Coronavirus news highlights: Delhi LG amends Epidemic Disease Management of Covid-19 Regulations 2020

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. West Bengal reports 3,626 new Covid-19 cases, 3,850 discharges, and 53 deaths, says State Health Department

Total cases: 4,45,505

Active cases: 25,599

Death toll: 7,923

Total discharges: 4,15,609

. Delhi reports 6,608 new Covid-19 cases (out of 62,425 tests), 8,775 recoveries, and 118 deaths, according to Delhi Health Department

Total cases: 5,17,238

Total recoveries: 4,68,143

Active cases: 40,936

Death toll: 8,159

. Nagaland's Covid-19 tally went up to 10,608 after 148 people tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, Health and Family Welfare Minister S Pangnyu Phom said.

He said, 97 patients have also recovered during the day.

"148 +ve cases of Covid-19 detected today. Dimapur- 138, Kohima- 8, Mon and Tuensang- 1 each," the minister tweeted.

Of the confirmed 10.608 cases, 9,104 have recovered while 1,340 are active patients, said Director of Health Department Dr Denis Hangsing in the daily Covid-19 bulletin.

The recovery rate in the state is 85.82 per cent now, he said.

. People walk in the rain past Christmas decorations in central London on November 20, 2020, as life under a second lockdown continues in England. - The current lockdown in England has shuttered restaurants, gyms and non-essential shops and services until December 2, with hopes business could resume in time for Christmas.

Credit: AFP Photo

. Delhi LG amends Delhi Epidemic Disease Management of Covid-19 Regulations 2020, empowering 'authorised persons' to impose Rs 2000 fine for violation of quarantine rules, social distancing norms, not wearing face masks & consumption of pan, gutka etc in public places.

. 661 new Covid-19 cases reported in Jammu and Kashmir today; 253 from Jammu division and 408 from the Kashmir division.

Total number of cases now at 1,05,376 including 5,678 active cases, 98,076 recoveries, and 1,622 deaths: Govt of Jammu and Kashmir

. The Centre had on Thursday rushed high-level teams to districts of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Manipur to support these states’ efforts towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing and efficient clinical management of coronavirus positive cases.

. On the stage at the Hebertot theatre in Paris, Trinidad Garcia is re-enacting a scene from her one-woman show, "For you to keep loving yourself," to an audience of zero.

The show premiered in September and was meant to run at the theatre until December, before Covid-19 intervened. A nationwide lockdown has forced the closure of the theatre, and the cancellation of the shows.

"There are days when, what weighs on me in this solitude, is the lack of contact with the public," said the 55-year-old, who goes by the stage name Trinidad.

"I do the play for the people, do be with people, I've always done that," she said, reprising for Reuters a performance that she last gave to a live audience of 8 people on Oct. 29, the day before the lockdown came into force.

Nearly a year into the global pandemic, many workplaces have found a way to keep ticking over, but live performance is struggling. The industry's business model, packing spectators into a confined space, does not sit well with social distancing.

Trinidad receives a stipend from a government insurance scheme for out of work people in the performing arts, of 1,500 euros ($1,780) a month.

(Reuters)

. Uttar Pradesh reported 20 more Covid-19 fatalities on Friday, taking the death toll to 7,500, while 2,840 new cases pushed the state's infection count to 5,21,988.

The number of active coronavirus cases now stands at 23,357, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters here.

"The active cases now are 23,357 and the number of those who have recovered from the infection is 4,91,131. The death toll has gone up to 7,500," Prasad said.

The state recorded 2,840 fresh Covid-19 cases and the total number of cases has reached 5,21,988, he said.

(PTI)

. People infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, that causes Covid-19, are most likely to be highly infectious in the first week after symptom onset, highlighting the need to identify and isolate cases early, according to a study.

The research, published in The Lancet Microbe journal, says that although the genetic material of the novel coronavirus may still be detected in the respiratory or stool samples of COVID-19 patients for several weeks, no infectious virus particle was found beyond nine days of symptom onset.

"This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis that has comprehensively examined and compared viral load and shedding for these three human coronaviruses," said study lead author Muge Cevik from the University of St Andrews in the UK.

(PTI)

. Reinfection unlikely for at least 6 months

People who've had Covid-19 are highly unlikely to contract it again for at least six months after their first infection, according to a British study of healthcare workers.

The findings should offer some reassurance for the more than 51 million people worldwide who have been infected, researchers at the University of Oxford said.

"This is really good news, because we can be confident that, at least in the short term, most people who get COVID-19 won’t get it again," said David Eyre, a professor at Oxford's Nuffield Department of Population Health, who co-led the study.

WHO advises against remdesivir for hospitalised patients

Gilead's remdesivir is not recommended for patients hospitalised with Covid-19, regardless of how ill they are, as there is no evidence the drug improves survival or reduces the need for ventilation, a World Health Organization panel said on Friday.

(Reuters)

. Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac Biotech could have the results of its experimental Covid-19 vaccine from late-stage clinical trials as soon as next month, an executive said on Friday.

Sinovac's CoronaVac is in large late-stage trials in Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey. Preliminary results of early to mid-stage trials showed this week that it triggered a quick immune response but lower levels of antibodies than those seen in people who have recovered from Covid-19.

"Phase III is now running quite well," Weining Meng, senior director of Sinovac, told the Global Town Hall 2020 conference held online. "I guess maybe next month we'll have data available."

(Reuters)

. Serum Institute of India's CEO Adar Poonawalla said the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine should be available for healthcare workers and elderly people by around February 2021 and by April for the general public.

