Coronavirus news highlights: Karnataka reports 784 new Covid-19 cases, 6 deaths

Mumbai reported 795 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, nearly 260 more than a day earlier, and eight fresh fatalities, the city civic body said.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) updated data, with 795 new cases the coronavirus tally in the financial capital increased to 2,96,319, while the death toll rose to 11,155.

On Tuesday, Mumbai had reported 539 new cases and nine fatalitie

. Karnataka on Wednesday reported 784 new cases of Covid-19 and 6 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 9,24,137 and the death toll to 12,124. The day also saw 1,238 patients getting discharged after recovery.

A total of over 1,47,88,491 samples have been tested so far, out of which 1,34,173 were tested on Wednesday alone, and 11,136 among them were rapid antigen tests.

Out of the 784 fresh cases reported today, 437 were from Bengaluru Urban alone.

. Tamil Nadu on Wednesday recorded 811 new Covid-19 infections, pushing the tally to 8,23,181 while the toll mounted to 12,188 with 11 more deaths.

Recoveries continued to outnumber the new cases with 943 people getting discharged, totalling to 8,03,328, a health department bulletin said.

The number of active cases stood at 7,665. Health secretary J Radhakrishnan said the government would conduct a Covid-19 vaccination dry run on January 8 in all the districts unlike the earlier one which was held in five districts.

. With 742 fresh cases, the Covid -19 case tally in Uttar Pradesh rose to 5,90,339 on Wednesday.

The death toll climbed to 8,441 with nine more fatalities.

The number of active cases in the state has now come down to 11,939 of which 4,666 are in home isolation and 1,245 in private hospitals, Additional Chief Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad said.

The number of active cases was under the 12,000 mark on July 11, he said.

. The Centre will send a high-level team to support public health interventions for Covid-19 management in Kerala as the state has been reporting a "very high" number of daily coronavirus cases, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

. The number of people who have tested positive for the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country has climbed to 73, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday.

These cases include the 58 which were announced by the ministry till Tuesday.

"The total number of cases infected with the new strain of the novel coronavirus first reported in the UK now stands at 73," the ministry said.

All these people have been kept in single room isolation in designated healthcare facilities by respective state governments, the ministry had said on Tuesday.

. The UK police will get stricter with its enforcement of the new nationwide lockdown that legally came into force on Wednesday and have urged the public to fully comply with the rules, which call for people to stay at home except for limited reasons to be outdoors.

Scotland Yard said people in “obvious, wilful and serious” breach of the restrictions are increasingly likely to face fines or fixed penalty notices, which range between 200 pounds and 10,000 pounds.

. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned parliament on Wednesday that ending England's latest lockdown would require a "gradual unwrapping" over time, pledging that schools would be the "very first things to reopen".

Addressing parliament before lawmakers vote on the measures introduced earlier this week, Johnson defended his decision to implement the new lockdown at the time he did, saying the new, more contagious, coronavirus variant offered little choice.

. More than 600 journalists have died of Covid-19 last year since March 1, a press freedom organisation said, calling for media workers to have priority access to vaccines.

. The Delhi government has directed schools here to submit the innovations done by teachers and management committee members to ensure education in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the practices undertaken by them for Covid-19 management.

Schools in the national capital are closed since March last year. Though several states have partially reopened schools, the Delhi government has announced that schools will reopen only after a vaccine is available.

. An embarrassed China on Wednesday acknowledged that there could be some "misunderstanding" between Beijing and the World Health Organisation over granting timely permission to experts to visit the country to probe the origin of the coronavirus, even as it gave no indication about when it will allow them to come.

In a rare instance of criticism from the global body, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is often accused of being pro-China, in a media conference in Geneva on Tuesday said, "Today, we learned that Chinese officials have not yet finalised the necessary permissions for the team's arrival in China.

. Credit: PTI Photo

. Japan will declare a month-long emergency in Tokyo and surrounding areas to tackle a surge in coronavirus cases from Saturday until February 7, broadcaster Asahi TV reported.

. England went back into full lockdown as Europe battled Wednesday to stem a rising tide of coronavirus cases, and the United States logged its worst daily death toll of the pandemic.

The Covid-19 crisis has shown no signs of slowing, with known infections nearing 86 million worldwide and more than 1.8 million deaths, even as many nations ramp up their vaccination rollouts.

England began its third national lockdown Tuesday as alarm grew in Britain over the latest surge in cases which is threatening to overwhelm its National Health Service, piling on the misery for people growing tired of social distancing and the economic cost.

. Manchester City reserve goalkeeper Scott Carson, midfielder Cole Palmer and a member of staff have tested positive for Covid-19 hours before their League Cup semi-final at Manchester United, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.

The trio join a growing list of individuals that have contracted the disease at the club, with City missing six players due to positive tests in their 3-1 league victory against Chelsea last weekend.

