Coronavirus news highlights: Delhi reports 6,746 new Covid-19 cases, 121 deaths

In its most recent update, the Union Health Ministry placed the total number of cases at 90,95,806 and the death toll at 1,33,227. The Ministry said that 85,21,617 people have so far recovered from the infection. As per Deccan Herald's count, the total number of confirmed positive cases in the country has reached 91,25,990 and the death toll stands at 1,33,548 as of November 22.

Thank you for following DH's live coverage on the coronavirus outbreak.

For more latest updates on Covid-19, click here.

UP to test every traveller from Delhi for coronavirus

The Uttar Pradesh government will test all travellers from Delhi for coronavirus, an official said on Sunday.

Read more

Final trials of India's local Covid-19 vaccine can end within two months

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Bharat Biotech this month started third-stage trials of COVAXIN, in a process that would involve 26,000 volunteers. It is the most advanced Indian experimental vaccine.

Read more here

West Bengal reported 3,591 new Covid-19 cases, 3,726 discharges, and 49 deaths in last 24 hours, says State Health Department.

Delhi reported 6,746 new Covid-19 cases, 6,154 recoveries, and 121 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to Delhi Health Department.

Covid-19: 90% Latur schools to open on Nov 23

Ninety per cent schools in Latur in Maharashtra will reopen on Monday after a long break due to the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown, while the rest will remain shut as the teachers there have not been tested for the infection so far, district officials said on Sunday.

Read more here

Covid-19: Maharashtra govt hints at another lockdown

“We do not have the vaccine yet…the threat of coronavirus is not yet over….the best possible measures are compulsory wearing of masks, physical distancing, sanitization and avoiding crowding in public places,” Thackeray said in a webcast to the people of the state.

Read more here

First Covid-19 death among Supreme Court staffers as admin branch member dies

A Supreme Court administration branch member has died due to the novel coronavirus, an official said Sunday, confirming the first Covid-19 death among the country’s top court staffers.

Read more here

US expects to begin Covid-19 vaccinations in early December: Official

The United States hopes to begin a sweeping program of Covid-19 vaccinations in early December, the head of the government coronavirus vaccine effort said Sunday.

Read more here

France finds Covid-19 in mink at one farm; 1,000 mink to be culled

In Denmark, the virus was found to have mutated into a different strain, which experts feared could render a vaccine less effective if transmitted back to humans. Around 17 million mink are due to be culled there.

Read more here

Mumbai reports 1,135 new Covid-19 cases, 618 recoveries/discharges and 19 deaths today. Total cases there rise to 2,75,707, including 2,52,127 recoveries/discharges and 10,673 deaths. Active cases stand at 9,770.

'Sputnik V to cost less than Pfizer and Moderna's Covid-19 vaccines'

Shortly after Moderna, an American pharmaceutical giant that claims itsCovid-19 vaccine has an efficacy of around 94.5 per centsaid that they would charge governments between $25 and $37 per dose, Russia’s first Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V makers said on Twitter that their shots would cost lower.

Read more here

Punjab reports 710 new Covid-19 cases, 497 discharges and 19 deaths today.Total cases in the state rise to 1,46,346, including 1,35,008 recoveries and 4,614 deaths. Active cases stand at 6,724.

Maharashtra reports 5,753 new Covid-19 cases, 4,060 recoveries & 50 deaths. The total number of cases in the state is 17,80,208. There are 81,512 active cases in the state and 16,51,064 patients have recovered so far. The death toll is at 46,623.

Karnataka reports 1,704 new Covid-19 cases, 1,537 discharges and 13 deaths today. Total cases in the state rise to 8,73,046, including 8,36,505 discharges and 11,654 deaths. Active cases stand at 24,868

Maharashtra reports 5,753 new Covid-19 cases, 4,060 recoveries and 50 deaths. The total number of cases in the state is 17,80,208 There are 81,512 active cases in the state and 16,51,064 patients have recovered so far. The death toll is at 46,623.

