This Article is From Oct 23, 2021

Coronavirus Highlights: India Reports 15,786 New Cases, 231 Deaths In 24 Hours

COVID-19 Highlights: India witnessed a sharp rise in itsdaily Covid graph on Thursdayas 18,454 new cases were reported.

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Covid India Cases: Active cases account for less than 1 per cent of the total cases in the country

New Delhi:

India reported 15,786 fresh COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Friday. Of these new infections, Kerala reported 8,733 COVID-19 cases. At present, India's caseload of active cases stands at 1,75,745 that is the lowest in 232 days. Active cases account for less than 1 per cent of the total cases in the country, currently at 0.51 per cent. It is the lowest since March 2020.

Meanwhile, India achieved a significant feat on Thursday as it completed administering 100 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine to eligible beneficiaries. The landmark figure was reached at 9:47 AM yesterday, according to the government's Co-WIN portal. India's COVID-19 vaccination drive was launched on January 16, 2021.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described India's COVID-19 vaccination drive as a journey from "anxiety to assurance" that has made the country emerge stronger, and credited its success to people's trust in the vaccines despite "various efforts to create mistrust and panic".'

"When everyone takes ownership, nothing is impossible. Our healthcare workers traversed hills and crossed rivers across difficult geographies to vaccinate people. Our youth, social workers, healthcare workers, social and religious leaders, all deserve credit for the fact that India faces minimal vaccine hesitancy when compared to even developed nations," PM Modi wrote in an opinion piece a day after the cumulative vaccine doses crossed the landmark figure of 100 crores.

Here are the LIVE updates on coronavirus cases:

Oct 23, 2021 05:41 (IST)
COVID-19 India News: Tamil Nadu Reports 1,152 New Cases, 19 More Deaths
Tamil Nadu reported 1,152 new COVID-19 cases and 19 related deaths in the last 24 hours, reported news agency ANI. According to the state health department, the total number of active cases in the state now stands at 13,531. The state reported 1,392 recoveries in the last 24 hours taking the cumulative recoveries to 26,43,431. The death count has mounted to 35,987 with 19 more deaths in the last 24 hours. The state has conducted 4,91,32,122 tests so far.
Oct 23, 2021 05:00 (IST)
COVID-19 News: Karnataka Reports 378 New Cases, 11 More Deaths In Last 24 Hours
Karnataka reported 378 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths in the last 24 hours, said a bulletin from the health department on Friday, according to news agency ANI. The state also recorded 464 recoveries in the past 24 hours. There are 8891 active cases of COVID-19 in the state. The total number of cases stands at 29,85,227, total recoveries at 29,38,312 and death count at 37,995.

Bengaluru Urban reported 195 cases, the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka out of all the districts, followed by Dakshina Kannada (24).
Oct 23, 2021 04:35 (IST)
Oct 23, 2021 03:35 (IST)
UK Minister Rules Out Return To Major Covid Curbs: Report
British finance minister Rishi Sunak said there must be no return to "significant economic restrictions" despite a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the country, The Times newspaper quoted him as saying, according to Reuters. "I think we're just in a very different place to where we were a year ago because of the vaccine," he said in an interview.

"There's this enormous wave of protection, and that changes things. That's our first line of defence." The Times quoted Sunak as saying the economy was the priority.
Oct 23, 2021 00:52 (IST)
COVID-19: Poland Recognises Covishield, Beneficiaries Exempted From Quarantine
Poland has recognised Covishield as a Covid vaccine equivalent to those recognised by the European Union, granting the person inoculated with it exemption from quarantine on entering the country, reported PTI. India has in the past asked several European countries to accept Covishield and other vaccines being used in India for Indian nationals travelling to Europe.

"Poland has recognized #Covishield as a vaccine equivalent to those recognized by the European Union, exempting from quarantine after entering the territory of the Republic of Poland," the Polish Embassy here said in a tweet on Friday.

Earlier this month, the UK announced that Indians, fully vaccinated with Covishield vaccine, will no longer require to undergo quarantine on their arrival in Britain from October 11.

Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
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Oct 22, 2021 23:13 (IST)
Assam sees over 300 daily COVID-19 cases for fourth straight day
The number of new COVID-19 cases in Assam continued to be over the 300-mark for the fourth consecutive day on Friday, though the fatalities came down by two over the previous day, the National Health Mission (NHM) bulletin said.

