Covid-19 Cases in India: The recovery count stood at 98.33 per cent. (File)
India added 9,283 new coronavirus cases and 437 related fatalities in last 24 hours, according to the latest official update. The active cases stood at 1,11,481, comprising 1 per cent of the total count, the lowest since March 2020. The recovery count stood at 98.33 per cent, the highest since then.
Meanwhile, two doses of Covaxin are 50 per cent effective against symptomatic disease, according to the first real-world assessment of India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
Results of an interim study recently published in The Lancet showed that two doses of Covaxin, also known as BBV152, had 77.8 per cent efficacy against symptomatic disease and present no serious safety concerns.
The latest study assessed 2,714 hospital workers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, from April 15-May 15, who were symptomatic and underwent RT-PCR test for COVID-19 detection.
Researchers noted that the Delta variant was the dominant strain in India during the study period, accounting for approximately 80 per cent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Here are the LIVE Updates on Coronavirus cases in India:
COVID-19 News: France To Announce Booster Shots For All Adults, Say ReportsFrance is expected to announce that COVID-19 booster shots will be made available to all adults as well as stricter rules on wearing face masks and more stringent health pass checks to curb a new wave of infections, news agency Reuters quoted the French media as reporting. Health Minister Olivier Veran is due to hold a press conference at midday on Thursday.
COVID-19 Update: Portugal Expands Booster Shots As Covid Cases RisePortugal, one of the world's most vaccinated nations, will give COVID-19 booster shots to a quarter of its population by the end of January, the health secretary said on Wednesday, as authorities try to stop a recent surge in infections, reported news agency Reuters.
The number of cases in Portugal reached a four-month daily high of 3,773 on Wednesday. Deaths, however, remain far below January levels, when the country faced its toughest battle against COVID-19, and the infection rate is far lower than in most of Western Europe.
Around 87% of Portugal's population of just over 10 million is fully inoculated, and the country's speedy vaccination rollout has been widely praised. That has allowed the nation to lift most of its pandemic restrictions.
But, as another wave of the pandemic sweeps across Europe, the government is gearing up to announce new rules on Thursday to limit spread of the coronavirus in the run-up to the holiday season.
COVID-19 News: Europe Sees Record-Breaking Covid CasesCoronavirus infections broke records in parts of Europe on Wednesday, with the continent once again the epicentre of a pandemic that has prompted new curbs on movement and seen health experts push to widen the use of booster vaccination shots. Read here.
COVID-19 India News: Kerala Reports 4,280 New Cases, 35 Related Deaths Kerala reported 4,280 new COVID-19 cases and 35 deaths on Wednesday, reported news agency ANI. The active caseload in the state stands at 51,302, according to the state health department. A bulletin said 35 people died due to the virus in the last 24 hours taking the death count to 38,353. With 5,379 more people recovering from the virus in the last 24 hours, total recoveries have gone up to 50,23,658.
COVID-19 India News: 803 New Cases In Bengal, Positivity Rate Increases MarginallyThe positivity rate of COVID-19 infections in West Bengal continues to be 2% or above it for the past three days, while the state recorded 803 new cases and 12 fresh fatalities due to the disease on Wednesday, the health department said in a bulletin, according to news agency PTI. The cumulative death count and cases tally went up to 19,419 and 16,11,983 respectively.
The bulletin said Wednesday's positivity rate is 2.06%, marginally up from the previous day's count of 2%. The figure was 2.34% on November 22. Of the 803 new cases, Kolkata recorded the highest number of positive cases at 247, increasing from 211 on Tuesday. Kolkata is followed by North 24 Parganas (145), South 24 Parganas (62), Howrah (61) and Hooghly (57) districts.
As 811 Covid-19 patients were discharged on Wednesday, the recovery rate stood at 98.31%. Altogether 15,84,670 people have so far been cured of the disease, the bulletin said. The number of active cases on Wednesday fell to 7,894 from 7,914 the previous day.
Assam Reports 214 COVID-19 Cases, 2 DeathsAssam recorded 214 new coronavirus infections and two fresh fatalities on Wednesday, taking the state''s total tally of COVID-19 cases to 6,15,995, a National Health Mission bulletin said.
The number of positive cases detected during the day was seven more from the previous day with the positivity rate increasing to 0.66 per cent from 0.56 per cent on Tuesday.
Chhattisgarh Logs 19 New Cases, No DeathChhattisgarh's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,06,635 on Wednesday after 19 new cases were detected, while no fresh death due to the infection was reported in the state, a health department official said.
The COVID-19 death count remained unchanged at 13,593, he said.
Tamil Nadu Logs 744 New COVID-19 Cases; 14 FatalitiesTamil Nadu reported 744 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, taking the tally to 27,22,506, while the toll rose to 36,415 with 14 more deaths.
Recoveries marginally outnumbered new cases with 782 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, aggregating to 26,77,607, leaving 8,484 active infections, a health department bulletin said.
3 New Cases Push Sikkim's COVID Tally To 32,179Sikkim on Wednesday reported three new COVID-19 cases, two less than the previous day, with the caseload increasing to 32,179, a health department bulletin said.