Only night curfew will be enforced in four cities of Gujarat from tomorrow. Night curfew will be strictly enforced in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

Centre exploring modalities of emergency authorisation of Covid-19 vaccine

The issue of advance purchase commitment for vaccines, including pricing, was also discussed in a recent meeting attended by NITI Aayog Member (Health) Vinod Paul, Principal Scientific Advisor to the government K VijayRaghavan and Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.

Read more here

Dubai permits Covid-19 saliva tests for children

Dubai's health regulator said on Sunday children aged between 3-16 could now be tested for Covid-19 by providing a saliva sample instead of the widely used nasal swab.The saliva test had been permitted following a research study by the regulator and a local university, the Dubai Health Authority said on Twitter.

The United Arab Emirates has reported 158,990 coronavirus cases and 552 related deaths.

The government does not disclose where in the seven emirates they occur. (Reuters)

Andhra Pradesh reports 1,121 new Covid-19 cases taking the total positive cases in the State to 8,62,213. There are 14,249 active cases and 8,41,026 recovered cases in the State; the death toll is at 6,938, as per the State Health Department.

Kerala records 5,254 new Covid-19 cases today; active cases in the state at 65,856. Total 4,94,664 recoveries have been reported so far: Kerala Government.

Telangana logs 873 new Covid-19 cases; CM K Chandrashekhar Rao alerts officials on second wave

Rao who held a review meeting with senior officials said all the required steps would be taken to withstand even emergence of a second wave of the Covid-19 in the state. He suggested people be cautious and observe self-protection guidelines.

Read more here

uducherry reports 46 new Covid-19 cases, 88 discharges.Total positive cases in the Union Territory rise to 36,693 till date, including 559 active cases, 35,525 recoveries and 609 deaths: Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Puducherry.

Colleges in Karnataka may be shut if coronavirus cases rise: Minister Dr K Sudhakar

Barely six days after the degree and engineering colleges were reopened in the state, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Sunday said they may be shut again if the coronavirus cases go up. Degree, engineering and diploma colleges were reopened on November 17 after eight months of closure due to coronavirus-induced lockdown. Under the circumstances, reports emerged that at least 130 students got infected by Covid-19.

Read more here

G20 to back 'equitable' access to coronavirus vaccine

The leaders also struck a unified tone on supporting 'multilateral' trade as well as the global fight against climate change, but the closing document lacks firm details on many of the issues dominating the virtual summit hosted by Riyadh.

Read more here

During Diwali, there was a huge crowd as if Corona itself died due to heavy crowd. Now there are predictions that second wave may come. Govt has made a lot of regulations to start schools which includes different ways as to how they should be sanitized: Ajit Pawar.

There was a huge crowd during Diwali period. Even at the time of Ganesha Chaturthi, we saw crowds. We are speaking to relevant departments. We'll review the situation for next 2-3 days and then the further decision will be taken about the lockdown: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

France to start easing Covid-19 lockdown rules in three steps

"Emmanuel Macron will give prospects over several weeks, especially on how we adjust our strategy. What is at stake is adapting lockdown rules as the health situation improves while avoiding a new flare up in the epidemic," government spokesman Gabriel Attal told Le Journal Du Dimanche.

Read more here

Covid-19 cases in Japan hit record amid holiday travel

A flurry of criticism from opposition legislators and the public have slammed the government for being too slow in halting its "GoTo" tourism campaign, which encouraged travel and dining out with discounts.

Read more here

Delhi sees 1,759 Covid-19 deaths in Nov; experts cite non-resident patients, cold weather as reasons

Experts attribute the high number of daily Covid-19 deaths in the national capital to a large number of "critical" non-residents patients coming to the city for treatment, unfavourable weather, pollution and better "reporting and mapping" of fatalities.

Read more here

Reopening of schools: Karnataka to decide on November 23

"The opinion of the parents, teachers and students has been collected from various parts of the state on the reopening of schools and has been documented in the form of a report which will be presented before the Chief Minister and others on November 23," said sources in the education department said on Sunday.

