Coronavirus Cases India: The country's recovery rate has improved to 93.52 per cent.
The number of new coronavirus infections in India has jumped 18% recorded with 45,576 recorded in the past 24 hours, according to government data. That takes the overall figure to 89,58,483 since the outbreak in January. Up to 585 people died of the disease since yesterday, the overall number till now being 1,31,578. Up to 4.43 lakh active cases remain in the country.
Delhi recorded 7,546 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the infection tally in the national capital to over 5.1 lakh, even as 98 more fatalities pushed the count to 8,041, authorities said.
Meanwhile, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said he was confident that the COVID-19 vaccine would be ready in the next three-four months and added that the priority to provide the same to 135 crore Indians would be based on scientific evaluation.
The Minister was addressing the FICCI FLO webinar on "The Shifting Healthcare Paradigm During and Post-Covid" today.
"I am confident that the COVID-19 vaccine will be ready in the next three-four months. Priority for the vaccine will be designed on the basis of scientific data. Health care workers and corona warriors will naturally be prioritised followed by elderly and disease-prone people. Very detailed planning is underway for vaccine dissemination. An e-vaccine intelligence platform has been created to discuss the blueprint for the same. Tracking and tracing of the vaccine would be neck-deep once it's available for the public. Hopefully, 2021 should be a better year for all of us," the Health Minister said.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus Cases:
COVID-19: WHO advises against remdesivir for coronavirus treatment
The anti-viral drug remdesivir should not be used to treat Covid-19 patients no matter how severe their illness as it has "no important effect" on survival chances, the World Health Organization said Friday.
Scratching one of the few treatments that had shown some initial promise in severe patients, a WHO Guideline Development Group (GDG) of international experts said there was "no evidence based on currently available data that it does improve patient-important outcomes".
The United States, the European Union and other countries have granted temporary approval for the use of remdesivir after initial research showed it may shorten recovery time in some coronavirus patients.
Coronavirus: Government advises Haryana, UP to conduct survey of private hospitals over COVID-19
Union Home Ministry said on Thursday that it has advised Haryana and UP governments to hold a survey of private hospitals in their NCR districts on the lines of Delhi over preparedness to tackle COVID-19.
The ministry, which made a series of tweets, said about 150 ICU beds have been added in the last three days in Delhi following directions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
It said that capacity of RT-PCR tests in Delhi will be ramped up to 60,000 per day by end of November.
"After HM's review meeting on Delhi''s COVID situation, more than 28,708 RT-PCR tests conducted on November 18. Capacity of RT-PCR tests to be ramped up to 60,000 per day by end of November. MHA has advised Haryana and UP govts to hold survey of pvt hospitals in their NCR districts on the lines of Delhi," MHA said.
No COVID-19 deaths in Assam after 14 daysAssam reported no COVID-19 deaths on Thursday after 14 days, while 175 new cases were detected taking the tally to 2,11,040, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Altogether 267 patients recovered from coronavirus pushing the total number of cured people to 2,06,875, the minister said adding that the current recovery rate is 98.02 per cent.
The state now has 3,193 active cases. The number of total fatalities remained unchanged at 969 and the death rate is 0.46 per cent at present, Mr Sarma said.
The state had reported no COVID-19 fatalities after a gap of 115 days for two consecutive days on November four and five.
Coronavirus news: Joe Biden says won't order 'national shutdown' despite Covid surge
US President-elect Joe Biden said Thursday he would not order a nationwide shutdown to fight the Covid-19 pandemic despite a surge in cases.
States and cities have been imposing their own restrictions, including home confinement, the closure of indoor dining and a limit on gatherings as infections soar across the country.
"There's no circumstance which I can see that would require total national shutdown. I think that would be counterproductive," Biden, who takes office on January 20, told reporters.
He said however that rules for when and how businesses and other establishments can open would have to be calibrated based on the threat in the area in question, noting the varying levels of spread throughout the country.
COVID-19: Turkey confirms 4,542 new patients, 430,170 in totalTurkey reported 4,542 new COVID-19 patients on Thursday, raising the total number in the country to 430,170, the Turkish Health Ministry announced.Meanwhile, 123 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death count to 11,943.A total of 2,918 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, raising the total recoveries to 364,573.
