Coronavirus news highlights: 73,73,375 people have so far recovered from the coronavirus, says Health Ministry

In its most recent update, the Union Health Ministry placed the total number of coronavirus cases at 80,88,851 and the death toll at 1,21,090. The Ministry said that 73,73,375 people have so far recovered from the coronavirus infection.

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Italy posts daily record of over 31,000 new coronavirus cases

Italy has registered 31,084 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Friday, its highest daily tally since the start of the epidemic and up from the previous record of 26,831 posted on Thursday.

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Covid-19 gives auto owners, drivers a rough ride

Earlier, people getting down from the buses would take autorickshaws to reach their destinations. Now, people are not frequently traveling in buses, and as a result, bus shelters wear a deserted look. This has seriously affected the livelihood of autorickshaw drivers and owners. Even though the movement of private buses has started, passengers are not willing to travel.

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Delhi records highest single-day spike of 5,891 new Covid-19 cases; death toll reaches 6,470

The national capital also recorded 47 new fatalities on Friday, pushing the death toll to 6,470, according to a bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.

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Large number of posts vacant; Bihar health services on ventilator: Randeep Singh Surjewala

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Friday alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi have put the health services in the state on a ventilator by keeping a large number of posts of doctors and nurses vacant.

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Very confident: NYC hospitals prepare for coronavirus resurgence

Like battle-hardened veterans, New York City hospitals and nursing homes are bracing for a potential resurgence of coronavirus patients, drawing on lessons learned in the spring when the outbreak brought the nation's largest city to its knees.

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Karnataka bypolls: EC warns action against violation of Covid-19 guidelines

"As the political parties and candidates are not adhering to the ECI guidelines (on campaigning during Covid-19 pandemic), the Commission has taken a serious view of this laxity and has directed the state government and election machinery to take action," a memo by the Commission to all parties read.

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Karnataka reported 3,589 new Covid-19 cases, 8,521 discharges and 49 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 59,499, discharges to 7,49,740 and death toll to 11,140: State Health Department.

A view of crowded Chandni Chowk market ahead of Diwali festival, amid coronavirus pandemic, in New Delhi. Credit: PTI

5,891 new Covid-19 cases, 4,433 recoveries and 47 deaths reported in Delhi today. The total case tally stands at 3,81,644 including 3,42,811 recoveries, 32,363 active cases and 6,470 deaths: Delhi Government.

Punjab reported 433 new Covid-19 cases, 577 discharged cases & 19 deaths, taking total positive cases to 1,33,158 till date, including 1,24,870 discharges, 4,101 active cases & 4,187 deaths: State Health Department.

'Eat out to help out' offer contributed to UK's second Covid wave, says study

For the month of August, the government offered diners up a 50% discount of up to 10 pounds ($13.03) per head on meals between Mondays and Wednesdays to kick-start the economy and encourage people to spend money again after the pandemic lockdown.

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15,000 devotees to be allowed to offer prayers at Vaishnodevi Temple from November 1

In a fresh standard operating procedure (SOP), the administration said, "As such, in the exercise of powers conferred under the disaster management act, the State Executive Committee hereby orders that the guidelines and instructions shall continue to remain valid till 30.11.2020, subject to the following modifications that instead of a ceiling of 7000, the upper limit for a permissible number of pilgrims to SMVD Shrine, Katra, shall be 15000, w.e.f. 01 .11 .2020".

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Tamil Nadu reports 2,608 new Covid-19 cases, 38 deaths and 3,924 discharges today, as per the State Health Department. The total number of cases in the state is now at 7,22,011 including 6,87,388 discharges and 11,091 deaths. There are 23,532 active cases

Regeneron to not enrol Cpvid-19 patients in need of ventilators for antibody trial

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said on Friday an independent data monitoring panel recommended placing on hold enrolment to its trial for Covid-19 antibody treatment in hospitalized patients requiring high-flow oxygen or mechanical ventilation.

The committee, however, backed the enrolment in non-hospitalized patients as well as hospitalized patients requiring either no or low-flow oxygen. (Reuters)

Uttarakhand reports 349 new Covid-19 cases and 2 deaths today, taking total cases to 61,915 including 3,634 active cases, 56,771 recoveries and 1,011 deaths: State Health Department.

Manipur records 221 new Covid-19 cases and 4 deaths today; the total number of positive cases in the state stands at 18,272 including 13,805 recoveries, 4,303 active cases and 164 deaths: State Health Department.

Kenya joins global trial of Oxford's Covid-19 vaccine

"To ensure that Kenyans can benefit... if it proves to be successful, it is important to assess its performance among Kenyan volunteers," the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) said in a statement.

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Lancet blasts Donald Trump's coronavirus 'disaster', urges vote for change

The Lancet has become the latest science journal to urge Americans to vote for change in next week's presidential election, publishing a scathing editorial Friday that described the US pandemic response under Donald Trump as "disastrous".