Of the fresh cases, two were registered in East Sikkim and one in West Sikkim.
Gujarat Logs 29 New COVID-19 Cases, Zero DeathGujarat's COVID-19 tally on Wednesday rose to 8,27,296 with an addition of 29 new cases, while no fresh death due to the infection was registered in the state, the health department said.
With 32 patients getting discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the tally of recovered cases rose to 8,16,888, it said.
254 New COVID-19 Cases, 3 Deaths In KarnatakaKarnataka logged 254 fresh COVID-19 cases and three deaths on Wednesday, taking the total number of infections to 29,94,255 and the toll to 38,185.
The day also saw 546 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,49,629, a health department bulletin said.
3 Covid Deaths, 116 New Cases In Himachal PradeshHimachal Pradesh recorded three coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday that raised the count to 3,821, while 116 fresh cases pushed the infection count to 2,26,705, an official said.
Two new fatalities were reported from Kangra, while one from Una district.
174 New Coronavirus Cases, 2 Deaths Reported In J&KJammu and Kashmir on Wednesday recorded 174 fresh cases of coronavirus, taking the infected number of people to 3,35,881 while two fresh deaths due to the virus were reported from the Union Territory in the past 24 hours, officials said.
Of the fresh cases, 25 were from Jammu division and 149 from Kashmir division, the officials said.
10 New Cases Take Nagaland's COVID Tally To 32,078Nagaland on Wednesday reported 10 new COVID-19 cases, two more than the previous day, with the tally rising to 32,078, a health department official said.
Of the fresh cases, seven were detected in Dimapur, two in Mokokching and one in Kohima district, he said.
Nashik Sees 51 New COVID-19 Cases; 2 CasualtiesAt least 51 people tested positive for coronavirus, while two died of the infection in Maharashtra's Nashik district on Wednesday, an official said.
With this, the tally of infections in the district has risen to 4,12,107, which includes 8,710 fatalities, he said.
Kerala Clocks 4,280 New COVID-19 Cases, 308 DeathsThe total caseload of COVID-19 cases in Kerala crossed 51 lakh to reach 51,02,125 on Wednesday after it recorded 4,280 fresh infections.
The number of deaths reported was 308 which raised the count to 38,353, said an official press release.
In Letter To 13 States, Centre Raises Concern Over Fall In Covid Testing RatesCiting multiple surges in coronavirus cases in several countries, the Union Health Ministry has written to 13 states and union territories, including West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra and Punjab, expressing concerns over declining weekly testing rates and spiking positivity rates in some districts.
In a letter to Nagaland, Sikkim, Maharashtra, Kerala, Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Ladakh, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan stressed on maintaining high testing rates given the recent increase in travelling due to events like marriages, festivals and vacations that have recently concluded or are underway.
"A decrease in testing would undermine the actual infection spread within the community," Mr Bhushan said in the letter.
South Korea's Enzychem To Make Cadila's COVID-19 ShotSouth Korea's Enzychem Lifesciences would make at least 80 million doses of India's homegrown DNA COVID-19 vaccine from Cadila Healthcare, the domestic drugmaker said on Wednesday.
As part of the deal, Cadila will transfer the DNA vaccine technology to Enzychem, which will make and sell the vaccine, ZyCoV-D, within its territory under the Cadila trademark. Cadila will get license fees and royalty payments, the company said in a filing to stock exchanges.
Covaxin 50% Effective Against Covid, Less Than Initially Thought: LancetCovaxin, one of the main vaccines used in India's coronavirus immunization drive, provides only 50% protection against symptomatic COVID-19, according to a real-world study that suggests the shot is less effective than initially thought.
As India was slammed by its second major Covid wave earlier this year, researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi analyzed data from 2,714 of the hospital's health workers who were showing signs of infection and underwent RT-PCR testing between April 15 and May 15, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. At the start of the country's vaccination campaign in January, staff at AIIMS had exclusively been offered Covaxin, a shot co-developed by India's state-funded health research agency and local company Bharat Biotech International Ltd.
US Issues 'Do Not Travel' COVID-19 Warning For Germany, DenmarkThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the State Department on Monday advised against travel to Germany and Denmark because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in those countries.
The CDC elevated its travel recommendation to "Level Four: Very High" for the two European countries, telling Americans they should avoid travel there, while the State Department issued parallel "Do Not Travel" advisories for both countries.
The CDC currently lists about 75 destinations worldwide at Level Four, with many European countries on the list including Austria, Britain, Belgium, Greece, Norway, Switzerland, Romania, Ireland and the Czech Republic.
India's COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Exceeds 118.44 CroreIndia administered 76,58,203 COVID-19 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Wednesday. India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 118.44 crore.
"With the administration of 76,58,203 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 1,18,44,23,573 as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 1,22,71,257 sessions," the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement.
Of the total, 1,03,82,725 health care workers received the first dose and 94,26,512 second vaccine doses; 1,83,76,833 front line workers were administered the first dose and 1,63,60,597 vaccine doses were given as the second dose to front line workers.
