Latest News Highlights: The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh. (Representational)
With 10,064 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, India saw the lowest surge in the daily cases in nearly seven months. The country has logged 1.05 crore cases since the beginning of the pandemic and over 1.02 crore people have already recovered, the government data shows.
In the last 24 hours, 137 deaths linked to the deadly virus were recorded from different parts of the country, taking the total number of deaths so far to 1,52,556. The number of deaths reported in a single day is the lowest since May 23.
Last time the cases were less than 10,000 was on June 11 (9,996).
A total of 3.8 lakh people have been vaccinated since the rollout of the coronavirus vaccines three days ago, the government said on Monday. Among them, 580 cases of adverse reactions have been observed and seven persons have been hospitalized. Two persons have died also but neither deaths are related to vaccines, the government said.
Here are the Highlights:
France registers 23,608 new COVID-19 cases, 656 deaths
France registered 23,608 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing its accumulative total since the outbreak of the epidemic to 2,938,333, data from the health authorities showed on Tuesday.
Now France has recorded the world's sixth-highest tally of COVID-19 cases after the United States, India, Brazil, Russia and the United Kingdom.
In one day, the respiratory illness had claimed 369 lives in hospitals and 287 in nursing homes. The combined number of fatalities caused by the coronavirus so far in the country stood at 71,342, according to figures posted on the government data website.
Admissions to hospital fell by 52 to 25,567 while those in intensive care units increased by 26 to 2,839.
Deep in remote Amazon, indigenous villagers receive coronavirus vaccine
Brazilian military flew medical personnel and 1,000 doses of a Chinese vaccine deep into the Amazon rainforest on Tuesday to start inoculating indigenous people against the coronavirus.
Isabel Ticuna, 68, was the first to receive the vaccine in Umariacu, a village of wooden houses on the banks of the Amazon River. The village is a remote community near the border of Peru and Colombia.
"Vaccination is so important for all of our indigenous community, It was this that we were waiting for," she told Reuters after getting an injection of the CoronaVac shot, developed by China's Sinovac Biotech.
Villagers clapped as she received her injection, a collective show of relief for a community that has seen 37 residents die of COVID-19 and some 2,000 more infected.
Karnataka reports 645 new COVID-19 cases
Karnataka reported 645 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours taking the total count of cases in the state to 9,33,077.
According to the state Health Department, six more people succumbed to the virus on Monday and the death toll has gone up to 12,181. It said 807 more patients were discharged and the recoveries have gone up to 9,13,012.
The state has 7,865 active cases and positivity rate is 0.79 per cent.
Germany tightens shutdown as virus variants fuel fears
Germany on Tuesday toughened a partial lockdown and extended it to February 14, in a bid to halt the spread of coronavirus, including new variants believed to be more contagious.
Following hours of crisis talks, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of 16 states also agreed to make medical masks mandatory on public transport and in shops -- meaning only surgical masks or the so-called FFP2 masks will be allowed.
They also said employers must make it possible for staff work from home whenever possible, according to a final text seen by AFP.
The measure goes beyond previous appeals to companies to allow for more "home office" in Germany.
"All our efforts to contain the virus are threatened by a serious danger," Merkel told reporters, referring to new strains of the virus that have caused a surge in infections in Britain and Ireland.
179 new COVID-19 cases reported in Andhra Pradesh
A total of 179 new COVID-19 cases and one death were reported in Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours. The state Health Department said 39,099 samples have been tested on Monday, out of which 179 people tested COVID-19 positive.
The department said 231 patients have been discharged while one person died due to the disease.
As on Tuesday, the total count of positive COVID cases in the state stands at 8,83,350. A total of 7,142 have lost their lives due to pandemic while 1,660 are receiving treatment. The state has tested 1,26,43,313 samples so far.
Maharashtra reports 2,294 new COVID-19 cases, active count at 48,406
Maharashtra reported 2,294 more COVID 19 cases and 50 deaths on Tuesday, taking the state's coronavirus tally to 19,94,977, the Public Health Department of Maharashtra informed.
According to the state health department, there are 48,406 active cases and 18,94,839 has been recovered. So far the total number of deaths in the state has reached 50,523.
219 more birds found dead in Rajasthan
As many as 219 more birds were found dead on Tuesday in Rajasthan where 17 districts have reported cases of bird flu or avian influenza, officials said.
A total of 5,759 birds have died in the state in the past three weeks, they said. According to the Animal Husbandry Department, out of 267 samples taken from 27 districts, 67 were confirmed for the bird flu on Tuesday.
As many as 164 crows, 24 pigeons, nine peacocks and 22 other birds were found dead on Tuesday, the officials said.
Government will address doubts, confusions of beneficiaries to overcome ''vaccine hesitancy'': Health Ministry
Assuring everyone about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the only way to resolve the issue of "vaccine hesitancy" which is present in all countries in the world is to address all doubts and confusions of the beneficiaries, ANI reported.
Nasal vaccine candidate against Covid-19 could be a game-changer: Dr VK Paul
The Central government on Tuesday said that a nasal vaccine candidate against COVID-19 has been identified that could be a game-changer, ANI reported.
