Latest News Today: From the airport, the vaccines are being dispatched to 13 cities.
The first consignment of Covishield vaccines reached Delhi from Pune today, four days ahead of the launch of a nationwide drive against the coronavirus.
A SpiceJet flight carrying the vaccines landed at the Delhi airport around 10 am. It had left for the national capital around 8 am, three hours after three trucks with the maiden consignment of the vaccines rolled out of the Serum Institute of India (SII) facility, 15 km from the Pune airport.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said four airlines will operate nine flights to transport 56.5 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Pune to 13 cities across the country on Tuesday. Vaccine movement has started, he said on Twitter, adding that first two flights operated by "SpiceJet and GoAir from Pune to Delhi and Chennai have taken off".
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases:
Coronavirus update: Temporary morgues set up as UK hospitals run out of spaceBritish authorities have had to set up a temporary morgues in some areas after local hospital mortuaries ran out of space due to a surge in deaths caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Britain has reported record levels of deaths and new infections in the last few weeks, fuelled by a new variant of the coronavirus which has caused a surge in cases, especially in London and southeast England.
In Surrey, to the south of London, the county's hospital mortuaries have reached their 600 capacity, meaning local authorities have had to start using a temporary morgue.
Malaysia declares virus emergency, suspends parliamentMalaysia's king declared a nationwide state of emergency Tuesday to fight a coronavirus surge and parliament was suspended, with critics charging it was a bid by the unstable government to cling to power.
The surprise move came a day after the prime minister announced sweeping new curbs across much of the Southeast Asian nation, including the closure of most businesses, and warned the health system was "at breaking point".
Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah agreed to declare an emergency until August 1 following a request from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the national palace said in a statement.
Delhi Police steps up security ahead of nationwide vaccine roll-outThe Delhi Police has made adequate security arrangements in the city for the smooth transportation of COVID-19 vaccines when the countrywide vaccination roll-out will begin later this week, officials said.
The first batch of Covishield vaccine containing 2.64 lakh doses reached Delhi's central storage facility at Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital (RGSSH) on Tuesday amid high security, they said.
Special Commissioner of Police (Operations and Licensing) Muktesh Chander said the security force ensured smooth transportation of vaccines from the airport to RGSSH where adequate police arrangements have been made.
US releases millions of COVID-19 doses, urges states to include more peopleThe Trump administration said it is releasing millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses it had been holding back for second shots and urged states to offer them to all Americans over age 65 or with chronic health conditions.
US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said during a news briefing that the US pace of inoculations has risen to 700,000 shots per day and is expected to rise to 1 million per day within a week to 10 days.
Last week, President-elect Joe Biden's spokesman said that Biden, who takes office next week, would accelerate distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and jump-start lagging inoculations by releasing more doses.
Dutch COVID-19 lockdown extended by three weeks
The Dutch government said it would extend lockdown measures, including the closure of schools and shops, by at least three weeks to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a live news conference that social curbs must remain in place until at least February 9, adding: "This decision does not come as a surprise, but it is an incredible disappointment."
Sikkim reports seven new COVID-19 casesSikkim reported seven more COVID-19 cases, taking the state's caseload to 5,996, an official said on Tuesday. East Sikkim registered six cases and South Sikkim accounted for one, state Information, Education and Communication (IEC) member Sonam he said.
The state currently has 313 active cases, and 5,459 patients have recovered from the disease, he said.
Germany tightens travel rules in response to new virus strainGermany plans to tighten controls on people entering the country as part of efforts to bring under control a surge in coronavirus cases which is leading to record numbers of deaths in the European Union's most populous country.
The proposal, due to be approved by ministers on Wednesday, will require people arriving from countries with high case loads or where a new, more virulent strain of the virus is circulating to take a test for the disease.
