COVID-19 cases in India: There are now 1,40,638 active cases in India, the lowest in 263 days. (File)
India reported 10,126 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the lowest in 266 days, besides 332 more virus-related deaths. Meanwhile, the recovery count increased to 3,37,75,086 with 11,982 recoveries being reported in the last 24 hours, informed the Union health ministry. The recovery rate is currently at 98.25 per cent. There are now 1,40,638 active cases in India, the lowest in 263 days.
So far, 9.08 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country, with 59,08,440 doses being administered in the last 24 hours.
Yesterday, 11,451 virus cases and 266 related deaths were reported across the country.
Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry is learnt to have given the go-ahead to initiate the preparatory work for the introduction of the indigenously developed world's first DNA-based Covid jab, which in all probability will be given to adults initially under the country's vaccination drive, sources in the know of developments said.
Zydus Cadila has agreed to bring down the price of its COVID-19 vaccine to Rs 265 a dose following persistent negotiations by the government. Zydus Cadila's ZyCov-D is the first vaccine cleared by India's drug regulator for inoculation of those aged 12 years and above.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus Cases In India:
Looking Forward To "Second Generation" Of Covid Vaccines: WHO Chief ScientistThe World Health Organization's chief scientist said Tuesday she was looking forward to the "second generation" of Covid-19 vaccines, which could include nasal sprays and oral versions.
Soumya Swaminathan said such vaccines could have advantages over the current crop as they would be easier to deliver than injections and could even be self-administered.
Swaminathan said there were 129 different candidate vaccines that have got as far as clinical trials -- being tested on humans -- while a further 194 are not yet that advanced in their development and are still being worked on in laboratories.
"This covers the entire range of technologies," she told a live interaction on WHO social media channels.
"They're still in development. I'm sure some of them will prove to be very safe and efficacious and others may not.
Moderna Seeks EU Approval Of Covid Vaccine For 6 To 11 Year OldsModerna has applied to the European Union's medicine regulator for approval of its Covid-19 vaccine for children aged six to 11, the US biotechnology company announced Tuesday.
The dosage for the two injections administered four weeks apart has been adjusted to 50 micrograms, compared with the 100 micrograms for shot recipients in older age groups.
"We are pleased to announce the submission of this variation to the EMA," the European Medicines Agency, Moderna's chief executive Stephane Bancel said in a statement.
"This marks our first submission for the use of our vaccine in this age group."
Moderna's jab is currently approved for people 12 and older in Europe.
European Union To Approve First Covid Antibody Drugs Amid Spike In Cases The European Union drugs regulator is set to authorise the use of two monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 patients in coming days, two EU sources told Reuters, in its first approvals of such therapies.
The authorisations would come as the bloc faces a new surge in infections and hospitalisations despite high vaccination levels in many countries.
173 new COVID-19 cases, one death in TelanganaTelangana on Tuesday reported 173 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,72,823, while one more fatality took the toll to 3,968.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 61, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (13) and Karimnagar and Ranga Reddy (12 each), a state government bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM on Tuesday.
Himachal Pradesh records 130 fresh Covid cases, one deathHimachal Pradesh's Covid tally rose to 2,25,165 with 130 fresh cases, while the death count reached 3,768 after one more person succumbed to the infection, an official said.
A 90-year-old man died due to coronavirus in Kangra district.
A total of 169 more patients recovered from the infection, taking the recovery count to 2,20,297, the health official said.
The number of active Covid cases now stood at 1,083 in the state.
These countries agree to mutual acceptance of vaccination certificates of India's vaccines
As many as 96 countries have agreed to Mutual Acceptance of vaccination certificates of India's COVID vaccines and vaccination process, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.
The Union Government continues to be in communication with the rest of the world so that beneficiaries of the world's largest COVID vaccination program are accepted and recognized, thereby easing travel for education, business and tourism purposes, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
"At present, 96 countries have agreed to mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and also those who recognise Indian vaccination certificates of travellers fully vaccinated with Covishield/WHO approved/nationally approved vaccines. Consecutively, persons travelling from these countries are provided certain relaxations," reads the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare statement.
Covid Stole 28 Million Years Of Life From 31 Countries Last YearThe pandemic's effects on mortality have been uneven. Life expectancy dipped in most places last year, shaving 28.1 million years off the cumulative longevity in 31 countries. But residents of a handful of places that successfully kept Covid-19 at bay -- including New Zealand and Taiwan -- actually lived longer.
Life expectancy is an indication of how long on average people will live once their age is taken into account, provided that there aren't any big shifts in the number of people dying in each age bracket over time.
COVID-19 India News: Ladakh Reports 12 New Cases, Tally Reaches 21,059Ladakh has recorded 12 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the virus tally to 21,059 while the active cases has gone up to 122, officials said on Tuesday, according to news agency PTI. Ladakh has registered 209 COVID-related deaths -- 151 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. Eleven patients were cured and discharged from hospital in Leh. The total number of cured patients stands at 20,727, they said. Of the 12 fresh cases, all of these cases were reported in Leh, they said.