. Surveillance of untreated wastewater can warn officials about an impending spike or decrease in Covid-19 cases up to two weeks in advance, according to a study conducted by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Gandhinagar.

The researchers, including those from Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC), explored the association between the SARS-CoV-2 genetic load in wastewater and the number of Covid-19 cases at the district level in Gandhinagar, to establish if wastewater surveillance can be an effective tool to warn about the disease early.

"This is the first ever proof based on weekly surveillance in India that unravels this early warning capability of wastewater surveillance for Covid-19," Professor Manish Kumar from the Department of Earth Sciences, IIT-GN, who led the study, told PTI.

. After a gap of over six months, Odisha on Wednesday did not report any fresh fatality due to Covid-19, while 231 new cases pushed the state's caseload to 3,30,921, a health official said.

As many as 133 new cases were reported in quarantine centres, while 98 infections were detected during contact tracing, he said.

. An expert mission to China to probe the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic was in disarray Wednesday after Beijing denied entry to the World Health Organization team at the last minute despite months of painstaking negotiations.

Ten experts were due to arrive in China this week for the delicate, highly politicised task of establishing how and where the virus jumped from animals to humans.

But with a number of the team already in transit, China denied them entry visas, prodding WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, to say he was "very disappointed".

China is determined to control the origin story of the virus, which has killed more than 1.8 million people around the world and laid waste to global economies.

. Maharashtra's Covid-19 task force head, Dr Sanjay Oak, has joined a new hospital in neighbouring Thane city.

. Classes for students of 10th & 12th standard will resume from 11th January, following all Covid-19 guidelines: Gujarat Education Minister, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama

(ANI)

. We've completed the dry run for Covid-19 vaccine at four sites in Goa. We are fully prepared with cold chain management system both in government depts and private sector. The cold chain management system is fully operations up to Primary Healthcare Centre level: CM Pramod Sawant (ANI)

. As major countries like the US and China race to vaccinate their populations with rapidly approved shots, tens of millions of doses prepared for India are sitting in storage despite having been authorized for use.

While distribution in other nations started soon after approval with pricing deals signed ahead of time, New Delhi and Serum Institute of India Ltd. -- the world’s biggest vaccine maker by volume and AstraZeneca Plc’s local partner -- have engaged in months of haggling behind closed doors and are yet to sign a formal supply agreement. That has left at least 70 million vaccine doses in limbo despite the urgent need in a country facing the world’s second-largest outbreak.

. Tokyo's had a record 1,591 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, local media reported, as Japan braces for a new state of emergency for the greater metropolitan area.

Rising infections have driven the Tokyo and surrounding areas to the highest level of a four-stage alert, prompting regional governors to urge for a declaration of emergency that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to announce on Thursday.

The health ministry held a meeting of infectious disease experts on Wednesday, the second in as many days. They have called for stricter and longer countermeasures, while Suga has sought a more limited response to avoid damaging the economy.

. Italy is considering extending until July 31 this year its state of emergency over theCovid-19 crisis, Il Messaggeroa national newspaper said on Wednesday.

The emergency, set to expire at the end of January, gives the government greater powers, allowing officials to more easily bypass the bureaucracy that stifles decision-making in Italy.

"The hypothesis, more than concrete is confirmed in the government, is a renewal for another 6 months", the daily said, without citing sources. (Reuters)

. Thousands of cricket fans who attended Australia's showpiece Boxing Day Test against India have been told to get tested and isolate Wednesday, after a spectator at the match tested positive forCovid-19.

Health authorities said the man in his thirties was not infectious while at the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground on the second day of play "but there is potential he acquired the virus while there" or at a nearby shopping centre.

"The MCG is being investigated as a potential source for the infection," Victoria's Department of Health said. (AFP)

. The Recording Academy has announced that it is scheduling the Grammy Awards ceremony to March 14, from its planned January 31 date, due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

The surges ofCovid-19 cases in Los Angeles prompted the organisers to shift the date of the ceremony, which is considered the Oscars of music world.

"After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd annual Grammy Awards to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021," representatives for the Academy and CBS said in a statement on Tuesday. (PTI)

. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "Herculean" aim to vaccinate around 14 million of the most vulnerable people againstCovid-19 by the middle of next month is achievable, his vaccine minister said on Wednesday.

Johnson has set a target of vaccinating the elderly, including care home residents, the clinically vulnerable and frontline workers - around 14 million people - by mid-February.

Asked if it was achievable to vaccinate 14 million people by the middle of February and 2 million vaccinations each week by the end of this month, Minister forCovid Vaccine Deployment Nadhim Zahawi said it was.

"It is a Herculean effort," he told Sky , adding that it was stretching but deliverable. He said that 1/4 of people over 80 years old had been vaccinated with their first shot.

. 24.24% of new fatalities reported are from Maharashtra which reported 64 deaths.

