Coronavirus News highlights: Covid 3rd wave may pull GDP growth down to 7%, says economist Abhijit Banerjee

India on Thursday reported 42,982 new Covid cases and 533 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry. Meanwhile, the global case tally has crossed the 20 crore-mark. A central team that went to Kerala, in its report to the Union health ministry, has said contact tracing of Covid-19 patients in the state is low.

Over 49 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in India

The cumulative number ofCOVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has gone past49 crore, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.

More than 50.29 lakh (50,29,573) vaccine doses were administered on Thursday, according to a provisional report compiled at 7 pm.

(PTI)

Covid 3rd wave may pull GDP growth down to 7%: Economist Abhijit Banerjee

Nobel laureate economist Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee on Thursday apprehended that the impending third wave of theCovid-19 pandemic might adversely impact the GDP, and its growth rate might go down to 7 per cent, even below the IMF's recent projection of 9.5 per cent.

Banerjee, who heads West Bengal's Global Advisory Board (GAB) and advises the state government on issues related to the pandemic, said that boosting the state's economy is directly related to the revival of the country's economy as it is under stress due to the ongoing pandemic situation.

(PTI)

Chhattisgarh logs 114 new cases, 2 deaths (PTI)

Rajasthan records 40 fresh Covid cases, no new death

Rajasthan'sCovidtally rose to 9,53,773 on Thursday with 40 fresh cases, while the death toll stood at 8,954 as no new fatality was reported in the state, an official report said.

(PTI)

Lakhs deprived of Covid vaccines in Bengal due to TMC's partisan policies: Suvendu

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday slammed the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal for depriving lakhs of the opportunity to get vaccinated againstCovid-19, due to the state government's partisan policies.

Claiming that at least nine lakh vials sent by the Centre were wasted, Adhikari said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had assured that the state will vaccinate everyone free of cost from May and even procure the jabs if needed.

(PTI)

Preparing for worst-case scenario, setting up 37K Covid beds: Satyendar Jain

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said the city government was preparing for the worst-case scenario in anticipation of the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic and working on setting up 37,000 dedicated beds forCovid-19 patients.

(PTI)

Kerala reports 22,040 new Covid-19 cases, 117 deaths (PTI)

Goa records 102 new coronavirus cases, 3 deaths, 88 recoveries (PTI)

Russia has administered Covid-19 vaccines to 39 million people

Russia has administeredCovid-19 vaccines to 38.9 million people, about 27% of its population, health minister Mikhail Murashko said on Thursday.

He did not say whether the figure referred to those who have received at least one dose or those who were fully inoculated. Last month, the government said 33.6 million people had received at least one dose and 22.6 million both doses.

(Reuters)

Philippines to expand tighter Covid-19 curbs to prevent Delta's spread (Reuters)

Covaxin receives GMP certificate from Hungary

Bharat Biotech'sCOVID-19 vaccine Covaxin has received Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliance certificate from Hungary, the vaccine maker said on Thursday in a tweet.

The company in a separate press release said Covaxin production, which started in early Junein Malur andAnkleshwar facilities, will be available for commercialsupplies in September.

"Another milestone in our account as COVAXIN receives GMP certificate from Hungary. This marks the 1st EUDRAGDMP compliance certificate received by Bharat Biotech from European regulatories," the tweet said.

(PTI)

Xi says China aims to provide 2 bn Covid-19 vaccine doses to world in 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday said China will strive to provide 2 billion doses ofCovid-19 vaccines to the world in 2021, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

(Reuters)

Delhi records 61 new Covid-19 cases, two more deaths; positivity rate 0.08 per cent (PTI)

Head of Africa CDC has 'unbearable' Covid-19

The director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says he came down withCovid-19 last week and if he had not been vaccinated earlier, “I would not be here by now.”

An audibly ill John Nkengasong told reporters that despite his vaccination in April, “the severity of the attack is unbearable.”

He cited his experience to push back against vaccine hesitancy.

(AP)

Andhra Pradesh logs 2,145 new Covid-19 cases, 24 deaths (PTI)

Greece puts restrictions on two tourist islands to curb Covid

Greece imposed a night time curfew and banned music on two popular tourist islands on Thursday to contain the spread ofCovid-19, its civil protection deputy minister said.

The Mediterranean country, which is trying to rebuild a tourist sector hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, is also battling a wave of wildfires during a protracted heatwave.

Restrictions will come into effect from Friday and run until Aug. 13 after a recommendation by the committee of infectious disease experts advising the Greek government.

(Reuters)

African Union says J&J vaccine shipments begin, warns of slow pace of deliveries

African Union officials said on Thursday that the body had begun shippingCovid-19 vaccine doses acquired through a Johnson & Johnson deal, but they raised alarm at the pace of total deliveries to a region where only 1.5% of people are vaccinated.