According to the health ministry, 44,66,37,552 vaccine doses were administered as the first dose and 19,89,48,841 vaccine doses were given as the second dose in the age group 18-44 years.
Covid India Updates: Arunachal reports 4 new COVID-19 casesArunachal Pradesh reported four new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, pushing the tally to 55,255, a health official said.
So far, 54,939 people have recovered from the disease in the state, including two on Tuesday, the official said.
The count remained at 280 as no fresh fatality was reported in the past 24 hours.
The Northeastern state now has 36 active cases.
Tawang district has the highest number of active cases at 10, followed by the Capital Complex Region and West Kameng district at six cases each, the official said.
The new cases were detected after testing 364 samples.
Coronavirus Live Updates: 3rd Covid Wave Of Magnitude Comparable To 1st Two Unlikely, Says AIIMS ChiefA third Covid wave of a magnitude comparable to the first two is unlikely to hit India, AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria said Tuesday as he underlined that absence of surge in cases at the moment suggests that vaccines are still protecting against the virus and there is no need for a booster dose for now.
Speaking at the launch of a book "Going Viral: Making of Covaxin - The Inside Story", authored by ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava, Guleria said the way the vaccines are holding up in terms of preventing severity and hospital admission, chances of any huge wave with large admissions is declining with each passing day.
India conducts over 11 lakh COVID-19 tests in last 24 hoursOver 11 lakh samples were tested for COVID-19 across the country in the last 24 hours, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) informed on Wednesday.
The total samples tested for COVID-19 in the country so far stands at 63,47,74,225.
"As many as 11,57,697 samples were tested yesterday," said ICMR.
Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday informed that India reported 9,283 new cases, 10,949 recoveries and 437 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per Health Ministry.
Active cases of the COVID-19 in the country stands at 1,11,481, which is the lowest in 537 days.
Israel Vaccinates Children As Young As 5 To Combat 'Children's Wave' Of CovidIsrael began rolling out COVID-19 vaccines for children aged five to 11 on Monday, becoming one of a handful of countries to inoculate children so young as it seeks to ward off another pandemic wave.
Over the summer, the Jewish state experienced an upsurge in coronavirus infections, fuelled by the Delta variant, and launched one of the earliest campaigns for booster shots.
As infections start to creep up again, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said the country is experiencing a "children's wave" with about half of the recently confirmed cases among children below the age of 11, he wrote on Facebook.
COVID-19 UPDATE118.44 Crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
Recovery Rate currently at 98.33%; Highest since March 2020
10,949 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to 3,39,57,698
9,283 new cases in the last 24 hours
India's Active caseload stands at 1,11,481; lowest in 537 days
Active cases account for less than 1% of total cases, currently at 0.32%; Lowest since March 2020
Daily positivity rate (0.80%) less than 2% for last 51 days
Weekly Positivity Rate (0.93%) less than 2% for last 61 days
Britain's Prince Charles To Open New AstraZeneca Research CentreBritain's Prince Charles will formally open a new 1 billion pound ($1.3 billion) AstraZeneca research and development (R&D) facility on Tuesday, as the company aims to fuel the growth of its drug pipeline.
AstraZeneca has supplied two billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, developed at Oxford University, and is also looking to bring a preventative antibody cocktail against COVID-19 to market.
But while the company is setting up a separate division for vaccine and antibody therapies in light of the coronavirus pandemic, it has also strengthened other areas of research
Earlier this year, AstraZeneca completed the $39 billion purchase of rare-disease specialist Alexion.
Four Army Officers, Fully Vaccinated, Test Covid Positive In IndoreFour fully-vaccinated Army officers, two of them participating in a course of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district, an official said on Tuesday.
"Four Army officers have tested positive for coronavirus in the last three days in Indore. They had received both doses of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine. They have no symptoms and their condition is fine," said Dr Amit Malakar, nodal officer, COVID-19, Indore.
He said two of the infected officers are residents of the Army Cantonment located in nearby Mhow town and two others are enrolled for the IIM Indore's Certificate Course in Business Management for Defence Officers (CCBMDO).
Covaxin 50% Effective When Delta Was Dominant, Shows Lancet StudyTwo doses of Covaxin are 50 per cent effective against symptomatic disease, according to the first real-world assessment of India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
Results of an interim study recently published in The Lancet showed that two doses of Covaxin, also known as BBV152, had 77.8 per cent efficacy against symptomatic disease and present no serious safety concerns.
In Maharashtra District, This Is Penalty For Not Taking 1st Vaccine ShotIn a bid to ramp up anti-COVID-19 vaccination coverage in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district, authorities have ordered impounding of autorickshaws if their drivers are found to have not taken even a single jab.
Simultaneously, tour and travel operators cannot sell tickets to passengers who are not inoculated, as per the orders issued late Monday night by district collector Sunil Chavan. These orders will come into effect from November 25.
Aurangabad district in the Marathwada region is one of the laggard districts in terms of vaccination coverage. The district collector had virtually attended a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month of districts with low vaccination coverage.