On new year’s eve, administrations in three metro cities — Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai — and several other states including Punjab, Kerala, Gujarat, and Odisha have announced night curfews in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
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With 21,822 new cases of coronavirus infections detected on Wednesday, the tally now stands at one crore and 2.66 lakh. As many as 299 deaths were reported on Wednesday. While 26,000 were declared as recovered, there are 2.57 lakh active infections. Kerala has reported 6,268 new cases, while Maharashtra detected 3,537 new infections.
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The Union Health Ministry has asked all states to keep a strict vigil on New Year celebrations that could be potential Covid-19 super-spreader events and also to curb crowding as a precautionary measure during the winter season, PTI reported. In a letter to states and Union Territories, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan stated that the number of active Covid-19 cases has been declining steadily in the country for the last three-and-half months.
Passenger flights between the UK and India would remain suspended till January 7 and they will resume in a “strictly regulated” manner thereafter, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday. The Civil Aviation Ministry had last week suspended all flights between the European country and India from December 23 to December 31 as a mutated variant of the coronavirus was detected there. India has recorded 14 fresh cases of new coronavirus mutant strain first reported in the United Kingdom in September, taking the total number of cases to 20, news agency PTI reported. The tally includes six people who were found positive for the new virus strain on Tuesday.
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Five districts in Karnataka have been selected for dry run of Covid-19 vaccine trial on January 2. The districts are Bengaluru (Urban), Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Mysuru and Shivamogga. (ANI)
Odisha government Thursday said that no mutated strain of coronavirus was found in any of the returnees from the United Kingdom or their immediate contacts, an official said.
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A total swab samples of six returnees were sent to Pune and Delhi for genome sequencing and no report confirmed the existence of the UK strain, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare P K Mohapatra.
A total of 188 people have returned to Odisha from the UK, of whom 179 have been traced by the State Health & Family Welfare Department. Seven of them have so far tested positive for Covid-19, he said.
Of the detected seven coronavirus positive cases, four had come from the UK and the rest had come in contact with them, the additional chief secretary said. (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh on Thursday reported 971 new cases of coronavirus infection, taking the contamination tally to 5,85,902 even as 12 people died of Covid-19 raising the death toll due to the disease to 8,364.
The number of active cases stood at 14,260 in the state with 6,337 recuperating in home isolation and 1,275 getting treatment in private hospitals, Additional Chief Secretary Health Amit Mohan Prasad said.
A total of 5,63,278 people have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals till now, he said, putting the recovery rate at 96.13 per cent. The fatality rate due to the contagion in the state is 1.43 per cent at present, he said.
On Wednesday, over 1.49 lakh samples were tested taking the total tests done so far to over 2.39 crores. (PTI)
Three Covid-19 patients, two of them with lung involvement between 75 and 95 per cent, were discharged after succesful treatment in a government facility here, a top Health department official said here on Thursday.
The treatment of the two men and a 68-year old woman at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) and their recovery and discharge was significant and a success story, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said.
The men, aged 37 and 45, had 75 and 95 per cent lung involvement (infection of the lungs) respectively, he said.
The younger of the men was in the Intensive Care Unit for 45 days and later shifted to a ward and put on oxygen support for more 45 days, following which he has recovered.
The 45-year old man spent 103 days, including two months in the ICU, in the hospital and he too has been cured, the official said. (PTI)
India is likely to have a Covid-19 vaccine in the New Year, Drug Controller General of India V G Somani hinted on Thursday.
Speaking at a webinar organised by the Department of Biotechnology, Somani said the most important thing is that the industry and research organisations have stood the test of time.
He talked about the efforts made by the Department of Biotechnology and said vaccine candidates have got funding. "...and probably we will have a very happy New Year with something in hand. That's what I can hint at," Somnai said.
An expert panel in the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) will meet on Friday, the first day of the year, to further deliberate on the matter to consider emergency use authorisation applications by Serum Institute of India (SII) for the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine and Bharat Biotech's 'Covaxin'. (PTI)
Kaanum Pongal festivities next month would be a subdued affair in the state with the Tamil Nadu government announcing that popular beaches will be out of bounds for people, in a bid to check the spread of Covid-19, as it announced more relaxations to the virus-induced restrictions.
