Corona Cases in India: The active cases account for less than 1% of the total cases in India. (File)
India recorded a huge jump in the daily Covid deaths (666) today as Kerala revised its data with 291 more deaths added to the state's overall count. So far, 4,53,708 people have died of Covid in India. India saw a single-day rise of 16,326 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 3,41,59,562, while the active cases have declined to 1,73,728, the lowest in 233 days, according to the Union health ministry's data updated on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a day after India crossed the landmark figure of 100 crore vaccinations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised vaccine manufacturers for playing a major role in the success story of the country.
During his meeting with Indian COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, PM Modi appreciated their hard work and the confidence they had given during the pandemic. He also spoke about the need to work together to be ready for future challenges.
The Prime Minister said that the world was looking up to India after the success of the vaccination drive. He exhorted that the country needs to put in place the best practices learnt in the last one-and-a-half years. PM Modi also asserted that there was an opportunity to better their practices, in line with the global standards.
COVID-19 News: Kerala Reports 8,909 New Cases, 65 More Deaths In Last 24 HoursKerala reported 8,909 new COVID-19 cases and 65 related deaths in the past 24 hours, said the state health bulletin on Saturday, according to news agency ANI. As many as 8,780 patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours in Kerala. Further, the active number of cases in the state stands at 80,555. The new fatalities pushed the cumulative death count to 28,229.
Over 102 Crore Covid Vaccine Doses Administered In India: Government Over 102 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have so far been administered in the country, including more than 70 lakh doses administered on Saturday, 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, 40,64,55,324 first doses and 12,54,89,338 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 nationwide vaccination drive, according to the ministry's data.
The ministry further said a total of 71,53,88,049 first doses and 30,49,46,360 second doses of the vaccine have been administered to the beneficiaries across all the states and Union territories.
India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage crossed 102 crore (1,02,03,34,409) doses on Saturday, the ministry said, adding that 70,71,127 vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm on Saturday.
Tamil Nadu Lockdown Extended, With Relaxation. Ban On Festivals ContinuesThe Tamil Nadu government on Saturday has further extended the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions till November 15 but allowed some relaxation. The ban on festivals and political events will, however, continue.
The state government had extended the lockdown till October 31 last month after a meeting headed by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin. It has now been extended for 15 more days starting November 1.
The 11 PM closure deadline for shops and restaurants in the state will be lifted from today. In-person classes in schools will also be allowed from November 1 on a rotational basis for classes 1 to 8. Standalone bars have been allowed to open.
Tamil Nadu reports 1,140 new Covid cases, 17 deaths and 1,374 recoveries. Active cases stand at 13,280.
Goa Logs 33 Fresh Covid Cases, 1 Death In Last 24 HoursAt least 33 people tested positive for COVID-19, while one died of the infection in Goa on Saturday, an official from the state health department said.
With this, the tally of infections in the coastal state has reached 1,77,852 and the count stands at 3,358, the official said.
Apart from this, 58 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the count of recoveries to 1,73,920, and leaving the state with 574 active cases, he said.
With the addition of 3,424 swab samples tested during the day, the total number of tests conducted in the state has gone up to 14,46,807, the official added.
Goa's COVID-19 figures: Positive cases 1,77,852, new cases 33, death count 3,358, discharged 1,73,920, active cases 574, samples tested till date 14,46,807.
Coronavirus India: Kerala Records 8,909 New Covid Cases, 65 DeathsKerala logged 8,909 new COVID-19 cases and 65 deaths on Saturday, taking the infection count to 48,97,587 and the death count to 28,229.
A total of 8,780 persons recuperated from the disease, taking the tally of those cured to 47,97,409, leaving 80,555 active cases.
Of these active cases, only 9.8 per cent patients are admitted to hospitals, according to an official release.
State Health Minister Veena George said 86,111 samples were tested in the last 24 hours and there are 211 wards across 158 local self-government bodies with a weekly infection population ratio above ten per cent.
Delhi reports 40 new COVID-19 cases, 46 recoveries and 0 death in the last 24 hours.
