Coronavirus news highlights: India's tally of positive Covid-19 cases inches towards the 53-lakh mark

Thanks for following this liveblog. For the latest updates of the coronavirus outbreak on September 19, 2020, click here.

. Chhattisgarh on Friday recorded its highest single-day spike since the Covid-19 outbreak began, with 3,842 people being detected with the infection, an official said.

. President Donald Trump said on Friday he expects to have available enough doses of a coronavirus vaccine for every American by April.

. Odisha's Covid-19 tally rose to 1,71,341 on Friday as 4,180 more people tested positive for the infection, while 13 fresh fatalities took the state's coronavirus death toll to 682, a health official said.

. Data on the number of healthcare workers who are infected by the coronavirus infection or have lost their lives during Covid-19 duty is not maintained at the central level by the health ministry, the government told Lok Sabha on Friday.

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. A total of 6,05,65,728 samples were tested for Covid-19 in India between March 23 and September 16, and the testing capacity increased manifold with over 1,700 laboratories conducting these tests as against one in January, Union Minister Ashwini Choubey told Parliament on Friday.

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. Sufficient number of beds and ventilators for coronavirus infected patients were available after March 24 in AIIMS and other central government-run hospitals of the country, Ministerof State for Health Ashwini Choubey told the Lok Sabha on Friday.

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. With restrictions imposed on the movement of medical oxygen in some parts of the country due to increasing Covid-19 cases, the Centre on Thursday asked states not to prevent such movements or restrict manufacturers and suppliers to limit the supplies only to hospitals in the state where they are located.

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. Germany has joined France in deciding against buying potential Covid-19 vaccines through a World Health Organization (WHO) programme, although it supports the scheme, government sources told Reuters on Friday.

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. Gujarat reported its highest single-day spike of 1,410 new coronavirus positive cases on Friday, which pushed its overall infection count to 1,20,498, the state government said.

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. Karnataka reported 8,626 new Covid-19 cases, 10,949 discharges and 179 deaths today, taking total number of cases to 5,02,982 including 1,01,129 active cases, 3,94,026 discharges and 7,808 deaths. 3,623 cases reported in Bengaluru today: State Health Department, Govt of Karnataka.

. However, the government has not agreed to the demand citing that it has important legislative agenda to complete and it could not send a wrong signal. The Session began on September 14 and is scheduled to end on October 1.

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. 6,584 new Covid-19 cases, 6,806 recovered cases and 98 deaths reported in last 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh. Total number of positive cases in the state stands at 3,42,788 till date, including 2,70,094 recoveries, 67,825 active cases and 4,869 deaths so far: Government of Uttar Pradesh.

. According to sources, the girl made a hanging bid at the hospital in Kottayam district where she is under Covid-19 treatment. Owing to the timely intervention of the hospital staff, she was saved. The incident took place on Thursday evening.

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. 177 new Covid-19 cases, 90 recoveries and 1 death reported in Manipur over the last 24 hours. The total number of cases in the state stands at 8,607, including 1,926 active cases, 6,629 recovered cases & 52 deaths. Recovery rate is 77.01%: State Health Department, Govt of Manipur.

. The worldwide count of known Covid-19 infections climbed past 30 million on Thursday, with more than half of them from just three countries: the U.S., India and Brazil, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins researchers.

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. Scientists have shown for the first time that a form of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is safer to use around humans, can effectively kill the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19, an advance that may lead to a potent disinfection system for occupied public spaces including hospitals.

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. India has reported over 90,000 Covid-19 cases daily in the past week, and the country accounts for 1 in every 6 confirmed cases worldwide. The data on daily infections are suspected to be under-reported too as asymptomatic persons go undetected, and Covid-19 precautionary measures are flouted.

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. He underwent a Covid-19 test as one of his attendants was detected with the infection on Thursday after which samples of the former were taken for antigen and the RT-PCR process, said Gandhinagar Civil Hospital Superintendent Dr Niyati Lakhani.

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. The study, led by Imperial College London scientists and published in ‘The Lancet Microbe’ this week, involved high-speed tests on 386 National Health Service (NHS) staff and patients and were found to have over 94 per cent sensitivity and 100 per cent specificity.

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. Covid-19 may be diagnosed on the same emergency scans used to diagnose stroke, according to a new study that may help in the early identification of Covid-19 in patients with suspected brain injury, and the subsequent limitation of disease transmission.

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. Rawat said he had discussed the matter with saints and seers and they were in agreement with the idea of reducing the scale of the event numerically owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

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. The days blurred into weeks, then months. Now, almost six months later, the pandemic still rages, and the work from home arrangement that started as a temporary fix is set to continue in many companies, to the delight of some and dismay of others.

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. These 11 men are stranded in Pakistans Sindh and Balochistan provinces along with their wives after their marriage (in the neighbouring country) over six months ago.

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. Guillaume Marois Associate professor, Asian Demographic Research Institute, Shanghai University, China told PTI that the impact of Covid-19 on life expectancy is probably already felt at the sub-national level, in regions that have been severely affected.

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. The decision could cause unease at European clubs with prominent South American players. The region is still seeing high Covid-19 infection rates, and some European countries require people arriving from South America to go into quarantine.

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. Coronavir, manufactured at R-Pharm's facility in Yaroslavl, will be available in pharmacies, the company added without elaborating. (Reuters)

. The state also reported 810 new cases, bringing the infection count to 1,10,283. A total of 18,282 people are currently under treatment for Covid-19 in Rajasthan, the bulletin said.

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. With a record 87,472 patients having recuperated or having been discharged from home or facility-supervised care and hospitals in a span of 24 hours, the total number of Covid-19 recoveries has surged to 41,12,551 in the country, taking the recovery rate to 78.86 per cent, while the case fatality rate has dropped to 1.63 per cent, it added.

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. The team will support efforts towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing & efficient clinical management of the positive cases. The Central team shall also guide in effectively managing the challenges related to timely diagnosis & follow up: Union Health Ministry

. The Covid-19 pandemic could cause a short-term decline in life expectancy in the severely affected areas of the world, unless the spread of the disease is contained, according to a study.

. China faces a major test in its vaccine diplomacy, with a deadline fast approaching on whether it will officially join a World Health Organization-backed effort to ensure everyone across the globe is inoculated against Covid-19.

. Roche's Actermra/Roactemra drugs reduces the likelihood patients with Covid-19 related pneumonia need mechanical ventilation, the company said on Friday.

. Himachal Pradesh records 100 new Covid-19cases and15 recoveries today, taking the total positive cases in the state to 11,290 so far, including 4,221 active cases, 6,934 recoveries & 104 deaths: State Health Department, Govt of Himachal Pradesh

. Amid fresh cases of coronavirus among MPs, reporters and parliamentary staff entering the Parliament complex will have to undergo mandatory antigen test on a daily basis, according to a new protocol put in place.

. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked the government for stating that data on healthcare staff who were affected by Covid-19 or had died from it is not maintained centrally and alleged that "corona warriors" are being insulted.

. IPL team Delhi Capitals on Friday said its players will don jerseys bearing the message "Thank You COVID Warriors" during the entire tournament in UAE, calling the initiative a "small token of gratitude" towards the frontline workers fighting during the entire tournament in UAE, calling the initiative a "small token of gratitude" towards the frontline workers fighting the pandemic.

. BJP was the only political party which supplied 25 crores food packets, 5 crores ration kits & 1 crore masks to the needy during the lockdown. Other political parties were into lockdown mode themselves, they didn't do anything for the poor: J P Nadda, BJP National President

. The Goa government will prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure that all Covid-19 patients, whether with mild, moderate or severe symptoms, get oxygen on time in state-run facilities, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has said.