To curb the spread of the new strain of the virus, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said the e-registration system would continue for those entering the state from other parts of the country, except Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Restrictions on international flight services will continue except for the routes allowed by Centre, he said in a statement, adding, the restrictions with relaxations will be in place till January 31, 2021. (PTI)
Maharashtra's coronavirus case tally rises to 19,32,112 with 3,509 new cases, death toll reaches 49,521 with 58 new fatalities: state health department
After the details for night curfew on new year's eve was released by police, several establishments in the capital, hoping for a turnaround after almost 10 months of little or no business, said they told people the restrictions imposed were for "public places" -- which includes parks, atriums or any open space -- and not "licensed premises". But confusion persisted and many customers, anxious to avoid trouble and nervous about getting caught on their way back home, cancelled anyway.
"The order majorly asks us -- the restaurants -- to not host more than 50 per cent of our capacity for New Year celebration. Now, this is what we were already doing. All other restrictions are for public spaces," Rahul Sarin, owner of Dineroom and Teo Lounge, told PTI.
"But people watching news channels running stories like 'No New Year Celebration for Delhi' after night curfew and things are getting it wrong. This has impacted our business as I am getting several calls for booking cancellation," he said.
Delhi Police PRO Eish Singhal gave out the same message. "Licensed premises have been exempted from this, they can continue to operate with their license condition, including half the seating capacity and other COVID-19 protocols," Singhal said. (PTI)
Schools in Kerala, remained closed since the imposition of coronavirus lockdown in March, will reopen partially on January 1, marking a new beginning in the education sector, but strictly in compliance with Covid protocols.
The classes for 10th and 12th standards would begin with limited hours and restricted number of students, official sources here said on Thursday.
State Health Minister K K Shailaja said here on Thursday that the academic year, which comes at a time of Covid pandemic, should be dealt with confidence but caution.
"Students should not be afraid to go to schools. The government has made all arrangements," she said, urging everyone to strictly follow the guidelines issued by the health and the educations departments. (PTI)
Active Covid-19 cases in Himachal Pradesh dropped to nearly till the 2,500-mark Thursday after witnessing a constant decline this month. The state now has 2,517 active cases, down from around 8,300 a month ago, which is a decline of around 70 per cent.
Mandi district currently has the highest number of active cases, i.e 534, followed by Kangra, which has 524 active cases. There have been 919 Covid-related deaths in the state so far (excluding patients from Himachal who passed away after being referred to PGI in Chandigarh or other hospitals outside the state).
There was a sharp spike in Covid cases in Himachal in November, but the daily number of recoveries have mostly been exceeding the new cases this month, leading to a decline in the number of active patients.
Tamil Nadu government has extended the Covid-19 lockdown in the state till January 31 with further relaxations.
No gatherings will be allowed in open public places like Connaught Place and India Gate during the night curfew imposed by the Delhi government on December 31 and January 1 due to Covid-19 and its highly transmissible UK strain, police said on Thursday.
The night curfew will be clamped from 11 pm on December 31 to 6 am on January 1, and again from 11 pm on January 1 to 6 am on January 2.
"Till 11 pm on December 31 and January 1, normal Covid-19 protocols are being followed and gatherings are allowed. But beyond 11 pm till 6 am on next day, public gathering is not allowed in places like Connaught Place and India Gate," Delhi Police PRO Eish Singhal said.
"Only the licensed premises have been exempted from this. They can continue to operate with their licence condition, including half the seating capacity and other Covid-19 protocols," Singhal said. (PTI)
An insight into what would be a Covid vaccination center in New Delhi. This facility at the SDMC maternity home in Sriniwaspuri is the first Covid vaccination center set up in the capital New Delhi on Thursday. (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
Night curfew will not be imposed in West Bengal on New Year's eve as the situation is not that adverse, a senior official has said.
The state government, however, will take all precautionary measures to prevent large gatherings on the occasion, he said.
The current situation is not conducive to imposing a night curfew, Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said.
