Coronavirus News LATEST Updates: A 42-year-old volunteer from Bhopal died nearly ten days after he participated in the clinical trial for Covaxin held at a private hospital, its vice chancellor said on Saturday while a government official suspected poisoning but added that the exact cause of the death will be known after viscera test. Addressing reports of the death, Bharat Biotech issued a statement saying that the volunteer had been reported “healthy” during follow-up calls for seven days after the jab. “The volunteer, at the time of enrolment, had fulfilled all the inclusion and exclusion criteria to be accepted as a participant in the Phase III trial and was reported to be healthy in all the site follow up calls post 7 days of his dosing and no AE’s were observed or reported,” the statement said, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday said coronavirus vaccination roll-out will start soon in India, and the country will also work towards making low-cost, safe and effective vaccines available to the entire world. Addressing the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2021, he said after months of collaborative brainstorming and building upon vaccine distribution expertise, India has streamlined the COVID-19 vaccination process. “India has finally built a state-of-the-art digital platform for COVID-19 vaccine delivery called CoWIN. A critical part of our strategy involves maintaining confidence in the safety of vaccines in the possibility of adverse events following immunisation,” he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of COVID-19 in the country along with the preparedness of the State/UTs for COVID vaccination. The meeting was attended by Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Health Secretary, and other senior officials concerned. “The Prime Minister took a detailed and comprehensive review of status of COVID management covering various issues. Emergency Use Authorisation or Accelerated Approval has been granted by the National Regulator for two vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) which have established safety and immunogenicity. The PM was also briefed about the preparedness status of the Centre in close collaboration with the State and UT governments for roll out of the vaccine in the near future,” the press release said. The COVID-19 vaccination drive in the country will kick off on 16 January, 2021 after the forthcoming festivals including Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu, among others, the Centre said in a press release on Saturday. “The roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine will provide priority to the healthcare workers and the frontline workers who are estimated to be around 3 cr, followed by those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities numbering around 27 crore,” the release said. A total of 78.89 percent of the new COVID-19 recoveries were reported in ten states and Union Territories, according to the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) on Saturday. The gap between recovered cases and active cases is steadily increasing and presently stands at 9,832,461, the health ministry said. The prime minister lauded India’s fight against COVID-19 and said it was among the countries with the lowest fatality rate and the highest recovery rate. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 18,02,53,315 COVID-19 samples have been tested so far — while 9,16,951 of them being tested on Friday alone. After a small rise on Friday, the active number of cases in India declined to 2,24,190 in the past 24 hours. According to the Union health ministry, the active cases comprise 2.16 percent of the total caseload as on Saturday. Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention, a flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs to engage and connect with the overseas Indians. India registered 18,222 fresh infections of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours taking the overall count to 1,04,31,639, said the Union health ministry on Saturday. With 228 new fatalities due to the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, the COVID-19 toll in the country climbed to 1,50,798 on Saturday, said the health ministry. According to the Directorate of Press and Information, among the people who have been identified by the EDMC for vaccination in the first phase are safai karamcharis, health workers, public health workers, engineers, property tax department employees, horticulture and community service departments employees. About 23,000 employees of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has been identified in the category of “frontline workers” for vaccination against COVID-19, officials said on Friday. Several employees of civic bodies in Delhi had contracted the coronavirus infection in 2020. The EDMC has submitted its list of frontline workers in view of the preparations for the vaccination, it said in a statement. About 23,000 employees of the EDMC who have been serving the people since the outbreak of the pandemic have been listed on the government’s portal CoWin for vaccination, the statement said. As part of the first phase, about three lakh healthcare workers and nearly six lakh frontline workers, totalling about nine lakh, will be get vaccine against COVID-19 in Delhi.
Coronavirus News Updates: Bharat Biotech says Bhopal volunteer who died 10 days after trial jab was 'healthy' in follow-ups
Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: A 42-year-old volunteer from Bhopal died nearly ten days after he participated in the clinical trial for Covaxin; poisoning is suspected but officials said that the exact cause of the death will be known after viscera test read more
 "Coronavirus News Updates: Bharat Biotech says Bhopal volunteer who died 10 days after trial jab was 'healthy' in follow-ups")
Bharat Biotech says deceased volunteer was ‘healthy’ 7 days after vaccination
A 42-year-old volunteer from Bhopal died nearly ten days after he participated in the clinical trial for Covaxin held at a private hospital, its vice chancellor said on Saturday while a government official suspected poisoning but added that the exact cause of the death will be known after viscera test.