COVID-19 News: Over 15.92 Crore Unutilized Vaccine Doses Still Available With StatesMore than 116.89 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states and Union Territories so far under the ongoing nationwide vaccination drive, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Tuesday, according to news agency ANI. "More than 116 crores (1,16,89,46,235) vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through the Government of India (free of cost channel) and through a direct state procurement category," read the ministry's official release. The ministry further informed that over 15.92 crore (15,92,74,731) balance and unutilized vaccine doses are still available with the states and Union territories to be administered.
COVID-19 India News: Maharashtra's Thane Reports 139 New Cases, 2 More DeathsWith the addition of 139 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has reached 5,66,687, while two more deaths pushed the fatality count to 11,545, said an official on Tuesday, according to news agency PTI. These new cases and deaths were reported on Monday, he said. The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 2.03 per cent, he added.
In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,38,185, while the death count stands at 3,289, another official said.
Andaman And Nicobar Islands Reports One New COVID-19 Case, Tally Reaches 7,665The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported one new COVID-19 case, three less than the previous day, pushing the tally to 7,665, a health department official said on Tuesday, according to news agency PTI. The archipelago had reported four COVID-19 cases on Sunday, one on Saturday, zero on Friday, one on Thursday and zero on Wednesday.
The union territory now has 10 active COVID-19 cases and all the patients are in the South Andaman district of which the capital Port Blair is a part. The other two districts - North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar - are coronavirus free.
Three more patients recuperated from COVID-19, taking the total number of recoveries to 7,526, he said.
The COVID-19 death count remained at 129 as no fresh fatality has been reported in the last 24 hours, the official said.
India Reports 10,126 New Cases, 332 Deaths In Last 24 hoursIndia reported 10,126 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, which is the lowest in 266 days. Besides 332 more deaths were also reported during the day. The recovery rate currently stands at 98.25%, highest since March 2020. There have been 11,982 recoveries in the last 24 hours, which increased the total recoveries to 3,37,75,086. The active caseload in the country stands at 1,40,638, lowest in 263 days.
So far, 9.08 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country, with 59,08,440 doses being administered in the last 24 hours.
COVID-19 Update: Global Count Crosses 250 Million, According to News Agency AFPOver 250 million cases of COVID-19 infections have been recorded worldwide since the start of the pandemic, according to a count by news agency AFP compiled from official reports at 2:30 AM (IST) on Monday. Globally, over five million deaths from COVID-19 have been recorded so far, but the vast majority of those infected have recovered. Some, however, have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.
Europe is the region with the highest number of infections, registering over 76 million COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak in China in December 2019. Asia is the second most affected with 56,201,653 cases, followed by the US and Canada (48,290,522 cases) and Latin America and the Caribbean (46,107,131).
The number of new cases around the world has been slowly increasing over the past few weeks.
COVID-19: New Rules In Karnataka For Short-Duration Travellers From MaharashtraThe Karnataka government on Monday issued new COVID-19 guidelines for those travelling to the state from Maharashtra for two days or less by any mode of transport, reported news agency ANI. As per an official statement issued by the Karnataka government, the travellers should be asymptomatic, like not having fever, cough cold, throat pain, fever, difficulty in breathing, etc.
"The travellers are mandatory to undergo thermal scanning for fever on arrival and carry COVID-19 vaccination certificate for both the two doses," the statement said.
The statement further stated that the travellers from Maharashtra, including Mumbai, need to wear face masks and follow the Covid Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) throughout their stay in Karnataka, including state capital Bengaluru.
"Persons complying with the norms strictly may be exempted from mandatory RT-PCR negative test reports for the short duration of the visit. Therefore, the concerned authorities are instructed to ensure the same," the statement added.
US-Mexico Border Reopens After 20 Months Of Covid ShutdownThere were fewer crossings at the Mexico-United States border than expected on Monday as it reopened to nonessential travel following a 20-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many residents staying home to avoid potential chaos.
Officials in the Mexican border city of Tijuana said people did not make the most of restrictions being lifted along the 2,000-mile (3,200-km) border due to fears of being caught in traffic.
"In the morning, there was no line," Tijuana resident Claudia Hernandez said as she prepared to enter the United States to go shopping ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
"Next week we'll see the massive lines that always form."
Javier Delgado, a Tijuana transport official, said there was about 35% less traffic than expected on the city's border with San Diego, one of the busiest borders in the world.
On Sunday, hundreds of cars had formed lines stretching back kilometers from Tijuana, fueling fears the reopening could become a problem. But traffic advanced steadily.
Denmark brings Covid curbs back after just two monthsDenmark will re-introduce a health pass because of a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Monday, less than two months after scrapping controls.
The Epidemic Commission has recommended the government classify the coronavirus as a "socially threatening disease" and re-impose the pass, Frederiksen told journalists.
"The government will follow this recommendation."
Frederiksen acknowledged that the return of the pass would make life more difficult for those who were not vaccinated, but added: "That's how I think it should be."
In Denmark, with a population of 5.8 million, 85.9 percent of people over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated.