Coronavirus news highlights: Covid-19 restrictions in Maharashtra extended till Dec 31

India's coronavirus tally reached 93.09 lakh with 43,082 new cases. The death toll surged past 1.35 lakh with over 492 fatalities in the last 24 hours. The number of active cases in India has increased by 3,211 and totals at 4,55,555. The total number of recoveries are at 87,18,517 with 39,379 new recoveries in the last 24 hours. Stay tuned on DH for more latest updates.

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Over 800 new Covid-19 cases in Himachal, 13 more die

Thirteen more patients succumbed to Covid-19 in Himachal Pradesh, bringing the death toll from the pandemic to 603, while 830 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 38,328 in the state, official data showed.

46 more die due to Covid-19 in Bengal, toll rises to 8,270

West Bengal's Covid-19 death toll climbed to 8,270 after 46 more patients succumbed to the virus on Friday, a bulletin released by the health department said.

The coronavirus tally went up to 4,73,987 with 3,489 fresh cases, it said.

AP logs 733 new Covid-19 cases, six deaths

Andhra Pradesh reported 733 new cases of coronavirus, 1,205 recoveries and six deaths in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Friday.

The states Covid-19 chart now showed 8,66,438 total positives, 8,47,325 recoveries and 6,976 deaths so far, according to the latest bulletin. The active cases numbered 12,137, it added.

Chhattisgarh sees 1,879 Covid-19 cases, 12 deaths; 2,090 recover

With 1,879 Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths, Chhattisgarh's tally rose to 2,32,835 and toll to 2,813 on Friday, a health official said.

The number of people discharged increased to 2,08,183, including 189 on Friday, while 1,901 completed home isolation, leaving the state with 21,839 active cases, he said.

Nepal's number of coronavirus cases reaches 229,343

Nepal reported 1,703 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 229,343, the health ministry said.

The new 1,703 cases were detected while conducting 10,460 PCR tests at various laboratories across the country.

1,074 new coronavirus cases in Mumbai, 17 deaths

Mumbai reported more than 1,000 new Covid-19 cases on the third day in a row on Friday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) said.

The city reported 1,074 new cases during the day, taking the tally to 2,80,811, while the death toll rose to 10,756 with 17 fresh fatalities, the BMC said.

The city had recorded 1,144 new cases on November 25 and 1,147 cases on November 26.

3,093 new Covid-19 cases in Rajasthan, 18 more die

Rajasthan recorded 18 more fatalities due to the novel coronavirus on Friday, taking the Covid-19 death toll in the state to 2,255, according to a health department bulletin.

The state also reported 3,093 fresh cases that brought the infection count to 2,60,040 on Friday. The number of active Covid-19 cases in the state stands at 28,183, the bulletin said.

China questions coronavirus origin to Wuhan ahead of WHO probe

Battling global adversity over the coronavirus and bracing for a WHO inquiry over its origin, China on Friday claimed that just because Covid-19 cases were first reported in Wuhan does not mean the contagion originated from the central Chinese city.

Various outlets of the state-run Chinese media have been carrying reports in recent days stating that a number of imported food products from different countries, including a consignment of fish from India, were found to have traces of the Covid-19 alleging that the virus may have entered China through foreign routes.

29 more Covid deaths, 2,135 new cases in Haryana

Haryana on Friday reported 29 more fatalities linked to the coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 2,345, while 2,135 fresh cases pushed the state's infection tally to 2,28,746, according to a bulletin.

According to the state health department's daily bulletin, the fatalities included five from Faridabad and four each from Gurugram and Rohtak districts and three each from Hisar and Fatehabad districts.

Gujarat reports highest one-day spike of 1,607coronaviruscases, taking caseload to 2,05,116, while 16 fatalities take death toll to 3,938: Health Department.

6,185 new coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, 85 deaths

Maharashtra's Covid-19 case tally on Friday reached 18,08,550 as 6,185 fresh infections were recorded, said a health official here.

The state also reported 85 fatalities during the day, taking the Covid-19 death toll to 46,898, he said.

Covid-19 epidemic in Britain shrinking with R estimated below 1

The Covid-19 epidemic in Britain is shrinking slightly with the reproduction "R" number estimated to be below 1, hinting at the impact of England's second national lockdown in bringing infections down, government scientists said on Friday.

