Coronavirus News Highlights: Eight more Omicron cases detected in Maharashtra, tally at 28

India reports 5,784 new cases, 7,995 recoveries, and 252 deaths in the last 24 hours. Gujarat has acknowledged more Covid-19 deaths than its official tally, according to a court document filed on Monday, lending weight to fears that the country's actual toll was much higher than reported. Come back tomorrow for continued Coronavirus updates from DH.

'Effect of booster shots unclear'

"The emergence of Omicron has prompted some countries to roll out Covid-19 booster programmes for their entire adult populations, even while we lack evidence for the effectiveness of boosters against this variant," said Tedros A Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, expressing concern that it may lead to stockpiling and hoarding of vaccines.

77 countries have reported Omicron cases: WHO

Tedros A Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said thatthe reality is that Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet. Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant.

Higher risk of heart complications from Covid-19 than vaccines: Study

Covid-19 infections are more likely to trigger rare cardiovascular complications such as heart inflammation and irregular heartbeat than vaccines, a British study showed on Tuesday, after scientists parsed data of about 38 million vaccinated people.

Tamil Nadu reports 649 new cases

Tamil Nadu reported 649 new cases, 695 recoveries and nine deaths in the past 24 hours. Total cases stood at 2,736,695,recoveries at 2,692,451 and the toll at 36,633. The state reported 7,611 activecases.

Delhi reports 45 new cases

Delhi reported 45 new cases, 31 recoveries and zero deaths in the past 24 hours. Officials said that the four Omicron patients are currently asymptomatic

Kerala reports 3,377 cases

Kerala confirmed 3,377 new cases in the past 24 hours, with a test positivity rate of 5.24 per cent. As many as 28 deaths were also reported, taking the toll to 43,344.

Manipur reports 14 new cases

As many as 14 persons were confirmed to have tested positive for Covid-19, while two related deaths were also reported in the past 24 hours in Manipur.The Covid-19 toll was 1,992.

Maharashtra reports 684 new cases

Maharashtra reported 684 new Covid-19 cases, 686 recoveries and 24 deaths in the past 24 hours. The total case tally stood at6,645,136, recoveries at 6,493,688 and the toll at 141,288. The number of active cases as of Tuesday was 6,481.

Eight more test positive for Omicron in Maharashtra

Seven from Mumbai andone from Vasai Virar testes positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Maharashtra. So far, a total of 28 patients infected with Omicron have been reported in the state, with nine of them discharged after a negative RT-PCR test.

83% surge in cases in Africa, WHO regional director remains 'cautiously optimistic'

Despite an 83 per cent surge inCovid-19 cases in Africa in the past week, a top official of the World Health Organisation's Regional Office for Africa said on Tuesday that she remains “cautiously optimistic” about the overall situation. “Evidence from South Africa is that while hospitalisations have increased by almost 70 per cent in the past seven days, intensive care bed occupancy rates remain low at 7.5 per cent. Just 14 per cent of hospitalised patients are reported to have needed supplemental oxygen and deaths have remained low, with only 11 reported yesterday for the previous 24 hours, WHO Africa director, Matshidiso Moeti said.

China detects second case of Omicron variant

China has detected its second case of the Omicron variant in a 67-year-old man who tested positive after more than two weeks of quarantine, official media reported Tuesday.

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Pfizer says anti-Covid pill 90% effective in final analysis

Pfizer said that clinical trials confirmed its anti-Covidpill reduced hospitalisations and deaths among at-risk people by almost 90 per cent when it was taken in the first few days after symptoms appear. The results are based on trials of more than 2,200 people.

Germany to ease norms for people who have taken booster doses

Germany's new health minister wants to exempt people who have had a booster vaccination from having to take a coronavirus test before entering leisure facilities, according to a document drafted by his ministry. The proposal, to be discussed by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and ministers from Germany's 16 federal states on Tuesday, is aimed at encouraging people to get a booster shot and relieving testing capacity.

International travellers from 'at-risk' countries arriving in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad will have to compulsorily pre-book an RT-PCR test

Singapore to allow resumption of offices

Singapore will allow up to 50 per cent of workers currently working from home to return to their offices from January 1, its health ministry said.

Football fans to be subject to vaccine checks to enter stadiums

English Premier Leaguefans will be subject to vaccine passport checks to enter stadiums from Wednesday, but fears are rising over how long the English top flight can continue in front of capacity crowds as the Omicron variant sweeps across Britain, AFP reported.

South Africa study suggests two-dose Pfizer vaccination provides only 33% protection against infection

A new study in South Africa says that a two-dose Pfizer vaccination provides just 33% protection against infection by the omicron coronavirus variant, but 70% protection against hospitalization. The findings are preliminary and not peer reviewed, reported AP.

Booster doses to help build antibodies in Omicron fight: Serum Institute chief

On the back of enough data, it is safe to say that booster vaccine doses are a proven strategy to get antibodies up to a great extent against Omicron variant, Serum Institute of India's CEO Adar Poonawalla said at the CII Partnership Summit.

SII hopes to launch Novavax jab for kids in 6 months

The vaccine, which SII calls Covovax, has shown good results in trials in children aged three and older, Adar Poonawalla told an industry conference.

Parliamentarians caution Modi govt over Omicron variant

Lok Sabha members caution the Centralgovernment on challenges posed by rising cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19, ask it to spell out plans for administering the booster dose of vaccination.

