Coronavirus news highlights: WHO says it 'will do everything' to discover origin of Covid-19

Amidst a row on the trials of Covid-19 vaccines in India, a Parliamentary panel has asked the government to “ensure highest level of ethical and procedural standards” during vaccine evaluations notwithstanding the urgency to develop a vaccine against the rampaging epidemic.

. The World Health Organization's director-general urged countries on Monday not to politicise the hunt for the origins of the novel coronavirus as that would create barriers to learning the truth. -Reuters

. Amid growing calls for upping healthcare spends after the experience of the pandemic, a rating agency on Monday said that there is no direct correlation between increased outlays and Covid-19 related outcomes.

Citing data from across states, India Ratings and Research said state governments need to galvanise the local bureaucracy and leverage both the soft and hard infrastructure, along with the healthcare spends, for favourable outcomes on this front. -PTI

. 515 new Covid-19 cases, 855 recoveries & 10 deaths reported in Himachal Pradesh in the last 24 hours.

The total number of cases in the state at 40,518 including 31,548 recovered cases, 8,289 active cases and 635 deaths: State Health Department, Himachal Pradesh

. People who refuse a vaccine for Covid-19 could find normal life curtailed as restaurants, bars, cinemas and sports venues could block entry to those who don't have proof they are inoculated, Britain's new vaccine minister said on Monday.

. West Bengal reports 2,671 new Covid-19 cases, 2,730 discharges and 48 deaths today.

Total cases: 4,83,484

Total discharges: 4,50,762

Death toll: 8,424

Active cases: 24,298

. An 18-metre (60-foot) "Gundam" robot that can walk and move its arms was unveiled in Japan on Monday amid hopes that it will help invigorate tourism hit by Covid-19.

. Karnataka reports 998 new Covid-19 cases, 2,209 recoveries, and 13 deaths, according to the State Health Department

Total cases: 8,84,89

Total recoveries: 8,49,821

Total deaths: 11,778

Active cases: 23,279

. Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 159 and reached 47,963 on Monday, while one person died and 150 people recovered, an official said.

The toll in the state is now 688 while the number of people who have been discharged stands at 45,940, leaving Goa with 1,335 active cases, he added. -PTI

. Odisha government issues new guidelines in view of Covid-19; Large social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious, functions and congregation will remain prohibited till December 31.

Department of School & Mass Education is authorised to take appropriate decision with regard to date of re-opening of schools under its control in respect of class 9th to 12th.

All academic/technical/skill development institutions (except medical colleges) as well as all Anganwadi centres to remain closed till December 31.

. Gujarat on Monday reported 1,502 freshcoronaviruspositive cases, taking the count of infections to 2,09,780, the health department said.

With 20 more people succumbing to the viral infection, the overall toll rose to 3,989, it said. -PTI

. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on November 30, informed that a Covid-19 vaccine will be provided in the first 3-4 months of next year.

“In the first 3-4 months of next year, there is a possibility that we will be able to provide vaccine to the people of the country. By July-August, we have a plan to provide vaccines to around 25-30 crore people and we are preparing accordingly.”

. Pope Francis has cancelled a ceremony that traditionally begins Rome's Christmas season on December8 at the Spanish Steps because of coronavirus restrictions, the Vatican said on Monday.

The pope customarily places a wreath of flowers at the base of a 12-metre column bearing a statue of the Madonna and blesses from a distance another wreath already placed around the statue's arm by firefighters using a ladder. -Reuters

. Madhya Pradesh reports 1383 new Covid-19 cases, 1,576 discharges, and 10 deaths today, according to State Health Department

Total cases: 2,06,128

Total recoveries: 1,88,097

Active cases: 14,771

Death toll: 3,260

. 4,196 patients discharged today; 16,85,122 Covid-19 patients discharged after full recovery until today; Recovery rate in the state is 92.39%.

3,837 new cases in the state today.

