Coronavirus cases in India: India's has recorded 97,96,769 cases of coronavirus so far (File)
Nearly 11 months after India logged its first coronavirus case from Kerala on January 30, the country crossed the 98 lakh-mark this morning; more than 1.42 lakh patients have died after contracting the virus.
India has the second highest number of Covid infections in the world after the United States. This morning, however, the number of active cases dropped to 3.56 lakh, lowest in 147 days, the government data shows.
Maharashtra has the most number of cases - 18.72 lakh, followed by Karnataka (8.99 lakh), Andhra Pradesh (8.74 lakh), Tamil Nadu (7.96 lakh), Kerala (6.58 lakh and Delhi (6.03 lakh).
Very few countries in the world have cleared vaccine candidates as India still waits for the candidate that can boost its fight against the deadly virus.
Worldwide, over 7 crore people have contracted the virus so far and 15.93 lakh people have died since the beginning of the pandemic.
After the United Kingdom, the US has become another western nation to green light the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine late Friday, paving the way for its imminent rollout across the country, with President Donald Trump promising the first immunizations would take place "in less than 24 hours."
Here are the LIVE Updates on Coronavirus Cases:
Coronavirus News: Bengal Covid Death Count Crosses 9,000-Mark
The COVID-19 death count in West Bengal crossed the 9,000-mark on Saturday as 44 patients died due to the disease, while 2,710 fresh cases pushed the tally in the state to 5,19,215, a health department bulletin said, reported news agency PTI. The new fatalities increased the coronavirus death count in the state to 9,010, it said. At least 2,913 people were cured of the disease during the day, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 4,87,171.
G Kishan Reddy inaugurates COVID-19 safe incubator for newborns
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday inaugurated COVID-19 safe incubator for newborn babies at his parliamentary constituency in Hyderabad.
Reddy had also inaugurated portable Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR), remote health monitoring system for Covid and non-Covid patients at Employees'' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in Sanath Nagar.
"In Telangana at my parliamentary constituency, ESI Super Speciality Hospital and ESI Medical College has been functioning since 2016. This ESI secured the ''Best Medical College'' award among all the ESI Hospital in the country," Mr Reddy said.
The minister announced that the medical college will be turned as a research institute.
COVID-19: Delhi records 1,935 new cases, 47 deaths; lowest fatality count since Nov 2Delhi recorded 1,935 fresh COVID-19 cases and 47 fatalities linked to the disease on Saturday, the lowest single-day death count since November 2, even as the positivity rate dropped to 2.64 per cent, authorities said.
The positivity rate on December 3-7 had successively dipped to 4.96 per cent, 4.78 per cent, 4.2 per cent, 3.68 per cent and 3.15 per cent respectively.
However, on December 8, it had risen again to 4.23 per cent, falling again to 3.42 per cent on December 9 and 2.46 per cent on December 10. It had risen to 3.33 per cent again on December 11.
The fresh cases came out of 73,413 tests, including 32,578 RT-PCR tests, conducted the previous day, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi Health Department.
The new fatalities pushed the death count in the national capital to 9,981, the bulletin said.
Americans will receive Pfizer vaccine from Monday
Americans will start receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine from Monday after shipping on Sunday, the official in charge of the distribution operation said.
"Expect 145 sites across all the states to receive vaccine on Monday, another 425 sites on Tuesday. And the final 66 sites on Wednesday, which will complete the initial delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine," said General Gus Perna.
The first push will vaccinate about three million people.
Odisha attracted new investments of over Rs 1 lakh cr during pandemic: Naveen Patnaik
Odisha has been able to attract new investments of over Rs 1 lakh crore across multiple sectors even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Saturday.
Mr Patnaik said Odisha is fast emerging as a manufacturing hub of eastern India and listed a series of steps taken by his government to promote industries and investments across different sectors.
He said Odisha has been recognised as an industry destination of choice over the years, was ranked number one in terms of attracting investments during April-September 2019, and poised to continue this leadership position.