"New Year celebrations are organised at a few places in West Bengal. If people abide by the COVID-19 safety protocols and cooperate with the police and administration, large gatherings can be avoided," he said on Wednesday. (PTI)
The Health Ministry said on Thursday that it had ensured delivery of 36,433 ventilators to government hospitals in the country and the average cost now ranges between Rs 2-10 lakh as the domestic industry took up manufacturing of the equipment.
The ministry underlined that all public health facilities in the country had only around 16,000 ventilators from the Independence till pre-Covid times.
But in less than 12 months, 36,433 'Make in India' ventilators have been supplied to all the public health facilities, it said in a statement.
All export restrictions on ventilators have now been removed and 'Make in India' ventilators are being exported. The year witnessed tremendous achievements in the medical supplies sector in the country, the ministry said.
"At the beginning of the pandemic, India was almost totally dependent on imported ventilators, PPE kits and N-95 masks," it said. "There were, in fact, no standard specifications for these products which are essential in the fight against the pandemic." (PTI)
The Odisha government has imposed a night curfew from 10 pm on Thursday to avoid large gatherings during New Year celebrations in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, an official said.
The restriction will remain in place till 5 am on Friday, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Jena said.
However, all essential services will be allowed during the curfew hours, he said. (PTI)
Results from the primary analysis of the ongoing phase 3 clinical trial of US biotechnology company Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine have revealed 94.1 per cent efficacy of the therapeutic in preventing symptomatic infections and severe illness, according to a peer-reviewed study.
The study, published on Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that among over 30,000 participants randomised to receive the vaccine or a placebo, 11 in the vaccine group developed symptomatic Covid-19 compared to 185 participants who received the placebo.
The researchers said this demonstrates 94.1 per cent efficacy in preventing symptomatic Covid-19, adding that cases of severe disease occurred only in participants who received the placebo. (PTI)
Four persons who recently came to Delhi from the UK and tested positive for Covid-19, have been found infected with the new strain of coronavirus, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Thursday.
Interacting with reporters, he said, a total of 38 people have been found positive since coming to Delhi from the UK recently, and kept in a separate institutional isolation unit in the LNJP Hospital premises.
"Four such patients have been found infected with the new UK strain of Covid-19. The persons who came in their contact have been also traced and tested, and its not in them. So, only these four cases of new strain in Delhi so far," he said.
"Flights have been stopped and those who came before that are being traced and tested rigorously," he added. (PTI)
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan today chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness at session sites for Covid-19 vaccination with Principal Secretaries (Health), NHM MDs and other health administrators of all states/UTs through video conference. The government has directed all the state and UT governments to conduct a dry run on January 2, 2021. The activity is proposed to be conducted in all state capitals in at least 3 session sites. Some States will also include districts that are situated in difficult terrain/have poor logistical support.
Considering the drop in temperature that deteriorates air quality, doctors in Pune city have issued a word of caution for people suffering from lung ailments, especially those who have recovered from COVID-19. According to medical experts, deterioration of air quality can also cause complications in patients infected by coronavirus. Increased level of pollutants in the air can affect people suffering from lung-related disorders such as chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and COVID-19, prolonging the process of recovery, they said. "A drop in air quality makes it more difficult for COPD patients to breathe. We advise COPD patients and those who have recently recovered from COVID-19 not step out in the polluted air," said Dr Vaibhav Pandharkar, a pulmonologist from Noble Hospital.
Considering the drop in temperature that deteriorates air quality, doctors in Pune city have issued a word of caution for people suffering from lung ailments, especially those who have recovered from COVID-19. According to medical experts, deterioration of air quality can also cause complications in patients infected by coronavirus. Increased level of pollutants in the air can affect people suffering from lung-related disorders such as chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and COVID-19, prolonging the process of recovery, they said. "A drop in air quality makes it more difficult for COPD patients to breathe. We advise COPD patients and those who have recently recovered from COVID-19 not step out in the polluted air," said Dr Vaibhav Pandharkar, a pulmonologist from Noble Hospital.