80 Covid-19 deaths reported in the state today. Case fatality rate is the state is 2.59%.

Out of 1,08,56,384 laboratory samples, 18,23,896 have been tested positive (16.8%) for Covid-19 until today.

Currently 5,35,530 people are in home quarantine and 6,354 people are in institutional quarantine.

. Andhra Pradesh reports 381 new Covid-19 cases, 934 recoveries, and 4 deaths, according to State Health Department

Total cases: 8,68,064

Active cases: 7,840

Total recoveries: 8,53,232

Death toll: 6,992

. Jammu and Kashmir on Monday recorded 370 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the infection tally to 1,10,224, while nine coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours took the toll to 1,694, officials said.

Of the fresh cases, 181 were from the Jammu division and 189 from Kashmir division, they said. -PTI

. The first two vaccines against the novel coronavirus could be administered to Americans before Christmas, Health Secretary Alex Azar said on Monday after Moderna Inc became the second vaccine maker likely to receive US emergency authorization. -Reuters

. With 19 Covid-19 deaths reported in Uttar Pradesh in the past 24 hours, the death toll due to the viral disease rose to 7,761 while the caseload in the state climbed to 5,43,888, a health bulletin stated on Monday.

As many as 2,044 fresh coronavirus cases were detected in the state in the past 24 hours, the state government said in the health bulletin issued here.-PTI

. Rajasthan reports 2,677 new Covid-19 cases, 2,762 recoveries/discharges, & 20 deaths, as per State Health Department

Total cases: 2,68,063

Total recoveries: 2,37,098

Active cases: 28,653

Death toll: 2,312

. Tamil Nadu reported 1,410 new Covid-19 cases, 1,456 discharges, and 9 deaths in the last 24 hours: State Health Department, Govt of Tamil Nadu

Total cases: 7,81,915

Total discharges: 7,59,206

Death toll: 11,712

Active cases: 10,997

. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu calls for reforms to global institutions, including WHO, to rework development strategies in post-Covid world. VP urges nations to comply with multilateral trade rules for economies to recover. - PIB India

. A total of45,333 new Covid-19 recoveries has been registered across the country in a span of 24 hours as against 38,772 new infections reported during the same period, leading to a net reduction of 6,561 cases from the active caseload, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

. Moderna Inc said it will apply for US and European emergency authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine on Monday based on full results from a late-stage study showing its vaccine was 94.1% effective with no serious safety concerns.

. The novel coronavirus may enter the brain of people through the nose, according to a study published on Monday that may help explain some of the neurological symptoms observed in Covid-19 patients, and inform diagnosis and measures to prevent infection.

. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a virtual meeting with three teams working on developing and manufacturing Covid-19 vaccine, and urged them to take extra efforts to inform people in simple language about the vaccine and related matters such as its efficacy.

. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the fore India's national character for the entire world to behold and 2020 will be known as a year of internal discovery rather than of external disruption, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

. The protest by thousands of farmers who have stayed put at various border points of Delhi for the fifth consecutive day on Monday against the Centre’s new agriculture reform laws may act as ‘superspreader’ event for coronavirus infection, say experts.

. S&P Global Ratings on Monday retained its forecast of 9 per cent contraction in the Indian economy for the current fiscal, saying there are now upside risks to growth, and it will wait for more signs that Covidinfections have stabilised or fallen.

. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday expressed confidence that India will get a Covid-19 vaccine "as early aspossible" and overcome the pandemic to win the economic war.

. Karnataka has reported more than 60 per cent decline in active Covid-19 cases in the last one month, Health Minister Sudhakar K said on Monday.

As of November 29 evening, cumulatively 8,83,899 Covid-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 11,765 deaths and 8,47,612 discharges, the Health Department said in its bulletin.

. Amid a spike in Covid-19 cases, the Rajasthan government has decided to impose lockdown in containment zones till December 31 and increase night curfew from 11 to 13 districts of the state.

. The government has called an all-party meeting to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic situation on December 4 that will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said on Monday.

