Monday, December 23, 2024 | 07:25 PM ISTEN Hindi

Coronavirus LIVE: 6 mn doses given Thurs; 109 new cases in Delhi

Today's coronavirus numbers: Bengaluru (1,008 cases), Mumbai (863 cases), Chennai (396 cases), Kolkata (178 cases), Delhi (111 cases). Stay tuned for corona-related news

BS Web Team New Delhi

12:31 PM

India reports 54,069 Covid-19 cases, 1,321 deaths in last 24 hours

India recorded 54,069 new Covid-19 cases and 1,321 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the country's total caseload to 3,00,82,778, according to data released by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Thursday.

India crossed the mark of over three crore caseload of Covid on Wednesday.

This is the seventh consecutive day in the last two months when the toll has been below the 2,000-mark. Read on...

12:19 PM

France urges vigilance against Delta coronavirus variant

The Delta variant of the novel coronavirus "must be of concern to us," French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal warned on Wednesday, urging individual and collective vigilance to prevent a spiral of infections due to the more contagious variant.

"There is a threat (of epidemic resurgence) linked to the Delta variant," Attal told RMC radio, Xinhua news agency reported. "We can see that things can go very quickly ... and that requires individual and collective vigilance."

First identified in India, the Delta variant is the fastest and fittest coronavirus strain that will "pick off" the most vulnerable people, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

In France, the variant is now responsible for 9 to 10 percent of the around 2,000 new Covid-19 cases per day. It may prompt an epidemic resurgence in September or October, predicted Jean-Francois Delfraissy, head of the scientific council that advises the government on Covid-19.

12:16 PM

Israel's active Covid-19 cases more than triple in past two weeks

The number of active coronavirus cases in Israel has more than tripled in the past two weeks, the state's ministry of health said on Wednesday.

The number of active cases in Israel has reached 606, compared with 477 reported on Tuesday and 186 on June 9, Xinhua reported.

A total of 146 new coronavirus cases were reported on Wednesday, raising the total caseload in the country to 840,225.

The death toll from the virus remained unchanged at 6,428, and the number of patients in serious condition remained 26, out of 50 hospitalized patients. Read on...

12:12 PM

WHO raises concerns over Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing plant

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns over a manufacturing plant responsible for filling the vials with the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine.

In a statement, Pharmstandard-UfaVITA, a leading pharmaceutical company in Russia, said that the WHO inspectors' attention was focused on only four technical issues mostly related to one of the filling lines, which have all been subsequently fully addressed.

The company said that the WHO did not raise any questions about the safety and efficacy of the produced and finished vaccine as the "Sputnik V" vaccine undergoes strictest double quality output control. Read on...

12:06 PM

US warns Pfizer, Moderna vax recipients to watch for enlarged heart symptom

The US government continues to recommend coronavirus vaccinations for everyone 12 years of age and older, albeit with a new warning to watch for symptoms of an enlarged heart reported by a fraction of people receiving the Pfizer or Moderna inoculation, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention said.

"The known and potential benefits of Covid-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks, including the possible risk of myocarditis or pericarditis [enlarged heart]. Also, most patients with myocarditis and pericarditis who received care responded well to treatment and rest and quickly felt better," the CDC said in a press release on Wednesday. Read on...

11:52 AM

More than 300 million vaccine doses have been provided by Centre to States/UTs so far: Health ministry

More than 30 crores (30,33,27,440) vaccine doses have been provided by Centre to States/UTs so far. Of this, the total consumption, including wastages is 28,43,40,936 doses as per data available at 8 am today: Union Health Ministry

11:40 AM

Hyderabad colleges step up Covid vaccination ahead of reopening on July 1

As Telangana lifts Covid-19 restrictions and reopens classes for educational institutes, universities in Hyderabad have stepped up the vaccination of students, non-teaching staff and faculty.

Colleges are gearing up to welcome students back to classrooms after several months of online classes and vaccination drives have been initiated to sure the safest environment for all those present on campuses.

In order to ensure that health is not compromised, colleges have also extended this service to family members and people who are not associated with the colleges. Read on...

