Coronavirus News Live: Maharashtra prohibits gathering of more than 5 persons in public places from 9 pm-6 am

Assam's Covid-19 tally rose to 6,20,025 as 93 more people tested positive for the infection on Friday while two new fatalities pushed the death toll to 6,155, the National Health Mission (NHM) bulletin said.

. After hovering over 600 newCovid-19 cases a day, Tamil Nadu has added 597 infections to the caseload which is 27,42,821 till date, the Health Department said on Friday.

. According to tracking website Flightaware.com at 1540 GMT on Friday, a total of 2,118 flights had been cancelled worldwide, including 500 flights originating from or headed to US airports, and over 5,700 delayed.

. The Covid-19 tally in Nashik district of Maharashtra reached 4,13,481 with the addition of 48 cases on Friday, while the death toll remained unchanged at 8,748, an official said.

. Britain reported a new record 122,186 new cases ofCovid-19 on Friday, up from 119,789 on Thursday.

. A 24-year-old man who returned from Ireland to Kolkata was on Friday found to be infected with the omicron variant of coronavirus, health officials said. At present, West Bengal has three omicron patients who are undergoing treatment, they said.

. The state of affairs, be it Covid or non-Covid, is "frightening" as people are "flowing like a river" which could lead to stampede and death of hundreds, the Delhi High Court said on Friday while taking note of overcrowding in Sarojini Nagar market w...

. Japan has approved theCovid-19 pill developed by USpharmaceutical company Merck & Co. for use beginning next week, the Japanese health minister said on Friday.

. From 9 PM to 6 AM, gatherings of more than 5 people are prohibited in public locations across the state; indoor weddings are limited to 100 guests, whileoutdoor weddings are limited to 250 guests; gyms, spas, hotels, theatres, and movie halls are limited to 50 per centcapacity.

. The Chandigarh administration on Friday banned those not fully-vaccinated againstCovid-19 from public places, including hotels, bars, cinemas and banks.

. 13 fresh Omicron cases reported in the state today, a total of 43 cases so far

. 20 new cases of Omicron reported in the state today, takes case tally to 108. Out of these, 54 cases have been discharged following a negative RT PCR test

. With the stretch of Covid-19; H-1B, L-1 & O-1 visa applicants are not required to do an in-person interview, said the US State Department

. The Delhi High Court on Friday appealed to the people to show restraint and avoid large congregations in view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases as it took on record the city disaster management body's decision to permit the opening of religious places on Christmas and New Year's eve.

. "International arrivals residing in other parts of Maharashtra not allowed to take public transport, vehicles will be arranged for them," added BMC

. Night curfew to be in force from 11pm to 5am daily in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Gandhinagar and Junagadh from 25th December, in view of current Covid-19 situation: Gujarat Chief Minister's Office

. "MP ranks no.1 in 2nd dose vaccine inoculation. Ensure the completing of everyday testing target & arrangements of institutional isolation," he said

. The state government is also considering imposing night curfew from 11 PM- 5 AM.

. A coronavirus outbreak at Everton has forced the postponement of the club's match at Burnley, the Premier League said Friday. It's the third match of the Boxing Day lineup to be postponed as part of a Sunday program that still features six games.

. As India is ascertaining the threat from the latest “more infectious” Omicron variant of Covid-19, reports of something called “Delmicron” have emerged in the past few days.

. India's government faces a growing clamor from business leaders and public health experts to launch a Covid-19 booster drive and begin vaccinating children as the nation braces for a surge of Omicron-fueled infections.

. In a goof-up, the names of two persons, who are still alive, have figured in the list of those who died due to Covid-19 infection in Ambejogai tehsil of Maharashtra's Beed district, an official said on Friday. The list of the deceased has been prepared by revenue department based on the information given by the district health department, the official said.

. The active caseload stands at 782, test positivity at 0.29%

. Bhutan has started givingCovid-19 booster shots to senior citizens and priority groups as the Himalayan kingdom tries to stave off the Omicron variant, health ministry officials said on Friday.

. The highly transmissible Omicron variant ofCovid-19 has the potential to evade the immune protection conferred by vaccines and natural infection, as well as render most monoclonal antibody therapy ineffective, according to a new study.

. 18,800 metric tonnes of medical oxygen per day has been arranged for; cause of concern is 11 states where vaccination coverage is less than the national average, he added

. First dose ofCovidvaccine has been administered to all people eligible for inoculation, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday while hailing the healthcare and frontline workers who have been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic.

