A look at today’s Covid-19 data highlights:
– 7,500 rise in active cases, highest since September 18
– 524 new deaths. Delhi reports 99 new fatalities and Maharashtra 65
– 44,500 new cases.
– Kerala reports highest new cases (6,500) followed by Maharashtra (6,200) and Delhi (5,200)
– Rajasthan reports more than 3,000 new cases for the last five days. Rajasthan has 4th highest active cases in India
– Recoveries in Uttar Pradesh cross 5 lakh mark. 24,800 new cases; 93.9% recovery rate
Horses run past empty stands on the first day of pre-winter match at Royal Calcutta Turf Club, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Kolkata.
Jharkhand Reports 237 New COVID-19 Cases, 3 Fresh Fatalities | Jharkhand’s COVID-19 tally rose to 1,08,158 on Thursday as 237 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said. Three more patients succumbed to the infection, pushing the state’s coronavirus death toll to 958, he said. West Singhbhum, Hazaribag and Deoghar districts reported one fresh fatality each, the official said. Ranchi district reported the highest number of new cases at 92, followed by East Singhbhum (38) and Bokaro (18), he said.
Asian Shares Advance as Vaccine, Recovery Hopes Triumph Soft US Data | Asian shares advanced today as markets euphoric mood over COVID-19 vaccines and the prospects of more political predictability and economic stimulus under the incoming Biden administration overrode a slate of weak U.S. economic data.
A healthcare worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) takes swab from a man during a testing campaign for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Ahmedabad.
Vaccine is No Shot in The Arm Yet for Emerging Markets | Emerging markets have surged on the prospect that coronavirus vaccines will become widely available soon, but analysts think the rally is overplayed given the risks from slower rollouts for some economies that could delay their recoveries. Several vaccines are now close to fruition, including at least two produced in emerging markets Russia and China, but budgetary constraints in paying for them and challenges in storage and distribution cloud the outlook for many economies.
Centre Issues New Covid Guidelines from Dec 1 | Putting to rest all speculation about another lockdown in light of the rising Covid-19 numbers in parts of India, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) yesterday said no state or union territory can impose lockdown outside of containment zones. In the latest guidelines for Surveillance, Containment and Caution, the MHA said, “State/UT Governments shall not impose any local lockdown (State/District/sub-division/City level), outside the containment zones, without prior consultation with the Central Government.”
Govt Launches ‘Mission COVID Suraksha’ to Help Accelerate Vaccine Candidates | The government has launched ‘Mission COVID Suraksha’ to help accelerate the development of approximately 5-6 vaccine candidates and ensure that these are brought closer to licensure and introduction in the market, the Department of Biotechnology said on Wednesday.
MP Records 1,773 Fresh Covid-19 Cases; 996 Recover, 14 Die | Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday reported 1,773 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 1,98,284, health officials said. With 14 more people succumbing to the viral infection, the state’s death toll rose to 3,197, they said. A total of 996 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking MP’s overall recovery count to 1,81,345.
Mumbai Reports 1,144 New Coronavirus Cases, 17 Die | Mumbai’s tally of COVID-19 cases grew to 2,78,590 with the addition of 1,144 new cases on Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on. The country’s financial capital has witnessed a rise in the single-day infection count for the second consecutive day after dropping to 800 cases on Monday.
Karnataka Registers 1,630 Covid Positive Cases | With 1,630 Covid positive cases and 19 deaths Karnataka’s total infections rose to 8,78,055 and the toll to 11,714 on Tuesday, the health department bulletin said on Wednesday. The day also saw 1,333 patients getting discharged after recovery, leaving 24,890 active cases.
UP to Be Ready by December 15 to Accept COVID-19 Vaccine, Says Health Minister | Meanwhile, in India, Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Jay Pratap Singh said the state already has an established system of cold chain across all its districts and remaining work at some places will be completed by December 15 to accept vaccine for COVID-19 whenever it is ready. He said the cold chain got established in all 75 districts of the state as part of earlier vaccination process for various diseases like rubella given to children up to the age of five years.
Vaccine Dose Discrepancy | In a surprise, the group of volunteers that got a lower dose seemed to be much better protected than the volunteers who got two full doses. In the low-dose group, AstraZeneca said, the vaccine appeared to be 90% effective. In the group that got two full doses, the vaccine appeared to be 62% effective. Combined, the drugmakers said the vaccine appeared to be 70% effective. But the way in which the results were arrived at and reported by the companies has led to pointed questions from experts.
AstraZeneca Manufacturing Error Clouds Vaccine Study Results | AstraZeneca and Oxford University yesterday evening acknowledged a manufacturing error that is raising questions about preliminary results of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine. A statement describing the error came days after the company and the university described the shots as highly effective and made no mention of why some study participants didn’t receive as much vaccine in the first of two shots as expected.
