Coronavirus Cases in India: The recovery rate is 96.32 per cent.
India added 16,375 coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, placing its overall number at 1.03 crore cases, the Health Ministry's data showed. The number of fresh infections is marginally lower than on Monday. In this period, India reported 201 deaths linked to the virus, taking the total number of fatalities to 1,49,850.
The COVID-19 vaccine can be rolled out within 10 days from the emergency use authorisation date, based on dry run feedback, the government said today.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has recorded more than 60,000 COVID-19 cases in daily figures for the first time on Tuesday as the government struggles to deal with a new, more infectious variant of the virus.
Nearly 56 million people in England will return to a full coronavirus lockdown, possibly until mid-February, to try to cut spiralling infection rates, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday.
Here are the LIVE updates on Coronavirus Cases:
"Nobody Said It's A Trial": A New Covid Vaccine Controversy In BhopalTrials of a coronavirus vaccine have run into fresh controversy in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal where some allege they received shots without informed consent.
NDTV has spoken to over a dozen people who claim they were misled into taking part in trials held by a local private hospital, the People's College of Medical Sciences. They say they were not informed about the trial or the risks, but told only that the injection would prevent Covid. They also claim they were not given copies of the consent form, mandatory for such trials.
"... nobody told me about any side effects and nobody gave me a copy of the informed consent form. I have never got a call from the hospital," Rekha, from Bhopal's Oriya Basti said, adding, "... the hospital said (if I take if this injection) I won't get corona."
Read Covid Vaccine Roll-Out By Next Week? What Government SaidThe Covid-19 vaccines will be ready for rollout in 10 days from the emergency use authorisation date based on feedback from the dry run, the government said today, ending speculation about the time frame that started since the drug regulator's approval on Sunday. Two vaccines have received approval -- Oxford University's Covishield, which is being developed by the Pune-based Serum Institute, and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.
Today's announcement by the government came amid the growing number of the highly infectious strain of mutant Covid that is reaching India with people returning from the United Kingdom. So far, 58 people have tested positive for the new strain, the Union Health ministry said this morning, reporting 20 new cases.
Read "Inoculate Teachers First": Top Medical Research Body Chief On SchoolsA vaccine should first be given to adults, starting with teachers, to prevent community spread of the coronavirus disease through students, the chief of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said responding to a query on when can Indians expect schools to reopen.
"The United Kingdom has burnt its fingers twice by opening up schools. The teachers should be the first to get vaccinated. The adults in their families also need to be vaccinated so that there is no spread," ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava said on Tuesday.
The question assumes importance since only one of the two vaccines approved so far - Serum Institute of India's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin - has been tested in children.
Read Boris Johnson Cancels Republic Day Visit To India Over Covid Crisis In UKBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancelled his visit to India, hours after he announced a fresh lockdown in the United Kingdom over the new strain of coronavirus that has affected thousands of people in the UK. Mr Johnson was to be the chief guest at this year's Republic Day parade in New Delhi, which was also to be his first bilateral visit after the UK's departure from the European Union in December. He had accepted the invitation last month.
"The prime minister spoke to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi this morning, to express his regret that he will be unable to visit India later this month as planned," read a statement from his Downing Street office.
"In light of the national lockdown announced last night, and the speed at which the new coronavirus variant is spreading, the Prime Minister said that it was important for him to remain in the UK so he can focus on the domestic response to the virus," the statement read.
Read Germany Toughens, Extends Covid Lockdown Until End-January
Germany on Tuesday prolonged and toughened up its partial lockdown with tighter limits on social contacts, as Europe's top economy struggles with stubbornly high coronavirus infections.
Schools, leisure and sporting facilities and most shops will remain shut through to January 31, Chancellor Angela Merkel said after talks with leaders of Germany's 16 states.
People will be allowed to meet up with only one other individual from another household under the new rules, instead of five people previously.
Covid Vaccination Voluntary, Antibodies Develop 2 Weeks After Second Dose: AIIMS Director
Getting immunised against COVID-19 will be a voluntary exercise and it is important that both dozes of the vaccine be administered to an individual for developing better immune response against the disease, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria has said.
Protective levels of antibodies generally develop two weeks after receiving the second dose, he said.
The senior pulmonologist also stressed that the vaccine introduced in India will be as effective as any vaccine developed by other countries.
