Coronavirus News Highlights: Centre extends visas of all foreigners stuck in India due to Covid-19 till Sep 30

South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare is in talks with Johnson & Johnson to produce the finished drug ingredient for manufacturing Covid-19 vaccine. India reported 47,092 Covid-19 cases today. Meanwhile, Moderna Inc on Wednesday asked the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow the use of a third booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine. The Centre extended visas of foreign nationals who got stuck in India due to Covid till September 30.

The cumulativeCovid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 67 crore on Thursday, the Union health ministry said. More than 64.70 lakh (64,70,901) vaccine doses were administered on Thursday, according to the 7 pm provisional report. (PTI)

Maharashtra on Thursday reported 4,342 new coronavirus cases and 55 fatalities while 4,755 patients recovered, a health department official said. The Pune region reported the highest 17 fatalities. (PTI)

Centre extends visas of all foreign nationals stuck in India due to Covid-19 till Sep 30

The government on Thursday extended till September 30visasof all foreign nationals stuck in India due to Covid-19 pandemic, an official spokesperson said here. (PTI)

India's interests come before vaccine exports: Health ministry

India would resume exports of Covid-19 vaccines only after its own interests are taken care of, a health ministry official said on Thursday, as a recent surge in immunisations raised hopes of foreign sales that have been barred since mid-April.

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No link between Covid-19 vaccine and Karnataka govt schemes: P Ravi Kumar

Karnataka Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar on Thursday clarified that there was no link between citizens getting the Covid-19 vaccine and them receiving government benefits such as ration or pensions.

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Full vaccination prerequisite for attending mass gatherings during festivals: Centre

Mass gatherings should be discouraged but if attending it is essential then full vaccination should be a prerequisite, the Union government said on Friday and urged people to get the jabs and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, especially during the festive season.

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Karnataka revises Covid protocol for travellers from Kerala

The Karnataka government has revised its Covid-19 protocol for people coming from Kerala, exempting a set of people from mandatory seven days institutional quarantine.

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8.38 crore vaccine doses administered in August, says Centre

Conduct vaccination drive in a transparent manner in Dakshina Kannada: Congress

Dakshina Kannada district Congress Committee President and MLC Harish Kumar demanded transparency in vaccination camps being carried out in Dakshina Kannada district.

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Kerala to set up expert panel to study practicality of reopening schools

Despite concerns about increasingCovid-19 cases, the Kerala government is mulling to reopen schools as it has decided to set up an expert panel to study the present circumstances in the state and submit a report in this regard. General Education Minister V Sivankutty said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the high level committee monitoring theCovidsituation and guiding actions to deal with the disease in the state would take a final decision on the school reopening.

(PTI)

North Korea rejects Chinese vaccines: UNICEF

North Korea has rejected around three million doses of a ChineseCovid-19 vaccine, suggesting they should be given to countries in greater need, Unicef said Thursday.

The impoverished North was the first country to impose a strict lockdown when it sealed its border in January last year to stop the virus spreading from neighbouring China, where it first emerged before sweeping the world.

Pyongyang insists it has yet to see any cases of the virus -- a claim that analysts doubt -- but it has paid a huge economic price for the blockade, with the regime admitting in June it was tackling a "food crisis".

(AFP)

Canada to donate AstraZeneca vaccine doses to African countries under COVAX scheme

Canada will donate more than 1.3 million doses of AstraZeneca'sCovid-19 vaccine to three African countries through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, GAVI said on Thursday.

(Reuters)

Kerala mulls reopening schools even as Covid-19 surges

Is the much discussed and debated third wave of the pandemic a reality or a myth? In Kerala, the news is that in a high-level online meeting called by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday late evening, the participating international experts opined that it's time schools are opened, especially primary schools.

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Covid-19 vaccines effective at reducing severe illness, hospitalisation: Lancet study

People infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus after receiving one or twoCovid-19 vaccine doses have significantly lower chance of severe disease or hospitalisation than unvaccinated individuals, according to a large-scale study published inThe Lancet Infectious Diseasesjournal on Tuesday.

Researchers also found that the odds of experiencing longCovid-- illness lasting 28 days or more after a positive test -- were reduced to half for people who received two vaccines doses.

People most vulnerable to a breakthrough infection after their first vaccine dose included frail older adults, 60 years and older, and those living with underlying conditions such as obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, and lung disease, they said.

(PTI)

Odisha registers 754 new Covid-19 cases, 6 fresh fatalities (PTI)

Puducherry reports 92 new cases, 2 deaths and 38 recoveries today; active cases 837

South Africa's Aspen and J&J in talks to produce Covid vaccine

South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare is in talks with Johnson & Johnson to produce the finished drug ingredient for manufacturingCovid-19 vaccine, according to a presentation uploaded on the company's website on Thursday.

"The technical transfer agreement is under way with Johnson & Johnson to manufacture the FDF of their candidateCovid-19 vaccine Ad26.COV2-S," the presentation said.

(Reuters)

71 new cases push Arunachal's Covid-19 tally to 53,102 (PTI)

Active Covid-19 cases in country increase to 3,89,583 (PTI)

No new Covid-19 case in Andamans

TheCovid-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands remained unchanged at 7,566 as no new case was reported on Thursday, a health bulletin said.

The Union territory now has six active cases, while 7,431 people have recovered from the disease and 129 patients have succumbed to the infection to date.

(PTI)

India reports 47,092 new Covid-19 cases with over 32K from Kerala alone

India on Thursday reported 47,092 new Covid-19 cases as509 persons succumbed to the disease in the past 24 hours, Union Health Ministry data showed.

Kerala continued to drive the surge in daily cases as it accounted for 32,803 fresh infections and 173 deaths.

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Schools for classes 6 to 8 reopen in Gujarat today

Mizoram reported 545 new positive cases yesterday. Total death toll 218; active cases 9,066

New Zealand says Covid-19 case drop shows lockdown working against Delta

New Zealand reported a drop in new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, which authorities said was a sign that the lockdown enforced nationwide was working in limiting the spread of the infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Authorities reported 49 new cases on Thursday, all in the epicentre of Auckland, taking the total number of cases in this outbreak to 736. "The latest lower number is encouraging and does show that our alert levels 4 lockdown is working even against the Delta," the Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said in a news conference.

(Reuters)

Moderna seeks US authorisation for Covid-19 vaccine booster

(Reuters)

'Kerala needs strict containment steps, strategic lockdown to curb Covid-19 cases'

The Covid-19 test positivity rate is high in Kerala, going over 20 per cent in some districts which is an evidence of intense virus circulation, government sources said on Wednesday underlining the need for strict containment measures and strategic lockdown to bring down the cases.

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WHO leader opposes 'widespread' use of Covid-19 boosters

The head of the World Health Organization says he opposes “widespread use of boosters” for healthy people, for now, underscoring the need to get doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to poorer countries.

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When will the Delta Covid variant surge end?

The United States has entered the fourth wave of the pandemic — or fifth, depending on which expert you ask. As the vaccination campaign lags and the contagious delta variant spreads, cases and hospitalisations are at their highest since last winter. Covid-19 deaths, too, are on a steady incline.

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USFDA panel to discuss Covid-19 vaccine boosters on September 17

(Reuters)

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