The rate of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients is 3.8 per cent and the number of seriously ill patients is 3,850.A total of 157,756 tests were conducted over the past day, with the overall number of tests reaching 16,781,245.
Turkey reported the first COVID-19 case on March 11.Turkey and China have supported each other in the fight against COVID-19.
COVID-19: Andhra reports 1,316 new cases
Andhra Pradesh reported 1,316 new cases of COVID-19 taking the tally of total cases to 8,58,711, said state government on Thursday.
According to state government, total recoveries in the state stand at 8,35,801 with 1,821 people recovered in last 24 hours.
The death count reached 6,911 in the state with eleven people succumbed to the disease. Out of the eleven deaths reported today, two people each succumbed in Chittoor and Krishna district while one death each reported in Anantapur, East Godavari, Guntur, Nellore, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam and West Godavari districts.
COVID-19: Germany reports 22,609 new daily cases
The number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Germany increased by 22,609 in 24 hours, bringing the total to 855,916, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said on Thursday. The increase is slightly above the previous week's level.
Germany is currently in the second half of a month-long partial coronavirus lockdown.
The situation is "still serious, very serious," said RKI President Lothar Wieler at a press conference on Thursday. The case numbers are "still very high overall, much too high."
"The case numbers have stabilized at a high level in the last two weeks," said Wieler. "But we do not know whether this is already a trend reversal."
Coronavirus news: Complete curfew in Ahmedabad from tonight till Monday morning
In a bid to bring under control the COVID-19 pandemic in the city, a curfew will be imposed in Ahmedabad from 9 pm on November 20 to 6 am on November 23, after which a night curfew will remain in force.
"Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation declared night curfew from 9 pm to 6 am every day from tomorrow in order to control the spread of COVID-19. The situation was reviewed late night and it has been decided that a complete curfew shall be imposed from tomorrow night 9 pm till Monday morning at 6 am in the city of Ahmedabad," an order said on Thursday.
During this period, only shops selling milk and medicines will be permitted to remain open.
COVID-19: Meghalaya's tally nears 11,000-mark, death count at 104Meghalaya reported 109 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 10,979, a senior health
official said on Thursday.
The death count rose to 104 after one more patient succumbed to the virus, Health Services Director Aman War said.
He said 60 patients have recovered from the disease since Wednesday, increasing the number of those cured to 10,074 in the state.
COVID-19: High Court directs Telangana to conduct 50,000 tests every dayThe Telangana High Court on Thursday directed the state government to conduct 50,000 coronavirus tests every day and if need be increase the number to 1 lakh in the wake of second wave of the pandemic that is being experienced in the national capital.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan while hearing a batch of PILs on COVID-19 related issues noted that if more tests were conducted the virus can be contained and directed the state government to carry out 50,000 tests daily and expected that the number may go up to 1 lakh in a day.
The bench was informed by the Advocate General that the state government was already conducting around 50,000 COVID-19 tests per day.
COVID-19: Tripura reports 105 new casesTripura on Thursday reported 105 new COVID-19 cases, taking the state''s tally to 32,217, a
Health Department official said.
There are 1,000 active cases in the state at present, he said.
Sixty-three patients were discharged from GB Pant Hospital after they recovered from the disease, the official said.
So far, 30,833 people have recovered, while 23 patients have migrated to other states, he said. Altogether 361 people have died of COVID-19 in Tripura.
COVID-19: Maharashtra's Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad devotees told to observe Chhath at homeMunicipal corporations of Pune and adjoining Pimpri-Chinchwad have put restrictions on mass celebrations of Chhath Puja at river banks, lakes and other public places in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to orders issued on Thursday.
The annual festival dedicated to the Sun god will be celebrated on Friday and Saturday. A popular festival of north India, it is celebrated beyond the region where people from certain Hindi-speaking states reside.
In view of the pandemic, the civic bodies of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad issued orders-cum-guidelines restricting mass celebrations of Chhath Puja at river banks, lakes and other public places.
Coronavirus India LIVE Updates: No COVID-19 Deaths In Assam After 14 DaysAssam reported no COVID-19 deaths on Thursday after 14 days, while 175 new cases were detected taking the tally to 2,11,040, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Altogether 267 patients recovered from coronavirus pushing the total number of cured people to 2,06,875, the minister said adding that the current recovery rate is 98.02 per cent.
