Coronavirus news highlights: Maharashtra reports 2,936 new Covid-19 cases, 50 deaths

Ahead of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Serum Institute of India began shipping Covishield, its Covid-19 vaccine, from its facility in Pune. India reported 12,584 new Covid-19 cases, 18,385 discharges, and 167 deaths in last 24 hours. The new cases were lowest since June 18, 2020. Stay tuned for live updates.

197 new COVID-19 cases, 2 more deaths in AP

Close to 41,000 sample tests yielded 197 fresh Covid-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh as the gross went up to 8,85,234 on Tuesday.

A health department bulletin said 234 patients had recovered and two more succumbed to the pandemic in the state in 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday. The total recoveries has touched 8,75,690 and deaths 7,133,

Maha sees 2,936 new COVID-19 cases, 3,282 recoveries,50 deaths

Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 2,936 fresh coronavirus positive cases, taking the tally of infections to 19,74,488, the state health department said.

With 50 more people succumbing to the viral disease, the cumulative death toll in the state mounted to 50,151, an official said.

A total of 3,282 patients were discharged after treatment during the day, taking the total count of recoveries in Maharashtra to 18,71,120, the official said, adding that the state is now left with 51,892 active cases.

UK PM’s 7-mile bike ride defended as action on lockdown breaches toughens

Downing Street on Tuesday defended UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cycle ride in east London over the weekend, around seven miles away from his central London office-cum-residence, and insisted he had not breached the Covid-19 lockdown rules which allow for one daily form of exercise but require people to “stay local”.

Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal tests positive for Covid-19

Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said on Tuesday that she has tested positive for coronavirus after being locked down in a secured room at the US Capitol where several Republican lawmakers recklessly refused to wear masks in the moments after the January 6 attack.

EU gets vaccine boost as WHO dampens hope of herd immunity

The European Union started the approval process for its third vaccine on Tuesday after WHO scientists warned that herd immunity from coronavirus was unlikely this year even with mass inoculation schemes.

The 27-nation EU -- under fire for lengthy approval processes and slow national rollouts of drugs -- promised an "accelerated timeline" after confirming drug company AstraZeneca had applied for approval for the jab it developed with Oxford University.

Only two states in the Union where active cases are more than 50,000, which are Kerala and Maharashtra, says Union Health Ministry

Only 2% of the total Covid-19 cases in India are active: Union Health Ministry

Precaution should continue even though Indian has witnessed a drop in the fresh Covid cases, says Union Health Ministry.

China places 5 million more under lockdown to stamp out virus cluster

Chinese authorities sealed off a city of almost five million people and imposed strict travel restrictions on several others on Tuesday as they worked to quash a number of Covid-19 clusters near Beijing.

The country had largely curbed the spread of the coronavirus, which first emerged in Wuhan in late 2019, with small outbreaks swiftly snuffed out using mass testing, local lockdowns and travel restrictions.

Malaysia declares virus emergency and suspends parliament

Malaysia's king declared a nationwide state of emergency Tuesday to fight a coronavirus surge and parliament was suspended, with critics charging it was a bid by the unstable government to cling to power.

The surprise move came a day after the prime minister announced sweeping new curbs across much of the Southeast Asian nation, including the closure of most businesses, and warned the health system was "at breaking point".

Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah agreed to declare an emergency until August 1 following a request from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the national palace said in a statement.

Stick to Covid rules or expect tighter restrictions: UK policing minister

The British public must stick to tough rules to prevent the spread ofCovid-19 or the government could bring in even stricter measures, the policing minister said on Tuesday.

"If we're going to get through this in good shape, and hopefully make sure that this is the last big lockdown of the country, it's very important that we all stick to the rules," Kit Malthouse told Sky News, saying tighter rules would depend on "the numbers" relating to infections and hospitalisations. (Reuters)

Disneyland to become mass vaccination site in California

Walt Disney Co's Disneyland, which has remained closed since March, will become the first large site to provideCovid-19 vaccinations in Orange County, California, government officials announced late on Monday.

Disneyland will be the first Super Point-of-Dispensing (POD) sites in the county and become operational later this week, the district officials said in a statement.

"The Disneyland Resort, the largest employer in the heart of Orange County, has stepped up to host the county's first Super POD site – undertaking a monumental task in our vaccination distribution process," said acting chairman Andrew Do, Orange County Supervisor, representing the First District.

WHO experts to fly from Singapore to Wuhan on Jan 14

China said on Tuesday that the World Health Organization's team of international experts to investigate the origin ofCovid-19 will fly from Singapore to the Chinese city of Wuhan on Jan. 14.

Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian was speaking at a regular news briefing. (Reuters)

Russia extends UK flight ban till Feb 1

Russiahas extended a ban on flights to and from Britain until the end of Feb. 1 due to the new coronavirus variant detected in the UK,Russia's coronavirus taskforce said on Tuesday.

Russia, which has already reported a case of the more infectious coronavirus variant, has had the flight ban in place since Dec. 22. (Reuters)

Taiwan records first locally transmitted Covid-19 case since December

Taiwan on Tuesday reported its first locally transmitted cases ofCovid-19 since Dec. 22 - a doctor in a hospital, who was treating an already infected patient, and a nurse.

Until last month's domestic transmission the island had not reported any local cases since April 12, with the vast majority of infections in people coming to Taiwan from overseas.

