Coronavirus news highlights: India's Covid-19 tally breaches 73-lakh mark

Dear readers, thank you for following the live coverage of the coronavirus on DH. For latest updates, click here .

. The French government on Wednesday declared a public health state of emergency.

. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned against any complacency in the coronavirus death rate, saying with the increasing number of cases, mortality would also rise.

. Cautioning against complacence, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday asked officials to refer to Kerala and the European countries where there has been a resurgence of Covid-19 cases, while tackling the pandemic in the state in view of the upcoming festival season.

. IMF on Wednesday proposed three policy priorities, including continuing with essential measures to protect lives and livelihoods, building a more resilient and inclusive economy, and dealing with debt, to overcome the Covid-19 crisis and build a brighter future.

. Celebrated actor Soumitra Chatterjee has tested negative for coronavirus and his condition improved Wednesday evening, doctors treating him at a private hospital in the city said.

. Active case in the state count 36,898.

. All devotees to follow Covid-19 guidelines. Not more than 200 people allowed at a time in the temple premises: Chief Minister's Office

. The total tally rises to 3,17,548, including 5,898 deaths and 2,89,747 recoveries. Active cases stand at 21,903.

. Zeke Dunn of Brooklyn has worked at polling places in nearly every primary and general election since 2017. The 39-year-old television producer says doing so provides a way for him to connect with his neighbours and fulfil his civic duty. But this past June he skipped working in New York State’s primary: his partner is pregnant, and he could not risk bringing the novel coronavirus home from a polling place. As infection rates in New York City declined to low levels over the summer, Dunn decided to work the polls this November. But he worries about getting Covid-19.

. Active cases stand at 20,790

. Only 28 per cent of participants in the air cargo industry feel they are well prepared to distribute a Covid-19 vaccine once available, according to a survey released on Wednesday, as the industry begins to gear up for a major logistical challenge.

. The recovery rate is 77.44 per cent.

. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said a new UK-wide lockdown would be a "disaster" but refused to rule it out as demands grew for a temporary shutdown to stop the spread of coronavirus.

. The novel coronavirus pandemic threatens to reverse global progress toward eliminating tuberculosis, the World Health Organization warned Wednesday.

"The Covid-19 pandemic threatens to unwind the gains made over recent years," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, because it was drawing resources away from fighting TB.

. At least 54 persons tested positive for coronavirus, while four died of the infection in Maharashtra's Amravati district on Wednesday.

. AstraZeneca is set to provide Indonesia with 100 million coronavirus vaccines next year, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Wednesday.

. Kosovo is one of the most deadliest places in the world right now for coronavirus.

The Balkan state, where more than half of the 1.8 million population is under the age of 25, has recorded 54.2 fatalities per million people resulting from Covid-19 in the past week -- just ahead of second-placed Colombia. While new infections during the same period are better, Kosovo also tops that chart if the range is expanded to a month.

. The total number of tests for detection of Covid-19 has crossed nine-crore in India, while the cumulative positivity rate is 8.04 per cent and is on a "continuous decline", the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

. Russia has granted regulatory approval to a second Covid-19 vaccine, President Vladimir Putin said at a government meeting broadcast on state television on Wednesday.

. UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar district records one more fatality due to Covid-19, pushing death toll to 61, infection tally reaches 15,327 after detection of 139 new cases; active case count 1,528.

. Schools will reopen in Uttarakhand for classes X and XII on November 1 after their prolonged closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision was taken by the state Cabinet at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat here on Wednesday, government's spokesperson and Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik said.

. Active cases stand at 2,436.

. Odisha's Covid-19 tally surged to 2,59,541 on Wednesday as 2,604 people tested positive for the disease, while 15 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 1,072, a health department official said.

. CM thanked him for his wishes.

. Private hospitals in the city have welcomed the state government's decision to reduce the cost of Covid-19 test from Rs 2,250 to Rs 1,500 as well as fixing rates for ambulance services.

. Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah has postponed all meetings scheduled for the next two weeks due to coronavirus curbs, a senior palace official said on Wednesday, as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim bids to replace Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

. A strain of coronavirus which causes acute diarrhoea in piglets may have the potential to spread to humans as well, according to a new study which says the virus could "negatively impact the global economy and human health."

. Pandemic restrictions saw an unprecedented fall in greenhouse gas emissions in the first half of 2020 —larger than during the 2008 financial crisis and even World War II —experts said Wednesday.

. A vaccine against Covid-19 will be first made accessible to those who need it most regardless of the fact that if they can afford it or not, the committee created to decide who gets the vaccine first, an ANI report said.

. In movie-mad India, millions of filmgoers are excitedly waiting for cinemas to reopen this week after a seven-month-long, pandemic-induced halt. It’s a step toward lifting the fortunes of the world’s most prolific film industry.

. Over 10.15 lakh persons have been tested for coronavirus so far in Maharashtra's Thane district, of which more than 8 lakh tested negative for the infection, an official said on Wednesday.

