Coronavirus news highlights: India sees 81,514 Covid-19 recoveries in 24 hours

India's Covid-19 caseload tops 73-lakh mark with 67,708 fresh cases, while 680 deaths take the toll to 1,11,266, according to Union Health Ministry. Recovery rate stays above 87 per cent as 63,83,441 people recover. Stay tuned for more updates.

Dear readers, thank you for following the live coverage of the coronavirus on DH.

Click here for live updates.

Do part make-up, costumes at residence: Guidelines for cultural performances

Keen to catch up on your favourite theatre performance? Be prepared to be masked up for the entire duration in the auditorium.

Read more

Former MLA and Dhinakaran aide Vetrivel dies at 59

Former MLA P Vetrivel, who got his political teeth cut in the Congress under late G K Moopanar and jumped the ship to AIADMK, passed away in Chennai on Thursday after being infected with the novel coronavirus.

Read more

Covid-19 effect on cracker sales: Manufacturers keep fingers crossed

With no clarity on whether restrictions would be imposed on celebrating Diwali due to Covid-19, fireworks’ manufacturers in Sivakasi have kept their fingers crossed.

Read more

11 million girls won't return to school after Covid-19: UNESCO

Eleven million girls face being unable to return to school even after coronavirus restrictions are lifted around the world, UNESCO head Audrey Azoulay said Thursday during a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Read more

Assam records nine more Covid-19 fatalities, pushing death toll to 843; caseload rises to 1,98,982 with 769 infections: Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

Tamil Nadu records 4,410 new Covid-19 cases, 49 more fatalities and 5,055 recoveries. Infection tally rises to 6,74,802, death toll reaches 10,472.

Delhi reports 3,483 new Covid-19 cases, 26 deaths and 2,755 recoveries today

The total tally rises to 3,21,031, including 5,924 deaths and 2,92,502 recoveries. Active cases stand at 22,605.

India expected to have Covid-19 vaccine in next few months: Harsh Vardhan

India is expected to have a Covid-19 vaccine in a few months and the country should be in the process of delivering it to people in the next six months, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said.

Read more

Kamala Harris suspends travel after staffer contracts Covid-19

US presidential candidate Joe Biden's running mate Kamala Harris suspended travel on Thursday after her communications director tested positive for Covid-19, the campaign said, adding that Harris had not come into "close contact" with the staffer.

Read more

India is about to find out what happens when Covid-19 meets toxic air

As a thick quilt of smog wrapped itself around New Delhi on Thursday, signalling the start of the fall pollution season, doctors and scientists warned that the deteriorating air quality could make the city’s Covid-19 problems even worse.

Read more

Maharashtra reports 10,226 new Covid-19 cases, tally rises to 15,64,615; toll goes up to 41,196 as 337 die.

Healthy people might have to wait till 2022 to get Covid-19 vaccine: WHO

Healthy people might have to wait till 2022 to get Covid-19 vaccine as health workers and those with a higher risk of contracting the infection will be prioritised, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Read more

Noida reports 140 new Covid-19 cases; discrepancy in death data

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded 140 new Covid-19 patients on Thursday, pushing the district's case tally to 15,567, official data showed.

Read more

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says cancelling Durga puja celebrations not an option, urges people to follow Covid-19 safety protocols.

Punjab reported 511 new Covid-19 cases, 1,111 discharged cases and 29 deaths, taking total positive cases to 1,26,230 till date, including 1,15,186 discharges, 7,090 active cases and 3,954 deaths.

Madhya Pradesh reports 1,308 new Covid-19 cases, 24 fatalities and 1,559 recoveries. Infection tally jumps to 1,56,584, death toll mounts to 2,710. There are 14,157 active cases of the disease in the state.

Himachal Pradesh detects 56 new Covid-19 positive cases in the last 24 hours

Total positive cases in the state rise to 18,155 cases including 2,522 active cases, 15,357 recoveries and 255 death.

People with blood type O may have lower risk of getting infected with Covid-19

People with blood type O may have a lower risk of infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, that causes Covid-19, and reduced likelihood of severe outcomes, including organ complications, if they develop the disease, two new studies suggest.

