COVID-19 cases in India: The test positivity rate stands at 1.87 per cent (File)
India reported a single-day rise of 27,254 new COVID-19 cases which took the infection tally in the country to 3,32,64,175, while the count of active cases declined to 3,74,269, according to Union Health Ministry data on Monday.
The death count due to the disease has climbed to 4,42,874, with 219 daily fatalities being recorded, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The tally of active cases has declined to 3,74,269, which comprises 1.13 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.54 per cent, the ministry said.
A reduction of 10,652 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
Here are the live updates on India coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
COVID-19 India News: Andhra Pradesh Administers 3.5 Crore Vaccine Doses Till Date
Amidst the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Andhra Pradesh government said on Monday that it has administered 3.5 crore vaccine doses to people in the state till date, reported PTI. The state government informed further that it has administered one crore people with both doses in the state till date.
"During this (COVID vaccination) drive, the state has also surpassed two milestones: 3.5 crore total doses of vaccination done, one crore people got both doses in the state," read an official communique by the state government.
Over 28.63 lakh people aged between 18-44 were vaccinated in the last three days at a special drive during September 11-13 and received a good response from general public. Each district on average vaccinated 2.5 lakh people in the last three days, said the government release.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh reported 864 fresh cases of COVID-19, 1,310 recoveries and 12 deaths in the 24 hours, as per the health bulletin on Monday. The number of active cases was at 14,652 with 20,02,187 total recoveries and 14,010 total deaths, a health bulletin said.
COVID-19 Update: England To Offer Covid Vaccines For 12-15 Age CategoryAll 12- to 15-year-olds in England will be offered a COVID-19 vaccine after top medical advisers said on Monday that children would benefit from reduced disruption to their education, reported Reuters. The British government confirmed that the offer would be extended to all children aged 12-15 after a unanimous recommendation by the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) from the four nations of the UK.
"I have accepted the recommendation from the Chief Medical Officers to expand vaccination to those aged 12 to 15 - protecting young people from catching COVID-19, reducing transmission in schools and keeping pupils in the classroom," health minister Sajid Javid said in a statement.
Rollout to the cohort in England will begin next week. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own health policy, though each devolved administration received the same advice from their respective CMO.
COVID-19: No New Covid Death In Haryana, 121 Fatalities Added After "Death Audit"Haryana on Monday did not report any fatality due to COVID-19, even as 121 fatalities were added to the health department's daily bulletin, with a senior health official saying this was done after the conclusion of a "death audit" by a committee with regards to these deaths, reported PTI.
Until Sunday, COVID-19-related deaths were 9,686, according to the health department's bulletin. However, another bulletin on Monday showed the cumulative COVID-19 death count in the state at 9,807.
According to the bulletin on Monday, "The outcome of certain COVID-19 cases is under investigation with the state Covid Review Committee." The outcome of 121 cases has been declared as "Covid deaths" out of the total under investigation positive cases by the state death audit committee, said the bulletin.
Haryana's Director General of Health Services Veena Singh said the 121 deaths, which have been added to the bulletin, were under audit earlier. "These 121 deaths were under audit. After the audit concluded, we added these to the bulletin after following a due process," she said.
These 121 deaths had occurred over the past several months, she said in response to a question.
Meanwhile, Haryana reported 14 fresh Covid cases on Monday, which included four each from Gurgaon and Ambala districts, thus pushing the tally in the state to 7,70,659. The total active cases in the state were 128, while the overall recoveries was 7,60,501. The recovery rate was 98.68 per cent, the bulletin said.
COVID-19 India News: Assam Reports 564 New Covid Cases, 7 DeathsAssam on Monday reported 564 fresh COVID-19 cases, more than double the tally the day before, reported PTI. The daily count had dropped to 259 on Sunday.
However, the coronavirus deaths declined to seven as against 11 on Sunday, while the caseload has increased to 5,95,669, the National Health Mission said. The COVID-19 death count in Assam has increased to 5,758 from 5,751 on Tuesday and the number of active cases declined to 4,268 as against 4,355 on the previous day.
During the day, the state reported 185 more recoveries than the number of fresh infections. In Assam, 5,84,296 people have thus far recovered from COVID-19 and the current recovery rate has marginally improved to 98.09 per cent from 98.08 per cent.
The total number of people vaccinated during the day was 2,67,665, higher than the previous day's 89,785. A total of 2,04,16,202 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the state, of whom 37,90,540 were administered both doses.
Masks Will Stay Through 2022, Need Drug Against Covid: NITI Aayog MemberThere is no wishing away masks even next year as the battle against Covid will require a studied combination of vaccines, effective drugs, and disciplined social behaviour, according to Dr VK Paul, a member of NITI Aayog, India's public policy think-tank.
Hoping the world would be as lucky with the medicines as it was with vaccines, veteran paediatrician Dr VK Paul -- not ruling out a third wave of the pandemic -- cautioned that the country was entering a risky period, especially with several public festivals lined up.
"Wearing the mask will not go away...for some time...We will continue to wear the mask even through the next year..." Dr Paul told NDTV in an exclusive interview today.