The number of new infections is shrinking by between 0% and 2% every day, the UK Government Office for Science said, after it was estimated to be growing between 0% and 2% in last week's release.

Goa's Covid-19 tally rises by 150, toll reaches 686

Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 150 and reached 47,491 on Friday, while the toll increased by one to touch 686, an official said.

The number of people who have recovered reached 45,492 after 152 people were discharged during the day, leaving the state with 1,313 active cases, he added.

A total of 2,645 samples were tested during the day, he added.

Lockdown restrictions in Maharashtra on account ofcoronavirusextended till midnight of December 31, 2020

32 new Covid-19 cases in Tripura, tally rises to 32,610

At least 32 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Tripura on Friday, pushing the state's tally to 32,610, a health department official said.

Altogether 367 people have succumbed to the infection so far. West Tripura district, of which state capital Agartala is a part, has accounted for 185 of the 367 Covid-19 deaths.

Germany hits million cases as Russia links up with India for vaccine

Germany, once a beacon of hope in Europe's coronavirus nightmare, logged its one millionth case on Friday, as Russia announced a partnership with India to mass produce its controversial Sputnik vaccine.

Like much of Europe, Germany is battling a resurgence of a pandemic that is filling hospitals and forcing countries to shut down for business while they wait for help from a clutch of vaccines that could start rolling out for use next month.

Germany preps vaccine drive as Covid cases hit 1 million

Hulking gray boxes are rolling off the production line at a factory in the southern town of Tuttlingen, ready to be shipped to the front in the next phase of Germany's battle against the coronavirus as it became the latest country to hit the milestone of 1 million confirmed cases Friday.

Man-sized freezers such as those manufactured by family-owned firm Binder GmbH could become a key part of the vast immunisation program the German government is preparing to roll out when the first vaccines become available next month.

States have to rise above politics & take strict measures to contain Covid-19 surge, says SC

The Supreme Court Friday said states have to rise “above the politics” and harsh measures were required to be taken to contain the surge of Covid-19 as things have gone from “bad to worse”.

The apex court also said there are policies, guidelines and standard operating procedures (SoP) for Covid-19 management in the country but there is lack of implementation by the authorities and no concrete steps have been taken to deal with the issue.

Thailand signs supply deals for AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

Thailand on Friday signed a deal to procure 26 million doses of the trial coronavirus vaccine developed by pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca in collaboration with Oxford University.

It is expected to be delivered in mid-2021. The doses would cover 13 million people in a population of about 69 million.

Russia to let Hungarian doctors visit Covid-19 vaccine sites

Russia will allow Hungarian doctors and medical experts to observe the manufacturing process for its Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday.

As many as 39 people including pilgrims, police personnel and temple employees, have tested positive forcoronavirusin Sabarimala so far since the Lord Ayyappa temple here was openedfor the annual pilgrimage season on November 16.

Steak out: China's coronavirus testing chokes beef trade

In a supermarket in downtown Beijing, refrigerator shelves normally filled with steak from around the world sit empty as tougher testing for the novel coronavirus creates supply bottlenecks and raises prices for importers.

Fresh supplies of beef won't arrive for days, a salesman at the Suning.com-owned Carrefour outlet told Reuters - if then. That's a big setback for the industry at traditionally one of its busiest times of the year.

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Russia to vaccinate armed forces against Covid-19 as new cases hit daily record

Russia plans to vaccinate more than 400,000 military personnel against Covid-19, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday, as authorities reported a record 27,543 new coronavirus cases.

PM to review vaccine work in Ahmedabad, Pune and Hyderabad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad on Saturday to review coronavirus vaccine development work at facilities there, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

Brazil's Bolsonaro says won't take coronavirus vaccine

Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro has said he will not take a vaccine against the coronavirus even after it receives approval from his own government.

"I'm telling you, I won't take it (the vaccine)," he said in a video posted to social media on Thursday. "It is my right."

Brazil has recorded over 170,000 coronavirus deaths, according to an AFP tally, behind only the United States.

Gout drug Colchicine to be tested as Covid-19 treatment in UK trial

Anti-inflammatory colchicine will be tested as a possible Covid-19 treatment in one of the world's biggest trials, the study website posted on Friday, the latest effort to repurpose existing medicines to fight the pandemic.

