COVID-19: Regulator said testing of vaccine would continue after the volunteer's death (Representational)
India's coronavirus count has touched 77.06 with a jump of 55,839 cases in the last 24 hours, government data shows. 702 deaths in the last 24 hours have pushed the total death count to 1,16,616. 68,74,518 people in the country have recovered since the beginning of the pandemic.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases:
Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to be tested on 100 Indian volunteers
The Russian Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 will be tested in India on 100 volunteers, the Indian Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation's Drug Controller General (DCGI) told Sputnik on Thursday.
DCGI has granted permission to pharmaceutical giant Dr Reddy's Laboratories for conducting tests. However, the date and time of the test will be determined by the company.
Sputnik quoted the organisation as saying that the vaccine will be tested in the second phase of its clinical trials before moving on to phase 3.
Last week, the expert committee of DCGI had recommended granting permission to Dr Reddy''s Laboratories for conducting phase 2 clinical trials of Russian COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Sputnik V, in India.
US airlines lay out COVID-19 damage and renew calls for aid
American Airlines and Southwest Airlines signaled on Thursday that they would continue to hemorrhage cash into next year as revenues hover around a third of 2019's levels due to a collapse in demand from the coronavirus.
Still, both said they had enough liquidity to ride out the crisis, even while renewing calls for another round of government aid after an initial $25 billion to protect jobs through September expired.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said negotiators were making progress in talks with the Trump administration for another COVID-19 economic stimulus package and that legislation could be hammered out "pretty soon."
Canada launches pilot programme to test travellers for COVID-19 upon entry
The Canadian government in conjunction with Alberta are launching a pilot programme looking to cut down quarantine time for international travellers by testing for COVID-19 at the point of entry, the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs said in a statement.
"A joint pilot programme from the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada - the first of its kind in the country - will safely test an alternative to the current 14-day quarantine requirement for international travellers while continuing to protect Canadians from COVID-19," the statement said Thursday.
After Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh Promise Free Vaccine: 10 PointsThe BJP's promise for free coronavirus vaccine in Bihar's election manifesto today snowballed into a huge controversy, with opposition parties questioning how a life-saving vaccine can be used to get political mileage in elections. The matter also resonated on social media, where criticism was heaped under the #vaccineelectionism hashtag. By late evening, two other states -- BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, where the ruling AIADMK is a BJP ally -- promised free vaccine to the people as and when it comes. There has been no word from the Centre on the matter of vaccine pricing, though it said it was expecting a vaccine by early next year.
Coronavirus News: 602 New COVID-19 Cases In Nagpur
Nagpur in Maharashtra on Thursday registered 602 new coronavirus cases, taking the number of patients to 92,590, officials said, reported news agency PTI. Fourteen patients died due to the infection during the day, which pushed the fatality count to 3,014, the district information office said in a release. So far, 83,633 patients have recovered from the infection, with 737 discharged on Thursday. The number of active cases in the district is 5,943, it said.
Coronavirus News: Meghalaya Reports 99 New COVID Cases
At least 99 people tested positive for coronavirus in Meghalaya on Thursday, taking the state's tally to 8,720, a health department official said, reported news agency PTI. The death count now stands at 78 after a 37-year-old woman died in Shillong, he said.
Coronavirus News: 157 New COVID-19 Cases In Nagaland
At least 157 people, including 86 armed forces' personnel, tested positive for coronavirus in Nagaland, pushing the tally to 8,296, state health minister S Pangnyu said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. Of the 157 cases, 119 were recorded in Dimapur, 30 in Kohima, three in Peren, two each in Kiphire and Mokokchung, and one in Mon, he said. 39 patients have recovered during the day, taking the total number recoveries to 6,399, the minister stated. Nagaland currently has 1,798 active cases, 29 have died of the infection so far while seven have migrated to other states.
