ADVERTISEMENT
Coronavirus news highlights: Nearly 14.5 lakh Covid-19 tests conducted in last 24 hoursIndia's Covid-19 tally rose to 78,11,120 with over 54,000 new cases. Meanwhile, the death toll crossed 1.17 lakh with more than 650 fatalities in the last 24 hours. More than 67,000 recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to nearly 77 lakh.
DHNS
Last Updated IST

Thank you for following DH's live coverage on the coronavirus outbreak.

Plasma Therapy: Health experts caution doctors not to succumb to unproven Covid-19 treatments

Top medical experts on Friday cautioned practising doctors not to succumb to unproven and investigational treatments that are being permitted throughout the world as an emergency to tackle Covid-19, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) published its study.

Read more

ADVERTISEMENT

A banner that reads 'No Mask, No Entry' hangs on the gate of a 'Durga Puja Pandal', during Covid-19 pandemic, in Lucknow, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. Credit: PTI Photo

Assam reports 427 new Covid-19 cases and 2184 discharges today. Total cases in the state rise to 2,03,709, including 1,79,843 discharges and 900 deaths. Active cases 22,963: State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

Maharashtra reports 7,347 new coronavirus cases, taking case count to 16,32,544; while death toll reaches 43,015 with 184 fatalities: health official

Maharashtra reports 7,347 new Covid-19 cases, 184 deaths and 13,247 discharges in the last 24 hours, as per the state's Public Health Department.

Total cases in the state rise to 16,32,544, with 43,015 deaths and 14,45,103 recovered patients. Active cases stand at 1,43,922.

Delhi reports 4,086 new Covid-19 cases, 3,296 recoveries/discharges/migrations and 26 deaths in last 24 hours. The COVID tally here rises to 3,48,404, including 3,16,214 recoveries/discharges/migrations and 6,189 deaths. Active cases stand at 26,001.

India's Bharat Biotech in talks to take vaccine candidate COVAXIN global

The potential vaccine was found to be safe without any major adverse events in the first two stages of the trials involving about 1,000 people.

Read more

Centre seeks frontline health workers database as they will be first to get Covid-19 vaccine shots

India is urgently preparing a database of all government and private health personnel to quickly vaccinate them against the novel coronavirus once it is safe to do so, health authorities said on Friday.

Read more

Next 3 months decisive in determining India’s Covid-19 trajectory: Harsh Vardhan

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday said the next three months are going to be decisive in determining the coronavirus situation in the country as he urged people to follow Covid appropriate behaviour in the coming festival season and winter months.

Read more

5,356 fresh Covid-19 cases in Karnataka, 51 new deaths

Karnataka has reported 5,356 new cases of Covid-19 and 51 more deaths, taking the total number of infections to 7,93,907 and the toll to 10,821, the health department said on Friday.

The day also saw 8,749 patients getting discharged after recovery. A total of over 71,68,545 samples have been tested so far, out of which 1,08,356 were tested on Friday alone, and 21,615 among them were rapid antigen tests.

Read more

Gujarat reports 1,112 new Covid-19 cases, 6 deaths & 1,264 discharges. Total number of cases stand at 1,65,233, including 1,47,572 recoveries & 3,676 deaths. Number of active cases stands at 13,985: State Health Department

Manipur reports 156 new Covid-19 cases, taking total confirmed cases to 16,777 out of which 4,083 are active patients. Five new deaths reported taking toll to 132.

8,511 new Covid-19 infections reported in Kerala, active cases now stand at 95,657.

Puducherry reported 158 new Covid-19 cases

Puducherry reported 158 new Covid-19 cases, 216 discharges & 2 deaths today.

Total positive cases in the Union Territory rise to 33,986 till date, including 3,975 active cases, 29,427 recoveries & 584 deaths: Department of Health & Family Welfare, Puducherry

Andhra Pradesh's Covid-19 cases cross 8-lakh mark

Andhra Pradesh's Covid-19 cases cross 8-lakh mark with 3,765 new infections.

Total cases at 8,00,684 out of which 31,721 are active cases. 20 deaths reported in last 24 hours taking the toll to 6,544.

Bengaluru's first Covid-19 autopsy shows virus absent on surface skin

Bengaluru's first Covid-19 victim autopsy conducted 16-18 hours after the death of a 61-year-old Covid patient showed that the virus was absent from the skin surface but was present in the nose, mouth and the throat.

Read more

Covid-19 plasma therapy shows little benefit in patients in India: Study

As many as 239 adult patients received two transfusions of convalescent plasma, 24 hours apart, alongside standard care, while the control group comprising of 229 patients received standard care only.

Read more

Cumulative Covid-19 positivity rate continues to decline as total tests cross 10 cr

India has crossed the 10 crore-mark in conducting tests for detection of Covid-19 with 14,42,722 tests being done in a span of 24 hours, even as the cumulative positivity rate continues to decline, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.

High level of comprehensive testing on a sustained basis has also resulted in bringing down the national positivity rate, it said.

"This indicates that the rate of spread of the infection is being effectively contained. The cumulative positivity rate continues to decline as the total tests cross 10 crore," the ministry underlined.

The national Covid-19 positivity rate is 7.75 per cent as on date, it said.

This is a result of the successful 'test, track, trace, treat and technology' strategy of the central government effectively followed by states and union territories, it stated.