No Need For A Vaccine Third Jab Booster, Shows StudyVaccines are effective enough at preventing severe cases of Covid-19 that there is no current need for the general population to be given third doses, according to a report in The Lancet published Monday.
Some countries have started offering extra doses over fears about the much more contagious Delta variant, causing the World Health Organization to call for a moratorium on third jabs amid concerns about vaccine supplies to poorer nations, where millions have yet to receive their first jab.
The new report by scientists, including from the WHO, concluded that even with the threat of Delta, "booster doses for the general population are not appropriate at this stage in the pandemic".
Blood Plasma Therapy Doesn't Help Seriously Ill COVID-19 Patients: StudyConvalescent plasma does not reduce the risk of intubation or death in COVID-19 patients, according to a study which found that people receiving the therapy experienced more serious adverse events than those getting standard care.
Intubation is a procedure where a tube is inserted into the windpipe to make it easier to breath.
The research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, also found that the antibody profile in the blood of people who have had the virus is extremely variable and this may modify the response to the treatment.
Convalescent plasma therapy uses blood from people who have recovered from an illness to help others recover.
Vaccine Effective Against Delta Variant Of Coronavirus: US StudyCOVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing hospitalisations and emergency department visits caused by the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a US study.
The research that used national data also indicates that Moderna's vaccine is significantly more effective against Delta variant than Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson preventives.
"These real-world data show that vaccines remain highly effective at reducing COVID-19 related hospitalisations and emergency department visits, even in the presence of the new COVID-19 variant," said study author Shaun Grannis, vice president for data and analytics at Regenstrief Institute in the US.
When Will Covid End? What Experts Predict On Next 6 MonthsFor anyone hoping to see light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel over the next three to six months, scientists have some bad news: Brace for more of what we've already been through.
Outbreaks will close schools and cancel classes. Vaccinated nursing home residents will face renewed fears of infection. Workers will weigh the danger of returning to the office as hospitals are overwhelmed, once again.
Almost everyone will be either infected or vaccinated before the pandemic ends, experts agree. Maybe both. An unlucky few will contract the virus more than once. The race between the waves of transmission that lead to new variants and the battle to get the globe inoculated won't be over until the coronavirus has touched all of us.
Chinese city imposes travel curbs, closes public venues in new COVID-19 outbreakA city in China's southeastern province of Fujian has closed cinemas and gyms, sealed off some entries and exits to highways and told residents not to leave town as it battles a local COVID-19 outbreak.
The virus situation in the city of Putian is "serious and complex" and it is very likely more new cases will emerge in communities, schools and factories, state broadcaster CCTV said on Monday.
Certain offline lessons in schools have also been suspended in Putian and China's national health authority has sent a team of experts to the city, which has a population of 3.2 million.
A total of 43 local cases had been reported in Fujian between Sept. 10 and Sept. 12, including 35 in Putian, data from the National Health Commission (NHC) shows.
Another 32 asymptomatic cases, which China does not count as confirmed cases before they show clinical signs such as fever, have been detected in the province since Sept. 10, all in Putian city.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: 2 New COVID-19 Cases Push Andamans Tally To 7,582
Two new COVID-19 cases were reported in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which pushed the tally in the union territory to 7,582. One case was detected during contact tracing and another was airport arrival. Passengers arriving by flight have to undergo a mandatory RT-PCR test before they are allowed entry into the islands.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Mizoram Reports 541 Fresh COVID-19 Cases, 2 New Deaths
Mizoram on Monday reported 541 new COVID-19 cases, including 123 children, which was 548 less than the previous day's count, pushing the state's tally to 71,381. The COVID-19 deaths rose to 238 as two more fatalities due to the contagion was reported in the last 24 hours. The single-day infection rate rose to 31 per cent against 13.98 per cent on Sunday as the fresh cases were detected from 1,744 sample tests.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Thane Logs 240 New COVID-19 Cases, 3 More Deaths
With the addition of 240 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra''s Thane district has gone up to 5,54,644. Besides these new cases reported on Sunday, three more people also succumbed to the viral infection, which pushed the death count in the district to 11,343. The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 2.04 per cent.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: 20 New COVID-19 Cases In Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh has added 20 new COVID-19 cases, raising the infection tally in the state to 10,04,86. These new cases were recorded on Sunday, while no fresh death was reported, he said, adding that the fatality count stood at 13,558. As per the data, no new cases were found in 17 out of total 28 districts on Sunday.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Mizoram Reports 541 New COVID-19 Cases
Mizoram reported 541 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative caseload to 71,381. As per state government data, 58,747 people have been discharged in the state after recovering from the infection. There are 12,396 active cases in the state, while the positivity rate is at 31.02 per cent. With one new death in the last 24 hours, the death count mounted to 238.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Uttar Pradesh Reports 21 New COVID-19 Cases
Uttar Pradesh recorded 21 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday that took the infection count to 17,09,547. No Covid-related fatality was reported on Sunday. The death count stands at 22,883.
Of the new cases, six were reported from Ghaziabad and four from Lucknow.