Coronavirus news highlights: Mumbai's Covid-19 tally rises to 2,68,404 with 800 new cases; 17 fatalities

India's Covid-19 caseload went past 87 lakh with 44,879 new cases and 547 deaths, while the number of people who have recovered from the disease surged past 81 lakh, pushing the national recovery rate to 92.89 per cent. As India enters the Diwali weekend, experts warn that crowding and festive activities may create an upsurge in the coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, air quality in the national capital remains to be poor, several studies show air pollution can worsen the Covid-19 situation.

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Netherlands ban New Year fireworks over coronavirus fears

TheDutchgovernment on Friday outlawed traditionalfireworksoverNewYear, saying the one-offbanwould help hospital workers overburdened by the coronavirus pandemic.

NewYear's celebrations in the Netherlands are notoriously wild, with people setting off tens of millions of euros (dollars) worth offireworksin back gardens and streets, often causing injuries.

Liverpool star Mo Salah tests Covid-19 positive

Biden's coronavirus advisers nix national US lockdown

The head of Democratic USPresident-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus advisory board said on Friday there was no plan to shut the country down and that the new administration's approach will be targeted at specific areas.

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Mumbai's Covid-19 case count rises to 2,68,404 with 800 new cases; 17 fatalities take death toll to 10,539. (PTI)

Coronavirus: Plea in SC seeking to fix maximum rate for RT-PCR test

A petition has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre and the state governments to fix the maximum rate for the RT-PCR test for COVID-19 uniformly all over India.

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Polls, pilgrimage cast shadow over Kerala's Covid-19 situation

With campaigning for the local body elections gaining momentum and Sabarimala Ayyappa temple pilgrimage beginning from Sunday,Keralais on alert as health experts haven't ruled out the chance for a further spike in Covid-19 casesin the state.

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Covid-19 negative report mandatory for teachers and students ahead of opening of colleges in Karnataka

A Covid-19 RT-PCR negative test report will be mandatory for all the teachers, students and non-teaching staff with the Karnataka Government deciding to reopen the degree, medical and engineering colleges.

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Coronavirus rate rockets across North America

The rate of infection rocketed in North America over the past week, though Europe remains the epicentre of the pandemic.

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5804 new Covid-19 cases, 6201 recoveries and 26 deaths reported in Kerala

The number of active cases now at 77,390, so far 4, 34,730 patients. The death toll stands at 1822: State Govt. (ANI)

467 new positive cases and 4 deaths reported in Uttarakhand today taking the state's Covid-19 case count to 67,706.

The state has 4,307 active cases with 61,732 cases of recovery. The death toll stands at 1,097: Uttarakhand Government.

(ANI)

Covid-19 threatening India's gains in protecting children against pneumonia, diarrhea: Report

Although India has made significant progress in ensuring that children under five years of age are protected against pneumonia and diarrhea through immunisation, the Covid-19 pandemic threatens these hard-won gains, according to the latest annual Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Progress Report.

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Poorer nations face vaccine wait as West locks down supply

Hailed this week as a pandemic game-changer, the new Covid-19 vaccine offered countries that had pre-ordered doses a potential escape from a cycle of lockdowns and new waves of sickness and death.

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Fauci not advising Biden, sees no reason to quit Trump now

DrAnthony Fauci, the top USinfectious disease expert, said he has had no contact with President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus transition team and sees no reason to quit to join that effort when there is so much to do now to fight the surging pandemic.

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World's top intensive care body advises against remdesivir for sickest Covid-19 patients

Antiviral remdesivir should not be used as a routine treatment for Covid-19 patients in critical care wards, the head of one of the world's top bodies representing intensive care doctors said, in a blow to the drug developed by USfirm Gilead.

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Peshawar High Court Chief Justice who sent Musharraf to the gallows dies of coronavirus

China finds coronavirus on packaging of Brazilian beef

The Chinese city of Wuhan said on Friday it had detected the novel coronavirus on the packaging of a batch of Brazilian beef, as it ramped up testing of frozen foods this week as part of a nationwide campaign.

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Dollar falls as Covid-19 vaccine boost fades; yen set for worst week since March

The dollar slipped on Friday and risk appetite in currency markets eased, as worries about the economic fallout from surging Covid-19 cases in Europe and the United States tempered initial enthusiasm about a possible vaccine.

