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772 new Covid-19 cases in Karnataka, 7 deaths
Karnataka added 772 new Covid-19 cases and seven deaths, taking the total number of infections to 9,10,241 and the toll to 12,016, the health department said on Monday.
The day also saw 1,261 patients getting discharged after recovery, leaving 14,001 active cases. Bengaluru Urban district continued to account for most of the cases, as it reported 363 infections on Monday.
1,018 new Covid-19 cases take UP's tally to 5,75,621; death toll 8,212
The Covid-19 death toll in Uttar Pradesh rose to 8,212 on Monday with 16 more fatalities, while 1,018 new cases took the infection tally to 5,75,621, an official statement said.
Of the 16 deaths, five were reported from Lucknow while two fatalities each were reported from Kanpur and Varanasi, it said.
Of the new cases, 190 were reported from Lucknow.
In the past 24 hours, 1,397 Covid-19 patients have recovered from the infection, taking the overall recoveries to 5,50,587, it said.
Bengal reports 1,515 new Covid-19 cases, 41 fresh fatalities
West Bengal's Covid-19 tally rose to 5,38,343 on Monday as 1,515 more people tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said.
Forty-one more patients succumbed to the infection, pushing the state's coronavirus death toll to 9,401, it said.
As many as 2,342 more people were cured of the disease, taking the recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state to 95.11 per cent, the bulletin said.
The state now has 16,903 active cases, while 5,12,039 people have recovered from the disease so far, it said.
TN govt bans New Year revelries on beaches, resorts due to Covid-19
The Tamil Nadu government on Monday banned New Year revelries on beaches, hotels, clubs and resorts on the night of December 31 and January 1, 2021 as part of efforts to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
There will be no entry to the beaches on these days, and no midnight revelries would be allowed on beach roads, restaurants, hotels, clubs, resorts including beach resorts, and similar places on New years eve and the following day, according to an official statement here.
This order restraining gathering of people in large numbers was passed to minimise the spread of the pandemic.
Punjab records 338 fresh Covid-19 cases, 11 more deaths
Punjab recorded 338 fresh Covid-19 cases on Monday which took the state's infection tally to 1,63,378, while 11 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 5,212, according to a medical bulletin.
Currently, there are 5,408 active Covid-19 cases in the state, the bulletin said.
Tripura's Covid-19 tally rises to 33,175, death toll at 377
Tripura's Covid-19 tally mounted to 33,175 after 30 more tested positive for the virus on Monday, a health department official said.
Two fresh fatalities pushed the coronavirus death toll to 377, he said.
West Tripura district, comprising state capital Agartala, has accounted for 189 Covid-19 deaths, the official said.
The state now has 237 active cases, while 32,538 people have recovered from the disease. Twenty-three patients have migrated to other states.
Ahmedabad reports 211 Covid-19 cases, 4 deaths; 205 recover
The Covid-19 tally in Gujarat's Ahmedabad rose by 211 to reach 55,796, while the death of four patients took the toll to 2,214, an official said.
The number of people discharged reached 50,579, including 205 during the day, he added.
"The city accounted for 204 of the new cases and 202 of the recoveries, while the rest were from rural areas. The city's north-west zone has 420 active cases, followed by 413 in south-west and 410 in west," said an Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation official.
EU scrambles to coordinate response to UK virus strain
The European Union scrambled Monday to hammer out a coordinated response to a mutated strain of the coronavirus sweeping Britain, after countries cut transport links from the UK.
Experts from the bloc's 27 member states held a three-hour crisis meeting in Brussels to come up with options on how to standardise the measures put in place to try to curb the spread of the new variant.
"Participants stated their support for rapid action towards a coordinated EU approach in relation to measures applied to connections with the UK and called for guidelines from the Commission," a European diplomat said.
Gujarat reports 960 Covid-19 cases, 1,268 recoveries; 7 die
Gujarat recorded 960 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking its tally to 2,36,259, the state health department said.
The state has recorded the daily Covid-19 cases in three digits after a gap of over one month.
The death toll rose to 4,241 with seven more Covid-19 patients succumbing to the infection, said the department in a release here.
Rs 8.8 crore recovered in fines for violating Covid norms in Gujarat
Fines to the tune of Rs 8.82 crore have been collected between December 14 and 20 by police in Gujarat from people violating the mask rule amid the coronavirus outbreak and those spitting in public, an official said on Monday.