Total cases 14,39,566
Total recoveries 14,14,141
Death count 25,091
Active cases 334
Covid Cases On Rise In China As Beijing, Several Provinces Continue To Report SpikeAuthorities in the Chinese capital are ramping up measures like testing and restricting hotel bookings as the total number of coronavirus cases climbed to nine on Saturday, while other parts of the country reported 38 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, according to the National Health Commission.
Five persons who tested positive in Beijing had travelled to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Shanxi Province from Oct. 12 to Oct. 15, and returned to Beijing on Oct. 16.
Another person was a close contact, according to the municipal health commission.
This is in addition to the 32 cases reported nationwide on Friday.
The spike has prompted health officials in Beijing and other provinces to step up with measures like testing, isolation of communities, cancelling hotel bookings, and the use of sanitisers and masks.
The current spike in cases has been attributed to an elderly couple from Shanghai who flew to several cities including the tourist city of Xian, and tested positive for COVID-19, sending officials on a leather hunt to trace scores of people who came in contact with them.
British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak Rules Out Return To Covid Curbs: ReportsBritish 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.
"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.
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a new COVID-19 lockdown was not on the cards after advisers warned that early action through lighter measures would reduce the need for tougher restrictions later.
Andhra Pradesh Logs 396 Fresh Covid Cases, 6 DeathsAndhra Pradesh on Saturday recorded 396 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 20,63,177, while the death count climbed to 14,339 with six more deaths.
With 566 people being cured, the total recoveries are at 20,43,616, leaving 5,222 active cases.
Chittoor district accounted for the highest number of new cases with 94 followed by Guntur with 61, a state government bulletin said, providing details during the last 24 hours ending 9 AM today.
Chittoor District topped the chart with 978 active cases followed by East Godavari-884.
Nearly 43,000 samples were examined today and cumulatively more than 2.92 crore samples have been tested.
Sikkim Reports 26 New Covid Cases, 1 Death In Last 24 HoursSikkim's COVID-19 tally rose to 31,868 on Saturday as 26 more people tested positive for the infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the Himalayan state's coronavirus death count to 394, a health bulletin said.
East Sikkim registered the highest number of new cases at 13, followed by eight in West Sikkim and five in South Sikkim.
Sikkim now has 195 active cases, while 30,960 people have recovered from the disease, and 319 patients have succumbed to the infection to date.
The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state stood at 98.1 per cent.
The Himalayan state has thus far tested over 2.58 lakh samples for COVID-19, including 445 in the last 24 hours, it said, adding that the positivity rate stood at 5.8 per cent.
"Can Look At Covid Vaccine Boosters After A Year": AIIMS ChiefBooster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine might become necessary sometime next year - depending on how long the first two doses protect against hospitalisation and death - Dr Randeep Guleria, chief of Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) told NDTV on Saturday.
The AIIMS chief also discussed vaccination of children and said he was confident vaccines for kids - something other countries, like the United States, has recommended - would be rolled out soon.
Dr Guleria told NDTV the final decision on boosters - a timeline for which is in the works - would have to be based on time (length of protection from the coronavirus) rather than the presence of antibodies.
Coronavirus: Madhya Pradesh Extends 5-Day Week Arrangement In Its Offices Till March End Next YearThe Madhya Pradesh government has decided to extend the arrangement of five-day week in its offices across the state till March end next year in view of the coronavirus pandemic, an official said.
The state government's general administration department issued an order to this effect on Friday, he said.
"The arrangement of five-day week (from Monday to Friday) in government offices across the state has been extended till March 31, 2022 for protection and to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic," the order said.
Earlier, the state government had ordered the five-day week in its offices till October 31.
The arrangement of five-day week was implemented in the state government offices from July 22 this year when the offices reopened after a lockdown during the second wave of pandemic.
Russia Reports Record Covid Deaths And CasesRussia on Saturday reported a record 1,075 Covid deaths in 24 hours as Europe's hardest hit country with dramatically low vaccination rates braces for nationwide curbs from next week.
