Coronavirus News Highlights: Uttarakhand Govt extends Covid curfew for seven days till August 31

India saw a single-day rise of 25,072 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest in 160 days, while active cases declined to 3,33,924. The Centre on Monday said that states and UTs received over 57 crore doses of Covid vaccines to date, with 13,34,620 doses in the pipeline. Stay tuned to DH for updates.

231 cases of Delta Plus variant detected in Maharashtra

Maharashtra has reported 231 cases of the Delta Plus variant of Covid-19 in India's financial capital of Mumbai and other places in the state.

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33 new cases push Nagaland's Covid-19 tally to 29,622

Nagaland's Covid-19 tally rose to 29,622 on Monday as 33 more people tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said.

The northeastern state's coronavirus death toll remained unchanged at 610 as no fresh fatality was reported.

Nagaland now has 916 active cases, while 27,238 people have recovered from the disease so far, including 87 in the last 24 hours, and 858 patients have migrated to other states to date, it said. - PTI.

Uttarakhand Govt extends Covid curfew for seven days till August 31

Puri Jagannath temple reopens for public after 4 months

The famed Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri reopened for the public on Monday morning after remaining off the bounds for four months due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, officials said.

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Maharashtra reports 3,643 fresh Covid cases, 6,795 discharges, and 105 deaths today

Multiplexes, theatres in Tamil Nadu to welcome guests from August 27

Multiplexes and theatres in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu, as well, will start receiving film lovers from August 27, nearly four months after cinema halls were closed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association said on Monday.

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Telangana government decides to reopen schools from 1 September

FDA grants full approval to Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine

Covid vaccine trial participants to be issued digital certificates through Co-WIN

People who participated in Covid-19 vaccine trials will be issued digital certificates through the Co-WIN portal, the Union health ministry said on Monday.

In a statement, the ministry said it received several requests from trial participants for issuing certificates through Co-WIN. - PTI.

Schools in Bengal to reopen after puja vacation if Covid situation does not change for worse: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said schools in the state will reopen after the puja vacations, provided the Covid-19 situation does not change for worse. She also said that a sanitisation drive will be conducted at the educational institutes before their campuses reopen for physical classes. - PTI.

Schools, colleges in Puducherry to re-open on Sept 1

Schools and colleges in the Union Territory of Puducherry would re-open on September 1, Chief Minister N Rangasamy said on Monday. Classes IX and X would be held on Mondays and classes XI and XII on Tuesdays, he told reporters here after a meeting with officials of the Health and Education Departments. - PTI.

German to drop incidence levels as key Covid yardstick

Germany has decided to stop using the coronavirus infection rate as its yardstick for deciding if restrictions should be in force to contain the spread of the virus, government sources told Reuters on Monday.

The government will instead monitor hospitalisations as a key indicator for the whether the health system is becoming overburdened, the sources said. - Reuters.

Experts warn of imminent third wave of Covid-19 in Sept-Oct

An expert panel, set up by an institute under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has predicted a third wave of Covid-19 hitting the country anytime between September and October and suggested significantly ramping up vaccination pace.

The committee of experts, constituted by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), also said that children will have a similar risk as adults since paediatric facilities, doctors and equipment like ventilators, ambulances, etc. are nowhere close to what may be required in case a large number of children become infected. - PTI.

No fever after Covid jab? Shot still effective: Study

Often people fall ill or have symptoms like fever, chills, body pain among others for a couple of days after taking a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, however, this is not a cause for concern and in fact, a positive sign. These are signs that your body is building protection against the disease.

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No fresh Covid case recorded in Ladakh

No new Covid-19 case was reported from Ladakh where seven people were cured from the infection, taking the overall recoveries so far to 20,223, officials said on Monday.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Ladakh stands at 20,491, they said, adding the number of active cases in the union territory stands at 61 -- 55 in Leh and six in Kargil district. - PTI.

At least 4,430,846 people killed by Covid-19 since outbreak in December 2019, reports AFP

Over 57 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses provided to states, UTs so far: Centre

More than 57.05 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been provided to state and UTs so far, the Union Health ministry said on Monday.

Another 13,34,620 doses are in the pipeline, the ministry said.

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UK warns Covid travel test providers over pricing

The British government said on Monday it had warned dozens of domestic private medical testing companies over "misleading prices" for coronavirus travel tests, following a review of costs and standards.

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said more than 80 firms would be issued a "two-strike warning" and could be removed from the government's online database of test providers if they fail to accurately advertise their prices. - AFP.

Covid booster shots should be delayed: WHO Chief

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that Covid-19 booster shots should be delayed as priority should be given to raising vaccination rates in countries where only 1 per cent or 2 per cent of the population has been inoculated.

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No instant solution on whether to reopen schools amid pandemic: Amartya Sen

There is no instant answer to the debate over the opening of school campuses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said.

Speaking in an online discussion organised by Pratichi on Sunday, Sen said that children are suffering a lot as schools are closed but also concerns over their health cannot be ignored if campuses reopen.

