Latest News Live Updates: PM Modi also launched a 9-km-long stretch of the Chennai Metro Rail.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today handed over the indigenously developed Arjun Main Battle Tank (Mark 1A) tanks to Army Chief General MM Naravane in Chennai. PM Modi arrived in Chennai to launch various government programmes in Tamil Nadu, where the assembly election will be held this year.
Meanwhile, India's tally of COVID-19 cases surpassed 1.09 crore with 12,194 new infections, while fresh fatalities were recorded below 100 for the eighth time this month, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.
The total coronavirus cases rose to 1,09,04,940 and the death count increased to 1,55,642 with 92 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,06,11,731 which translates to a national COVID-19 recovery rate of 97.31 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.43 per cent.
The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 1.5 lakh.
There are 1,37,567 active cases of coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 1.26 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
Here are the Latest News Live Updates:
New Zealand virus outbreak is first of UK variant: officialsTwo new coronavirus infections which sent New Zealand's biggest city into lockdown Monday are due to the UK variant of the disease, the first to be detected in the country, officials said.
The Health Ministry said genomic sequencing identified the infections in Auckland as caused by the highly-contagious strain first found in the UK and said there was no link to any other positive cases detected so far in New Zealand.
"This result reinforces the decision to take swift and robust action around the latest cases to detect and stamp out the possibility of any further transmission," the ministry said.
Israeli study shows Pfizer vaccine 94 percent effectiveIsrael's largest healthcare provider said Sunday a study of more than half a million fully vaccinated Israelis indicated the Pfizer/BioNTech jab gave 94 percent protection against Covid-19.
Clalit Health Services said that in a groundbreaking project its researchers tested 600,000 subjects who had received the recommended two doses of the US-German Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and the same number of people who had not been innoculated.
"There was a 94 percent reduction in the rate of symptomatic infection and a 92 percent decrease in the rate of serious illness compared to 600,000 similar (subjects) who were not vaccinated," Clalit said in a Hebrew-language statement.
UK hits target to vaccinate 15 million most at risk from Covid-19
More than 15 million people in Britain most vulnerable to coronavirus have received a first vaccination dose, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Sunday, hailing the "significant milestone".
"This country has achieved an extraordinary feat -- administering a total of 15 million jabs into the arms of some of the most vulnerable people in the country," Johnson said on Twitter alongside a video message.
FASTag Must From Monday, Those Who Don't Have It To Pay Big Fine: CentreThe automatic toll plaza payment system FASTag will become mandatory from tomorrow midnight, the centre said today in a statement. Those who don't install FASTag in their vehicles or have a tag that does not work will have to pay a fee equal to twice the fee for the category of the vehicle they are driving.
To ensure smooth transition to the FASTag system, the government said all fee lanes in toll plazas on National Highways will be able to read the tags.
"No Indian Can Forget This Day": PM Pays Homage To Pulwama Soldiers
No Indian can forget the 2019 terror attacks in Pulwama, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today as he remembered the 40 soldiers who died in the suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir exactly two years ago. The bravery shown by the soldiers will continue to inspire generations, he said.
Read Here Japan Health Ministry Says It Has Approved Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine
Japan's Health Ministry said on Sunday it has officially approved Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, the first such approval in the country as it steps up efforts to tame a third wave of infections in the run-up to the Summer Olympic Games. The move had been widely expected after a government panel recommended approval on Friday, at which point Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said Japan would give its final approval as soon as possible.
Campaign Launched To Ensure COVID-Free Puducherry By February 28
A campaign has been launched to ensure there were no COVID-19 cases by this month-end in the union territory, where the daily count has fallen to single digits, a Health department official said on Sunday.
India's National Recovery Rate Among Highest In The World: Health Ministry
India has been recording a steady decline in the number of daily new deaths since October 1, 2020, while the national recovery rate is amongst the highest in the world, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. "Since 1st October 2020, the nation has seen an unabated decline in Case Fatality Rate. The Case Fatality Rate today stands below 1.5 (1.43%). India's Case Fatality Rate is one of the lowest in the world," it said. The recoveries have surged to 1,06,11,731 with 11,016 patients getting discharged in a span of 24 hours.
New Zealand Imposes 1st COVID-19 Lockdown Since October
New Zealand is imposing the first lockdown restrictions since October on the city of Auckland -- its most populous city -- for three days after three COVID-19 community cases were reported, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Sunday. The three cases, confirmed earlier in the day by the health ministry, are from the same household in South Auckland. All the patients are currently in quarantine.
Russia Registers 14,185 New COVID-19 Cases
Russia registered 14,185 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, down from 14,861 the day before, taking the overall tally to 4,071,883, the coronavirus response center said on Sunday. "Over the past day, 14,185 coronavirus cases were confirmed across 85 regions, including 1,587 cases (11.2 percent) that were detected actively, with people showing no clinical symptoms," the center said, adding that the cumulative case count has now reached 4,071,883, with the rate of increase at 0.35 percent.
No power in the world can break Assam. Whoever will try to touch the Assam Accord or spread hatred, Congress party and people of Assam will teach them a lesson together: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Assam.
In Chennai To Open Infra Projects, PM Applauds Farmers Of Tamil Nadu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today applauded the farmers of Tamil Nadu for what he said were "record food production" and water use. Speaking in Chennai on Sunday, he said, "I want to appreciate the farmers of Tamil Nadu for record food grain production and good use of water resources. We have to do whatever we can do to conserve water. Always remember the mantra of 'Per drop, more crop".