The state now has 3,193 active cases.
The number of total fatalities remained unchanged at 969 and the death rate is 0.46 per cent at present, Mr Sarma said.
The state had reported no COVID-19 fatalities after a gap of 115 days for two consecutive days on November four and five.
The 175 new positive cases, which include 48 from Kamrup Metropolitan district, were detected out of 22,790 tests conducted during the day.
The total tests done in the state reached 50,89,868 which include both Rapid Antigen and RT-PCR tests.
Of the total 2,11,040 positive cases detected in the state so far, 969 have died and three migrated out of the state.
Assam reports 175 new COVID-19 cases today. Total cases in the State now at 2,11,040 including 2,06,875 recoveries, 3,193 active cases, and 969 deaths: Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
COVID-19 LIVE Updates: Delhi Records 7,546 Fresh Cases; 98 Deaths Take Pushes Tally To 8,041Delhi recorded 7,546 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the infection tally in the national capital to over 5.1 lakh, even as 98 more fatalities pushed the count to 8,041, authorities said.
These fresh cases came out of the 62,437 tests conducted the previous day, including 22,067 RT-PCR tests, the highest till date.
The positivity rate stood at 12.09 per cent amid the festive season and rising pollution in the city, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.
The highest single-day spike till date here -- 8,593 cases -- was recorded on November 11 when 85 fatalities were recorded.
Ninety-eight more fatalities were recorded, pushing the toll in the national capital to over 8,000-mark.
The active cases tally rose to 43,221 on Thursday from 42,458, the previous day.
The bulletin said the total number of cases has climbed to 5,10,630.
China's COVID-19 Vaccine Administered To A Million People: OfficialA COVID-19 vaccine developed by a state-owned Chinese pharmaceutical firm has been administered to about a million people under the government's emergency use scheme, the company's chairman said.
"In terms of emergency use, the vaccines were applied to nearly a million people and there has not been a single case of a serious adverse event. People have had only mild symptoms," Liu Jingzhen, chairman of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), said.
"Until now, all our progress, from research to clinical trials to production and emergency use, we have been leading the world," Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post on Thursday quoted Liu as saying to a Chinese digital media publication.
His comments came amid criticism that Chinese firms have not publicised the clinical data of its vaccine studies.
Someone In Europe Is Dying Every 17 Seconds From COVID-19, WHO SaysEurope's painful second coronavirus wave may be starting to ease, a top World Health Organization official said Thursday, as cases drop slightly even though over the past week someone on the continent died every 17 seconds from the virus.
The cautious prognosis came after new diagnoses of the novel coronavirus slowed last week across Europe to 1.8 million cases, compared with 2 million the week before last. Hospitals across the continent remain packed, a situation that sharply increases the chance that patients will die of the disease.
"There is good news and not so good news," said Hans Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe, at a news conference, describing the drop in new diagnoses as "a small signal, but it's a signal nevertheless."
Delhi Accounts For Over 22% Single-Day COVID-19 Deaths In India: CentreDelhi accounted for 22.39 per cent of the fatalities reported across the country due to the coronavirus infection in a span of 24 hours by recording 131 deaths and became the largest contributor to the single-day COVID-19 deaths in India, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Even in terms of new single-day cases, Delhi reported the highest number of infections, followed by Kerala and Maharashtra.
Delhi recorded 7,486 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the infection tally in the national capital to over five lakh, even as 131 new fatalities, the highest single-day death count till date, pushed the count to 7,943.
The ministry said 79.49 per cent of the 585 COVID fatalities reported in a span of 24 hours were from 10 states and Union territories -- Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Gujarat Records 1.340 COVID-19 Cases, 1,113 Recoveries, 7 DieGujarat registered 1,340 fresh cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking its tally to 1,92,982 on Thursday, the state Health Department said.
The death count due to COVID-19 rose to 3,830 as seven more patients succumbed to the infection during the same period, said a release by the Health Department.
Also, 1,113 patients recovered during the day and discharged from hospitals, it said.
Gujarat's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 1,92,982, new cases 1,340, deaths 3,830, discharged 1,76,475, active cases 12,677, people tested so far 70,33,156.