The AU'sCovidspecial envoy Strive Masiyiwa said the start of the J&J shipments marked a step forward for the continent of more than 1.3 billion people, but he called Africa's situation regarding vaccine deliveries a "crisis".

(Reuters)

WHO says Covid-19 related deaths in Africa reach record peak

Coronavirus related deaths in Africa reached record peak in the week that ended on Aug. 1, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

Over 6,400 deaths were recorded, a 2% rise compared with the previous week, with South Africa and Tunisia accounting for over 55% of the fatalities, the WHO said in a statement, adding that death trends are on the rise in 15 countries.

(Reuters)

Covid situation might turn grim if vaccine supply not augmented in Bengal: Mamata tells PM Modi

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing apprehension that theCovidsituation might turn grim if the vaccine supply in the state is not augmented.

She also alleged that the state is getting a "much lower number of doses" of vaccines despite having a very high population density, and urged him to ramp up the supply of vials. The state would require around 14 crore doses ofCovidvaccines to cover all the eligible people, she said.

(PTI)

Moderna says its Covid-19 shot remains 93% effective 4-6 months after second dose

Moderna Inc said on Thursday itsCovid-19 shot was about 93% effective four to six months after the second dose, showing hardly any change from the 94% efficacy reported in its original clinical trial.

That compares favorably to data released by rivals Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE last week in which they suggested their vaccine's efficacy waned around 6% every two months, declining to around 84% six months after the second shot. Both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.

(Reuters)

China posts first decline in local new Covid-19 cases this week

China reported on Thursday a decline in locally transmittedCovid-19 cases for the first time this week, and a health official said he expected China's latest outbreak, caused mainly by the Delta variant, to be largely under control within weeks.

A total of 85 new confirmedCovid-19 cases were detected for Aug. 4, down from 96 a day earlier, data from the National Health Commission (NHC) showed on Thursday. Of the new cases, 62 were locally transmitted, versus 71 a day earlier.

(Reuters)

Over 2.69 crore unutilised vaccine doses still available with states, private hospitals: Centre

More than2.69 crorebalance and unutilisedCovid-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states, UTs and private hospitals to be administered, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.

Over51.01crorevaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far through all sources and a further7,53,620doses are in the pipeline.

(PTI)

Countries weigh need for booster Covid-19 shots

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech have asked USand European regulators to approve a booster dose following a two-shot regimen of theirCovid-19 vaccine, based on evidence of greater risk of infection six months after inoculation.

Moderna has also filed for full approval for their vaccines in the United States.

(Reuters)

New Covid-19 cases peak in Sydney as Australia battles Delta variant

Sydney reported a record daily number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday and the state of Victoria announced a one-week lockdown as Australia tried to contain the highly infectious Delta variant.

With around 35,200Covid-19 cases and 932 deaths, Australia has avoided the high caseloads of other developed countries but its vaccination figures are among the lowest, with only 20% of people aged over 16 fully vaccinated.

(Reuters)

Bengal needs around 14 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine to cover all eligible people: CM Mamata Banerjee in letter to PM (PTI)

India's Panacea Biotec to make up to 25 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine

India's Panacea Biotec Ltd said on Thursday it had agreed to produce up to 25 million doses of the Sputnik VCovid-19 vaccine using the drug substance made by Russia's Generium.

(Reuters)

Sikkim reports 184 new Covid-19 cases, 2 fatalities

Sikkim'sCovid-19 tally rose to 27,526 as 184 more people tested positive for the virus while two new fatalities pushed the death toll to 351, a health department bulletin said on Thursday.

(PTI)

Ignoring WHO call, Germany, France to give Covid-19 vaccine boosters

Germany and France will go ahead withCovid-19 vaccine boosters from September, disregarding an appeal by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to hold off until more people are vaccinated across the globe.

(Reuters)

Chaos at Manila vaccine sites as thousands rush to get shots before lockdown

Chaos and confusion marred severalCovid-19 vaccination sites in Manila on Thursday as thousands showed up, hoping to receive a shot before the Philippines capital heads back into lockdown for two weeks.

Movement restrictions will be reimposed across greater Manila, an urban sprawl of 16 cities that is home to 13 million people, from midnight on Thursday to try slow the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant.

(Reuters)

Japan's new Covid-19 cases exceed 15,000 for first time

Newly reported daily Covid-19 cases in Japan exceeded 15,000 for the first time, public broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday, after the Tokyo metropolitan government reported a record-high 5,042 new infection cases in the capital.

