Coronavirus cases in India crossed 98 lakh on Saturday (File)
India's COVID-19 caseload rose to 98.57 lakh, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 93.57 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 94.93 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.
The total coronavirus cases mounted to 98,57,029 with 30,254 infections being reported in a day, while the death count rose to 1,43,019 with 391 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 93,57,464 pushing the national recovery rate to 94.93 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent.
The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 4 lakh for the seventh consecutive day.
There are 3,56,546 active coronavirus infections in the country
India has the second highest number of Covid infections in the world after the United States. The number of active cases dropped to 3.56 lakh on Saturday - the lowest in 147 days, government data showed.
Here are the updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
Coronavirus News: Kerala's Guruvayoor Temple Closes For Devotees After Employees Test Positive
The Guruvayoor Shri Krishna temple in Thrissur has been closed for devotees for two weeks after some of its employees detected positive for COVID-19, reported news agency ANI. The decision was taken by the Guruvayoor Devaswom Administrative Committee in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases in the area. Regular pujas and basic rituals will continue to be performed in the temple by priests, officials said.
Coronavirus News: Sikkim Reported 22 New Cases On Sunday
Sikkim on Sunday reported 22 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally in the state to 5,338, an official said, reported news agency PTI. East Sikkim registered 20 fresh cases, while South Sikkim accounted for the other two. There are 356 active cases in the state at present, the official said.
Coronavirus news: Bahrain approves registration for Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine
Bahrain said on Sunday it had approved a COVID-19 vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and launched online registration for the vaccine for citizens and residents.
A statement by the National Health Regulatory Authority did not specify which vaccine of two being developed by Sinopharm had been given the go-ahead, but cited data from Phase III clinical trials that showed an 86% efficacy rate and said Bahrain had participated.
Bahrain's Ministry of Health said in a statement and on its Instagram account that citizens and residents above 18 years of age could register online to receive the vaccine for free, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: First trucks with Covid-19 vaccine roll out of Pfizer plant in Michigan
Trucks with the first batches of the company's long-awaited Covid-19 vaccine departed the Pfizer plant in Portage, Michigan, on Sunday morning to 636 predetermined locations.
Pfizer is expected to deliver an estimated 2.9 million doses this week via UPS and FedEx, Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, said on Saturday, NBC reported.
Coronavirus news: First Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses to arrive in Canada on Sunday, says officialThe first doses of Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in Canada later on Sunday, with more of the initial batch of 30,000 coming on Monday, the official in charge of Canada's vaccine rollout told the CBC.
Canada is expected to approve the Moderna Inc vaccine "reasonably soon" and the country will be ready to accept shipments of it by the end of the week, Major-General Dany Fortin told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: Moscow will not impose curfew despite rise in coronavirus infections, says mayor
Moscow will not impose a curfew or curb alcohol sales during the New Year holiday, despite a rise in coronavirus cases, the mayor of the Russian capital was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency on Sunday.
Russia, which began vaccinating exposed groups in Moscow, a city of nearly 13 million, earlier in December, has resisted imposing a strict lockdown as it did early this year, relying on targeted measures instead, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: U.S. expects to have immunized 100 million against COVID-19 by end of March
The United States expects to have immunized 100 million people with the coronavirus vaccine by the end of March, the chief adviser for the U.S. COVID-19 vaccine program said on Sunday.
The first vaccine was authorized for emergency use by U.S. regulators on Friday night and began shipping on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: Spain could develop coronavirus herd immunity by end of summer 2021, minister says
Spain should achieve herd immunity from COVID-19 by the end of summer 2021 if enough people are vaccinated by then, the health minister said in an interview published on Sunday.
Salvador Illa said a vaccination programme will start in January and by the end of the summer more than two thirds of the population of 47 million should be vaccinated, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: Italy plans primrose-shaped gazebos for COVID-19 vaccine campaign
Italy plans to set up primrose-shaped pavilions in its artistic squares to dispense vaccines against the highly contagious disease caused by the novel coronavirus during a campaign that kicks off next month.
Italy, the first Western country hit by the pandemic, on Saturday overtook Britain to report the highest official death toll from COVID-19 among European countries.
