Coronavirus Cases in India: The active cases remained below 7-lakh for four days in a row. (File)
New coronavirus infections reported in India in a span of 24 hours dropped below 50,000 for the second time this month, while the new fatalities registered during the same period fell under 500 after 108 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.
India's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 79,09,959 with 45,148 new infections being reported in a day. The deaths climbed to 1,19,014 with 480 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. A total of 71,37,228 people have recuperated from COVID-19 so far pushing the national recovery rate to 90.23 per cent while the case fatality rate has dropped to 1.50 per cent.
The active cases of coronavirus infections remained below 7 lakh for four days in a row. There are 6,53,717 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country as on date which comprises 8.26 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
Meanwhile, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has tested positive for the coronavirus, he tweeted on Sunday, adding that he is asymptomatic and will continue to work from isolation.
"I have tested COVID-19 positive. Asymptomatic.Feeling very much alright. Have alerted those who came in contact in recent days. Will continue to work from isolation. Work in RBI will go on normally. I am in touch with all Dy. Govs and other officers through VC and telephone," he wrote.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases:
Rajasthan To Make Wearing Face Masks MandatoryIn a bid to check coronavirus, the Rajasthan government will bring a bill in the upcoming assembly session to make wearing face masks mandatory, a release said.
According to the release, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said coronavirus can be avoided only by adopting measures such as masks, social distancing and washing hands repeatedly.
The CM said the state government is considering making wearing face masks mandatory and a bill will be brought in this regard in the assembly session.
Interacting with district collectors, college principals and other officials through a video conference held to review the outcome of a movement against coronavirus, Mr Gehlot said every section of society should join the government to make this campaign successful.
37 new COVID cases take Nagaland tally to 8,663The COVID-19 tally of Nagaland went up to 8,663 after 37 new positive cases were detected on Monday, Health and Family Welfare Minister S Pangnyu Phom said.
The state also recorded 67 recoveries, taking the number of cured people to 6,720.
"37 positive cases of COVID-19 detected today include Kohima 28, Dimapur 8 and Mon 1. Also, 67 positive patients have recovered Dimapur 31, Kohima 20, Mokokchung 13 and Mon - 3," the minister tweeted.
The state currently has 1,833 active COVID-19 cases and the death count remained at 38 as there was no fresh fatality, Additional Director of Health Department, Dr Denis Hangsing, said.
Out of the 38 fatalities, six were not related to COVID-19 while five are still under investigation.
Altogether 71 COVID-19 patients have migrated to other states, he said.
Ban On Public Events Can Bring Down Covid Transmission Rate By 24%: StudyBan on public events can bring down the COVID-19 reproduction number (R) number -- a key measure of virus transmission -- by 24 per cent in less than a month, according to a modelling study published in The Lancet journal.
An R value above 1 indicates a growing outbreak, whereas an R value below 1 indicates a shrinking outbreak.
The research using data from 131 countries suggests that individual measures, including closure of schools and workplaces, ban on public events and gatherings of more than ten people, requirements to stay at home, and internal movement limits, are associated with a reduction in transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
However, combined measures are more effective at reducing transmission, the researchers said.
"We found that combining different measures showed the greatest effect on reducing the transmission of COVID-19. As we experience a resurgence of the virus, policymakers will need to consider combinations of measures to reduce the R number," said Professor Harish Nair from the University of Edinburgh, UK.
Sikkim reports five fresh COVID-19 cases, one more fatalitySikkim reported five fresh COVID-19 cases and one more fatality, an official said on Monday.
East Sikkim reported four cases, while South Sikkim accounted for one infection.
A 57-year-old male succumbed to the virus, taking the death count to 65, the official said, adding, the states COVID-19 tally stands at 3,840.
It now has 245 active cases, while 3,448 patients have recovered and 82 others migrated out.
Sikkim has tested a total of 55,870 samples.
Eight fresh COVID-19 cases reported in Andaman and Nicobar islands today, taking the total positive cases in the union territory to 4,253: UT Administration
2 deaths and 147 fresh COVID-19 cases reported in Arunachal Pradesh today. The total number of positive cases in the state is 14,391: State's Directorate of Health Services
Noida's COVID-19 tally nears 17K, recovery rate 93.31 per cent
Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Monday recorded 120 new COVID-19 cases which pushed the district's infection tally to 16,984, while the recovery rate improved marginally to 93.31 per cent, official data showed.
The number of active cases came down to 1,070 from 1,082 on Sunday, according to the data released by the state health department.
As many as 132 patients were also discharged, taking the total number of recoveries to 15,848, the sixth highest in the state, it showed.
