Testing for Covid-19 in progress in Mumbai. Nearly 71 per cent of the 496 new COVID-19 fatalities reported in a span of 24 hours were from eight states and union territories with Delhi recording the highest number of 89 deaths followed by Maharashtra with 88 and West Bengal with 52, the Union health ministry said on Sunday.
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It said 22 states and UTs have recorded case fatality rates lower than the national average of 1.46 per cent. Maharashtra recorded the highest positive change with the addition of 1,940 cases, whereas Delhi recorded the highest negative change with a decrease of 1,603 active cases in a span of 24 hours, the ministry said.
India’s Covid-19 tally rose to over 93.92 lakh on Sunday, after the country detected 41,810 new cases in the 24 hours ending 8 am. As many as 496 new deaths took the country’s toll to 1,36,696. Of India’s 93,92,920 cases, over 4.53 infections are active, while over 88.02 lakh patients have recovered after testing positive.
The Rajasthan government has imposed a curfew from 8 pm to 6 am within urban limits of the district headquarter towns of Kota, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur, Ajmer, Bhilwara, Nagore, Pali, Tonk, Sikar & Ganganagar from December 1 to December 31.
Assam reported one more fatality due to COVID-19 on Sunday, pushing the death toll to 981, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma said.The coronavirus tally in the state rose to 2,12,617 with 134 fresh cases, he said. "Sad to share the demise of one #COVID patient today... Condolences to the bereaved family," Sarma tweeted.The current death rate in the state has been constant at 0.46 per cent during the month, which included five days when no fatalities were reported.
Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded one more fatality linked to COVID-19 on Sunday that pushed the death toll to 82, while 123 new cases pushed the infection tally to 22,592, official data showed.
Active cases in the district came down to 1,193 from 1,279 the previous day, while the recovery rate crossed the 94 per cent-mark, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period. The number of active cases in Gautam Buddh Nagar is the fourth highest in the state. On the bright side, 210 more patients got discharged during the period with the overall recoveries reaching 21,317, the fifth highest in the state.
With the death toll reaching 82, the district has a mortality rate of 0.36 per cent. The recovery rate of patients reached 94.35 per cent, the statistics showed.
Meanwhile, the number of active cases in UP came down to 24,575 from 25,243 on Saturday, while the overall recoveries reached 5,09,556 and the death toll linked to COVID-19 climbed to 7,742 on Sunday, the data showed.
Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 115 and reached 47,804 on Sunday, while one death took the toll to 687, an official said. The number of people who have recovered reached 45,790, with 135 being discharged on Sunday, leaving the state with 1,327 active cases, he added.
The official said 1,998 samples were tested during the day.
Goa's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 47,804, new cases 115, death toll 687, discharged 45,790, active cases 1,327, samples tested till date 3,47,199.
At least 16 people, including two Border Security Force (BSF) jawans, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram on Sunday, taking the state's tally to 3,822, a senior official said. Of the 16 fresh cases, seven were reported from Aizawl, five from Lawngtlai and one each from Lunglei, Mamit, Siaha and Champhai, the official said.
Four cases were detected through RT-PCR at Zoram Medical College, one at a TrueNat lab in Siaha district and the rest by Rapid Antigen Test, he said.
Two BSF jawans, one policeman and two children, aged eight and 10, are among the newly infected people, he said. Six of the new patients have shown symptoms of COVID-19 and the remaining 10 are asymptomatic. The infection rate in the state is on the decline since last week, primarily because of the lockdown imposed on Aizawl and 'no tolerance drive' launched in other parts of the state, the official said.
'COVID-19 No Tolerance Drive' will be underway across the state till January 10 next year, he said. According to state health department, Mizoram currently has 392 active cases, of which Aizawl district accounts for 179, followed by Lawngtlai district at 84. Five COVID-19 deaths have been registered in the state. Altogether 3,425 people have recuperated from the viral infection, it said.
A 40-year-old man who took part in the ‘Covidshield’ vaccine trial here has alleged serious side effects, including a virtual neurological breakdown and impairment of cognitive functions and has sought Rs five crore compensation in a legal notice to Serum Institute and others, besides seeking a halt to the trial. Alleging that the candidate vaccine was not safe, he has also sought cancelling approval for its testing, ‘manufacture and distribution’, failing which legal action would be taken.