New coronavirus infections in Tokyo hit a record high of more than 1,300 on Thursday raising fears of an explosion in cases, local media reported, and New Year's Eve celebrations were curtailed as the country battles a third wave of the pandemic. Scores of flights were also cancelled as heavy snowfall hit several areas of Japan on Thursday. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has urged people to celebrate New Year quietly, and avoid non-essential outings, amid the twin crises. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelled or planned to cancel a total of around 140 flights, public broadcaster NHK reported, adding that a bullet train had suspended services in some parts of the northern Yamagata prefecture. A 70-year-old man died in the northern Iwate prefecture after he apparently fell into a river while trying to shift show with a shovel loader machine, NHK said.
A total of 25 people in the country have tested positive for the new UK variant genome of SARS-CoV-2 so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday. These 25 people include the 20 who were found positiive with the mutated strain on Tuesday and Wednesday. "All 25 persons are in physical isolation in health facilities," the health ministry said. Among the new five cases, the mutated UK strain was detected in four at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune and one new case was sequenced at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi, it said. Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others.
India's COVID-19 caseload increased to 1,02,66,674 with 21,822 new infections being reported in a day, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 98.60 lakh, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The death toll increased to 1,48,738 with 299 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 98,60,280 pushing the national recovery rate to 96.04 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent. The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh for the tenth consecutive day.
Filmmaker Aanand L Rai has tested positive for coronavirus. He is asymptomatic and has been quarantined.
Aanand took to Twitter to share the diagnosis. The Atrangi Re director tweeted, “I have tested covid positive today.Just wanted to inform everyone that I don’t feel any symptoms & I feel fine. I’m quarantining as instructed by authorities.Anyone wh has come in contact with me recently is advised to quarantine & follow d govt protocols.Thank you for support.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday laid the foundation stone of AIIMS Rajkot and remembered the Corona warriors who risked their lives fighting the pandemic. “‘Swasthya hi sampada hai‘, the year 2020 has taught us this well. It has been a year full of challenges. Therefore this last day of the year is the day to remember those Corona warriors who are fighting for us, risking their lives. I bow down to them,” he said. Stating that the country is preparing for mass vaccination, PM Modi said that the new year is “coming with the hope of treatment.” “I’m sure people of the country would make similar efforts for mass vaccination as they had put in to contain the spread of the virus. Around one crore people have recovered from COVID-19 and the number of daily fresh cases in India is going down. 2021 is coming with new hope of treatment.”
China approved a COVID-19 vaccine developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm on Thursday, its first approved shot for general public use as it braces for increased transmission risks over winter.
No detailed efficacy data of the vaccine has been publicly released but its developer, Beijing Biological Products Institute, a unit of Sinopharm subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG), said on Wednesday its vaccine was 79.34% effective in preventing people from developing the disease based on interim data.
The approval comes after the United Arab Emirates this month became the first country to roll out the vaccine to the public.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority Thursday announced a curfew in the city on New Year’s Eve, restricting more than five people to assemble at a public place. According to an order, no celebratory events, congregations and gatherings at public places are permitted from 11 pm of December 31 to 6 am of January 1, 2021. However, the order exempts licensed premises.
“Night curfew will be in force (not more than five persons to assemble at public places), and no new year celebratory events, congregations and gatherings at the public place will be permitted from 11 pm of December 31 to 6 am of January 1, 2021, and also from 11 pm of January 1 to 6 am of January 2…Public places will not include the licensed premises.. However, there will be no restriction on interstate and intrastate movement of persons and goods during the curfew period,” it added.
Police and fire unit deployment has been beefed up, traffic regulation planned, and restaurants and bars asked to host not more than 50 per cent of their capacity as the national capital prepares to welcome the New Year amid the coronavirus pandemic. Officials said they have also taken several measures to ensure women's safety, and added though breath analyser test will not be used to detect drunken-driving out of precaution against coronavirus, delinquent drivers will be liable for legal action.
In order to ensure orderly celebrations, police presence will be strengthened in markets, around malls, five-star hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars, they said. Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava said that this year, public gatherings will be subjected to coronavirus protocol. "There is a restriction on the number of people who can collect at a point. So these restrictions will be there and wearing of masks will be mandatory," he told PTI.
