Coronavirus news highlights: 'Kerala, Maharashtra, UP, Karnataka, Bengal account for 72% of total Covid active cases'

With 10,064 new Covid-19 cases, India reports the lowest spike since June. In the last 24, hours, 17,411 people were discharged and 137 deaths were reported, as per the Union Health Ministry. As of now, the total novel coronavirus cases stand at 1,05,81,837. While active cases are 2,00,528, a total of 1,02,28,753 have been discharged. The death toll now stands at 1,52,556. India's total Covid-19 recoveries have surpassed the active caseload by more than one crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday, terming it as a landmark achievement. Stay tuned for more updates.

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141 cases of UK coronavirus variant so far in India

The number of people who have tested positive for the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country has climbed to 141, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

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Coronavirus cases in West Bengal reach 5.66 lakh

West Bengal reports 412 new Covid-19cases, 513 discharges, and 11 deaths today, as per State Health Department Total cases: 5,66,073 Total recoveries: 5,49,218 Active cases: 6,781 Death toll: 10,074

Lakshadweep reported its first Covid-19 case on Jan 18: Health Ministry

Lakshadweep reported its first case of Covid-19 on Jan 18. The person had come to Lakshadweep from Kochi on Jan 4. Initially, 31 primary contacts of the case traced & quarantined of which 14 tested positive&isolated. 56 contacts of positive cases traced&quarantined: Health Ministry

The cumulative number of healthcare workers vaccinated against Covid-19 has touches 6,31,417

The cumulative number of healthcare workers vaccinated against Covid-19 has touched 6,31,417 (till 6 pm today) through 11,660 sessions, as per the provisional report. 3,800 sessions were held till 6 pm today: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Karnataka till 6 pm today has vaccinated the highest number of beneficiaries in the country with 80,686 inoculated

As many as 4936 people receive Covid-19 vaccine shots on day three in Delhi, 16 cases of adverse events reported: Officials

Karnataka reports 645 new Covid-19 cases, 6 fresh deaths

Karnataka reported 645 new Covid-19 cases, 807 discharges, and 6 deaths today. Total cases: 9,33,077 Total discharges: 9,13,012 Death toll: 12,181 Active cases: 7,865

The German government of Chancellor Angela Merkel and state leaders on Tuesday agreed to extend the country's lockdown until February14 to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, sources told Reuters.

They also agreed to mandate medical masks for passengers of public transport, the sources added.

(Reuters)

This virus is no joke: Sania Mirza reveals she had contracted Covid-19 but recovered

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza on Tuesday revealed that she had tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this month but has recovered since then.

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Maharashtra reports 2,294 new Covid-19 cases, 4,516 discharges, and 50 deaths today

Total cases - 19,94,977
Total recoveries - 18,94,839
Death toll - 50,523

Active cases - 48,406

Jammu and Kashmir records 113 new Covid-19 cases, one fatality. Infection tally rises to 1,23,538, death toll 1,923. There are 1,103 active cases of the disease in the union territory.

India's Covid-19 case per million is 7,668, death per million is 110 and test per million is 136,089: Govt

Five states Kerala, Maharashtra, UP, Karnataka, West Bengal account for 72% of total Covid-19 active cases: Govt

Five new Covid-19 cases push Nagaland's infection tally to 12,066. The number of active cases of the disease in the state stands at 112.

Karnataka doctors' association wants choice to pick Covid-19 vaccine

An association of government doctors in Karnataka has demanded that health care workers be allowed their choice of the Covid-19 vaccine, saying there have been some concerns among a section of the fraternity over the present arrangement for making available the doses.

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India to start Covid-19 vaccine exports as soon as Jan 20: Report

India, one of the world's biggest drugmakers, will start exports of Covid-19 vaccines as early as Wednesday, government sources said, paving the way for many mid and lower-income countries to secure supplies of the easy-to-store Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

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Wonderla Bangalore receives COV-safe certification from Bureau Veritas India

Wonderla Bangalore has secured the COV-Safe certification from Bureau Veritas India, the company said here on Tuesday.