With the COVID-19 vaccine expected to be rolled out within a few days, Mr Guleria answered some FAQs about the vaccination drive in a video uploaded on the health ministry's website.
UK COVID-19 Daily Reported Cases Pass 60,000 For The First Time
The United Kingdom has recorded more than 60,000 COVID-19 cases in daily figures for the first time on Tuesday as the government struggles to deal with a new, more infectious variant of the virus.
The news is another reminder of the severity of the crisis as England and Scotland started a new COVID-19 lockdown, with citizens under orders to stay at home.
"The rapid rise in cases is highly concerning and will sadly mean yet more pressure on our health services in the depths of winter," said Yvonne Doyle, the medical director for Public Health England.
World Bank Warns Global Recovery Could Erode If COVID-19 Worsens
The World Bank on Tuesday downgraded its outlook for the global economy, and warned the situation could deteriorate if COVID-19 infections accelerate or the vaccine rollout is delayed.
The coronavirus pandemic also has worsened the risks surrounding the rising debt load in developing nations, and it will take a global effort to avoid a new crisis in those economies, the bank cautioned.
After shrinking 4.3 per cent in 2020, the world economy is projected to grow by 4.0 per cent this year, two-tenths lower than previously forecast, as more than half of countries were downgraded in the semi-annual Global Economic Prospects report.
All Indian Vaccines Being Developed For Storage At 2-8 Degrees: Department Of Biotechnology Secretary
All Indian vaccines being developed against the coronavirus will have to be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius as the logistics have been worked out while considering temperature as a factor, Department of Biotechnology Secretary Renu Swarup said on Tuesday.
Ms Swarup said Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin and Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield have robustly undergone immunoassay lab tests.
"(For) all our vaccines, we are looking at right now~CHECK~(we) are targeting 2-8 degree because our logistics are worked out on that basis and we are working on that," Ms Swarup said at a press briefing.
She said the DNA vaccine candidate being developed by Zydus Cadila, and the Biological E's mRNA vaccine work at storage temperatures of 2-8 degrees Celsius.
COVID-19 Latest News: No Night Curfew In Mandi, Shimla, Kullu And Kangra In Himachal Pradesh
Coronavirus Latest News: Rajasthan Reports 397 New Cases, 5 Deaths And 751 Recoveries
COVID-19 Live Updates: Tamil Nadu Reports 820 New Cases, 971 Discharges And 11 Deaths
Coronavirus Live News: Mumbai's Dharavi Records Four New Cases Of COVID-19 Cases
With the addition of four new cases of COVID-19, the number of infections in Mumbai's Dharavi area reached 3,830 on Tuesday, a senior official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.
The slum-dominated area had reported five new COVID-19 cases on Monday.
Of the total number of cases reported from the locality so far, 3,492 have recovered from the infection, the official said.
There are currently 26 active COVID-19 cases in the area, he added.
Coronavirus Live Updates: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Resumes Office After Recovering From COVID-19
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has resumed his normal duties on Tuesday after recovering from coronavirus.
"Rawat has fully recovered from COVID-19 and has resumed his duties as chief minister. After completing the mandatory isolation period, Rawat has started to clear the pending works from his Delhi residence," an official said.
Mr Rawat had tested positive on December 18 along with his wife and son and was under home isolation. Later, he was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi following a mild infection in his lungs.
Covid-19 Latest Updates: Kerala Reports 5,615 New Cases, 4,922 Recoveries And 24 Deaths
Covid-19 Latest News: Delhi Reports 442 New Cases, 557 Recoveries And 12 Deaths
COVID-19 Live Updates: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson Postpones India Visit
British Prime Mnister Boris Johnson cancelled his visit to India, sources said, hours after he announced a fresh lockdown in the United Kingdom over the new strain of coronavirus that's threatening to go out of control.
"The prime minister spoke to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi this morning, to express his regret that he will be unable to visit India later this month as planned," a spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
Bihar Prepared For COVID-19 Vaccination: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday assured that the state government has made adequate preparations for COVID-19 vaccination in Bihar.
"We are prepared for COVID-19 vaccination in Bihar. It will be given to the healthcare workers, frontline workers and people above 50 years on priority. We'll be following the central guidelines and will conduct the vaccination effectively," Nitish Kumar said.
"Our country has managed to create a COVID-19 vaccine. As per the requirement, we will start giving the vaccine shots. After that, will vaccinate at large," he added.