Read more

83 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths reported in Chandigarh in the last 24 hours

The total number of positive cases stands at 13,477 till date, including 1,044 active cases, 12,232 cured cases, and 201 deaths

Uttarakhand reports 423 new Covid-19 cases today, taking total cases to 56,493 including 5,682 active cases, 49,631 recoveries and 814 deaths.

Kerala reports 7,789 new Covid-19 cases, 23 more fatalities. Infection tally rises to 3,15,929, death toll reaches 1,089.

Goa registers 332 new Covid-19 cases, six fatalities and 430 recoveries. Death toll rises to 525, infection count reaches 39,770. The state currently has 4,084 active cases of the disease.

Gujarat reports 1,185 new Covid-19 cases, 1,329 discharges and 11 deaths today, taking total cases to 1,56,283 including 1,37,870 recoveries, 3,609 deaths and 14,804 active cases.

Manipur records 284 new Covid-19 cases and one death today; the total number of positive cases in the State stands at 14,378 including 11,081 recoveries, 3,193 active cases and 104 deaths.

Puducherry records 245 new Covid-19 cases, 213 discharges and two deaths today

Total cases in the Union Territory rise to 32,486 including 4,551 active cases, 27,365 recoveries and 570 deaths.

Rajasthan sees 2,039 new Covid-19 cases and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours

Total positive cases in the state stand at 1,67,279 including 1,708 deaths, 1,43,984 recoveries and 21,587 active cases.

Andhra Pradesh reports 4,038 new Covid-19 cases, 38 more fatalities and 5,622 recoveries

Infection tally in the state goes up to 7,71,503, death toll reaches 6,357.

Karnataka reports 8,477 new Covid-19 cases, 8,841 discharges, and 85 deaths today

Total cases in the state rise to 7,43,848 including 1,13,538 active cases, 6,20,008 discharges and 10,283 deaths

A worker sanitises a cinema hall, as mutiplexes prepare to re-open after nearly seven months of closure due to coronavirus lockdown, in Jabalpur. Credit: PTI Photo

Jammu and Kashmir record 648 new Covid-19 cases and six deaths today

The total positive cases in the UT rises to 86,057 including 9,058 active cases, 75,641 recoveries and 1,358 deaths.

Covid-19 negative certificate mandatory for visiting Sabarimala temple

Covid-19 negative certificate is mandatory for visiting Sabarimala temple which is reopening tomorrow. Only 250 people will be allowed to visit on a day. A health certificate assuring the devotee is fit for climbing the hill is also mandatory: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Ladakh records 66 new coronavirus cases

The Union Territory of Ladakh reported 66 new coronavirus cases, taking the infection tally to 5,304, according to an official bulletin on Thursday.

91 million urban Indians lack basic handwashing facilities at home: UNICEF

Around 91 million urban Indians lack basic handwashing facilities at home, UNICEF has said while noting that washing of hands with soap is critical in the fight against infectious diseases like Covid-19.

Breastfeeding not associated with Covid-19 in newborns: Study

Scientists have analysed 176 reported cases of novel coronavirus infections in newborn infants, and found that while 30 per cent of the babies may have contracted the virus from the mother, breastfeeding was not associated with Covid-19.

Covid-19 detection system automatically scans for temperature, mask

Nokia has created an automated system that uses a thermal camera and real-time video analytics to determine if a person has Covid-19 symptoms and is wearing a mask, part of efforts to protect employees as they return to work.

The Finnish company has been using the system in its factory in Chennai, India, for two months and has screened more than 2,00,000 people in that facility.

PM Modi calls for scaling up of Covid-19 testing, sero surveys

Calling for continued vigilance and a high state of preparedness against the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday directed health authorities to scale up Covid-19 testing and sero-surveys and said the facility to get tested regularly and speedily at a low cost must be available to all at the earliest.

Tamil Nadu reports 49 deaths and 4,410 new Covid-19 cases taking the total number of cases in the State to 6,74,802

The death toll is at 10,472. 6,22,458 people have been discharged in the State so far including 5,055 people discharges today.

Prime Minister Modi called for continued vigilance and high state of preparedness against the pandemic: PMO

Prime Minister underscored the need for continuous & rigorous scientific testing & validation of traditional medicine treatments. He appreciated efforts of Ministry of AYUSH for conducting evidence-based research & providing reliable solution in this difficult time.

