Coronavirus Highlights: 6,990 New Cases In India, Lowest Daily Rise Since May Last Year

Punjab Sees Three Covid Deaths, 22 New Cases
Three coronavirus-related deaths were reported in Punjab on Tuesday, bringing the fatality count to 16,602, while 22 fresh cases raised the infection tally to 6,03,279, according to a medical bulletin.

The new deaths were reported from Hoshiarpur, Patiala and Mohali.

Maharashtra Reports 678 COVID-19 Cases, 35 Deaths In Last 24 Hours
Maharashtra reported 678 fresh COVID-19 cases and 35 fatalities in the last 24 hours, informed the state health bulletin on Tuesday.

At present, there are 7,555 active infections.

As many as 942 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the cumulative recoveries to 64,83,435. The death toll reached 1,40,997.

Gujarat Reports 40 COVID-19 Cases
Gujarat on Tuesday reported 40 new coronavirus cases, taking the caseload in the state to 8,27,475, the health department said.

While no death was reported during the day, only three fatalities due to the pandemic were reported in the state in November.

Chhattisgarh Sees 34 Fresh COVID-19 Cases
Chhattisgarh's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,06,813 on Tuesday with the addition of 34 cases, a health official said.

The COVID-19 death toll remained unchanged at 13,593 as no fresh fatality was reported during the day.

Night Curfew Extended In 8 Gujarat Cities Till Dec 10 Amid Omicron Threat
In the wake of the emergence of the "Omicron" variant of coronavirus, the Gujarat government has extended the night curfew in eight cities of the state by 10 days till December 10, an official said on Tuesday.

The night curfew has been in force in eight cities from 1 am to 5 am since November 1. The curfew timings were reduced by two hours in November for Diwali and Chhath Puja and due to a drop in daily COVID-19 cases.

Delhi Records 34 New COVID-19 Cases, No Death
The national capital registered 34 coronavirus cases and zero related death in a day, while the positivity rate stood at 0.07 per cent, according to the data shared by the health department here on Tuesday.

For the last three days, Delhi had been reporting a fatality due to the viral infection.The national capital has recorded seven deaths due to the infection in November so far. Four people had succumbed to the viral disease in October and five in September.

291 New COVID-19 Cases, 8 Deaths In Karnataka
Karnataka logged 291 new COVID-19 cases and eight deaths on Tuesday, taking the total number of infections to 29,96,148 and the count to 38,211.

The day also saw 745 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,51,492, a health department bulletin said. Bengaluru Urban continued to top the list in number of cases (185), as the city saw 654 discharges and 6 deaths.

Declining Trend In Covid Cases, But Surge Cannot Be Ruled Out As Virus Continuously Evolving: Government
There has been a declining trend in COVID-19 cases in the country for the past few months, but a surge in infections cannot be ruled out as the virus is continuously evolving and may have an impact on disease transmission, the government told Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

The Government of India continues to keep a close watch on the COVID-19 situation in the country as well as across the globe, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in written response to a question.

Those Visiting Puducherry Will Be Checked For COVID-19 At Borders: Lieutenant Governor
Puducherry Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Tuesday said the administration has come up with an action plan to achieve cent per cent vaccination against coronavirus and also to prevent Omicron, the new variant of the virus, from affecting people in the union territory, reported PTI.

Talking to reporters after visiting a vaccination booth, the Lt Governor said she had held discussions with officials of the Department of Health and also representatives of private medical colleges earlier at her office.

J&K Adds 171 COVID-19 Cases
Jammu and Kashmir's coronavirus caseload increased to 3,36,852 on Tuesday with 171 fresh infections, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,476, officials said.

Of the fresh cases, 32 were from the Jammu division and 139 from the Kashmir division of the union territory, they said.

Srinagar district recorded the highest number of fresh cases at 62, followed by 42 in Baramulla district.

For Omicron, Moderna Boss Warns Of "Material Drop" In Vaccine Efficacy
Existing Covid-19 inoculations will struggle against the fast-spreading Omicron variant, the head of vaccine manufacturer Moderna warned Tuesday, as countries ramp up vaccination programmes and impose further restrictions in an effort to curb growing concern.

First reported to the World Health Organization in South Africa less than a week ago, the new strain has rapidly spread from Africa to the Pacific, and from Europe to North America as dozens of countries have announced travel restrictions.

Ladakh Reports 12 New Cases, One Fatality
With 12 new cases of coronavirus infections, the total tally of COVID-19 cases in Ladakh has surged to 21,540, out of which 20,076 patients have cured, while the active cases in the union territory has come down to 250, officials said.