Over 200 healthcare workers administered COVID-19 vaccine in Himachal
A total of 232 healthcare workers were vaccinated for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, an official said.
On Saturday, 1,536 members of the medical fraternity got the vaccines while 3,299 people received the jabs on Monday, Special Secretary (Health) Nipun Jindal said.
With this, the total number of vaccinated healthcare workers in the hill state has risen to 5,067, he added, PTI reported.
Farmer unions build up for R-Day tractor parade with village-level rallies
Farmer unions have begun holding tractor rallies at villages in Punjab to mobilise people for their planned tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day, PTI reported.
Senior doctor dies of COVID-19 in Kolkata
A senior doctor died of COVID-19 in the city on Tuesday, taking the total number of medical
practitioners dying due to the virus in West Bengal to 92, PTI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: 179 fresh COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh's coronavirus tally rose to 8,86,245 as 179 cases were added afresh in 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday, PTI reported.
COVID-19: Of those vaccinated, 0.18% were adverse events, says centre
Of the total people vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, the government on Tuesday said 0.18 per cent experienced adverse events following immunisation, while 0.002 per cent had to be hospitalised which is fairly low, PTI reported.
Over 4.5 lakh people vaccinated in country till now, says Health Ministry
As many as 4,54,049 people have been vaccinated till early Tuesday morning as India's active COVID-19 cases came down to 2 lakhs amid the ongoing vaccination drive in the country, ANI reported.
Bird Flu: Surveillance at Rajaji Tiger Reserve increased
As the cases of bird flu continue to rise across states, surveillance at Rajaji Tiger Reserve has been increased, an official said on Tuesday, ANI reported.
Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors' president raises concern over Covaxin
The president of the Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Dayanand Sagar on Tuesday raised concern over the COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, ANI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Odisha reports 122 new COVID-19 cases, one more fatality
Odisha's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 3,33,566 on Tuesday as 122 more people tested positive for infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the death count to 1,902, a health department official said.
Of the fresh cases, 72 were reported from various quarantine centres and 50 detected during contact tracing, PTI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Good vaccination coverage in Haryana despite some CoWin glitches, say officialsThere were some minor technical glitches in CoWin app at some places in Haryana, but it has not stopped the anti-Covid vaccination drive from achieving a good coverage in last two days, health department officials said on Tuesday.
A senior official said some "minor technical glitches" were reported from some places, but that has not impacted the immunisation drive, PTI reported.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: COVID-19 Vaccination Drive Underway In Bengal On Day 3
The COVID-19 immunisation drive for frontline healthcare workers is underway at 207 centres in West Bengal on the third day of the exercise on Tuesday even as glitches were reported in the Co-WIN portal, a senior official of the health department said.
Those who received texts for the inoculation reached the respective centres at around 9 am, PTI reported.
Bird Flu: Delhi High Court adjourns hearing on ''Ghazipur Murga Mandi'' issue
Amid bird flu outbreak, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing to March 8, on an application sought to seek direction to ensure that no birds are slaughtered in and around the ''Ghazipur Murga Mandi'' in Delhi.
The bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh on Tuesday adjourned the hearing on the plea with the main matter, which is scheduled for hearing on March 8, 2021, ANI reported.
40 Arrested After Clash During Gujarat Ram Temple Donation Rallyt least 40 people have been arrested in Gujarat's Kutch district after three cases were filed to look into the violence on Sunday that allegedly left one man dead and several others injured, including policemen. The arrests have been made on charges of murder, rioting, arson and conspiracy among others.
Rishabh Pant Heroics Help India Conquer Fortress Gabba, Clinch Series 2-1
India pulled off a record run-chase in a thrilling final session to hand Australia their first defeat at Brisbane's Gabba ground since 1988 and clinch the four-Test series 2-1 on Tuesday.
Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant starred with a swashbuckling 89 not out as the injury-depleted visitors overhauled the 328-run target with three overs to go, winning by three wickets.
Australia had not been beaten at the Gabba since falling to Viv Richards' all-conquering West Indies side by nine wickets in November 1988.
India's 329 for seven also smashed the 69-year-old record for the biggest run-chase at the Gabba, set by Australia who scored 236 for seven to beat the West Indies in 1951.
The series win was a remarkable achievement considering India were bowled out for their lowest Test score of 36 to lose the first Test in Adelaide, before bouncing back to win the second in Melbourne.
They then batted throughout the final day to draw the third Test in Sydney.
Pat Cummins was easily the pick of the Australian bowlers with 4-55 from 24 overs.
37 cases added to Puducherry's COVID-19 tallyPuducherry recorded 37 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday raising the total infection count to
38,706.
No fresh fatality was reported from any of the four regions of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. The virus death count remained 643.
The new cases were identified at the end of examination of 3,763 samples and were spread over Puducherry 23, Karaikal 4 and Mahe 10, the Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said.
Twenty six patients were discharged after recovery during last 24 hours.
