Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh tests positive
Coronavirus live updates: Globally, more than 105.5 million people have been infected by the virus and the death toll stands at 2,292,656
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Expert panel had recommended against granting emergency use authorisation to Pfizer's vaccine: Officials
Just two days before pharma major Pfizer announced withdrawal of its application for emergency use authorisation of its COVID-19 vaccine in India, an expert panel of the country's drugs regulatory authority had recommended against granting such approval to the firm at this stage, officials said on Friday. Pfizer on Friday said it has decided to withdraw its application for emergency use authorisation of its COVID-19 vaccine in India.
It was the first pharmaceutical firm to seek such an authorisation from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on December 5 for its COVID-19 vaccine, after it secured such clearance in the UK and Bahrain.
On February 3, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) deliberated on Pfizer's application. The firm presented its proposal for emergency use authorisation of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b before the committee, an official said.
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After effects of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine not serious, shows UK study
A new study in the UK has revealed that while many people have reported after effects of the Pfizer Covid vaccine, the most common symptoms are of a non-serious nature. Most symptoms happen in the first two days after vaccination, with headache, fatigue and chills or shivers being the most common, according to the findings of the ongoing ZOE Covid Symptom Study app released on Thursday.
The researchers found that previous exposure to coronavirus makes it more likely that someone will experience systemic effects after vaccination.
The team analysed reports from nearly 40,000 people who were vaccinated in December - 23,308 people who had received just one dose, and 12,444 who had both. The results showed that around four in ten people who received their first dose had at least one after effect in their arm, most commonly pain and swelling in the day or two after the jab.
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Nearly 50 lakh beneficiaries vaccinated in India against Covid-19
Nearly50 lakh beneficiaries have been inoculated under the countrywide COVID-19 vaccination exercise, while India's total active cases have dropped to1.51 lakh, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. India's total active cases continues to follow a consistent downward slideconsisting of just1.40 per centof total infections. Following a downward trajectory,12,408 daily newcases were recorded in a span of 24 hours.
"India's cases per million population (7,828) areamongst the lowest in the world.This count is much higher for countries like Russia, Germany, Italy, Brazil, France, UK and USA," the ministry said.
It said17 states and UTshave alower case per million population than the national average. Lakshadweep has the lowest average of 1,722 cases per million among all states and UTs.
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India Coronavirus Dispatch: Over 100 mn HCQ pills have been distributed
The Central Government has distributed millions of pills of an anti-malarial drug called hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as part of its Covid-19 relief programme, according to a report in the Quartz.
The Centre has distributed nearly 112 million tables of HCQ which is used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases or malaria. While there were claims in the early days of the pandemic that the drug was effective against coronavirus, by mid-2020 the WHO and several countries had quashed these claims. In June, the WHO halted HCQ trials and said the existing data showed the drug neither reduced fatalities, nor helped patients with moderate forms of the disease. However, the Indian government continued to send HCQ pills to the states, the report said. Read more here
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Will give free Covid-19 vaccine to all: Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi Palaniswami
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Delhi’s figure of 581 deaths per million is the highest among all states
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US fails to track Covid-19 variants: Report
The US has failed to develop a surveillance system that would allow researchers to track dangerous mutations of the novel coronavirus, according to a media report. To discover consequential genetic variations of the virus, like more transmissible variants first identified in Britain and South Africa, research is essential, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday citing the Guardian report as saying.
However, as of January 29, the US had only plotted and shared the genetic sequences of 0.3 per cent of its Covid-19 cases, ranking 30th in the world, the report said.
"It's just been a head-in-the-sand approach," Diane Griffin, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health was quoted in the Guardian report as saying. "It was really a failure of leadership."
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Pfizer withdraws application for emergency use of its Covid-19 vaccine in India
Pfizer Inc has withdrawn an application for emergency-use authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine in India that it has developed with Germany's BioNTech, the company told Reuters on Friday.
The US-based pharma company, which was the first drugmaker to apply for emergency use authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine in the country, had a meeting with India's drugs regulator on Wednesday and the decision was made after that, the company said.
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Maharashtra coronavirus update: Thane district records 254 new Covid-19 cases, 3 deaths
With the addition of 254 new coronavirus cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra rose to 2,54,896, an official said on Friday.
The new cases were reported on Thursday.
As three more patients succumbed to the infection, the death toll in the district increased to 6,168, he said.
The Covid-19 mortality rate stood at 2.42 per cent, the official said.
So far, 2,45,504patients have recuperated from the infection, reflecting a recovery rate of 96.32 per cent, he said.
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Coronavirus in India: Latest update by MoHFW
Active cases: 151,460 (Net reduction: 3,565)
Deaths: 154,823 (Net increase: 120)
Cured: 10,496,308 (Net increase: 15,853)
Total cases: 10,802,591 (Net increase: 12,408)
Total vaccination: 4,959,445 (Increase over previous day: 509,893)
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Unequal allocation of vaccines could cost the world economy $9.2 trn
The global economy’s recovery risks being dampened or even derailed by the lag in coronavirus vaccinations for poorer nations relative to their wealthier peers.
Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker shows 4.54 million doses were given on average across the world each day over the last week, but it’s far from an even spread. The US and UK make up about 40 per cent of the 119.8 million doses administered globally.
Developing and emerging markets are, by and large, doing far less well. In Africa, only Egypt, Morocco, Seychelles and Guinea are recorded as having given any of the vaccines at all. Much of Central Asia and Central America has yet to begin vaccinating, or is moving slowly. Read on...
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First Published: Feb 05 2021 | 7:35 AM IST