The district's death toll stood at 66 with a mortality rate of 0.38 per cent, down from 0.39 per cent the previous day, according to the data.
The recovery rate of patients improved marginally to 93.31 per cent from 93.19 per cent on Sunday, the data showed.
Delhi records 54 COVID-19 deaths, highest in over 3 months
The national capital recorded 54 COVID-19 deaths on Monday, the highest in over three months, while the infection count rose to 3.59 lakh, according to Delhi government data.
The case positivity rate stood at 8.23 per cent, a slight improvement from 8.43 the previous day. The cumulative positivity rate was 8.17 per cent.
Authorities recorded 2,832 COVID-19 cases on Monday. The number of new cases was 4,136 on Sunday, 4,116 on Saturday and 4,086 on Friday.
According to the Delhi government's health bulletin, 54 fatalities, the highest in around 100 days, took the number of deaths to 6,312.
The last time the city reported such a high number of deaths was on July 16 (58).
COVID 19: Kerala registers 7,101 recoveries, 20 deaths
Kerala reported 7,101 recoveries from COVID-19 on Monday, taking the total number of those cured to 3.02 lakh, while 4,287 new cases pushed the count to 3.84 lakh in the state.
Twenty more fatalities took the death toll in the state to 1,352.
Currently 93,744 patients are undergoing treatment while 3,02,017 people have so far recovered from the infection, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here.
Of the new cases, 52 were those who came from outside the state, 3,711 got infected through contact and the source of infection of 471 is not known, he said. Malappuram district reported 853 new cases, followed by Thiruvananthapuram 513 cases and Kozhikode 497 cases.
Oxford Covid Vaccine Draws Immune Response Among Young, Old: AstraZenecaOne of the world's leading COVID-19 experimental vaccines produces an immune response in both young and old adults, raising hopes of a path out of the gloom and economic destruction wrought by the novel coronavirus.
The vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, also triggers lower adverse responses among the elderly, British drug maker AstraZeneca Plc, which is helping manufacture the vaccine, said on Monday.
Read more
Maharashtra government reduces COVID-19 testing rates for 4th time
The Maharashtra government has brought down the rate for COVID-19 tests conducted at private laboratories by Rs 200, state health minister Rajesh Tope said on Monday.
Mr Tope, in a statement, said the new rates will be Rs 900, Rs 1400 and Rs 1800 per test, adding it was the fourth time rates had been revised from the original Rs 4,500.
"While Rs 900 will be the cost that can be levied by pathological laboratories, charges for tests conducted through laboratories at COVID-19 centres, hospitals and quarantine centres will be Rs 1400. A rate of Rs 1,800 has been allowed or testing samples collected from homes," the statement quoted Mr Tope as saying.
Jammu and Kashmir reports 364 new COVID-19 cases, six deaths
Jammu and Kashmir on Monday recorded 364 fresh COVID-19 cases, while six fatalities took place in the past 24 hours, taking the number of cases to 92,225 and the death toll to 1,444, officials said.
Out of the fresh cases, 147 are from Jammu and 217 from the Kashmir valley, they said.
Jammu district reported the highest number of 108 new cases, followed by 76 in Srinagar district, the officials said.
There are 7,296 active cases of COVID-19, while 83,485 patients have recovered so far, they said.
Meanwhile, six deaths took place in the past 24 hours in Jammu and Kashmir - two in Jammu region and four in the valley - taking the death toll to 1,444.
Andhra Pradesh's active COVID-19 cases dips below 30,000 mark
Active cases of coronavirus fell below 30,000 in Andhra Pradesh on Monday as it added just 1,901 fresh positives, the lowest in more than three months.
The state saw 3,972 COVID-19 patients recover in 24 hours ending 9 am on Monday while 19 more succumbed, according to the latest bulletin.
It now has 8,08,924 confirmed cases, 7,73,548 recoveries and 6,606 deaths so far.
The active cases came down to 28,770, the bulletin said.
Being a Sunday and also the Dasara festival, just over 51,500 tests were conducted in 24 hours.
For the first time in more than three months, several districts reported fresh cases only in double digits with Srikakulam adding just 18 and Anantapuramu 21.
COVID-19: Rajasthan records 14 more deaths
Rajasthan recorded 14 more fatalities due to the novel coronavirus on Monday, taking the COVID-19 death toll in the state to 1,853, according to a health department bulletin.
The state also reported 1,805 new cases. The total number of people infected by COVID-19 now stands at 1,88,048 in Rajasthan and out of these, 16,233 are under treatment.