The RECOVERY trial, which is the world's largest clinical trial of treatments for patients hospitalised with Covid-19, will randomly allocate at least 2,500 patients recruited to receive colchicine, which is used as a treatment for gout.

MUI says govt assures supply of Covid-19 vaccines for Indian seafarers on priority basis

India's leading maritime union MUI on Friday said it has been assured of supply of Covid-19 vaccines for Indian seafarers on a priority basis by Union Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

"Recently, I met our shipping minister in New Delhi and requested to prioritise the supply of Covid vaccines to Indian seafarers. I am extremely grateful to him for accepting our legitimate demand since he also heads The Department of Pharmaceutical, a division of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers," the Maritime Union of India (MUI) General Secretary Amar Singh Thakur said in a statement.

Novel coronavirus mutations do not appear to increase transmissibility: Study

The mutations currently documented in the novel coronavirus which causes Covid-19 do not appear to increase its transmissibility in humans, according to a study which analysed samples of the virus from more than 46,000 individuals across the world.

The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, analysed a global dataset of virus genomes from 46,723 people with Covid-19 from 99 countries, collected up until the end of July 2020.

Coronavirus may hijack our cells’ cholesterol system to spread through the body: Study

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, may hijack our cells' internal cholesterol processing system to help it spread through the body, according to a study which hints at new targets for a potential therapy against the disease.

The researchers from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS) in China found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus sticks to a receptor on the human cells that usually binds to HDL cholesterol, also known as 'good' cholesterol.

When the scientists blocked the cholesterol receptor in the cells, the virus was no longer able to stick to them.

Germany hits 1 million confirmed cases of Covid-19

Nearly 70% of India's Covid-19 active caseload from eight states/UT

Nearly 70%of India's Covid-19 active caseload is from Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh, the Union health ministry said on Friday.

Of the total deaths recorded so far, 83.80%are from 10 states/UTss – Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, it said.

The active Covid-19 caseload in India stands at 4,55,555 on Friday which is 4.89 per cent of the total cases, the ministry said in a statement.

1,000 volunteers needed in Kolkata for Covid-19 vaccine trial at NICED

NICED has already started getting applications from people interested to be part of the trial for the vaccine, the official of the medical institute said.

"We have decided to rope in volunteers staying in areas within a radius of 10-15 kilometre of Kolkata. We need to find people who will be able to travel quickly from their residence to the institute in case we need them for any purpose during the trial," the official said.

Russia reports daily record high of 27,543 new coronavirus cases

Russia reported a record high of 27,543 newcoronavirusinfections on Friday, including 7,918 in the capital Moscow, bringing the national tally to 2,215,533.

Authorities also reported 496 deaths related to Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 38,558.

Arunachal Pradesh's Covid-19 recoveries continued to outnumber fresh cases as 72 more people were cured of the disease, while 29 fresh infections pushed the state's tally to 16,204.

Russia agrees to produce over 100 million coronavirus vaccine doses of Sputnik V in India

Russia's sovereign wealth fund and Indian pharmaceutical company Hetero have agreed to produce over 100 million doses per year in India of the Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19, according to a statement on the Sputnik V Twitter account on Friday.

CPI(M) MP Bikash Bhattacharya tests positive for Covid-19

Telangana reports 761 fresh coronavirus cases, taking tally to over 2.67 lakh while four fatalities pushed toll to 1,448.

AstraZeneca working with regulators on best approach to lower dose regimen

AstraZeneca is working with regulators to investigate a lower dosage of its vaccine that performed better than a full dosage, a spokesman for the company said, after its chief executive was quoted as saying an additional global trial was likely.

Japan cancels Emperor's New Year event due to coronavirus

The number of active cases in India has increased by3,211 and totals at4,55,555. The total number of recoveries are at87,18,517 with 39,379 new recoveries since yesterday.

India's total cases rise to 93,09,788 with 43,082 new Covid-19 infections.

With 43,082 new Covid-19infections, India's total cases rise to 93,09,788. Death toll mounts to 1,35,715, with 492 new deaths. Total active cases at 4,55,555. Total discharged cases amounted to87,18,517 with 39,379 new discharges in last 24 hours.

Once Australia's Covid-19 hotspot, Victoria goes 28 days without an infection

The state also has zero active cases after the last Covid-19 patient was discharged from hospital this week, a far cry from August when Victoria recorded more than 700 cases in one day and active infections totalled nearly 8,000.