. To encourage Covid-19-appropriate behaviour among residents of Mumbai, the city civic body has decided to provide 'free' masks to those found without face cover in public and also collect a fine of Rs 200 from them.

. The Centre on Monday asked all states to ensure proper fire safety in hospitals and nursing homes, saying utmost precautions must be taken at a time when the country is fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

. Leasing of office space by co-working players is expected to fall 58 per cent year-on-year to 3.4 million sq ft in 2020 across six major cities due to lower demand of flexible spaces from corporates, according to property consultant Savills India.

In 2019, the co-working operators had leased 8.1 million sq ft office space across six major cities -- Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune.

. As 75 new Covid-19 cases have been detected in Ladakh, the normal life remained disrupted in Leh town for the eighth consecutive day on Monday with a civil society group extending the voluntary lockdown aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus till December 6.

The Union Territory recorded 75 fresh cases over the past 24 hours, taking the confirmed Covid-19 cases in the region to 8,403, officials said.

. To encourage Covid-19-appropriate behaviour among residents of Mumbai, the city civic body has decided to provide 'free' masks to those found without face cover in public and also collect a fine of Rs 200 from them.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in a release on Sunday said from April till November 28, it took action against 4.85 lakh citizens for not wearing masks in public places and collected over Rs 10.7 crore as fine from them.

. Amid a spike in Covid-19 cases, the Rajasthan government has decided to impose lockdown in containment zones till December 31 and increase night curfew from 11 to 13 districts of the state.

The government issued guidelines for surveillance, containment and caution for the period of December 1 to December 31.

Taking in account the prevailing Covid-19 scenario in the state, it has been decided to force lockdown in containment zones till December 31, according to the order issued on Sunday night.

. All temporary Covid Care Centres in Assam have been closed down with patients being treated at hospitals, following a considerable decline in the number of Covid-19 cases in the state, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.

Considering the improved situation, it has been decided to reopen the hostels of colleges and universities for final year students and for students of Class 10 and 12 for residential students in schools from December 15, the minister said at a press conference here.

. Odisha's Covid-19 caseload on Monday surged to 3,18,725, after 418 more people tested positive for the disease, while five fresh fatalities pushed the toll to 1,739, a health department official said.

Of the 418 new cases, 241 were reported from various quarantine centres and 177 detected during contact tracing.

. Archer Kapil, who is part of the ongoing national camp at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) here, has tested positive for Covid-19, the Sports Authority of India said on Monday.

. The recovery rate from coronavirus in the union territory of Puducherry stood at 97.11 per cent on Monday while the number of active cases was 460, a top Health department official said.

After 10 straight days of no Covid-19 death being reported, Puducherry saw a fresh fatality as a 74-year old woman in Mahe succumbed to Covid pneumonia pushing the toll to 610, Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release.

. The Covid-19 tally in Maharashtra's Thane district has risen to 2,28,588 with the addition of 728 new cases of the disease, a district administration official said on Monday.

The district has also reported eight more deaths due to Covid-19, raising the toll to 5,677, he said.

. Arunachal Pradesh's Covid-19 caseload rose to 16,269, as seven more people, including two army personnel, tested positive for the virus, a health department official said here on Monday.

Three more persons succumbed to the infection, pushing the number of fatalities in the northeastern state to 54, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

. Italy had not recorded a single domestic coronavirus case, but Orlandi’s symptoms puzzled Monica Avogadri, the 55-year-old anesthesiologist who treated him at Pesenti Fenaroli Hospital. She didn’t test him for the virus because Italian protocols, adopted from the World Health Organization, recommended testing only people with a link to China, where the outbreak had originated.

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. Three more persons have tested positive for Covid-19 in Mizoram in the last 24 hours, taking the state's coronavirus tally to 3,826, an official said on Monday.

The new cases were reported from Aizawl district, the official said.

The three patients are from the same family and all of them have developed symptoms of Covid-19, he said.