As per the bulletin, 1,69,962 people have been discharged after treatment till now.
In Jaipur, the death toll from the coronavirus infection is 365 till now, followed by 178 in Jodhpur, 136 each in Bikaner and Ajmer, 116 in Kota, 92 in Bharatpur, 74 in Pali, 68 in Udaipur, 56 in Nagaur, 53 each in Alwar and Sikar, 34 in Barmer and 29 in Dholpur, 28 in Rajsamand, 27 in Jhunjhunu and 26 each in Banswara and Baran.
Lufthansa says 30,000 jobs at risk over pandemic
Germany's Lufthansa has warned that 30,000 jobs are under threat as it scaled down its winter schedule to levels not seen since the 1970s as demand for travel collapses because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The executive board of Europe's largest airline said in a letter to employees that it was now "harder than ever" to predict how the aviation industry will develop, given there is little clarity over how long travel warnings would be applied or how quickly any recovery could come.
The use of video conferences may have also changed attitudes to travel against the backdrop of environmental prerogatives, while pressures on income could also weigh on tourism, the board wrote in the letter seen by AFP.
"No one can reliably predict these effects. We are determined nevertheless to preserve at least 100,000 of the Lufthansa Group's 130,000 current jobs. Even if we do not currently have nearly enough jobs for a workforce of this size," it added.
Air pollution may hinder India's fight against COVID-19, say scientists
The causal link between air pollution and COVID-19 cases is yet to be established conclusively but long-term exposure will certainly make people more vulnerable to lung infections, warn scientists as the skies over large parts of north India, including Delhi, turn smoky and the air quality deteriorates rapidly.
Their concerns come amid several global studies pointing to the possible connection between higher air pollution levels and increased COVID-19 cases and deaths.
A study by researchers at Harvard University in the US in September showed that an increase of only one microgram per cubic metre in PM 2.5 is associated with an 8 per cent increase in the COVID-19 death rate.
"Given the current limited literature, the surge of PM2.5 level in Delhi may be associated with increased COVID-19 cases... Although the literature is relatively sparse at this stage," Xiao Wu, corresponding author of the Harvard study, told PTI.
48 new COVID-19 cases in Meghalaya, tally 9,066
At least 48 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya on Monday, pushing the tally in the state to 9,066, a senior official said.
Altogether 139 people recuperated from the disease, raising the total number of recoveries to 7,471, Health Services director Aman War said.
East Khasi Hills, of which Shillong is a part, continues to be the worst-affected district with 23 new cases.
Fourteen cases were recorded in West Jaintia Hills, five in West Garo Hills, three in North Garo Hills, and one each in Ri Bhoi, South West Garo Hills and South West Khasi Hills.
8 more test COVID-19 positive in Dharavi; active cases at 142
The COVID-19 tally in Mumbai's slum colony of Dharavi increased to 3,497 with the addition of eight new cases on Monday, according to a senior BMC official.
This was the third consecutive day of single digit rise in COVID-19 cases in Dharavi. On October 24 and 25, the slum-dominated area had recorded 6 new infections each.
The official said 3,047 COVID-19 patients in Dharavi have already recovered and discharged from hospitals.
The civic body has stopped sharing death figures from the area, where the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 142, he said.
1,814 fresh cases take UP's COVID-19 tally to 4,72,075; number of deaths rises to 6,902
Uttar Pradesh registered 1,814 fresh cases of COVID-19 in a day which took the infection tally in the state to 4,72,075 on Monday, while the death toll rose to 6,902 with 21 more people succumbing to the disease during the same period, officials said.
The number of active cases in the state has come down to 26,652 while the number of people who have recovered and got discharged from hospitals has gone up to 4,38,521, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.
With this, the recovery rate has gone up to 92.89 per cent while the fatality rate was 1.46 per cent, he said, adding the number of active cases have been declining for the past 39 days.
Iran reports COVID-19 death every five minutes, hospitals struggle
Hospitals in many Iranian provinces are running out of capacity to handle COVID-19 cases, health authorities say, with novel coronavirus now killing around 300 people a day or one person every five minutes.
Authorities have complained of poor social distancing, and Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi said the pandemic could cause 600 daily deaths in coming weeks if Iranians failed to respect health protocols in the Middle East's hardest-affected country.
A caption that ran on state television news said an Iranian died of novel coronavirus every five minutes, a rate that corresponds to daily death tallies reported by the authorities of just above or below 300 over the past 20 days.
Health Ministry spokesman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV on Sunday that 32,616 people had died of the disease and the number of confirmed cases had reached 568,896
Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally rises to 99,686
At least 258 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Jharkhand, pushing the state's coronavirus caseload to 99,686 on Monday, a health official said.