. "There's usually a lot of crowd here on Chhath Puja but because of Covid-19 we're going to celebrate it at home. We support govt's decision," says a visitor

. As Ahmedabad city prepares for a 57-hour-long curfew following a spike in cases, the Gujarat government on Friday ruled out a fresh statewide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

. More passengers who are in the 20-29 age group have been travelling after the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, according to a survey released by AirAsia India on Friday.

. Adar Poonawalla set out to double the capacity of Serum Institute of India (SII) way back in 2011 and today it is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume.

. More than 50,000 Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), which aim at providing primary health care services to communities closer to their homes, are now operational across the country and have witnessed over 28.10 crore footfalls, the Health Ministry says.

. Centre has rushed four high-level teams to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat & Manipur to visit the districts reporting high number of Covid cases & support State's efforts. Centre is also contemplating about sending teams to other States/UTs reporting a rise in cases: Govt of India

. Nearly a million people have taken an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinese company Sinopharm, the firm said, although it has not yet provided any clear clinical evidence of efficacy.

. The European Union could pay more than $10 billion to secure hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine candidates being developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and CureVac, an EU official involved in the talks told Reuters.

. Health officials around the world are clashing over the use of certain drugs for Covid-19, leading to different treatment options for patients depending on where they live.

. Contact tracing is already underway at a large scale. House-to-house survey would be conducted in containment zones from today to check on symptomatic patients. Govt rates will be charged for 60% Covid-19 beds reserved by Delhi govt in private hospitals: Delhi Health Minister

. India’s daily coronavirus infections have been cut in half since a peak of more than 97,000 in mid-September, but the significant drop has raised fresh questions over the South Asian nation’s testing regime and whether it reflects the true state of its epidemic. '

. Although the genetic material of the novel coronavirus may still be detected in the respiratory or stool samples of Covid-19 patients for several weeks, no infectious virus particle was found beyond nine days of symptom onset, a new study says.

. Star Wars robot R2-D2 cannot deliver Thanksgiving dinner to your door, but his relatives are doing the packing.

. A Pentagon official installed in a top policy job last week has tested positive for Covid-19, the Pentagon said Thursday, just days after he met with the Lithuanian defence minister, who had contracted the virus.

. At churches, on cruise ships, and even in the White House, superspreading events that can sicken dozens, even hundreds, of people have illustrated the potential for the coronavirus to infect in dramatic bursts.

. The United States' top infectious disease official said Thursday that two coronavirus vaccines being tested were "solid," and that the speed at which they were developed has not compromised safety or integrity.

. A total of 12,95,91,786 samples tested for Covid-19, up to 19th November. Of these, 10,83,397 samples were tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

. Gilead's drug remdesivir is not recommended for patients hospitalised with Covid-19, regardless of how ill they are, as there is no evidence it improves survival or reduces the need for ventilation, a World Health Organization panel said on Friday.

. As the government mulls reopening schools amid the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, medical experts said a surge in cases is likely to occur depending on how much children end up driving disease transmission.

. The German maker of a top coronavirus vaccine said on Friday its jab could be delivered as early as December, offering more promising news even as virus deaths in the world's worst-affected country, the United States, passed a quarter of a million.

. The European Union could approve two coronavirus vaccines being tested by Pfizer-BioNTech and by Moderna before the end of next month, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday.

. The United States saw a sharp increase in new filings for jobless benefits last week, a sign that the unemployment crisis could be intensifying again as the world's largest economy endures a surge in Covid-19 infections.

. An emergency use authorisation request for the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was expected to be filed with the FDA Friday, the US government and BioNTech's co-founder said.

. US President-elect Joe Biden said Thursday he would not order a nationwide shutdown to fight the Covid-19 pandemic despite a surge in cases.

. While Australian state of Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales have recorded no new Covid-19 cases, South Australia is facing a strict lockdown after a cluster of 22 cases was identified this week.

Almost 22 new cases were linked to the Parafield cluster, including one positive case who was a pizza worker at Woodville, in Adelaide’s western suburbs on Wednesday.

(PTI)

. Mizoram reports 28 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases in the state to 3541.A total of 3025 discharged from hospital after recovering from the disease, death toll 5. Active cases stand at 511.

. The head of the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday that the while the United States and other major economies turned in better-than-expected economic performances in the third quarter, the world now faces slower momentum with a resurgence in coronavirus cases.

. The Coca-Cola Company said Thursday it was shaking up its product mix as part of an effort to revive sales which have been slumping during the coronavirus pandemic.

. BioNTech co-founder Ugur Sahin said on Thursday the frontrunner Covid-19 vaccine his German firm is developing with Pfizer could be rolled out before the year is over in the United States or Europe.

. A new wave of mobile apps that help track exposure to the coronavirus is coming to US states ahead of the holidays as public health officials bet that recently introduced features from Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google will significantly boost adoption and impact.

. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported 11,465,722 cases of the novel coronavirus, an increase of 165,087 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,836 to 249,670.

Coronavirus news highlights: Delhi LG amends Epidemic Disease Management of Covid-19 Regulations 2020

Thank you for following the live coverage of the coronavirus on DH.

Total number of confirmed positive cases in India reaches 90,48,425; death toll stands at 1,32,691 as of November 20

West Bengal reports 3,626 new Covid-19 cases

Delhi reports 6,608 new Covid-19 cases

148 more Covid-19 cases detected in Nagaland, tally rises to 10,608

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