Mizoram reports 13 new Covid-19 infections pushing total tally to 2,220 out of which 99 are active cases.

Libraries gear up to reopen doors to readers after government nod

With the Maharashtra government allowing reopening of libraries from Thursday as part of its 'Mission Begin Again', many of these establishments in Mumbai are working out modalities to resume operations after over a six-month-long break.

Read more

Africa at pivotal moment as Covid-19 cases rise: WHO

Africa faces "a pivotal moment" in its fight against the coronavirus as cases and deaths rise after eased lockdowns and travel curbs, the regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday.

Read more

Hong Kong, Singapore announce plans for travel bubble

Hong Kong and Singapore will set up a travel bubble, the two cities announced on Thursday, as they moved to re-establish overseas travel links and lift the hurdle of quarantine for visiting foreigners.

Read more

UP CM launches ‘hath dhona, roke corona’ on Global Handwashing Day

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday stressed that common habits of personal hygiene like washing hands can keep coronavirus infection at bay and help people lead a healthy and disease-free life.

Read more

Telangana recorded 1,432 Covid-19 cases, 1,949 recoveries and 8 deaths yesterday, taking total cases to 2,17,670 including 1,93,218 recoveries, 1,249 deaths and 23,203 active cases.

Coronavirus may spread more via respiratory droplets in winter, say scientists

While transmission of the novel coronavirus as small aerosol particles is more significant in summer, direct contact with respiratory droplets may be more pronounced in the winter months, according to a new research.

Read more

French police search homes of top officials in Covid-19 probe

French police searched the homes of the former prime minister, the current and former health ministers and other top officials Thursday in an investigation into the government response to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Read more

Covid-19: Big-ticket Kolkata Durga Puja to allow only locals to visit its marquee

With the threat of the spread of Covid-19 during pandal-hopping casting a shadow over Durga Puja festivities in West Bengal, a crowd-puller big-budget puja in Kolkata has decided to allow only locals toue visit its marqe.

Read more

Oxford scientists develop 5-minute Covid-19 antigen test

Scientists from Britain's University of Oxford have developed a rapid Covid-19 test able to identify the coronavirus in less than five minutes, researchers said on Thursday, adding it could be used in mass testing at airports and businesses.

Read more

Japanese cinema must adapt to survive, warns rising star director

Japanese cinema needs an overhaul. At least that's what acclaimed director Koji Fukada thinks, calling for less reliance on manga adaptations, more money for arthouse and better treatment of workers.

Read more

Pakistan's Covid-19 positivity rate highest in over 50 days: Minister

Pakistan’s positivity rate has increased to its highest in more than 50 days, Planning minister Asad Umar said on Thursday.

Umar, who is the chief of National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) to combat the pandemic, also said that the cases of coronavirus was going up in the country despite attempts to bring it down.

Puducherry adds 245 new coronavirus cases, two deaths take toll to 570.

The union territory of Puducherry reported 245 fresh Covid-19 cases while two more deaths pushed the toll to 570, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said on Thursday.

The 245 new cases were identified at the end of examination of 4,649 samples, he said.

Poland reports over 8,000 new coronavirus cases

Poland reported a record of coronavirus infections for the second consecutive day, with 8,099 new cases, according to health ministry data published on Twitter, with further curbs expected to be announced later on Thursday.

The country of 38 million has now recorded 149,903 confirmed coronavirus cases and 3,308 deaths.

People wearing protective masks stand on the platform at the San Giovanni Train Station as Italy adopts new restrictions aimed at curbing a surge in the coronavirus disease infections, in Rome, Italy

Reuters Photo

Indonesia passes Philippines with most coronavirus cases in SE Asia

Indonesia on Thursday reported 4,411 newcoronavirusinfections, taking its tally to 349,160, passing the Philippines with the highest case number in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia also reported 112 newCovid-19deaths, with total fatalities reaching 12,268. The Philippines had recorded 348,698 cases and 6,497 deaths as of Thursday.

Philippines eyes Sinovac trial as early as November

Sinovac Biotech may start late-stage trials of itscoronavirusvaccine in the Philippines as early as next month, its food and drugs agency chief said on Thursday, after it hurdled the initial stage of the country's screening process.