. Jharkhand'sCovid-19 tally rose to 1,15,840 as 151 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said on Wednesday.

The coronavirus death toll climbed to 1,038 as two more persons succumbed to the disease in the last 24-hours, the official said. The two deaths were reported from Ranchi and Hazaribag. (PTI)

. Puducherry registered 34 newCovid-19 infections on Wednesday pushing up the total caseload to 38,334. However, no fresh deaths were reported.

As many as 35 patients were discharged during the last 24 hours after recovery, Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release.

Puducherry region accounted for 22 cases out of the total 34 identified after screening of 3,557 samples followed by Karaikal 8 and Mahe 4. No fresh case was reported from Yanam, he said. (PTI)

. Indonesia will impose two weeks of increased coronavirus restrictions in parts of its most populous island of Java from Jan. 11, including the resort island of Bali, to support hospitals and reduce fatality rates, a minister said on Wednesday.

The chief economic minister, Airlangga Hartarto, said some of the measures include changes to opening hours for malls and limited capacity at restaurants and places of worship. (Reuters)

. A dry run to assess the readiness for theCovid-19 vaccination drive will be held in 21 districts of Chhattisgarh over the next two days, a senior state health official said on Wednesday.

Last week, a similar mock drill was held in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur and six other districts out of the total 28 districts in the state.

Now, it will be held in the remaining 21 districts for the assessment of preparation for the imminent coronavirus vaccination drive, mission director for National Health Mission in Chhattisgarh, Priyanka Shukla, told PTI . (PTI)

. Thirteen more people tested positive for the new UK coronavirus strain on Wednesday taking the total number of cases infected with the new virus variant to 71.

"The total number of cases infected with the new strain of the novel coronavirus first reported in the UK now stands at 71," the Union Health Ministry said.

All these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated Health Care facilities by respective state governments.

. The state now has 79 active cases of the disease, while the death toll stands at 56.

. The England cricket team all passed coronavirus tests after all-rounder Moeen Ali was found to have Covid-19 and have been cleared to start restricted training in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, a spokesman said.

Moeen was found to have the coronavirus shortly after the squad arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday and has been put in isolation in a hotel away from the other players.

The result was an early blow to preparations for the two Tests in Sri Lanka that start in Galle on January 14. But the plans in the secure bubble in Hambantota in the south of the island are now largely back on track.

. The head of the World Health Organization said Tuesday that he is “disappointed” Chinese officials haven't finalised the permissions to allow a team of experts into China to examine the origins of Covid-19.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a rare critique of Beijing, said members of the international scientific team began departing from their home countries over the last 24 hours as part of an arrangement between WHO and the Chinese government.

. Total cases: 1,03,74,932

Active cases: 2,27,546

Total recoveries: 99,97,272

Death toll: 1,50,114

. Britain closed its schools on Tuesday ahead of a new national lockdown and Germany extended its shutdown of businesses and offices for another three weeks, as Europe battles surgingcoronavirusinfections.

Officials promised £4.6 billion ($6.3 billion, 5.1 billion euros) to help battered businesses weather the latest lockdown in England. Other parts of the UK are also bringing in or extending lockdowns.

Germany's states agreed to keep schools, leisure facilities and non-essential shops shut until January 31, extending restrictions that had been due to run out next Sunday.

. Fans attending this week's third test between Australia andIndiaat the Sydney Cricket Ground will have to wear masks at all times except when eating or drinking, New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard said on Wednesday.

The five-day match, which starts on Thursday, will be played in front of a crowd of some 10,000 to allow social distancing in a ground that can hold 48,000 after an outbreak of Covid-19 in Australia's largest city.

. The Grammy Awards ceremony that was set for Jan. 31 has been postponed because of the coronavirus surge in Los Angeles, Rolling Stone magazine and Variety reported on Tuesday.

. The WHO's vaccine advisory group said Tuesday that the second Pfizer-BioNTech anti-Covid-19 vaccine dose could, in exceptional circumstances, be administered a few weeks beyond the recommended 21-28 days.

. The European Union could authorise a second coronavirus vaccine "in the coming hours", European Council chief Charles Michel said Tuesday, adding that leaders would hold a virtual summit on the health crisis later this month.

. An international expert team has set off for China to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, but Beijing has yet to provide the necessary access, the WHO chief said Tuesday.

. Getting immunised against Covid-19 will be a voluntary exercise and it is important that both dozes of the vaccine be administered to an individual for developing better immune response against the disease, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria has said.

Coronavirus news highlights: Karnataka reports 784 new Covid-19 cases, 6 deaths

Mumbai records 795 Covid-19 cases, 400 recoveries; 8 die

Karnataka reports 784 new Covid-19 cases in, 6 deaths

TN clocks 811 new Covid-19 infections, 11 fatalities

Active Covid cases come down to below 12,000 in UP after nearly six months

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