A release issued by the state police said fines were collected from 88,593 people, with Rs 1.25 crore collected on an average from 12,500 violators per day.
Nagaland's Covid-19 recovery rate reaches a record high of 94.4%
Nagaland on Monday recorded an all-time high Covid-19 recovery rate of 94.4 per cent as 50 patients recuperated from the disease, while 16 fresh infections pushed the state's tally to 11,858, a health official said.
On Sunday, Nagaland's Covid-19 recovery rate was 93.75 per cent. Altogether 11,194 coronavirus patients have recovered till date, while the number of active Covid-19 cases has come down to 462, Director of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Denis Hangsing said in the daily Covid-19 bulletin.
Truckers stranded in UK wonder if they will get home for Christmas
Stanislaw Olbrich, a 55-year-old truck driver stranded 24 miles north of Dover after much of the world shut borders to Britain, just wants to get home for Christmas with his wife and three children in southern Poland.
Many countries, including the rest of Europe, closed their borders to Britain after Prime Minister Boris Johnson effectively cancelled Christmas for millions because of an infectious new coronavirus strain.
Andhra Pradesh's active Covid-19 cases drop below 4,000 mark
Andhra Pradesh on Monday saw the addition of 214 fresh Covid-19 cases, which pushed its overall tally to 8,78,937, while the active cases skid below the 4,000 mark. The latest bulletin said 422 patients recovered and two more succumbed in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Monday. The active cases dipped to 3,992 after a total of 8,67,867 recoveries and 7,078 deaths, it said.
Maharashtra govt imposes night curfew between 11 pm & 6 am till January 5 in all municipal corporations
Maharashtra Government announces night curfew between 11 pm to 6 am in the state in all municipal corporations from December 22, 2020, to January 5, 2021.
Delhi reports 803 new Covid-19 cases, 1,669 recoveries and 27 deaths
Not too late to contain new strain: virus mutation tracker
It is not too late for Europe to contain the new variant of Covid-19 exploding in southeast England, a top coronavirus mutation tracker told AFP.
However, there is a fair chance that the strain is already circulating under the radar in other countries, said Emma Hodcroft.
The US-British molecular epidemiologist, based at the University of Bern, is a co-developer on the Nextstrain project, analysing SARS-CoV-2 sequences from around the world to monitor variations that emerge.
The expert has been tracking the current British and South African mutations.
France's Macron still displays Covid-19 symptoms
French President Emmanuel Macron was still displaying some coronavirus symptoms but his overall condition was stable, government spokesman Gabriel Attal told reporters on Monday.
Macron, 43, has tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday and has gone into quarantine at the presidential retreat of La Lanterne, close to the Palace of Versailles.
Once vaccine comes, Covid-19 will go away: Athawale
Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Monday said a Covid-19 vaccine will be available in the country in one or two months.
Once the vaccine comes, "corona will go from here (the country)", he told reporters in Panaji.
A vaccine against Covid-19 will be introduced in the country in next one or two months, he said.
"The coronavirus will be there for another six-seven months, but it has to go one day. Once the vaccine comes, corona will go from here," the minister said.
Athawale had in February this year coined the slogan 'Go Corona Go'.
Russia to suspend flights with UK for one week: Government
Russia on Monday announced it will suspend flights with the UK for one week over the emergence of a more infectious strain of the coronavirus there.
A government decree said Russia would "temporarily suspend flights with the UK due to the worsening epidemiological situation" starting from midnight local time (2100 GMT) on Monday.
Thai PM blames migrant workers for market coronavirus outbreak
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha on Monday blamed a coronavirus outbreak linked to the kingdom's largest seafood market on low-paid migrant workers employed in the country's lucrative shrimp industry.
Thailand has been on high alert since Thursday when a 67-year-old prawn seller from Mahachai market tested positive for coronavirus.
Contact tracing and mass testing found more than 800 cases so far linked to the site -- a major outbreak for a country which previously had just 4,000 confirmed infections.
Russia reports record jump in new coronavirus cases
Russia on Monday reported a new record increase in coronavirus infections, as some experts said the pandemic had hit the country harder that government statistics suggest.
Health officials reported 493 new virus deaths and 29,350 cases, bringing total infections to 2,877,727 -- the fourth-highest in the world.
Total fatalities stood at 51, 351.