Chile says preparing to start Pfizer COVID-19 immunization campaign
Chile is getting ready to start an immunization campaign with Pfizer Inc's vaccine against the coronavirus, if it wins approval, Health Minister Enrique Paris said on Saturday.
Next week, the state Institute of Public Health will review data on the performance of the vaccine, which is also expected to be used in the United States
COVID cases Updates: 1,204 new coronavirus cases in Gujarat, 12 deaths
Gujarat reported 1,204 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising its tally to 2,26,508, the state health department said. With 12 fatalities, COVID-19 deaths in the state reached 4,160, it said.
Recoveries outnumbered new cases, with 1,338 patients gettingdischarged from hospitalon Saturday. The number of recovered cases thus rose to 2,08,867, said the department in its release. The state''s recovery rate improved to 92.21 per cent.
Total 60,423 tests were conducted for the virus in the last 24 hours at the rate of 929.58 tests per day per million population.
Mexico authorizes emergency use of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine
The Mexican Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (Cofepris) has licensed the coronavirus vaccine developed by the Pfizer-BioNTech duo for emergency use, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez Gatell said on Saturday.
"Cofepris gave an emergency use authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus to prevent the spread of COVID-19," Gatell said at a press conference, broadcast on Twitter.
Mexico has thus become the fourth country to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use after the United Kingdom, Bahrain and Canada, as stated by the Mexican health official.
Haryana writes to Centre to include public representatives in priority groups for COVID vaccination
The Haryana government has written to the Centre to have public representatives including MPs and MLAs listed among the priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination once it begins, Health Minister Anil Vij on Saturday.
He also said the state government is making all preparations in terms of building database of priority groups, cold chain infrastructure; identification and training of vaccinators for rolling out vaccination.
He said while those on the frontline of fight against coronavirus such as doctors, nurses, paramedics etc are on the priority list for vaccinations, the Haryana Health Department has written to the Union Health Ministry recommending that public representatives who come into contact with masses during their work also be included in the list.
Poland sees COVID-19 vaccination capacity at 3.4 million doses a month
Poland should be able to administer 3.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine a month, the prime minister's top aide said on Saturday, as the country's health service gears up for what is likely to be its biggest logistical challenge ever.
The number of daily cases in emerging Europe's largest economy has fallen after a surge in October and early November, but the number of deaths has remained stubbornly high, regularly exceeding 500.
"3.4 million vaccinations per month, 3.4 million doses of the vaccine can be administered in accordance with the applications that we received," Michal Dworczyk told a news conference.
Iran reports 8,201 new COVID-19 cases, 1,100,818 in total
Iran's Health Ministry reported 8,201 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the total nationwide infections to 1,100,818.
The pandemic has so far claimed 51,949 lives in Iran, up by 221 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.
Of the newly infected, 1,286 were hospitalized, added Lari.
A total of 800,743 people have recovered from the disease and been discharged from hospitals, while 5,739 remain in intensive care units, she noted.
Telangana forms 4 committees for COVID-19 vaccination mechanism
Telangana government has constituted four committees for the COVID-19 vaccination mechanism in the state.
The committees are--State Steering Committee, State Task Force, District Task Force and Mandal Task Force.
According to an order from Telangana''s health and family welfare department dated December 11, 2020, the Telangana government has constituted four committees for planning, execution, supervision and monitoring of COVID-19 vaccination program in the state.
"The committees shall undertake a structured review of all aspects related to preparedness and implementation of COVID-19 vaccination," the order read.
Uttarakhand: COVID officer to be deployed for 2021 Haridwar Kumbh Mela
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday asked officials to deploy a special COVID officer for 2021 Haridwar Kumbh Mela.
Reviewing preparations for the event, Mr Rawat authorised Kumbh mela officials and the Garhwal commissioner to sanction works worth up to Rs two crore and Rs five crore, respectively.