Despite multiple pleas from President Vladimir Putin and the availability of the home-grown Sputnik V vaccine, only 36 percent of Russians are fully vaccinated.
According to fresh government figures, the country saw a record 37,678 new virus cases on Saturday.
This brings the official death count to 229,528 -- the highest on the continent -- even as authorities are accused of vastly downplaying the effects of the pandemic.
Figures by statistics agency Rosstat paint a far darker picture, suggesting that more than 400,000 people had died from coronavirus by the end of August.
Moscow -- the epicentre of Russia's outbreak -- will shut non-essential services between October 28 and November 7.
New Zealand's Covid Outbreak Spreads Despite Strict LockdownNew Zealand reported 104 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, including the first community case of the virus in the country's South Island in nearly a year, health officials said.
Most of the new infections were reported in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city that has been under a strict lockdown for more than two months. Looser restrictions are in place in most of the rest of the country of 5 million.
The risks of a further spread from the case reported in Blenheim, in the north east of the South Island, remained low, health officials said, with the person likely in the late stage of infection.
"So far, initial case interviews have identified a small number of close contacts, who have been contacted and are currently isolating with tests arranged," the health ministry said in a statement.
Puducherry sees 53 new coronavirus cases, two deaths
Puducherry added 53 fresh infections to its COVID-19 tally, which rose to 1,27,674 in the last 24 hours ending 10 a.m. on Saturday.
The new cases identified at the end of examination of 3,518 samples were spread over Puducherry 30, Karaikal 15, Yanam one and Mahe 7.
The active cases were 457 of whom 90 patients were under treatment in hospitals and the remaining 367 were in home isolation.
Life expectancy in India dropped by two years due to COVID-19: Study
The coronavirus pandemic, which has affected the lives of people at different levels, has also caused a drop in the life expectancy of the country by almost two years, a statistical analysis by scientists of the city-based International Institute for Population Studies (IIPS) has revealed.
The analytical report, which points out the drop in life expectancy at birth in both men and women due to the pandemic, has been published in a journal ''BMC Public Health'' recently. IIPS professor Suryakant Yadav has authored the report.
"The life expectancy at birth in 2019 was 69.5 years for men and 72 years for women, which came down to 67.5 years and 69.8 years, respectively, in 2020," the report said.
Kerala Revises Covid Death Count
India recorded a huge jump in the daily Covid deaths (666) today as Kerala revised its data with 291 more deaths added to the state's overall count. So far, 4,53,708 people have died of Covid in India. India saw a single-day rise of 16,326 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 3,41,59,562, while the active cases have declined to 1,73,728, the lowest in 233 days, according to the Union health ministry's data updated on Saturday.
Fresh Covid Guidelines For Mata Vaishno Devi Pilgrims
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has set fresh guidelines to regulate pilgrims at Vaishno Devi temple to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic which mandated valid and verifiable RT-PCR/Rapid Antigen Test not older than 72 hours of arrival at the Union Territory.
The order issued by the Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday further informed that only those pilgrims who do not show any COVID-19 symptoms will be allowed to enter the shrine.
"Valid and verifiable RT-PCR/Rapid Antigen Test not older than 72 hours of arrival should be made mandatory. Only those pilgrims will be allowed to visit the shrine who do not show any COVID-19 related symptoms," the order said.
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, safe houses and quarantine centres in the city will be reopened on Monday for patients who need to isolate.
Kolkata, which appears to be paying the price of puja shopping and pandal hopping, reported 242 new Covid infections this Friday. Last Friday, it was 127. Of these, 150 were fully vaccinated while 15 had the first dose.
The officials are attributing the spike to lack of safety protocols followed by people during Durga puja festivities last week.
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, safe houses and quarantine centres in the city will be reopened on Monday for patients who need to isolate.
Kolkata, which appears to be paying the price of puja shopping and pandal hopping, reported 242 new Covid infections this Friday. Last Friday, it was 127. Of these, 150 were fully vaccinated while 15 had the first dose.
The officials are attributing the spike to lack of safety protocols followed by people during Durga puja festivities last week.
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.