Addressing reports of the death, Bharat Biotech issued a statement saying that the volunteer had been reported “healthy” during follow-up calls for seven days after the jab.
“The volunteer, at the time of enrolment, had fulfilled all the inclusion and exclusion criteria to be accepted as a participant in the Phase III trial and was reported to be healthy in all the site follow up calls post 7 days of his dosing and no AE’s were observed or reported,” the statement said,
UK rolls out ‘Act like you’ve got it’ drive amid ‘alarming’ COVID-19 spike
The UK government on Saturday began rolling out a series of stark advertisements as part of a new awareness drive that warns people to Act like you’ve got it because anyone can spread coronavirus, especially the new highly transmissible variant that has seen hospitals being overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
The campaign made up of television, radio and newspaper adverts as well as a social media blitz comes as the latest daily death toll from the deadly virus hit a new peak of 1,325 deaths and infections rose to 68,053 cases. Around one in three people infected with the virus do not have any symptoms and could therefore be passing it on without realising, according to the government’s messaging.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson took to social media to urge people to strictly follow the stay-at-home lockdown as the disease continues to spread at an alarming rate
519 new COVID-19 cases in Delhi today
Delhi on Saturday recorded 519 new COVID-19 cases, which is the third time the daily count stood above the 500-mark in January, even as the positivity rate remained much below one percent. The tally in the city stood at 6.29 lakh and the death toll mounted to 10,666.
Covishield, Covaxin vaccines have ’established safety, immunogenicity’, says Centre
“Emergency Use Authorisation or Accelerated Approval has been granted by the National Regulator for two vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) which have established safety and immunogenicity,” the government said.
There are 2,24,190 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which constitutes 2.16 per cent of the total caseload so far of over 1.04 crore, according to the latest Health Ministry data. More than 1.5 lakh people have died so far.
Rajasthan official briefs Centre about state’s preparations for vaccination
Rajasthan Chief secretary Niranjan Arya on Saturday briefed Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba about the preparations for the rollout of the coronavirus vaccination programme in the state.
In a video conference with Gauba, Arya said the dry run was successfully conducted at 18 places in seven districts in the first phase on 2 January and at 102 places in all districts on 8 January across the state. He said healthcare and frontline workers will be vaccinated first in the state.
Arya suggested that Panchayati Raj staffers have also done good work at the grassroots level during the coronavirus pandemic and they should also be considered as frontline workers and should be vaccinated, according to a press release issued.
Harsh Vardhan says will work towards ’low-cost, safe’ vaccine
Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday said coronavirus vaccination roll-out will start soon in India, and the country will also work towards making low-cost, safe and effective vaccines available to the entire world.
Addressing the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2021, he said after months of collaborative brainstorming and building upon vaccine distribution expertise, India has streamlined the COVID-19 vaccination process.
“India has finally built a state-of-the-art digital platform for COVID-19 vaccine delivery called CoWIN. A critical part of our strategy involves maintaining confidence in the safety of vaccines in the possibility of adverse events following immunisation,” he said.
Narendra Modi holds review meeting on vaccination preparedness
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of COVID-19 in the country along with the preparedness of the State/UTs for COVID vaccination.The meeting was attended by Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Health Secretary, and other senior officials concerned.
“The Prime Minister took a detailed and comprehensive review of status of COVID management covering various issues. Emergency Use Authorisation or Accelerated Approval has been granted by the National Regulator for two vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) which have established safety and immunogenicity. The PM was also briefed about the preparedness status of the Centre in close collaboration with the State and UT governments for roll out of the vaccine in the near future,” the press release said.
COVID-19 vaccination drive to begin from 16 Jan, says Centre
The COVID-19 vaccination drive in the country will kick off on 16 January, 2021 after the forthcoming festivals including Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu, among others, the Centre said in a press release on Saturday.
“The roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine will provide priority to the healthcare workers and the frontline workers who are estimated to be around 3 cr, followed by those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities numbering around 27 crore,” the release said.