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US faces record surge of coronavirus cases as election looms

A record surge of coronavirus cases in the United States is pushing hospitals to the brink of capacity and killing up to 1,000 people a day, the latest figures show, with much of the country's attention focused on Tuesday's presidential election.

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1,794 new coronavirus infections reported in Rajasthan, including 340 from Jaipur. Total cases now at 1,95,213 out of which 15,251 are active patients. Death toll stands at 1,898.

Andhra Pradesh reports 2,886 new Covid-19 cases taking total positive cases in the State to 8,20,565. There are 25,514 active cases and 7,88,375 recovered cases in the State; the death toll is at 6,676, as per State Health Department.

Kerala reports 6,638 new Covid-19 infections and 7,928 recoveries.There are 90,565 active patients in the state and total deaths are 1,457.

Consider masks as vaccine against Covid-19: Satyendar Jain

With Delhi reporting record jumps in Covid-19 cases for two straight days, Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday emphasised the importance of wearing face masks, saying people should consider them as a "vaccine" against the virus till the time one is available.

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Millions more face Covid-19 restrictions in northern England

From Monday, nearly 2.4 million residents in five districts of West Yorkshire, including in the city of Leeds, will be barred from socialising with other households indoors.

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Coronavirus challenged me and I won: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

In his own, inimitable way, AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimović is encouraging people in an online campaign to follow the rules in the battle against the coronavirus.

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Centre asks states to form committees for smooth Covid-19 vaccination drive

The Centre has asked states to constitute committees for coordination and overseeing Covid-19 vaccination drive while ensuring minimal disruptions in other routine healthcare services, and stressed early tracking of social media to dispel rumours which could impact the community acceptance of coronavirus inoculation.

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Bombay High Court lauds Mumbai cops for 'working against odds' amid Covid-19 pandemic

Praising the Mumbai Police for working against all odds, the Bombay High Court has said that the police personnel are carrying out their duty under a lot of pressure amid the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, and hence cooperation from the public is required.

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New IAG boss warns of more cuts as Covid drags on

Forecasting fourth-quarter capacity at just 30 per centof 2019 levels, IAG also stepped up its demand for governments to adopt pre-departure testing to allow quarantine-free travel as Europe locks down once again.

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Japan Airlines forecasts record annual loss of $3.6 billion after swing to Q2 loss

JAL expects cash burn of 15 billion yen to 20 billion yen a month in the second half of the financial year compared to 45 billion yen to 50 billion yen in the first half. It also plans to expand a credit line by 100 billion yen next month. Japan's second-biggest airline has, like other carriers, been hammered by a collapse in international air travel demand. It said on Friday it planned to retire 24 of its 777 widebodies by March 2023, though its response is less aggressive than larger rival ANA Holdings Inc.

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BioNTech CEO expects data from late-stage Covid-19 study soon

BioNTech Chief Executive Ugur Sahin expects efficacy results from its late-stage trial of its potential coronavirus vaccine to be available shortly and said the company could file for USapproval in mid-November if the data are positive.

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Covid-19: No mask, no money to pay fine? Sweep roads in Mumbai

If you do not wear masks on the roads of Mumbai – and are not ready to pay fine, you will need to sweep the roads.

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Donald Trump's election rallies are superspreader events: Joe Biden

The election rallies of Donald Trump are "superspreader events", Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has alleged and questioned the US president's efforts in addressing the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

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India's active Covid-19 caseload below falls 6 lakh for the first time after 85 days

Theactive caseload of coronavirus infection in the country dropped below 6 lakh for the first time in nearly three months and comprises only 7.35 per cent of the total cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday, assertingIndia has achieved a significant milestone in its fight against Covid-19.

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Novel face mask with anti-viral layer can deactivate coronavirus

Scientists have designed a new face mask with an anti-viral layer to deactivate the novel coronavirus, that can make the wearer less infectious.

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Celebrate Milad-un-Nabi keeping in mind Covid-19 pandemic guidelines: VP

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday extended greetings on Milad-un-Nabi, urging people to celebrate the day keeping in mind Covid-19 guidelines.

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Puducherry reports 149 new Covid-19 infections taking total cases to 34,908 out of which 3,739 are active patients. Total of 592 deaths reported - ANI

AIIMS Bhubaneswar OPD services to reopen from November 2

After keeping its Out-Patient Department (OPD) services closed for over three months, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar has decided to open the facility for patients from November 2.

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Japan crosses 1 lakh coronavirus cases

Japan's coronavirus cases have topped 100,000, nine months after the first case was found in mid-January, the health ministry said on Friday.

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Odisha reports 1,547 new Covid-19 infections and 11 deaths over the last 24 hours. Total positive cases stand at 2,88,646 out of which 15,247 are active patients. Death toll at 1,308. - ANI

Slump in air travel hindered weather forecasting, study shows

Government researchers have confirmed that the steep decline in air traffic during the coronavirus pandemic has affected the quality of weather forecasting models by sharply reducing the amount of atmospheric data routinely collected by commercial airliners.