The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) expects to receive the Chinese drug maker's formal application for phase three clinical trials within two weeks and regulators will make a decision after their evaluation, FDA head Rolando Enrique Domingo said.

Odisha reports 2,470 new Covid-19 cases, 17 deaths

Odisha's Covid-19 tally rose to 2,62,011 on Thursday as 2,470 more people tested positive for the infection, while 17 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 1,089, a health official said.

As many as 1,462 new cases were reported in quarantine centres, while 1,008 people tested positive for the infection during contact tracing, he said.

Khurda district, under which Bhubaneswar falls, registered the highest number of new cases at 368, followed by Cuttack (186) and Angul (170), the official said.

Coronavirus may spread more via respiratory droplets in winter, say scientists

While transmission of the novel coronavirus as small aerosol particles is more significant in summer, direct contact with respiratory droplets may be more pronounced in the winter months, according to a new research.

The modelling study, published in the journal Nano Letters, also noted that the currently followed physical distancing guidelines are inadequate in curbing the transmission of Covid-19.

China fires 2 health officials following new coronavirus outbreak

A hospital president and the director of the health commission in the northern Chinese city of Qingdao have been fired after China's latest coronavirus outbreak, authorities said Thursday.

A brief notice on the Qingdao city government's official microblog Thursday said Health Commission Director Sui Zhenhua and Deng Kai, president of Qingdao's thoracic hospital to which the cases have been linked, were placed under further investigation. No other details were given.

India's peak holiday season set to send Covid-19 cases surging

Already on track to overtake the United States with the world's most novel coronavirus infections, India is bracing for a surge of cases in coming weeks as it heads into its main holiday season with an economy freed of virus restrictions.

The recent experience of the southern state of Kerala, which was praised for its initial handling of the pandemic, indicates how rapidly the situation can worsen. Reported infections there have jumped by five times since it celebrated the 10-day harvest festival of Onam in late August, far outpacing the two-fold increase in cases nationally over that time.

Arunachal Pradesh reports 207 new Covid-19 cases, 1 death

Arunachal Pradesh's Covid-19 tally rose to 12,768 on Thursday as 207 more people tested positive for the infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the northeastern state's coronavirus death toll to 29, a senior health official said.

A 70-year-old man from Naharlagun's Lekhi village died at a Covid-19 hospital at Chimpu on Wednesday due to septic shock and multiple organ failure. He had tested positive for coronavirus and was admitted to the hospital on October 6, State Surveillance Officer, Dr Lobsang Jampa, said.

Maharashtra Cop donates plasma to Covid-19 patient

A Covid-19 patient urgently requiring plasma approached Thane police for help, following which a cop promptly responded to his request, the city police said.

The police here in Maharashtra received a message on its WhatsApp group about a 65-year-old patient suffering from coronavirus infection urgently in need of B+ve plasma.

Czech Republic's daily Covid-19 cases tally hits new record

The Czech Republic reported 9,544 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, its highest one-day tally since the pandemic started, Health Ministry data showed on Thursday.

India's Doubling Time has sharply increased to 70.4 days (it was 25.5 days in mid August): Ministry of Health

With India witnessing a decline in average daily Covid-19 cases over the past five weeks,the country’s doubling time of coronavirus cases has increased to 70.4 days from 25.5 days in mid-August, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.

Read more here

Facebook shuts New Zealand party's page before polls over Covid-19 misinformation

Facebook shut down the page of a fringe New Zealand political party on Thursday, days before a general election, for sharing what the company called misinformation about the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The newly formed Advance NZ Party's page was taken off because of "repeated violations" of Facebook's policy on misinformation about the virus that could lead to imminent physical harm, Facebook said in a statement.

China's domestic flight numbers top pre-Covid-19 levels in Sept

The number of domestic Chinese flights in September topped last year's levels, official data showed on Thursday, with passenger numbers indicating the local aviation sector is nearing a full recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There were a total of 371,000 domestic passenger flights in September, up 3.5% from a year ago, Qiao Yibin, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China, told a news conference.