Domenico Arcuri, Rome's special commissioner for the COVID-19 emergency, confirmed on Sunday that Italy hoped to begin vaccinating socio-medical staff and residents of homes for the elderly with 1.8 million doses in mid-January, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: Germans deprived of mulled wine in Christmas lockdown
Germany's tightened lockdown measures have eliminated one remnant of seasonal frivolity: "Gluehwein" or mulled wine, a staple of Christmas markets usually served in steaming mugs on cold days in town squares round the nation.
A blanket outdoor alcohol ban, starting mid-week, was announced on Sunday among measures to curb the coronavirus second wave.
Offenders will be fined, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: New COVID-19 cases in Netherlands jump by almost 10,000, shows dataThe number of new coronavirus infections in the Netherlands has jumped by almost 10,000 in the past 24 hours, data released by national health authoriites showed on Sunday, marking their biggest jump since the end of October.
The increase continues a rising trend seen over the previous week, as the effects of a partial lockdown which has been in effect since Oct. 13 seem to have waned, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: Indonesia reports 6,189 new Covid-19 cases, 166 deaths
The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 6,189 within one day to 617,820, with the death count adding by 166 to 18,819, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.
According to the ministry, 4,460 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 505,836.
The virus has spread to all the country's 34 provinces, ANI reported.
Coronavirus news: Tamil Nadu reports 1,195 new cases of COVID-19Tamil Nadu reported 1,195 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the tally of total cases to 7,98,888, said the State Health and Family Welfare Department on Sunday.
A total of 1,276 patients were discharged on Sunday and with that, the total discharged cases rose to 7,76,878 in the state, ANI reported.
Coronavirus news: Historic US COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign Launches With Convoy Of TrucksWorkers at a Pfizer Inc factory in Michigan dispatched the first shipments of its COVID-19 vaccine shortly after 6:30 a.m. on Sunday - launching the largest and most complex vaccine distribution project ever in the United States, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: US set for mass vaccinations as world virus deaths top 1.6 million
The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was to begin leaving the company's Michigan factory on Sunday, ready to be injected into the arms of millions of the most vulnerable Americans as the global death count topped 1.6 million.
Doses will be shipped out in boxes containing dry ice that are capable of staying at -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit), the frigid temperature needed to preserve the drug, AFP reported.
Coronavirus news: Afghanistan reports 321 new COVID-19 cases, 49,237 in total
Afghanistan on Sunday reported 321 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases after health authorities conducted 1,665 tests within a day, bringing the number of total cases to 49,237, including 8,312 active cases, the country's Ministry of Public Health said.
Up to 1,971 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak of the pandemic in February, an increase of 11 within the past 24 hours, ANI reported.
Coronavirus news: COVID-19 vaccine will be free in Kerala: Thomas Isaac echoes CM
Echoing Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Finance Minister Thomas Isaac on Sunday said that the COVID-19 vaccine, once cleared, will be available free of cost in the state.
"From the campaign of eradication of smallpox to the latest one for elimination of polio vaccine in India has been universal and free. Why is it then NDA govt hesitating in the case of Covid? Kerala CM declares that Covid vaccine will be freely made available to everyone in Kerala," the minister tweeted.
This tweet by the minister comes at a time when local body elections are going on in the state, ANI reported.
Coronavirus news: Swiss hospitals implore health minister to tighten coronavirus restrictions
The directors of five of Switzerland's largest hospitals have written to the health minister asking for urgent measures to reduce coronavirus infections, the SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported on Sunday.
In their letter to Health Minister Alain Berset, the directors of the university hospitals of Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lausanne and Geneva said the pandemic was forcing them to postpone operations for patients with other life-threatening conditions while intensive care beds were becoming scarce.
More than 4,000 operations have been postponed at the five hospitals since October, the newspaper reported.
Coronavirus news: Non-essential shops, schools to close in Germany, says Angela Merkel
Shops selling non-essential goods, hair-salons and schools in Germany will close from Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel said, to halt an "exponential growth" in new coronavirus infections in Europe's biggest economy.