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Around 35% per cent of our beds are occupied. Spike in cases is due to aggressive contact tracing & testing. Until there is a vaccine, masks should be considered as vaccine. If you wear masks, it'll protect you from both pollution & Covid-19: Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain - ANI

Second coronavirus wave douses hopes of German economic recovery

Germany is expected to unveil a strong rebound in GDP for the third quarter on Friday, but relief could be short-lived as the country stands on the brink of new shutdowns to contain a second coronavirus wave.

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Australia's active Covid-19 cases hit 4-month low

Australian officials said on Friday there just under 200 active cases of Covid-19 in the country, the lowest number in more than four months and well down from a peak of just over 8,000 in mid-August.

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India reports 48,648 new Covid-19 cases; tally reaches 80.88 lakh

India saw48,648 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day taking the Covid-19 caseload to 80,88,851, while the active cases fell below 6,00,000, accordingto the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

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Telangana sees 1,531 new Covid-19 cases; 6 deaths push toll to 1,330

Telangana reported 1,531 new Covid-19 cases taking the tally to 2,37,187 while six more deaths pushed the toll to 1,330, the state government said on Friday.

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Jharkhand's coronavirus tally crosses 1-lakh mark with 395 new cases

At least 395 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Jharkhand, pushing the state's coronavirus caseload to 1,00,964 on Friday, a health official said.

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MIT develops AI to detect asymptomatic Covid-19 patients via cough recordings

Scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that they say can distinguish asymptomatic Covid-19 patients from healthy individuals through their cough recordings, and show the results on a smartphone app.

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Oxford University to trial new Covid-19 test for asymptomatics

Trials of the technology will go ahead over the next few weeks across the UK, according to an announcement Thursday. It is expected the test will produce results within minutes.

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Global coronavirus cases rise by single-day record of 5 lakh

Global coronavirus cases rose by more than 500,000 for the first time on Wednesday, a record one-day increase as countries across the Northern Hemisphere reported daily spikes.

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US coronavirus cases surpass 9 million, with no end in sight

The United States, which reported its first known coronavirus case in Washington state 282 days ago, surpassed 9 million total infections Thursday, including more than half a million in the past week, as Covid-19 spiralled out of control in the lead-up to Election Day.

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DH Exclusive | Centre's expert team finds loopholes in Karnataka's methods to restrict Covid-19 outbreak

Failure on part of the Karnataka government to take strict measures to check the spreading of Covid-19 pandemic is one of the reasons for the increasing cases in the state, said an expert team sent by the Centre.

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Toilet paper and pasta: France girds for second coronavirus lockdown

Stores and businesses across France were filled Thursday by people racing to get supplies -- and maybe a last-minute haircut -- ahead of a new coronavirus lockdown coming into effect at midnight.

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Existing lockdown restrictions extended in Maharashtra till November 30

The Maharashtra government on Thursday extended the ongoing lockdown restrictions, imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus, till November 30.

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Home remedies boom as Covid-19 cases soar in India

As India passes eight million cases -- second in the world behind the United States -- and the death toll exceeds 120,000, people are increasingly turning to ancient Hindu "Ayurvedic" medicine.

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Bengaluru ‘worst-hit’ due to high testing rates, claims Health dept

Responding to a report byDHhighlighting the Union government’s data on Covid-19 cases that showed Bengaluru as the worst-hit among all districts in India, the Health and Family Welfare departmenton Thursday clarified that the number of cases was high due to theenhancedtesting.

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Covid-19 cases are on the rise again; India records nearly 50,000 cases on October 29

India’s Covid-19 numbers have begun to rise again for the past two days after dipping to a low of 36,000 plus with Kerala, Delhi and West Bengal emerging as the new trouble spots where the infection has spiralled fast.

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White House advisers warn of 'unrelenting' Covid-19 spread, 'whole lot of pain'

The White House coronavirus task force on Thursday warned of a persistent and broad spread of Covid-19 in the western half of the United States, and its members urged aggressive mitigation measures to curb infections.

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Lab staff caught offering false Covid-19 reports for Rs 12,000

An employee of a diagnostic centre in RT Nagar was on Thursday caught offering fake Covid-19 negative results for Rs 12,000. This comes days after two staffers and a doctor were sacked for selling fake Covid negative reports.

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India's vaccine production, delivery capacity can help all humanity in fighting Covid-19: MEA

India's vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, and it will also help countries in enhancing their cold chain and storage capacities, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

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Some recovered Covid-19 patients may still carry virus, says study

Some recovered Covid-19 patients may still carry the novel coronavirus, according to a new study which recommends that people leaving quarantine avoid close contact with others, wear a face mask, and possibly undergo an additional test to confirm if they are free of the virus.

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