. Six more persons tested positive for Covid-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, pushing the tally in the union territory to 4,704, a health department official said on Monday.

Of the six new cases, four have travel history while two were detected during contact tracing, he said.

. Jason Blum, film producer and founder of Blumhouse Productions, has tested positive for coronavirus.

The development comes over a week after the filmmaker announced that both of his children had contracted the disease.

"Tested positive. It's Coronamania at my house. Symptoms mild so far but will keep ya'll posted (sic)" Blum tweeted on Sunday night.

. BJP leader and MLA from Rajsamand in Rajasthan Kiran Maheshwari, who had tested positive for coronavirus, died at a hospital in Gurgaon.She was 59.

Maheshwari, a three-time MLA from Rajsamand, was undergoing treatment at Medanta hospital for the past few days. She passed away late Sunday night.

. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported a total 13,142,997 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 143,333 from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,210 to 265,166.

The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as Covid-19, caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 28 compared with its previous report a day earlier.

. Covid-19 infections have fallen by 30 per cent during England's month-long national lockdown and the virus is now in retreat, a large-scale study of more than 100,000 volunteers showed on Monday.

England began its second national lockdown on Nov. 5 to curb rapidly rising infections and protect its health system. The country is due to return to a regional approach to restrictions from Dec. 2.

Read more here

. People with Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, are most infectious about two days before symptoms begin and for five days afterward, according to a new analysis of previous research.

A few patients who are extremely ill or have impaired immune systems may expel — or “shed” — the virus for as long as 20 days, other studies have suggested. Even in mild cases, some patients may shed live virus for about a week, the new analysis found.

Read more here

. AFP Photo

. The months-long assault by the pandemic kept many patients with non-Covid ailments away from hospitals out of fear of contracting the virus. The cost of that move is now becoming apparent as the virus retreats and a few patients make their way to the deserted corridors of hospitals in the city.

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. Two top American health experts, also members of the White House Task Force on Covid-19, on Sunday feared a major surge in the coronavirus pandemic after this week's Thanksgiving festival, which traditionally involves gathering of family and friends over dinner.

The number of new Covid-19 cases reported in the US topped 200,000 for the first time on Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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. Deaths from malaria due to disruptions during the coronavirus pandemic to services designed to tackle the mosquito-borne disease will far exceed those killed by Covid-19 in sub-Saharan Africa, the World Health Organization warned on Monday.

More than 409,000 people globally - most of them babies in the poorest parts of Africa - were killed by malaria last year, the WHO said in its latest global malaria report, and Covid-19 will almost certainly make that toll higher in 2020.

. Mexico reported 6,388 new confirmed coronavirus infections and 196 additional deaths on Sunday, health ministry data showed.

The latest tally brought the official number of cases to 1,107,071 with a total death toll of 105,655.

. Two top American health experts, also members of the White House Task Force on Covid-19, on Sunday feared a major surge in the coronavirus pandemic after this week's Thanksgiving festival, which traditionally involves gathering of family and friends over dinner.

The number of new Covid-19 cases reported in the US topped 200,000 for the first time on Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

. The Indian drug regulatory authority's silence on two incidences of serious adverse reactions during the Covid-19 vaccine trials over the last three months raises grave concerns on the credibility of the clinical trial process supervised by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). The manufacturers have, however, vouched for the safety of their vaccines.

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. New York City will reopen elementary schools on December 7 and offer in-person classes for special-needs students of all ages despite a recent surge in coronavirus cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday.

With many parents struggling to care for students at home and with data showing the virus largely spares young children, the city dropped a requirement for schools to close if the rate of positive virus tests exceeds three percent for a week.

Read more here

Coronavirus news highlights: WHO says it 'will do everything' to discover origin of Covid-19

Thank you for tuning in to DH's live updates of the coronavirus outbreak. For more updates, click here.

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WHO says it 'will do everything' to discover origin of Covid-19 :AFP

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