The partial lockdown will apply until January 10, with companies also urged to allow employees to work from home or offer extended company holidays, under the new measures agreed by Merkel with regional leaders of Germany's 16 states, AFP reported.
Coronavirus news: South Korea's Moon warns of toughest COVID-19 curbs after two days of record cases
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in warned on Sunday that COVID-19 restrictions may be raised to the highest level after a second day of record increases in cases as the country battles a harsh third wave of infection.
Presiding over an emergency meeting at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for the first time since February, Moon urged vigilance and called for an all-out efforts to contain the virus, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: Puducherry reports 0 deaths for second day in a row, 49 new cases of COVID-19
With zero COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, Puducherry reported no casualties for the second day in a row.
It reported 49 new cases in the last 24 hours, making the total count rise to 37,492, the Puducherry Directorate of Health and Family Welfare stated on Sunday.
The total number of active cases stands at 337, including 136 who are in home isolation. While the Union territory reported 57 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 36,536.
COVID-19: Odisha reports 393 new cases, five deaths
A total of 393 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths have been reported from Odisha on Saturday, said the State Health Department on Sunday.
The total count of cases in the state has increased to 3,23,757. It has 3,214 active cases.
With 405 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the number of discharged patients has increased to 3,18,683. The death toll has gone up to 1,807.
COVID-19: Himachal Pradesh records 79 new cases, state count reaches 49,030
As many as 79 new coronavirus cases were reported in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, taking the state's count to 49,030 total positive cases.
According to the state health department's midday COVID-19 bulletin, there are 7,094 active cases and 41,094 cases have recovered.
So far, 797 people have died to the virus.
Coronavirus news: COVID positive Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij shifted to Rohtak hospital Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij, who had tested positive for coronavirus recently, has been shifted to the PGIMS hospital at Rohtak from the civil hospital here after he complained of discomfort, doctors said on Sunday.
Doctors said the minister was shifted on Saturday night.
Ambala's Civil Surgeon Dr. Kuldeep Singh said a team of doctors at the Rohtak hospital was monitoring his condition.
Mr Vij, who had last month got one shot of the two-dose trial of the COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin after he offered to be a volunteer, had on December 5 tested positive for the coronavirus.
The 67-year-old BJP leader had offered to be the first volunteer in the phase three trials for Covaxin, an indigenous potential vaccine being developed by Bharat Biotech against COVID-19.
Coronavirus news: South Korea President warns of toughest COVID-19 curbs after two days of record casesSouth Korea's President Moon Jae-in warned on Sunday that COVID-19 restrictions may be raised to the highest level after a second day of record increases in cases as the country battles a harsh third wave of infection.
Presiding over an emergency meeting at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for the first time since February, Moon urged vigilance and called for an all-out efforts to contain the virus.
"Unless the outbreak can be contained now, it has come to the critical point of considering escalating social-distancing measures to the third level," he said, referring to the tightest curbs under the country's five-tier system.
Greater Seoul, home to about half of South Korea's 52 million people, is under level 2.5 restrictions.
COVID-19: 49 fresh cases in Puducherry, no deathsPuducherry reported 49 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking the tally to 37,492 while the count remained at 619 as there were no fatalities.
The day also saw 57 people getting discharged from various hospitals after recovery.
Puducherry region topped the list of fresh infections (25), followed by Karaikal 12, Mahe 10 and Yanam 2, the Director of the Health and family welfare Department S Mohan Kumar said in a release.
Cumulatively 37,492 cases have been confirmed, out of which 36,536 were treated and discharged.
Active cases stood at 337. A total of 4.33 lakh samples have been tested so far, out of which 3.92 lakh were negative, he said.
COVID-19: No posters to be pasted outside residences of patients in Rajasthan's Jodhpur
Even as the COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Rajasthan, the Jodhpur administration has decided not to paste any posters outside the residents of the COVID-19 patients who are under home isolation.
"As per instructions of the government, COVID-19 patients will continue to remain under home isolation or quarantine for 14 days. As per the pasting of posters outside their residence is concerned, no poster will be pasted outside their residences as of now,", Dr Balwant Manda, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Jodhpur said while speaking to ANI.