Mobile phone operators will have to send information to arriving passengers as soon as their phones are switched on in Germany after a period of absence, according to the proposal, seen by Reuters.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Germany records first case of South African Covid strain
Germany on Tuesday recorded its first case of the coronavirus variant sweeping South Africa in a member of a family that returned from a lengthy stay in the country in December.
"After their arrival (on December 13), the family entered the required quarantine and got tested five days later. Those tests were negative," a spokesman for the social affairs ministry in the southwestern German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said in a statement.
"The following week, the first members of the family developed mild symptoms of illness."
In the meantime, six coronavirus cases have been recorded from three households, AFP reported.
EU gets vaccine boost as WHO dampens herd immunity hopes
The European Union started the approval process for its third vaccine on Tuesday as WHO scientists warned that herd immunity from coronavirus was unlikely this year even with mass inoculation schemes, AFP reported.
New York could run out of vaccine stock by next week's end: mayor
New York City could run out of its Covid-19 vaccine stock "by the end of next week," Mayor Bill de Blasio told journalists Tuesday, calling on the federal government and laboratories to prevent a dearth of doses.
"The federal structure is going way too slow in terms of getting vaccine to us," de Blasio said, echoing similar criticisms leveled by President-elect Joe Biden.
After a slow start in administering vaccinations, the most populous city in the United States has accelerated in recent days, AFP reported.
Portugal president's new COVID-19 tests come back negative mid-campaign
Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa tested negative twice for COVID-19 on Tuesday, his office said, after a positive test on Monday evening caused alarm ahead of a presidential election on Jan. 24 as deaths from the virus hit new peaks.
The 72-year-old, who is in the middle of an election campaign seeking a second term, cancelled public appearances on Tuesday and was self-isolating after Monday's test result.
He will await instruction from health authorities, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Canada orders 20 million more doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
Canada has ordered an additional 20 million doses of Pfizer Inc's coronavirus vaccine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday after provinces complained about inadequate supplies, Reuters reported.
Trudeau told reporters that Ottawa now had agreements with Pfizer, which developed its vaccine with German partner BioNTech, and Moderna Inc for a total of 80 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccines to be delivered this year.
"Will Attempt To Improve Them": Member Of Top Court Committee On Farm Laws
Shetkari Sanghatana chief Anil Ghanwat, a member of the committee appointed by the Supreme Court to hold talks with agitating farmers, said on Tuesday that the new farm laws partially implement what his outfit has been demanding for decades.
His attempt will be to improve them, he said, while coming out in support of reforms including permission for contract farming, PTI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Poor gut health connected to severe COVID-19, new review shows
People infected with COVID-19 experience a wide range of symptoms and severities, the most commonly reported including high fevers and respiratory problems, suggest the findings of a new review, ANI reported.
However, autopsy and other studies have also revealed that the infection can affect the liver, kidney, heart, spleen--and even the gastrointestinal tract. A sizeable fraction of patients hospitalised with breathing problems also have diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, suggesting that when the virus does get involved in the GI tract it increases the severity of the disease.
Kerala to get first Covishield vaccine consignment of over four lakh doses on January 13
Kerala will receive the first consignment of over 4.33 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine to combat COVID-19 on Wednesday from the Pune-based Serum Institute of India, the state government said.
The first flight carrying the vaccine is expected to reach Kochi's Nedumbassery airport at 2 pm on Wednesday and by 6 pm, another set will reach the Thiruvananthapuram airport, PTI reported.
Bird flu: Centre asks states to maintain sufficient stock of PPE kits
The Centre on Tuesday said it has issued advisories to states regarding testing protocols for bird flu and also asked them to maintain sufficient stock of PPE kits and accessories required for culling operations.
Till Monday, bird flu outbreak was confirmed in 10 states -- Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, PTI reported.
54.72 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses received till Tuesday afternoon, says Centre
The Centre said 54.72 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses have been received at designated national and state-level stores till Tuesday afternoon, and all the shots -- 1.1 crore from the Serum Institute of India and 55 lakh from Bharat Biotech -- will be received by January 14, PTI reported.
