Coronavirus LIVE: 73.63% of new fatalities came from just seven states

Coronavirus live updates: India will launch its Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16 and priority will be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers

2:42 PM

Mamata Banerjee promises free vaccines

West Bengal govt is making all the arrangements to provide free Covid vaccines to all the people of the state:, she said.

2:10 PM

Grimes says she has Covid-19

Singer Grimes has revealed that she has contracted the novel coronavirus.

 

The 32-year-old musician shared the news on Instagram Story.

 

"Finally got Covid but weirdly enjoying the DayQuil fever dream ... 2021," Grimes wrote on Friday.

1:58 PM

450,000 health workers to be vaccinated in first phase, says Rajasthan health minister

Preparations for rolling out Covid-19 vaccination programme in Rajasthan have been made and around 4.5 lakh health workers will be vaccinated in the first phase, Health Minister Raghu Sharma said on Sunday.

 

Sharma said data of 4,36,146 government and private sector health workers had been uploaded on COVIN (Covid-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network) software by 1 pm on Saturday.

 

He said the first phase of vaccination will be conducted at 282 sessions sites from January 16 onwards. Of them, two sites including Jaipur and Ajmer will be interactive.

1:51 PM

Maldives to begin Covid-19 vaccination awareness programme

The Maldives Red Cross (MRC) will begin a programme to raise awareness about Covid-19 vaccinations, local media reported on Sunday.

 

MRC Male' Branch Manager Mohamed Adeel was quoted in state-owned PSM news as saying that 60 volunteers will begin a campaign in consultation with relevant authorities to inform households about the Covid-19 vaccine.

 

The Maldives government has pledged to begin vaccinations in the first quarter of 2021. President Ibrahim Solih said vaccinations will be provided free of charge for all citizens.

1:30 PM

UK Queen, Duke of Edinburgh receive Covid-19 vaccines

The UK's Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, the Buckingham Palace confirmed in a statement. The vaccinations were administered on Saturday by a household doctor at the Windsor Castle where the royal couple have been staying since early last year, Xinhua news agency quoted British media reports as saying citing a source. The source added the Queen decided to let it be known she had the vaccination to prevent further speculation.

1:26 PM

China reports 360 cases south of Beijing

More than 360 people have tested positive in a growing COVID-19 outbreak south of Beijing in neighboring Hebei province. China's National Health Commission reported Sunday that 69 new cases had been confirmed in the latest 24-hour period, including 46 in Hebei. The outbreak has raised particular concern because of Hebei's proximity to the nation's capital. Travel between the two has been restricted, with workers from Hebei having to show proof of employment in Beijing to enter the city.

 

1:09 PM

Covid-19: Uttarakhand MP sanctions Rs 20 lakh from MPLAD funds for vaccine transportation

Ahead of Covid-19 vaccine rollout, Udham Singh Nagar MP Ajay Bhatt on Saturday here sanctioned Rs 20 lakh from MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund for the purchase of specialised vehicle required for vaccine transportation from district to block level. In a letter to the District Magistrate, the MP said he sanctioned Rs 50 Lakh from MPLAD for prevention and control of coronavirus, and from that Rs 27,90,784 is still remaining with the health department.

12:58 PM

New Covid-19 strain in India: No fresh case in last 24 hours, tally stands at 90

No fresh case of the new strain of coronavirus was reported in the last 24 hours in India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said on Sunday. The total number infected with the new strain of Covid-19 that was detected in the United Kingdom stands at 90. After the new strain of COVID-19 detected in the UK, the government had imposed a ban on flights coming to India from the UK with effect from December 22 last year.

12:44 PM

Situation under control, but we are taking all precautions: Karnataka CM

COVID-19 situation in Karnataka under control, but we are taking all precautions: Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

12:31 PM

Chinese mainland reports 69 new Covid-19 cases

The Chinese mainland has reported 69 newly confirmed coronavirus cases, of which 48 were locally transmitted and the 21 others arrived from outside, the National Health Commission said on Sunday. Of the locally transmitted cases, 46 were reported in Hebei province and one each in Beijing and Liaoning, the Commission said in its daily report. No new suspected cases or deaths related to the disease were reported, said the commission, adding that 16 patients were discharged from hospitals on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

12:13 PM

South Korea reports 665 more COVID-19 cases, 68,664 in total

South Korea reported 665 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Saturday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 68,664. The daily caseload stayed below 700 for three straight days, but it hovered above 100 for 63 days since November 8 due to small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province as well as imported cases. The daily average number of confirmed cases for the past week was 774.

 

12:00 PM

89 sites finalised for the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination in Delhi

In Delhi, 89 sites have been finalised for the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination drive. Govt has identified 36 govt & 53 private hospitals for vaccination drive from January 16. In the first phase, only health workers will be vaccinated: Satyendra Jain, Delhi Health Minister

11:52 AM

Arunachal Pradesh reports 3 new COVID-19 cases, tally rises to

Arunachal Pradesh reported three more COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the total caseload in the state to 16,767, a senior health official said on Sunday. Two cases were reported in the Capital Complex Region and one from Tawang district, the official said. All the cases were asymptomatic, two patients were detected through rapid antigen tests and one by TrueNAT method, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said. Sixteen more people were cured of the disease on Saturday, taking the total number of recoveries in the northeastern state to 16,647, he said.

11:24 AM

India's Covid recovery rate improves to 96.42%

11:04 AM

US Covid-19 cases surpass 22 mn: Johns Hopkins University

As the US is still struggling to contain the raging coronavirus pandemic, the country's overall infection tally has surpassed the 22 million mark, while the death toll increased to over 372,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Sunday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the country's caseload and death toll currently stood at 22,110,203 and 372,152, respectively. The US is the worst hit country by the pandemic, with the world's most number of cases and deaths, making up more than 24 per cent of the global caseload and over 19 per cent of the worldwide fatalities.