Coronavirus news highlights: 1,870 new Covid-19 cases in Karnataka, 17 deaths

PM Modi on Tuesday held a meeting with eight Chief Ministers where the coronavirus outbreak is severe. With 37,975 new Covid-19 infections, India's total cases rise to 91,77,841.With 480 new deaths, toll mounts to 1,34,218. Total active cases at 4,38,667 Total discharged cases at 86,04,955 with 42,314 new discharges in last 24 hours.

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No fresh Covid-19 lockdown in Maharashtra but curbs in offing: Tope

There will be no fresh lockdown in Maharashtra but some restrictions will be introduced to keep a check on the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the state, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Tuesday.

Maharashtra has seen a steady rise in Covid-19 cases in the last one week, increasing the woes of the state administration and fuelling talks of fresh curbs on public life as happening in some other states which have imposed night curfews in select cities to stem the infection spread.

AFI VP Pramod Jadam dies of Covid-19 complications

Athletics Federation of India vice president and Rajasthan association secretary Pramod Jadam died of Covid-19 related complications in Ajmer on Tuesday, sources said.

According to sources in the AFI, Jadam tested positive for Covid-19 last month and died of complications related to the dreaded virus.

Covid-19 cases decreasing since mid October: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the Covid-19 cases in the state were showing a declining trend since the second week of October.

Participating in a virtual meeting held by Modi with chief ministers of states witnessing a spike in Covid-19 cases, he sought central funds to help the needy who have lost their kin to the disease and also assistance to ease the financial burden due to the delay in the GST compensation.

Delhi schools unlikely to reopen until vaccine against Covid-19 available, says Sisodia

Schools in the national capital which are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic are unlikely to reopen until a vaccine is available, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Tuesday.

Universities and schools across the country were closed on March 16, when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"Until we get some vaccine, schools (in Delhi) are not likely to open,” Sisodia, who is also Delhi's Education Minister, told reporters.

No free Covid-19 tests for travel purpose, says Goa minister

The Goa Medical College and Hospital will not conduct any coronavirus test for travel purpose and those wanting to get themselves tested can do so after paying a fee at district hospitals, state health minister Vishwajit Rane said here on Tuesday.

Officials said there is a surge in test requests from people of Maharashtra who have been holidaying here since the neighbouring state has made it mandatory for people coming in from Goa to confirm their coronavirus negative status.

Mumbai reports 939 new Covid-19 cases, 19 deaths

Mumbai on Tuesday reported 939 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 2,77,446, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

With 19 more people succumbing to the viral infection, the overall death toll rose to 10,706, it said.

A total of 404 patients were discharged from hospitals after treatment in the last 24 hours, taking the tally of recoveries in the city to 2,52,903, the civic body said.

Haryana reports 33 Covid-19 deaths, 2,329 fresh cases

Haryana on Tuesday reported 33 more Covid-19 fatalities, the highest single-day fatality count so far, taking the death toll to 2,249 while 2,329 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 2,22,292.

Of the 33 deaths, five were reported from worst-hit Faridabad district, three from Gurgaon, four from Hisar and two each from Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Fatehabad and Charkhi Dadri, among others, according to the state health department's daily bulletin.

1,870 new Covid-19 cases in Karnataka, 17 deaths

Karnataka reported 1,870 new cases of Covid-19 and 17 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 8,76,425 and the death toll to 11,695, the health department said on Tuesday.

The day also saw 1,949 patients getting discharged after recovery.

Out of 1,870 fresh cases reported on Tuesday, 927 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone.

Tamil Nadu records 1,557 new Covid-19 cases

Tamil Nadu logged 1,557 new Covid-19 cases, taking the overall infection count to 7,73,176,while 17 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 11,639, the health department said on Tuesday.

Recoveries continued to eclipse new infections with 1,910 people walking out of health care facilities, taking the overall tally to 7,49,662 till date, a bulletin said.

Gujarat's Covid-19 tally tops 2-lakh mark with 1,510 cases

Gujarat's Covid-19 tally crossed the 2-lakh mark and rose to 2,00,409 with the addition of 1,510 new cases on Tuesday, the state health department said.

This is the second time in three days that the state has reported over 1,500 new cases in a day. Also, 1,510 is the second highest daily count recorded since the outbreak of the viral infection in March.

Maharashtra reports 5,439 new Covid-19 cases, 30 fatalities

Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 5,439 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 17,89,800, state health department said.