(Reuters)

Threats of cellphone blocks, work bans boost Pakistan's vaccination rate

Tens of thousands of Pakistanis are thronging coronavirus vaccination centres daily after officials announced penalties for the unvaccinated, including blocked cell phones and barred access to offices, restaurants, shopping malls and transport.

Queues for inoculations stretched more than a kilometre in some locations this week, in response to measures designed to help slow a Delta variant-fuelled surge in infections that has put pressure on Pakistan's poor health infrastructure.

(Reuters)

Indonesia finds Covid deaths more than three times higher for the unvaccinated

TheCovid-19 death rate for people in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta who were not vaccinated was more than three times higher than those who were, according to new health ministry data.

The mortality rate of those who were not vaccinated was 15.5% compared with 4.1% for those who had received two shots of either the Sinovac or AstraZeneca vaccine, according to data from state hospitals and almost 68,000 patients in Jakarta from May to July.

(Reuters)

Odisha reports 1,342 new Covid-19 cases, 68 fresh fatalities

Odisha'sCovid-19 tally soared to 9,83,523 on Thursday as 1,342 more people tested positive for the infection, while 68 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 6,236, a health official said.

As many as 775 new cases were reported in quarantine centres, while 567 infections were detected during contact tracing, he said, adding that the daily test positivity rate stood at 2.02 per cent.

(PTI)

Tokyo logs record 5,042 cases as infections surge amid Games

Tokyo reported 5,042 new daily coronavirus cases on Thursday, hitting a record since the pandemic began as the infections surge in the Japanese capital hosting the Olympics.

The additional cases brought the total for Tokyo to 236,138. Nationwide, Japan reported more than 14,000 cases on Wednesday for a total of 970,000.

More than 200 million coronavirus cases worldwide

More than 200 million cases of Covid-19 cases have now been registered worldwide since the novel coronavirus emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 0700 GMT on Thursday.

At least 200,065,905 cases have been officially recorded, but the actual number is believed to be even higher, since a large number of the less severe or asymptomatic cases remain undetected, despite intensified testing in many countries.

The number of infections is currently rising sharply, driven primarily by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, but the number of deaths is increasing at a slower rate, the data showed.

Delta variant now in 135 countries: WHO

The highly-transmissible Delta variant of Covid-19 has now been reported in 135 countries, according to the World Health Organization which said the cumulative number of coronavirus cases reported globally could exceed 200 million by next week.

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Adar Poonawalla sets aside Rs 10 cr to support students travelling abroad

Serum Institute of India CEO and owner Adar Poonawalla on Thursday said that he has set aside Rs 10 crore to support students travelling abroad for studies, as a few countries are yet to approve Covishield as an acceptable vaccine for entry without quarantine.

"Dear students travelling abroad, as a few countries are yet to approve Covishield as an acceptable vaccine for travel without quarantine, you may have to incur some costs. I have set aside Rs 10 crore for this...," Poonawalla said in a tweet.

England scraps France quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers

Britain will scrap quarantine for fully-vaccinated travellers returning to England and Scotland from France, rowing back on a rule that had infuriated French politicians and thrown millions of holidays into confusion.

Britain has double vaccinated a higher proportion of its population against Covid-19 than most other countries, but a maze of rules has prevented travel to many countries, devasting the travel industry.

Puducherry logs 81 fresh COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 1,21,333

Flu shot may protect against severe effects of Covid-19: Study

The annual influenza vaccine may reduce the risk of stroke, sepsis, blood clots and several other severe effects in patients with COVID-19, according to the largest study of its kind.

The researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, US, also found that patients with Covid-19 who had been vaccinated against the flu were significantly less likely to visit the emergency department (ED) and be admitted to the intensive care unit.

Daily Positivity Rate at 2.58%; less than 5% for 59 consecutive days.

Covaxin has received a certificate of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliance from the Hungarian authorities.

The approval received is from the National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition Hungary certifying the GMP for the manufacture of Covaxin

India reports 42,982 new Covid-19 cases, 41,726 recoveries and 533 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry

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Govt to collect sewage samples to ascertain intensity of coronavirus circulation in community, detect new variant

Sewage samples will be collected as part of soon-to-be-launched environmental surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 to ascertain the intensity of the virus circulation in the community and detect the emergence of any new variant, official sources said on Wednesday.

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A total of 47,48,93,363 samples tested up to 4th August. Of which, 16,64,030 samples were tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

Low contact tracing, declining Covid tests in Kerala: Central team to health ministry

A central team that went to Kerala, in its report to the Union health ministry, has said contact tracing of Covid-19 patients in the state is low, home isolation guidelines are not being followed and the number of tests conducted to detect the infection is showing a downward trend.

According to official sources, the report pointed out that people are becoming more complacent regarding Covid-appropriate behaviour and highlighted the need for ramping up vaccination.

(PTI)