Coronavirus News Highlights: Total Covid vaccine doses administered in India crosses 188.62 crore

India on Thursday logged 3,303 fresh cases and 39 deaths. The fresh infections pushed the case tally to 4,30,68,799 while the country's active caseload increased to 16,980, according to Union Health Ministry data.

Total Covid vaccine doses administered in India crosses 188.62 cr, says govt

The total Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in India crossed 188.62 crore on Thursday, the Union Health Ministry said.

Over 20 lakh vaccine doses were administered on Thursday till 7 pm, it said. - PTI.

Karnataka reports 154 Covid-19 cases; state had reported 178 cases on March 18

Mumbai's daily Covid-19 count dips below 100; no new death reported

After recording more than 100 coronavirus cases for two straight days, Mumbai reported 90 new infections on Thursday, taking the overall tally to 10,59,635, but no fresh death linked to the disease was registered, the city civic body said.

The city has reported less than 100 daily Covid-19 cases after a gap of two days. - PTI.

Bharat Biotech must address WHO's Covaxin suspension to avoid EUL cancellation, says MEA

Weeks after WHO suspended the supply of Covaxin through UN procurement agencies, the MEA suggested that vaccine-maker Bharat Biotech addresses the issue immediately to avoid cancellation of the world health body's emergency use approval for the jab.

In a communication to Dr V K Paul, the convenor of a key empowered group on Covid vaccination, on Tuesday the Ministry of External Affairs said many issues about vaccines and international travel by Indians have arisen and these must be addressed immediately. - PTI.

Odisha logs 7 new Covid-19 cases, next three-four weeks crucial for state

Noting that next three to four weeks are crucial for Odisha, the state government on Thursday cautioned districts and asked them to keep all health infrastructure ready to tackle any possible rise in Covid-19 infections, a senior health department official said. - PTI.

China's capital Beijing sharpens Covid screening

Beijing closed some schools and public spaces on Thursday as most of the Chinese capital's 22 million residents turned up for more mass Covid-19 testing aimed at averting a Shanghai-like lockdown.

Most people in Shanghai were one month into stressful home isolation, struggling to meet basic needs. But there was hope on the horizon as the number of new cases declined further and officials said their focus was shifting towards boosting vaccinations among the elderly.

Fears were growing, however, that China would be trapped in a whack-a-mole game in coming months, lifting lockdowns in some places, while imposing others elsewhere. - Reuters.

Moderna seeks US authorisation for Covid vaccine in children under 6 - AFP

South Africa seeing rising share of BA.4, BA.5 Omicron sub-lineages

South Africa-based Professor Helen Rees said on Thursday that an increasing share of the country's Covid-19 cases were the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-lineages of the Omicron variant, suggesting those might have a growth advantage over others.

Rees added at a World Health Organization news conference that despite rising Covid infections South Africa was so far not seeing a huge increase in mortality or intensive care admissions. - Reuters.

NTAGI may recommend vaccination for 5-12 age group on Friday

A decision on vaccinating children aged 5-12 years will be taken on the basis of the recommendation by an expert committee, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday.

According to sources, the issue may be discussed in a meeting of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) scheduled on Friday.

"The decision (on vaccination for 5-12 age group) will be taken on the basis of the recommendation of an expert committee," Mandaviya told reporters. - PTI.

Africa seeing uptick in Covid-19 cases, WHO says

Africa is seeing an uptick in Covid-19 cases, largely driven by a doubling in cases reported in South Africa, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. - Reuters.

Taiwan's daily cases cross 10,000 after zero-Covid shift

Taiwan recorded more than 10,000 new infections for the first time on Thursday following the government's decision to move away from its zero-Covid strategy and begin living with thecoronavirus.

The shift leaves China -- and its financial hub Hong Kong -- as the only major economy still sticking to the zero-tolerance strategy even as Omicron breaks through those defences and forces painful lockdowns.

"We have 11,353 local infection cases, two deaths and 164 imported cases," health minister Chen Shih-chung said at an afternoon press briefing.

Taiwan has largely closed its borders and implemented strict quarantine rules throughout the pandemic, keeping infection numbers low.

China's Guangzhou mass-tests, cancels flights after suspected Covid case

The Chinese megacity of Guangzhou on Thursday cancelled hundreds of flights and began testing 5.6 million people over one suspected Covid case, part of an escalating battle across the country to extinguish the virus.

China is facing its worst outbreak since the peak of the first wave in early 2020, with eastern Shanghai recording dozens of daily deaths and the capital Beijing sealing off whole neighbourhoods where handfuls of cases have been detected.

Ministry of Health will wait for NTAGI recommendation to begin the vaccination of 5 to 12-year-olds: Mansukh Mandaviya

Covid virus could evolve in animals, spawn variants that can jump back to humans: Scientists

The role of “animal reservoirs” in the spread of Covid is still being studied but evidence of zoonosis, or the virus jumping from animals to humans, is growing and scientists are concerned this new frontier could potentially spawn dangerous and difficult to monitor mutants.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that at least four people in Michigan, US, were infected with a version of thecoronavirusobserved mostly in minks during the first year of the pandemic. Farmed minks and pet hamsters have been shown to be capable of infecting humans with the virus and a potential case of transmission between white-tailed deer and a human in Canada is currently under review.