Read Here Currently, there are no Indian fishermen in Srilankan custody. Similarly, 330 boats have also been released and we are working on the release of the rest of the boats: PM Modi in Chennai
The issue of Tamil rights has been taken up by us consistently with Sri Lanka. We are committed to ensuring that they live with equality, justice, peace and dignity: PM Modi in Chennai.
The Central Government has accepted the long-standing demand of Devendrakulla Vellalar community to be known by their heritage name and not by the 6-7 names listed in Schedule to the Constitution: PM Modi in Chennai.
Tamil Nadu is already a leading automobile manufacturing hub of India. Now, I see, Tamil Nadu evolving as the tank manufacturing hub of India: PM Modi.
One of the two defence corridors is in Tamil Nadu. It has already received an investment commitment of over Rs 8100 crore. Today, I am proud to dedicate to the nation the indigenously designed and manufactured Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A): PM Modi.
"No Indian can forget this day. Two years ago, the Pulwama attack happened. We pay homage to all the martyrs we lost in that attack. We are proud of our security forces. Their bravery will continue to inspire generations," says PM Narendra Modi in Chennai.
I want to appreciate the farmers of Tamil Nadu for record food grain production and good use of water resources. We have to do whatever we can do to conserve water. Always remember the mantra of 'Per drop, more crop': PM Modi in Chennai
Chennai is full of energy and enthusiasm. It is a city of knowledge and creativity. From here, we begin key infrastructure projects. These projects are symbols of innovation and indigenous development: PM Modi in Chennai.
PM Modi lays the foundation stone for the Discovery Campus of IIT Madras. The Campus will be built at Thaiyur near Chennai at an estimated cost of Rs 1000 crores in the first phase, over an area of 2 lakh sqm.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hands over to Army indigenous Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) in Chennai.
No Fresh COVID-19 Case In Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh did not report any fresh COVID-19 case on Sunday, a senior health official said. One more person has been cured of the disease, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said. The northeastern state's caseload stands at 16,832, of which four are active cases, while 16,772 people have recovered from the disease and 56 patients have succumbed to the infection so far, he said.
Brazil Registers Over 1,000 Deaths From COVID-19
Brazil registered 1,043 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll to 238,532, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday. It has been the fifth consecutive day that more than 1,000 daily deaths from the disease have been reported.
Andamans Reports 2 New COVID-19 Cases, Tally Rises To 5,009
Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported two new COVID-19 cases, pushing the coronavirus caseload in the union territory to 5,009, an official said on Sunday. The two new cases were detected in South Andaman district during contact tracing on Saturday, the official said.
India Records 12,194 New COVID-19 Cases
India's tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 1,09,04,940 with 12,194 new infections being reported in a day. The death count increased to 1,55,642 with 92 daily new fatalities, data updated at 8 am showed.
Coronavirus Expected To Last Long-Term Despite Global Vaccine Rollout
The head of the EU's disease control agency warned Friday that the novel coronavirus could last indefinitely even as global infections slowed by nearly half in the last month and vaccine rollouts gathered pace in parts of the world. In an interview with AFP, ECDC chief Andrea Ammon urged European countries in particular not to drop their guard against a virus that "seems very well adapted to humans" and may require experts to tweak vaccines over time, as is the case with the seasonal flu.
All Over-70s Urged To Get COVID-19 Jabs As UK Nears Vaccine Target
People eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine among the over-70 most at-risk groups who haven't yet had their jab are being urged by the National Health Service (NHS) to come forward this weekend in a renewed drive as the UK government nears its target of vaccinating the top priority groups by Monday.
Oxford Covid Vaccine To Be Tested On Children For First Time
The University of Oxford has launched a study to assess the safety and immune response of the COVID-19 vaccine it has developed with AstraZeneca Plc in children for the first time, it said on Saturday. The new mid-stage trial will determine whether the vaccine is effective on people between the ages of 6 and 17, according to an emailed statement from the university.
Pandemic tops agenda as UK hosts G7 leaders' meet next weekBritain said Saturday it will use the first leaders' meeting of its G7 presidency next week to seek more global cooperation on coronavirus vaccine distribution and post-pandemic recovery plans. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host G7 heads of state for a virtual meeting on Friday, their first gathering since April 2020 and US President Joe Biden's first major multilateral engagement since taking office last month.
They are meeting at a seaside retreat in Cornwall in southwestern England on June 11-13, after last year's gathering in the United States was shelved because of the pandemic.
Iran sees risk of fourth COVID wave fed by mutant virusIran's health minister warned on Saturday of a fourth COVID-19 surge with the possible spread of a mutated virus in the worst-hit country in the Middle East.
President Hassan Rouhani told state television "alarm bells were ringing for a fourth coronavirus wave" as at least nine cities and towns in Iran's southwest were declared high-risk "red" zones after a rise in cases on Friday.
"Hard days are beginning for us and you must prepare to fight the most uncontrollable mutated virus which is unfortunately infecting the country," health minister Saeed Namaki told heads of medical colleges in a meeting carried live on state TV.
China refused to provide WHO team with raw data on early COVID cases, team member saysChina refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to a World Health Organization-led team probing the origins of the pandemic, one of the team's investigators said, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the outbreak began.
The team had requested raw patient data on 174 cases that China had identified from the early phase of the outbreak in the city of Wuhan in December 2019, as well as other cases, but were only provided with a summary, said Dominic Dwyer, an Australian infectious diseases expert who is a member of the team.
Such raw data is known as "line listings", he said, and would typically be anonymised but contain details such as what questions were asked of individual patients, their responses and how their responses were analysed.