With 30 more people succumbing to the infection, the overall toll rose to 46,683.

A total of 4,086 patients were discharged in the day after treatment, taking the tally of recoveries in the state to 16,58,879. The number of active patients now stands at 83,221.

J&K records 431 new Covid-19 cases, 10 more die

Jammu and Kashmir recorded 431 fresh cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the tally to 1,07,330 while 10 more deaths in the last 24 hours raised the toll to 1,651, officials said.

The Jammu division accounted for 253 of the fresh cases, while the Kashmir division recorded 178 new infections, they said.

The officials said Jammu district recorded a maximum of 122 Covid-19 cases, followed by 84 in Srinagar.

Nagaland reports 75 new Covid-19 cases; tally rises to 10,931

Nagaland's Covid-19 tally rose to 10,931 on Tuesday as 75 more people tested positive for the infection, Health minister S Pangnyu Phom said.

"79 positive cases of # Covid-19 detected today. Kohima - 61, Peren - 9, Dimapur - 8, Mon - 1. Also, 50 +ve patients have recovered. Dimapur - 41, Kohima - 5, Peren - Mokokchung - 2 each," the minister tweeted.

Of the total 10,931 Covid-19 cases, 9,291 people have recovered from the disease, while 1,471 are active cases, he said.

528 more test positive for Covid-19 in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand's Covid-19 tally rose to 72,160 on Tuesday with 528 more people testing positive for the infection, while 11 more patients died.

Deharadun district reported the highest number of 192 cases, Haridwar 83, Udham Singh Nagar 69, Pithoragarh 49, Nainital 37, Pauri 24, Almora 20, Chamoli 20, Uttarkashi 11, Bageshwar seven, Tehri six, Rudraprayag five and Champawat five, a state health department bulletin said.

BJP govt should promise free Covid-19 vaccination in UP: Akhilesh Yadav

The government "should not play with lives" of the people and increase Covid-19 testing, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Tuesday, demanding that the BJP dispensation in Uttar Pradesh should promise "free vaccination".

In a tweet in Hindi, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also said the BJP government should ensure that the coronavirus vaccination does not become "a victim of corruption".

Andhra Pradesh adds 1,085 fresh Covid-19 cases, tally rises to 8.63 lakh

Andhra Pradesh reported 1,085 fresh cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, taking the gross positives so far to 8,63,843. In the 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday, 1,447 patients got cured and eight more succumbed in the state, the latest bulletin said.

The state Covid-19 table showed 8,43,863 total recoveries and 6,956 deaths, with 13,024 active cases. Krishna district has been showing a rather upward spiral in daily cases as it added 224 in 24 hours, the highest in the state. It also reported two more Covid-19 deaths.

Dharavi reports two new Covid-19 cases

With the addition of two fresh Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, the tally of infections in Mumbai's Dharavi slum sprawl has reached 3,656, a civic official said.

The day before, Dharavi had reported eight cases.

Of the total number of coronavirus cases reported in the slum colony in central Mumbai, 3,331 patients have recovered from the infection so far, the official said.

Passengers arrive at railway station after the authorities resumed partial rail services that were affected after the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, in Jammu.

Credit: PTI Photo

India has put to use significant scientific calibre in response to Covid-19 pandemic: Vardhan

From development of indigenous vaccines to novel point-of-care diagnostics and therapeutic formulations, India has put to use its significant scientific calibre in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Union minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday.

Addressing the first virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Young Scientist Conclave, the minister of Science and Technology said the Covid-19 pandemic is a test, demonstrating that multilateral cooperation is the key to overcoming such global challenges.

Covid-19 vaccine may be available in a month, says Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday said that the Covid-19 vaccine may be available in a month.

Speaking to media persons, at the Mysuru Airport, at Mandakalli, on the outskirts of the city, the CM said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed the CMs of all states, in a video conference, to make arrangements to administer the vaccine in phases, on priority".

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Have undergone 22 Covid tests in past four and half months: Ganguly

BCCI President and former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday revealed that he underwent as many as 22 Covid -19 tests in the past four and a half months while trying to navigate his professional commitments amid the raging pandemic.

Ganguly was kept busy by the conduct of the Indian Premier League in the UAE from mid-September to early November.

Italy set for 16 million AstraZeneca Covid-19 shots in early 2021

Italy is set to receive 16 million shots of the potential Covid-19 vaccine developed by British drugmaker AstraZeneca in the first months of 2021 as part of a supply deal agreed at a European Union level, a government source said.

