Latest News Highlights: The active cases were recorded above 1.7 lakh after a month. (File)
Phase 3 results for Bharat Biotech's coronavirus vaccine - Covaxin - were released Wednesday afternoon, with the drug demonstrating "81 per cent interim efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in those without prior infection after the second dose", according to a statement by the company.
India reported 14,989 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday - 22 per cent higher than Tuesday - taking the tally to 1,11, 39,516, according to the health ministry data this morning. The active cases were recorded above 1.7 lakh after a month, the data stated.
The death count increased to 1,57,346 with 98 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The COVID-19 active caseload has increased to 1,70,126 which comprises 1.53 per cent of the total infections, it stated.
The Centre has deputed teams to Tamil Nadu and Punjab following surge in COVID-19 cases across various states in the country.
India on Tuesday had reported 12,286 fresh coronavirus cases and the tally climbed to 1,11,24,527, while the number of recoveries has surged to 1,07,98,921.
Here are the Latest News Highlights:
Indian-Made COVID-19 Vaccines Arrive In SenegalA consignment of Made-in-India COVID-19 vaccines has landed in Senegal on Wednesday under the ''Vaccine Maitri'' initiative, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
In a tweet, Mr Jaishankar said, "From Tiranga to Teranga. Made in India vaccines land in Senegal. #VaccineMaitri."
The cumulative count of COVID-19 cases in Senegal has reached 35,037, including 896 deaths due to the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Earlier, Mr Jaishankar had said India has been "very much" at the forefront of the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and is providing vaccines to the world under ''Vaccine Maitri'' initiatives.
Twenty-five nations across the world have already received Made in India vaccines and Forty-nine more countries will be supplied in the coming days, ranging from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean to Africa, South-East Asia and the Pacific Islands, he had announced.
Under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India has been providing coronavirus vaccines to its neighbouring countries.
Brazil Reports Record Covid Deaths For Second Straight DayBrazil registered a record of Covid-19 deaths for the second straight day Wednesday, with 1,910 lives lost to the pandemic.
With a surge in cases currently pushing health systems to the limit in many areas, Brazil has recorded a total of 259,271 deaths, according to the health ministry -- the second-highest death count worldwide, after the United States.
"For the first time since the pandemic began, we are seeing a deterioration across the entire country," public health institute Fiocruz said Tuesday.
"The situation is alarming."
Brazil's 24-hour death count had just set a new record Tuesday, at 1,641.
The sprawling country of 212 million people is having its deadliest week of the pandemic, with an average of 1,331 deaths per day.
Rajesh Vaishnaw Appointed India's Next Ambassador To Morocco: Foreign Ministry
Diplomat Rajesh Vaishnaw has been appointed India's next Ambassador to Morocco, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday.
Mr Vaishnaw, a 1996-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently the High Commissioner of India to Malta.
He is expected to take up the assignment shortly, the MEA said in a brief statement.
The appointment comes at a time when India-Morocco ties are witnessing an upswing.
Delhi Civic Bypolls: Largest Victory Margin In Chauhan Bangar Ward
The Chauhan Bangar ward of Delhi witnessed the largest victory margin of over 10,000 votes, while Shalimar Bagh (North) recorded the lowest in the bypolls to the five municipal wards results of which were declared Wednesday.
The Congress' Chaudhary Zubair Ahmad won the Chauhan Bangar by a massive margin of 10,642 votes, while the AAP's Sunita Mishra won the Shalimar Bagh (North) by a difference of 2,705 votes.
The AAP won four of the five civic wards, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asserting that people are desperate to bring the party to power in the three municipal corporations in the national capital.
The AAP, however, suffered a defeat in the minority-dominated Chauhan Bangar ward, where Ahmad defeated Mohammad Ishraq Khan by a whopping margin of 10,642 votes.
Mumbai Announces Mandatory Institutional Quarantine For Travellers From Brazil
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday announced that a seven day institutional quarantine will be mandatory for those arriving from Brazil even if they have obtained a COVID-19 negative report prior to the journey.
In a fresh circular, the civic body included Brazil in the list of countries under quarantine rules, citing the latest guidelines of the Union Ministry of Health about international arrivals.
The BMC said this rule will also be applicable to travelers from Maharashtra arriving at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in the city.
Centre Allows Zonal Railways To Decide On Reopening Of Retiring Rooms At Stations Amid Covid
The Ministry of Railways on Thursday gave a permission to Zonal Railways to decide on reopening of retiring rooms at railway stations keeping in view the COVID-19 conditions and protocols issued by the government.
"Considering the convenience of passengers, Railways has decided to allow operation of retiring room at stations subject to fulfilment of protocols issued by the government. These conveniences were discontinued post announcement of lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus," read a statement by the Ministry.