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Vaccine alliance raises $2 billion to buy Covid-19 shots for poor countries

A facility set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the GAVI vaccine group to buy and distribute Covid-19 shots for poorer countries has exceeded an interim target of raising more than $2 billion.

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Inhalation of immune system protein may help hospitalised Covid-19 patients recover: Study

Hospitalised Covid-19 patients who received an inhaled form of an immune system protein were less likely to develop severe symptoms, according to a new study which may lead to a new treatment strategy against the disease.

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German economy taking hit from lockdown measures in November

Germany's economic recovery continued until October but has slowed since August, the Economy Ministry said on Friday, adding that lockdown measures implemented to slow the spread of the coronavirus hit the economy in November.

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'Caution fatigue' may lead to Covid-19 spike, experts warn as crowds increase ahead of Diwali

Stress over lives disrupted and fear of contracting a disease that continues its relentless spread is a potent cocktail that has led to “caution fatigue” and even “avoidance behaviour”, say experts as people everywhere seem to drop their guard against Covid-19

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Covid-19 situation in Delhi should come under control in 7-10 days: Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the Covid-19 situation in the national capital should come under control in seven to 10 days and that his government is taking several steps in this regard.

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Russia reported a record high of 21,983 new coronavirus infections on Friday, including 5,974 in the capital Moscow, bringing the national tally to 1,880,551

South Korean firm to produce 150 million doses of Russian Covid-19 vaccine

Russia's sovereign wealth fund said on Friday it had inked a deal with South Korea's GL Rapha for the biotechnology firm to produce over 150 million doses per year of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.The South Korean firm is expected to begin production next month, with a roll-out to start in January 2021.

Delhi records its highest Covid-19 deaths, hospitals swamped

Delhi's Covid-19 deaths rose by a record high on Thursday and it also reported the most number of infections in India, an increase attributed to the city's toxic air and a lack of physical distancing in public places around a major festival.Delhi late on Thursday reported 104 new deaths and 7,053 new infections.

The Covid-19 situation in Delhi should come under control in the next 7 to 10 days. We are taking all the necessary measures, says Arvind Kejriwal

Himachal Pradesh reports 765 new Covid-19 cases, six more fatalities. Death toll rises to 406, infection count reaches 28,184. There are 6,165 active cases of the disease in the state at present.

Chhattisgarh records 1,817 new Covid-19 cases, 20 deaths

Infection count surges to 2,07,740, death toll 2,527. The number of active cases stands at 20,061.

Assam reports three more Covid-19 deaths, 328 new cases. Infection tally rises to 2,09,835, death toll reaches 957. The state currently has 4,799 active cases of the disease.

Australia hopes to release potential Covid-19 vaccine by end of 2021

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt on Friday said a potential Covid-19 vaccine, being developed by the University of Queensland, could be available for all Australians in the third quarter of 2021.He said the vaccine development was ahead of schedule and it was "doing its job". The vaccine was found to produce virus-neutralising antibodies and had a substantial effect on the elderly, Hunt said.

Arunachal Pradesh's reports 44 new Covid-19 cases, one more death

Arunachal Pradesh's Covid-19 tally rose to 15,701 as 44 more people, including four security personnel, tested positive for the infection, a health department official said on Friday.

The death toll increased to 47 after a 61-year-old man from Tirap district succumbed to the infection, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

"The Covid positive patient died on Wednesday due to acute respiratory failure. He was also suffering from malignant bowel obstruction," the official said.

Thane registers 535 new Covid-19 cases, 12 deaths

As many as 535 new coronavirus cases were reported in Thane district of Maharashtra, taking its tally to 2,18,000, an official said on Friday.

The official said Covid-19 deaths in the district rose to 5,501 after 12 more patients succumbed to the infection on Thursday.

He said the recovery rate in the district was 94.35 per cent (2,05,686) and mortality rate 2.52 per cent (5,501). The district's active cases stood at 6,813.

13 new cases push Covid-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands to 4,507

The Covid-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands mounted to 4,507 as 13 more people tested positive for the infection, a health department official said on Friday.

The death toll rose to 61 after a patient succumbed to the disease in the Union Territory, he said.

Three new patients have travel history, while 10 fresh infections were detected during contract tracing, the official said.

Covid-19 fatality rate down 30% since April

The likelihood that a coronavirus infection will prove fatal has dropped by nearly a third since April due to improved treatment, researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) said on Thursday.

