Coronavirus News Updates: Air Suvidha forms, RT-PCR tests 72 hrs prior to departure likely to be mandatory for international fliers

Amid a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases in neighbouring China, NTAGI chairperson Dr N K Arora assured that a fresh outbreak of severe Covid cases and hospitalisation is unlikely as people in India have the advantage of 'hybrid immunity'.

. Credit: PTI Photo

. Two more passengers, who returned from Dubai and Cambodia, tested positive for Covid-19 at the airport here on Wednesday, taking the total number of returnees testing for the virus so far in Tamil Nadu to four. Confirming that the two passengers had tested positive for the virus, State Health Minister Ma Subramanian said a woman and her six-year-old daughter, who returned from China via Colombo, too, had tested positive for COVID-19 at the Madurai airport on Tuesday. Credit: PTI

. Both the samples sent for genome sequencing: Maharashtra Health Department

. Eleven tourists from Myanmar, isolated at the Safdarjung Hospital earlier this week after one of them testedCovidpositive at the IGI Airport here, have turned out to be negative and are being discharged, officials said on Wednesday.The government has made random coronavirus testing mandatory for two per cent of passengers arriving in each international flight from Saturday amid a surge in coronavirus cases in some countries, including China. (PTI)

. Taiwan will test arrivals from China for COVID-19 from Jan. 1 in response to a surge in cases there, the government said on Wednesday, joining other countries in stepping up controls on people coming from China. Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Centre said all passengers arriving on direct flights from China, as well as by boat at two offshore islands, will have to take PCR tests upon arrival.

. Japan on Wednesday recorded 415 COVID-19 deaths, the highest-ever count for a single day, health ministry data showed.

The country counted 216,219 newly confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, up 4% from a week earlier, the data also showed, approaching the record high of some 260,000 a day in August.

In the past seven days,Japanhad the world's largest confirmed COVID-19 infections and the second-most deaths after the United States, according to a tally by the World Health Organization. (Reuters)

. Chinese hospitals were under intense pressure on Wednesday as a surge of COVID-19 infections strained medical resources, while the scale of the outbreak and doubts over official data prompted some countries to consider new travel rules on Chinese visitors. In an abrupt change of policy,Chinathis month began dismantling the world's strictest COVID regime of lockdowns and extensive testing, putting its battered economy on course for a complete re-opening next year. (Reuters)

. International travellers to Hong Kong will no longer need to do a mandatory PCR COVID-19 test on arrival, local broadcaster TVB said on Wednesday citing sources, adding that the city's vaccine pass required to enter most venues would also be scrapped. (Reuters)

. The Philippines should be "very cautious" when receiving inbound travelers from China, which is grappling with a sharp rise in COVID case numbers, the Philippine transportation minister said on Wednesday.

The Southeast Asian country could impose measures like testing requirements on visitors from China, but not an outright ban, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista told reporters.

. A woman and her six-year-old daughter, who returned from China via Colombo, tested positive for COVID-19 at the Madurai airport in Tamil Nadu, a senior health official said on Wednesday.

The woman, hailing from Virudhunagar near Madurai, and her daughter were subjected to RT-PCR test at the airport when they landed on Tuesday and the results turned positive forcoronavirus, the official said. Both are under home isolation in Virudhunagar.

Their samples would be sent to the state lab for whole genomic sequencing. (PTI)

. India logged 188 newcoronavirusinfections, while the active cases increased to 3,468, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The Covid case tally was recorded at4.46 crore (4,46,77,647).

The death toll stands at5,30,696, the data updated at 8 am stated. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.14 per cent, while the weekly positivity was pegged at 0.18 per cent, the ministry said.

. China reported three new COVID-19 deaths in mainland for Dec. 27, compared with one death a day earlier, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

The death toll was raised to 5,245.

. China has said thatit would stop requiring inbound travellers to go into quarantine starting from January 8 in a major step towards easing curbs on its borders, which have been largely shut since 2020. (Reuters)

. Karnataka placed a request with the central government for 25 lakh doses of Covishield and five lakh doses of Corbevax at the end of last week. The state is yet to get any response from the Centre, even as it is gearing up to increase the booster dose coverage from 20% to 50% by January end.

Coronavirus News Updates: Air Suvidha forms, RT-PCR tests 72 hrs prior to departure likely to be mandatory for international fliers

Fresh outbreak of Covid unlikely in India due to hybrid immunity, says NTAGI chief

Air Suvidha forms, RT-PCR tests 72 hrs prior to departure likely to be mandatory for international fliers

Gulbarga Institute Of Medical Sciences adds Covid beds amid Covid19 alert

2 more returnees test positive for Covid-19 in Chennai

2 international passengers found Covid positive in random sampling at Mumbai International airport today

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