LIVE: Children aged 15-18, frontline workers to get vaccine shots, says PM

In his address to the nation, PM Modi said that frontline health workers will be given supplementary dose from Jan 10

7:38 AM

Singapore reports 265 new Covid-19 cases

Singapore has reported 265 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total tally in the country to 277,307.

 

Of the new cases, 177 were in the community, nine were in migrant worker dormitories and 79 were imported cases, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the statistics released by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

 

A total of 413 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with 19 cases being critically ill in the intensive care unit (ICU). The current overall ICU utilisation rate is 51.7 per cent.

7:38 AM

Myanmar reports 213 new Covid-19 cases

The number of Covid-19 infections has risen to 529,327 in Myanmar after 213 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours on Friday, according to the Ministry of Health.

 

Six more deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll to 19,248 on Friday in the country, Xinhua news agency quoted the ministry as saying.

 

A total of 506,764 patients have been discharged from hospitals and over 5.96 million samples have been tested for Covid-19 as of Friday.

7:37 AM

Pope celebrates Christmas Eve Mass as virus surges in Italy

Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass before an estimated 1,500 people in St. Peter's Basilica on Friday, going ahead with the service despite the resurgence in COVID-19 cases that has prompted a new vaccine mandate for Vatican employees.

 

A maskless Francis processed down the central aisle of the basilica as the Sistine Chapel choir sang Noel, kicking off the Vatican's Christmas holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem.

 

The Midnight Mass actually began at 7:30 p.m., a nod to the 85-year-old pope's endurance and a hold-over from last year, when the service had to end before Italy's nationwide COVID-19 curfew.

7:37 AM

Mamata prays for well-being of all on occasion of Christmas, asks revellers to follow COVID norms

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attended the midnight mass at a prominent church in the city on Friday and prayed for the well-being of one and all.

 

She later took to social media and urged everyone to maintain COVID-19 protocols amid the festivities.

 

"I pray to the God for the safety and well being of everyone. The warm glow of festive lights and smiling faces everywhere filled my heart with joy. As we celebrate I urge everyone to maintain all COVID protocols. Wear a mask at all times and use hand sanitizers," she posted on Facebook.

7:37 AM

Africa's COVID-19 cases surpass 9.33 million

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has reached 9,335,901 as of Friday afternoon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

 

The specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU) said the death toll across the continent stands at 226,878 and some 8,467,210 patients have recovered from the disease so far.

7:36 AM

Tight security in Ghaziabad for CM Yogi's road show on Saturday

Police are beefing up security arrangements in Ghaziabad ahead of a road show by Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday.

 

More than 100 police personnel have been deployed and extra forces have been called in from other districts for the rally. Ghaziabad SSP Pawan Kumar along with other officials monitored the route of the road show on Friday.

 

The area has been divided into two zones and five sectors, Superintendent of Police (City-1) Nipun Agarwal said.

 

The road show will start from Kalka Garhi Chowk at 6 pm and end at Thakur Dwara (Hapur Mor) via Chaudhary Mor Clock Tower. Every zone will be supervised by an additional superintendent of police rank officer while all the five sectors will be monitored by a DSP-rank official each.