A massive pan-India inoculation drive against COVID-19 was set in process with Covishield vaccine leaving Pune for 13 cities across India early in the morning, four days before vaccination is scheduled to begin on January 16.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Bharat Biotech inks pact with Precisa Medicamentos for Covaxin supplies to Brazil
Bharat Biotechhas signed an agreement with Precisa Medicamentos to supply its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin to Brazil, PTI reported.
A team from Precisa Medicamentos visited the Bharat Biotech facility last week to discuss potential export possibilities of the vaccine, the indigenous antidote for the killer virus, the company said in a release.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Temporary morgues set up as UK hospitals run out of space
British authorities have had to set up a temporary morgues in some areas after local hospital mortuaries ran out of space due to a surge in deaths caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reported.
Britain has reported record levels of deaths and new infections in the last few weeks, fuelled by a new variant of the coronavirus which has caused a surge in cases, especially in London and southeast England.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Swiss drugs regulator approves Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine
Switzerland approved Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, making it the second shot after Pfizer and BioNTech's to be approved in the country and clearing the way to get up to 1.5 million doses from the firms through February, Reuters reported.
The Swiss drug regulator Swissmedic's decision comes days after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave the green light to Moderna's vaccine. The messenger RNA vaccine, relying on similar technology as that used by Pfizer-BioNTech, is a two-dose shot that in trials showed 95% efficacy.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Spain receives first batch of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
Spain received on Tuesday the first shipment of the vaccine against COVID-19 developed by the US pharmaceutical company Moderna, ANI reported.
According to reports citing the Spanish government, a truck delivered the vaccine from Belgium to a warehouse belonging to the Spanish Health Ministry early on Tuesday. The vaccine will soon be distributed across the autonomous communities of the country.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Disneyland To Become Mass Vaccination Site In Orange County, CaliforniaWalt Disney Co's Disneyland, which has remained closed since March, will become the first large site to provide COVID-19 vaccinations in Orange County, California, government officials announced late on Monday.
Disneyland will be the first Super Point-of-Dispensing (POD) sites in the county and become operational later this week, Reuters reported.
All vaccine doses, 1.10 crore from Serum Institute and 55 lakh from Bharat Biotech, will be received by Jan 14 in all states/UTs: Government
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: COVID-19 vaccine may cost between Rs 200 to 295 in India, says Health Ministry
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Tuesday said the COVID-19 vaccine may cost in the range of Rs 200 to 295 in India and two vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin -- have received Emergency Use Authorisation (EAU) after going through established safety and immunogenicity in a well-prescribed regulatory process.
Asserting that the central government has been proactive and pre-emptive in addressing the needs of COVID-19 vaccination in the country, the Union Health Ministry said 54,72,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been received till date at the vaccination stores across the country, ANI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Bangladesh COVID-19 cases rise to 524,020, death toll reaches 7,819
Bangladesh reported 718 new COVID-19 cases and 16 new deaths on Tuesday, making the tally at 524,020 and death toll at 7,819, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.
The official data showed that 14,363 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh, ANI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: First consignment of COVID-19 vaccine from Serum Institute arrived at Hyderabad
The first consignment of COVID-19 vaccines from Serum Institute of India arrived at Hyderabad airport on Tuesday, ANI reported.
"The first consignment of COVID vaccines from Serum Institute has arrived at Hyderabad airport. The first consignment of Bharat Biotech will be going to 11 destinations outside the state by this evening," Mr Panicker said.
Vaccination exercise to last beyond one year, says Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.
Only two states have more than 50,000 active cases - Maharashtra and Kerala: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.
Active cases continue to decline steadily in the country: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.