Moscow and the second city of Saint Petersburg were the hardest hit, recording 7,797 and 3,752 new cases.
Myanmar's biggest city closes parks to keep lid on coronavirus
Myanmar closed off public gardens, parks and a lake in its biggest city Yangon on Monday, hoping to prevent a spike in coronavirus cases during year-end holidays.
City officials trying to protect recent gains in containing Covid-19 infections put up barricades, signs and cordons around the Mahabandula park and along the banks of the Inya lake, among other popular sites known for drawing holiday crowds.
Covid-19 spikes follow in prisons after inmate transfers
Families of men incarcerated at Michigan's Kinross Correctional Facility believed its remote location would spare it from a deadly Covid-19 outbreak. For a while, they seemed to be right.
Kinross, built on the grounds of a former Air Force base in the Upper Peninsula, is closer to Canada than it is to Detroit. Unlike most prisons in Michigan, Kinross had remained almost unscathed by the novel coronavirus with only one case between March and October.
Australia confirms two cases of new coronavirus strain
Australia confirmed on Monday it has detected two cases of a fast-spreading new coronavirus strain that has forced Britain to reverse plans to ease curbs over Christmas, the first confirmed cases of the strain in the Asia-Pacific region.
Australia's most populous state on Sunday reported six new cases of the novel coronavirus in people returning from overseas and in quarantine, and authorities said among them were two cases of the fast-spreading new strain.
Police officers walk through an almost deserted St Pancras International station in London, after all Eurostar services to Europe were cancelled as a string of countries banned travellers arriving from the UK, due to the rapid spread of a more-infectious
AFP Photo
New, more contagious coronavirus strain in UK does not appear to be deadlier: Vivek Murthy
Indian-American physician Vivek Murthy, US President-elect Joe Biden's pick for Surgeon General, has said there is no evidence to suggest that a new and more contagious coronavirus variant reported in the UK is any deadlier.
Murthy, 43, said that there was no reason to believe that the coronavirus vaccines that have already been developed would not be effective against the new strain as well.
"This news from the UK appears to be about a new strain of the virus that’s more transmissible, more contagious than the virus we’ve seen prior to this," he said.
"While it seems to be more transmissible, we do not have evidence yet that this is a more deadly virus to an individual who acquires it," Murthy said.
With winter at hand, the virus whips up winds of uncertainty
Coronavirus cases spiking nationwide. A chill, existential and literal, setting in once more. And now: a winter likely to be streaked by a soundtrack of sirens instead of silver bells.
It was winter when the pandemic began, and it will be winter long before it's over. Weary and traumatised from months of death and confinement, Americans are being handed mixed messages, from governments to their own internal clocks running haywire on flattened time.
Shouldn't it be over by now? After all, vaccines are here. But before the average person will get inoculated, winter will exact its toll.
Countries begin to seal off UK amid new coronavirus variant surge
France became the latest European country to close all its borders with the UK after Germany, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Bulgaria, the Irish Republic, Turkey and Canada suspended flights amid growing concerns of an "out of control" new variant of coronavirus spreading at a much faster pace in parts of England.
India too suspended flights arriving from UK for the rest of the year.
Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, headed by Rajya Sabha MP Anand Sharma, presented 229th report on ‘Management of Covid-19 pandemic & related issues’ to Rajya Sabha Chairman today through video conferencing
(ANI)
France will start its Covid-19 vaccination programme next Sunday, Health Minister Olivier Veran wrote on his Twitter feed.
Veran added in his Tweet on Monday that the French vaccination programme would start off with the most vulnerable members of the population, such as the elderly.
(Reuters)
Qatar, Oman to receive Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine this week
Qatar's Ministry of Public Health granted emergency use authorisation for the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech and is due to receive the first shipment on Monday, state media reported.
Tourists visit Taj Mahal, amid the coronavirus pandemic, in Agra. Credit: PTI Photo
Cocoon Auction Market reopens in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, after a gap of over two months due to Covid-19.
One company's quest for an antibody drug to fight Covid-19
On a Saturday afternoon in March, as Covid-19 was bearing down on New York City, a dozen scientists anxiously crowded around a computer in a suburban drug company's lab.
Hong Kong bans flights from Britain over new coronavirus strain
Hong Kong on Monday said it would ban all flights from Britain following the discovery of a new and highly infectious strain of the coronavirus there.