The chief minister also said a committee of experienced engineers and senior financial officers should be set up to help the Garhwal commissioner sanction works related to Kumbh. There should be no compromise on the quality of works and arrangements to avoid controversies after the conclusion of the event, Mr Rawat said.
He directed heads of government departments to see that all works of permanent nature related to the event are completed before January 31 and the rest are also expedited.
Gautam Buddh Nagar's COVID-19 tally passes 24,000-mark, active cases 893
Uttar Pradesh''s Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded 96 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday that pushed the district''s infection tally to 24,038, official data showed.
Active cases in the district came down to 893 from 899 the previous day, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period.
The number of active cases in Gautam Buddh Nagar is the fifth highest in the state. On the bright side, 106 more patients got discharged during the period, taking the overall recoveries to 23,060, the fifth highest in the state.
COVID-19: Delhi records 1,935 fresh cases
Delhi recorded 1,935 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday with over 73,000 tests being conducted, even as the positivity rate dropped to 2.64 percent, authorities said.
The positivity rate from December 3 to December 7 had successively dipped to 4.96 percent, 4.78 percent, 4.2 percent, 3.68 percent and 3.15 percent respectively.
The active cases tally on Saturday dropped to 17,373 from 18,676 the previous day.
Japan surpasses 3,000 daily new coronavirus cases for first time: Report
Japan saw more than 3,000 new infections of the novel coronavirus for the first time in one day on Saturday, public broadcaster NHK reported, as the number of cases continues to rise in the winter.
A total of 3,041 people were newly infected, NHK said.
Tokyo, Japan's capital and largest city, on Saturday confirmed 621 new cases.
While Japan has not seen anywhere near the kind of massive outbreaks that have hit the United States and parts of Europe, infections have worsened as winter has set in, particularly in regions such as the northern island of Hokkaido.
So far, some 2,588 people have died in Japan from the coronavirus.
Covid-19 Cases Update: Mizoram reports 16 new coronavirus cases
Mizoram on Saturday reporte sixteen new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 4,024, an official said. Of the new cases, six each were reported from Aizawl and Lawngtlai districts, and four from the Kolasib district, he said. Eight of the patients have travel history, the official said.
Telangana government forms committees from state to mandal level for COVID-19 vaccine distribution
Gearing up for distribution of COVID-19 vaccine when it is made available, the Telangana government has constituted committees at the state, district and mandal levels for planning and execution, with priority to high risk groups, followed by others.
The committees would undertake a structured review of all aspects related to preparedness and implementation of COVID-19 vaccination, a Government Order said.
The Terms of Reference (ToR) of the committee, during the preparatory phase, include ensuring active engagement of "line departments" for various activities related to the vaccine introduction as and when it is made available, among others.
The various ToR of the panel include oversight on overall micro planning and other operational aspects of COVID-19 vaccine introduction.
Puducherry reports 38 new Covid-19 cases, tally at 37,444
Puducherry has reported the 38 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, said the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Puducherry.
Besides, 59 people recovered from the lethal infection here on the same day.
As many as 37,444 cases of the coronavirus have been reported here so far, including 346 active cases, 36,479 recoveries, and 619 fatalities, the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare informed.
Odisha's COVID-19 deaths crosses 1,800-mark, 335 new cases reported
Odisha's COVID-19 deaths crossed the 1,800-mark on Saturday as four more patients succumbed to the disease, while 335 new cases pushed the tally to 3,23,364, a health department official said.
Four fresh fatalities - two from Sundargarh and one each from Balasore and Malkangiri districts- increased the coronavirus in the state to 1,802. Khurda district, of which Bhubaneswar is a part, has accounted for 308 fatalities, followed by Ganjam (245), Sundargarh (154), Cuttack (137) and Puri (110). Fifty-three COVID-19 patients have also died due to comorbidities, the official said.
Chile reports 1,531 new COVID-19 cases
Chile reported 1,531 new COVID-19 cases during the past 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 567,974, according to data released by the Ministry of Health on Friday.