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Delhi reports 231 new Covid-19 cases, 222 discharges, and 10 deaths in the last 24 hours, says Delhi Health Department

Total cases: 6,32,821
Active cases: 2,334
Total discharges: 6,19,723
Death toll: 10,764

Andhra Pradesh reports 179 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, as per State Health Ministry.

Total cases: 8,86,245
Total recoveries: 8,77,443
Death toll: 7,142

Active cases: 1,660

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare revises the total number of persons found positive with UK strain of Covid-19 to 141

RTPCR tests in Parliament premises on Jan 27-28; Arrangements also made for RTPCR tests of families, staff members of MPs: Om Birla

4,54,049 people have been vaccinated till now. Active cases around 2 lakhafter seven months and the number is declining. Daily number of deaths less than 140 after eight months: Health Ministry

Arrangements made for RTPCR Covid-19 tests of MPs near their residence as well: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

Only the states of Kerala and Maharashtra with more than 50,000 active cases: Health Ministry

Odisha reports 122 new Covid-19 cases, one fatality. Infection tally rises to 3,33,566, death toll to 1,902. The state now has 1,810 active cases of the disease.

(PTI)

Number of people vaccinated against Covid-19 more than double number of active cases:Govt

A total of 4,54,049 beneficiaries have so far been vaccinated against Covid-19 in the country which is more than double the number of coronavirus active cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

In a span of 24 hours, 2,23,669 people were vaccinated for Covid-19 across 3,930 sessions taking the cumulative total of people vaccinated to 4,54,049 (across 7,860 sessions conducted so far) in the country, the ministry said.

(PTI)

Japan's Okinawa declares coronavirus emergency as cases spike

Japan's southernmost prefecture, Okinawa, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday over the Covid-19 pandemic, as the country grapples with a surge in infections six months before it is set to host the Summer Olympics.

(Reuters)

UK health secretary Hancock says self-isolating until Sunday

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he is self-isolating until Sunday after receiving a warning from the health service's Covid mobile phone app that he may have been in contact with someone who tested positive.

(Reuters)

A government worker writes down the names of medical staff as they arrive to get a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at the Manipal Hospital, in New Delhi on January 19, 2021. Credit: AFP Photo

Two players test positive in new Australian Open blow

Two Australian Open tennis players have tested positive for the coronavirus, health officials said on Tuesday, in a new blow for the tournament which is facing a backlash from a wary public.

The unnamed players were among three new cases -- a woman in her 20s and two men in their 30s -- taking the tournament's cluster to seven, Victoria state's health authority said.

(AFP)

China defends Covid-19 response after criticism by experts

China defended its handling of the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday but said it would "strive to do better" after independent experts criticised the speed of its response to a virus that has now killed more than two million people worldwide.

(AFP)

Hype about vaccine side effects made beneficiaries anxious: Dr Randeep Guleria

An ‘infodemic’ about vaccination and influx of social media posts about adverse effects from the vaccines are the reasons behind the tepid response from the healthcare and frontline workers to India’s inoculation campaign against Covid-19, Dr Randeep Guleria told Hindustan Times in an interview.

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Covid-19 cases shoot up in Lakshadweep islands

The number of Covid-19 cases soared to 14 in Lakshadweep islands, which remained insulated from the attack of deadly virus till Monday, since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country nearly a year ago.

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Taiwan cancels major festival as domestic Covid-19 cases rise

Taiwan on Tuesday cancelled a major festival during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday as the island reported four locally transmitted cases of Covid-19, the biggest daily rise in local infections in nearly 11 months.

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Doctors cast doubt on South Korea's coronavirus herd immunity goal

Medical experts say the South Korea government is not taking the steps necessary to achieve its goal of reaching herd immunity to the coronavirus through mass vaccinations by November.