Italy sees patient with new strain of virus found in UK
Italy has detected a patient infected with the new strain of the coronavirus also found in Britain, the health ministry said on Sunday.
As of now, no decision has been made regarding the flights to UK in view of the latest outbreak of Covid-19 cases in UK: Air India official
Like so much else, visits with Santa go virtual due to Covid
As the pandemic rages, children's visits with Santa Claus are going virtual — to protect both them and the men in high-risk groups who dress up as old St. Nick.
Covid-19 vaccines should work against new strain of virus: French Health Minister Olivier Veran
French Health Minister Olivier Veran told Europe 1 radio on Monday that current Covid-19 vaccines should work against a new strain of the virus, recently found in the United Kingdom.
Himachal Pradesh records 30 new Covid-19 cases today, taking total cases to 52,359 including 46,510 recovered patients and 866 deaths. Number of active cases stands at 4,936: State Health Department
(ANI)
Russia on Monday reported a record 29,350 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, including 7,797 in Moscow, pushing the total number of cases to 2,877,727 since the pandemic began.
Authorities confirmed 493 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 51,351.
(Reuters)
Pakistan reports 1,792 new cases of coronavirus
Pakistan has reported 1,792 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the nation to 458,968, the health ministry said on Monday.
The Ministry of National Health Services also said that a total of 62 new patients have died due to the contagious disease.
(PTI)
Britain holds crisis meeting over virus travel ban
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was to chair a crisis meeting Monday as a growing number of countries from France to Argentina blocked flights to Britain over a new highly infectious coronavirus strain the UK said was "out of control".
The World Health Organization also called for stronger containment measures across Europe, which has passed 500,000 deaths from Covid-19.
(AFP)
UK cut off from Europe over fears about new Covid-19 strain
The United Kingdom was on Monday shut off from much of Europe after its closest allies cut transport ties due to fears about a new strain of the coronavirus, sowing chaos for families and companies just days before it exits the European Union's orbit.
France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Israel and Canada shut off travel ties after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Saturday that a highly infectious new strain of the virus was a danger to the country.
(Reuters)
Denmark to halt flights from Britain on Monday morning
Flights from Britain to Denmark will be suspended for 48 hours starting Mondayto limit the spread of a new strain of coronavirus, the country's transport minister said on Twitter early Monday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that the new strain had led to spiralling infection numbers.
(Reuters)
Work on Covid-19 vaccine for children to begin by mid-2021 in India: Report
India is yet to approve a coronavirus vaccine as trials are under different stages of finalisation. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan assured that India may be able to start the Covid-19 vaccination drive as early as January. But when will the vaccines be available for children?
New coronavirus strain 70% more infectious: Here's all you need to know
The United Kingdom has gone back into strict lockdown due to the discovery of the new strain of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, weeks after it started vaccinating against the virus.
Odisha recorded 363 new Covid-19 cases, 338 recoveries and 3 deaths on December 20, as per State Health Department.
Total cases: 3,26,596
Total recoveries: 3,21,647
Active cases: 3,057
Death toll: 1,839
The government is alert. There is no need to panic: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on the discovery of the new strain of coronavirus in UK
UK passengers held at German airports amid new coronavirus strain scare
"Please help us leave!" says a woman in a video shared online, one of the dozens of passengers from Britain stranded in German airports on Sunday night.
A man wears a face mask supplied by Bassem Raaof dressed in a Batman costume, who is handing out face masks to residents of his neighbourhood during Christmas season, amid the coronavirus pandemic in Cairo, Egypt. Credit: Reuters Photo
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urges Modi govt to ban all flights from UK immediately over new coronavirus strain scare.
Canada to halt entry of UK flights over coronavirus variant
Canada will halt the entry of passenger flights from Britain for 72 hours from midnight Sunday, authorities announced, the latest nation to take action over a new fast-spreading strain of coronavirus in the UK.
Maharashtra: 403 new Covid-19 cases, 7 more deaths in Thane
The Covid-19 caseload in Thane district of Maharashtra has gone up to 2,38,931 with the addition of 403 new cases, an official said on Monday.
Puducherry reports 14 new Covid-19 cases, 26 discharges and one death in the last 24 hours, according to Puducherry government.
Active cases: 332
Death toll: 627
A total of 316 new Covid-19 cases, 612 discharges and 2 deaths were reported in Telangana yesterday, says State Health Department.