The spread of the virus was only contained after a lockdown lasting more than 100 days, leaving some 5 million people in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, largely confined to their homes.

While the lockdown has seen infections wane, it slowed Australia's economic recovery from its first recession in three decades after large swathes of the country's economy were shut down in March.

23 new COVID19 cases reported in Mizoram, taking the state's case tally to 3,788 including 431 active cases, 3,352 discharged cases and 5 deaths

Britain asks regulator to assess Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for temporary use

Britain on Friday asked its medicine regulator to assess Oxford University and AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine candidate for temporary supply, a step towards beginning a roll-out before the end of the year.

AstraZeneca expects 4 million doses to be available in Britain by the end of next month, and health minister Hancock is targeting the roll-out to begin before Christmas.

South Korea braces for bed shortages as coronavirus cases near nine-month high

South Korea reported more than 500 newcoronaviruscases for the second consecutive day on Friday, a level not seen in nearly nine months, as a third wave of infections spreads nationwide and authorities scrambled to provide more hospital beds.

The daily tally of 569 came a day after the numbers hit the highest level since March 6, when South Korea was reeling from the first major Covid-19 epidemic outside China.

Canada could approve Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine around December

Health Canada had said previously that approval would likely come early in the first quarter, under a new accelerated review process very similar to that in place in the United States.

Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine is most advanced in Health Canada's reviews, Supriya Sharma, senior medical adviser at Health Canada, said at a media briefing in Ottawa.

Asked whether any Canadians could receive a shot before the end of the year, Sharma said several things are happening at the same time - regulatory reviews, manufacturing, distribution - which makes it difficult to pinpoint dates.

India sees highest drop in work, social, household travels due to Covid-19

India saw the highest drop in work, social and household travels among nine countries, including China and the US, reflecting the disruptive changes brought about by the pandemic in the patterns of mobility across the world, according to survey consultancy firm EY.

As far as India is concerned, the survey found that the country "witnessed the highest drop in work travel of nearly 69 per cent, followed almost parallelly by social travel that declined by 59 per cent and household travel that fell by 58 per cent".

"The drops are substantial, as India which is the world's biggest democracy with a population of 138 crore, parallels the levels of work-related decline of 70%in a small country of Sweden with a population of only a crore," it added.

3 Covid-19 patients killed as fire breaks out at Rajkot hospital

Threecoronaviruspatients were killed after a fire broke out in the ICU of a designated Covid-19 hospital in Gujarat's Rajkot in the early hours of Friday, a fire brigade official said.

The fire broke out in the ICU of Uday Shivanand Hospital in Mavdi area, where 33 patients were admitted, around 1 am.

Brazil's Bolsonaro says he will not take coronavirus vaccine

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday evening that he will not take acoronavirusvaccine, the latest in a series of statements he has made expressing skepticism towardcoronavirusvaccination programs.

In statements broadcast live over multiple social media platforms, the right-wing leader added that Congress was unlikely to require Brazilians to take a vaccine.

Brazil has the second-highest number ofcoronavirusdeaths in the world, and Bolsonaro has for months played down the seriousness of the pandemic despite being infected with the virus in July.

Russia's Sputnik V developers call on AstraZeneca to try combining Covid-19 vaccines

Russia said its Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people from Covid-19, according to interim trial results, while AstraZeneca said its Covid-19 vaccine was 70% effective in pivotal trials and could be up to 90% effective.

"If they gofor a new clinical trial, we suggest trying a regimen of combining the AZ shot with the #SputnikV human adenoviral vector shot to boost efficacy," the developers of the Russian vaccine said on their Twitter account.

Pakistan's Bilawal Bhutto tests positive for Covid-19

Most deaths due to Covid-19 in occur 50-72 age group, analysis shows

More people in their fifties and sixties have died of Covid-19 than much older individuals who caught the virus,according to an analysis of 9,534 senior citizen deaths in Karnataka, with co-morbidities and late diagnosis emerging as the two majorfactors for the deaths.

The analysis considered all Covid-19 fatalities in the state of people aged 50 and above. The worst-hit age group turns out to be between 50-72 (65, 60, 70, 55, 75, 50, 58, 68, 62 and 72), with people aged 65 having suffered the highest number of Co...

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