The legal notice has been sent to Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), which has collaborated with Oxford University and Astra Zeneca, a pharmaceutial company, in connection with making of the vaccine, ‘Covidshield’.
The Indian Council of Medical Research, one of the sponsors besides SII, and Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, which administered the vaccine to the man, have been served with the notice.
The man, it alleged, suffered acute encephalopathy, damage or disease that affects the brain, following vaccination and all tests confirmed that the setback in his health was due to the test vaccine. READ MORE
Nine more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, pushing the tally in the union territory to 4,698, a health department official said on Sunday. Of the nine new cases, eight have travel history while one was detected during contact tracing, he said.
Ten more people recovered from COVID-19, taking the total number of recoveries to 4,518, the official said.
The archipelago now has 119 active coronavirus cases, while 4,518 people have recovered from the disease and 61 patients have succumbed to the infection till date, he said. The administration has so far tested 1,26,328 samples for COVID-19, the official added.
As many as 759 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Thane, raising the tally in the Maharashtra district to 2,27,860, an official said on Sunday. The death toll due in the district has gone up to 5,669 with 10 more people succumbing to the disease, he said.
So far, Kalyan town in the district has reported 53,760 COVID-19 cases, followed by Thane city-51,040, Navi Mumbai-47,990 and Mira Bhayander-24,085. Among the fatalities, Thane city has recorded 1,228, Kalyan 1,057, Navi Mumbai-979 and Mira Bhayander-756, the official said.
As of now, there are 7,830 active COVID-19 cases in the district, while 2,14,361 patients have recovered, he said.
The COVID-19 recovery rate in the district is 94.08 per cent, mortality rate stands at 2.49 per cent, while the active cases constitute 3.44 per cent of the total number of infections reported so far, the official added. In neighbouring Palghar, there have been so far 42,669 cases of coronavirus and 1,156 deaths due to the infection, an official from the district administration said.
Amid a fresh rise in COVID-19 cases in Gujarat, the state health department has again directed oxygen production units to keep 50 per cent of their production for medical use so that it could be easily made available to hospitals treating coronavirus patients. The state health department on September 10 also issued a similar notification.
In its new order dated November 26, issued under various sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act and the Disaster Management Act, the department has directed oxygen production units to keep their production uninterrupted and at their maximum production capacity. The units have been directed to produce 50 per cent oxygen for medical use, to be supplied to hospitals in Gujarat, and divert the remaining for industrial use.
The units have also been asked to give priority to supply oxygen to hospitals as compared to industries, in case the need arises. The order remains in operation till December 31, said the notification
In one of the highest sero-prevalence rates reported in the country, 605 of 806 patients that underwent antibody testing at five slums in Cuffe Parade tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.
Eyebetes foundation, Dr Nishant Kumar and BJP corporator Harshita Narwekar organised the sero-prevalence survey for all slum residents in the ward.
Conducted between October 5 and 10 at five locations in the ward, the tests showed that 75% of the population tested positive for Covid antibodies–much higher than the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) seroprevalence results of 45% in slums and 18% in buildings.
Odisha's COVID-19 tally on Sunday surged to 3,18,307 after 518 more people tested positive for the infection, while four fresh fatalities pushed the coastal state's death toll to 1,734, a senior health department official said. Of the 518 new cases, 297 were reported from various quarantine centres, and the remaining detected during contact tracing, the official said. Sundergarh recorded the maximum number of fresh cases at 52, followed by Mayurbhanj at 49 and Cuttack at 45. (PTI)
Addressing the nation in his monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday warned that any kind of laxity in dealing with Covid-19 is still very dangerous. He told citizens to firmly fight against the ongoing pandemic and highlighted that now that the nationwide lockdown is over, the government will be focusing on developing vaccines.
The Serum Institute of India (SII) on Saturday said that it is in process of applying for an emergency use licence for AstraZeneca-Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the next 2 weeks.
Addressing a virtual press conference on the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the company's Pune facility, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said: "We discussed the plan, the implementation plan which will happen only after the emergency use licensure, that is granted based on the data that will have to be submitted. We are in the process of submitting that officially to the drug controller of India...".
The vaccine will be distributed initially in India and then the company will look at Covax countries, which are mainly in Africa, he added. Serum Institute of India (SII) is conducting clinical trials of AstraZeneca-Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine candidate in India.(With PTI)
India's Covid-19 tally rose to over 93.92 lakh on Sunday, after the country detected 41,810 new cases in the 24 hours ending 8 am. As many as 496 new deaths took the country's toll to 1,36,696. Of India's 93,92,920 cases, over 4.53 infections are active, while over 88.02 lakh patients have recovered after testing positive.