The fatality and recovery rates were 1.66 percent and 97. 57 percent respectively.
Ashok Gehlot condoles death of migrant labourers in SuratRajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday condoled the death of 15 migrant labourers from the state in a road accident in Gujarat's Surat and announced a compensation of Rs.2 lakh to the family of the victims and Rs. 50,000 to the injured.
Fifteen migrant labourers from Rajasthan sleeping by the roadside in Surat district were run over by a truck.
"Deeply saddened to know many labourers from #Banswara, #Rajasthan have lost lives after a truck ran over them as they were sleeping near the road in #Surat. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayers for speedy recovery of those injured," he tweeted.
China's latest COVID outbreak worst since March 2020
China is battling the worst outbreak of COVID-19 since March 2020, with one province posting a record daily rise in cases, as an independent panel reviewing the global pandemic said China could have acted more forcefully to curb the initial outbreak.
State-backed tabloid the Global Times on Tuesday defended China's early handling of COVID-19, saying no country had any experience in dealing with the completely new virus.
"Looking back, no country could perform perfectly in facing a novel virus...no country can guarantee they won't make mistakes if a similar epidemic occurs again," it said.
China reported more than 100 new COVID-19 cases for a seventh day on Tuesday. Mainland China posted 118 new cases on Jan. 18, up from 109 a day earlier, the national health authority said in a statement.
Of those, 106 were local infections, with 43 reported in Jilin, a new daily record for the northeastern province, and 35 in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, the National Health Commission said.
India Daily Covid Cases Drop To 10,064; Deaths Lowest In Nearly 8 Months
With 10,064 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, India saw the lowest surge in the daily cases in nearly seven months. The country has logged 1.05 crore cases since the beginning of the pandemic and over 1.02 crore people have already recovered, the government data shows.
In the last 24 hours, 137 deaths linked to the deadly virus were recorded from different parts of the country, taking the total number of deaths so far to 1,52,556. The number of deaths reported in a single day is the lowest since May 23.
Last time the cases were less than 10,000 was on June 11 (9,996).
Jharkhand reports 100 new COVID-19 cases, four more deathsJharkhand's COVID-19 tally mounted to 1,17,786 as 100 more people tested positive for the
infection, a health department official said on Tuesday.
The death count rose to 1,054 after four more people died due to the infection in the last 24 hours, he said.
Ranchi district registered the maximum number of fresh cases at 44, followed by East Singhbhum at 17 and Dhanbad at eight.
Jharkhand now has 1,190 active cases, while 1,15,542 people have been cured of the disease so far, the official said.
The state conducted 10,484 sample tests for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, he added.
15 Sleeping Labourers Crushed Under Truck In Gujarat, PM Condoles DeathsFifteen labourers, sleeping near the road, were crushed to death this morning by a truck in a tragic incident near Gujarat's Surat.
The incident took place early this morning near Kosamba village, around 60 km from Surat, police said. A dumper truck ran over the sleeping labourers on the Kim-Mandvi road killing 12 on the spot.
COVID-19 cases in US cross 24 million
The number of cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the United States has surpassed 24 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The US case tally amounts to 24,062,636, with 398,884 deaths, the university said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
China reports over 100 new COVID-19 cases for seventh day China reported more than 100 new COVID-19 cases for a seventh day on Tuesday in the worst domestic outbreak since March last year, with one northeastern province seeing a record daily increase.
Mainland China posted 118 new cases on Jan 18, up from 109 a day earlier, the national health authority said in a statement.
Of those, 106 were local infections, with 43 reported in Jilin, a new daily record for the northeastern province, and 35 in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, the National Health Commission said.
The Chinese capital itself reported one new case, while Heilongjiang in the north reported 27 new infections
New York COVID-19 test positivity rate down to 8.29 per cent
New York City's COVID-19 test positivity rate on a seven-day average went down to 8.29 percent, compared with 8.6 percent two days earlier, Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted on Monday. He did not announce such a rate on Sunday.
Meanwhile, de Blasio said that there were 281 new hospital admissions and 4,519 new cases of the coronavirus, adding that, "We are not out of the woods yet. Keep wearing your masks. Keep social distancing. We will win this fight."
Beginning this week, seniors age 65 or older who are unable to make their own arrangements and need transportation to and from a COVID-19 vaccination appointment can sign up for transportation through the city.
"We are moving heaven and earth to get our senior neighbors vaccinated," said the mayor on Sunday. "Now, seniors who need a ride to an appointment will get one, ensuring our vaccines go to those who need them most."
India to gift 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine ''Covishield'' to Bangladesh
Bangladesh will receive 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine ''Covishield'' as a gift from India on January 20.
Citing the letter by the Indian High Commission written to the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dhaka Tribune reported that a special flight from India carrying the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, locally manufactured by Serum Institute of India, would land at Shahjalal International Airport on January 20.
The Health Services Division under the Ministry has issued a letter to the drug regulator the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) to take appropriate steps to administer the vaccine.
The vaccines will be received and stored at DGHS' facilities, such as the Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI), Dhaka Tribune further said.