"In America, there is an ongoing debate between two groups on the same issue. In India, there are different opinions. But, what may be applicable in the east of Birbhum may not work in the west of Bankura. There cannot be a readymade reply, an instant reply at hand, the situation is not so," Sen said. (PTI)

We should stop sweating about box office: Emraan Hashmi on Covid-19 impact on theatrical releases

Actor Emraan Hashmi says filmmakers should let go of their obsession with box office numbers as having a theatrical release amid the coronavirus pandemic in itself is a step towards revival of the industry.

Film shoots across India came to a standstill due to the pandemic, first during last year's nationwide lockdown and then earlier this year when the second wave hit the country. (PTI)

Anger as Covid-sceptic church flouts Sydney lockdown

Australian police on Monday criticised a Sydney church for flouting the city's Covid-19 lockdown by holding a service for 60 people in a pandemic hotspot.

The church is part of Christ Embassy, an international religious group headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, which has a record of spreading Covid-19 conspiracy theories.

After being tipped off by residents on Sunday, police moved in on the Christ Embassy Sydney church, issuing a fine of 5,000 Australian dollars ($3,600) to the organisation and Aus$1,000 fines to 30 parishioners. (AFP)

Puducherry witnessed a dip in number of new coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours reporting 42 infections, a senior official of Department of Health said on Monday. The union territory recorded 42 fresh cases as against the 60 recorded on Sunday, Director of the Department G Sriramulu said in a release. The new cases were identified at the end of the examination of 3,035 samples. (PTI)

Indonesia official says vaccines help Jakarta reach 'herd immunity'

Weeks after the Delta variant of the coronavirus ripped through Jakarta, the Indonesian capital has reached "herd immunity", the city's deputy governor said, ahead of an expected decision by the president on Monday on whether to extend Covid-19 curbs.

For much of last month, Jakarta was devastated by the outbreak with inundated hospitals, oxygen shortages and Covid-19 patients dying at home, but in recent weeks case numbers have dropped sharply, while vaccination rates have climbed.

On July 12, Jakarta recorded more than 14,600 infections, but by Sunday the figure had fallen to 700. (Reuters)

Vietnam deploys troops to enforce lockdown in largest city

Vietnamese soldiers on Monday were deployed on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City to help enforce a lockdown in the country's business hub, which has become the epicentre of its worst coronavirus outbreak so far during the pandemic.

Panic-buying broke out at supermarkets in the city of nine million people over the weekend ahead of the tighter lockdown, which started on Monday and prohibits residents from leaving their homes.

Vietnam's toughest order yet comes amid a spike in fatalities and infections. (AFP)

No new Covid-19 case in Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not record any new Covid-19 case in the last 24 hours, a health official said on Monday.

The Covid-19 tally in the union territory remained at 7,557, he said.

The archipelago now has eight active Covid-19 cases and all eight patients are in the South Andaman district. The other two districts - North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar - are Covid-19 free, the official said.

With the addition of 196 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 5,49,596, an official said on Monday. These new cases were reported on Sunday, he said. (PTI)

Taiwan's president leads way in first domestic Covid-19 vaccine

President Tsai Ing-wen got vaccinated with Taiwan's first domestically developed Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, giving her personal stamp of approval as the island begins rolling out the shot whose approval critics say has been rushed.

The health ministry last month approved the emergency use of Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp's Covid-19 vaccine, part of a broader plan for inoculation self-sufficiency as delays in vaccine deliveries from global drug companies have affected Taiwan and many other countries. (Reuters)

N Korea develops its own PCR equipment for Covid-19 tests

North Korea has developed its own Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) equipment to conduct coronavirus tests, state media said on Monday, as the country steps up efforts to head off more contagious new strains of the virus.

The isolated country has not confirmed any Covid-19 cases, but has sealed borders, restricted travel and imposed strict prevention measures, seeing the pandemic as a matter of national survival. (Reuters)

New Zealand's Delta outbreak tops 100 cases

New Zealand on Monday reported 35 new cases of Covid-19, taking the total number of infections in its current outbreak to 107.

The health ministry said in a statement that 33 new cases are in Auckland and two are in the capital Wellington. (Reuters)

China reports no new local Covid-19 cases for first time since July

China's health authority reported on Monday that there were no new locally transmitted cases of Covid-19 for the first time since July, offering more signs that the current outbreak which began late last month may be tapering off soon.

The latest outbreak was driven mainly by infections first detected among a few airport workers in the eastern city of Nanjing on July 20. Since then, more than 1,200 people in China have been confirmed to be infected. (Reuters)

Covid under-reporting rampant in big cities, less so in Bengaluru

Out of the six major metropolitan cities in India, only Mumbai and Bengaluru have not under-reported Covid-19 deaths for the month of July, a data analysis shows.

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Karnataka sees steady decline in new Covid infections

The Covid-19 outbreak in Karnataka saw a further decline in the number of new cases over the last one week. However, the rate of decline of Karnataka’s active cases has slowed substantially in recent weeks, data shows.

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Many private schools in Karnataka may stick to online classes

Karnataka government’s decision to resume offline classes for grades 9 and above from Monday has not gone down well with many parents, forcing many schools to continue with online mode.

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Israel finds Covid-19 vaccine booster significantly lowers infection risk

A third dose of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine has significantly improved protection from infection and serious illness among people aged 60 and older in Israel compared with those who received two shots, findings published by the Health Ministry showed on Sunday.

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