Ready To Roll Out Covid Vaccine Within 10 Days Of Emergency Use Authorization: Health Ministry
The health ministry said based on the feedback of dry run, it is ready to roll out COVID-19 vaccine within 10 days from date of Emergency Use Authorization.
India's Active COVID-19 Cases Less Than 2.5 Lakh: Health Ministry
Addressing the media, the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said India's active COVID-19 cases are less than 2.5 lakh, while the daily deaths have been less than 300 for 11 days.
Asserting that there has been continuous decline in the number of active cases, it said the daily positivity rate remains below 3 per cent with average recoveries more than new cases.
Arrangements Being Made To Vaccinate Haj Pilgrims: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday said arrangements are
being made to administer coronavirus vaccines to those going from India for the Haj pilgrimage.
He was speaking after chairing a meeting of the Haj Committee of India officials and Haj Group organisers at Haj House in south Mumbai.
The last date for submission of application forms for Haj 2021 is January 10, he said.
JustIn| Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech pledge "smooth" vaccine rollout: "More important task is saving lives, livelihoods"
China doubles down on COVID narrative as WHO investigation looms
As a team from the World Health Organization (WHO) prepares to visit China to investigate the origins of COVID-19, Beijing has stepped up efforts not only to prevent new outbreaks, but also shape the narrative about when and where the pandemic began.
China has dismissed criticism of its early handling of the coronavirus, first identified in the city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, and foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that the country would welcome the WHO team.
But amid simmering geopolitical tensions, experts said the investigators were unlikely to be allowed to scrutinise some of the more sensitive aspects of the outbreak, with Beijing desperate to avoid blame for a virus that has killed more than 1.8 million people worldwide.
"Even before this investigation, top officials from both sides have been very polarised in their opinions on the origins of the outbreak," said Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S. think tank.
"They will have to be politically savvy and draw conclusions that are acceptable to all the major parties," he added.
COVID-19: India records lowest daily cases in over six months
India recorded 16,375 new cases of coronavirus, the lowest in over six months, taking the country's COVID-19 caseload to 1,03,56,844, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.
The death toll increased to 1,49,850 with 201 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 99,75,958 pushing the national recovery rate to 96.32 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent.
The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh for the 15th consecutive day.
There are 2,31,036 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 2.23 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
JustIn| 20 new UK mutant covid strain cases identified today, taking total tally of such cases in India to 58.
Here's a lab-wise breakup of where these cases have been identified so far:
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visits Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences.
Dry run for COVID-19 vaccine rollout in all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh underway.
No fresh COVID-19 case in Andamans, tally at 4,948
Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not record a single fresh COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, a health department official said on Tuesday.
The coronavirus tally in the Union Territory remained at 4,948, while a total of 62 people have so far died due to the contagion, he said.
Two persons were cured of the disease since Monday, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 4,848, the official said.
The Union Territory now has 38 active cases.
Thane reports 321 new COVID-19 cases, 6 more deaths
With the addition of 321 new COVID-19 cases, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has reached 2,44,571, an official said on Tuesday.
Besides these new cases reported on Monday, five people also died due to COVID-19, taking the number of fatalities in the district to 5,985, he said.
Currently, the mortality rate in the district is 2.45 per cent, the official said.
So far, 2,34,732 patients have recovered from the viral infection, taking the recovery rate in the district to 95.98 per cent.
At present, there are 3,854 active COVID-19 cases in the district, the official said.
Dry run for COVID-19 vaccine rollout in all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh underway; visual from Lucknow's King George's Medical University.
Japan sumo champion Hakuho tests positive for coronavirus
Record-breaking sumo champion Hakuho has tested positive for coronavirus, just days before the New Year tournament, the Japan Sumo Association said Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the JSA said it was not clear if anyone else at Hakuho's Miyagino stable had tested positive for the virus, or if Hakuho was displaying symptoms, though local media reported he was tested after noticing a loss of smell.
The Mongolian-born 35-year-old, who has won a record 44 tournaments and holds sumo's highest rank of yokozuna, had been preparing for the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, which starts Sunday in Tokyo.
The JSA spokesperson said his participation in the basho, or tournament, was as yet undecided.