Coronavirus News: India Has Conducted 10 Crore COVID-19 Tests, Says Top Medical Body ICMR
India has achieved the milestone of conducting 10 crore COVID-19 tests, ICMR said on Thursday noting that the figure was achieved after over 10 lakh samples were tested on an average per day for the past 17 days, reported news agency ANI. An ICMR release said five crores samples were tested in the last 45 days. "As on September 8, 2020, India had tested five crore COVID-19 samples and it reached 10 crore mark on October 22. This has been enabled by rapidly increasing testing infrastructure and capacity across the country. ICMR has been enhancing COVID-19 testing capability by leveraging technology and facilitating innovation in affordable diagnostic kits," the release said.
Coronavirus News: Maharashtra's Amravati Logs 47 New COVID Cases, 139 Recoveries
With the detection of 47 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, Maharashtra's Amravati district has reported a significant decline in the number of infections, an official said, reported news agency PTI. The latest cases have taken the district's tally to 15,732, while the death count now stands at 355 with a single casualty during the day, the official said. As many as 139 patients were discharged from various hospitals, raising the number of recoveries to 14,371 and the recovery rate has reached 91.35 per cent, he said. With this, the district currently has 1,006 active cases, of which 522 patients are in home isolation, he added.
Coronavirus News: Gujarat's COVID Count Rises By 1,136, Recoveries By 1,201
The coronavirus infection tally in Gujarat mounted to 1,64,121 on Thursday after 1,136 people tested positive, the state health department said, reported news agency PTI. The death count due to the virus went up to 3,670 as seven patients died due to the infection in the last 24 hours, it said in a release. 1,201 patients recovered during this period, the department said.
Coronavirus News: 35 Fatalities Take Delhi's COVID Death Count To 6,163
Delhi has recorded 35 more fatalities on Thursday, taking the COVID-19 death count to 6,163, while 3,882 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to over 3.44 lakh, authorities said, reported news agency PTI. These fresh cases came out of the 58,770 tests conducted the previous day. Thirty-five more fatalities have been recorded, taking the death count to 6,163, according to the latest health bulletin. The tally of active cases on Thursday rose to 25,237 from 24,217 the previous day. The total number of cases has climbed to 3,44,318, the bulletin added.
Coronavirus News: Kerala Reports 7,482 Fresh COVID Cases As Tally Breaches 3.5 Lakh
As Kerala breached the 3.5 lakh-mark with 7,482 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan likened the virus spread to a "forest fire" and said there is need to contain it with utmost vigil, reported news agency PTI. The total infections in the state touched 3,56,384 with the addition of the new cases, while 7,593 patients recovered from the disease today, taking the total recoveries to 2,74,675. In the last 24 hours, 56,093 samples have been sent for testing. Speaking to reporters, Mr Vijayan said 93,291 people are undergoing treatment for the virus in the state.
Coronavirus News: Andhra Inches Towards Eight Lakh COVID Cases
The West and East Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh continued to report a high number of new COVID-19 cases as the state's tally inched closer to the eight lakh-mark on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. In the 24 hours ending 8 am on Thursday, West Godavari reported 631 and East 482 of the 3,620 new cases that were added to the state's overall tally which has now reached 7,96,919. The two districts together have over 1.92 lakh cases.
Coronavirus News: Ramesh Chennithala Demands Judicial Probe On COVID Deaths Due To Negligence
Kerala opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on Thursday demanded a comprehensive judicial probe into deaths in COVID-19 hospitals across the state due to alleged medical negligence and ill-treatment. "Kerala is witnessing a string of cases of medical negligence, and what is even more shocking is that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government is trying to hide this from the general public and silencing people who raise their voice against this. The Kalamassery Medical College saw the death of a patient named Harris solely because his tube was not connected to a ventilator," he alleged.