Serum Vaccines Out Ahead Of "World's Biggest Vaccination Drive
Three trucks rolled out of Serum Institute of India's Pune factory early this morning carrying the first batches of its COVID-19 vaccines, Covishield, as India gets reads for the launch of a campaign to offer shots to 1.3 billion people in what officials call the world's biggest vaccination drive. The first batches of Covishield vaccine will be delivered at 13 cities today. The government has said that 30 crore people - starting with health workers and frontline workers like the police, civil defence personnel and sanitation workers - will be administered the vaccine in the first phase. Vaccinations are scheduled to begin on Saturday.
Read Here The first consignment of Covishield vaccine by Serum Insitute of India (SII), brought to Nalanda Medical College in Patna, where it is being stored.
Andhra Pradesh Gets 4.96 Lakh Doses of Covaxin
Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday received 4.96 lakh doses of Covaxin, the much-awaited coronavirus vaccine. A special cargo plane brought the vaccine to the Vijayawada airport from Pune on Tuesday afternoon. From there the consignment was shifted to the state vaccine depot in Gannavaram.
The vaccine consignment truck leaves Delhi airport for Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality hospital in East Delhi. Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital is Delhi's main cold storage facility for vaccines.
New COVID-19 Cases See Dip In Puducherry With 18 Additions
Puducherry witnessed a drop in the number of daily coronavirus infections with only 18 people testing positive to the virus on Tuesday, pushing the aggregate to 38,495. One more person succumbed to the viral infection, raising the toll to 639. The deceased aged 38 years had liver disease among other co-morbidities, a release from Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said.
Chennai Receives First Batch Of COVID-19 Vaccines
Chennai on Tuesday received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine ''Covishield'', informed an official notification. Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan informed that 5.56 lakh COVID vaccine doses have been dispatched from Pune for Tamil Nadu.
The first consignment of 7.95 lakh vials of Covidshield vaccine from Serum Institute of India, Pune arrived in Bengaluru. Each dose of vaccine contains 0.5 ml and each vial contains 10 dosages of vaccines.
China Says WHO Team Will Fly From Singapore To Wuhan On January 14
China said on Tuesday that the World Health Organization's team of international experts to investigate the origin of COVID-19 will fly from Singapore to the Chinese city of Wuhan on January 14.
Vaccine received at Civil Hospital in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Security Enhanced At Airport As First Batch Of Covid Vaccine Reaches Delhi
Security has been stepped up at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital from where the first consignment of Covishield vaccines from Pune will be transported to different parts of the city on Tuesday, police said. A SpiceJet flight carrying the vaccines landed at the Delhi airport around 10 am on Tuesday, four days ahead of the launch of a nationwide drive against the coronavirus.
3 New COVID-19 Cases In Andamans; Tally At 4,963
The COVID-19 caseload in Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 4,963 as three more persons have tested positive for the disease in the Union Territory, a health department official said on Tuesday. The fresh cases were detected during contact tracing, he said.
Tamil Nadu: Chennai receives the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine 'Covishield'
The first consignment of the COVID-19 vaccine arrives at Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
COVID-19: 301 New Cases, 2 Deaths In Telangana
Telangana posted 301 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the total infection count to over 2.90 lakh, while two fatalities pushed the toll to 1,568. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 58, followed by Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri with 27 and 16 respectively, a government bulletin said on Tuesday providing details as of 8 pm on January 11.
"5.56 lakh vaccine doses have been dispatched from Pune. We'll be receiving the vaccines at around 10.30 today. The dispatch details of remaining 20,000 doses of COVAXIN are yet to be received," said Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan on COVID19 vaccine distribution process.
12,584 COVID-19 Cases In India, Lowest Daily Rise Since Mid-June
India saw the lowest single-day jump in coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours since mid-June with 12,584 fresh infections taking the tally to 1,04,79,179, the government data this morning showed. 167 deaths linked to the highly infectious disease since yesterday took the total number of deaths to 1,51,327.
Read Here First Consignment Of Covishield Vaccine Arrived In Delhi
The first batch of Covishield, the Serum Institute of India's coronavirus vaccine which left Pune early this morning has reached the Delhi Airport.
