India's active COVID-19 caseload stands at 1,63,816, which is the lowest in 241 days.
India logged 12,428 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, which is the lowest in 238 days, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday. The country's active caseload stands at 1,63,816, which is the lowest in 241 days. The active cases account for less than 1 per cent of total cases and are currently at 0.48 per cent, which is the lowest since March 2020.
With 15,951 recoveries in the last 24 hours, India's recovery rate stands at 98.19 per cent, which is the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. Also, the weekly positivity rate is at 1.24 per cent while the daily positivity rate remained at 1.10 per cent.
The country has so far conducted over 60.19 crore COVID tests.
Meanwhile, under the Nationwide Vaccination Drive, more than 102.94 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country.
Here are the updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
Gujarat reports 30 new COVID-19 cases, zero death; active tally at 171
Gujarat reported 30 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, raising its tally to 8,26,464, while no fresh death due to the infection was reported in the state, the health department said.
This was the second time in October that the daily number of COVID-19 cases touched or crossed the mark of 30. On October 14, the state had reported 34 infections.
With 18 patients getting discharged during the day, the number of recovered cases in the state rose to 8,16,205, the department said in a release.
There are now 171 active cases in Gujarat, of which five patients are on ventilator support, it said.
Haryana reports 15 fresh COVID-19 cases, no new death
Haryana recorded no new coronavirus-related fatality, even as it added 15 fresh cases on Tuesday, pushing the infection count to 7,71,189, according to an official bulletin.
The deaths remained unchanged at 10,049, the health department's daily bulletin said.
Among the districts, seven cases were reported from Gurugram and three from Faridabad.
The number of active cases stands at 103 in the state while the recovery count has reached 7,61,012.
Haryana has a COVID-19 recovery rate of 98.68 per cent, the bulletin said.
Over 103 crore vaccine doses administered in India so far, says governmentIndia's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 103 crore with over 51 lakh vaccine doses administered on Tuesday, the Union health ministry said.
The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late in the night, it added.
So far, 41,10,37,440 first doses and 13,11,13,078 second doses have been administered in the age group of 18-44 years since the start of phase three of the vaccination drive, according to health ministry data.
Cumulatively 72,13,19,294 first doses and 31,35,17,300 second doses have been administered till now.
"India''s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 103 crore (1,03,48,36,594) on today. More than 51 lakh (51,56,054) vaccine Doses have been administered till 7 pm today," the ministry said.
The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, it underlined.
Centre asks West Bengal to immediately undertake a review of covid cases, deaths
Amid rise in COVID-19 cases in West Bengal, the Centre has asked the state government to immediately undertake a review of cases and deaths, and stressed on the importance of ensuring Covid-safe festivities.
In a letter to the West Bengal health secretary, issued on October 22, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the state has reported 20,936 new cases and 343 fresh deaths in the last 30 days, accounting for 3.4 per cent of India's new cases and 4.7 per cent of fresh deaths in the same period.
Expressing concern over the rise in COVID-19 cases in Kolkata, he said the district has reported high quantum of average daily new cases in the week ending October 21 along with more than 25 per cent increase over the past week -- from 217 cases in the week ending October 14 to 272 cases in the week ending October 21.
Kolkata has also reported almost 27 per cent increase in positivity rate in the past week, from 5.6 per cent in the week ending October 14 to 7.1 per cent in the week ending October 21, Bhushan said.
"The weekly testing trends in this district are also showing a downward trend. This calls for more proactive action on the testing front," he said.
Delhi records 41 COVID-19 cases, zero death; positivity rate at 0.08 per cent: Authorities
COVID-19: Kerala logs 7,163 new cases, 482 deaths
Kerala on Tuesday recorded 7,163 fresh coronavirus cases, and 482 related deaths which raised the caseload to 49,19,952 and deaths to 29,355.
Of the 482 deaths, 90 were reported in the last few days, 341 were those which were not confirmed until June 18 last year due to lack of adequate documentation and 51 were designated as COVID deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and Supreme Court directions, a state government release said.
With 6,960 more people recovering from the virus since Monday, the total recoveries touched 48,24,745 and the active cases dropped to 74,456, the release said.
As many as 79,122 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.
Among the 14 districts, Thrissur recorded the highest with 974 cases, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (808) and Kottayam (762).
Of the new cases, 67 were health workers, 29 from outside the state and 6,791 infected through contact with the source of it not being clear in 276.
There are currently 2,69,762 people under surveillance in various districts, of whom 2,61,197 are in home or institutional quarantine and 8,565 in hospitals.