As per the Union Government, the state has so far seen 2,91,306 confirmed cases. While 16, 821 cases continue to remain active in the state, 2,70,869 patients have recovered till now. As many as 2542 have lost their lives.
COVID-19: 1 new case push Mizoram's tally to 4,035Eleven more people, including four security personnel, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, pushing the tally to 4,035, an official said on Sunday.
Of the 11 fresh cases, five were reported from Aizawl district, three from Serchhip, two from Lawngtlai and one case from Lunglei district, he said.
Two army personnel, who have returned to Mizoram on vacation and two Border Security Force (BSF) jawans were among the newly infected people, he said.
Only one patient has developed symptoms of COVID-19, while the rest 10 patients were asymptomatic, he said.
The state now has 192 active cases, while 3,836 people have recovered from the virus.
COVID-19: Telangana records 573 new cases, four deathsTelangana recorded 573 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths, taking the tally to 2,77,724 and the count to 1,493, the state government said on Sunday.
The cumulative recoveries rose to 2,68,601 while there were 7,630 active cases in the state as of 8 PM on Saturday, a bulletin said.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) areas accounted for most of the fresh cases, with 127 people testing positive, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (67) and Ranga Reddy (58) districts, it said.
COVID-19: 437 new cases in Thane, tally reaches 2,35,798The COVID-19 tally in Thane district of Maharashtra has gone up to 2,35,798 with the addition of 437 new cases, an official said on Sunday.
The death count due to coronavirus in the district has risen to 5,809 after eight more people succumbed to the infection, he said.
As of now, there are 6,339 active COVID-19 cases in the district, while 2,23,650 patients have recovered, the official said.
The COVID-19 recovery rate in the district is 94.85 per cent, while the mortalityrate is 2.46 per cent.
The active cases comprise 2.69 per cent of the total cases reported so far in the district, the official said.
COVID-19: Mexico reports 12,057 new cases
Mexico reported on Saturday 12,057 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national total to 1,241,436, according to its health ministry.
Meanwhile, the country's death count from the virus increased by 685 to 113,704.
Mexico ranks fourth among Latin American countries in terms of documented COVID-19 cases, following Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.
The country has the world's fourth-highest COVID-19 death toll, after the United States, Brazil and India.
COVID-19: Telangana records 573 new cases, four deathsTelangana recorded 573 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths, taking the tally to 2,77,724 and the count to 1,493, the state government said on Sunday.
The cumulative recoveries rose to 2,57,278, while there were 7,630 active cases in the state as of 8 PM on Saturday, a bulletin said.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) areas accounted for most of the fresh cases, with 127 people testing positive, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (67) and Ranga Reddy (58) districts, it said.
As many as 47,186 samples were tested during the period, taking the aggregate number of samples examined so far to 61,28,703.
"Covid Hunter" US Doctor Has Not Had A Single Day Off Since March
Joseph Varon, a 58-year-old physician and chief of staff at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, has been hunting covid-19 for 267 days straight. He has not had a single day off since March.
There can be no vacation when a pandemic is tearing through the country, your covid-19 unit is filled with more than 45 patients and your staff is exhausted.
Varon's passion for medicine has fueled his determination "to nail this thing to the ground."
"I was meant to do this," he told The Washington Post.
Varon is both a medical maverick and a kind spirit. Despite his media appearances in which he predicted this winter will be "the darkest days in modern American medical history," he has maintained a cheerful disposition and a deep sense of purpose.
COVID-19: 7 new cases in AndamansSeven more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, pushing the tally in the Union Territory to 4,805, a health department official said on Sunday.
Of the fresh cases, five were detected during contact tracing while two have travel history, he said.
Six more people were cured of the disease on Friday, taking the total number of recoveries in the
archipelago to 4,665, the official said.
The Union Territory now has 79 active cases while 61 people have died of the infection so far, he said.
Just In | India registers 30,254 new cases in a day, .8% higher than yesterday; 98.57 lakh total cases, 1.43 lakh deaths so far
COVID-19: Jharkhand reports 189 new cases; tally rises to 1,11,366Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally mounted to 1,11,366 as 189 more people tested positive for the infection, a health department official said on Sunday.
