Covaxin, India's indigenously developed coronavirus vaccine, may be cleared by the World Health Organisation as early as next week when the UN agency and an independent group of experts meet. This comes almost a week after WHO delayed the emergency use authorisation (EUA) for Covaxin as the global body sent more technical queries to its manufacturer, Bharat Biotech.
"WHO & an independent group of experts are scheduled to meet next week to carry out the risk/benefit assessment and come to a final decision whether to grant Emergency Use Listing to Covaxin," WHO tweeted on Tuesday.
Bharat Biotech "has been submitting data to the WHO on a rolling basis and submitted additional info at WHO's request on 27 September", another tweet read.
Meanwhile, India reported 18,833 cases in the last 24 hours, which is marginally higher than Tuesday's figure when the country reported the lowest single-day rise in Covid cases (18,346) since early March. The country also reported 278 deaths over the same period. The active cases declined to 2,46,687, the lowest in 203 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
Here are Highlights on Coronavirus Cases:
Drone Technology Can Help Covid Vaccine Reach Remote Areas, Says MinisterHighlighting the significance of drone technology, the government has said that it would play a significant role in providing vaccines in remote territories across the country and provide an impetus to the vaccination drive.
Congress Lok Sabha MP from Puducherry, V Vaithilingam was admitted to the state-run JIPMER on Wednesday after he tested positive for Covid-19, a senior official said.
Director of Health G Sriramulu told PTI that Vaithilingam, also a former Chief Minister of the Union Territory, had mild symptoms and there was nothing to worry.
In a guideline issued by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for Durga Puja in Navratri, the municipal body has said the idol size shall not exceed four feet and there shall not be more than 50 people at a time during prayers.
The municipal body said only one idol of Goddess Durga should be installed per ward with the permission of the respective Joint Commissioner of the zone. The puja associations must strictly monitor and adhere to COVID appropriate behaviour.
The BBMP also prohibited the distribution of sweets, fruits and flowers. It further said the association shall issue invitation cards for guests with specific timing slots so as to not breach 100 numbers at a time.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee: Wear Masks, Keep Covid At Bay While Visiting Durga Puja PandalsTamil Nadu reported 1,432 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the total caseload to 26,72,843 till date, while 25 deaths took the death count to 35,707.
Recoveries eclipsed new cases, with 1,519 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours. There are now 16,637 active infections in the state, a health department bulletin said.
Dakshina Kannada district administration has issued an order urging the public to strictly adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines during the celebration of Dasara Festival from October 7 to 16.
As per the order, more than 400 people cannot gather in the programmes. Social distancing should be strictly followed in the programmes connected with the celebrations.
Everyone, including the temple priests and staff of the temples, should adhere to the guidelines, the order said.
The total number of active cases in the state is 11,819.
Delhi reported 26 fresh COVID-19 cases today with a positivity rate of 0.04 per cent, according to the health bulletin issued by the city government.
The national capital recorded no coronavirus-related fatalities in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.
Delhi has recorded only one death due to the infection in October so far. Last month, five people succumbed to the viral disease.
West Bengal government issues guidelines for Durga Puja; pandals should be kept open from all sides, no cultural program to be held.
- NDTV (@ndtv) October 6, 2021
State immersion carnival will not be held this year, reads the notification.
(ANI) pic.twitter.com/mQKTKu5bOU
Andhra Pradesh reports 800 fresh #COVID cases, 1,178 recoveries, and 09 deaths in the past 24 hours.
- ANI (@ANI) October 6, 2021
Active cases: 8,754
Total recoveries: 20,31,681
Death toll: 14,228 pic.twitter.com/ATdD8W9HG7
Ladakh has recorded five fresh COVID-19 cases, and no new Covid-related deaths, officials said today.
The total Covid cases in the union territory stand at 20,830 while the overall recoveries in Ladakh went up to 20,661, they said. The number of active cases in the union territory reached 52.
Ladakh has registered 207 Covid-related deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
Russia on Wednesday reported more than 900 daily coronavirus deaths for the first time, as the country struggles with stubbornly high infection rates driven by the Delta variant and low vaccination rates.
A government tally recorded 929 Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, Russia's highest daily virus death toll since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The West Bengal government, for the second year in a row, has decided to cancel the annual Durga Puja carnival, which involves display of the city's top pandal themes before idol immersion, and urged the people of the state to strictly abide by COVID-19 protocols.
In an order issued recently, the state has made wearing of masks and carrying of hand sanitisers mandatory for all revellers, while also underlining that cultural programmes will not be allowed anywhere near the marquees.
Australian Firm Recalls US Covid Test Kits Over False PositivesAustralian medical tech manufacturer Ellume said it had recalled almost 200,000 at-home Covid-19 tests in the United States over an increased chance of false positives.
India added 18,833 new coronavirus infections taking the country's tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,38,71,881, while the active cases declined to 2,46,687, the lowest in 203 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
The number of deaths climbed to 4,49,538 with 278 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.
The daily rise in new coronavirus infections remained below 30,000 for the 12th straight day.
Spain To Give Third Dose Of Covid Vaccine To 70 Year-OldsSpain's health ministry said Thursday it would give third doses of coronavirus vaccines to the over-70s, hoping to improve their protection against Covid-19.
#COVID19 | India reports 18,833 new cases in the last 24 hours; active caseload stands at 2,46,687, which is the lowest in 203 days. pic.twitter.com/g4dOWT6SAZ
- NDTV (@ndtv) October 6, 2021
Nilgiris district in #TamilNadu completes 100% double vaccination of its tribal population. NDTV's Sam Daniel reports pic.twitter.com/YGMQKGZYjM
- NDTV (@ndtv) October 6, 2021
Thane has reported 255 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 5,60,622 on Wednesday. Besides these new cases added on Tuesday, four people also died of the viral infection, which pushed the fatality count in the district to 11,424. The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 2.03 per cent.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George and Minister for Public Education V Sivankutty on Tuesday handed over the guidelines to the Cheif Minister Pinarayi Vijayan regarding the reopening of school from November 1 in Kerala amid COVID-19.
The freshly issued guidelines stated that the schools would be reopened in hybrid mode. The current online classes would continue for children who are unable to reach school directly.
The guideline stated that in the first phase, the children in each class would be divided into batches to limit the number of children in classes. However, the guidelines stated that such batch adjustment is not mandatory in schools with less number of students.
The World Health Organization's Covid-19 chief warned Tuesday "We're not out of the woods" in the fight against the pandemic, even if many people thought it was nearly over.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical lead for WHO's Covid-19, said last week 3.1 million known new cases were reported to the UN health agency, and 54,000 more deaths -- though the true numbers would be much higher.
"The situation is still incredibly dynamic. And it's dynamic because we don't have control over this virus," she said during a live presentation on the WHO's social media channels.
Decision On Covaxin Clearance Next Week, Says WHOCovaxin, India's indigenously developed coronavirus vaccine, may be cleared by the World Health Organisation as early as next week when the UN agency and an independent group of experts meet.
India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 92 crores on Tuesday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. More than 54 lakh Vaccine doses were administered on Tuesday till 7 pm.
"In a significant achievement, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 92 Crore landmark milestone (92,11,80,022) today. More than 54 lakh (54,08,420) vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm on Tuesday," read a press statement from the Ministry.