West Bengal's COVID-19 tally rose to 4,77,446 on Saturday as 3,459 more people tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said. Fifty-two more patients succumbed to the infection, pushing the state's coronavirus death toll to 8,322, it said. As many as 3,487 more people have been cured of the disease, taking the state's recovery count to 4,44,587, the bulletin said. The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state stands at 93.12 per cent, it said. Kolkata reported the highest number of new cases at 890, followed by North 24 Parganas (863) and South 24 Parganas (236), the bulletin said. (PTI)
Maharashtra's COVID-19 case tally rose to 18,14,515 on Saturday as it recorded 5,965 new cases, said a health official. The state also reported 75 fatalities during the day, taking the COVID-19 death toll to 46,986, he said. A total of 3,937 patients were discharged from hospitals, so the tally of recovered people rose to 16,76,564. There are 89,905 active patients in the state. Mumbai city reported 1,063 new cases, which pushed its overall case count to 2,81,881, while its death toll rose to 10,847 with 17 deaths being reported on Saturday. (PTI)
The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has approved a simple and fast method for COVID-19 testing which can not only increase the number of RT-PCR tests but can also bring down costs, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said on Saturday. The method -- Dry Swab-Direct RT-PCR -- developed by CSIR's Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, is a variation of the existing gold standard RT-PCR method and can easily scale up the testing by 2 to 3 fold with no new investment of resources. "After evaluating this method and finding an overall concordance of 96.9 per cent, ICMR has now issued an advisory for the use of CSIR-CCMB dry swab method, considering its lesser cost and quick turn-around time," the CSIR said. (PTI)
US President-elect Joe Biden will let health experts decide who will get a COVID-19 vaccine in the country first, according to Dr. Celine Gounder, a member of his coronavirus advisory board. Since the risk for COVID-19 can vary among different groups of people, prioritisation for a vaccine will be tricky, and Biden will leave those decisions to health experts, the Indian-American infectious disease physician said.
It is expected that there will likely be a limited supply of coronavirus vaccine doses available immediately after a vaccine is authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration. "Other than health care workers, others who will be first in line to get it will be people who do have chronic underlying medical conditions who are older, as well as communities of colour who have been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic," Gounder told CNN on Friday.
The country's death toll since the pandemic's start is now more than 264,000. And nearly another 60,000 people could lose their lives over the next three weeks, according to an ensemble forecast published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Pune on Saturday on the last leg of his three-city visit to review coronavirus vaccine development in India. After landing at Pune airport around 4.30 pm from Hyderabad, Modi proceeded to the Serum Institute of India (SII) by helicopter. Modi's visit to SII is aimed at reviewing the progress of the vaccine candidate for coronavirus infection and to know about its launch, production and distribution mechanism, an official said.
Nearly 65 per cent of the domestic air travel has returned to the pre-COVID-19 level and now there is a need to evolve a strategy to bring back the tourism industry on its feet, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said on Saturday. He was addressing a webinar on 'Aviation and Tourism-the Road Ahead' hosted by the Federation of Association of Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH).
Kharola also said in the times of COVID-19 air travel has become a preferred mode of travel for being a safe means of transportation. 'On the first day of resumption of domestic air services (May 25) there were 79,000 people who would travel and we were worried. But gradually it started improving,' he said.
Kharola said, on Friday total 2.50 lakh passengers travelled on domestic flights and considering that the average per day passenger number was around 3.70-3.75 lakh before the pandemic hit the country, almost 65 per cent of the domestic travel is back to the pre-COVID-19 level. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Pune's Serum Institute of India, the last stop in his tri-city tour of visiting facilities involved in the manufacture and development of the coronavirus vaccine. He first visited Ahmedabad at pharma major Zydus Cadila's plant to get information about its vaccine development.
After visiting Hyderabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday arrived in Pune where he is expected to visit the Serum Institute of India to review COVID-19 vaccine development.
The COVID-19 death toll in Uttar Pradesh rose to 7,718 on Saturday with 21 more fatalities, while 2,152 new cases pushed the infection tally to 5,39,899, a senior official here said. "The state has 25,243 active cases while 5,06,938 people have been treated and discharged. The death toll has risen to 7,718," Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told PTI.