Total cases: 2,81,730
Total recoveries: 2,73,625
Active cases: 6,590
Death toll: 1,515
State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths on December 21
The total number of confirmed positive cases in India reaches 1,00,56,621; death toll stands at 145,810 as of December 21.
Fresh Covid-19 cases drop 8.5% in India in the last 24 hours.
Regulators looking into emergency use authorisation sought by Pfizer for Covid-19 vaccine: Harsh Vardhan
Masks mandatory in Maharashtra for next 6 months, says CM Uddhav Thackeray
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said wearing masks will be mandatory for the next six months in the state.
People wearing face masks ride on scooters on a cold winter day, following the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, in Beijing, China. Credit: Reuters Photo
Canada's Justin Trudeau to be vaccinated publicly 'when turn comes'
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will receive the Covid-19 shot in public once those in his age group are in line to be vaccinated, he said in an interview broadcast Sunday.
Will cricket's bio-bubble burst in 2021?
International cricket found a way through this year's coronavirus pandemic but the strain of 'bubble life' was evident by the end of 2020.
India's active Covid-19 caseload currently stands at 3,03,639.
A total of 25,709 people recovered in the last 24 hours. The recovery tally currently stands at 96,06,111.
With 333 latest fatalities, India's death toll rose to 1,45,810.
India sees 24,337 new Covid-19 cases, taking the tally to 1,00,55,560.
A total of 16,20,98,329 samples tested for Covid-19 up to December 20. Of these, 9,00,134 samples were tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
What's in the $900 billion US Covid-19 aid package?
US congressional leaders said on Sunday they had reached agreement on a $900 billion package to provide the first new aid in months to an economy hammered by the novel coronavirus pandemic, with votes likely on Monday.
Saudi Arabia halts international flights over coronavirus variant
Saudi Arabia on Sunday halted international flights and suspended entry through its land and sea ports for at least a week, after a new fast-spreading strain of coronavirus appeared in Britain.
‘Big fight’ breaks out over which interest groups get Covid-19 vaccine first
The chief executive of Uber, the ride-hailing company whose six New York lobbying firms include Albany’s best connected, wrote last week to Gov. Andrew Cuomo with an ask: priority for its drivers in the next round of coronavirus vaccinations.
US Congress seals agreement on Covid-19 relief, government funding
Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal Sunday on an almost $1 trillion Covid-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them.
India has prioritised 30 crore citizens: Harsh Vardhan
After consultation with experts, we've prioritised 30 crore people for Covid-19 vaccine. It includes health workers, frontline workers like police, military & sanitation staff, people above 50 yrs & those who are below 50 yrs but are suffering from certain diseases: Health Minister
Polio & Covid-19 are two different diseases. It was scientifically possible to eradicate polio... Ultimately, coronavirus will also subside & we'll come across its sporadic occurrences: Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to ANI on being asked if Covid can be eradicated like polio
Christian youths wearing facemasks as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 participate in an online global Christmas carol singing celebrations ahead of the Christmas at a church in Ahmedabad on December 20, 2020. Credit: AFP Photo
The Central government along with state governments has been making preparations at state, district and block levels for the past 4 months: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to ANI on Covid-19 vaccination
We've formed task forces at state, district & block levels. Thousands of master trainers have been trained across the country. We've conducted training at state level & trained over 20,000 workers in about 260 districts, he added.
In first week of January, India may be in position to give Covid-19 vaccine shot to people: Harsh Vardhan
Our first priority has been safety & effectiveness of vaccines. We don't want to compromise on that. I personally feel, maybe in any week of January, we can be in position to give first Covid-19 vaccine shot to people of India: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to ANI
India has the highest recovery rate in the world, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan tell ANI news agency.
What does a mutating coronavirus mean for us?
Just as vaccines begin to offer hope for a path out of the pandemic, officials in Britain this past weekend sounded an urgent alarm about what they called a highly contagious new variant of the coronavirus circulating in England.
Joe Biden to receive Covid-19 vaccine; Donald Trump remains on sidelines
The leader of the Trump administration's vaccination program says people who have been infected with the coronavirus — a group that includes President Donald Trump — should receive the vaccine.
Health Ministry calls urgent meeting on Monday to discuss new coronavirus strain in UK
The Union Health Ministry has called an urgent meeting of its Joint Monitoring Group on Monday to discuss the emergence of a mutated variant of the coronavirus in the UK, which has led to a surge in the infection rate there.