Puducherry reports 69 new COVID-19 cases, 102 discharges and one death.
Total positive cases in the Union Territory rise to 36,533 till date, including 670 active cases, 35,254 recoveries & 609 deaths: Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Puducherry
Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda tests positive for COVID-19
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Municipal Corporations Of Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad Ban Chhath Puja Celebrations At Public PlacesMunicipal corporations of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad have banned the Chhath puja celebrations at public places and near water bodies, in view of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, many other state governments have urged people to celebrate Chhath at their home.
Maharashtra has reported 81,207 active COVID-19 cases, 16,30,111 recoveries and 46,202 fatalities, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
The Chhath Puja is celebrated on the sixth day of the Kartik month of the Hindu calendar, which also happens to be the fourth day after Diwali.
As per the Hindu tradition, devotees worship the Sun God and his wife Usha to express gratitude and seek their blessings.
This year, the main celebration will take place on the third day, November 20, where devotees will offer "argha" to the Sun God at sunset and offer prasad.
On the fourth and last day, devotees pray before sunrise and conclude their fast by eating special prasad and delicacies made for the festival.
Danish Coronavirus Mink Mutation "Most Likely Eradicated": MinistryA mutated version of the new coronavirus detected in Danish minks that raised concerns about the effectiveness of a future vaccine has likely been eradicated, Denmark's health ministry said Thursday.
"There have been no new cases of the 'Cluster 5' mink mutation since September 15, which has led to the Danish infectious disease authority SSI to conclude that this variant has most likely been eradicated," the ministry said in a statement, after the government ordered a cull of all the country's 15 to 17 million minks in a bid to halt the spread of the variant.
The government said most of the strict restrictions it had imposed on November 5 on seven municipalities in the North Jutland region, home to 280,000 people, would be lifted on Friday.
They had originally been due to stay in place until December 3.
All minks in the seven municipalities have been culled, totalling 10.2 million, and the slaughter is still ongoing in other parts of the country.
With three times more minks than people, the Scandinavian country is the world's biggest exporter, selling pelts for around 670 million euros ($792 million) annually, and the second-biggest producer behind China, news agency AFP reported.
Healthcare Workers, People Aged Above 65 Years Will Be Given Covid Vaccine On Priority: Harsh VardhanNoting that it is natural to prioritise the COVID-19 vaccine distribution process, Health minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said healthcare workers and people aged above 65 years will be given coronavirus vaccine on priority.
Addressing the FICCI FLO's National Webinar on "The Shifting Healthcare Paradigm During and Post-COVID", Mr Vardhan said coronavirus vaccine will be available in a couple of months and it is estimated that by July-August, 400-500 million vaccine doses will be made available for 25-30 crore people.
"I am confident that the COVID-19 vaccine will be ready in the next three-four months," he said.
"It is natural that the vaccine distribution would have to be prioritised. As you know the healthcare workers who are corona warriors will be prioritised, then people who are above 65 years of age, they have been prioritised and then those from 50-65 years of age have been prioritised. Then those below 50 years who have other diseases," he said.
Mr Vardhan said everything is being decided by experts with a scientific point of view.
"We have made a very detailed meticulous plan on this," he said. "What we would have to do in March-April next year, we have started planning for it from now only," Mr Vardhan said.
COVID-19 LIVE Updates: Centre Rushes High-Level Teams To 4 States To Strengthen Surveillance, TestingThe Centre has rushed high-level teams to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Manipur where they will visit districts reporting high number of COVID-19 cases and support the state's efforts towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing and efficient clinical management of positive cases.
With the spike in daily new COVID-19 cases and fatalities in Delhi, the spillover effect is being observed in the NCR regions within Haryana and Rajasthan where the number of COVID positive patients is on the rise, the Union Health ministry said on Thursday.
Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, New Delhi is leading the three-member team to Haryana and Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), Niti Aayog is heading the Rajasthan team.
The Health ministry said Dr S K Singh, Director (NCDC) will be leading the team to Gujarat while Dr L Swasticharan, Additional DDG, DHGS is heading the Manipur team.
The teams will visit the districts reporting high number of COVID cases and support the state's efforts towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing, infection prevention and control measures, and efficient clinical management of positive cases.
