Coronavirus: Festive season could threaten progress made in fighting pandemic, says health minister
A Covid-19 vaccine, developed by drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech, showed 90% efficacy in phase three trials.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, while reviewing the coronavirus situation in nine states on Monday, warned that the festive season and winters could potentially overturn the progress made in fighting the disease.
A Covid-19 vaccine, developed by drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech has shown 90% efficacy against the infection in phase three trials, the firms said on Monday.
Earlier in the day, the health ministry said that Delhi has overtaken Maharashtra and Kerala as the highest contributor to daily Covid-19 cases. The Capital reported 7,745 cases on Sunday, its highest tally yet.
India recorded 45,903 Covid-19 cases, pushing the tally in the country to 85,53,657, according to the health ministry’s data. The toll rose by 490 to 1,26,611 in 24 hours. There are 5,09,673 active cases and 79,17,373 recoveries.
The global tally, meanwhile, has crossed 5 crore. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 5.03 crore people and killed 12,55,250 people, according to the John Hopkins University data. The recoveries stand at 3,29,71,528.
The national helpline number for the coronavirus is 011-23978046, and a toll-free number 1075.
These are the helpline numbers for states and the Union Territories.
Here are the top updates of the day.
10.43 pm: Tamil Nadu’s tally rises to 7,46,079 on Monday as it registers 2,257 new cases in the last day, PTI reports. The state’s toll rises by 18 to 11,362.
10.42 pm: Jharkhand reports 246 cases on Monday, which take its tally to 1,04,688. The state’s toll stands at 905.
10.40 pm: West Bengal reports 3,907 new cases and 56 deaths on Monday, ANI reports. The state’s tally rises to 4,09,221 and the toll reaches 7,350.
10.35 pm: New cases in other states on Monday, according to PTI.
Uttar Pradesh: 1,647 new cases, tally rises to 4,99,199; toll at 7,231.
Assam: 328 new cases, tally rises to 2,09,117; toll at 947.
Gujarat: 971 new cases, tally goes up to 81,670; toll 3,768.
10.28 pm: Mumbai registers 599 cases on Monday, which take its tally to 2,65,142. The city’s toll rises by 20 to 10,462.
10.26 pm: Delhi reports 5,023 cases on Monday, a day after record daily surge. The Capital’s tally rises to 4,43,552. It toll rises by 71 to 7,060.
10.22 pm: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, while reviewing the coronavirus situation in nine states, warns that the festive season and winters could potentially overturn the progress made in fighting the disease, PTI reports.
8.44 pm: Manipur registers 182 new Covid-19 cases and one death, reports ANI. The state’s case count stands at 20,558 and toll at 198.
8.43 pm: Punjab reports 562 new cases and 21 deaths today, taking the state’s case count to 1,37,999 and toll to 4,338, according to ANI.
8.41 pm: Haryana’s Covid-19 tally rises to 1,85,231 with 2,427 new cases, and seven deaths. There are 16,717 active cases, 1,66,595 recoveries and 1,919 deaths, reports ANI, citing a state government health bulletin.
6.26 pm: Kerala’s tally rises to 79,410 after 3,593 new cases today, reports ANI. Active cases in the state at 79,410, with 4,08,460 recoveries.
6.25 pm: Uttarakhand reports 10 more deaths and 398 new cases, taking the state tally to 65,677 and toll to 1,075, according to ANI.
6.21 pm: Andhra Pradesh records 1,392 new cases, taking total positive cases in the state to 8,44,359, reports ANI. There are 21,235 active cases and 8,16,322 recoveries. The death toll stands at 6,802.
6.18 pm: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who tested positive for Covid-19 on November 7, has been admitted to the Trivandrum Medical College Hospital, reports PTI.
5.40 pm: A Covid-19 vaccine, developed by drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech has shown 90% efficacy against the infection in phase three trials, reports AFP.
4.24 pm: Tata Medical and Diagnostics CEO Girish Krishnamurthy says the healthcare unit of India’s Tata Group has launched a Covid-19 test kit, which will be made available at laboratories and hospitals from December, according to Reuters. The test, approved by the government, can provide the result within 90 minutes.
4.16 pm: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan reviews Covid-19 situation in Punjab, Kerala, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh through video conferencing. He asks state health ministers to emphasise on the increased need to promote appropriate coronavirus-related behaviour.
4.12 pm: The health ministry says 79% of recoveries are from 10 states and Union territories. It adds that Maharashtra reported the maximum number of single-day recoveries with 8,232 such cases. Maharashtra is followed by Kerala with 6,852 recoveries with Delhi with 6,069.
