Coronavirus news highlights: Karnataka reports 3,130 fresh cases, 42 deaths in the last 24 hours

India's Covid-19 tally crossed 79 lakh with 45,148 new cases and 480 new fatalities. India's daily deaths went below 500 after 3.5 months. India's active cases remain below 7 lakh for the fourth consecutive day. Active cases now comprise only 8.5% of the total positive cases in the country.

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Maharashtra govt reduces Covid-19 testing rates for 4th time

State health minister Rajesh Tope, in a statement, said the new rates will be Rs 900, Rs 1400 and Rs 1800 per test, adding it was the fourth time rates had been revised from the original Rs 4,500.

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Coronavirus: Kolkata's wait for Durga Puja 2021 begins

This year in Kolkata, the Durga Puja was marred by the coronavirus pandemic. The crowd turnout in the pandals was massively low compared to the previous years. Still, Bengalis celebrated their grandest festival with as much pomp and glory as were possible to conjure in such difficult times.

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Maharashtra reports under 100 Covid-19 deaths and less than 5,000 cases

The cumulative tally of Covid-19 cases now stand at 16,48,665 and deaths 43,348.

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2,832 new Covid-19 cases take Delhi's tally to 3.59 lakh; death toll rises to 6,312 with 54 more fatalities: Authorities

Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister R Doraikkannu, undergoing treatment for "severe COVID-19 pneumonia and its complications", continues to be critically ill, says Chennai hospital where he is admitted

Officers from the district magistrate office hold Covid-19-themed mascots and an effigy of Hindu demon King Ravana on a road during an awareness campaign against coronavirus and rising air pollution levels in New Delhi on October 26, 2020. AFP

2,708 new active Covid-19 cases and 32 deaths reported in Tamil Nadu Total cases in the state are now 7,11,713 with 29,268 active cases. 6,71,489 patients have discharged while the death toll stands at 10,956.

Karnataka reports 3,130 new Covid-19 cases, 42 deaths and 8,715 discharges in the last 24 hours. Total cases in the state rise to 8,05,947, with 7,19,558 discharges and 10,947 deaths. Active cases 75,423.

Lockdown to be imposed in the Aizwal Municipal Corporation area from 4:30 am tomorrow till 4:30 am of 3rd November: Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Mizoram

Air pollution may hinder India’s fight against Covid-19, say scientists

The causal link between air pollution and Covid-19 cases is yet to be established conclusively but long-term exposure will certainly make people more vulnerable to lung infections, warn scientists as the skies over large parts of northIndia, including Delhi, turn smoky and the air quality deteriorates rapidly.

Their concerns come amid several global studies pointing to the possible connection between higher air pollution levels and increased Covid-19 cases and deaths.

A study by researchers at Harvard University in the US in September showed that an increase of only one microgram per cubic metre in PM 2.5 is associated with an 8 per cent increase in the Covid-19 death rate.

“Given the current limited literature, the surge of PM2.5 level in Delhi may be associated with increased Covid-19 cases... Although the literature is relatively sparse at this stage,” Xiao Wu, corresponding author of the Harvard study, told PTI.

PTI

Lockdown: Gujarat High Court starts live streaming of its 'first court' on trial basis

The division bench, comprising chief justice Nath and justice J B Pardiwala, hears cases related to public interest litigations (PILs), special civil application challenging vires of act, statues, rules, land acquisition acts, service matters, among others.

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Coronavirus Lockdown: 74% of Indians still not willing to visit cinemas, says survey

Only 7% of the 8,274 responses from across the country said they would be visiting the theatres in the next two months.

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Uttar Pradesh registers 1,814 fresh Covid-19 cases in a day, taking state's infection tally to 4,72,075, while death toll rises to 6,902 with 21 more people succumbing to the disease: Officials

India's Covid-19 fatality rate at 1.50%, lowest since Mar 22: Health ministry

India's Covid-19 fatality rate has dropped to 1.50 per cent, the lowest since March 22, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday crediting the focused efforts of the Centre, states and UTs on effective clinical management of hospitalised cases.

There are 14 states and Union Territories including Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and Kerala where the Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) is lower than 1 per cent, the ministry said.

Encouraging trends emerge in Karnataka in fight against coronavirus

The steep decline in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Karnataka indicate that the infections are shifting from high population density areas to other places, a noted epidemiologist said.

After clocking up to 10,000 cases daily for over a week early this month with fatalities even touching 200 on certain occasions, the caseload has come down to about 5,000 to 6,000 in the last week.

Senior doctors of NDMC hospitals go on mass casual leave, threaten indefinite strike

Senior doctors of North Corporation-run hospitals went on a day-long casual leave en masse on Monday as the crisis over pending salaries of medics of civic-run facilities deepened with no resolution in sight, officials said.