Coronavirus News: Covid Scare, High Court Order Shrink Puja Pandal Crowd In Kolkata
The usual crowd of revellers was missing on the streets of Kolkata on "Mahasasthi" which marks the beginning of the five-day Durga puja festivities -- with the Calcutta High Court having declared all pandals no-entry zones, and rain playing spoilsport in the morning, reported news agency PTI. Many big-ticket Kolkata pandals, including Ekdalia Evergreen, Singhi Park, Ahiritola Sarbojonin, Tridhara Sammilani, Chetla Agroni, wore a forlorn look, as just a handful of organisers and local residents were allowed to visit the marquees.
Coronavirus News: Tripura Reports 125 New Cases, Two Deaths
At least 125 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Tripura on Thursday, pushing the state's tally to 29,925, while the death count rose to 331 with two more deaths, a health department official said, reported news agency PTI. West Tripura district, of which state capital Agartala is a part, has accounted for 174 of the 329 COVID-19 deaths, the official said. Tripura currently has 2,342 active coronavirus cases while 27,229 people have recovered.
Coronavirus News: 180 Fresh COVID Cases Take Gautam Budh Nagar's Tally To 16,489
The COVID-19 death count in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar rose to 66 on Thursday with one more fatality, while 180 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 16,489, official data showed, reported news agency PTI. The number of active cases rose to 1,105 from 1,090 on Wednesday, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period. On the brighter side, 165 more patients got discharged during the period, taking the overall recoveries in the district to 15,318, sixth highest in the state, it showed. The district's death count reached 66 with a mortality rate of 0.40 per cent from 0.39 per cent on Wednesday, according to the official statistics. The recovery rate of patients dropped slightly to 92.89 per cent from 92.91 per cent the previous day, the statistics showed.
Coronavirus News: Teams Formed To Check COVID Rule Violations During Durga Puja In Mathura
Teams have been formed to check violation of COVID-19 rules during the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations in Mathura, an official said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. "Violation of COVID-19 guidelines will invite punitive action," city magistrate Manoj Kumar Singh told reporters. Mass gathering at puja pandals has been banned. The size of the idol for individual or small groups of 8 to 10 persons has also been reduced amid the pandemic situation, he said. According to officials, taking out processions prior to immersion of the deity has been banned in the city. Not more than four people will be allowed to go with the idol of Goddess Durga for immersion, they said.
Coronavirus News: Uttar Pradesh's COVID Death Count Rises To 6,790
The COVID-19 death count in Uttar Pradesh rose to 6,790 on Thursday with 35 more fatalities, while 2,402 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 4,63,858, a health bulletin issued said, reported news agency PTI. "At present, there are 29,131 active cases in the state, while 4,27,937 people have recovered from the infection and have been discharged," it said. During the past 24 hours, 35 more people have died due to COVID-19, taking the count in the state to 6,790 while the total number of cases has risen to 4,63,858, it said. The recovery rate is presently 92.25 per cent, Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters.
Coronavirus: Puducherry reports 212 new COVID-19 cases
Puducherry reported 212 new COVID-19 cases and two related fatalities which pushed the death count in the union territory to 582, a top Health department official said on Thursday. The 212 fresh infections saw the overall tally rise to 33,832, a release from the Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said.
Aurangabad's COVID-19 count goes up by 157
As many as 157 persons tested positive for coronavirus, while 288 recovered from the infection in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district, an official said on Thursday.
COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Will Continue, Says Oxford After Volunteer Dies
Brazilian health authority Anvisa said on Wednesday that a volunteer in a clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University had died but added that the trial would continue. Oxford confirmed the plan to keep testing, saying in a statement that after careful assessment "there have been no concerns about safety of the clinical trial," reports Reuters.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi tests positive for Covid, hospitalised in Patna.
Maharashtra police reports 70 new cases of COVID-19
As many as 70 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the state police force in the last 24 hours, according to Maharashtra Police on Thursday. The total number of coronavirus cases in the force stand at 25,988 out of which 1,771 are active patients. A total of 23,945 personnel have recovered while 272 deaths have been recorded due to the disease.