Flagging the concern, the World Health Organisation (WHO) last month said the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 to wildlife could result in the establishment of animal reservoirs of the virus. “Current knowledge indicates that wildlife does not play a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in humans, but spread in animal populations can affect the health of these populations and may facilitate the emergence of new virus variants,” the WHO said in a statement

-- PTI

Taiwan's daily COVID cases top 10,000 for first time

Taiwan reported on Thursday that the daily number of confirmed domestic COVID-19 cases had topped 10,000 for the first time, in line with predictions, and the health minister said infections would continue to rise.Taiwan, population 23 million, has reported a spike in cases since the start of the year - 51,504 so far - after having previously well-controlled the pandemic with tight border controls and tough quarantines. With a well-vaccinated population, more than 99% of those infected in the current wave are either asymptomatic or have not fallen seriously ill. Only seven people have died since January1. -- Reuters

Taiwan's daily Covid cases top 10,000 for first time

Taiwan reported on Thursday that the daily number of confirmed domestic Covid-19 cases had topped 10,000 for the first time, in line with predictions, and the health minister said infections would continue to rise.

Taiwan, population 23 million, has reported a spike in cases since the start of the year - 51,504 so far - after having previously well controlled the pandemic with tight border controls and tough quarantines. (Reuters)

New Omicron sub-variant BA.12 detected in Patna

The Health Department of Bihar on Thursday detected a new variant of Omicron in Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS).

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Delhi govt gives Rs 1 crore each to families of two frontline workers who died of Covid

The Delhi government on Thursday provided financial assistance of Rs 1 crore each to the families of two frontline workers who contracted Covid-19 on duty and died fighting it.

"Late Munish Devi died due to Covid-19 on duty. On the orders of Arvind Kejriwal, I met her family members today, gave them an honorarium of Rs 1 crore, and assured them of all help in the future," Health Minister Satyendar Jain tweeted. (PTI)

Spike in Delhi's Covid cases but hospitalisation's low, says Satyendar Jain

"ThoughCovidcases have increased in Delhi, people aren't developing severe disease. Hospitalisation is low," saidHealth Minister Satyendar Jain. (PTI)

A medical worker in a protective suit collects a swab sample from a resident at a makeshift nucleic acid testing site amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in Beijing, China. (Reuters Photo)

Indian-origin senior citizen jailed in Singapore for lying about on vaccination status

An Indian-origin senior citizen in Singapore has been jailed for five days for lying about his vaccination status to gain entry into a bar amidst the COVID-19 outbreak last year, according to a media report. Utheyakumar Nallathamby, 65, had impersonated Indian-origin Malaysian Kiran Singh Rughbir Singh, 37, to enter the bar, The Straits Times newspaper reported on Wednesday. -- PTI

Shanghai's focus shifts to vaccination of elderly as new cases decline

Shanghai is making more resources available to improve vaccination rates among the elderly as daily case numbers decline and it looks for a way out of four weeks of stringent lockdown restrictions.Authorities said districts were now arranging community vaccination vehicles and setting up temporary vaccination stations in care homes. -- Reuters

Bengaluru crossed the 100-mark in daily Covid cases for the second time in four days.The Bengaluru Urban district accounted for 114 of the 126 cases reported in Karnataka, according to the official bulletin released by the government on Wednesday.There werezero deaths. With this, the total number of Covid cases has touched 39,47,209 in the state.

Test positivity rate stood at 1.16 per cent on Wednesday. With zero deaths, the state's Covid toll remains at 40,057. Ninety-nine patients were discharged on Wednesday, taking the total recoveries to 39,05,397. The number of active cases in the state is now 1,713.

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Mucormycosis or black fungus cases that were prominent during the second Covid wave have returned, at least in one private hospital in the city. Surprisingly, diabetes and risk factors like sharing of oxygen cylinders and unhygienic treatment facilities that were the possible causes of black fungus in the second wave are absent in the fresh cases. Read More

COVID-19 Snapshot

3,303 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
India's active caseload currently stands at 16,980
Daily Positivity Rate: 0.66%
Weekly Positivity Rate: 0.61%
Recovery Rate: 98.74%
2,563 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases total recoveries to 4,25,28,126
Total tests conducted: 83.64 cr; 4,97,669 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Vaccine Doses administered: 188.40 cr

India logs 3,303 fresh cases and 39 deaths in the past 24 hours. Active cases at 16980.

One active COVID-19 case in Andamans

One COVID-19 patient is currently undergoing treatment in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a health department bulletin said on Thursday. The coronavirus tally of the Union Territory remained unchanged at 10,035 as no fresh infection was registered in the last 24 hours, it said. Altogether, 9,905 people have recovered from the disease, while 129 patients have succumbed to the infection so far. The administration has thus far tested over 7.23 lakh samples for COVID-19, and fully vaccinated 3.34 lakh people. -- PTI

Covid-hit Beijing keeps up guard in fear of Shanghai-like misery

China's capital Beijing closed some public spaces and stepped up checks at others on Thursday, as most of the city's 22 million residents embarked on more COVID-19 mass testing aimed at averting a Shanghai-like lockdown. -- Reuters

Fauci says United States is out of ‘pandemic phase’

DrAnthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said that the United States seems to be out of the “pandemic phase,” at least for the moment.

In comments to Washington Post and on “PBS NewsHour” this week, Fauci said that the country has entered a new phase of the pandemic, because daily counts of confirmed new cases, hospitalizations and deaths are far lower than they were during the omicron surge over the winter.

“We’re really in a transitional phase, from a deceleration of the numbers into hopefully a more controlled phase and endemicity,” Fauci told the Washington Post on Wednesday.

China reports 11,367 new Covid cases on April 27, down from 14,298 a day earlier

Mainland China reported 11,367 new coronavirus cases for April 27, of which 1,503 were symptomatic and 9,864 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Thursday.

That compares with 14,298 new cases a day earlier - 1,824 symptomatic and 12,474 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.

There were 47 new deaths, bringing the death toll to 4,923.

Mucormycosis cases make surprising comeback in Bengaluru

Mucormycosis or black fungus cases that were prominent during the second Covid wave have returned, at least in one private hospital in the city.

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