This initial supply will immunize 8 million people as the AstraZeneca vaccine requires an initial shot followed by a booster, the source said on Tuesday.

Italy, the first Western country to be hit by the pandemic, became the sixth in the world to surpass 50,000 coronavirus related deaths on Monday, and second in Europe after Britain.

12 doctors on Covid-19 duty thrown out of rest house over rent

Twelve doctors on Covid-19 duty in Ulhasnagar township in Thane district were turned out in the middle of the night by the management of the rest house they were staying in as the local civic corporation failed to pay six months rent, officials said on Tuesday.

The doctors were deployed by Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation and their monthly rent was to be paid by it, they said.

UK health minister says test and trace can't control Covid-19 alone

British health minister Matt Hancock said that 'test and trace' cannot control the coronavirus in the way that an effective system of mass testing can, as he defended the performance of the heavily criticised contact tracing system.

The test and trace system was inefficient and slow, Reuters found after speaking to tracers and analysing the data, making it inadequate to avoid a second wave and a new English national lockdown which started on Nov 5.

EU has reached deal with Moderna for supply of Covid-19 vaccine

The European Commission has reached a deal with US biotech firm Moderna for the supply of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, an EU official told Reuters on Tuesday.

Swedish watchdog finds serious failures in Covid care at nursing homes

Sweden's health watchdog said on Tuesday it had uncovered "serious shortcomings" in Covid-19 care for residents of nursing homes where thousands have died, increasing pressure on the country's unorthodox pandemic strategy.

Nursing homes were ravaged by the initial wave of the coronavirus, prompting Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's sombre admission in May that the country failed to protect its elderly.

After devotees, Covid-19 negative report mandatory for shop employees in Sabarimala

After Lord Ayyappa pilgrims, a Covid-19 negative test report has been made mandatory for those working in temporary shops operating in Sabarimala and the temple premises now.

With the annual pilgrimage season progressing at the Lord Ayyappa temple here, a high level committee, which reviewed the arrangements made for devotees, took a decision in this regard on Monday.

The meeting, led by Additional District Magistrate Arun K Vijayan and Police Special Officer B Krishnakumar, evaluated that the pilgrimage was progressing well adhering to Covid-19 protocols and the hill temple was fully prepared for more devotees arriving here in the coming days.

Diabetic eye disease associated with five-fold risk of severe Covid-19: Study

People with diabetic eye disease have a five-fold increased risk of requiring intubation when hospitalised with Covid-19, according to a new study which calls for better clinical monitoring of patients with this complication.

The study, published in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice on Tuesday, identified for the first time the risk associated with diabetic retinopathy and Covid-19.

Russia says Sputnik V virus vaccine 95% effective

Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is 95 percent effective according to a second interim analysis of clinical trial data, its developers said on Tuesday.

The calculations were based on preliminary data obtained 42 days after the first dose, Russia's health ministry, the state-run Gamaleya research centre and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a statement.

The COVID-19 situation in Gujarat is under control and enough number of beds are available for patients, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said during his virtual interaction with PM Narendra Modi.

Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao on Tuesday announced that the state government is ready with an action plan to administer scientifically approved Covid-19 vaccine to the people and felt that that verification should be done on whether it has any side effects before being administered.

As a result of joint efforts, today India is in a better situation than other countries when it comes to recovery and fatality rates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a virtual meeting with CMs.

We have been told to make a strategy to make the vaccine available to the general public. As it is not possible to give the vaccine to all at once. In the first phase, the vaccine will be provided to health care personnel and people who need it the most: Haryana CM Khattar.

We are ready to work with Central and all other stakeholders to ensure speedy and universal vaccination for everyone as soon as the vaccine is available: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

PM Modi wants India to be ready to implement the vaccination on a priority basis in different sectors: Bommai

PM Modi wants India to be ready to implement the vaccination on a priority basis in different sectors. Priority sectors are health workers, people above 50 years and persons with comorbid conditions. PM has given clear directions on it: Karnataka Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Pollution played key role in severity of third wave of Covid-19 in Delhi: Kejriwal to PM

At a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwalon Tuesday said the high severity of the third wave of Covid-19 in the national capital is due to many factors, pollution being an important one, sources said.