The COVID-19 deaths in the state rose to 866 with two more fatalities reported from Ranchi and East Singhbhum district, he said. Bokaro district reported the highest number of new cases at 49, followed by Dhanbad (39) and Ranchi (35), the official said.
The state now has 5,844 active coronavirus cases, while 92,976 people have been cured of the disease so far, he said.
Philippines reports 1,607 new coronavirus cases, 62 more deaths
The Philippines' health ministry on Monday recorded 1,607 new coronavirus infections and 62 more deaths.
In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases had increased to 371,630, while deaths had reached 7,039. The Philippines has the second-highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Southeast Asia after Indonesia.
France may be experiencing 100,000 new COVID cases per day: Official
France may be experiencing 100,000 new COVID-19 cases per day - two times more than the latest figures - Professor Jean-Francois Delfraissy, who heads the scientific council that advises the government on the pandemic, told RTL radio on Monday.
Odisha's COVID-19 tally reaches 2,82,695 with 1,480 new cases, 14 fatalities
Odisha reported 1,480 new COVID-19 cases, 14 deaths and 2,071 recoveries in Odisha in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases in the state to 2,82,695, said Odisha Health Department on Monday.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state include 2,64,102 recoveries and 17,281 active cases. The death toll is at 1,259, according to the Odisha Health Department.
Coronavirus: 582 more COVID-19 cases in Telangana
Telangana has recorded 582 new COVID-19 cases, 1,432 recoveries and four deaths on Monday, taking total cases to 2,31,834, said the State Health Department.
The total number of cases includes 2,11,912 recoveries, 1,311 deaths and 18,611 active cases, according to the State Health Department.
With 45,149 new COVID-19 cases, India's total cases surged to 79,09,960 on Monday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Tripura reports 36 new COVID-19 cases, 183 more recoveries
The number of single-day COVID-19 recoveries surpassed fresh cases in Tripura by a wide margin on Monday, with 183 people recuperating from the disease, even as 36 more tested positive for the infection, pushing the tally to 30,257, a senior official said.
Tripura currently has 1,848 active coronavirus cases, while 340 people have succumbed to the infection. A total of 28,046 people have recovered from the viral disease.
Melbourne lockdown lifted after zero new virus cases recorded
Australia's second-biggest city will exit its coronavirus lockdown after nearly four months under onerous restrictions, authorities announced Monday, with no new daily cases or deaths recorded.
Stay-at-home orders for Melbourne's five million residents will be lifted from midnight Tuesday into Wednesday while restaurants, beauty salons and retail stores will be permitted to throw open their doors to customers.
Melbourne, and the surrounding Victoria state, recorded its first 24-hour period without any new Covid-19 cases since June 8 -- before security bungles at quarantine hotels housing returned international travellers sparked a major outbreak in July.
Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally rises to 99,686
At least 258 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Jharkhand, pushing the state's coronavirus caseload to 99,686 on Monday, a health official said. The COVID-19 deaths in the state rose 866 with two more fatalities reported from Ranchi and East Singhbhum district, he said.
Bokaro district reported the highest number of new cases at 49, followed by Dhanbad (39) and Ranchi (35), the official said.
The state now has 5,844 active coronavirus cases, while 92,976 people have been cured of the disease so far, he said. Jharkhand has tested 13,232 samples for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the official added.
20 new Covid cases in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The COVID-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 4,245 on Monday as 20 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said.
Eighteen fresh infections were detected during contact tracing in the union territory, while two patients have travel history, he said. Fifteen more people have recovered from the disease, the official said.
The Union territory now has 204 active coronavirus cases, while 3,983 people have recovered from the disease and 58 patients have died so far, he said. The administration has tested more than 82,626 samples for COVID-19 so far, the official said.
Total 10,34,62,778 samples tested for COVID19 up to 25th October. Of these 9,39,309 samples were tested on Sunday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
Global COVID-19 cases near 43 million: Report
The coronavirus cases worldwide have neared the 43 million cases mark, as per the latest updates by Johns Hopkins University (JHU), as of Sunday (local time). The total cases currently stand at 42,923,311 cases of which 1,152,978 patients globally have died due to the virus, according to the University's global tracker.
China reports surge in symptomless COVID-19 infections
China reported the highest number of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases in nearly seven months, following a mass infection of an unknown origin in the northwestern Xinjiang region. Xinjiang health authorities found 137 asymptomatic cases on Sunday amid a testing drive for the 4.75 million people in the Kashgar area triggered by an asymptomatic infection in a 17-year-old female garment factory worker reported on Saturday.