Read more here

AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine shot is key to escaping Covid-19 pandemic for many nations

Findings from the final stage of AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine studies are due to be released shortly, and the stakes for lower- and middle-income nations are immense. The shot developed with the University of Oxford accounts for more than 40% of the supplies going to those countries, based on deals tracked by London-based research firm Airfinity Ltd.

Read more here

Frequent, rapid testing can curb Covid-19 transmission within weeks: Study

Testing half the population weekly with inexpensive, rapid-turnaround Covid-19 tests can drive the pandemic toward elimination within weeks even if the tests are significantly less sensitive than gold-standard clinical diagnostics, a new study says.

Read more

Bengal to lose chance to conduct Phase II trial of Sputnik V due to delay in govt's approval

West Bengal will likely lose the chance to conduct Phase II clinical trial of Russian Covid-19 vaccine candidate Sputnik V because of the delay in grant of approval by the state government, a top official of an organisation involved in facilitating the exercise said on Sunday.

Read more

Aviation industry mulls steps to ensure smooth transportation of Covid-19 vaccines

Major Indian airports will provide flexible slots and separate temperature-controlled zones while air cargo operators would run multiple flights in a short time span to transport Covid-19 vaccines that are expected to become available in India early next year.

Read more

WHO Covid-19 envoy fears 3rd wave, calls Europe response 'incomplete'

A World Health Organization (WHO) special Covid-19 envoy predicted a third wave of the pandemic in Europe in early 2021 if governments repeat what he said was a failure to do what was needed to prevent the second wave of infections.

Read more

Odisha's Covid-19 tally rises to 3,13,961 with 638 more people testing positive for the infection; 15 new fatalities push death toll to 1,640.

Covid-19: Centre rushes high-level teams to Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh

High-level central teams have been deputed to Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to support them in Covid-19 response and management.

Read more

More mass testing in China after 3 new cases

Authorities are conducting mass testing and shutting down schools after China reported three new domestically transmitted cases in the past 24 hours — two in northern Inner Mongolia province and one in Shanghai.

The city of Manzhouli, in Inner Mongolia, will start testing all its residents for Covid-19 on Sunday, a day after the two cases were discovered. The city has suspended classes and shut public venues, telling residents to not gather for dinner banquets.

(AP)

Covid-19 caseload in India nears 91 lakh

India's Covid-19 tally rose to 90.95 lakh on Sunday with 45,209 new cases, while the recoveries surged to 85,21,617, according to the Union Health Ministry's data.

Read more

Bengal’s first clinical trial of a Covid-19 vaccine may begin in December

West Bengal is all set for the first clinical trial of a Covid-19 vaccine in the state. The phase III clinical trial of the indigenous Covaxin will be conducted at the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) in Kolkata.

Read more

We have increased the number of beds in hospitals. ICU beds have also been increased by 400, more will be added in the days to come: Satyendar Jain, Delhi Health Minister

Telangana reported 873 new Covid-19 cases, 4 deaths and 1,296 recoveries on 21st November. Total cases in the state rise to 2,63,526, including 1430 deaths and 2,50,453 recoveries. Active cases stand at 11,643.

Union Govt has decided to depute high-level Central Teams to Uttar Pradesh, Punjab & Himachal Pradesh to support the States in Covid response & management. These States are either reporting a rise in no. of active cases or demonstrating a rise in daily new cases: Health Ministry

Covid-19 patient in West Bengal brought home days after being declared dead, cremated

In a bizarre incident, an elderly coronavirus patient was brought back home in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district by his family members, a week after they received "his body" from a Covid hospital and cremated it.

Read more

US approves Covid-19 therapy, G20 pushes for global vaccine access

US drug regulators gave emergency approval to a Covid-19 antibody therapy on Saturday and G20 nations pushed for global access to vaccines as the pandemic led to further closures in parts of the world.