The total number of cases on Saturday rose to 5,39,899 from 5,37,747 on Friday with 2,152 fresh cases. Among the 25,243 active cases in the state, 12,293 are in home isolation, 2,253 are undergoing treatment in private hospitals and the rest are in government hospitals, where they are getting treatment free of cost. On Friday, over 1.74 lakh COVID-19 tests were conducted in the state, taking the total number of tests to over 1.89 crore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday afternoon visited Bharat Biotech International Limited at Turkapally which is manufacturing Covid-19 vaccine - Covaxin. The PM arrived at the Hakimpet Air Force base at 1:15 pm and drove to BBIL’s facility where he interacted with the team developing the vaccine in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). He inquired about the progress of the vaccine and the manufacturing facilities. Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is in phase 3 of trials.
The administration in Leh has imposed night curfew and banned the assembly of more than four people amid a fresh COVID-19 spike, an official said on Saturday. Ladakh recorded one more COVID-related death and 44 new cases, taking the death toll to 114 and overall caseload to 8,272, officials said.
The self-imposed lockdown by the civil society group in Leh to contain the spread of coronavirus entered its sixth day on Saturday as the district recorded a minimum temperature of minus 12.9 degrees Celsius. The new COVID-related death was reported from Leh, taking the number of fatalities in the district to 73. The other 41 deaths were reported from Kargil district, the officials said.
Of the 44 fresh cases, 42 were reported from Leh and two from Kargil, while 100 patients 89 in Leh and 11 in Kargil were discharged in the last 24 hours, the officials said. (PTI)
After visiting Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now reached Hyderabad where he will take stock of Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 candidate, Covaxin. Being developed in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology, Covaxin is currently undergoing its phase-3 trials.
Modi was received by Telangana Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar after landing on Hakimpet Air Force station. The Prime Minister will interact with scientists and senior management of the city-based vaccine maker on the status of Covaxin, PTI reported.
Out of the 41,322 new covid-19 cases reported today,69.04 per cent are contributed by eight states and union territories-- Maharashtra, Delhi, Kerala, West Bengal, Rajasthan, UP, Haryana and Chhattisgarh.
After visiting the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday complimented the efforts of Zydus Cadila's team and assured that the government is actively working to support such vaccine makers in the country's journey to fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Modi tweeted, “Visited the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad to know more about the indigenous DNA based vaccine being developed by Zydus Cadila. I compliment the team behind this effort for their work. Government of India is actively working with them to support them in this journey.”
Union Health Minister Dr.Harsh Vardhan Saturday lauded PM Modi for his tri-city vaccine review tour and hailed him as a "general" for leading the efforts being made in the field of Covid-19 vaccine development in India. Vardhan said PM's initiatives to visit various vaccine plants reflects his seriousness in dealing with the pandemic.
In a tweet(translated from Hindi), Vardhan said, "like a general, he is leading the efforts being made in the country. His visit to 3 cities today to review the vaccine's development and manufacturing process shows how serious he is about the epidemic."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed his hour long visit at the Zydus Biotech Park at Changodar, where he got acquainted with the vaccine development process for the candidate ZyCoV-D.
On the status of development for drugs and vaccines for Covid-19, the Centre Friday told the Supreme Court "13 clinical trials of repurposed drugs have been undertaken to build a portfolio of therapeutic options", and "nearly 30 vaccine candidates encompassing a diverse group of vaccines based on multiple technologies/platforms are under development" in the country "by both academia and industry".
Five of these candidates are in clinical trial stage, of which two vaccines are in Phase III trials and three are in phase II trials, it said. (Read more here)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a tour of the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad to review the Covid-19 vaccine candidate ZyCoV-D's developemt. The plant is located in the Changodar industrial area, over 20 km from Ahmedabad.
Nationalist Congress Party MLA Bharat Bhalke died while undergoing treatment for post-COVID complications on Saturday, a hospital official said. Bhalke,60, a three-term MLA from Pandharpur- Mangalvedha constituency in Solapur district was admitted to a Pune-based private hospital on November 9 after being diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
A doctor who treated Bhalke said he was tested COVID- 19 positive on October 30 and returned home after recovery. He was readmitted on November 9 after complaints of fever and cough, the doctor said. Bhalke's condition deteriorated recently and he was on ventilator support. (PTI)
Express Photos by Nirmal Harindran
India's Covid-19 tally rose to over 93.51 lakh after recording 41,322 new cases in the 24 hours ending 8 am Saturday. As many as 485 new fatalities took the country's death toll to 1,36,200. Out of India's 93,51,110 total cases, over 4.54 infections are active, while over 87.59 lakh patients have recovered after testing positive.