The central teams will also guide in effectively managing the challenges related to timely diagnosis and follow up, the ministry said.
Russia Resumes Covid Vaccine Trial After Pause: Medical StaffRussia has resumed the vaccination of new volunteers in its trial for its flagship COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccine after a short pause, staff at six of 29 trial clinics said, as Moscow moves to accelerate plans to inoculate the population.
At the end of October, eight clinics told Reuters that the trial had been temporarily paused for new volunteers, with some clinics citing high demand and a shortage of doses.
Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Institute, which developed and manufactures the vaccine, said at the time that the uptake of new volunteers had only slowed because of a decision to focus on giving those already vaccinated a second dose.
"Vaccination has resumed. Starting on Monday, we are doing the first component (of the two-dose jab) again," a staff member at Moscow Clinic Number 46 told Reuters this week.
Reuters reporters saw queues of people waiting for a pre-vaccination medical examination at three Moscow trial clinics on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
"We have resumed vaccination. Quite a lot of people come to get inoculated," one health worker at Clinic number 170 said, news agency Reuters reported.
Coronavirus LIVE: Uttarakhand Postpones Reopening Of Colleges After Spike In COVID-19 CasesUttarakhand government has postponed the reopening of the colleges amid rising cases of COVID-19 here.
Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik on Wednesday said that after a long discussion in the cabinet, it has been decided that the colleges will "probably" reopen in December.
There are 4,147 active cases of coronavirus at present here, while 64,032 people have recovered from the deadly virus, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
This comes after 84 schools in five blocks of Pauri District in Garhwal Division were closed for five days after 80 teachers tested positive for COVID-19, an official said on November 6.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: District Magistrates Directed To Double Number Of Covid Testing Centres In Their Respective Districts In DelhiAmid a huge surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, the Delhi government on Thursday directed all district magistrates (DMs) to take steps to double the number of testing centres in their respective districts immediately.
The order issued by the Delhi health department also said that manpower required for the new testing centres "may be hired from open market, if required".
It has been observed that the number of COVID-19 cases are increasing in Delhi and "to ensure early detection and subsequent isolation of the COVID-19 infected patients, it is felt necessary to enhance the COVID-19 testing capacity," the order said.
The issue was discussed at a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on November 15.
"It is therefore directed that all district magistrates/CDMOs will take steps to double the testing centres in all district immediately. The locations will be finalized by November 19, and actual scaling up will be done latest by November 21. Non-compliance will be viewed seriously," the order reads.
COVID-19 LIVE Updates: ICU Beds With Ventilators Not Available At Nearly 60 Hospitals In DelhiAmid spiralling cases of COVID-19 in the national capital, the number of available Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds equipped with ventilators is shrinking fast at several hospitals Delhi, with zero vacancy at nearly 60 facilities, according to official data.
The rise in cases of the infection has happened at a time when approaching winter and severely deteriorating air quality in the city have worsened complications in people with respiratory illnesses.
According to the online Corona dashboard of the Delhi government at 12:30 pm on Thursday, only 131 COVID-19 ICU beds were available out of 1,362 such beds at various facilities in Delhi.
There was no vacancy at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH), Max hospital's facilities at Saket, Patparganj and Shalimar Bagh, Batra hospital, Fortis hospital's facilities at Shalimar Bagh and Vasant Kunj and Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, and Venkateshwara Hospital in Dwarka, among others, as per the data.
Coronavirus Update: ₹ 2,000 Fine For Not Wearing Mask In Delhi, Up From 500, To Tackle Covid
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced a steep ₹ 2,000 fine -- up from the current ₹ 500 -- for those caught without masks, to help control the coronavirus surge that's in its third week. The Chief Minister also appealed to all political parties and social organisations to distribute masks at public places in Delhi.
The hard line by the government came after days of pleas.
As the virus rampaged across a city weakened by sliding mercury and an envelope of smoke, Mr Kejriwal had repeatedly appealed to people with folded hands to wear masks and maintain safety norms. But the mad rush of the festive season had prevailed, pushing the daily tally of fresh cases and fatalities to record highs each week since the beginning of November.
