Covid LIVE: Pfizer very close to agreement with govt, says AIIMS chief

Today's coronavirus numbers: Bengaluru (803 cases), Mumbai (570 cases), Chennai (410 cases), Kolkata (172 cases), Delhi (134 cases). Stay tuned for corona-related news

6:03 PM

Kerala reports 12,787 new Covid positive cases, 150 deaths and 13,683 recoveries

Kerala reports 12,787 new Covid positive cases, 150 deaths and 13,683 recoveries in the past 24 hours.

5:47 PM

Delta variant 'greatest threat' to US' Covid efforts: Dr Fauci

The highly-contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is the "greatest threat" to America's attempt to eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's leading infectious disease expert and White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci has warned.

 

The variant, which was first detected in India, is more contagious and causes more severe disease than other circulating variants, he said on Tuesday during a White House Covid-19 response team briefing.

 

Fauci said the Delta variant now makes up more than 20 per cent of all new cases in the US, nearly doubling from nearly 10 per cent two weeks ago.

5:28 PM

Delhi reports 111 new Covid cases, 702 recoveries and seven deaths in last 24 hours

5:14 PM

61,000 more vials of Amphotericin B allocated to states/UTs: Centre

Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister D.V Sadananda Gowda announced that an additional 61,120 vials of Liposomal Amphotericin-B, used in the treatment for mucormycosis or 'black fungus', have been allocated to all states/UTs and Central Institutions on Wednesday.

 

So far, approximately 7.9 lakh vials have been allocated across the country, maintaining an adequate availability for patients of mucormycosis, he said.

 

Maharashtra has reported 7,998 cases of black fungus and 729 people have succumbed to the disease, while Andhra Pradesh and some other states have also reported cases.

5:06 PM

Hawaii detects community spread of Covid-19 delta variant

Hawaii health officials say there is community spread of the COVID-19 delta variant, which was first detected in India.

 

Two cases on Oahu and one on the Big Island involve travel from the US mainland. One case involves an Oahu resident with no travel history. The state Department of Health said it is investigating to determine the extent of household and community transmission.

 

Acting State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble said of the four cases, only one person was vaccinated. Health experts say vaccines remain effective against the variant. Hawaii's vaccination rate is 57%. Kemble says Hawaii's pace of vaccinations has slowed in recent weeks.

4:48 PM

Autopsy study shows Covid harms brain like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's

People who died of Covid-19 showed signs that were similar to the brains of individuals who died of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, according to a study.

 

Both groups presented similar inflammation and impairment in brain circuits, said researchers from the Stanford School of Medicine and the Saarland University in Germany.

 

The findings, published in the journal Nature, may help explain why about one-third of individuals hospitalised for Covid report symptoms of neurological problems like fuzzy thinking, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, and depression.

4:47 PM

Health Ministry issues advisory on Delta Plus - a Variant of Concern

4:04 PM

Media reports on homeless people barred from registering for Covid vaccination baseless: Govt

3:50 PM

Media reports on homeless people barred from registering for Covid vaccination baseless: Govt

The health ministry on Wednesday dismissed media reports alleging that homeless people have been "barred" from registering for COVID-19 vaccination due to unavailability of technical requirements as "baseless".

 

There have been some media reports alleging that homeless people have been "barred and conspicuously left out" from registering for COVID-19 vaccination due to unavailability of technical requirements, the ministry said in a statement.

 

The reports have further stated that the "requirement to register digitally", "knowledge of English and access to a computer or a smartphone connected to the internet" are some of the factors depriving people of vaccination, it added.

3:36 PM

Additional 5,240 vials of Amphotericin B allocated to Karnataka

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers D V Sadananda Gowda on Wednesday said additional 5,240 vials of Liposomal Amphotericin B, which is used in the treatment of black fungus, has been allocated to Karnataka.

 

"In Karnataka, additional 5,240 vials of Liposomal Amphotericin B have been allocated today," Gowda said in a tweet.

 

The Minister, who is an MP from Bengaluru North said, a total of 60,350 vials have been allocated to the state till now ensuring its smooth supply to patients. READ MORE...

3:25 PM

Telangana caps cost of Covid tests, treatment at private labs and hospitals

3:25 PM

Delta plus variant: Goa increases screening along Maharashtra border

Goa has increased screening of the border it shares with the Sindhudurg district in South Maharashtra, where the Delta plus Covid variant has been found, chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday.

 

"In the nearby districts in Sindhudurg, the Delta plus variant has been found, so screening at the borders is going on. We have also given permissions to set up a private laboratory at the border," the Chief Minister said, adding that quick results of samples at the borders itself would help the screening process better.

 

The chief minister further said that as of Wednesday, 26 samples tested in Goa were found positive for the Delta variant, but added that not a single Delta plus variant had been detected in Goa yet.

3:12 PM

World Coronavirus Dispatch: Brazil's Gamma variant causing deaths

Young children dying in Brazil as Gamma variant surges

 

In Brazil, where the Gamma variant of Covid-19 is dominant, the spread of the infection is leading to an unusually high number of deaths among pregnant women and children. The Brazilian health ministry has said 1,122 children under the age of 10 have died since the start of the pandemic, but one research group claims the number is closer to 3,000. This week, Brazil’s Covid death toll breached the 500,000 mark, making it only the second country after the US to log half a million Covid deaths. Read More...

2:50 PM

Federal Bank donates 10,000 Covid vaccine carriers to Kerala

Continuing its support to the state's fight against COVID-19, the Federal Bank has donated 10,000 vaccine carriers to the tune of Rs.92.04 lakh to the Kerala government.

 

This was part of various infrastructure, logistic and awareness programmes that the Federal Bank Hormis Memorial Foundation, the CSR arm of the bank major, recently undertook to help combat the second wave of the pandemic in the country.

 

The Federal Bank team, led by Reji P G, Deputy Vice President-II, formally handed over the contributed equipment to the state Health Minister Veena George here recently, an official statement said.

2:38 PM

US researchers flag more deadly mutation in Gamma Covid variant

A mutation in the Gamma variant (P1) of coronavirus disease is linked to increased mortality, a Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and MIT researchers said on Wednesday.

 

The mutation also carries greater transmissibility, higher infection rates, and increased pathogenicity, showed the study detailed in the journal Genetic Epidemiology.

 

The findings were based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) methodology which analysed whole-genome sequencing data of SARS-CoV-2 mutations and Covid-19 mortality data. In September 2020, the team looked for links between each mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus's single-stranded RNA and mortality in 7,548 Covid-19 patients in Brazil.