The Pune-based SII has applied to the Drugs Controller General of India seeking emergency use authorisation for COVID-19 vaccine in the country.
A decision on allowing general commuters to board suburban trains in Mumbai will be taken after considering the trend of COVID-19 cases in New Year, Maharashtra health Minister RajeshTope said on Wednesday. Currently, only certain categories of commuters, including those providing essential services, and women, can travel by local trains in the Mumbai region after obtaining a special pass in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
'If (COVID-19) cases are not spiralling, a decision on resumption of suburban services (for all) will be taken. The government is keeping a close watch on the situation,' he said. (PTI)
Karnataka Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Wednesday said there is a need to develop medicine for COVID-19 in Homeopathy also. Arsenicum album is said to be effective to control COVID-19, but there is a need to develop proper medicine for Corona in Homeopathy, Sudhakar was quoted as saying by his office in a release.
"We should encourage homeopathy practice. It was widely used when typhoid was detected," he said, adding that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre has given more importance to Ayush. "Our government led by CM B S Yediyurappa will be deputing one Ayush Doctor at each PHCs across the state," he said. (PTI)
Traces of a new strain of coronavirus were found in two people who recently returned from the United Kingdom, an Uttar Pradesh official said on Wednesday. The two cases were found in Meerut and Gautam Buddh Nagar and samples of their contacts are also being taken, Additional Chief Secretary Health Amit Mohan Prasad said. Tests of those returning from the United Kingdom after December 9 are continuing and till now around 2,500 samples have been sent to the labs, he said, adding that so far 10 people who returned from the UK have tested positive.
Their gene sequencing is being done to ascertain the kind of virus, he said. As many as 2,112 people have tested negative, Prasad said.
Prasad said during the upcoming Magh Mela in Allahabad and Sant Samagam in Vrindavan, people will have to bring a negative coronavirus certificate. (PTI)
A Chinese drugmaker said Wednesday its coronavirus vaccine was found to be 79.3 per cent effective at preventing infection in preliminary data from the final round of testing, moving Beijing closer to possibly being able to fulfill its pledge to supply other developing countries. The announcement by a unit of state-owned Sinopharm gave the first official data from a Chinese vaccine's late-stage trial. Its reported effectiveness rate is behind Pfizer Inc.'s vaccine at 95 per cent and Moderna Inc.'s at 94 per cent.
Scientists have cautioned coronavirus vaccines may only be about as effective as flu vaccines, which generally are 50 per cent effective. Sinopharm is one of at least five Chinese developers that are in a global race to create vaccines for the disease that has killed more than 1.7 million people. More than 1 million health care workers and others in China have received vaccines being developed by Sinopharm and another supplier, Sinovac, under emergency approval while testing was underway. (AP)
Serum Institute of India (SII) on Thursday termed the approval for Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the UK as encouraging news and said that the company would now wait for the final nod for the medication in India. Earlier in the day, the UK approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by scientists at Oxford University and produced by AstraZeneca for human use, the second coronavirus vaccine to be cleared for rollout in Britain after the Pfizer/BioNTech jabs.
The Oxford vaccine, which also has a tie-up with the SII, was being evaluated by the British regulator - the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) - after the final cut of data was submitted by the government last week. "This is great and encouraging news. We will wait for the final approval from Indian regulators," SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said in a statement.
In order to introduce an urgently needed vaccine against COVID-19 in India, SII, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has entered into a collaboration with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine. The Pune-based company has applied to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking emergency use authorisation for COVID-19 vaccine in the country. (PTI)
The coronavirus-induced suspension of scheduled international passenger flights has been extended till January 31, aviation regulator DGCA said on Wednesday. "However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation added.
Scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral "air bubble" arrangements with selected countries since July. (PTI)
The Union Health Ministry has asked all states to keep a strict vigil on New Year celebrations that could be potential COVID-19 super-spreader events and also to curb crowding as a precautionary measure during the winter season, PTI reported. In a letter to states and Union Territories, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan stated that the number of active COVID-19 cases has been declining steadily in the country for the last three-and-half months. “You will appreciate that in the wake of New Year and various celebratory events associated with it as well as ongoing winter season, strict vigil is required to be maintained to curb all potential ‘super spreader’ events and places where crowds may gather,” Bhushan said in the letter.
German authorities have reported more than 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths in one day for the first time since the pandemic began. The national disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said Wednesday that 1,129 deaths were reported over the past 24 hours. That exceeds the previous record set a week ago of 962 and brings Germanys total death toll to 32,107.
While delayed reporting of statistics over holidays and weekends is often an issue in Germany, the latest figure fits a recent pattern of high numbers of deaths. Germany had a relatively low death rate in the first phase of the pandemic but has seen hundreds of deaths per day in recent weeks. Among major European nations, Italy, the UK, France and Spain still have higher death tolls. (AP)
The Kerala government has decided to relax the curbs imposed on temple festivities, reported PTI.
State Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said restrictions in connection with the festivities, would be relaxed in temples managed by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). TDB is an apex temple body in the southern state which manages over 1200 shrines.
The temple art forms can be staged in compliance with the COVID protocol, the minister said on Wednesday.
AstraZeneca's Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot Wednesday said the Covid-19 vaccine approved by Britain should be effective against the new variant of coronavirus detected in the United Kingdom, reported Reuters.
"Our belief at this point is that this vaccine should be effective against the variant," he told BBC radio.
Haryana Health Miniser Anil Vij Wednesday said he has been discharged from Medanta Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for Covid-19.
'I'm discharged from Medanta Hospital today. Will stay at Home on oxygen support,' the minister tweeted.
Vij had tested positive for coronavirus on December 5, a fortnight after he was administered a dose of 'Covaxin' at an Ambala hospital.
The Maharashtra government has extended lockdown restrictions in the state till January 31, reported PTI.
"The state is threatened with the spread of COVID-19 virus. Therefore, to take certain emergency measures to prevent and contain the spread of the virus, the lockdown in the state has been extended till January 31," a circular issued on Dec 29 stated.
The activities already allowed and permitted from time to time shall be continue, it added.
The scale of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan early this year may have been nearly 10 times the recorded tally, a study conducted by China’s public health authorities indicates, leaving the city where the coronavirus first took hold still well short of the immunity required to protect against a potential resurgence.
About 4.4% of those tested were found to have specific antibodies that can fight off the pathogen that causes Covid-19, indicating they were infected some time in the past, according to a serological survey of more than 34,000 people conducted in April by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The data was released late Monday.
That ratio would suggest that with Wuhan home to about 11 million people, as many as 500,000 residents may have been infected, nearly 10 times more than the 50,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases reported by health authorities in mid-April, when the survey was conducted.
The United Kingdom on Wednesday approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
The Centre has extended the temporary ban on flights to India from the United Kingdom until January 7, following which a “strictly regulated” resumption will take place. The current suspension, which took effect from December 23, is in place until December 31.
The resumption of flights will be a relief to passengers who may be currently stuck in the UK. Once inbound flights resume, people who may have to travel to the UK from India will also be able to do that. Read on to know more
Economic shocks like the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 only arrive once every few generations, and they bring about permanent and far-reaching change.
Measured by output, the world economy is well on the way to recovery from a slump the likes of which barely any of its 7.7 billion people have seen in their lifetimes. Vaccines should accelerate the rebound in 2021. But other legacies of Covid-19 will shape global growth for years to come.
The government on Wednesday extended a temporary ban on UK-India flights till January 7, after which "strict-regulated" resumption will take place. The Civil Aviation Ministry had last week suspended all flights between UK and India from December 23 to December 31 over the detection of a mutated variant of coronavirus.
A 20-something man from Colorado is the first American known to be infected with a new variant of coronavirus that emerged this fall in the UK, raising concern that a more transmissible strain could spread widely across the country.
The Colorado State Laboratory confirmed the patient had the mutated form of the virus, known as B.1.1.7, and informed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement on Twitter.