11:33 AM

German Chancellor Merkel cautions against spread of Covid Delta variant

Although the current infection situation in Germany was "encouraging," Chancellor Angela Merkel called for further caution over the Covid-19 crisis during her last government question session in the Bundestag on Wednesday.

"Even if the third wave has been impressively broken, the pandemic is not over yet," said Merkel. "We are still on thin ice." Keeping distance, hygiene and the use of protective masks in certain situations were still "important protective measures and will remain important," she added, Xinhua reported.

Germany's incidence rate of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days continued to fall to 7.2 on Wednesday, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). A week ago, the country's seven-day incidence rate stood at 13. Read on...

11:27 AM

Brazil reports record 115,228 daily Covid-19 cases; 2,392 fatalities

Brazil has reported a record daily high of 115,228 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the national tally to 18,169,881, the Ministry of Health said.

Some 2,392 more people died from the disease in the same period, raising the national death toll to 507,109.Sao Paulo, the most populous state, remains as the country's hardest-hit region, where lockdown restrictions are extended until July 15 due to continuous increase in cases and hospitalizations.

Several states, including Sao Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Santa Catarina and Parana, have seen their healthcare systems overwhelmed. Read on...

11:24 AM

Japan's service prices mark biggest gain in 8 months as Covid pain eases

Japan's corporate services prices rose at the fastest annual pace in eight months in May, data showed on Thursday, adding to growing signs the world's no. 3 economy is gradually emerging from last year's devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

While the gain was due largely to the base effect of last year's slump, rising hotel and transportation fees showed a resumption of economic activity and rising raw material costs were keeping Japan from sliding back into sustained deflation.

"The impact of state of emergency curbs wasn't as large as the same period last year," Shigeru Shimizu, head of the BOJ's price statistics division, told a briefing. "Some regions saw tourists return during Japan's Golden Week holidays." Read on...

11:20 AM

Global Covid-19 caseload tops 179.5 mn; deaths surge to more than 3.88 mn

The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 179.5 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.88 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Thursday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 179,522,146 and 3,889,680, respectively.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 33,577,488 and 602,833, respectively, according to the CSSE. Read on...

11:14 AM

India easing lockdowns on cases and not vaccines risky strategy: UK study

The rush by India’s states to end lockdowns as new coronavirus infections drop, rather than waiting for vaccination rates to rise, risks triggering fresh restrictions and holding back the nation’s recovery, according to Oxford Economics.

“States are easing lockdowns based on lower test positivity rates rather than vaccination progress,” Priyanka Kishore, head of India and South East Asia Economics at Oxford Economics, wrote in a report to clients. “This risky strategy increases the chances of renewed outbreaks that would further delay the recovery.”

Provinces including national capital New Delhi have begun reopening amid signs of infections plateauing, causing mobility rates to improve as of mid-June. While that’s likely to foster return of some demand in the near-term, there’s the risk of consumption and business activity suffering going ahead should newer restrictions be placed to control a resurgent virus wave. Read on...

10:38 AM

Singapore plans out transition to new normal life with Covid-19 pendemic

The deadly coronavirus may never go away, but it is possible to live "normally with it in our midst", Singapore's three ministers of a multi-ministry task force on coronavirus said on Thursday as they outlined plans for the country's transition to a new normal.

They said with enough people vaccinated, Covid-19 will be managed like other endemic diseases such as the common flu and hand, foot and mouth disease in Singapore.

A road map is being drawn up to shift to this new normal, and it will be done in tandem with achieving certain vaccination milestones, said the co-chairmen, Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong and Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung. Read on...

10:11 AM

Now in 85 countries, Delta variant expected to become dominant lineage: WHO

The Delta variant, the significantly more transmissible strain of Covid-19, is expected to become a dominant lineage if current trends continue, the WHO has warned after it was reported in 85 countries and continues to be detected in more places around the world.

The COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update released on June 22 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that globally, the variant Alpha has been reported in 170 countries, territories or areas, Beta in 119 countries, Gamma in 71 countries and Delta in 85 countries.

Delta, now reported in 85 countries globally, continues to be reported in new countries across all WHO Regions, 11 of which were newly reported in the past two weeks, the update said. Read on...

9:51 AM