The total COVID-19 caseload in the state has reached 6,08,126 following the detection of 315 new cases with a test positivity report of 0.81 per cent.

The number of new cases has been over 300 in the state for the last four days, with the figure as high as 384 on Thursday.

The daily count was below 300 since October 8 and it breached the 300-mark in Assam after a gap of 11 days on Tuesday.

Of the new cases, Kamrup Metropolitan district reported the highest at 115, followed by Jorhat (24), Barpeta(23) and Lakhimpur (18).

Oct 22, 2021 23:03 (IST)
UK Scientists Probe COVID-19 Delta Subvariant After Rise In Cases

British health officials on Friday said they were formally looking into a subvariant of the Delta strain of the coronavirus, after it was seen in a growing number of cases. Read Here
Oct 22, 2021 22:44 (IST)
Siddaramaiah Questions Celebration Of 1 Billion COVID Vaccinations

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday questioned the celebration over administration of one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses in the country when only 21 per cent of the people have been fully vaccinated so far.

In a series of tweets, the Congress stalwart hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for not yet vaccinating the entire eligible population.

"''1 billion doses'' sounds fancy number but the devil is in the details. Only 29 Cr people out of 139Cr are fully vaccinated, which means only about 21% are fully vaccinated. What are @BJP4India leaders celebrating for? For vaccinating just 21% of the population?" Siddaramiah asked in a tweet.

According to the Congress veteran, only 29 crore people have received two-doses and 42 crore have got only one, leaving 62 crore without any single dose of vaccine.

"With just 29 Cr (21%) people fully vaccinated, India's position is still in danger. Are @BJP4India leaders celebrating India's vulnerability?" he asked.

The leader of opposition in the assembly also claimed that India still needed about 106 crore doses to fully vaccinate the target by December 31, which means 1.51 crore doses have to be administered everyday.

He asked PM Modi whether India is prepared to administer 106 crore doses by December end and ensure all Indians are fully vaccinated by this year.

Siddaramaiah noted that 56 per cent of the population in the US is fully vaccinated, in China it is 70 per cent and in Canada 71 per cent.

"But India's vaccine coverage is just 21%. Mr. @narendramodi, let us raise the bar before celebrating!!" the former Chief Minister took a jibe."
Oct 22, 2021 22:34 (IST)
Over 101.2 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in India: Government

More than 101.2 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the country, including over 62 lakh doses administered on Friday, the Union health ministry said.

The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports by late night, it added.

Cumulatively, 40,41,65,807 first doses and 12,24,71,539 second doses of the vaccine have been administered to individuals in the 18-44 age group since the start of the third phase of the vaccination drive, according to the ministry's data.

Cumulatively 71,21,01,258 first doses and 30,03,07,997 second doses of the vaccine have been administered across the states and Union territories.
Oct 22, 2021 22:15 (IST)
No fresh COVID-19 case in Andamans

The COVID-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands remained unchanged at 7,646 as no fresh case was registered on Friday, a health bulletin said.

The Union territory now has seven active cases, while 7,510 people have been cured of the disease, and 129 patients have died due to the infection so far.

The administration has thus far tested over 5.84 lakh samples for COVID-19, and inoculated over 2.92 lakh people, of whom 1.81 lakh have been fully vaccinated.
Oct 22, 2021 22:00 (IST)
Maharashtra reopens theatres after six months

There was a sigh of relief as well as joy among the exhibitors as audiences returned to the theatres, which reopened in Maharashtra on Friday with the necessary COVID-19 guidelines in place.

For the first time in the history of cinema, theatres remained shut for about seven months starting mid-March in 2020 owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

The business restarted for a few months starting from October and November in various parts of the country as the number of COVID-19 cases plummeted.

However, the pandemic returned with a devastating second wave in the country in April this year, leading theatres to be shut down once again.

As the country witnessed a drop in COVID-19 cases, from July-August onwards states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana gave permission to resume operations in cinema halls.

But Maharashtra, a key market and home to India''s Hindi film industry, remained shut.

It was only in September when the Maharashtra government announced that theatres will reopen from October 22, with 50 per cent capacity and other key protocols.