As part of his three city visit to review the development of different covid-19 vaccines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday reached Ahmedabad. Modi proceeded to Zydus Cadila's plant, where he will take account of the vaccine development for an hour.
Delhi recorded 5,482 fresh COVID-19 cases in a day, while 98 more fatalities linked to the disease pushed the city's death toll to 8,909 on Friday, authorities said.
According to a bulletin issued by the Delhi Health Department on Friday, the total number of coronavirus cases climbed to 5,56,744 on Friday, of which 5,09,654 have recovered. The tally of active cases in Delhi was 38,181 down from 38,734 on Thursday. The positivity rate was 8.51 per cent. It was 8.65 per cent on Thursday and 8.49 per cent on Wednesday.
As many as 64,455 tests, including 28,100 RT-PCR tests and 36,355 rapid antigen tests, were conducted the previous day for the detection of COVID-19, according to the bulletin. (PTI)
Baijayant Panda, National vice president of the BJP and incharge of the party's Delhi unit, tested positive for coronavirus on Friday and has isolated himself. In a late night tweet, Panda said, "Because of certain symptoms, I got tested today & have been found Covid positive. I am now in isolation on doctor's advice. Request all those who came in contact with me in the last few days to take the necessary precautions & isolate or get tested."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his British counterpart Boris Johnson on Friday on key bilateral, regional and international issues, as the two leaders agreed to work towards a "quantum leap" in cooperation between India and the UK in all areas, including trade and investment, defence and security, and fighting COVID-19.
They exchanged views on the challenges posed by the pandemic, and reviewed the promising cooperation between India and the UK in the area of vaccine development and manufacturing, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. The leaders agreed that officials from both sides would continue their work to quickly finalise an ambitious long-term roadmap for the India-UK partnership, it said.
"Had an excellent discussion with my friend, UK PM Boris Johnson on an ambitious roadmap for India-UK ties in the next decade. We agreed to work towards a quantum leap in our cooperation in all areas - trade and investment, defence & security, climate change, and fighting Covid-19," Modi tweeted.
Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 150 and reached 47,491 on Friday, while the toll increased by one to touch 686, an official said.
The number of people who have recovered reached 45,492 after 152 people were discharged during the day, leaving the state with 1,313 active cases, he added. A total of 2,645 samples were tested during the day, he added.
Goa's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 47,491, new cases 150, death toll 686, discharged 45,492, active cases 1,313, samples tested till date 3,42,681.
The Maharashtra government on Fridayextended thelockdown on account of coronavirus in the state till the midnight of December 31, 2020, an official release said. In the last couple of months, the government has eased several lockdown restrictions.
Revised guidelines have been issued from time to time by, allowing resumption of various activities as part of the "Mission Begin Again", the release said.
Earlier this week, the government allowed reopening of places of worship. Schools for students from Std 9th to 12th have also reopened in some parts of the state this week. Hotels and bars have been already allowed to reopen.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was on Friday fighting back rebels from within his own Conservative Party who are opposed to most of England being put into the toughest two tiers of high COVID-19 alert after the country's second stay-at-home lockdown ends next Wednesday.
In a Downing Street briefing on Thursday after he ended his self-isolation on being in contact with a COVID-19 positive MP, Johnson defended the three-tier system as the best chance of avoiding a third complete national lockdown in the New Year.
"If we ease off now, we risk losing control of this virus all over again, casting aside our hard won gains, and forcing us back into a New Year national lockdown with all the damage that would mean," said Johnson.
Hyderabad-based drugmaker Hetero Drugs, through its biologics arm, will be producing "over" 100 million doses of Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V starting 2021, said the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Friday. The firm, through subsidiary Hetero Biopharma, is expected to produce these doses over the course of the year, according to RDIF. The vaccines produced here may also be used to fulfill demand from other countries.
Sputnik V is also expected to be tested in mid- to late-stage clinical trials in India by Dr Reddy's Laboratories, another Hyderabad-headquartered drugmaker.