Dry run for COVID-19 vaccine rollout in all 75 districts of UP will begin at 10 am. It'll help us to identify gaps in preparation and take corrective steps so that everything is conducted smoothly when actual vaccination is done: Amit Mohan Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary(Health)
253 new coronavirus cases, 3 deaths reported in Telangana
Telangana added 253 fresh infections to its COVID-19 tally, taking the total caseload to nearly 2.88 lakh while three related fatalities pushed the toll to 1,554.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 61, followed by Warangal Urban and Medchal Malkajgiri with 20 and 18 respectively, a government bulletin said on Tuesday providing details as of 8 pm on January 4.
The total number of cases stood at 2,87,993 while the recoveries were at 2,81,400.
As many as 5,039 patients are under treatment and 42,485 samples were tested on Monday.
253 new coronavirus cases, 3 deaths reported in Telangana
Telangana added 253 fresh infections to its COVID-19 tally, taking the total caseload to nearly 2.88 lakh while three related fatalities pushed the number to 1,554.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 61, followed by Warangal Urban and Medchal Malkajgiri with 20 and 18 respectively, a government bulletin said on Tuesday providing details as of 8 pm on January 4.
The total number of cases stood at 2,87,993 while the recoveries were at 2,81,400.
As many as 5,039 patients are under treatment and 42,485 samples were tested on Monday.
JustIn| 16,375 fresh COVID-19 cases in India, marginally lower than yesterday; over 1.03 crore total cases, 1.49 lakh deaths
Mexico approves AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine
Mexico on Monday authorized the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford for emergency use in the country, which has one of the world's highest Covid-19 death tolls.
Deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell announced on Twitter that Mexican regulators had approved the vaccine, which has also been authorized by Britain, India and Argentina.
It is the second coronavirus vaccine authorized by Mexico, which on December 24 began a mass immunization program using the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, with priority given to health workers.
Mexico, which has reported more than 127,000 Covid-19 deaths and around 1.4 million cases, has an agreement with AstraZeneca to buy 77.4 million doses of its vaccine.
Three test positive for the new UK variant of coronavirus in Rajasthan
A total of three persons have tested positive for the new UK variant of coronavirus in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district, an official said on Monday.
"Three persons have tested positive for the new UK variant of coronavirus. Their samples were sent to Delhi. All three have been shifted to the district hospital. Contact tracing and their sampling have been done. The area where they live has been sanitised," Hawaiian Singh, SDM Sriganganagar told ANI.
A total of 38 samples have been found to be positive with the new UK variant genome of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, confirmed the Health Ministry on Monday.
These persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated Health Care facilities by respective state governments and their close contacts have also been put under quarantine.
Vaccines May Not Work On South Africa's Coronavirus Strain: UK Scientists
Scientists are not fully confident that COVID-19 vaccines will work on a new variant of the coronavirus found in South Africa, ITV's political editor said on Monday, citing an unidentified scientific adviser to the British government.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said earlier on Monday that he was incredibly worried about the new variant. Public Health England did not answer phone calls requesting comment on the report.
"According to one of the government's scientific advisers, the reason for Matt Hancock's 'incredible worry' about the South African Covid-19 variant is that they are not as confident the vaccines will be as effective against it as they are for the UK's variant," ITV political editor Robert Peston said.
"Don't Accuse Us Of Inexperience, We Are Global Company": Bharat BiotechThe chairman of Bharat Biotech - whose coronavirus vaccine Covaxin has been given "restricted use in emergency situation in public interest" - hit out Monday at critics flagging the lack of Phase III trial data and questioning the drug's efficacy. "We don't deserve this backlash," Dr Krishna Ella said.
Addressing a virtual presser, Dr Ella said his company had carried out "200 per cent honest clinical trials", had an established track record in producing 16 safe and efficacious vaccines, and was transparent with all data.
"Don't accuse us of inexperience. We are a global company... have manufactured 16 vaccines. It is not correct to say we are not transparent with data. We conduct clinical trials in many countries, including the UK.
Read UK PM Boris Johnson Announces England-Wide Lockdown Nearly 56 million people in England will return to a full coronavirus lockdown, possibly until mid-February, to try to cut spiralling infection rates, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday.
The measures, which include the closure of primary and secondary schools, will come into effect Wednesday, he said in a televised address, after Scotland announced similar measures would come into force from midnight (0000 GMT) on Tuesday.
Some 44 million people or three-quarters of the population of England are already living under the toughest restrictions, as Britain grapples with one of the worst mortality rates from coronavirus in the world.
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