One person has died of Covid in the capital city Leh, taking the total death count to 214 -- 156 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, they said.

Mask Mandates To Tackle Omicron Variant Come Into Force In UK
New mask mandates and other measures aimed at curbing the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant came into force in England on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson eyes an expanded booster programme to help increase protection against COVID-19.

From Tuesday morning, face masks are compulsory on transport and in shops, banks and hair salons.

All international travellers must take a PCR test by the end of the second day after they arrive, and self-isolate until they get their result. That is in addition to restrictions on arrivals from 10 southern African countries, who have to enter hotel quarantine.

Britain has reported 11 cases of the Omicron variant so far, and while the government says this number will rise, it says it is important to slow its spread until more is known about the variant's tranmissibility and impact on vaccines.

EU Could Approve Vaccine Against New Covid Variant In 3 To 4 Months
The EU drug regulator said on Tuesday it could approve vaccines adapted to target the Omicron variant of the coronavirus within three to four months if needed, but that existing shots would continue to provide protection.

Speaking to the European Parliament, European Medicines Agency (EMA) executive director Emer Cooke said it was not known if drugmakers would need to tweak their vaccines to protect against Omicron, but the EMA was preparing for that possibility.

Omicron Will "Lead To Challenges" For 2022 Winter Olympics, Says China
China warned Tuesday that the fast-spreading Omicron Covid-19 variant would cause challenges in hosting next February's Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Although China has largely quashed the coronavirus within its borders through travel restrictions and snap lockdowns, recurrent domestic outbreaks linked to the Delta variant have put the authorities on high alert.

"I think it will definitely lead to challenges linked to prevention and control," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, adding that Beijing "appreciates the efforts by South Africa in offering timely information" on the variant.

"But China has a lot of experience in responding to Covid-19," Zhao added. "I firmly believe the Winter Olympics will be conducted smoothly."

China is determined to pull off a smooth Olympic Games unmarred by Covid-19, in what would be a decisive propaganda win for Beijing's zero-tolerance Covid strategy.

Centre Extends Door-To-Door COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign Till December 31
The door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination campaign 'Har Ghar Dastak' has been extended till December 31 with a focus on 100 percent first dose coverage and completing the backlog of second dose vaccination, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan chaired a high-level virtual meeting with states and Union Territories to review COVID-19 public health response measures and preparedness amid cases of potentially more contagious Omicron variant of COVID19 being reported across various countries.

Noting the critical role of vaccination as a powerful defence against COVID-19, the 'Har Ghar Dastak' vaccination campaign has been extended till 31st December with a focus on 100 per cent first dose coverage, and completing the backlog of second dose vaccination, the Ministry said in a statement after the meeting.

India To Ramp Up Testing After "Profound Shock" During Second Covid Wave
India will bolster Covid-19 genome sequencing efforts, hoping early detection of the newly-emerged omicron variant will help avoid a repeat of the Delta-fueled wave of infections that brought its health system close to collapse earlier this year.

Public health officials aim to analyse positive tests from airports within 48 hours and more than a dozen state-funded laboratories may be added to the current 38 that are part of the Indian SARs-COV-2 Genomics Consortium, or INSACOG, according to Priya Abraham, director of the India's National Institute of Virology.

"We learnt a lot from the second wave," Ms Abraham, whose institution has been instrumental in detecting and mapping Covid in India, said in an interview. "The country as a whole and the government of India realizes this capacity has to be exponentially expanded."

However, concerns remain about gaps in India's overall Covid-19 surveillance, especially given its past track record of lax imposition of testing and isolation protocols ahead of the emergence of the newest variant.

Four new cases push Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally to 55,273
Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 55,273 on Tuesday as four more people tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said.

The coronavirus death count remained unchanged at 280 as no fresh fatality was registered, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

Centre's Door-To-Door Vaccination Campaign To Continue Till December-End
The Centre's 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign will continue till December 31 with a focus on 100 per cent first dose COVID-19 vaccination, and completing the backlog of second dose vaccination, informed official sources on Tuesday.

Omicron scare: Centre advises states to ramp up testing for early detection of cases
Amid mounting concerns over the potentially more contagious coronavirus variant Omicron spreading to many countries, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan held a review meeting with states and UTs on Tuesday and advised them to ramp up testing for early identification and management of cases.

While underlining that the new variant doesn''t escape RT-PCR and RAT tests, Bhushan asked states and UTs to ensure adequate infrastructure and supervised home isolation, a Union Health Ministry official said.