Andhra Pradesh logs 415 fresh COVID-19 Cases, 6 deaths; active cases drop below 5000
Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday reported 415 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 20,64,287, while the deaths rose to 14,356 with six more deaths.
With 584 people being cured, the total recoveries stood at 20,45,276, leaving 4,655 active cases.
Chittoor district accounted for the highest number of new cases with 93 followed by Krishna at 76, a state government bulletin said, providing details during the last 24 hours ending 9 AM today.
Chittoor district topped the chart with 895 active cases followed by East Godavari 797.
Nearly 34,000 samples were examined today and cumulatively more than 2.93 crore samples have been tested.
"More than 99% of the COVID19 infected in AP, recovered from the infection bringing the active cases to below 5k in Andhra Pradesh," a state government tweet said.
Singapore to ease travel curbs for Australia, Switzerland
Singapore will allow quarantine-free entry for vaccinated travellers from Australia and Switzerland from next month, officials said Tuesday, adding to a list of 10 other countries, including the United States and several European nations.
The business hub is easing travel curbs and shifting to a strategy of living with Covid-19 to revive its economy despite suffering its worst coronavirus wave yet, with the healthcare system under strain.
"It is important that we persevere with efforts to reopen our borders, with essential public health safeguards in place, to remain an international aviation and business hub with global connectivity," Transport Minister said.
Starting November 8, fully-vaccinated travellers from Switzerland and Australia who test negative for Covid-19 before they depart and when they arrive will be able to bypass quarantine.
Covid cases and deaths on the rise again in Europe
Covid infections and deaths are on the rise again in Europe, with Russia, Ukraine and Romania registering the highest fatalities on the continent, an AFP tally showed Tuesday.
About 1,672,000 new cases have been registered on the continent over the past week, an average of about 239,000 per day.
That was an increase of 18 percent on the previous week, according to AFP's data, compiled from official sources from 52 countries and territories in the region.
The increase in cases was a 60 per cent jump from August and September, when were about 150,000 new registered cases per day, the data showed.
In the region, 42 countries saw an increase in new infections over the past week, with only seven countries clocking a drop.
The worst affected countries in terms of total new cases are Ukraine, Hungary and Poland.
Kosovo, Luxemburg and Malta have seen the sharpest declines.
The current numbers remain below the daily record for the region, which registered an average of 284,000 cases per day between November 2 and November 8, 2020.
Maharashtra government allows all fully-vaccinated people to board Mumbai local trainsThe Maharashtra government on Tuesday issued an order allowing the common people, irrespective of the nature of their jobs, who are vaccinated fully against COVID-19 to board suburban trains in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
In this order, the state government has extended the definition of fully vaccinated people to cover even those people who are working in non-essential sectors. This means people who have taken both the doses of vaccines against COVID-19 and completed 14 days after inoculation can travel in local trains.
The government also stated that the people working in essential sectors must be fully vaccinated and should have completed the 14 days post-inoculation before they can be allowed to board local trains.
Currently, the Central Railway and the Western Railway have been issuing a monthly pass to vaccinated commuters instead of daily tickets to curtail the crowd.
Study finds long COVID can negatively impact physical, cognitive function, employment, quality of lifeAccording to a new Mount Sinai study, patients experiencing post-acute COVID syndrome (PACS, also known as "long COVID") may have symptoms for at least 12 months after initial COVID-19 infection, significantly and negatively impacting their cognition, ability to work, participation in physical activity, interaction with others, and overall quality of life.
The findings of the study were published in the ''American Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine''. The study is one of the first to measure the actual impairment and impact of PACS on patients and detail factors that may exacerbate their symptoms. This work will help guide lawmakers and national and international health agencies to develop strategies and policies to support these patients during their lengthy recovery.
"With millions of Americans at risk of developing PACS by the end of the pandemic, a second, longer-term public health emergency has emerged. It is imperative to understand the burden of this novel condition and develop targeted interventions to help patients participate in daily activities, as well as policies that will assist them with their disability and employment status," said senior author David Putrino, PhD, Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System.
Australian state plans to ease COVID-19 border restrictions for fully vaccinated travellersThe state government of South Australia (SA) has revealed its pathway out of the coronavirus pandemic as the country continues to battle the third wave of COVID-19 infections. Premier Steven Marshall on Tuesday announced that SA''s border will reopen to fully vaccinated domestic travellers on November 23, when 80 per cent of South Australians aged 16 and over expected to be fully vaccinated.
At the same time, the mandatory quarantine period for the vaccinated international arrivals to SA will be halved from 14 days to seven and the cap on home gatherings will be increased from 20 to 30. The vast majority of remaining restrictions will be scrapped when 90 per cent of South Australians aged 12 and over are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which Marshall said should be before Christmas on December 25.