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SC notice to Centre for fixing uniform price of RT-PCR test

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Union government on a petition filed by lawyer Ajay Agrawal for a direction to the Centre to fix the maximum rate for the RT-PCR test to Rs 400 for all Covid-19 patients uniformly across India.

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Supreme Court seeks response from the Centre on hearing a lawyer's plea seeking direction to cap the RT-PCR Covid-19 test price at Rs 400 across the country, instead of varying rates.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray is in constant touch with Adar Poonawalla: CMO

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray informed PM Narendra Modi that he is in constant touch with Adar Poonawalla of Serum Institute and that the state has formed a task force to ensure timely distribution of vaccine and executing the vaccination programme: Maharashtra CMO. Picture credit: PTI.

India must employ more women to drive economic recovery

The lack of employability in the formal sector is a harsh reality for the youth of the country. The Economic Survey of 2019 shows that 93 per cent of India’s workforce operates in the informal sector, with uncertain income, lack of social security, and inadequate savings.

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Covid-19 vaccines offer hope as world leaders plan for future

Hopes over Covid-19 vaccines have given a boost to virus-weary citizens across the globe, but the disease remains rampant and world leaders are urging people to be patient.

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Covid-19 vaccine race heats up — When will one be ready?

The coronavirus outbreak has gripped the world for months now, and different countries are racing to produce Covid-19 vaccine to save mankind. As different agencies have started announcing more improved efficacies of their vaccines, it is expected that the distribution of the vaccine will startsoon. Let us see where the respective vaccine candidates stand at the moment.

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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal informed PM Modi that Delhi saw a peak of 8,600 Covid-19 cases on 10 November in the third peak. Since then cases and positivity rate are steadily decreasing. The high severity of third wave is due to many factors including pollution: Chief Minister's Office.

Odisha reported 642 new Covid-19 infections on November 23, taking total positive cases to 3,15,271, out of which 6,821 are active cases. 3,06,726 people have recovered while 1,671 deaths have been recorded: State Health Department.

Considering the Covid-19 pandemic, Madhya Pradesh government has decided to extend the parole granted to 4000 prisoners by another 60 days: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra.

India's Covid-19 cases climbed to 91.77 lakh; death toll at 1,34,218

The number of active cases remained below 5 lakh for the fourteenth consecutive day.There are4,38,667active cases of coronavirus infection in the country ason datewhich comprises 4.78per cent of the total caseload,the data stated.

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Mumbai’s Covid-19 curve may be flattening but pandemic rages in rest of MMR

The Mumbai-MMR comprises five districts – Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban and large parts of the three neighbouring districts of Thane, Palghar and Raigad. Spread over 6,355 sq km, it has ninemunicipal corporations, ninemunicipal councils and over a 1,000 villages where more than two crore people live – making it one of the most populous and fastest-growing areas of the world. Since it is the financial and business capital of the country, at this stage, curbs within MMR may not be a good idea.

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With 37,975 new Covid-19 infections, India's total cases rise to 91,77,841.With 480 new deaths, toll mounts to 1,34,218. Total active cases at 4,38,667 Total discharged cases at 86,04,955 with 42,314 new discharges in last 24 hours.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal orders immediate procurement of 1200 BiPAP machines for new ICU beds in the national capital. The BiPAP machines will be procured immediately from CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) on nomination basis: Delhi Chief Minister's Office.

Antibodies good. Machine-made molecules better?

The coronavirus might be new, but nature long ago gave humans the tools to recognise it, at least on a microscopic scale: antibodies, Y-shaped immune proteins that can latch onto pathogens and block them from infiltrating cells.

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Job trends in 2021

In recent years, both businesses and jobs have been in a state of flux. In order to stay ahead during the time of crises and uncertainties, both organisations and employees need to understand important career trends during the period and what they can expect in the future. This year, the pandemic has triggered transformation in almost all sectors.

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Big push for health in FY22 Budget: Official

“The Budget will have a special focus on the infrastructure sector. Health infrastructure is top on the government’s mind. There would be a substantial increase. The government is pushing for a bigger public-private-partnership model for the health care sector,” an official told DH.

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DH Coronavirus vaccine updates

Want to know what is going on in the development of coronavirus vaccine? Get all the updates here.

AstraZeneca promises Covid-19 vaccine at cost price worldwide

Hopes of an effective vaccine against coronavirus becoming available rose again on Monday with AstraZeneca and Oxford University claiming success with their product, becoming the third team to do so.

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