary enforcement and penal actions should be taken in case of violations in physical distancing and mask usage norms.

 

"As a matter of abundant caution, no mass gatherings should be allowed. In areas identified as containment zones and in districts reporting more than 5 per cent case positivity. Read on...

7:25 AM

US CDC panel endorses Pfizer booster shot for elderly, high-risk people

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel on Thursday endorsed booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for Americans aged 65 and older and some adults with certain high risk conditions.

 

The panel voted 15-0 to recommend a booster dose for Americans age 65 and older and people in long term care facilities. It also fully recommended giving a single booster dose to people between the ages of 50 and 64 with certain high risk conditions, by a vote of 13-2.

 

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer boosters for people aged 65 and older or at high-risk. The extra dose would be given once they are at least six months past their last Pfizer shot.

7:23 AM

Covid-19: Israel bans unvaccinated teachers from teaching

Israeli teachers who have not been vaccinated against the Covid-19 will be banned from entering schools unless they present a negative test result, Israeli Ministry of Education said on Thursday.

 

Under the decision, teachers who do not present the Green Pass, which is a proof of Covid-19 vaccination or recovery from the disease, are required to present a rapid antigen test performed up to 84 hours earlier.

 

The ban is part of the Israeli government's efforts to reduce the high Covid-19 morbidity in the country, and particularly in the unclosed education sector amid the rapid spread of the virus.