(PTI)

Iran reports record 6,134 new daily Covid-19 cases

Iran’s health ministry on Friday reported a record 6,134 new coronavirus cases for the previous 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 556,891 in the Middle East’s hardest-hit country.

Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 335 people had died from the disease in the past 24 hours, bringing total fatalities to 31,985.

(Reuters)

Spanish total Covid-19 cases exceed 3 million, PM Sanchez says

Spain's real total of Covid-19 cases exceeds 3 million, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said at a press conference on Friday, citing extrapolations from a nationwide antibody study.

(Reuters)

69 Maharashtra police personnel tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours

69 police personnel tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 26,057 in the force, including 1,730 active cases, 24,053 recoveries, and 274 deaths till date: Maharashtra Police

India crosses landmark of 10 crore total tests

India crosses landmark of 10 crore total tests; last 1 crore tests conducted in 9 days

Nearly 14.5 lakh Covid-19 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.

(Credit: PIB)

United Kingdom's economic recovery fades in October as pandemic flares up

Britain's economic recovery has lost more momentum this month as a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic hit businesses in the hospitality and transport sectors, a survey showed on Friday.

Read more

Second virus wave could be worst than first: France hospital boss

France's second wave of coronavirus could be worse than the first, the boss of Paris public hospital group AP-HP said on Friday as the country registered a record number of daily cases.

Govt plans special immunisation programme for Covid-19 vaccine

The coronavirus vaccine, once available, will be distributed under a special Covid-19 immunisation programme with the Centre procuring the doses directly and making it available for priority groups, official sources said.

Delhi CM lays foundation for new block at LNJP Hospital, hails Covid-19 warriors

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday laid the foundation stone for construction of a towering state-of-the-art 1,500-bed block at LNJP Hospital that will make it one of the largest facilities in the country.

Read more

Russia's daily tally of new coronavirus cases hit a record high of 17,340 on Friday, including 5,478 in Moscow, taking the national tally to 1,480,646 since the pandemic began.

Philippines reports 1,923 new coronavirus cases, 132 more deaths

Slovakia registered a record one-day tally of 2,581 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, Prime Minister Igor Matovic was cited by TASR news agency as saying in parliament on Friday.

A healthcare worker takes swab from a man for a rapid antigen test in a market area. Credit: Reuters Photo

Hindu devotees wearing personal protective equipment perform Dandiya, a traditional dance, in front of an idol of Hindu goddess Durga at a "pandal" or a temporary platform, on the first day of Durga Puja festival in Kolkata. Credit: Reuters Photo

I want to congratulate the people of Bihar for the way they are fighting the battle against Covid-19: The decisions & steps taken by the state govt & people of Bihar against the pandemic are highly commendable: PM Modi at a public rally at Biada Maidan

Post-Covid-19 recovery, Union minister Naik to resume Delhi office next week

Over a month after he recovered from Covid-19, Union minister Shripad Naik on Friday said he would resume his office in New Delhi from next week.

Americans hit by pandemic create start-ups at record clip

Americans enduring a feeble economy and high unemployment because of the coronavirus pandemic are creating start-up companies at a record pace.

Read more

Trump-Biden final US presidential debate: Covid-19, wind and Hitler

President Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden's final debate on Thursday was a starkly more civil affair than their messy first showdown.

Read more

Covid-19 vaccine coming within weeks: Donald Trump during US presidential debate

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that a Covid-19 vaccine is "ready" and going to be announced "within weeks" to combat the deadly disease that has killed over 223,000 Americans, as he debated with his Democratic challenger Joe Biden for the final time before the presidential election.

Read more

Total active cases are 6,95,509 after a decrease of 20,303 in last 24 hours.

India's death toll crossed 1.17 lakh with 690 fatalities in the last 24 hours.

India's Covid-19 tally rises to 77,61,312

18 new Covid-19 cases reported in Mizoram, taking the total number of cases to 2,359

The number of active cases is at 184 while 2,175 people have been discharged so far.

No death reported in the state till date

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 11,242 to 403,291

With time running out, Donald Trump forced to defend coronavirus approach again

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden renewed his attacks on President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic at Thursday's final debate, seeking to bolster his lead in opinion polls with 12 days to go to the November 3 election.

Read more

CDSCO panel recommends granting permission to conduct phase 3 clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine

An expert panel at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has recommended granting permission for conducting phase 3 clinical trials of its indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine with certain conditions.

Read more

Experts denounce scrapping of plasma therapy

Experts have denounced the Centre’s move to scrap plasma therapy as a recommended treatment for Covid-19 as a misstep which will adversely affect patient recoveries.

Read more

Karnataka to allow pooling of Covid samples in districts with less than 5% TPR

The State government will allow pooling of samples for Covid-19 testing in districts with less than 5% weekly positivity rate.

Read more

Racism not to blame for minorities' Covid risk: UK expert

A scientist newly appointed as an advisor to the British government has expressed scepticism about focusing on the role of structural racism in the disproportionate effect that the coronavirus has on ethnic minority groups.

Read more

US Presidential Election: Donald Trump tests negative for coronavirus ahead of debate

US President Donald Trump has tested negative for Covid-19 on Thursday ahead of the final presidential debate against Democratic nominee former Vice President Joe Biden before the November3 election, his chief of staff Mark Meadows said.

Read more

Good morning readers, welcome to DH's live coverage of the coronavirus outbreak.