Delhi govt includes public school teachers in priority groups for inoculation
The Delhi government on Saturday expanded the ambit of ‘frontline’ workers who will be given the COVID-19 vaccine on priority to include teachers of government schools in the National Capital. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that teachers engaged in COVID-19 duty will be placed in the category of frontline workers and will be vaccinated on priority.
Need to build back US economy better so that it uplifts everyone, says Kamala Harris
US vice president-elect Kamala Harris has said that there is a need to build back the economy better so that it lifts up everyone as the world’s largest economy has been severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to reporters in Wilmington, Delaware on Friday, Harris said that building back the economy means providing access to capital for small business owners, the economic engines of the neighbourhoods, so that they can create the jobs that are in the communities and help communities thrive.
US President-elect Joe Biden and Harris will take the oath of office on 20 January. “We must build our economy back better so that it lifts up everyone no matter what you do for a living or where you live, whether it’s in a small town, a big city, or anywhere in between,” she said.
Provide free COVID-19 vaccine to everyone: Kejriwal to Centre
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal Saturday appealed to the Centre to provide COVID-19 vaccine free to everyone. “Coronavirus is the century’s biggest pandemic. It is important to protect our people from it. I appeal to the Central government to ensure that everyone gets free vaccine. The expenditure on this will save lots of lives,” said Kejriwal.
The Delhi government has already announced that the coronavirus vaccine, whenever it is available, will be provided free to people in the National Capital.
15 states, UTs have positivity rate below national average
A total of 15 states and Union Territories have a cumulative COVID-19 positivity rate below the national average of 5.79 percent, the Union health ministry said on Saturday.
“The national cumulative positivity rate is 5.79 percent today. It has reduced from 8.93 percent to 5.79 percent in a span of five months,” the ministry said.
36 new COVID-19 cases in Puducherry
Puducherry recorded 36 fresh cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the total confirmed cases to 38,425 on Saturday. Currently, the number of active cases in the Union Territory stands at 328 and the COVID-19 toll has reached 636.
Odisha reports 206 fresh infections, one death
Odisha on Saturday reported 206 new COVID-19 cases, a health department official said. The state’s COVID-19 tally rose to 3,31,602 with the detection of the fresh cases, he said.
The toll rose to 1,891 as a 47-year-old woman from the Malkangiri district, who was undergoing treatment for COVID-19, died. She also had diabetes and asthma.
At 1.44%, Bihar reports lowest COVID-19 positivity rate
Fifteen states/Union Territories have a positivity rate less than the national average. Bihar has the lowest positivity rate at 1.44 percent while Jammu and Kashmir has the highest rate with 5.58 percent.
The other states/UTs include Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Assam, Punjab, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Odisha, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya.
76.32% of new COVID-19 fatalities reported from 7 states, UTs
At least 76.32 percent of the 228 COVID-19 fatalities that have been reported in the past 24 hours are from seven states and Union Territories, said the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) on Saturday.
Maharashtra reported 73 deaths. Kerala also saw a figure fatality count of 23 followed by 21 in West Bengal.
10 states, UTs account for 78.9% of new COVID-19 recoveries: Centre
A total of 78.89 percent of the new COVID-19 recoveries were reported in ten states and Union Territories, according to the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) on Saturday.
Kerala saw 5,324 persons recovering from the novel coronavirus. Maharashtra and West Bengal reported 2,890 and 1,136 new recoveries, respectively.
India’s COVID-19 positivity rate drops from 8.93% to 5.79% in five months: Centre
India’s cumulative coronavirus positivity rate has further dropped to 5.79 percent and there are only 2.15 percent active cases out of the overall infections, according to the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) on Saturday.
The ministry informed that the national cumulative positivity rate has reduced from 8.93 percent to 5.79 percent in a span of five months.
Most COVID-19 patients show at least one symptom 6 months after falling ill: Study
More than three quarters of COVID-19 patients hospitalised for treatment have at least one ongoing symptom six months after initially becoming unwell, according to a study published in The Lancet journal.
The research looked at the long-term effects of the novel coronavirus infection in 1,733 patients first diagnosed in Wuhan, China between January and May followed to June and September.