The Railway Board has already allowed operations of retiring rooms, Rail Yatri Niwas and hotels managed by IRCTC, the statement added.
Private Delhi School Teachers, Staff Protest Over Non-Payment Of Full Salaries
Teachers and staff of the Summer Fields School in Delhi have staged a protest against alleged non-payment of full salaries and arrears.
In a statement, the teachers and staff of the school claimed they have been working with 50 per cent of their salaries since April 2020.
They also claimed that they were yet to get the arrears for the 7th pay commission salary structure.
The protesting teachers and staff later submitted a memorandum to the Delhi Directorate of Education (South east zone), the statement said.
IAF Chief Arrives In Colombo For Sri Lanka Air Force's 70th Anniversary Celebrations
Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief RKS Bhadauria on Wednesday arrived in Colombo for a two-day visit as the Sri Lanka Air Force's (SLAF) is celebrating its 70th anniversary.
He was invited by Commander of SLAF Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana.
Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria was scheduled to attend the inaugural ceremony in which an IAF contingent comprising of Suryakiran and Sarang Aerobatic Display Teams and Tejas LCA is taking part, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
During the course of his two day visit, the IAF Chief is also scheduled to interact with various dignitaries and the heads of services of the armed forces of Sri Lanka, the Ministry said.
Nepal Parliamentarians Take First Shot Of "Made In India" COVID-19 Vaccine
Members of Nepal Parliament on Wednesday were administered the first jab of Indian-made COVID-19 vaccine at Minbhawan based Civil Hospital in Kathmandu.
According to The Himalayan Times, Health Minister Hridayesh Tripathi, Speaker of the House of Representatives Agni Prasad Spakota, Co-chairs of Nepal Communist Party's (NCP) Dahal-Nepal faction Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal, among others were inoculated against the virus.
This inoculation programme comes after the Cabinet meeting called by the Nepal Prime Minister (caretaker) KP Sharma Oli on February 26 has recommended President Bidya Devi Bhandari to call a meeting of the reinstated Lower House on March 7.
Andhra Pradesh Records 135 New COVID-19 Cases In The Last 24 Hours
Andhra Pradesh reported 135 fresh COVID-19 cases and 82 recoveries in the last 24 hours.
With these new infections, the cumulative count of coronavirus cases has gone up to 8,87,320 and as many as 8,79,324 patients have recovered in the state, a statement by the state government said.
The stae witnessed one fresh death in the last 24 hours, taking the death count to 7,170.
At present, the state has 826 active cases.
Bihar Health Minister Condoles Demise Of MBBS Student Who Allegedly Died Of Covid
Expressing grief over the demise of an MBBS student in Bihar allegedly due to COVID-19, State Health Minister Mangal Pandey on Wednesday said that his death is saddening and the government is making all efforts to curb the spread of the virus.
Shubhendu Shubham, a final year MBBS student of Patna's Nalanda Medical College Hospital (NMCH), who took the first jab of the COVID-19 vaccine in first week of February, died on March 1 in Begusarai after testing positive for coronavirus.
Mr Pandey informed that more doctors have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 after his death.
Covaxin Shows Interim Efficacy Of 81% In Phase 3 Results: Bharat Biotech
Phase 3 results for Bharat Biotech's coronavirus vaccine - Covaxin - were released Wednesday afternoon, with the drug demonstrating "81 per cent interim efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in those without prior infection after the second dose", according to a statement by the company.
"Clinical trial to continue through to final analysis at 130 confirmed cases in order to gather further data and to evaluate the efficacy of COVAXIN in additional secondary study endpoints," the company further said.
Consignment Of "Made In India" COVID-19 Vaccines Arrives In Rwanda
A consignment of 'Made in India' COVID-19 vaccine landed in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda on Wednesday under the 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
In a tweet, Mr Jaishankar said, "Reaching out to Rwanda. Made in India vaccines land in Kigali. #VaccineMaitri."
The cumulative count of COVID-19 cases in Rwanda has reached 19,111. As many as 265 people have lost their lives due to the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Cowin COVID-19 Vaccination: How to Register OnlineIndia has entered the second phase of the nationwide vaccination drive against the coronavirus, widening the campaign to include people above 60 and those who are 45 or more and suffering from certain medical conditions." itemprop="description
President Ram Nath Kovind Gets First Dose Of Covid Vaccine In Delhi President Ram Nath Kovind was administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at an army hospital on Tuesday and urged all eligible citizens to get vaccinated.
According to tweets on his official handle, the President, 75, was accompanied by his daughter when the vaccine dose was administered to him at the army's Research and Referral Hospital.