R R Gautam, president of the Municipal Corporation Doctors' Association (MCDA) on Monday said, "If our demands are not met, we will go on indefinite strike from tomorrow."

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UK says on vaccine: we're not there yet, eyes first half of 2021

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday that a vaccine to tackle Covid-19 was "not there yet" but the government was getting ready to roll out it, with a central expectation for the first half of 2021.

"On my central expectation, I would expect the bulk of the roll out to be in the first half of next year," he said. Asked if some people could receive a vaccine this year he replied: "I don't rule that out but that is not my central expectation."

"We want to be ready in case everything goes perfectly but it's not my central expectation that we'll be doing that this year but the programme is progressing well, we're not there yet."

UK hospital told to prepare for Oxford Covid vaccine in November

Staff at a major London hospital trust have been told to be ready to receive the first batches of the vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc, The Sun newspaper reported on Monday.

The Sun said the hospital was told to prepare for the vaccine from the "week commencing the 2 November."

Philippines reports 1,607 new coronavirus cases, 62 more deaths

The Philippines' health ministry on Monday recorded 1,607 new coronavirus infections and 62 more deaths.

In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases had increased to 371,630, while deaths had reached 7,039. The Philippines has the second-highest number of Covid-19 infections and deaths in Southeast Asia after Indonesia.

Wary of angering public, Iran has few ways to contain coronavirus

As coronavirus infections reached new heights in Iran this month, overwhelming its hospitals and driving up its death toll, the country's health minister gave a rare speech criticising his own government's refusal to enforce basic health measures.

“We asked for fines to be collected from anyone who doesn't wear a mask,” Saeed Namaki said last week, referring to the government's new mandate for Tehran, the capital.

Russia's new coronavirus cases hit new record high of 17,347

Russia's daily tally of new coronavirus cases surged to a record high of 17,347 on Monday, including 5,224 in Moscow, taking the national tally to 1,531,224.

Authorities said 219 people had died in the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 26,269.

Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trials produce robust immune response in elderly

Early results from tests for a coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford, in collaboration with AstraZeneca Plc, show it produces a robust immune response in elderly people, the group at highest risk, FTreported.

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Tripura reports 36 new Covid-19 cases, 183 more recoveries

The number of single-day Covid-19 recoveries surpassed fresh cases in Tripura by a wide margin on Monday, with 183 people recuperating from the disease, even as 36 more tested positive for the infection, pushing the tally to 30,257, a senior official said.

Tripura currently has 1,848 active coronavirus cases, while 340 people have succumbed to the infection. A total of 28,046 people have recovered from the viral disease.

No fresh Covid-19 death in Puducherry; 144 new cases take tally to 34,336

In a welcome development, Puducherry reported no fresh fatality due to Covid-19 on Monday for the second time this month.

No death was reported on October 18 and again no fatality has occurred on Monday.

The union territory added 144 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release.

Pakistan's active Covid-19 cases cross 10,000-mark

Pakistan's active coronavirus patients have crossed the 10,000-mark, showing a slow but steady rise in numbers, amidst fear of a second wave hitting the country, the health ministry said on Monday.

The number of total reported cases reached 326,602 after 77 new cases surfaced in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of National Health Services.

Melbourne lockdown lifted after zero new coronavirus cases recorded

Australia's second-biggest city will exit its coronavirus lockdown after nearly four months under onerous restrictions, authorities announced Monday, with no new daily cases or deaths recorded.

Stay-at-home orders for Melbourne's five million residents will be lifted from midnight Tuesday into Wednesday while restaurants, beauty salons and retail stores will be permitted to throw open their doors to customers.

Arunachal Pradesh reports more recoveries than fresh Covid-19 cases

Arunachal Pradesh has reported more Covid-19 recoveries than fresh cases in a single day, as 170 people were cured of the disease while 33 fresh infections, pushed the state's coronavirus tally to 14,244, a senior health department official said on Monday.

Of the 33 new Covid-19 cases, The Capital Complex region reported the highest number at 14, followed by three each in Tawang, Changlang, West Kameng and Upper Siang, two each in West Siang and East Siang and one each in Papumpare, Longding and Lower Dibang Valley districts respectively, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 8,685 to 437,866

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 8,685 to 437,866, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday.

The reported death toll rose by 24 to 10,056, the tally showed.

Jharkhand's Covid-19 tally rises to 99,686.

At least 258 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Jharkhand, pushing the state's coronavirus caseload to 99,686 on Monday, a health official said.