The COVID-19 death count remained at 995 as no fresh fatality has been reported in the last 24 hours, he said.
Ranchi district registered the maximum number of fresh cases at 78, followed by Palamu (15), Bokaro (12) and East Singhbhum (12).
Jharkhand now has 1,610 active coronavirus cases, while 1,08,761 people have been cured of the disease so far, the official said.
Coronavirus news: Delhi Logs 1,935 New Cases, 47 Deaths; Lowest Fatality Count Since Nov 2Delhi recorded 1,935 fresh COVID-19 cases and 47 fatalities linked to the disease on Saturday, the lowest single-day death count since November 2, even as the positivity rate dropped to 2.64 per cent, authorities said.
The positivity rate on December 3-7 had successively dipped to 4.96 per cent, 4.78 per cent, 4.2 per cent, 3.68 per cent and 3.15 per cent respectively.
However, on December 8, it had risen again to 4.23 per cent, falling again to 3.42 per cent on December 9 and 2.46 per cent on December 10. It had risen to 3.33 per cent again on December 11.
Covid-19: Initial doses of Pfizer vaccine in US to begin from Monday Initial doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine will be delivered to states from Monday morning, said General Gustave Perna, head of the Donald Trump-led administration's Operation Warp Speed, on Saturday.
The Hill quoted Perna as saying that 145 distribution sites will receive the vaccine on Monday, 425 sites on Tuesday, and 66 sites on Wednesday.
The first shipments of Pfizer and BioNTech''s Covid-19 vaccine will leave Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Sunday, reported CNN.
On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration authorised Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use for the prevention of coronavirus disease in individuals 16 years of age and older.
COVID-19: Assam reports no deaths, 152 fresh casesAssam registered no COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, while 152 new cases pushed the tally to 2,14,584, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Altogether 118 people were cured of the disease during the day, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 2,10,054.
The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state currently stands at 97.89 per cent.
The death toll count remained at 1,000 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported after eleven days, he said.
Previously, the state recorded no coronavirus death on December 1.
Coronavirus news - 100 People May Be Vaccinated Per Session: Centre's New SOP On CovidOnly 100 people per "session" are likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the centre has said in a document that explores how best to deploy the vaccine whenever it is available. The number of people per "session" may go up to 200 if logistics allow, the government has said. It said states and union territories can fix the days for vaccination.
"Conduct of the vaccination process [will be] similar to the election process," the Health Ministry said in the document, "COVID-19 Vaccines Operational Guidelines".
"Anticipating that COVID-19 vaccine may soon be available, GoI (government of India) is preparing for its introduction in the country so that it can be expeditiously rolled out when available. One of the milestones in this direction has been the constitution of a National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC). The NEGVAC guides on all aspects of COVID-19 vaccine introduction in India," the Health Ministry said.
COVID-19: Brazil rolls out COVID-19 vaccination plan The Brazilian government unveiled its long-awaited national vaccination plan against COVID-19 on Saturday with an initial goal of vaccinating 51 million people, or about one-fourth of the population, in the first half of 2021.In a document sent to the Supreme Court, which had given the government a deadline to draw up the plan, the Health Ministry said.
108 million doses will be available for priority vaccination of vulnerable groups that include health workers, elderly people and indigenous communities.
The plan says 70% of the population - or about 148 million of Brazil's 212 million people - need to be immunized to stop the virus spreading.
Coronavirus news: US Hits 16 Million Covid Cases Even As Vaccine Begins Roll-OutThe United States hit a record 16 million COVID-19 cases on Saturday afternoon, with deaths closing in on the 300,000 mark, even as millions of doses of a new vaccine were expected to start rolling out across the nation on Sunday.
The first vaccine was approved late on Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is expected to touch off a mass-inoculation campaign of unparalleled dimension to end the pandemic that has upended daily life and devastated the U.S. economy.
"FDA APPROVES PFIZER VACCINE FOR EMERGENCY USE!!!" President Donald Trump announced on Friday night on Twitter. He promised Americans the vaccinations would begin in less than 24 hours.