4.01 pm: The health ministry says Delhi has overtaken Maharashtra and Kerala as the highest contributor to daily Covid-19 cases. The Capital reported 7,745 cases on Sunday.
3.37 pm: Shopkeepers selling firecrackers in Amritsar, Punjab, say the sale is low as people do not want to engage in extravagant expense during the coronavirus pandemic, reports ANI.
12.11 pm: The tally of coronavirus cases in Arunachal Pradesh mounts to 15,436, as 47 more people, including three health workers, tested positive for the infection, PTI reports.
12.06 pm: Jharkhand did not register any new deaths from the coronavirus in 24 hours on Monday, even as 203 more cases pushed the tally to 1,04,442, PTI reports.
11.59 am: Actor Chiranjeevi K says he has tested positive for the coronavirus, ANI reports. However, he is asymptomatic. The actor had met Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao last week, ANI reports.
11.07 am: The total number of cases in United States nears 1 crore-mark, making it the first country to touch the grim milestone. According to the John Hopkins University data, the number of cases in the country stands at 99,68,015.
9.32 am: An AFP chart shows the progression of coronavirus cases in the world as the global tally crosses the 5 crore-mark.
9.29 am: Chhattisgarh on Sunday reported 1,375 Covid-19 cases, taking the total count of infections to 2,00,937, PTI reports. The state had crossed the one-lakh mark on September 26, when it had recorded 1,02,461 cases. Meanwhile, the toll in the state mounted to 2,447, with 13 more fatalities.
9.27 am: Karnataka on Sunday recorded 2,740 new coronavirus cases and 22 fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 8,46,887, and the toll to 11,391, PTI reports.
9.18 am: India on Monday records 45,903 Covid-19 cases, pushing the tally in the country to 85,53,657, according to the health ministry’s data. The toll rises by 490 to 1,26,611 in 24 hours. There are 5,09,673 active cases and 79,17,373 recoveries.
8.10 am: United States continues to be the country worst-affected by the coronavirus in the world. On Sunday, the country recorded its fourth consecutive record daily total of new Covid cases – close to 1,30,000 – taking its tally over 99.67 lakh. More than 2.37 lakh people have died, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
8 am: United States President-Elect Joe Biden would name his own 12-person coronavirus taskforce on Monday. Biden’s campaign said that former US surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy and former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr David Kessler would be co-chairs of the working group, NBC reports.
Murthy, who served as the US’ top doctor for four years under the Barack Obama administration in 2015, was dismissed from his post by Donald Trump in 2017. He was the 19th surgeon general and the first Indian-American to hold the position.
Read more here:
Joe Biden to announce his coronavirus task force today, Indian-American Vivek Murthy to lead team
7.50 am: Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 5.03 crore people and killed 12,55,250 people, according to the John Hopkins University data. The recoveries stand at 3,29,71,528.
7.40 am: Delhi recorded its highest single-day increase in cases on Sunday with 7,745 new infections in 24 hours. The positivity rate rose to 15.26% amid the festive season and rising pollution, PTI reports.
Delhi’s tally is now 4,38,529, including 41,857 active cases, 6,989 deaths and 3,89,683 recoveries.
7.30 am: Here are the top updates from Sunday:
- India on Sunday recorded 45,684 Covid-19 cases, pushing the tally in the country to 85,07,754, according to the health ministry’s data. The toll rose by 559 to 1,26,121 in 24 hours. There are 5,12,665 active cases and 78,68,968 recoveries. India has tested 11,77,36,791 samples so far.
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences Director Dr Randeep Guleria, who is a member of the national Covid-19 task force, has said that common people may have to wait till 2022 for a vaccine to be easily available.
- Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said the Capital seems to have hit the peak of its third “Covid wave”, and hinted that the number of new infections may go down soon.
- Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has allowed schools in the state to reopen for classes 9 to 12 from November 23. State Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said that in-person classes will be held on alternate days, keeping in mind the risk of coronavirus infection.
- Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray added that places of worship would also be opened soon, most likely after Diwali. “When will temples open? They will open soon,” the chief minister said. “After Diwali we will create SOPs for this. Elderly people visit temples and they are at risk [of contracting Covid]. Therefore, overcrowding needs to be avoided... be it temples, masjids or any other place.”
- Government officials have told a parliamentary committee that air pollution may lead to faster spread of the coronavirus infection, as it causes coughing and sneezing.