'Confident COVID-19 Vaccine Will Be Ready In 3-4 Months': Harsh Vardhan
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said he was confident that the COVID-19 vaccine would be ready in the next three-four months and added that the priority to provide the same to 135 crore Indians would be based on scientific evaluation.
The Minister was addressing the FICCI FLO webinar on ''The Shifting Healthcare Paradigm During and Post-Covid'' today.
"I am confident that the COVID-19 vaccine will be ready in the next three-four months. Priority for the vaccine will be designed on the basis of scientific data. Health care workers and corona warriors will naturally be prioritised followed by elderly and disease-prone people. Very detailed planning is underway for vaccine dissemination. An e-vaccine intelligence platform has been created to discuss the blueprint for the same. Tracking and tracing of the vaccine would be neck-deep once it's available for the public. Hopefully, 2021 should be a better year for all of us," the Health Minister said.
Delhi High Court Slams AAP Govt For Delay Capping Wedding Numbers
The Delhi High Court today severely criticised the Delhi government for its flip-flop on the cap on the number of wedding attendees in the wake of a fresh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the city.
"Why wait till now to reduce number of attendees at weddings?" the High Court asked the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government today, according to PTI. Delhi on Tuesday scaled down the number of people allowed at weddings from 200 to 50 amid a surge in coronavirus cases. This decision overturned an earlier one, declared by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), to ease a 50-persons-only cap on wedding functions.
31 Employees At Indore Jewellery Store Test Covid-19
A jewellery store in Madhya Pradesh's Indore - one of the worst hit districts in the state by the novel coronavirus outbreak - has been temporarily closed for cleaning and disinfection after 31 employees tested positive for the highly infectious Covid-19. Health officials have started tracing the customers who visited the store in the last week.
"We have started tracing the infected staff and customers, who would have come in contact with them over the past week. We want to check if any of them has cough, cold or other symptoms of Covid so that we can have them tested," Chief Medical Officer Dr Pravin Jadia told reporters. The jewellery showroom - Anand Jewels - is being sanitised and will reopen only after fumigation is completed, officials said.
Millions across the country celebrated Diwali and Dhanteras last week and the number of people visiting the markets rose up significantly amid festivity, compared to the last few months. Visuals from Delhi and Mumbai showed people roaming around the streets without masks and violating the government-mandated social distancing norms.
Arvind Kejriwal Calls All-Party Meet To Discuss Covid Containment In DelhiChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called an all-party meeting on Thursday to discuss a strategy for COVID-19 management and containment in Delhi, where cases have been spiralling since October end.
The meeting is likely to be attended by BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party legislators, and will be held at 11am in the Delhi Secretariat.
The all-party Covid meeting has been called amid a third coronavirus wave, which saw record spike of 8,000 cases last week. The increase in infections this month came with a rise in the number of patients exhibiting severe COVID-19 symptoms, and hospitals running out ICU beds.
Read Covid-19 Test Rates Redued In Telangana
The Telangana government has drastically reduced RT PCR testing rates for private laboratories from ₹ 2,200 to ₹ 850. People are advised to avail government testing facilities for COVID-19 testing, free of cost.
Coronavirus: Fresh Cases Up 18% In India To 45,576 Since Yesterday
45,576 fresh COVID-19 cases in India, 18% higher than yesterday; 89.5 lakh total cases so far, 1,31,578 deaths
Delhi's Covid Cases Cross 5 lakh, Highest Deaths In A Single Day At 131
Delhi recorded 7,486 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking the infection tally in the city to over 5 lakh, while 131 new fatalities, the highest single-day count till date, pushed the number of deaths to 7,943, authorities said.
The new cases came out of over 62,000 tests conducted the previous day, marking a positivity rate of 12.03 per cent amid the festive season and rising pollution in the national capital, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.
Coronavirus news: Odisha Chief Minister designates special hospital for frontline COVID-19 workers
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik designated a special hospital for Covid-19 warriors and held a review meeting to take stock of the coronavirus situation in Odisha.
In a letter, addressed to the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET), and the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), Deputy Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department stated that the Odisha government is pleased to designate the Aditya Ashwini COVID-19 Hospital for the treatment of doctors and frontline warriors against the virus.