India Preps To Vaccinate 300 Million, Size Of US Population, By July
India aims to begin vaccinating its 1.3 billion people against coronavirus from Saturday, a colossal and complex task compounded by safety worries, shaky infrastructure and public scepticism.
"I am happy to share that SpiceJet has carried India's first consignment of Covid vaccine today. The first consignment of Covishield consisting of 34 boxes and weighing 1088 kg was carried from Pune to Delhi on SpiceJet flight 8937. We will be carrying multiple vaccine consignments to different Indian cities including Guwahati, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Patna and Vijayawada through the day today. SpiceJet is fully committed and prepared to transport the Covid vaccine both within and outside India. Today marks the beginning of a long and decisive phase in India's fight against the pandemic and SpiceJet is proud to assist in the biggest vaccination drive in the history of mankind," said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet.
"Short Notice, Different Time Zone": Pfizer On Delay In Vaccine Approval
American pharma giant Pfizer, whose coronavirus vaccine has a 95 per cent efficacy rate but has yet be approved, told NDTV on Monday it had been "unable to participate in previous meetings (to present safety and efficacy data to an expert panel) due to extremely short notice" and time zone differences.
Read Here The first flight carrying coronavirus vaccine 'Covishield' has departed from Pune International Airport to Delhi.
Serum Institute Sends Out First Vaccines As India Readies For Covid Shots
The first consignment of Covishield vaccines left Serum Institute of India for Pune airport early this morning, four days ahead of the nationwide inoculation drive against COVID-19. Three temperature-controlled trucks rolled out of the Serum Institute gates shortly before 5 am and left for Pune airport, from where the vaccines will be flown across India. The trucks carried 478 boxes of the vaccines, each box weighing 32 kg, news agency PTI reported quoting an unnamed official.
Read Here China reports drop in new COVID-19 cases, but new curbs continue
China reported a drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours amid a flurry of new measures in Hebei province surrounding Beijing, ranging from home quarantines starting on Tuesday in one county and a lockdown of the provincial capital. The National Health Commission said in a statement on Tuesday that a total of 55 new COVID-19 cases were reported, down from 103 a day earlier. Hebei accounted for 40 of the 42 local infections, with Beijing and northeastern Heilongjiang province reporting one local case each.
Trucks carrying Covishield vaccine reached Pune airport from Serum Institute of India's facility in the city, earlier this morning. From the airport, the vaccine doses will be shipped to different locations in the country. The vaccination will start on January 16.
Not Looking For Someone To "Blame", Says WHO Ahead Of Covid Probe In China
The World Health Organization insisted Monday that the international investigation into the Covid-19 pandemic's origins, set to start this week in China, was not looking for "somebody to blame".
Read Here "Not Going To Achieve" Herd Immunity This Year Despite Vaccines: WHODespite vaccines against Covid-19 being rolled out in a number of countries, the World Health Organization warned Monday that herd immunity would not be achieved this year.
Countries across the globe are looking forward to vaccines finally allowing a return to normality in the months ahead.
But the WHO's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan warned that it will take time to produce and administer enough doses to halt the spread of the virus.
"We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021," she told a virtual press briefing from WHO's headquarters in Geneva, stressing the need to continue measures like physical distancing, hand washing and mask wearing to rein in the pandemic.
Portuguese president tests positive for coronavirusPortugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has tested positive for coronavirus and cancelled all public engagements, his office announced late Monday just two weeks before a presidential election he is expected to win.
The 72-year-old head of state was "asymptomatic" and isolating in the presidential palace in Lisbon, his office said in a statement.
Last Wednesday, he had spent a few hours in "administrative isolation" after a member of his entourage tested positive, but the president then tested negative and had not been placed in quarantine because his contact with the person concerned had been considered "low risk".
Coronavirus update: First consignment of Covishield vaccines reaches Pune airport