The Covid-19 death toll in the state rose 866 with two more fatalities reported from Ranchi and East Singhbhum district, he said

20 new cases push Covid-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands to 4,245

The Covid-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 4,245 on Monday as 20 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said.

Eighteen fresh infections were detected during contact tracing in the union territory, while two patients have travel history, he said.

Covid-19 pandemic deals body blow to quantitative model of investment, study shows

The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a body blow to the quantitative model-based style of investing, with a majority of the firms using such strategies negatively impacted, a study by Refinitiv has found.

In a report, financial data provider Refinitiv said 72% of such investors were hurt by the pandemic. Some 12% declared their models obsolete and 15% were building new ones.

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Australia's Covid-19 lockdown also prevented about 400 deaths from other illnesses, says research paper

Social distancing and lockdowns in Australia not only slowed the spread of Covid-19, they saved the lives of about 400 people who would have been expected to died in June from respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia, a research paper published on Monday showed.

Examining Australia's most recent official fatality data, the Actuaries Institute said there was a shortfall between verified deaths and the number expected during the mid-winter month, which it concluded was due to a decline in respiratory illnesses.

India records Covid-19 fatalities below 500 after 3.5 months

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South Korea urges people to get flu vaccinations despite death tolls

South Korea urged citizens to get vaccinated against influenza and reduce the chances of an outbreak that coincides with the battle on the coronavirus, as it kicked off free inoculations for the last eligible group.

Public anxiety over the safety of flu vaccines has surged after at least 48 people died this month following vaccinations, while, last month, about 5 million doses had to be disposed of after not being stored at recommended temperatures.

India's caseload tops 79 lakh with 45,148 new Covid-19 cases, 480 deaths

Venezuela’s Maduro presents ‘molecule’ that inhibits Covid-19

President Nicolas Maduro said Venezuelan scientists have isolated a molecule that inhibits the Covid-19 virus and will ask the World Health Organization to evaluate its possible use on a global scale.

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Mexico reported 193,170 'excess deaths' through Sept 26

Mexican health authorities acknowledged Sunday that the country's true death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is far higher than thought, saying there were 193,170 “excess” deaths in the year up to September 26, with 139,153 of those judged to be attributable to Covid-19.

That is about 50,000 more deaths than Mexico's official, test-confirmed death toll of about 89,000, and about 56 per cent higher than the previous estimate of 103,882 pandemic deaths.

China reports surge in symptomless Covid-19 infections

China reported the highest number of asymptomatic Covid-19 cases in nearly seven months, following a mass infection of an unknown origin in the northwestern Xinjiang region.

Xinjiang health authorities found 137 asymptomatic cases on Sunday amid a testing drive for the 4.75 million people in the Kashgar area triggered by an asymptomatic infection in a 17-year-old female garment factory worker reported on Saturday. It was not clear how she was infected, though all of the new cases were linked to the garment factory.

South Korea pharma Celltrion's Covid test gets US emergency use authorisation

South Korea's Celltrion Inc said on Monday it has received emergency use authorisation (EUA) from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for its rapid Covid-19 testing kit Sampinute, which boosted shares of the company and its affiliates.

Celltrion said Sampinute delivers coronavirus test results within 10 minutes, with a sensitivity of around 94 per cent.

Police officers patrol in a police vehicle during the first day of the night-time curfew set as part of a state of emergency in an effort to control the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Barcelona, Spain.

Reuters Photo

Spain declares coronavirus emergency as global cases soar

Spain declared a national state of emergency Sunday to tackle a second coronavirus wave as the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a third straight day of record new infections around the world.

France set a daily record of more than 50,000 Covid-19 cases, while Chinese officials began mass testing to cover 4.75 million residents in the far northwest after 137 new infections were discovered there.

Mexico reports 4,360 new coronavirus cases, 181 more deaths

Mexico's health ministry reported on Sunday 4,360 additional cases of the novel coronavirus and 181 more deaths in the country, bringing the official number of cases to 891,160 and the death toll to 88,924.

Health officials have said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

Israel to start Covid-19 vaccine human trials on November 1

Israel will begin human trials for a potential Covid-19 vaccine developed by a research institute overseen by the Defence Ministry on Nov. 1 after receiving regulatory approval, the ministry said on Sunday.

The Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) began animal trials for its "BriLife" vaccine in March. The Health Ministry and an oversight committee have now given the green light to take it to the next stage.

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France tallies record daily Covid-19 infections as cases surge in Europe

France registered a record 52,010 new confirmed coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, following a record 45,422 on Saturday, the health ministry said in a statement on Sunday, as the second wave of cases surges through Europe.

The new cases took the total to 1,138,507, with France now ahead of Argentina and Spain to register the world's fifth-highest number of cases after the United States, India, Brazil and Russia.

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