Active cases have been sustained below 10% of the total cases for last three days suggesting only 1 in 10 cases are active COVID19 patients across the country. Presently, active cases comprise merely 9.29% of total positive cases of the country standing at 7,15,812: Government of India
With 134 fresh COVID cases, Arunachal's tally rises to 13,912
At least 134 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the tally to 13,912, a health department official said on Thursday. Altogether 164 people have also been cured of the disease on Wednesday, taking the total number of recoveries to
11,199, the official said.
Coronavirus: Odisha reports 1,913 new COVID-19 cases
Odisha's COVID-19 caseload rose to 2,76,094 on Thursday as 1,913 more people tested positive for the infection, while 15 fresh fatalities pushed the state''s coronavirus death toll to 1,196, a health official said.
Coronavirus news: Jarkhand reports 647 new COVID-19 cases
Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally rose to 98,061 on Thursday as 647 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said. Two fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 851, he said.
Coronavirus: 1,101 new COVID-19 cases in Thane
The COVID-19 tally in Thane has reached 2,03,727 after detection of 1,101 new cases in the Maharashtra district, an official said on Thursday. The district also reported 16 more deaths due to COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking the toll to 5,145, he said. As of now, there are 12,698 active COVID-19 cases in the district, while 1,85,884 patients have recovered, he said. The COVID-19 recovery rate in Thane is 91.24 per cent, while the mortality rate stands at 2.53 per cent.
Newly constructed Indoor-Outdoor sports stadium in Kheora handed over to the youth of Pirpanjal region in Rajouri.
Coronavirus News: 55,839 Fresh Coronavirus Cases In IndiaIndia's coronavirus count has touched 77.06 with a jump of 55,839 cases in the last 24 hours, government data shows. 702 deaths in the last 24 hours have pushed the total death count to 1,16,616. 68,74,518 people in the country have recovered since the beginning of the pandemic. The country has been reporting a steady decline in its daily coronavirus infections after reaching a peak of about 90,000 cases a day in September. India, which reported its first case on January 30, is the second worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic after the United States.
Read AstraZeneca Trial Volunteer Who Died Hadn't Received Vaccine: ReportA participant who died during a trial of AstraZeneca Plc's Covid-19 vaccine in Brazil hadn't received the company's shot, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The person asked not to be identified because the information isn't public.
Brazil's health authority Anvisa said it had been informed on Monday of the study volunteer's death and had received a partial report from an international committee assessing the trial's safety. That committee suggested the trial should continue, Anvisa said in a statement.
Read High Court Orders Action Against Kamal Nath, Union Minister Over CovidCases should be filed against Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath for alleged violation of Covid-19 protocol, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has ordered. The court has asked District Magistrates in Gwalior and Datia to ensure the registration of First Information Reports in the matter.
Advocate General Purshendra Kaurav has been asked to report compliance on the matter on October 23, the next date of hearing.
While issuing this order, a division bench at Gwalior has also asked magistrates of all nine districts within its jurisdiction not to give permission to any candidate or political party for holding public gatherings.
Coronavirus update: COVID-19 pandemic provided learning curve to be more resilient, prepared for future, says Dr Harsh Vardhan
The coronavirus pandemic has provided a learning curve for us to be better prepared for the future, said Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.
Dr Harsh Vardhan was addressing the World Bank- International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meeting on Wednesday based on the theme -- "Unleashing the South Asian Century through Human Capital for All" and "Investing in COVID-19 Vaccines and Primary Healthcare Delivery System".
Coronavirus update: COVID-19 cases in Argentina rises by record 18,326
Argentina has confirmed 18,326 new cases of the coronavirus across the country within the past 24 hours marking the largest daily increase since the start of the outbreak, with the total number of people infected with COVID-19 having reached 1,037,325, the national Ministry of Health said.
"Today, 18,326 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, bringing the total number of [COVID-19] positive tests in the country to 1,037,325," the ministry said in a daily bulletin on late Wednesday.
The death count from the coronavirus in Argentina has increased by 423 to 27,519 people within the same period of time, ANI reported.