Covid LIVE: Kerala sees 22,182 new cases, 178 deaths in last 24 hrs

Coronavirus updates: WHO says progress is being in securing vaccines for Africa; India approves Russian vaccine for trial.

5:20 PM

Maha: Raigad records 123 new Covid-19 cases; eight more casualties

At least eight out of 15 talukas of Maharashtra's Raigad district have not reported a single new case of COVID-19, an official said on Thursday, PTI reported.

 

The district recorded 123 fresh cases on Wednesday, with Panvel reporting the highest number of infections at 67, the official said.

 

As many as 144 patients were discharged from hospitals, while eight died of the infection, leaving 1,161 active cases in the district, he said.

5:20 PM

Mandaviya calls for major push to Covid vaccination drive on PM Modi's birthday

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday called for a major push to the COVID-19 vaccination drive during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Friday, saying it would the perfect gift for him, PTI reported.

 

He also called on people who have not taken the vaccine till now to get inoculated.

 

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a gift of 'vaccine for all, free vaccine' to the country.

4:37 PM

Kerala stabilising, Mizoram a state of concern, says govt

4:27 PM

Weekly positivity rate for last 11 weeks is below 3%

4:25 PM

20% of India's adults fully vaccinated, 62% partially, says govt

4:19 PM

Kerala only state with over 100,000 active cases, says Centre

3:50 PM

Mega Covid-19 vaccination drive in Guj on Sep 17

A mega COVID-19 vaccination drive will be held in Gujarat on Friday with an aim to cover more than 35 lakh eligible people in a single day, a senior health official said on Thursday, PTI reported.

 

Those who are yet to receive their first dose of vaccine and also those who are due for their second dose will be covered under the special drive, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Manoj Aggarwal told reporters in Gandhinagar.

 

"The aim is to cover more than 35 lakh beneficiaries and ensure 100 per cent vaccination in the state's 7,500 villages," he said.

3:49 PM

Mizoram reports 1,402 new Covid cases, positivity rate at 12.1%

Mizoram on Thursday reported 1,402 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 75,470, a Health Department official said, PTI reported.

 

The new cases were detected after testing 11,599 samples in the last 24 hours, registering a positivity rate of 12.10 per cent, he said.

 

Four more people died in the state, pushing the toll to 250, he said.

3:12 PM

If children contract Covid, but are asymptomatic, it shouldn't be matter of concern: Experts

COVID-19 in children should not be of much concern if they are asymptomatic and do not have severe infection, experts said on Thursday, amid some states, including Mizoram and Kerala, reporting a rise in cases among those aged below 10 years, PTI reported.

 

They, however, stressed on the need for preparing and ramping up arrangements for any eventuality, including more children requiring hospitalisation.

 

The percentage of infected children aged below 10 years in the total active COVID-19 cases has risen since March this year, official sources said, adding that a larger number of cases among children are being reported from Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur and Kerala, among others.

3:12 PM

LifeCell gets DCGI nod for clinical trial of cell therapy to treat Covid patients

Leading stem cell bank LifeCell on Thursday said it has received approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for a clinical trial of Mesocel to treat patients with moderate to severe COVID-19, PTI reported.

 

The company has received the approval for the clinical trial of Mesocel, a new therapy derived from mesenchymal stem cells of the umbilical cord tissue, set to treat patients suffering from COVID 19 pneumonia and acute respiratory distress, from the Biological Division of the DCGI, LifeCell said in a statement.

 

The clinical trial, to be conducted in two phases, will evaluate the safety and efficacy of Mesocel for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe COVID-19, it added.

2:37 PM

Pakistan's Covid-19 death toll crosses 27,000

The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 crossed 27,000 in Pakistan after 66 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, ANI reported.

 

Pakistan's coronavirus death toll has risen to 27,004, reported Dawn.

 

Pakistan reported 3,012 fresh cases of COVID-19 after 56,778 tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours, according to Pakistan's National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data.

2:36 PM

Odisha records 580 new Covid-19 cases; over 66 lakh people fully vaccinated

Seventy-seven children are among the 580 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha on Thursday, pushing the tally to 10,18,298, a health department official said, according to PTI.

 

The rate of infection among children and adolescents stands at 13.2 per cent, he said.

 

Four fresh fatalities in the state raised the toll to 8,118, the official said.

1:54 PM

Uttarakhand HC allows Char Dham Yatra, but with riders

1:01 PM

China's administers 2.161 bn vaccine doses in total

China administered about 4.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines on September 15, bringing the total number of doses administered to 2.161 billion, data from the National Health Commission showed on Thursday. Reuters reported this.

12:18 PM

Putin to self-isolate after outbreak among staff

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he would have to spend "a few days" in self-isolation after dozens of people in his entourage fell ill with Covid-19, the TASS news agency reported. Putin was speaking through a video link at a summit of a Russia-led security bloc which was held in Tajikistan, said Reuters.