In the study, scientists, including those from Jin Yin-tan Hospital in China, interviewed the patients face-to-face using questionnaires to evaluate their symptoms and health-related quality of life.
The discharged patients also underwent physical examinations, lab tests, and a six-minute walking test to gauge their endurance levels.
Nearly 400 patients also underwent further tests, including an assessment of their lung function, and 94 patients whose blood antibody levels were recorded at the height of the infection received a follow-up test.
16 more, including one-yr-old, test COVID-19 positive in Mizoram
At least 16 more people, including a one-year-old baby and four security personnel, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, pushing the state’s tally to 4,275, an official said on Saturday.
Of the fresh cases, 11 were reported from Aizawl, two from Lawngtlai and one each from Lunglei, Siaha and Saitual districts.
“Five minors, including a one-year-old child, two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) employees and two personnel of Border Security Force and Assam Rifles were among the new patients,” the official said.
World watching how India runs world’s biggest vaccination drive: PM
India is ready with two made-in-India vaccines for the protection of humanity and the world is not only waiting for them but also watching as to how the country runs the globe’s biggest vaccination programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention. Talking about India’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said the country is among the nations with the lowest fatality rate and the highest recovery rate.
Talking about the COVID vaccines rollout, Modi said India is ready with not one but two made-in-India coronavirus vaccines for the protection of humanity.
China ready to receive WHO experts to probe COVID-19 origin
China is ready to receive a WHO expert team to probe the origin of COVID-19 and has reached a consensus with the UN’s top health agency, a senior Chinese official said on Saturday, but gave no specific timeline for the visit.
The exact time on when the WHO expert team will arrive in Wuhan, where the virus emerged in December last, and investigate into the coronavirus origin is still under negotiation, Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, told a press conference.
China and the World Health Organisation have reached a consensus on specific arrangements of the investigation with four video conferences, Zeng was quoted as saying by state-run Global Times.
90 people tested positive for new UK mutant strain in India so far
The total number of people who have tested positive for the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 has climbed to 90 in India, the Union health ministry said on Saturday.
India’s active COVID-19 cases drop by 1,259 in past 24 hrs
After a small rise on Friday, the active number of cases in India declined to 2,24,190 in the past 24 hours. According to the Union health ministry, the active cases comprise 2.16 percent of the total caseload as on Saturday.
India had registered 2,25,449 active COVID-19 cases on Friday, which reduced by 1,259 in a span of 24 hours.
Two deaths, 298 new COVID-19 cases in Telangana
Telangana registered 298 fresh coronavirus cases, pushing the total caseload to 2.89 lakh, while the count surged to 1,563 with two more fatalities.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 61, followed by Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri districts with 28 and 25 respectively, a state government bulletin said on Saturday providing details as of 8 pm.
Of 1.5 lakh COVID-19 deaths in India, Maharashtra reports highest
Of the 228 new COVID-19 fatalities reported on Saturday, 73 are from Maharashtra, 21 from West Bengal, 17 from Uttar Pradesh, 10 from Delhi, and eight from Tamil Nadu.
The total 1,50,798 deaths reported so far in the country include 49,970 from Maharashtra, followed by 12,134 from Karnataka, 12,208 from Tamil Nadu, 10,654 from Delhi, 9,902 from West Bengal, 8,469 from Uttar Pradesh, 7,127 from Andhra Pradesh, 5,437 from Punjab and 4,335 from Gujarat.
Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro asks India to expedite vaccine shipment
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite a shipment of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine amid broader delays to the vaccine’s arrival in Brazil, according to a letter on Friday.
“To enable the immediate implementation of our National Immunization Program, I would appreciate the supply to Brazil, with the possible urgency and without jeopardizing the Indian vaccination program, of 2 million doses,” Bolsonaro wrote in the letter, shared by his press office.
Bolsonaro’s letter, released by his press office, comes amid growing pressure to speed up Brazil’s vaccine rollout and end the world’s second-deadliest coronavirus outbreak. Critics say the immunization campaign is running behind regional peers, and they question why the government has not moved more quickly.
Nation ready to save humanity with ‘Made in India’ vaccines: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention, a flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs to engage and connect with the overseas Indians. Speaking at the convention, Modi lauded the contributions of the diaspora to the global community.