The country also recorded eight more death cases, increasing the total death toll to 15,782, it added.
The ministry on Friday urged residents of the capital Santiago and the Metropolitan region to comply with weekend lockdown measures to curb a rise in COVID-19 cases.
"The measures adopted for the Metropolitan region are preventive and we hope that they will be transitory, since they are precisely intended to avoid much more extreme measures," Chile''s Minister of Health Enrique Paris told the press.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss tighter lockdown with German states on Sunday: Report
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to discuss on Sunday a tightening of lockdown restrictions with state leaders as coronavirus infections rise and amid growing calls for action, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Germany has been in partial lockdown for six weeks, with bars and restaurants closed but shops and schools open.
Some regions have already imposed tougher measures.The discussions on Sunday will include whether shops should be closed before the Christmas holiday and the timing of such a move, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mexico reports 12,253 new Covid-19 cases
Mexico reported 12,253 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, bringing the national total to 1,229,379, according to its Health Ministry. The country's deaths from the virus increased by 693 to 113,019.
Mexico now ranks fourth among Latin American countries in terms of documented Covid-19 cases, following Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia.
Russia reports over 28,000 new COVID-19 cases as total surpasses 2.6Mln
Russia's coronavirus tally has increased by 28,137 cases recorded over the past 24 hours, the government''s coronavirus response center said in an update on Saturday.
"Over the past day, 28,137 coronavirus cases were confirmed across 85 Russian regions, including 5,182 cases (18.4 percent) without clinical symptoms," the center said, adding that the majority of new cases -- over 6,600 -- were confirmed in Moscow.
India’s active caseload consists 3.66% of total COVID-19 positive cases
Covid-19 Cases Live updates: South Korea reports highest number of new coronavirus cases
South Korea on Saturday reported its highest daily number of coronavirus cases so far, with a surge centred on the capital region sparking fears the country could lose control of the spread.
Officials announced 950 new infections after several days reporting numbers ranging from about 500 to 600.
Some 669 were reported in the greater Seoul area on Saturday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, prompting worries about a major outbreak in the densely populated area -- home to half the country's 52 million people.
"This is the last hurdle before the roll-out of vaccines and treatments," President Moon Jae-in said in a statement, calling the situation "very grave".
Health Ministry's Reminder On Covid Norms
Amid Pandemic, India Preferred Saving Lives, Says PM Modi
Over 30,000 Covid Fresh Cases In India, 442 Deaths In 24 Hours: 10 PointsIndia reported a daily jump of 30,006 coronavirus infections in 24 hours, taking its tally to 97.96 lakhs, the Health Ministry data this morning showed. The number of cases in the country now stand at 98,26,775. In the 24-hour period, India, which is the second worst-hit country, reported 442 deaths - two more than yesterday - taking the total number of fatalities to 1,42,628."
When Will Coronavirus Pandemic End? Expert Answers - Watch
On Friday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the trial run of Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) at the Secretariat for monitoring people living in isolation due to the highly infectious coronavirus for Haridwar district, news agency ANI reported. The IVRS system has been designed to help monitor people living in isolation; their problems and other information will be recorded in the system according to the response of the questions asked by the system.
A 100-bedded ''dedicated COVID block'' at the state run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal, Manipur was inaugurated on Friday.
Coronavirus: Telangana Reports 635 New Cases In A Day In Telangana, 635 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths have been reported in on Friday, the state government said this morning, news agency ANI reported. The state Health Department informed the coronavirus count in Telangana has increased to 2,77,151 including 2,67,992 discharges. The active cases currently stand at 7,670. A total of 1,489 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the state till Friday.
30,006 fresh infections recorded in the last 24 hours have taken India's tally past the 98-lakh mark, the government data showed this morning.
After UK, US Also Clears Pfizer Vaccine In a huge development amid spike in Covid cases across the world, the United States has cleared the Covid vaccine jointly developed by American firm Pfizer and German firm BioNtech.
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