Read more

Armed supporters of US President Donald Trump pose for a photo outside the governor's mansion, Mahonia Hall, as one flashes a white power hand symbol, during a protest against restrictions put in place to limit the spread of coronavirus disease. Credit: Reuters Photo

Ayurveda, Yoga to be helpful in dealing with post-Covid-19 difficulties: Shripad Naik

Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik has said Ayurveda, Yoga and other systems will be greatly helpful for the entire world in dealing with the post-Covid-19 difficulties.

Read more

Inching toward normal, Australia eases some Covid-19 curbs

Australia moved a step closer to normal life on Sunday, opening some internal borders and easing restrictions in regions affected by Covid-19, as the vast majority of the country has seen no new community infections or deaths for weeks.

Read more

Japan may limit event attendance as Covid-19 cases surge

Japan may reimpose attendance limits for sports and other large events to curb a spike in Covid-19 infections, economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Sunday.

The limits would be applied in areas of the country seeing a sharp increase in cases, Nishimura said on a talk show on public broadcaster NHK. The government imposed attendance limits earlier in the year but relaxed them in recent months.

The government is also considering how to refund cancellation fees for customers who booked trips via a domestic tourism campaign that was partially suspended on Saturday, Nishimura said.

New coronavirus cases across Japan climbed to a record 2,596 on Saturday, according to NHK. In Tokyo, the daily infection rate was an all-time high 539 cases.

(Reuters)

US surpasses 1.2 crore coronavirus cases

The United States surpassed 1.2 crore Covid-19 cases Saturday, according to the Johns Hopkins University real-time tracker.

Read more

A total of 13,17,33,134 samples tested for Covid-19, up to November 21. Of these, 10,75,326 samples were tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

India's active coronavirus caseload stands at 4,409,62 with 93.67% recovery rate.

43,493 recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours taking the recovery tally to 85,21,617.

With 501 new fatalities, the death toll rose to 1,33,227.

With 45,209 new cases India's Covid-19 tally reached 90,95,806.

Japan is scaling back on the government-backed “GoTo” campaign to encourage travel and dining out, as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases reached a record for the third day straight. Credit: AP/PTI Photo

At G20 Summit, Modi calls for new global index for post-Covid-19 world

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for a new global index for the post-Covid-19 world, based on four pillars — creating a vast talent pool, making technology available to all sections of society, transparency in governance and “dealing with Mother Earth with a spirit of trusteeship”.

Read more

Covid-19: Rajasthan imposes night curfew in 8 districts; increases no-mask fine

Amid spiralling Covid-19 cases, the Rajasthan cabinet on Saturday decided to impose night curfew in 8 districts and increased the fine amount on not wearing a face mask from Rs 200 to Rs 500, an official release said.

Read more

Victoria Hospital wins award for ensuring Covid warriors’ safety

The Trauma and Emergency Care Centre at Victoria Hospital premises has grabbed the runners-up award at a global competition organised by the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations (CAHO) on account of World Patient Safety Day.

Read more

Mexican president urges G20 to avoid debt, bailouts amid Covid-19 pandemic

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Saturday urged fellow leaders from the 20 biggest world economies (G20) to steer clear of debt and bailouts in the efforts to handle the Covid-19 crisis that has caused a global recession.

Read more

US FDA grants emergency approval to Regeneron Covid-19 antibody given to Trump

The US Food and Drug Administration on Saturday issued emergency use authorization for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc's Covid-19 antibody therapy, an experimental treatment given to US President Donald Trump that he said helped cure him of the disease.

Read more

Brazil has registered 32,622 additional coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours and 376 deaths, the health ministry said on Saturday.

Mexico's health ministry reported on Saturday 6,719 additional cases of the novel coronavirus and 550 more deaths in the country, bringing the official number of cases to 1,032,688 and the death toll to 101,373.

Mainland China reported 17 new Covid-19 cases on November 21, up from 16 the previous day, with three cases of local transmission and nine cases originating overseas, the National Health Commission said on Sunday.

Good morning, readers. Welcome to your live coverage of the coronavirus outbreak.