“India used to import PPE kits, masks, ventilators and testing kits from outside but today our nation is self-reliant. Today India is ready to save humanity with two ‘Made in India’ COVID-19 vaccines,” said Modi.
COVID-19 recovery rate in India reaches 96.4%
With a total of 1,00,56,651 COVID-19 patients being cured, the national recovery rate climbed to 96.41 percent on Saturday, according to Union Health Ministry data.
Over 18.02 cr COVID-19 samples tested so far: ICMR
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 18,02,53,315 COVID-19 samples have been tested so far — while 9,16,951 of them being tested on Friday alone.
Active COVID-19 cases in India account for 2.16% of total caseload
There are 2,24,190 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which constitute 2.16 percent of the total caseload, according to the Union health ministry data released on Saturday.
Domestic airfare limits to remain in place till 31 March: Aviation ministry
The upper and lower limits on domestic airfares will remain in place till 31 March, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Friday.
The ministry had on 21 May, 2020, placed these limits through seven bands, classified on the basis of flight duration, till 24 August. Later, they were extended till 24 November, and then till 24 February, 2021.
“The capping of fare…is hereby further extended till 23.59 hours on 31 March, 2021,” the ministry said in an order.
Jharkhand reports 207 new COVID-19 cases, two more deaths
Jharkhand’s COVID-19 tally rose to 1,16,436 as 207 more people tested positive for the infection, a health department official said on Saturday. The death count increased to 1,043 after two persons from Ranchi and Dhanbad succumbed to the disease in the past 24 hours, he said.
Ranchi district registered the maximum number of fresh cases at 102, followed by Dhanbad at 29 and East Singhbhum at 17.
228 COVID-19 deaths in past 24 hrs: Centre
With 228 new fatalities due to the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, the COVID-19 toll in the country climbed to 1,50,798 on Saturday, said the health ministry.
India reports 18,222 new cases
India registered 18,222 fresh infections of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours taking the overall count to 1,04,31,639, said the Union health ministry on Saturday.
Teachers on COVID duty will be frontline workers for vaccine drive: Sisodia
Teachers in schools run by the Delhi government and the municipal corporations — who have been actively involved in COVID-19 duty — will also be included in the list of front line workers to be vaccinated in the first phase, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Friday.
China has administered more than 9 million vaccine doses
China has administered more than 9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, Reuters quoted National Health Commission official Zeng Yixin as saying on Saturday.
China to provide COVID-19 vaccines free of cost to public
China will provide COVID-19 vaccines free of charge once they become available to general public, government authorities said on Saturday.
At a press event in Beijing, Zheng Zhongwei, an official with China’s National Health Commission, told reporters that while manufacturing and transport of vaccines does have costs, the government will still be able to provide vaccines for free to individuals.
“Our people don’t have to pay a single cent for the vaccine,” said Zheng.
RECAP: India’s COVID-19 recovery rate at 96.39%
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,00,37,398, pushing the national recovery rate to 96.39 percent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stood at 1.45 percent.
The active COVID-19 caseload remained below three lakh for the 18th consecutive day.
There are 2,25,449 active coronavirus infections in the country, which account for 2.16 percent of the total caseload, the data stated.
RECAP: COVID-19 caseload details
India’s total caseload of cases rose to 1,04,13,417 on Friday, while the recoveries surged to 1,00,37,398, according to data updated by the Union health ministry.
A total of 18,139 new infections were reported in the span of 24 hours. Meanwhile, the toll increased to 1,50,570, as 234 more people succumbed to the disease during the same period, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Harsh Vardhan says India will be able to vaccinate entire population soon
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday said soon it will be a reality to vaccinate the entire population in the country against COVID-19 after prioritising risk groups.
The Centre has started a new COVID platform to track particulars of potential vaccine beneficiaries and also issue electronic certificates to them, he told reporters after reviewing the dry run of administering COVID-19 vaccine at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here as part of a state-wide programme.
Second inoculation dry run held across 736 districts
The second nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive was conducted on Friday in 736 districts across all states and union territories. Overseeing the exercise in Tamil Nadu, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that the entire population of the country will be inoculated soon.
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