Since then, cinema owners, producers and audiences had been waiting for the day to arrive.
Oct 22, 2021 21:42 (IST)
Bengal Cases Double, Officials Blame Covid Rule Break During Durga Puja

The COVID-19 numbers are on the rise in Kolkata since the end of Durga Puja festivities and now the graph is rising so sharply, civic authorities are reopening safe houses and quarantine centres on Monday for patients who need to isolate. Read Here
Oct 22, 2021 21:32 (IST)
Pfizer Says COVID-19 Vaccine More Than 90% Effective In Children Aged 5-11

Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine is more than 90 percent effective in preventing symptomatic disease among children aged 5-to-11, the company said in a document released Friday that put forward its case for authorization. Read Here
Oct 22, 2021 21:10 (IST)
Fresh COVID-19 Lockdown Not On The Cards, Says UK PM Boris Johnson

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday a new COVID-19 lockdown is not on the cards, as advisers warned that acting early with lighter measures to cut rising case numbers would reduce the need for tougher restrictions later. Read Here
Oct 22, 2021 20:54 (IST)
Thailand To Allow Quarantine-Free Travel From 45 Countries From November 1: PM

Thailand announced rules on Friday for its quarantine-free reopening to visitors from 45 countries, in an effort to revive an economy struggling to recover from the collapse of its vital tourism sector. Read Here
Oct 22, 2021 20:32 (IST)
Madhya Pradesh records 8 COVID-19 cases, zero death; over 2.36 lakh inoculated in a day

The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh rose to 7,92,729 on Friday with the addition of eight fresh cases, while no new death due to the infection was reported in the state, a health department official said.

The deaths remained unchanged at 10,523, he added.

The recovery count stands at 7,82,126, leaving the state with 80 active cases.

With 53,517 swab samples examined during the day, the number of tests in MP went up to 1,97,82,872, the official added.

An official release said 6,80,81,265 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to people so far in the state, including 2,36,763 on Friday.

 
Oct 22, 2021 20:19 (IST)
COVID-19 India Updates: Mumbai's daily cases remain above 400; 5 dead

Mumbai reported 421 new coronavirus infections and five fresh fatalities on Friday, taking the tally of COVID-19 cases to 7,52,807 and the deaths to 16,202, a civil official said.

For the third day in a row, the financial capital has reported more than 400 COVID-19 cases.

A day before, the city had witnessed 421 COVID-19 cases and five fatalities. On Wednesday, 473 cases and four deaths were registered.

The official said the city is left with 4,461 active COVID-19 cases after 490 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the number of recoveries to 7,29,621.

As many as 38,242 new COVID-19 tests were conducted, pushing their cumulative number to 1,11,34,004, he said.

Presently, Mumbai has 37 sealed buildings, while the city is free of containment zones in slums and "chawls" (old row tenements) since mid-August, the official said.

Oct 22, 2021 19:56 (IST)
Canada scraps COVID-19 advisory to avoid unnecessary foreign travel

Canada has scrapped an official advisory urging its citizens to shun non-essential foreign travel, dropping a warning that was issued in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted.

The Canadian government, however, is still telling people to avoid cruise ship travel outside of the country.

In an update to its travel advisory page posted late on Thursday, Ottawa removed the advice to avoid unnecessary travel and reverted to its usual practice of issuing notices for individual countries.

"Community transmission of COVID-19 continues in many countries. You should be fully vaccinated by completing a COVID-19 vaccine series in Canada or abroad at least 14 days before traveling," it said.

The federal health ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Oct 22, 2021 19:30 (IST)
"Testament To Innovation": Bill Gates Cheers India's 1 Billion Jabs Feat

Administering 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines is a testament to India's innovation and efforts of millions of health workers, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said today and congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the feat. Read Here
Oct 22, 2021 19:04 (IST)
China's Zero-COVID policy under stress amid recurring virus spikes

A retired Chinese couple who tested positive for COVID-19, days after they went on a travel spree across the country, has been blamed for the latest spike in cases in the country, raising questions about the efficacy of China's Zero-COVID policy.

China on Friday reported 32 coronavirus cases, including four positive cases in Beijing, the spurt in the capital city causing a sense of disquiet among officials ahead of the winter Olympics early next year.

Beijing has been reporting stray cases since Tuesday this week, ending the zero-case record for over two months.

Critics say despite periodic outbreaks of infections in different parts of the country posing huge logistic challenges, China has shown no signs of relaxing its costly Zero-COVID policy.

China's National Health Commission, which releases daily updates of cases, said in its latest report that 28 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday in different parts of the country.

Separately, Beijing's health authorities reported four cases in the city.

The places where the cases were reported included Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Guizhou and Qinghai.



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