Coronavirus News Highlights: Google Search, Maps and Assistant to now offer detailed information on vaccine availability

India reported 41,965 new Covid-19 cases, 33,964 recoveries & 460 deaths in last 24 hours. Meanwhile, Japan's Kanagawa prefecture said it has found another vial of Moderna Inc's Covid-19 vaccine suspected of containing a foreign substance and has put the rest of the lot on hold.

Record number of over 23 lakh people vaccinated in Bihar in one day

A record number of 23.5 lakh people were vaccinated againstCovid-19 in a single day in Bihar, the state health department said on Wednesday.

The feat was achieved with several districts like Patna, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Gaya and East Champaran reporting inoculation of more than one lakh beneficiaries each on Tuesday, which was marked for ‘Tikakaran Mahaabhiyan’ (vaccination megadrive).

(PTI)

Google Search, Maps and Assistant to now offer detailed info on vaccine availability

Google on Wednesday said users will be able to get more information about vaccine availability and appointments for over 13,000 locations in the country across its three products - Search, Maps and Assistant - starting this week.

The information is powered by real-time data from the CoWIN APIs, and includes details like availability of appointment slots at each centre, vaccines and doses offered (Dose 1 or Dose 2), pricing (paid or free), and link to CoWIN website for booking, a statement said.

(PTI)

North Korea proposes Sinovac shots go elsewhere

North Korea has proposed a UN-backed immunisation programme send its allotment of almost 3 million doses of a Chinese-made vaccine to countries with severeCovid-19 outbreaks while it continues to claim a perfect record in keeping out the coronavirus.

(AP)

Farah Khan tests positive for Covid-19, says contracted virus despite being fully vaccinated

32 students tested positive for Covid-19 in a college in Kolar, Karnataka

Madhya Pradesh: Schools reopen for classes 6 to 12 with 50% capacity from today

Israeli students return to school amid surge in Covid-19 cases

Israeli pupils returned to school on Wednesday with mask requirements and mandatoryCOVID-19 testing aimed at stemming a surge in coronavirus cases that has overshadowed the highly-vaccinated country's reopening.

Health officials worry the launch of a new school year - with most students attending in-person - will exacerbate the current wave ahead of this month's Jewish holiday season, potentially forcing another national lockdown.

New infections have soared since the emergence of the Delta variant, reaching a pandemic-high 10,947 on Tuesday among Israel's 9.3 million population.

(Reuters)

Arunachal Pradesh reports 71 new Covid-19 cases (PTI)

China administered total of 2.068 bn doses of Covid-19 vaccines as of Aug 31 (Reuters)

Schools reopen in Rajasthan for classes 9 to 12, following Covid-19 protocols; visuals from Mahatma Gandhi Govt School in Jaipur

"It feels great to be back in school after a long time. Now, we can interact with our teachers face to face," says a student

In Indonesia, drone deliveries provide lifeline for isolating Covid patients

A group of drone enthusiasts in Indonesia are using their aerial skills to help during the pandemic by providing a contactless medicine and food delivery service toCovid-19 patients isolating at home.

Armed with five drones, the seven-member team have been working around the clock in Makassar, the capital of the South Sulawesi province, since early July to provide deliveries.

(Reuters)

Ladakh reports 5 new Covid-19 cases (PTI)

China says first batch of BioNTech shots to arrive in Taiwan on Thursday

Schools and colleges in TN resume physical classes with Covid-19 SOPs

Offline teaching for classes 9 to 12 in Tamil Nadu resumed on Wednesday, with strictCovid-19 protocol in place, while physical classes in colleges also commenced in the state.

On March 20, in the backdrop of surging coronavirus cases in the state, the government had ordered closure of schools for classes 9, 10 and 11 from March 22 until further orders. However, it was then announced that they would continue to function for the 12th standard students as they had to take up the board examination.

On Wednesday, students, after a gap of five months, returned to their respective institutions and were allowed entry upon thermal screening and provision of hand sanitizers while the face-mask rule has been made mandatory, officials said.

(PTI)

Kodaikanal vaccinates 100% population with first dose

Assam govt issues new Covid-19 containment zone guidelines

41,965 new Covid-19 cases in India; over 30K infections from Kerala alone

India on Wednesday reported 41,965 new Covid-19 cases, 33,964 recoveries and 460 deaths in the last 24 hours, Union Health Ministry data showed. Of these, Kerala accounted for 30,203 new coronavirus infections and 115 fatalities.

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Visually Impaired people wait in queues to receive Covid-19 vaccine dose at State Government-run Hospital in Kolkata, Tuesday, August 31, 2021. Credit: PTI Photo

Karnataka administers 1.17 crore Covid vaccines in August, highest for a month

Karnataka on Tuesday achieved a monthly high of administering 1.17 crore Covid vaccine doses in August, the highest for any month since the start of the vaccination drive on January 16.

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Covid-19 cases rise in Australia's Victoria as lockdown extension looms

The lockdown is due to end on Thursday but Premier Daniel Andrews has flagged an extension given the steady rise in infections.

A total of 120 new local cases were detected in Victoria on Wednesday, up from 76 a day earlier. Of the new cases, 56 are not linked to any infections in the current outbreak.

(Reuters)

Japan finds another Moderna vial suspected to contain foreign substance

Japan's Kanagawa prefecture said it has found another vial of Moderna Inc's Covid-19 vaccine suspected of containing a foreign substance and has put the rest of the lot on hold.

In a statement on Tuesday, prefectural authorities said a pharmacist found several black particles in one vial upon checking for foreign substances before the vaccine's use.

(Reuters)

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