New York reports half a million COVID-19 cases as infections surge nationwide
New York, the former epicenter of the US COVID-19 pandemic, became on Sunday the fourth US state to surpass half a million coronavirus cases amid a nationwide surge in infections.
New York State is reporting 80% more cases in the past four weeks as compared to the previous four weeks, according to a Reuters analysis.
The state reported more than 2,000 new daily cases twice in recent days, a daily increase not seen since May.
Coronavirus: 46 new Covid-19 cases reported in Mizoram
46 new Covid-19 cases reported in Mizoram, taking the total number of positive cases to 2,493 till date. The number of active cases is at 290 while 2,203 people have been discharged so far.
US sees highest number of new COVID-19 cases in past two days
The United States has seen its highest ever number of new COVID-19 cases in the past two days, keeping the pandemic a top election issue as Vice President Mike Pence travels the country to campaign despite close aides testing positive.
The United States reported 79,852 new infections on Saturday, close to the previous day's record of 84,244 new cases. Hospitalizations are also rising and have hit a two-month high and deaths are trending upwards, according to a Reuters tally.
So far in October, 29 states have set records for increases in new cases, including five considered key in the Nov. 3 presidential election: Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Israel says to trial Covid-19 vaccine from next month
Israel will begin its first clinical trials of a novel coronavirus vaccine next month, authorities said Sunday, as the country grapples with a second wave of infections.
Early in the pandemic, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tasked the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) with developing a vaccine against the virus.
Covid-19 has killed over 2,370 people in the Jewish state since the start of the outbreak there, and has infected more than 300,000, according to official figures.
Australia's second-wave epicentre records zero new virus cases
Australian health officials on Monday reported no new coronavirus cases or deaths in Victoria state, which has spent months under onerous restrictions after becoming the epicentre of the country's second wave.
It was the first 24-hour period without any new Covid-19 cases reported in the state since the five million residents of Melbourne were locked down after security bungles at quarantine hotels housing returned international travellers sparked a major outbreak in July.
Under the lockdown, people in the city -- Australia's second-biggest -- have been barred from leaving their homes for non-essential reasons and spent months under an overnight curfew.
Assam reported 204 new COVID-19 cases and 2,961 discharges on 25th October.
Total cases in the State rise to 2,04,171, including 1,85,752 discharges and 906 deaths. Active cases at 17,510: State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
Australia's Second-Wave Epicentre Records Zero New Virus CasesAustralian health officials on Monday reported no new coronavirus cases or deaths in Victoria state, which has spent months under onerous restrictions after becoming the epicentre of the country's second wave.
It was the first 24-hour period without any new Covid-19 cases reported in the state since the five million residents of Melbourne were locked down after security bungles at quarantine hotels housing returned international travellers sparked a major outbreak in July.
Under the lockdown, people in the city -- Australia's second-biggest -- have been barred from leaving their homes for non-essential reasons and spent months under an overnight curfew.
Some restrictions were lifted last week, allowing haircuts and golf games to return, but further easing planned for Sunday was delayed to assess thousands of test results after a small outbreak in the city's north.
All Citizens In Country Will Get Free COVID-19 Vaccine: Union MinisterUnion Minister Pratap Sarangi on Sunday said that all people of the country will be given free COVID vaccine, amidst the demand by opposition parties in the country for it and not only in poll-bound Bihar as announced by the BJP.
The BJP announcement of free COVID vaccine for Bihar, where assembly polls begin this week, had kicked up a controversy with the opposition parties tearing into the NDA government alleging that the ruling party was using the pandemic for political reasons.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said the announcement was in order as it was an election manifesto announcement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that all people will be provided free of cost vaccines. An estimated Rs 500 odd will be spent on vaccination of each person, Mr Sarangi told reporters after addressing a campaign meeting for the November 3 assembly by-poll in Balasore.
Bihar's COVID-19 Recoveries Cross 2-Lakh MarkThe number of COVID-19 patients, who have been cured of the disease in Bihar, crossed the two lakh-mark on Sunday with 1,399 fresh recoveries, according to a bulletin issued by the health department.
The total number of recoveries now stands at 2,00,920, it said, adding that the recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state has improved to 94.69 per cent.
Over one crore samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the state, including 1,39,218 in the last 24 hours, it said.
At least 749 new cases were reported, taking the tally in the state to 2,12,191, the bulletin said.
The death count rose to 1,049 in Bihar after seven more people succumbed to the infection, it said.