According to the latest interim analysis of data collected from participants undergoing Sputnik V trials in Russia, the vaccine seems to have demonstrated an efficacy of 91.4%.
Also Read | Sputnik V maker says vaccine to be priced under $20 per person
With the addition of 742 new cases of coronavirus, the count of infections in Maharashtra's Thane district has reached 2,26,337, an official said on Friday. Apart from the latest infections detected on Thursday, the district also recorded 14 casualties that have raised the toll to 5,648, the official said.
With a recovery rate of 94.27 per cent, a total of 2,13,373 persons have been discharged from various hospitals in the district so far, he said. There are currently 7,316 active cases in the district, the official said.
According to the official data, of the COVID-19 cases reported so far, Kalyan alone accounts for 53,350 infections, followed by Thane city with 50,657, Navi Mumbai with 47,701 and Mira Bhayandar with 23,950 cases.
Five coronavirus patients died after a fire broke out in the ICU of a designated COVID-19 hospital at Rajkot in Gujarat on Friday, officials said. The Supreme Court took cognizance of the fire incident and sought a report from Gujarat government on the issue. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said 26 patients at the hospital were rescued and shifted to other facilities.
The fire broke out around 12.30 am in the ICU ward located on the first floor of the four-storey Uday Shivanand Hospital in Anand Bungalow Chowk area, where around 31 patients were admitted, Patel added. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani expressed grief over the incident and ordered a probe into it. He also announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each deceased.
Rajkot Police Commissioner Manoj Agarwal said, 'Out of the 11 coronavirus patients admitted to the ICU ward, five lost their lives in the fire, which was quickly brought under control before it could spread to other floors.' Patel said the blaze broke out in the ICU ward and was brought under control within half an hour by the fire brigade. While three coronavirus patients died on the spot, two others succumbed to the injuries while they were being shifted to another hospital, he added.
Hyderabad-based drugmaker Hetero Drugs, through its biologics arm, will be producing "over" 100 million doses of Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V starting 2021, said the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Friday.
The firm, through subsidiary Hetero Biopharma, is expected to produce these doses over the course of the year, according to RDIF. The vaccines produced here may also be used to fulfill demand from other countries. (Read more here)
India on Friday assured the people of Nepal that once it rolls out a vaccine against COVID-19, meeting their requirement will be a priority for New Delhi, amid a spike of the deadly disease in the Himalayan nation. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, addressing a lecture hosted by the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA), a Kathmandu-based non-partisan foreign policy think-tank, said that India is on the cusp of the availability of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus .
As the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines, India is at the forefront of this effort. We have at least five promising vaccine candidates at advanced stages of trials. I would like to assure the people of Nepal that once a vaccine is rolled out, meeting Nepal's requirement would be a priority for us, Shringla said. He said that the year 2020 has brought with it the additional challenge in the form of COVID-19 pandemic and this has been the most globally disruptive event since the second world war. (PTI)
The total coronavirus cases mounted to 93,09,787 and the death toll climbed to 1,35,715 with the novel coronavirus virus claiming 492 lives in a span of 24 hours in the country, the data updated at 8 am showed. The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.45 per cent.
As of Friday, there are are 4,55,555 active Covid-19 cases in the country. This accounts for 4.89 per cent of India's total caseload. About 70 per cent of the total active cases are contributed by eight states/UTs depicted in the image below.
Developers of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine said on Thursday that AstraZeneca should try combining its experimental shot with the Russian one to boost efficacy. Russia said its Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people from COVID-19, according to interim trial results, while AstraZeneca said its COVID-19 vaccine was 70% effective in pivotal trials and could be up to 90% effective. “If they go for a new clinical trial, we suggest trying a regimen of combining the AZ shot with the #SputnikV human adenoviral vector shot to boost efficacy,” the developers of the Russian vaccine said on their Twitter account.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP and former Kolkata Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya tested positive for Covid-19 and is now in home isolation, PTI reported. According to a health department source, Bhattacharya tested positive on Thursday and opted for home isolation. His condition is stable currently.
Telangana reported 761 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the tally to over 2.67 lakh while four fatalities pushed the toll to 1,448, the state government said on Friday. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 136, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (69) and Rangareddy (55), it said in a bulletin, providing details as of 8 PM on November 26. As many as10,839 patients are under treatment and 42,242 samples were tested on Thursday. Cumulatively, over 53.32 lakh samples have been tested. (PTI)