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BMC workers seal the premises of Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor after she tested positive forCovid-19, in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)

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Over 55% of India's adult population fully vaccinated against Covid-19

Over 55 per cent of India's adult population has received both doses ofCovid-19 vaccine, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday.

According to Health Ministry officials, 55.52 per cent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated with 87 per cent people receiving the first dose of the vaccine.

In a tweet, Mandaviya said that with over 55 per cent of the eligible population fully vaccinated now, India has achieved another milestone in its fight againstCovid. PM Narendra Modii's 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign has further strengthened the nation's collective fight againstCovid-19. (PTI)

Four more people in Delhi with travel history test positive for Omicron variant

4 more people with travel history to foreign countries test positive for Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Delhi: Health Minister Satyendar Jain (PTI)

Andhra Pradesh Omicron patient's contacts negative for Covid-19

Delhi's first Omicron patient discharged from hospital

Delhi's first patient of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, a 37-year-old man, has been discharged from the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital, officials said on Tuesday.

The man, a resident of Ranchi, had travelled from Tanzania to Doha and from there, to Delhi on a Qatar Airways flight on December 2. He stayed in Johannesburg in South Africa for a week and had mild symptoms.

The LNJP hospital has been designated for treating patients infected with the new Omicron variant ofCovid-19.

A 35-year-old man with a travel history to Zimbabwe and South Africa has also tested positive for Omicron, becoming the second patient in the national capital to get infected with the new variant of the coronavirus. (PTI)

Students wearing protective face masks sit while waiting to receive their dose of the vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), during a vaccination program for children aged 6-11 years, in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Reuters Photo)

Doja Cat, rapper dismissive of Covid, says she has tested positive

Doja Cat, a popular singer and rapper who had previously downplayed the seriousness ofCovid-19, tested positive for the coronavirus and cancelled a number of upcoming performances, she said Sunday. (NYT)

Maharashtra vaccination tally as on December 13

BMC to conduct RT-PCR tests at buildings of Covid infected Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Arora

"Our medical teams will be conducting RT-PCR Covid-19 testing at the residential buildings of actors Kareena Kapoor Khan and Amrita Arora. Sanitisation of the building premises will also be done: BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation)

Ladakh reports 17 new cases of Covid-19

Ladakh has reported 17 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the tally to 21,839 while the active cases in the union territory have gone down to 178, officials said on Tuesday.

The union territory has recorded 216 Covid-related deaths -- 158 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. (PTI)

India reports 5,784 new cases, 7,995 recoveries, and 252 deaths in the last 24 hours.

7 active Covid-19 cases in Andamans

SevenCovid-19 patients are currently undergoing treatment in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a health bulletin said on Tuesday.

The Union territory's caseload remained unchanged at 7,698 as no fresh infection was registered, it said.

A total of 7,562 people have recovered from the disease so far, including one in the last 24 hours, while 129 patients have succumbed to the infection to date.

The administration has tested over 6.45 lakh samples forCovid-19 thus far and inoculated over 2.98 lakh people, of whom 2.76 lakh have been fully vaccinated. (PTI)

Malaysia gives conditional approval for use of Ronapreve Covid-19 treatment

Malaysia's health ministry said on Tuesday it has given conditional approval for the use of the single-dose antibody cocktail Ronapreve, developed by Regeneron and Roche, to treatCovid-19.

It has also approved a request from Merck & Co for a clinical trial import license for itsCovid-19 pill Molnupiravir, to be used as part of studies being conducted in Malaysia, the ministry said in a statement. (Reuters)

Samsung Biologics, AstraZeneca expand tie-up to include Covid-19 and cancer therapy

Samsung Biologics Co Ltd said on Monday it would continue its partnership with AstraZeneca Plc on manufacturing biopharmaceuticals.

Samsung said production of drug substance and drug products is valued at about $380 million, up from the initial $331 million after the companies expanded the deal this year in May 2021.

The company said it would start to manufacture a cancer immunotherapy product from next year along with AstraZeneca'sCovid-19 long-acting antibody (LAAB) combination, AZD7442. (Reuters)

Migrants heading in caravan towards the United States, take a novel coronavirus Covid-19 test, at the 'House of the Pilgrim San Juan Diego', in Mexico City. (Credit: AFP Photo)

All schoolkids back from Hyderabad trip test negative

All the 130 students and staff members from a private school who went on a trip to Hyderabad recently have tested negative for Covid-19, officials said. Read more

‘No spread of Omicron seen despite testing over one lakh a day’

Amidst the Omicron scare in the country, the chairman of the Karnataka Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee,Dr M K SudarshantellsDH’sP Surakshathat the state is prepared in terms of hospital facilities in case of a third wave of the pandemic. Read more

Gujarat admits to around 6,000 more Covid-19 deaths than official tally

India's western state of Gujarat has acknowledged more Covid-19 deaths than its official tally, according to a court document filed on Monday, lending weight to fears that the country's actual toll was much higher than reported. Read more

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa positive for Covid-19

SouthAfrican President Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday and was receiving treatment for mild symptoms, the presidency said in a statement.

Ramaphosa, who is fully vaccinated, began feeling unwell after leaving a state memorial service for former president FW de Klerk in Cape Town earlier in the day but was in good spirits and being monitored by doctors, it said.

Israel to impose travel ban for Britain and Denmark, health officials say

Israelannounced on Sunday it was adding Britain and Denmark to its "red" list of countries that Israelis are forbidden to visit, citing concern over the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The travel restrictions for Britain and Denmark will go into effect on Wednesday, Sharon Alroy-Preis,Israel's director of public health, told a news conference.