. New Zealand has reported no new confirmed cases of the coronavirus for the first time in more than five weeks as hopes rise that an outbreak discovered in Auckland last month has been stamped out.

. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of persons discharged is 41,12,551.

. Before the coronavirus, Tara Beier and her husband, Dennis, rarely discussed money. They kept separate bank accounts and divided their household responsibilities. Her husband, 42, covered the mortgage on the two properties they own, while Beier, 38, managed and took care of a rental home. It worked fine for their 12 years of marriage.

. Attorney General William Barr drew sharp condemnation Thursday for comparing lockdown orders during the coronavirus pandemic to slavery.

In remarks Wednesday night at an event hosted by Hillsdale College, Barr had called the lockdown orders the “greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history” since slavery.

. Delhi HC directs private unaided schools to supply gadgets, internet connection to poor kids for online classes during Covid-19

. Unemployment rates amongst white-collar professionalsdropped to the levels of 2016, with over 6 million jobs lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a CMIE data showed.

. China faces a major test in its vaccine diplomacy, with a deadline fast approaching on whether it will officially join a World Health Organization-backed effort to ensure everyone across the globe is inoculated against Covid-19.

. Dr Raut is the eighth minister in the MVA govt to have tested positive for coronavirus.

. As Dr Reddy's Laboratories readies to receive 10 crore doses of Russia's coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, nearly one in seven volunteers to whom the vaccine was given have reported side effects, Russian news agency TASS cited the country's health minister saying.

. The metropolitan government in South Korea's capital Seoul said on Friday it would seek 4.6 billion won ($4 million) in damages against a church for causing the spread of the coronavirus by disrupting tracing and testing efforts.

. US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday bluntly contradicted President Donald Trump's suggestion that a coronavirus vaccine may be only weeks away, warning Americans they cannot trust the president's word.

. A former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence who served on the White House coronavirus task force says President Donald Trump once suggested that Covid-19 might be a good thing because it would stop him from having to shake hands with "disgusting people". Picture Credit: Reuters Photo

. Guidance about novel coronavirus testing posted last month on the website of the USCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was not written by the agency's scientists and was posted over their objections, the New York Times reported citing people familiar with the matter and internal documents.

. Coronavirus Worldometer | 15 countries with the highest number of cases, deaths due to the Covid-19 pandemic

. The total number of Covid-19cases in Rajasthan rises to 1,10,283 with 810 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The number of active cases is 18,282 and the death toll is at 1,301, says theState Health Department.

. All operation of Air India Express to Dubai Airports suspended for 15 days till Oct 2 after a Covid-19positive passenger was found onboard a Jaipur-Dubai flight on September 4. It was 2nd such instance: SA Kankazar, Air Transport & International Affairs Sector, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

. Arunachal Pradesh's Covid-19 tally rose to 6,851 on Friday as 159 more people, including 15 security personnel, tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said.

. Two drug companies that are leading the race to develop coronavirus vaccines bowed to public pressure Thursday, abandoning their traditional secrecy and releasing comprehensive road maps of how they are evaluating their vaccines.

. Informing the same on Twitter, he said “I had undergone a test for Covid-19 and have been tested positive for covid-19. I am undergoing treatment for the same. With the blessings of God and my friends, I am confident of getting recovered from the infection shortly.”

. Jordan announced on Thursday jail sentences of up to a year for anyone organising weddings, parties, funerals or social gatherings where more than 20 people attend, in the latest measures aimed at heading off a resurgence in coronavirus cases.

. Noting that many people have asked him what he wants on his birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that he would want Covid-19 guidelines like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing to be followed and that everyone should workto make "our planet healthy".

. India's Covid-19case tally crosses 52-lakh mark with a spike of 96,424 new cases & 1,174 deaths in last 24 hours. The total case tally stands at 52,14,678 including 10,17,754 active cases, 41,12,552 cured/discharged/migrated & 84,372 deaths: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

. Donald Trump has apparently decided to spend the final weeks of his re-election campaign deriding and discouraging mask-wearing and other anti-pandemic precautions. Trump’s behavior on this and other issues is sometimes described as a rejection of science, which is true as far as it goes.

. Jharkhand's Covid-19tally climbs to 67,100 as 1,026 more people test positive, 11 fresh fatalities push death toll to 590; active case count 13,703: Health official

. India’s economic recovery prospects have gone from bad to worse after the nation emerged as a new global hotspot for the coronavirus pandemic with more than 5 million infections.

Economists and global institutions like the Asian Development Bank have recently cut India’s growth projections from already historic lows as the virus continues to spread. Goldman Sachs Group Incnow estimates a 14.8% contraction in gross domestic product for the year through March 2021, while the ADB is forecasting -9%. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development sees the economy shrinking by 10.2%.

. The World Health Organization on Thursday warned of "alarming rates of transmission" of Covid-19 across Europe and cautioned against shortening quarantine periods as countries in the region scrambled to find ways to reduce infections without resorting to new lockdowns.

. 6,15,72,343 samples tested up to 17th September for Covid-19. Of these, 10,06,615 samples were tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

. Like most restaurants in Manhattan’s tourist-dependent Little Italy, Da Nico Ristorante has been hit hard by concern over the coronavirus. The neighborhood’s two-week Feast of San Gennaro, where visitors from around the world gather each September for cannoli and cacciatore, has been canceled.

. The city recorded 3,799 Covid cases on Thursday, the highest to date. This comes a day after setting the highest single-day record for fresh cases on Wednesday, when 3,571 cases were revealed. “We are in a situation where migrant workers are coming back to Bengaluru and moving around freely. Many cases are cropping up in middle-class and upper-class homes that have household help who are helping to drive up the infection,” the official said. Read more

. Around 60 per centof the active cases are concentrated in only 5 most affected states. There are 13 states and UTs thathave less than 5,000 active cases: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

. Coronavirus testing in New York City has been plagued with problems since the early days of the pandemic.First, limited supplies meant most New Yorkers couldn’t get tested. Once capacity increased, many people experienced long delays in getting results, as national labs couldn’t meet the increased demand while the virus spread across the country.

. Coronavirus in India: Total number of positive cases (including deaths): 52,05,044 as of September 18

. Newly elected Rajya Sabha member Ashok Gasti dies of Covid-19 in Bengaluru, says hospital where he was undergoing treatment.

. A Covid-19 ward for children was inaugurated at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital in national capital on September 17. Hospital's MD said, “It's a unique concept in public sector hospitals where children can play, watch TV, paint inside hospital & be happy. It will be helpful in recovery.”

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. A doctor from Hassan became the 42nd medical practitioner from a private hospital to die of Covid in the state on Wednesday. Yet, his family will receive no compensation under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme for health workers fighting Covid-19 because private doctors are not eligible for it.

. As many as 9,366 cases new cases and 93 Covid deaths were reported on Thursday. But the data logjam continued due to the doctors' strike as 15 districts reported zero discharges and seven districts reported new cases in double digits.

. Assam reports 1380 Covid-19 cases out of 20557 tests. Positivity rate is at 6.71%. Total number of cases now at 1,50,349 including 1,19,364 discharges, 30,454 active cases and 528 deaths.

. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported 6,613,331 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 41,464 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,224 to 196,277.

The CDC's tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as Covid-19, caused by the new coronavirus, was as of 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 16 versus its previous report a day earlier.

The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.

Coronavirus news highlights: India's tally of positive Covid-19 cases inches towards the 53-lakh mark

Thanks for following this liveblog on the Covid-19 pandemic

Covid-19: Record 3,842 case jump in Chhattisgarh, count over 81k

Trump says he expects to have coronavirus vaccine for every American by April

Odisha reports 4,180 new Covid-19 cases, recovery of 4,101 patients

No data on medics who died due to Covid-19: Govt

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