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Covid-19 vaccination resumes in Mumbai, Pune after two days

After a gap of two days, the Covid-19 vaccination drive resumed in Mumbai and Pune on Tuesday morning, but unlike the first day, there was hardly any rush of beneficiaries for taking jabs in the metropolis.

A doctor at a vaccination centre in Mumbai said the response was slow in the morning, but the process was gradually picking up.

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Bharat Biotech explains who shouldn't take Covaxin shot

Two days after India began the world's largest vaccination drive against Covid-19, vaccine-maker Bharat Biotech warned in a fact sheet about who should avoid taking Covaxin shot. The indigenous Covid-19 vaccine should not be administered to people, who are either immuno-compromised or on a medication that impacts the immune system, the company has warned going against the government advice.

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With 10,064 new Covid-19 cases, India reports lowest spike since June

With 10,064 new Covid-19 cases, India reports lowest spike since June. In the last 24, hours, 17,411 people were dischargedand 137 deaths were reported, as per the Union Health Ministry.

As of now, the total novel coronavirus casesstand at 1,05,81,837. While active cases are2,00,528, a total of1,02,28,753 have been discharged. The death toll now stands at1,52,556.

Thousands skip vaccination in India due to hesitancy

India on Monday stepped up efforts to bolster trust in coronavirus vaccines after it was revealed that nearly a third of those invited to get jabs at the launch of a nationwide drive failed to turn up. The government has begun one of the world's most ambitious vaccine programmes, aiming to innoculate 300 million of the 1.3 billion population by July.

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Vaccine drive expands as Covid probe criticises global response

Countries around the world stepped up their coronavirus vaccine campaigns Monday, with Russia offering jabs to all citizens, while an independent probe found fault with the early response to the pandemic.

Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and Beijing could have acted faster when Covid-19 first surfaced in China a year ago, the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response concluded in a report.

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Lakshadweep reports 1st Covid-19 positive case

The first Covid-19 case was reported in the Lakshadweep Islands on Monday, nearly an year after the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. The man, belonging to the India Reserve Batallion, had left for Kavaratti by ship from Kochi on January 3 and tested positive on Monday, official sources said. He is not a resident of the islands, they said. The case was reported two weeks after the Lakshadweep administration revised Standard Operating Procedures by doing away with mandatory quarantine guidelines for those arriving from Kochi. The islands had so far not reported a single positive Covid-19 case. (PTI)

Trump lifts coronavirus travel restrictions from Europe, Brazil

President Donald Trump on Monday ordered an end to the ban on travellers from Europe and Brazil that had been aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus to the United States, a move that was quickly rejected by aides to President-elect Joe Biden, who said Biden will rescind the move when he takes office on Wednesday. In a proclamation issued late Monday, Trump said that the travel restrictions, which applied to noncitizens trying to come to the United States, would no longer be needed on Jan. 26, the date on which those passengers will be required to present proof of a negative Covid-19 test before boarding a flight.

Three samples of recent UK returnees in Nepal tested positive for the new strain of Covid-19. They include a 28-year-old woman, a 67-year-old man and a 32-year-old man.

Andhra Pradesh reports 81 Covid-19 cases

A seven-month low of 81 Covid-19 cases was reported in Andhra Pradesh, while 263 patients recovered from the infection and one succumbed in the state during the 24 hours ending 9 am on Monday.The latest bulletin said 27,861 samples were tested during the period. The state Covid-19 chart showed the caseload at 8,86,066 with 8,77,212 recoveries and 7,141 deaths.The active caseload is now 1,713, according to the bulletin.

Maharashtra reports 1,924 new Covid-19 cases to take tally to 19,92,683; toll up to 50,473 as 35 more patients died.

Good morning readers,India on Monday reported 13,788 new Covid-19 cases and 145 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry. India's total Covid-19 recoveries have surpassed the active caseload by more than one crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday, terming it as a landmark achievement. Stay tuned for more updates.