. South Africans without symptoms of Covid-19 will no longer need to isolate or test if they have been in contact with a positive case, the government announced on Friday, saying developments around the virus justified a shift from containment measures towards mitigation.

. "61 per cent of the eligible population has received the second dose of Covid-19 vaccines," he added.

. He said that night curfews, regulating large gatherings. increase bed capacity and other logistics and strict enforcement of Covid appropriate behavior has been advised to states

. He added that the Omicron variant has been found in 108 countries and1.51 lakh cases have been confirmed.

. "358 Omicron cases in 17 States/UTs of India. The number of persons recovered is 114," he said.

. "While Europe, North America & Africa are seeing an increase in Covid-19 cases week-on-week, Asia is still witnessing a decline in cases week-on-week," he added.

. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday used his annual Christmas message to push the “get boosted now” message for protection against Covid-19, amid an ongoing surge in cases of the Omicron variant in the country.

. Tokyo authorities on Friday reported the Japanese capital's first case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant reported in the community with no known travel history.

. France on Friday recommended that adults receive a Covid-19 booster vaccination three months after their initial jabs, reducing the current guideline of five months to better fight the Omicron variant.

. With the detection of four Omicron cases, the Odisha government has imposed restrictions on Christmas and New Year celebrations. Odisha Chief Secretary SCMahapatra on Friday issued an order, which will remain in force from December 25, 2021 to January 2, 2022.

. As Covid-19 cases rise across the country, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Friday sought postponement of the panchayat elections in the state.

. While countries are racing to administer booster shots to protect against the Omicron variant of Covid-19, a new study released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has shown that protection wanes even after taking the third dose of a vaccine within 10 weeks.

. Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan's genome sequencing report for Omicron is negative: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

. South Africa will start offering booster shots of Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) Covid-19 vaccine from Friday, the health department said in a statement, following its approval for use as a booster by the health regulator a day earlier.

. India recorded 122 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in a span of 24 hours, the highest so far, pushing its tally in the country to 358, 114 of which have recovered or migrated, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

. New Zealand reported 62 new cases of the Delta Covid-19 variant on Friday, increasing the country's overall infection tally to 13,719, according to the Ministry of Health.

. Not more than 200 people allowed in weddings.

. (ANI)

. The Maharashtra government has decided to impose fresh restrictions in the state to avoid crowding in view of the rising cases of Covid-19, and it will issue guidelines regarding these curbs, an official said on Friday.

. Researchers at IIT Kanpur (IIT-K) have predicted that a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, which may be triggered by the new Omicron variant, may peak in India by February 3, 2022.

A report, published in the online preprint health server MedRxiv, said: "Following the trends around the world, this project report forecasts India's third wave may start around mid-December and peak in the beginning of February."

. (Reuters)

. Restaurants and pubs are upset about the prospect of losing business on the "biggest night of the year" after the government restricted New Year celebrations to curb the spread of Covid-19.

. The Allahabad High Court on Thursday urged the central government to stop political rallies from being held in election-bound states amid rising cases of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.'

. India on Friday recorded 6,650 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of cases to 3,47,72,626. The death toll climbed to 4,79,133 with 374 fresh fatalities.

. Achievement of 70% coverage with Covie-19 vaccines in all countries as a global imperative by mid-2022. All countries to work with COVAX with considerable urgency to optimize the strategic use of the growing vaccine supply, saysIndependent Allocation of Vaccines Group of COVAX, WHO

. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines on Thursday said they had each canceled dozens of Christmas Eve flights, as the spreadingCovid-19 Omicron variant takes a toll on its flight crews and other workers.

Chicago-based United canceled 120 flights for Friday, while Atlanta-based Delta said it has canceled about 90. Both said they were working to contact passengers so they would not be stranded at airports.

. Australia would further shorten the wait time for people to receive their Covid-19 booster shots, Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Friday, as the country grapples with record infections fuelled by the Omicron variant.

Coronavirus News Live: Maharashtra prohibits gathering of more than 5 persons in public places from 9 pm-6 am

Assam reports 2 new Covid-19 deaths, 93 fresh cases

Daily Covid-19 infection drops below 600 in TN; 597 new cases, 7 fatalities reported

Over 2,000 flights cancelled as Omicron hits holiday travel

Nashik sees 48 Covid-19 cases, no death; 60 recover

UK reports new record of 122,186 Covid cases

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