The Odisha government has designated a special hospital for the treatment of doctors and front line healthcare workers and aims to provide them better health care facilities.
Later during the day, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held a review meeting to take stock of the Covid-19 situation in the state.
COVID-19: Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine deliveries could start "Before Christmas"
Pfizer Inc and BioNTech could secure emergency US and European authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine next month after final trial results showed it had a 95% success rate and no serious side effects, the drugmakers said on Wednesday.
The vaccine's efficacy was found to be consistent across different ages and ethnicities - a promising sign given the disease has disproportionately hurt the elderly and certain groups including Black people.
The US Food and Drug Administration could grant emergency-use by the middle of December, BioNTech Chief Executive Ugur Sahin told Reuters TV. Conditional approval in the European Union could be secured in the second half of December, he added.
"If all goes well I could imagine that we gain approval in the second half of December and start deliveries before Christmas, but really only if all goes positively," he said.
Coronavirus news: Delhi Covid hospitals allowed to engage MBBS students, interns to assist duty doctors
In view of the rising COVID-19 cases in the national capital, the Delhi government on Wednesday allowed COVID-19 designated hospitals to engage fourth and fifth-year MBBS students, interns, and BDS doctors to assist duty doctors in controlling the pandemic.
According to an official order, the fourth-year and fifth-year MBBS students and dental doctors will assist duty doctors at the honorarium of Rs 1,000 for an 8-hour shift and Rs 2,000 for a 12-hour shift per day.
"In view of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased demand of ICU beds and medical HR in the hospitals of GNCTD Delhi for management of COVID-19, all MDs/Directors of COVID Hospitals of GNCTD are permitted to engage 4th and 5th-year MBBS students, Interns and BDS pass doctors to assist the duty doctors at the honorarium of Rs 1,000 (8 hrs shift) and Rs 2,000 (12 hrs shift) per day by exercising powers delegated to them Under Section 50 of Disaster Management Act," the order said.
COVID-19: Saudi to host online G20 summit amid pandemic, recession
Saudi Arabia hosts the G20 summit Saturday in a first for an Arab nation, but the scaled-down virtual format could limit debate on a resurgent coronavirus pandemic and crippling economic crisis.
The two-day meeting of the world's wealthiest nations follows a bitter US election the results of which remain disputed by President Donald Trump and comes amid criticism of what campaigners call the group's inadequate response to the worst recession in decades.
Held under the shadow of a raging pandemic, the summit which is usually an opportunity for one-on-one engagements between world leaders, is reduced to brief online sessions on pressing global issues -- from climate change to growing inequality.
Discussions are expected to be dominated by the "implications of the pandemic" and "steps for reviving the global economy", a source close to the Saudi organisers told AFP.
New vaccine breakthroughs have raised hopes of containing the virus, which has infected 55 million people globally and left 1.3 million dead. The Paris-based OECD projects global economic output will contract by 4.5 percent this year.
COVID-19: Virus wave must be fought without vaccines, says WHO
The World Health Organization's emergencies director warned Wednesday that vaccines would not arrive in time to defeat the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The WHO's Michael Ryan said vaccines should not be seen as a "unicorn" magic solution -- and countries battling a resurgence of the virus would once again have to "climb this mountain" without them.
"I think it's at least four to six months before we have significant levels of vaccination going on anywhere," he said, during a public question and answer session live on social media.
Despite recent promising announcements from final-phase candidate vaccine trials, "We're not there with vaccines yet," said Ryan.
"Many countries are going through this wave, and they're going to go through this wave, and continue through this wave, without vaccines.
"We need to understand and internalise that, and realise: we have got to climb this mountain this time, without vaccines."
COVID-19: US virus death count passes 250,000, New York closes schools
US coronavirus deaths passed a quarter of a million people Wednesday as New York announced it would close schools to battle a rise in infections and protests in Europe against restrictions turned violent.
America has now registered 250,029 fatalities, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University, by far the highest national death toll.
US states and cities are imposing a raft of new restrictions, including home confinement, the closure of indoor dining and a limit on gatherings as cases soar across the country.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city's 1,800 public schools would revert to remote learning beginning Thursday after the Big Apple recorded a seven-day average positivity rate of three percent.
"We must fight back the second wave of Covid-19," he said.