Coronavirus Highlights: The active caseload stands at 1,38,556 (File)
India reported 13,091 new coronavirus cases and 340 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to a health ministry update. Besides, 13,878 recoveries were also recorded during this period, which increased total recoveries to 3,38,00,925. The recovery rate is currently at 98.25%, highest since March 2020. The active caseload stands at 1,38,556, lowest in 266 days.
So far, 110.23 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country, with 57,54,817 doses being given in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Dr Ram Vishwakarma, Chairman of the Covid Strategy Group, CSIR, told NDTV on Wednesday that Emergency Use Authorisation for the Merck drug Molnupiravir -- an oral antiviral medicine for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 -- is likely "within days".
The medicine is meant for adults who are at risk for progressing to severe COVID-19 or hospitalization. Another pill from Pfizer, Paxlovid, may take some more time, he added.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus Cases In India:
Growing Inequality Gaps Amid Pandemic "Unacceptable": US Vice PresidentThe world must work together to narrow inequality gaps on issues including poverty, health and gender inclusion that have only grown during the Covid-19 pandemic, US Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday.
Speaking a week after the US Congress passed President Joe Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure investment package, she said "no single nation" could be relied upon to deal with these challenges alone.
She told President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders at the Paris Peace Forum conference that inequality gaps had narrowed and widened during human history but "throughout this pandemic the gaps have undoubtedly become larger".
Mizoram Plans To Inoculate Myanmar Refugees Against CovidThe Mizoram government is planning to administer Covid-19 vaccine to Myanmar nationals who have taken refuge in the state following a military coup in the neighbouring country in February, a health department official said on Thursday.
Altogether 12,736 people of Myanmar are currently staying in various parts of Mizoram, particularly in districts bordering that country, according to the state police's record.
The official said the authorities of those districts are gearing up to vaccinate all the eligible refugees.
East Mizoram's Champhai district has the highest number of Myanmar nationals at 7,291, followed by the southernmost Lawngtlai district at 1,746 and state capital Aizawl at 1,622.
A large section of those who have taken refuge in the state belong to the Chin, also known as the Zo, community. They share the same ancestry and culture as the Mizos of Mizoram. They were mainly the residents of Chin, a state in Myanmar, which shares its Western border with Mizoram.
The majority of the Myanmar nationals are lodged in relief camps set up by villagers, while others live with their relatives in the state and some others in rented houses, police said.
West Bengal reports 854 new COVID-19 cases, 13 more deathsWest Bengal reported 854 new COVID-19 cases and 13 more deaths, as per the state health department. Kolkata reported most of the new cases at 236, it said.
With four fatalities, South 24 Parganas district recorded the highest number of deaths. Three people died in North 24 Parganas, and two people each lost their lives in Kolkata and Nadia, it added.
Lions at Singapore wildlife park infected with coronavirusFour lions at a Singapore wildlife park have tested positive for the coronavirus after coming into contact with infected zookeepers, and have symptoms including coughing and sneezing, officials said Wednesday.
The endangered Asiatic lions started displaying signs of illness at the weekend, prompting officials to order coronavirus tests.
The infected big cats along with five others at the Night Safari park have been placed in isolation in their den, the government's animal and veterinary service said.
"All the lions remain bright, alert and active," said Sonja Luz, from Mandai Wildlife Group, which operates the park.
Austrian lockdown for the unvaccinated is days away, chancellor saysAustria is days away from placing millions of people not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on lockdown, as daily infections are at a record high and intensive-care units are increasingly strained, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said on Thursday.
Around 65% of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, the lowest rate of any Western European country apart from tiny Liechtenstein, according to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control data.
Many Austrians are sceptical about vaccinations, a view encouraged by the far-right Freedom Party, the third-biggest in parliament.
Dutch report record daily new Covid casesThe Netherlands on Thursday reported a record daily number of new Covid cases, as the government considered reimposing restrictions to curb the spike in infections.
The 16,364 new cases over the previous 24 hours, announced by the RIVM public health institute, smashed the previous record of 12,997 set on December 20 last year.
Karnataka records 286 new COVID-19 cases, 7 deathsKarnataka has reported 286 fresh cases of COVID-19 and 7 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 29,91,142 and death count to 38,138, the health department said.
The day also saw 289 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,44,958.
Out of 286 cases reported on Thursday, 169 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 171 discharges and 3 deaths.
Total number of active cases in the state is at 8,017.
Kerala records 7,224 daily COVID-19 cases, 419 deathsKerala recorded 7,224 fresh coronavirus infections and 419 deaths, raising the caseload to 50,42,082 and the fatalities to 35,040. With 7,638 more people recovering from the virus since Wednesday, the total recoveries touched 49,36,791 and the active cases reached 69,625, an official press release said.
Of the 419 deaths, 47 were reported over the last few days and 372 were designated as COVID deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and Supreme Court directions, it said.
Fight against COVID-19 at final stage, should not let our guard down: Health Minister
Stating that the fight against COVID-19 is at the final stage, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya cautioned against letting the guard down before it is completely over and requested states to enhance the vaccination coverage and motivate the over 12 crore beneficiaries who are due for their second dose to take it. He also urged states and union territories to ensure the entire adult population is administered the first dose during the ongoing "Har Ghar Dastak" campaign.
Delta remains main Covid variant of concern, others now negligible in sequencing data: INSACOGDelta variant of COVID-19 continues to be the main variant of concern and other variants of interest or concern are now negligible in sequencing data from India, the Indian Sars-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said.