Study finds ''robust'' evidence that COVID-19 is seasonal infectionCOVID-19 may be a seasonal infection linked to low temperatures and humidity, much like seasonal influenza, according to new "robust" evidence found by researchers. The study, recently published in the journal Nature Computational Science, also supports the considerable contribution of airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission and the need to shift to measures that promote "air hygiene."
A research team led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Spain, noted that a key question regarding SARS-CoV-2 is whether it is behaving, or will behave, as a seasonal virus like influenza, or whether it will be equally transmitted during any time of the year.
A first theoretical modelling study suggested that climate was not a driver in COVID-19 transmission, given the high number of susceptible individuals with no immunity to the virus.
Assam eases COVID restrictions as situation improvesAssam eased COVID-related restrictions, limiting the night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am, in view of the improvement of the situation in the state, officials said. Issuing a new set of guidelines, Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua said 31 per cent of the eligible population of the state have been fully vaccinated, while 95 per cent got their first dose.
"The situation of COVID-19 in the state has been reviewed and the overall COVID scenario in the state has further improved," said the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) order, which came into effect immediately.
Ladakh reports four new COVID-19 casesLadakh recorded four fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 20,908 while the active cases in the union territory stood at 37, officials said.
Ladakh has registered 208 Covid-related deaths -- 150 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. Four patients of coronavirus have been cured and discharged from hospitals, thereby taking the tally of cured patients to 20,663, they said.
Arunachal Pradesh reports 16 new COVID-19 casesArunachal Pradesh reported 16 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the tally to 55,105, an official said. The death toll remained at 280 as no new fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, he said.
There are 138 active cases in the state at present, while 54,687 people have recovered, State Surveillance Officer Lobsang Jampa said.
West Kameng district has the highest number of active cases at 33, followed by Tawang (21), Namsai (18), Lower Dibang Valley (15) and East Siang (12), he said. The positivity rate was at 1.63 per cent as the new cases were detected after testing 978 samples.
Maharashtra's Thane logs 169 new COVID-19 cases, 1 deathThane has reported 169 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 5,64,663, an official said. These new cases were recorded on Sunday, he said.
The virus also claimed the life of one more person, which pushed the death toll in the district to 11,478, he said, adding that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane is 2.03 per cent.
In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,37,809, while the death toll stands at 3,282, another official said.
COVID-19 News: Facebook, Youtube Take Down Jair Bolsonaro Video Over False Vaccine ClaimsFacebook late on Sunday removed a video by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro from its platforms, in which the far-right leader made a false claim that COVID-19 vaccines were linked with developing AIDS. Youtube followed suit soon after, on Monday.
Both Facebook and Alphabet Inc's YouTube said the video, which was recorded on Thursday, violated their policies.
"Our policies don't allow claims that COVID-19 vaccines kill or seriously harm people," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement on Monday, while Youtube, in addition to removing the video, has suspended Bolsonaro for seven days.
COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax to be rolled out by November end, says Biological E LimitedTo provide further momentum to the ongoing nationwide vaccination drive, the COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax vaccine will be rolled out by end of November, Indian vaccine maker Biological E Ltd. said on Monday.
Addressing the reporters briefly after attending an event in Hyderabad, Managing Director of Biological E Ltd, Mahima Datla said, "Hyderabad-based Biological E Ltd is expecting its Coronavirus vaccine, Corbevax to be rolled out by the end of November. It's our vision, that on the day of the launch, we will supply close to 10 crore doses."
The Corbevax is the third made-in-India vaccine against coronavirus; the other two indigenous vaccines are Covaxin and ZyCoV-D.The government earlier announced about the 30 crore doses of Corbevax by December.
Himachal Pradesh logs 252 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death
A total of 252 new COVID-19 cases and one death was reported in Himachal Pradesh on Monday.
According to the state's health department, Himachal Pradesh has logged 2,22,890 COVID-19 cases till date. Of these, 1,657 are active cases.
With 90 recoveries reported in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries climbed to 2,17,495.
The death toll in the state is at 3,721. Of these deaths, Mucormycosis had been detected in 11 cases -- five in Kanga, two in Shimla, three in Hamirpur and one in Solan.
Assam reports 326 fresh COVID-19 cases, 5 deaths
Assam reported 326 new COVID-19 cases, 296 recoveries and five fatalities in the last 24 hours, said the state''s health department on Monday.
The north-eastern state has 2,535 active cases. The total cases registered in the state is 6,08,915 since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
The positivity rate was recorded at 0.65 per cent on Monday.