With the addition of 959 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, the count of infections in the district reached 1.94 lakh, the official said.

Apart from this, 39 patients died of the infection, raising the toll to 4,913, he said.

. Deaths directly or indirectly attributable to the first wave of Covid-19 infections across 21 wealthy nations earlier this year exceeded government tallies by 20 percent on average, according to a study published Wednesday.

Looking at the period from mid-February through May 2020, researchers reported 206,000 more deaths than would have been expected without the pandemic.

. Indonesia reported 4,127 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases in the Southeast Asian country to 344,749, data from its Covid-19 task force showed.

. The chief minister of Pakistan's Balochistan province has tested positive for coronavirus, as the national tally rose to 320,463 cases on Wednesday after 615 new infections were detected in the last 24 hours.

Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan announced on social media that he has coronavirus. He is quarantining at home.

“My coronavirus test has turned out to be positive,” Khan tweeted on Tuesday night. Officials said Khan was being given the required treatment at his residence.

. Although uncommon, infection with the novel coronavirus may cause sudden permanent hearing loss in some patients, according to a study which is the first case report linking the disabling condition to Covid-19 in the UK.

According to the scientists, including those from the University College London in the UK, awareness of this possible side effect is important since a prompt course of steroid treatment can reverse the hearing loss.

. Odisha's Covid-19 tally surged to 2,59,541 on Wednesday as 2,604 people tested positive for the disease, while 15 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 1,072, a health department official said.

The state's quarantine centres reported 1,511 infections and the remaining cases were detected during contact tracing.

. Seven more Covid-19 deaths were reported in Rajasthan on Thursday, taking the toll in the state to 180, the health department said.

The state also reported fresh 251 coronavirus cases which raised its infection tally to 8,067.

One death each was reported from Ajmer, Banswara, Dausa, Jaipur, Karauli and Nagaur. The location of one more fatality is yet to be ascertained, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said.

. As Europe imposed new restrictions to try to stall a surging second wave of the novel coronavirus, hopes for vaccines to rapidly provide relief suffered a blow Tuesday with the suspension of two clinical trials in the United States.

China meanwhile rushed to test an entire city of nine million within days after a minor coronavirus outbreak in the sprawling country, a far cry from the struggle in Europe to tackle surging infections with tough new steps including partial lockdowns.

The virus is still spreading rapidly worldwide, with over one million deaths and 37 million infections.

Read more here .

. Up to a third of people in certain countries may believe coronavirus misinformation and in turn be less open to immunisation, scientists said Wednesday, warning that development of a vaccine "might not be enough".

Read more here .

. There were no masks on display as about 1,000 university students gave Jacinda Ardern a rock-star reception during her final Wellington campaign rally this week -- and the New Zealand prime minister was fine with that.

Ardern, also without a face covering, happily posed for selfies alongside dozens of youthful supporters, rubbing shoulders with a disregard for social distancing that would spark outrage almost anywhere else in the world.

. Reuters Photo

. A 31-year-old man from India, who tested Covid-19 positive during a pre-departure test on Monday before returning home, was among the four new imported cases reported in Singapore, a media report said on Wednesday.

The training employment pass holder developed coronavirus symptoms on completion of Stay-Home Notice (SHN) on October 9 and tested positive on October 12 when he took a pre-departure test in order to return to India, The Straits Times reported.

. Mexico's health ministry on Tuesday reported 4,295 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 475 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 825,340 cases and 84,420 deaths.

. The World Bank said Tuesday that it approved $12 billion for developing countries to finance the purchase and distribution ofCovid-19vaccines, tests and treatment.

The financing "aims to support vaccination of up to a billion people," the bank said in a statement.

. Three cases of suspected coronavirus reinfection -- two in Mumbai and one in Ahmedabad -- have been "described" in India, the country's apex medical research body said on Tuesday.

Director General Balram Bhargava said the Indian Council of Medical Research had decided upon a cutoff of 100 days for reinfection if it occurs as, according to some studies, antibodies were also assumed to have a life of four months.

Read more here .

. A government-sponsored clinical trial that is testing an antibody treatment for Covid-19 developed by drugmaker Eli Lilly has been paused because of a “potential safety concern,” according to emails that government officials sent Tuesday to researchers at testing sites. The company confirmed the pause.

The news comes just a day after Johnson & Johnson announced the pause of its coronavirus vaccine trial because of a sick volunteer and a month after AstraZeneca’s vaccine trial was halted over concerns about two participants who had fallen ill after getting the company’s vaccine.

Read more here .

Coronavirus news highlights: India's Covid-19 tally breaches 73-lakh mark

France declares public health state of emergency over Covid-19

WHO fears spike in deaths after global Covid-19 surge

Slight laxity could make Covid-19 situation in Odisha grave: Patnaik

IMF recommends three policy priorities to overcome Covid-19 crisis

Follow us on :

Follow Us