The INSACOG, in a bulletin, said there is no change in the global scenario.
"Delta, including B.1.617.2 (AY) and AY.x sublineages, continues to be the main VOC globally. As per the latest WHO update, Delta has outcompeted other variants in most countries and there is now declining prevalence of other variants among SARS-CoV-2 sequences submitted to publicly available datasets or reported to WHO," it said.
Germany mulls new measures amid explosion in Covid casesGermany needs further coronavirus restrictions to combat a record surge in infections and "get through this winter", would-be chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday, calling a meeting with state premiers to decide new curbs.
The country recorded 50,196 new cases in the past 24 hours on Thursday, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) health agency -- the first time the figure has exceeded 50,000.
Infections and deaths have been climbing steeply since mid-October, in an outbreak blamed on Germany's relatively low vaccination rate of just over 67 percent.
COVID-19 India News: Odisha Reports 271 New Cases, 2 More DeathsOdisha's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,44,699 on Thursday as 271 more people tested positive for the infection, 106 less than the previous day, a health department bulletin said, according to news agency PTI. Two more persons succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, taking the death count to 8,370. Fifty-three other patients have also died due to comorbidities so far, according to the Health Department. The number of active COVID-19 cases dropped to 2,932 as 317 more patients recuperated in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 10,33,344, the bulletin said.
Mansukh Mandaviya Discusses Covid Vaccine Campaign With State Health MinistersUnion Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday discussed the strengthening of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign with state health ministers, during which he urged for their collective efforts to ensure that no citizen is left without the protection of COVID-19 vaccines. The minister further assured the states that there is no shortage of vaccines in the country and stressed on the adherence of COVID Appropriate Behaviour.
Germany Hits Record 50,000 New Coronavirus Cases In 24 HoursGermany registered a record 50,196 new Covid-19 infections Thursday, according to health authorities. It is the first time Germany has exceeded 50,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, and comes as infections and deaths have soared in recent days. Read here.
COVID-19 India News: 16.74 Crore Vaccine Doses Still Available With States, Says CentreThe Centre has provided 1,20,08,58,170 coronavirus vaccine doses to states and union territories so far, through free of cost channel, and through direct state procurement category, said the health ministry on Thursday, reported news agency ANI. According to an official release, 16,74,03,871 balance and unutilized vaccine doses are still available with the states and union territories to be administered.
COVID-19 India News: Mizoram Reports 531 New Cases, No DeathMizoram on Thursday reported 531 new COVID-19 cases, six more than the previous day, pushing the tally to 1,26,917, a health department official said, according to news agency PTI. The COVID-19 death count remained at 456 as no new fatality was reported, the official said. The single-day positivity rate increased to 11.11 per cent from 10.69 per cent the previous day as the fresh cases were detected from 4,780 sample tests, the official said. At least 119 children were among the newly infected people, he said. Mizoram currently has 5,939 active COVID-19 cases, while 1,20,522 people have recovered from the disease, including 371 on Wednesday.
COVID-19 India News: 13,091 New Cases Recorded In Last 24 HoursIndia reported 13,091 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. The recovery rate is currently at 98.25%, highest since March 2020. As many as 13,878 recoveries were recorded in the last 24 hours, increasing the total recoveries to 3,38,00,925. The active caseload stands at 1,38,556, lowest in 266 days. The active cases account for less than 1% of total cases, currently at 0.40%. So far, 110.23 crore vaccine doses have been administered under Nationwide Vaccination Drive, according to a health ministry update.
COVID-19 India News: 5 New Cases Push Arunachal's Virus Tally To 55,202Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 55,202 on Thursday as five more people tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said, according to new agency PTI. The death count remained unchanged at 280 as no fresh fatality was registered, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said. The northeastern state now has 47 active cases, while 54,875 people have recovered from the disease so far, including two on Wednesday. The recovery rate among the COVID-19 patients in the state stood at 99.41 per cent.
COVID-19 News Update: India Conducts Over 11.89 Lakh Tests In Last 24 HoursOver 11.89 lakh COVID-19 tests were conducted in India in the last 24 hours, informed the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday, according to news agency ANI. With 11,89,470 samples tested on Wednesday, India has so far conducted 61,99,02,064 COVID-19 tests. Meanwhile, India on Wednesday reported 11,466 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the country's infection tally to 3,43,88,579.
US Announces Deal To Bring Covid Vaccines To Conflict ZonesUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday announced a deal to bring Covid-19 vaccines into conflict zones, where paltry numbers of people have been inoculated.
In a virtual ministerial meeting on the pandemic, Blinken said the United States had worked with Covax, the international vaccine alliance to support developing nations, on providing the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shots to areas of conflict and other humanitarian distress.
"We're eager for people in these difficult circumstances to get protection against Covid-19 as soon as possible," Blinken said.
"We know the urgency of this fight. We know what we need to do to stop the pandemic. Now, we've got to do it," he said.
Coronavirus Detected In Pet Dog In UK: ReportCOVID-19 has been detected in a pet dog in the United Kingdom, confirmed UK's Chief Veterinary Officer in a statement on Wednesday.
According to him, the infection was confirmed following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge on November 3. The dog is now recovering at home.
All available evidence suggests that the dog contracted the coronavirus from its owners who had previously tested positive for coronavirus. There is no evidence to suggest that the animal was involved in the transmission of the disease to its owners or that pets or other domestic animals are able to transmit the virus to people, according to the statement.