State-wise total confirmed Covid-19 cases data

Covid-19 death toll in Ukraine crosses 20,000

Ukraine Health Maksym Stepanov stated the coronavirus related deaths in Ukraine has crossed the 20,000-mark. (Reuters)

Japan working to isolate new coronavirus variant

Japan is working to isolate and analyse a new variant of the coronavirus detected in four people who arrived from Brazil, a health ministry official said Tuesday.

Japan announced the detection of the new variant on Sunday, but officials have been at pains to emphasise there is no evidence yet that it is any more transmissible or dangerous than others.

"In order to further analyse the variant, we need to isolate it first," a health ministry official told AFP. (AFP)

Vaccine consignment lands in Chennai

NBA cancels two more games over Covid-19 concerns

The NBA cited its coronavirus health protocols in postponing two games Monday, bringing the total number of games postponed for this reason to four. The affected games were Monday night’s matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans, and Tuesday’s Boston Celtics game against the Chicago Bulls. The league also said that it would be meeting with the NBA players’ union Monday “about modifying the league’s health and safety protocols.”

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Will get clarity on Covid-19 vaccine export in few weeks: Jaishankar

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Tuesday that the government would have greater clarity on the export of Covid-19 vaccines from the country within the next few weeks.

Jaishankar told the Reuters Next conference that India understood the anxieties of foreign governments with regard to getting the vaccines delivered to their populations.

"We will get clarity pretty soon on what our own consumption is going got be, (what) deployments are going to be. And we will keep our global role very much.." he said. (Reuters)

Saina, husband Kashyap, Prannoy to miss Thailand Open following positive Covid-19 test

Top Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and H S Prannoy, who had recently recovered from Covid-19, have again tested positive for the dreaded disease here ahead of the Thailand Open which began on Tuesday.

The duo, along with the Indian team, was looking to participate in the Asia leg events comprising the Thailand Open (January 12-17), TOYOTA Thailand Open (January 19-24) and the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2020 (January 27-31).

"Saina and Prannoy tested positive for Covid-19 during a test conducted on Monday. They will stay in quarantine for 10 days in a Bangkok hospital. Kashyap too will have to head to the hospital as he is a close contact," a source in the Badminton Association of India (BAI) said.

While the trio will miss the tournament, the rest of the Indian team players have been allowed to participate in the event.

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Saina Nehwal tests positive for Covid-19

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal tested positive for Covid-19,News 18reported. Nehwal, along with HS Prannoy, were set to end their hiatus from top-level badminton after more than 300 days. Both shuttlers have been taken to a hospital. Nehwal's husband Parupalli Kashyap, also participating in the Thailand Open has been taken to the hospital, although his Covid status has not been confirmed.

2 test positive for Covid-19 in Australian Open qualifying tournament

Two players have been withdrawn from Australian Open qualifying tournament in Doha, Qatar and put into hotel quarantine after returning positive tests for COVID-19.

American Denis Kudla, seeded No. 4 in the qualifying event which is being held outside of Australia for the first time, was withdrawn following a 6-4, 6-3 first-round win over Elliot Benchetrit of Morocco on Monday.

Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-2, 6-4 before he was withdrawn.

Tennis Australia confirmed in a statement there'd been two positive tests at the tournament and both men had been transferred to a government-run medi-hotel, where strict quarantine procedures were in place.

Gorillas at San Diego Zoo test positive for coronavirus

Several gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming what federal officials said Monday were the first known apes in the nation to be infected.

Zoo officials said Monday that they believed the gorillas were infected by an asymptomatic staff member who had been following safety recommendations, including wearing personal protective equipment when near animals.

Veterinarians are closely monitoring the troop, which is made up of eight western lowland gorillas. The infected animals are expected to make a full recovery, officials said.

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COVID-19 vaccine transport begins across India

Indian carrier Spicejet on Tuesday said it carried a large consignment of COVID-19 vaccines from Pune to the capital New Delhi, a crucial step towards kickstarting the country's inoculation drive.

The private carrier will transport bulk vaccine consignments to several cities as state authorities prepare to receive and launch the distribution process.

"Today marks the beginning of a long and decisive phase in India's fight against the pandemic and SpiceJet is proud to assist in the biggest vaccination drive in the history of mankind," the airline's chairman and managing director, said Ajay Singh, said.

India reports 12,584 new Covid-19 cases, 18,385 discharges, and 167 deaths in last 24 hours

Total cases: 1,04,79,179
Active cases: 2,16,558
Total discharges: 1,01,11,294
Death toll: 1,51,327

CDC says 9 million Americans now vaccinated as US states scramble to step up inoculations

Nearly 9 million Americans had been given their first Covid-19 vaccination dose as of Monday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, as states scrambled to step up inoculations that have yet to slow the roaring pandemic.

The 8,987,322 people who have been jabbed with the first of two shots, according to the CDC, represent less than one-third of the 25 million total doses distributed to states by the US government. - Reuters

Malaysia's king declares state of emergency to curb spread of Covid-19

Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah on Tuesday declared a state of emergency across the country to curb the spread of Covid-19, the palace said in a statement.

The emergency will last until Aug. 1 or earlier depending on the state of coronavirus infections, the palace said. -Reuters

87,588 healthcare workers have been identified for vaccination in first phase in Uttarakhand. 309 sites are ready for vaccination. We have made 317 cold chain points & 547 deep freezers to keep Covid-19 vaccine safe: Uttarakhand Director General (Health) Dr Amita Upreti - ANI

A total of 8 flights will transport Covishield vaccine from Pune International Airport to 13 different locations today. The first flight will leave for Delhi airport: Sandip Bhosale, MD of SB Logistics, the company handling air transportation of the vaccine from Pune airport - ANI