In the United States, Covid-19 now kills about 0.6% of people infected with the virus, compared with around 0.9% early in the pandemic, IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray said.

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India's Covid-19 tally crosses 87 lakh with 44,879 new cases, 547 deaths

Fired Amazon worker files discrimination lawsuit over Covid-19 conditions

A former Amazon.com Inc worker who protested conditions at his New York City fulfillment center sued the retailer on Thursday, accusing it of discrimination for firing him and for putting Black and Hispanic workers at heightened risk of contracting Covid-19.

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NZ reopens Auckland city centre after Covid-19 scare, mask-wearing urged

New Zealand reopened downtown Auckland on Friday after contact tracing of a new coronavirus case revealed it was linked to a known case from a border isolation facility, reversing an earlier call for people to work from home.

Health Minister Chris Hipkins said genome sequence testing of the locally transmitted case, which was discovered on Thursday, had shown it was linked to a known case and there was less risk of a wider unseen spread.

Covid-19 bed occupancy drops sharply in Bengaluru

In a remarkable turnaround, thousands of Covid-19 beds are now lying unoccupied in Bengaluru — a city which once saw scores of patients fighting to secure the limited number of free beds available across its hospitals.

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Ethnic minorities disproportionately affected by coronavirus: The Lancet

Ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by the novel coronavirus, with Blacks and Asians at increased risk of Covid-19 infection compared to white individuals, according to an analysis published in The Lancet medical journal.

About 18.7 million patients from 50 studies were included to establish the findings, the analysis said. Forty-two of the studies were from the United States and eight from the United Kingdom

Mexico reports 5,658 new coronavirus cases, 626 deaths

Mexico's health ministry reported on Thursday 5,658 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the country and 626 deaths, bringing the official totals to 991,835 cases and 97,056 dead.

Health officials have previously said that the real number of cases is likely significantly higher than that.

US sets a record for coronavirus cases

Public health officials in the United States announced more than 152,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the first day over 150,000 since the pandemic began — an alarming record that came just over a week after the country first experienced 100,000 cases in a single day.

The pandemic has risen to crisis levels in much of the nation, especially the Midwest, as hospital executives warn of dwindling bed space and as coroners deploy mobile morgues. More than 100,000 coronavirus cases have been announced nationwide every day since Nov. 4, and six of the last nine days have broken the previous record.

California’s coronavirus caseload: 1 million and counting

California residents have become accustomed to receiving cellphone alerts about earthquakes and approaching wildfires. But phones lit up across Los Angeles on Tuesday with a different emergency: Coronavirus cases were on the rise after months of remaining steady.

The public safety alert, the first time a virus-related one had been sent to the city’s residents, urged those who had symptoms or suspected they had been exposed to head to a testing site.

California recorded its millionth known coronavirus case Thursday, becoming the second state, after Texas, to reach the grim milestone.

Celebrating in a pandemic

The coronavirus has turned snug over the past few months, as it has been nestling in happily all over the world, playing the uninvited guest. Coronavirus is now ruling the world and humans are adapting to this change, some unwittingly, many voluntarily, a few forcibly and yet a few confusedly.

Read more here

Mainland China reports eight new Covid-19 cases versus 15 a day earlier

Mainland China reported eight new Covid-19 cases on Nov. 12, down from 15 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority reported on Friday.

The National Health Commission said in a statement that all new cases were imported infections originating from overseas, down from 14 imported infections a day earlier.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, rose to 15 from six reported a day earlier.

Pfizer in talks with Brazil to supply Covid-19 vaccine by early 2021

The head of Pfizer Inc in Brazil said on Thursday the drugmaker is negotiating with the South American nation to supply its potential Covid-19 vaccine in the first quarter of 2021.

"We are working strongly with the Brazilian government to try to fast-track the availability (of the vaccine) in Brazil as fast as possible," Carlos Murillo said during an online event.

UK has biggest 1-day jump in confirmed coronavirus cases

The United Kingdom posted its biggest one-day jump in laboratory-confirmed coronavirus infections Thursday as the government reported 33,470 new cases.

That was 10,520 more than the number of positive tests reported Wednesday and pushed the total number of cases in the UK since the pandemic began to almost 1.3 million. More than 50,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the country, which is Europe's deadliest toll.