New Delhi: 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:
Jan 13, 2021 02:07 (IST)
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."
Jan 12, 2021 23:38 (IST)
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.
Jan 12, 2021 22:18 (IST)
"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.
Jan 12, 2021 21:35 (IST)
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.
Jan 12, 2021 20:51 (IST)
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.