India's Covid-19 caseload tops 73-lakh mark with 67,708 fresh cases, 680 deaths

Jharkhand reports 633 new Covid-19 cases, 6 deaths

Jharkhand's Covid-19 tally rose to 94,369 on Thursday as 633 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said.

Six fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 811, he said.

Jharkhand now has 7,191 active coronavirus cases, while 86,367 people have been cured of the disease so far, the official said

Donald Trump may be immune to coronavirus, but for how long?

After receiving a heavy infusion of monoclonal antibodies to treat his bout of Covid-19, President Donald Trump has declared that he is immune to the virus that causes it and talked privately about wearing a Superman T-shirt under his dress shirt when he left the hospital.

Even as the president has exulted in his supposed imperviousness to the coronavirus that is resurging across parts of the country, he has delighted in portraying former Vice President Joe Biden as vulnerable and cloistered, wearing masks “every time you see him.”
Read more here.

Europe, which thought it had the coronavirus tamed, faces a resurgence

From France to Russia, from Britain to the Czech Republic, European leaders are confronting a surge in coronavirus cases that is rapidly filling hospital beds, driving up death tolls and raising the grim prospect of further lockdowns in countries already traumatized by the pandemic.

The continent, which once compared favorably to the United States in its handling of the pandemic, is being engulfed by a second wave of infection. With an average of more than 100,000 new infections per day over the past week, Europe now accounts for about one-third of new cases reported worldwide.

Read more here

World experiencing one of the deepest recessions since Great Depression due to Covid-19: West Bengal

The world is experiencing one of the deepest recessions since the Great Depression in the 1930s owing to the novel coronavirus, World Bank President David Malpass has said, terming the Covid-19 pandemic a "catastrophic event" for many developing and the poorest countries.

He told reporters that given the extent of the economic contraction, there was a rising risk of disruptive debt crises in countries.

A man wearing a protective face mask as he walks by murals as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues along Houston Street in New York City, US.

Reuters Photo

Mainland China reports 11 new Covid-19 cases vs 20 a day earlier

Mainland China reported 11 new Covid-19 cases on Oct. 14, down from 20 a day earlier, the country's health authority said on Thursday.

The National Health Commission said 10 of the cases were imported infections originating from overseas, compared with 14 a day earlier. One new local infection was reported in Qingdao, where the city government is seeking to test every person this week due to recent cases linked to a hospital treating imported infections

'Long COVID' may affect multiple parts of body and mind, doctors say

Ongoing illness after infection with Covid-19, sometimes called "long COVID", may not be one syndrome but possibly up to four causing a rollercoaster of symptoms affecting all parts of the body and mind, doctors said on Thursday.

In an initial report about long-term Covid-19, Britain's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) said one common theme among ongoing Covid-19 patients - some of whom are seven months or more into their illness - is that symptoms appear in one physiological area, such as the heart or lungs, only to abate and then arise again in a different area.

Paris goes under curfew as Europe ramps up coronavirus restrictions

France on Wednesday became the latest European country to toughen anti-coronavirus measures, imposing a curfew in Paris and eight other cities from Saturday, while Germany and Ireland also ramped up restrictions.

"We have to act. We need to put a brake on the spread of the virus," President Emmanuel Macron told public television, announcing a shutdown between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am that will remain in force for as long as six weeks.

Mexico's coronavirus death tally nears 85,000, including 1,744 health workers

Mexico's health ministryreported 4,056 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 478 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 829,396 cases and 84,898 deaths.

The ministry also said 127,053 healthcare workers have contracted confirmed cases of Covid-19, with at least 1,744 fatalities since the pandemic began.

Covid-19: RT-PCR test errors stump Karnataka

The rise in mysterious cases where patients test negative for RT-PCR but are found to have serious Covid-19 infection through high resolution CT (HRCT) scan has prompted the government to work on a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

This is being done to prevent "false" negative patients from transmitting the infection to others.

Read more here

Donald Trump’s son Barron tested positive for Covid-19, reveals Melania

Barron Trump, the teenage son of US President Donald Trump, contracted coronavirus after his parents tested positive for Covid-19 but has since tested negative, First Lady Melania Trump has said.

In a blog posted on the White House website, Melania said that Barron, 14, exhibited no symptoms, a departure from herself and the president, who have both said they experienced mild symptoms.

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