Get A Covid Vaccine Jab 24x7 At Your Convenience, Says Health MinisterHospitals do not necessarily have to stick to a fixed schedule to vaccinate people against COVID-19 and can extend or advance the vaccination schedule any day, the government has said. This will help speed up the vaccination drive as more and more people become eligible for the life-saving jabs.
"The government has removed time constraint to increase the speed of vaccination. People can get vaccinated 24x7 at their convenience. Prime Minister Narendra Modi understands the value of both time and health of citizens," Health Minister Harsh Vardhan tweeted in Hindi.
The Health Minister was replying to a report by the newspaper Dainik Bhaskar that said private hospitals can choose any time window to vaccinate people.
"PM Exploiting His Post": Trinamool Complains Against Vaccine CertificatesMamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has alleged "blatant misuse of official machinery by the Prime Minister" in West Bengal in a complaint to the Election Commission ahead of state polls later this month.
Bengal's ruling party has cited photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on certificates of vaccination distributed by the Union Health Ministry and accused him of stealing credit from doctors, nurses and healthcare workers and "appropriating their dues".
The certificate confirms that a person has taken the vaccine. Apart from the PM's photo, there is a message on the certificate from him in English and Hindi.
607 new COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra's Thane, 4 more deathsWith the addition of 607 new cases of coronavirus, the tally in Maharashtra's Thane district has
gone up to 2,66,092, an official said on Wednesday.
These new cases were reported on Tuesday, he said.
Four more people also died of COVID-19 in the district, raising the count to 6,280, he said.
The COVID-19 fatality rate in the district is 2.36 per cent, he said.
So far, 2,53,572patients have recuperated from the viral infection in Thane, reflecting a recovery rate of 95.29 per cent.
India Reports Nearly 15,000 Covid Cases In A Day, Tally Over 1.11 Crore
India reported 14,989 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday - 22 per cent higher than Tuesday - taking the tally to 1,11, 39,516, according to the health ministry data this morning.
All Private Hospitals Following Norms Can Give Vaccines: Centre To StatesThe Centre on Tuesday permitted all private hospitals to give COVID vaccine if they adhere to the laid down norms and also asked the states and union territories to utilise the optimum capacity of private medical facilities empanelled under three categories.
The states and Union territories were also urged not to store, reserve, conserve or create a buffer stock of the COVID-19 vaccines, the Union Health ministry said in a statement, a day after the start of the second phase of India's inoculation drive in which the coverage has been expanded to include everyone above 60 and those over 45 with specified co-morbidities.
Switzerland trains sniffer dogs for detecting COVID-19
Researchers in Switzerland have launched a training trial to see if sniffer dogs can find out people infected with COVID-19.
Three dogs are being trained by researchers from Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) for four weeks by exposing to samples of sick and healthy people, after which the dogs will go through a sweat-sniffing test to see if they can identify infected individuals, said the hospitals in an online statement on Tuesday.
If successful, "the use of dogs for screening for COVID-19 could be considered in Switzerland," said the statement.
Mizoram reports only one new COVID-19 case in last 24 hrs
Mizoram reported only one new COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of active cases in the state to 4,427, the state health department informed on Wednesday.
The state now has 20 active cases, while 4,397 people have recovered from the disease.
The death count in the state stands at 10.
India commenced its second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive to inoculate people above 60 years and those over 45 with comorbidities against the coronavirus from March 1.
Mumbai Reports Two COVID-19 Deaths, Lowest In Last 10 MonthsMumbai reported only two COVID-19 fatalities, the lowest in the last 10 months, on Tuesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
It took the death count due to the pandemic in India's financial capital to 11,476, while the caseload increased to 3,27,619 with 849 new infections being reported.
The city had reported over 1,000 cases a day last week.
A BMC official said the number of fatalities on Tuesday was the lowest since April last year. The daily death count has declined since the start of this year, ranging
between three to 11.
US Will Have Enough Vaccine Supply For All Adults By End May: BidenPresident Joe Biden said Tuesday the United States would have sufficient vaccine supply by the end of May to inoculate the entire US adult population.
"We're now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May," said Biden -- who had previously forecast it would take until the end of July to amass that many doses.
"That's progress. Important progress. But it is not enough to have the vaccine supply," Biden said, stressing the work still ahead to administer the vaccines once acquired.
"We need vaccinators, people who put the shots in people's arms, millions of Americans' arms."
Texas Governor Lifts Mask Mandate, Opening State "100 Percent"Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday lifted a state mask mandate and said he was authorizing businesses restricted because of the coronavirus pandemic to open "100 percent."
"For nearly half a year, most businesses have been open either 75 percent or 50 percent and during that time, too many Texans have been sidelined from employment opportunities," Abbott said.
"Too many small business owners have struggled to pay their bills," the Republican governor said in a speech to the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce.
"This must end. It is now time to open Texas 100 percent," he said to cheers and applause from his audience.